Chapter 279
Katelina's legs were jelly as Jorick pulled her after him, and it was only confusion that kept her upright. She glanced back over her shoulder. The broken chandelier swayed gently and threw moving shadows over the gory scene. One of the Scharfrichter had covered their dead comrade with their coat, and another knelt next to the vampire Griselda had shot. He prodded the corpse, then lifted his blood splattered face and shook his head wearily.
Jorick pressed the elevator button, and the doors opened a second later to reveal Verchiel, Neil and Cyprus. They surged forward, but Jorick shoved them back inside and pressed the button for the fourth floor.
"What's going on?" Cyprus demanded. "The alarms-"
Verchiel motioned him to silence and glanced to a badly concealed camera in the corner. "Looks like the excitement is over. How about a game of go fish in Jorick and Kately's room?"
Cyprus' eyes bulged. "Are you serious?" He suddenly noticed what Verchiel was looking at, and his shoulders relaxed a little. "All right."
When the elevator stopped, Katelina stumbled out of it and down the twisting corridors. They passed a handful of vampires who were still staring curiously towards the ceiling, as though waiting for explanations that weren't coming.
Their room was just as they'd left it, and Katelina sank gratefully on to the foot of the bed, her thoughts reeling. As if in perfect echo, Cyprus demanded again, "What happened?"
Jorick moved past him and grabbed an open suitcase. "We need to leave. Now."
Verchiel leaned against the wall, his arms crossed. "Where are we going?"
"Not we," Jorick said crisply. "Katelina and I. The rest of you should go back the Citadel."
Katelina laid a hand to her head to stop her spinning thoughts and came away with blood. The crimson smear scared her and she jerked to her feet. Was she bleeding?
"You're fine," Jorick answered. "It's someone else's. Look at your shirt." She did as he said and saw flecks of crimson on her top and her jeans; no doubt the blood of the Scharfrichter Griselda had killed.
Verchiel spoke to Jorick, "If you take the plane, how are we going to get back?"
"You'll find a way," Jorick snapped as he stuffed a tangle of clothes into the suitcase. He started to slam the lid, but Cyprus grabbed it.
"What in the hell is going on?"
Jorick growled and the Executioner let go and stepped back.
"Malick was here." Cyprus' breath caught, and Jorick went on. "Inanna ordered him to go away and repent, but I doubt he'll follow her orders."
Neil's voice shook. "M-Malick attacked? But-but I thought they were stronger than he was."
"They are," Verchiel assured the terrified guard. "I don't think he was looking for a fight, was he Jorick?"
"No." Jorick's dark eyes met Katelina's and she saw an apology written in them. "He was looking for me. There's no time for explanations. Katelina and I need to leave now." He dodged into the bathroom and returned with her travel case. Verchiel stood in his path and he snarled. "Get out of my way!"
"Sorry, no can do. If you think you and Kately can take off on an adventure and leave us behind, you're wrong, right Cyprus?"
The Executioner started, then stopped and finally muttered, "We should return to the Citadel."
Jorick pushed past Verchiel. "Listen to your friend."
Verchiel grinned broadly. "You should know better than that! I never listen to good sense!" He rubbed his hands together. "Come on, guys, let's go get our luggage. We'll meet you in the lobby, or the meeting room, whatever they called it!"
They hurried out the door and Jorick hefted three of the suitcases. "Make sure we have everything you need, little one."
Katelina grabbed her purse, her coat and the remaining luggage. "Where are we going?"
"There's no time to spare, I'll tell you on the way. Come." And with that he dashed out the door.
Her only option was to follow, so she scurried after him. When they reached the meeting room they found Verchiel waiting, his bag over his shoulder. Jorick snarled and the redhead smiled. "You were planning to leave us, weren't you?"
"I don't have time to babysit you!" Jorick snapped impatiently. "You have no concept of what's going on!"
"Oh, I think I can guess. So what are you planning to do? Just waltz out the main exit? You know it's crawling with guards."
Jorick gritted his teeth in frustration, and Katelina flinched from the violence in his tone, "I suppose you have a better suggestion?"
"As a matter of fact, we do." He peered over Jorick's shoulder. "There's Cyprus and Neil, now. It was thoughtful of Eileifr to send someone who knows all the secret entrances around here!"
Jorick growled, but filed into the elevator behind them. Katelina pushed past him to hide in the back corner. Everything was happening too fast and she didn't understand. Were they running from Malick, or to him? Wouldn't it be smarter to stay there? Inanna might have let him go this time, but if he attacked again surely she and the other ancients would crush him?
They exited on the third floor, and Cyprus led them down the broad corridor and turned into a smaller, side hallway. They followed him through a twisting maze until they reached an elevator that was barred like the one that led to the True Council, only instead of a facial recognition panel, this one had a bank of keys.
"You're sure they haven't changed the code?" Jorick asked impatiently.
Cyprus nodded and pressed the buttons quickly. "I already saw us getting on the elevator."
True to his vision, the doors slid apart and they hurried inside. Cyprus pressed the bottom button and the elevator shot up. "This is the private Scharfrichter entrance. They'll be busy cleaning up the mess right now and if we move quickly-"
"The guards won't notice us," Verchiel finished cheerfully. "We're all dressed in black, just like they are."
"What about me?" Katelina asked.
Despite Jorick's objections, Verchiel pried the suitcases from her hands. "Put your coat on. Since it's one of Jorick's cast offs, you'll look just like the rest of us. I guess it's a good thing you never bothered to buy a nicer one!"
His words made a strange amount of sense. She slipped on the coat and took her purse back just as the doors opened.
Cyprus plunged out into a narrow hallway and they followed him. It ended at a blank wall, and he spoke in hurried German. The wall opened into a secret door. He led them inside to a small room that held two guards and a bank of security monitors. One of the guards jumped to his feet, but before either could speak their faces went suddenly slack.
Verchiel gave Jorick an appreciative smirk. "Nice one."
He responded with impatience. "I don't know modern German, so if you'd care to get on with it?"
Katelina stared at Jorick. "You have to speak their language? Can't you just use thought pictures or something?"
"Yes," Jorick snapped. "But it's easier if you can just talk to them! Get on with it, Cyprus!"
