by CJ England
"Release them, sister, before any more damage is done.” Like Danolas, Koran could see she was in bad shape.
Kira checked herself, before dropping the spell that held Patrick and Gallegar. She held everyone off with a remnant of her power. “Help them,” she breathed, as she watched Gallegar and Patrick struggle back to consciousness. She had to know they were okay.
Patrick came to a sitting position, refusing to even look at her. Gallegar rose from the floor, ignoring her as well.
"Are you both okay?” Lucas’ attention was drawn away from her for the moment. The anger given off by both Patrick and Gallegar was palatable.
"The spell did not harm us.” Gallegar spoke grimly. He was so angry he couldn't even look at Kira. “But then, its only intent was to keep us here."
"That was harm enough.” Patrick's eyes flashed in anger and pain. “She stopped me from helping my people. Shades went to Hell because of her."
"It was what I had to do,” Kira said hoarsely. “I would do the same thing again, if needed.” Both men turned and really looked at her for the first time.
Gallegar cursed as he saw her bloody cheeks. What had she done? “A Ghra..."
She stopped him. “I need to rest. Perhaps you could postpone the lecture until I can better hear it.” She turned to go and just like that, she swayed and fainted.
Gallegar caught her before she hit the ground. Lifting her in his strong arms, he carried her back to the sofa. He stared at the other Chosen. “I want to know what damage was done. And why she is treating us so damn coldly. What in hell happened today?"
* * * *
It was much later when Gallegar returned. He and Patrick had gone their separate ways to check on their people so they could compare notes on how many had been lost. He could hear the low voices of the other Chosen in the living room, but before he would join them, he had to check on Kira.
As he made his way up the stairs, he thought about how she had kept Patrick and him at the loft. The sight of her bleeding body when she fainted knocked most of the resentment he felt right out of him. When Danolas checked her, they'd found the gold of her aura was almost gone. Even furious Patrick had been taken aback at that.
He pushed through the curtains and walked over to Kira's bed. She lay sleeping, her face still white from the trauma of the day. Sitting down next to her, he took her hand gently and lifted it to his lips. She looked so fragile to him. The bite on her face refused to heal and it marred the smoothness of her cheek.
He wanted to carry her back to his bedroom in Sanctuary, so nothing more could hurt her. Gallegar cringed as he remembered his earlier angry words. He loved her and no matter what, he knew he would forgive her anything.
"How does she?” The whispered question startled him and he whipped around to see Danolas’ concerned face. The witch leaned over and laid a careful hand on Kira's forehead. She stirred for a moment and then went still.
Gallegar looked at his brother. “You tell me."
"She is resting. I can sense she is healing, but it will be sometime before she is as she was. Much was taken from her this day.” Danolas caressed Kira's cheek before standing up. “Let us go downstairs. I would speak of this only once."
Gallegar rose and followed the witch back down to the living room. There, the other Chosen were sprawled around in different chairs.
Only Lucas was up, pacing the room. “How is she?"
Danolas seated himself with a sigh. “She is still sleeping, and she must continue to do so for as long as possible."
"I, for one, would like to know what happened today. Ever since that thing attacked her, Kira's been acting crazy.” Benjamin took a gulp of his drink and coughed as it went down the wrong way.
"I can only tell you what I saw,” Danolas said. “Kira's life force is all but drained away."
"Because of the spell she put Gallegar and I under?” Patrick's voice still held remnants of anger.
"Yes, but that's not what started it.” Danolas rubbed the mark Kira had put on him, unthinkingly. “She was tired and injured from her fight with the demon, but when she got back here, instead of resting, she worked a spell. She won't allow me to see it. Me ... her own seer.” He shook his long blond hair, baffled at the thought. “She did this unknown spell and it took pretty much every bit of power she had stored."
"Then where did she get the power to bespell Gallegar and Patrick?” Koran asked.
"The power she used came from within. Since she had none left stored, she used herself to make the spell work."
Koran gasped. “Are you saying she used her own energy, her own life force?"
"And that's bad?” Benjamin looked at the two spell casters.
"Very bad,” Danolas said grimly. “As supernaturals, we all have power to use. But when we use it up, we must wait to ... recharge. Kira did not wait. When she cast the spell on Patrick, and then Gallegar, she pulled her own life energy to do it. It cannot be replaced."
Gallegar rose in agitation. “She will never again be as strong as she was?"
Danolas shook his head. “No."
Koran sipped at his whiskey. “But this is Kira. Is there a chance this could be reversed, Danolas?"
Danolas sighed. “The shielding has not come down within her. It is using energy that should be put to use in her healing. I'm sorry, but it doesn't look good."
"Then she must lower the shields. We must make her do so.” Gallegar's frustration was obvious. “How?"
"All we can do, is tell her the shields are slowing the healing process. Hopefully, she will remove them herself."
They all sat thoughtfully for a while, before Koran asked, “What did you find at your domains? Was it as bad as you thought it would be?"
Patrick rubbed his eyes. “Every shade within five miles of the house was pulled in. From the residue left behind, I would figure a couple hundred or so."
"I am sorry, my friend.” Koran's amber eyes were sympathetic.
"Did you lose any of your unit leaders?"
Patrick stared at the vampire. “The leaders were all warded. I couldn't lose them."
Gallegar sighed. “I would have thought the same, but one of the vampires I lost tonight was one whom I warded."
"What?” Koran came to his feet in shock. “How is that possible?"
"He was in the way when Sanctuary was opened. Several vampires I had in punishment cells somehow opened an area so the call of the Hell Gate could be heard. When he tried to stop them, he was dragged in as well."
Gallegar frowned. Charlotte had been one of the vampires who betrayed him and then been taken by the Gate. He didn't want to think about Kira meeting up with her after the Gate had worked its corruption on the already cruel female vampire.
The witch looked thoughtful. “Then the wardings worked, they just didn't when another unwarded energy force touched them."
"How many vamps did you lose?” Lucas asked.
"Not nearly as many as I could have. Beiron, the vampire that was lost, shut down the open corridor in time. Only about a dozen, all of them prisoners, were taken."
"Will they open the Gate again, since they got so few in?” Patrick fretted.
Everyone was silent. No one had the answer to that.
"Perhaps, we could use some good news for a change.” Koran was able to smile a little.
"What news?” Benjamin asked. “We could sure use some."
"Danolas and I have found a way to open another Gate to Heaven."
Chapter 14
"That is good news,” Gallegar clasped the faerie's arm. “It is cause for celebration."
"We have to test it.” Danolas put down his glass. “If it goes well, then we can celebrate. What has happened this night means they have truly started their war against the humans."
"How long till the Gate sends out all that it swallowed?” Lucas finished his beer off.
"I don't know. They didn't get nearly the shades they thought they would. Patrick is correct in saying we should get He
aven's Gate up and going as soon as possible.” Danolas rubbed his eyes. “I am going back to The Keep. You are welcome to join me, Koran."
The golden-haired man nodded. “I will go with you. We can get an earlier start that way."
"I must return to Sanctuary.” Gallegar rose and paced over to the bottom of the stairs. “I assume, Patrick, you also will be heading back to your domain?"
"Yes. I must check to see if I lost any unit leaders as you did."
Benjamin also rose and put down his drink. “Then Lucas and I will stay here and keep an eye on Kira."
Danolas nodded. “Let her sleep undisturbed. The body is a wonderful natural healer."
"Then we will meet back here, tomorrow night.” Gallegar looked around and got nods from all the Chosen. “All right then. Let us do what needs to be done. We will not let the demons destroy what we have all worked so hard to accomplish."
* * * *
When Kira opened her eyes, every bone in her body hurt. Slowly, she sat up in bed and gazed around blearily, trying to remember what had happened. The low pressure in her belly reminded her of her body's needs and she carefully made her way into the bathroom to take care of it.
Afterwards, it just made sense to crawl into the shower and let the water clear away the cobwebs that had taken up residence in her head. It was there Kira remembered what had happened before she fainted.
She closed her eyes. Did Gallegar and Patrick hate her now? With what she had to do, it might make things easier, but she wasn't sure if her heart could stand it.
Carefully, she checked the spell she had built up in her mind, relieved it held, even as she slept. Holding back her feelings was difficult, even with the spell to help her.
As she dressed, she put out a mind-feeler and sensed all of the Chosen in the dining room below. The contact still hurt her a little, so she knew her healing was still incomplete.
Downstairs, Danolas dropped his fork when he felt her touch. “Our lady is awake,” he said with a huge smile.
Gallegar frowned. He should have been the one she contacted, but it was the witch who had picked it up first, not him. He put out feelers of his own, but other than a gentle acknowledgment, she said nothing to him.
When Kira entered the dining room, they all stood.
"Please,” she said, smiling. “Do not let me stop your meal. I find, I too, am hungry.” She sat down in the chair next to Gallegar, thanking him politely when he held her chair for her.
"How ya feelin, honey?” Lucas passed some wine down to her from his end of the table.
Kira sipped it before answering. “I am still tired and it is difficult to use my mind to communicate, but other than that, I feel quite well.” She looked at Danolas. “How long did I sleep?"
"Three full days, my Lady. I even had Morag come take a quick look, but her prescription was the same as my own. Rest."
"We were all very worried about you,” Gallegar said gruffly, not wanting her to hear the hurt in his voice. “You did too much and almost died because of it."
Steeling herself, Kira turned to look at him. When she saw the pain he was trying to hide, she almost broke down. “I am doing fine, now."
Turning to include Patrick, she spoke quietly. “I cannot say I am sorry for what I did. But ... I do regret you are angry with me."
Patrick drew in his breath. Her voice was cool as a spring breeze and her eyes were not much warmer. “I understand why ya did what ya did, sugar. I can't say I liked it, but after the problem with the wardings..."
Kira gasped. “The wardings failed?"
Danolas shook his head. “No, my Lady. But some were lost, when they were held by someone who was unwarded. When the Gate called, they were drawn in with the unprotected ones."
"We lost three good men because of it,” Patrick went on grimly. He looked at Gallegar. “Chances are ... if we had gone out, we would have been lost too."
Kira closed her eyes, emotion threatening to overwhelm her. She held tightly to the inner spell. “Then, even though it caused great pain for all of us, I am even happier I followed my instincts and held you here. We cannot afford to lose two of this company.” Kira smiled and began to eat.
Gallegar frowned again. The company? What about her feelings for them? Or were the company all they were to her now?
"It is good you are up and about again,” Koran said. “Now Danolas and I can show you what we have been working on."
Kira looked up, her eyes showing interest for the first time. “What do you mean?"
Danolas poured himself some more wine. “We have been able to reconfigure the spell that built the Gate to Heaven. We are about ready to try it out."
Kira suddenly remembered the little boy shade, who had taken her to meet Patrick. “Robin? What about, Robin?"
Patrick grinned. “He's fine. I stashed him and all the other kids at Benjamin's place. I didn't lose any children, thank God.” He shook his head. “Little guy even talked me into showing him how to become corporeal. Now he gets into trouble on both planes."
The Chosen chuckled, and Kira smiled. “That is good.” She turned back to Danolas. “When can we try out the Gate?"
"We were going to give it a shot tonight, but if you want to be there, we will wait until tomorrow night.” He shook his blond head at her, divining her thoughts. “You're not going anywhere. Trust me, once you finish eating, you will want to go right back to sleep."
Frowning, Kira took another bite of food. She didn't feel like she'd ever want to sleep again. She ate the rest of her meal in silence, as the others talked around her.
Gallegar leaned over and brushed a stray hair from her face. He was determined to get more out of her than a polite smile. “I have missed you, A Ghra ... The last three days have felt like the longest of my life."
Kira struggled with her breathing, when she felt his touch. She wanted so badly to ... no ... That was in the past. Instead, she turned to him. “I am sorry to have worried you."
"You are my life and I love you,” Gallegar murmured in a low voice. “I wanted to be there, lying next to you, holding you while you slept. Not knowing if you were all right was slowly driving me mad."
Kira closed her eyes until she had control over her voice. She kept her tone light and playful. “You must have other things to worry about, Vampire King. I am well again and you have your flock to worry about."
Gallegar sat back, as if he'd been slapped. “You know there is nothing more important to me than you are. And you are the reason for this company."
"Yes,” Kira said, jumping on his choice of words. “And it is for the sake of this company we all stand firm together. We are a team and the war has started. There is no time for personal sentiment. Not any more.” She turned away from his shocked face, not wanting to see the hurt she knew would be there.
Benjamin was talking to Koran about the Gate. “And you think you can hold it steady at The Keep. At least, temporarily?"
Koran nodded, as he finished off his plate of apple pie. “Since the Gate is still in the San Francisco area, we can place it wherever we choose. We will be able to mount it permanently when the danger from the demons is past."
"I would like to see this as soon as possible.” Kira tried to cover a yawn, but failed. She didn't comment when she saw Gallegar rise from his seat and leave, slamming the outer door behind him.
Danolas frowned, as he met her eyes. "What are you doing, Kira? Why did Gallegar leave without saying anything?"
She flinched and closed her eyes, refusing to answer him.
* * * *
They met the next night at The Keep. Kira was the first one to arrive, taking the limo over early. Her campaign to stay away from the others was proving difficult. Their caring was eating away at the wall she had built and the energy she was expending to keep it up kept her looking drawn and tired all the time.
As she entered Danolas’ domain she used her power to track them and following their sign, she traced them to a large empty room over
the theatre. There she found them standing in front of a swirling blue vortex.
"You have done it?” Kira clapped her hands with joy.
Both magicians turned to her. Her brother's grin wasn't as crooked as Danolas', but the happiness was the same. “Aye, sister. I think we have. We are about ready to test it."
Kira bit her lip. “What if it doesn't work? Will the shade be hurt?"
Danolas answered. “It shouldn't. If we haven't got it correctly tuned, they won't be able to go in. It will repel them as it did before."
They all heard noise, and turning saw the rest of the Chosen had arrived.
Gallegar immediately came and took Kira's hand. There were remnants of hurt and anger still in his eyes. “We came for you at the loft, A Ghra ... but you had left. Remember, one of us should always be with you. This was decided long ago."
Kira bit her lip. She had forgotten that part and it made sense, especially after what had happened just a few days before. Looking up into Gallegar's green eyes, she struggled to remain cool. “You are right. I am sorry. I will make sure one of you is with me from now on.” Looking away, she pointed at the Gate. “They are ready to try it."
Gallegar wasn't ready to end the discussion, but the excitement in her voice drew his gaze to the blue vortex. It was the first emotion she had shown in days. “It is ready?"
Danolas nodded and looked over to Patrick. “Do you have a volunteer?"
Patrick nodded. “I hate sending anyone out when I don't know if it's gonna work or not. I don't want anyone else hurt."
Koran shook his head and repeated Danolas’ words. “No one should get hurt, even if it doesn't work. If we do not have it right, then nothing will happen."
Patrick nodded and then closed his eyes, concentrating. A moment later, a thin, dark-haired woman carrying a baby, and a Goth teenager popped in next to him.
"Everyone, this is Terry,” he said, pointing to the teenager. “And this is Sandy and little Charles.” He floated over and put his arm around the woman. He made a face at the baby, who chuckled and blew bubbles. “They both volunteered to try the Gate. Terry's offered to go first."