Children of Shadows

by Naylor, Joleene

  She bolted for the bathroom and had barely barricaded herself inside before she heard the bedroom door open and Verchiel say, “Hello! To what do I owe this?”

  It was Ume’s voice that answered, “I wanted to talk to you.”

  “Come right in.”

  Katelina crouched next to the bathtub. The porcelain was still damp, and she jerked her hand away and steadied herself on the floor amidst a sea of discarded towels.

  My God, he’s a slob.

  “How are you?” Verchiel asked his visitor.

  “I’m fine. Let’s get to the point. I left the Black Vigil, but it isn’t what you think. I…you asked me what it was I wanted from you, and I’ve thought about it. I used to imagine you’d come back, and we’d go home, or find a new home, and things would be the way they were, but what that really meant was you’d take care of me. There was a time when I needed that, probably when we were human and maybe for a while after that, but I don’t need taken care of anymore. My time in Munich showed me that. At first I was panicked. How could I survive without Fethillen to look after me? But it turns out I don’t need anyone. Not Sibila, or the Black Vigil, or you. Loren invited me to travel with him and Micah, and I accepted.”

  There was a moment of silence and the Verchiel said cheerfully, “Good for you.”

  Katelina crept toward the door. Words were one thing, but she wanted to see their facial expressions.

  “I wanted you to know that I don’t expect anything from you. You don’t owe me, and I would understand if you’d rather forget everything.”

  Katelina pressed her eye to the keyhole. Despite Ume’s words, Katelina could see the vampiress’ uneasy expression.

  “Pshaw! You can’t ignore it. It’s not every day someone finds out they have a sister they forgot about.” Katelina couldn’t see him, but she imagined him grinning. “It might be fun, so long as you don’t make me carry your shoes like Torina does Oren.”

  Ume’s worry melted and she burst into laughter. “She makes him carry her shoes?’”

  “Someone has to wait on her when there are no available men around. But if you spend enough time with them you’ll soon see it for yourself.”

  Ume breathed a sigh of relief. “I feel better now. I was worried that…I don’t know what I was worried about. I guess that this would end badly.” She cocked her head to one side and studied him. “You don’t have a coven, do you?”

  “Nope. I never have. It was just me and Kateesha and then she took off and I sort of wandered around on my own. I mean, I fell in with covens here and there, but nothing permanent.”

  “Isn’t that lonely sometimes?” He didn’t answer and Ume said quickly, “Never mind. I should go. Loren’s waiting and he looked terrified that I’d change my mind after I talked to you.”

  “I wonder if you would’ve, if I’d said, ‘Come! Join me.’” It was Ume’s turn not to answer and he rushed on. “All right. Have fun and if nothing else I’ll see you once the explosions start.”

  Ume stood and adjusted her black shirt. “If they ever make their minds up about how we’re conducting the defense.”

  “The Children of Shadows won’t wait for them to decide. If they start before the decision is made I guess it’s every vampire for himself. Or herself.”

  “You have a point.” Ume tugged at her shirt again. “Okay, I’ll just—”

  “Not without a hug!”

  Katelina had a momentary view of Ume’s wide, shocked eyes before Verchiel swept her up and squeezed her with enough force to break ribs in a lesser being. He let her go and Katelina could see his grin. “Have a good time with little Loren. If he gives you any trouble, come let your big brother know.”

  Ume took a step back. “Right. I will. I’ll…” she broke off again and sniffed the air. Then she turned and sniffed again and again, an odd look on her face.

  “Something wrong?” Verchiel asked.

  “Yes. I smell—” the look she gave him was a mixture of concern and warning. “I hope you know what you’re doing.”

  They disappeared toward the door and Katelina dropped back. She could hear Verchiel say, “I never know what I’m doing, that makes it all the more fun,” and then the vampires’ words faded. What had Ume smelled? Was it her? Had she jumped to some horrible conclusion? It was the obvious one, but Ume should know better!

  The bathroom door flew open and Katelina fell backwards. Verchiel stood in the doorway, hands on his hips, laughing. “You could’ve at least cleaned while you were in there. But, if you’re done skulking around, they’ve finished with the tile and are installing the flooring now. You don’t want to miss that.”

  It was after midnight when a knock sounded on the back door. Verchiel opened it to find a guard who wanted to know if he was “finished with his human.”

  Verchiel tapped his chin. “Well, I suppose I can be. Though I may want her back later.”

  Katelina glared at him but let the guard usher her out and take her up the stairs and through the gate. When she walked into the main room of the secure place, one of the guards politely asked her if she needed, “medical attention”. The implications left her horrified, and she assured him she was fine.

  Xandria and Kai were still watching the laptop, and the woman waved and called, “You missed lunch!”

  Katelina took a seat with them. “Figures. Was it any good?”

  Xandria leaned back. “Not too bad. We had rice and meat in some kind of sauce. Weird local stuff.”

  “Yeah, I’ve had a lot of that kind of thing.”

  “So? What did he want?” Xandria grinned. “Did you get some personal time with your hot vampire?”

  “Not exactly.” She didn’t feel like explaining, so she said, “Everyone’s worked up about the impending attack.”

  Surprise flickered in Xandria’s eyes, then disappeared. “You’ve heard about that?”

  “From the looks of it everyone has. There are guards everywhere, or is it always like that?”

  “No idea. I’ve never been here before.” Xandria looked toward the vampires. “I’m dying for a smoke. You?”

  A cigarette sounded heavenly, and Katelina nodded.

  “Come on then.” Xandria gave her a wink and slipped off the couch. “We’ll be back,” she told Kai, and then strode toward the bathroom.

  Katelina followed uncertainly. Inside was a row of stalls, a line of sinks, and another door in the back. Xandria leaned through it and motioned to her. “In here.”

  Beyond the door was what looked like a large hot tub, but Katelina suspected it was more likely a communal bath. Xandria perched on the edge and produced a pack of cigarettes. The familiar silver package spoke of home and a life before vampires, and Katelina eagerly accepted it and shook a cigarette out.

  Xandria lit them both and then blew a stream of smoke. “It’s no smoking in here, as if the vampires are gonna die from lung cancer. I guess the nonsmokers don’t like the smell.”

  Katelina took a long puff and exhaled. “You get tired of what they want.”

  “No joke, especially if you’re not tied to a hot one.” Xandria exhaled again. “I’m not. There’s this vampire in with them, and he’s smokin’. Red hair, eyes like melted chocolate, the kind you just wanna rip off his clothes and lick whatever you can before he throws you off. But he hasn’t looked at me. My master is a short, dark, ugly little twerp who couldn’t care less about anything except a servant. Not that I’m ungrateful. I can’t imagine having to do anything with him.” She shuddered. “So what’s your story? You and monsieur hot vampire a love match or just fucking for fun? ”

  Katelina flushed. “It’s more a love match, though that’s how I met him. There was this guy, Patrick that I was kind of… well, you know, no commitments or anything, and Patrick got tangled up with the vampires. Then he got killed.”

  “Sorry to hear that. Happens a lot. Makes you wonder why we let ourselves get dragged in. You look at the trail of death and think, ‘that won’t be me’, but e
ventually it will. It’s like playing with fire. One day you’ll get burned.”

  “Or turned?” Katelina suggested.

  “In some cases I’m not sure that’s better. Plus they don’t waste it on the peons like me. You? Maybe. If your vampire really loves you, he might turn you and train you into an equal. I’ll get disposed of one of these days. Oh well, I’ll go down in a blaze of glory. Latch on to you-know-who and refuse to let go until they scrape me off.” She waggled her eyebrows. “Might as well have a last hurrah.”

  Katelina burst out laughing. “I guess that’s one way to look at it.”

  “You have to have fun or go crazy.” Xandria crossed her legs and leaned her chin in her hand. “I like to make up these crazy fantasies. I was working on a good one when you came in. This mysterious human gets put in here with us, right? I might add he’s hot. Unruly black hair, dark eyes, long tapered fingers. Mmm. Anyway, he looks secretly tortured and I know he needs help and, well, that’s when you came in and I decided to talk to you, so I don’t know what happens next. But I imagine he and I are going to spend some time in a hot bath for two. That’s when he’ll tell me about his cruel master who does unspeakable things to him, and I’ll feel this motherly rush to protect the poor dear and after a passionate love scene I’ll help him escape.” She broke into a grin. “I can add you in, too, if you want.”

  Katelina wasn’t sure she wanted to be a participant in the woman’s weird daydreams, but she didn’t like to say so. “Uh, sure.”

  “Good. I’ll let you know how it’s going later.” She took another puff. “So you and junior hotty are happy with your vampires?”

  “You could say that. Why?”

  “Call it fantasy imitating life, but I’m kind of a soft touch. I was gonna say if you guys were miserable, or being used as sex slaves and mobile dinners, I could sneak you out with me when we leave, but if you’ve got a good thing there’s no reason to ruin it. So few do.” Xandria turned on the tap and extinguished her cigarette butt.

  Katelina thought of her own campaign to save the Russians and managed to nod.

  Dinner was something strange. After Katelina finished it she decided she’d had enough of communal living for one day. Xandria followed her into the bedroom, and when Katelina opened the bag for her clothes the woman pounced on the camera. “Oh fun! I haven’t seen one of these in years!”

  “Yeah, I didn’t know they still made them.”

  “There’s probably plenty of old people who refuse to go digital. Say cheese.”

  Katelina looked up in time to see the flash go. “I was saving those.”

  “For what?” Xandria turned the camera on herself and snapped it. “You’ve got two shots left.”

  Katelina took the camera back and shoved it in her pocket. “I’m trying to take pictures for my mother, to prove that we’re on a nice vacation.”

  “Ha! A vampire vacation! I’m guessing she doesn’t know?”

  “No, and I plan to leave it that way.” Katelina realized she had no pajamas. She’d left them in Munich. Great.

  A dark woman leaned in and asked, “Are one of you a Kate-a-lina? Your master has called for you.”

  Xandria elbowed her in the ribs and gave her a wink. “Better luck this time.”

  Katelina followed the guard back to room 722, but this time it was Jorick who opened the half door. She ducked inside and he caught her up and captured her lips. When he finally broke the kiss he asked, “Are you all right?”

  She pulled back and glared up at him. “I’m fine, no thanks to you. It’s communal housing down there. We’re all thrown in together and we don’t get a choice about what we eat.”

  “I’m sorry, Katelina, but I already explained.”

  “And I’ve already told you why I’m pissed off.”

  “If it’s any consolation, I’m forced to share a room with the idiot.”

  Well that explained why Verchiel had been there earlier. “Not really.” She sat on the end of the bed and glared at him. “I’m guessing we haven’t been attacked yet?”

  “Obviously. At this point I assume it will come tomorrow.”

  “Great, another day of weirdness.” She flopped back and something jabbed her. She reached in her pocket and pulled out the camera. On a whim she pointed it at Jorick and took a photo.

  “What was that for?”

  “Posterity. You might get killed tomorrow. I need something to remember you by.”

  “I’ll give you something to remember me by.”

  She squealed as he tackled her and nipped at her neck. She wrestled playfully, and had just surrendered into a deep kiss when the bedroom door opened and Verchiel called loudly, “Oh my! I don’t want to interrupt. Maybe I should leave?”

  Jorick growled and pulled back to glare at the intruder. “Maybe you should have done that to start with?”

  “How was I to know we had company?” the redhead asked innocently. “I can pop back out if you want and you can get back to—Oooo!” He stooped and retrieved the fallen camera. “You naughty little girl. They won’t develop those kind of pictures.”

  “Go away!” Jorick snarled, but Katelina pushed him off of her and sat up.

  “Forget it. He’s ruined the mood.”

  “You could get it back?” Verchiel suggested. “We might die tomorrow.”

  “You’re going to die tonight,” Jorick snapped.

  “Hey, I’m on your side. It’s your girlfriend who’s being unreasonable.” Verchiel grinned and took a self-portrait. “There, I’ve made the whole roll of film worthwhile.”

  “God dammit. That was my last picture!” Katelina jumped up and snatched it away from him. “I can’t send my mom a pic of you grinning with your fangs hanging out.”

  “Why not? She might like it.”

  Yeah, like it enough to have another heart attack.

  It was after three a.m. when Katelina announced she was ready for bed. Jorick leaned out into the corridor, but the guard wasn’t around, so he decided he’d take her.

  “I don’t think you’re supposed to do that,” she said.

  “I’ll do what I like when it comes to my human,” he muttered darkly.

  Despite his words of authority, she had to show him the way through the winding maze of back hallways to the stairs. They took a wrong turn, and came to a dead end where a guard sat slumped against the wall, legs extended, and chin on his chest.

  “Wake him up and ask him for directions,” Katelina said with irritation.

  “Hey.” Jorick nudged him with his foot. “My human needs taken back to the secure place. Hey! Wake up!”

  The guard slid sideways, and landed on the floor in a heap. Katelina jumped back and Jorick knelt to examine him. He rolled him over and found a long, pencil like cylinder stuck in the vampire’s back. He pulled it out to reveal a sharp, cruel point coated with gore.

  “Oh my God, is he—?”

  “Yes. They obviously knew what they were doing. They stabbed him in the heart from behind.” Jorick rolled him over again and wiped his hands. “Come, little one. I’ll take you back and then report this.”

  “If someone’s killing guards maybe I should stay with you?”

  “You’ll be safer there,” he said absently. Katelina could see the wheels turning behind his dark eyes, though she didn’t know what theory he was working on.

  The guards at the gate were alarmed to see Jorick, and they quickly told him he wasn’t allowed there. “You should have waited for the guard,” one of them said.

  “I would have, but he’s dead.”

  Jorick’s words had the desired effect. One scrambled to get to a phone and the other quickly ushered Katelina through the gate. She had a final look at Jorick, who stood superior and dark, right in the midst of things.

  Where he likes to be.

  Verchiel’s words came back to her, “That’s the problem with dating the hero. He’s always busy being heroic, and you’re left on your own.”

  For once, the red
head was right.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  The guard shuffled Katelina back to the main room and left her. Kai was still at his laptop, the cord stretched across the couch. She sat next to him, and when he didn’t speak she asked, “Where’s Xandria?”

  He paused his giant monster movie. “Her master called for her.”

  “Oh.” With nothing else to say, she decided to go lie down. “I’m heading to bed.”

  Kai nodded and went back to his movie, and she wandered to the communal room. A few of the women were already tucked in and she tiptoed past them. Her bag was on her bed where she’d left it and she worried about thieves. She jerked it open and found a folded note stuck inside her ziplock baggy of important possessions. She tugged it out and absently tucked the baggy into her pocket as she unfolded the paper. The writing was large and loopy, in pink ink, with a happy vampire face drawn at the bottom:

  Katalyna (or however you spell it)

  Sorry I had to run, but it was great to meet you. Maybe we’ll bump into each other again sometime? We got a bunch of places we’re going to after this. Hell, if Cye doesn’t work out, maybe I’ll see if I can join your bunch. That could be fun.

  A shit storm is coming. I know you know that, everyone knows that, but when it happens stick to the back ways and hide. If someone finds you say “the shadows rule the night” and you’ll be okay. You can tell your master and your buddy’s master if you want. Your buddy seems like a good kid, though he’s got some hellacious scars. Maybe you shouldn’t tell his master after all, unless he’s into that kind of thing, if you know what I mean. I kind of asked him if he needed rescued and he shook his head no, so I guess he’s happy enough.

  Got to go. It was great to meet you. Take care and maybe catch you later.

  Xandria

  Cye? Shadows rule the night? Shadows rule… as in Children of Shadows? But…