Trepidation | Trepidation Trilogy | The Empty World Sequence

Thirty-Nine

They had a safe journey as far as Fontainebleau and found the grande chateau used as museum occupied by DG command staff. Being of allied nations Goth and Americans were allowed to camp in the area, though the chateau was closed to them. It was growing cold again and as they had the last winter in Berlin and other cities of Germany they relied on bodies and various heaters for warmth.

      Claudia was sleeping a lot, or trying to sleep but being kept awake by discomfort or the small voice only she heard from within that seemed most active when she was most tired. Li'l Alaric sometimes curled up with her during his naps, at other times it was John beside her, or Estasi coming in to make her feed. Merideth might sleep at Claudia's side to allow the others more space, as when John wasn't with Elonwey they were five and a half adult sized bodies.

      She craved sugar more now and it was fairly scarce. Still Claudia begged Estasi to eat spoonfuls of it before feeding her, or she ate it herself. She felt high, but the child claimed he was affected only in a good way. Usually it was Estasi who came to feed her. Claudia was moody, she knew she was without the others reminding her...yet they did. David had lost tolerance training her Claudia was so volatile, changing her mood within minutes of the previous mood swing. And if the others were about, they tended to be polite to David in a way that any one unable to read thoughts would still see as false and contrary. After all, they had been friends to John and Claudia, they had to take John's side in the matter.

      So Estasi was welcomed more easily. She had a class about her that said though Daerick had discovered her as a prostitute she had served the wealthy who demanded clean, well-dressed and stylish escorts also skilled at the art of love whereas Angelo had the manner of a waterfront hustler. Disturbing as it was to Claudia what it must have been like to be Estasi she was actually fond of the somewhat older Vampyre. Estasi would teach her tricks David wouldn't or couldn't.

      Estasi had even described in detailed whispers just how it was Vampyres managed to practice fellatio while having fangs. It was all in the movement of the tongue and lower jaw and then something to do with the throat...the point was Estasi had taught her. Likewise, she affirmed what Claudia knew about other methods of lovemaking with humans, and having been a professional Estasi seemed to know all methods.

      Everyone was inside more, huddled together in crowds within one trailer or van, or the RVs, always at least one assigned to watching door or windows for sign of followers while others listened in on captured radio signals or scanned personal net communication from systems they had hacked.

      Usually, if Claudia left the trailer it was to be in Sascha's RV. Adelle and Patrick would draw the curtain across the bedroom with or without Maureen just to give Sascha privacy in the mid sections. Sometimes they would have visitors. Claudia had even seen Adelle invite Merideth, Elonwey, Louisa, Elzbieta and Karina all onto the bed which took up nearly all the rear room. Jayne and Erik were often in their tiny loft above the front seats, could as easily curtain themselves. Claudia had seen them take their machines up there to work. That left the middle room for Sascha to crowd as many people into as she liked on a given day.

      The trailer Miko and Marek shared with the two girls of the Peacekeepers and the boys Rory and Hansel was always in more disarray than it had been when Leonore and Robbie kept house. So work was transferred to Sascha's RV completely. And if Miko was there it meant Ceci was going to stop by, and if she did Joyce would, being close friends now, and if Joyce came by Austin would because he was her boyfriend. And soon a platoon of Peacekeepers would be crouched about the red-lit chamber cleaning their gear. Often they were shooed out into Elzbieta and Justin's RV instead when Elzbieta brought Rozz elsewhere. 

      After a stay in Fontainebeau of a week or so, they detected followers. They seemed wary of the DG precence, but once they realized the DG were only staff with escort and not large in number they made a move to attack those camped nearby.