Amaranthine Special Edition Vol II

by Naylor, Joleene

  “Jorick!” She shook him. “Jorick!”

  “He’ll be fine in a few hours,” Ark assured her. “Now, come with us.”

  She glared at him and shouted, “What have you done to him?”

  “It’s a kind of nerve gas,” Kioko said crisply. “It specifically targets vampires.”

  “Then why aren’t you affected?” Ark tried to grab her. She jerked away. “Answer me! Why aren’t you affected?”

  Kioko fastened her coat. “Your questions are unimportant, human. We will leave now.”

  “Like hell!” Katelina pulled herself to her feet. She stood protectively over Jorick, uncertain if he’d want her to save him or run.

  “You can do neither,” Ark said and she stared at him in surprise. He must be a mind reader like Jorick and Verchiel. “I suggest you cooperate. It will make things easier.”

  She snapped sarcastically, “Can’t you just knock me out too?”

  “If you wish.” Kioko moved towards her. Katelina’s eyes skipped to Jorick, then to the dining room doorway and then back to the Executioners.

  Indecision crippled her and Kioko caught her and slung her over one shoulder. Katelina kicked her legs, but the slender vampiress ignored it. She carried Katelina outside into the cold night and down the driveway. Ark followed, carrying Jorick’s limp form.

  They stopped at the end of the driveway, next to a sleek red car that looked out of place on the back roads of Maine. Ark opened the driver’s door and dumped Jorick in the backseat. Then he turned to study Kioko and her prisoner.

  “We should render her immobile,” Kioko suggested as Katelina kicked again. “It will make the trip easier.”

  “You may be right. He’s at least found someone as difficult as he is.”

  Ark moved behind her and she panicked. There was nowhere to go and nothing to do. Something clamped over her face and an acrid smell filled her nostrils. She tried to pull away, but Ark only applied more pressure. She choked and gagged as the chemical filled her lungs. The world started to turn dark at the edges. Ark and Kioko’s voices seemed echoey and far away.

  “How long does this take?”

  “Usually not this long. She’s obviously had plenty of vampire blood.”

  Kioko’s reply was lost to the rushing noise in her ears. Katelina tried to cling to consciousness, but the world blurred away and the small white house faded into a sea of silent blackness.

  **********

  Chapter Fifteen

  Katelina woke and blinked groggily. Cold air blew her hair in her face and she made to wipe it away, except that her arms didn’t work right. They weren’t the only thing. Her legs felt like lead and when she moved them nothing happened.

  “She’s waking up.”

  In her half coherent state it took Katelina a moment to recognize the voice. It was Kioko, the Executioner.

  Executioner?

  The last several hours crashed over her and she suddenly remembered. As she came to terms with the memories, she sought Jorick and found him, still unconscious, hanging over Ark’s back. She forced her eyes and mind to focus and realized she was on the runway of a rural airport, draped over Kioko’s impatient shoulder. Behind them was a small airplane and above them the sky was black; the stars blotted out by bright ground lights. A chilly mist gave the lights an otherworldly halo and made the air smell like damp, dead grass. Katelina shivered and wondered if she was in Iowa.

  Probably, since we’re going to the Citadel.

  Just that phrase was enough to fill her with fear. She remembered the last visit and her encounter with Malick, the head of The Guild and Jorick’s ancient master; the way he’d lain her mind bare and probed through it at his leisure. She didn’t think she could do it again.

  A car motor echoed on the heavy air and a black SUV appeared. It stopped near them and the doors opened. Two men in long black coats climbed out, shiny silver medallions around their necks.

  More Executioners.

  Yep. It’s Iowa.

  Eerily, she recognized both of the Executioners. The male with long black hair in a bun was Jamie. Jorick had worked with him long ago. The other was one of Senya’s lackeys who’d been at Oren’s den when Verchiel had whisked her off to the Citadel last time. Greneth, she thought he was called.

  Joy.

  The Executioners exchanged a handful of words and then she and Jorick were loaded into the vehicle. With each passing moment she became more alert, and by the time they pulled out of the airport and onto the road she was coherent enough to feel terror.

  Jamie turned around in the seat to look back at her. His chocolate brown eyes bored into hers and she suddenly felt pinned down like a butterfly in a collection. A strange calm descended, similar to the one Jorick often used. She tried to fight it, but Jamie only increased the pressure.

  Relax. There is nothing to fear, the thought whispered through her head. She knew it wasn’t really hers, but she wasn’t strong enough to resist.

  The ride was wrapped in a blur of artificial calm that didn’t let up until they pulled into the parking area of a familiar grain elevator. Several large bins sat to one side and a handful of scattered buildings gave the impression of machine sheds and functionality. It was the Citadel - the capital of vampires in America. Underneath all of the fake rural charm was floor after floor of blood-thirsty monsters and their ridiculous government. Made of shiny glass, stone and marble, it was the kind of place twisted nightmares were made of.

  Jamie parked the SUV in front of a small building marked “office”. Kioko climbed out and once again threw Katelina over her shoulder. She thought about fighting, but it seemed pointless. There was nowhere to go.

  Ark appeared, carrying Jorick. “Jamie said to take them to the detention center. They’re to be seen to tomorrow.”

  Seen to. It wasn’t a comforting phrase.

  The SUV pulled away and the farther it went, the less influence Jamie had, until his control completely slipped and Katelina was flooded with panic.

  Kioko carried her into the office where a wrinkled man in a seed company hat sat behind the counter, a newspaper in his hand. A large, yellow dog lay on the floor in the corner, his head on his paws and his soulful brown eyes on the newcomers. The farmer flicked a bit of chewing tobacco from his lip and Katelina saw a flash of fangs. Wordlessly, he pressed a button under the edge of the desk.

  “Thank you.” Kioko hauled Katelina into a back room, Ark on her heels. Inside, several shelves of boxes, seed bags and colorful three ring binders continued the seed company theme, but the silver door on the back wall ruined it. It looked like something from a freezer or a sci-fi movie.

  Kioko pushed the door open. Beyond was a set of descending stairs that they followed to a cheerful reception room. They went through another door that, just as Katelina remembered, led to a broad, carpeted corridor and an elevator. Kioko mashed the button and tapped her foot while they waited. When the doors swished open, a group of vampires scurried out, their eyes on the Executioners and their burdens.

  “Gawkers,” Kioko muttered as they filed inside the elevator. She slotted a key next to an unlabeled button on the panel, and Katelina shuddered. She knew what was on that floor: Malick.

  The elevator stopped and Katelina was carried into a corridor made of stone so black it seemed to suck up the light. The only break was the blood red boarders along the floor and ceiling. Katelina imagined that she could feel Malick’s presence nearby, like some terrifying monster radiating power. His face popped into her mind, crystal clear in every detail, including his terrifying eyes. She felt as she had when she was before him; as though he could see everything at once. Beads of sweat popped up on her forehead and a wave of weakness rolled over her.

  The feeling passed, but left her shaken and terrified. She was grateful to discover she was being taken in the opposite direction of Malick’s chambers, where they came to a set of large steel doors. There were two guards inside, watching a bank of security monitors.

&nbs
p; The taller of the two said unenthusiastically, “We have a detention cell ready for them, if you’d follow me?”

  “It’s nice to see you doing your job for a change,” Kioko remarked coldly. Both guards gave her dirty looks that she ignored.

  Like the last corridor, the cell blocks were black, only without the trim. Silver padlocked doors were set every so often and Katelina wondered just how many prisoners they had.

  When they reached the waiting cell, Ark put Jorick inside first, then Kioko dropped Katelina to the floor and slammed the door. The heavy metallic clang echoed in Katelina’s ears and, though she couldn’t hear the retreating footsteps, she knew the vampires were leaving.

  Jorick lay in a heap and she moved to him. She shook him gently. “Jorick?”

  He lay perfectly still, unbreathing and seemingly unaware, like when he was asleep. Tears welled in her eyes and she forced herself to stay calm. Focus on the surroundings. Look for a way out.

  Her examination took three seconds. The only thing that resembled furniture in the small concrete room was an extremely basic toilet. There was no escape.

  Hopelessness consumed her and tears spilled down her cheeks. What were they going to do? Even if the vampires came to their senses and exonerated them of the murders, Jorick would still be in trouble over the Executioner they’d killed at Kale’s and for what they’d done to Zuri. And what about Thomas? Oren had said they weren’t following the laws, so what if The Guild decided to punish Jorick for that? What would they do to him? Was there any punishment besides death?

  She laid her head on Jorick’s chest and cried. She couldn’t watch them hurt Jorick, but how could she stop them?

  She leaned back and brushed the hair from his face. He was usually so strong and capable. But now, trapped inside a cell, in the subbasement of The Guild’s citadel, she was sure Jorick had finally met his match.

  “Katelina.”

  The welcome voice woke her from an uneasy dream. The television courtroom melted into the gray detention cell, and the bloody vampire jury was replaced by Jorick’s worried face.

  “Katelina? Are you all right? Did they hurt you?”

  In spite of the horrible situation, she couldn’t stop the smile. “You’re awake!” She flung herself at him and he caught her and held her close. She buried her face in his chest and breathed in his comforting, musky scent. “I’ve been so worried about you! I don’t know what they did to you!” What she could remember of their adventure tumbled out, and she ended with, “We’re to be ‘seen to’.”

  Jorick nodded. “They likely meant that Malick will see us.” He cupped her face in his hand. “It’s going to be all right. I won’t let them hurt you.”

  “I know.” She dropped her gaze to the floor. “But who’s going to protect you?”

  He sighed and tightened his hold on her. His strong arms shut out the harsh reality. A calm, peaceful feeling descended over her that had nothing to do with his mental influences. For a moment, she let herself forget where they were and why.

  “It’s going to be okay. Trust me.”

  She nodded against him and tried to believe his words.

  When she woke again, it was to the sound of the door opening. Jorick sat up so fast she almost missed the motion, his body tense and ready to spring.

  Jamie stood in the doorway, a wary expression on his face. Over his shoulder she could see Greneth.

  Jamie’s tone was neutral, “The council is assembled. You’re called for.”

  Jorick made a hostile noise in his throat. “How nice.” He swung to his feet and helped Katelina up. “Where is Ark?”

  Jamie gave them a tight smile. “Ark and Kioko are otherwise engaged. They were only sent because they were the closest. Come, you’ve been called for.” He stepped back to allow them through the doorway.

  Katelina clung to Jorick. “What are we going to do?”

  “We go,” he answered stiffly. “Come.” He wrapped an arm around her waist and tried to guide her to the door. Fear stuck her feet to the floor. He applied gentle pressure to the small of her back and she forced herself to walk.

  The Executioners kept Jorick and Katelina between them, Greneth in front and Jamie in back. They led them back down the narrow corridor to the guard room. Katelina noticed for the first time that it was like a hub, with doors on all four sides. Three appeared to lead to detention blocks.

  God, how many prisoners DO they have?

  Jorick and Katelina were led out of the room and to the elevators. Once on the third floor, the Executioners led them through marble corridors to the giant, polished doors of the audience chamber. Two guards hurried to open them and bowed out of the way.

  Katelina froze at the threshold and stared inside. The room was as impressive as she remembered. It was several stories tall with pillared alcoves and decorated with heavy tapestries. At the far end was a dais with five ornate throne-like chairs. A red rug sliced the room in half and, on either side of it, tables and chairs were arranged in groups. The last time she’d been there, it had been empty. Today it was full to bursting with vampires.

  Her eyes skipped from one face to another. Some part of her expected to see Verchiel, grinning and waving ridiculously, but there were only three Executioners standing near the empty dais; Senya, Beldren and an unfamiliar female. Strangely, his absence unnerved her. It was as if even he’d given up on them.

  Greneth marched down the rug, towards the dais. “Come on.”

  Jorick gently led her inside, impervious to the stares of the occupants.

  Greneth stopped next to an empty table and pointed them into chairs. They were barely seated when a door shaped section of the back wall opened and a procession walked out. In the front were four guards, dressed in black and silver uniforms. Behind them filed five vampires who seemed to almost glow. A man with porcelain skin who looked Chinese was followed by a graceful woman with long brown hair. Behind her was a man whose skin was so dark it looked like polished ebony. The Norse-like blonde that Katelina had met last time followed him. Eileifr, she thought was his name. Last was the face that haunted her nightmares.

  Malick.

  He seemed to shine with an aura of magnificence, brighter than the others. His long white hair and beard gleamed in the light from the chandeliers; even his red robes seemed to shimmer. Next to him, the four ancient masters suddenly seemed imperfect and inconsequential.

  His dark eyes met hers. Though he was clear across the room, those eyes took up all of her vision and she forgot that there was anything else; just a pair of dark, all absorbing orbs. His power broke over her like a wave on a rock. She felt his voice in her head. No words, just an amused laugh that echoed through her.

  “Don’t look at him.” Jorick forcibly turned her head away. As if Malick had given her permission to look elsewhere, the world leapt into focus and sounds filtered through: vampires murmured among themselves, fingers tapped impatiently on a table, a chair slid across the marble floor.

  “That’s the High Council.” Jorick motioned to the dais as they took their seats. “The woman is Celandine. Next to her is Heng, then Malick, of course. Eileifr you’ve met, and the dark one is Obi.” He gestured to eleven vampires who were seated at tables on the opposite side of the dais from the Executioners. “Those are the Lesser Council. They handle matters of less importance, and sometimes travel with the Executioners as execution councils.” He paused uncomfortably. “Two of them were at Oren’s. They’re sent when the High Council feels that unforeseen punishment may need to be handed out.”

  She thought of Oren’s wife. “Like Jesslynn and the children?”

  “Yes. They weren’t part of the original orders because no one knew the children existed, so the execution council decided their fate. They’re cowards all. They stand in the shadows and whisper directions, then run at any sign of danger.”

  Katelina’s eyes moved over the rest of the assembled vampires. “Who are they?”

  “The vampires in the gray uniform
s are lesser guards. They guard specific things, like the council chambers, or the detention cells. Those in the black and silver uniforms are the greater guards who sometimes accompany the Executioners on large jobs. Like when the redheaded idiot was investigating the murder, he had members of the greater guard with him to do the paperwork and handle the menial chores; or when Bren and Senya attacked Oren’s mansion.” He made a low noise in his throat. “When an Executioner is killed, one of the greater guards replaces them.” He waved his hand around the room. “The rest are witnesses, affected parties, or onlookers. They’ve apparently called a full council, which is rare. Either someone involved was high profile, or they’re hoping to make an example.”

  She choked and a thousand horrible outcomes spun through her head. She knew what happened when people “made an example”.

  The audience chamber quieted and Jorick whispered, “It’s resuming.”

  “How can it be resuming? We just got here!”

  “They’ll have already heard testimony from everyone else. We’re the last.”

  She bit back her anger. If they weren’t allowed to hear what was said against them, how could they defend themselves?

  “It’s all a formality. Malick already knows the answers.”

  She swallowed hard and nervously clenched and unclenched her fists. “Have you been to one of these before?”

  Jorick looked to where Jamie and Greneth had joined the other Executioners. “Yes. Several.”

  Eileifr stood and raised his arms. His long hair fell down his back, brilliant blonde against his deep blue robes. “Quiet.” As if by magic, the room dropped into expectant silence. He nodded to the assemblage and took his seat next to Malick. “We will examine the human first.”

  Katelina’s stomach dropped out from under her and she clutched Jorick’s arm. He patted her hand. “He just means they’ll look to see if you’re marked. It only takes a moment.”

  One of the black clad guards moved towards them. Jorick stood and gently tugged her to her feet. When she didn’t move he whispered, “You’ll be all right. I’ll be right here.”