Chapter 476
With a roar, Jorick knocked into Katelina's attacker. They fell in a heap of twisting limbs and snapping teeth. Katelina started to stand when pain tore through her. She pressed her hand against her wound and thought again of Micah. "Pain is for pussies!" he'd shouted. "Get off your ass!"
She gritted her teeth and grabbed a log from the pile. With a cry of fury she cracked the vampiress in the head. The woman went momentarily limp. Jorick pulled himself loose and grabbed her by the throat. She struggled, teeth chomping and feet kicking wildly as Jorick tightened his hold.
A loud crash made them both look up. The side of the house was caved in. The redhead stood in front of it, his chest heaving. Jamie extracted himself from the rubble. He stopped to shake bits of wood and plaster from himself before he charged again.
The dark vampiress took advantage of the distraction to kick loose. Jorick dived for her, but she spun and knocked Katelina to the ground. She caught up her spear and thrust it at Katelina's chest. Katelina dodged away and chucked the piece of wood at the woman's face.
The dark vampiress dodged easily. Braydon popped up behind her to stab a broken piece of wood between her shoulder blades. She twisted away from him with a roar and pulled the makeshift stake from her back. Despite the many hits their opponent had taken, she didn't seem fatigued. Katelina imagined it had to do with her age. Jorick and Jamie had said both of their enemies were older than they were. The question was how much older, and whether or not they could overcome the difference in years.
Lightning sizzled across the sky and illuminated the valley to reveal a girl in pigtails and electric pink wellies. She cocked her head to one side and asked, "Could Jorick-ue use some help?"
It was Maeko.
Hikaru leapt out of the shadows, wielding his spear-like yari. Maeko pulled her pink hand gun from her backpack and fired at their enemy. The bullets hit their mark but did little damage.
"They don't work!" Katelina shouted.
Maeko finished the magazine, then stashed the weapon and pulled throwing stars from her coat. Meanwhile Hikaru clashed with the vampiress. She knocked him away like a fly. Jorick grabbed her from behind and slammed her face first into the gas tank. The clang echoed above the rain as he did it again and again. He ended by ripping out her throat with his bare hands.
The vampiress fell in the mud, her fingers scrabbling at the gaping wound. Jorick smashed his fist into her chest with a crunch. He pulled back a handful of gore and threw her bleeding heart to the ground. Katelina crushed it under her heel, then leaned on the tank, clutching her side.
"Let me see that." Jorick pulled her toward him and lifted her shirt with his bloody hands. She couldn't stop herself from looking at the injury. Scarlet ran in little rivulets and the sight made her nauseous. Her instincts screamed that she was going to die, even though she knew better.
"You'll heal with some blood," Jorick assured her.
Another crash sounded from the house. This time it was the redhead who picked himself up from the rubble. Bits of dead bodies tumbled out of the hole to land in the mud at his feet. Hikaru, Braydon, Wolfe, and Jamie set on him. He swung his axe and knocked Wolfe away. Jamie took the opening and rammed his sword through the vampire's chest. He staggered. Hikaru slammed the butt of his stick into his stomach while Braydon kicked him in the back of the knees. The redhead fell backwards. Jamie grabbed the hilt of his sword and twisted it.
Maeko nodded approval at the dead vampire, then hurried to Jorick. "Jorick-ue, I am glad you are here. Malick-san and his followers left."
"We noticed." Jorick wiped rain from his eyes. "When?"
"Two hours ago. First they killed their prisoners. "
"Who were they? And why did they slaughter them?"
"I do not know. The house was quiet, then Malick-san was angry. He shouted that the prisoners were of no more use. He tore some of them apart himself. A few fought back, but most screamed and tried to escape. That is when Malick-san's followers joined in. When they were finished, they left. Except for those two. They stayed behind to wait for someone. Hikaru-san and I followed so that we could report their destination to you. They boarded a helicopter and I do not know where they were headed. The information was in their minds but I was unable to discern it. Please forgive me."
Jorick motioned the offense away. "It's not your fault. If the rest of them are half as old as these-"
"They were the same age or older."
"She said 'those two'," Katelina commented. "But Arlen was also here."
Maeko frowned. "Perhaps Arlen-san was who they waited for?"
Braydon interrupted. "Malick uses him as a messenger, and to handle important tasks. He may have been returning from one of those, and the others stayed behind to tell him they'd left."
Jorick made a low noise in his throat. "If that's true then he had transportation nearby and is long gone."
Jamie interrupted them. "Someone's coming."
They fell into fighting positions. Katelina grabbed a splintered log like a club. She sniffed the air. The rain and death from the ruined house were all she could smell. And then she found it. Underneath the damp and the gore was the scent of stale cigarette smoke, cologne, perfume, and immortal blood.
A group of vampires swarmed into the valley, gleaming weapons at the ready. Katelina prepared to charge when Jorick grabbed her. "They aren't with Malick."
The newcomers stopped before them. One stepped forward. The lightning flashed and reflected off a copper colored medallion at his throat. "Identify yourselves."
Wolfe shoved his way to the front. He held up his Scharfrichter amulet. "I am Scharfrichter Wolfe, sent by der H?here Rat of Munich to arrest Malick."
The lead vampire signaled the others to stand down. "I am Baka." His eyes strayed to the two dead vampires in the grass. "We were sent to assist you, but it looks like you've already completed your mission."
Jamie and Jorick exchanged glances, and Katelina spoke aloud what they were probably thinking. "If you're the team we're supposed to meet, who are the dead vampires inside?"
