Blood

by Emily Thompson

  Something from Aazzi’s tale of their meeting came back to his mind. Though Philippe had promised to save her, this time it was Aazzi who had saved him. Twist wondered how many other adventures they might have already had and how many more they would both survive. It was with an odd sadness that Twist realized that—unless Philippe cured her—Aazzi would most certainly outlive her husband. She was immortal, and he was not. All he could give her were the few days he still had to give.

  Myra slipped her cool hand into Twist’s and smiled at him when he looked to her. “I’m so glad we saved him.”

  Twist frowned, hearing how much she forced the sentiment into her thin voice. Her smile seemed to hang awkwardly on her face. He gave her hand a gentle squeeze and looked at her directly.

  “I’m sorry I frightened you,” he said, low enough to be sure no one else would hear. Myra’s fake smile tightened as she tried to make it more convincing.

  “You had your monster to protect you,” she said with forced brightness. “It all worked out.”

  Twist shook his head. “I wasn’t thinking clearly. I should have told you about Jonas’s vision, but I was worried that it would frighten you. But you were still very shocked when all of that happened. It wasn’t fair to keep it from you. Can you forgive me?”

  As he spoke, Myra’s mask melted slowly away and was replaced by a true smile. She freed her hand from his and then draped an arm around his neck, one chilly finger toying idly with a soft black curl that fell beside his eye.

  “I know you won’t live forever,” she said gently. “And I know you tend to get yourself into trouble quite often,” she added with a small, laughing note. Then she paused, catching hold of his gaze with her reflective dark eyes. “But you really shouldn’t rush into certain death.”

  “I won’t do it again,” Twist said with conviction. “You have my word on that. From now on, I will do anything and everything I can to stay with you. I do love you, you know.”

  “I know,” Myra said though a brilliant smile. “I love you, too.”

  Twist felt a wave of delight wash deliciously through him and was totally defenseless against the urge to kiss her. It was only when he pulled away that he realized that she had stopped time for them in that private moment. The others began to move and chat together when Twist released Myra to hold only her hand again.

  “Wow!” Skye said suddenly, crouching down to peer into a cupboard.

  She stood up, now holding a velvet sack in her hands. Through the opening at the top, Twist could see the distinctive glimmer of diamonds inside. She turned the sack over on the low table that stood before the sofa, sending a flood of sparkling gems tumbling out. Everyone stopped to stare at the diamonds in stunned silence.

  “There are six of these sacks in there,” Skye said, gesturing to the cupboard.

  “I call dibs!” Jonas said suddenly, raising his hand.

  Aazzi shot him an unamused look.

  Luca picked up one of the loose gems and held it up to the light. “These look like good quality. They’d be worth a fortune in the right places.”

  “Here’s some set ones,” Skye said, pulling another two sacks out of the cupboard. She turned them out too, spilling necklaces, bracelets, and rings of gold and silver—all set with more of the glimmering diamonds—onto the table.

  Jonas took a few of the loose ones and looked at them on his palm with a greedy gleam in his eyes. Twist and Myra moved closer, as did the others, drawn to the perfect beauty of the gems. Aazzi raised her hands suddenly.

  “Wait, wait,” she said, stilling everyone’s greed. “We all risked much to save Philippe, and we each deserve an equal share in any plunder we find. But I think that Twist should have first pick.”

  “What?” Twist asked, stunned. “Why me?”

  “Because,” Aazzi said, smiling warmly to him, “you locked us into that vault, killed all of the monsters that were attacking us, and saved all of our lives before we even realized that you were planning to sacrifice yourself to do so. You didn’t know that the creature on your skin would protect you, but you still didn’t even hesitate to give your life to save us all.”

  Twist glanced around at the others, finding them all looking at him in quiet admiration, and he felt suddenly terribly awkward. “I knew how to change the combination,” he muttered. “And we couldn’t close it from the inside. I was the only one who could have done it.”

  “I’ve seen many men in their defining moments,” Aazzi said smoothly. “But I’ve never seen anyone as unassuming as you are or who had half as much courage or honor.”

  Twist glanced around nervously to find proud smiles blooming on his friends’ faces. Now apparently over her fear for him, Myra looked just about ready to pop with pride. Jonas simply seemed thoughtful.

  “She’s right,” Skye said, nodding. “Go ahead, Twist,” she added, gesturing to the treasures on the table.

  “Take a souvenir of your heroics,” Aazzi said.

  The others waited, watching Twist. He looked down at the diamonds and let his eyes wander through their beautiful light. The treasures were all lovely, and every setting was unique, but Twist knew he’d never wear any of it himself. His mind shifted to Myra, and he smiled to think of these opulent jewels against her beautiful copper skin.

  A ring of silver, set with one especially clear, round-cut diamond and two tiny specks of sapphire on each side, caught his eye. He plucked it out of the pile, and his Sight told him that it wasn’t silver but white gold, and the size of it seemed to be just about right for a finger of Myra’s puppet. Looking closely at the ring, he realized what it had truly been made to be. A solitaire diamond ring only had one real purpose, after all. Twist closed his hand on it and nodded to the others.

  “I’ll take this, thank you.”

  While everyone smiled to him gratefully and then turned to the delicate business of splitting up the rest of the treasure, Twist caught Jonas looking at him with a suspicious light in his eyes. Twist looked away from him and slipped the ring into his pocket.

  Along the trip back to the monetary, Twist learned that they had actually left the country and entered Ghana in order to reach the vampires' castle. Once the mechanical elephant had crossed back into Sierra Leone and returned to the edges of Freetown, Twist and his companions descended the rope ladder and left the behemoth where it stood. The workers were given a handful of diamonds each and sent on their way, with thanks. They departed with wide smiles and gleeful shouts of delight at their newfound freedom and sudden wealth.

  Twist and his companions arrived at the monastery just as the sun began to rise in the eastern sky. Philippe was seen to immediately by the hospital staff. Aazzi stayed at his side, leaving the others to meet Howell, Arabel, and Harman, to tell them the tale of the night’s adventures. Before they entered the room, however, Jonas took Twist’s arm and held him back. Myra, Skye, and the others continued on, not noticing their absence, as Twist and Jonas remained in the hallway outside.

  Twist turned to Jonas as a flicker of fear tingled up his spine. Counter to Twist’s expectations, however, Jonas didn’t look the least bit angry with him, and it didn’t seem as if Twist was about to be berated for anything. Instead, Jonas appeared hesitant, his mossy-green gaze shifting away from Twist’s.

  “I just wanted to say…” Jonas began, before his words faltered.

  “I was right, you know,” Twist offered, trying not to sound too smug.

  Jonas’s gaze met his. “That’s not the point.”

  “You’re not still upset, are you?” Twist asked, confused by the unreadable mass of shifting emotions that whispered at the buzzing in his own neck.

  “I thought I’d lost you,” Jonas muttered. He took a breath to steady himself before he spoke again. “I haven’t been that upset in a long time.”

  For a moment, Twist could only stare at his friend in dismay. Certainly, they were friends. Losing Jonas to the dragons in outer space for a short time had shaken Twist terribly. But co
uld the thought of losing Twist have really frightened Jonas this much? It seemed unreasonable, somehow. Nevertheless, the effect was clear.

  Twist stepped closer and put a hand on his friend’s shoulder, smiling when Jonas met his gaze without fear. “Look at me, Jonas. I’m perfectly fine. Everything’s all right now.”

  Jonas smiled and nodded, shifting uncomfortably. “But you still sacrificed yourself for us. You didn’t even hesitate. I knew that, once I’d seen it, you were always going to do it. But even if you thought you’d be fine because of some silly rule about our Sights, you still didn’t even pause before you put yourself in danger.”

  “But it all worked out,” Twist said, unable to grasp Jonas’s meaning.

  “You might have been wrong, Twist. You might, very easily, have thrown your life away just to prove a point. That’s not all right. I knew it was pointless to try to stop you this time. But what about next time? You can’t keep being this casual about your own mortality.”

  Twist’s hand fell off of Jonas’s shoulder as he recalled the memory of that horrible moment, just before the dragon’s blood on his skin had saved him, when Twist had entertained the idea that he might actually be about to die. Myra had looked so afraid. Twist’s own fear at losing his future with her still lingered in his mind like a bad dream he couldn’t shake.

  “You’re right,” Twist said, looking back to his friend. “I was just so sure you were wrong. I never really entertained the idea that you might not be until it was too late.”

  Relief bloomed in the buzzing at Twist’s neck, and a smile appeared on Jonas’s face.

  “I actually don’t want to die, you know,” Twist added.

  “I’m glad to hear that,” Jonas said with a smirk. Despite the taunting note to his voice, Twist felt Jonas’s sincerity in the buzzing at his own neck. “Just be more careful, Twist. Don’t be like Skye. And don’t put me through that again.”

  Twist looked back at him, surprised by the strength of Jonas’s feelings. He couldn’t remember anyone else ever caring this much about him. A memory of Myra’s face in that terrible moment flashed to mind. Could she possibly have been just as upset to lose him as Jonas would have been? It seemed unreasonable.

  “I’ll do my best, old boy,” Twist said with a sigh, struggling to accept the weight of his friend’s concern. His shoulders didn’t seem suited to the load.

  “Thanks,” Jonas answered, reaching out to lay an arm across Twist’s shoulders and lead him toward the others. “That’s all I ask, Twist. I mean, our lives are mad at the best of times. There’s no need to make it worse.”

  Twist walked with him, and as Jonas’s calm and quiet joy seeped in through his Sight, Twist couldn’t help but smile. Having friends was one thing. Having people honestly care about his well-being to this degree was something else entirely. It felt foreign and strange but also, somehow, deeply pleasant and grounding.

  When they met with the others, they found Myra and Skye near the end of the tale, while Arabel, Howell, and Harman listened with rapt attention. Arabel was so enthralled by the story that she was sitting straight up in her bed, and she stared at Twist in amazement as he and Jonas joined the others.

  “Really?” she asked Myra. “He exploded all of the vampires?”

  “Yes, he did,” Myra asserted with a disturbing amount of pride.

  “Well, not really all of them,” Twist muttered, dearly wishing she wouldn’t make the matter into such a big deal. “Some got away. And I didn’t really do anything. It was the blue bastard.”

  “But you locked yourself out,” Arabel persisted, her eyes afire with admiration. “Oh, it’s ever so daring!”

  “I’m so proud of you, sugar,” Skye offered to Twist.

  Jonas shot Twist a pointed gaze, as if to take Skye’s approval as a bad sign. Twist gave a quiet sigh, realizing he was probably right. After all, Skye had a tendency to get herself into a great deal of unnecessary trouble.

  “I’m very glad the blood was there to protect you,” Myra mentioned. She was smiling like the others, but her smile looked thinner, and her tone was quiet.

  “Oh, right,” Jonas said suddenly, looking to Twist. “Sure it was helpful, but now we have to get that blood off of you.”

  “As soon as possible,” Twist agreed with a nod. He turned to Harman, who stood with his son. “Didn’t you say that your mother can use a spell to get the blood off of my skin?”

  Harman looked at him silently for a long moment.

  “Is there a problem here?” Jonas asked, looking cross.

  “I still haven’t been given back the vial we had,” Harman said darkly.

  “You mean, the one you stole,” Skye grumbled.

  “Look, you can keep whatever you get off of my skin,” Twist said with a sigh. “Is that payment enough to work the spell?”

  “Perhaps,” Harman said, still glaring at Skye.

  “Well,” Howell said, sitting up to swing his pajama-clad legs over the side of his bed, “I mean no offense to the human population, but I’m ready to get the hell out of Sierra Leone. What say we all head to France as soon as Philippe is ready to travel? We can drop off René and Gérard in Paris,” he added, gesturing to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, “and then head on to your family from there,” he finished, looking to Harman and Luca.

  “You and your family are always welcome at our table,” Harman said with a smile to Howell. “But I will not allow a magpie into our camp.”

  “Geez, Har,” Skye said with a sigh. “You sure know how to make a girl feel unwelcome.”

  Luca spoke to his father in a language Twist couldn’t identify. Harman responded, appearing angry with what his son said. Luca persisted, gesturing to Skye. While the others glanced around awkwardly, Harman seemed to relent somewhat, albeit bitterly. Looking relieved, Luca turned to Skye.

  “You helped us in the Atlantic,” he said measuredly. “Those pirates were outnumbered and would have lost the battle, landing all of us in a magpie trial with that vial as evidence. But you covered for us. You lied to your own people. Why?”

  Skye’s angry edge seemed to dull before she spoke. “I was trying to help Jonas. He needed to help Aazzi, and he needed you to do it right.”

  Jonas shifted, as if uncomfortable, but said nothing.

  “What about all of your precious laws?” Harman asked darkly. “You’d break them just for a good-looking boy?”

  “Thanks!” Jonas said brightly to Harman.

  Harman shot him an unhappy look, clearly not meaning it as a compliment.

  “Rooks don’t follow laws,” Skye said, shaking her head. “At least, they don’t anymore. Since Aden took over, he’s been building alliances by making deals and enlisting people for their skills, not their backgrounds, just like he told you. If that means bending society’s rules, then so be it. All that matters to Aden are the results.”

  “And if he finds out that you lied?” Luca asked.

  “He already knows,” Skye answered, shaking her head. “He knew what I was trying to pull the moment I said it. And he still offered you a truce.”

  “Forgive me,” Harman said darkly, shaking his head, “but I’ve never met a magpie that didn’t try to double-cross me eventually.”

  “But Skye isn’t like that, at all,” Myra declared defiantly.

  Skye smiled to her.

  “Exactly right,” Jonas agreed, speaking to Harman.

  “Tell you what,” Howell said, drawing the room’s attention to himself. “If Miss Blue hasn’t double-crossed anyone by the time we get to Paris, we’ll talk about how much farther she’ll come along with us. If she has, we’ll drop her in the English Channel.”

  “I’m not sure I like that idea,” Skye muttered to Jonas.

  “Don’t worry,” he said back. “I know all of Howell’s moves. I can take him.”

  “Don’t disrespect your elders, lad,” Howell grumbled, holding back his smile.

  “Whatever you say, old man.”

  How
ell put on a shocked expression. “Watch it, Jon. I’m still spry enough to give you a damn good thrashing!” he said, brandishing a fist.

  Jonas grinned. “And Skye has a pet tiger.”

  Skye’s face split into a smile as she chuckled. She nodded to Howell meaningfully.

  “Well, whatever,” Howell said, clearly not following them. Twist realized with a smile that Howell and Kali hadn’t yet been introduced. “What do you say, Harman?”

  Harman took a moment longer to consider but eventually nodded. “Very well.”

  “See?” Jonas said brightly to Skye, reaching out to pat her shoulder. “He’s warming up to you!”

  Harman shot Jonas a disturbed glance but didn’t comment. Myra laughed softly into her hand. As his friends indulged in their light banter, Twist allowed himself the luxury of letting himself truly relax after his trying day.

  By midday, the monastery surgeon declared that, while he still needed a great deal of rest and time to recuperate, Philippe would indeed recover from his ordeal. It seemed that in addition to not turning him, the vampires had been careful to keep him alive. The surgeon announced that it would be safe for him to leave the hospital that day, so long as he was looked after. Since everyone was anxious to get out of the heavily vampire-infested area before nightfall, no one lost any time collecting their things.

  After thanking the monks for their hospitality and leaving them a handful of jewels as well, everyone met together outside in the courtyard. Twist was heartened to see that Philippe was already walking steadily on his own, though Aazzi never left his side for an instant. She wore her ruby shawl over her head like a low-hanging hood, shading her face completely from the sunlight as they both approached.

  “I really can’t tell you how grateful I am to each of you,” Philippe told everyone with a smile. “I will never forget your selflessness or your kindness to me and to my wife.” He smiled to Aazzi with a warmth Twist had never seen from him before.