Chapter 286
The sun refused to come up the next morning. The clock on the wall said it was after eight when Katelina and Jorick finally went to bed. She woke just after five the following evening to light leaking through the drapes. She peeked out them to find that the city looked even colder and more dismal in the day. Snow had fallen and gray clouds hung low and heavy while a fine mist blurred the landscape and sucked all the color from the buildings. Past them, she could see the edge of the sea, but even it was gray.
Her stomach rumbled, so she dressed and fished the credit card from Jorick's pocket. She stopped at a tourist display where a set of nesting matryoshka dolls caught her eye. They were exactly the sort of kitschy thing her mother would love. She paid for them and three postcards, then wandered to the hotel's restaurant. The attendant spoke enough English to get her to a table and give her a menu. The choices were more recognizable than Munich. She ordered a chicken dish and a coffee drink, and asked for an ink pen. Of the fifteen tables only two others were occupied, both by people who spoke the local language. It definitely wasn't tourist season.
She ate and filled out the post cards. One had a picture of a fantastic carved structure labeled the trans-Siberian station. On the back of it she dashed off:
Mom- Just a quick note to say hi. We're in Russia now, as you can guess by the card. Jorick is here on business. I saw the dolls and thought you would like them. They'll look right at home in the living room with all your other - she stopped from writing the word crap - stuff. We're heading to Japan next and not sure where after that. Everything is good. Hope you're well. Love, Katelina.
She waved the attendant over and asked about mailing the stuff. He brought her a box and, after she'd stuffed everything inside and addressed it, he assured her he'd see that it was mailed.
When she finished eating, Katelina let them charge a double gratuity fee to her card for the attendant's trouble, and then headed to the room. The sun was down and she found Jorick soaking in the bathtub.
"Shopping or food?" he asked.
She leaned against the bathroom doorframe. "A little of both. How did you know?"
"You took the credit card. You know that The Guild is keeping track of the purchases made on it?"
She hadn't, but it was too late to worry now. "They probably know where we are already. I bet the pilots told them."
"I know. We discussed killing them, but your friend thought they'd be more useful alive." Katelina gaped at Jorick's disregard for human life and he shrugged. "Sometimes it's necessary. You wouldn't have complained if I'd killed that whisperer a few days ago."
He was right, but she didn't want to acknowledge the truth, so she changed the subject. "Will they come after us?"
"The Guild?" he asked and she nodded. "They might contact the Russian Guild, or whatever they call it, but I doubt their Executioners could get here in time. It's a big country. Besides I don't know how friendly the Sodalitas is with them."
His confidence comforted her, and she wandered in to perch on the edge of the tub. She dipped her fingers into the warm water and splashed it on his pale chest. When he didn't react, she did it again.
"If you want to play in the water then take off your clothes and climb in."
The suggestion tinted her cheeks pink. "You know I have that naked issue-"
His tone turned suggestive. "It's time you got over it, don't you think?"
The knock on the door stopped her from answering. "I better see who it is." She planted a kiss on his lips and made to move away, but he pulled her into the bathtub with a splash and a shriek.
Something slammed into the door, and she realized what it was just as a panicked voice shouted, "Are you all-"
The words died and she looked to see Verchiel and Cyprus in the bathroom doorway. They blinked at the scene and then Verchiel burst into laughter. "We thought someone was trying to kill you!"
Katelina crossed her arms over her wet, clingy shirt and gave them an embarrassed smile. Jorick glared over the top of her head. "And what gave you that impression?"
"The scream," Cyprus said icily. "We're going to feed, but you're obviously busy."
He strode away and Verchiel leaned his hip against the door, still smirking. "I hate to say this, but you're doing it wrong. You're supposed to take your clothes off first."
She threw the bar of soap at him, but he disappeared before it could hit its mark.
***
Katelina stayed in the room while Jorick went to feed. She read through the travel pamphlets. There was one on the ferry services, full of bright pictures and promises of a wonderful trip. Somehow she doubted it would live up to the promises.
It was eleven when Sorino knocked on their door. They took a pair of taxis to the ferry terminal. As they climbed out into the cold, Katelina's eyes moved to the fantastic stone building across the street. With its arches and snow covered roofs, it looked just like the picture on the postcard she'd sent her mother. She thought of the package and hoped the hotel had really sent it. If nothing else, it should stop her mother from saying that Jorick was a bum. After all, bums couldn't afford world travel.
The ferry terminal was a modern building with shiny glass windows and a sign which Katelina assumed meant ferry, though she had no idea. Sorino informed them that he would make the arrangements, and then he disappeared inside. He returned shortly, and she guessed that he was at least a thousand dollars poorer than he'd been before.
He handed her a ticket. "Oh, I'm sure Jorick will more than pay me back." He gave the other ticket, a key, and several papers to Kai. "You will be sharing a room with Jorick's human."
"What?" Katelina cried. She looked to Jorick for support, but he didn't seem to care. Kai only nodded and stowed the papers in his pocket.
"You will board now," Sorino said. "Since you will need to go through customs in Japan, I suggest you do something about your luggage." He looked disdainfully at the two suitcases and her bulging purse.
He turned to the vampires. "I had originally intended to travel with Kai, however I doubt that would be prudent with such a crowd." He looked pointedly to the Executioners and Neil. "While Jorick and I could potentially dumbfound the ship's crew, and even customs officials, so that we could wait until nightfall to exit the ship in Japan, I am not so sure we could hide all of you, especially when, to the best of my knowledge, most of you do not have passports or visas. If we became separated, it could prove detrimental to our quest. To that end, by paying certain bribes, I have procured a shipping container in the cargo hold for us. When we arrive in Japan, those of us with talent can concentrate on making sure the humans see the container as empty. Once the container is in the warehouse, Kai will unlock it, or, should he fail, we will simply tear off the doors." He gave Kai a cold, glittering look that said he hoped he didn't need to go that far. "Then we will be able to exit safely when the sun sets. I have hotel reservations made for Kai and myself. He and Katelina can go there to wait for us.
"It would be prudent to feed before boarding. The trip is short, only two days, but unless you've made arrangements for blood," he glanced at Kai, "then you'll have to wait until we disembark to feed again. We don't want to risk any nasty attacks on board."
Katelina thought of hungry vampires and pictured Verchiel as he'd been in the dungeon of the Citadel when he'd attacked her; a tatty mass of skin, bones and blood lust. Then, she multiplied it by six and shuddered.
Jorick answered her unspoken thoughts, "It's only two days, little one. We'll manage."
With Sorino's final warning, everyone split up to hunt. Jorick gave Katelina a kiss and suggested she sort the luggage and find her room. "Take one suitcase and your purse, and I'll take the other in the cargo hold." Then he handed her the credit card and walked into the darkness.
With nothing else to do, Katelina bent to her task. Kai stood by silently while Sorino made small noises of impatience. She emptied everything out of her purse except the normal items and some extra underwear and jammed most of it into Jorick's suitcase. She sorted out her clothes. The rejected and dirty items got stuffed in Jorick's suitcase, too. When she was finished, she had to sit on it to close it and she still imagined that it would fly open and catapult her belongings across the docks.
Sorino led Katelina and Kai through the building and out the loading door. Covered queues showed where the other passengers would stand tomorrow, but for now they were empty and silent. The ferry was docked at the pier with only a few lights glowing. A cold wind whipped from the sea, laced with the tang of ice and salt. It made Katelina long for Jorick's little house in Maine. Though it was shabby with leaky windows and very little heat, it was their sanctuary from all the vampire weirdness.
They walked up a ramp to a small deck. A narrow door stood open and Sorino pointed to it. "Your room is on the C deck, I believe?" He met Kai's eyes and Katelina had the impression that a silent conversation passed between them before he said, "Have a pleasant night," and left the way he'd come.
Standing on the chilly deck, next to the silent Kai, the reality of the situation suddenly crashed down on her. Jorick would be locked away in the cargo hold! What if someone found them? Or worse, what if the ship sank? Would he drown? Could vampires drown? She didn't know, and she hoped she didn't find out.
