Chapter 410
Etsuko was still sick the following evening. Katelina fed her the last of the rice, and then she and Kai shared a couple of energy bars. The rain clouds seemed determined to stay, and the air was heavy and damp, even if the rain had stopped.
"Why doesn't someone just give her blood?" Katelina asked Jorick. "Doesn't that heal everything?"
"It would take a large quantity to kill the germs."
His answer bothered her, especially since she'd obviously had enough to make herself immune. "How much?"
"Enough to cause complications if given all at once. If he wanted to do that he might as well link her."
Katelina knew that would never be an option.
Jorick refused to leave her unaccompanied, but he got twitchy sitting in the sleeping room with nothing to do, and passed the responsibility on to Loren. The teen hung around until Micah called for him, and then Verchiel took over.
He dropped to the floor and crossed his legs, Indian style. "How's the patient?"
Katelina glanced at the sleeping woman. "Still sick. We're out of Acetaminophen, and almost out of ibuprofen. After that, I don't know what to do. Maybe you could see if those poachers have anything?"
"Have what?"
They looked up to see Oren lurking in the doorway.
"Fever reducer," Katelina said. "And we're running out of food."
He snorted. "Send someone hunting for that. As for the other, I'll find Micah."
Before she could comment he swept back out the door.
"He could at least ask how she's doing," Katelina fumed. "He's barely looked at her."
"It's because he's worried," Verchiel said. "You have to admit he's coming along nicely."
"You and Torina are both nuts."
***
Something came over the radio. It sounded like dots and dashes to Katelina, but Verchiel assured her everyone was wound up about it. Sure enough, when she and Verchiel wandered out they saw Fethillen, Sushel, and others of the Black Vigil bent over a card table. A wrinkled world map was spread out. From the crossed out, renamed, and, in some cases, redrawn borders Katelina guessed it was an old one.
Fethillen stabbed a finger in the middle of India. "The Faction is here, so what would their next goal be?"
The Faction? Katelina had a dim memory of someone mentioning it before. She thought it was a guild that ruled several countries, though she wasn't sure which ones. She leaned close to Verchiel and whispered, "What are they talking about?"
"The Children of Shadows attacked India," he whispered back. "That's what all the noise was about."
"I thought you guys killed all of them in Uzbekistan, except Cyprus and Ronnell."
Fethillen turned around. "Hardly. That was a small force. I imagine the others were waiting somewhere, perhaps at the Children's headquarters, wherever that may be. The question is where will they strike next?" She turned back to the map. "They're obviously avoiding China for some reason, and if they planned to take one of Russia's, then they'd have been better served by going there after Uzbekistan, which leaves The Association." She pointed to a collection of Asian countries.
"Do we try to cut them off?" Sushel asked. He wore a makeshift eye patch and Katelina wondered what it looked like underneath. Had he been perfectly restored, eyelid and all, without an eyeball inside?
"I don't know. Nuthan and Christabell aren't back yet. We'd have to take the plane. The engine is still in pieces. Even repaired it would take two or three days of flying with daylight stops and not everyone would fit."
"We'd fit." Sushel glared at Katelina and Verchiel. "They have a friend with a plane, let him take them."
"Regardless, we would miss the window for the Asian Association."
Sushel slammed his fist on the table. "We don't know where they're going after that! It could be Korea, Japan, Taiwan, The Philippines, or they could even go back to Indonesia!"
Fethillen held up a hand to quiet him. "We must use reason. The goal is not destruction for the sake of destruction, but to recruit the strongest. Japan's vampires are young and weak. Taiwan and the Philippines have very controlled vampire populations with limited numbers, and they will not let a crowd of old blood in. Korea would be a long way around, but Indonesia- Yes, Indonesia seems the most likely target. That's where we will catch them."
Ume's words came back to Katelina, "It's odd for the quest to end where it started. Like an eternal circle." The context was different, but the meaning was the same.
"And if they go somewhere else?" Sushel demanded.
"They won't." Fethillen pulled out a folding chair and sat with paper and a pencil. "I'll figure out the trip as quickly as I can. Sushel, go to the hangar and tell them to finish the plane immediately. The helicopter can wait until we return."
If we return, Katelina thought with a shiver.
***
When Fethillen finished her calculations she pounced on Jorick. Though she suggested leaving some people behind, "like the humans," in the end they agreed to take two planes. Sorino was summoned, and he contacted his pilots at the airport. By lunch time they had the plans set; The Black Vigil would leave the next day. If Etsuko was better they would go, too. If not they'd wait another day. Sorino looked irritated, but Oren was firm.
"It's not good for humans to travel sick. You have one, you should know."
Sorino looked down his thin nose. "Mine doesn't get sick. But fine. We'll wait and see. If she isn't well the next day I suggest she remain behind with whomever you set as guardian and the rest of us go. Unless you think her worth more than your task?"
"I don't see why you're interested in going, anyway," Torina huffed. "You couldn't care less about Cyprus."
"No," he agreed. "However the original seal of Memnon is an item of high collectability that has never been located. Since Cyprus doesn't have it, I'm positive at least one of the Children of Shadows will know where it is. And should we happen to leave one alive who could tell me its location-"
He trailed off, but Katelina understood. "Father of Shadows, holder of the sacred seal." That's why he'd addressed Cyprus that way; he was after another relic for his collection. Was that what Jorick had left in the mysterious note that had so inspired Sorino to join them?
Jorick gave her a wink, then turned back to the conversation. "Everyone has different motives."
"I say we should skip Cyprus and go after Malick instead," Torina said. "There are thirty of these Black Vigil people. We could storm his den and"
"Now that Fethillen knows Malick can't raise Memnon, and the Children of Shadows' headquarters are elsewhere, I don't think we can talk her into thatyet," Jorick said. "After the Children of Shadows have been destroyed she will, as Ume said, need a new goal."
"And you'll provide one for her," Verchiel finished admiringly.
"Someone should. Plus, it seems a pity to waste all of her soldiers and equipment."
"Assuming there's any left," Katelina said.
Micah snickered. "If all of the Children of Shadows are as crappy as that bunch in Uzbecka-what's-it, we could do it ourselves."
Jorick tapped his chin. "There will be Cyprus to contend with, and Ronnell, and I have no doubt there are some very strong vampires among their ranks. If nothing else the Father of Shadows is likely to be there."
"I thought that was Cyprus?" Katelina asked.
"Yes and no. Their Father probably relinquished control with the promise of Memnon's resurrection, but he obviously didn't hand over the seal. If Cyprus had killed him, he'd have taken it."
"Cyprus didn't seem to know what it was," Katelina said.
"Yes," Sorino said slowly. "I noticed that." He turned businesslike. "For better or worse we're in agreement. Let's hope the human is well enough for travel tomorrow."
