Knowledge Quickening

by D. S. Williams

  “Try and get their mouths open, pour a little in, see if they swallow. They might, even though they aren't conscious,” I suggested. “Ralph, can you give him a hand?” I glanced down at Lucas. “Think we're safe now?”

  He looked up and stared at me, as if he was still stunned to find me standing here in this place. “Give us a few minutes,” he croaked. “Go help your friends.”

  Phelan and Rafe, both of whom were back to human, were slumped on the floor beside one another. Rafe's leg lay at an odd angle and Phelan was gripping his own shoulder, the joint between his arm and collarbone swollen and irregular, as though something wasn't in exactly the right place. Conal was dragging Marco across to where they lay and blood was seeping from wounds across his chest. I ran over to them, pulling the Hjördis from where I'd stowed it in my combat pants and knelt down in front of Marco when Conal eased him up against the wall gently. I drew healing sigils near the edge of the gashes and watched them knit together. Marco looked up, his eyes clearing of pain and managed to look slightly abashed at his nudity. “Thanks, Lottie.”

  “Go put some pants on,” I encouraged him, before turning my attention to Phelan.

  He grinned weakly. “Nice work, Angel girl.” He motioned towards Rafe with his head. “Mine's only a dislocation, Conal'll fix it. Help Rafe, his leg's busted up pretty badly.”

  “Actually, I think the dislocated shoulder might be my fault. Sorry.”

  Phelan smiled. “No blood, no foul.”

  I turned towards Rafe and he lowered his gaze sheepishly. “Charlotte, excuse my…”

  “Nakedness? Trust me, I'm getting used to it.”

  I heard Conal mutter something about the fearless sigil again and I grinned. “You're just jealous because I can say anything, think anything and I don't give a damn.” I turned my attention to Rafe's leg, marking his skin near the breaks with sigils. He lay watching, his hands carefully positioned to keep himself decent. He groaned as the bone knitted itself together and after a minute or two, flexed it, testing out the movement.

  Conal pulled Phelan's arm back into its socket with a swift movement. Phelan cursed long and loudly, and then glanced at me guiltily. “Sorry, Lottie.”

  “After what fell out of her mouth? I don't think it's anything she hasn't heard before.” Conal winked at me.

  “Your turn.” He stood up and let me treat him, flexing his arm when the wounds healed. “That demon poison is nasty crap.”

  I walked back to Nick, who'd finished feeding blood to the Tines. “Give us a look at that wound, Nick.”

  “Is this going to hurt?” Nick asked with a frown. “Those other sigils burn like hell when you draw them.”

  It was testament to the strength of his fighting skills that he hadn't needed healing sigils up until now. That didn't stop me from teasing. “Don't be such a baby.”

  Nick growled softly, his gray eyes darkening. “I am not a baby.”

  “Ignore her,” Conal said, walking back to where we stood. “It's the sigils talking, she's being facetious.”

  When Nick's arm was healed, I turned my attention back to the Tines, but Conal caught my wrist. "Heal yourself first, Sugar. It would be better for our friends if you weren't still bleeding.

  Nick watched as I drew healing sigils on my hand and high on my arm, watching the blood slow and the wounds heal. “I've seen you do that a few times now, but I've got to admit, it still impresses the hell out of me.”

  “It is pretty cool,” I agreed.

  Conal stepped in front of me, running his thumb over the cut on my cheek. “That one's stopped bleeding already, it was only a scratch. How's the head?”

  I rubbed my fingers over the back of my head, where I'd slammed into the marble wall. “It's okay.” There was a fairly sizeable lump but when I lifted my fingers away there was no sign of blood. “Probably going to have a headache, but I'm fine right now.”

  Turning my attention back to the Tines, I dropped to my haunches in front of Lucas. “Any better?” I kept my tone business-like and although I made eye contact with him, I couldn't overcome the urge to look away. I was uncomfortable now the initial drama was over, but I couldn't afford awkwardness until we were safe. I tamped the emotion down and concentrated on the matters at hand.

  “A little,” he agreed quietly. “I'm not sure it's enough for us to control the thirst.” His nostrils flared at the smell of blood on my skin and with a glance, I confirmed every one of them had their fangs out. “We haven't fed since we were kidnapped.”

  I glanced at my watch, hyperaware of the time passing. “It's going to have to do. I'm pretty certain the Three Stooges are gathering reinforcements as we speak. We've got to get out of here.”

  “How do you… do that?” Ben asked, his eyes on the now healed wound on my arm. “How can you heal wounds, mend broken bones?”

  I smiled grimly. “Seems there were a few things about my ability that we didn't know. I'll tell you about it once we get you out of here, I promise.”

  “Hope you've got a plan, Lott,” Nick challenged quietly. “These guys don't look like they're capable of moving.”

  I bit my lip anxiously. Nick was right, none of the Tines were looking well enough to walk and some of them were still not conscious. There were six of us and ten of them and I for one wasn't capable of carrying someone. Not and keep us safe if the shit hit the fan and we were attacked again. I realized with a start that I hadn't allowed for the nightmares being so accurate. I'd thought the silver chains binding them were the result of an overactive imagination because I'd understood vampires were impervious to so many things. Now it seemed I was wrong and that left us with a quandary.

  “Can't we create a portal here?” Marco questioned.

  I shook my head. “Epi was pretty clear on it. I have to create the portal from where we came in; otherwise he can't seal it when we get back. If we create a portal here, the vamps could trace us back and know our location. That leaves us with a problem.”

  “Only one?” Conal commented, his voice dry. “We're stuck in the middle of the Consiliului stronghold and you can only see one problem? That fearless sigil is doing your head in, Sugar.”

  “Shut up,” I retorted mildly. “I've got answers to most of our problems, except one.”

  “Which is?”

  “I can get us back to the portal,” I scratched my head thoughtfully, “but I'm not entirely certain we can get the Tines there.”

  “We can carry them,” Phelan suggested. “If Conal, Rafe and I transform back, we can carry a couple each on our backs.”

  “It's not so much getting them to the portal,” I explained pensively, still desperately searching for a solution. “I'm more worried that if the silver thing works, so will sunlight.”

  There was a horrified silence and I took the opportunity to glance at my watch again. It was four o'clock and there would still be sunshine outside. We'd planned this raid during the day because there would be tourists outside and Epi and Conal both agreed tourists would assist because the Consiliului wouldn't want to do anything which would betray their secret. Now though, daylight was a distinct disadvantage.

  Ben looked up at me and nodded his head slowly, wincing painfully with the movement. “It's true. The sunlight may burn us in our weakened state.”

  “It was overcast, not full sunshine,” I explained.

  He shook his head. “Still… might burn.”

  “What about the material?” Marco pointed towards the collapsed canopy over the dais. “Could we use that, make some sort of cape?”

  “Great idea, Marco,” I agreed with a rush of relief. “Gather it up; see if you can get it cut into big enough pieces to cover them. We need ten.”

  “It won't be enough,” Lucas croaked hoarsely. “Any inch of exposed skin… could kill us.”

  “Lucas is right. There isn't enough material here,” Nick confirmed.

  I frowned heavily, felt the beginnings of panic stirring. “Okay, let me think.” I opened my mind auto
matically, speaking to the spirits. I hoped they would be helpful now I'd come this far. If they told me it was another quest, I was going to scream. They were remarkably open about what I needed to do, and I cringed as I listened to their instructions.

  “Okay, I've got it,” I announced. I stepped towards Lucas, grasping the silver chain in my hands and gingerly beginning to pull on it. He closed his eyes and groaned as the chain tore out of his skin, leaving open wounds behind. I shuddered and tried to block out the sound and sight of what I was doing, trying to close my mind to the excruciating pain he was being overwhelmed by. “I'm sorry, God, I'm sorry,” I whispered.

  “Just do it,” Lucas growled. “They won't leave us alone here for long.”

  “Marco, hurry up with that material.”

  Rafe hurried over to help Marco while Conal, Phelan, Ralph and Nick worked with me to remove the chains. It was hard to know the best way of doing it, making me think of band-aids. Is it best to ease it off slowly, or just rip it straight off the skin? Even that wasn't a suitable analogy, because a band-aid doesn't eat its way into your skin before you try to remove it. Unfortunately, we didn't have the option of time being on our side, so I worked quickly, praying we weren't doing more damage than had already been done.

  Conal was pulling the chains from Striker's body and he was doing it rapidly, obviously having decided fast was better than slow. Striker held his jaw clenched tightly and gritted his teeth, but he was tough enough not to yell out, even though I was certain he must want to.

  “How many vampires are in this place?” Conal asked Ben as he worked.

  Ben was free of chains and struggling to wrap a piece of material that Marco had given him around his naked body, shuddering as it moved across his badly damaged skin. I wished I could heal their wounds here and now, but time was against us. Conal and Epi had insisted we retrieve them and return home before we treat their injuries and now I wished I'd argued more about their plan, but it was obvious it would take too long, need too much healing to be done here. Ben stopped wrestling with the material and spoke, his voice tense. “At least forty.”

  Conal and I exchanged a worried look. “We might be better to transform again,” he suggested softly.

  I glanced at the Tines and shook my head. “Better stay human for now, they're all going to need physical support to get out of here and I think hands and legs will work better than paws.”

  At last, we had everyone unwrapped from the chains which had bound them. They looked mighty thirsty, but managed to control themselves, and it was obvious to see the intense struggle they were battling. “I promise, it won't be long and we'll get you more blood,” I muttered beneath my breath. I caught Ben's arm in my hand and drew a sigil on his wrist. He gasped as the Hjördis burnt the mark onto his arm. When I'd marked all the vampires, I turned to Conal. “Your turn.”

  Conal frowned. “What?”

  “An invisibility sigil.”

  “Are you kidding?”

  “No, this is what Epi was teaching me last night, he thought it might be helpful.” I finished drawing and he lifted his arm to look at the marking.

  “Do you think I could have a break from these things when we get home?”

  “Sure,” I agreed easily, turning to Rafe. “If we manage to make it home.”

  While I finished marking everyone, Conal, Marco and Ralph helped wrap the Tines in the material, covering as much of their skin as possible. One glance and I could see the material wasn't going to be enough. There hadn't been enough to cover each of them completely and various amounts of skin were visible on each of them. I shivered a little, wondering if what I'd been told by the spirits would work, or if we were dooming them to death the minute we took them outside.

  “Thank God, the fearless sigil is wearing off,” Conal remarked to no-one in particular.

  I glanced at my chest, saw the sigil fading away before my eyes. “Do you think I should put another one on?”

  “Are you crazy? I never want you to use it again,” he retorted dryly. “You are completely out of control with it. I'm going to warn Epi you turned into a complete lunatic when we get back.”

  I turned back to Ben and Lucas, where they sat huddled with the others. “Okay, there's just one more thing to do before we leave.” I reached for the Katchet and ran it across my forearm, wincing as blood welled and rolled down my arm. “You need to drink my blood.”

  Chapter 44: Blood

  Conal was the first to react and he cursed fiercely. “Put the damn sigil back on, you were making more fucking sense with it.” He put himself between me and the Tines, who were watching my arm, their eyes mesmerized by the blood dripping to the floor.

  “I don't have time to argue with you, Conal. The spirits told me this was the only way,” I retorted angrily.

  “It's insane, that's what it is! They haven't fed in weeks and the cow blood didn't cut it! They'll suck you dry!”

  “Conal, get out of the way!” I pushed past him and strode towards Lucas, saw him cringe away from me. “Lucas, you have to do this. It's the only way to get you out of here alive,” I pleaded softly.

  “I can't, Charlotte,” he whispered, his eyes focused on the blood on my arm. “Conal's right, I won't be able to stop myself.”

  I held my arm up but he retreated, recoiling in horror. I turned instead to Ben. “Please, Ben. I know you have the strength to do this. Just a little bit, and I can get you out of here.”

  Ben stared at my arm for a minute, horror and desire mixed equally in his dark brown eyes. “I haven't tasted human blood for so long, Charlotte, almost a century,” he said huskily.

  “Please, Ben.” I became aware of the voices in my head, shouting warnings. We didn't have long. “Please. I know you can stop yourself, you have the willpower. You know it's me, you don't want to hurt me. But you need the blood, it will stop the sunlight burning you. The spirits said this was the only way to get you out of here safely.”

  He gripped my arm between his hands and stared down at me for a long moment, his eyes blazing with hunger. Suddenly he pressed his mouth against my arm and began to suck strongly. I felt the blood flowing out of my vein, the pressure of his lips sucking and felt weak at the knees. He was being careful to keep his fangs away from my skin and I appreciated the gesture. As quickly as he'd begun, he wrenched himself away, wiping his mouth with his sleeve and looking at me shamefaced.

  “It's okay, Ben,” I whispered softly.

  I turned to Striker, who didn't hesitate. He grasped my arm and went through the same procedure as Ben, sucking powerfully against my arm, his blistered lips cold against my skin. He drew away with a small grin. “Way better than cow.”

  Rowena was next and she took a few seconds before she touched my arm tentatively.

  “Please, Rowena, please do this,” I pleaded. Something in my voice forced her into motion and she sucked against my arm, her mouth gentler than the men had been.

  I stepped towards Gwynn and she smiled faintly, but there was a haunted look in her pale blue eyes. “I don't think I can,” she murmured, her voice low and weak.

  “Gwynn, listen to me. You have to drink, you have to drink my blood so I can get you out of here. William is going home and so are you,” I coaxed quietly, moving slowly towards where she sat. “Gwynn, you have to do this, you don't need much, just enough to stop you from burning in the sunlight.”

  “Please, Gwynn, just try,” Ben coaxed.

  “I don't think I'll stop…” Gwynn began, and I could hear the panic in her words.

  “You will, Gwynn. You can stop yourself,” I pressed my arm closer to her and she shrunk back, fear and self-loathing appearing in her eyes, but she gripped my arm between her hands, lowering her head. She sucked against the skin for just a moment, and then pulled back.

  “You need more, Gwynn, just a little more.”

  “I can't.”

  I knelt down in front of her, keeping my voice low, but I knew everyone around us would hear me because the
ir hearing was so much more acute than mine. I was looking for the illusion of privacy though, wanted her to think our words were private. “Gwynn, I've seen the state of your underwear. I can guess what they did to you, and I don't want them to ever do that to you again. Please. Drink a little more, so I can get you out of here safely.”

  Her eyes widened and she nodded, lowering her mouth to my arm again and sucking for a few more seconds. When she released me, she leaned back against the chair, closing her eyes as though she was too ashamed for me to see her thoughts.

  Ripley approached me slowly, his eyes burning, his shoulders set determinedly. “I will go next.”

  I offered up my arm to him and he captured it between his hands, sucking heavily against the cut in my forearm. I was beginning to feel light-headed, but I knew we had to get through this before I could relax, before I could worry about how much blood I was losing. Ripley forced himself to release my arm, the cost of doing it apparent in the way he stood and shivered. “What about Acenith and Marianne?” he asked quietly.

  I glanced at the two women, both lying semi-conscious against the chairs they'd been tied to. Striker was holding Marianne against him, his eyes betraying how worried he was. “I'll try and pour some of my blood directly into their throats. I don't know what else I can do,” I responded softly to Ripley.

  William stood up and I observed him warily as Rafe and Nick helped him walk towards me. He glanced at them, his features serious. “You'll need to stop me if I lose control,” he warned. “Kill me, if you have to.” He grabbed my arm and dropped his mouth to my skin, his hands gripping as though he would break the bones. I felt his fangs pierce my flesh and my knees buckled a little. Conal stepped forward.

  “No, wait,” I cautioned him. I spoke to William, touching my fingers to his filthy hair. “William, that's enough. You need to stop - William, please.”

  With visibly immense effort, William pulled away and the willpower it took for him to do so was evident. He stepped away slowly and Nick and Ralph gripped his arms, stopping him from collapsing.

  Six down, four to go. I only hoped my blood supply lasted long enough. Lucas took a pace forward, his eyes on mine. Every emotion he was feeling - the overwhelming craving for my blood, the love he felt for me, the concern he felt in feeding from me - every single one was etched onto his face. He walked resolutely forward, leaning heavily against Marco and I held my arm out, fully aware this could all end in disaster. My blood was different for Lucas, more potent to him than anyone else in the group.