Chapter 399
They went to bed before the rest of the Black Vigil, but Katelina had a hard time sleeping. The others had dropped off around her when she heard voices in the next room. She strained her ears and caught Fethillen's voice, quiet but angry, "Did you do this, Sushel?"
"Yes." The word was hard and uncompromising, as if he felt no shame, and Katelina could guess what they were talking about: Uzbekistan.
"Then you failed. Jorick's coven was not as weak as you supposed and you risked the lives of your brothers. For what? Because you mourn Ken? Did Ume not lose Sibila? Have we not all lost someone over the slow centuries? You know my feelings, and you know our rules. When you did this, you betrayed not only our allies, but your fellows. You call for Ume's blood and by the letter of the law you're no better and should suffer the same fate."
"Kill me then," Sushel said.
"I should, but I won't. Just as Ume's trespass brought us good fortune, so yours might. We have a message from none other than Malick, inviting us to come and take Ume, and when we do we will make such a show of force that the Children are no more."
Their voices dropped and Katelina huddled closer to Jorick. There was no way Fethillen's plan would work. An entire citadel had been unable to stop the master, what made her think her little army could do it?
Katelina was still awake when Fethillen and the others entered and laid down. She heard someone grumbling about the space, but Fethillen hushed them. "You'll be glad of the extra bodies when we face the Children again."
Katelina eventually dropped off despite the discomfort and woke the next evening to darkness. Jorick led her outside to hunt, and she was instantly aware of the heat and humidity. It would've been lovely except for her heavy sweater. Before they'd crashed far into the dark of the trees, she was sweating.
Etsuko had traded the frayed black and red kimono for a lighter looking peach one embroidered with white and orange flowers. Her hair was pulled up and she carried the flashlight and a fan.
Micah and Loren split off quickly, and Torina gave an excuse to abandon them. Verchiel disappeared into the trees, swinging away like a bizarre monkey, and it was only Oren and Etsuko who doggedly plodded along with them. Oren didn't complain about the noise Katelina and Etsuko made, which was surprising since Mother Nature threw things under their feet.
The junglefor jungle was what it felt like to Katelinawas stifling, humid, and full of creepy noises. Katelina cringed away from the rustling overhead. It was the kind of place that had Ebola carrying monkeys, like the old film. People always said "It's only a movie", but so were vampires and they'd turned out to be real. No doubt one bite from a diseased monkey really would be enough to leave her with blood filled pustules and a horrific death.
Jorick finally found a pair of small scaly creatures that had narrow snouts, tiny eyes, and looked vaguely like they were smiling. They rolled into tight balls until he enchanted them and then he and Oren took one each. Their little faces were too much for Katelina, and she turned away. "How can you eat cute things?"
"You're going to eat them, too," Oren said impatiently.
Katelina was determined she'd starve before she'd eat anything as adorable as that. "Can't we find some kind of bird?"
As if on cue Verchiel crashed down from overhead, his wild red hair parrot-like in the heavy gloom. "Did someone ask for birds?" He held out two colorful specimens. "Though I don't know why it's okay to eat them and not those."
"Birds aren't cute," Katelina said. Though when faced with them still in their feathers they were less appealing.
When they got back to the clearing Verchiel built a fire and Etsuko quietly prepared the birds. Plucked and cleaned, they were half the size they'd first appeared, and Katelina managed to eat most of one by telling herself it was chicken.
They were finishing up when Fethillen, dressed in her black uniform, crouched down next to Jorick. "If your message is correct then Ume is in Namibia. You've had time to think about it, and I ask you now, do you believe it to be true?"
Jorick looked thoughtful. "If the message is really from Malick, then yes. He's too sure of his own might to hide behind a lie and a trap."
"Why would he hand her over so easily?"
Verchiel kicked back. "There are three possibilities. One, it's an excuse to lure ol' Jorick to the secret base and try to recruit him. Two, it's to lure ol' Jorick so Malick can pick his brain and find out what we're up to, or, three, because he's giving her away to punish Cyprus for disobeying his orders and not going to India."
Jorick nodded. "The prisoner said 'orders changed' from China to India, implying the orders came from someone else, such as Malick, but when he answered about Uzbekistan he said 'Cyprus changed his mind', meaning Cyprus chose to disobey and backtrack in search of Wolfe. If there's one thing Malick won't tolerate, it's being ignored."
Katelina shivered as she thought of how the master had decimated part of rural Russia to teach his former general a lesson, and how he'd been involved in the death of Jorick's first wife, Velnya, to punish Jorick for quitting the Executioners.
Fethillen took it all in with a nod. "Why would he wish to recruit Jorick? Is there some bond between them?"
There was a moment of silence before Jorick answered, "He's my master."
"I see." Fethillen chewed over the information. "In that case, your insights on him are no doubt correct."
Katelina released a breath she hadn't known she was holding. Had she been Fethillen, there was a chance she'd be suspicious and set the rest of the Black Vigil on them. Though they could make a good fight, they'd already proven they couldn't beat them.
"Do you believe we can kill him?" Fethillen asked.
"Frankly, no."
She looked grave. "We will have to try, anyway. He must not be allowed to resurrect Memnon, at any cost."
Jorick stabbed the fire. "I'm not convinced that he can."
"It's a risk we can't take," she said firmly. "Thank you. I will present this information to the others and bring you the decision." Fethillen swept to her feet and walked purposefully back to the house.
"And why do they get to make the decision?" Oren asked with irritation. "Malick specifically said he'd hand Ume over to Jorick, no one else."
"Because they own the helicopters," Verchiel suggested. Katelina thought she detected the edge of annoyance in his voice.
Fethillen returned to tell them that, though they did not disbelieve Jorick, they thought it best to be prepared before they took on Malick's secret oasis. "After the firefight last night, the helicopter needs a part before we can fly again. In order to take all of us we need both copters, and we do not wish to go with only half the members."
"How long will that take?" Katelina asked.
"Nuthen and Christabell will leave soon and should be back in three or four days. Perhaps five. Parts are not so easy to get. They may have to go far for one."
"Five days!" Katelina cried. "By then Malick might change his mind and kill Ume!"
Fethillen gave a small shrug. "I don't wish to seem cold, but such is the chance we all take. Part of our oath is to welcome the angel of death when she comes for us, and to be ever ready for the moment. We have all lived well beyond the years we should have. This is why I can so easily accept the deaths in the forest of Finland: Ken, Esther, Leeka, and Tia. Though they were my allies and my children, they knew each day when they woke it might be their last. They expected death in each shadow and died without fear. I can ask no more of them."
Katelina thought the reasoning was insane, but it was pointless to argue.
"In the meantime, you are of course welcome to stay. If you walk this way," she pointed into the dense jungle. "There is something like a village. They are poachers, and not so friendly at first, but they are human. They will have water and food and perhaps other things your humans need. You may be able to persuade them with money. If not, violence should convince them." Katelina looked alarmed and Fethillen added, "Do not fear to kill them. They are not kind and kill both humans and animals for the sake of money. The jungle is rarely a nice place."
Katelina couldn't hold back any longer. "Then why is your base here?"
"What better place to hide than somewhere no one wants to look?"
Fethillen left and Verchiel stood. "I think I'll find baldy and his little monkey and see if they want to visit the poachers. It seems like the kind of thing they'd enjoy."
