Dangerous Creatures (Book 3, Pure Series) (38 page)

              "I see," William replied. "A few things really have happened that I don't know about. You really believe this Terrance knows how to use the Star of Morning?"

              "Like I said, there's no point in stealing it otherwise," Sachiko said. "He had to risk his life battling through a castle full of vampires to get it."

              "That's a fair point," William said.

              "And there's one thing more," Sachiko said. "The Hunter doesn't want Katie for the reason you think he wants her."

              William looked at Sachiko sharply. "What do you mean?"

              "I imagine you were told that the Hunter was revived by the Werdulac's camp to capture Katie for the Werdulac."

              "Yes," William said.

              "It's not true," Sachiko replied. "The Hunter revived himself. He's actually the Werdulac's brother, and he hates the Werdulac for killing his wife. But the Hunter had his wife's body preserved, and he knows there's one night of the year on which he can bring his wife's soul back to the earth—if he has another soul to exchange for hers. That night is fast approaching, and the Hunter plans to capture Katie and exchange her soul for his wife's soul—leaving Katie's body unharmed. That way he gets his wife back and deprives the Werdulac of his means for revenge."

              William stared at Sachiko. "He wants to steal Katie's soul?"

              "Yes."

              "And the night he can do that is Walpurgis Night," William said.

              "Tomorrow," Sachiko said.

              "So then the Hunter will be desperate to catch Katie."

              "Yes."

              "Then we do need to go to the tomb and find Terrance and the Star of Morning," William said. "But I still don't think Katie should go with us. It's far too dangerous."

              "I'm going with you," I said. "This is more my fight than anyone else's. I'm the one he's after, so I'm the one who has to stop him. Besides, I'm the only one here who knows Terrance. Someone needs to talk to him—someone he'll trust."

              "He knows me," William said.

              "He may also know you're a vampire," I replied. "He definitely knows Sachiko's a vampire. He won't trust either one of you."

              "I'm sorry, Katie," Sachiko said. "But I agree with William. You can't go. We have to keep you and the Hunter apart. If you go to the tomb, we'll be taking you exactly where he wants you."

              "I think we have to get a plane," William said. "If we can keep Katie up in the air until Walpurgis Night is past, then the Hunter won't be able to get at her in time."

              "I was thinking the same thing," Sachiko said. "After that he would have to wait another year."

              William nodded. "Katie's soul would be out of danger till then."

              "There's an airfield right here in town," Sachiko said.

              "No good," William replied. "That airfield is owned by the Mstislavs. Katie has an unfortunate history with them. We can't risk it."

              "Well, then—"

              "Wait," I said. "The two of you are talking like everything's been decided. I can't just fly off and let the two of you face the Hunter without me."

              "And we can't put your soul in jeopardy," Sachiko said. "Believe me, we know exactly what that feels like."

              "I can't go," I said. "I won't."

              "Katie, it's just until Walpurgis Night passes," William said. "Then we can be together again."

              "William—"

              "Katie, please. I just got you back. I can't bear to lose you again."

              I stared into William's eyes.

              "All right," I said at last. "I'll go. I'll take the plane. I'll stay out of the way—but only until Walpurgis Night passes."

              William was visibly relieved.

              "And I think William should go with you," Sachiko said.

              "What was that?" William asked.

              "I think someone should go with Katie on the plane," Sachiko replied. "We have no way of knowing what could happen to her. We have no way of knowing who could get on the flight with her and possibly attack her—even drag her off the plane. Someone should go with her, and I think it should be you."

              "No," William said. "I have to see that the Hunter is destroyed."

              "You have to see that Katie's soul is safe," Sachiko said. "I think that's what really matters most to you. You'll never forgive yourself if something happens to Katie on that plane that you could have prevented. Am I right?"

              William was silent.

              "You're right," he said at last.

              "I'll find Terrance and convince him to let me help him," Sachiko said. "And you'll go with Katie and make sure nothing happens to her. That way, even if Terrance and I fail, we've still got a year to get rid of the Hunter. And Katie will still have her soul."

              "Just don't take any unnecessary risks," William said. "If it turns out that you can't use the sword, get out of there. Don't try to take on the Hunter yourself."

              Sachiko smiled. "Don't worry about me. I'm just about the fastest vampire in the world. He'll never even see me coming."

              "All the same," William said. "Be careful."

              "So what airport are we going to?" I asked. "As William said, we can't use the one here in Krov."

              "The nearest sizable city is Ischezli," Sachiko said. "They have an airport, and I'm pretty sure they have international flights."

              She stood up. "I'll go and get us a car. You two wait for me over by the nearest watchtower. When you hear me honk the horn, leave the barrier and get in the car. I'll get us to the airport faster than anyone else could."

              Sachiko moved toward the exit, and William turned in his chair.

              "Where are you getting a car from?" he said.

              Sachiko smiled. "I'm going to borrow one. Don't worry, I don't intended to keep it."

              She vanished from the room.

              William turned back to me. "It looks like we're going to the watchtower."

              The two of us left the tavern and walked through Zamochit's golden streets until we reached the imposing bulk of the nearest tower. I knew from my previous visit that each tower was staffed by a guard, and it was the guard's responsibility to watch the borders of Zamochit and to apprehend any intruders who crossed them. I was lucky, in fact, that I hadn't been detected the first time I had come into Zamochit—especially since I hadn't known the village was there and was unaware of the danger. Of course, it was also possible that luck had had nothing to do with it. Since intruders were rare—thanks to the barrier—the border guards didn't have much of anything to watch out for.

              I knew for a fact that the tower William and I stood by was staffed by a vampire named Hadrian—and that Hadrian slept most of the time.

              William and I had only been standing by the tower for a few minutes when we heard three short honks from a car horn coming from beyond the barrier.

              We rushed forward, and I felt a tingle run through my body as we crossed the barrier and came out into the Wasteland. Sachiko was waiting just a few feet away in a sleek, silver car that sat low to the ground—it was clearly a machine that was built for speed.

              William and I climbed quickly into the tiny backseat, and Sachiko took off across the vast, empty field.

              She glanced into the rearview mirror at us. "I called the airport at Ischezli. They do indeed have international flights. I would have tried to book one for you, but I didn't know where you wanted to go."

              "We'll fly to the East Coast of the U.S. first," William said. "That should keep us up in the air for a while. Then, when we land, we'll book a flight to the West Coast. Once we get there, we'll book a flight for Australia. That should keep us up in the air long enough. And the transfers should be safe. Once we reach the U.S., there's no way the Hunter can catch us. Even he can't make a plane fly any faster."

              Sachiko threw a slim black phone over the seat to William. "Make the call. The number for the airport is in the phone already. I'm sure they'd be only too happy to connect you with any of their carriers."

              William arranged for two tickets for us to New York and then handed the phone back to Sachiko.

              "Our flight leaves in two hours. Can we make it by then?"

              "Absolutely," Sachiko said.

              William turned to me. "Our flight has a brief layover in Moscow. We'll have to transfer to another, bigger plane, for the transatlantic flight, but I'm confident that we can do that before the Hunter catches up to us. As long as we get on that first flight, we should be fine."

              "About that first flight," I said. "I don't have a passport. And even if I did, I don't have a visa for Russia. I entered the country illegally. How am I going to get through?"

              "I don't have a passport, either," William said. "I'll get us both through. I don't like to influence people, but I can if I have to."

              Sachiko drove on at blinding speed, and I carefully avoided looking out the window. I trusted the quickness of her reflexes, but all the same, I didn't like to be reminded of just how fast we were going.

              But that same speed that made me nervous also served us well, and soon Sachiko was slowing so that she could enter the airport at Ischezli. The airport had only one terminal, and we pulled up right in front of it.

              "Thanks, Sachiko," I said as William and I got out of the car. "Thanks for everything."

              "Don't mention it," she said.

              To my surprise, Sachiko got out of the car, too, and began to walk with us toward the terminal.

              "Have you decided to go with us?" I asked.

              "No," Sachiko said. "I have my own flight to catch. The Hunter's tomb is up in Siberia. There's a system of caves up there, and the tomb is in one of them. I'm catching a plane to Novosibirsk. Then I'm going over the ground from there."

              She glanced back at the car. "If I just leave it at the curb, I think it'll get back to its owner more quickly. Someone's sure to report it soon."

              We all walked into the terminal and looked at the displays overhead.

              "It looks like I'm going this way, and you're going that way," Sachiko said. "With any luck, I'll see you two on the other side of this."

              She turned to go.

              "Sachiko, wait," I said. "Back at the tavern, did you happen to hear anything about David?"

              She smiled. "Yes, I did. He's okay. With any luck I'll see him on the other side of this, too."

              Sachiko waved at us and then continued on to her gate.

              William and I went to ours, and as he had predicted, he was able to smooth over the little problem of our not having passports or even ID of any kind—we were free to board our flight when it arrived.

              William and I settled down to wait, and I felt the weight of the last few hours settling on me heavily. I rested my head on his shoulder, and despite myself, I drifted off to sleep.

              The next thing I knew, there was a whisper in my ear.

              "Wake up, Katie. It's time to go."

              My eyes fluttered open, and I looked up to see William smiling at me.

              "You're exhausted, aren't you?" he said.

              "I could certainly use some sleep," I replied.

              William took my hand. "Come on. You'll be able to get several hours' worth of sleep soon. Our flight is boarding."

              There was no tunnel for us to walk down this time since we weren't getting onto a large commercial jet. Instead, William and I simply walked outside and climbed a flight of stairs into a much smaller plane.

              We settled into our seats, and soon the pilot announced that we were taking off—apparently William and I were the only passengers.

              The plane began to taxi down the runway, and soon we were airborne. I looked out the window and watched as the plane climbed higher into the sky and leveled off.

              "I can't believe it," I murmured. "We're safe."

              "Believe it," William said.

              I rested my head on his shoulder again. "I'm glad you're with me."

              "We'll make this right, Katie," William said. "We'll fix everything. I know what Veronika is—and that she must have asked you to pay a terrible price. Whatever she wants, we'll make it right. We'll make everything all right."