Chapter 379
Katelina looked to see that Loren was held prisoner, his good arm twisted behind his back, and a bloody cut across his stomach. Micah fought to free him, but two of the attackers jumped on his back. One of Loren's captors brought their sickle to the boy's throat and with an outraged growl, Micah surrendered.
Ume had swung up into a tree, and kicked at the vampires that attempted to reach her. Her wild eyes showed that she knew it wasn't a permanent solution. "Stop!" she cried. "We're not your enemy!"
Quenby didn't bother trying to reason with her once-allies. She'd gotten a sickle, and fought with one of them. They ranged back and forth over the lumpy forest ground, meeting blow for blow.
With their ring broken, vampires lunged at Katelina and Etsuko. Oren gave a roar and struggled as his captors secured his hands behind him. Jorick threw himself in front of their foes, which gave Katelina a moment to pull Etsuko to her feet.
Vampires came from the other side, and Katelina spun and swung the heavy sickle. The blade sliced into her enemy, but didn't kill him. She pulled the weapon away for another strike when Verchiel materialized in front of her and slashed at the vampire's head. He dodged the blow and grabbed Etsuko. The Japanese woman dropped the flashlight, pulled a short knife from the depths of her puffy coat, and expertly stabbed it into his face. Dark blood sprayed out and splattered over her.
Jorick had taken two more, but while he did Quenby was overwhelmed and captured, and Ume was pulled out of her tree. Verchiel got a couple of sickles away from their attackers, then one of them managed to hook his sword and pull it out of his hands. He dived after it, but a pair of black clad vampires tackled him before he could reach it.
Etsuko stabbed at another vampire, but a second came behind her and grabbed her arms. Though she wrestled, she was no match for their strength. Katelina was left alone in a tightening ring. She swung the sickle wildly, but the weapon was unwieldy in her hands. A vampire grabbed her arm and squeezed her wrist until she cried out and dropped the weapon to the snow. It took five vampires to rein Jorick in as they forced Katelina's hands behind her back and tied her wrists.
She looked around, hopeful that someone had escaped, but her optimism fizzled. All of them had been captured and were held, hands behind their backs.
The lithe young man who'd first confronted them took charge. "We will take them before Fethillen for judgment and death sentence. Erase the scene."
Several of the vampires rushed to obey, gathering everything from the snow, including Verchiel's sword, the flashlight, and the cast-off luggage. The four dead vampires were hefted onto the backs of those still living, and the two most heavily wounded leaned on assistants. The bloody spots in the snow were churned and reburied, and, except for the mass of footprints, there was soon no evidence a fight had taken place.
The black clad vampires marched their prisoners through the dark trees. Katelina searched the shadows for an escape but there was nothing but snow and fallen needles. As they walked, she thought the shadows were growing lighter, and then, through a gap in the trees she saw a flash of gray colored sky.
The sun was rising and there were no headquarters in sight.
Horror surged through her. Would the thick trees be enough to shield the vampires? She'd seen vampires burn to death in the sun and she didn't want to see it again.
The sky continued to lighten. Ahead, the trees thinned and early sunlight dappled the path. By its slant, Katelina thought the sun must be above the horizon. She twisted and looked back to Jorick, trying to communicate their peril. He gave a sharp nod, as if to say he understood. Though his expression remained neutral, concern flashed in his dark eyes.
Their captors marched straight through the sunny patch. Surprisingly, they didn't wince, even when the light shone full on them. Neither did Ume, but when the sunlight danced over Loren, he cried out and tried to turn. There was nowhere for him to go, and by the time they reached the shade, thin tendrils of smoke curled up from his exposed skin.
Katelina dragged her feet and twisted back to see Jorick. His mouth turned into a tight line, but he seemed otherwise unaffected. She heaved a sigh of relief. He'd told her before that with his age came more sunlight tolerance. She was glad he was right.
There was a small section of heavy shadows and then a longer stretch of sunlight. Again Ume and the other masked vampires waltzed through it as though everything was fine, though their step quickened toward the end. Loren, on the other hand, started out brave, but near the end he cried out and tried to raise his arm to shield his smoking face. Katelina could see blisters rising on his cheeks, and she pulled at her bonds and cried out, "Are you trying to burn everyone up?"
Stray words flickered through her head unbidden, "They're sun walkers, little one. They can endure more sunlight than the average vampire."
It was Jorick, sending her thoughts.
The trees grew thinner, and soon the sunlight was almost constant. She heard the drone of the generator before the cabin came into view. Made of wood, it sat in the middle of a clearing surrounded by outbuildings. Their captors sped up, hurrying them toward what must be their final destination, but it wasn't fast enough for their prisoners. Loren's blisters grew, and he screamed. He fought and got loose. He dashed back toward the shadowy forest, but his guard grabbed him. The teen wrestled, shrieking as the blisters on his face and hands burst and ran blood. With an impatient snarl, another vampire joined and between them they subdued him. He continued to scream and writhe, and they carried him between them, dragging his knees in the snow.
"You're gonna pay for that, you sons of bitches!" Micah cried from his position further back in the line. "I'm gonna personally kill every fucking one of you!"
Oren's smoking sunburn started to blister, but he pressed his lips together, as if refusing to give their enemies the satisfaction of his cries. Katelina looked back desperately to Jorick and saw wisps of smoke curl up from him, barely visible in the bright light.
They reached the cabin and the door flew open. Katelina squinted to see another black clad vampire standing inside. The others picked up the pace, and were nearly jogging as they hit the door. She wondered sarcastically if they'd reached their limit. If so, she hoped it hurt them.
The room inside was made of heavy wooden logs. A fieldstone fireplace was against one wall, the hearth cold, and a long table and chairs were in the center. A cellar door stood open, and it was through it that the prisoners were led.
Katelina stumbled down the stairs to a stone basement. Doors yawned in both the back wall and to the left. Several card tables were set up with folding chairs, and trunks were stacked to the right. A table in the far corner was heaped with what looked like radio equipment, and white Christmas lights were strung everywhere. In fact, they were the only light source and gave the place a strange muted atmosphere.
Loren lay on the ground in a heap. Etsuko knelt over him, her hands still tied, and when they let Oren go he strode to stand over the pair of them. His lips were blistered, bloody, and raw like something from a horror movie. His face was a mass of huge, wrinkling blisters. In places they'd popped, running blood and revealing what looked like raw meat underneath.
Katelina's captor shoved her toward the others. With no arms to catch herself she knocked into Oren. For a second she could feel the heat of his skin through her clothes, and she saw him wince at the contact. She quickly pulled away and turned to the whimpering teen. It took her a moment to drop down next to Etsuko, and right herself.
