Barb Hendee - Hunting Memories

Had she seen a light reflect off the sword?

In the past, rumors of the way he hunted eventually spread to a point, but the vampires of the distant past were fairly scattered, mainly communicating through letters to anyone besides a direct child-or the child to the maker. Most had no idea how he was locating them or taking their heads.

Robert knew.

This thought made him wonder how Robert had escaped him back in the past, as he clearly remembered cutting off Robert's head… but then he remembered that he'd killed Jessenia first. Afterward, he'd taken his swing at Robert, seen the dark blood spraying out, and the world had grown slightly hazy. Had Robert made him see something which wasn't there?

If so, that would not happen again. He had to kill Robert on a first swing.

Only now Robert and Eleisha would be looking into the shadows.

Julian glanced down at the Amtrak schedule on the seat beside him, trying to decide what they would try next. They were on an express train with only one brief stop in Salem-but the end stop was Portland, so Robert would reason that Julian believed they were running to Portland, and his built-in protective instincts would never allow him to lead an enemy from the final train station straight to the church.

They didn't even realize Julian knew about the church.

No, Robert would want to get off in Salem and rent or steal a car for that last hour home, trying to throw Julian off the trail.

Or at least Julian fervently hoped he would.

But no matter what happened, Julian had to finish this before they got home. He had to make Eleisha believe the church was safe. He could not attack anywhere near that place or she might not continue trying to seek out the others in hiding and bring them in.

With the remnants of a plan forming, he felt slightly better-nearly certain that Robert would take Eleisha off the train in Salem.

He just had to get there first, and he had to know the layout before he arrived.

"Mary Jordane," he called.

She materialized on the passenger seat beside him, looking around in some confusion at the inside of the car.

"Where have you…?" she asked. "Did you mess up?"

He bit down on the inside of his cheek to keep from snarling at her.

"I think Jasper's all set," she said. "He's on the train with the other three."

"What?"

He'd forgotten about Jasper. At this point, Philip, Wade, and Rose were not his main concern-as Rose appeared to be nearly helpless, Philip didn't know anything of the laws, and Wade was a mortal.

But Robert was dangerous. He had to die.

"Look down at this map," Julian said, ignoring the fact that she'd spoken. "Go ahead to the Salem train station and find the nearest car rental lot. Then examine all possible routes to the lot from the station's main or back doors and return to me."

"What, you're going to try the same thing again? They don't exactly strike me as stupid."

He didn't answer her, but he did agree. If Eleisha and Robert were looking for him in the shadows of doorways or alleys, he'd have to try something else.

Wade could see Philip hanging halfway out the cabin door up ahead, and his stomach lurched.

Their train was slowly starting to move.

"Where is she?" Philip demanded. "We have to go now! Where do we go?"

Wade struggled for what to say and then just blurted out, "She's already on the other train, and it pulled out a few minutes ago. I think Julian attacked them in the yard and they had to run."

He waited for the words to sink in, and then Philip did exactly as he expected-pushed him aside and ran down the hall.

Wade could not stop him physically, but he fired out telepathically.

Stop! Eleisha's gone, and you can't leave Rose.

Philip stumbled and halted, turning around, his face a mask of hate. Wade knew it wasn't aimed at him, but he didn't move any closer.

"How?" Philip spat. "How do you know any of this? Did you see it? If you did, why didn't you bring her back?"

"I didn't see anything!" The accusation made him angry. Could Philip ever give one thought to what somebody else might be feeling? "She shot me a few warnings… like she was screaming in my head. She told us to stay here, that Julian was in the yard, that she was on the other train, and we should all meet at the church. That's all I know, Philip, and you have to keep it together!"

The rage on Philip's face only increased. He strode back, shoved Wade inside the cabin, and started giving orders.

"Get up, Rose," he barked, which sounded strange in his French accent. He fastened the machete's sheath onto his belt and put on his coat, buttoning it. "Wade, is your gun loaded?"

"What are you doing?" Wade asked in alarm, standing in front of the door. Rose looked frightened already, but she was on her feet.

"We're going to jump," Philip answered flatly. "We'll steal the first car we find, and I'll get us to the Portland train station."

"Jump? What if he's still in the yard?"

"He's after Robert!" Philip shouted. "He wants Robert's head, and Eleisha will try to stop him! We have to get to the Portland station before the train arrives. Julian will find a way to get there, and we have to be there first." His voice was calmer now, and he looked at Rose. "Can you jump?"

The train was just beginning to pick up speed.

Rose wavered, but then said, "Yes, I can jump. It's my fault we took this train in the first place, and I don't want Eleisha and Robert left alone either."

Philip's anger melted into relief, he held out one hand. "Good. Come."

She came to him.

He led her forward, but then he stopped before the doorway, looking Wade in the face. "I am going to drive very fast," he said in short, clipped words. "If a policeman tries to stops us, we cannot be caught up in a chase, so I will pull over and kill him as he reaches our window. I am telling you this so that you know."

Wade swallowed and didn't know how to answer. Philip certainly wasn't asking permission.

"There's a door to the outside just down here," Wade said, stepping back out of their way and pointing, a little concerned about jumping off a moving train.

Philip and Rose walked out past him, and he followed them down the hallway.

Jasper made his way through the train, trying to think of what he should do. He couldn't exactly knock on the door. He wasn't even sure which cabins they were in.

Where was Mary?

If she was here, she might have been able to tell him. She might also be able to scare one of them into the hallway, but she'd vanished in the men's room of the station and he hadn't seen her since.

He thought hard. Could he pull the fire alarm?

Did trains have fire alarms?

No, that wouldn't work. If he did that, everyone else would come rushing out, too, and then he wouldn't able to do anything.

How had Julian done this without being seen until the last second?

Well, first things first. Mary had told him earlier they were in adjoining cabins toward the front of the train. He'd just have to pick a good spot in the area and wait. Moving quickly, he passed people sitting in basic seats for about six cars.

He opened a door and stepped into an empty car with a door to the outside. Just as he stepped in, the inner door opposite from him opened, and to his shock, Philip walked through… wearing a long black coat.

Wade and Rose were right behind.

They all stared at each other.

"That's him," Rose said.

Philip's lips curled back over his teeth, and he charged.

Without even thinking, Jasper turned and ran.

Eleisha was sitting on the floor in their adjoining cabins with her arms wrapped around her knees. She couldn't stop thinking about Philip.

Robert was pacing, but since the cabin was seven feet across, he could take only a few steps before turning around.