Summoned

by Tricia Barr

  “Thanks.” Adam sped away.

  Myreen leaned back into the stairwell and hissed, curling a beckoning finger. She was herding invisible dragons. If it wasn’t so dire, it would be hilarious. She headed for the kitchen. Carefully looking around, she noticed a few people wore confused looks. She hurried her steps. There were too many people around, but she couldn’t afford to wait for things to clear back up.

  She was almost to the kitchen when a hand on her arm spun her around. “Hey!”

  It was Adam again. “She’s not there. Never was. I’d know her scent anywhere and it’s not there. What’s going on?”

  “Nothing.”

  “Do I smell shifters?” Adam nosed the air. “Based on the burnt smell, I’d guess dragons.” He leered at Myreen. “Couldn’t stay away, could you?”

  Myreen gave him a smile. “You caught me.” She placed a hand on his, pulling on her siren abilities once more, though she kept her voice near a whisper. “You never saw me, and you already found Kenzie. You’ve got some free time. I suggest you spend it wisely.”

  Adam nodded and turned to leave. Myreen slipped into the conference room, holding the door open so Kol and Char could follow.

  “Whew. That was close. Who was that guy?”

  Kol released the invisibility, and he and Char popped back into view. Myreen locked the door, glancing around the room. She wouldn’t put it past Draven to have cameras in here, but hopefully no one would be watching. “Adam. Kenzie was assigned to him... so he could feed off her.”

  “What?” Kol and Char said at the same time, disgust clear on their faces.

  “I told you she’s sacrificed a lot. The guy’s a real jerk, too.” With a final glance at the room she asked, “Do you think you can make me invisible, too?”

  Kol shrugged. “I don’t see why not.”

  Myreen took Char’s hand, deciding she needed a buffer between her and Kol. Sure, it wasn’t easy watching him hold Char’s hand, but she wouldn’t have to for much longer. Kol looked at Myreen for a long minute, pain and confusion flashing for an instant, and she knew she’d made the right decision. As painful as it might be, now was not the time to get swept up in relationship drama. They’d talk later. They had to.

  Char took Kol’s hand, and Kol closed his eyes to concentrate again. This time Myreen watched them disappear with a little more curiosity, and similar to his scales, it seemed that their skin flipped over. She looked down at herself, and saw nothing. Apparently she was invisible even to herself.

  “Perfect. Okay, we’re going to the kitchen. Follow my lead.”

  Myreen unlocked the door and left the conference room behind, angling toward the kitchen. When they arrived, the room was abuzz with activity, the staff hurrying to clean lunch up. She had to wait a few minutes before their chain of three could slip in without being detected. Once in, she guided them around the edges of the room. One of the staff knocked into her, shaking their head and blinking at the blank space before moving on. Myreen let out a long breath, then tugged on the chain as they made their way to the secret door and slipped in.

  Once they confirmed the elevator was empty, they all climbed in and dropped their chain. Myreen sank to the floor as the metal box carried them upward.

  “How much more?” Char asked, sitting next to Myreen.

  Kol shrugged as he joined them on the floor.

  “Not much more now. We’ve just got to get past the guards standing outside Ty’s room and then head down to the roof access. But the Elite quarters are usually pretty empty, so it’s only the guards we’ll have to worry about.”

  Char nodded, wrapping her arms around herself. Kol gave her a pitiful look, but kept his distance.

  “So, how do you two know each other?” Myreen asked, hugging her knees closer to her chest.

  “Friends since childhood,” Kol said.

  Char stared at the floor.

  Myreen searched Kol’s face, but it appeared he was telling the truth. She wanted to pursue the conversation, but there wasn’t any more time. The elevator gave a ding, the upward momentum stopping, then settling.

  Myreen stood and dusted off her bottom, as did Kol and Char, though there was little reason to do so given the state of their smart clothing.

  They headed up the final steps, Myreen in the lead. She didn’t think anyone would be there, not since Kenzie was supposed to grab Ty and go. She hoped Kenzie hadn’t had any problems with the guards Myreen had left behind.

  But when Myreen cracked the secret door open, she realized she’d made a critical error. She’d forgotten about Agnus.

  Ty’s nanny had the door to the hall open, and all four of Myreen’s guards were inside, some of them with freshly-healing wounds. The woman yelled at them, demanding to know what had happened to Ty. They all looked at each other, worry and confusion on their faces. Well, at least Ty had gotten out of there.

  Myreen held a hand up, signaling that Kol and Char should stay out of sight. Then she went into the room, not waiting for the guards to leave. She didn’t know how far Kenzie had gotten, and didn’t wan to risk them coming after her.

  One of the guards noticed Myreen first, and Agnus swung around, her eyes widening. She marched to Myreen, hands on her hips. “What have you done with him? Do you have any idea what the Master will do when he discovers his son is missing?”

  Myreen set her chin. “Ty is a child, but you want to treat him like he’s an adult. You people have robbed him of his childhood, and I won’t allow it to continue.”

  “That’s not your call to make, young lady. I don’t care who you are, Ty is my charge and I will make sure he measures up to the Master’s expectations.”

  “I’m his sister,” Myreen ground out, as Agnus turned to the guards. Myreen summoned her siren voice once more, putting everything she had into it. “Ty is no longer your responsibility. You all will leave and go straight to the elevator, not stopping until you are far from this room. Find something to do that doesn’t include me or Ty or Draven. In fact, I suggest you leave the citadel as soon as you can, while you still can.” Her voice, so familiar yet so foreign, bathed Agnus and the guards with her will. They shuffled out the door, the glaze in their eyes still not cleared.

  Myreen despised Agnus. Not quite as much as Draven, but enough. She’d been so instrumental in keeping Ty repressed. Myreen wouldn’t let anyone do that to him ever again.

  But that still didn’t mean she wanted to see the woman killed. Myreen only hoped Agnus took her suggestion and left, rather than sticking around and paying for her actions. Myreen didn’t want any more blood on her hands, if she could help it.

  After a few moments, she opened the door to the servant’s access. A woman lay at Kol’s feet, unconscious. Myreen’s eyes widened. “What happened?”

  Kol sighed. “She came up while you were talking. Don’t worry, we didn’t kill her. She’ll wake up soon, though.”

  Myreen swallowed, but nodded. “Sorry.”

  Kol shrugged.

  “Let’s get out of here,” Char said, brushing past Myreen.

  Myreen couldn’t agree more.

  Chapter 37: Leif

  Leif jingled his new pair of shackles. Not long after he’d been granted Kenzie’s gift of copper immunity, Beatrice had come back and saw the bonds he’d mutilated. When she’d asked about what happened, he claimed he’d had a fit of sorts, and in the process, a moment of vampire strength had returned. Through the copper-induced spasms, he’d broken the shackles. It was the best explanation he could come up with, and Beatrice hadn’t been entirely convinced. He’d kept his new cuffs in perfect shape, and in the times she’d come back to check on him, he acted as if the copper was weakening him.

  Beatrice was gone, and thankfully, since Kenzie’s smartwatch—which he’d hidden under the cushions of the couch—had received a message from Myreen. They had begun executing the plan, which meant Kenzie was on her way.

  Leif resisted the urge to break the new shackles. He’d do that once Kenzi
e arrived. It wasn’t worth risking their destruction, just in case Beatrice made an impromptu visit.

  Nearby, Rainbow was sharpening his fangs on the base of Beatrice’s desk.

  “Good cat,” Leif said, urging on his feline friend on. “Mark up that furniture as much as you can.” He still had no idea how Rainbow had survived this long without being caught. His food source was probably outside, unless he was secretly making his rounds down in the Initiate dorms. The very thought of a vampire cat jumping on sleeping Initiates made him chuckle.

  Suddenly, Rainbow froze, his ears standing high and his red eyes opening wide. Leif heard light footsteps approaching, and before the cat could prance away, Leif sped to him and scooped him up. If it was Beatrice, he’d be in trouble.

  Please be Kenzie. Please be Kenzie.

  It seemed an awfully long time went by before he decided to bolt to the door. Leif had to check for himself. Upon reaching the threshold, he nearly slammed into Kenzie. Rainbow let out an odd sing-song meow and tried to jump away, but Leif held him close.

  “Whoa there, turbo,” Kenzie said, putting her hands out to stop the near-collision, though it would’ve done little good had he not been able to stop.

  “I had to be sure it was you,” he said.

  “Right,” Kenzie replied. She tapped him on the shoulder, then held her hand out. “My watch. Now.”

  Leif bobbed his head back. “It’s inside, on the couch.” He stepped back, allowing enough room for Kenzie to pop in and run across the room. Slipping on the watch, she tapped at it madly.

  “What are you doing?” he asked.

  “Playing Minesweeper,” she replied. “What does it look like I’m doing? Sending a message.”

  “To Myreen?” Leif hated that he didn’t know more about Kenzie’s escape plan.

  “No, to Piper. We’re breaking her out, too.”

  Leif gave her an incredulous look. “Piper? I mean, she’s a nice girl, but why are we breaking her out?”

  Kenzie let her arm drop, then bounded toward him. “Turns out she doesn’t want to be a vampire. Come on, we need to go.”

  Leif looked off to the side. Softly, he said, “One soul saved. I actually got through to her.”

  “Yeah. Great job, Gandhi. When we get back to Chicago, I’ll give you a gold star or something. Speaking of Chicago, we need to go. Now.”

  Leif gathered himself as Kenzie moved past him. “Right. I’m bringing Rainbow along.”

  “I figured,” she said, tiptoeing into the hallway—as if it would stop vampires from hearing her. “I hope your pet likes flying.”

  Leif moved after her. “Flying?”

  “Yep,” she said without turning around, keeping a brisk pace toward the tower stairs. “On a dragon, no less.”

  His brows furrowed. “So, what exactly is your plan?”

  They made it to the stairs and began descending. Kenzie took two at a time. “Just follow my lead. I’ve got this.”

  “I think I should mention right about now that I have serious issues with dragons,” he whispered, hearing his hushed voice bouncing off the stairwell walls. I hope nobody hears us.

  “Don’t be such a worry-wart,” she puffed. Her rapid pace was taking a toll on her. “One of them is Myreen’s boyfriend, Kol—at least, I think they’re together. Maybe not. It’s complicated.”

  Leif hesitated. “Kol, as in Malkolm Dracul? You can’t expect me to ride with a Dracul.”

  “Then ride with his dragon friend,” she said, huffing loudly, pausing at the floor that connected all the towers together and catching her breath. “I really don’t care. But that will only happen if Myreen can break them out without getting caught.”

  “Malkolm Dracul is here at Heritage Prep?” Leif could hardly believe what he was hearing. Had she told him all this before? Had Beatrice? His memory wasn’t so great.

  “Yep, and I’m sure he’ll be happy to tell you all about his time here. You guys might even have an epic bonding moment over it, being vampire prisoners and all. But we need to get to Myreen’s brother...” She looked at her smartwatch, then continued, “...two minutes ago.” She turned around and speed-walked to another stairwell.

  “How many people are we breaking out?” he asked, more and more concern building. Back when he’d first been imprisoned, he’d been the only one who’d needed rescue. That had dramatically changed.

  “You, Myreen, Ty, Kol, Char, and Piper. Oh, and Rainbow.”

  “Six of us total,” he mumbled. “And your plan is to have four of us fly away on the backs of two dragons?”

  “Myreen has her own wings,” Kenzie said breathlessly. “Ty is ten and weighs about as much as a toothpick. And Piper is a toothpick.”

  The stairwell. Leif’s eyes widened.

  Kenzie began climbing. “Why?” Kenzie said, huffing and puffing now. “Why do there have to be so many stairs? Draven lives and breathes technology. Why aren’t these all escalators?”

  Leif smiled. “Because he believes that his underlings should have to work to climb to the top—in all aspects of life.”

  Leif could hardly believe they hadn’t run into anybody, but it was the middle of the day. Vampires were busy studying or practicing within the darkness the citadel provided them... which reminded him of one massive flaw in her plan.

  “Kenzie,” he said in a panic. “The sun’s out!”

  “Yeah,” she wheezed. “Bright. Noonday. Sun. It’s kind of what makes our escape possible. No vampires can catch us once we’re outside. Well, except for Draven, but I have a plan for that.”

  “I can’t daywalk anymore,” he said. “Remember?”

  Kenzie stopped, drawing in a few breaths. “I forgot about that little detail,” she said, and Leif didn’t have to see her face to know she was grimacing. “We’ll think of something.”

  “Unless you have sunflower seeds and moonflower petals and roots, how am I getting out of here?”

  “The reversal spell was supposed to be temporary. I don’t know why that didn’t work,” Kenzie mumbled. “I dunno. Maybe Myreen can bend the light so it doesn’t hit you or something?”

  “All the way back to Chicago?”

  The black stairs dumped them out into a wide corridor. The black walls were more distanced from each other than the ones that made up Beatrice’s tower, which meant this was the tallest tower in the citadel. Draven’s tower.

  “Kenzie, why are we up here?”

  “We’re getting Ty,” Kenzie replied.

  “Ty as in—?” But Leif stopped himself as they approached a corner, and he grabbed Kenzie’s arm, nearly dropping Rainbow in the process. She stopped, turning to look at him. He quickly drew his finger to his lips. Hushed voices were coming down the next hallway. Leif drew closer to the corner, putting himself between Kenzie and the others to listen in on the conversation.

  “I think Draven’s got something big planned.”

  “Of course he does. He’s always got something big planned. I was here when he conquered the citadel thirty or forty years ago. He dreams big, but no dream is too big.”

  Kenzie tapped Leif’s shoulder, and he looked back at her to find her gesturing to him to come close.

  He angled his head down so she could reach his ear easily.

  “Those are Myreen’s guards,” she whispered. “We have to get past them. Ty—her brother—is in the room they’re guarding.”

  Leif looked back at Kenzie and mouthed the words I’ve got this. He turned to leave, but she grabbed his arm. She gave him a stern look and mouthed Be careful.

  Nodding, Leif twisted around the corner, instantly drawing the attention of the other vampires.

  “Hey!” one of them shouted. “You’re Leif Villers—the traitor. What are you doing up here?”

  “I’m a bit... lost,” he said, acting as spacey as he remembered being just a day ago. It was a good thing he hadn’t bothered to break his shackles yet. “I found this cat... did you know there are cats here? It’s a nice cat.” He walk
ed over to them, not exactly knowing how this was going to play out.

  “Where did you find it?” one of them asked, looking warily at Rainbow.

  “Actually, he found me,” he said. “I think.”

  “Those eyes are weird,” said another vampire. “Why are they all red?”

  “It shouldn’t be here. How did it even get in the school?” The vampire on the right reached for Rainbow, who sprang from Leif’s bound arms. In less than a second, the cat was latched onto the bald vampire’s head, scratching with quick blows, raking skin and flesh. The guard screamed, and the other vampires lunged as the first guard reached up to tear Rainbow off.

  But rainbow quickly jumped away and ran down the corridor.

  The three unharmed vampires took chase, and as the bald vampire’s wounds healed, he gathered himself and went after the cat in a screaming rage.

  “That was remarkably easy,” Kenzie said, creeping up to Leif.

  “I just hope Rainbow will be okay,” Leif replied. “If they catch him...”

  She placed a kind hand on his shoulder. “Hey, he’ll be okay.” She moved past him and knocked on the door. “Okay, let’s get Ty, then head to the roof.”

  A few moments passed, then the door opened. Standing before them was a boy—the same boy he’d seen leaving Draven’s trophy room on a few occasions.

  “Hey Ty,” Kenzie said sweetly. “Are you coming with us?”

  Ty was the spitting image of his father, and Leif wondered why he’d never made the connection before. He also wondered just how wise it was that they were kidnapping the vampire leader’s son.

  Ty shrugged. “Yeah, I guess. I was just eating some lunch. Agnus was getting me some hot chocolate. But Myreen told me to go with you.”

  Kenzie placed a hand on his shoulder. “Thanks for listening. You wanna and meet her?”

  He nodded, then looked at Leif and pointed. “Hey, I know him. He’s the vampire who tried to stab my dad in the back.”

  Kenzie let loose a nervous laugh. “He and your dad have a long history. But Leif has been trying so hard to protect your sister, and that makes him one of our friends.”

  Ty eyed him for a few more moments, then shrugged again. “Okay. Where are we going?”