'I smell... forest... but it's foreign, somehow. It's how I imagine a rainforest would smell. I think it's some kind of plants, but nothing from around here.'
'Plants, why would they have plants here?' Emma wondered.
'So basically, nothing that will help us get these damn ropes off?'
'I don't think so, sorry.'
'But she said they were cursed ropes. How do you get cursed ropes off?'
They were quiet for a moment until Emma piped up.
'Maybe we can burn them off?'
'What, and get third degree burns in the process?' Lana replied.
'Well, it's worth a shot. I'd rather be burned than stuck in here.'
'You do have a point,' Lana said. 'But how do we burn them off?'
'Leave that to me.'
Emma had never tried to create fire with her skill, but she knew she could create warmth. If she concentrated long and hard enough on one particular area, she hoped she might be able to create enough heat to generate fire.
'Oh, okay. Good luck,' Lana whispered.
After several failed attempts, Emma was pretty close to it working when the warehouse door flew open. Grycan stood in the doorway.
'What you up to?' he growled.
'What are we up to? What does it look like we're up to? We're trapped and tied up with cursed rope. What do you think we're up to? Man, are you dumb? We. Can't. Do. Anything.' Lana yelled at him.
Content that they were in fact, incapable of doing anything, Grycan grinned, turned around and closed the door.
'Okay Em, you're good to go. You can do it,' Lana whispered.
Moments later, flames licked Emma's wrists. Strangely enough though, they didn't burn her. Sitting quietly, she focussed all her attention on the rope until it fell away from her hands. She breathed a sigh of relief as she bent down and tried to undo the rope around her ankles.
'Hey, these ones aren't cursed. Daisy, with your strength, you can probably just break through them.'
Sure enough, Daisy pulled her ankles apart, the rope falling to the ground.
The rope around the chair was also fairly easy to remove. Emma worked as quickly as she possibly could, undoing the rope around the girls' chairs and ankles. It was their wrists that she was worried about.
'I might burn you really bad. I don't want to hurt you,' she whispered as Lana held out her arms.
'It's okay. I trust you, Sis. I believe you can do it without even touching my skin. Come on, we haven't got much time. Please, just try.'
Emma began to concentrate until Lana winced with the heat.
'See, I can't do it.'
'You can, I know you can. Just focus on the rope and not on me.'
Moments later, the charred rope was loose enough for Lana to pull it apart.
They then concentrated on Daisy until the three of them were completely free.
'Cursed rope, eh? Whoever cursed it was pretty lame,' Lana whispered with a big grin on her face.
'Now what?' Emma whispered.
Spotting a back door, they ran over to it but it was locked.
'I can break it down,' suggested Daisy but the other shook their heads.
'No, too much noise.'
'How about up there,' Daisy said, pointing upwards.
A large window was situated high up in the warehouse building, above all the black boxes.
They shared a look before Lana launched herself up towards it until she reached the window ledge. Balancing on it, she tried to force the window open.
'It's jammed. We'll have to break it.'
'But he'll hear that,' Daisy whispered.
'I can melt it!' said Emma before covering her mouth and opening her eyes wide as they all stood perfectly still and waited for Grycan to burst through the door.
When he didn't, they relaxed and turned their attention back to the window.
'How can I get up there? I can't jump like you.'
Lana jumped down, slowing before she hit the ground so that she landed silently.
With a smile, she grabbed hold of her sister and jumped up again, so that they both balanced precariously on the window ledge.
Melting the glass wasn't quite as simple as melting the rope and after a few minutes, Lana lost her balance, pulling Emma down with her. But before they landed noisily on the ground below, Daisy reached out and caught them.
'Thanks Daisy,' Emma whispered as they climbed back up and continued to create heat with her hands.
'He's coming,' Daisy whispered.
With no time to finish melting the glass, Lana grabbed them both and rushed them back to their seats. They wrapped the rope swiftly around their arms and ankles just as the door swung open. Grycan appeared, his black eyes scanning the room.
'Something's going on, I 'eard ya,' he boomed before going quiet and sniffing around with his eyes like slits.
'What could we possibly do like this? Seriously man,' Lana said a little over confidently.
Grycan was just about to turn back when he spotted a small piece of rope on the ground underneath Daisy's chair.
Within seconds, his clothes were ripped from his body and his masculine form had changed into a vicious snarling wolf. He immediately began circling the three girls.
'Holy cow,' cried Daisy.
CHAPTER 25
Months ago, he'd very nearly got his claws into her but she'd just about managed to outrun him. This time, however, she intended to fight back. Crouching down so that she faced him square on, Daisy prepared herself to attack the beast. But before she was able to, Emma stepped in front of her and created an intense ball of heat that she threw directly towards the wolf. Dodging it, Grycan put one paw in front of the other, ready to pounce. With her nerves altogether gone, Daisy jumped towards him, grabbing his front paws and swinging him twice before throwing him hard against the wall. The building shook.
But Grycan wasn't to be stopped. His snarls got louder and he threw himself back at the girls, his claws ripping Daisy's skin as he landed on top of her.
She winced as Lana punched him hard on the back of his neck. The impact stopped him and he yelped, moving away as Emma produced more heat, throwing a ball of fire right into his face. Yelping for a second time, it became clear that Grycan was slowly weakening.
While she had the chance, Daisy made her move, grabbing his tail and dragging him out of the warehouse and into the sunlight. She lifted him and swung him once around her head and then tossed him with all her might until he splashed into the Thames.
'Let's get out of here now!' yelled Lana as they re-grouped and made their final escape, running as far from the building as possible.
After running for several miles, Emma turned to make sure the girls were okay.
'Wait, let's slow down,' Emma yelled. 'Daisy, are you okay? You don't look so good.'
'I... I think so,' she said, panting. 'Actually... no... no... I don't feel quite right.'
Without saying another word, Daisy collapsed into Emma's arms.
'Oh no,' she whispered as the sisters bent over to inspect her injury.
'This is so not good,' said Lana. 'We need to get her back to HQ, like now.'
oOo
'What on earth were you thinking? You could have been killed. I'm so very disappointed with you both. I thought I knew you better than this. You know the danger that lurks out there at the moment and to skip class, just to go willy nilly walking around the city? Honestly Lana, Emma. What on Earth has gotten into you? And poor Daisy. She's younger than you. And now she's injured. Quite seriously, I might add,' Eleanor said, pacing up and down her office.
The sisters stood with their heads hanging in shame. Both were trying so hard not to cry.
'We're sorry... really, really sorry,' Lana said.
'We weren't thinking,' added Emma.
'Well, I know that much. This is so unlike you, especially you, Emma,' Eleanor sighed as she sat down behind her desk. Leaning back, she looked from one sister to the other and shook her head.
/> 'I can see how upset you are and the guilt is just oozing from you both at the moment, therefore I see no reason to punish you further. You will, however, not leave this building or the academy alone, without prior consent from me or the other Mentors, at least until we've solved this problem with the Temporal Stone. Do you understand?'
Lana and Emma both nodded. 'Yes, Eleanor.'
'Good. Right, fortunately your foolish behaviour has at least given us one location used by the Skulls. We can now put the warehouse under surveillance. We don't, however, know the identity of the woman who kidnapped you, but I think she must have been a witch. Perhaps with your descriptions, we will be able to find her and put her behind bars. We don't have the resources to deal with her at the moment though, because Declan and Diarmuid have managed to find out where this Barber character frequents while you were out gallivanting.'
Emma glanced across at Lana.
'We have groups tracking him down as we speak. You two, however, are coming with me and Sammy to search the Camden area. Daisy was supposed to be joining us but that is clearly not going to happen. Being scratched by a werewolf is serious business. Let's just hope she makes a speedy recovery.'
'Do you think she'll be alright, Eleanor?' whispered Emma.
Eleanor turned to look at her. 'I can only hope so,' she sighed before standing up again. 'I'm sure she'll be fine. Don't worry, she's in good care. She'll remain here until we return and then, if her condition has worsened, she'll be taken to Arundel hospital where she will receive the very best of care. Let's hope it doesn't have to come to that.'
Eleanor walked around her desk slowly before taking them both in her arms and hugging them tight.
'I'm just glad you're both unharmed.'
oOo
Using stopwatches (the only timekeeping devices they could find that actually worked), each group had been given 120 minutes to search their dedicated areas for Barber. They'd each been given a description of the vampire who had been allegedly roaming the streets of London, and its surroundings, for over three centuries.
Lana held the piece of paper in front of her as they stopped for a breather.
'Apparently he's about 6ft 3in, built like a rugby player and has thick long black hair and intense black eyes. According to the notes, he favours 1970s style clothes. Well, that's just weird,' Lana said as the others looked over her shoulder and read the notes themselves.
'So basically, we're looking for a long haired rugby playing vampire in a lairy big-collared shirt, flares and platforms?' Sammy chuckled.
'Possibly,' Eleanor smiled, clearly having forgiven the girls' earlier moment of madness.
'Come on, apparently a popular haunt with the vampires is just around the corner. Do be careful though, girls. We don't want to become these people's lunch.'
'Great,' Lana muttered under her breath as she folded the piece of paper and slipped it into the pocket of her skinny jeans.
Walking around the corner and down a couple more streets, Eleanor found the building she was looking for. It was a club of some kind, with a really old decrepit sign hanging loosely above the door. Sepultus.
'Nice,' said Lana.
The dull lifeless music that could be heard coming from within seemed to match its creepy name.
'Have we got to go in there?' Emma asked.
'Afraid so, but don't worry, we're all wearing our repellent chains. We should be safe enough.'
Walking down the steep steps, they stopped briefly before pushing open the large metal door. Eleanor held her head high and walked in, as the three girls tiptoed behind her.
'You know, we're actually under age for this kind of club,' Sammy said.
Eleanor turned to look at her with one eyebrow raised and a smile on her face before turning her attention back to the bar where several people sat, drinking red stuff. None of them even looked up as they entered. It was like they were in some kind of trance as the lights flashed in time to the super weird music.
Approaching the bar, Eleanor and the girls sat down as the bartender nodded his head at them.
'Sure you're in the right place, love?'
'Quite sure,' she answered. 'We're looking for someone.'
'They usually are. What can I get ya?'
'We're not here to drink, I'm afraid.'
'You come to the bar, you buy a drink,' he said, slamming a small shot glass down in front of her.
'Fair enough, but not for the girls. They're under age'
The bartender gave them an eyeful, looking them up and down before he smirked. He then filled the glass with tequila. A slice of lemon and salt were placed by Eleanor's hands.
She smiled, licked the salt from the back of her hand, gulped the shot down and followed it up by sucking the lemon.
'Now,' she said. 'We're looking for Barber.'
He raised his eyebrows at her before turning his attention back to one of his regulars who sat waiting to be served.
Taking a beautiful old bottle from a shelf below the bar, he removed the lid and tilted it into the man's glass. A thick, dark red liquid oozed its way out of the bottle and into the little glass.
The man picked it up and tipped it into his mouth before licking it. He then banged the glass back on the bar and turned to look at the girls. His eyes shone for a moment before the trance-like state took over his body again and he continued to rock back and forth to the sound of the music.
'Where were we, love?' said the bartender.
Eleanor smiled, 'Barber. We're looking for Barber.'
'I'm afraid I don't know anyone that goes by that name.'
'He's very tall, thick black hair. Looks like a 1970s rugby player, apparently.'
His eyes flickered in recognition.
'What do you want with him?'
'We just have some questions, that's all.'
The bartender eyed her up and down and nodded.
'He usually comes in around ten, every night.'
'That doesn't really help us at the moment, considering we've no idea when ten o'clock is,' she said, in irritation.
'He's due back any time.'
Eleanor smiled.
'In that case, I'll have another.'
He smiled and nodded in appreciation.
'I don't suppose you have anything suitable for 16 year olds?' asked Lana shyly.
The bartender laughed.
CHAPTER 26
Eleanor kept an eye on the stopwatch that hung around Emma's neck.
'I hope he comes in soon,' said Lana with a sigh. 'We're due back in a bit.'
'Don't worry. He'll be here. He'll be getting thirsty. When it comes to feeding times, vamps are rarely ever late,' Eleanor explained.
They'd been waiting an hour and their Guardian had already had three tequila shots. Each time the bartender filled Eleanor's glass, the girls looked at her in shock as she knocked them back.
'Don't worry,' she whispered. 'I can't get drunk. My body instantly metabolises the alcohol. It has no effect... but yours is a very different story. Stay away from it,' she added just as the door creaked open.
Turning to look, the younger girls all gasped at the same time as a gorgeous young guy stopped and eyed them suspiciously.
Flicking his long thick hair over his shoulder, Barber looked at the bartender who gave him a brief nod before looking towards Eleanor. Barber turned around and immediately made a run for it.
Eleanor sighed and threw a few notes on to the bar.
'Keep the change,' she said as the four of them began their pursuit up the stairs and out into the sunlight.
'Where did he go?' Emma asked as they stood at the top of the steps, looking around.
'Surely he can't have gone far, I thought vamps couldn't go out into sunlight?' Lana asked.
'It's a myth,' Eleanor shouted as she just spotted a purple shirt disappear around a corner. 'There!'
Chasing him through the streets of Camden, the girls dodged the hundreds of people who were stuck to the pavement, weaving in a
nd out of them like a dog's agility course.
'He's gone underground,' Sammy yelled as she glimpsed him escape towards the Tube.
Heading down the steps and hopping over the barriers, all four of them stopped when they reached the tube line. Hundreds of people stood motionless.
'We're going to have to split up, I'm afraid,' said Eleanor.
'Emma, you come with me. Sammy you go with Lana. Be careful. Once he knows we only want to ask him some questions, he might calm down. Remember, we want to avoid violence,' she yelled as the other two ran off and scanned the crowd.
Breathing heavily and trying to catch her breath, Emma leant forward with her hands on her knees as she waited for her breathing to come to a slow. Looking up, she squinted, scanning through the travellers as she searched for the gorgeous vampire.
'Any luck?' asked Eleanor.
'No, I don't see him.'
'Let's try down there.'
Further down the line, Lana and Sammy were busy weaving in and out of people.
'Did you get a good look at him, Sammy?'
She nodded, 'Yeah. You?'
'I certainly did,' Lana replied, 'He was gorgeous. Talk about sexy. Is it weird that I'm strangely attracted to a vampire?'
Sammy chuckled as they continued to move.
'I don't think so. That's kind of the point isn't it? Aren't they supposed to lure you in with their beauty and charm before sucking your blood?'
Lana stopped for a moment, 'I guess you're right. I'm so predictable aren't I?' she asked, with a laugh.
Taken completely off guard, Lana felt arms suddenly wrap tightly around her.
'Who are you?' asked the deepest, sexiest voice she'd ever heard.
Gulping loudly, Lana couldn't say a word. It was like she was frozen to the spot.
'I said, who are you?' he asked again.
Sammy failed to notice Lana was no longer behind her and she continued to run through the crowd.
After a few seconds, her voice returned.
'If you release me, I'll tell you. We're not here to harm you, we just want to talk,' she whispered as his hold loosened slightly and he turned her to face him.
Her body became like a rag doll the instant she took in his stunning face. The description she held in her back pocket didn't do him justice at all. His eyes weren't black, for a start. They were blue, but such a dark shade of blue that they could easily be mistaken for black, she supposed. His hair was thick, shiny and wavy and it seemed to ripple, even though there was no wind.