My skin grew hot; my veins felt like I was on fire.
“Don’t touch her!” Shawn demanded, and my face turned in the direction of the voice. “It’s ok, Dawn.”
Arms. My brother’s arms. They wrapped around me protectively as I felt my body hauled into the air and held close to a powerful chest.
“I can’t see,” I screamed again.
“It’s ok, Dawn, it’s going to be ok,” he soothed me.
All I longed for was to see his face; I needed to know I was all right. What if I never got my sight back? What if I was doomed to live in the dark forever? Was this karma for blinding an innocent being? I needed Wesley; maybe he could see something I was missing. He had gifts that were beyond compare; there was a chance he could find out how to reverse the damage.
“Wesley!” I screamed at the top of my lungs.
“Krista, can you run outside and get Wesley?” Helen asked, somewhere behind me in the darkness.
“Yes,” Krista answered, and I heard her feet pounding on the ground as she ran by.
We moved briskly for some time until I felt the pull of the elevator as we descended to the hospital below. When the weight of the double doors brushed against my side, I jumped. I was thankful I knew where he had taken me. Otherwise, I would have ascended into madness.
I felt softness and comfort under me, but my vision still failed me. My heart was slowing. My breaths were coming out in rasps. I felt like my blood was on fire. I was going to explode. I frantically pushed my arms around my flesh, trying to feel for anyone.
Had they left me alone?
“It’s ok, sis. Just relax. I’m going to give you something that will knock you out.” He soothed me again as I felt the prick of a needle into the side of my neck.
In a matter of seconds, the world went silent.
I could still hear my brother’s muffled movements but was unable to understand any of the conversations. I merely floated through the air. I found it calming. Similar to how I felt after being shot in the mountains. Finally, when my feet landed on solid ground, I was greeted by a beautiful woman in white. Her face was like porcelain, with no visible flaws. She had huge blue eyes with flakes of gold floating throughout the iris. Her aura was calming; therefore, I felt no fear.
“Am I dead?” I asked, noticing my clothing was nothing more than a blue dress. My wavy hair hung freely around my shoulders.
“No, dear,” she replied, smiling brightly.
“Ok, so why am I here?” I asked, fidgeting.
“You tell me.” She gazed at me with innocent eyes.
“Tell you what?” This woman was starting to irritate me.
“You are the one who summoned me here.” She laughed.
“Summoned you where?” I put my hand on my forehead. “I honestly have no clue what is going on.”
“I honestly have no clue what this is,” the woman laughed. Her lips were red as blood. Something didn’t look right with her. She was far too angelic-looking to be real.
I stood there staring at her for some time before the realization hit me.
“I know your face.” I stammered. I tried to search past the sweetness. Underneath that white façade was the face of a bitter woman.
“I don’t see how? We have never formally met.” She was watching me now. I had a feeling she knew I was slowly catching on.
“What was on the blade?” I asked.
“I have no idea what you are talking about.” I watched an awkward smirk appear on half of her face.
“The blade of the Equalizer. What was on it?” I demanded my voice heated.
“And if I don’t tell you?” Her face was changing from something sweet to something sinister.
“Then I will find where you are and cast you to hell,” I growled. “What was on the dagger?”
“Nothing much. Just a weakening agent. It makes you blind, and you feel like your skin is peeling back with fire. The blindness helps to make you think you are actually burning.” She put her hands behind her back.
“Why a weakening agent?” I watched her curiously. I longed to place her face with a name.
“I do not allow people to see me in the flesh. Not unless they are my staff or my lover.” My eyes widened.
I had the name.
“Oh, sweet Lord.” My hand flew to my mouth. “You’re Sheridan.”
“I do apologize for our meeting on these terms. You have something I want back.” She sternly looked at me; the once-angelic face was giving away to the demon inside of her.
“What could I possibly have you could want?” I rolled my eyes. I knew full well what she was going to say.
“I want my Protector and my Harbinger back,” she growled.
It was quite amazing how she could go from being so exquisitely created to nothing more than a pile of flesh and fangs.
“You see, I cannot.” I crossed my arms. “The Protector belongs to my mother, and I do not own Wesley’s soul.”
“They belong to me!” she screamed, eyes flaring red.
The stories were true; this woman was batshit crazy!
“No, no, they don’t.” I didn’t budge. There was one thing that I learned from her daughter: you cannot be killed on an astral plane.
“I will find a way to get them back.” She pointed at me, the anger leaving her face.
“I don’t think you will,” I pressed. I knew I was pissing her off, but what was she going to do?
“You are hard-headed like my daughter,” she growled under her breath.
“You know, I’m seriously tired of being compared to Miranda.” I raised an eyebrow at her but remained calm.
“Her name is Lillianna!” Sheridan screamed at me. Apparently, it had been a while since anyone had defied her.
“Whatever. I know her as Miranda, you know her as Lillianna. I’m sure somewhere around the world someone knows her as Nerissa.” I rolled my eyes at her, which seemed to piss her off more.
“Same disregard for the prophecy. You two are so much alike; it is almost as if you have the same father.” She made a disgusted face.
“I think that is one thing that we don’t share.” I shivered at the thought of having Xic as a dad.
“You just watch Dawn, the Fire Warden. Watch every corner of the room. We are growing stronger. The next attack will not be so easy a defeat.” She smiled that sweet innocent smile again, and I nearly flipped on her.
“I will find you, and I will burn you,” I threatened, looking at my nails.
“Not if I burn you first.” She touched my face, and I felt cold. The vampire blood in her made her touch freezing.
I was going to have to talk to Edmund about the temperature of the vampire body; he did not feel this cold, and I knew he was just as old.
“I don’t foresee that happening, Sheridan,” I batted my eyes at her.
“You didn’t foresee the poison on the blade, either.” She grinned from ear to ear.
“You sent him with it. You knew I would kill him, but not before he could get the weakening agent into my bloodstream.” I shook my head. We had been baited.
“You are not the only one with your own fortune teller. I have one of my own. Not as good as the Harbinger, I will admit, but he sure is pretty to look at.” She licked her lips, and I wanted to be sick. She was talking about my cousin.
“What was your point of the weakening?” I asked, wanting off the subject she was pushing herself onto.
“It is the only way I can get into your pretty little head. There is strong magic surrounding you that makes it difficult. I had to weaken you to push my way inside,” she grumbled, putting her hands on her hips, and sucking in her chest.
“That is good to know,” I said, closing my eyes.
“Why do you say that?” She cocked her beautiful face to the side and looked at me through narrow eyes.
“Because now I know I’m too strong for you.” I let a smile spread across my lips.
She stared at me as my body regained control
.
“We shall see,” she warned.
“Until then, Your Majesty.” I bowed low just as the world shimmered.
When my soul re-entered my body, I felt a sort of disconnect as I forced Prudence from my limbs. When my eyes finally focused, I was sitting up on the hospital bed, panting.
Please tell me you saw that. I asked the other being inhabiting my body.
Hate to disappoint you, but I wasn’t there for whatever you saw. The answer was not to my liking. I had wanted her to see everything I had witnessed. I wanted her to tell me she had heard every word, and she knew where Sheridan was.
Tell me something about Sheridan I don’t already know, I sighed and tried to calm my breathing.
She wasn’t always evil. There was a time when she and I worked together to bring a union between the hybrids and the purebloods. When Xic left her, she felt compelled to change her political standing on the whole issue. I tried to stop her but was placed in Purgatory as a warning. Prudence’s voice was calm as she relayed the information. I could still sense there was a fondness for her old friend. Maybe not an alliance with her, but a memory of how the woman used to be.
So, she’s stronger than you? I asked. If Sheridan had been strong enough to throw Prudence into Purgatory, there was no telling just how far her powers would go.
I wouldn’t go that far, Dawn. She just happened to catch me when I wasn’t expecting it. Is that what you saw? I could almost feel the wheels turning in Prudence’s mind as she tried to put the pieces together.
It would appear so. She said there was a poison on the blade. I replied.
Weakening agent, huh. I would figure she would use my own creation on you. Then again, she doesn’t know I’m here. Soon though, my dear, she will be reunited with her old friend. Prudence did not sound happy at this point. The calm and collected specter sounded resentful and ready for vengeance.
I blindly laid down on the bed again and struggled to find rest. My veins were burning with an intense flame, and my heart was pounding. It took a while, but I was finally able to find some peace.
Chapter Twenty-One
Prudence lives
My eyes were burning! In fact, my whole body was on fire as the last of the poison left my veins. I struggled against the anguish, calling out for anyone to help me. By the time the pain subsided, and my vision cleared, I was staring into the wide eyes of Shawn and Helen.
“What the hell just happened?” Shawn’s face was pale. His mouth hung open while his hands gripped the recently used syringe tightly.
“I have no idea,” Helen answered, the same expression on her face.
I put up my index finger to tell them to give me just a second to catch my breath. I collapsed on the gurney and looked up at the newly installed lighting fixtures. I wasn’t even sure what to say to them. How was I going to explain it was Sheridan that had done this to me? That the Equalizers were working for her?
I think I scared them. I felt my body lurch as Prudence took over my thoughts.
Do what? I asked, closing my eyes.
If I didn’t take over, you were going to die. I didn’t want to scare you when we were talking. She sounded apologetic.
I didn’t understand why she wasn’t exhilarated by the idea of my soul, leaving my vessel so hers could permanently take over.
On the bright side, you would have been able to keep my body; I laughed in my head.
I knew a smile had spread across my face by the way the other two were looking at me.
I don’t want your body, I want mine. Never mind that, though. I will let you tell them, I already know. She disconnected from me.
“What just happened there?” Shawn asked, glancing down at me. “One second, I hear the thought, and the next it goes black. Have you learned how to block me out?”
“No. Prudence does that.” I looked up at him and grinned. “You guys are not going to believe this.”
I told them everything. From the way she looked when I first ‘arrived’ to the point when I departed. They listened to me with intent stares. Helen’s face never changed. She stood there with her mouth open, frantically nodding.
“So, it was a weakening poison,” Shawn finally said, putting his hands in the air.
“Yes, it would appear so, at least,” I nodded.
“There is magic surrounding you. She can’t push through,” Helen said in a low tone. She reached up and ran her fingers over the amulet on her neck.
“Crazy, isn’t it,” I laughed. “She had to weaken me because the power was too strong for her to call me on her own.”
“Why do you seem so excited about this?” Shawn shook his head. I could tell he didn’t understand why, instead of being afraid, I was finding the whole thing amusing.
After a moment of thought, I provided him the answer.
“She showed a weakness,” I smiled. I felt victorious as if I had solved the whole puzzle with a simple conversation.
“Well yes, I suppose she did,” Shawn replied, accepting my explanation.
“Now, tell me something.” I struggled to sit up.
“What?” Shawn asked as he raised an eyebrow.
“Why did you guys look like you had seen a ghost?” I asked with a sly smirk on my face.
They both stood there dumbfounded for a second, trying to get their words together. It must have been one hell of a story because they both kept looking at one another and shrugging.
“Well,” Helen let out a nervous laugh.
“We sort of met Prudence,” Shawn cut in when Helen couldn’t get the words out.
I had a feeling I was about to find out what Prudence had been talking about when I came to screaming. She must have taken over just enough to keep me alive. In a way, I was sure I owed her a bit of gratitude, but judging by the way the other two were looking at me, there was far more to the story than a simple introduction.
“Oh? And how did that go?” I closed my eyes and tried to prepare myself for what I was about to hear. So far, only Edmond and I were aware of her true personality.
“She’s a talker,” Helen replied, her eyes getting wider. She looked toward the ground.
“Just wait till she has her own body.” I looked down at my arms. The wounds had healed entirely. This must mean the last of the poison was out of my veins, and my own immune system was kicking in.
“Are you telling me those two sacrificed themselves in order to get the poison in your veins?” Shawn asked as he impatiently clicked his tongue together.
“It would look that way,” I frowned. His expression was not putting me at ease. I had hoped to bring about some massive information, but it only seemed to puzzle him more.
I heard feet pounding on the linoleum in the hallway, and a pair of sneakers squeaked as they stopped in front of the door. I watched as a tall figure entered the room, and Wesley’s face was horrified when his eyes met mine.
“Hey, handsome,” I said brightly.
He stormed across the room, grabbed me by my shoulders, and looked me square in the eyes.
“Krista said you were hurt.” He didn’t seem too pleased to find me sitting upright on a gurney with a shit-eating grin on my face.
“I was.” I held out my arm. “But see, I’m all better now.”
“Will someone please explain what the hell happened today?” He demanded, looking at the other two in the room.
The story came out in a rush. Helen had a totally different take on what had happened that morning. I, on the other hand, filled in any blanks she felt compelled to leave out. After some time, Wesley took a step back and began to rub his temples.
“All right, so Sheridan knows I’m with Dawn?” Wesley asked, looking at Shawn for the answer. Apparently, out of the three of us, Shawn was by far the most trustworthy when it came to answering questions. Maybe Helen and I made it sound much worse than what it really was.
“Think about it, man,” Shawn laughed. “Who else would you be with?”
Wesley shrugged.
>
“Point taken.” He took a breath. “She also knows Chase is here. Now that is not a good thing.”
“Why is my stepfather so important to her?” I was starting to wonder why we were still in the damned hospital. I was obviously better; we could take our conversation to a much more suitable location, such as the living room inside the house where the couch was far more comfortable than the gurney I was currently perched on.
“The Protector is like a super-hybrid. She duped him into thinking what he was doing was for good. Being without him means there is nobody to run the safe house,” Wesley groaned. “Your mother better be willing to fight for him if she doesn’t want to lose him again.”
I let out a growl. Of all the people I didn’t want to talk about, Chase was at the top of the list.
“Are you saying this isn’t as good as I thought it was?” I eyed him. He was raining on my parade.
“No, it is great. It’s nice to know she has to come up with a plan to weaken you enough to call you. I just wonder what this magic is.” He looked lost.
“What about our amulets?” Helen asked, holding up the brownstone that hung between her breasts.
“They are a form of protection, but I’m not sure if they are strong enough to protect you from Sheridan,” Wesley grumbled.
“Then, what is it?” I asked.
“Think, Dawn. You have the power of two people. I think Prudence’s power is what she had to get around.” Wesley’s eyes shot up quickly and looked at Shawn.
I laughed softly. What he was saying had to be wrong. Prudence was powerful, but even she had said her magic was not inside of me, just merely her soul. I guess we would find out once she was plucked from my body forever.
“I know what you are thinking. A large box arrived a few hours ago. The Blessed Ones have been working on incantation spells since its arrival.” Shawn shrugged when Helen smacked him on the arm. “I didn’t know what it was. I don’t have a direct line to the Blessed Ones.”
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