There’s nobody in the main room of the suite. At first, I think maybe it was all a mistake. Then we hear a shout from the bedroom.
“Give up, Oana, you’re coming with us!”
“Like hell I am,kitchen witch!”
Hallie and I rush to the door of the bedroom, peering in anxiously.
Oana stands proudly in the center of the room, clad in her red cape. Circling her are three dark-robed witches, their hoods up and their nose and mouths covered by masks. But there’s no mistaking the golden Hecate light magic that radiates from their palms. They don’t belong to my guard. I think I recognize them from Lavinia’s personal security. She must have wanted the mission to be kept secret. Only those she trusts the most.
Oana screeches,“Tudor Thornblade, Tudor Thornblade, Tudor-”
But she’s cut off by all three of the Hecate witches, who use their combined magic to pull her into the air. She hangs suspended, her powers bound and her limbs thrashing angrily.
“Hey, stop that!”
Before I can stop her, Hallie rushes into the room. She pushes one of the Hecate witches into the other so they stumble backward onto the king-sized bed. She might not be magical, but she’s strong and brave. The witches are surprised, and Oana falls from the air, their spell broken.
But the third witch turns to Hallie, mistaking her for an opponent.
“No, don’t-!” I yell, but it’s too late. The witch uses a wave of yellow energy magic to knock Hallie across the room and into the enormous flat-screen TV. The impact shatters its screen and it falls from its wall mount, landing on top of her. I rush to her side.
Oana takes the opportunity to grab the bedside phone.
“Call Tudor! Room #813!” she shouts into the receiver. The third Hecate witch lights up the phone with golden sparks, shocking Oana so she drops it, clutching her wrist in pain.
Using all my strength, I manage to pull the TV off of Hallie. I cut my hand on a piece of glass. There are shards of broken screen everywhere. The girl’s arms and chest are covered in wounds and a pool of dark blood is starting to form behind her head. Her body is horribly limp.
“What have youdone?” I shout at the witches, my voice shaking with anger. “She wasn’t a threat!”
The Hecate witches eye each other, but I know they’re more worried aboutTudor than about what they’ve done to this poor girl.Thisis what I hate about war. We’re supposed to be the good side, but too much fighting leads to a callousness about human life that makes me feel sick. A vampire could have recovered from these injuries. But Hallie isn’t a vampire.
She was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.
I hear the click of the hotel door open, and I know the jig is up. So do the Hecate witches. They retrieve three broomsticks from a pile on the ground and hurry to the window. It must have been the way they came in.
Silently, they fly out of the window on their brooms, like ravens into the bright city night.
“What’s going on?” demands a terrifying, booming voice.
Tudor Thornblade enters the room. He wears a crisp, dark aubergine suit and slim tie, his blond hair slicked back from his temples. Celine enters immediately after him.
Tudor’s unnaturally light eyes scan the room. When they meet mine, a horrible shiver goes up my spine.
“What are you doing here?” he says.
“We…heard shouting and came to help,” I stammer. “This girl is badly hurt…”
“It was the Hecate witches,” Oana says, smoothing out her cape and eying the open window with disdain. “They’re gone now. Came in through the window. They must have known exactly what room I was in.”
Tudor’s eye flit to Celine. “It’s how I feared.”
“Please!” I cry, crouching over Hallie’s mangled body. None of the vampires have even noticed her. “You’ve got to do something, she’s…”
I look down at her. If I could perform healing magic, I would, even if it meant revealing myself. But unfortunately, it’s never been one of my skills. Even with access to the necessary herbs and potions, I don’t know if I could treat wounds as bad as Hallie’s.
“Are we concerned about a second wave of attacks?” Celine asks.
“I don’t think so,” Oana replies. “The witches were wearing masks and dark robes. I believe it was a stealth mission. I should warn my progeny.”
