Chapter 457
Katelina had to sign to allow Xandria treatment, and Jorick had to take responsibility for the bill.
"I can't believe they're charging us," Katelina muttered as she dropped into a plastic chair in the waiting area.
"Did you think it was free?" Jorick flipped absently through a magazine.
"I thought Europe had socialized medicine."
"I'd ask what that is, but-"
"It's free healthcare," she said.
"Really? Who pays the doctors? Who pays for the medication, or the bandages, or the electricity for the hospital?"
She paused. "Taxes, I guess."
"Do vampires pay taxes to the Sodalitas?"
"I don't know, do you?"
"No." He tossed the magazine to the table. "Nothing is free. Everything has a price, whether it's money, or hard work, or time. You live because something else has died, or given its blood. You obtained that life, or that blood, with money that you or someone else, worked for, trading their time and knowledge for a paycheck. There are no handouts and no shortcuts. Everything costs. The question is, are you willing to pay the required price?"
Katelina had the feeling they weren't talking about Xandria's medical bills anymore, but she wasn't sure what the real subject was.
Jorick closed his eyes and Katelina felt the wall come down. She let her attention roam the small room and noted the sharp smell of antiseptic. Underneath it was the scent of blood, sweat, iodine, and a thousand other smells she couldn't identify. The blood made her stomach rumble. With disgust, she tried to ignore the sensation and concentrate on something else.
"What was Braydon's verdict?"
"For joining Malick, he was sentenced to his choice of five years imprisonment or ten years servitude to the Sodalitas." Jorick's voice shook with fury. "For kidnapping you, he will have to pay restitution to me. The Lesser Council will try the case to determine how much."
"Do they mean money? Seriously?"
"Yes, money." He snarled. "The only restitution I want is his blood! I plan to appeal at the restitution hearing."
She doubted he'd get anywhere. She'd been human at the time, so she only counted as a possession. Pay off the man whose suitcase you stole and move on.
She tried to channel her fury into something else. A clock hung across the room and she concentrated on the ticking. It grew louder and louder. Just when she couldn't stand it anymore, it gave way to the soft hum of voices. She strained her ears and soon she could hear Xandria.
"guess I'm with them for now. Kate's okay. I don't know how she got mixed up with that bunch. I mean, the old guy was bad enough but they're like a death squad, wiping out vampires left and right. Sure, we helped blow some up, but as I said that was all the old guy's idea. It's not like there's anyone controlling Kate's bunch. Is there? They're just killers."
Katelina leaned back in her chair and shook her head. How could Xandria think that she'd been with the good guys? Sure, no one ever thought that they were evil, but that Xandria didn't recognize Cyprus and the Children of Shadows as bad made Katelina question the woman's moral compass.
***
Katelina was starving by the time Xandria was released. She could smell the woman's blood, and it only made her hungrier and more disgusted.
Without comment, Jorick led them to the restaurant. An open door and row of windows looked out into the corridor. In front of them stood Loren and Ume. The set of their shoulders was uncomfortable, and Katelina caught the boy's whispered words, "-not much money-"
She called to them, "Loren! Ume!"
The boy's face lit up. He grabbed Ume's hand and hauled her toward them. "Thank God! I was afraid they took you guys prisoner or something." He faltered. "Where's everyone else?"
"Maeko and the red-headed idiot are supposed to be looking for Oren. And Jamie is making a call," Jorick added with disgust.
"Cool. How about lunch?"
Jorick rolled his eyes, but motioned the pair to join them. The restaurant was decorated in sharp contrast; white table cloths, black chairs, and gleaming silverware with warm wooden floors and the occasional textured rattan mat on the wall. The mix of organic and cold monochrome was like a metaphor for life and death that Katelina wasn't in the mood to think about.
"What did the H?here Rat want?" Ume asked.
Katelina gave them a quick run-through that ended when the waiter brought menus. She glanced at hers, expecting the usual selection of food. In its place was a list of blood in different serving sizes, some with flavorings like cinnamon or mint. She looked sharply to Jorick.
He shrugged. "Why would we need menus of food?"
"I don't know. I just assumed they were all the same."
"Aren't they?" Xandria leaned over and studied Katelina's. "Weird! Mine has food." She brandished the familiar page. "I guess we get different menus depending on what we are."
What we are. The choice of words left Katelina staring at her fluted napkin uncomfortably.
The waiter reappeared. Loren and Ume ordered, and Jorick ordered two glasses of plain blood. When he gave Xandria a pointed look she asked, "Am I paying for this, or are you?"
"Just order."
She ordered something with the word beef in it and the waiter left.
Loren leaned back in his chair. "Oren ended up shelling out for rooms, but he's crabby about it."
"He's always crabby," Katelina muttered.
"I think some of that's a front," Ume said. "He turned Etsuko to save her life. A cold man wouldn't have done that."
"Kind of the same thing that happened to you." Loren grinned at Katelina.
"Except Etsuko had yellow fever."
Jorick glared at him and the group dropped into an uncomfortable silence. Katelina's hatred for Malick burned in her chest until it was hard to swallow. It was his fault that things hadn't worked out the way they were supposed to.
Sorino and Kai walked through the door, the teen on his leash. When they stopped next to the table, Sorino unfastened the chain and slipped it into his pocket. He motioned Kai to sit next to Xandria, then took the chair next to Jorick. "You don't mind if we join you?"
Jorick gave him a dark look. "Do we have a choice?"
"One always has a choice."
