asked, peering at him over the rim of the clay mug.
“That you were the one ,” he said, his eyes growing wide. “The one that would bring peace to The Hollows and stop the annihilation of the human race.”
“As far as I can understand from the letter Ravenwood left me,” I started, “One race, either the Humans or the Vampyrus, have to be annihilated, as you describe it.”
“Ravenwood was right in what he told you,” Coanda said, and he looked at me with his big, cold blue eyes. “One of the species has to cease to exist, but they can die without the suffering that war brings. As soon as you decide which race goes, they just fade away, like shadows. There will be no pain, no suffering for them.”
Staring back at him, I said coolly, “I couldn’t care what happens because I’m not making any choice. I refuse to be the one who wipes out an entire race of people.”
Strumming his fingers against his thigh, Coanda looked at me thoughtfully and said, “I don’t think you understand, Kiera…”
“No, it’s you who doesn’t understand,” I said, placing the mug on the table with the maps. “I am not making any decision. I didn’t ask for this.”
“But Kiera, you have to,” he said. “That’s why you were chosen. A half-breed…half of each race…someone who can really see - feel - which species deserves to go on.”
“I know of two other half-breeds you could have chosen,” I snapped at him. “Why not let Kayla or Isidor make the decision?”
Looking at me as if I was failing to understand something, Coanda said, “Kiera, would you really want to pass such a burden to your young friends? Do you really think that either of them would want to…or be strong enough to make that choice?”
“What makes you think that I’m strong enough to choose?” I said, fighting the urge to scream at him.
“I don’t think anything, Kiera,” Coanda said calmly, “It’s the elders who have chosen you.”
“But why me?” I pushed.
Coanda shrugged at me and said, “You’ll be able to ask them soon enough.”
“How come?”
“That is the journey that we have to make,” Coanda started to explain.
“Before I go anywhere with you,” I said, swinging my legs over the edge of the bed and sitting up, “I want to know exactly who you are.”
“Isn’t Ravenwood’s word enough?” Coanda asked, standing up.
“Let’s just say I’ve got trust issues,” I said with a wry smile. “Now tell me, why was there a locker back at that facility with your name on it?”
“Is it still there?” Coanda grinned as if remembering happier times. “I don’t suppose you came across my flight goggles, did you?”
“Flight goggles?” I asked bemused and wondered if he wasn’t just stalling me.
“Believe it or not, I used to be a Royal Air Force test pilot,” he said, sitting again on the chair. “Not wishing to brag, but I was pretty awesome. Women love a test pilot you know,” he said glancing up at me.
“Do they?” I said, cocking an eyebrow.
“Some do,” he half-smiled. “I think it was the uniform and all the danger.”
“Danger?” I asked him.
“Believe me, Kiera, I flew some of the most dangerous planes they secretly designed in that place,” he began to explain. “See, that facility was once owned by the Military of Defence. It was a secret test site for experimental planes they were working on, it was my team’s job to fly those machines that those crazy sons of bitches dreamt up. But being a secret Vampyrus, I had my own little secret, which gave me an advantage.”
“Wings?” I cut in.
“You’ve got it,” he smiled with a look of satisfaction. “I pushed those machines harder and faster than any other test pilot. I knew that if those planes broke up mid-flight, I could always just fly away.” And he made a swooping motion in the air with his hands. “Humans have this fascination with wanting to be able to fly; I was interested to see if they could ever design
“That you were the one ,” he said, his eyes growing wide. “The one that would bring peace to The Hollows and stop the annihilation of the human race.”
“As far as I can understand from the letter Ravenwood left me,” I started, “One race, either the Humans or the Vampyrus, have to be annihilated, as you describe it.”
“Ravenwood was right in what he told you,” Coanda said, and he looked at me with his big, cold blue eyes. “One of the species has to cease to exist, but they can die without the suffering that war brings. As soon as you decide which race goes, they just fade away, like shadows. There will be no pain, no suffering for them.”
Staring back at him, I said coolly, “I couldn’t care what happens because I’m not making any choice. I refuse to be the one who wipes out an entire race of people.”
Strumming his fingers against his thigh, Coanda looked at me thoughtfully and said, “I don’t think you understand, Kiera…”
“No, it’s you who doesn’t understand,” I said, placing the mug on the table with the maps. “I am not making any decision. I didn’t ask for this.”
“But Kiera, you have to,” he said. “That’s why you were chosen. A half-breed…half of each race…someone who can really see - feel - which species deserves to go on.”
“I know of two other half-breeds you could have chosen,” I snapped at him. “Why not let Kayla or Isidor make the decision?”
Looking at me as if I was failing to understand something, Coanda said, “Kiera, would you really want to pass such a burden to your young friends? Do you really think that either of them would want to…or be strong enough to make that choice?”
“What makes you think that I’m strong enough to choose?” I said, fighting the urge to scream at him.
“I don’t think anything, Kiera,” Coanda said calmly, “It’s the elders who have chosen you.”
“But why me?” I pushed.
Coanda shrugged at me and said, “You’ll be able to ask them soon enough.”
“How come?”
“That is the journey that we have to make,” Coanda started to explain.
“Before I go anywhere with you,” I said, swinging my legs over the edge of the bed and sitting up, “I want to know exactly who you are.”
“Isn’t Ravenwood’s word enough?” Coanda asked, standing up.
“Let’s just say I’ve got trust issues,” I said with a wry smile. “Now tell me, why was there a locker back at that facility with your name on it?”
“Is it still there?” Coanda grinned as if remembering happier times. “I don’t suppose you came across my flight goggles, did you?”
“Flight goggles?” I asked bemused and wondered if he wasn’t just stalling me.
“Believe it or not, I used to be a Royal Air Force test pilot,” he said, sitting again on the chair. “Not wishing to brag, but I was pretty awesome. Women love a test pilot you know,” he said glancing up at me.
“Do they?” I said, cocking an eyebrow.
“Some do,” he half-smiled. “I think it was the uniform and all the danger.”
“Danger?” I asked him.
“Believe me, Kiera, I flew some of the most dangerous planes they secretly designed in that place,” he began to explain. “See, that facility was once owned by the Military of Defence. It was a secret test site for experimental planes they were working on, it was my team’s job to fly those machines that those crazy sons of bitches dreamt up. But being a secret Vampyrus, I had my own little secret, which gave me an advantage.”
“Wings?” I cut in.
“You’ve got it,” he smiled with a look of satisfaction. “I pushed those machines harder and faster than any other test pilot. I knew that if those planes broke up mid-flight, I could always just fly away.” And he made a swooping motion in the air with his hands. “Humans have this fascination with wanting to be able to fly; I was interested to see if they could ever design
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