Читать книгу Midnight - Christi Whitney J. - Страница 8

‘Hey mom,’ said Katie, knocking on the door. ‘You awake?’

‘Yeah,’ came a muffled voice from inside.

Katie motioned for me to follow her into her mother’s bedroom. Nicole Lewis walked out of the bathroom wearing a fluffy bathrobe, her face covered in a green-tinted facial mask.

‘Hey, Josephine,’ she said pleasantly, opening the top drawer of her dresser as she smiled at me. She was an older, mirrored image of Katie, right down to the bright blue eyes. ‘I haven’t seen you in a long time. How’s everything going with the Circe?’

I smiled back. ‘It’s been busy.’

‘Mom, can we switch cars this weekend?’ asked Katie.

Nicole sat on the edge of the bed and proceeded to file her nails. ‘Why, is something wrong with yours?’

‘No, it’s just that Josie and I just decided to take a girls’ weekend to Savannah. They’re having a food and craft festival tomorrow, and Josie’s in serious need of a break from the Circe for a couple of days. You know your car’s a lot more reliable than mine on long trips.’

I glanced sideways at Katie, but I didn’t say anything. Nicole finished one hand and turned the emery board over to start the other. ‘When are you leaving?’

‘Right now.’

Nicole paused and looked at her nightstand clock. ‘It’s 11:30.’

‘We want to get an early start in the morning,’ I jumped in, still smiling. ‘I have some family in Savannah that don’t mind us staying with them for a few nights.’

‘Please, Mom,’ said Katie. ‘I promise I’ll bring your car back home with a full tank. This is the only weekend Josie’s free all summer.’

Nicole looked at me for a few seconds, and then puckered her lips in a sympathetic way. ‘Well, I suppose so. My keys are on the kitchen table. Just don’t forget to leave me yours.’

Katie rushed forward and hugged her mom. ‘Thank you!’

Nicole laughed and wiped a smudge of green facial off Katie’s cheek. ‘As long as you promise me you’ll call when you girls get there. And let me know when you’re coming home. Okay?’

‘I’ll make sure she does,’ I replied.

We backed out of the room quickly and retrieved our things. Katie swiped the keys off the table on our way to the garage, rolling her suitcase behind her. I threw my duffel bag in the back seat of her mom’s Lexus and slid into the passenger seat.

‘Why are we taking your mom’s car again?’ I asked.

Katie adjusted the mirrors. ‘Because Hugo knows my car.’

I felt a surge of surprise. ‘I hadn’t thought of that.’

‘Which is exactly why I’m coming with you.’

The tension in Katie’s tone was palpable. She pulled the car out of the garage and headed down the long driveway. We didn’t say anything as we drove through town. Katie was even quieter than Francis had been. I felt a knot form in my stomach. Finally, I couldn’t take it anymore.

‘Katie—’

‘You know,’ she said, stopping me with a wave of her hand. ‘All these months, I thought Sebastian was the one who’d gone completely nuts. But you’re telling me a man was killed at the Circe, and then some crazy guy hauls Sebastian out of Sixes in a cage, and no one even called 911?’

‘You know we can’t do that,’ I said slowly.

‘Why, because you’d have to explain your monster story?’

I leaned back in the seat and stared out the window. ‘Katie, maybe I shouldn’t have told you …’

‘No,’ she said. ‘I asked for it. I did.’

‘Okay,’ I said, and left it at that.

Maybe I’d crossed the line by telling Katie the truth, but I couldn’t help feeling grateful she was here with me; relieved not to have to pretend with her anymore – whether she believed me or not.

Katie put on her blinker as we waited to turn into the small strip mall that housed the Gypsy Ink Tattoo Parlor. ‘So, what’s the plan?’

‘Park on the far side of the lot,’ I replied. ‘There’s a convenience store that’s still open. We can watch the shop from there. We’ll wait for them to leave, and then we’ll follow behind.’

‘Can’t you just map out the directions on your phone?’ asked Katie as she turned into the parking lot. ‘Why do we have to follow Hugo?’

‘It’s not about directions. I want to know what the Corsis intend to do when they get there. I haven’t been to our Haven in years. I’m not even sure the High Council still meets in the same place. I need the Corsis’ help, but this time, they won’t be able to push me out.’

Katie chose an empty parking spot near the road, but one that faced towards the tattoo shop. She turned off the car, and we settled in to wait. I glanced down to check my phone. It read 11:50.

‘Hey, isn’t that Ms Lucian?’ said Katie suddenly.

I peered through the shadowy lights of the parking lot. A woman was making her way quickly across the empty space, carrying a small bag. She was dressed in jeans and a t-shirt, and her red-tipped black hair blew across her face as she walked in the direction of the Gypsy Ink.

‘Yes,’ I said. ‘That’s her.’

‘What’s our drama teacher doing here, and this late at night?’ Katie leaned over the steering wheel, watching with narrowed eyes as Esmeralda Lucian walked into the shop and closed the door behind her. ‘Oh, do you think she’s getting a tattoo?’

I glanced over my shoulder at my duffel bag in the back seat. I could just see the outline of the small, leather-bound book, where I’d placed it in the side pocket. If Ezzie was here, it could only mean one thing: she was going with Hugo and the Corsis to Savannah.

‘There was something I left out when I was telling you everything,’ I said, turning to Katie. ‘Ezzie sort of works with the Corsi clan.’

‘Ezzie?’

‘Ms Lucian … Esmeralda Lucian … is a former gargoyle.’

Katie shot me another suspicious look. ‘What is that supposed to mean?’

‘I don’t know all the details,’ I said, looking back towards the tattoo shop. Everything was still quiet. ‘A long time ago, when she was a gargoyle, Esmeralda had a charge. His name was Markus, and he died. Apparently it was her fault, and she was turned human as punishment.’

I could see Katie processing. I assumed it was about Ezzie, but her question caught me off guard. ‘So, does that mean that Sebastian could be cured of whatever this is?’

‘It’s not a disease.’

The words snapped free of my lips harsher than I’d intended. But I didn’t regret them. My stomach turned over again as I saw Sebastian’s face in my memory and heard my name as he said it, gentle and full of warmth.

‘I didn’t mean—’

‘I know,’ I said quickly, studying the flashing neon sign of the Gypsy Ink. ‘Ms Lucian still has a lot of shadowen abilities,’ I continued, preferring to switch the subject back to Ezzie. ‘And her senses are really good. Plus, she’s still really protective of the Corsis.’

‘Why do the Corsis need protecting?’ Katie asked.

‘We all do,’ I replied.

‘From what?’

‘I told you, from the shadow creatures.’

Katie slumped in the driver’s seat with a heavy, exasperated sigh. ‘Yeah, yeah. The monsters that have been after your people since the Dark Ages. I heard everything you said back at my house.’

I didn’t have the energy to reply, not that there was anything else to say. After listening to my outrageous story, Katie had still chosen to come with me. Could I really expect anything more?

The shop’s neon sign went dark.

I checked my phone again. It was five minutes past midnight. After a few moments, three motorcycles rounded the side of the building from the back of the strip mall. It was easy to make out the figures of James, Kris, and Vincent, even underneath the sickly light of the street lamps. An old pick-up truck followed them through the empty lot. As the vehicle slowed to pull out into the street, I caught a glimpse of the occupants: Hugo driving and Ezzie in the passenger seat.

‘Okay,’ I said, buckling my seat belt. ‘Let’s go.’

Katie kept a considerable distance from the Corsi caravan as they took the main road leading out of Sixes, just enough to keep Hugo’s brake lights in view. Neither one of us spoke as we turned onto the Interstate. I leaned against the window, staring at the darkened road and the occasional white lights from oncoming cars.

‘So, what are we going to do when we get there?’ asked Katie.

‘I’m still working on that.’

I massaged my temples with my fingertips. I would testify before the High Council on Sebastian’s behalf. I would do everything in my power to make sure he walked free. But my head ached with uncertainties, questions that went deeper than his being framed at the kris.

What information did Karl’s books contain that was so important Augustine would be willing to murder for it? And why was he still after Sebastian, as Hugo believed? But there was one question that bothered me the most: what had happened to Sebastian when he was in that cage to turn him so wild?

‘Josie, did you hear me?’

I jumped in the seat. Katie threw a sideways glance at me as she drove.

‘I’m sorry, I was thinking.’

‘About Quentin?’ she asked. Her tone was level and pointed. ‘You do realize you haven’t said one thing to me about him this whole time.’

I felt cold again, and I wrapped my arms around my stomach. ‘He went with Augustine last night, on my father’s orders, to make sure Sebastian was delivered safely to the High Council. I’m sure he’s probably on his way back home by now.’

‘You don’t know?’

‘He hasn’t texted. But he usually doesn’t when he’s working.’

Katie’s curious stare burned into me. But I didn’t look at her. I knew Quentin had been pleased with how things had turned out in the kris, despite the sweet words and consoling hugs he offered me. He’d never liked Sebastian, never even gave him a real chance. And I knew I was going to have to confront that head on. But right now, I had Sebastian’s trial to think about.

*

‘We have to stop for gas,’ said Katie.

‘What?’ I bolted out of my half-slumber and yanked out my phone. We’d been on the road nearly three hours. I stared at the black road stretching out before us. There were several red taillights, and I wasn’t sure which one was Hugo’s anymore. ‘No, we can’t. We’ll lose the Corsis.’

‘My refuel light’s been on for the last twenty miles,’ said Katie. ‘We won’t make it there on this tank. Besides, I really have to pee.’ She glanced pleadingly at me. ‘I promise, we’ll be really quick. But I’m seriously going to wet myself if we don’t stop now.’

‘Okay,’ I said, trying to manage my frustration. ‘Just hurry.’

We took the exit ramp and stopped at the first gas station. I filled up the tank while Katie went inside to use the facilities. She came out a few minutes later carrying two sodas. I finished paying, but as I reached to take one of the bottles from her, a cold breeze whipped across my face.

The garish white lights from the gas station only reached the edges of the parking lot, leaving everything beyond in shadowy darkness. The air felt warm, but the breeze was noticeably colder – a sensation I’d felt before. Goosebumps sprouted up my arms.

‘What is it?’ Katie asked, frowning at me.

‘This was a bad idea,’ I said, moving towards the car. ‘We aren’t anywhere near an Outcast Haven. We don’t have any Marksmen with us.’

‘What are you talking about?’

I opened the back door and reached for my bag. I retrieved the diamond-coated knife Quentin had given me – the one I’d used on Matthias when Sebastian and I had been attacked on Copper Mountain. The blade caught the light and glittered. Katie stared at it as though I’d pulled out a jar of scorpions.

‘It’s a Marksman knife,’ I said as I surveyed the parking lot. It was empty and still. Poster advertisements covered the front windows of the tiny convenience store, preventing me from seeing inside. ‘Diamond-coated weapons are the only things that can kill shadow creatures.’

Katie’s shock morphed into irritation. ‘And we’re back to monsters.’

I ignored her comment as I eased cautiously around the front of the car. I’d gotten so used to having Sebastian by my side the last few weeks, that I’d almost forgotten what it felt like to be afraid, genuinely afraid. But he wasn’t here, and all I had to defend us was one small knife and my limited fighting experience.

The cold breeze swirled bits of trash across the concrete.

‘I should’ve known,’ I said, peering upward. ‘It can smell me.’

‘Smell you?’ Katie took a step backwards, her jaw hung open in disbelief. ‘Okay, you know Josie, I’ve been giving you the benefit of the doubt all night, but this is just too much to swallow. I’m starting to think you might be delusional or something.’

A dark form swooped through the air, just over one of the streetlights. I heard the leathery flap of wings. Fear worked its way up my throat with prickly fingers. I brandished the knife, though I couldn’t see anything against the cloudy, starless sky. Why had I been so reckless?

‘We need to get in the car,’ I said.

Suddenly, a vehicle came screeching into the parking lot from the road. Katie sprang back, and I spun on my heel as Hugo’s truck roared up beside ours and slammed to a halt. Hugo and Esmeralda flew out of the truck. I didn’t like the look on either of their faces.

‘We’re being tracked,’ said Hugo.

Three motorcycles rumbled in behind him. James, Vincent, and Kris leapt off. Their faces were tense as they spanned out and searched the sky. Hugo scowled at me.

‘How did you—’ I began.

‘A discussion for later,’ said Ezzie. She tilted her head and sniffed the air. ‘We must get out of the open.’ She gestured to a thin line of trees running parallel to the parking lot, just outside the glow of lights from the station. ‘It will reduce their advantage.’

‘Can’t we just outdrive them?’ asked James.

‘Only to have them follow us to the next stop and attack there?’ hissed Ezzie. Her eyes glittered dangerously. ‘No, we must deal with them here.’

Katie suddenly chucked her soda into the trash and whirled on us with a half-crazed expression. ‘Are you serious? You guys believe all this stuff, too? I can’t even … it’s like some freaking shared delusion!’

‘There is no time for this, Katie Lewis,’ snapped Ezzie, flinging open the door of Hugo’s truck. Her hazel eyes flickered silver. ‘You are not Roma. They will leave you alone. Stay here and do not open these doors.’

The color faded from Katie’s cheeks. ‘Josephine …’

I grabbed her hand. ‘Just do what Ms Lucian says.’

‘But—’

‘And stay low,’ I said as I closed the door after her.

We hurried into the trees, Esmeralda leading the way and the Corsis bringing up the rear. My heart pounded. Marksmen were the ones equipped to kill these things, not us. And Esmeralda, though intimidating, was human, not gargoyle. I said a quick prayer under my breath.

We crouched behind a group of shrubs. Ezzie sniffed the air again, and I sensed her frustration. I knew she retained bits of her old shadow creature abilities, but I didn’t know how well they worked.

‘I cannot tell how many,’ Ezzie whispered. ‘Two, I believe.’

Hugo reached down and wrapped his fingers around a fallen branch the size of a baseball bat. He caught Ezzie’s look. ‘Yeah, I know. It won’t kill ’em, but it’ll still hurt.’

James, Kris, and Vincent found their own pieces of wood. We waited. I kept anxious eyes on the truck, praying that Katie would stay put. Ezzie leaned forward in her crouch, fingers splayed wide against the ground in a posture that reminded me of Sebastian. I clutched the knife tighter.

Ezzie closed her eyes and took in one smooth breath. Then, her eyes snapped open. She pointed with both hands, at two different trees directly above us. A wild snarl erupted from a cluster of branches. Something dropped to the ground. Ezzie shoved me aside.

The thing hissed, shuffling into view. I cringed in disgust. A grotesque. It was at least the size of a horse. A body and head like some medieval serpent, with black liquid dripping from its venomous-looking fangs. It scrambled closer, moving on multiple legs.

From out of the darkness, a winged creature slammed into Hugo from behind. He kicked at the beast as James bashed its scaly head with his branch. Kris and Vincent jumped into the fray, but my attention snapped immediately back to the shadowen in front of us.

Ezzie made a snarling sound, and inky mist appeared around her body. The creature lunged. Ezzie reappeared in another clump of mist several feet away. The grotesque roared in fury, its solid silver eyes gleaming, as it whirled around. It backed me up against a tree.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Esmeralda move into view. The creature reared back like a coiled snake. As it went for my head, I ducked and rolled to the side. With accuracy I’d learned over years of Circe training, I tossed the knife in Ezzie’s direction. She caught it and stabbed the creature, right in the middle of the back. The blade buried itself in the grotie’s flesh, all the way to the handle. The creature shuddered and dropped to the ground.

‘Ezzie!’ yelled Hugo.

Ms Lucian spun and aimed my knife at the other grotesque. It screeched and went down. Hugo wasted no time. He yanked the blade free from the creature’s wing and plunged it into the thing’s scaled chest.

Both shadowen collapsed, dead.

I leaned against the tree, gasping for breath. Hugo pried my knife free from the winged grotesque just as its body solidified into stone. Within seconds, both shadow creatures became nothing more than statues lying on the leaf-covered ground.

‘Is everyone okay?’ Hugo asked.

Suddenly, panic gripped me. ‘Katie!’

I rushed back to the truck. I could see her tear-stained face pressed against the window. I wrestled open the door, and she stumbled out, shaking all over. She stared at me with enormous eyes.

‘I believe it,’ she whimpered, clutching my arms. ‘I believe all of it.’

Then she was sick all over the tops of my shoes.

*

James and Kris hid the bodies of the grotesques in the brush, while Hugo supervised. I waited anxiously next to the car, with Katie by my side. She took small sips from a water bottle James had given her. Her face was pale, and she was unusually quiet.

Hugo emerged from the trees, wiping his hands off on his jeans. The others followed behind. His face grew darker as he approached us, and he sized me up with one long, penetrating stare. I met his gaze, unblinking, though inside, I felt close to crumbling.

‘How much does she know?’ Hugo asked me.

‘Everything,’ I replied.

Hugo paused long enough to give a definitive huff. Then he turned to Katie and held out his hand. ‘Well Katie, I guess you’re in.’

Vincent’s mouth gaped open.

James grabbed Hugo’s shoulder. ‘I don’t think that’s a good—’

‘No arguments,’ said Hugo brusquely. ‘If Josephine trusts her with our secrets, then so do I. Katie Lewis, consider yourself diddikoi from this point forward.’

‘Friend of Gypsies,’ I said, for her benefit.

Katie shook Hugo’s hand with the confidence of someone handling a snake.

‘How did you know we were following you?’ I asked.

‘It was Ezzie,’ he answered, watching as Ms Lucian walked the perimeter of the gas station, her head tilted upward. ‘She saw a couple of girls in a shiny SUV, hanging out in the back of our parking lot before we left. It didn’t take a lot of brainwork to put the rest together. Ezzie’s had the scent of groties on our tail for the last hour. When you two pulled off the Interstate, I got worried.’

I felt heat rise to my face. ‘Thanks for coming back.’

His expression softened somewhat. ‘I don’t reckon Sebastian would forgive me if I let you get yourself killed,’ he replied. ‘And since you’re obviously not going to listen to our advice about staying home, I’m offering you a place to stay in Savannah. The Corsi clan owns a B&B in the Victorian District. That’s where we’re heading.’

I nodded as Ezzie approached, ending our conversation.

‘Anything?’ Hugo asked.

‘No,’ she said, her attention still on the dark trees beyond the lights. ‘I don’t sense any other shadowen in the area. But we should be on our way. I’ve never seen grotesques so bold before. To attack Roma in public as they did is highly unusual. I fear this was not simply an isolated incident.’

‘Agreed,’ said Hugo. He turned his sharp eyes towards Katie. ‘Since you’ve been following us for three hours, I’m sure it won’t be too much trouble to continue on into the city.’

Katie nodded weakly.

‘I’ll drive,’ Ezzie said to her. ‘If you don’t mind.’

Katie dropped her car keys into Esmeralda’s outstretched hand without the slightest hint of argument. I looked at our former teacher curiously, but she only smiled, an oddly tight expression.

‘Try and keep up,’ said Hugo wryly. ‘And no more pit stops.’

We pulled out onto the Interstate once more, Hugo in the lead. The rest of the guys maneuvered behind us on their motorcycles. Katie took the passenger seat, and I retreated to the back. I didn’t try and explain anything more to her. She’d seen enough by now to be convinced– at least of everything that mattered at this point. But there was nothing I could do to make it any less horrible.

I turned the diamond-coated knife over in my hands. The grotesque’s black blood had cleaned off easily, but nausea lingered in the back of my throat. I hadn’t wanted Quentin’s weapon – he’d only given it to me to protect myself against Sebastian – but now I was glad I’d brought it. His weapon had saved our lives.

A lump of conflicted emotion rotated in my stomach. My feelings for Sebastian, however new and undefined they might be, weren’t going to change. But neither, I hated to admit, were Quentin’s. In his eyes, he was a Marksman and Sebastian was a shadow creature. There was no middle ground.

‘Josie?’

I leaned towards Katie. ‘Yeah?’

‘Does Sebastian … look like that?’ She shuddered visibly. ‘Like them?’

‘No,’ I said firmly. I focused on the windshield, finding myself once more at a loss for the right words. ‘I mean, not exactly. It’s like I told you before, he’s still Sebastian. Mostly. Just different.’

‘Different,’ she repeated numbly. Katie rubbed her eyes. Her mental conflict and exhaustion were etched clearly on her face. She was still pale, even through her rosy-pink makeup. ‘So why did they attack you?’

It was Ezzie who answered. ‘Roma blood. Grotesques smell it. The scent draws them in, like a predator seeking its prey.’

‘Prey?’ said Katie. ‘You guys are their prey?’

Ezzie gripped the steering wheel. But she didn’t answer. Instead, she frowned through the rear-view mirror at me. ‘Josephine, did you bring the book I gave you?’

It was at that moment that I realized why Esmeralda had insisted on driving our car. She wanted to talk.

‘Yes, I packed it when I left the Circe.’

‘Good,’ she replied. ‘Markus’ book may be of use to us in Savannah.’

Pain flickered behind Ezzie’s eyes when she mentioned her charge by name. I felt my own pain welling up inside of me. Maybe it was only a fraction of hers, but the source was the same. What if I couldn’t save Sebastian? What if I failed?

Katie looked between us. ‘What book?’

‘One similar to those stolen from Karl Corsi,’ answered Ezzie. ‘Markus believed it to be important to the future of the shadow world when he entrusted it to my care. I must confess, I had not thought of it until Sebastian’s awakening last autumn. I have felt a strong upheaval in the shadow world the last few months. The increase in shadowen activity and the timing of Sebastian’s awakening cannot be treated as mere coincidence.’ She paused as she checked the side mirrors and changed lanes. ‘His difficult adjustment as a gargoyle has concerned me. I can’t explain it, but Sebastian is not the same to me as other shadowen. Even the way he smells—’

Katie made a sound in the back of her throat.

‘His scent,’ Ezzie continued, flashing a silvery glare at Katie that made her cringe. ‘Since his transformation I have been at a loss to figure it out. It is my hope that Zindelo and Nadya will be able to answer our questions.’

‘Hugo’s parents? But I thought no one knew their whereabouts.’

Esmeralda almost smiled. ‘That’s not entirely true.’

I swallowed past a sudden lump in my throat. ‘What does Hugo think about Sebastian?’

‘He denies anything openly,’ Ezzie replied. ‘But Hugo Corsi is an intelligent man. Unfortunately, I believe his attachment to Sebastian as his brother clouds his clarity.’

‘What about you?’

‘I am a guardian,’ she answered. ‘Or at least, I was. Guardians do not form attachments outside of our charges.’

‘That’s not true of you,’ I said. ‘Or Sebastian.’

Esmeralda paused. ‘No, it’s not.’

I stuffed the diamond-encrusted knife into my bag and closed my eyes. I wasn’t sure when I drifted off or how much time passed, but the sensation of slowing down woke me up. Katie had also fallen asleep; her head resting against the window and her mouth slacked open.

The skies were still dark, with dawn at least another hour away. I nudged Katie awake as we passed the Savannah city limits sign. We entered the coastal city, surrounded by palm trees and large oaks dripping with Spanish moss. Even in the darkness, it felt like we were passing into another world. Hugo led us down several roads, driving by numerous hotels and restaurants, before we ended up on a small cobblestone street lined on either side with eclectic, Victorian-style houses. He pulled into one and drove around the back.

‘Whoa,’ Katie breathed. ‘This is seriously gorgeous.’

The brick house was three stories tall, with a massive porch, lined with white columns. There were even balconies on the second and third levels with several brick chimneys sticking out from the roof. Thick trees, their limbs heavy with clumps of moss, populated the courtyard.

‘Josephine, Katie,’ said Esmeralda, turning off the car. ‘Welcome to The Dandelion Inn, headquarters of the Corsi clan in Savannah.’