Chapter 232
Katelina woke and blinked groggily. Cold air blew her hair in her face and she made to wipe it away, except that her arms didn't work right. They weren't the only thing. Her legs felt like lead and when she moved them nothing happened.
"She's waking up."
In her half coherent state it took Katelina a moment to recognize the voice. It was Kioko, the Executioner.
Executioner?
The last several hours crashed over her and she suddenly remembered. As she came to terms with the memories, she sought Jorick and found him, still unconscious, hanging over Ark's back. She forced her eyes and mind to focus and realized she was on the runway of a rural airport, draped over Kioko's impatient shoulder. Behind them was a small airplane and above them the sky was black; the stars blotted out by bright ground lights. A chilly mist gave the lights an otherworldly halo and made the air smell like damp, dead grass. Katelina shivered and wondered if she was in Iowa.
Probably, since we're going to the Citadel.
Just that phrase was enough to fill her with fear. She remembered the last visit and her encounter with Malick, the head of The Guild and Jorick's ancient master; the way he'd lain her mind bare and probed through it at his leisure. She didn't think she could do it again.
A car motor echoed on the heavy air and a black SUV appeared. It stopped near them and the doors opened. Two men in long black coats climbed out, shiny silver medallions around their necks.
More Executioners.
Yep. It's Iowa.
Eerily, she recognized both of the Executioners. The male with long black hair in a bun was Jamie. Jorick had worked with him long ago. The other was one of Senya's lackeys who'd been at Oren's den when Verchiel had whisked her off to the Citadel last time. Greneth, she thought he was called.
Joy.
The Executioners exchanged a handful of words and then she and Jorick were loaded into the vehicle. With each passing moment she became more alert, and by the time they pulled out of the airport and onto the road she was coherent enough to feel terror.
Jamie turned around in the seat to look back at her. His chocolate brown eyes bored into hers and she suddenly felt pinned down like a butterfly in a collection. A strange calm descended, similar to the one Jorick often used. She tried to fight it, but Jamie only increased the pressure.
Relax. There is nothing to fear, the thought whispered through her head. She knew it wasn't really hers, but she wasn't strong enough to resist.
The ride was wrapped in a blur of artificial calm that didn't let up until they pulled into the parking area of a familiar grain elevator. Several large bins sat to one side and a handful of scattered buildings gave the impression of machine sheds and functionality. It was the Citadel - the capital of vampires in America. Underneath all of the fake rural charm was floor after floor of blood-thirsty monsters and their ridiculous government. Made of shiny glass, stone and marble, it was the kind of place twisted nightmares were made of.
Jamie parked the SUV in front of a small building marked "office". Kioko climbed out and once again threw Katelina over her shoulder. She thought about fighting, but it seemed pointless. There was nowhere to go.
Ark appeared, carrying Jorick. "Jamie said to take them to the detention center. They're to be seen to tomorrow."
Seen to. It wasn't a comforting phrase.
The SUV pulled away and the farther it went, the less influence Jamie had, until his control completely slipped and Katelina was flooded with panic.
Kioko carried her into the office where a wrinkled man in a seed company hat sat behind the counter, a newspaper in his hand. A large, yellow dog lay on the floor in the corner, his head on his paws and his soulful brown eyes on the newcomers. The farmer flicked a bit of chewing tobacco from his lip and Katelina saw a flash of fangs. Wordlessly, he pressed a button under the edge of the desk.
"Thank you." Kioko hauled Katelina into a back room, Ark on her heels. Inside, several shelves of boxes, seed bags and colorful three ring binders continued the seed company theme, but the silver door on the back wall ruined it. It looked like something from a freezer or a sci-fi movie.
Kioko pushed the door open. Beyond was a set of descending stairs that they followed to a cheerful reception room. They went through another door that, just as Katelina remembered, led to a broad, carpeted corridor and an elevator. Kioko mashed the button and tapped her foot while they waited. When the doors swished open, a group of vampires scurried out, their eyes on the Executioners and their burdens.
"Gawkers," Kioko muttered as they filed inside the elevator. She slotted a key next to an unlabeled button on the panel, and Katelina shuddered. She knew what was on that floor: Malick.
The elevator stopped and Katelina was carried into a corridor made of stone so black it seemed to suck up the light. The only break was the blood red boarders along the floor and ceiling. Katelina imagined that she could feel Malick's presence nearby, like some terrifying monster radiating power. His face popped into her mind, crystal clear in every detail, including his terrifying eyes. She felt as she had when she was before him; as though he could see everything at once. Beads of sweat popped up on her forehead and a wave of weakness rolled over her.
The feeling passed, but left her shaken and terrified. She was grateful to discover she was being taken in the opposite direction of Malick's chambers, where they came to a set of large steel doors. There were two guards inside, watching a bank of security monitors.
The taller of the two said unenthusiastically, "We have a detention cell ready for them, if you'd follow me?"
"It's nice to see you doing your job for a change," Kioko remarked coldly. Both guards gave her dirty looks that she ignored.
Like the last corridor, the cell blocks were black, only without the trim. Silver padlocked doors were set every so often and Katelina wondered just how many prisoners they had.
When they reached the waiting cell, Ark put Jorick inside first, then Kioko dropped Katelina to the floor and slammed the door. The heavy metallic clang echoed in Katelina's ears and, though she couldn't hear the retreating footsteps, she knew the vampires were leaving.
Jorick lay in a heap and she moved to him. She shook him gently. "Jorick?"
He lay perfectly still, unbreathing and seemingly unaware, like when he was asleep. Tears welled in her eyes and she forced herself to stay calm. Focus on the surroundings. Look for a way out.
Her examination took three seconds. The only thing that resembled furniture in the small concrete room was an extremely basic toilet. There was no escape.
Hopelessness consumed her and tears spilled down her cheeks. What were they going to do? Even if the vampires came to their senses and exonerated them of the murders, Jorick would still be in trouble over the Executioner they'd killed at Kale's and for what they'd done to Zuri. And what about Thomas? Oren had said they weren't following the laws, so what if The Guild decided to punish Jorick for that? What would they do to him? Was there any punishment besides death?
She laid her head on Jorick's chest and cried. She couldn't watch them hurt Jorick, but how could she stop them?
She leaned back and brushed the hair from his face. He was usually so strong and capable. But now, trapped inside a cell, in the subbasement of The Guild's citadel, she was sure Jorick had finally met his match.
