The Sorcerer's Touch

by Imogene Nix

It wasn’t right, not after all the support he’d lent her. Life partners were meant to face the good and the bad together for eternity.

  So she looked out of the window, watching as the cars made their way through the gathering gloom. As they swept into the drive at the crematorium, she shivered. It was always like this, visiting the structures humans erected to celebrate the dead. Quite unlike her experience during her brief life, and she shrugged off the cold lump that lodged in her stomach.

  The vehicle stopped and they clambered out, Daniel offered her his hand, but it didn’t breach the chasm that existed. If anything it highlighted the distance between them. He didn’t look at her or say a word, and he dropped her hand once he was sure she was safely out.

  “Daniel? Let me help you.”

  “I can’t.” The words were strangled, and this time he couldn’t hide his misery and pain.

  “I understand. I do.”

  He shuddered, breathing deeply, blinked and gazed upward. “I should have saved him.” Then he slumped into himself, shoulders sagging, and shook his head. “I’m a bloody vampire and I couldn’t save my own father. Why is that, Cressida? Why didn’t I remember that I can use magic?”

  It was a cry, ripped from deep within him, and the sound of it hurt, cleaved her heart.

  She touched his cheek, wet and cold, while others swarmed around and into the building. “I don’t know, Daniel. Maybe…?” She couldn’t finish the thought. Instead she gripped his hand tight. “I’ll be right here beside you. Whatever, however. Take from me what you need.”

  The nod was a jerk of his head and he turned, taking her with him into the building.

  Row upon row waited, humans and vampires side by side, the sound of weeping filling the air. Caskets lined the room, one after the other, and looking at them horrified her. Thankfully they’d managed to keep the location of the memorial quiet, otherwise there’d have been news crews camped out the front and trying to gain entrance. They’d have a field day with this view.

  Slowly they took their place at the front pew, as did the survivors from the nest. The children who’d hidden themselves in the refrigeration system huddled at the end and she wanted to reach out to them.

  “Cressida? Go to them. I’ll be fine.”

  She warred with herself, realizing that these children needed just as much support as Daniel. Maybe even more. She didn’t want to abandon him in his time of need, but these innocents…

  She stood and made her way over. The children raised their heads and she saw grief, horror, and yet there was also stoicism on their young faces.

  “Who are you here with?”

  The oldest girl, maybe fourteen or fifteen, pointed to Hope and Xavier. “Them.” She cleared her throat. “Master Xavier and Hope, Councilor.”

  “Are you all staying there at the moment?”

  “Yes, Councilor.”

  She glanced at the younger children. She knew they ranged in age from four to nine and she wondered how they were coping, then made a mental note to talk to Xavier and Hope at the end of the service.

  “All of you have my deepest sympathies.” What else could she say to these children who’d lost everything? They’d not just lost their families and their home, but also their carefree childhoods.

  The older girl attempted a smile, but it was a grimace. “Yeah. Thanks,” she croaked and Cressida so badly wanted to embrace the girl, who was coping with unimaginable stress as she balanced at the cusp of adulthood.

  The music swelled, long and mournful, reminding her that she should return to her place. Daniel grunted something unintelligible as she dropped into her seat. The sounds of shuffling feet and sobbing people rose then ebbed away.

  The Councilors had decided they’d conduct the service and she was grateful, as she needed to support her lover through the ordeal. She gripped Daniel’s hand as they welcomed everyone.

  “They may be gone from our lives, but they will never be forgotten. They are the families that we lost, many of us long ago. It is our duty to honor them every day for the rest of our long-lived eternity.” The Councilors named the dead. The list felt like it went on forever, but she understood their thinking. It made every person’s loss real to all gathered.

  At the end of the pew, the children wailed as their family members were named and the appropriate caskets slid from sight. At one point the youngest child rose, sniffling, and started to shuffle forward. Daniel intercepted her and pulled her against his chest before kneeling and whispering to her. Cressida noted the way the blonde hairs contrasted against his black suit as his eyes glittered with unshed tears. She too cried for the child’s pain.

  “I want my mummy and daddy.” The whimper died away as the casket slid from view.

  “I know. I want my father too, little one.”

  Cressida wept at Daniel’s words.

  “Did your daddy…?”

  “He was one of the lost.” Daniel pointed to the casket nearest them and the child clutched him tighter.

  The pain within Cressida grew, blooming and sucking at her soul.

  “He has to pay.”

  “He will pay, Cressida. Together we will dispense justice. For everyone.” Xavier’s thought centered her.

  When it was finally done, she noted the way Daniel’s arms were wound around the dozing child, rubbing his hand up and down her back in a paternal manner.

  If that had been our child… Her eyes burned again as a tear wound its way over her cold cheek, as so many had in the last three-quarters of an hour. She wiped it away. No use weaving fairy stories, she told herself firmly. There’d be no children for either of them.

  “We could take her home with us.” His mind touched hers gently.

  “You’re taking her with you?” Xavier’s mental tone held a question and Cressida shrugged as if unconcerned.

  She wondered if Daniel could feel her emotions billowing when he touched her arm. It was almost as if he understood the gravity of this decision.

  “Does she have siblings with you? She’s asleep right now so rather than wake her…”

  “No, Cressida. Her brother and parents all perished. If she’s happy we’ll leave her be for now. Take her home, and if she needs to return to us, we’ll arrange it.”

  The crowd stood and left, while Cressida took Daniel’s hand. He looked up, blinking owlishly. “It’s all done?”

  “We don’t have to go if you aren’t ready yet.” She caressed his cheek with her thumb, wiping away a solitary tear. “We can stay as long as you need.”

  He glanced at her then to the front. “There’s nothing left here. I want to go home.”

  He rose, she followed suit and together the three of them left the building.

  Chapter Eleven

  “Sire, I have news.” The vampire advanced slowly into the room and Creedar lifted his head from the cadaver he was feeding on.

  “Then I hope for your sake it’s good.”

  The messenger blanched and Creedar thrust him to the floor, where he lay still but alive—not for long, though, if the slow beat of his heart was anything to go by. “Your informant has been executed, sire. The whispers among the outcasts and rogues are that he was tried and found guilty.”

  Creedar smiled, with ribbons of scarlet blood that dribbled over his chin. He could feel the drips but didn’t care.

  “Then find me another informant, worm!” He advanced on the creature he’d flung to the floor.

  “Uh, sire? I’m not sure it’s going to be that simple. See, they are flocking to—”

  His ire raised, Creedar whirled and struck out with one hand, the thwack of flesh on flesh filling him with a savage glee. “You think…?” He mocked Jastin, who cowered once more against the wall. “I didn’t give you leave to think, Jastin. I gave you an order.” Now his voice dropped to a silky hiss while he jutted his head toward the one who had assumed the demeanor of prey. “Really, though, why don’t I just…replace you?”

  The words took the tone of a threat and
it was clear Jastin read the meaning on his face. “Sire… I would serve you…”

  “I will give you one last chance. Tonight. One of the bigger nests. Take control of the house. Kill them all. Leave no one alive this time, except the cattle you bring to me.”

  Jastin bowed low, his hair brushing the tiles. “Yes, sire. I will do that for you.”

  Then he slinked away as Creedar eyed the human on the floor. I so hate to waste a meal… Then he leaped…

  * * * *

  His body ached and his eyes burned. The child had been settled into the bedroom next to his and Cressida’s and he’d given instructions that they be called if she needed him.

  The emotions that roiled within him were numerous and conflicting. Sadness and grief gnawed at him, but there was a new kind of tenderness too. Unlike anything he’d ever experienced, he felt a connection to the tiny child in the bed. The way she’d nestled against him, as if she sensed he could keep the demons at bay, filled him with joy and sadness.

  It was heady.

  It was also humbling and scary.

  “Daniel! There’s been another attack. This time on Xavier’s nest!”

  The call left shivers of ice trickling down his back. He cast a last look at the child on the bed before dashing into the hallway. “Coming!”

  He ripped at his suit as he entered the dressing area and there she was already. This time he imagined himself dressed, black leather pants and jacket covering him. He reached for his belt as he looked down. His magic was certainly improving.

  “Cressida? I want to try something different. Are you ready?”

  As if catching the thought in his mind, she smiled. “Oh yes. Let’s do it.”

  “Ready?”

  She tugged at her zip, then placed her hand in his outstretched one. “Yeah.”

  He closed his eyes, imagined the estate and the old house. Them—both of them—on the lawn.

  The clash of swords and snarls told him he had done it even before he opened his eyes.

  Everywhere he saw the writhing mass and he snarled.

  “Daniel, can you protect the humans?” Cressida spoke quickly, and he felt a moment of panic at the thought of her unprotected.

  “Cressida?”

  “It’s not like last time and we don’t have time to argue. You need to get to the humans.”

  “I honestly don’t think it’s that simple. They’re scattered.” He glanced in her direction and caught sight of her gnawing her lip.

  “Fine then. Protect the children. Their needs come first. I’ll find Hope and Xavier and…” She waved a hand and he understood.

  They both sprinted off in differing directions. He to the house, blanking his mind to the memories of the last time she’d gone into battle without him. He had to focus on the children. Finding them. Protecting them.

  He cast his mind outward, seeking their essences, and found them at the top of the house. Horror filled him as he tasted their terror.

  He latched onto the mind of one child and saw through her eyes. They were surrounded by slavering beasts hungry for their blood.

  He blinked and imagined himself standing in front of them. It didn’t work.

  Daniel had no time to reconsider his actions. He ran, taking the stairs two and three treads at a time, up higher and higher while his blood pumped through his veins at a rapid clip.

  At the attic he stopped only long enough to orient himself then sped down the long hall. A door stood ajar and the scene before him was enough to freeze his blood.

  What looked to be the three oldest of the massed children gripped long, twining candelabra and used them to keep the vampires at bay.

  For a second Daniel allowed himself a grin before the predator deep within him rose.

  “So Creedar’s army can’t even beat children?” Slow and steady steps brought him level to the one he was sure led the warriors’ actions.

  “First we’ll kill you and bathe in your blood, then we’ll suck these children dry.” The creature before him laughed and the other two joined in, their voices scratchy as if disused.

  “You can try.” He braced himself, knowing he could use magic, but the tactician inside him whispered that he should keep that hidden unless he absolutely had to show his hand.

  When the leader lunged in his direction, Daniel feinted to the left and the vampire hissed its displeasure. He wanted to laugh, but the caution Samra had drummed into him had him settling for the long haul. Instead, he stifled the sound before it rose and studied the vampires before him objectively.

  The other two vampires hovered around the edge and for a moment Daniel thought of television and movie fights, where they would only engage one at a time.

  The urge to roll his eyes came and went in a flash as he refocused on his foe.

  Daniel reached down and wrapped his hands around his sword. It hissed as it dragged free of the scabbard. Deliberately, he held it at an odd angle while advancing before the children, hoping to shield them.

  The first vampire leaped and again Daniel moved at just the right time, landing on the balls of his feet, facing the direction in which his assailant moved.

  “Is that the best you can do?” He couldn’t help the taunt, and this time his opponent reacted with a growl before dropping a shoulder and charging.

  It hit him hard and Daniel gave an oomph as wind rushed from his lungs.

  It wasn’t enough to stop him, though, and as planned Daniel grabbed the vampire just as it made to sink its long incisors into his shoulder.

  They wrestled, bodies straining and arms exerting pressure against each other as they turned in a parody of dance, gyrating as they struggled for superiority.

  The creature threatened him, describing vile acts, from drinking his blood to the variety of ways he would use his body, but Daniel blocked it out. The children cried and whimpered in the background, but he couldn’t protect them from this depravity. All he could do right now was save their lives.

  A blow to his shoulders made him redouble his efforts as he dug deep. Daniel growled as he gave one massive heave. The creature was sailing through the air.

  Glass smashed as his opponent fell through the window and Daniel turned to face the other two.

  “So what’ll it be, boys?” He gave one step then another as they looked to each other. They both jumped in his direction, arms flying, feet moving and giving the impression of bad karate movements.

  He flicked one vampire over his shoulder, his body moving like a well-oiled fighting machine. The other he grabbed with his hand and tugged. He hit the floor with a thud. “Don’t look, children.” He stomped down with one foot, reached for the vampire’s hair, and with a crunch tore him apart. The eerie scream it gave cut off sharply.

  The second vampire watched, shaking as if recognizing an alpha warrior.

  With a snarl he hurled, “No quarter will be given.”

  Daniel had found his inner protector and embraced it. The children would be saved, no matter the cost. Any shred of humanity sank beneath the surface of his primal instincts.

  The last vampire turned as if to run, but Daniel caught it up. “You’ll do nicely, little one. Now let me see, what do you know?”

  His dug deep into the flesh, squeezing. The vampire arced and squirmed, looking for a way to escape. “Nothing! I don’t know…” The shrieks were heartfelt as Daniel brought him closer.

  The smell of rot assaulted his nostrils, as if the creature had rolled in old meat.

  He’d prepared to strike again when a mental voice impinged on him. “Don’t kill him. We’ve taken several prisoners and the fight is done…for now anyway. Bring him downstairs.”

  Adrenaline coursed in his veins. “I want the kill. I need it as surely as I need the marrow of my bones.” He fought the primal instincts down. Cressida needed this one more.

  The rate of his pulsing heart settled, fell back into its normal pattern, slowing moment by moment, but he didn’t release his grip as his prisoner shuddered in his g
rasp.

  “Daniel? The children?”

  “They’re safe, Cressida. I’ll bring this vampire down in a minute.”

  There was silence for a full minute. “Send the children to the kitchen. I’ll see you in the hall with your captive.”

  Now he turned back to the whimpering watchers. “Children, go downstairs. Someone waits for you in the kitchen.” To the oldest he glanced and instructed, “Don’t stop, no matter what you hear. Get all of them down there.”

  Without a word they shuffled past and he tugged his captive closer. “You’ll regret the day you came near this house and those children.”

  The vampire whimpered and moaned as he dragged him down the hall and the steps. With every move he became a heavier weight on Daniel’s arm. The moaning of “I’m sorry,” and “he made me do it,” irritated Daniel, but it didn’t stop him. At the hall, he tugged the vampire over to Cressida.

  She scanned him up and down before the tightness of her mouth eased. “Samra! Take the prisoner. Get whatever information you need.”

  Samra looked every inch the Amazon in her tight buckskin pants and close-fitted top, her hair tugged back into a long ponytail. “Hmm, Cressida says you did good.” After tossing the words over her shoulder she took the man away wordlessly and Daniel shrugged.

  “Well, that was different.”

  “She’s not big on compliments, but when deserved she gives decent praise.” Without a word of warning she rose on tiptoe and fitted her mouth against his. “I’m pleased you did good too. We saved the kids and managed to do a better than creditable job at defending the nest.”

  “That’s a good thing. I don’t think I could manage another funeral like today.” The sadness he’d been ignoring settled around him like a cloak once more. “When does this end?”

  Her eyes filled with understanding. “It takes time, Daniel. But you controlled the hunger. In fact, you did better than good. That trick of yours gives us an advantage. We just need to work out how many you can move.”

  His gaze narrowed. “You know, if you can shadow my power…”

  She grinned. “Perhaps. We might be able to move the six of us at once.”