Chapter 394
They landed in a mountainous region amid winter flurries. Katelina disembarked to get a face full of screaming wind and biting snow. She shielded her eyes and looked hopefully for a house. What she saw were three huge tanks on rusting legs and a collection of windowless, tin roofed sheds. The door on the largest building hung on a hinge and the walls were pockmarked with bullets. The others were in similar shape; forced doors and gouged walls. If this was the summer headquarters they needed a new place!
Sushel hopped out of the helicopter. With a cry of outrage he raced to the largest building. His fellows gave a similar performance, and soon most of the Black Vigil had fanned out among the destruction.
The rotors slowed, and Fethillen dropped out of the copter, a bag over her shoulder. She paused to take in the damage. "This is unfortunate." She glanced up to the heavy sky. "Morning will be here soon, and though we can withstand some sunlight, we have our limits. We will have to do makeshift repairs." She called sharply to one of the other pilots as he climbed out of the helicopter. "Check the tanks and see if they left us any fuel."
Fuel. Katelina hoped that meant that the lonely spot was just a stop on the way to warmer places.
"Fuck," Micah muttered. "I'm starting to think sugar babes was right and we shoulda stayed in Munich."
No one argued, so they headed for the largest building. Inside, Katelina squinted through the gloom to see a bare floor littered with chunks of plaster.
Sushel kicked at something and Katelina took a step closer. She could barely see the outline of a slumped body on the floor. In the dark she couldn't tell if it was human or vampire, alive or dead.
Fethillen ducked through the door and stopped, hands on her hips. "Looks like he's been here a while. He's useless. Toss him out."
Sushel hefted the body and hauled him outside. As he passed, Katelina had a momentary view of blood stained clothing and what looked like a mummified face stretched thin and freeze dried, mouth open and eyes closed.
She turned away. "Oh God. Who is it?"
"Probably one of the culprits." Fethillen kicked a chunk of plaster angrily. "Insurgents, terrorists, rebels, whatever you want to call them, they look for hideouts, and where they go officials follow. I do not know who is in the right and I don't care. Their unrest does not concern me and their causes don't interest me, I care only when they take something from me."
Micah and Loren grudgingly offered to help with repairs, and soon the building was patched enough to make it safe. Or so Katelina hoped.
Sushel dragged their prisoner inside and Fethillen fired questions at him in different languages. Katelina couldn't see what was happening in the dark, but the prisoner's silence soon turned to grunts and then to screams. Finally, he broke.
"I don't know! We were supposed to go to China, then the message came and said to go to India instead! But Cyprus changed his mind and we came back."
"Why?" Fethillen demanded.
The prisoner didn't answer and Oren asked from the darkness, "Why don't you let Jorick read his mind?"
"I appreciate the offer," Fethillen said. "But I prefer to hear his answers myself."
In other words she didn't trust Jorick to tell her the truth.
The screams came again and Katelina covered her ears and buried her face against Jorick. She tried to tell herself what Jorick had said about torturing vampires, but it was hard to believe with the pain so close.
Fethillen repeated the question and finally their prisoner choked out, "I don't know! They don't tell me! I'm no one!"
"Where are they now? India?"
"I don't know." There was another scream and then he stuttered out, "Since they took a prisoner they might have gone to the secret oasis."
"And where is the secret oasis?"
"Namibia!" He shrieked. "It's in Namibia!"
Namibia. But that was where- "Malick's in Namibia!" Katelina cried.
"Yes," the prisoner sobbed. "Please, please. I can take you to the oasis."
"Good, then you may live. Now explain, what is Malick to the Children of Shadows?"
"He is Cyprus' master." The prisoner panted. "He-he came to us first, but the Father refused to follow him. He is a murderer! He killed Memnon!"
"Then why are you following him now?"
"We didn't mean to. No one knew. We thought Cyprus was alone; independent. Then we-we caught him speaking to Malick and demanded to know. He finally admitted it and there was talk of revolt but it's Malick, not Cyprus, who can bring Memnon back, and so if Memnon is to be restored we have no choice. Cyprus is our leader, he commands us, but MalickMalick commands Cyprus."
So Cyprus and Ronnell hadn't left Malick at all. It just looked that way.
There was a terrible scream and Fethillen hissed, "If you didn't know you were following him then how do you know where his headquarters are?"
"The spies found it," he panted. "The spies! We were going to war with him, with Malick. The Father- After Malick came to us, the Father was angry, he said we would get revenge for Memnon. But not now. Now we need his power and when Memnon is reborn he will destroy Malick!"
"Do you think so?" Fethillen asked. "If Malick is your leader why doesn't he admit to it? Why isn't he in the videos?"
"I-I don't know!"
"Why are you sending videos at all?"
"It was Cyprus' idea, I think, but I don't know why. I swear." There was a long, loud groan, and he gasped out, "I don't know! I swear! Please."
He broke into sobs and Fethillen made a soft sound of irritation. "That's all we'll get for now. Sushel, restrain our new friend and make him comfortable for the night. Quenby, Nuthen, clean up the mess." Though Katelina couldn't see her, she imagined that she turned toward them. "Jorick. You know something of this Malick? Is he truly the one who killed Memnon?"
"Yes."
"I see. And so he now uses what is left of Memnon's army for his own gains. You said he wanted to wake Samael. What is it he is after now?"
"He's old and he's bored. When he revolted against the council he made it plain that he wanted to go back to the old ways, when vampires waited to gain age and power before they turned a fledgling, and so passed on great strength. He is disdainful of the newer, weak vampires, and no doubt that's why he's ordered the attacks on the guilds; to destroy those he deems weak and unworthy."
Katelina thought of the video the Children had sent to Turkey, "we bring with us the darkness of oblivion to those who stand in our way, to those who are weak, and those who should never have been born." She'd been in the council chambers when Malick had announced his goals to a stunned and outraged audience, so why hadn't she seen through those words to the ancient master behind them?
Jorick went on, "I doubt it's only vampires he wants to rule. He used to tell me stories of his youth, in Assyria. Those that now comprise the True Council were there, and were worshiped by mortals as Gods. He has tried twice before to merge the world of humans and vampires again, and failed."
Fethillen's tone was even, "I fear this time he may succeed."
It was a moment before Jorick answered. "So do I."
