“It is no sacrifice to aid others. Just as you are compelled to hunt the vampire, Ferro, I am compelled to help others in need.”
“Then we must go. Time is slipping away.” Ferro didn’t want to lose one moment of their time together, but already he was aware of Sandu, Gary, Andor and Dragomir pushing at him to hurry. Sergey would be expecting the warriors to rush out to the hunt. “Slide your arms around my neck, beloved. I need to hold you close while I take you to the others. When you remove each of the burns, let us know how deep they are and if you can get any hint of when they were created or how.”
Ferro took her to the group that had gathered there in the courtyard. Tariq had brought them all together, warriors, humans and children, any found with the infection and those that would be the first line of defense against the vampire and his army.
“Good eve, Elisabeta,” Tariq greeted. “Thank you for once again coming to our aid.” He gave her a courtly bow.
Ferro was a bit surprised that the other ancients and even Josef followed his example of respect and did the same. Elisabeta kept her eyes downcast but she gave a dip of her head and a small smile to the others while her fingers spasmed in his hands. She took a step back into his body, as if for protection. He knew he shouldn’t like that—he wanted her to be confident—but there was a small part of him that liked that he was the person she turned to when she had need of someone to anchor her.
“Elisabeta, it would be best if you would start with me,” Gary said. “As we scan each rising, it is best to be safe and remove the scorching from the ancients. If the idea is to turn us against one another, we can’t take chances that an ancient with fighting skills and no anchor becomes enraged.”
“We also want our fighters to look as if they are exiting in order to hunt Sergey, so we need them fit. If his spies are watching and the crows are surrounding the compound,” Tariq added, “we want them to return to the vampire and say we were planning some strategy.”
She inclined her head again and immediately moved with extreme confidence, flowing into Gary’s mind. Ferro had to move quickly to keep up with her. Sandu also joined them to protect her should there be anything built into the infection allowing it to fight back. So far, that hadn’t happened, but it didn’t mean it couldn’t.
While you went to get Elisabeta, we scanned as many as possible. None of the ancients other than Tariq and Lojos has any scorching, but it was found in several of the human security force. Charlotte has light burns as well. Maksim checked his lifemate, Blaze. She was over with Charlotte last rising, but she showed no signs at all, Gary informed them.
What did Charlotte and Tariq do last night? If both have the burns, they must have been exposed at the same time, Ferro speculated.
The two of them are writing down everything they did in order for us to compare, although at the moment, preparing for war is a far more important task, Gary said.
I think this is a huge part of the war. Ferro was certain he was correct.
Elisabeta made short work of removing the burns in Gary’s mind and immediately went to Tariq. His scoring was extremely light in comparison, certainly nothing like it had been, as if his exposure had been very brief. The slash marks weren’t even a vivid red, and they blew apart in front of her gentle breeze easily the first time she sent the steady draft toward the marks.
Ferro was surprised that when his lifemate returned to her body—a little pale, but still very strong—she didn’t go straight to the next ancient. Lojos stood beside Tariq waiting for her to remove the burns, and Ferro felt the hesitation in her mind.
What is it, sívamet? He locked his arm around her waist, holding her to his side beneath his shoulder.
He is uncertain. I do not want to intrude.
“Lojos, Elisabeta is very sensitive. She feels your hesitation. If you wish to live with the infection, there are others for her to work on. Gary knows better than I how bad it is in you and whether you can be trusted or whether you must be sent from the compound.”
Lojos shrugged. “I do not yet know if I can trust that Sergey did not somehow figure a way to use her to introduce this infection into our midst.”
Ferro took a deep breath and pushed down the strange swirling rage that wanted to erupt like a volcano. He was unused to feeling such overwhelming emotions, much less such dark ones. His lifemate had worked nearly from the moment she had risen to try to stop the spread of the infection, and yet, as an ancient, it was a fair reasoning and one he might have had himself. He worked at keeping his voice dismissive.
“We do not have time for you to make up your mind whether or not my lifemate is working with a master vampire. Tariq, I believe all the warriors necessary are free of the infection. You and Gary can decide what you wish to do with Lojos. Elisabeta can start on your security force. She will need blood soon.”
At once he felt Elisabeta’s soothing tranquility wrapping him up as if she had enfolded him in her arms.
He knew the Malinov family very well, Ferro. What they did felt very personal to him, to all three of the brothers. I can feel the sorrow beating at him. The sense of deep betrayal. He does not feel it, yet I do.
Although I understand it, I do not like that he regards you with such suspicion. You must use Tariq for entrance into the security guards, Elisabeta.
You are always calm, Ferro. Always. My steady rock.
He felt a brief flash of amusement. It might be true that he was calm and steady, but only until it came to her. He found he didn’t like anyone slighting her or implying that she was in league with her captor—even if it was something he might have done—just because it was an explanation that fit when, so far, there had been no other.
“Tariq, you will have to guide us into your human force,” Ferro said. “We will work as fast as we can here to be ready in order to protect the compound from the attack.”
I have been considering what you asked me, Ferro, about how Sergey will bring down the safeguards to enter. He cannot, and he knows that.
Ferro started to reply to her but then stopped himself. There was speculation in her voice. He felt the stillness in Gary and the other ancients tied together. Like Ferro, they knew she was on the brink of a discovery. She turned the pieces of the puzzle over and over in her mind along with her knowledge of the vampire, a master strategist.
He will open the gates from within. She said it with absolute certainty.
Tariq, not tied to the others, was already leading the way to the first of the humans infected with the burns, and Elisabeta and Ferro followed into the man’s mind. The burns were not nearly as severe as Josef’s had been, but they were moderate, with more scorching than Tariq had. It would take a little more effort on Elisabeta’s part.
How will Sergey possibly open the gates from within, piŋe sarnanak? Ferro asked, watching her work. She was so efficient at what she did now, soothing the man and removing all trace of the burn, that she didn’t have to pay that close attention.
Tariq was with them now and Ferro felt him startle, but he said nothing.
It would be easy to be wrong. Very easy. There was hesitation in her voice now.
Ferro knew she wasn’t used to giving her opinion on any subject. He sent an entreaty to the others, keeping his command on the pathway for them alone. Do not say anything. She was never allowed to voice her view. This is extremely difficult for her. Gary, make certain Tariq knows not to speak. Let her take her time. Do not be impatient with her.
If any of them spoke or showed impatience, she would instantly clam up and they wouldn’t get anything further from her. As it was, he would have to coax the information from her. Her first thought was always that she might say the wrong thing.
I am simply looking for your input, Elisabeta. You know him better than anyone. You have studied his ways. What would he do, based on what you know of him?
Elisabeta carefully removed the scorch marks from the human brain. I believe he somehow was able to introduce this infection into the compo
und. If that is so, it is very possible that I missed something. These burns were extremely deep in some. Light in others. It occurred to me that it is possible that a suggestion was planted into the burn, branding it into the brain, the behavior part of the brain, so that even if the brain was healed, the suggestion sank so deep, the healer, in this case me, would miss it.
Ferro felt Gary’s instant reaction to her reflections. His heart sank. Gary thought she was onto something. If that were so, it was one more thing his woman was going to blame herself for. At once, Gary’s healing spirit entered the human. He was so bright and hot that it took a few moments to adjust to his being close.
Show me where you think this suggestion could have been branded into the brain, Elisabeta, Gary demanded.
Ferro moved closer to protect her. Tariq moved closer to see. Elisabeta again sent her soothing breeze moving around them all, as her healing spirit shone against one tiny spot she was concerned with.
I noticed this little speck, like a hook right here in the same place. It was so tiny and not really black at all. It looks like part of the brain, but . . . Elisabeta trailed off.
Please continue, Gary said. I’m looking at it and I see nothing that would alert me to danger of any kind.
I am most likely wrong.
Ferro felt her instant retreat. Elisabeta was uncomfortable. She didn’t want to continue to speak to the ancient healer. He could feel her begin to withdraw out of the human. She’d removed the red scorching from his brain. She was tired and needed more blood to sustain her.
Elisabeta, please, Tariq pleaded with her. I don’t know how to ask you or explain to you how important this is. I am aware this is difficult for you. You have already put so much effort into saving all of us, and I know we can’t repay you, but I’m asking you to continue to help Ferro and Gary try to figure this puzzle out.
Each time he heard Tariq reach out to someone, Ferro knew why he was the prince’s chosen leader there in the United States. He had a gift. Elisabeta was ready to run and yet he had stopped her, made her feel as if she was needed, appealing to her on the exact level that would make her respond.
Perhaps I phrased that incorrectly, Elisabeta, Gary tried again. I, too, have examined every patient you have examined, so if you missed something, I have as well. What have you noticed that is now raising some concern?
Ferro knew the other ancients tied to him felt the terrible struggle in her. She had gone back to that place of insecurity, yet she braced herself, sliding her spirit up against his in an attempt to find strength and recoup.
I am with you, sívamet, he assured.
It is silly, really. The hook is so tiny, a barb, turning toward the brain and eventually driving into it. Not at once. I have seen it in the lighter scoring with the hook upright, then in more medium stages to one side, but in those that are dark and angry, such as Josef ’s, it is buried. It was the difference that caught my attention when everything else looked the same. I suppose my conclusions are simply fanciful.
Elisabeta sounded somewhat disparaging, and Ferro found himself tightening his arms around her, wishing he could just take her back to their woods where she laughed in a carefree way, with no worries about what others thought of her. He went very still, realizing she wasn’t concerned with how others viewed her for herself. She was his lifemate. He was a legendary warrior of the Carpathian people. She didn’t want them to think less of him because of her.
He had to suppress a groan. Of course she would think that way. Elisabeta put him first. She always would. He would always have to take great care to do the same for her.
Can you show me the images in your mind, Elisabeta? Gary asked and then hastily retracted his query as she retreated even more. Show them to Ferro and he can share them with us.
Elisabeta, Ferro and the others left the human, Elisabeta pale and weak. Ferro immediately turned her face to his bare chest, away from the others, sheltering her so she wouldn’t have to look at them while she fed.
Give me the various images of this strange little hook, piŋe sarnanak. He kept his voice very gentle. Very loving.
She did so, and he immediately shared with the others the tiny speck that seemed as if it were part of the brain and looked no different to Ferro.
14
When evil seeks a place, deep within your mind;
I will be your shield, protecting what’s inside.
Tariq and the ancients immediately carried out their supposed exodus from the compound. Ferro noted that Lojos didn’t go with them. He remained a short distance from Ferro and Elisabeta while Ferro fed his lifemate. Charlotte, Blaze, Lorraine and Julija had come to join the tight circle of those waiting to be rid of the infection.
Julija wove a spell, her voice murmuring softly in the night as her hands moved gracefully, creating illusions—Ferro, striding purposefully with the other warriors, taking to the air once outside the gates. Gary and Maksim close to Tariq as they took to the air following a different scent Sergey had laid down. Lorraine and Blaze clearly were there to guard the group while the others waited for Elisabeta to clear them of infection.
Elisabeta worked fast, trying to get through as many of the security guards as possible in the shortest amount of time. Gary tried to help her, but the burns didn’t react at all to the Carpathian way of healing. The lighter scoring showed the strange little speck with the hook upward, and he could deal with removing that. The medium scoring had the hook sideways and, taking his time, he could get the speck to move to him, but no manner of work could get the one embedded into the brain to release itself.
Elisabeta has to be right, Ferro. The infection is to turn all of us against one another, but it is also for introducing this little tiny suggestion into whoever it comes into contact with. Big or little. Old or young. It does not matter the sex. The more implanted with the suggestion, the better his chances that one will succeed, and all Sergey needs is for one person to open a way into the compound for him and his army, Gary said. Someone will have to check my brain for this nasty hooked speck. Josef, for certain, will have this branded into him. Tariq, to keep the gates from being opened from the inside, what do you propose?
It mattered little that Elisabeta had worked so hard to stop the infection and clear the brains of the terrible burns. She may have kept the ancients from turning on one another, but every single person who had been touched by the infection could potentially betray the entire compound. Maybe all of them at once—including their leader. If there were any they had missed and weren’t watching, it would be easy enough for the gates anywhere around the massive compound to be opened from the inside and the vampires invited in. It was far too big of an acreage to be kept safe if those inside were determined to open it to their enemies.
They could try to safeguard the gates from the inside, but every entrance and exit would have to be safeguarded, and Sergey would know what they were doing. Ferro was proud of his lifemate. Around her, the discussion raged on, but she simply went about her work, taking care of Charlotte and then Amelia and Danny. She was swaying with weariness as she replenished her blood, refusing to take it from Ferro, thanking Lorraine when she volunteered to give it to her.
You need to be one hundred percent for the coming battle, Ferro. If I take small amounts from others, it will not be so draining on any one person.
His woman. The voice of reason whether he liked it or not. Josef was going to be next, and both of them knew by the way Gary had described him that the burns were going to be bad. The boy looked in a bad way. His skin was drained of color, his eyes bloodred. He clearly knew exactly what was going on and fought his need to explode into rage. Tiny beads of blood seeped out of his pores, indicating his tremendous inward fight. His two guardians, Traian and Joie, appeared quite anxious.
“Elisabeta,” Traian said softly. “This boy is a good being, amazing and selfless. He has already done things at his age that few can say they have done. I fear this infection is taking a great toll on him. He just g
ot to this place. I want to stay here and get to know you, but I feel a great responsibility to our people, who need him, and also to his family. If he is being targeted and you feel it is unsafe for him, we will escort him home.”
Ferro would never have allowed Traian to put such undue pressure on Elisabeta had he had any inkling that her birth brother planned to appeal to her. Already she took on far too many sins and guilt that didn’t belong to her. Guilt rode hard on her slender shoulders, guilt that didn’t belong there. Traian didn’t understand just how difficult things were for his sister, and Ferro knew the Carpathian tried. He wanted her to be fine. Healed already. Carpathians could heal bodies so easily and they were used to doing so. One couldn’t do the same when the damage was done over centuries to a mind.
Elisabeta’s gaze flicked up to Ferro’s eyes as if asking for guidance. He realized she did that often when she felt helpless and at a loss for how to respond. “We will do our best to assess the situation,” Ferro answered for her.
Gary led the way into Josef’s mind. Ferro’s breath hissed out of his lungs. The burns were much worse than Gary had led them to believe. Elisabeta didn’t falter.
You should have warned her, Ferro told the healer with a hiss of displeasure.
I wanted to see what her reaction was. How she decides on the best way to handle this and what her conclusions are. This makes no sense at all to me, Gary admitted. Had I warned her, I could have tainted her response.
Ferro couldn’t feel a difference in Elisabeta. There was only kindness and compassion. Her genuine need and willingness to help Josef. She sent the boy waves of reassurance and that gentle caring breeze that tugged at the horrendous vivid slashes of what looked to Ferro like a solid wall of crimson, bloodred paint.
He is not alone in this battle, Ferro. There are two others, an ancient warrior and a young woman belonging to Mother Earth. I feel them in him. They are a great distance away, but they have forged their strength to his.
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