Chapter 631
Though Katelina expected Ark to protest about them riding in the cars again, he only shouted at the guard to drive, as if trying to ignore them.
The trip felt longer than yesterday. She checked her watch half a dozen times. Five minutes. Ten minutes. Twenty. With each second that passed Lilith got closer to her battle with Samael.
Come on!
Finally, they parked at the airfield. Jamie told Jorick goodbye, then followed Ark inside. Sorino nodded along to a conversation on his phone and motioned them in. "It's set."
Verchiel rubbed his hands together. "Excellent. We should probably get going. Every minute counts."
"We?" Jorick asked. "Your place is with Ark."
The redhead shrugged. "Technically, I didn't get sent here by The Guild, which means I don't need to give a report. Shall we?"
"What about your car?" Katelina nodded to the streaky, sooty vehicle with the gaping windshield. "You're leaving it?"
"I already arranged for someone to pick it up. I can't drive it cross country like that. I'm surprised it made it this far." He looked remorseful. "It was brand new. But I'm sure they'll fix it and charge me. Anyway, shall we?"
Oren looked to Jorick. Katelina could read the question in his eyes: Are we really taking the buffoon?
Jorick glowered. "Fine. Just stay out of the way. Come, Katelina."
The airport was less crowded than last time, but easier to get through. Soon, Katelina was on the plane, fastening her seatbelt. "I don't know why we have to fly everywhere."
Xandria took the seat across from her. "Because it's faster. You don't want to walk, do you?"
"No, but we could drive."
Xandria laughed. Katelina didn't bother to say she wasn't joking. She had enough to worry about, like what was going to happen when they got to Traven's old den.
Assuming we survive the flight.
***
They'd been in the air twenty minutes when Micah thumped up the aisle. "We're going to fight the big bad bitch, right?"
Jorick's nostril's flared at the interruption. He made a noise of agreement without looking up from his book.
"Then shouldn't we have some goddamn weapons? Yeah, I know I'm all about tearin' people to shreds with my bare hands, but this bitch-this is the kind of thing you need a fucking bazooka for. And maybe I'm wrong, but I don't see any around here. Fuck, I don't even see a steak knife."
"I'm sorry," Jorick said. "Would you like us to land at Weapons R Us, load up, then go on?"
"Weapons R-ha ha. Pretty funny," Micah replied sarcastically. "Didn't know you had a sense of humor. Look, the fucking point is, we need some kind of plan, and we need some way to actually beat the bitch."
Jorick lowered his book to meet Micah's eyes. "No, we don't. Our priority is to rescue Sarah and the girl." He raised the book again. "Let Samael deal with Lilith."
Micah scratched his chin. "What girl?"
There it was. The detail they'd carefully left out.
"Andrei's daughter." Jorick turned a page noisily. "Lilith took both her and Katelina's friend."
"Oh yeah?" Micah leaned on the seat. "So how old is this daughter? What's she look like."
"She's not your type," Jorick said.
"What the fuck? You don't know my type. Hey, Lunch. This daughter-"
"Just drop it," she said.
"What? I'm not good enough for her, is that it? I don't know this Andrei guy, but if I'm helpin' rescue her then-"
Sorino leaned up. "She's a child."
Katelina closed her eyes angrily. So much for trusting Sorino to shut up.
"I was tired of listening to the conversation," he said.
Micah opened his mouth, hesitated, then asked, "Do you mean a teenage vampire like Loren, or a real child?"
"A real vampire child," Sorino said.
Micah choked. "Like a little kid vampire? Fuck, that's-"
"Illegal?" Sorino suggested.
Micah glanced to Oren a few seats up. "It's a thing. Anyway, so we're rescuing Lunch's friend and a kid. We need some kind of plan to do that."
Jorick turned another page. "We wait until Lilith and Samael are locked in combat, then we kill her underlings, and take the prisoners."
"Great. We need weapons for that shit."
Jorick motioned him away. "Talk to Sorino. I'm sure he has something in the cargo hold, probably carted off from Lilith's den in Quebec."
Sorino gave a loud guffaw. "You've been peeking, Jorick. That's not nice. But very well." He stood and gave a sweeping bow. "Come, my bald friend. Bring some of your little followers. I'll show you what I have."
The glitter in his eyes was enough to make Katelina stay in her seat, even without the terror of dying in a fiery crash.
***
They landed in one piece. Katelina hurried off the plane and onto the tarmac. It was Lilith's fault she had to keep flying everywhere. That was reason enough to kill her.
Katelina had spent a chunk of the flight trying to contact Samael. As usual, it didn't work. Their connection seemed to be one way. Without communication, she had no idea what they were walking into. Lilith might have been and gone already.
Hopefully gone to the great beyond.
Though Micah had handed out weapons, Katelina preferred her dagger. She turned it, watching the light glint on the blue stone. It might not be as big and flashy as the machete Micah stuffed down his pant leg, but it was easier to controland to conceal.
Brandle and Torina had also opted for smaller blades. Zander, however, had selected a large, rusty mace. Katelina wasn't sure how he was going to get through the airport with it. Even hidden in his robes, it looked odd. Then again, his robes were enough to get them frisked.
Despite their bizarre appearances, the whisperers got them through the airport. Des rolled his eyes but she'd like to see him manage without their abilities.
Too cheerful for Katelina's taste, Sorino led them outside to three waiting vans. Katelina climbed inside, Jorick right behind her. Oren followed a second later, muttering, "If Sorino's cheerful, it can't mean anything good."
She stopped from saying that was what she'd been thinking. "He's probably excited about getting Traven's collection since he didn't get much from Lilith's."
Oren scoffed. "I saw the luggage compartment; he took plenty from her. This is a treasure hunting excursion for him."
"A dangerous one," Jorick said.
She didn't point out it was dangerous for them all.
As they left the town behind, Katelina squeezed her eyes shut and tried to call to Samael again. Maybe the closer proximity would help. Though nothing happened, she refused to give up until the van stopped and the driver said in a heavy southern accent, "I think this is far enough."
She opened her eyes and looked out the window at a moon frosted world. Lights glowed in the distance. Western-style land rolled on and on, peppered with cactuses and scrubby clumps of grass-like bushes. It was so flat, she thought she might see Ohio if she looked hard enough. East Texas, where the fire was, looked similar to home, with plenty of trees. This-this was like standing on a dinner plate straight from one of Micah's cowboy shows.
She'd have commented, but the heavy atmosphere silenced her. Every nerve in her body screamed she should run away.
Apparently the driver feels it, too.
They all jumped when Oren's phone rang. The vampire blinked, as if he'd never seen the device before, then answered it. "Hello?-Yes-" His tone turned offended. "Of course I can deal with humans... Fine."
While he talked, Katelina looked through the windshield to a survivalist-style compound in the distance, complete with a fence topped in razor wire. Near it was a hangar and a plane parked in the open. Was that Traven's den?
Oren hung up and muttered to Jorick, "Sorino said to make the drivers go on. Through the gates if need be."
The driver made a strangled noise of terror. "I don't know what this is all about. I was hired to drive y'all out here, not get in the middle of anything."
There was a loud roar. Katelina pressed her face to the window, eyes searching. Blinking lights in the sky turned into a plane. She watched as it dropped lower and lower, to finally touch the ground some distance away.
"Who's that?" Oren asked.
"Lilith?" Jorick suggested.
"I didn't know planes were allowed to land out here," the driver said nervously. "This isn't some kind of drug thing, is it?"
Jorick and Oren exchanged looks, then Jorick focused on the driver. The man's terror slowly faded. His shoulders relaxed. "Right. I'd best get y'all to your destination."
The van dropped back into gear. They headed on. Katelina watched the plane rolling closer and closer to the complex. It finally stopped near the other, just shy of the fence.
Sorino had said to drive through the gates, but that wasn't necessary. They were already torn open, metal twisted and electricity sparking. They pulled past them to an open dirt courtyard. Clouds of dust swirled as they ground to a stop.
The already heavy atmosphere swelled with menace. Katelina had to force herself to follow the others out of the van. A voice sounded in her head, sharp with rebuke, "You are not needed here."
Samael.
As if to make his point, the wall of the nearest building blew outwards. Katelina dropped instinctively, shielding her head. She looked up to see the last of debris land. A cloud of white dust churned like smoke. As it dissipated, Samael stepped through the fractured wall. Dressed in black, he was coated in white powder, like something from a nightmare. Purposefully, he strode out into the parking area. His head snapped to the side, looking past them to the airplanes.
"She is here."
