Kaitlin's Tale

by Christine Amsden

  “Since you’re obviously an unbiased third party,” Alexander said. “Tell me, Kaitlin, what would you say is the main difference between me and Matthew?”

  Kaitlin stared between them, uncertain. And for some reason that uncertainty nearly undid Matthew.

  “I’m not you, thirty years ago or any other time,” Matthew said. “You’ve killed. You’ve stolen magic.”

  “I have never stolen magic!” Alexander protested. “My wife–”

  “Yes, yes, we know. Your wife was drained. You protected her but were unable to get her justice. Now you say you’re trying to get justice for others, but you’ve also allowed it to happen.”

  Show him, Kaitlin thought. Can you show him your thoughts? Make him see the truth?

  Matthew stared at her. He could. He could do that, but... he would be making himself extremely vulnerable.

  No one thinks of himself as evil. Show him the truth. Hurt him with the truth.

  And, taking a deep breath, Matthew did just that. He didn’t put more shields up. He let them down. One by one, piece by piece, he let his shields down so that he could broadcast his thoughts – his very essence – into Alexander’s mind. He showed the other man everything. He showed him Janelle and her drug dealing. He broadcast his fight with Todd. He showed Alexander that he wasn’t as in control as he thought he was.

  Alexander staggered backwards, and in that instant Matthew thrust his will into the other man’s mind, using the moment of weakness to press his advantage. He found a soft spot in the other man’s mind, grabbed it, and held on with all his might.

  “Where is the blood?” Matthew commanded.

  “Escape tunnel,” Alexander said, panting.

  Alexander struggled against Matthew’s hold both mentally and physically, and it was all Matthew could to do hold on. He kept feeling his power slipping, being shunted aside by the far more powerful mind mage.

  “Show me,” Matthew commanded while he still could.

  “Only I can open it,” Alexander said.

  “Then do it!”

  Alexander stood, walked zombie-like to the fireplace, and pressed his palm against a flat bit of wall that Kaitlin saw as a panel. The next instant the entire fireplace swung forward, into the room, revealing a passageway that led into darkness.

  Alexander staggered again, and Matthew almost lost his lock. In that instant of uncertainty Alexander tried to slam his palm against the panel again, to close the secret passageway, but Matthew just managed to hold on.

  “Lead us to the blood,” Matthew ordered. He lifted a hand to his face to wipe away the sweat. “Hideyuki, carry Devon.”

  Matthew didn’t need to look to make sure they were following him; he could hear the chatter from three active, frightened minds. Even Jay was nervous, and he didn’t understand why they weren’t outside. They were supposed to be outside.

  Soon, Matthew thought. Then he followed Alexander down a series of twisting tunnels, past several forks in the road, and to a metal door that once again required a palm to open.

  “I won’t do it!” Alexander cried, and Matthew knew he was just about to lose this battle.

  But Matthew didn’t need Alexander anymore. He only needed the man’s palm. With that in mind he cast one last spell along the tether he had tied to Alexander’s mind – a sleep spell.

  It almost didn’t work. Alexander slapped at the spell, but not hard enough. He was too busy trying to thrust Matthew from his mind.

  For a second Alexander stood there, his eyes wide and staring at Matthew, looking for all the world as if he’d been betrayed. Then he fell to the ground, unconscious.

  “Hideyuki, can you lift him and press his palm to the panel?” Matthew asked.

  The hunter nodded and wordlessly did so. There was a collective gasp as the door slid open and they saw row upon row, shelf upon shelf, of vials of blood. Matthew stepped inside, studying the neatly labeled vials in alphabetical order. There, near the beginning, was Evan Blackwood, right next to Cassandra Blackwood, his wife. Matthew saw vials for his father, James Blair, for Kaitlin, for Hideyuki, for Devon, for Janelle, and for countless others. It seemed like everyone in the compound and everyone Alexander had been able to subdue for any length of time had blood stored here. Very few were immune to mind magic, especially backed by blood – Devon was unique in that, and Kaitlin more unique still. Once he had the blood, Alexander could make almost anyone forget that he had ever drawn it.

  “How do we destroy it?” Kaitlin whispered.

  “First, we photograph it.” Matthew took his cell phone from his pocket and began snapping still photos. Then he switched to video mode and slowly panned the entire room, trying to make sure to catch every vial. Every name.

  When he finished, Matthew drew the fireball ring from his finger, the one Clark Eagle had insisted he bring along. He hadn’t understood the need at the time, but now he was grateful for it. All he had to do was set the spell on a delay, put it in the center of the room, close the door, and let it all burn.

  “Out!” Matthew said, and everyone scattered.

  Matthew began to set the ring down, but something caught his attention – Evan Blackwood’s blood. With it, he could see into the other man’s mind. He could learn what made his strongest ally tick. With that, perhaps, he could turn a reluctant ally into a passionate one.

  He hesitated for only a moment before grabbing the vial and slipping it into his pocket. Then he set the ring on the ground and set the spell with a delay of ten seconds. Counting backward from ten, he ran out the door, slammed the metal shut, and heard the click of the lock.

  Three.. two... one...

  The explosion shook the ground beneath them, but they didn’t wait for the ground to stop moving before running for freedom.

  Chapter 21

  THE TUNNEL CAME OUT NEAR THE hangar. Kaitlin thought it was a tremendous coincidence, or an amazing stroke of luck, but when they had all piled into the four-seater Cessna (Jay in her lap), Matthew said he’d guessed that the exit to the tunnel would be near the hangar. Alexander would want a quick getaway, after all.

  The engines roared to life. Kaitlin closed her eyes and hugged her son tightly against her chest, wishing there was an extra seat for him, but also glad she had him to hold. She had never been in a plane before and she would have loved to revel in the experience, but all she could think was, Get away, must get away.

  The plane taxied out of the hangar at such a snail’s pace that Kaitlin could almost hear the angry mob bearing down on them. But then, finally, they reached the runway and began accelerating.

  Faster. Faster.

  The plane almost seemed to answer her mental command, its forward motion pushing her against the leather seat until finally, she felt the moment it came off the ground. It was an odd feeling, not exactly what she had expected flying to feel like, but at the same time it was exhilarating. She dared to open her eyes and look at the rapidly shrinking countryside below. There was almost nothing around Alexander’s compound for miles; the closest building was an old gas station. She couldn’t find it through the trees, but she did see a sea of black-clad security officers emerge from the compound as Matthew angled the plane southward for their journey home.

  We made it. We’re safe. Kaitlin exhaled a breath she hadn’t even been aware of holding. “How long will it take to get home?”

  “A while. We’ll have to stop halfway to refuel.” Matthew had his eyes fixed on the dials in front of him.

  “Is something wrong?” Kaitlin asked.

  “No.”

  “Is there a chance they sabotaged the plane?”

  “I have wards protecting it.”

  “The same kind of wards you broke through when you got into Alexander’s room?” Kaitlin asked.

  Matthew didn’t reply, but Kaitlin suddenly f
ound herself praying, something she rarely did. But there didn’t seem to be anything else left for her to do.

  In one of the chairs behind them, Devon roused and blearily asked where they were. Kaitlin left Hideyuki to explain. She just stared out the front window at the miniature landscape below. What a long, long way if they suddenly fell out of the sky.

  We’d never survive it, Kaitlin thought.

  That’s when the motor suddenly stopped.

  Everyone inside the airplane froze and as one drew in a breath. Even Jay tensed and clung to Kaitlin with a little too much strength.

  “What happened?” Kaitlin asked in barely more than a whisper.

  “They tampered with the plane.” Matthew worked the controls frantically, not sparing her a glance.

  “Are we going to crash?”

  The nose of the plane began to dip downward. Kaitlin closed her eyes, then opened them, unable not to look. They had lost a lot of altitude, but the nose was more or less level again, Beside her, Matthew was fighting to keep the plane aloft.

  She closed her eyes again, but opened them when Devon screamed. The nose was down again, and they were spiraling toward the ground.

  “Do something!” she screamed, stupidly. Those were going to be her last words, she realized, unless she came up with something better to say. Closing her eyes, this time telling herself it would be for good, she clutched her son close and whispered in his ears, “I love you.”

  Then everything went black.

  Chapter 22

  MATTHEW CLOSED HIS EYES AT THE moment of impact. The small plane seemed to bounce off the tops of the pines before sliding to a halt suspended between the branches of at least two trees.

  The impact was strong enough that he blacked out, but only for a moment. When he came to he was satisfied to note that his first field-test of the wards on his small plane had worked – more or less. Kaitlin and Devon were unconscious, but Hideyuki was already working on freeing the other man from the backseat while Jay was shaking his mom, mentally asking her to wake up.

  Matthew quickly checked Kaitlin’s pulse and breathed a sigh of relief when he found it strong and steady. She’d been hurt, but she was alive. And that, after all, had been the point of the spells – to cushion a crash landing and make it survivable.

  “She’ll be okay,” Matthew whispered to Jay. “Let me get her out.”

  Jay didn’t want to listen, so Matthew formed a subtle suggestion to convince the boy to go to Hideyuki, who already had Devon out of his seat and was climbing out of the plane. The tiny spell required more effort than usual, and when Matthew took a moment to check his quiet place, he saw that his magical reserves were way, way down after his confrontations with Todd and Alexander. He was on the verge of suffering magical drain like he’d done a few days ago, but he had no time to sleep for a day to recoup his strength. Not now. Alexander would be looking for them and so, he thought almost as an afterthought, would two powerful vampires.

  They needed to get out of here. Matthew checked his cell phone, but found that it was dead. Now that was strange. It had been fully charged before they’d taken off. He’d made sure of it. It was almost as if some kind of EMP bomb went off. But there was nothing he could do about that now. Shoving the phone into his emergency backpack (which he could not leave behind since it contained two powerful books on magic that he would not let get into the wrong hands), he lifted Kaitlin into his arms and scooted backwards out of the plane, across the pilot’s seat.

  “Watch your step!” Hideyuki called from somewhere below. “Hand her down.”

  Matthew looked over his shoulder and saw a good five-foot drop. The plane was indeed nestled in the branches of several trees. The miracle was that none of the branches had penetrated the hull. Shifting carefully so that Kaitlin’s limp body slid across his lap, Matthew handed her off into Hideyuki’s waiting arms. He felt a moment of jealousy that he hadn’t been able to climb off the plane with her, the way Hideyuki had been able to do with Devon, but he squashed the errant thought. The woman was unconscious, for goodness sakes! But she had proved herself so capable back there. He couldn’t think of anyone else he would rather have had by his side while confronting Alexander, and he knew he would have lost if not for her steady mind and common sense ideas.

  “Where to now?” Hideyuki asked once they were on the ground.

  “They’re going to hunt us,” Matthew said. “I don’t know how long it’s been, but we need to put distance between ourselves and this plane, and we need to cover our tracks.”

  “Jason has her blood.” Hideyuki nodded at Kaitlin. “The vampires will find us easily.”

  Matthew stared at Kaitlin, unconscious at his feet, then he looked at Jay, who sat by her side. “Does Jason have Jay’s blood?”

  Hideyuki shrugged. “I can’t pretend to understand the ways of vampires, but I don’t believe he ever bit the child. It is a rare and particularly twisted vampire who feeds on babies.”

  “We’ll have to separate them then,” Matthew said decisively. Kaitlin would be angry with him when she woke, but splitting up would make them harder to track. And the vampires would be less likely to kill Kaitlin if they thought she could lead them to Jay. He explained his thoughts to Hideyuki, who nodded.

  “Good plan. I’ll take Devon too, since you can’t carry them both. Do you know how to cover your tracks?”

  “I know a way to cover my tracks,” Matthew said, though the idea of casting another spell made him break out into a cold sweat.

  “I know a way too,” Hideyuki said. “Mine literally covers the tracks.”

  “Mine is mental compulsion,” Matthew said. “But at least we each have a way. Try to get to a populated area and a phone, then call the White Guard to come get you.” Matthew paused long enough to give Hideyuki as many phone numbers as he could remember – Evan’s, Scott’s, Cassie’s, Charles’s, and his father’s – then they went their separate ways.

  Matthew slung Kaitlin over his shoulder in a fireman’s carry, thinking at first that she didn’t weigh all that much. “Not much” is relative, though, and she seemed to grow heavier and heavier with each step Matthew took. He tried not to think about that as he forced himself to move, placing one foot in front of the other. He thought about the curve of her ass, right there in his face, clad in tight jeans. He allowed himself a moment to run his hands over it – checking to make sure she was secure, he told himself, but he didn’t really believe the lie. She smelled good. Not like a flower or a spice or any other popular scent, but like her. Just her.

  Apparently, some guy who could detect pheromones thought they smelled great together. The idea almost made him laugh. Well, no kidding! He’d known that from the first moment he’d laid eyes on her at the compound. Some part of him had sensed it back in Eagle Rock, but despite what many romantics wanted to believe, there was more to love and even lust than chemistry. There was availability, opportunity, and – especially for a telepath –- mental compatibility.

  They were both available. Opportunity wasn’t that hard to manufacture. And as for mental compatibility, Matthew would never forget how Kaitlin handled herself during their escape. If only he could force her to see herself the way he saw her, she’d be perfect.

  ...despite what you always believed from watching your father with me, you would never be happy for long with a woman you coerced into loving you.

  His mother’s words floated unbidden into his memory, nearly making him lose his footing. He regained it, but not his wits. All he could think was that at the time, he hadn’t believed there was such a woman, and now... well, was it possible for someone to love him without being manipulated into it?

  Probably not. Kaitlin might find him attractive, but she didn’t like or trust him. He shoved the thoughts from his mind and went back to focusing on his footfalls as he marched across the hilly Pennsylvania co
untryside.

  Once Matthew had walked half a mile, he closed his eyes, deepened his breathing, and reached for his quiet place. The diamond was there, duller than usual, but he scraped together what magic he could find and began to cast the spell that would hide their trail. By the time he finished he was breathing so hard his lungs ached, but he didn’t drop his precious cargo. Instead, he made a right-angle turn to the path he had been taking and headed into the setting sun.

  One foot. Another. He had no idea how far he had walked. A mile? Two? The sun was beginning to form a pink glow in the horizon, but he had seen no signs of civilization, not even a paved road.

  He knew some spells that might help, but he was already too low on magic. Food, water, and rest could reenergize depleted magical reserves to a point, but there was also a point of no return. All sorcerers were warned of this point when they were young – burnout. It was the monster under the bed, the one they all feared. It also, Matthew supposed, put some kind of limit on what even the most powerful sorcerer could do, but as a particularly powerful sorcerer himself he had rarely brushed up against that limit.

  Just there – to the right – in the dim glow of the setting sun, Matthew saw a barn of some kind. When he drew closer, he noticed that it was actually a working stable, and that there were two horses inside. A farmhouse lay just beyond it, the lights inside suggesting that someone was home. Maybe they could help. Maybe they had a phone.

  With a feeling of hope welling up in his chest for the first time in hours, Matthew trudged forward. Kaitlin’s dead weight felt a little lighter now that he had a destination in mind. Finally, he came up to the back steps and let Kaitlin sag to the ground at his feet before he knocked on the door.

  An old woman in a white flowered apron opened the door, leaving the screen shut. She looked at him suspiciously, not noticing Kaitlin on the ground. “Yes?”

  “I was in an accident. My friend and I could use some help. Can we use your phone?”

  The woman started, then looked down at Kaitlin, unconscious at his feet. “Oh my! Come on in. Was it a car accident? I can send my husband into town to talk to the sheriff, but our phone’s been out since six o’clock. Not sure what happened. Power went out for a while too, but the phone’s still out so we don’t know what’s going on.”