Chapter 322
Jorick gave the redhead a cold stare. "Go away."
Sorino shook his head and motioned Verchiel inside. "No, no, come in. Come in. Perhaps you can appreciate the implications. Whether Lilith is truly the first of the vampires remains to be seen, but at any rate she is an ancient, far older than even the Kugsankal. Imagine the power she will possess - that the one who wakes her will command! It would be a pity for Malick to control such power."
"But he needs the Heart to wake her," Katelina said. "And we have that."
"For now." Sorino picked up several sheets of paper from the floor and stacked them neatly. "He will eventually take it from you, one way or another." He caught Jorick's eyes for a moment. "No doubt he will exploit your weakness."
Jorick's jaw tightened and Katelina looked from vampire to vampire. "What weakness?"
"You," Oren said quietly.
Anger flared in her chest and she opened her mouth to berate him, but Verchiel said, "It's not an insult, Kately. You're his weakness because he cares about you. Remember the ferry when Senya tried to kidnap you? He'd have used you to make Jorick give him the Heart."
"Why don't we just destroy it?" she asked.
Sorino flinched at the idea. "Wouldn't it be better to return the Heart to Lilith yourselves? Malick is a problem for you and one assumes the rest of the world... or at least humanity. Jorick, did you not say yourself, only yesterday, that he was undoubtedly to blame for the mass slayings all over the world?"
Katelina started. How did he know what Jorick had said? He wasn't there! No, but Kai was. Listening? Collecting information? As the last thought slithered through her brain Kai peered from between his shaggy bangs to catch her eyes with an offended expression.
Sorino went on, "A vampire who is infinitely older and more powerful could crush him with ease. Imagine if you controlled such a vampire. Once Malick is defeated," he hesitated for a second, "Katelina would be safe. You'd never have to fear an attack from him or his henchmen again. Remember the shrine in Japan? How many repeats of that will there be before she's injured, or killed?"
Jorick's dark eyes slid towards her and she saw the worry in them. Part of her wanted to shout at him not to listen. Sorino was just using his fears to manipulate him, the same as he claimed Malick would. But, another part of her agreed. How many more battles would there be before the True Council got around to doing something? Jorick had said earlier it might be months; months of living in fear and ducking from fight to fight.
Oren didn't seem entirely convinced either. "If we go to this temple, who's to say the body will still be there, or that it will be possible to resurrect her? She's lain there for thousands of years."
Sorino brushed the objection aside. "If the body is decayed, or missing, then we did what we could. We won't be out anything except time, and that's something we have plenty of."
Verchiel winked at Katelina. "Most of us, that is."
Jorick gave a short sigh. "And where is this so-called temple?"
Sorino's eyes gleamed with satisfaction and then quickly went neutral. "As I said, there are certain- directions to the temple. More like clues, really, but I believe I have solved their secret." He fetched a map from the floor, then spread it out and jabbed towards a mountainous area. "There, in the Himalayas."
Katelina twisted the map to a better angle and studied the general area he'd pointed to. "The Himalayas. Isn't that where Mount Everest is? And the yetis? And T¨ªr na n?g?"
Verchiel peered over her shoulder until a low growl from Jorick sent him hopping around the table. "Ooooo, isn't that the city in the mist?"
Sorino cleared his throat and gave Katelina a fake smile. "I believe she means Shangri-La, but yes, so they say."
"How do we get there?" Jorick asked.
"The first thing one should do is to decide how many are traveling. I believe you've picked up quite a following? Seventeen at last count, including yourself. Then one should, in a charming manner, invite Jill to join them." Jorick's brow furrowed and Sorino rushed on, "Because Jill has something we don't: her own plane. However, it won't seat more than fourteen, and once you add Jill, Iris and Agnes, your total is twenty. But," Sorino held up a finger to silence any objections. "Lurid also has a plane. Though it is only a rental, he has retained it so that he would be sure of having a way home. If I am correct, and I usually am, it should easily seat up to ten. Of course, one would have to invite him along, as well. Or, you could go stay with Hector at his airfield accommodations and wait for a plane to land that would be willing to take you." He coughed lightly. "Not to mention, it is my understanding that Lurid may know how to acquire a helicopter for the trip to the actual site. Unless of course, the human enjoyed climbing mountains last time?"
The hike through the mountains was still fresh in Katelina's memory, and she was sure that the Himalayas would be worse; colder, taller and harder to climb.
Jorick looked tired at the entire prospect. "And I suppose they've all agreed to this plan?"
Sorino didn't flinch at the implication of a set up. "Let's say that I am fairly certain they will be agreeable and leave it at that, shall we?"
Jorick looked at Katelina again, as if weighing the risks with the rewards. "Fine. We'll go to this temple - but there's no guarantee we're doing anything with the Heart once we get there."
Oren made a derisive noise in his throat. "There's no guarantee there'll be anything to do with it."
"Yes," Sorino purred. "Exactly." He swept the scroll, map and other papers off the table and stacked them up. "In that case I'll speak to the interested parties immediately. Hector won't be able to transport us all to the airfield, so I'll see if Thadimus can do better. If you'll excuse me?"
He shuffled them into the hallway and told them to pack. As the door closed, Oren asked, "Why do I feel like this is Sorino's trip more than yours, Jorick?"
"You don't suppose he had it planned all along," Katelina asked. "And that he only invited Jill and Lurid to come bid on the scroll so that we could use their planes?"
Verchiel grinned broadly. "You know what? I wouldn't put it past him."
Neither would she.
***
Katelina was packed and ready to go in an hour, but Sorino wasn't. He explained impatiently that if they left immediately they'd arrive at their destination in daylight. "We'll need to leave for the airfield by one a.m. so find something to amuse yourselves until midnight."
That was easier said than done. Katelina listened to the radio for a while, and then talked Jorick into taking a walk around the complex.
As they wandered past tin buildings, she thought about the impending trip. "Why don't we just destroy the heart?"
Jorick shrugged. "Malick wouldn't know we'd destroyed it until he came for it, and then what would he do? That we have it has no doubt stayed his hand so far." He frowned and then shook the worry from his eyes. "The heart is old, Katelina, and the blood in it would be potent. I won't deny there is some power in that, which could make it useful to us."
"How? You said that you couldn't gain new powers from it."
"No, but someone who wasn't a vampire yet could." He cleared his throat noisily. "If a human was turned using it-"
"You mean make a super-vampire fledgling?" she asked, startled.
He smiled. "I'm not sure it would be that dramatic, but something along those lines, yes. If we need to use it, we will."
Something about the way he said "we" made her suspect he meant her. "How long have you been planning that?" He shrugged his shoulders and she realized he'd had it in mind from the very beginning. No wonder he wouldn't let Oren drink from it. But did he really plan to turn her with it? She wasn't sure she liked the idea, and she suddenly hoped there really was a better use for the thing.
The conversation dropped as they passed several of Thadimus' slaves and finally found the pungent animals. There were two pens of goats, a pair of camels, and what looked a bit like a cow. Katelina stopped to pet them, but scabbed wounds stopped her.
"What is he doing to them?"
Jorick gave a casual shrug. "It's where the blood comes from."
"So what? Someone just sticks a spigot in the poor things? Look at that!" She pointed to a particularly dark scab on one of the camels. "You can't tell me there's not a better way?"
"At least they're alive." She glared at him and he blinked back. "What? Can you think of a better way to do it?"
"It's despicable! It's like those poor cows that Kateesha had." She rubbed the nearest goat's chin. "Someone should report this."
Jorick coughed into his hand. "I doubt anyone would care, and even if they did they'd never leave. Come, little one, before you get bit."
Though he led her away, the disturbing images were still in her mind. She had to admit, she couldn't think of anything better, short of not bleeding the poor things, but then what would the vampires drink? Human blood? There was no answer.
They found Micah in the reclining room, rubbing his head and sipping a glass of crimson. His expression was pure venom.
"He's awake," Jorick drawled as he took a seat.
Micah snorted and glared at them. "Yeah no thanks to you." He jabbed an angry finger towards Katelina. "And you! What in the hell did you think you were doing interfering like that?"
"I thought I was helping you," Katelina replied stiffly. "Remind me not to bother next time."
"I didn't need any help! Especially not from a human!" He looked ready to spit, but thought better of it. "What help would it have been if they'd knocked you out too, huh? Fucking think first!"
"Yeah, I will next time. I'll think 'Micah is an ass, so fuck him. Let them beat his face in if they want.'"
Jorick snickered and Micah snarled, "I don't need your opinion, Guild dog! You just keep an eye on your damn human and keep her outta the way!"
He jerked to his feet and stormed out of the room.
Maeko stood and bowed. "I think Micah-san meant to say that you should be more careful, Kate-chan, so that you don't get hurt, too."
Katelina snorted. "No, I think he meant he was insulted that a lowly human helped him out. Don't worry, I won't do it again."
Maeko giggled. "Whatever you say, Kate-chan!"
