Katrina, The Beginning (9 page)

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,” muttered 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,” Arletta remembered.

“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 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.”

I could tell by the look on
Rosalinda’s face she wanted to fight too.

“I know just how you feel,”
I told her. “We all want to go. Let’s get you cleaned up, or
otherwise they’ll smell you coming. Sarah, oh good, will
you.…”

“No need, Katrina, the
baths have been prepared, food and drink are on the way, and I’ve
sent for clean outfits. Their Watchers have been notified, except
Rosalinda’s new watcher.”

“What do you mean?”
Rosalinda asked. “New Watcher? Where’s Joseph?”

I had forgotten she didn’t
know.

“I’m so sorry, Rosa. The
night the fledglings.... They overwhelmed him…I’m so
sorry.”

“I’m sorry too, miss, but
at least it will be a comfort to you to know Katrina took care of
two of those that did this,” Sarah patted Rosa’s arm.

“You did?” Rosa said
through her sobs.

“Yes, my training served me
well, as it will all of you if need be. Now take your baths and
eat. You’ll need your strength. Thank you Sarah.”

“Of course,
Katrina.”

Then she guided them into
the dressing rooms.

CHAPTER FOUR

Thomas returned a moment
later. I had almost forgotten he was my Watcher now. How strange it
felt to be attended by someone other than Quinn.

“All the Watchers are
here—two inside, three of us outside.”

“Thank you, Thomas. They
can watch the girls, but I want to be at the Council
rooms.”

“Your father left orders
for me to keep you here!”

I gave him a withering look
that stopped him in his tracks. “Shall I go alone, or will my
Watcher be going with me?”

On our way to the Council
chambers, I noticed there were now several guards posted around
Luena’s quarters, including specially trained palace guard—vampire
guards—whom I recognized as ones we had brought with us. Father was
already talking strategy with Philepe. Gunter and Quinn were
huddled with them, pointing at maps and discussing final
details.

“I need to speak with you,
Father.”

“Thomas, what did I tell
you?”

“She’s your daughter, sir.
She was determined to come with or without me.”

I saw Quinn hide a smile as
if acknowledging he knew just what Thomas was going
through.

“All right, you’re here
now, what is it?”

“What of Damien, Father? He
hasn’t been implicated in this, and we have no proof he’s involved.
All we know is he was out there in the forest when we were
attacked, nothing more.”

“Why are you defending him
now? You’re the one who called him a traitor in the first place.
He’s being guarded; we have no time to deal with him or his sister
now. Either make yourself useful or go back to your
room.”

Why
was
I defending him? Was I really that gullible? If
Luena was knee-deep in this, why wouldn’t he be? They were so
close…or were they? I had to admit I was confused by him, the way
he was the other night. Father was right, of course; there was no
time to worry about him now. This might be all over before
breakfast, if we could still surprise them.

As parties arrived at the
Council room, they were told of the recent developments and given
their assignments, then sent to be armory to draw weapons, as
needed and were told to gather at the gate. Everyone was organized
and on task as the gravity of the situation sunk in. We were split
up into two different assignments. Most were going to the
encampment in the forest, with a smaller group, including Thomas,
Quinn, and myself, going through the shed entrance, our orders were
to clear out the rooms and corridors as we went. Vampires first in
of course, we’d check with all our senses, divide up as needed, and
with luck meet Father’s party at the river.

Father’s forces raced out
the west gate. Ours ran together to the back wall and to the
weapons shed. Quinn unlocked the door and we charged in. The spears
had held, the sliding pallet closing off the entrance to the
underground tunnels was still in place. Quinn and Thomas dislodged
them and pushed the pallet aside with a thud. I fully expected
fledglings to pour out; we neither saw nor sensed a
thing.

“This is a bad sign,” I
said under my breath.

Philepe and Gerhardt headed
down the stairs, and I went next.

“The girls were in a room
off the corridor on the right, but the fledglings came from the
center archway,” I pointed straight ahead.

With our swords at the
ready, we started forward. Quinn and Thomas were behind me with
torches.

“Ricardo, you and Momar go
into the last corridor,” directed Philepe.

We moved cautiously but
quickly forward, checking the many side rooms. Suddenly the
corridor opened up into a huge circular room with arched doorways
all the way around it. We heard the sounds of boots coming from a
corridor on our left and braced for a fight. We were relieved when
Ricardo came through the opening.

“Anything?” he
asked.

“Not yet,” replied
Philepe

“Now what?” Gerhardt
asked.

Before we could answer, I
cried out, “They’re coming!” They poured out of each of the
corridors across from us, yelling and hissing, weapons drawn.
Ricardo and Momar took positions left, we stayed right.

“Don’t let them get behind
us!” yelled Philepe.

We started mowing them down
right and left. The fledglings were not well trained, but they were
strong, and there were so many of them, there appeared to be no end
to their numbers. They were as fast as we were, but our superior
training would hopefully allow us to make quick work of them. We
heard someone yelling orders to them from out of the darkness, but
even with my vampire vision, I couldn’t quite make him out. The
Watchers had come into the room with torches. Once skirmish had
begun, the torches were abandoned, tossed about on the floor. Now
they were making the room glow and casting shadows of the fight on
the walls of the room. We met the fledglings head on and after a
few minutes of intense fighting, their numbers dwindled and they
finally stopped coming through the archways. Two of the crazed
attackers charged me from the front, and one came at me from my
left. I leapt, executing a high, double footed kick, hitting the
larger one square in the chest. Then as he fell to the ground, I
used him as a springboard, turned in midair, and with a twist
reached out, and sliced the second across the throat. I had seconds
to land and duck before piercing a third through the heart. As I
turned to finish off the fledging that had been the recipient of my
kick, I found he had risen, but before he could flex his sword arm,
Quinn lopped off his head.

“I was coming to save you.
And once again I see you could save yourself,” he panted, drenched
with sweat.

“Sorry to spoil your fun.
Let’s get the rest, and maybe I’ll even save one for
you.”

“You’re on.”

Our swords clanged as we
engaged two more fledglings, and then shortly two more went
down.

“Go back, go back,” the
leader yelled over his shoulder as he ran through the archway
directly across from the one we had come through. The last of the
fledglings retreated into whatever corridor was closest to
them.

“We can’t let them get
away!” yelled Philepe.

We directed two Watchers
stay and dispatch the dead by beheading, while the rest of us
charged on. From what we could tell, only six remained alive,
including the one who seemed to be the leader.

“We’ll have to split up,” I
shouted as I ran.

Ricardo and Momar went
left, Philepe and Gerhardt went straight, and I went
right.

“We have to catch them
before they get to the river!” I yelled to Quinn and
Thomas.

I took a deep breath and
sensed the two on our side were still ahead.

“They’re close.”

I sensed how close just in
time to duck as one jumped out of an opening on my right. Quinn
quickly swung his sword and split the fledgling’s head open. As he
fell, Thomas divided his crushed skull from his
shoulders.

“One more!” I
yelled.

I could smell water now.
The river wasn’t far, and as expected, the corridor opened onto the
bank of the river. I could see brush moving on the other side of
the rushing water.

Without thinking I leapt
across the water in one stride and ran after the fledgling through
the brush. I slowed, trying to sense where he had gone. It was then
I realized I was alone, having forgotten Quinn and Thomas would be
forced to find their own way across the river. My enemy was close;
I could smell him. Then from above, he dropped right on me. He
knocked me down and my sword flew out of my hand. We wrestled on
the ground; the fledgling’s eyes wild with the look of a rabid dog
whose intent was to tear out my throat. Now the impossibly strong
fingers found my throat and began to squeeze. I thrashed and
fought, but the fledgling continue to squeeze. My vision narrowed,
and I began to see bright flashes. Just as I was about to lose
hope, I saw two hands grab the fledgling’s head and twist. The
crack of vertebrae breaking exploded in the night. The fingers
released as the fledgling fell away. I closed my eyes and I took
several gasping breaths. I opened them expecting to see Philepe or
Gerhardt; I was shocked at the face I saw where the fledgling had
been.

“Damien…” I croaked. “What
are you doing here?”

“Saving you, what else? You
didn’t think you could have all this fun without me, did
you?”

“Well, thank you,” I said,
as he kicked the body off of my legs and helped me up.

“I have to speak to you. I
can’t stay here. Everyone will think I’m part of this plot, but I
swear to you, I wanted no part of it. It’s my sister’s doing. Luena
is a truly evil being.”

I opened my mouth to
protest, he put his face close to mine, “We don’t have much time,
so please hear me out. That day when your party was attacked, I
tried to get there to stop it, but I was too late. I did, however,
kill the few Volator that got away from your father and Philepe,
and their leader; you’re safe from them.” He stopped, listening,
“They’re coming, I must go. Katrina, I’ll find you in the New
World. Please believe I’d never harm you or your
father.”

Then he put his hands on my
shoulders.

“You believe me don’t
you?”

I looked into his eyes and
I knew I did.

“Yes,” I whispered. “Yes I
do.”

He pulled me close and
kissed me, and then he was gone. For a moment I thought I had
dreamed it all, but the body at my feet was real enough. I
dispatched his head just as Quinn and Thomas trotted up.

“You’re late again,” I
gloated.

“I guess so,” Quinn
grinned. “I’m getting used to it.”

We laughed and headed back
to the river to meet up with the others. We stopped at the edge and
used the cool water to clean up, washing off the sweat and blood
from the cuts and gashes that, because we were vampires, would heal
in a day. The Watchers were not so lucky of course; their injuries
would take days, even weeks to heal.