Chapter 482
The vampires around the light jumped up, hands on their weapons. Jorick readied to fight. Jamie reached for a sword that wasn't there. Katelina grabbed a folded chair that leaned against the wall, ready to smash it into someone's head.
Sorino spoke up, "You'd only be saving Malick time."
The boy signaled the others to wait and stepped forward. His chin rose a notch and he swept back his robes. Around his neck hung a large gold amulet imprinted with a dragon like symbol. The sign of Memnon. He was-
But he's just a boy!
"Clarify," the child snapped.
Sorino brushed invisible lint from his blazer jacket. "Jorick and his master no longer see eye to eye. I would go so far as to say Jorick plans to commit the ultimate, unforgiveable crime." He met Jorick's gaze and smiled. "He plans to murder his master."
"Is this true?" the boy demanded.
Jorick growled low, and Jamie said, "Yes."
At the boy's signal, the others stepped back. "The enemy of my enemy is my friend, is that not what they say?"
"The Children of Shadows are my enemy," Jorick barked.
"And do you see them?" The boy held his arms out to indicate the shack and its occupants. "The Childrenmy childrenhave been destroyed. You label us villains but ask yourself, did we not lay quiet for centuries, until Malick the vile sent a deceiver into our midst with false promises? If we were the monsters you believe us to be, why would we have stayed silent only to suddenly draw attention to ourselves? If world dominationor destructionwere our goals, would we have not tried to accomplish them sooner rather than waiting more than five hundred years?"
There was logic in his words, but Katelina still found him hard to swallow. A child? The Father of Shadows was a child?
"Why destroy at all?" Jamie asked.
"Cyprus, the deceiver, promised that Memnon could be revived, just as the great legend Samael has been, but only with blood. He claimed that the rituals required the death of hundreds to appease the Night Goddess . Would you not agree to such a thing to bring back one whom you loved?" His eyes sought Jorick's. "By the time we discovered that Malick was behind Cyprus, we were already half way down the path we'd agreed to follow. That was when I decided that we would continue until Memnon was resurrected. Then we would destroy Malick."
His voice turned bitter. "That was not to be. Our hopes were wrapped around the ultimate lie. Malick did not resurrect Samael. He could not bring Memnon back to us. He used us! He reawakened The Children of Shadows to create a common enemy that would bring him a powerful army. Even now he is poised to unleash those numbers on the very legend he claimed to give life to. He is a master of deception, a spider who spins webs of lies to ensnare the unwary."
Katelina thought of Braydon, unknowingly recruited to help those who had murdered his father.
"And you're planning to kill Malick?" Jamie asked. "With what army?"
"This one." He held up his hands. "Mercenaries. The disenfranchised. Those aching for glory. One of my own resides with Malick, close to his bosom. I know the devil's plans and schemes, and I know his movements. Even now he works his way to China where he will meet his army. Until he reaches them, he has only a handful of followers."
Katelina could see Jorick's attention was piqued. "Where is he now?"
The boy smiled. His fangs gleamed sinister in the flickering light. "What will you do when I tell you? Cut me out and defeat him yourself? No. I will be there when his blood is spilled." He made a show of sitting again. "Perhaps, if you wish, you may join us, but you will not cheat me." He tilted his head to one side and his smile grew wider. "Do not underestimate me because of my appearance. You were fathered by an old one, dream stealer, but my years are more than yours. Do not try to take what is not offered."
Jorick made an impatient noise. Katelina guessed that he'd tried, unsuccessfully, to read the child's thoughts. If he couldn't get the information from him, surely someone else would be readable. Joining them was unthinkable.
"What are your terms?"
Katelina choked. "Jorick!"
The boy chuckled and Jorick repeated his query.
"What terms are there in an alliance? You fight with us, not against us. When the master of lies has been vanquished you may do as you please."
"Jorick?" Jamie's tone held a warning.
Jorick gave a nod of resolution. "Fine. We will align ourselves with you. Until Malick has been destroyed."
Katelina cried, "Have you gone insane? We tried to kill this-this guy and now you want to work with him? He looks like a kid but, if he is who he says he is, then he's a wanted criminal!"
Jorick snapped around to face her. "The line between hero and criminal is thin, Katelina. He knows where Malick is."
"We know he's heading to fight Samael. Let's go there."
"And align ourselves with the vampire who kidnapped you? The vampire who gave you his blood? Who would have changed you had the idiot not gotten there in time? Right. He's a better choice of ally!"
Jamie cleared his throat. "If The Guild finds out about this-"
"You're free to leave," Jorick snapped.
"Fine!" Katelina threw the chair to the ground. "I will!"
She stormed out the door and down the hill. When she felt she'd gone far enough to make her point, she flopped onto a rocky outcropping. After everything that had happened she needed a cigarette.
No, I need a whole damn pack!
She sensed someone drawing near and turned to see Maeko picking her way down the mountainside. The child bobbed her head in greeting. "May I sit with Kate-chan?"
Katelina shrugged. The girl climbed onto the rock next to her. "Jorick-ue will not be able to come to Kate-chan. He would look weak in front of the others to be easily swayed by his woman's anger. He must let Kate-chan stew if he is to command respect."
"If he didn't deal with them, then he wouldn't need their respect," Katelina bit back.
Maeko seemed to choose her words carefully. "Jorick-ue believes that this is the best course. Kate-chan must trust in him."
"I do! It's just-The Father of Shadows?"
Maeko shrugged. "To defeat a monster, one must become a monster, or employ one. Perhaps it is better that Jorick-ue allow the monster to work with us than that he becomes one himself."
"In the meantime we accept being allies with evil?"
Maeko didn't answer. Katelina guessed it was because she had nothing to say. What was there except, "Yes"?
When Katelina felt calmer, she and Maeko headed back to the shack. Hikaru and Jamie stood outside and Sorino's friend, Lurid, leaned against the wall. Through the open door Katelina could see Jorick sitting with the vampires around the lamp.
"I hope your boyfriend is happy," a voice said from the shadows. Katelina turned to see Sorino step forward. "He interrupted what would have been an interesting negotiation."
Katelina glared at him. "All of this just to get your hands on a collectible? Is that necklace really worth that much?"
"It's not a matter of monetary worth," Sorino answered. "But, as I've said before, that isn't my only interest."
"Then what is?"
Sorino gave a low, cold chuckle. "You think that people will give you the truth because you asked? Malick is right to call you a child." He motioned to Lurid and drew away from the shack. "You'll find out soon enough."
