Chapter 103
Away from here. That was an informative answer. How nice of Jorick to give such a specific answer to Katelina's question.
"I guessed that," Katelina replied calmly. His anger was hot and palpable, so she asked a pointless question to give him time to calm down, "Don't you need to feed?"
"No," he answered, and she noticed that his hand was warm around hers. "Not anymore."
She thought of the battle scene and of his mouth clamped on the other vampire's face. "Can you-" She hesitated at the word, but forced it. "-Feed on other vampires?"
Jorick's voice was toneless, a bored school teacher. "It depends how recently they've fed. If they haven't, then it's primarily a waste of time; their blood is as empty of life as any vampires'. But, if they've fed recently, you can look at them as a container. Fortunately, a vampire usually feeds before it attacks anyone."
The container comment made her uncomfortable and she glanced back at the burning house. "Kateesha sent a raiding party?"
"Yes. Though she only sent six, so they were obviously meant as a diversion or a simple annoyance. It isn't my problem anymore."
She refused to argue with that. They were finished with Oren and his stupid war, and that was good enough for her. So, she changed the subject. "What was it you did to me in the woods?"
He didn't turn around, even though she lagged behind him. "I didn't 'do' anything to you. I just put you to sleep."
"Why?" It was impossible for her to match his speed, and the distance between them continued to grow until her arm was stretched uncomfortably.
"Because, if I hadn't, you'd have made enough noise to wake the dead. You humans haven't mastered the art of truly being quiet. You think that just because you can't hear yourself, no one else can." He stopped and waited for her to catch up. "There are a lot of creatures whose hearing is far superior to yours."
"Somehow, I guessed that already." She came to a stop next to him. "How did you know they wouldn't find me?"
"I didn't." He shrugged his shoulders and looked away. "I guessed."
"So you guessed, knocked me out, and left me for any old vampire to find?"
"And what else should I have done?" His dark eyes snapped at her, though his voice was calm. "Stayed there with you? Left the others to their fate? Or dragged you after me?"
"No," she agreed wearily. "I don't know. It doesn't matter. Just forget it, I guess you meant well." Her shoulders slumped in defeat. "I'm just freezing."
"I'm sorry, but we have a long walk ahead of us."
"How long?" He didn't answer, so she took the opportunity to pull him towards her. She spit on her coat sleeve and started for his face, but he jerked away instinctively.
"What are you doing?"
"Tidying you," she answered flatly, and then swiped the blood from his cheek with her damp sleeve. His nose wrinkled in disgust and he tried to pull away, but she held him fast until his face was clean. "Now, how long is this walk going to be?"
She let him go and he stepped back, clearly repulsed. Wisely, he didn't comment and instead turned away and started walking down the road.
"How long?" she called after him, but again he didn't answer, which led her to only one horrific conclusion: very long. "I'm not in shape for this kinda thing!" Neither her job nor her lifestyle required her to be in peak physical condition and she was a slacker by nature.
Jorick stopped, his shoulders tense, then turned back to her. "Obviously. Come along anyway."
She started to complain, but he gave her a dark look that said the conversation was over for the time being.
***
Katelina and Jorick walked down the gravel road. On either side of them were fields of snow, occasionally broken by a handful of dark houses, and yards lit by orange security lights.
Katelina's toes were numb and she kept her hands burrowed in her coat. She was sure she'd have frostbite, on her nose at the very least, and she voiced the opinion more than once. Jorick's patience soon ran thin, though he managed to keep his voice calm.
When her legs and feet finally gave out, she stopped in her tracks and declared loudly, "I can't go any further. Are you trying to kill me?"
Jorick gave a low sigh, then wordlessly scooped her up and unceremoniously slung her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.
"Hey! What are you doing? I'm not baggage, you know."
"No, you're far too noisy to be baggage," he joked and then sighed. "Do you have a better suggestion? Maybe I'll just whip out the magic carpet I keep in my pocket and you can fly in comfort?"
"Very funny. The blood's going to rush to my head like this."
"I'm sorry if you're uncomfortable, but it's the only practical way. It leaves my arm free in case I need it. I know you missed most of it, but vampires just attacked Oren's den, set it ablaze and, though we fought them, one disappeared into the night. I'm not really sure where he's gone, and I don't like the idea of being surprised without at least one free arm to fight him off."
"And you really think that he's still lurking around?" She rolled her eyes. "It's been at least six hours!"
"It's been two hours; three at the most," he corrected her. "Don't make me put you to sleep again. I will, you know."
"Don't you dare. I don't like those stupid mind things you do and you know it."
This was the stupidest plan ever. To just stomp off in the middle of nowhere with no car, no food and freezing temperatures. There was absolutely no forethought put into it, that much was obvious.
"If you think you can do better on your own," Jorick snapped in reply to her thoughts and then took a deep breath to calm himself. "Fine," he said gently. "It wasn't the best plan, all right? But it's done now, and we've no choice except to make the best of it." He paused before continuing. "And I know you don't like it, Katelina, but you're making enough noise to alert every vampire in at least the five surrounding states. If you don't quiet down I'll put you to sleep. I'm sorry, but I'll do whatever is necessary to keep you safe, whether you like it or not."
She chose to ignore the later part of his statements. "No, it wasn't a very good plan. And yes, I could have come up with a better one: How about taking a car?"
"The cars aren't mine, and I'm not stealing one. If you think the owner couldn't have caught up with us, then you're sadly mistaken. In case you haven't noticed, I walk faster than you, and some of them are faster than me. Now relax. We may not find a town tonight."
"What? But there's light, right over there." She pointed to her left where the clouds had the telltale glow of civilization. "It's not that far away."
"Perhaps not, but since it appears to be little more than a village, it won't do us any good."
"A village?" She echoed weakly. "How do you know it's small?" She supposed the answer was obvious. It wasn't like it was a particularly bright glow, or even a very big one. And, logically, if it was small there'd be no motel.
"Exactly. And before you ask, No, I don't know where a town is."
"You mean we're just aimlessly walking, with no motel in sight? Where are we going to sleep?"
"In a barn or something. I don't know, but I'll find somewhere, all right?" He muttered something unintelligible, no doubt directed at her.
"This is fantastic." Silence fell over them and, as the blood rushed to her head, Jorick's irritation buzzed louder and louder. When she couldn't take it anymore, she snapped angrily, "It's not like it's my fault!"
"What?" his voice was toneless, his eyes glued to the snowy road ahead.
"That I don't have your stamina. I'm sorry I happen to still be alive!" She regretted the remark as it left her lips, but there was no way to snatch it back again.
Jorick bit his words off, as though they were something bitter, "Yes, I know. I try very hard to be patient and considerate about it, in case you haven't noticed. I get you food, I deal with your injuries, I stand guard while you deal with those disgusting human bodily functions, and never once have I said a word. Fine, I didn't think about it this one time, all right? There, I admit it. One time I forgot how frail you are!"
"When I freeze to death-" she started, but he cut her off.
"You're not going to freeze to death. For the love of God you'd have never survived even two hundred years ago! That's the problem with you modern mortals: you're all soft. Central air, fast food. Never have to get your hands dirty or do any real work. My sister walked farther than this at least once a week and she didn't complain even half as much as you are. And you're being carried. No one carried her!" By the time he finished he was shouting.
"Well, excuse me!" She yelled back, though her curiosity threatened to overrule her anger. She hung on the cusp for a moment and then curiosity won. "You have a sister?"
"Had a sister," he answered snappily. "Yes, Katelina, though it may come as a horrible shock to you, I did have a family once. I wasn't hatched from an egg."
"I never said you were." She forced the animosity out of her voice and asked, "What happened to her?"
"She died," his tone softened as well. "She was killed by a group of soldiers."
Katelina waited, but when no more details came she managed an, "Oh."
"I'm not going to give you a history lesson, so don't bother asking for one." Despite that, he added, "Her name was Tryne, but it doesn't matter. It was a long, long time ago."
"Maybe it doesn't matter to you, but did you ever stop to think it might matter to me?"
His surprise washed through her. "Why?"
"Because it's what's happened that makes a person who they are. I don't even know your last name."
"I don't have one, at least not in the same way the modern masses do. I was once called Jorick de Lange, if that makes you feel better."
Her initial thought was that de Lange sounded like a surname to her, but, she didn't have time to voice it before he answered the thought.
"The modern surnames are family names," he explained. "You have the same surname as your father and he as his, etcetera. De Lange isn't a family name, it's more like a nickname; an identifier to distinguish myself from another Jorick. It roughly means 'the tall Jorick'." He dropped off into thought and Katelina finally coughed loudly to get his attention. "Yes?"
"You were saying?"
"I was finished, actually."
She could almost hear him smirk, so ignored the statement. "So, de Lange is the name you use, then?"
"No, not really. I'd have to say my favorite is Smit. Nice and simple."
Smit. She recognized that name from the faded envelopes. Velnya Smit. His wife. Of course she'd have had whatever passed for his last name.
Jorick interrupted her thoughts. "Either way, this conversation grows wearisome."
