by E G Bateman
Phyllis shook her head. “There’s no one in there. Apparently, they’re disinfecting the room, but it’s been like that for a couple of weeks.”
“Have you seen it empty?”
The woman seemed to think for a moment. “Not personally. Nila told us to steer clear of it because they were doing a deep clean. I thought it was strange because there hasn’t been anyone in that room since Hilary passed, and that was a good two months before Nila arrived.”
Lexi waited until someone had walked past the table before she continued. “Have you seen anyone go in or come out?
They both shook their heads and Patrick added. “But I don’t frequent the ladies’ level.”
Scott leaned in with a conspiratorial eyebrow wiggle. “How do you feel about distracting the staff while we take a look in there tonight.”
The man’s eyes lit up. “An operation? Sure. But you won’t need to do much distracting. We have a nurse in the on-call room and she’ll be asleep. Then there are only the night boys. They are satyrs so as soon as Nila leaves, they’ll wander off to drink and smoke dope in the greenhouse.”
Phyllis and Patrick’s food came out and the woman smacked her lips. “I love dinner. It’s my favorite meal.”
Her friend laughed. “What about breakfast?”
She looked at him. “Why, I love breakfast, Patrick. It’s my favorite meal.”
Lexi smiled. This was obviously a little mealtime ritual they had. She thought it was cute.
Phyllis glanced away and the smile slid from her face as her gaze froze on something behind Lexi. She knew instantly who it was. More than ever, she missed her enhanced perception and hated that someone nasty like Nila could creep up behind her.
“Mr. Green.” It was Nila. “I know you think you’re here for a holiday but your employer and I both think your time would be better spent contributing to our community. I understand you’re a qualified physiotherapist. There’s an office you can work from in the basement near the gym. Stuart will remove your inhibitor bracelet and show you to the office bright and early tomorrow morning. Let’s see if we can’t keep you busy.”
Scott frowned. He put his fork on his plate as though the food had soured in his mouth. With an admirable show of resignation, he sighed.
Lexi was relieved to note that Nila didn’t seem aware he’d already started work in that office.
“Miss Hearne.”
Nuts.
“Anne enjoyed the time you spent with her today. Richard and I would like you to devote your days to providing companionship to the residents.”
Richard and I. She made a mental eye-roll.
The two young people both looked at Nila, who smiled. “That should keep you both busy. I have a meeting to attend.”
Patrick stared hard at the door swinging closed behind the woman. “Look at her sweeping out like a tour de France.”
Scott frowned. “Don’t you mean tour de force?”
The old man grinned. “No, I mean she’s an old bike.” He laughed.
Dinner plates were placed in front of Lexi and Scott.
She looked at the food. “I think I’ve lost my appetite.”
Her friend was already on his third mouthful. He swallowed and looked sideways at her. “Are you kidding? You’ve been told to visit all the residents. I’d take that as permission to see them in their rooms—and anywhere else you feel like poking your nose.”
“I never thought of that.” She smiled.
Scott filled his next forkful of food. “You should probably wait a couple of hours until they’re in their rooms and go make as many new friends as possible.”
Her smile widened into a cheeky grin. “This might work out. Can you do a house call? Apparently, Anne Lown doesn’t get out of her room very often.”
He nodded. “And is Anne’s room by any chance near room X?”
Lexi wiggled her eyebrows. “Maybe.”
“As Nila’s about to be out of the way at her meeting, I’ll find Stuart and see if I can get this band removed tonight. I’ll stop by after.” He waved his arm with the bracelet on it.
She hurried to Anne’s room. The door was slightly ajar and as she approached, a loud shout came from within. It was Anne. “No, don’t do it, please.”
Instinctively, she slid a thin blade from the lining of her jacket, burst through the door, and went in low in case someone with a weapon might fire high. In a second, with the tip of the blade between her fingers ready to throw, she identified that no one other than Anne was in the room.
The woman looked at her where she crouched at her feet. “Hello, dear.” She returned her eyes to the tv screen. “No, don’t say yes to the dress. What’s wrong with you? Turn and look at that back fat.”
Lexi flopped onto the floor and groaned. She looked at Anne. “I feel like you did that on purpose.”
“How would I possibly have known you were coming?” The resident’s eyes glittered with mirth.
She scrambled to her feet and brushed herself down. “Hmph! I have my eye on you, madam.” She cocked a half-grin. “Anne, I hope you don’t mind but I’ve asked Shaun to come up and see you. He’s a physio and I’d like to see if he can help you to move a little better.”
Anne chuckled. “I don’t think much will get these old bones moving again.”
“Well, you never know. If you can get mobile, we can take you out of this room and go for a little walk.”
“I’m happy to help if I can.” The woman winked at her.
Lexi smiled. “We’re the ones trying to help you.”
Anne patted her hand. “Yes, dear.”
Scott came around the corner and knocked on the door. “May I come in, ladies?”
“Oh, yes, of course.” Anne looked at two young people. “What a beautiful couple you make.”
“We’re not a couple,” Lexi quickly said. “We’re only colleagues.”
Again, the woman winked. “That’s fine. Your secret is safe with me. But you can’t fool a seer with matters of the heart.”
Lexi looked at Scott’s wrist. He no longer wore the bracelet. “I see Stuart obliged. How did he do it? Do satyrs have magic?”
He grinned with relief. “Not personally. He had a tuning fork and tapped the bracelet with it. It simply sprang open. Interesting little spell.”
She chuckled. “You’re such a spell nerd. I’ll leave you to it, then.” She hurried out.
As she closed the door, Scott said, “Good evening, Anne. My name’s Shaun.”
“If you say so, dear,” Anne replied enigmatically.
Lexi hurried along the hall, intending to merely knock on as many doors as possible to get a look at the inhabitants. Twenty minutes later, she returned having only done two rooms. The residents both wanted company and she hadn’t had the heart to leave them. She found Scott and Anne going through the photo album.
The resident pointed at the first photograph she’d shown Lexi earlier that day. “This is Wilfred. He died in the war.”
“Leo,” she corrected automatically.
“Pardon, dear?”
She pointed at the man in the picture. “You told me his name was Leo.”
“Did I? Maybe it was.” Anne flipped the book closed. “I don’t know. It’s not my album.”
Her jaw dropped. “But what about all those pictures of you as a little girl?”
“I meant those pictures are representative of what I would have looked like as a young girl.” The woman giggled when she shook her head.
Scott laughed. “You’re a sneaky one.”
Anne grimaced. “I’m sorry dears. I like the company and I don’t get very much beyond the television.”
A bark sounded from the hallway and the woman’s eyes widened. “Did I hear a doggie?”
Marcel ran into the room, trailing his lead behind him.
A minute later, Dick arrived to find him on Anne’s bed getting a tummy rub. “I’m so sorry. He ran off and this damn thing interfered with my speed.” He waved
his bracelet at them.
Lexi stared wide-eyed at him. “What are you doing up here at this time? Has anyone seen you?”
“I came up the back stairs. It’s fine. No one saw me. Except for this lady, obviously.”
Anne looked at him and blushed. “Oh, my! Well, this is embarrassing—to have all three of you here at once. I don’t want any fights to break out here.”
She looked at the two men and focused on Anne. “Why would we fight?”
“I saw the two of you kissing.” The woman swiveled her pointing finger from Lexi to Dick.
The vampire shuddered.
Lexi shook her head quickly. “Yeah, no. That’s not something that’ll ever happen.”
Anne put her hand to her cheek. “Oh, it hasn’t happened yet? Oh, dear. I’m sorry. I do hate to give spoilers.”
He smoothed an eyebrow. “Have they, by any chance, been giving you psychedelic drugs?”
“Oh, dear.” she frowned. “Everything gets so mixed up these days. Well, out you all go. I’m tired and you have a busy night ahead of you.” She passed Marcel to Lexi while Scott tucked her in.
The elderly lady smiled at him. “I feel so much better now. Thank you, dear. I think I might be well enough to take breakfast downstairs tomorrow.”
He nodded. “That’s great news. Good night, Anne.”
“Good night, dear.” She looked at Lexi. “I’m sorry she wasn’t the right one.”
She frowned in confusion. “What?”
Anne waved a hand nonchalantly. “Oh, that’s only my silly brain again. Good night.”
“So, has Nila definitely left for the evening?” she asked as she closed the door.
Dick glanced at his watch. “It’s gone seven pm so I certainly hope so. Raj told me she’s usually gone by six. The only reason she was there so late last night was because Patrick and his friends had gone AWOL.”
Lexi nodded. “So how will we get Josh, Raj, and Stuart out of the way?”
The vampire grinned. “Patrick’s already sent them looking for Marcel in the grounds after he ran off.” He scratched the puppy behind the ears. “Didn’t you, you naughty boy?”
She chuckled. “How long do you think they’ll look for him?”
“Oh, they’ve already given up. According to Phyllis, they’re in the greenhouse drinking and smoking pot.”
Scott frowned. “Such dedication.”
“As long as they’re out of the way, I don’t care what they’re doing,” she responded.
“I need to head to my room. I’ll listen out and message you if it sounds like they’re coming back into the building.” Dick took a last speculative look at her and shuddered again.
She turned to her friend. “Can you take them downstairs? I don’t want to risk them being seen.”
He patted Marcel. “Sure. I’ll be back in a second.” He vanished with Dick and the puppy and reappeared alone.
The two of them walked in the direction of room X. They stood outside and checked the hallway once more before she tried the door. It was locked.
Scott muttered a word that was quickly followed by a satisfying click. “It’s good to have that bracelet off.”
Lexi opened the door. A dark lump on the bed confirmed the room was occupied. She breathed in and grimaced. “Good grief! What’s that smell?” A woman lay handcuffed to the bed. Her head was turned away and her face was covered by her hair, the same color as hers.
“Alicia? Is that you?” She stepped in. Immediately, she felt dizzy and leaned against the wall. Her eyes were drawn to a strange yellow glow that issued from something on the dresser.
Scott stepped beside her. “Are you okay?”
She blinked and nodded. It was true. She was okay and felt better than she had in a long time, but she shook off the introspection. Still, she couldn’t allow herself to become distracted by that or the horrible smell. She moved quickly to the bed.
“Alicia? It’s okay. We’re here to help you.” She began to undo one of the wrist straps. Her fingers slipped in something greasy as she struggled with it.
Scott muttered. “You should make sure it’s—”
With a wrist free, the woman whipped her arm and shoved her aside.
Lexi met the wall, slid to the floor, and tried to find her feet. The woman had the second strap untied in a moment and rose in a single unnatural movement to stand on the bed. She turned her face toward Lexi, who instantly saw the mistake she had made.
With her hair no longer swept across her face, it was obvious the woman wasn’t her sister. She wasn’t even certain it was a woman. There were no eyes, for one thing. The top half of the face was a blank canvas. A snout was positioned in the center and below that, a circular hole for a mouth with numerous tiny pointed teeth. Whatever it was turned its face to the source of the yellow light and threw itself toward it with its arms outstretched to snatch it.
Fortunately, it hadn’t registered that its feet were still strapped to the bed. The creature landed face-first on the floor with its feet bound by the straps on the bed. While it had fallen several feet short of its goal, it had caught Scott by one foot and dragged him to the ground. It tried to get hold of him but the stinking, greasy substance frustrated its attempts.
Lexi panicked and forgot she was a mere human. She took one step closer and whipped her arm in the direction of the bed as she screamed, “Get back.”
The creature arced onto its back on the bed. Scott looked at her in shock and she didn’t have to ask. Her eyes were black again.
The creature appeared pinned to the bed by her command. She ignored her companion’s stares and strapped one wrist, then walked around the bed with the intention to strap the other one. The closer she moved to the glowing object, the stronger she felt. Her head spun with the force of it. Excruciating pain flooded her arm and she looked at her scar. It had reappeared and was filled with a black substance as it had been in Lorenzo’s apartment. She focused on the job at hand, continued around the bed, strapped up the creature’s remaining wrist, and marched past Scott. In her hurry, she almost tripped over a black box on the floor with magical symbols drawn on it.
The sorcerer looked at it and frowned. “Should we—”
“Let’s get out of here.” Lexi was so freaked out by the demon, she only wanted to get out of the room.
He closed the door, locked it, and followed her to their rooms on the top floor.
Ten minutes later, she left the bathroom, having washed away the grease and changed her clothes. She stood at the wall mirror in her little room and stared at her eyes. They had returned to normal.
Scott knocked. “Can I come in?”
“Yes.”
He looked uncertain as he studied her.
“What am I?” Lexi dropped onto her bed.
“You’re still you.” He sat beside her. “That’s all that matters.”
She was shaking. “I was so sure it would be her. What the hell was that?”
“A demon of some kind.” He examined his leg where it had grabbed him. “Not a particularly high-level one, fortunately.”
“Maybe there’s some kind of monster inside me. Perhaps Delphine.”
Scott sighed.
Dick appeared in the doorway. “Are you all right?”
Lexi rolled her eyes and looked at the sorcerer. “Did you call him up here?” She switched her gaze to Dick. “You still shouldn’t be awake yet.”
Instead of responding to her, the vampire looked at Scott. “I think you need to tell her.”
She glanced from one to the other. “Tell me what?”
Her friend stared hard at Dick before he returned his gaze to her. “It’s only a theory and not one that makes much sense at the moment.” He paused but she remained focused on him and with a reluctant sigh, he continued, “You remember I said I’d read about people with black eyes?”
Lexi nodded.
“I found it again in a book about sorcerers. Specifically, dark sorcerers.”
She w
rinkled her brow in confusion. “There haven’t been dark sorcerers for hundreds of years. I thought they all died out.”
Dick leaned against the wall and folded his arms. “You and everyone else.”
“Okay, so you said this doesn’t make sense.” She rubbed her forehead and scowled. “Do you mean because there are no dark sorcerers?”
Scott shifted a little uncomfortably beside her. “Well, that’s certainly a factor but one I think I can explain. No, the problem lies in the magical source. You know that magical beings get their magic from different sources?”
Lexi nodded. “Yes, you source magic from the air and so does Dolores, and witches take theirs from the earth.”
“Do you know where voodoo practitioners source theirs from?” he asked,
She sat for a moment in thought before she shook her head slowly. “Not a clue.”
“They get their magic from the ancestor realms.”
“So that’s where dark sorcerers get theirs? The ancestor realms? It seems a tall order for me given that I don’t know who my ancestors were.”
He shook his head. “No, I’m merely introducing the concept of sourcing magic from other realms.”
Lexi began to wonder if she would have to drag it out of him. “So, let’s cut to the chase. I assume dark sorcerers would have taken their magic from the same place as dark fae.”
“And you’d be wrong,” Dick interjected.
Lexi stared at him. She wished her eyes hadn’t returned to normal and—for now, at least—she was disappointed about that. In that moment, she’d have liked to scare the crap out of him. She looked at the scar, which remained half-filled with the black energy. Strangely, it gave her comfort.
Scott smirked. “He only knows that because he guessed wrong too.”
She narrowed her eyes. “So you two have had conversations about this.”
“Well—” Scott started.
“Yes,” Dick finished.
Any number of smart retorts occurred to her, but she put her irritation aside. “So where did dark sorcerers draw their magic from?”
He drew a breath and held it for a moment before he answered. “From the demon realms.”
Lexi thought about it. “We went through a portal that traversed a demon realm when we saved Dick from being cubed with a silver net. Could something have…latched on to me?” She shuddered.