Plague of Death

by D. L. Armillei

  “Van—I think someone is trying to kill you. Where are the soaps now? Did you throw them away?”

  Her heart battered her chest. Where’s the basket?

  “Van, that soap is deadly—we have to get rid of it!”

  Ferox and Van both leaped from the hot spring. They grabbed their clothes, hastily dressed, and dashed down the path through the trees.

  Several of Ferox’s soldiers lurking in the woods nearby caught the movement and rushed over on alert.

  “Follow me,” Ferox commanded.

  So much for them being alone, Van thought fleetingly.

  “Maybe housekeeping threw them away,” Van suggested, feeling dread knowing the suite hadn’t been cleaned, and a maid would never mistake a basket of handmade soaps as trash.

  They stormed back to the Wharf Lizard and pounded up the stairs.

  Ferox burst into the suite followed by Van and his men.

  Brux and Kopius rose to their feet in an instant, as did Pernilla.

  Van turned to the accent table by the door. She clasped the handle of the basket. “There’s one missing.”

  “One what missing?” Pernilla asked.

  “Where’s Daisy?” Ferox scanned the room.

  “Taking a bath,” Kopius said, tensely. “Why?”

  Van rushed over to the suite’s main bathroom. She threw open the door.

  Daisy clasped the soap, rubbing the bar on her arm and chest.

  “Daisy! No!” Van cried.

  She turned her wide, innocent, pale-blue eyes toward Van, startled at her friend’s brazen entrance. The soap dropped from Daisy’s grip and slid into the water.

  Her eyes went blank; her jaw, slack.

  In one fluid motion, Daisy slipped under the bath water.

  Chapter 42

  “Daisy!” Van rushed to the side of the bathtub along with Kopius. “I-is she dead?”

  Kopius propped Daisy upright and felt for a pulse on her neck. He took his thumb and opened one of her closed eyelids. “Not dead. In a coma.”

  “Did you have something to do with this?” Brux leaped at Ferox.

  He didn’t get close—Ferox’s soldier’s restrained him.

  “No, he didn’t,” Van said.

  Kopius, who couldn’t have cared less about the commotion, lifted Daisy from the tub. He held her in his arms, dripping wet, brought her into the main room of the suite, and gently laid her on the couch by a window. He covered her naked body with a blanket and turned to Ferox. “Open it.”

  Ferox nodded to one of his men. The soldier used a forked key and unlocked the window.

  Kopius opened it wide, giving Daisy fresh air.

  “Who’s making all that noise?” Paley’s meek voice emanated from one of the bedrooms.

  “Where’d this soap come from?” Pernilla asked, ignoring Paley. She reached into the basket to grab a bar.

  Van dashed over and swatted it from her hand. “Don’t touch it!”

  “It’s poisoned,” Ferox said. He used a towel to pick up the soap from the floor and tossed it into the handbasket, then handed the basket to one of his soldiers. “Get the soap from the bathtub and then dispose of this.”

  “Someone—a woman—came to the suite and told me Madame Vang had sent me a gift,” Van said. “I never thought twice about it.”

  “Maybe Madame Vang has an antidote to the soap’s poison,” Brux said, settling down enough so that the soldiers released their grip on him.

  “She might have more colloidal silver for Paley, too,” Van said.

  “Pernilla, Kopius,” Brux said. “You two stay here and watch over Paley and Daisy.”

  Kopius nodded as he hovered over Daisy, looking devastated. “It’s my fault. I was the one responsible for watching over her.” He knelt and took one of Daisy’s hands in his own. “I should’ve done better.”

  Pernilla went over and knelt beside Kopius. She wrapped an arm around his shoulder for comfort.

  Van stepped in front of Brux. “You can’t go to Madame Vang’s.” He had the other Twin Gemstone. He couldn’t leave Paley.

  “I don’t care—I’m going,” he said. “I’ll be close enough.”

  Ferox listened to their exchange but didn’t pry.

  “Brux, you can’t go.” Van stared into his eyes. “Being hell-bent on doing whatever it takes to save your sister, will kill Paley.”

  His shoulder’s slumped. “You’re right.”

  “Good. It’s settled,” Van said, relieved. “I’m going alone.” She went into the bedroom to check on Paley and their supply of colloidal silver.

  She was surprised to see Wiglaf sleeping on Paley’s belly. She had called for Wiglaf to help Paley but didn’t think her bunfy had come. Van thought it odd that Wiglaf didn’t greet her when she entered the suite or the bedroom. Her internal alarm blared, and she took a closer look at her bunfy. He wasn’t moving.

  “Wigalf?” Van picked him up. He drooped like a rag doll in her hands. “Wiglaf!”

  “Van?” Paley muttered. She looked like death.

  Wiglaf let out a weak chirrup. The bunfy half-opened his eyes and feebly raised one ear in an arc.

  “Wuurp meep,” he said in an apologetic tone.

  “What’s wrong with him?” Brux asked gently from the doorway.

  “He tried to comfort Paley. But I think being near her is making him weak.” Van’s eyes reached to Brux, desperate for an explanation. “You told me last year that it wouldn’t hurt him to use his purrs to help sick people.”

  “Bunfy’s purrs raise the vibrational frequency of the sick and injured, helping them heal.” Brux grimaced, deep in thought. “It makes no sense he would get drained from trying to help Paley.”

  Wiglaf squirmed in Van’s arms.

  She carefully laid him back down on the bed next to Paley who had already fallen back to sleep. Her stomach rose and fell with each shallow breath.

  Wiglaf struggled as he attempted to climb onto Paley’s stomach. Then he must have decided he didn’t have the strength and settled on lying next to her, stretched lengthways against the side of Paley’s torso.

  “Is it okay if I leave him there?” Van watched as her little bunfy settled in. “I think he wants to stay.”

  His tiny face pointed into Paley’s armpit, surrounded on the other side by her arm. He wrapped his ears around his head like a blanket and closed his eyes.

  Brux stood in the doorway looking grim. “I think this proves the illness is like nothing we’ve seen before.”

  Van took in the enormity of what that meant. “There’s no longer a question if the seal is cracked.”

  Brux nodded. “It is.”

  “Demons could break through it at any minute,” Van said. “We need to get to the Bottomless Sea. Now.”

  Brux shook his head. “No, first Daisy. Go to Madame Vang.”

  For a second, Van thought—hell no. The seal was more important. She needed to repair it to prevent the Earth World demons from breaking through, and to save more people from getting sick. Then, having completed their mission, they could get Paley—and Daisy—back to Lodestar for medical treatment. Brux was basing his decision on emotions, on saving one person right now, his sister. Warriors made decisions based on their heads, not their hearts.

  Van opened her mouth to object, but the pain in his eyes distracted her. “Of course. First, Daisy.” She knew his sister’s condition sickened him to the bone.

  They left the bedroom, closing the door behind them. Ferox and his soldiers had left, most likely to give their group some privacy and to prevent any more drama with Brux.

  Kopius and Pernilla watched over Daisy, neither had moved from their vigil by her couch side.

  “Be safe,” Brux said to Van. He looked drawn from the gravity of the situation, and the gemstones were sapping his energy. Van could see it in the dark circles under his eyes. He joined Kopius and Pernilla by the couch.

  Pernilla twisted her head around as Van grasped the doorknob to leave the suite.
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  “Does Paley need anything?” she asked.

  Van shook her head. “No. There’s nothing we can do for her right now. Wiglaf is sleeping with her.”

  “I heard what you said about him being sick too. Will he be okay?” Pernilla asked.

  “I hope so.” As a magical creature, protected by Lilla, Van believed he would be fine. Besides, she had an enormous task in front of her. The lives of every person in the entire Living World—and the Earth World—depended on her mending the cracked seal. She could hardly add another concern to her plate.

  Pernilla nodded, not a trace of hope on her face, and turned back to stare at Daisy.

  Van hastily left the suite.

  She hurried along the sidewalk, dodging intoxicated passersby and ignored the calls of the peddlers and the plentiful merchandise displayed on their carts. Van easily found her way back to the Treasure Chest.

  She dashed through the doorway but didn’t see Madame Vang in the foyer. Since the establishment was open for business tonight, Van thought the madame might be busy with a customer.

  One of the demimondaines noticed Van. “Wait here,” she said, and then dashed away behind the beaded curtain in the back.

  Within minutes, the madame meandered through the foyer to greet Van.

  Van blurted out her situation and what she needed—more colloidal silver for Paley and an antidote to the poison for Daisy.

  “I see.” Madame Vang led her through the beaded doorway, down the hall, and into a sitting room with comfy couches and high backed chairs.

  “Given the condition of your friend Paley, I must conclude that the demon illness is escalating.” The madame clasped her delicate hands together as if the reality of this news brought her stress. “Light is self-sustaining, darkness exists at the expense of weakening others. This illness is emotionless. It attacks everyone without prejudice or sympathy and consumes the souls of those afflicted, extinguishing their light.”

  “Can you help Daisy and Paley?”

  “Colloidal silver will help delay Paley’s eventual death.” As Madame Vang moved to grab the ampules, tiny flickers of light gleamed from the strands of gold that were threaded throughout her gown. “Daisy’s poison was created by strong magic, she is under a spell. There is only one way to save both Paley and Daisy’s life.”

  Madame Vang paused as if reluctant to continue.

  “Well?” Van wished she would just spit it out.

  “No,” Madame Vang shook her head. “I should not speak of that which should be kept secret.”

  “Tell me!” The sheer power of Van’s words were enough to shake the truth from the madame.

  “You are already following the path to find this cure.” Madame Vang’s eyes met Van’s. “The Vas Ansata. The Ankh Chalice. The Gold Goblet.”

  “What’re you talking about?” If Van wanted a cryptic response, she would have asked Jacynthia.

  “The only way to save your friend Paley’s life, to cure her illness, is the same thing that will reverse the spell on Daisy. You must—”

  “Retrieve the Cup of Life,” Ferox said, as he entered the room.

  Chapter 43

  “Do you live here now?” Van glared at Ferox.

  “The madame was about to tell me what more she discovered about the Vas Ansata when you came.” He turned to the madame. “I will pay you for your help.”

  Madame Vang’s lips curved into a grin. “Of that, I am aware.” She lightly ran her fingers over his jaw, they lingered on his lips long enough for Van to be even more annoyed.

  “The Vas Ansata will solve your problems. It allows the holder to command the power of water to heal.” As she spoke, she moved behind Ferox, rubbed her hands down his back, and rested them on his hips.

  Van noticed Madame Vang’s appearance had changed. She looked younger, like a teenager, and seemed determined to lure Ferox into being one of her many customers.

  The madame moved her lips close to his ear as if she might kiss him. “The Cup,” she whispered. “Is life.”

  “Where’s it hidden?” Ferox asked. “You told us to cross the River Shade. You failed to tell us the river isn’t on Cortica.”

  His raw masculine sexuality—or perhaps his wealth—seemed to capture Madame Vang’s full attention. It caused Van to wonder if the madame had a greater interest in retaining Ferox as a permanent lover. The idea wasn’t far-fetched. Van’s stepmother had done the same with Van’s father, and then with her new boyfriend, Rummie.

  “You know,” She cooed, her voice still a whisper. “We’re taking customers tonight.” Her lips brushed the skin of his ear.

  “Okay,” Van blurted. “Enough.” She balled her hands into fists and rested them on her hips. “I can’t help but think how convenient this is for you, Ferox. You keep bugging me to get the Cup. I didn’t want to do it. Now Paley and Daisy are sick, and the only cure for both of them is for me to retrieve the Cup or the Vas Ansata.” Van’s eyes darted to the madame. “If you knew more about the Cup, why didn’t you tell us before?”

  “Nay.” Madame Vang stopped caressing Ferox and stepped away from him. Her lips tightened to a straight line. “Since then, I have done research to get the information you need. Finesse, along with bribery, takes time.” The madame held her stare on Van. “To retrieve the Cup of Life, you will have to face the trials of the Water Elemental.”

  “Naturally.” Van sighed. “Do you know what she uses to guard the Cup? What kind of monsters, or her tests?”

  The madame glanced at Ferox.

  He gave her a nod. “Go on.”

  “When you near the Cup, you must face the challenges presented by your inner Self. You must walk in faith.”

  Great. Van had no idea what that meant but didn’t like the sound of it.

  “The Cup—what does it look like?” Ferox asked.

  Van already knew what the Cup looked like. Last year she had seen it in a painting of the Wedding Celebration while in the Grotto, she also drank from Amaryl’s replica Cup at the Troll’s Foot Tavern, and had seen it in Zurial’s memory engram.

  “It is a breathtaking bejeweled goblet made of pure gold,” Madame Vang said. “It fills with any ingestible liquid. But those who touch the Cup face the difficult task of combating gluttony as the Cup must be used wisely and with respect.”

  “How is that a weapon?” Van asked. “Can it be used to poison people?”

  The madame gasped. “Only by one whose soul has been corrupted by darkness…that is why the tests to retrieve the Cup are great. One must be ready to wield its powers for healing.”

  “It can be used as an endless water supply for soldiers in battle,” Ferox said. “And to heal those injured. That makes it a great weapon in a war.”

  “Yes, that is correct,” Madame Vang said. “The Cup provides water for drinking. To gain its healing powers, it must be placed under a full moon. When the liquid turns orange it will heal all injured and sick who are but one inch from death.”

  “Can it heal people from…” Van hesitated, not sure if she should ask the question of all questions. “Quasher wounds?”

  “Yes,” Madame Vang nodded. “But it cannot bring people back from the dead.”

  It unnerved Van that the madame mentioned resurrecting the dead while on the subject of the Quasher.

  “You must be aware that the Cup only heals the body, not the soul. The soul, my darling,” Madame Vang ran her fingertips along Van’s cheek, “is something you have to work on yourself.”

  Van brushed the madam’s hand away. “I have to mend the seal first. The Cup won’t be enough—I won’t be enough—to stop the illness if demons break open the seal. One tiny cup, the entire Living World…”

  “Van,” Ferox said. “We have to get the Cup. Use it to create the cure and to save Daisy and Paley.”

  “The entire population will become exposed if the seal breaks,” Van argued. “Great numbers of people will become infected—and turn. A demon army will rise, and the worlds will collaps
e. My main priority is to save as many people as possible.”

  “But Daisy and Paley will die,” Ferox said. “The Cup will save your people—both our people—by healing those who are sick. I’ll have my father suspend Article 57 of Manik’s law so your Grigori can cross the boundary line and take care of any demons that reach here.”

  Van scowled at Ferox. He was basing his decisions on emotion, just like Brux.

  “We’ll get the Cup. Then, we’ll mend the seal. We’ll use the Coin to find it if we have to.” Ferox paused, observing Van’s surprised expression. “That’s right. I agree with you about repairing the seal. But it’s our responsibility to save Daisy and Paley first.”

  Van was astounded that Ferox offered to help mend the seal. He had already agreed to let Van and her team mend the seal, but now he too had taken on their mission. One ordered by Uxa, the Head of the Giorgi, a Lodian, and his family’s nemesis. Why is he being so reasonable?

  Madame Vang hadn’t been able to uncover the exact location of the Cup, but she did confirm Ezili’s claim that it was on Insulam a Mortuis.

  Ferox thanked the madame and paid her.

  She wished them luck and seemed saddened to see Ferox leave.

  Van and Ferox headed back to the Wharf Lizard, rehashing what they had learned about the Cup.

  Before Ferox dashed away to his room he said, “Gather the others, pack, and meet me at The Obelus. We leave immediately.”

  Van agreed. She swung open the door to the suite and gaped at the scene before her.

  Kopius, Pernilla, and Brux continued their vigil by Daisy on the couch—but Daisy had been changed into a pretty dress, and they’d been joined by at least a dozen critters.

  Animals that looked similar to Earth World squirrels, raccoons, cats, wolves, mice, owls had come through either the open window, or, presumably, someone let the larger ones through the door knowing Daisy would want her animals friends around her.