“We can go back to Australia,” Ragon said suddenly, reaching for his phone and retrieving Bert, his pilots, phone number. “The Ancients have Elders everywhere, but there are only a few there, and only Matthew and Nikolas in Brisbane. If we go west, inland Australia is a desert. I doubt that there will be anyone of authority there at all.”
Ari glanced down at her watch; it was 10.30 in the morning and they weren’t expected by the vampire council until 3.30pm. If they left the Pasteur Institute now, they would have a good five hours head start.
“Ok,” Ragon said, moving away from the entrance of the Three Prong Trek. “We’ll go straight to the barge. I think it will be safer if we go to Ireland instead of England. We can lay low for a week or so there before getting on a plane back to Australia.
“But what about all of our stuff; our passports and, and…” asked Ari, her voice staggering as she realised that there was so much she would be leaving behind.
She had wanted to say, ‘what about Lea and Chris,’ and ‘what about her becoming a vet,’ but couldn’t bring herself to. It was too much to cope with, too much and too soon.
“We can’t go back to our rooms; we might be caught,” said Ragon, as he began to walk back towards the long, steep hill that would take them to the edge of the campus. “Thomas, when you get back to Cruor halls go into my room and get mine and Ari’s passport. We will go straight to Belfast, we won’t need them before then, but I don’t want to have issues at customs before we can get to Bert.”
Thomas nodded.
“Wait,” Ari said, and Ragon turned around to face her, watching as she moved over to where Thomas was standing and gestured for his back pack. “Do you have some paper and a pen?”
Thomas rummaged through his bag then handed her a notebook and pencil. For a moment Ragon looked at her in confusion, but then he read the first line of what she was writing and looked away, a somewhat sad and muffled expression plastering his face.
Ari glanced back down at the piece of paper and continued to write. She wasn’t sure what was going to happen in the next few hours, but she knew that if she and Ragon were going to be leaving the campus, she didn’t want to part from Chris on such a sour note. He had, after all, been a really good friend to her, not to mentioned, saved her life. Chris had not been himself when he had attacked her and Ragon. She knew that Chris’s actions would be tormenting him. Besides, if anyone knew about having uncontrollable power inside them and being afraid of it, it was Ari. She paused when she had finished the letter, quickly reading over it once to check that it made sense.
“Can you make sure that Chris gets this?” she asked a moment later, folding the note she had written and handing it to Sandra, whose mouth was open slightly in surprise. “And make sure you tell Lea what’s happened also. She’ll worry if we all just vanish.”
Sandra nodded once and slipped the letter into her pocket.
After their brief goodbye, Ari and Ragon rushed away. Neither talked as they made their way out of campus; Ari was too out of breath for chit chat and Ragon’s eyes were oddly blank, clearly deep in thought. He had insisted that they walk to town rather than risk being seen going to his car. Though Ari wasn’t entirely happy about this, she had plenty to think about to occupy her time.
She was barely paying attention to where they were going. Ragon held her hand, directing her and so she kept her eyes plastered to the ground, trying to navigate around the slippery leaves underfoot. Ragon had taken them along the edge of the Three Prong Trek, making sure that they hugged the tree line so as not to be seen from the main road.
The pair had been walking for about an hour before they reached the end of the forest. About halfway through the forest, Ari had tried to stop thinking about her predicament; it just upset her. But no matter how much she tried to distract herself by looking at the gnarled trees, or even the occasional dancing butterflies, nothing would deter the crisp flashes of all the faces she would be leaving behind. She wouldn’t be able to be there for the birth of Riley and Clyde’s miracle child. She wouldn’t be able to help Ryder and Patrick get over their stupid fight. She wouldn’t get to graduate from vet with Chris or hang out with Lea and Sandra any more.
“Stop,” Ragon said suddenly, coming to a halt so quickly that Ari felt her wrist almost snap by his sudden jerk.
“What’s wrong?” she whispered.
Very slowly Ragon released her hand and said, “Wait here,” and then blurred away.
Had Ari been any faster she would have asked him what the hell was going on, but before she’d even formulated this question in her head, he had disappeared.
“Where exactly do you think you are going?” a high pitched, girly voice, asked.
Ari froze, watching as four people appeared from behind a gathering of trees, right at the edge of the forest. Gwen was there, as were two other men, Ari had never seen before. They were tall and thickly built, with enormous arms, arms which were wrapped around Ragon, restraining him. One of the men gripped tightly to Ragon’s arms, forcing them behind his back, the other man held his head, as if paused in the motion of breaking his spine, or perhaps severing his head from his body.
“What’s this all about?” Ari asked, trying her best to be surprised by Ragon’s capture.
“You are both required at Cruor halls,” Gwen said, now turning to face Ragon.
“I don’t recall the Final Death Laws saying that we can’t go for a walk?” Ragon spat, struggling in his captors arms. “Our arraignment is not for hours.”
“Walk?” Gwen asked, and her high voice bounced off the walls of the trees at the edge of the forest, echoing oddly around them. “Do you think we would be here if you were just going for a walk? The Vice Chancellor wants to see you, now!”
“You can’t do this,” Ragon screamed.
The moment Ragon had screamed, one of the men had taken out a long silvery rope, which he wound around Ragon’s neck, choking him. The second the rope touched Ragon’s flesh, red angry welts formed. Ragon’s mouth fell open in a wide hollow pit which sung of agony, though no actual sound came out at all. It became apparent quickly that the more he struggled, the worse the pain was, and so after a few seconds of defiance he stopped.
“You are familiar with EDTA?” asked Gwen, glaring at Ragon, where torn and exposed flesh was now beginning to blossom around his neck. “Struggle again and we will douse you in it, not just around your neck but every inch of your pathetic body.”
“No, stop!” Ari screamed, racing to Ragon’s side, her eyes wide as she tried to pull the men restraining him away.
“The girl comes too,” said Gwen, ignoring Ari’s pleas.
Suddenly Ragon looked up in horror. His face looked broken; there were lines down the side of his mouth, from where he had screamed and his eyes were wide and terrified. The agony which was plain on his face a few moments ago from the rope dipped in EDTA, was nothing to how he looked now.
“Why do you need her?” choked Ragon, “I’m the one you want. Take me.”
“The Vice Chancellor wants you both,” said Gwen, twitching her nose in disapproval.
“Ari,” Ragon began, his teeth clenched as he tried desperately to force himself to speak. “Ari… run!”
“I wouldn’t,” Gwen said, turning to Ari with a broad smile on her face. “My instructions were clear; bring you both with me, or bring back Ragon’s head.”
Gwen clicked her fingers and Ragon let out a scream. The vampire holding the rope had begun pulling it, so that it tightened around his neck. This new pressure cut further into the already exposed flesh of Ragon’s neck, exposing sinew and bone. Then Ragon screamed, dropping to his knees as blood poured from the gaping wound.
Ari didn’t hesitate; she walked purposefully towards the vampires restraining Ragon, holding her hands up and instantly stopping time. The moment she did, Ragon’s screams were silenced and she dropped to her knees also, looking down in anger at his face, which was frozen in agony. She bawled her hands into f
ists and attacked, hitting and kicking the frozen vampires on either side of Ragon uselessly in rage. She tried to focus all her concentration onto freeing Ragon from her power. She had done it once before; when they had been in Latvia and Ragon was being held by the Triad, but no matter how she concentrated now, she couldn’t unfreeze him, not without releasing the others from her hold.
When Ragon unfroze, Gwen and the two vampires restraining Ragon looked at Ari in surprise. No one spoke or made mention of how she had managed to appear next to Ragon as if out of thin air. A few tense moments passed, as the two vampires looked at Gwen, waiting for instructions.
“The choice is yours Ari,” Gwen said after a while, her smug smile no longer visible on her face. “Come with us, or Ragon dies.”
Ari looked over at Ragon for a heartbeat and then nodded, hanging her head in defeat.
The walk back to Cruor halls was slow. Ragon was mostly unconscious, so rather than having to be restrained, he was now simply being dragged. There was no need to restrain Ari; Gwen knew that as long as they had Ragon bound, they might as well have Ari too. Ari kept chancing glances at Ragon, pleased to see that the EDTA rope was no longer in direct contact with his skin. Without a constant insult from the EDTA, Ragon’s flesh had been given a chance to heal, which his immortality had seen to reasonably well. No longer did his neck appear to have been subjected to a bear attack, but now smooth pink scar tissue had begun to form, though until he received a blood meal, Ari knew he would not fully heal to his former strength.
Gwen had taken them the back way to the campus, so that they didn’t pass Delta or Omega when they finally arrived at Cruor Halls. Ari looked around desperately for someone she recognised, but there was no one in sight. After they crossed the glass doors and had made their way to the foyer, Gwen directed them to the administration room, where Ragon and Bridget had given their thesis seminar.
“In,” said Gwen, and Ari watched as Ragon was thrown into the room, landing heavily to the ground.
Taking one final, hopeful, glance around, Ari looked up and noticed that April had appeared at the top of the staircase and was staring down at the group, her eyes wide. Ari was about to call out to the girl but before she could, April had blurred away.
The moment Ari walked into the administration room, she gasped. It was completely unrecognisable from when she had last been there, during Ragon’s thesis presentation. Thick red velvet carpet had been laid, giving the place a regal air. On the lower level were still the same seats, all facing towards the stage, atop of which three chairs had been placed. The largest of the chairs was grand, with long legs and extravagant arms, all made from lush fabric and embellished with red thread to match the carpet. The other two chairs were an exact opposite of this one. They were cast from iron and Ari couldn’t help but shudder when she saw the gleaming chains that hung from the arms, clearly meant to restrain who ever sat in them.
“Ragon, Ari, please have a seat,” a man said loudly, and Ari looked around wildly, trying to see who had spoken.
The two vampires who had been restraining Ragon, forced him onto the stage while Ari, held by Gwen, followed after. A loud resounding thud signified the door that they had walked through closing, and a moment later a small click told Ari that it had been locked. Now, atop the stage, Ari saw who had closed the door and her mouth fell open in surprise. It was a man… a man that she had seen before, but where?
He was tall, with dark hair and green eyes, looking to be around thirty years old. He walked slowly, moving to take the grand seat across from them on the stage. For a moment he fussed with his clothes, brushing something off his jacket, then turned to stare inquisitively at Ari.
Just then a small door that serviced the stage opened. Immediately people began bustling through it, all moving to the front of the room before sitting down in the many seats. At the same time Ari and Ragon were forced in the crude iron chairs. Ragon did not struggle when the two vampires placed the chains around his wrists and legs but turned to Ari, a look of utter sorrow plain on his face. Ari waited for her binds to be done up but no one came to restrain her. Clearly they didn’t consider her enough of a threat to warrant chaining.
“You know why you have been called here,” the man said, and all around the crowd there were soft whispers which Ari couldn’t make out. “I am-” he began to say, but Ari interrupted him.
“-I know you,” she whispered; she had just realised who this man was, but before she could say any more, she felt a hard smack across her cheek and turned in anger to see Gwen, her hand recalling away.
“Get away from her,” Ragon roared, and though he struggled against his binds, he could not break free.
The moment Gwen had slapped her, one of Ari’s eyes turned green. Quickly Ari lifted a hand and gently placed it against her scorching face.
“How dare you speak,” Gwen spat.
“I wouldn’t anger her if I were you,” the man said, looking sternly at Gwen; Gwen quickly backed away and took a seat at the front of the room, so as to join the crowd of vampires below. “Now where was I, oh yes, I am James Frater, the new Vice Chancellor.”
“But you work for the Ancients,” Ari hissed, and all around the room there was an outbreak of murmuring.
Ragon was the only one who did not speak; he simply stared at Ari, his eyes screaming a song of realisation and disbelief.
“Yes, you are of course right,” James Frater said, indifferently.
Ari had remembered exactly when and where she had seen James Frater. He had talked to her from behind the prison the Ancients had placed her in when she had been in their castle. James had offered her the key to open her prison, if she told him about the Grandor legend, but she had been unable to bargain for her freedom, knowing almost nothing about it at the time.
Slowly James turned to Ragon and said, “You have been called before the Cruor council to answer allegations that you were involved in the death of Bridget Harp. The charge of murdering a fellow vampire is punishable by the Final Death Laws. Do you deny the charge?”
Ragon looked up at James, apparently thinking hard, but before he could answer, the door to the administration room was thrown clean off its hinges, landing with a resounding crash a few feet away from the stage. All eyes turned to face the large gap in the wall, and Ari couldn’t help but smile when April, followed by the coven, all except for Sandra and Patrick, walked inside. Clyde, in his usual superior attitude, sauntered over to one of the empty seats in the front row, sat down, crossed his legs and then spoke.
“Funny,” he said, turning to look at Gwen with a cruel and calculating look on his face, “I don’t recall receiving an invitation. Ryder, were you included in this little shin dig?”
“No,” said Ryder, “and I wasn’t aware that it was customary to hold a full trial for self-defence; but I am just new at all of this. Perhaps I was mistaken?”
“No Ryder, you are quite right. Had I have known I might have gathered some kindling,” Thomas said, before a growl escaped his lips. “It seems the new Vice Chancellor wishes to take us back to the stone ages.”
“Thankfully April mentioned you were having a, err, party, or we might have missed it all together,” said Ryder, smiling in appreciation over at April.
April, who was looking anywhere in the room but at Gwen, was sitting nervously on the chair nearest the door. She was bitting her nails and clearly terrified by what she had done.
“Is this true? You claim that you killed Bridget in self-defence?” James asked Ragon, just as Gwen let out a loud snort.
Ragon nodded once.
“He’s lying. Let me bite his source; she can tell you the truth,” Gwen roared.
At this Ari’s eyes widened in hope. Of course, it was so simple. If Gwen bit her, she would think that she could command Ari, but Ari couldn’t be controlled by vampire toxin. She would be able to lie.
“One more outburst Ms Vine and I will have to ask you to leave,” James said, colouring up for the first time.
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Ari watched the red flush dawn across his cheeks. Vampires didn’t blush. But if he were human then why would he be working for the Ancients? And, even more importantly, why would they send a human to act as an Elder?
“Please answer the question,” James said, turning to face Ragon and placing his hands on his lap.
“Yes, it was self-defence. She killed Ar… my sources teacher, and that’s when she attacked me,” Ragon explained.
“I see,” said James, reaching his hands up so that they sat in a triangle under his chin.
Bound (The Grandor Descendant Series Book 3) Page 19
