Authors: Quinn Loftis
The three women seemed to consider this.
“I had no clue about gypsies or healers,” Sally spoke up, “even after I learned of the werewolves’ existence. It wasn’t until I turned eighteen and started having some freaky stuff happen that the wolves were clued in that I was a healer.”
“Are you happy?”
Stella asked pointedly.
Sally smiled at her and the natural peace that surrounded a gypsy healer flowed off of her, touching the others in the room. “More than I ever thought possible. I’m not saying I don’t miss my parents, and I actually do get to talk with them occasionally,” she pursed her lips at Peri. “But if you’re asking me whether I would ch
oose a human life over this one, the answer is not in a million years.”
Peri stood then, smoothing down her clothes and stepping around the chair to grasp the back of it. “I understand that it is a lot to take in, but,” she bit out, “we don’t have the luxury of sharing some Dr. Phil moments and blubbering over what is, what might have been or what should be. We failed to rescue two of the five healers we were sent after. They were captured by the evil I spoke of. Unfortunately I have to claim the one who took them, as she is my sister.
Believe me she is wicked and yes, I would like very much to drop a house on her.” Peri noticed Elle giving her an odd look. “What?” Peri shrugged. “So I like human movies, bite me.” Her fingers snapped at the already grinning Costin. “Not a word rock boy.”
“How can we help?” Heather asked
, once again exhibiting the fearless nature she seemed to possess.
“For now the best thing for you three to do is stay here, don’t freak out and ask Crina and Elle, who will stay to protect you, as many questions as you like even if Crina complains about it.
Elle is much more even tempered than the she-wolf, as you will find in most fae. I am the exception,” her eyes flared as her power rose. “The rest of us are going hunting.”
“When are we leaving?” Adam asked
, all playfulness gone. Regardless of his relaxed attitude, like Costin, when it was time to fight, he was all business. Until he started killing things, that seemed to make him giddy, which Peri admitted was a tad disturbing.
“When does evil like to come out to play
, comrade?” Peri asked him.
“When darkness falls,
The devil will play,
Lurking evil calls,
To draw you away
.”
Anna’s voice, though nearly a whisper, filled the ears of all present. Her eyes had been unfocused as she spoke
, but once silent she looked up at them. “It was a gypsy rhyme my mother use to tell me,” she explained. “It was meant to remind the listener to be ever alert during the devil’s play time.”
“Or you could just say at night,
that would have been a tad less creepy,” Crina offered, her hands clenched up by her chin staring wide eyed at Anna.
“It was also a ward of sorts,” Sally said looking curiously at her. “Your mother was protecting you with magic she knew she held.”
“She told me that as well,” Anna admitted. “I never believed her.”
“There’s a first time for everything,” Adam smiled at her.
“I have a feeling we are going to be experiencing a lot of firsts,” Stella grumbled.
A wicked smile spread across Peri’s lips. “Oh
, healer, you have no idea.”
∞
“I know we need to sleep because we will be out all night dodging the devil,” Sally said as she lay next to her mate. “But it is so hard to even doze when I know it’s daylight outside.”
Costin turned on his
side and propped himself up on his elbow. He smiled his
bedroom only
smile that made Sally’s palms sweat. “There are other things to do in a bed besides sleep.”
Sally laughed. “Is that all you think about?”
“What else should I think about? I’m a young, viral, married, mated, male.”
“I think you mean virile,” Sally corrected.
“Not important,” Costin replied.
“Kind of is babe. Viral means you have some sort of nasty contagious, probably weirdly named
issue. It’s really not something you
want
to go around claiming.”
“I know what I
do
want to go around claiming,” he nearly hummed to her.
Sally raised an eyebrow at him. “Sometimes I seriously think you need some sort of counseling.
You and Jen could join a support group together or something.”
“Sally?”
“Yes.”
“I’m going to make you tired now so you can sleep.”
Sally tried to keep the ridiculous giggle out of her voice when she answered. “I will endure such treatment, if I must.”
“You must,”
he whispered in her ear as he gathered her close. He smirked when, despite her words, she surrendered to him quite willingly.
“Let me in, let me in, sister mine.
A wolf in sheep’s clothing knocks at your door. I am harmless it whispers to your mind. Just open it a bit, and then a bit more. Now, shut the door, shut the door, sister mine. Lies for the truth are what are in store.” ~ Lorelle’s spell
Lorelle
knew her sister well. After all, centuries together revealed much. She knew that her sister hunted at night, which meant she would slumber during the day. Of course, getting Volcan to understand that meant they needed to do the dreamscape sooner rather than later was like ripping her own finger nails off one by one.
“How can you be sure? If you attempt to enter her mind while she is awake she will know, and then she will be on guard even when she sleeps,” Volcan argued.
Lorelle reached for all the patience she had left, which wasn’t really much to begin with, before she responded. “I feel it unnecessary to point out that you have been out of commission for some time now. While you were floating around aimlessly, no doubt licking your wounds, I was with the living, in particular, my sister. I know how she thinks. I also know she has taken a mate, so she will be a tad distracted in her thinking no doubt.”
“H
ow did you learn about the mate?” Volcan asked his voice thick with suspicion.
“I saw them together when we
happened upon one another when we were getting the healers. I could sense the bond between them and his protectiveness towards her was undeniable.” She waited for him to respond. After several minutes still nothing. “I feel I shouldn’t have to reiterate that time is of the essence. But I will if I must.”
“You tempt my wrath,” he snarled.
“Well, you try my sanity—we’re even.”
“I concede,” he finally said sounding like the sullen child he wasn’t. “But if you fail, I will remove a limb in a most painful way.”
Lorelle pressed her lips so tightly together she was sure they would meld into one big lip. She wanted to point out the he needed her, but he would only point out that he apparently had minions that would keep her from escaping. Knowing her luck, he didn’t have a single minion and she was only held captive by her fear.
“Healer,” Volcan growled
, his disembodied voice seemed even creepier without being able to see the face behind it. “Come here.”
Lorelle
motioned to Jewel who had been standing against the wall across from the table that Kara laid on. She had been bound so she couldn’t run and with a flick of Lorelle’s wrist the binding dropped away.
“If you attempt to escape I will cut out her eyes,”
Lorelle motioned towards Kara. She had found that threatening someone else instead of the one you are trying to make cooperate heeds better results.
Jewel nodded as her eyes darted from Kara back to
Lorelle. She knew who the predator in the room was, and she knew that Lorelle wasn’t bluffing.
“You will need a fae blade,” Volcan’s voice interrupted the staring match between the two.
Lorelle held up her hand and out of nowhere a very sharp, very real knife appeared.
“What is your name
, healer?”
Lorelle
watched Jewel’s hair ruffle as Volcan’s presence swept around her. “He’s speaking to you,” she told her.
“Didn’t
Lorelle already tell you my name?”
Lorelle
nearly smiled. This little healer was wise. She knew the power of willingly giving your name to one such as Volcan.
“Perhaps,” he sneered. “But I do not trust her and want to hear it from your lips.”
Lorelle tapped Kara’s unblinking eyes with the tip of the knife as she watched the resistant healer struggle with what to do. As soon as the knife made contact she gave in.
“Jewel,” she blurted out. “My name is Jewel.”
“Full name,” Volcan prodded.
Letting out a resigned sigh she answered. “Jewel Stone.”
Volcan chuckled and the sound was like sand paper rubbing against his lungs as it rumbled up through his unused throat.
“
The woman who birthed you must have been aware of magic in the world to give you such a name.”
Lorelle
wondered what he meant. What was special about the girl’s name? Thankfully, Jewel asked so Lorelle didn’t have to look like an idiot.
“What is significant about my name?”
“It really is tiresome that you know so little of your heritage,” Volcan droned. “As one such as yourself, having a name that is of an element is powerful, and you have a name with three elements. Stone, which is of the earth, and Jewel which is created from the earth, air, and even some water. Your powers often use the elements to heal, which is of course what you were created to do.”
“And you think my mother knew this?” Jewel asked him, momentarily forgetting the situation.
“Most definitely. Your mother was more knowledgeable than you are letting on.”
“Now that we’ve had our lesson for the day, can we p
lease continue,” Lorelle questioned, irritated by the fact that she had not known about what Volcan spoke of.
“
Lorelle, run your blade down the inside of each forearm of the girl. Then carve these symbols on her forehead,” he filled Lorelle’s head with the images of which he spoke. Carve these on the furthest part on both sides of her face close to her ears, and the last one on her throat. Please be careful on the throat and don’t slice too deep. If she bleeds out before Jewel can heal her I will be most displeased.”
“I don’t know how to heal her,” Jewel spoke up before
Lorelle moved to begin cutting.
“Your instincts will kick in,” Volcan assured her.
“I understand the blood sacrifice, but may I ask what the symbols are for?” Lorelle knew it was dark magic, which was why she had no idea why she was going to be carving the healer up like a turkey.
“If it will make you work any faster then I will explain it,” Volcan snarled.
Lorelle waited until he began before she touched the blade to Kara’s arm and ran it down the flesh, splitting it open effortlessly.
“The symbols were created by me, using magic that most would never dare. Wherever a symbol has been cut into the flesh
, it gives me the ability to harness their power. No spell needed. Each location of the symbol is significant.”
By this point,
Lorelle had just completed the symbol on Kara’s head. Blood ran, streams of red down her arms, and now on her face. To Lorelle’s surprise the healer was still awake. She hadn’t passed out and she hadn’t made any noise.
“The symbol over the head will give me access to the power of her mind, the symbol on her cheeks near her ears, give me access to the power of her hearing, and the symbol on her throat allows me access to the power in her words. You may not realize this but when a healer uses their magic to heal someone, she uses all of
her senses, at the same time. She is not limited to focusing on one thing only.”
“What about the sense of touch?”
Lorelle asked as she carved the last symbol onto Kara’s neck. The healer was now a mess of blood and anguish.
“Do not use touch,” Volcan
ordered. “You must not touch your sister in any way while in a dreamscape. She will feel my power in you. She will feel the healer’s power and she will know that you couldn’t possibly be telling her the truth, not if you were under my influence.”
“The human body only has seven pints of blood,” Jewel spoke up. “I just thought maybe you should know that since it looks like Kara has lost at least one so far.”
Lorelle could tell she was trying to remain calm, using her facts and reasoning as her anchor.
“Touch her, slow the flow of her blood.” Volcan’s voice was just a whisper.
Jewel’s mind was screaming at her to do something, to fight somehow, to save Kara. But she didn’t dare act against the fae or the evil voice that surrounded her. She knew the only way to help Kara at this point was to do as she was told. She reached out and grabbed Kara’s hand. It didn’t feel as warm as it should. She closed her eyes and thought about how her mother used to say that in order to access her power for the first time she would need to truly want it. Jewel couldn’t think of anything she wanted more in that moment than to have power to save this girl who was slowly becoming her friend.
As soon as that thought entered her mind she felt a rush of energy
course through her body, straight down her arm and through her hand into Kara. She saw in her mind what she needed to do, how her magic could help. She constricted all of the veins that had been cut and also slowed Kara’s heart to slow the pressure. When she opened her eyes she could still feel her power working in Kara, like the running of an engine unseen boxed up in a car, the sound always in the background of everything else. She saw that it was working, the blood flow was slowing. So she hadn’t rescued them, but she had been able to save Kara.
This time,
she thought,
but what about the next time?”
She continued to hold her friends hand as she watched
Lorelle’s face take on a faraway look. She appeared dazed and uncoordinated. She leaned forward stiffly and dipped her fingers into the blood that had pooled on the table. Jewel tried not to gag when Lorelle lifted those very fingers to her mouth and sucked on them like they were the last dove ice cream bar on earth. She looked back down at Kara, determined not to watch the fae do any more disgusting acts all the while hoping for a miracle. She was pretty sure this was one of those situations that warranted one.
Lorelle
hated the way it felt when Volcan took possession of her body. Unlike the first time she resisted the intrusion, causing her to be uncoordinated for a few seconds until he forced his will on her. Then to her utter horror, because though she may seriously be bloodthirsty for her sister’s death, she did not mean it literally, Volcan dipped her hand into the healer’s blood, defiling her even more as he licked it from her fingers.
“
Why let such powers go to waste?”
He whispered into her mind.
“Maybe because there is something seriously wrong with someone who wants to suck on a blood popsicle
?”
She snapped.
“Oh, so wanting to maim and kill your sister makes you normal?”
Dammit, it’s not a good thing when the psycho has a point.
“Enough of this,”
Volcan rumbled.
“Focus, find your sister. Picture the house you spoke of, the room she occupies and the bed she sleeps in. Imagine a window opened to her mind and slip in that window.”
Lorelle
pictured her sister, could see the room and bed perfectly in her mind. She could see Peri laying on her side with a large arm wrapped around her waist. That would be the mate. She pushed closer until she was right beside her ear and pictured the window. It was open and she imagined it beckoning to her. Without any resistance she pushed her consciousness into her sister’s usually well-guarded mind.
“I figured you would come,” Peri’s voice surprised
Lorelle as she whipped around to find her sister lounging lazily on a settee. The room around them became stark white, nothing adorning the walls.
“How could you possibly know?”
Lorelle asked.
“Do you think me a fool?” Peri’s brow rose as her unnerving gaze held
Lorelle still.
“I think you are so
arrogant that you turn yourself into a fool.” Lorelle tried to tear her gaze away from her sister’s but she couldn’t, not until she felt Volcan pour a little more power into her. It was wrong, dark mixed with light, grey and dull as it filled her.
“There is only one place you could have gone to lick your wounds sister,” Peri drew the last word out
, sounding a little snake like. “None have reported to me that you have been in their realms, not that any would let you in. So that leaves only one place—a place that recently has been reopened for dark business. Tell me, Lorelle, am I wrong? Are you not residing in the dark forest, perhaps even Volcan’s castle?”
“You know nothing!”
Lorelle shouted letting her rage get the best of her.
“Calm yourself, remain dignified in the face of your enemy. When you lose control, you reveal weakness.”
Volcan commanded.
“Why are you here
, Lorelle,” Peri asked, obviously choosing to let her little outburst slide.
“I thought you might like
the chance to save your little healers. I came to propose to you a challenge. You know how I dearly love riddles and races against time.”
Peri’s eyes narrowed. “Why would
you be willing to give up the healers? You must have been desperate to capture them to risk showing yourself to me.”
“Come now,
Peri, you know I have always enjoyed a good game. Not to mention I do love to see the devastation on my opponents faces when they fail,” she taunted.
“Playing with the
lives of healers is not a game; it is suicide. If they die, you will as well.” Peri stood slowly and Lorelle only refrained from taking a step back because Volcan would not allow it.