by John Corwin
Ketiss approached a moment later. "The citizen brigades are on alert against the Heretics. I think Tarissa will be in good hands for now."
I looked at the large hovering cloudlets laden with troops. "Where are the rest of your soldiers?"
He pointed to his right. "They await our arrival at the pearly gates to the skyway." He turned and barked an order. The large troop transports lifted into sky and headed in the direction he'd pointed. "If you are ready, I have your transportation waiting."
I took one last look at the ultraviolet dome protecting the Ministry of Research. If I survive the war, this place is on my to-do list. "Cephus will pay for what he's done."
Ketiss nodded. "At least one good thing came from his plotting. We were able to use the translation spell he modified for you and implement it on ourselves and the troops." He cleared his throat and spoke in accented English. "Now I can communicate with your people."
I managed a satisfied smile. "Excellent. I'd kind of forgotten about the language barrier."
"I will assimilate the spell during the trip to the gateway," Flava said. "I'm most curious to understand some of the strange words you have said. Perhaps I will soon understand what 'poop' is."
Nightliss face-palmed. "Oh, dear."
We rode a cloudlet across the city to the city gates. The soldiers disembarked the large troop transports and lined up on the skyway, which whisked them off into the sky and toward the skylet with the Alabaster Arch.
Flava and Ketiss left to deal with logistics, leaving Nightliss and me alone aboard the cloudlet that had brought us here.
"Though I was happy to see Seraphina, I am eager to return to Eden," Nightliss said. "My people have changed so much. They are stronger in some ways, but weaker in others."
I squeezed her in a one-armed hug. "They've done what they needed to cope with centuries of abuse and threat from the Brightlings."
She regarded me with her big green eyes. "How are you, Justin? Flava told me you've been through a lot since we arrived."
I wanted to talk to her about my demon problems, but decided that could wait. "I'm a lot better now that we're on the way home."
She leaned her head against my shoulder. "It is strange, but now I think of Eden as my home." A small sigh escaped her lips. "You and the others are my family, Justin."
"We've come a long way since you were posing as a little black cat in Stacey's hideout." I chuckled at the memories that evoked.
"Meow." She giggled.
My chuckles turned to laughter.
Flava returned and saw us laughing. "I am happy to see you in good spirits, Justin." A wan smile touched her lips. "Seraphina has not been kind to you."
"Story of my life." I nodded toward the skyway. "How's it looking?"
"The last of the legion is boarding as we speak. We should be at the gateway within a few hours." Flava motioned at a nearby seraph. He brought a small glass container filled with what looked like bread, cheese, and some strange looking vegetables or fruits. "You should eat while we wait."
My stomach grumbled at the sight. I'd been so eager to rescue Nightliss I hadn't even eaten breakfast. "Good idea."
The bread stuff was crunchy and tasted sweet. A large purple pear-shaped thing tasted like an avocado. I expected to find some mystery meat in the mix, but detected nothing unusual or disgusting. A round vegetable shaped like a tomato turned out to be as dense as peanut butter and filled my tummy to the rim.
"Where's the beef?" I asked Nightliss.
She ate a small orange fruit the size and shape of a grape. "Killing and eating animals is not normal here as it is in Eden. There are several different plants bearing fruit with enough protein and nutrients to satisfy all requirements."
Ketiss returned. "Destroyer, we are ready to leave."
I walked toward the skyway. "Let's go."
Nightliss and I boarded the skyway with Ketiss, Flava, and a group of officers behind the bulk of the troops. The cloud road picked up speed as we gained distance from the city until we were speeding along.
Flava looked back at the ultraviolet city on the floating island of rock until it vanished from sight. Ketiss never looked back. I couldn't tell if he didn't care or was simply putting on a brave face.
I took Nightliss's hand and squeezed it. My heart soared.
Elyssa, I'm coming home.
Chapter 17
The hours dragged by as if determined to make me suffer as long a wait as possible. At long last, the skylet with the Alabaster Arch came into view. The floating island teemed with soldiers arranged in neat formations. When I arrived, I was surprised to see that the gateway was open.
A small group of Templars stood in front of the arch. I spotted Nelson talking with one of the soldiers and headed toward him.
"Justin!" Bella appeared out of nowhere and nearly bowled me over with a big hug. She pulled my head down to her height and kissed me on the cheeks. "We were about to launch a rescue operation."
"I haven't been gone that long," I said.
Someone gripped my other arm. "You son of a biscuit eater." Shelton gripped me in an uncharacteristically firm hug. I felt tears sting my eyes and squeezed him back. He held me at arms' length. "Looks like you're mostly here."
"It is so good to see you," Nightliss said as she and Bella hugged and cried. "I was so worried when we left."
"C'mere sweetheart." Shelton enfolded the petite angel in his arms. "I swear to god I wanted to punch Justin in the face when he made the executive decision to leave without waiting for us."
"We could have just portaled in," Bella said. She wiped tears from her eyes.
"We had to hold the arch open ever since you left," Shelton said. "You mom detected someone trying to realign the Grand Nexus to another realm. Apparently, opening the gateway prevents them from removing the Chalon or attuning the arch."
I hadn't even thought of Daelissa trying to realign the arch. She must have guessed my reason for going to the Three Sisters. I looked around and saw Flava and Ketiss standing nearby. I motioned them over and introduced them to Nelson, Shelton, and Bella.
"Ketiss, you coordinate with the Templars and move your troops." I turned to the Templars. "Nelson, you're in charge of logistics. Can you handle it?"
He pounded a fist to his chest. "I'll see to it. I've already sent word ahead."
I turned to Shelton. "I'll see you guys back at Queens Gate in a little bit."
"Off to heal Elyssa?" Shelton said.
"You know it." I grabbed Flava's hand in my right hand and Nightliss's in my left. "Let's go. We have a princess to save."
I didn't give anyone time to comment and marched straight through the gateway.
"This is amazing," Flava breathed.
I opened the closest omniarch to La Casona.
"Truly marvelous!" Flava exclaimed as I hurried her through the portal and into the busy way station. She nearly broke her neck looking around as I rushed her toward the doors leading into the pocket dimension.
"I'm having trouble keeping pace," Nightliss said, pumping her short legs furiously. "Could you slow down?"
I released her hand. "Catch up with us when you can."
"Is this the Promised Land?" Flava said, jogging along with me. "Is the Primogenitor here?"
"Nope, he doesn't mingle with us mere mortals." I led Flava onto the road lined with row houses, entered the first one on the left, and nearly ran into Meghan as she came down the stairs.
"Justin?" She looked at Flava. "Who is this?"
"A healer from Seraphina. She thinks she can help Elyssa."
Meghan pursed her lips with a doubtful expression. "I'm surprised to see you back so soon. Things must have gone very smoothly."
I burst into wry laughter. "Yeah, it was a piece of cake." I motioned up the stairs. "Take us to Elyssa?"
She nodded. "Of course." Her brow furrowed. "I must warn you, her condition has noticeably worsened since you left. I believe the preservation spell will be unable to last mor
e than another day."
My heart turned into a searing lump of ice. I nearly bulled over Meghan in my haste to get Flava up the stairs. I took her into the room and cried out the moment I saw Elyssa. Her jaundiced skin sagged in places. Her eyes had sunk into her skull.
Flava released my hand and walked to the preservation barrier. She looked at Elyssa for a while and finally turned to Meghan and spoke in accented English. "I will need this barrier removed."
Meghan gave her a steady look. "Are you sure you know what you're doing?"
"Once this barrier is down, I will channel a new preservation bubble around the patient." Flava pointed toward the blackened chest wound. "I will then release the wounded area from the spell and regenerate it." She turned to me. "Justin, I must warn you that her skin shows advanced signs of necrosis. She may already be too far gone for me to save."
I felt my chin tremble and forced down a painful lump in my throat. "Please save her." I couldn't say another word without crying like a baby.
Flava's eyes welled with tears. "I promise to do everything in my power."
Nightliss appeared a moment later and gasped as she saw Elyssa. "Is there anything I can do to help?"
Flava shook her head. "I don't think so."
"I will wait back in the way station. If you need me, let me know." Nightliss gave me a sad look, turned, and left.
I pressed my hand to the glasslike barrier and kissed it just over Elyssa's lips. "I love you, babe. I'll see you soon." I walked to a chair in the corner of the room and sat down. My chest felt so tight it was painful to breath. Fire seemed to burn in my heart one minute followed by the cold swelling of dread. I'd never felt so powerless in my life. I'd done everything I could to save Elyssa by bringing Flava back with me. Now it was out of my hands.
I looked up at the sound of footsteps. Elyssa's brother Michael walked in followed by their parents, Thomas and Leia Borathen.
"We came the instant we heard," Thomas said. He looked at Flava. "Are you the Darkling healer?"
"I am," she replied.
"This is Elyssa's family," Meghan said. She motioned to the chairs near me. "Please stay out of the way."
For once, Thomas Borathen took an order from a lower ranking Templar. Michael sat on my left. Leia sat to my right and Thomas to hers.
Leia gripped me in a hug. "I can't believe you did it."
"A healer and an army," Michael said, a note of extremely rare admiration in his voice.
"Impressive," Thomas said in a quiet voice.
"I remember the first day we met you," Leia said.
I nodded, barely able to keep the tears from my eyes as Meghan began to dispel the preservation barrier.
"We were so unkind to you that day." Leia kissed my cheek. "Our daughter stands a chance at life because of you."
"She's here because she saved my life." My voice trembled. Tears blinded me. I couldn't hold back the pain any longer. I buried my face in my hands. "Life won't be worth living without her."
I felt a hand on my elbow. "Don't blame yourself, Justin," said a voice that sounded eerily like Elyssa's.
Wiping away the tears, I looked into the violet eyes of Phoebe Borathen, Elyssa's sister. She crouched in front of me. Though they'd been born over a century apart, the two could have been twins. Seeing someone who looked so like my beloved was more like a dagger in my chest than a salve.
"I'm trying really hard not to feel sorry for myself," I said, quelling the tears.
"When you accept the duties of a Templar, you are taking a great responsibility onto your shoulders," Thomas said. "Elyssa willingly put her life in jeopardy to save you as she's done many times. If she could speak right now, she would have no regrets about her decision."
I knew he was right, but it didn't help with the pain.
Phoebe kissed me on the forehead, stood, and took a chair next to Michael. He didn't say a word. It made me wonder how well Phoebe was integrating into the family after her time as public enemy number one when serving as Daelissa's top strategist. True, she'd been brainwashed, but that probably didn't make it any easier on her.
I welcomed the distraction of thinking about other people's problems, but it was short lived as my eyes were invariably drawn back to the table. Once Meghan finished dispelling the barrier, Flava began channeling a gentle weave of Murk around Elyssa's feet, coating her body as the old spell faded. Elyssa was soon bound in a skintight ultraviolet layer of glowing energy.
Meghan backed away and watched intently as Flava slowly rotated her finger above the area with the wound.
The Seraphim paused, took a deep breath, and closed her eyes. "I pray the Primogenitor give me the strength to heal this woman. Guide my hands and let them not waver." She opened her eyes and looked at me. "I must ask you all to remain absolutely quiet. Elyssa is so near death that it will require my full concentration."
I gulped, nodded.
"I will put up an isolation barrier," Meghan said. "I will be the only one inside with you."
Flava nodded. "A wise precaution."
Meghan waved her wand in a circular pattern and flicked it. A transparent bubble formed around them. Flava looked with interest at the wand and asked Meghan something, but the bubble blocked all sound. Meghan showed her the wand, said something, and tucked it away in a holster at her side.
Flava seemed to brace herself and bent over Elyssa. She worked for what seemed like hours as Meghan dabbed sweat from her forehead and occasionally gave her a sip of water from a bottle with a straw. At long last, Flava backed away and closed her eyes. She spoke with Meghan.
I jumped up from my seat and paced back and forth. From what I could tell, Elyssa was still in Flava's preservation spell. I looked at the two healers and waited for some encouraging gesture to tell me that everything was going to be okay.
Meghan sighed. She turned and saw me standing there. Tears trickled down her cheeks. Flava dropped to her knees and buried her face in her hands. Her body shook with sobs.
"No." The words emerged as a hoarse whisper. "No!" I shouted. All hope drained from me. There was no sorrow. No regret. No anger. Only a numb cold emptiness. She's gone forever.
Meghan flicked her wand and dispelled the isolation bubble. The room filled with the sound of Flava crying. Meghan came up to me and gripped me in a tight hug.
I stared at the still form on the table unable to make myself move.
The ultraviolet energy around Elyssa's body slowly dissipated. Her skin looked pale as ice.
"She did it." Meghan sounded as if she hardly dared believe her own words.
Comprehension seeped into my dulled mind. "She did it?" I asked.
"Elyssa will be extremely weak until she's had a chance to feed on blood and eat food, but she will live." Meghan released me. "Don't let her do anything strenuous. I'll be right back with blood."
Elyssa's fingers twitched. I dashed to her side. Her eyelids fluttered open. She stared blankly at me for a long moment, nostrils flaring.
I leaned down. "Baby, it's me."
The love of my life looked at me. She drew in a long breath through her nose. She stretched languorously, releasing a contented sigh. Her full, luscious lips peeled back in a sensual smile while she gazed at me through heavy lidded eyes.
With a hiss, she jerked my head down and buried her fangs in my neck. I felt warm liquid trickle down my skin. Euphoria rushed through my body with a comfortable weightlessness. I felt a dopey grin stretch my lips. A warm, fuzzy sensation invaded me. I understood what it must be like for a woman who'd just gone for a long walk on the beach and was just now curling up with a good book and a glass of wine next to a blazing fire.
I'd been bitten by vampires, but even that feeling paled in comparison to this. Elyssa's bite was like no other.
"Elyssa!" Leia and the rest of the family surrounded the table.
I held up a hand. "Let her feed."
Thomas bore an uncharacteristic grin on his face. "It's against Templar protocol, but I'll
let it slide this one time."
Even Michael smiled as his little sister nommed away on my neck. "Don't let her drain you. If she kills you, she'll turn into a full vampire."
I widened my eyes. "Seriously?"
He nodded. "That's why Templars don't allow dhampyrs to live feed." He shrugged. "Though I'm sure most of us would have the self-control to stop."
"I very nearly killed someone like that once." Phoebe shuddered. "It was a very hard time."
Wooziness made my knees buckle. I tried to disentangle myself from Elyssa, but she'd latched on tight. I pushed on her head, but was afraid I might injure her.
Leia reached over and pinched Elyssa's nose shut. My girlfriend made an awful gagging noise and jerked her head back. Thomas pressed his daughter's shoulders to the bed. Elyssa's face was a bloody mess. She screamed like a wild animal and struggled against Thomas's grip. Michael gripped her flailing feet.
Meghan appeared at the door, eyes raking us. "What in the world is going on in here?"
"She took me by surprise and fed on me," I said. "Why is she acting like this?"
Meghan reached under the table and pulled diamond fiber straps across Elyssa to fully secure her. "Her body is in survival mode."
Elyssa abruptly stopped struggling and slumped into sleep.
"It will be at least a day or two before she is fully conscious," Flava said. She pushed herself to her feet and wiped at swollen red eyelids. "I saw inside her mind. I now see what you are to each other." Her head bowed. "I would like to return to my people now."
I hugged her and kissed her on both cheeks. "Thank you, Flava. You don't know how much this means to me."
She trembled in my grasp. "I do understand. Completely." She pushed away. "I know you would like to stay with your beloved. Can you ask someone to take me back to Ketiss?"
As much as I wanted to stay with Elyssa until she woke up, I felt the weight of other responsibilities settling on my shoulders. "Can you give me a few minutes? I'll walk you back myself."
She gave me a miserable look. "Of course." Flava took a seat in the corner.
"What's wrong with her?" I asked Meghan.
The healer set up a blood pack and inserted a tube into Elyssa's mouth so she could suck on it. "She's beyond exhausted." Meghan looked admiringly at the Darkling. "Her work is amazing. I wish I were so capable."