Chapter 459
Ume skidded to a stop. Jorick pushed her aside and took her place, his face inches from Wolfe's. "There's no need for that."
The Scharfrichter barked at his subordinates, "Take the prisoners to processing. I'll handle this."
Jorick snorted. "You think you can deal with all of us at once?"
"Yes." As if to prove it, a wave of power rolled off the Scharfrichter and crashed around the hallway.
Jorick growled low and answered Wolfe with the same oppressive but invisible strength. It grew, like a thundercloud swelling with rain, waiting to unleash its wrath.
Xandria flattened herself against the wall, her eyes wide with fear. Katelina instinctively stepped in front of her. Not that she could do much against the Scharfrichter captain.
"Hey!" Loren hurried to Ume's side and glared at Wolfe. "I thought we were friends."
"Friend is a strong word." Wolfe made an incredulous noise and lowered his weapon. "I'm aware that she used to belong to Fethillen, but if she tries to interfere I'll have to arrest her."
"Why are they in custody?" Ume demanded.
"For interfering in an official Scharfrichter action."
"You mean that they destroyed the Children of Shadows before you could?" Jorick asked.
Fethillen looked down her nose at them. "That was our intention, but someone was there first."
Wolfe motioned the guard to drag her through the processing door. "So she says. It will be for der H?here Rat to determine."
Sorino's eyes blazed briefly. "You found signs of a battle, and yet the Father of Shadows was not among the corpses."
Wolfe bristled. "Extermination is a closer word than battle. But that is none of your concern."
The elevator opened again and a crimson coated vampire stepped out with a pile of ornate sickles, the weapon of choice for the Black Vigil. There were a few other items; some random knives, throwing stars, a moon shaped blade, and a golden dagger set with a large sapphire.
Ume stared at the heap and cried, "How many prisoners did you take?"
"Twelve, including their leader," Sorino answered.
Wolfe glared at him, then motioned to the guard. "Take those to storage, and you," he looked back to Jorick. "Move along."
Sorino chuckled. "Come Kai, we've learned enough here."
Ume hesitated and Loren tugged her down the corridor. "You can file an appeal if you need to. We had to do it with Micah once."
Wolfe narrowed his eyes at Katelina and Jorick. "Since you're both here, I can only assume the rescue was successful and Sadihra has returned?"
Jorick's expression turned smug. "The outcome of our actions is none of your business. Since the corridor is off limits, I don't have time to tell you what happened to her." He motioned to Katelina and headed back the way they'd come.
Worry flashed in Wolfe's eyes, then disappeared under his mask of indifference. "What do you mean, 'what happened to her'? If she was hurt rescuing your human-"
Katelina felt sorry for him, but his attitude robbed her of sympathy. She purposefully turned her back on him and dragged Xandria after Jorick's retreating figure. Let the arrogant bastard stew for a while.
After a quick meeting with Oren and the others, Jorick picked their room key up from the information desk. To Katelina's surprise the Sodalitas had put Xandria with them. "What did you expect? She's your human."
"Yes, but" Katelina broke off and forced a smile. She remembered what it was like to feel unwanted. "It's fine."
When they found their room Xandria gave a low whistle. "It's like sleeping in a castle. Better than being in human-only communal rooms at those other places."
Katelina had to agree. A large carved bed was covered in a blue satin bedspread, while matching chairs and heavy furniture were scattered around. In place of a second bed sat a pair of coffins on low platforms, in case guests preferred a more traditional sleep. Gilt framed paintings of knights and castles hung on the walls.
Xandria slid aside the lid of a coffin to reveal a silky padded interior, complete with pillow and a blanket. "Since you guys probably want to sleep together I can take this. If I leave the lid off it's like a bed."
Katelina didn't argue, and the woman hefted her bag and nodded toward the bathroom. "If no one cares I'm gonna grab a shower."
After she disappeared, Katelina flopped on the bed with a groan. "Now we'll have to try to help Fethillen."
"Why?" Jorick fished the TV remote from the nightstand and clicked it on. One of the paintings disappeared, the image replaced by the television screen.
"She's our-" friend seemed like the wrong word. "Ally."
"Is she?" he asked absently as he scrolled channels. "You don't need to worry, I imagine they'll be released. I saw the scene in Fethillen's mind. The Children of Shadows were literally torn to pieces. That isn't the Black Vigil's style."
"Once they're released we'll leave, right?" she asked hopefully.
"We will leave as soon as we have somewhere to go." He turned to her. "I don't know where Malick is. With our sizeable entourage, there's no point in running recklessly all over the world. It's complicated moving this many vampires at once, which is why few covens do it."
"The Black Vigil had something like fifty members."
"And their own planes and helicopters. And an information network that spanned the globe and took centuries to build. I have none of those things, Katelina. The Sodalitas do. Let them gather the information. Once they've found Malick we'll rent a plane, or borrow one, and take care of him once and for all."
She toyed with a silky pillow sham. "Are you sure you can do that? I don't mean physically, I mean emotionally. He is your master, the one who made you a vampire. They claim you get some kind of affection for them."
"Do you feel affection for the Neanderthal?"
"No." She saw the disbelief in Jorick's eyes.
"Then why did you protect him from me?"
"Because he meant well."
Jorick's smile was cold as he turned back to the television. "When the time comes, I will not hesitate to kill Malick. He's taken much from me over the years. You-this-it is only the last in a series. I won't wait to see what he'll destroy next."
Katelina wrapped her arms around him. It was a moment before his tense shoulders relaxed. "You have nothing to worry about, little one. This will all be over soon."
"I hope so."
