Lord of Misrule Page 0,13

like some kind of hotel, with polished heavy doors marked with brass plates, only instead of numbers, each door had one of the vampire markings, like the symbol on Claire's bracelet. Each vampire had one; at least she thought they did. So these would be--what? Rooms? Vaults? Claire thought she heard something behind one of the doors--muffled sounds, thumping, scratching. They didn't stop, though--and she wasn't sure she wanted to know, really.

Amelie brought them to a halt at the Tintersection of the hall. It was deserted in every direction, and disorienting, too; Claire couldn't tell one hallway from another. Maybe we should drop crumbs, she thought. Or M&M's. Or blood.

"Myrnin is in a room on this hall," Amelie said. "It is quite obviously a trap, and quite obviously meant for me. I will stay behind and ensure your escape route. Claire." Her pale eyes fixed on Claire with merciless intensity. "Whatever else happens, you must bring Myrnin out safely. Do you understand? Do not let Bishop have him."

She meant, Everybody else is expendable. That made Claire feel sick, and she couldn't help but look at Hannah, and even at the two vampires. G?rard shrugged, so slightly she thought it might have been her imagination.

"We are soldiers," G?rard said. "Yes?" Hannah smiled. "Damn straight."

"Excellent. You will follow my orders."

Hannah saluted him, with just a little trace of irony. "Yes sir, squad leader, sir."

G?rard turned his attention to Claire. "You will stay behind us. Do you understand?"

She nodded. She felt cold and hot at the same time, and a little sick, and the wooden stake in her hand didn't seem like a heck of a lot, considering. But she didn't have any time for second thoughts, because G?rard had turned and was already heading down the hall, his wing man flanking him, and Hannah was beckoning Claire to follow.

Amelie's cool fingers brushed her shoulder. "Careful."

Claire nodded and went to rescue a crazy vampire from an evil one.

The door shattered under G?rard's kick. That wasn't an exaggeration; except for the wood around the door hinges, the rest of it broke into handsized pieces and splinters. Before that rain of wreckage hit the floor, G?rard was inside, moving to the left while his colleague went right. Hannah stepped in and swept the room from one side to the other, holding her air pistol ready to fire, then nodded sharply to Claire.

Myrnin was just as she'd seen him in the picture--kneeling in the center of the room, anchored by tightstretched silvery chains. The chains were doublestrength, and threaded through massive steel bolts on the stone floor.

He was shaking all over, and where the chains touched him, he had welts and burns.

G?rard swore softly under his breath and fiercely kicked the eyebolts in the floor. They bent, but didn't break.

Myrnin finally raised his head, and beneath the mass of sweaty dark hair, Claire saw wild dark eyes, and a smile that made her stomach twist.

"I knew you'd come," he whispered. "You fools. Where is she? Where's Amelie?"

"Behind us," Claire said.

"Fools."

"Nice way to talk to your rescuers," Hannah said. She was nervous, Claire could see it, though the woman controlled it very well. "G?rard? I don't like this. It's too easy."

"I know." He crouched down and looked at the chains. "Silver coated. I can't break them."

"What about the bolts in the floor?" Claire asked. In answer, G?rard grabbed the edge of the metal plate and twisted. The steel bent like aluminum foil, and, with a ripping shriek, tore free of the stones. Myrnin wavered as part of his restraints fell loose, and G?rard waved his partner to work on the other two plates while he focused on the second in front.

"Too easy, too easy," Hannah kept on muttering. "What's the point of doing this if Bishop is just going to let him go?"

The eyebolts were all ripped loose, and G?rard grabbed Myrnin's arm and helped him to his feet.

Myrnin's eyes sheeted over with blazing ruby, and he shook G?rard off and went straight for Hannah.

Hannah saw him coming and put the gun between them, but before she could fire, G?rard's partner knocked her hand out of line, and the shot went wild, impacting on the stone at the other side of the room. Silver flakes drifted on the air, igniting tiny burns where they landed on the vampires' skin. The two bodyguards backed off.

Myrnin grabbed Hannah by the neck.

"No!" Claire screamed, and ducked under G?rard's restraining hand. She raised her wooden stake.

Myrnin turned his head and grinned