Claimed by the Desert

Chapter 10.5

*NEW CHAPTER added 02/14/14*

 Chapter 10.5

  

Vera's hands shook as she turned the pages of the book and her foot tapped against the chair leg restlessly. She had been drinking coffee all evening in attempt to keep herself awake and now she was so jittery she could hardly sit still. But she wasn't going to risk falling asleep when Amias was out there roaming about looking for her.

In an attempt to throw him off her trail, Vera had taken the train to a nearby town and was holed up in a hotel room for the night. It was crucial that she find something to stop him before he managed to hunt her down.  So far the book hadn't provided anything helpful, but she was determined not to give up.

The curtains fluttered against Vera's arm and it drew her attention to the window. She couldn't remember opening it, but she was so delirious from coffee and lack of sleep it was possible she just forgot. The sun had begun to peek out over the horizon and the clouds were turning a beautiful orangey pink.

Deciding to take a short break and get breakfast, Vera made her way downstairs skipping the dining room entirely and going straight on to the kitchens. She picked up another carafe of coffee and some sweet rolls and waved off the enthusiastic maid who kept insisting on helping her carry the tray.  As she made her way back up the stairs, juggling the tray while fishing the room key from her pocket, a familiar voice drifted up from the lobby.

"...looking for a girl in her late teens. She's blonde and quite tall. Have you seen her?"

Vera froze in place, holding her breath as she waited for the maid's response.

"I'm not sure, sir," the maid lied. "We have many customers here. Why are you looking for her?"

"We met at an excavation recently and she captivated me, but she left before I got the chance to win her over. I was hoping to find her and convince her to run away with me."

 "How romantic," the maid replied. "She must be very special if you are going to all this trouble to find her."

"Oh, she is," she heard Amias say. "And I would do anything to keep her by my side forever."

Vera felt a combination of fear and exasperation at hearing his reply and at hearing the maid's dreamy sigh in response. If the maid had any idea of the creature she was talking to that sigh would have been a horrified scream.

She sat the tray down on the floor as quietly as possible and rushed into her room to pack her things. From the way the maid had been talking to Amias it was only a matter of time before she told him which room she was staying in and she needed to be far away by then.

She peeked out the door and looked down the stairs to see if the coast was clear. The maid still had Amias's attention so Vera was able to sneak past unnoticed. They seemed to still be discussing her from the few comments she managed to catch on the way out the door. The only problem was she had no idea where to go once she was outside. Amias had found her in less than a full day and she had no doubts he could do it again. Her only option was to keep moving temporarily until she figured something else out.

It was a good thing she had had plenty of coffee because the train station was far from the hotel and she would have to walk there if she wanted to keep from being noticed. A chair flew through the window over Vera's head and she flinched back as it struck the ground very near her left leg. She could hear Amias inside the hotel raging at the poor maid for letting her escape.

He would be coming back outside any second looking for her, so Vera took off at a sprint toward the train station, cutting behind buildings and staying out of sight as best she could. It would be a miracle if she made it, she knew, but she wasn't giving up just yet. Not when her family needed her.