by Dale Mayer
There was a tiny nudge of that same energy.
With an intuitive flash, she realized that Deanna might be gone and Hortran might have exploded into ash, but a piece of his energy…his consciousness had remained behind. The connection required to do what he’d done remained.
Somehow that was a huge relief. But she didn’t know why.
It wasn’t like she could communicate with it – with him – as if there was a person attached to it. It did, however, add significance to the meaning to his name – Deanna had called him a Ghost. Now he was in spirit form – more ghostly than ever.
Could he help her with this transition? Or better yet – reverse the process?
Instantly pain slammed into her temples. She groaned as sharp claws bit into her consciousness.
She focused on her breathing, trying to manage the onslaught. After a moment, the weight in her chest eased.
She’d take that to mean reversing the process wasn’t possible. Or maybe not desirable. After the trouble Deanna had gone through to find Tessa, it would make sense to learn to manage this new state.
Instantly, the air around her lightened, as if a silent pat of approval had smoothed over her head.
She sighed. “Hortran, can you hear me?” Stupid question, but she wanted to know for sure that it was him. The pat of approval came again.
Good.
“Can you talk to me?”
No pat.
“But you can communicate somewhat.” Okay. She could work with that. Considering the option was no contact at all, it was a huge relief to know that he was there some of the time. “Any chance you can tell me what I’m supposed to do with this mess of information? I’ve barely got any memories of my own. To deal with hers is too much.”
No response. Lost as she was inside, whatever space in her mind she’d ended up with, she sighed and said in a needy whisper, “Please, Hortran, tell me how to push this back into some kind of filing system so I can open it only when I want to and keep it safe in an archive of some kind the rest of the time. I can’t live like this,” she cried out. “It’s her life. Not my life. Maybe I’ll need her memories, but maybe not.”
Instantly, a filing system popped up in her mind – by century. She stared in awe as the centuries opened to show decades, with the first of those opening to show years.
“Hey, that works. Now put all of those in a big folder called Deanna’s Memories.”
Instantly there was a folder with Deanna’s name and, oh wow…a second folder appeared with Hortran’s name on it.
“Hortran, do I have all your knowledge and memories as well?”
That warm whisper of energy slipped across her face this time.
“Why? Why would you do that too?” She was so confused. She had seen a lot of vamps die lately and none had a chance to pass on any information. Had they wanted to? Could any vamp do this?
Was it a common thing? A gift that each vamp could bestow as a gift on their loved ones? She didn’t understand how that could be a good thing. And if it was so easy, how come she’d never heard of it?
Then she remembered the things Deanna had said about her prison and her partner. She shuddered at what information she could have access to. Instantly she threw up a mental shield and said, “Section off all intimate memories Deanna might have so I don’t inadvertently see them.”
There was a weird shuffling in the files. She stood in the center of the maelstrom as folders flew around her. When it was done, she could see a red folder off to one side for each century, decade, and year.
Good. It felt more respectful that way too. And much less like she was a voyeur into Deanna’s personal life. It was a different story to have access to her business life and clan knowledge. There’d be any number of other bits and pieces in there she could use, but she didn’t want to intrude on Deanna’s most private memories.
Who would?
Okay, anything else? Could she organize this in a better way? Maybe add a search function? It was hardly a computer, but it was a database. Then she realized all the folders were there, but they were empty.
Shit. She had to fill them.
*
Cody’s fingers spasmed with the effort of holding back from giving Tessa yet another hard shake to wake her up from the dead – or whatever unholy place she’d gone to. He needed her to respond – in some way – in any way to let them know she was okay. Her head lolled to one side. Her eyes closed and her mouth fell slightly open. The only reassuring thing was the steady rise and fall of her chest.
She was alive, and he had to believe she was fighting to stay that way.
He hated what Deanna had done. He didn’t know why Tessa had been chosen or why Hortran would have helped facilitate what had just gone down, but just thinking about it made him angry all over again.
He bowed his head and once again called out to her, Tessa. My love. Answer me, please.
The blankness in his mind terrified him. He hadn’t been able to mindspeak for very long but the absence – the sense of loss – by her silence shook him deeply. He wanted to reach in there – wherever there was – and grab her by the shoulders and shake her until she yelled at him to stop. He wanted to hear her voice snap at someone – even him, to say the real, the normal, the defiant Tessa he knew and loved so well was there.
And yes, the word was love. He was no longer afraid of it, of the feeling and definitely not the commitment. He’d like nothing better than to plan on being old and gray with her at his side.
He’d had no warning of how important she’d become to him, but he’d done well adjusting. Or at least he thought he had, but now this sense of grief at the thought of something finally being too much for her to handle – that realization that for all she’d done and managed to do, all she’d had thrown at her and had surmounted – she might have finally come up against something she couldn’t deal with.
And that thought was going to kill him.
“Cody, lay her down so she can rest.” Serus hovered in front of him.
“She is resting.” Cody refused to do anything that would mean no longer having her in his arms. Sitting beside her wasn’t good enough. He had to hold her.
“She could take hours recovering,” Goran said quietly at his side.
Cody snapped his gaze towards his father. “This is Tessa.”
A lopsided grin slipped out from his father’s face. “I know. We don’t know which way she is going to handle this. We have to assume it could take time. She is under a tremendous amount of pressure right now. She might need to adapt…”
There was a pregnant pause.
Cody leaned back against the wall, adjusted Tessa in his arms, and said, “She’ll adapt just fine. She needs a little time, that’s all.”
He closed his eyes, determined to give her that time.
At least outwardly. Inside, he couldn’t resist murmuring, I’m here, Tessa. Tell me what I can do to help.
For the first time, he thought he might have sensed a response. Staying still so as to not let anyone else know, he whispered in her mind, Tessa? Sweetheart – is that you?
And the whisper that came back brought tears to his eyes.
Cody? Where are you? I missed you.
*
Serus watched his daughter with a hawk’s eye. She lay so pale and weak in Cody’s arms. He couldn’t have imagined what had just happened. The impact on Tessa. Damn Deanna. How could she do that to Tessa? His daughter. Not some nameless victim he could possibly ignore but his own daughter. He wished he could kill the witch himself. This time before she’d had a chance to grab onto his poor girl. There’d been rumors of particularly strong vamps downloading their memories in the past as in centuries ago, but he’d never known it to happen or seen it happen, and no one knew of it having happened. Hence, the myth that it was possible but not probable.
And now knowing the sheer power at Deanna’s disposal and possibly with Hortran’s help, he’d seen Tessa gifted with everything Deanna had to give.
What that would do for her – or against her, he couldn’t imagine.
It was a huge burden and one he wouldn’t wish on anyone, especially not his teenage daughter. She had enough challenges.
Cody’s face twitched, his eyes moving under his lids. Serus leaned closer and whispered, “Can you hear her?”
Cody gave a jerky nod. “Barely.”
Barely was enough. It meant she was in there – functioning at a level none of them could even guess at.
But to know she was responding already – well, his heart swelled with relief. She’d be okay then – maybe not in an hour or a day, but she’d cope – like she always had.
So she’s waking up, is she? Goran’s worried voice slid into Serus’s mind. He’d only checked in every ten minutes since he walked away to find something useful to do.
His buddy had left rather than stay there and do nothing but hover over Tessa. Serus knew his friend hated to sit around and do nothing if there was something he could grab control of.
Cody says he’s heard from her, so I’ll take that as a good sign.
I will too then. Goran’s voice beefed up. I never doubted she’d handle this.
Serus smiled. Neither did I, old friend. Neither did I.
*
Still at the hospital, trying to find a comfortable way to sit on the hard seat, Jared stared at the list of names and license numbers. These were the potential drivers who were driving the ambulances yesterday when he saw Tobias taken away. None of the names were familiar. Then why would they be? He wasn’t part of the medical world and knew few people outside of school friends. He lifted his head, his gaze falling on Chelsea, who’d curled up on the couch and fallen asleep. She’d been emotionally wrought since they realized what likely had happened to Tobias. Jared was afraid so much more might have happened to him but hated to speculate on the devious experiments the blood farm doctors might even now be doing.
“How do we narrow this list down?” Jared asked. “There are too many here to follow up on.”
“Sian is on it. She can access the tracking data for each of the ambulances and check out their routes. Might even be able to search for the address of the group home to see who was there.” Taz stared off into space, as if contemplating what technology could do to make their job easier.
Jared didn’t really care what could help as long as something did. And fast. He was fed up with sitting around and doing nothing. His future was up in the air too. He couldn’t go back to the group home and they’d missed morning classes. Something he wasn’t thrilled about, but priorities had to be set and this bloody nightmare had to come to an end sometime – surely.
As if reading his thoughts, Taz suddenly broke the silence.
“You two should go on to school. Leave this with me for the moment. If you want to, you can stop by after class and I’ll let you know what we’ve found out.”
Jared stared at Taz, his mind working. It was tempting. He just needed to finish this term and he’d be done. Failing was not an option. Neither was it for Tobias. But what could he do right now for the kid?
“Surely there’s something we can do to help,” Chelsea said in a sleepy voice. She sat up and yawned then rubbed her eyes.
“Not at the moment.” Taz stood up. “Maybe by the time you get back I’ll have something that we can move forward with.”
Jared watched as Chelsea turned to him, a question in her gaze. He shrugged. “I don’t know what else to do. Maybe we can find out something at school. There has to be someone there who knows something.”
Her gaze warmed and she smiled. “True. School it is then.”
As they walked out of Taz’s office, he called from behind them, “Be careful that you don’t go asking the wrong questions of the wrong people.”
A good warning to keep in mind – but how were they supposed to know what were the right questions and who were the wrong people?
*
Rhia sat up slowly and stared around the empty Council Hall room. Had she fallen asleep yet again? All she did now was sleep and lie here. She felt so out of it. So useless. She’d heard a gnarled rendition of something involving Deanna and her daughter, but the accounting could barely be believed. Could it? Surely Deanna hadn’t gifted Tessa with all her knowledge. Rhia had heard of such things from other elders, but it was a hugely dangerous process with more failures than successes. She worried on the names that slid through her mind. She couldn’t remember a single case where the recipient had actually lived through the process.
Supposedly Tessa was alive but unconscious. She was at the hospital – and what a joke that was. A hospital was supposed to be a place of healing. A place of helping those in need of care. A place to get help. Not this war zone it had become.
And of course all she held dear was caught in the middle.
Again.
Her mind froze. Not all – not Seth. No one had found out anything about Seth. Maybe that was something she could work on.
If she could only remember what she’d already done.
Chapter 2
The warmth hit Tessa first. Then cold followed by waves of cozy heat as if she was going through a myriad of different climates one after another. She didn’t understand and could only sway as she was buffeted by the discordant sensations. In the back of her mind, she could sense something holding her in place. Something stalwart. Something enduring. Something she could trust.
There was a deep rumbling under her feet, sending more shockwaves up her lean frame. She closed her eyes and let her body, her mind, her spirit sink into the process. Go with whatever was happening to her. Surrender. Fighting was useless – worse, it would kill her. With a deep sigh, she released the last of her resistance and watched the filing system once again float around her as the centuries of Deanna’s life flew into their correct spots. The relationships slid into another section. Her eyes opened in wonder as she caught bits and pieces of the truths that the old vampire knew. The trials and challenges she’d been through. There was an odd popping sound, then another and another. She watched as files closed one after another and disappeared – presumably into her own memory banks.
As each closed, the pressure she’d barely been aware of with so much going on eased back. The pops came faster and faster to the point that it was as if popcorn was popping in her mind.
It built to a massive crescendo of noise and then – stopped.
As in stark complete silence.
The air cleared around her, and the sensation of her head being too large to hold up eased. She shuddered. A freeing, relieved type of motion.
“Wow. That feels so much better.”
Instantly, a small caring pat whispered across her head.
Then a murmur so faint, so soft and carried on a warm breath of air – so caring she wondered if she’d imagined it. You did good.
And the breath faded away, the sensation drifting off like a boat whose mooring had been untied.
“Wait,” she cried out. “Are you coming back?”
This time the answer was slightly crisper around the edges, enough for her to hear the response.
Always.
And he – Hortran, the Ghost – was gone.
Tessa opened her eyes and slammed them shut just as quickly. A shocked gasp escaped. That couldn’t be. She peeked out from under her lashes at the world gone brilliant. The space around her was alive with color – but not just any color. Luminescent greens and blues and purples spun and twisted in front of her. But not calm quiet movements as if blowing in the wind; more distressed, agitated, and the colors were packed tight into the same space, twisting and coiling in on themselves and each other.
She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. She wished the colors weren’t so bright, so in her face. It was making her eyes hurt.
As if by her thoughts alone, the colors instantly muted. She blinked and mentally thought to change it back – and sure enough, everything around her brightened up again.
Not
possible.
Everything is possible. You are the One. She shuddered as Hortran’s ghostly voice whispered through her mind again.
“I thought you’d died and disappeared forever.” That he hadn’t filled her with immense relief but brought his name up again and made her wonder.
No. I’m dead. But I live on in spirit. In energy. In you.
She swallowed hard at the last part. “In me? Like forever?”
You can access my energy anytime, anyplace, and if I can, I will come.
He made it sound like she’d be placing a telephone call and if the connection was decent, the timing convenient or something similar, then he’d come. Bizarre. She frowned. Then nothing about him or this situation worked normally.
As she went to ask him what was with the colors, she could sense his energy fading away again. Why? Because he was tired? Or because the question wasn’t so important as to need him to give an answer? Or had she waited too long and he thought he wasn’t needed?
She shook her head, trying to sort out the impressions running through her mind. Before there’d have been no need to sort, but now her head was stuffed and she couldn’t think. It was getting worse every minute.
“Stop,” she snapped. “Clear out. I want my thoughts and mine alone.”
There was a slight snicker in her mind.
She lit up.
Cody!
Hey sweetheart, are you done rambling through that mess in there? Have you sorted yourself out?
His warm caring tone slipped down the path of her thoughts, brightening her world.
She laughed in delight. I wasn’t to begin with, but I think I’m slowly understanding how it works. She quickly explained the little bit she had figured out. From the odd silence, she knew he didn’t quite get it.
It’s okay. I know it all sounds crazy, but it’s improving, she said comfortably.
If you say so. He hesitated then asked in a low voice, Are you ready to come back?
Come back?
She didn’t understand the question. What do you mean? I haven’t gone anywhere.