Katrina, The Beginning (6 page)

Quickly, I dressed in my
training outfit, leggings, boots, white long-sleeved shirt, and a
leather vest. I tied my hair back with a strip of leather and
strapped on my weapons.

In the common room, the
fire was low but still crackled and the candles had melted almost
completely down. I rushed to the door, expecting to see Joseph, but
found the hallway empty, the flickering hall lamp cast shadows on
the walls and floor.

Something was terribly
wrong. With four Royal Vampire girls inside, at least one Watcher
should always be at the door, and now the hall was
empty.

“Joseph?” I called. No
answer. Should I go back inside, close the door, and wake the
others? “
That’s ridiculous. I’m a vampire; I’m
fast and strong, and I can take care of myself,”
I told
myself. I had Joseph’s scent; he was around the corner. Why didn’t
he answer me? Rosalinda was going to hear about this if I found he
was sleeping.

When I rounded the corner I
could see him slumped on the ground. As I approached him, I sensed
someone, too quick to be a human, come at me from behind, but I was
quicker. As the attacker grabbed for me, I ducked and ran for the
stairs, drawing my blade as I moved.

“Quinn!” I yelled as I ran.
“Gunter,
help!”

As I got to the stairs, a
vampire I didn’t recognize was blocking my way. He hissed and
rushed toward me. I drove my sword into his side, his legs
crumpled, and he fell on his knees to the floor. I heard footsteps
from behind. I kicked the fallen body off my sword with my right
boot and whirled to deal a fatal blow across the neck of the
assailant. His head fell to the floor. I turned to see the wounded
would-be assassin rise from the landing, his sword injury healing
quickly. I swung and dispatched his head as well. Gunter pounded up
the stairs toward me, Quinn was right behind.

“Katrina, are you all
right?” asked Gunter, looking around wildly.

“Yes, I’m fine.”

I was panting and still in
a defensive crouch, but I
was
fine, better than fine! I had
done exactly what I’d been trained to do, I had defended myself and
those around me. And I’d done it very well.

“Joseph is dead, around the
corner from our rooms. Gunter you’d better see if the other girls
are safe. Quinn, I must see Father, right now.”

We headed toward the other
side of the palace, where the Council had their accommodations. I
was relieved to see Thomas and Simon in the hallway.

“Have you had any trouble
here tonight?” I asked.

“No, not here. What’s going
on?”

“The Watcher guarding
Katrina’s room was killed and she was attacked,” Quinn
relied.

“By whom?” Simon
asked.

“No time to go into it now.
I must see Father.”

Thomas opened the door;
Father was staring out the window.

“Father, I must speak with
you.”

“Katrina, what’s
happened?”

He embraced me, and at once
I felt safe.

“I was attacked Father,
outside my room.”

“Where was the Watcher?” he
asked as he looked angrily at Quinn.

“Dead. Father, I was
attacked by fledglings.”

“Fledglings? Who would be
creating fledglings? But why? Quinn did you get a look at
them?”

“Yes, but only after
Katrina had already killed them.”

Father looked
shocked.

“It
is
why you have the Watchers train me, isn’t it
Father? I don’t think my attackers wanted to kill me. I think they
were trying to kidnap me. Something else, Father, I had dressed and
was preparing to come and see you. As I left my room I found
Joseph, the Watcher on duty, was not outside my door, so I went
looking and found him slumped in the side hallway. That’s when I
was attacked by two vampire fledglings. But Father, the reason I
had to see you was I remembered something from the first attack
outside the gates. I remembered the scent of someone in the woods
with the Volator. A vampire. I couldn’t place because I had never
‘seen’ this scent before, not until we arrived here.”

I looked into my father’s
eyes.

“Who is it Katrina? Who’s
the traitor?”

“Damien. It’s Damien
Daminov Father!”

He stepped back away from
me and gave me a stern look.

“You’re absolutely sure,
Katrina?”

“Yes! You’ve trained me
well, Father. Everything and every being has its own unique scent,
and once I have the scent I never forget it and can use it later
when seeking a match. And how would Damien know what my gift is? He
mistakenly thought he was too far away from us for his presence to
be detected. Once the frenzy started, he thought he would be safe,
but I had sensed something was wrong much earlier and took a very
deep breath.”

“That’s right,” added
Quinn. “She started to use her gift about two miles outside the
palace. I remember thinking it could only mean trouble and drew my
sword.”

“What should we do Father?
The son of the High Regent has betrayed us. But why would he try to
have us killed and then try to have me kidnapped?”

“Without more proof, we
will only expose the fact we know what he is and what he’s done.
We’ll need more, and what of the fledglings? If we can prove he is
making new vampires against all the laws of the Council, we’ll have
more than enough evidence to convict him.”

“But why would he take such
a chance, knowing if he is convicted of this, it would mean his
death? He must have powerful allies to do something this bold.
He’ll be very cunning; we have to find a way to learn his plans,
either through someone involved or by getting someone into his
circle. We must find a way to get close to him,” reasoned
Quinn.

“What of his Watcher?
Anything going on concerning Damien, his Watcher must know.” asked
Father. “Gunter must know Damien’s Watcher.”

I turned to Father, “The
Council meets today. There has to be a connection between the
attack on the road, this one tonight and the Council
meeting.”

“Thomas and Simon will come
with me to the High Regent. We must not delay the Council. I’ll see
to it the meeting happens as soon as possible. Quinn, you and
Katrina ask Gunter about Damien’s Watcher and set up a schedule to
follow both. They must not find out what we know of their
involvement, so be very careful to whom you speak, and beware of
palace spies. Remember, Damien is very dangerous and has nothing to
lose.”

Once we were alone, Quinn
took my hand and led me to another room.

“I think I might know the
reason Damien wants your father dead. I’ve heard rumors this
Council meeting’s real purpose was to choose a new leader. Today
the High Regent will be stepping down. That’s why all the families
have been assembled—to vote. Your father is the most likely to be
elected to take his place, and I think Damien knows he can only
become Regent if your father is no longer a candidate. Don’t you
see, Kat? First he tried to kill us on the road, and when that
failed, he tried to kidnap you. I think by using you as hostage
Damien thinks your father could be made to step aside. He could
trade you life for the regency.”

“Oh, my God! He saw us in
the stable; Damien knows about us, too.”

“The important thing now,
is to talk to Gunter as soon as possible. And somehow we have to
make Damien believe we’re no longer involved, so he won’t be able
to use our feelings against us.”

“You’re right. Quinn, I
have an idea. Maybe
I
can get close to Damien. He seemed to
be very interested in me, if only to get to my father.”

“No, Katrina it’s too
dangerous.”

“Quinn, listen to me, as
soon as the Council meets it will be too late for his original plan
to work. He will have a backup plan, we have to find out what that
plan is. If he made those two fledglings I killed, there may be
more of them somewhere. If he can’t gain power through the vote,
maybe he plans to take power with an army of fledglings. We are
going to spread the rumor we have parted. What if I can convince
him I am vulnerable to his charms, because of our recent breakup?
He may think he could court his way into power.”

“Who knew you could be so
devious? We will, of course, explain all this to Thomas, Simon or
whoever is to be your new Watcher, and I will insist an extra
Watcher be assigned—me—to secretly watch his every
move.”

“Yes, of course. We can say
you’ve been reassigned because of our ‘closeness’. Why don’t you
send for Avery, Gregor, and Cedrik? We’re going to need more
Watchers and we know we’ll be able to rely and fully trust your
brothers.”

“Let’s go find Gunter. He
was checking on the other girls,” Quinn took my hand.

We hurried back to my
quarters, where we found Gunter speaking to a large group of
Watchers.

Sarah was sobbing into her
handkerchief. Her face brightened when she saw us approaching and
she rushed toward me crying with relief.

“Thank goodness you’re all
right. Something terrible has happened!”

“I know. Joseph is
dead,”

“Not just that, Katrina.
It’s the girls; Rosalinda, Eleanor and Arletta; they’re
gone.”

“Gone?” I looked at Gunter,
“tell me what’s happened?”

“We found a side gate
unlocked, and we think fledglings surprised the girls in their
sleep. Once they had the girls, they took them out that gate. With
their speed, and obviously some inside help, no one saw a thing.
Had you been in your room, they would have had you too, but the
fledgling lookouts had the bad luck to run into you and didn’t fare
as well.”

“Sarah, I’m all right, and
we’ll get the girls back. Find me something to wear to the Council
meeting. Gunter, Quinn, send a vampire courier for your brothers.
We have need of them. Come Sarah, I need to change, and I’m feeling
a little weak, so I’ll need to eat. From now on, make sure all the
food and drink come only from our stores; trust no one but our
people.”

My mind was spinning. What
did Damien want with the other girls? Was this just a ploy to cover
the fact his real target was me? When I didn’t come right back to
my room, instead going to the stable with Quinn, it must have
messed up his plan, so he came looking for me. When he saw us
together, it was just a bonus to be used later, since he didn’t
dare expose himself and try to capture me there. Our only advantage
at this point, is I wasn’t taken, and we knew Damien was involved
the in the girls’ disappearance.

Sarah brought the food in.
The poor thing was still shaking.

“I didn’t hear anything and
I was just at the end of the hall. I woke when I heard you yell for
Quinn. I looked out, and all I could see was a blur of swords. Then
it was over.”

“I told you I could take
care of myself. The other girls were surprised in their sleep, but
they’ve had training and will not be easy captives to hold. We will
find them, and whoever is responsible will pay a heavy price, I
assure you.”

I wolfed down the fruit,
cheese, and meats Sarah brought me and drank the Crimson in the
small pewter pitcher. The Crimson quenched my thirst, and
strengthened me, but adrenalin surged through my body and I longed
to hunt, although I knew there was no time.

“Let’s get you cleaned up,
Katrina. I don’t know if you realize it, but you’re splattered with
fledgling blood. I filled the bath, get in and I’ll come in to wash
your hair.”

“Quickly, then,” I urged. I
caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror on the way by; I looked
like a warrior. It made me stand up tall and proud.

“I think
you’ve met your match, Damien,”
I thought.

After I was clean and clad
in the simple dress Sarah laid out for me, set out for the Council
room.

Once there, I found the
room packed, and I could feel tension in the air. Council members
were speaking to one another of the events of the day before.
Guards were posted outside, all around the perimeter, while the
Watchers were posted inside, along the back of the Council
room.

The Council members
arrived, solemnly entering wearing robes of dark grey. They were
followed by the High Regent, dressed in royal purple. Once all were
settled in their places, the High Regent announced without
preamble, “We shall come to order at once, as we have pressing
business to discuss. It has come to my attention three of my
Council members’ daughters were abducted this morning, and the
daughter of Baron Von Dracek was attacked. A Watcher was killed, as
were two fledgling vampires.” The Council room was filled with
angry murmurs as the gathering absorbed the enormity of what they
were being told. “We know no reason for these acts and are pursuing
every avenue to insure the safety of our citizens and bring to
swift justice whoever is responsible. As you know, the making of
new vampires, fledglings, except under very special circumstances
and by express permission of this Council, is prohibited and
punishable by death. If whoever responsible for these egregious
crimes, thinks he can intimidate this council, he is
mistaken.