After a gas station break, Loren asked suddenly, “You’re sure those Executioner dudes aren’t following us?”
“No,” Jorick answered from the backseat. “I told you last night they’re gone, they’ll have left early this morning to go meet the others.”
“Others?” Katelina asked as she skipped yet another Nirvana track.
“Yes, there are two others who are out looking for Kateesha. I’d wager they’re not far off in their assumptions; if they find one they may well find the other.”
Something twisted in Katelina’s gut that had nothing to do with gas station food. “You don’t think they’d work together?”
Jorick mused silently for a moment, then spoke. “Given Torina’s very vocal attitude, I doubt it, but, I don’t know.”
That answer left Katelina with chills.
They checked into a random motel for the day. Katelina stayed in the car with Loren, while Jorick arranged the rooms.
“I thought we were staying out of this,” she muttered to no one in particular.
Loren shrugged and drummed his fingers on the steering wheel in time to the music. “I’m glad we aren’t. I think he owes it to him to help him out, you know? Oren’s, like, his fledgling or whatever.”
“But how long should he have to take care of him? Forever? Christ, even kids move out of their parents’ home eventually!”
“Yeah,” Loren agreed. “But if your kids needed help, even if they’re grown up, you’d still go help ‘em, wouldn’t you?”
Her mouth opened and closed a couple of times and she finally said, “That’s different.”
The youth grinned. “If you say so.”
Their conversation ended as Jorick arrived with the keys, but Katelina’s mood didn’t improve. Her worries carried over into her sleep and gave her bad dreams; dreams of blood and anger and flashing fangs. Troy laughed, Alexander burned and Claudius mourned Arowenia before he tried to kill all of them. She woke with a scream caught in her throat and tears pressed behind her eyelids.
Jorick was there, solid and cool. He wrapped her in his arms and soothed her gently. “It’s all right. It was just a dream.”
Hot tears slipped from beneath her crinkled eyelids. “I know, but I’m tired of these dreams.” She took a deep, shuddering breath. So many things were wrong she didn’t know which one to give vent to. “Why are we going back?”
“Shhhhhh.” He slid his arm beneath her body and cradled her. “I’m sorry. But we’re not ‘going back’. I’ll see what he needs, but that’s all. I swear to you, Katelina, I’m not joining his war. He has a right to avenge the deaths of his family, but I have no interest in it.”
For the first time, Katelina started to get suspicious. “And why is that?”
Jorick laughed softly. “Now you’re questioning me? I hardly expected it from you.” The smile remained, but his voice turned more serious. “Oren is my friend, I suppose, but Jesslynn…” he broke off. “I felt no love for her, shall we say. When I gave him what he wanted, I schooled him in the most important laws. I warned him against turning Jesslynn and Torina, and more than once I reminded him about the children because I feared what Jesslynn would do. He didn’t listen, and neither did she. Unless it means Oren’s death, I won’t interfere.”
“So you say,” she muttered. “But we’re here, aren’t we? You keep promising and yet-”
He caught her face in his hands and stared deeply into her eyes. “You have to understand, little one. I cannot abandon Oren, not yet, not even for you.”
“No, of course not.” She bet he could have abandoned him for perfect Velnya.
Jorick sighed wearily. “He’s alone now, more alone than he’s ever been. He’s always had Jesslynn at his side to run him and now he’s cut adrift. You forget, it has been so short a time since he lost both his wife and children. How would you feel?”
“He has his sister,” she objected.
Jorick smiled indulgently. “Though, I’m sure he cares deeply for Torina, a sister is hardly a replacement for a wife.” He wrapped his arms around her and crushed her against his chest. “Trust me.”
She wanted to press the issue, but Loren chose that moment to bang on the door and chirp that it was time to get up. As if Jorick sensed an uncomfortable conversation coming, he took the opportunity to escape and they were soon dressed and back in the car again.
The snow had followed them on their trip and left a smooth white blanket that the day walkers had muddled into slush along the streets and sidewalks. Once they left the town behind, they were greeted by unspoiled fields of white, where no one had ventured. The view that flashed past the windows made Katelina think of Christmas and hot cocoa, two things that seemed to be in another dimension. Somehow the idea of Jorick and Christmas in the same sentence was just too weird to contemplate.
Two hours later they turned onto an undisturbed side road. Loren dropped the speed considerably and squinted through the windshield. Flakes fell from the sky with just enough frequency to obscure his view, but not enough to stop the wipers from squeaking.
“Turn,” Jorick ordered, and that’s when Katelina saw the familiar wrought iron gates standing dark and silent in the night, leading to a forgotten driveway. The memories it generated made her heart pound furiously. Why were they at Oren’s burned out mansion?
“What are we doing here?”
“Meeting Oren,” Jorick said quietly. He gave Loren directions, and once the car was parked he climbed out. Katelina slowly followed and stood next to him, her eyes roaming the lawn. The snow had done its best to hide the ruins of the brick manor, but there was only so much it could do. The blackened hulk loomed over the property like a broken giant, with only two walls complete. Naked trees, thick and old, stood silently in the winter night and soft flakes drifted around them. Her gaze was drawn to a mound that she thought had once been a bonfire. She shivered and pulled her coat tighter. This was the last place in the world she’d expect either Oren or Jorick to want to go.
“And so it makes the perfect place,” Jorick muttered. Katelina looked at him sharply, accusation on her face, but he only shrugged and motioned for her and Loren to follow him.
They cut through the untouched snow, circling the ruins of the mansion. Some distance from the back of the house was a grouping of forlorn trees. Dead, heavy moss trailed from their branches, and at their feet were clustered several old gravestones. As if to make the scene complete, a wrought iron fence bordered three sides of the tiny cemetery and thick, thorny vines grew around the stones and onto the trees; old rose bushes waiting for spring.
“Man, it’s like a horror movie,” Loren mumbled. Though he shuffled along casually, his hands in his pockets, his eyes darted around nervously. “Hey, you’re sure this isn’t, like, a trap?”
“No one would know of this place,” Jorick answered firmly. He came to a stop in the center of the graveyard and waited patiently.
Katelina moved to stand next to him, but a patch of softer earth sank beneath her feet and she jerked back instinctively. The snow rose in a small mound and hinted at something beneath the surface; a fresher grave, perhaps. She glanced to her left and saw a lopsided stone that had four names roughly carved into it. All but one were names she recognized: Jesslynn, Alexander, Tristan and Bethina. Tristan? Could that have been the baby? And how had he buried them? Had he picked their bones out from the remnants of the fire and dug the hole himself?
The macabre thoughts made her shiver, and she stepped away, instinctively putting space between herself and that grave. Loren glanced at her uncertainly, uncomfortable fears in his eyes. A chill crept up her spine and she imagined a thousand terrible monsters that might be hiding somewhere. But, there were no foot prints; no sign of life at all except the heavy trees and the mournful winter wind.
Loren caught Katelina’s attention and held his hands out questioningly. She shrugged in reply and he cleared his throat to get Jorick’s attention. “Hey, man, I don’t mean any disrespect,
but I don’t think-”
Jorick held up a hand to silence him. He pointed to a distant figure that was slowly making its way towards them. Katelina squinted and thought she recognized Oren’s gait.
Sure enough, it was Oren who joined them moments later, his blonde hair windblown around his face and his hands tucked into the pockets of a long gray coat. He looked from one to the other, then settled his attention on Jorick. “You got my message, then?”
“Yes, in a way.” Jorick’s face was unreadable as he studied his friend. “What was so pressing, Oren, that you must send for me? I’ve already made my position clear.”
“Yes, of course.” Oren replied impatiently. “That isn’t why I asked you here. I both have something to give you and would ask something from you.”
Katelina groaned inwardly and shuffled deeper into the too big coat. Oren wanted to play riddles.
Jorick sounded as annoyed as she felt. “And that would be?”
Oren looked meaningfully at Katelina and Loren, asking if he should speak in front of them.
Jorick’s jaw twitched. “Loren, why don’t you and Katelina move where it’s warmer? The wind is cold here.”
“I’m fine,” Katelina assured him firmly. They weren’t going to start this again. She’d hauled along on a two day trip and she wanted to know why.
Jorick drew a tight, unhappy breath. “Fine. What, Oren?”
The blonde shrugged. “It’s Kateesha. She’s planning to come after you.”
A chill shot up Katelina’s back at Oren’s words. She suddenly saw Kateesha in her mind’s eye; digging through bodies, her dark eyes drifting hungrily to Jorick.
“Me?” Jorick snorted contemptuously. “Why would she?”
“You need to ask?” Oren shook his head in disbelief.
“And how do you know this?”
“Let’s just say I heard it around,” Oren said evasively. Jorick narrowed his eyes and Oren shifted uncomfortably, as if the information might be extracted against his will. “I’ve been trying to keep tabs on what she’s doing. That’s where you come in. What I need from you now is Kateesha.”
Jorick looked more than a little surprised. “I don’t have her. And if you’re planning to use me as some kind of bait…” he broke off, but his negative opinion was in his tone.
“Of course not,” Oren said quickly. “But you’ll know where she is.”
Jorick frowned. “Why would I know where Kateesha is? I imagine she’s still setting up her coven. She’s nothing to do with me.”
Oren’s impatience grew. “No, you wouldn’t have before, but you do now.” Before Jorick could comment he went on. “The Guild will know where she is, and I believe you only recently spoke with some of them?”
“Yes,” Jorick answered slowly. “But only after you sent your request.” He cocked his head curiously. “That was a dangerous game, Oren.”
“Yes, it could have been,” he agreed. “But I knew if they intercepted the message they’d go straight to you, and then you’d peer into their minds to find out what they knew.”
“And what if I did? What do you want her for?” Jorick asked suspiciously. “Do you plan to join forces?”
Oren looked almost amused; almost. “Hardly. She’s planning to lure The Guild to send the Executioners and the guards to attack her.”
“What? All of them?” Jorick shook his head. “She can’t possibly lure them all into a battle. And if she could, she couldn’t defeat them all.”
“No,” Oren agreed. “But perhaps she can lure enough of them.”
“And if she does?”
“Undoubtedly she’ll kill some of them, and,” the corners of his mouth twitched in an almost smile. “-undoubtedly they’ll kill some of hers. And, when both sides are bloodied and battle weary…”
“You’ll march in and try to defeat them both?” Jorick finished.
“Yes, actually. However, I don’t know where she’s hiding at the moment, so it will be difficult to set up plans ahead of time.”
Jorick shifted uneasily. “Answer me one question. Why are you after her? I thought it was only The Guild you quarreled with?”
Oren met his eyes and his tone was serious, “Because Kateesha is a threat to us all. She wants to fight the same war I’m fighting, but not on my side. What if she should succeed?”
A knowing smile flickered across Jorick’s face. “Torina’s words?”
Oren shifted uncomfortably. “Perhaps. But she’s right.”
Jorick shook his head. “No, she’s not. The Guild will crush Kateesha.”
He sounded so sure that, for a moment, Katelina felt herself relax. If Jorick said she’d fail, then she’d fail. However, Oren’s next words brought back her doubt.
“Maybe. You forget, she is Malick’s, as are you. The same favors you’ve garnered will extend to her.”
“They already have,” Jorick muttered darkly.
Oren nodded. “My point exactly. She’s a danger to all of us, your human included.”
“Katelina?” Jorick dismissed the suggestion with a smirk. “I’m sure Kateesha has more important things to do than bother us. Especially if she’s warring with The Guild.”
Oren looked almost regretful. “Remember, I did warn you”
Jorick nodded and they fell into silence. Katelina wanted to grab Oren and demand what else he knew about Kateesha and her plans, but just when she decided she was going to do it, Jorick spoke up.
“She’s in the underground den, in New York.”
Oren frowned. “You mean Claudius’s old war complex?”
Jorick nodded stiffly. “It will be hard for you to take.”
Oren’s face remained as grim as ever. “Then let’s hope we don’t have to.”
They fell silent again, and a cold wind blew a swirl of snow around them. Katelina and Loren exchanged curious glances. Oren’s eyes drifted to the naked, thorny rose bushes and his expression turned sorrowful. “Do you remember when we planted them?”
“Yes,” Jorick said quietly. “That was before you knew what I was.”
“Yes. Jesslynn was curious as to why we planted in the dark. She thought it some foreign superstition.” A strange, hollow smile found his face. “You could almost say it’s what made her curious.”
Katelina glared at Jorick’s back, as if she thought he’d offer her and Loren an explanation, but he remained stonily silent.
Oren moved to stand before one of the graves. “It was after the fifth child, I believe. Yes, after Jenny.” He absently traced the name cut into the stone. “I thought the loss would take Jesslynn too.”
Jorick shifted uncomfortably. “She was too strong for that, Oren. No woman was a stranger to the loss of a child then.”
“No, but six?” Oren met his eyes squarely. “Even the strongest branch breaks under too much weight.” He brushed the snow from the top of the old tombstone and his fingers lingered, as though he were touching a person. “If things had gone differently…”
“But they didn’t,” Jorick said flatly. “What’s done is done. Neither you nor I can change the past.”
“I know that.” Oren dropped his hand uselessly and his voice grew so quiet that Katelina had to strain to hear him. “We’ve both suffered heavy losses, Jorick.” He glanced up and met Katelina’s eyes accusingly. “However it seems you’ve forgotten yours.”
Jorick followed his gaze and frowned. “Time must heal all things, or else how can one go on living for eternity?”
Oren’s head snapped around to face his elder. “Does it heal? Or do we simply forget ourselves and our mistakes, so we can repeat them again?”
The men’s eyes locked and they stood motionless, staring and frowning as if in some silent conversation. Finally, Oren broke away from it. “Do as you will.”
“I intend to,” Jorick declared, with a hint of anger. “We will take our leave now, Oren. Should I hear anything concerning Kateesha I’ll let you know. However, I doubt that I will.”
Ore
n looked at Katelina again. There was something veiled behind his amber eyes, but it was nothing she could decipher. “For your sake, I hope you’re right.”
**********
Chapter Six
They left Oren in the graveyard and drove to the nearest town. Loren dropped Jorick and Katelina off at a fast food place, and then disappeared to “pick something up at the store”. Jorick only shook his head sadly and refused to comment, though Katelina suspected the boy had gone to see Oren.
“What do we do if he doesn’t come back?” she asked around a mouth full of French fries.
Jorick turned the plastic salt shaker in his hand. “He’ll return. He won’t leave us stranded here.”
“If you say so.” She trusted Loren as much as she trusted the rest of the vampires; which was not at all.
Silence fell between them and she thought about bringing up the letters she’d found. She could claim that she’d been looking through the books and come across them accidentally. Though, she wasn’t sure how to explain the fact that she’d read them. Accidentally finding a packet of letters was one thing; being able to quote from them was something else entirely.
And so the silence stretched. A nearby TV played the news, closed captioned and muted. The stories were the same as always; the president’s approval rating was down, gas prices were up, someone had been killed in California, someone was kidnapped in Florida, and someone was blown up overseas. It was oddly comforting to know that though she’d dropped out of the normal world, it remained just the same.
“I’m going to go make a call,” Jorick announced, and then headed towards the payphone at the front of the store. Katelina nodded vaguely after the fact, too busy reading the story that flashed by on the television.
“… Pop singer Shelay, best known for her hit Down’n Dirty, was reported missing from her New York home on November eleventh, though authorities believe she may have disappeared as early as the ninth. New York police say there was no sign of forced entry, and friends claim she was last seen leaving La Fosse, a trendy nightclub, in the company of an unnamed woman.”
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