Knowledge Hurts

by D. S. Williams

  I nodded, despite feeling slightly off-balance and uneasy. Between the altercation with Conal and now having Lucas reiterate so carefully about the danger he posed, I wasn't happy. Before I could say anything more, Epi called us back to the meeting and further discussion was postponed.

  Taking my seat, I was relieved when Lucas took up his seat beside me and lay his hand on my thigh again. I interweaved my fingers between his, drawing comfort from his touch. Epi launched into a lengthy dialogue regarding demons after our break, giving me an opportunity to compose myself. It seemed after my happiness last night, today was turning into a waking nightmare. Conal's reaction troubled me greatly, he'd encouraged my return to Lucas and I hadn't realized how badly he would react when our relationship became sexual. And much to my chagrin, Lucas had been right - I should have covered the bruises. Now Conal knew Lucas and I had slept together, which was knowledge I would have much preferred he didn't know. Despite my desire to not hurt Conal, I seemed to be stumbling through life doing exactly that. I cursed my own naiveté - I wasn't experienced enough with the male species to walk this tightrope between two different men.

  And Lucas had made me uneasy. I trusted him implicitly and having him warning me not to was disquieting. Surely a relationship between us had to be based in mutual trust? Wasn't that how relationships were meant to work? Normal relationships, you idiot. Not a relationship between a vampire and human… or angel. With chagrin, I realized Lucas's words had frightened me, knew he was speaking the truth. Without a doubt, my day was going to hell in a hurry. Taking a steadying breath, I sipped my cooling coffee and returned my attention to Epi, shoving the worries about Conal and Lucas to the back of my mind.

  The most knowledgeable of our group, Epi spent time explaining the intricacies of demons, how they were summoned and their capabilities. Finally he broached the subject of our biggest predicament - why they couldn't be killed by anyone but myself.

  “How many demons can they call to attack us?” Bill Conroy asked, rubbing one hand thoughtfully across his neatly shaven chin.

  “Dozens. Hundreds. Thousands,” Epi answered. “They have the ability to call them from the Otherworld as many times as they wish. There are no limitations.”

  “Charlotte, you can kill these demons?” Bill continued.

  I nodded. “With the use of the weapons and the spirits.” I shifted nervously on my seat. “I think I'd struggle against a thousand of them.”

  “We haven't seen your abilities,” Ambrose commented thoughtfully. “It would be helpful to see how you fight these demons. See how we'll fit in, where we'll be able to help.”

  It was comforting to realize these men didn't intend to run away from the problem, chose to immediately beginning considering strategies.

  “I cannot create demons within the walls of Zaen,” Epi explained, “but certainly we can demonstrate outside the walls.”

  “What sort of damage can we do to the demons?” Joe Reynolds questioned. He leaned forward in his chair, seemingly enthusiastic now to learn and do all he could to assist.

  “Charlotte, Nick and I have worked together for four months now - Nick and I can damage them. They can be bitten and injured. It's sending them back to the Otherworld that we can't manage,” Conal clarified. “Charlotte uses the angel weapons and the assistance of the spirits to finish them off.”

  “How will the vampires be involved in this fight?” Nat Finton asked. He looked at Lucas, his expression suddenly sheepish. “No offence, but what happens if we bleed? Would you turn around and attack us?”

  “It's a valid question. Blood is an issue, it can't be denied,” Lucas answered honestly. “We've fought alongside Nick and his pack in the past with no difficulty when their blood was spilt.” He glanced around the table, his expression serious. “The scent of supernatural blood is not tempting to us. My Kiss are feeding every few days, to ensure we pose no risk to the human population.”

  “As are my people and Thut's,” Harley Fitzgerald agreed. He was dressed in an elegant pinstripe suit, his red tie held in place with a gold stick pin. “There is ample food in the forest surrounding Zaen and feeding every three days will keep our desire for blood at bay.”

  “We have also taken the precaution of having emergency supplies of blood placed in each vampire's residence,” Thut added. “There will always be issues where blood loss could cause a problem, but I can assure you, we are taking every available safeguard against finding ourselves in a situation where we would put anyone at risk. We have all made the choice to live on animal blood, and to my knowledge, none of us have tasted human blood in more than four decades.” He grimaced and nodded towards me. “Except of course, for when Charlotte fed the Tine Kiss during their extraction from Sfantu Drâghici and in that situation, Charlotte offered up her blood to ensure the Tines would not be killed by their contact with sunlight in their weakened state.”

  “To be perfectly honest,” Ben added, throwing me a tiny smile, “working alongside Charlotte is more of an issue for us. Human blood is clearly what vampires yearn for. Whilst we've lived with Charlotte for some time, any blood spilled from a human is logically a problem for us and Charlotte will be most at risk, because she will be fighting with us.”

  “Guess I'll have to try hard to not bleed,” I quipped nervously.

  “Yeah, that'll work, Sugar - I don't think a day goes by when you don't bleed,” Conal smirked. He seemed to have recovered his composure and smiled faintly from across the table.

  “How will you overcome that issue?” Joe asked.

  “It's another of our problems,” Lucas responded. “For myself, it's a particularly complex issue.” I stole a glance at him and he returned my gaze, concern apparent in his.

  “You and Charlotte - I take it your relationship is more than friendship alone?” Ambrose said. He leaned back in his seat, watching us with curiosity. From the corner of my eye, I saw Conal's shoulders stiffen.

  Whilst we hadn't kept our relationship secret, we hadn't broadcast it either. “Yes, Lucas and I have a… relationship,” I admitted, subconsciously squeezing his fingers, searching for comfort. He intertwined his fingers through mine and squeezed back.

  “So he's developed… an immunity to you?” Joe Reynolds asked, in what I thought was a delicate manner for a man.

  Lucas heaved a sigh. “Hardly. Her blood is as potent to me now as the day we first met. I'm learning to manage the desire, but I doubt I will overcome it.”

  Bill Conroy was watching us, scrutinizing our reactions and I fidgeted uncomfortably. “I've seen some things in my time, but never heard of a relationship between a vampire and a human. They usually… don't get that far, or the human gets created.”

  “That's not an option in these circumstances. Charlotte is incapable of being created,” Epi announced.

  It seemed that this conversation was rapidly approaching dangerous territory, allowing the newcomers to bring their fears about other supernatural beings back to the surface. “You've never heard of werewolves and vampires co-operating with one another either, Bill. We're in a fairly unique situation. Just because you discover something you haven't seen before, doesn't mean it can't work,” I stated coldly.

  Bill continued to stare for a split second, before he chuckled. “That's certainly true. If you'd told me a couple of months ago I'd be sitting here at a table conversing with shifters and vampires, I would have laughed at you. My apologies for my rampant curiosity.”

  “What about the younglings, Charlotte?” Nat Finton spoke, taking the conversation in a welcome change of direction. “Are you capable of killing them?”

  “Not with the weapons,” I explained, “vampires are far too strong. Their skin is changed during creation.” I smiled half-heartedly at Thut and he returned the smile. “It's the equivalent of trying to stab granite with a butter knife. I rely on the spirits for assistance with vampires.”

  “And the other Nememiah's Child… Archangelo? Can he be killed?” Nat continued. “I've he
ard he's different to other vampires?”

  “There will be a way,” I agreed quietly. “But I don't know what it is yet.”

  “Archangelo is a unique state of affairs. A Nememiah's Child who's been created as vampire. His skin is as fragile and penetrable as Charlotte's, by all accounts,” Epi responded. He clasped his hands together, his elbows leaning on the table. “Unlike Charlotte, he's apparently capable of regeneration. Charlotte attacked him with the weapons and to all intents and purposes, he should have died.”

  “But he didn't,” I added.

  “There will be a way to kill him,” Epi reassured them. “Charlotte still has much to do in increasing her powers. She will become capable of killing him, I'm certain of it.”

  “I thought you said her powers had reached maturity,” Lucas questioned sharply. “You said once she'd reached twenty one, her abilities wouldn't increase.”

  “I said she reaches maturity at twenty one,” Epi responded irritably. “She hasn't yet harnessed the full scope of her abilities.”

  Even Ben looked nonplussed, making it obvious Epi hadn't mentioned this snippet of information to him, either. “Do we know how these abilities will work?”

  Epi shook his head. “It very much depends on Charlotte. All of the abilities she will have are now available. She needs to work on harnessing the power - gaining complete control over it. The spirits will do her bidding, that's without any doubt.” He pulled his glasses off, casually cleaning them with his tunic. “We need to learn how powerful she truly is. And the best way to do that is to increase the levels of difficulty she faces.”

  “Excuse me?” I eyed him suspiciously. “What exactly does that mean?”

  Epi continued cleaning his glasses, before slipping them back over his ears and staring directly at me. “Charlotte, you are the only person who can kill demons. We must increase your skills by escalating the difficulty you encounter. You must be taken out of your comfort zone, harness the spirits in new ways.” His tone was matter-of-fact and alarmingly casual.

  “I don't like the sound of that,” Lucas stated coldly.

  “I hate to say it, but I have to agree with you,” Conal muttered to Lucas. “What are you suggesting, old man?”

  Epi's shrug was infuriatingly non-committal. “Let's break for lunch - no doubt Charlotte is hungry, she always is. And then I will demonstrate.”

  Chapter 28: Demonstrations

  Walking towards the gates, I caught up with Conal and Nick, slipping into step beside them. After breaking for lunch, I'd dropped by to visit Nonny and grab a bite to eat, then rushed back to our cottage to mark my skin and twist my hair into a tight braid.

  “What do you think Epi's got planned?” Nick asked, matching his stride to my shorter one effortlessly.

  I grimaced uneasily - the subject had been on my mind ever since Epi's announcement at the meeting this morning. “I honestly don't know, Nick. Epi never tells me anything until I need to know.”

  “And half the time he tells us after we need to know,” Conal agreed cynically.

  “Have you seen Marianne and the others?” Nick asked. “They disappeared as soon as the meeting finished.”

  I didn't answer. We'd reached the gates, which were open to allow people free access. I stopped abruptly as we left the tunnel, staring in dismay at the sheer number of people milling around outside.

  “Seems we've got an audience, Sugar,” Conal commented, glancing down to gauge my reaction.

  Dozens of people had allowed curiosity to get the better of them and stood in the late autumn sunlight, waiting expectantly. I spied Epi with Joe Reynolds and Bill Conroy and stalked towards him determinedly, Conal and Nick following in my wake.

  “Epi, what's going on?” I demanded, hyper-conscious of the inquisitive gazes we were attracting.

  “Charlotte, they have agreed to join our cause,” Epi remarked placidly. “Naturally, they're curious about what you can do.” He studied my arms, examining the sigils I'd marked. “Are those bruises new?”

  I blushed. “They're from fighting the Naberius,” I muttered. Pulling the Hjördis from my pocket, I turned to Conal who fixed me with a dark scowl.

  “Frightened to tell him the truth?” he asked inaudibly, as I marked an agility sigil on his left shoulder.

  “Conal, please don't,” I whispered.

  “Sugar, I only want what's best for you. I don't think the leech is it,” he stated in an undertone.

  I stole a quick glimpse at him, saw the thunderous expression in his eyes as he stared at me. “Conal. Leave it. He didn't hurt me intentionally.” I took a deep breath, worried about hurting him further. “I love him, you know that.”

  He turned away, cursing under his breath and I hurriedly marked him before turning to Nick. Biting my lip pensively, I repeated the process on Nick while he talked to Rafe, trying to keep his mind off the pain.

  When I peeked up from my work, I was alarmed to discover the crowd had grown even larger. Epi was muttering under his breath, holding his outstretched arms before him. Before my disbelieving eyes, a large cage-like structure flickered into being. Forty feet square, it looked like an enormous jail cell. “What is that?”

  Epi looked extremely pleased with himself. “I'll be summoning bigger demons as your abilities progress. If we intend to have an audience, it is too dangerous without some restraint. I'll portal the demons straight into the cage, where you'll fight them.”

  “If we intend to have an audience? What do you mean, if we intend having an audience? I don't intend to do anything with a crowd like this! You told us you wanted the new leaders to see us train. You never said anything about half the city watching!” My nerves were fragile - Conal's hostility, combined with facing whatever Epi intended to throw at us - and adding a crowd of people was more than I could cope with.

  “Don't be ridiculous, child. It's time these people saw what you can do,” Epi declared, looking determined.

  “Charlotte.” I sighed with relief when I heard his voice, turning to Lucas whose skin was flushed with the tinge of pink which resulted from a recent feeding. The Tines followed behind him and Marianne folded me into an anxious embrace.

  “We went to feed, so we could support you during Epi's demonstration,” Lucas explained, eyeing the massive cage. “It appears it wasn't necessary.” Marianne released me and Lucas drew me against him, brushing a brief kiss against my mouth. “I don't like the look of this.”

  “That makes two of us,” I agreed gloomily. My anxiety levels had decreased incrementally with Lucas's arrival, but I was still deeply uneasy.

  “I'm three,” Nick added, observing the cage with a worried scowl. “And we don't need all these people watching us get our asses kicked.”

  “Epi, what happens when Charlotte uses spirit energy?” Conal demanded. “We probably shouldn't kill our new allies.”

  “Don't be ridiculous,” Epi replied crossly. “I've thought this through very carefully.” He tapped his fingers against the bars. “The material I used to create the cage will absorb excess energy. Nobody will get hurt.”

  “Except the people who are inside the God-damn cage,” Conal muttered. He gripped two of the bars, trying to force them apart, the muscles in his back straining with the effort.

  “You cannot break them, Conal,” Epi said. “They've been designed explicitly to ensure the safety of anyone outside.”

  Conal released his grip on the bars. “Charlotte, it's up to you. You say the word and we quit now.”

  “This is not an optional activity!” Epi spluttered impatiently. “You cannot choose how and when you will fight the enemy. Charlotte, you must do this!”

  I glanced at the crowd, aware of the eyes watching me. As much as I was infuriated with Epi for placing us in this situation, refusing didn't seem like a viable alternative. How could I retain the confidence of these people if they thought I was too frightened to fight? I rubbed my hand across my face and swallowed nervously. “Let's do it.” I brushed my fingers o
ver the belt at my waist anxiously, mentally verifying the weapons locations. Excitement shone in Epi's eyes and I wondered yet again what this 'demonstration' was going to entail.

  Conal slipped through the small opening into the cage, crouching low to get through. Nick followed suit and straightened up, studying the massive cage suspiciously.

  “Charlotte, I don't want you to do this,” Lucas said against my ear.

  “I have to.” I smiled weakly, foreboding creating a tension throughout my body. “I'm reasonably certain Epi won't kill me.” I leaned against his chest. “I'm more concerned about you. Maybe you shouldn't watch.”

  Lucas lifted my chin, his expressions solemn. “I will not abandon you, my love.”

  Rowena embraced me. “Stay safe,” she whispered. Acenith and Gwynn both hugged me in turn before I slipped through the small entrance into the cage.

  Epi pulled the cage door shut and we heard the dismal sound of the lock engaging, before I turned to Conal and Nick. “Guess we know how the animals feel in the zoo.”

  Epi called to us. “We'll start with something reasonably easy, as a demonstration for our new allies.”

  I gestured to confirm we'd heard and watched Conal and Nick transform. They were as different in wolf form as they were when human - Conal was a head taller than Nick, his coat black and shaggy, whilst Nick's fur was sandy and his coat was smoother and shorter. Both wolves dwarfed me as we waited together. Conal glanced at me with his fangs exposed and howled mournfully.

  Closing my eyes, I tried to centre myself in preparation for what Epi would summon, tuning out the discussions all around us. I felt like a performing seal and nervously fingered the Katchet, its carved handle bringing comfort beneath my fingers. I bounced a little from one foot to the other, tensing in preparation and then I heard it. The familiar sound of the ground erupting, swirling mists of red and black emerging into the air when I opened my eyes. From around the cage, screams pierced the air as the demons stepped from the portal. Epi had chosen a Valafar and it was joined by the centipede-like Astaroth which had attacked me in Puckhaber. From the corner of my eye, I spied two younglings coalescing and cursed sharply. My anger at Epi amplified, knowing he considered this a wonderful demonstration for our new allies and was giving little regard to our safety.