Running From the Night (24 page)

He stepped aside and spread an arm outward, and Yako stepped past him into the cold night. He heard the heavy door close behind them, the sounds of the locks moving in place swallowed by the openness of the outside world.

Yako allowed himself to look up at the night sky. The stars shined brightly against the dark canopy of space. Braggus came beside him. Yako’s head didn’t come close to his shoulder.

“Why am I here, Braggus?”

“I told the High Council I trusted none but myself to watch you. In privacy, I told Massius I would rip you apart if you showed the slightest hint of treachery.”

Yako continued to stare at the night sky, unperturbed by the ominous admission. If Braggus had intended to kill him, he could have done it several times already.

“It is often necessary to placate the concerns of an … agitated, superior.” Anyone else might have shared a laugh with the large man. Yako nodded stoically. “Ever the serious Yako,” Braggus said, shaking his head. His straight, black hair slid about his broad shoulders with the movement.

“I don’t know what he fears in me,” Yako said by way of response. “What does he expect I might do?”

“Ambitious types fear the same in those around them.”

“I’m rarely around him.”

“You’ve been offered to take the Trials.”

“And have refused every offer.”

Braggus shrugged. “You are the first to turn down such a prestigious opportunity. I must admit that I number myself among those who wonder why.”

“I prefer the field. I prefer the Hunt.” He looked over at the big man. “The farther away I am from the posturing of the Pureblood Council and the High Council of Elders, the more content I am.”

Braggus nodded soberly, and Yako suspected the Eldest Reaper shared his sentiment. “Unfortunately, nervous eyes often see what is not. By declining the opportunity to become a Reaper, you have elected to remain at a distance from the Elders, and they wonder why this is the case. Though you may not see it that way, some do. And one such as Massius would see it as an attempt to keep at a distance while you seek other ambitions.”

Yako sighed. “And what ambitions could I possibly aspire to, Braggus? What moves have I ever made to indicate my desire to be anything other than what I am, or to ascend to any other station than that which I already occupy? I only have ever asked to be left to operate as I will.”

“You ask to operate unchecked.”

Yako looked at him sharply, and Braggus smiled, holding his hands up defensively. Given the drastic difference in their statures, the move was quite humorous. “I only speak what is on the mind of Massius and his few cronies, though the former has wasted little effort in fanning the flames of suspicion.”

Yako was silent for a few minutes, then responded with a simple statement, a thought that had just occurred to him.

“Remy is of Massius’s lineage.”

Braggus crossed his heavily muscled arms. “Mmm. That would clear up some things.”

“I’ve only just realized it. It makes sense.” Yako’s eyes went to the far end of the grassy field upon which they stood. Mariska had returned but remained behind the tree line, unsure of his formidable escort.

“The little fly aspires to your station, but your refusal to leave the coven and come under my command hampers his ambitions.” Braggus frowned. “There is something more happening here that we do not yet understand.”

“And we’d best be silent about it till we do.”

After a few moments, Braggus nodded. “We trust only ourselves.”

“There is one other.”

He looked down at the smaller Hunter, and Yako continued to look out across the darkened grassy field.

“Ah,” the Reaper said, catching on, “your most lovely and deadly Second.” As though she’d heard them—and she had—Mariska appeared from the tree line, several hundred yards away. “Very well then,” Braggus said, tipping his head at the distant approaching figure. “I will leave you to your discussions. Per the council, I will not be very far away. Please give me no reason to hunt you, Eldest.”

“My word, my honor, Eldest Reaper.”

Braggus nodded and departed. Yako remained where he was, and a few minutes later, Mariska had arrived.

“Ally?”

“Not an enemy.”

She looked in the direction the giant had gone. “Comforting.”

“The night patrol?”

Mariska shook her head. “Where there would normally be four, there is only Braggus.” Again she glanced after the long departed Reaper. “They have a lot of confidence in him.”

“It is very well founded,” Yako said. He looked expectantly at her.

“I’ve confirmed the other who was sent.”

“Remy.”

She nodded.

“Continue.”

“Remy was tasked with observing our movements and that of our targets. He likely knows the nature of the
dampeal
and her brother, and that our targets now number five.” She left the thought unspoken. It was easy enough to figure out. Few knew of the existence of the Ancestors, and even fewer knew the truth that
dampeals
actually existed. Remy wouldn’t know what that woman was, but he would suspect they were of powerful lineage. Of course, he would likely withhold that information until or unless it benefited himself.

What he was likely to do was report that Yako and Mariska had not only failed yet again to eliminate two human targets, but now a third was involved, and two vampires as well. Yako thought perhaps the only reason he was not awaiting the sun at this moment was because Remy had not given a full report, which was odd. Two days had already passed. Yako dared not hope the foolish Hunter had been eliminated by either of the siblings.

“How do you come to this information?” he asked.

“I have a friend. Her sister is a Reaper.”

Yako raised an eyebrow at her. “Tara is a Reaper. It is forbidden for a Reaper to share information, even among siblings. Meilana is a Hunter. The penalty is swift.”

“Tara has never spoken a word to her sister about the business of the High Council.”

“Hmm.” So their mind bond was real. The twins were very good at concealing their shared attributes. Once, and only once, Yako had caught a fleeting glimpse at a reaction between the two of them. It had happened faster than the blink of an eye, but he’d caught it. He hadn’t been sure then, but he was now.

“A convenient loophole,” he said.

“And a dangerous one.”

Yako agreed. “We will remain appreciative of their connection and frugal with our trust.”

“As you say, Eldest. What of Remy?”

“I want to kill him.”

There was a pause. “Would that not give more weight to the suspicion Massius has fostered?”

Yako crossed his arms and stared out into the darkness. “There is always a way.”

***

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Four days had passed since their visit from Saaya, and the dawn of the fifth day saw Jelani and Daniel at a neighborhood park, gliding through the movements of tai chi. They had started just before dawn, sweating through the cleansing yet challenging yoga poses. Now, like flowing water, they performed the movements of tai chi, and for the two women who watched them, it was as soothing to their uneasy nerves as was the witnessing of the sun peeking above the eastern horizon.

“I don’t know how they can concentrate,” Alisha said, watching the two men as they continued the slow, precise movements that seemed so much like a graceful dance. “I personally feel like there is a guillotine swinging over my head.”

Wen smiled, but it was not a happy smile. “It’s how they cope. It’s how they deal with any situation. I wish I were so disciplined.”

“We all deal with things differently,” Alisha said. “You decorate and rearrange. I go for a jog.” She waved a hand at Jelani and Daniel, who were just finishing. “They do that.”

“It’s beautiful.”

Alisha didn’t disagree. “It is.”

O O O

They finished their movements in sync, perfectly. Jelani closed his eyes and stood for a while, inhaling and exhaling deeply the fresh morning air. Beside him Daniel did the same for many minutes. Finally, he opened his eyes to see Daniel staring at the distant eastern horizon and the light of the rising sun.

His head was clear and focused. Though days had passed and they had not heard from Saaya, there was no sign of the Hunters that sought to end their lives, Jelani had moved into a place of mental solidity. He would do what he could to protect Alisha, as he knew Daniel would do the same for Wen. If they survived, he would be glad of that, but if he had to die to protect someone who should not be burdened with this situation, so be it.

“Ever wonder what it would be like to never see another sunrise?” Daniel asked solemnly.

“Not until recently,” Jelani answered. “What do you think would be worse, being turned or dying?”

Daniel was silent a moment, thinking. “I don’t know,” he finally answered. “To die without fulfilling all that I’ve set out to do in this life and leaving behind those I love.” He frowned in thought. “I don’t much like the sound of that. But to live as something that can’t survive in the sun and has to live on the blood of people.…”

“And then to live forever, watching the people around you age and die, then watching the world change over and over again.” He glanced in the direction of two women, seated across the lawn. “I don’t think I’d like that either.”

“You think we can sidestep this?” Daniel asked, his tone level. “Do you really think we can survive this whole thing and go back to life as usual?”

“Go back to life as usual? No.” Jelani looked at his closest friend. “Survive? I damn well plan to.”

A half smile stretched Daniel’s lips, and they clasped hands. “Alright, then.”

O O O

From the rooftop of a mid-rise apartment building, Saaya watched the two men first perform the morning yoga ritual, then tai chi. She found it amusing to see them performing the movements of yoga to greet the sun. So many in this part of the world only knew the movements and not the deeper essence. Yoga was so much more than a series of poses and breathing techniques, but many on this continent failed to realize it.

Although clearly novices, these two had received some education. Perhaps they would fully embrace the culture that was yoga. It was a fitting, even wise, method of coping with the possibilities of their own deaths hanging over their heads.

She turned her light brown gaze west. Something was there, she could feel it. She had expected that the Hunter would have returned by now and this business would have likely reached its conclusion. She certainly hadn’t expected him to simply leave her and the others alone, as she had suggested. The fact that so many days had gone by was odd. She didn’t think the Hunter had returned yet, but someone else was out there, watching.

She thought about how angry Jelani had been with her. She knew he was justified. In his eyes, why wouldn’t she simply do away with the one that sought to kill him? Wouldn’t that end the matter?

Saaya knew better. If she’d killed the Hunter, his coven, and possibly the High Council of Elders would have turned their full attention here. That was an undesirable thing. Very undesirable.

She watched the two men return to the waiting females. The truth was, though she did have an interest that she could not yet pinpoint, she also had been undecided whether she wanted to attract the gaze of influential figures within the hierarchy. It was easier to move about with no one the wiser of her and Kafeel’s existence. If a Hunter as skilled as the one that hunted them had died, there would be repercussions. And if the Reapers became involved …

She frowned. That was not a possibility she wanted to entertain. She had no fear of the elite vampire warriors, but more than one of them could be problematic.

Saaya had asked herself repeatedly if these humans were worth the trouble. Were they worth the possibility of the attention they would garner? It was a question she still didn’t have the answer to. A dark hand rested on her shoulder, and she was instantly comforted. She craned her head back and looked up into the deep brown eyes of her brother. He looked down at her, always steady, always immovable. Whatever happened, they would see it through together.

O O O

Dawn approached and Remy sat on the bed in his basement motel room. The front desk clerk had been puzzled when he’d opted for a room below ground with no windows, but given the vampire’s aversion to the sun’s deadly light, it was perfect for him. He’d thought he would have to resort to digging a deep hole in the woods and burying himself, but this was a more preferable, and cleaner, alternative.

The woman and her brother were formidable, and he knew he couldn’t strike at them alone. They were probably some sort of rogues, having lived under the scope of the hierarchy and grown in age and power. Whoever they were, he would find a way to deal with them where Yako had failed. Then he would deal with those four humans and solidify his place as Eldest.

The Eldest Hunter had failed too many times for the High Council not to take notice. All that would be left was for Remy to drive the nail of doubt home, and Yako would be an obstacle of the past. A wicked grin crept across his face, and a pale red glow crept into his eyes.

O O O

Another day passed and once again the night arrived. Granted a bit more liberty to explore the grounds of the Romanian coven, Yako stepped out the front entrance to the castle. The first time he’d lain eyes upon the magnificent structure was when he’d earned the rank of Eldest Hunter. Since then, he’d been here twice, both times to politely decline to take the Trials of the Ancients and take his place as a Reaper under Braggus’s command.

He walked casually across the open grassy courtyard. There were covens in many parts of the world, but all were connected by the leash that originated here in Romania. His own coven in North America was no different; an island connected by one of the many strands that covered the earth, like the monstrous web of a spider.

He looked up at the dark sky, and as always, found some measure of comfort. He didn’t know what it was like to see a sunrise, or to experience a warm sun-filled day, but he couldn’t imagine it to be anything comparable to the beauty of a quiet, starry black sky. The night held power. The night was the time when power gathered, building upon itself to be fully realized. How could the day so compare?

The moon caught his eye, and he turned his full attention to it. His eyes hardened as the red glow appeared. He heard Mariska approach, and for a few moments, she stood beside him, staring at the huge orange-tinted orb in the sky. Finally, she spoke.

“The moon gathers power. It grows hot.” She looked at him. “There will be change. You feel it.”

Yako continued to stare up at the brightly shining moon. To human eyes, it would simply be a full moon shining its brilliant pale light upon the darkened world. To those with the eyes to see, however, it shown with that same glorious light, but that light was tinged with an orange hue. It was an omen of power. It was an omen of change. Though he knew not what this would portend, its significance was undeniable. He stared at the sight, and two words drifted from his lips.

“Hunter’s Moon.”

***