Dangerous Creatures (Book 3, Pure Series) (31 page)

              The woman in the doorway moved, and the spell was broken. I'd thought for just a moment that I was seeing Veronika again, but as I glanced around I could see that I was in a different part of town entirely—and this was clearly a different woman.

              "Be off with you," the woman shouted. "We don't need your kind around here."

              Sachiko grabbed me by the hand again, and the three of us ran off.

              We continued on through the village, resting on rooftops when we needed to, and eventually, the large, graceful bulk of the castle loomed before us, silvery light streaming faintly from its windows.

              "You two wait here," David whispered, as we sheltered under the eaves of a house that appeared to be uninhabited. "Since I have the necklace, I'll scout around for a safe way in."

              Sachiko nodded, and David vanished.

              David had not been gone long when a dark shape appeared and began to move toward us swiftly. A man, tall and thin, streaked right up to where Sachiko and I waited in the shadows. But instead of stopping as I feared he would, he continued on past us—as if he hadn't even seen us.

              A moment later, a second man rushed past us.

              Sachiko frowned as she watched him.

              "Come on," she said.

              She held out a hand, and together we climbed up to the roof of the house behind us. But Sachiko didn't seem quite satisfied with our perch, and she helped me to climb up to the roof of the adjacent building, which was a little higher.

              From there, she scurried up alone onto a still higher roof. After a moment, she leaned down and held out her hand.

              "Come up. You should see this."

              With Sachiko's help, I climbed up onto the next roof and perched precariously on its narrow, slanting surface. I looked up toward the castle, and I could see what had piqued her interest. A steady stream of small, dark figures were running out of the castle and into the streets of Zamochit. And in the houses closest to the castle, people were hurrying out of their homes and running deeper into Zamochit.

              There were no screams or other sounds of panic, but people were clearly fleeing the castle.

              "I wondered why we didn't run into more people on the way," Sachiko said. "Something's going on tonight."

              Mindful of Sachiko's injunction not to speak, I traced a one-word question in the dirt of the roof.

             
Hunter?

              "No," Sachiko said. "It's not the Hunter. He's after you—and he would have a better idea of where you actually were. He wouldn't attack the castle unless you were in it. It must be something else."

              Sachiko paused, and we both continued to watch the silent exodus.

              After a moment, Sachiko shook her head. "I have no idea what's going on up there. Whatever it is, maybe it will work to our advantage. Maybe they'll all be so distracted that we can get in and get out without any trouble."

              Soon another shadow came slinking through the streets toward us, and this time, the figure jumped up on the roof of a nearby house in one swift, fluid motion. After a few more jumps, the shadow came to join us. It was David.

              "I've found a good way in," he said. "We can go in through the back entrance where the garbage comes out. Nobody will notice us there. Besides, there's some kind of emergency going on up at the castle. They're all running around preparing for something. Nobody's going to pay any attention to a few sanitation workers who may just happen to wander into some parts of the castle where they wouldn't ordinarily be."

              "Did you find out what's going on?" Sachiko said.

              "No," David replied. "But it's definitely got them rattled. And I can't see any sign of trouble at all. It's like they're all running from nothing. Whatever it is, I think it might help us out."

              "I thought that, too," Sachiko said. "Do you think it's safe to go now?"

              "Now's as good a time as any," David said. "And I think we can stick to the ground. No one is going to be looking at us. They're all looking out for themselves."

              The three of us slid down off the roof, and then we were off, speeding through the night once again. This time, we didn't pause to rest on any rooftops, and as we drew nearer to the castle, several dark figures hurtled past us going in the opposite direction.

              We were getting closer to what everyone else was running away from.

              Before long, we drew close to the high stone wall that surrounded the castle, and I was surprised by how little resistance we met. The last time I had seen this wall, there were vampire guards with crossbows ranged all along its length, and those guards had trained their crossbows on anyone who approached.

              But on this night, the vampire guardians were curiously not at their posts, and no one seemed to notice us as we reached the wall and ran alongside it.

              David led us all the way around to the back of the castle, and I could see several large gates in the wall standing open. David led us in through one of the gates, while several vampires ran out past us.

              Sachiko and I followed David into a long hall filled with buckets and bins and sacks full of refuse. David motioned for us to stay put, and then he crept down the hall and opened a door at the end of it.

              He stood for several moments, listening and watching. Then he closed the door carefully and crept back to us.

              "This end of the castle is pretty much deserted," he whispered. "Apart from the vampires who are fleeing, of course. I think we should be able to get around without attracting too much attention."

              He glanced at Sachiko. "How well do you know your way around the castle?"

              "I know the layout pretty well," Sachiko said. "I am the ghost girl, after all."

              David glanced at me. "How about you?"

              "I've only been here once," I said, figuring it was okay to speak at the moment.

              "In that case, I'd better map things out for you," David said. "Just in case we get separated."

              He rushed over to the containers full of refuse and rummaged through them at blinding speed. After a moment, he came up with a crumpled but fairly clean scrap of paper and a piece of charcoal.

              David spread the piece of paper out on the floor and began to sketch on it with the charcoal. Sachiko and I kneeled down beside him.

              As I watched, the outlines of the castle rapidly appeared on the sheet before me.

              "This is where we are now," David said, scratching an 'X' on the drawing. "If you find yourself in trouble, you can always come back this way and get out of the castle through here. But we're only concerned with the lower levels tonight—this one and the one below it—so I think you should be okay. As far as I can tell, most of the guards have left the lower levels and gone up to the royal tower to protect the king and queen. William, luckily, is being held down here."

              David scratched another 'X' on the sketch. "This area is known as the Queens' Chamber, but it's got nothing to do with the current queen. It's mostly full of tombs and slabs of stone, and at the moment it's making a good makeshift prison. William is there under guard, but with any luck—"

              "Those guards will have gone up to the royal tower with the others," Sachiko finished.

              "Exactly," David said.

              Sachiko glanced at me. "That's where you and I are going—to the Queens' Chamber. We'll get William out, and we'll take him straight to the healer."

              My heart ached at the thought of seeing William, but I forced myself to be calm.

              I looked over at David. "And what about you?"

              David scratched a third 'X' on the drawing of the castle. "I'll be here in the Vaults. The entrance is on the same level as the Queens' Chamber, but I'll be over on the other side."

              He looked up at Sachiko. "Where do you want to meet up when we're all done?"

              "Let's go to the house," Sachiko said. "Katie and I will meet you there as soon as we've got William fixed up. You and I can take different routes to get there."

              David looked up at me. "Is the map clear to you?"

              "Yes," I said. "I've got it."

              David had just handed the scrap of paper with the map on it to me, when there was a commotion at the end of the hall, and the door that David had looked out of earlier suddenly flew open.

              "In here," cried a voice. "The scent of human is in here."

              David stood quickly. "Get out of here!" he hissed. "I'll distract them."

              "No!" Sachiko said. "Not without you!"

              "Get out!" David said. "As far as they know, I work for them. They'll take me to Innokenti. He'll confirm who I am. Now get out! And get the sword!"

              Sachiko hesitated for just a moment. Then she grabbed me by the hand, and the two of us vanished in a blur.

Chapter 23.

Sachiko and I whirled around the outside of the castle so fast that I could see very little at first. And then somehow, impossibly, we seemed to be scaling the wall that surrounded the castle, and in the very next moment, we were back inside.

              We began to move upward then, through silvery halls and past shadowy shapes, up to the higher levels of the castle. We came to a stop in front of an open door, and then Sachiko dragged me inside and closed the door behind us.

              There was a key in the lock, and she turned it.

              "I don't know how much good that will do," she said. "But presumably vampire locks are meant to keep vampires out. And I'm pretty sure no one saw us."

              I glanced around. We were standing in a large room with several round, tiled pools that were somehow sunken into the floor. The pools were filled with water and sprinkled with rose petals, and all around the pools sat large, brightly colored silk pillows. In the corner of the room stood several large, ornate wardrobes, and I could see a pile of silk clothes pouring out of one of them. The air was warm and heavily perfumed, and the room was lit to a comfortable level by the same soft, silvery light that permeated the entire castle.

              The room looked very much like it would have suited the harem of a long-ago sultan.

              Sachiko rushed toward one of the wardrobes. "Wait just a moment before you say anything. I think I can find something in here that will help."

              Sachiko began to rummage around in the wardrobes, and after a moment, she came up with a small, brightly colored metal box. She lifted the lid and peered inside.

              "Just what I was hoping for."

              Sachiko brought the box over to me and held it out. Inside I could see a small pile of pale amber disks, sort of like hard candies.

              "Take one," she said.

              Before I could ask what they were, Sachiko held up a hand.

              "Take one first," she said. "Then I'll tell you what it is. Be careful, though. You're likely to find the flavor strong."

              I took one of the amber disks and placed it on my tongue. I was almost immediately overcome by a heavy combination of spices and sweetness that seemed to tear through me like fire.

              My eyes began to water, and I found myself coughing.

              "Vampire candy," Sachiko said. "They have strong tastes. But that will help you."

              She pushed the small metal box into my hand. "Keep these with you. Your breath is much lighter and sweeter than that of the average vampire—for reasons you can probably guess. And the irritation to your throat from the strong flavor should help to disguise the tone of your voice, making it less recognizably human. As long as you have these candies with you, you can talk without attracting too much attention."

              I struggled to breathe without coughing. "Thanks, I think."

              "Don't worry," Sachiko said. "You'll get used to those things in a minute or two. But right now you need get rid of those shoes."

              I glanced around. "How?"

              "Just throw them into one of those pools. I'm going to get rid of mine, too. We don't want the scent of the trash heaps clinging to us any longer. Now that the guards seem to be suspicious, we want to smell as if we belong to the castle."

              Sachiko pulled her shoes off quickly and cast them into a nearby pool with a splash. I slipped the box of candies into the pocket of my jeans, and then I pulled off my shoes, too, and dropped them into the pool next to me.

              Sachiko hurried back to the wardrobes and began to rummage around again.

              After a moment, she came up with a soft pair of satin slippers, which she threw to me.

              "Put these on," she said. "I think they should fit you, and they're actually a bit sturdier than they look."

              After another bit of rummaging, Sachiko threw a filmy scarf toward me. "Wrap this around yourself, too. It will help you to fit in."

              I did as she asked, and Sachiko came up with some slippers and a scarf for herself.

              "What is this place used for?" I asked, as Sachiko continued her searching.

              "This is the bathing chamber for the queen and her ladies," she replied. "I figured no one would be here—since the castle is in an uproar. I also figured it would be a good place to get some perfume. And vampire perfume, like their sweets, tends to be strong."

              Sachiko emerged from one of the wardrobes with a jeweled atomizer and hurried toward me. She sprayed me liberally with perfume, and I found myself coughing once again in a heavy, spicy cloud of fragrance.

              "It will help, I promise," Sachiko said. "And we've got a lot to do."

              She sprayed herself all over with the atomizer, too, and then threw it aside.

              "What do you think will happen to David?" I asked, once the cloud of scent around us had dissipated a bit.

              "David will be okay," Sachiko said from inside one of the wardrobes. "He's smart, and he's brave. He'll be able to talk his way back into their good graces."

              "What sword are we supposed to get?" I asked. "I thought Ignis Sacer wasn't real."

              "It isn't. We need to get the Star of Morning."

              "The Star of Morning?" I said.

              Sachiko looked around the door of the wardrobe. "You've heard of it?"

              "Yes. More than once, in fact," I said. "It's real?"

              "Yes," Sachiko replied. "It's right here in this castle in the Vaults. Just because Ignis Sacer isn't real doesn't mean that all famous swords aren't real. Besides, Ignis Sacer is supposed to have these ridiculously amazing powers. The Star of Morning is just a tool."

              "A tool for killing vampires?" I said.

              "Yes," Sachiko said. "If the stories can be believed, it's a very effective weapon against vampires—even one as powerful as the Hunter."

              I remembered what Anton had said about the sword. "How does it work?"

              "How does it work?" Sachiko said. "It's a sword."

              "I know," I said. "But I'd heard that the Star of Morning wasn't meant to be used as a regular sword. I heard there was a special way it was meant to be used."

              Sachiko gave me a rueful look. "I was hoping I wouldn't have to tell you about that just yet. You're right—the sword itself is no more powerful than any other sword. It's actually part of a larger weapon. But to be honest with you, I don't know how it's supposed to be used exactly. If you happen to have heard anything about that, now would be the time to tell me."

              "I haven't heard a thing," I said.

              "That's a shame," Sachiko replied. "Because it's pretty much our only hope. We don't have a prayer of stopping the Hunter otherwise. And time is running out."

              "Why do you say that?" I asked. "Does the Werdulac have the Hunter on some kind of schedule?"

              "No," Sachiko said. "First of all, the Werdulac didn't send the Hunter. And second, it's almost the thirtieth of April."

              "What do you mean the Werdulac didn't send him?" I asked.

              Sachiko threw a pile of soft clothes to the floor. "I think I've found everything in here we can use. It's not really practical for us to change into any of these clothes. We're better off in our jeans."

              "Sachiko."

              "I know that's not an answer." Sachiko held up a hand for silence and then tiptoed over to the door and unlocked it. She eased the door open and looked out into the hall. Then she relocked the door and moved noiselessly back to me.

              Sachiko dropped her voice to a whisper. "I said Anton lied to you about William and about the Hunter. And they were both big lies."

              She reached out suddenly and gripped my wrist. I could feel the strength in her small fingers.

              "You've gotten used to the idea of the Werdulac," she said. "You've gotten used to a certain level of danger. But for you it's still far off. The Werdulac is entombed somewhere in an icy prison, and he wants to catch you. But you know he doesn't want to kill you—yet. Your death won't benefit him until he's free. There's no point in sparking a war with the Sìdh if he can't participate in it. The prospect of death isn't real to you."

              "Are you saying that the Hunter wants to kill me?"

              Sachiko's grip tightened on my wrist. "No. It's worse—there are far worse things than death. There's such a thing as living death."

              "You mean he wants to turn me into a vampire?" I asked.

              "No," Sachiko said. "In order to become a vampire, you would have to die. That's exactly what the Hunter doesn't want. The Hunter isn't working for the Werdulac. He's working against him."

              "And that's bad?" I said.

              "It's very bad. It's not your life that's in danger. It's your soul."

              "You're really starting to worry me now," I said.

              "You should be worried," Sachiko replied. "In fact, you should be more than worried—you should be terrified. Do you know who the Hunter is?"

              "He's the Werdulac's servant," I said. "He worked for him centuries ago."

              Sachiko shook her head. "The Hunter did work for the Werdulac in the capacity of huntsman. But he wasn't the Werdulac's servant—he was his brother. After the Werdulac became a vampire, he converted his entire family—his wife, his daughter, his son, his brother. According to the stories, his brother didn't want the conversion, but he tolerated it and accepted his new life. There wasn't really anything he could do about it, I suppose."

              "So he accepted his fate?" I said.

              "Yes—at first. The Hunter continued to work for his brother, as he had when he was a mortal man. Only instead of hunting game, he now tracked his brother's enemies. And he never failed to get his quarry."

              "Hence the name," I said.

              "Unfortunately that's only too true," Sachiko said. "He became the hunter all vampires feared. And the only thing the Hunter asked of his brother was that he spare the Hunter's young wife—he didn't want her to become a vampire, too. He wanted her to live out her natural life—and then go on to a quiet grave."

              "Oh," I said.

              "Exactly," Sachiko replied. "The Werdulac grew suspicious of his brother's young bride. He didn't trust her to keep the secret of his budding vampire empire. And so one night, the Werdulac attempted to turn her. As he drained her of blood, the Werdulac was interrupted by the Hunter, and the two of them fought. The Hunter's young wife fell to the ground, weak and badly in need of blood. Without a quick infusion of vampire blood, her human body was unable to survive. So as the brothers continued to fight, she expired. The grief-stricken Hunter took her body away and vowed revenge on his brother."

              "I'm starting to feel sorry for him," I said.

              "Don't feel too sorry just yet," Sachiko said. "There's more to this. The Hunter took his bride to a vampire sorceress to see if she could work any magic to restore breath to her lifeless body. The sorceress told him that as long as he preserved her body, he had a link to her soul, which had departed this earth. She told him further that there was one night on this earth during which the souls of the departed could return to walk amongst the living—Walpurgis Night, which is six months from Halloween."

              "April thirtieth," I said.

              "April thirtieth," Sachiko said. "If the Hunter could find another soul to change places with hers on that night, then his bride could return to the earth and live out the span of her natural life."

              I began to feel cold all over. "And did the Hunter find this other soul?"

              "Not until now," Sachiko said. "The exchange doesn't have to be voluntary."

              "He wants my soul to take the place of hers?" I said.

              "Yes. The Hunter worked with the vampire sorceress to preserve his wife's body, and then the Sìdh attacked the Werdulac shortly after that. The Hunter joined the battle, but not on the side of the Werdulac. Instead, he seized the chance and took up arms against his brother. But he wasn't really on the side of the Sìdh—he was just out for revenge. And after the Werdulac was defeated, the Sìdh set a trap for the Hunter, too, using the body of his wife—which they had stolen. They told the Hunter that they had placed her body in a special cave and had reinforced the preservation the sorceress had given her—and they had. So the Hunter was successfully lured into the trap. And after he was burned by the weapon they had hidden in the cave, the Sìdh did him the courtesy of interring him there with his wife. He had sort of fought on their side. And it's one of the reasons we know where the Hunter's tomb is—he wasn't buried so deep as the others."