Chapter 272
Verchiel was as good as his word, and half an hour later he was stretched out on the couch asleep. Katelina dozed more than once, but the tiniest turbulence was enough to jerk her awake. Her tired eyes burned and her stomach was a knot of fear. It was ridiculous. She'd faced vampires, nearly died in bloody battles and watched children burn to death, and yet something mundane like an airplane was enough to give her a panic attack.
She wasn't sure what time it was when Jorick woke. He blinked in surprise to see her awake and then laid a hand to her forehead. The familiar calming sensation flooded her, but this time she sank in to it gratefully. Surely it would be better to sleep through the crash. Wouldn't it?
Her sleep was dreamless, and it was Jorick who woke her with a gentle shake several hours later.
"We're landing."
She blinked groggily and the cabin came into focus. Neil sat rigid, clutching the arms of his chair. Verchiel was on the couch, a seatbelt around his waist. Cyprus was upright, but his eyes were still closed, and Jorick sat next to her, looking as well rested and perfect as ever. The elephant was back on her chest and the cotton in her ears. They were obviously descending.
The plane touched down and bounced and she squeezed her eyes shut and muttered a prayer that lasted until they coasted to a stop. The loudspeaker came to life and the captain gave them the usual speech, including the local time of 9:15 p.m. and the temperature of twenty-seven degrees Fahrenheit.
Katelina didn't even have her belt off before Verchiel bounced past and out the door. Jorick fetched their luggage from the back and pressed half of it on Neil. The guard didn't complain, only tried to juggle it with his own duffel bags.
Katelina, lugging the small suitcase and her purse, was the last one out. If the high fence and empty atmosphere was anything to judge by, they'd landed at a private airfield. Soft fat flakes of snow drifted from the sky and melted on contact with the ground. The bright lights reflected in the puddles to make smeary glowing pools on the tarmac. A black SUV waited nearby. Though the make and model were probably different, it looked the same to Katelina and she suddenly wasn't sure if they'd really left.
The SUV's door opened and a tall vampire hopped out. He came to a stop before the newcomers and Katelina noted the way the light glinted on his chestnut hair and sparkled in his cool gray eyes. The air around him seemed to shimmer like an approaching storm as he surveyed Jorick.
His voice was deep and he spoke with a lyrical accent, "It has been awhile, has it not?"
Jorick's mouth twitched, as if imitating a smile. "Yes. It has."
The vampire's eyes moved to Cyprus. The cloud of power thickened for a moment and then dissipated. "I am Wolfe." A medallion hung around his neck. Though different from the ones Jorick, Cyprus, and Verchiel wore, Katelina could still guess its meaning. What had she expected? Of course Munich had Executioners.
"They are called Scharfrichter," Jorick murmured. "The females are Scharfrichterin."
"Yes." Wolfe cocked an eyebrow at the interruption. "The Sodalitas sent me to welcome you and escort you to the stronghold."
"Who is that?" Katelina whispered.
"That's what they call their Guild," Jorick answered. "I'll explain later."
Wolfe cleared his throat loudly. "Jorick and- Cyprus are known to me, and I must assume that you are Verchiel and the guard?"
Cyprus and Neil both scowled, and Katelina could only assume it was at Wolfe's attitude. Though Neil wasn't worth a real name, at least he'd garnered a mention. She narrowed her eyes at Wolfe, but couldn't bring herself to comment. It wasn't as if he could really kill her right there and yet-
Wolfe instructed them to put their luggage in the back, and then motioned them into the vehicle. Katelina scrambled into the backseat and crammed herself in the corner. Wolfe didn't find the driver important enough to introduce, and soon they were on their way.
"You and Wolfe know each other?" Katelina whispered to Jorick.
"We are- acquainted."
When no more information came, she asked, "Did you work with him?"
Jorick drew a tight breath. "Yes and no. Kateesha and I worked for Malick. Wolfe was with another master, but we did work together on a few occasions."
She dismissed it for another topic. "And the new guy, Cyprus? He's not as old as you?"
"No, though he spent some time here, from what I understand."
"What about this Sodalitas thing?"
Jorick slipped into his teacher persona; his voice lost all emotion and his face turned impassive. "From the beginning of time people have organized themselves under leaders. Those organizations and rulers began locally and branched out to include more territory and higher titles. Vampires are humans with immortality, so they're no different. Much like feudal lords, different masters ruled different areas of Europe, with their own private 'armies', their own laws and their own Executioners. The Kugsankal - or True Council, as they call themselves - created the Sodalitas in Munich as the first modern attempt to rule those lords with a set of universal laws. It was before my time, the 1100s, perhaps, or the 1200s. They sent emissaries to the ruling masters and those who did not comply were replaced or had their power stripped from them. Some united and others were murdered until there remained only one or two Guilds in each country. The Sodalitas whittled it down to one, and it's my understanding that since I left Europe, the individual Guilds have become like many countries' monarchs; more symbolic than powerful.
"It was after I was gone that they changed the laws to abolish individual armies and tie the Executioners to the individual Guilds rather than to the masters. When Ark swore his oath, it was to the Guild, not to Malick, as mine was, or as Wolfe would have sworn to his master."
"If it's a Guild why are they calling it The Sodalitas?"
Jorick's expression was mildly amused. "It's Latin, little one. Naturally, each country calls their Guild after their own language. Latin was once the language of scholars. Only the True Council still uses the old language."
"What language is that?"
He gave her a wink. "I don't know, but it's old."
Katelina rolled her eyes and fell silent. The night slipped past, not dissimilar to other parts of the world, and Katelina watched it with disappointment. The snowy landscape looked vaguely like home, as did the pine trees. She wasn't sure what she'd expected, but she'd thought a foreign country would look more foreign than it did.
The trees gave way to buildings and soon they were in the city. Many of the buildings were white with multiple stories and cheery red roofs. It was just such a building they stopped in front of.
