Chapter 376
"I'm here," Torina announced as she and Quenby arrived. The redheaded vampiress wore a 1950s style winter coat and lugged an overstuffed duffle bag. Katelina could imagine her saying, "I did get rid of things. This is only the ten or twelve necessary outfits and coordinating shoes and accessories."
Verchiel grinned, and Torina ran her eyes over them. "Is it fashionable now to wear a human on your back?"
Jorick's cold voice came from behind them, "No, it isn't."
Katelina scrambled to get down as Jorick pushed his way to the front, Oren and Etsuko behind him. The lion-maned vampire wore his usual long gray coat and had a satchel slung over his shoulder. Etsuko's puffy white coat and fur lined hood looked too warm for the indoors, and forced her to carry her bulging overstuffed backpack like a carry-on.
Jorick gave Verchiel a dark look, and then hit the button for the elevator. The doors whisked open and they stuffed themselves inside. Jorick hit the button for the bottom floor, and Katelina and Oren exchanged questioning looks that quickly melted into feigned cool indifference. It wouldn't do for them to agree, but she couldn't stop her thoughts. What in the hell is he doing?
When the elevator stopped, Jorick led them out into the red carpeted corridor. They wound through the hallways, closer and closer to the secret entrance of the Kugsankal, and Katelina tensed. The thrum of their years pounded in her ears and stole her breath. The sensation grew almost unbearable as they passed the silver door and Katelina shivered. She imagined she could feel the ancients reaching up through the hallways and elevators, ready to drag her down to their subterranean sanctuary. She wanted to push them out, but was afraid it would draw their attention away from the swarm upstairs.
The loud speaker sounded again. The voice was filled with panic and choked off into a semi-hysterical scream. Verchiel shrugged as if to say whatever happened up there wasn't his fault, but she wasn't so sure.
They turned a corner and came to an abrupt stop. A vampire stood in the middle of the corridor, a surly expression on his face. Though he was dressed in jeans and a sweater, Katelina recognized him. It was Burton, the guard Micah had assaulted!
Katelina clutched Jorick's arm and tried to communicate the danger to him. No doubt catching them would earn him his lost favor and end his suspension.
"What are you doing?" Burton demanded.
"Exactly what you think," Jorick said impassively.
Burton looked past him and locked eyes with Micah. The bald vampire responded with a sneering grin that invited violence.
Burton looked away. "Then follow me."
He moved to an air conditioner grating in the wall and snapped out the cover to reveal a long, dark tunnel. "She's waiting in the garage." Jorick started forward and Burton cleared his throat noisily. "The orders were not to wait for you."
Katelina gave him a puzzled look, but Jorick nodded stiffly and crawled into the hole. Katelina looked from him to Burton. When he didn't clarify, she followed Jorick on her knees. The tunnel was really an air conditioner shaft. The only light came through the opening, and as they crawled forward it faded and left her blind. She strained against the darkness until she fancied she could see the vague outline of Jorick ahead of her.
"Stop."
Jorick's command came too late and she ran into him. Someone ran into her, and from the "oofs" and "watch its" she imagined everyone running together like a train buckling on a track.
There were a few clanging sounds and then the noise of ripping metal. Jorick moved forward and after a moment called back, "Come but be careful. There are sharp edges."
She felt her way forward and cautiously crept through the hole he'd created. What was beyond wasn't made of metal, but cold stone. It was another low tunnel and she moved forward slowly. Luckily the passageway was short, and soon she sensed that the walls had fallen away.
"We've crossed under the street," Jorick said as he helped her to her feet. "That was probably once part of a sewer."
"Ewww!" She wiped at her clothes as if removing invisible but ancient yuck.
"It's fine," Jorick said. "Now we have to climb, and we need to hurry. They should be close to quashing the rebellion."
"I don't know," Verchiel commented from her right elbow. "They're organized in waves."
Katelina squinted against the black and thought she saw the outlines of a ladder. "How am I supposed to go up that in the dark?"
"Climb on my back," Jorick ordered impatiently. When she was in position he said, "Hold on," then pulled them upwards quickly. She couldn't see, but she could imagine the height, and squeezed her eyes closed against it, as if that would blot out the image of falling stories to their death.
Or at least to her death.
When they reached the top, Jorick knocked on the ceiling, and then a trap door opened and light flooded the shaft.
Katelina shut her eyes against the onslaught, but opened them again as Jorick pulled them out into the cavernous room above. She dropped slowly to the floor and looked around the brightly lit garage. A plethora of black vehicles were parked in shiny rows and Sadihra stood nearby.
The rest of the group climbed out, and Katelina noticed with surprise that Oren had carried Etsuko. He set her down wordlessly, and then glared at Katelina, as if he wanted to make sure there was no mistaking his motives.
Loren popped up. He gave a self-satisfied grin, obviously proud that despite his one arm, he'd made it to the top unassisted. Micah was the last out. He slapped the teen on the back and then they all turned to Sadihra.
"I see we have quite a gathering." The Scharfrichterin pressed a button on a key ring remote. One of the SUVs beeped and the headlights flashed. She held the keys out to Jorick. "I have two pilots and a plane waiting at the airfield. You can find it by following the GPS built into the dash. Leave the keys in the center console and the SUV in the parking lot."
Jorick took the keys, studied them a moment, then turned to Oren. "GPS?"
The lion-maned vampire shrugged and Verchiel snatched them. "Global Positioning Something. I got this."
Sadihra winced but only said, "You should not be harassed. The pilots believe the mission is sanctioned but covert, and so have orders to maintain radio silence with The Sodalitas. Contact me as soon as you find Wolfe, no matter what his condition."
Though Sadihra hid behind the words, Katelina knew what she really meant; even if Wolfe was dead.
They jammed into the SUV. Katelina sat in Jorick's lap, squashed against Loren until she felt they might really be Siamese twins. Verchiel drove the vehicle out through an automatic garage door. As they turned onto the street, Katelina caught a last glimpse of Sadihra framed in the gaping door, her face creased with worry.
