Read Online Katrina, The Beginning by Elizabeth Loraine - Free Book Online Page B

moved down corridor a little further, it opened into a small
room, and there on the floor bound, gagged, with their heads
covered with black hoods, were the three missing girls. In a flash
I knelt down, untied each one, and then made sure they were all
unhurt.
    “We’re angry more than
anything else,” Rosa rose unsteadily, moving her wrists and flexing
her hands to get blood flowing again.
    “I expect you are, but
there’s no time for speeches now,” I urged. “We need to get you out
of here and back to my father’s apartment without being
seen.”
    “But why your father,
Katrina? I want my father.”
    “Just trust me Eleanor;
this is how it must be. Let’s get you up and out of here. Quietly.
Remember your training, and be aware.”
    The girls were filthy and
still in their nightgowns, but they were strong enough. We left the
small room and went quickly back along the corridor.
    Then a scent I knew all too
well hit me straight in the face. Fledglings! Where had they come
from? I looked behind us but saw nothing. No one.
    Where was Quinn?
    My heart skipped a beat,
had they taken him? Were they holding him upstairs?
    I saw feet coming down the
stairs in front of us. I backed the girls into the shadows and put
my finger to my lips, signaling for silence. We waited.
    To my great relief, it was
Quinn.
    “Hurry,” he whispered,
“It’s clear.” He then turned and went back up the narrow
stairs.
    I pulled Eleanor
forward.
    “Run,” I told her, then
lined up Rosalinda, and finally Arletta.
    They flashed up the stairs,
each meeting Quinn at the top. I could now hear the fledglings
getting closer, coming through the central archway. It took all my
vampire speed to make it the final few steps up and out the narrow
opening in the floor of the shed. Quinn pulled me up and out of the
way and together we shoved the pallet back over the
opening.
    “Here, use this, Quinn,” I
tossed him a spear so he could block the rail and keep the
fledglings from getting to us.
    “I had better use one more.
Good, that’s it.” He turned to the girls, “Now let’s get out of
here. I know everyone is shaken, but we must not be noticed. Kat
will take you. Use your speed so you won’t be seen. I’ll lock up
and meet you at the apartment. Don’t worry; I’ll bring your fathers
with me. Now go!”
    The girls and I raced along
the palace wall. No human would see us, but vampires might. I kept
looking side to side, checking for danger. So far, so
good.
    “We’re almost there. Stay
close.”
    We made it to the verandah
and I looked in to make sure it was clear. It was.
    “Thomas?” I called up the
stairs.
    “Katrina is that you?” I
heard Gunter say as he rushed down the stairs. “Your father is
frantic. Thomas and Simon are out looking for you.”
    Then I stepped aside. His
jaw dropped and he gasped, “What the—”
    “Let’s get the girls some
blankets. I’ll explain later.”
    Then I took the girls past
Gunter and towards the stairway.
    “Any word?” I heard Thomas
say.
    When he and Simon came into
view, Gunter nodded in my direction. The girls huddled together
behind me.
    “Where were they?” Simon
asked, shocked.
    “Get some blankets from
storage,” Gunter ordered.
    Thomas returned a few
moments later and handed me three woolen blankets. I wrapped them
around the girls and gave them each a hug.
    “You’re safe now. Let’s go
upstairs.”
    I could hear Father pacing
as Gunter opened the door.
    “We found her,” Gunter
announced, and when I gave him a scolding look, he added, “Well,
she actually…she came back on her own and she brought a few friends
with her.”
    As we entered the room,
Father’s anger turned to shock.
    “The girls,
where…who…?”
    “All in good time, Father,
for now we must get someone to guard Luena to make sure she doesn’t
escape.”
    He gave me a questioning
look, but sent guards immediately. Moments later, Quinn arrived
with all three fathers in tow. The girls, who had been