Katie MacAlister-Dark Ones 06 by Zen & the Art of Vampires

Author:Zen & the Art of Vampires [Zen & Vampires, the Art of]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2011-10-13T03:57:57+00:00

"A ritual?" she asked. "Like an initiation at fraternities and such?"

"Assumedly without the wild orgies and drunkenness."

She grinned at me. "But that's the best part! Did Mattias say what the initiation is?"

I rubbed my arms again, not sure if the goose bumps were from the cold air or nerves. "He didn't really go into it much, other than to say that just as the Zorya requires the stone to channel power, so does she require the acceptance of the community to be recognized as Zorya. The ceremony is supposed to do the latter bit, and I gather after that I'll be put through my paces in front of everyone. It sounds kind of creepy, to be honest."

"Very Masonic," Magda agreed as we kept to the shadows at the next intersection. I recognized a couple of buildings, guessing we were a few blocks away from the hotel. "So that's going to take place tomorrow night?"

"That's the plan. In the ruins we were supposed to go to the other night."

"Oh, good. I really wanted to see that place. I hope no one minds if I come along tomorrow? Ack. It's almost ten. You'd better get some sleep or you're going to be exhausted."

"Yeah, I'm a bit pooped. Whoops. Come back. I think that's a cop car."

We pulled back as we were rounding a corner, both of us watching suspiciously as a man strolled out of the front of the hotel, pausing to talk to someone sitting in an unmarked car.

"Cop?" I asked Magda.

"Definitely. They must be watching for you. Let's go around the back. Maybe there's a way we can get in there without them seeing."

We slipped around the block, coming up against the kitchen entrance, but there was a policeman there, too, talking with easy amiability with a woman wearing a traditional white chef's hat.

"Damn. OK, how's this? I go in and distract the cop in the lobby, and you sneak through to the side stairs and go up to your room."

"I don't have my key," I whispered, my hopes sinking. Although the Brotherhood people had said they would give me money, I wanted my own clothing and things, which Magda thought were still in my room. "It was in my room when I left, but I'm sure the manager or police picked it up."

Magda pulled out her hotel key—really a plastic card with a magnetic strip—and looked thoughtful. "There's the bathroom.

That's a way in for you."

I ran my mind back to the morning, shuddering at the memory. "I left the door unlocked when I went to bed, in case you needed to use the room, but this morning when I found Anniki, it was locked."

She gave a little grimace, then said thoughtfully, tapping the key card on her lips, "That's as may be, but the police unlocked it at one point. I caught them peeking in while I was getting dressed. If they didn't lock it, I bet you could get into your room from mine via the bathroom. Or in a worst-case scenario, use the balcony our rooms share.

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