Chapter Twenty-Five
Jonathan accosted me as I tried to leave the kitchen.
“Where are you going?” He limped, and I felt an inkling of guilt, which dissipated once he added in an angry voice, “Get back in there. Now!”
“I was just fired,” I grumbled, letting my voice quiver in indignation.
“What? By who? Only I can fire you!”
“That weird pale guy.”
“Maximillian Fuchs?” He seemed to blanch.
“Yeah.” I paused. “So he can’t fire me? Would you mind talking to him? Because I could really use this job.”
“Um…” Jonathan eyes frantically avoided mine. “I suppose if he fired you he had a good reason. I’m sorry, you have to leave.”
I snorted and left the kitchen, slamming the door behind me.
Once I was out, Harutaka said, “Okay, Lou. Walk down to the gate. There’s a guard looking at you right now. I’ll tell you what to do.”
I began striding toward the front gate. About midway, the path circled a fountain. There were yellow garden lights beaming around it, the water shimmering in the darkness. Just as I passed by it, all the lights around me suddenly died, plunging me into darkness.
“Okay,” Harutaka’s voice said, sharp in my ear. “Go east. Fast!”
I marched quickly down the garden, shrouded in Harutaka’s manufactured darkness.
“Good,” Harutaka said. “Now cut north. You’re not far from Kane and Isabel.”
“What about Sinead?” I began walking back, the large structure’s eastern corner in front of me.
“She’s making her way through the mansion. I presume the vampire is with her, because she’s talking to someone I can’t see.”
I reached the wall and began walking along it, picturing my location on the blueprints. I was near the place where we had agreed to meet, a small nook in which we could all stand without being seen by the patrolling guards.
“Freeze,” Harutaka said. “Right there. One of the patrols is walking by. I don’t think he can see you if you stand still.”
Praying he was right, I didn’t move a muscle. I heard the footsteps of the guard, saw the flashlight beam accompanying him near the outer wall. If he aimed it at me, he would see me easily. But he just pointed it ahead, to illuminate his way. After a tense minute, he was gone.
“Okay, go,” Harutaka said. “Just a few more yards.”
I almost ran those last steps, feeling giddy and nervous. Then a figure moved out of the shadows, and I stifled a scream.
“It’s me,” Isabel whispered. Behind her, I saw Kane, his back against the mansion wall. The location we had selected really was perfect. It could hardly be seen even if you searched for it. I looked up the wall, gauging the climb. It was completely smooth, with no handholds nearby, no windows or drainpipes to help. A very difficult climb for me. Probably impossible for Kane and Isabel. But this was the best location to do it unseen.
“Where’s the rope and gloves?” I asked.
Kane moved forward, holding the baroness’ handbag. He opened it, and took out three pairs of gloves. I slid mine on, flexing my fingers. Once we were inside, these would keep our fingerprints off everything.
Kane handed me a large coil of nylon rope. It had knots along its length, to make climbing easier.
I twisted my wrist and the silvery chain uncoiled from it, dropping to my gloved palm. I tied a small loop in the rope’s end, and then touched the chain with it. It slithered and coiled around the loop.
“How does it know what you want it to do?” Kane asked, looking mesmerized.
“You tell me, you’re the sorcerer.”
“I’ve never heard of anything like it.”
I took a step back, staring up, estimating the distance to the roof. Then I whirled the rope several times and let go. The chain, attached to the rope, flew upward. It arced over the roof, and landed beyond it, somewhere above. The rope jerked in my hand as the chain located something to latch itself to. Then it was still. I tugged. It held.
“One at a time,” I said. “I’m last.”
Isabel went first, grabbing the rope, and began climbing it nimbly.
“I was worried for you,” Kane said. “It sounded like a bit of action took place there.”
“Nothing I couldn’t handle,” I answered.
“I’m starting to think that’s generally the case.”
I looked away, trying to hide my embarrassed smile. “Harutaka, how are we doing?”
“Looking good,” Harutaka said. “The baroness is in a large, comfortable-looking room on the third floor. She’s sitting on a sofa, talking… I’m presuming she’s talking to the vampire.”
“Baroness? Are you okay?”
“She can’t hear you,” Harutaka interjected. “She muted the chat.”
That made sense. The vampire’s ears would be sharp enough to hear us through her earpiece.
“I’m up,” Isabel said.
Kane grabbed the rope and began climbing, Sinead’s bag on his shoulder. I half-expected him to struggle with it. He was much larger than Isabel, after all, and it would take a lot of strength to pull his body up the rope. But his movements were smooth and agile, and in a few seconds he was already ten feet up.
“I thought the vampire would lunge at her once they were out of sight,” Harutaka said.
“I guess this one is gentlemanly,” I answered.
“Aren’t you worried he might… drink too much?”
“The tincture should make him woozy,” I said, trying to keep the unease from my voice. “She should be able to pull back after a few seconds. He won’t have a lot of time to drink.”
“I’m on the roof.” Kane sounded breathless. Strong or not, those cigarettes probably weren’t helping his lungs.
I grabbed the rope and began scaling the wall. As a teenager I had practiced climbing daily, learning how to wedge my fingers into the smallest cracks, how to push myself up with only one limb, how to lunge for handholds. Climbing this knotted rope was a walk in the park. I shimmied up, enjoying the height and the rush.
Then a movement drew my eye. I glanced sideways. Through a small window, I gazed into a large, lavishly furnished room. There was a huge bed covered in silk bedsheets. An oak wardrobe, its surface carved with intricate designs. A large, comfortable sofa.
Maximillian Fuchs sat on the sofa, Sinead, the baroness, beside him.
She leaned toward him, murmuring something in his ear. He seemed hypnotized, the scent of her blood probably tantalizing him beyond belief. I doubted he understood a single word she said.
He whispered something, smiling. His fangs glittered in the light. The baroness cupped his cheek, gazing into his eyes. Then she lowered the front of her dress, uncovering the tops of her breasts. She tilted her head back and said one word. I read her lips. Drink.
He moved with lightning speed, one hand snaking around her, his face plunging to her chest, his fangs biting through her delicate skin. I let out a whimper of fear. Although I knew we had staged it, I suddenly felt insane for endangering my friend this way. Putting her in a room with a vampire, after spiking her blood to be more enticing—what was I thinking?
He drank in a frenzy, his body clenching with something that looked like pure passion. I counted the seconds. One… two… three… four…
It should be enough. I glanced at Sinead’s face, expecting to see her expression alert as she prepared to pull him away.
She gazed at the ceiling, her eyes wide and blank, biting her lower lip in ecstasy. Something was wrong.
“What’s going on?” Harutaka whispered in my ear. “She isn’t pulling him away.”
“He did something to her! She looks… drunk.” I clenched my jaw. “Turn her voice chat on. We have to snap her out of it.”
“I can’t. Only she can turn it on.”
“Damn it!” How many seconds had gone by? Ten? Fifteen? How much was he drinking from her? He’d kill her.
I hesitated, then thumped at the window.
Neither of them seemed to care. He sucked more and more. Was she becoming pale? I thumped the window again, harder. Nothing. She wrapped her hands around his head, pulling him toward her, instead of pushing him away. What the hell was happening? Horrified, I watched the vampire about to drain my friend dry. My heart beat wildly, my breathing shallow, a bitter taste in my mouth.
The fear pulsed in me, in my hands, and before I could stop it, my right hand burst into flames, burning the glove off instantly. I quickly let go of the rope, clutching it only with my left hand and my legs. An orange glowing spot materialized where the flame had touched it, a wisp of smoke rising from it. But it held.
My left hand became infernally hot as well. Pulling back my burning fist, I hit the window as hard as I could. I heard the glass crack slightly.
Sinead’s eyes sharpened. She glanced at the window, saw my face, my blazing hand, then gaped downward, at the head of Maximillian Fuchs.
She yanked him back and pushed herself away. I let out a small breath of relief. The vampire seemed dazed, confused. My potion had done its job.
Sinead fumbled at her ear, and suddenly I could hear her heavy breathing in my earphone. She had unmuted the chat.
“I’m fine,” she mumbled, sounding far from fine.
Her voice calmed me down enough to quench the flames on my hand. I could only hope none of the guards below had seen this momentary flicker of fire. I glanced at the vampire. “He isn’t,” I said. “He drank much more than he should have. He’ll fall asleep in a few seconds. Get the combination from him, now!”
She nodded at me through the window, then turned her eyes to Maximillian.
“Maximillian,” she said. “I have a question for you.”
“Wha…?” His voice was heavy, sleepy.
“There’s a combination to the vault’s door, Maximillian. I want to know what it is.”
“I shouldn’t have drunk so much,” he mumbled. “But you tasted so good. I need more.” He fumbled toward her.
She gently held him back. “Soon, darling,” she said. “But first I just need to know this one small thing. And then you can drink your fill. What’s the combination to the vault door?”
“The combination?” His eyes were closing.
“That’s right, darling. Just give me the combination.”
“It’s four digits.”
“Okay. What are they?”
“It’s… hang on. The room is spinning.”
“You’re very tired, Maximillian. Just give me the combination, and you can sleep.”
“It’s… six… three…”
He tumbled to the floor, his arms spread to the side, a trickle of Sinead’s blood on his lip. He was unconscious, and he had given us only half the combination.