Chapter 383
When Katelina woke the next evening she felt she'd dreamt something important. She blinked against the gloomy darkness, to find snatches, like wisps of cloud. There was a feeling of peace, a distant siren, a lake, but she couldn't remember the rest. The cold of the floor seeped through her layers, and the Christmas lights flickered. Many of the bulbs were burnt out and left the strand looking like a gap toothed grimace. In the false twilight she could see the other vampires standing, stretching, and leaving. She rolled over to find that Jorick was still asleep. She brushed his hair back from his face, and gently traced his cool lips. The blisters were gone, and he was perfect again.
Though extra sleep probably wouldn't hurt him, she didn't like the idea of him being helpless while the Black Vigil was awake. "Jorick," she whispered and shook him gently. "Jorick."
He stirred, and came to with a deep, gasping breath, like someone who just remembered they needed air; not that he did. He sat up quickly, his head darting from side to side. "What is it?"
"It's all right. I wanted to tell you the others are waking."
He followed the Black Vigil with his eyes and yawned. "Yes. They would rise earlier than me since they're sun walkers."
Katelina nodded. "Ume said something like that last night."
Jorick's confusion melted away as he pulled the memories from her mind. "How disappointing. I'd hoped she'd make the red-headed clown squirm more than that. Never mind. Come, we'll see if they have any facilities for humans."
Fethillen was in the room at the bottom of the stairs. She sat in a folding chair, wearing a pair of headphones, and tapping a strange metal contraption that clicked rhythmically. She stopped and listened. Katelina eyed Jorick curiously and he murmured, "Morse code."
"You mean like they used on the Titanic?"
He nodded and Fethillen removed the headphones. "I didn't think you'd wake until later." She turned and gave Jorick and Katelina a once over. "The sun is already gone." She motioned to the stairs. "You're welcome to find what you can. I'm afraid we have no food for humans. We don't keep them."
Katelina gave Jorick a horrified look. Did she mean they'd have to hunt something and cook it like barbarians?
"There are sanitary facilities outside. There is a sauna and a waste- I'm sorry, I don't know the name of it."
"A bathroom?" Katelina asked doubtfully.
"Perhaps." Fethillen waved it away and met Jorick's eyes. "Ume tells me you're the leader of your coven."
Instead of explaining, Jorick simply agreed.
"In that case we'll meet after you've fed. I will warn you that tempers run high. You killed four of my children in the woods, and I'm sure your coven is angry about the fight and the walk through sunlight. I would apologize, but the only way to reach the winter headquarters was through the sun. We rarely need to consider outsiders' comfort. Regardless, I will keep my coven under control, so long as you do the same. When I said that violence from one was death for all, I meant it."
Jorick's face stayed expressionless. "And does that apply to your coven? If one of them attacks, do we slay all of you?"
Fethillen laughed. "I see why your coven's human is so outspoken. Good. I prefer that to polite whispers. Fair is fair."
It wasn't a concrete answer, but Jorick took it. "We'll wake the others."
"Good. Your luggage is over there." She pointed to a pile of dirty bags stacked in the corner. "No doubt you'd like a change of clothes?"
It was an odd statement, considering it didn't appear that the Black Vigil members ever changed, but Jorick thanked her. He and Katelina gathered what they could and headed back the way they'd come.
It looked like all of the black clad vampires were already gone. Oren was awake, as was Torina and Etsuko. By the dim light, they looked restored, just as Jorick was.
Verchiel sat up with a yawn and stretched. "I guess they didn't kill us in our sleep."
Katelina dumped the luggage in a pile. Verchiel's sword landed on top and he snatched it up and slid it into the special pocket in his coat. "That's better."
Jorick kicked at Micah, and the bald vampire groaned and lashed back with his fist. He missed and sat up, grumbling. "Fucking Executioner thinks he's the God damn lord of the manor. Fuck you."
"Fethillen has invited us to hunt for our meal," Jorick said. "They have no food for humans, Oren, so we will have to find our own."
Oren made a low, annoyed sound, but didn't deny that Etsuko was his responsibility.
"I hope they have something around here worth catching." Micah shook Loren. "Hey, midget brain. Get up, huh?"
Oren stood and brushed at his clothes. "We should stay together."
"Fuck no," Micah said. "I've been hunting with Lunch before. She makes too much goddamn noise. Pipsqueak and I will be fine on our own."
Verchiel grinned cheerfully. "I'll join you."
Oren groaned. "That's just what we need."
***
Katelina did a quick inspection of the house, but there was no bathroom. Then she stepped outside and clamped eyes on what looked like a disused, weathered outhouse.
She broke from Jorick and inspected it. The roll of toilet paper was weather stained, and she was sure it had been there at least twenty years.
"You have to be joking." She looked to Etsuko. The woman was bundled up except for a thin strip where her eyes were, and they gave no reaction.
After a horrible visit to the musty little shed, they took a moment to explore their immediate surroundings. The cabin was in the middle of the clearing, flanked by several outbuildings. Two of them were several times larger than the cabin, and Katelina peered into one of the frosty windows. Inside was black, save for a few dull glints of moonlight that revealed what looked a hulking metal boat with rotors on the top.
"Helicopter?" she mused aloud.
Verchiel crowded in and squinted through the glass. "Looks like it. That's a big one." He motioned to the second giant building. "There's probably another one in there."
Katelina still remembered the helicopter they'd taken to the Raven Queen's temple, and the memories made her shiver. "As long as we don't have to ride in them."
A small shed turned out to be the sauna. Lined in wood, a bench ran the length of two walls. A stone pit was in the middle, full of something that looked like charcoal. Most disappointing was the lack of water.
"I thought this was a sauna?"
"It is," Jorick replied. "A sauna is a steam bath."
"I thought saunas were where rich women went to get baths in expensive oils and have facials and-" she trailed off.
"You're thinking of a spa," Verchiel said. "A sauna is when everyone gets naked and sits around in a room full of steam. We could give it a try. Loosen up the old muscles before the hunt."
"No thank you," Oren said brusquely. "We saw far too much of you on the island." He turned to Katelina. "If you're done taking inventory, perhaps we can get on with feeding?"
She stopped from telling him how important it was to know their surroundings. After all, if the Black Vigil had a building of mutilated corpses it might be nice to know. Then again, that was probably standard vampire fare.
They made their way through the clearing to the forest. Etsuko produced her flashlight and she and Katelina picked their way through the snow. Though they tried, they couldn't be as quiet as the vampires. After several frustrating, freezing moments, Katelina offered to stay by a tree and wait.
Jorick looked regretful. "I'd rather we weren't separated. I don't trust the Black Vigil as far as I could kick them."
"Besides," Verchiel said. "You'll have to eat whatever we catch, so you might as well be there."
The thought made her ill and took her back to their hike in the mountains of Japan when Jorick had expected her to eat monkeys. She needed to start carrying freeze dried food with her.
The vampires finally sent Jorick to scout ahead and "enchant" something for them. When they caught up, Katelina was surprised to see him kneeling in the snow next to
"Holy crap! Is that a wolf?"
"What do you think?" Jorick asked mildly. He ruffled the animal's fur, as if seeking a vein.
"Aren't wolves endangered? I mean, who has them in the wild except for fairytales?"
"Obviously the Finns do," Verchiel said as he crouched next to it. "Shall we take turns or go buffet style?"
"Turns," Oren said stiffly.
"I'm not eating a wolf. Not even if you skin it and cook it. A wolf's just a dog and there's no way." Katelina looked to Etsuko for support, but the woman remained mute and expressionless. Sometimes it was as if she was already a vampire.
When no one answered, Katelina turned away so she wouldn't have to watch them draining the creature. Even with her back to them, she could see its large brown eyes in her memory. Raccoons were one thing, but dogs-
It was some minutes before Verchiel cheerfully announced, "We're all done!" and she turned to see Jorick hefting the carcass.
"I'm not eating it," she repeated.
"You could go hungry," Oren suggested irritably.
Jorick dropped the dead animal into the snow. "Then what do you want?"
An owl hooted in the distance and Verchiel grinned. "How about that? Bet it tastes like chicken. What do you say, Etsuko?" He gave the Oriental woman a wink.
"If Oren-sama thinks it will suffice then I am willing."
The answer made Katelina groan, but it wasn't the time to point out that she needed liberating.
"Sounds like a yes. I'll be back." The redhead disappeared into the trees.
