Chapter 386
The night was as silent as death when Katelina dashed outside for a last minute outhouse visit. Jorick stayed behind in the cabin, his face visible at the window, but his attention on the conversation he had with Oren. Like a child she'd been admonished to go straight there and straight back, as if she'd want to go for a nature hike in the dark.
She had a brief view of colored ribbons in the sky before she shut herself in the dilapidated shed. When she finished, she slipped outside and stopped to stare. Wisps of eerie green fog pulsed and twisted above her. The sight was both beautiful and terrifying, and she fell back against the building, transfixed and paralyzed.
Voices came to her from somewhere in the darkness. She couldn't quite hear the words, and her good sense told her she probably didn't want to. But, her curiosity was piqued, so she slowly picked her way across the yard, her eyes transfixed on the sky above as if she thought she might fall into it like Alice and the rabbit hole.
The voices grew louder as she moved around the cabin. She recognized Sushel, but the other was unfamiliar.
"What about Quenby?"
Sushel answered angrily, "Quenby said she cooperated against her will. Even Ume admitted that. She was the ring leader because of some desperate need to cling to a brother she barely remembers."
"You know Ume's one of Fethillen's favorites. She'll probably forgive her."
There was a moment's silence and when Sushel spoke his voice was like poisoned ice. "You've spoken aloud my fear. Fethillen wrote the lawit is forbidden to bring strangers to our sanctuaries. The penalty is instant death, and yet Ume still draws breath. It may be up to us to impart the punishment."
Katelina gaped in the darkness and clutched the cabin to steady herself. Did he mean-
The other voice echoed her horror, "Sushel, I don't think"
"Of course you don't. But I won't suffer the poisoned apple to live among us, spreading her foul rot and infecting our brothers. Four of us are dead, Ken among them, because she selfishly brought those, those- monsters with her. Do you think they'll stop there? Oh no! She will join them and then they'll try to kill us."
"If you're worried, speak to Fethillen."
"I have," Sushel snapped. "Her answer is to be watchful and wary. Watchful and wary! No. I have a plan to get rid of them."
"They're our guests. Fethillen won't"
"Fethillen won't know about it. We're stronger than they are and better fighters. We'll survive but they won't, and if Ume happens to get killed in the crossfire-"
Katelina bit back a horrified gasp and hurriedly slipped toward the outhouse. As she rounded the cabin she nearly ran into Jorick.
"What are you doing? You shouldn't wander. This place isn't safe."
"Sushel," she whispered urgently. "He's planning to kill us!"
"What?" Jorick met her eyes and she felt the split second spark as he sorted through the memory in her mind. His lips disappeared into a thin line, then he said, "Come, little one, before they notice you're here."
She followed him inside and whispered, "What are we going to do?"
"Nothing."
"We should at least warn Ume!"
Jorick shook his head. "Ume knows Sushel hates her, he's made that plain. If he has a real plan to harm us there's nothing she can do about it. I'll keep an eye and ear on Sushel and his cohorts, but for now we wait."
Wait. Be watchful and wary. They were the same tactics. But while Fethillen and Jorick preached patience, they were all in danger.
When Katelina and Jorick went downstairs for bed, she saw that the Black Vigil had been busy. Even the folding chairs were picked up. The only thing left, besides a large stack of trunks and boxes, were the bizarre strings of Christmas lights.
The floor was even less comfortable than the night before, but she managed to drift into strange dreams. Jorick woke her the next evening with a kiss, and they repeated their previous day's activities, though instead of an owl the vampires presented Katelina and Etsuko with a pair of rabbits. Katelina couldn't watch their preparation, and she could barely eat them. Every bite conjured an image of a fluffy cartoon Easter bunny, and she had to fight to swallow.
They returned to find the doors of the hangars open and two massive helicopters parked in the snow. Their bodies looked like some kind of ship with stubby wings, wheels, and rotors tacked on for good measure. They made Katelina think of a sea rescue ship, though she wasn't sure why.
Vampires loaded the last of the trunks and other items into one of the helicopters, while Fethillen stood next to the other waving her arms in time to her orders. The Black Vigil had traded their usual black uniforms for normal clothes; Fethillen wore a long sweater and knee high boots over stretchy leggings. Ume and Quenby hovered nearby, both dressed in jeans and sweaters. Ume spotted the newcomers and hurried toward them, pointing to the helicopter she'd just left. "We'll be taking this one. You'd better get your bags and load them up before someone puts them in the wrong one. They aren't going with us, so if that happens your possessions will be lost."
Katelina squinted at the aircraft. "Where's the other one going?"
"They're relocating to the summer headquarters. We don't usually leave until March, but since it's the fourteenth of February, Fethillen thought it was late enough."
The fourteenth of February. It took Katelina a moment to recognize the date, and when she did she looked to Jorick. He only nodded to Ume, then motioned the others inside the cabin.
As she walked, she thought how ridiculous it was to worry about Valentine's Day, considering everything going on. At the same time she finally had a boyfriend for the "big day". Excepting her strange relationship with Patrick, she'd been single every February, like clockwork. Every year she went to work and watched the flowers and balloons pour in for the other women. Near the end of the day the obligatory pink carnation from her mother arrived. "No woman should go without a flower on Valentine's," her mother would say. This year Katelina wouldn't even have that.
It's not like we have time to mess with it, she told herself.
Loren caught up to her as they hit the basement, and whispered, "Sorry, I forgot to say anything to him."
"It's all right. This isn't the time for roses and chocolates."
Jorick was suddenly behind them. "What isn't?"
"It's Valentine's day," Loren said cheerfully.
