"This is stupid, Reggie." Kahli grumbled for the fourteenth time in five minutes. The guards already spotted their vehicle and they were being escorted toward the palace, flanked by the Queen's vampires. They were surrounded by various forms of snow mobiles and ice bikes like the one Will rode when he chased her from here the other night. There were six, total. That was too many to overpower or outrun. Turning their fate over like this made Kahli nervous. It meant relying on a person that was totally crazy. Reggie was guessing his sister's next move, but that meant she was predictable and in the short time Kahli was at the palace, the one thing she learned for certain was that Sophia was completely unpredictable.
Reggie ignored her. He continued to drive slowly toward the palace. Speaking to Will, he said, "I'd question your loyalty after all this. If you didn't have my rune scarring your shoulder, I would have thought you were trying to help her escape."
Will glanced at Reggie out of the corner of his eye. "And, go where?"
Reggie didn't look at him, but Kahli did. Her green gaze was burning a hole in the side of his face. She'd know everything - he offered her that - if he'd bitten her. Looking down at the seat, her eyes fell on Will's hands. They were strong and smooth. There was no trace that he was thrown from a motorcycle yesterday. Her blood healed him. She wondered if Reggie knew how much blood Will had drank from her.
Reggie made a noise that sounded like he was clearing his throat. "You shouldn't have been able to do it - go after her, I mean."
"It didn't violate your loyalty, Reggie. If anything, risking my life to save Kahli proved the opposite." Will's blue eyes were narrowed, watching the guards as they drove. If Kahli didn't know better, she'd have thought he was counting them, getting a vamp total as they drove. She was doing the same thing. So far there were six vampires, plus Reggie, plus two guard posts. That didn't include those she couldn't see, the vampires that lined the perimeter of the palace at other posts. And as they got closer to the palace, Kahli knew that number would only go up. Escape was looking less and less likely.
"This is stupid," Kahli said again, gazing out the window, her eye catching another guard. The vampire was large, dressed in white. He looked like a snowman walking through a snow globe. The wind whipped up the snow, swirling it in the air and making visibility completely awful. Nightfall made it worse. Reggie's headlights only blinded them, reflecting back in their faces. He switched them off again and they traveled toward the palace, darkness falling around them like a thick blanket.
"What would you have us do?" Reggie finally asked, his head turning to Kahli. She'd pulled her knees to her chest and had her hands gripped tightly. Her fingers were white.
When he asked her, she released her legs and looked at him. "Are you serious?"
"No, I'm joking," Reggie said dryly. Then he snapped, "Of course, I'm serious. It's not like your plan would have been better, but since you keep mentioning it and we have a ways to go - "
Kahli rolled her eyes. "All of us going in together, walking straight through the front door is stupid. You're relying on Sophia being predictable. You see the problem?" She sighed and pushed her hair out of her face. "She's crazy. She's going to do whatever she wants. If she feels like killing all three of us, you're the only one who can fight her, and we aren't even sure of that."
"I am," Reggie muttered.
"Well excuse me if I'm not willing to throw my life in your hands. I seriously doubt Will would have opted for this plan either."
"He could have protested."
"He did, you ass. You blew him off." Kahli's tongue was sharp. She plowed ahead, ignoring Reggie's reaction to her foul mouth. "There are too many unknowns. Last night when I left, I killed three guards. The King was still alive. He's a factor, too. And the number of guards on the grounds is insane. Have you ever seen this many vampires outside the palace? Where'd they come from? I've never seen so many in one place before." They drove up the road, passing vampires dressed in guard uniforms every few feet. Reggie glanced around, like he hadn't noticed. "You knew she was expecting an attack, didn't you? So, what's your plan, Reggie? Walk up to her and stab her in the heart?"
Reggie sighed. His shoulders slumped forward like he was tired of driving. "Will, explain to her what we're doing."
Will glanced at Kahli. She wanted to talk to him so badly. There were so many things to ask. He was loyal to so many people. What would happen to him when he stood before all of them, and they all told him to kill each other? Which rune would win? Did it work like that? Kahli didn't know.
"I have no idea what we're doing. I agree with Kahli. This is reckless. The best I can come up with is that you offer the Queen your services and a peace offering - me and Kahli - and hope she doesn't lop your head off before you finish speaking. Sorry, Reggie, but that's a weak plan."
Reggie didn't speak. Kahli looked horrified when she turned back to Reggie. "That's it? Are you insane?"
"Blood of a feather, kills together," he said.
Kahli's lip curled. She glanced at Will and mouthed, Is he crazy, too?
"Maybe," Will smirked. "We'll have to wait and see. Since, Reggie prides himself on being smarter than everyone else, we just have to hope he is."
Kahli exhaled loudly, "How can you be so calm?"
"What would you have me do?" Will asked.
Kahli looked at him. She didn't want Will in that throne room. She knew what he was, what Reggie planned on doing with him. Will was a walking sacrifice, a slave. He threw himself through Reggie's window to save her, but by putting himself in Reggie's presence, he endangered himself. If the vampire wanted to, Reggie could destroy him. There were so many things she wanted to say to Will. Now she'd never have the chance. Glancing through the front windshield, Kahli knew this was her last chance. The gates were getting closer, looming in the distance like charred bones jutting from the snow.
Kahli made sure she didn't glance at the door this time. Instead she smiled sadly at Will, only one corner of her lips rising. "Something else, somewhere else. I have a feeling that I'm going to be your undoing." Without warning, Kahli grabbed the door handle and pushed.
Will's brow pinched together before his eyes widened. "Don't!" he yelled, snatching at her hand, but Kahli already had the door open, and had thrown herself out.
Her body slammed into the ice, and rolled toward the bank, careful to avoid the other vehicles. The snowmobile to the right of the truck nearly ran her over, but it veered at the last second and crashed into the snow bank. Gasping, Kahli jumped to her feet. She threw herself over the top of the snow bank on the side of the road, clinging to the ice as she went, and slid down the other side. Jumping to her feet, Kahli ran into the darkness.
Reggie continued driving. He didn't even brake. A growling noise filled the cab. Will slammed his head back into the seat, frustrated, his hands pressing into his eyes hard and muttering curses.
"Well?" Reggie asked, irritated. "Go after her! None of this works if we show up without her. Go!" The truck slowed and Will jumped out the door, flinging himself from the truck. Reggie yelled, as he leaned across to yank to the door closed, "Find her!"
Kahli ran hard, her feet getting just enough traction to keep her from sliding on the ice. The new layer of fresh snow helped. Heart pounding against her ribs, Kahli ran. She ran away from the vehicles and into the orchard where the snow mobiles and bikes couldn't follow. It was too dark and the snow was falling too hard. Visibility sucked, and that was the only thing working in her favor. As it was, she barely had a head start, but it was enough that the vampires didn't find her right away.
A plan started to form in her mind, coming together like pieces of wet paper. She shifted them around in her head until she came up with a scenario that worked, and gave her a chance to get to Cassie. Grinning like she was crazy, Kahli thought, It doesn't matter if they find me, I just have to get to the palace first.
The ground wasn't smooth. It rolled with small hills that made it difficult for the vehicles to get a light on her. Every time Kahli thought they saw her, she suddenly disappeared behind a little hill, sliding on her back, before crouching and then jumping to her feet and taking off at a full run. This was the only way to save Will. It was the only way to make sure he didn't end up in the room with her, and Reggie.
Kahli ran until her legs turned to lead. Sweat trickled between her shoulder blades, despite the frigid temperature. The dry air filled her lungs in big gulps, drying out her mouth and cracking her lips. Kahli forced herself on, ignoring the stitch in her side that burned like razor wire. The roar of engines were all around her, but she couldn't tell where any of them were. For a while, she ran away from the lights, and that helped, but the vamps figured out what she was doing and shut them off.
The wind whipped the sound around, so that without the visual, Kahli wasn't sure where the vamps were. Or Will. She was sure Reggie sent Will after her. Dashing up another hill, Kahli reached the top and threw herself over the crest, sliding down the other side. When she stopped slipping, Kahli pushed herself off the ground, and kept running.
The orchard. Where was it? The Queen's garden was to the South of the palace. That's where she was, Kahli was sure of it, but she didn't see the orchard or the roses. Just more white hills. Exhausted, Kahli rounded another hill and saw it as she slipped down the other side - the ice castle from the Purging - the one she'd climbed and taken the flag from. She'd found it.
Running as fast as she could, Kahli made it. Quickly, she glanced up and down the wall trying to find the guards, but there weren't any. The hair on the back of her neck stood on end and her stomach turned to ice. She stood still as a stone, her wide green eyes slowly moving through the darkness. The twisting in her stomach told her that the King was near-by, even though she couldn't see him.
Will chose that moment to slam into her. He forced Kahli to the ground, sheltering her with his body. "Stay down," he hissed in her ear, his gloved hand covering her mouth. Heart beating wildly, she looked up at him. "Someone's here." Will lifted his hand from her mouth and put a finger to his lips indicating she should stay silent.
When Will stood, he crouched, moving closer to the wall. Kahli followed him at first, thinking she was just being silly. The King lived here. He might still be inside. Surely that was all she was reacting to, but the closer they got to the wall, the sicker she felt. When her feet stopped moving, Will managed to get ahead of her and saw the hole in the wall. He turned back to Kahli, his eyes sparkling in the waning moonlight. She didn't move. Will gestured for her to follow, but she shook her head.
She threw a thought at him, hoping he'd realize why they shouldn't go any further. The King. Don't go this way, Will. The King is here.
Will's brow crinkled, as he looked back at her. He gazed at the wall one more time and when he looked back, he held up a single finger and mouthed, Wait here. Looking down at his belt, he removed something and handed it to Kahli. It was a slender metal flashlight. It was so dark, but turning it on would be insane. It would be like sending up a beacon, telling every vampire within the palace grounds exactly where she was. Kahli looked at the flashlight, and then back up at him.
Will stepped away before she could stop him. Kahli shook her head and held up a hand, willing him to stop, but he didn't. Will disappeared through the hole in the wall. Pulse pounding, Kahli forced her feet forward, toward the King. Swallowing hard, she neared the hole. Every hair on her body stood on end. Her skin was hypersensitive. The flutter of her heart made her body shake. Fear pulsated through her body. The King was close. He was here, he did this to the wall. Being near him was suicide. And yet, Kahli couldn't stop moving toward the hole in the wall. Stepping softly, she leaned forward and looked through. Will was standing over a lump on the ground. It was a dead vampire. Black inched out from the body like jagged arms of ink.
Looking around nervously, she walked up behind Will and put her hand on his shoulder. He sensed she was there before she did it. Although he was looking at the body, she saw his gaze lift for half a beat when she entered the garden. "The King did this. He's here. I feel him."
Will nodded once, and looked over his shoulder at her. "I can't turn back." It sounded like an apology. Kahli swallowed hard. Taking his shoulder in her hand, she turned him around. His eyes were filled with sorrow.
Meeting his gaze, she said, "I know."
His voice was barely a breath, "My loyalty is forced. I have no choice."
"I know, but you can't go into the palace, Will." Kahli didn't know why she knew, but if Will went in tonight, he wasn't coming back out. Both hands were on his shoulders, holding him tight, "Please."
He shook his head, a crooked smile laced his perfect lips. "I don't get the choice, Kahli."
"I'm not giving you a choice, Will." Desperation shot through her body. Kahli pulled him close, wrapping her arms around his neck, still clutching the flashlight in her hand. She slammed her body into his, kissing him like she thought she'd never see him again. Her heart beat harder when she leaned into him. His scent filled her head and she breathed him in. Will's arms lifted and wrapped around her waist. He kissed Kahli back, his hands holding her firmly against him. Will's lips tasted like snow. They were smooth and cool. She wanted to stay there like that, just the two of them, but there was no other option. Whatever was going to play out inside of the palace walls could have to do so without Will Tatum.
Pulling back from the kiss, Will looked at her. "Kahli," he breathed, his eyes liquid blue, smiling at her like she intended to keep him in the garden with kisses. Guilt made her hesitate, but she had to. The flashlight came down on the back of his head, hard. Will's eyes rolled back into his head when the metal struck. His shoulders slumped as he fell forward.
Kahli caught him, and lowered Will to the ground, pulling him toward the pile of dead vampires. "I'm so sorry, but I can't lose you."
She moved the vampire's bodies and slid Will into the pile. Arranging arms and legs, she positioned them so that they covered Will. Their blackened blood smeared across his white suit like a line of tar. Kahli noticed the ripped out throats, the King's signature, and made sure Will's perfect neck couldn't be seen beneath the pile of arms and legs. Will breathed softly, but no one would notice, at least she hoped they wouldn't. By the time Will woke up, this would be over, and things would fall in his favor, or they wouldn't. But at the very least, it gave him a chance to live that he didn't have tonight if he continued doing what Reggie wanted.
Reggie ignored her. He continued to drive slowly toward the palace. Speaking to Will, he said, "I'd question your loyalty after all this. If you didn't have my rune scarring your shoulder, I would have thought you were trying to help her escape."
Will glanced at Reggie out of the corner of his eye. "And, go where?"
Reggie didn't look at him, but Kahli did. Her green gaze was burning a hole in the side of his face. She'd know everything - he offered her that - if he'd bitten her. Looking down at the seat, her eyes fell on Will's hands. They were strong and smooth. There was no trace that he was thrown from a motorcycle yesterday. Her blood healed him. She wondered if Reggie knew how much blood Will had drank from her.
Reggie made a noise that sounded like he was clearing his throat. "You shouldn't have been able to do it - go after her, I mean."
"It didn't violate your loyalty, Reggie. If anything, risking my life to save Kahli proved the opposite." Will's blue eyes were narrowed, watching the guards as they drove. If Kahli didn't know better, she'd have thought he was counting them, getting a vamp total as they drove. She was doing the same thing. So far there were six vampires, plus Reggie, plus two guard posts. That didn't include those she couldn't see, the vampires that lined the perimeter of the palace at other posts. And as they got closer to the palace, Kahli knew that number would only go up. Escape was looking less and less likely.
"This is stupid," Kahli said again, gazing out the window, her eye catching another guard. The vampire was large, dressed in white. He looked like a snowman walking through a snow globe. The wind whipped up the snow, swirling it in the air and making visibility completely awful. Nightfall made it worse. Reggie's headlights only blinded them, reflecting back in their faces. He switched them off again and they traveled toward the palace, darkness falling around them like a thick blanket.
"What would you have us do?" Reggie finally asked, his head turning to Kahli. She'd pulled her knees to her chest and had her hands gripped tightly. Her fingers were white.
When he asked her, she released her legs and looked at him. "Are you serious?"
"No, I'm joking," Reggie said dryly. Then he snapped, "Of course, I'm serious. It's not like your plan would have been better, but since you keep mentioning it and we have a ways to go - "
Kahli rolled her eyes. "All of us going in together, walking straight through the front door is stupid. You're relying on Sophia being predictable. You see the problem?" She sighed and pushed her hair out of her face. "She's crazy. She's going to do whatever she wants. If she feels like killing all three of us, you're the only one who can fight her, and we aren't even sure of that."
"I am," Reggie muttered.
"Well excuse me if I'm not willing to throw my life in your hands. I seriously doubt Will would have opted for this plan either."
"He could have protested."
"He did, you ass. You blew him off." Kahli's tongue was sharp. She plowed ahead, ignoring Reggie's reaction to her foul mouth. "There are too many unknowns. Last night when I left, I killed three guards. The King was still alive. He's a factor, too. And the number of guards on the grounds is insane. Have you ever seen this many vampires outside the palace? Where'd they come from? I've never seen so many in one place before." They drove up the road, passing vampires dressed in guard uniforms every few feet. Reggie glanced around, like he hadn't noticed. "You knew she was expecting an attack, didn't you? So, what's your plan, Reggie? Walk up to her and stab her in the heart?"
Reggie sighed. His shoulders slumped forward like he was tired of driving. "Will, explain to her what we're doing."
Will glanced at Kahli. She wanted to talk to him so badly. There were so many things to ask. He was loyal to so many people. What would happen to him when he stood before all of them, and they all told him to kill each other? Which rune would win? Did it work like that? Kahli didn't know.
"I have no idea what we're doing. I agree with Kahli. This is reckless. The best I can come up with is that you offer the Queen your services and a peace offering - me and Kahli - and hope she doesn't lop your head off before you finish speaking. Sorry, Reggie, but that's a weak plan."
Reggie didn't speak. Kahli looked horrified when she turned back to Reggie. "That's it? Are you insane?"
"Blood of a feather, kills together," he said.
Kahli's lip curled. She glanced at Will and mouthed, Is he crazy, too?
"Maybe," Will smirked. "We'll have to wait and see. Since, Reggie prides himself on being smarter than everyone else, we just have to hope he is."
Kahli exhaled loudly, "How can you be so calm?"
"What would you have me do?" Will asked.
Kahli looked at him. She didn't want Will in that throne room. She knew what he was, what Reggie planned on doing with him. Will was a walking sacrifice, a slave. He threw himself through Reggie's window to save her, but by putting himself in Reggie's presence, he endangered himself. If the vampire wanted to, Reggie could destroy him. There were so many things she wanted to say to Will. Now she'd never have the chance. Glancing through the front windshield, Kahli knew this was her last chance. The gates were getting closer, looming in the distance like charred bones jutting from the snow.
Kahli made sure she didn't glance at the door this time. Instead she smiled sadly at Will, only one corner of her lips rising. "Something else, somewhere else. I have a feeling that I'm going to be your undoing." Without warning, Kahli grabbed the door handle and pushed.
Will's brow pinched together before his eyes widened. "Don't!" he yelled, snatching at her hand, but Kahli already had the door open, and had thrown herself out.
Her body slammed into the ice, and rolled toward the bank, careful to avoid the other vehicles. The snowmobile to the right of the truck nearly ran her over, but it veered at the last second and crashed into the snow bank. Gasping, Kahli jumped to her feet. She threw herself over the top of the snow bank on the side of the road, clinging to the ice as she went, and slid down the other side. Jumping to her feet, Kahli ran into the darkness.
Reggie continued driving. He didn't even brake. A growling noise filled the cab. Will slammed his head back into the seat, frustrated, his hands pressing into his eyes hard and muttering curses.
"Well?" Reggie asked, irritated. "Go after her! None of this works if we show up without her. Go!" The truck slowed and Will jumped out the door, flinging himself from the truck. Reggie yelled, as he leaned across to yank to the door closed, "Find her!"
Kahli ran hard, her feet getting just enough traction to keep her from sliding on the ice. The new layer of fresh snow helped. Heart pounding against her ribs, Kahli ran. She ran away from the vehicles and into the orchard where the snow mobiles and bikes couldn't follow. It was too dark and the snow was falling too hard. Visibility sucked, and that was the only thing working in her favor. As it was, she barely had a head start, but it was enough that the vampires didn't find her right away.
A plan started to form in her mind, coming together like pieces of wet paper. She shifted them around in her head until she came up with a scenario that worked, and gave her a chance to get to Cassie. Grinning like she was crazy, Kahli thought, It doesn't matter if they find me, I just have to get to the palace first.
The ground wasn't smooth. It rolled with small hills that made it difficult for the vehicles to get a light on her. Every time Kahli thought they saw her, she suddenly disappeared behind a little hill, sliding on her back, before crouching and then jumping to her feet and taking off at a full run. This was the only way to save Will. It was the only way to make sure he didn't end up in the room with her, and Reggie.
Kahli ran until her legs turned to lead. Sweat trickled between her shoulder blades, despite the frigid temperature. The dry air filled her lungs in big gulps, drying out her mouth and cracking her lips. Kahli forced herself on, ignoring the stitch in her side that burned like razor wire. The roar of engines were all around her, but she couldn't tell where any of them were. For a while, she ran away from the lights, and that helped, but the vamps figured out what she was doing and shut them off.
The wind whipped the sound around, so that without the visual, Kahli wasn't sure where the vamps were. Or Will. She was sure Reggie sent Will after her. Dashing up another hill, Kahli reached the top and threw herself over the crest, sliding down the other side. When she stopped slipping, Kahli pushed herself off the ground, and kept running.
The orchard. Where was it? The Queen's garden was to the South of the palace. That's where she was, Kahli was sure of it, but she didn't see the orchard or the roses. Just more white hills. Exhausted, Kahli rounded another hill and saw it as she slipped down the other side - the ice castle from the Purging - the one she'd climbed and taken the flag from. She'd found it.
Running as fast as she could, Kahli made it. Quickly, she glanced up and down the wall trying to find the guards, but there weren't any. The hair on the back of her neck stood on end and her stomach turned to ice. She stood still as a stone, her wide green eyes slowly moving through the darkness. The twisting in her stomach told her that the King was near-by, even though she couldn't see him.
Will chose that moment to slam into her. He forced Kahli to the ground, sheltering her with his body. "Stay down," he hissed in her ear, his gloved hand covering her mouth. Heart beating wildly, she looked up at him. "Someone's here." Will lifted his hand from her mouth and put a finger to his lips indicating she should stay silent.
When Will stood, he crouched, moving closer to the wall. Kahli followed him at first, thinking she was just being silly. The King lived here. He might still be inside. Surely that was all she was reacting to, but the closer they got to the wall, the sicker she felt. When her feet stopped moving, Will managed to get ahead of her and saw the hole in the wall. He turned back to Kahli, his eyes sparkling in the waning moonlight. She didn't move. Will gestured for her to follow, but she shook her head.
She threw a thought at him, hoping he'd realize why they shouldn't go any further. The King. Don't go this way, Will. The King is here.
Will's brow crinkled, as he looked back at her. He gazed at the wall one more time and when he looked back, he held up a single finger and mouthed, Wait here. Looking down at his belt, he removed something and handed it to Kahli. It was a slender metal flashlight. It was so dark, but turning it on would be insane. It would be like sending up a beacon, telling every vampire within the palace grounds exactly where she was. Kahli looked at the flashlight, and then back up at him.
Will stepped away before she could stop him. Kahli shook her head and held up a hand, willing him to stop, but he didn't. Will disappeared through the hole in the wall. Pulse pounding, Kahli forced her feet forward, toward the King. Swallowing hard, she neared the hole. Every hair on her body stood on end. Her skin was hypersensitive. The flutter of her heart made her body shake. Fear pulsated through her body. The King was close. He was here, he did this to the wall. Being near him was suicide. And yet, Kahli couldn't stop moving toward the hole in the wall. Stepping softly, she leaned forward and looked through. Will was standing over a lump on the ground. It was a dead vampire. Black inched out from the body like jagged arms of ink.
Looking around nervously, she walked up behind Will and put her hand on his shoulder. He sensed she was there before she did it. Although he was looking at the body, she saw his gaze lift for half a beat when she entered the garden. "The King did this. He's here. I feel him."
Will nodded once, and looked over his shoulder at her. "I can't turn back." It sounded like an apology. Kahli swallowed hard. Taking his shoulder in her hand, she turned him around. His eyes were filled with sorrow.
Meeting his gaze, she said, "I know."
His voice was barely a breath, "My loyalty is forced. I have no choice."
"I know, but you can't go into the palace, Will." Kahli didn't know why she knew, but if Will went in tonight, he wasn't coming back out. Both hands were on his shoulders, holding him tight, "Please."
He shook his head, a crooked smile laced his perfect lips. "I don't get the choice, Kahli."
"I'm not giving you a choice, Will." Desperation shot through her body. Kahli pulled him close, wrapping her arms around his neck, still clutching the flashlight in her hand. She slammed her body into his, kissing him like she thought she'd never see him again. Her heart beat harder when she leaned into him. His scent filled her head and she breathed him in. Will's arms lifted and wrapped around her waist. He kissed Kahli back, his hands holding her firmly against him. Will's lips tasted like snow. They were smooth and cool. She wanted to stay there like that, just the two of them, but there was no other option. Whatever was going to play out inside of the palace walls could have to do so without Will Tatum.
Pulling back from the kiss, Will looked at her. "Kahli," he breathed, his eyes liquid blue, smiling at her like she intended to keep him in the garden with kisses. Guilt made her hesitate, but she had to. The flashlight came down on the back of his head, hard. Will's eyes rolled back into his head when the metal struck. His shoulders slumped as he fell forward.
Kahli caught him, and lowered Will to the ground, pulling him toward the pile of dead vampires. "I'm so sorry, but I can't lose you."
She moved the vampire's bodies and slid Will into the pile. Arranging arms and legs, she positioned them so that they covered Will. Their blackened blood smeared across his white suit like a line of tar. Kahli noticed the ripped out throats, the King's signature, and made sure Will's perfect neck couldn't be seen beneath the pile of arms and legs. Will breathed softly, but no one would notice, at least she hoped they wouldn't. By the time Will woke up, this would be over, and things would fall in his favor, or they wouldn't. But at the very least, it gave him a chance to live that he didn't have tonight if he continued doing what Reggie wanted.
