RBC06.50 - Marcella, Vampire Mage (16 page)

“Thomas, get Gunter. He should hear this, too.”

After bringing Gunter up to date, we had to devise a plan.

“These are new vampires; so they are still vulnerable to the sun. Since they were made, not born, their senses aren’t as good as ours, but they will nevertheless be very strong. Since Watchers aren’t meant to fight vampires, we should use the elite vampire guard.” Father paced as he laid out the plan.

“We have trained vampires and are used to their speed. I refuse to let any of you go without us,” Gunter insisted.

“Then we should strike at first light,” Father said accepting Gunter’s reasoning.

“I’ll give orders for another tracking party to go out before dawn,” Gunter said. “We can’t take a chance of alerting Damien or any of his partners in this. The Romanians have shown their allegiance to him, so we must also beware of them and any of their party.”

“Thomas, go and alert Philepe and Gerhardt. Simon, you go and speak with the Vikings. Katrina, I want you to stay here.”

“But Father—”

“You’ll need to distract Damien, he must not get suspicious. Quinn will watch Luena.”

“I’ll send word that I wish to spend the morning with him. Sarah, take this note over to Damien’s apartment and please wait for a reply.”

“It’s not fair,” I wanted to scream. I was trained to fight too, and hadn’t I just proven myself?

While Gunter and Father continued talking strategy, I decided that I needed some time to myself. I opened the doors and stepped out onto the balcony. The moon was almost full which made the night almost as light as day. This was not the adventure I had envisioned before we arrived. How did everything get so complicated?

“Katrina.” I heard Quinn call softly from below. I peeked over the railing to see him in his guard’s uniform. We both looked all around to make sure no one was watching.

“Meet me downstairs. I want to talk to you.”

“I’ll be right down,” I whispered back. To the others I said, “I’m going to get something to eat. May I get either of you anything?”

“No, thank you,” they said.

I walked quickly down the stairs. When I saw him, I still felt that jump in my pulse.

“Please come in, and I’ll fetch you something to eat.” I said for the benefit of eavesdroppers.

“Thank you, my Lady. You’re very kind.”

Once he was inside, I gave him a big hug and a kiss.

“I missed you.” I whispered softly before disengaging myself from the hug.

“And I missed you. Thomas told me what you found in the woods. I watched Damien all evening, he didn’t leave his quarters and he just received what I assume was a note from you, since Sarah brought it. She’s on her way back, but she wanted to get supplies from our stores, so I brought the answer back with me.” Quinn handed me the note.

“You should have seen the look on his face. He seemed pleased with himself I must say, and he did not hesitate to write this reply. What does it say?”

I opened the note and read out loud, “I’ll meet you at our spot in the garden at sunrise. I’ll bring breakfast, and you bring your beautiful smile.”

I sighed, “Should I swoon now or wait until tomorrow?” We both laughed.

“Oh, I forgot to tell you, Luena went out just after she talked to Damien in the garden. When did you leave the compound?”

“Not long after that.”

“She went to a spot at the rear wall of the palace, far away from everything else, and entered what appeared to be a small storage building. She didn’t come out for over two hours, and then she went straight to her room and must have gone to bed, as the candles were put out right after she returned.”

“That’s strange, don’t you think? We got back about a half an hour before that and we didn’t see anyone else outside the palace walls.”

“I went around the entire perimeter of the palace and didn’t see anyone, nor was there any sign of an outside exit from that storage area or the wall.”

“Hmmm. What is that witch up to? So everyone is in bed now, you’re sure?”

“Yes, Damien, Luena, and the Romanians. Their Watchers are at their doors, except Luena’s; no one seems to know where he’s been for a while now. We have our people in place too.”

“Shall we go and see what we can find in that shed?”

“Shouldn’t we tell the others?”

“You know they won’t let us go if we do. Besides it might be nothing, right? Did Luena have to unlock it?”

“Yes.”

“Very well, I’ll get the keys that Father was given this afternoon, after his installation. There are only three different sizes, one for main living areas, one for weapon storage, and one for supplies. One of these will work, I’m sure of it. I’ll be right back.

I was only gone a few minutes and was back holding up the key ring.

Let’s go.”

Staying in the shadows of the buildings we worked our way around the back wall.

“This really is out of the way,” I said. “It must be used as weapons storage depot for the guards up on the wall.”

Just then we heard one of those very guards coming along the wall above us.

“Everything all right up there?” called out Quinn, as I hid in the shadows.

“All’s well, no sign of trouble,” answered the guard.

“Good, I’ll inform the High Regent,” replied Quinn. He then whispered to me, “He’s gone. Let’s try the middle key.”

I slid the key in the lock; it fit, so I turned it to the right.
Click
. I smiled and looked at Quinn. We were in.

“Ouch.” I heard Quinn mutter as he hit his head. There were no windows, but I could see that there were matches in a cup next to a small candle. I lit the candle and filled the space with a soft yellow glow.

“Sorry, I forgot you can’t see in the dark. What would Luena be doing in this small room for over two hours? You’re sure no one else went in or out?”

“Well, I followed her here and after she left I waited to make sure no one else came out later and no one did.”

“And no Watcher was with her?’

“As I said before, no one seems to know the whereabouts of her usual Watcher, and I saw no other Watcher with her tonight. Usually Damien’s loathsome Watcher, Ivan, is with them. What do your senses tell you, Kat?”

I closed my eyes.

“I can pick up Luena’s scent going towards that corner, not much else.”

We walked to the corner. Bundles of arrows were stacked on a pallet.

“There’s nothing here,” said Quinn as he surveyed the area.

“There has to be. Help me move this. Oh, my God!”

The pallet was on some kind of a rail and when I pushed on it, it moved aside easily, revealing a narrow descending stairway. A passage only wide enough for one person at a time was a brilliant defensive measure. A few expert archers at the bottom could effectively pick off a whole attack force as they were forced to descend the steep stairway one by one

“Katrina, no! We don’t know what’s down there, at least use your gift to ‘see’ first.”

I took a breath in.

“The girls, I see the girls! I can’t detect anything or anyone else except the lingering scent of Luena. Come on!”

I went first because I could see and hear better and because I was faster. The stairway emptied into a small room with three archways, all dark. The coolness of the damp underground chamber shivered through me and the closed, musty air assailed my nostrils.

“This way,” I said, pointing to the closest archway. The scent was so strong now, I knew they weren’t far.

“Eleanor? Rosalinda? Arletta? Can you hear me?”

All I could hear was muffled noises down the corridor. As we moved a little further the corridor opened into a small room, and there on the floor bound, gagged, with their heads covered with black hoods, were the three missing girls. In a flash I knelt down, untied each one, and then made sure they were all unhurt.

“We’re angry more than anything else,” Rosa said as she rose unsteadily, moving her wrists and flexing her hands to get blood flowing again.

“I expect you are, but there’s no time for speeches now,” I said. “We need to get you out of here and back to my father’s apartment without being seen.”

“But why your father, Katrina? I want
my
father.”

“Just trust me Eleanor; this is how it must be. Let’s carefully get you up and out of here. Remember your training, and be aware.”

The girls were filthy and still in their nightgowns, but they were strong enough. We left the small room and went quickly back along the corridor.

Then a scent I knew all too well hit me straight in the face. Fledglings! Where had they come from? I looked behind us but saw nothing. No one!

Where was Quinn?

My heart skipped a beat, had they taken him? Were they holding him upstairs?

I saw feet coming down the stairs in front of us. I backed the girls into the shadows and put my finger to my lips, signaling for them to be silent. We waited.

To my great relief, it was Quinn.

“Hurry,” he whispered, “It’s clear.” He then turned and when back up the narrow stairs.

I pulled Eleanor forward.

“Run,” I told her, then Rosalinda, and finally Arletta.

They flashed up the stairs, each meeting Quinn at the top. I could now hear the fledglings getting closer, coming through the central archway. It took all my vampire speed to make it the final few steps up and out the narrow opening in the floor of the shed. Quinn pulled me up and out of the way and together we shoved the pallet back over the opening.

“Here, use this, Quinn,” I said as I tossed him a spear so he could block the rail and keep the fledglings from getting to us.

“I had better use one more,” he said. “Good, that’s it.” He turned to the girls, “Now let’s get out of here. I know everyone is shaken, but we must not be noticed. Kat will take you. Use your speed so you won’t be seen. I’ll lock up and meet you at the apartment. Don’t worry; I’ll bring your fathers with me. Now go!”

The girls and I raced along the palace wall. No human would see us, but vampires might. I kept looking side to side, checking for danger. So far, so good.

“We’re almost there. Stay close.”

We made it to the verandah and I looked in to make sure it was clear. It was.

“Thomas?” I called up the stairs.

“Katrina is that you?” I heard Gunter say as he rushed down the stairs. “Your father is frantic. Thomas and Simon are out looking for you.”

Then I stepped aside. His jaw dropped and he gasped, “What the—”

“Let’s get the girls some blankets. I’ll explain later.”

Then I took the girls past Gunter and towards the stairway.

“Any word?” I heard Thomas say.

When he and Simon came into view, Gunter nodded in my direction. The girls huddled together behind me.

“Where were they?” said Simon.

“Get some blankets from storage,” Gunter ordered.

Thomas returned a few moments later and handed me three woolen blankets. I wrapped them around the girls and gave them each a hug.

“You’re safe now. Let’s go upstairs.”

I could hear Father pacing as Gunter opened the door.

“We found her,” Gunter announced, and when I gave him a scolding look, he added, “Well, she actually…she came back on her own and she brought a few friends with her.”

As we entered the room Father’s anger turned to shock.

“The girls, where…who…?”

“All in good time, Father, for now we must get someone to guard Luena to make sure she doesn’t escape.”

He gave me a questioning look, but sent guards immediately. Moments later, Quinn arrived with all three fathers in tow. The girls, who had been sitting quietly until then, ran into their father’s arms and burst into tears. I then explained what Quinn had seen and all that had transpired in the corridors below the shed.

“I’m not sure we can wait until morning,” I added. “The fledglings know the girls have been rescued. I didn’t detect them when we first opened the passageway, so that means there must be another way in to those tunnels from some distance away.”

“Now we know why the trail was lost by the river. That must have been a decoy group. They were here all along,” said Gunter.

The girls were more settled now, and their fathers couldn’t stop thanking us.

“We only saw fledglings, but we did hear a woman’s voice once in a while,” Rosa said.

“They kept us hooded and bound. We were fed very little, but had some fresh blood, human blood,” said Arletta.

“I scented humans in their compound earlier.”

“What should we do, Fredrik?” asked Michael, Rosalinda’s father.

“Well, now that your daughters have been returned safely to you, I expect you to join us in exterminating this fledgling scourge.”

“Of course,” all three replied.

“If they know that their leader has been exposed, they may disperse into smaller groups and be a greater problem throughout the continent and beyond. Katrina’s right, we can’t wait until morning. We have to act now. Wake everyone, Thomas, and have them come to the Council room. Simon, make sure to bypass any of the Watchers for the Daminovs before you alert any of our Watchers not on duty now. Quinn, tell the sergeant of arms to prepare our weapons as quickly as possible. Now go, everyone, and be ready within the hour.”