The Knowledge of Love

by D. S. Williams

  Misaki considered this for a few seconds before she spoke again. “What does Lucas say?”

  “Lucas has spent weeks pushing me towards Conal.”

  “So what's the problem?” Misaki questioned.

  Heat rushed over my cheeks again. “Conal and I, we haven't… but the thought of doing… that when Lucas has access to my mind…”

  Misaki nodded sympathetically. “Ah. I see how that could complicate matters.”

  I smiled wryly. “Yes, it does.”

  Misaki's eyes brightened. “Didn't you say you can seal the spirits away?”

  “Not Lucas. For some reason he can't be shut away. He's with me constantly.”

  Misaki's eyebrows almost disappeared beneath her hairline. “Oh boy.”

  “Oh boy is right…” A sharp pain stabbed my temples, a split-second before the spirits voices overwhelmed me, dozens yelling in tandem. The coffee cup slipped from my hands and smashed to the floor and I lifted my hands to my head.

  “Charlotte!” Misaki gripped my arms, her face filled with distress.

  “It's okay,” I muttered, simultaneously calling for the spirits to calm down.

  “Charlotte, Archangelo has escaped,” Lucas warned urgently. “He's on his way to Sfantu Drâghici.”

  “Oh God,” I whispered.

  Listening to the spirits dire warnings, I sprinted down the stairs, to where Epi and a few of the leaders were sitting around the table. I spied Ambrose Wilkes and shouted to him. “Ambrose, you need to get out and track the Fae…”

  Epi jumped up from his chair, absorbing the alarm in my face. “What's wrong, Child!”

  “Archangelo's escaped,” I announced grimly. I met Ben's eyes and he stared at me in horror.

  The next few minutes were chaotic, as the spirits fed me information and I related it on to Epi and the other men.

  “Your father is in trouble, Charlotte.”

  “The Drâghici have discovered them…”

  “Archangelo has portalled to Sfantu Drâghici.”

  “They're trying to fight their way out.”

  “They've been unable to reach Arasinya.”

  “Conal's trying to create a portal.”

  “Your father's pinned down by Drâghici Guards…”

  “Bhekimuzi has been injured!”

  “The vampires are attacking Nat!”

  I heard shouts from outside and turned from the group, sprinting into the courtyard where a glowing portal had opened in the snow. Misaki reached my side, gripping my hand as we watched the portal anxiously. The yells and screams dissipated around us as we waited eternally for someone to appear. A number of the men took a moment to transform, preparing for whatever was going to appear. Some of the women were gathering the children, herding them away from the area to safety.

  Nat fell through the open portal in panther form, bleeding profusely from a number of wounds on his flanks and back. Closely following him was Joe Reynolds, he'd changed back to human form and was carrying Bhekimuzi. The tall Zulu was slumped in Joe's arms, a massive wound on his abdomen revealing intestines and other things not meant to be seen. Joe fell to his knees as he exited the portal and some men quickly lifted Bhekimuzi from his arms, rushing the unconscious man towards the hospital.

  I stared wide eyed at the portal, not daring to breathe as I waited for the others to appear. I was still staring when the portal closed in on itself, sealing from the other side. Misaki and I clung to one another numbly, realizing the terrible ramifications. The others hadn't come back and were trapped in Sfantu Drâghici.

  Chapter 30: Devastated

  An emergency summit was convened without delay. Nat and Bhekimuzi remained in hospital and were being treated for their injuries. Joe had declared himself unhurt and although badly shaken, insisted on providing us with a full report of the events in Sfantu Drâghici.

  “We got as far as the cells where they were keeping Arasinya,” Joe reported. “We still had the cloaks on, but suddenly all hell broke loose. There were dozens of younglings and they attacked us from all sides. Matt was pinned down with Goren, caught at one side of the hallway and we were pinned down on the other. Conal and William managed to get a portal open, but they insisted on staying to help Matt and Goren. The last I saw, William was fighting his way across to the others and as we went through the portal, some of the bloodsuckers grabbed Conal.” He glanced across to me, his face filled with dismay. “They busted his legs, snapped them like fucking twigs.” He dropped his head into his hands and groaned deeply. “There wasn't a thing I could do, the portal already had a hold on us and I had to get Bhekimuzi out of there…”

  Epi patted Joe's shoulder reassuringly. “You did what you could.”

  “I can't believe Conal got the portal locked down,” Joe stated, admiration apparent in his voice. “He saved our lives and stopped those bastards coming through behind us.”

  Joe had obviously forgotten the vampires couldn't enter Zaen, I thought wildly. I clenched my teeth to stop them chattering, recalling the agony I'd endured when Ambrose broke my arm months ago. Imagining the strength required to break Conal's legs and the excruciating pain he would be suffering right now. Wondering how long the Drâghici would keep them alive.

  “We have to get them out,” I stated decisively, turning my attention to Epi. “Right now.”

  “Charlotte,” Epi intoned heavily, his eyes downcast.

  I stared at him for a long moment, fresh torment filling me as I realized what his silence implied. I looked around the table, discovering nobody would look me in the eye.

  I stood up abruptly, spreading my hands on the table. “You can't be serious!” I shrieked incredulously. It was inconceivable to consider what their silence meant.

  Striker stood up, coming around the table in an instant and drawing me into his arms. “I'm so sorry, Charlotte. You don't know how sorry I am,” he muttered against my hair.

  Tears filled my eyes. “You're… you're abandoning them?” I shrieked wildly.

  Striker held me tighter. “Listen to me, Lott. Just listen for a sec.”

  I tried to wrench away from his embrace, an impossible undertaking. “No, no!” I moaned, my heart shattering, the pain intolerable. I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to stop the tears flowing. “We have to go; we have to go!”

  “Lott, if any of us thought we could rescue them… You know me, Lott. If I thought we could get them out, I'd be there in a second. You know that,” Striker urged, his voice gruff with pain. “But it makes no sense to try and get to them. The Drâghici will have them under so much security, it will be impossible. And…” he bit his lip hard and I could see the agony etched in his features, “we can't risk the lives of others to save the four we've lost. We could end up killing more people for no good reason. Nat and Bhekimuzi are severely injured, they're lucky to even be alive. If we send more people in, we're risking their lives for nothing.” He rubbed his thumbs across my cheeks, wiping the tears from my skin. “It's impossible to get them out.”

  For a long moment I stared into Striker's eyes, hardly believing what I was hearing. Knowing what Striker said was true was heartbreaking. The thought of leaving them there inconceivable. My father. William. Conal. I slumped limply against Striker and he helped me to a chair, clasping my hand in his as he crouched beside me.

  “They'll kill them,” I whispered hoarsely. “They'll kill them and we're going to sit back and do nothing?”

  Epi placed a hand against my shoulder, patting awkwardly. “We must hope the end will be quick, Child.”

  I stared at him, incapable of accepting what I was hearing. “I hate you,” I shrieked angrily. “I hate you all! What sort of people are you? They have my father! They have Conal and William! How can you sit here and say we do nothing?”

  “There's no other choice, Charlotte,” Ben responded heavily, his face a mask of distress. “We can't risk other lives trying to rescue four. Your father, Conal and William. They knew the risks involved, knew if they got int
o trouble they were on their own. They were prepared to take those risks.”

  I shoved my chair away from the table, overwhelmed with the pain piercing my heart. “I hate you!” I screamed. “I hate you all! If it had been me, you'd have done everything in your power to get me back!”

  “Charlotte – you're not expendable,” Ripley said, his voice lifeless.

  I glared at Ripley, unwilling to believe what I'd just heard. “But my father is. Conal is. William is?” I shouted furiously. “How can you say that? William is like a brother to you! For Christ's sake – William is your brother!” I wrenched my hand from Striker's. “You can all rot in hell for what you've done here today! I'm finished! I'm done!”

  I stormed from the hall, slamming the door behind me. Blinded by the tears of a heartache which would surely destroy me.

  The room they were being held in was dark and dank. It looked like a dungeon, something you'd see in an old Hollywood horror movie. Goren lay on a wooden bench, his arms and legs shackled, stripped to the waist. His head hung limply to one side, his eyes closed. Looking more closely, I realized there were dozens of large blisters marring his skin, as if something had been used to burn him.

  William was secured to a chair, silver chains twined around his bare skin, feet of it covering his arms and upper torso and sinking into his flesh. His eyes were frenzied, his head tilted at an awkward angle as he hungrily watched blood dripping from a gash on Matt's arm.

  Matt was chained to the wall, his arms cruelly outstretched above his head, feet spread-eagled and similarly chained and manacled. Besides the deep cut on his arm, his jaw was bruised and he had terrible burn marks across his abdomen. His head lolled forward and he appeared to be unconscious.

  Conal was manacled to a ring in the ceiling overhead, leaving his tall frame just reaching the floor. His feet had been similarly manacled to a ring which protruded from the stone floor. Conal's face was pinched with agony, the strain of the weight on his broken legs apparently unbearable. Like the other men he was shirtless, his torso marked with burns and cuts and his face heavily bruised.

  Matt groaned as he returned to consciousness and Conal looked over at him. “Matt, how're you doing?”

  It took a second or two for Matt to figure out where he was, what was happening and when he did, he tugged ineffectually at the chains binding his wrists. “Shit. I ache all over.”

  Conal managed a faint grin. “Join the club.”

  “How long do you think they'll keep us alive?” Matt groaned.

  “A day, maybe two,” William growled.

  Matt's attention focused on Conal. “How're the legs?”

  Conal closed his eyes wearily, shaking his head. “Both busted.”

  Matt cursed vehemently. “Apparently these guys have never heard of the Geneva Convention.”

  William snorted mirthlessly. “I've never known the Drâghici to consider any conventions, other than their own. They'll continue torturing us for information until we're dead.”

  “I'd take some of that, right about now,” Matt admitted hoarsely. “A quick death would be better than this bullshit. I've been tortured a time or two, in the Marines, but nothing like this…” His voice trailed off and he coughed violently.

  “Don't you dare give up, Matt. Charlotte needs you,” Conal responded angrily.

  Matt lifted his head, surprise registering in his eyes. “I think she needs you more than me. I've seen the way she looks at you.”

  Conal's eyes narrowed. “I didn't think Charlotte had told you.”

  Matt grinned and shook his head. “She hasn't. But I'm not blind. It's pretty obvious there's something going on between you two.”

  Conal's gaze filled with honesty. “I'm in love with her,” he admitted huskily. “I've loved her since I first met her.”

  For a long moment Matt was quiet, studying Conal shrewdly. “I'm guessing she's got feelings for you, too?”

  Conal nodded wearily, shifting his weight and wincing.

  Matt looked around the room. “Well, we know they're not gonna come and rescue us. We need to find a way out of here.” He glanced at Conal again, frowning at the pain clearly visible in Conal's strained features. “We definitely need to get you out of here before Archangelo kills you. Seems most of his anger is directed at you.”

  “Archangelo hates my guts,” Conal agreed.

  “Because of Charlotte?”

  “Because of Charlotte.”

  William was studying the room, seemingly more in control of his desire as he focused his attentions on finding a way to escape. “If we can get out of this room, I can lead us out.”

  Matt inclined his head towards Conal. “What happens if you transform?”

  Conal grinned wryly. “Then I'll be a werewolf. With busted legs.”

  “Damn. Kind of hoped for a different answer there.”

  “Sorry to disappoint you.” Conal shifted his weight on his legs and groaned softly.

  Matt appeared to be deep in thought. “We have one advantage.”

  “Really? You'll have to point it out, because I haven't seen any fucking advantages in here so far,” Conal said dryly.

  Ignoring Conal's sarcasm, Matt continued seriously. “They've kept us together. Normal torture procedure is to separate the prisoners, then they'd tell me that you'd told them something, or tell you I'd told them something. This way, they can't use separation against us.”

  “Well, that's comforting,” Conal agreed, rolling his eyes.

  “It's a good thing,” Matt reassured him. “We need to make sure they don't learn a fucking thing from us.”

  “I'll die before I tell them anything,” Conal said quietly. “I'll protect Charlotte until I take my last breath.”

  Matt nodded. “I believe that.”

  Goren moaned softly, rocking his head from side to side as he regained consciousness. “My friends, we are in a lot of trouble.”

  “No shit, Sherlock,” Matt agreed sarcastically.

  “Charlotte, sweetie? Wake up now. Charlotte?” I opened my eyes, realizing my cheeks were wet with tears as I sat up on the couch. Gabrielle was sitting beside me, her hands clasped together anxiously.

  I wiped my hands across my face, brushing the tears from my cheeks as I relived the nightmare of seeing Conal and the others in their prison. “I saw them.”

  Gwynn knelt beside me, her features taut with anguish. “They're alive?” she whispered.

  I nodded, wondering how much to tell her. We were both suffering the misery of losing the men we loved – would it do any harm to keep the truth from her? She'd been through so much when she was held captive by the Drâghici - to hear William was being tortured could damage her already fragile psyche. But was it fair to keep this news from her? I'd never told Gwynn a lie before and knew I couldn't do it now. “They're alive,” I agreed sadly, “but I don't know for how long.”

  Gwynn's jaw tensed. “They're being tortured?”

  I couldn't verbalize an answer – it was too painful to speak about. I nodded despondently.

  Gwynn squeezed her eyes shut, dropping her face into her hands and all I could do was place a reassuring hand on her shoulder. “They haven't given up, Gwynn. They're looking for a way to escape.”

  “We should be trying to rescue them,” Rowena said, the tension apparent in her voice.

  I smiled weakly. “The council have made their decision crystal clear. I've tried everything to make them change their minds.” It was the absolute truth. In the twenty-four hours since Conal and the others had been captured, I'd done everything – screamed, begged, pleaded, even threatened - in an effort to get the council to try and rescue them. To no avail.

  Which was exactly why we women were sitting together in Marianne's cottage – Marianne and Rowena, Gabrielle and I, Gwynn and Acenith. Rowena, Marianne and Acenith were here as a show of support and from what I'd heard, were absolutely furious with their partners. As much as I didn't like the idea of them fighting, it was comforting to have them
provide Gwynn and I with moral support.

  Misaki had gone home with Kazuki, wanting time alone with the son she may now be left to bring up alone. It broke my heart to think of it.

  “I didn't mean to fall asleep,” I said softly, regretting that I had. I didn't want the nightmares, didn't want to see Conal, knowing he was alive and yet so far away. Knowing I may never see him alive again. To see him in so much agony, knowing it would only get worse, was unbearable.

  “Charlotte, you've been awake for over thirty hours. You need to sleep,” Marianne reminded me quietly. “It isn't good for the baby.”

  Gabrielle was watching me – or rather, my aura. “Marianne's right. Your aura is getting worse by the hour. It's full of green and dark blue.”

  “Meaning?” Acenith questioned.

  “The green signifies grief and remorse; the blue signifies distress, depression, tiredness.”

  I stood up abruptly, not wanting to hear more of this conversation. “I know it's not good for the baby,” I announced irritably, “but the nightmares probably aren't any better!”

  “Charlotte, I didn't mean…” Marianne said quickly, her eyes filled with chagrin.

  I immediately felt bad about my outburst. “I know, Marianne. I know you didn't mean anything by it.” I shrugged unhappily. “I think I'm gonna take a walk.”

  “Would you like one of us to join you?” Gabrielle questioned.

  I shook my head. All I wanted was to be alone. Away from everything, everyone while I tried to get my head around losing Conal. As if I possibly could. The grief and sadness were filling me, overwhelming me and the nightmare had only exacerbated my feelings, intensifying them to the point where I wanted to scream. Slipping on my coat, I stepped out into the darkness and walked quickly away.

  Chapter 31: Nightmarish

  I was back in the room where Conal and the others were being held. The four men were in much worse condition than the last time I stood here, their bodies showing the unmistakable signs of the torture they'd endured.

  Footsteps approached the room, before I heard the sound of metal-on-metal as the door was unlocked. The room itself was circular and I turned to see Archangelo entering, along with Alberich Bran, Odin and two beefy guards.