Chapter 578
Katelina shivered and shook the voice out of her head. She tried not to look into Tol and Ren's bright blue eyes, afraid if she did she'd never escape.
"So nice to see you," Ren said.
"Yes, nice," Tol echoed.
Katelina drew back instinctively and ignored Sarah's hard look. Though the twins' words were friendly, the buzzing in her brain proved the truth of them.
"You'll have to excuse her," Sarah said quickly. "She's nervous with older vampires."
"Really?" Kali's laughter made Katelina shiver. "I'd have never guessed."
Ren stepped forward and took Katelina's elbow. "She is safe with us."
"Yes." Tol stepped to the other side. "We are young. Not as young as she, but younger than the others."
Ren's smile brightened. "Younger than her lover."
But six times scarier.
The buzzing in Katelina's head got louder, more insistent, and she felt the combing fingers of a mind reader digging deeper. She saw a flash of the memories she'd uncovered from Sarah, and heard Jorick tell her about her friend's dream.
"Tut, tut. Not very nice to take liberties with the memories of your friend."
Katelina jolted away from the voice to see Ren peering into her face. She barely stifled a cry as she shuffled backwards.
Kali was mid conversation with Sarah "-I've been told that tonight's show features reenactments of classic tales from mythology. I wonder if they'll get them right?"
"Sounds like fun." Sarah turned to her friend. "Are you ready?"
Katelina was ready to leave but, even with the heavy fog in her brain, she knew that wasn't the question. She strangled out an answer, more sound than words. Though Sarah looked impatient, Kali swept to her feet.
"Wonderful. Shall we?"
Kali took Sarah's arm, leaving the twins to take Katelina's elbows. Something in her brain screamed out a warning, begged her to stay, but her feet weren't under her control, and she let the twins propel her down the hallway.
She didn't notice when they reached the patio, and only realized she was sitting after the fact, the twins on either side. Next to Tol was Kali, and Sarah was on the end. Katelina tried to catch her friend's eye, but Sarah was lost in conversation with the vampiress. Kali laughed appreciatively at some joke and Sarah beamed.
"Are you jealous?" Ren asked.
"You shouldn't be," Tol said. "Sarah still likes you."
"Oh yes. She speaks highly of you."
"You are her friend."
"You could be our friend," Ren added.
"Yes." Tol nodded. "You and Sarah could be our friends."
"Very good friends," Ren insisted.
Before Katelina could form a reply, the curtains drew back from the stage. The complex set resembled ancient Greek temples, complete with pillars and statues. A fountain was on one side, and a painted sun hung on a backdrop of blue sky and rolling green hills.
On the opposite side from the fountain stood a trio of vampires holding musical instruments. They were dressed in togas, and their smooth white masks made her think of Annabelle and Estrilda.
"I wonder if her blood is sweet?"
Katelina jumped as the voice whispered in her head and glanced to the pale twins. Ren offered her a smile that made her shiver.
A chime sounded and she looked to the stage. A robed vampire appeared, carrying a book. In rhyme, he introduced himself and his book of fables, hinting that there was more truth in myths than man accepted.
He stepped back and a second chime came. Five toga clad vampires danced onto the stage. Their masks were more detailed than the musicians. One was painted as an old man, another as a young boy, and three more had beaks, like giant birds.
"Icarus," Ren said knowingly.
Sure enough, the performers told the familiar story. As it drew to its terrible conclusion, the actors hanging in midair on a pulley system, the narrator moved to the front. During his monolog the cast disappeared, and returned in new masks, ready for a tale from Norse mythology.
The stories moved by in a blur, cleverly linked by the narrator. Katelina couldn't concentrate and more than once realized she'd missed whole pieces of the performance. Finally, at the sound of a chime, only two performers returned. A red heart decorated the bodice of the woman's dress, and her mask was heavily made up. The male's mask had thick, angry eyebrows drawn on it. Wings were pinned to their backs. His were the bat wings of a demon and hers were black and feathered, like a fallen angel.
Or a raven.
The narrator announced it as an epic love story, the tale of Lilith. Katelina felt a tickle of amusement, though she didn't know if it was hers or someone else's. In verse, the actors loved and separated. Three more women danced onto stage. Samael did a short dance with each that ended in the promise of forever, while the original woman stood to the side, arms crossed. When the third spun away from him, Lilith exploded in a rhymed bout of fury and danced to the center. The rest of the cast streamed on stage, all wearing plain white masks. One by one, Lilith dipped them and spun them away. When the stage was crowded, the man exploded.
Pulleys and rope pulled him high into the air, and he sang his fury at her cavalier ways. At the climax of the song, he dropped to the stage and a pantomimed fight ensued. He ripped the heart from her dress and made to throw it, then looked sorrowful and instead stashed it in his toga.
The story finished with Samael mourning over Lilith's broken body, and stashing it in a temple. He swore to one day resurrect her so they could reign side by side in love. The audience applauded and, at the chime, the narrator returned to start a final story.
As if jostled by the play, Katelina thought of the conversation with the real Samael. A shadow of his joy touched her, to be replaced with cold laughter. It would do no good. It is too late.
Too late for what?
"Hello!"
Verchiel's voice pulled her back to the present, where the audience was exiting. Sarah and Kali were on their feet, and Tol and Ren stood, eying the Executioner behind her with distaste.
"You should introduce me to your friends," Verchiel said cheerfully.
"They're Tol and Ren," she murmured. What had the last story been? All she could remember was Samael and her dream.
The twins bowed stiffly, their expressions wary. "You are Katelina's friend?"
"Yes, I am," Verchiel said. Something stern in his words made their faces harden.
"Then we will leave you now," Ren said.
"Yes. Perhaps we will see you later." Tol moved down the aisle, following Sarah and Kali.
Ren met her eyes. "Yes. Later." He gave a stiff nod to Verchiel, then followed his brother.
The Executioner came around and took Ren's vacant seat. "They're interesting."
Katelina rubbed her tingling head. "You could say that."
"And Kali is pretty intimidating, isn't she?"
"I guess. Sarah likes her." The buzzing receded and Katelina sighed, as if a weight was lifted. "Have you interviewed her yet?"
"No. I meant to today, but then I couldn't find her."
"She was here, watching the play."
"I noticed." He looked thoughtful, but shook it off. "Never mind. I'll catch her after lunch." He nodded to the stage. "I wonder what Sorino's doing? Surely not complimenting them?"
Katelina followed his gaze to see the vampire in conversation with the actors. "He's probably making them pay him for watching it. Come on. I'm hungry."
***
They'd finished their meal when Fleur caught up to them. "Jorick, would you switch rounds with me tonight?"
His question echoed Katelina's. "Why?"
"I just got a call. Derdenima's in the area, and she's determined to stop in and check on things. She won't get here until later and I'd like to be off duty so I can show her we have everything under control."
Jorick set his empty glass down. "Who is she?"
Graham shuddered. "The captain of our Executioners."
Jorick glanced to Katelina with a shrug. "I suppose. Some advanced warning would have been nice."
"Wouldn't it?" Fleur asked with annoyance. "Then it wouldn't be a surprise, and she might not catch me slacking."
"Are you slacking?" Jorick asked.
"No. But tell her that. Ever sincenever mind. Anyway, when she gets here, I'll deal with her."
With the afternoon off, Katelina and Jorick went for a walk.
"Where's your leach?" Jorick teased.
She looked at him sharply. "If you mean Sarah, I don't know. She left the play with Kali and I haven't seen her since."
He drew up and caught Katelina's hands. "She's avoiding you because Estrilda makes her uncomfortable. If she faces you, she has to face that, too."
"She's the one who wanted it solved. Besides, what's uncomfortable about a little girl? I've actually been thinking we should visit her."
"No." She started to argue and he put a finger to her lips. "No. Not just for your sake, but hers. The more you see her, the more you think about her. Let it go."
"Then what am I supposed to do? You don't want me to help with the investigation, you don't want me to make friends"
"I never said you can't make friends. I only asked you to be careful."
He was right, but she was irritated. "Whatever."
"Exactly." He winked. "Do whatever you want to do. You still have William to follow around."
"But he's not stalking you, after all," she said.
"You seem disappointed no one's trying to kill me. I'll take that to mean you've ruled the lion and the chandelier accidents?"
"Sarah was the one who thought the chandelier was an attempt on you," Katelina clarified. "I think it was an accident caused by a ridiculously large light fixture. As for the lion-I don't know. If it was an accident, it was too perfect."
Jorick rubbed her back. "Maybe it wasn't an accident. Maybe your William teamed up with a powerful whisperer after all."
"Now you're patronizing me."
He sighed. "You're the only woman I've ever met who's happier when she thinks she's surrounded by danger and intrigue."
Katelina scoffed. "Then you haven't known very many women."
