He spread a plan of a house out on the table. It was hand-drawn, presumably by one of the Dems.
I rested my hand on the journal and gripped the leather like I was holding on to Rhode.
Ask yourself my love whether you are not very cruel to have so entrammelled me, so destroyed my freedom. I loved the way the words sounded.
I burn for you.
Cassius cleared his throat.
‘The house, as you can see, is close.’ His voice brought me back and I focused on the street.
Right. I had to mind my thoughts.
Warwick Avenue. I did a double take at the street name.
‘Close? Cassius, that’s Warwick Avenue. It runs parallel to Lovers Bay Cemetery. We’re talking less than a mile from here!’
I wanted him to be shocked, to be just as concerned as I was that Justin was so close to Wickham Boarding School. Justin had chosen his location absolutely on purpose. To watch me, to watch Rhode, and to plan his attacks as accurately as possible.
Cassius pointed at the drawing of the house again.
‘There are two entrances.’ He pointed at the front and the back of the house. ‘This is a window that leads into the basement stairwell. Henri and I watched from the beach. Justin and his coven kept going up and down the stairs.’
‘All right, so we have to get into that basement,’ I said, drawing deep breaths.
‘When he first moved in, that was where the . . .’ Cassius hesitated. ‘Where the torture equipment was kept.’ I gasped and cleared my throat. I shrugged, trying to act like it didn’t bother me.
Cassius stepped back from the table. ‘Renoiera,’ he said gently, ‘I know Rhode is alive.’ His voice was so soft and deep I almost believed it was true.
‘You’re shaking again,’ he went on, and placed a hand over mine. At his touch, that feeling came again, the same I had sensed in the chapel. Utter and complete devotion.
‘Justin . . .’ I began, but hesitated to choose my words carefully. ‘Justin is my responsibility. If we’re in battle and you have to kill him, do it, but . . . I want to try to save him and turn him back.’
‘Are you sure . . . ?’ Cassius started to say.
‘Sure of what?’
‘That he is worth saving?’
‘Of course he is worth saving.’
I must have been harsher than I meant because Cassius bowed his head. ‘Of course,’ he replied. My cheeks warmed. He knew what I wanted without my verbalizing it.
‘I’m sorry,’ I said with a sigh. ‘Our main priority is to get Rhode out of there.’
‘We will,’ he said gently.
Another knock on the glass made me yelp for the second time that night. Cassius unlatched the lock. ‘Henri,’ he said.
Henri bowed to me and I shook my head, hating all this formality. He produced a second map of the house from a bag. ‘This is the best drawing we could render of the bottom level. Most of us haven’t been in there for a year or maybe more. Justin’s malice has grown significantly preparing for your arrival, so I assume he made changes.’
‘Why haven’t the Hollow Ones stopped Justin?’ I asked.
‘He was working with the Hollow Ones, but when he became convinced you would return, or that you could return, they broke allegiance. His obsession with you crowded his head. What good was he to them if all he could think of was you?’
‘So why haven’t the Hollow Ones killed him while they’ve had the chance?’
Henri lay his hand flat on the table, ‘Why . . . Renoiera,’ he said plainly. ‘They are dead.’
‘Dead?’ I laughed. ‘Sure. The Hollow Ones are dead.’
‘Yes,’ Henri said tonelessly. He looked to Cassius, who only shrugged, not seeming to understand my laughter.
‘The Hollow Ones,’ I said, continuing to chuckle. ‘Justin killed them. You realize that’s impossible?’
Henri hesitated before speaking.
‘But it’s true, Renoiera.’ He was so gentle in his reply.
My laughter trailed off.
‘Justin destroyed the all-powerful Hollow Ones. Those who have been vampires for thousands of years? He killed Suleen and the Hollow Ones?’
‘Yes,’ Cassius said.
‘OK, so everything I ever thought is absolute crap.’
Anger gathered within me and I rested my hands on the table. Justin didn’t know the simplest of vampire laws. He didn’t realize that if he loved me when he was made a vampire, he would love me forever. How was he managing to kill those who were hundreds of years older than him? And suddenly I knew, because it was what I would have done. He was using someone more powerful for information.
‘The Hollow Ones aren’t dead,’ I said. ‘I know that for a fact.’
‘I saw Levi’s body myself, Rayken’s not two days later. They were tied to a pole in the centre of a greenhouse. They died a slow death,’ Cassius said. ‘It must have taken weeks to burn them to ash.’
‘What about Laertes?’ I asked.
Cassius’s expression was guarded; he kept his eyes on the drawing of the house. ‘It is rumoured that he too is dead.’
‘Rumour! So he could be alive.’
‘He could be alive, yes; no one has seen a body to contradict it,’ Cassius said, bringing his eyes up to mine. ‘But it is highly unlikely. Justin claims to have murdered Laertes as well.’
‘He must be alive. That’s how Justin’s getting his power. It’s why he knows what to do! Control the elements? Making hybrids from my blood and whatever else that lunatic is after?’ In my mind Justin stared into my eyes and the overwhelming horror of his mind control made me shudder. Cassius and Henri exchanged another set of glances, reminding me that they could sense my thoughts and emotions.
‘What else is he doing?’ Cassius asked. ‘To you, your mind.’
‘Nothing I care to share right now. Let’s just concentrate on how to prepare for our attack.’
I slid Rhode’s journal off the table and dropped it into my bag.
Cassius, without attempting to convince me otherwise, pointed at a small window on the map of the house.
‘This window . . .’ Cassius explained how best to infiltrate the house, but I couldn’t concentrate. I brought my fingers to the sensitive burn at the base of my throat.
‘What elements can he currently control?’ I said with a tap of my finger on the house plan.
‘It appears he can only manipulate air and water at this time,’ Henri said.
‘We think he’s playing with manipulation magic too. But we don’t know for sure. The Hollow Ones’ house is mastered by manipulation magic. They can change entryways and doors. You walk through one and step out in Moscow, walk through another and you could be in the basement of the house. Your mind and intentions fuel the spell,’ Cassius explained.
‘Fear really gives it power,’ Henri added. ‘The more one is fearful, the more the house complicates.’
Manipulation magic? I was not very familiar with it, though I had heard of the term before.
‘We don’t know if Justin has implemented this in the new house. We’re not sure how much he understands fully and how much he demanded to be taught and set in place for him before he killed the Hollow Ones. We must be very careful.’
Cassius began again, describing the house’s layout in detail. I wanted to pay careful attention but I couldn’t hold my focus. An uneasiness snaked through me. Not about Justin. But about the loyalty the Dems clearly felt to me.
Henri tripped on his words, distracted presumably by my thoughts.
I knew they would be able to hear me, but I couldn’t stop myself thinking.
How can I do this? I asked myself. I barely understand elemental magic let alone manipulation magic. How can I be the leader they need me to be? Devotion from the Demelucrea came in waves; an overwhelming aura. Whenever I was in contact with one of them, it was the core emotion. I could sense it now as we planned our attack.
How can I live up to this?
I g
ripped the table.
How?
I asked this again and again.
CHAPTER 14
The next morning, the union was abuzz with words like ‘total eclipse’, ‘umbra’, ‘diamond ring’ and a whole host of expressions I had never before associated with the moon. Apparently the eclipse was exciting to everyone else. Their enthusiasm made me want to punch something – hard.
All through English class, while our professor droned on about Gatsby, I tried to memorize the plan of Justin’s house. He had vampires of his own, though unlike the Demelucrea they were traditional vampires who could not be out in the day. I didn’t know how many were in his coven – the usual number is about five.
I hoped Cassius was right and Justin couldn’t risk going out in an eclipse. As far as we knew, Justin was subject to the danger of eclipse light like normal vampires, but I had my doubts, given his immense power. Anything was possible.
Tony and I shared a table at the back of the classroom. He scribbled a note on my paper:
Seven minutes for the eclipse. Twenty-one minutes for the whole attack? Cassius’s plan is nutzo.
I replied underneath. I keep telling him that.
With the power of the sun after the eclipse, even C will be dust, Tony wrote. The eclipsed sunlight is too much even for them!
They won’t listen to me, I wrote back.
As we left lit. class, having learned absolutely nothing about Gatsby, Tony said, ‘You couldn’t have more logical disciples, huh?’ His phone beeped before I could roll my eyes.
‘It’s a message from Cassius.’
‘You gave him your number?’
‘Seemed like a good idea.’
‘Wish I’d thought of it,’ I said.
We read:
PLEASE DRIVE TO 1142 TIPTOE ROAD, TRURO, 9 P.M.
‘Nice and vague,’ Tony said. ‘Do vampires ever just come out and say what they want?’
1142 Tiptoe Road was a two-level modern house that sat deep in the birch woods of Cape Cod where it was quiet. The ocean seemed to be Cassius’s only neighbour.
‘This is not what I was expecting,’ Tracy said as we got out of the car and walked towards the front door. The house had huge floor-to-ceiling windows that wrapped around the upper floor. The front door was made of smoked glass, so we could not see inside.
‘Not exactly what you would expect on the Cape,’ Tony said.
‘Not exactly what I would expect from vampires,’ I replied.
Of course they lived in a house with huge windows. Cassius and his vampires could enjoy the ocean and revel in the regular sunlight. An eclipse was so rare they could design the windows any way they fancied.
They get to live in the sun because of me. For an odd moment I was proud of myself.
Tony lifted a hand to knock on the glass but Cassius opened up before his knuckles touched the door. Liliana and Henri flanked him. Wow, I had almost forgotten how gorgeous vampires could be. Liliana wore smart black trousers and a cashmere sweater. Her blonde hair fell in long tendrils around her shoulders. Cassius had on a modern suit and I couldn’t help but notice he wore well-worn boots instead of dress shoes.
‘Tonight we’ll be performing a ritual together – called the Luntair,’ he explained.
I didn’t know this ritual.
He opened the door wider and we all stepped inside. Cassius led us up a set of stairs and into the main foyer on the first floor. It was a living room of sorts and small white candles sat in silver holders on top of a glass table. The windows made a panorama around the room and reflected the candle flames. White leather couches sat low to the ground at the same height as the rest of the furniture.
‘Everything in here is very – clean . . .’ Tony whispered.
‘And symmetrical,’ Tracy added.
‘Thank you,’ Cassius said with a little grin. He led us down a side hallway.
We walked over a lush Oriental runner. Even in the corridor, the walls were stark white and modern.
‘Where are we going?’ Tracy asked.
Henri, Micah and Liliana walked in a group ahead of us.
‘Cassius needs to show you something first,’ Liliana announced with a smirk. The vampires walked to a door at the far end of the hall.
‘Wait here,’ Cassius said gently, going to join them. ‘We’ll be right back.’ He left us standing outside the closed door to a room.
Another set of Dems, including one that I recognized from the chapel and knew was named Esteban, was already gathered at the door at the end of the hall. Esteban was tall with very tanned skin.
‘What do you think is in there?’ I whispered to Tracy and Tony.
‘Weapons. We’re all going down,’ Tracy said with a nervous laugh.
‘I think if they wanted to kill us, they would have by now. You know.’ Tony made a face, exposing where his fangs would be if he had them.
‘Speaking of weapons, do whatever you can to avoid thinking about those that you wear. The Dems can connect to specific images. More so within my mind than yours, but still.’ I wasn’t sure if she was even aware she was doing it, but Tracy’s fingers lingered on the bracelet.
‘Wait,’ I whispered. I was surprised I hadn’t realized before. ‘Is your bracelet warm? Does it sense the Demelucrea?’
‘No,’ Tracy said. ‘It’s cold.’ Tony agreed that his ring wasn’t hot either. This just confirmed for me another reason why I shouldn’t tell the Demelucrea about Fire’s weapons. They couldn’t sense them, or at least I didn’t think they could, as no one had asked me about the bracelet or the ring. I needed more time to figure out what these vampires wanted from me. Also, Fire’s gifts were not affected by their presence. I needed more facts before I invited the Dems into my mess with the Aeris.
Cassius walked back down the hall towards us.
‘Here we go,’ he said, holding up a key ring. With a click, he unlocked the door to a room with a hardwood floor and white painted walls.
With a flip of a switch, golden light fixtures illuminated what appeared to be a dozen or so paintings. Tony walked immediately to the largest of them.
‘You have a gallery in your house?’ I asked Cassius, approaching the painting closest to me. ‘Who is the artist?’ Cassius didn’t reply.
It was titled Nuit Rouge. In it, a woman in a black dress danced across the floor of an ancient ballroom. Small fangs showed in her mouth, and in the mouths of the other subjects. I took a step back; these were paintings of vampires?
While a vampire, I had created the very violent vampire holiday Nuit Rouge.
‘Does Nuit Rouge still exist?’ I asked.
‘No, Renoiera.
The woman in the picture had long brown hair, flowing in tendrils down her back. Four men stood in a line behind her with their arms crossed over their chests. The rest of the room raised glasses filled with a red substance I assumed to be blood.
I moved to the next painting.
This one was called Swimming Trip.
A skiff, an old-style wooden boat, floated in shallow water. The sun poured down in a single beam on a girl, again with long brown hair, as she sat on the edge of the boat. People swam in the water, splashing one another. This scene . . . it was very familiar.
I quickly moved to the next painting, my heart gathering speed.
The Ritual.
A girl stood in the centre of a field of lavender holding her arms out to her sides. A bright beam of sunlight flowed over her and sparkles of light were emitted around her body. I brought my hand over my mouth.
‘No . . .’ I whispered in a heavy exhale. I hadn’t realized I was holding my breath. ‘Who painted these?’
‘I did.’
‘How?’ I whispered. ‘How?’
‘As I said, at first they were just stories – like fables. I created the swimming painting in 1850,’ Cassius explained.
I collapsed on to a bench. Tracy and Tony stood at the end of the room looking at a painting together. Tracy pointed at something
on the canvas.
‘Justin didn’t change back to a human when you returned to 1417. He is here in a time that should have been erased. So this is a new world. But the events of the old world, your original world, somehow crossed over.’
I looked from painting to painting before me.
The answer was so clear. Of course. Why hadn’t I realized?
‘My soulmate,’ I said. ‘Our two worlds can never truly be sealed off from one another while Rhode and I are apart. The connection between our worlds never closed completely.’
Cassius nodded. ‘I believe so.’
Supernatural creatures like vampires could sense my history because of the connection between Rhode and me. The link between our souls somehow created a channel. One question was answered, but the important one still remained:
‘It doesn’t explain why Justin remains a vampire,’ I said.
‘Lenah . . .’ Tony’s voice was unnervingly quiet.
‘Damn it,’ Cassius said. ‘I meant to explain it to him first.’ He ran to Tony and I followed quickly.
The painting before Tony showed a young man sprawled dead on the floor. There was ornate wallpaper in the room and an orderly arrangement of oversized chairs. It had to be the Victorian era. The subject was unmistakably a young Japanese man, and above him was a portrait. My portrait, the one Tony had created of me when I had originally been at Wickham. The youth in the painting was Tony.
The girl was the one with brown hair and blue eyes that was captured in all the art in the room.
These paintings were all of my first year at Wickham.
‘What happened?’ Tony asked, staring at the painting. ‘I heard you guys talking. Is this what happened to me before?’ He turned to me.
Tears had welled in his eyes and I could see that Tracy was trying not to cry too. It nearly broke me. I didn’t want to see those tears but I had to do this, I had to tell him.
‘You were killed. And I wish I could say it wasn’t my fault. But I got to you too late.’
‘Vampires killed him?’ Tracy asked quietly. She waited for Cassius to answer but he didn’t. He kept his gaze on me.
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