Night World : The Chosen Chapter 11

The U-Haul whirred across smooth resonant pavement and Rashel tried to guess where they were. Shehad been drawing a present in her mind, trying to imagine each turn they made, each change of the roadunderneath them.Ivan sit down slouched, blocking the blanket doors of the truck. His eyes were small and mean, and theyflickered over the girls constantly. In his right hand he held a taser, a hand-held electrical stun gun, andRashel knew he was dying to use it. only the cargo was world rattling docile. Daphne was beside Rashel, trend against her very slightly forcomfort, her dark blue eyes fixed va goattly on the far wall. They were shackled to puffher although bothLily and Ivan had been checking Daphne constantly for signs of waking up, they were dearly pickings nochances.On the opposite side of the truck were the 2 other girls. One was Juanita, her wavy bronze tomentum sweep from two days of lying on it, her bee-stung lips parted, her gaze empty. The second girl was atowhead, wi th flyaway hair and Bambi eyes staring blankly. Ivan called her Missy.She was about twelve.Rashel allowed herself to daydream about social occasions to do to Ivan.Then she focused. The van was intermitping. Ivan jumped up, and a heartbeat later he was opening the backdoors. Then he and Lily were unshackling the girls and herding them out, telling them to hurry.Rashel specked deeply, grateful for the young open air. Salty air. Keeping her gaze aimless and glassy,she looked nigh. It was twilight and they were on a Charlestown dock.Keep moving, Ivan verbalize, a hand on her shoulder.Ahead, Rashel saw a sleek thirty-foot power cruiser bobbing gently in a slip. A figure with dark hair wason the deck, doing nighthing with lines. Quinn.He barely glanced up as Ivan and Lily hustled the girls onto the boat, and he didnt help steady Missywhen she almost lost her balance jumping from the dock. His mood had changed again, Rashel realized.He seemed withdrawn, false inward, brooding.Mov e Ivan shoved her, and for an instant, Quinns attention shifted. He stared at Ivan with eyes standardizedblack death, endless and fathomless. Hedidnt tell a word. Ivans hand dropped from Rashers back.Lily led them down a short flight of steps to a fix but neat little cabin and gestured them to anL-shaped couch behind a dinette table. Here. Sit down. You two here. You two there.Rashel slipped into her seat and stared va standtly across at the sink in the tiny galley.You all stay here, Lily state. Dont move. Stay. She would obligate made a greatslave overseer, Rashel thought. Or dog trainer.When Lily had disappeared up the stairs and the door in a higher place had banged shut, Rashel and Daphnesimultaneously let out their breath.You doing okey? Rashel whispered.Yeah. A little shaky. Where dyou think were red ink?Rashel only when agitate her head. Nobody knew where the lamia enclaves were. An idea was set about to form in her mind, though. There must be a reason they were tr aveling by boat-it would have been saferand easier to keep the pris unityrs in the U-Haul. Unless they were loss to a place you couldnt shake up to byU-Haul.An island. Why shouldnt some of the enclaves be on islands? There were hundreds of them off theeastern coast.It was a very unsettling thought.On an island they would be completely isolated.Nowhere to escape to if things got bad. No possible hope of help from outside.Rashel was beginning to regret that shed brought Daphne into this. And she had the ominous feeling thatwhen they got to their destination, she was departure to regret it even more.The boat sliced cleanly by means of the pee, heading into darkness. Behind Quinn was the skyline ofBoston, the city lights showing where the ocean ended and the land began. But out front there was nohorizon, no difference between sky and sea. There was only formless, endless void.The inky blackness was dotted with an occasional solitary winking light-herring boats. They only seemedto make the vastness of empty water more lonely.Quinn ignored Lily and Ivan. He was non in a good mood.He let the coldness air soak into him, permeating his body, mixing with the cold he felt inside. He imaginedhimself freezing solid-a quite a pleasant thought.Just engender to the enclave, he thought emptily. Get it over with.This last batch of girls had mental unsoundness him. He didnt whop why, and he didnt want to think about it. Theywere vermin. All of them. Even the dark-haired one who was so lovely that it was almost too bad shewas certifiably insane. The little blond one was crazy, too. The one who, having had the risk to fall out ofthe frying pan once, had come right back, coated herself with butter and breadcrumbs, and jumped inagain.Idiot. psyche like that deservedQuinns thought stony-broke off. Somewhere deep inside him was a little verbalise saying that no one, howeveridiotic, deserved what was going to happen to those girls.Youre the idiot. Just get them to the e nclave and and then you can forget all this.The enclave it was Hunter Redfern who had first thought of enclaves on islands. Because of Dove,hed utter.We need a place where the Redferns can live safely, without looking over their shoulders for humanswith stakes. An island would do.Quinn hadnt objected to the classification of himself as a Redfern-although he had no designing ofmarrying Garnet or Lily. Instead he tell, practically, Fishermen visit those islands all the time. Humans are settling them. Wed have accomp both soon.There are spells to guard places humans shouldnt go. I know a witch wholl do it, to protect lily andGarnet.Why?Hunter had grinned. Because shes their mother.And Quinn had said nothing. Later hed met Maeve Harman, the witch who had mingled her blood withthe lamia. She didnt seem to likeHunter much, and she unbroken their youngest daughter, Roseclear, who was universe raised as a witch, awayfrom him. But she did the spell.And theyd all moved to the island, where Garnet finally gave up on Quinn and married a male child from a nicelamia family. Her children were allowed to carry on the Redfern name. And as time went on, otherenclaves had sprung up.But none quite like the one Quinn was heading for now.He shifted on his seat in the cockpit. Ahead, there was a horizon again. A luminous silver lunation wasrising above the pond-still dark water. It shone like an enchantment, as if to guide Quinns way.Scrrrunch.Rashel winced as the boat docked. Somebody wasnt being careful. But theyd arrived, and it could onlybe an island. Theyd been heading east for over two hours.Daphne lifted her head weakly. I dont care if they eat us the minute we get off, as long as I get to feelsolid ground again.This practically is solid ground, Rashel whispered. Its been dead calm the whole way.Tell that to my stomach. Daphne moaned, and Rashel poked her. soul was coming down thestairs.It was Lily. Ivan waited above with the taser. They herded the girls off the bo at and up onto a little dock.Rashel did her vacant-eyed staring or so again, blessing the moonlight that allowed her to see.It wasnt much of a dock. One wharf with a gas pump and a shack. There were three other powerboatsin slips.And that was all. Rashel couldnt see any sign of life. The boats rode like ghost ships on the water. Therewas silence except for the slap of the waves.Private island, Rashel thought.Something about the place made the hair on the back of her neck rise. With Lily in front and Ivan in back, the group was herded to a hiking trail that wound up a cliff.Its just an island, Rashel told herself. You should be dancing with joy. This is the enclave you wanted toget to. Theres nothing uncanny about this place.And then, as they reached the top of the cliff, she saw the rocks. Big rocks. Monoliths that reminded hereerily of Stonehenge. It looked as if a giant had scattered them around.And there were houses build among them, perched on the lonely cliff, looking down on the vast dark sea.They all seemed deserted, and somehow they reminded Rashel of gargoyles, change posture and waiting.Lily was headed for the very last house on the sandy unpaved road.It was one of those huge summer cottages that was in reality a mansion. A massive white frame house,two and a half stories high, with elaborate ornamentation. assault coursed through Rashel.A frame house. Wood.This place wasnt built by vampires.The lamia built out of brick or fieldstone, not out of the wood that was lethal to them. They must havebought this island from humans.Rashel was tingling from head to toe. This is definitely not a normal enclave. Where are all the flock?Wheres the town? What are we doing here?Move, move. Lily marched them around the back of the house and inside. And at last, Rashel heardthe sounds of other life. Voices from somewhere inside the house.But she didnt get to see who the voices belonged to. Lily was taking them into a big old-fashionedkitchen, past a buttery wit h empty shelves.At the end of the pantry was a heavy wooden door, and on a stool by the door was a boy aboutRashels age. He had bushy brown hair and was wearing cowboy boots. He was reading a comic book.Hey, Rudi, Lily said crisply. Howre our guests?Quiet as little lambs. Rudis voice was laconic, but he stood up respectfully as Lily went by. His eyesflickered over Rashel and the other girls.Werewolf.Rashels instincts were screaming it. And thename werewolves often had names like Lovell or Felan that meant wolf in their native language.Rudi meant famous wolf in Hungarian.Best guards in the world, Rashel thought grimly. way out to be hard to get past him. Rudi was opening the door. With Lily prodding her from behind, Rashel walked down a narrow,extremely instill staircase. At the base of the stairway was another heavy door. Rudi unlocked it and ledthe way.Rashel stepped into the cellar.What she saw was something shed never seen originally. A large low-ceilinged room. Dimly lit. Wit h tworows of twelve iron beds along opposite walls.There was a girl in each bed.Teenage girls. All ages, all sizes, but all(prenominal) one good-looking in her own unique way.It looked like a hospital ward or a prison. As Rashel walked between the rows, she had to fight to keepher face blank. These girls were chained to the beds, and awake and scared.Frightened eyes looked at Rashel from every cot, then darted toward the lycanthrope. Rudi grinned atthem, waving and nodding to either side. The girls shrank away.Only a few seemed brave enough to say anything.PleaseHow long do we have to stay here?I want to go homeThe last two beds in each row were empty. Rashel was put into one. Daphne looked both sick and frightened as the shackles dosed over her ankles, but she went on gamely staring straight ahead.Sleep tight, girlies, Rudi said. Tomorrows a big day.And then he and Lily and Ivan walked out. The heavy wooden door slammed behind them, echoing inthe stone-walled cellar.Rashel sit down up in one motion.Daphne twisted her head. Is it safe to talk? she whispered.I think so, Rashel said in a normal voice. She was staring with narrowed eyes down the rows of beds.Some of the girls were looking at them, some were crying. Some had their eyes shut.Daphne burst out with the force of a fluttering dam, What are they going to do to us?I dont know, Rashel said. Her voice was hard and flat, her movements disciplined and precise, as sheslid the knife out of her boot. But Im going to find out.What, youre gonna saw through the chains? No. From a guard on the side of the sheath, Rashel pulled a thin strip of metal. She bared her teethslightly in a smile. Im going to pick the lock.Oh. Okay. Great. But then what? I mean, whats happening here? What kind of place is this? I wasexpecting some kind of-of romish slave auction or something, with, like, everybody dressed in togas andvampires waving and bidding-You may still see something like that, Rashelsaid. I agree, its weird. Th is is not a normal enclave. I dont know, maybe its some kind of holdingcenter, and theyre going to take us someplace else to look at us.Actually, Im afraid not, a quiet voice to her leftfield said.Rashel turned. The girl in the bed beside her was sitting up. She had flaming red hair, wistful eyes, and adiffident manner. Im Fayth, she said.Shelly, Rashel said briefly. She didnt trust anyone here yet. Thats Daphne. What do you mean,youre afraid not?Theyre not taking us somewhere else to sell us. Fayth looked almost apologetic.Well, Id like to know what theyre going to do with us here, Rashel said. She sprung one lock on theshackles and jabbed the lockpick into the other. cardinal girls on an island with one inhabitedhouse? Its insane.Its a bloodfeast.Rashels hand on the lockpick went still.She looked over at Fayth and said very softly, What?Theyre having a bloodfeast. On the spring equinox, I think. Starting tomorrow night at midnight.Daphne was arrival across the gap for Rashel. What, what? Whats a bloodfeast? Tell me.Its Rashel dragged her attention from Fayth. Its a feast for vampires. A big celebration, abanquet. Three courses, you know. She lookedaround the room. Three girls. And there are twenty-four of us.Enough for eight vampires, Fayth said quietly, looking apologetic.So youre saying that they take a little blood from each of three girls. Daphne was leaning anxiouslytoward Rashel. Thats what youre saying, right? Right? A little sip here, a little sip there- She broke offas Rashel and Fayth both looked at her. Youre not saying that.Daphne, Im sorry I got you into this. Rashel took a breath and opened the second lock on hershackles, avoiding Daphnes eyes. The idea of a bloodfeast is that you drink the blood of three people inone day. All their blood. You drain them. Daphne opened her mouth, shut it, then at last said pathetically, And you dont burst?Rashel smiled bleakly in spite of herself. Its supposed to be the ultimate high or something. You get t hepower of their blood, the power of their lifeforce, all at once. She looked at Fayth. But its been illegalfor a long time.Fayth nodded. Sos slavery. I think individual wants it to make a comeback.Any idea who?All I know is that somebody very rich has invited seven of the most powerful made vampires here forthe feast. Whoever he is, he unfeignedly wants to show them a good time.To make an alliance, Rashel said slowly.Maybe.The made vampires ganging up against the lamia.Possibly.And the spring equinox theyre celebrating the day of remembrance of the first made vampire. The day Mayabit Thierry.Definitely.Just wait a minute, Daphne said. Just everybody press pause, okay? How come you know about allthis stuff? She was staring at Fayth. Made vampires, this vampires, that vampires, Maya I neverheard of any of these people.Maya was the first of the lamia, Rashel said rapidly, glancing back at her. Shes the ancestress of allthe vampires who can grow up and have children-the family vampir es. The made vampires are different.Theyre humans who get made into vampires by being bitten. They cant grow any older or have kids.And Thierry was the first human to get made into a vampire, Fayth said. Maya bit him on the springequinox thousands of years ago.Rashel was watching Fayth closely. So now maybe youll answer her question, she said. How do youknow all this? No humans know about Night World history-except vampire hunters and damnedDaybreakers.Fayth winced, and then Rashel understood why she seemed so apologetic. Im a damned Daybreaker.Oh, God.Whats a Daybreaker? Daphne prompted, poking Rashel.Circle Daybreak is a group of witches whore trying to get humans and Night People to I dontknow, all dance around and drink Coke together, Rashel said, nonplussed. She was confused andrevolted-this girl had seemed so normal, so sensible. To live in harmony, actually, Fayth said to Daphne. To stop hating and killing each other.Daphne wrinkled her nose. Youre a witch?No. Im human. But I have friends whore witches. I have friends whore vampires. I know lamia andhumans whore soulmates-Dont be disgusting Rashel almost shouted it. It took her a moment to get hold of herself. Then,breathing carefully, she said, Look, just watch it, Daybreaker. I need your information, so Im will towork with you-temporarily. But watch the language or Ill leave you here when I get the domicile of us out.Then you can live in harmony with eight vampires on your own.Despite her endeavor at control, her voice was shaking. Somehow Fayths words seemed to keep echoingin her mind, as if they had some unnamed arid terrible importance. The word soulmates itself seemed toricochet around inside her.And Fayth was acting oddly, too. Instead of getting mad, she just looked at Rashel long and steadily.Then she said softly, I see Rashel didnt like the way she said it. She turned toward Daphne, whowas saying eagerly, So were going to get out of here? Like a prison break?Of course. And well have to do i t fast. Rashel narrowed her eyes, trying to think. I assumed wedhave more time and theres that werewolf to get past. And then once we do get out, were on anisland. Thats bad. We cant live long out in the wild-its too cold and theyd track us. But there has to bea way. She glanced at Fayth. I dont suppose theres any chance of other Daybreakers showing upto help.Fayth shook her head. They dont know Im here. Wed heard that something was going on in a Bostonclub, that somebody was gathering girls for a bloodfeast. I came to check it out-and got nabbed before Imade my first report.So were on our own. Thats all right. Rashels mind was in gear now, hum with ideas. Okay, first,well have to see what these girls can do-which of them can help us-Fayth and Daphne were listening intently, when Rashel was interrupted by the last thing she expected tohear in a place like this.The sound of somebody shouting her name.Rashel Rashel the vampire hunter Rashel the Cat