I awoke. Apparently at some point I had blacked out. My head throbbed and as I put my hand up to touch it, I felt a huge lump on the side of my head. Great, my life could hardly get any worse.
As my eyes accustomed to the gloom, I spotted a light switch near the door. I reached my hand up and pressed the switch illuminating the whole chamber with light. Even in my dire emotional state I could not help but gasp in amazement at the room before me. The room was fitted with all of the luxuries I could imagine much like in the main court, but better. I was standing in the middle of what looked like the sitting room but it had be altered slightly to accommodate the massive television into the small space. The sofas were a dark red and as I stepped on to the carpet I felt my feet sink into it. I explored the other rooms going through several narrow passages with sealed exits. The first room contained a small but amazingly comfortable bed and an equally big TV screen. In the second there was something better though, food. I had entered the kitchen through a trapdoor and unlike the other rooms in the hide out this one was massive. It spanned what I thought was the whole attic and had every type of tinned food that you could imagine. From lamb stew to Chinese all packed on shelves. I ran to the kitchen and heated up some curry and rice. But in my haste I barely warmed it - but it tasted good all the same.
The rest of the room was filled up with all kinds of technology. It would take me ages to work out what it was for. To start, I switched on the nearest small gadget. At least it had the standard 'on' button. It burst into life projecting huge amounts of light that blinded me at first.
"Rosemary Hathaway access granted," it said vibrating in my hand slightly.
"Right," I said a little perplexed.
"Write," the machine said, "What would you like to write?"
"Oh dear," I said before clapping my hand over my mouth.
I thought for a second and then said, "I would like to know the whereabouts of Vasilissa Dragonmir."
"Still to be confirmed yet their tracking device is just outside the court."
Phew, she was probably ok. Then I took a deep breath and asked the question that I really didn't want to ask.
"Where is Dimitri Belicov?" I said my voice shaking.
"Repeat the question please" it said in its annoying overly polite voice.
"...Where is Guardian Dimitri Belicov?" I said trying to keep my voice steady.
"Uncertain although my sources indicate he is in a cell inside the court and cell 3 has in fact been occupied recently."
"Alive?" I said automatically.
"I am detecting a heart rate from cell 3 but I would urge you to watch the TV there is an emergency broadcast."
"Okay," I said and just like that the TV switched itself on.
Lissa's face filled the screen and I let out a sigh of relief. At least she was okay I guess that was something.
"My name is Vasalissa Dragonmir, the queen of vampire society. And wish to make an announcement. This is an emergency broadcast and so I don't think I have much time but I wish to tell you that there has been an attack and strigoi have attempted control of power. I urge you to resist as I am. And to follow the following instruct..." she was interrupted and what took her place was terrified me. Staring straight at me as if the TV wasn't there was two huge blood red eyes.
"In case you didn't hear the pretty little queen, I , Nickolas Mariachi have taken over and as you can see, I am strigoi and need feeding." He smiled an evil smile at the camera which made my blood run cold and my hairs stand on end.
"I might let some of you live if you are good to me. But those that fight against us won't live to see another day. The first pubic execution will be shown tomorrow at 10 o'clock when I will kill one of yours who has tried to evade my race again and again. According to the latest guardian awards he is the best guardian currently living. So, once he is dead none of you have any chance whatsoever. Tomorrow," he winked, "I will kill Dimitri Belicov."
The words tore into me like knives but what was worse was the picture that appeared on the screen next. A dark prison cell with a body sprawled across the floor. The camera zoomed in and I saw the face of the man I love, pale, and barely alive.
