Chapter 256
Katelina choked on her terror. She tried to look away from the newcomers, but she couldn't and neither could anyone else. Red laser sites snapped to the group, their beams visible in the hazy smoke and dust.
Senya, Greneth, and Griselda stepped forward. Senya and Greneth held blades. Griselda had what looked like a large gun with a giant pronged hook at the end.
Vampires continued to fall. The silent ripple of death grew closer to Katelina. A low buzzing noise began at the base of her skull. It grew louder. Her ears rang. She let go of Verchiel and tried to block the noise, hands over her ears like the others. It didn't help. Verchiel stood next to her, his face scrunched in determination. The sound grew louder and Katelina's heart pounded faster and faster. Her knees buckled and she fell to the floor. Verchiel growled and dropped next to her, one arm thrown over her as if it would do something.
The vampires in front of them fell. The sound was so loud that tears squeezed from Katelina's eyes. Beads of sweat popped up on her face. Her head throbbed and her skin felt hot. She wanted to scream, but couldn't. Verchiel pressed his free hand over his ear. The guards behind her dropped. She squeezed her eyes shut and prayed that she'd survive this horrible night. If God couldn't save her, then no one could.
The sound stopped.
Malick chuckled. Katelina trembled and leaned into Verchiel, too weak to hold herself up. Against her will, her eyes popped open and were drawn to Malick. She shuddered and tried to fight the compulsion to watch.
His voice was thunder and rain, a gentle chastisement that left Katelina quaking. "So you alone would stand against me, Eileifr?"
As if he appeared from thin air, Katelina was suddenly aware of the dark skinned Obi standing next to the Nordic Master. She thought that he must be a Phantom, like Senya.
"He is not alone," Obi said. His words rolled through the room like a low summer storm, and Katelina shivered.
The Chinese Master, Heng, moved around to stand next to him. "We stand together, Malick."
"Then where is your younger sister?" A slow smile curled over Malick's face. "She uses her skills to direct the battle upstairs. One Whisperer in control of a force is not so original. It has been done before."
"So has systematic slaughter for amusement," Eileifr said. "There is nothing original left."
"There is, if only one seeks it." Malick gestured to his Executioners and they began a firm march forward. They didn't bother to kick the bodies of the fallen out of their way, but trod over them. Bones crunched and popped under their booted feet.
Malick swept behind his Executioners, a strange peaceful smile on his face. He looked like a gracious and loving master; like the Renaissance artists' depictions of God the Father. The dead at his feet belied the carefully set countenance.
No one checked the progression of the macabre procession. Katelina's stomach churned as they drew closer.
"You'll be fine," Verchiel whispered in her ear, and then stood. She tried to pull him back down, but she was too weak.
Malick's entourage came to a stop before the fountain. The three Executioners peeled away to allow Malick the lead. The guards clutched their weapons in trembling but defiant fists. Malick flicked his wrist and the buzzing started again. Katelina screamed and clutched her head. Her body slumped to the floor as though her bones were made of jelly. Despite their determination, the guards soon joined her, all writhing. Verchiel remained standing, his face twisted in pain, a stubborn fire in his eyes.
The Masters were unaffected.
Eileifr raised a hand. "Enough, Malick."
The Master smirked, but the horrible noise stopped. Katelina was left panting and too weak to stand. Verchiel looked down at her and mouthed, "You still alive?" Though his words were flip, worry shone in his eyes.
She managed to nod and clutched his leg weakly as the guards staggered to their feet.
Heng stepped forward. He seemed to grow before Katelina's startled eyes. "Cease, Malick. There is no advantage for you."
"Isn't there?" Malick concentrated his gaze on Heng. Katelina could almost see the waves of power that attacked him. Heng's face twisted with effort and then he seemed to shrink back to his normal size.
Malick's voice echoed through the room. "Who will fight me?"
Eileifr brushed past Verchiel and Katelina, to stand before Malick. He was taller than the Arabic Master, but not as terrifying. "If it's blood you want, then I will spill it."
"I knew that I could rely upon your old pride to give me battle, despite your words of peace. But you misunderstand, my friend. The Master does not do the fighting; it is those who serve him who do."
He snapped his fingers and Senya, Greneth and Griselda moved to shield him. He let his gaze linger on Verchiel. The Executioner flinched at the silent conversation, but didn't back away.
"Interesting." Malick broke eye contact. "You continue to surprise me. If your choice is to remain here, then I'm afraid we must say goodbye for now."
Eileifr ignored the Executioners. "You have overstepped your bounds, Malick. You will be summoned to Munich and put before the True Council for your crimes."
Malick's amusement crackled in the air. "If your visions have shown you the truth, you know that today will not be that day."
The high ceiling of the atrium exploded into chunks of falling glass and plaster. The missiles rained down around the screaming occupants. A large piece smashed into the fountain. With a crack, the fountain broke and water sprayed out in a cold shower. The lights above, previously concealed by the thick glass, flickered once and then went out.
Katelina tried to shield herself from the falling debris. Around her glass and plaster crashed to the ground. Shrieks told her when someone had been hit. She looked up in time to see Griselda leap to the second floor balcony. Like a preternatural cat, she hopped from level to level, her black coat flapping behind her. She stopped on the fifth and shot the giant gun towards the hole. The hook glinted in the moonlight and embedded itself in the ruined ceiling.
Griselda dropped like a stone and swung towards her master and his companions. She crashed into them and then, as a single group, they rose from the ground toward the hole in the ceiling. Katelina had a final, terrifying view of Malick's dark, jewel like eyes. His laughter echoed in her head and then died away.
She stared at the space where they'd been. She could see a slice of night sky through the fractured ceiling. Something fell through it; small, soft flecks that caught the moonlight. She realized with a strange giddiness that it was snow. The flakes swirled and danced as they drifted lower like tiny falling stars into the silent atrium.
The silence ended. Groans, moans, and screams filled the air.
Verchiel hauled her to her feet. "I need to put you someplace."
