Chapter 292
Katelina slumped back and shoved her useless hands in her pockets. If another vampire was awake then that probably meant it was dark. If Wolfe was right, Jorick would be there any moment and then- and then what? Would they fight? Would Jorick kill him?
The door scraped open an inch, and Katelina spun towards it. A single eye peered through the crack and Katelina crouched into an attack stance, ready to tackle whoever came through the door.
A giggle sounded. The door opened and a girl slipped inside and shut the door behind herself. She turned to face Katelina, bowed low and reeled off a string of Japanese.
Katelina froze and blinked at her visitor. The girl looked to be somewhere between ten and fourteen. She wore a pink knitted sweater and matching puffy coat with jeans and bright pink tennis shoes. Her black hair was pulled back in a ponytail and her perfect complexion hinted at immortality.
When Katelina didn't move, the girl straightened, only to bow again. "My name is Tsukino Maeko. I am looking for the human that belongs to Jorick-ue."
Katelina had no intention of betraying her identity to a strange vampire, even a pint sized one with a rabbit on her shirt. "Why?"
The girl stifled another giggle. "To rescue you, of course! You don't want to be left to the Kyuuketsuki Yononaka, do you?"
"The what?" Katelina rubbed her head, as if that would force the situation to make sense.
"Um- The vampire society would be a close translation." Vampire society sounded a lot like The Guild, and Katelina shivered. Did she mean the Japanese Guild, or Wolfe and the German one? It was all too confusing.
"May I ask your name?"
The question pulled Katelina from her thoughts. "Katelina," she paused and, since the girl had given her a full name, added, "Mauldin."
"I am pleased to meet you, Mauldin-san." The girl bowed and then, as if on impulse, flung herself onto Katelina and hugged her. "We are almost sisters, so I will call you Kate-chan!"
Katelina went stiff at the contact, but the girl only let go and broke into a broad grin that made her think of Verchiel. "Please call me Maeko-chan, okay?"
"Sure." Katelina glanced anxiously at the door. For a rescue effort, it was moving pretty slow.
"We must wait for the signal," the girl explained as she picked up Katelina's purse and slung it over her like a messenger bag. "You should please get ready."
It was the strangest rescue Katelina had ever had, and it left her with nothing to do except pull her coat on. "Where is Jorick?"
"I thought it would be more fun to free you first as a surprise for him!" Maeko clapped her hands. "I hope he will be pleased."
Katelina doubted that he would be. The whole situation screamed of an irritated Jorick. She tried to find words to express that, but a loud crash interrupted her.
"That's the signal!" Maeko grabbed Katelina's hand and pulled her towards the door. Katelina hesitated for a moment and then surrendered. What else did she have to do?
The girl opened the door a crack and peered through it. She gave a satisfied nod, then wrenched it open and hurried through, dragging Katelina behind her. The corridor was much like the other one; paneled and lined in doors. As they hurried down it, a loudspeaker sputtered to life, apologized and asked people to remain calm and to please evacuate the building in an orderly manner.
A second crash sounded and the door at the end of the hallway burst open. A pair of identically dressed Japanese vampires dashed through it. They skidded to a stop in front of Maeko and Katelina and drew twin katanas. Katelina thought that one of them was the man who'd peeked in on her earlier but she wasn't sure.
They shouted a command, and Maeko giggled. Without letting go of Katelina, she reached into her coat and pulled out a bulky pink handgun. The weapon looked ridiculous in her tiny hand, but she expertly aimed and popped off three shots. The noise was deafening and, though the vampires dodged the bullets, it left the hallway clear long enough for Maeko to drag Katelina past them and out the door.
They pulled to a stop in what looked like a lobby. The outside walls and door were made of glass and artificial lights poured through them to war with the interior's bright fluorescents. A couple of couches and tables were scattered over the carpeted floor, and an abandoned counter filled one corner. Through the open door at the back of the room, Katelina could just see the landing and the two giant staircases that went down to the processing area.
A blur of motion through the door caught her attention, so that when Maeko gave her a tug, she stumbled over a brochure laden table. One of the twin vampires flew over her and landed on his feet in front of them, sword at the ready.
Maeko fired and shouted, "Hikaru-san!" As if in answer, a fourth vampire bounded through the door. He was taller than the others, with long black hair and slanting brown eyes. In his hand was a sword-spear whose blade was narrow and straight.
He gave Maeko a silent nod and then turned on their attacker. Katelina barely saw the move that sent the vampire and his katana flying, and before she had registered it he'd hopped away to intercept the other sword-wielding vampire. He wasn't as fast as Verchiel, but he was fast.
Wolfe hurried through the processing door, his fantastic bladed spear in his hands and his hair mussed. He spied Katelina and her miniature rescuer and gave a cry of surprise. Maeko sent a shot towards the Scharfrichter. Not as fast as the others, the bullet punched a neat hole in his shoulder and, like with Jorick and Oren, stopped before going all the way through.
It only made him madder. He charged towards them, his weapon drawn back to swing. Hikaru was suddenly in front of him. He caught the spear with his own, hooking the handle in one of the curved notches in Wolfe's blade, and wrenched it from the Scharfrichter's hands. Wolfe dodged after it, but Hikaru kicked his legs out from under him, then bounced away to knock down one of the recovering twin vampires.
Hikaru shouted something at Maeko, and the girl nodded, then turned to Katelina. "We should go."
Katelina didn't argue. She followed the tiny vampiress towards the front entrance. They'd nearly reached it when Maeko gave a cry and yanked Katelina to the floor. Her chin slammed into the carpet and her teeth clacked together painfully.
A set of vampires, dressed like the twins, crashed through the front windows in a spray of glass. Katelina raised her arms to shield her head, and Maeko fired off a rapid succession of shots. She hit one and the impact of the bullet knocked him back. In his hurry to catch himself he slipped on the glass and landed on the floor with a surprised crash.
His friend was faster. He dodged the shots and raced towards Maeko and Katelina, his katana glittering under the lights. Hikaru leapt in front of him and met his sword with his bladed spear.
Katelina's ears were still ringing, but at the edge of the noise she thought she heard a siren wailing. There was no time to think about it; Wolfe was on his feet, hurrying towards them, his sword-spear in his hands. The twins were also up and in moments they would all converge in a single spot.
Katelina scrambled to her feet, frantically seeking a weapon other than the shards of glass. Maeko stowed her gun, then grabbed Katelina's hand and ran for the door. Katelina couldn't keep up, so the girl practically dragged her outside.
The screaming wail grew louder, and the night was suddenly filled with flashing lights. Police cars screeched to a halt, doors popped open and policemen hopped out, guns drawn. Maeko drew up short and, though Katelina expected her to run, the girl dropped to her knees and sobbed out a string of Japanese. One of the policemen called to her urgently, motioning her away from the building and the fight going on inside.
Maeko stood, bowing, even as she hauled Katelina after her and towards the far side of the parking lot where the evacuees were gathered in a terrified clutch. The people parted to let them in, and Katelina stared back over her shoulder as the officers fell into formation and shouted at the fighters through a megaphone.
The miniature vampiress stopped at the far side of the crowd and scanned the rows of parked cars. Katelina blinked back towards the building, though she couldn't see much through the crowd. "What just happened?"
Maeko put a finger to her lips and leaned close, her voice a whisper, "They think we were bystanders or hostages. A little girl is not perceived as a criminal." She made a soft sound of delight as she found what she sought. "Please come."
Katelina glanced back to the crowd and the building and then followed the child. A shiny black car waited, motor running and exhaust pluming into the cold night. Maeko opened the back door, and motioned Katelina inside. She started to climb in, and then stopped. She had no idea who these vampires were, or where they were planning to take her. Sure, they'd rescued her from Wolfe and his plan to trap Jorick, but what did that mean? And just where was Jorick?
"Do not worry, we will find him," the girl said cheerfully. "We need to pick up Hikaru-chan, so we should go soon, please."
Katelina decided what the hell. If worse came to worse, the sun would rise and she could get away while they slept. Unless they lock me in another cement room.
It sounded like her kind of luck, but she slid inside anyway and Maeko followed. The driver had a shock of artificially colored orange hair that made Katelina think of Verchiel. Without a word, he dropped the car into gear and steered towards the exit where two more cop cars sat, lights blazing.
The police motioned them to stop, and an officer leaned inside. He started a spiel, but then suddenly his face went slack and his eyes glazed. Maeko spoke to him in soft soothing tones, and then he withdrew his head, barked a command to his underlings, and motioned them through.
Katelina recognized the cause and effect. Maeko was a whisperer, like Jorick and the others. No wonder she was able to convince the policeman that they were hostages and not combatants!
They drove a block and then veered quickly into another parking lot. The car had barely slowed when the front passenger door opened and Hikaru leapt inside. Maeko clapped her hands delightedly. "Good! Now we just need to find Jorick-ue!"
As much as Katelina wanted to see him, she could think of one thing that was more urgent. "Um, actually, I need to pee."
Maeko's laughter seemed like a strange reaction.
