by Jamie Ott
Chapter 3
The next day, Ikael also started to press her about leaving. His leg was better, as was Aine’s limbs. Seth watched Starr as Ikael proposed they travel at night, when most vampires would be asleep.
“That way,” he said, “Fewer will be able to glean our thoughts.”
Starr knew he had a point, as she was the worst telepath. Inefficient at reading others minds, and unable to keep others from reading hers, how was she to find an edge, as Aine suggested, and keep it secret?
After the meeting, Seth caught up to her as she walked the halls.
“So I’ve upheld your wishes by not leaving. Now, it’s time you uphold mine.”
She stopped and turned to face him.
“Get to the point.”
“The way you speak and hold yourself; you’re so much like her.”
She turned to leave.
He grabbed her arm, meaning to pull her back, but he wasn’t strong enough.
“Stop, please!”
She spun around again.
“What do you want, Seth?”
“For you to promise that, when we go on this final mission, you’ll stick to it. You won’t go soft.”
“Oh please, I want this just as bad as you.”
“You’re a liar. I can see it in your mind. You don’t want to kill her anymore. Now, I’m telling you, if you falter in anyway, I’ll be there. Killing me will be the only way to stop me from killing her.”
“How do you plan to do that?” she shouted at his back. “You can’t even defeat me.”
“I have a few tricks…” he mumbled as he walked away.
Starr briefly thought about blowing him up with her mind.
“Don’t listen to him,” said Emil, who was standing at the corner of the hall.
Starr must have looked annoyed, for he said, “I didn’t mean to eavesdrop. I’m coming from the meeting, too, and didn’t want to interrupt your conversation.”
“Oh, it’s fine.”
“He doesn’t know what he’s talking about. I know Credenza, maybe a little bit better than you. She’s not the monster he makes her out to be. Only you can decide if she should die, and I’ll stand behind you. That’s what being a good soldier is about.”
“Thanks,” she said, feeling uncertain about his comments. It was a throwback to know he wasn’t entirely convinced that the Queen should die.
“Just don’t go blowing anybody up. We need everyone,” he said and smiled.
Starr smiled back.
“Want to go for a walk?”
He outstretched his hand.
Hesitant, she slipped her palm into his.
It was strange to be walking hand in hand with Emil. They’d expressed their attraction before, but for some reason, she didn’t want the others to see it.
“Why are you embarrassed?”
“I don’t want them to think I’m weak.”
“Yeah right, Starr, as if they could possibly think that.”
They crossed into the forest and walked some ways until they came to the same spot, near the river, she’d spotted Seth at earlier. They followed it upstream, stepping along rocks that jutted out of the ground.
“You know, I really did try to get people to go back up the mountain, but there was nothing that I could do.”
“I know, and it’s okay. I figured there was no way you’d be able to rescue me. It took all the strength I had just to get us up that far.”
“Good. Thank you for understanding. I’d hate you to think I just left you buried beneath the snow.”
Starr smiled.
“You look beautiful.”
Starr laughed and shook her head.
“What? Every time I try to flirt with you, you laugh; it makes me feel stupid.”
“I don’t think you’re stupid. Every time you flirt with me, I feel put on the spot.”
He stopped her, put his arm around her waist and pulled her in close. His lips were soft and warm with the scent of his last kill. A squirrel, she was sure. And though she knew they were both as cold as corpses, Emil felt warm to her. She enjoyed the feel of his body touching hers.
“So you think you’ll ever come visit me in Switzerland again?”
“Maybe you should come and hang out with us at the lake? That is, if we survive.”
“We will survive, and yes, I’ll come visit you. I’d love to meet your friends.”
He kissed her again.
“You seem sure that things will be alright. I wish I felt as confident. The truth is I’m scared.”
“You’ve nothing to be afraid of.”
Later that afternoon, they packed up their stuff and relaxed for a few hours. Then at midnight, they loaded their gear on their backs and proceeded, on foot, through the forest to the old familiar road where they went left, just like the night she escaped.
Night Trek