Chapter 281
"No!" Jorick roared and lunged for Sadihra. "There are too many passengers as it is! We're not taking another!"
Cyprus tensed and Katelina suspected he might throw himself between them, but Sadihra calmly smiled. "Yes, you will, or I will call Wolfe and tell him where you're going."
"And what's to prove you haven't already?"
"Because, I don't want him to know." She held out her cell phone. "Take it. Without it I can't call him, or any of the others. Not that I would, anyway." She glanced at Cyprus and then back to Jorick. "Or you can stand there and we can wait for Wolfe and the others to show up, and then he can accompany you to the United States, like he's supposed to. I doubt he will be as agreeable about the change in destination as I am."
"She's right," Cyprus said. "He'll force us to go back to America."
"He won't force me to do anything." Jorick's argument fizzled into a growl and he jerked her cell phone from her hands. "There's no time for this! You can come for now, but don't think we won't leave you behind at the first opportunity!" He threw himself into the seat next to Katelina and savagely fastened his seat belt, while Cyprus disappeared to the front of the plane.
Katelina clung to the seat and stared at Jorick with wild eyes. "Why are we going to Russia?"
His eyes made a meaningful circuit of their fellow passengers. "Later."
And then the plane lifted off. Panic replaced everything else. It wasn't until they were airborne and free to move around the cabin that Katelina could focus.
She turned to Jorick and hissed between clenched teeth, "Why are we going to Russia?"
Verchiel unfastened his belt and stretched. "You might as well tell everyone, or I will."
Cyprus moved to stand behind the redhead, a frown on his face. "Tell us what?"
"He's planning to ditch us in Russia," Verchiel said. "He thinks we'll be the decoys and Malick will go after us instead."
Neil, still fastened firmly to his seat, stared at them with large accusing eyes. "Why is Malick after us?"
"He isn't after us. He isn't even after me!" Jorick waved it away. "It doesn't matter. You don't need to know."
Verchiel smirked. "You want to be the lone hero? You couldn't have gotten out of the stronghold without us!" One glance at Sadihra wilted his smile. "I mean-"
She motioned him to silence. "We know you ran for it. There are many cameras and more than one station of guards to watch them."
"Technology makes everything so hard." He sighed.
She went on as if he hadn't spoken. "We assumed that after Malick's breech you did not trust us to keep you safe, so you would go back to your North American stronghold, but that does not appear to be the case."
Cyprus watched her suspiciously. "Yet you told them on the phone that we were going to America."
Katelina knew how Executioners worked, and she doubted the Scharfrichter would be much different. They were a team, of sorts, linked by their thirst for blood and fear of punishment. They were as trustworthy as politicians. "Why would you lie to them?"
Sadihra straightened her shoulders and met Cyprus' gaze. "Not for the reasons you assume. It's because I should have been assigned to accompany you, not him. I've been, shall we say, homebound for far too long and I'm tired of it. A trip to Russia, and then the United States, might be just the thing. I doubt very much that the Kugsankal or der H?here Rat care which Scharfrichter delivers the message, only that it is delivered. It is Wolfe who wants to claim all the glory for himself, and for once he can stay behind and sit on his hands!"
"What about you?" Jorick demanded and jabbed a finger towards Verchiel. "We have no reason to trust you."
"In that case, what about Neil?" Verchiel grinned as the blood drained from the guard's face. "Relax, Neil. Everyone knows you're just here to handle the menial chores. As for me, I'm here for the excitement, the adventure, the thrill!" He turned suddenly serious. "And because Eileifr said you needed me, remember?"
"Hardly." Jorick snorted.
"And Cyprus is here because a demon eye is always handy." Verchiel flopped back into his seat. "Now that we know everyone's motivation, why are we going in the first place? What is Malick after?"
Jorick's face tightened stubbornly and Katelina snapped, "For God's sake, Jorick, what is he after? Just tell us already!"
"Fine!" His voice dropped so low that she had to strain to hear him. "He's after the Heart of the Raven."
Verchiel choked and Katelina stared, incredulous. "But that's just a legend!" She looked to the redhead for help. "Right?"
Neil gave a soft cough. "I, uh, don't want to interrupt but what is the Heart of the Raven?"
Jorick groaned with impatience, and Verchiel shot upright. "Oh! Let me! There's an old legend. Way back in the beginning there was Adam and Eve and Lilith and Samael. Samael and Lilith got into a fight - no wait, first they got turned into vampires-"
"Schwachsinnige," Sadihra muttered and rolled her eyes. "I'll tell it. In the beginning God created Adam and Eve, and Samael and Lilith. Samael loved Lilith, but she was in love with Adam, who loved Eve. Samael asked the serpent for help, and the serpent convinced Lilith to try to love her husband. After that, everything was good, so the serpent tried to butt into Adam and Eve's relationship. When they ignored him, he got angry and as revenge he convinced Samael that Eve was the better woman, and helped Samael seduce her. Lilith found them and in her fury she went to Adam and coupled with him while he slept."
"What a way to wake up!" Verchiel interjected with a waggle of his eyebrows.
Sadihra gave him a dark look and went on. "Adam woke up, horrified, and then God appeared and threw them all out of Eden. The serpent was really Lucifer in disguise, and since he was jealous of man, he was happy to see them punished. He rewarded Samael and Lilith by giving them immortality and the ability to transform into beasts; she a raven and he a bat. When God saw this, he struck them barren and cursed them to walk forever in darkness, drinking blood, and shunned by goodness."
Verchiel coughed loudly and she talked over the top of him. "Eventually Lilith struck out on her own and wandered the world, turning vampires. Samael made only three other wives, and when he found out how free Lilith was with their gift, he hunted her down. They fought and he cut out her heart. When he saw what he had done, he was so filled with remorse that he couldn't destroy it, so he kept it; an eternal token of the wife he loved the most."
Katelina had heard the story before, though with less detail. It usually ended with "It's just a legend", only now- "So is it real or not, Jorick?"
