Chapter 312
It should have been six in the morning when they arrived but, because of the time difference, it was only eleven p.m. There were no palm trees, no warm sunny breezes, just a chilly wind and a desolate view. Four lights on poles, two beat up tin buildings and three enormous gas tanks made up the bulk of the airfield, while the runway was a barely marked scratching in the desert ground. A rocky plain stretched around them and scraggy brown mountains stood in the distance, reaching towards an endless black sky. It certainly wasn't a busy place.
The air was too dry to be oppressive, but there was something in it that made Katelina feel as though she was nothing more than an insect crawling across the face of a rock; as if they were all insects of no consequence and would soon be gone without the rock having ever noticed their existence.
She shivered at the thought. If the vampires with their hundred year life spans were inconsequential, then what was she? Was she just a blink, or was she there and gone so fast that even time didn't notice?
She pushed the thoughts away and asked, "Where are we exactly?"
"Egypt." Jorick winked and then nodded towards a robed figure who was marching towards them. "I imagine that's our welcome party."
The luggage was handed out and Etsuko bowed low to Oren. "Please allow me to carry your bag, Oren-sama."
He made a thick, strangled noise and stepped back, clutching his luggage. "Erm, no, it's- fine."
Jorick pulled the bag from him and handed it to Etsuko. "You should enjoy it, Oren. Not all of us have personal servants." He coughed and nudged Katelina, but only got a dark look for his efforts.
Their welcome party was a vampire dressed in a loose white robe with a checkered cloth tied around his head. It looked too much like a movie for Katelina, and only added to her disassociation.
"Greetings!" He called in a heavy British accent. "My name is Hector DuMonte. Welcome to Egypt!"
Hector? Now there was a name for the ages.
Jorick made an agreeable noise and Maeko bowed low and rattled off her introduction. Hector nodded through it and gave a hearty, "Glad to meet you!" before he turned to the Japanese pilots. "I imagine you'd like to rest before you refuel and head back? There's a couch and such inside that building, if you like, and if not the fuel is in the tanks. Hopefully there's enough. I'm afraid there was an unscheduled arrival and departure yesterday that quite threw things off. Hideous woman, she was. Didn't even pay. Good riddance to her, I say. You'd be surprised some of the riff-raff we get through here. Busy, busy, busy, and then nothing for days. It's all at once or nothing, you see, and not always pleasant at that." He seemed to suddenly notice Kai. "Kai, my boy, so nice to see you! I hope your trip was enjoyable?" He clapped his hands suddenly. "Can't stand around here chit-chatting all day. You'll be wanting to get on with it. We should all fit in the land rover. Just let me get the keys. Half a tick."
He scuttled across to one of the buildings and disappeared inside. Katelina turned to Kai, suspicion in her eyes. How did he know Hector?
"Master and I have traveled here many times," Kai answered quietly. "He will be able to take us to Thadimus."
Oren narrowed his eyes. "And who is Thadimus?"
"The man who has the scroll."
Hector reappeared with a set of keys in his hand. "If you'd follow me? The land rover is just in here." He pointed to the larger building and set off without actually waiting for them.
"And how does he know where we're going?" Katelina asked suspiciously. "The clan didn't know about Thad-who-ever."
"Just a matter of deduction," Hector called back over his shoulder. "Where else would Kai be going?"
All eyes moved to the teen and he shrugged. "Master often does business with Thadimus."
Katelina wasn't convinced, but she followed the group. By the time they reached the building, Hector had thrown open a garage door and disappeared inside. A motor roared to life and a large vehicle that was more SUV than jeep backed out and rolled to a stop.
Jorick helped Katelina inside, and then climbed in after her. Though there were three bench seats, they were still crowded together. Maeko giggled and climbed on Hikaru's lap, one arm around his neck. She snuggled close and Katelina looked away, suddenly uncomfortable. Maeko was just a child and yet, for a second, she'd seemed more like a woman with a lover.
As the land rover bumped over the uneven terrain, Katelina stared out the window. The darkness seemed deeper and thicker than any she'd ever known, and even the land rover's headlights barely cut through it. The barren land beyond was lost to the black and, with nothing to look at, the time seemed to crawl past. With the time zone difference, it was an effort for her to keep her eyes open.
A cluster of lights appeared in the distance. Their progress towards them was achingly slow, and she had just decided they were a mirage when Hector cheerfully quipped, "We're almost there!"
His idea of "almost" and hers were two different things. On the flat land, the distance was deceptive and it was another twenty minutes before the lights turned into a complex dotted with buildings and protected by a heavy fence. Hector stopped before a barbed wire topped gate. He leaned out the window to press a button on an intercom panel. "It's Hector, old boy, with the rest of your customers."
The reply was more static than words, and the gate clicked and then slid open in a series of mechanical jerks. Hector rolled the window back up and drove inside. The buildings were a mismatch collection of low metal structures with varying styles of roofs and doors. Most lacked windows. A heavy animal smell blew on the breeze. Katelina suspected that there were camels somewhere, though she couldn't see them. She wondered what they ate because the only visible greenery was a cluster of palm trees that stuck up from behind one of the many buildings.
Katelina waited until everyone else had climbed out before she dropped down to the sandy ground. She retrieved her suitcase and moved next to Jorick. He wrapped his arm around her waist and gave her a reassuring smile that didn't meet his eyes.
The door of the nearest building opened and a pair of scantily clad women rushed out. Their bikini style tops and low hanging skirts called to mind a bad Hollywood version of Arabia. The knotted scars on their necks, torsos, and arms ruined the illusion and identified them as not only human, but mobile snacks for whatever vampires lived there.
The women silently motioned them inside, and Katelina pressed just a little closer to Jorick. They walked into the building to find a narrow corridor lined in colorful tapestries and cloths. The women led them along it, to a large door in the back. It opened on a courtyard that had a large stone fountain in the center. Water sparkled under the artificial yard lights, and green palms swayed above them. Pots of exotic plants were clustered around benches and what looked like a chaise longue.
They didn't stop, only crossed the courtyard and headed into the next building. Instead of metal, it was made of blocks of stone and had a small antechamber just inside. The women opened a second set of doors to reveal a crowded room that looked like a museum had decided to have a garage sale. A pair of giant onyx half-man half-cat statues dominated the back wall, and between them was what looked like a heavy iron door with rings for handles. Pots, sculptures and bits of metal gleamed from every nook and the close arrangement lent a suffocating claustrophobia to the room.
Katelina took a deep breath and choked on the heavy incense -laden air. The women glanced at her, as if to be sure she was all right, and then led them through the giant door. The room inside was smaller, but just as densely packed, and the light seemed dimmer. Katelina squinted through the gloom to see several figures gathered around a table. One was dressed in robes much like Hector. His skin was the bronzed color of a nut and he had a thick black mustache. Next to him, seated in a chair and bent over what looked like an ancient map was none other than Sorino.
