The coolness of the night air was the only relief of traveling at such hours. No burning and tingling of the skin, no irritation on their scalp, no scents like burning trash or a sudden smoking of the skin. Best, there was no need to lather up with sun protectant lotions or take breaks in the shade in order to heal. Not as best were all the vampire bats that continued to dive bomb their heads. Occasionally, they literally had to untangle their hands from their hair.
Seth claimed to know the castle Starr spoke of and insisted on taking point. He knew how they could get there and take Credenza and her men by surprise.
Through the forest they went to the road that led them into the town she first landed in, after her escape from the palace so many centuries ago. Although her eyes saw modern buildings, cement sidewalks and tarmac, her mind showed her the old huts and food stands that used to be there. In the middle of the town was the old well, but it was dried up. Cars drove passed it like a roundabout.
As they walked by the center, Starr sensed that Credenza had been there before. There was something about the spot that made her shiver: a smell like ash.
“That’s where they hung her” came Seth’s voice behind her.
“What?”
“When she was Queen, the Council, then, was in the business of killing all vampires. Not a single one was left, no matter how civilized they were. The Council overthrew her, and that was the last time she ever ruled.”
“How do you know this?”
“Because I was there.”
He plowed on ahead.
She looked at Emil, who looked at her and shook his head and then kissed her hand.
From behind her, she felt ill will.
She turned and saw that Chanler was behind them.
They didn’t stop until the sun rose. In the middle of an incredibly rocky part of the forest, past the point where she first met Lucenzo, they spread out among the trees. Some of them started individual fires, for it was very cool in that part of the forest. What with the trees keeping shade and blocking out most of the sun. Not that they suffered from cold in a human sense, but sometimes, their limbs became stiff.
Starr set her bag down and stomped over to Seth.
“Why are you leading us this way? Why not take the royal road, so that we might get there sooner?”
“I don’t want them to see us coming. If we take the royal road, she’ll likely have a man at the tower keeping watch, like she used to. Even back then, they used lenses to see far and away. This forest creeps up, more closely, to the back of the castle, and if we can block our thoughts, they won’t see or sense our approach.”
“So how far away are we?”
“Down and around through the back of the mountain,” he said, pointing west. “It looks like a longer journey than it really is. We’ll get up in the early evening, which is when the Queen likes to feed – that is if she still feeds. We hurry down the backside of the mountain, fight off the weaker guards. By the time she comes back, we’ll be inside, we’ll have set everyone free, and then you can kill the Queen.”
Something about the way he said “kill the Queen” made her buzz with fear.
Seth stared full-knowing and not saying anything.
No one had said it straight to her before that moment, even though she knew they expected her to do it. Kill the Queen; it was up to her.
Emil looked piteously at her as she walked slowly back to their spot.
“Don’t worry. You’re strong.”
“You say strong but not stronger than her.”
“You’ll think of something, I know it. You have strengths the Queen doesn’t. You have modern training and fighting, and an animal instinct that she doesn’t. And we’ll all be there to help.”
He reached for her hand and pulled her to the ground, next to him. They lay back against the wide tree and slept a while.