Catalyst Read online

Chapter 28

  Celticad ordered the rest of the King's entourage to hang back. His plan was simple. Find the underground tunnels that led into the palace and assassinate the Queen. They plotted as they drove closer to the palace. When they were near the edge of the Queen's grounds, Celticad stopped the car.

  "We go on foot from here. "

  "What makes you think the tunnel is still there? It's been centuries since it was buried by snow. " The King emerged from the car dressed in white. Out of curiosity, he focused on his fingers, his gaze narrowing as he directed heat to them. His gloved hand shimmered and disappeared. The King grinned widely. His body didn't convert Kahli's blood quickly, but when it did, he realized he was more and more like his old self.

  Celticad watched as the King's hand reappeared. The giant vampire smiled savagely, certain he chose the right side. "It stands to reason that the passages are still accessible. The Queen kept the terrain surrounding the palace very similar to the way it was before the flood. The permafrost is thinner here. She didn't allow the snow and ice to build up, so the entrance should still be useable. "

  The King nodded, noticing Celticad's smile. As they walked onto the Queen's property, the King said over his shoulder, "Kill anyone that gets in your way. I don't care who it is. By sunrise, there will be a new monarch. "

  "Yes, my King. " Celticad's voice was tense with a hint of excitement. He towered over the King, following a few steps behind, watching the blinding terrain as they walked to the South side of the palace. The wind howled like a caged beast, whipping flakes of snow into the air. The King continued on like he wasn't blinded by the white flecks. When they were nearly to the garden, Celticad pushed in front of the King. Neither of them spoke. Celticad lifted a large white hand, indicating that the King should wait, but the King had no such intention.

  When they reached the top of the snow bank at the South wall, there were two guards. One was on the tower constructed for the Purging. "How predictable," the King muttered, disappointed. The vamp on the wall had a good vantage point, but the wind made it difficult to see. Before Celticad could do anything, the King was gone. Glancing around frantically, Celticad finally saw the monarch at the top of the tower. The other vampire was in his hands with a river of black blood dripping from his neck. Celticad's throat tightened. He watched the King rip out the vampire's throat with his fangs. In one swift movement, the guard was dead. The King held onto the vamp's lifeless body, watching the blackened blood soak into the snow. A smile snaked across the King's lips and he tossed the guard aside. Signaling to Celticad, the King intended to march forward, but Celticad shook his head and pointed to the garden wall. There was movement. He couldn't tell how many vampires lay in wait on the other side of the wall, but there was no way they failed to see their comrade on the ice castle slaughtered.

  The King sighed as he saw Celticad signal back to him. There were more guards. What a nuisance, he thought. Careful not to use too much of his strength, the King ran from the tower to the garden wall. The wind stung his face as he sprinted, the ice crystals digging into his skin as they fell from the sky. Celticad tried to get him to wear a mask, but the King wanted the others to see him coming. He wanted the Queen to see his power. They should fear him.

  Celticad was fit for a vampire in the post-flood world, but he had none of the old powers. He chugged, exerting his huge body at full speed across the snow. It took him a few minutes to meet the King, and he was huffing furiously when he got there. The King sneered at his ally, "Really, Celticad. We'll have to do something about that once the throne is mine. I can't have my commanding officer bouncing around like a walrus. "

  "Sir?" Celticad's face pinched in confusion. Ice crystals clung to his eyebrows making them look white.

  The King considered giving Celticad some of Kahli's blood once he found her, but only enough to enhance his power. Celticad would be stronger than the other vampires, but still weaker than the King. While the King could move swiftly, his body practically flying through the air at top speed, his second in command ran like an injured beast. That needed to be fixed.

  The King's lips curled into a smile, "Blood, my friend. I'll see to it that you have more power than the others, more blood. Some of the old ways will be yours. "

  If this pleased Celticad, he didn't show it. He simply nodded curtly, "As you wish, my King. "

  The King glanced at the top of the wall. There was no entrance on this side of the garden. They'd have to go over the top. From where they stood, the wall of ice stretched into the sky, towering high above them. The South wall was always the most vulnerable point at the palace. Sophia had to know he was coming in this way, but where were her guards?

  "How many?" the King asked.

  "The visual confirmed two, but the Queen had to place more here. This wall blinds them to the world beyond. "

  The King stroked his chin as he looked into the inky darkness behind them. "She may not have put proper guards here. I took most of her better men last night. She's weak, unprotected. " The King glanced at the top of the wall again. The wind whipped his dark hair wildly around his face. "Wait here," he commanded. Grinning, the King bent his knees like he was going to jump across a puddle. When he sprang, his slender body launched into the air like a rocket. The King landed on the icy turret at the top of the wall. Before jumping down, he looked back at Celticad with delight in his golden eyes.

  Celticad didn't want to wait there, but he did as he was told. There were a few muffled noises that were obscured by the wind. When Celticad looked at the top of the wall, sharp flakes of snow fell into his eyes, but he didn't look away. Agitated, he felt useless waiting around, while the King went over the wall alone, but Celticad couldn't jump like that. The King practically flew over the icy wall and landed soundlessly on the other side. A noise caught Celticad's ear and he leaned closer to the wall, trying to identify the sound. Next to his eye, a small fissure appeared in the white wall. Celticad leaned closer, watching it spider into several directions before the wall made a loud cracking sound. Celticad stumbled back, his arm covering his face as the section of wall exploded. Shards of ice flew past his eyes, nearly blinding him. When he lowered his arm, Celticad saw a small opening in the wall where the crack had been. It gave way. Caving in, the hole expanded and formed a passage big enough for him to walk through. He didn't wait for the air to clear. Keeping his arm at his eyes, Celticad walked through the floating debris and emerged on the other side of the wall. The King stood there with three dead vampires at his feet. Their blackened blood soaked into the ice, staining it like ink spilled from a bottle.

  "Where is the tunnel?" the King snapped, looking at the ground, like a door would magically fling open just because he asked.

  "In this garden. It's part of the history of this place, a reason why the Queen chose it. Caverns were vast in this part of the country, often stretching underground for miles. We aren't looking for a small tunnel, we're looking for the entrance to a cavern. " Celticad spoke with certainty as his eyes scanned the landscape.

  The King was tense, moving swiftly through the garden, but he didn't see any way in. Before they had much time to look a voice crackled to life. The noise came from the communicator on one of the dead vamp's body's, "Report. Over. "

  The King looked at Celticad. They'd know he was here any moment. There were two posts down on this side of the palace. He didn't have time for this. As if he read the King's mind, Celticad walked over to the vamp and lifted the white box from his belt. Pressing the button on the side, Celticad said something the King knew to be a report, but the way that it was spoken concerned him. The report had to be given a certain way, parts of it in code. Celticad spoke fluently, like he'd done this many times before. Celticad knew the Queen's codes. While the King didn't know all of the code, he knew enough of it to recognize it when he heard it spoken.

  When Celticad finished, he said, "Over," and clicked the thing off, tossing it to the ground on top of the dead vampires. Every sin
gle one was killed the same way - decapitation. Vacant eyes were still open in shock, like they couldn't believe that they were attacked.

  "When were you in the Queen's guard?" the King asked suspiciously, ready to destroy one more vampire. Another body was nothing, not with his power.

  "After I was turned," Celticad replied, his voice angry.

  "Then, why should I trust you?" the King asked, gaze narrowing. He didn't expect the vampire to speak truthfully. He expected lies, a faulty reason why he knew the Queen's code.

  "You shouldn't," Celticad said plainly. The large vampire looked directly into the King's face as he spoke, not making any apologies for his past. "You'd be a fool if you trusted anyone. Make no pretense for me, your Majesty. Assume I'd kill you, if I had the power. You'll live longer. " Wind whipped Celticad's dark hair. He stood rigid, ready for the King to attack.

  After a moment, the side of the King's lips pulled up into a sadistic smile, "A man after my own heart. "

  Celticad nodded once. "Exactly," he said gruffly. "Now, let's find that door before someone realizes we're here. "