A Summoner's Tale - The Vampire's Confessor (Black Swan 3)

by Danann, Victoria

  He stopped and watched the younger man regard him thoughtfully. Both of them were perhaps stalling, not wanting to go to the next step. Glen opened his mouth to say something, but was interrupted by a big rumbling bark.

  Glen's faced flushed with excitement as he grinned. "Blackie?" He yelled and was answered with another bark.

  They both ran for the dolmen.

  Elora jerked awake when she heard Blackie barking. She had her arms around something... She had her arms around her sweet baby!

  Thank you for letting me live to hold him.

  Was that voices? Someone calling Blackie? She put her free hand out and touched the dog's back.

  "Shhhh. Let me listen."

  Blackie instantly quieted.

  Storm stood next to the entrance to the lair and called inside. "Elora? Are you in there?"

  "Yes." Her voice was weak, rough, raspy. It was also the sweetest sound he'd ever heard.

  She was alive.

  Storm was glad his wife didn't see him sink to his knees, sagging with relief. He was glad she didn't see him wipe the forearm of his sleeve at wetness threatening to form in his eyes. She would not understand.

  "I'm coming in."

  His first reaction was the human one, to break down, but he shut that off just as soon as it threatened to take over. Somebody had to keep it together and reject the impulse to be emotional. And that somebody was always him.

  Storm's sat phone rang. Glen pulled it out of the pack and answered. It was Litha.

  "Yeah. Glen. He's here." He looked at Storm. "She says we're right on top of Elora."

  Glen's eyes twinkled with amusement while he waited for Storm's answer.

  Storm pressed his lips together and gave Glen a wry look."Tell her I said thanks a lot."

  Glen chuckled into the phone. "Actually, we found her. Don't know yet. He'll call you. Okay." Glen punched off and smiled.

  Storm just shook his head as if to say that sort of thing was typical field duty irony.

  "Get me a flashlight."

  Glen pulled a light out of his pack and handed it over.

  "Now call Ram and tell him to come pick up his wife."

  Storm took a look at the hole that formed a kind of ramp leading downward at an angle. He knew it was going to be a tight fit for his shoulders. Yes. He knew that Glen would have no problem going through with his teenage frame not yet filled out, but that just wasn't an option. Even if they had to break a Stone Age monument apart later to get him out.

  As he wedged himself in, he could hear Glen reciting coordinates. Ram and Kay weren't far and it wouldn't take them more than five minutes to get there.

  If the sides of the ramp had been stone, there would have been a problem, but he was surrounded by dirt soft enough to give a little. He continued to push with his feet until the ramp opened to the low ceiling cavern below. He shined the light and found Elora sitting with her back to the stone wall. It looked like a massacre had taken place. Blood everywhere.

  Blackie got up, limped over, and licked him in the face. Storm shoved him away with a couple of rough pats.

  "Okay. Okay. Good boy.

  "Gods Almighty, Elora. What happened in..."

  She opened her puffy coat to reveal the bundle now swaddled in her red sweater. Storm's lips parted as he looked at her in amazement. His characteristic in-charge demeanor had left him altogether. "Shit."

  "No. It's my baby."

  "I know. I know. I mean ..." Storm looked as lost as a person can be. "Are you...? I don't know what to do."

  "All this blood isn't from the delivery. One bullet went through my shoulder and another one tore up my leg on the way by. This glob of stuff here is afterbirth. Hate to ask you to do it, but we need to move it out of the way.

  "You got anything I can tie around my waist. And maybe an extra pair of socks?"

  "You're cold. And I'm the fuck up who's sitting here staring instead of taking care of you."

  He scrambled back to the ramp and yelled up.

  "Hand me those blankets then take off your socks and give them to me."

  Glen ripped open the packs, grabbed the blankets and came halfway down the ramp to hand them off.

  "Who's that with you?"

  "Glen."

  "Where's Ram?"

  "On his way. Out of his mind with worry for you. And you know I don't mean that euphemistically."

  Storm grabbed the socks from Glen who hadn't hesitated to follow the order. He pulled himself back into the cavern and crawled over.

  "Okay. If you can hold the baby and the flashlight, I'll move this, uh... this out of the way."

  Helm was resting on her stomach and it didn't take much pressure to secure him there. She used her uninjured arm to reach for the flashlight.

  "I think you can kind of roll it onto those pants there and then drag it away. Be careful. If it breaks it's gonna be a mess."

  Storm was thinking it couldn't be much more of a mess in there, but he wasn't going to argue with Elora. Ever again. She'd been through enough.

  He successfully rolled the placenta onto the rags that used to be a pair of fine sileather pants, then pulled it far enough toward the back of the cavern to give them a clear path out. He took the socks and put them on her feet while she shined the light on what he was doing. Her feet were cold as ice to his touch, but not as cold as they would have been if she hadn't been lucky enough to find this shelter.

  "Why did the wolves let you come in here?"

  "Long, long story."

  When he got both socks on she sighed like it was heavenly bliss.

  "Feels good."

  He took one of the blankets and laid it out.

  "Give me the baby. It's cold out there. I'm going to wrap him up and hand him up to Glen."

  "Get Blackie out. He's been shot, too."

  "Blackie can wait."

  "You'll have to come get the baby. It hurts to hold him up."

  Storm crawled closer and reached out to put his fingers between Elora's bare skin and the soft bundle.

  "Keep his head supported. His neck doesn't work yet."

  Storm put one of his big hands under the baby's head and lifted him away almost dropping him because he wasn't expecting Helm to weigh so much. Storm didn't have any experience in wrapping babies in blankets, but told himself it couldn't be hard. When he was finished, he knew the bundling didn't look neat and pretty the way women could do it, but he was also sure Helm would be warm enough when he was exposed to the cold weather above.

  He turned and started crawling toward the ramp with the baby held in the crook of one arm.

  Before Ram's mare sat down into a complete stop, he had swung down and was running toward the dolmen where he saw Glen waiting. His voice was still panic-stricken and he was calling as he ran. "Elora?"

  Glen pointed to the opening at his feet. Ram dropped to the ground and started to crawl toward the opening when he heard Storm's voice.

  "I've got her. Stay right there a minute."

  The last thing Ram was prepared to do was wait. He scrambled closer to the entrance to the den prepared to ignore Storm's instruction and was just about to dive into the narrow ramp when Storm handed up a bundle in an army-issue blanket.

  "Here you go. Congratulations, Dad. Get a good grip. He's a lot heavier than he looks."

  Ram's eyes locked on Storm's. Through all the missions and all the dicey situations, it was the first time Storm had ever seen shock on Ram's face.

  Ram pulled off his gloves and wiped his hands off on his jacket before reaching for his son. He took the baby in his hands and looked at him like the miracle he was. Eyes shining with pupils looking like little stars in a midnight blue sky, Ram pulled Helm against his chest and yelled again.

  "Elora? Are you alright?" Ram's raised voice startled the baby and made Helm jerk so Ram pulled him closer to reassure him that dad had him and would keep him safe.

  "No. Come get me."

  Storm took the hint and crawled up out of the
den. The intense look that Ram pinned him with brought Storm up short.

  "She named him Aelshelm Storm Laiken-Hawking and I'm making you responsible for him if anything ever happens to me."

  Storm took the baby and nodded. There was no question in Ram's mind about that simple response. It was as good as any oath, more binding than any contract ever signed. He had just insured Helm's future.

  Always the quick learner, Storm turned the baby so that Helm's front was against Storm's chest with his head near Storm's neck.

  Kay had caught up with them just in time to witness the transfer of the baby and overhear the pledge Ram asked Storm to give.

  "Life is strange, isn't it? Ram's the last one of us that I would have picked to be the first dad."

  Storm smiled and turned his face toward Helm. He felt the sleeping baby's breath on his neck and made a silent vow.

  Nothing will ever hurt you so long as I can stop it.

  No time for reveries. He snapped his attention to Glen.

  "This child's mother is freezing cold. Get the other two blankets out of those packs and take them to Ram. Then figure out how to get the dog out of that hole. He's been shot, too."

  Glen turned away, but Storm stopped him.

  "Rookie. How long do we have before those wolves wake up?"

  Glen looked at his watch. "At that dose, I'm gonna say another seventy minutes, give or take, probably take because they're big beasties."

  Storm swiveled his whole body toward Kay.

  "Can you call the Whister and give them these coordinates? We need the doc and stretchers on the ground right now. We've got two gunshot victims; a woman and a dog. She sustained two wounds and she delivered her baby all by herself. There are issues of exposure, blood loss, and it's a sure bet she needs a transfusion ASAP." Storm rocked back and forth with the baby like he was a pro. "And call my wife. Tell her everything's okay and have her tell that kid, uh - I think his name is Able - that two of the horses got away from us.

  "On second thought, when you get her on the phone, let me talk to her."

  ***

  CHAPTER_19

  BLACK SWAN FIELD TRAINING MANUAL Section III: Chapter 4, #2

  Only active duty personnel, trained in Hunter Division procedures, may apply for clearance to accompany knights on extermination assignments. As the presence of non-essential personnel adds an extra burden of protection to the duties of hunters, such clearance may be granted rarely and only under extreme mitigating circumstances at the discretion of the local unit's supervisory officer.

  Something about hearing Litha's voice on the other end of the phone was calming.

  "Can you find me? Come directly here?"

  He had learned that being in tune with someone else's life signature amplified her ability to track.

  "Of course. Be right there."

  "Wait. Put on your warmest stuff. It's cold out here."

  Three minutes later she appeared a few feet away and the picture that greeted her stole what little of her heart she'd been holding back. The incongruity of Storm cuddling that tiny newborn bundle close to his neck was a sight that melted her in ways she would never get over.

  "Eventful morning?" she asked as she walked toward him.

  Storm's eyes lit up with a smile when he saw her. He angled his body so she could look at the baby. "This is Aelshelm Storm Laiken-Hawking. I'm his insurance plan, the backup dad." He emphasized the 'Storm' when reciting the baby's name, just to be sure she didn't miss it, and sounded as proud as if he was the father.

  "Just as long as you're not the backup husband."

  "Ha. Ha."

  Litha wasn't sure what it meant to be a backup dad, but her husband seemed ecstatic about it and there'd be plenty of time to hear the details later. "He looks pretty comfortable there."

  Storm smiled and turned his face toward the baby like he was checking to see if she was telling the truth.

  "And you look pretty comfortable with him. I had no idea you're so good with babies."

  He chuckled softly. "Neither did I."

  Perhaps the hardest part of the rescue should have been over by then, but "should" is a word that resides in fantasy more often than not.

  The rescue team learned firsthand that persons other than Elora can have great difficulty trying to convince Blackie to do something he didn't want to do. He might just be a dog, but he was smart to enough to understand that he was hurt and that leaving the den was going to hurt more. So, he basically just opted out. "No thanks. Staying right here until I'm better."

  When he wouldn't come out for Ram, Glen said, "Move over and let me show you how it's done."

  Blackie shocked Glen by refusing to come for him either. He looked at Ram who gave him a self-righteous smirk. "So that's how 'tis done, is it?"

  Elora wasn't in any shape to coax him to ground level so that wasn't a choice. Finally, Ram took off his belt and looped it through Blackie's collar so he could pull while Glen pushed from below. Glen knew he was getting the worst of that arrangement, partly because he was the one who would be lifting and partly because the part of the dog he would be shoving upward was the injured part. It seemed to Glen that was a good way to lose a hand to a big, male German Shepherd who still had his balls. But Ram outranked him by more levels than he could begin to imagine so he was hardly in a position to object.

  Blackie, on the other hand, protested with menace and an implied promise of retaliation. He got so angry about Glen pushing his wound from behind while Ram kept him from turning around that he finally lunged upward and nearly knocked Rammel over in his hurry to get out and be near his mistress who, he was certain, would never subject him to such undignified treatment. He limped to where Elora was waiting, looked over his shoulder at Ram and Glen, and sneezed in dismissal. It would take a lot of treats to get back on his good side. For a dog, he had a long memory.

  The next hiccup came when Glen, who had ridden back up to the Whister to facilitate operations, called the sat phone in Kay's hand to say that Doctor Nance was refusing to be lowered to the ground by harness. Kay reminded him of the Hippocratic Oath while the Whister hovered above. It seemed Doc Nance thought the Hippocratic Oath was to be viewed as a guideline, not a rule.

  Storm finally grabbed the phone and threatened to remove some choice body parts without the benefit of anesthesia or modern surgical equipment if the good doctor did not put his ass in the sling. That was punctuated with a very commanding, "Now!"

  Since B Team's reputation for keeping their word was legendary, Doc Nance wisely chose to take his chances with the harness.

  While Nance was working his courage up, Glen lowered both stretchers and the straps that made them secure and kept them balanced in flight. Glen rigged it so that Doc could ride down sitting on top of the bin holding medical supplies. Once on the ground he began to act more like a real doctor.

  Ram helped Elora to one of the stretchers. He gritted his teeth whenever she winced and cursed whenever she moaned.

  "Young lady?"

  Litha looked around. The doctor seemed to have been the most likely candidate for addressing her in that manner. She turned back to Storm and mouthed, 'Young lady?'

  "Yes. I'm talking to you. Can you give me a hand here, please?"

  Doctor Nance was requesting that she assist with a cursory examination of Elora. Litha glanced at Storm and then strode toward the stretcher. She knelt on the ground next to the patient.

  "Elora. The baby is beautiful."

  The new mom managed a smile. "Litha. Thank you. Where is he?" Elora sounded so tired and so sleepy. Then her eyes popped open. "How did you get here?"

  Litha opened her mouth to answer, but she was interrupted by an imperious doctor who had taken over management of the scene. "Sir Hawking. For the sake of modesty, perhaps you might encourage the other gentlemen to turn their backs."

  Ram looked over at his teammates. "You heard him. Avert your fuckin' eyes if you want to keep 'em."

  Litha assisted with su
pplies while Ram held Elora's hand. When it looked like the examination was going to be outlandishly thorough Ram stepped in.

  "Do you have any field experience?"

  "Not per se. No."

  "Per se." Ram repeated. "Great Paddy."

  A random observer who didn't know him might have thought he was silently praying for patience. Before the doc even saw him move, Ram had him by the collar. "This is what we're goin' to do. You make sure she can tolerate the ride up to the Whister without bleedin' out. You can clean her up and bandage her once she's on board where it's warm."

  Ram oversaw the attachment of the stretcher to the pulley ropes and triple checked them. Still, when the stretcher lifted off the ground and into the air, his stomach took a dive that felt like a high speed elevator coming to a stop too fast. He held his breath until he saw Glen pull the stretcher inside and give him a thumbs-up.

  Ram turned to the dog. "Now you."

  While Blackie was looking at Ram defiantly with a just-try-it expression on his face, Storm shot him in the uninjured hip with his tranq pistol while holding Helm to his chest with the other hand. When Ram looked at Storm he just shrugged.

  "Nothing to lose. That dog never liked me that much anyway."

  Ram grinned at him. "Good call, Stormy."

  With Blackie sedated, the doc turned vet had a chance to confirm that they needed to remove the bullet surgically. "We can have him transferred to a veterinary when we reach Edinburgh."

  Ram, Storm, and Kay exchanged glances and all three burst out laughing.

  Storm said, "Doc, if you think my threat was disturbing, you really wouldn't want to hear what Elora would do to you if you sent that dog to a veterinarian. She's going to expect him to be treated at Headquarters and kept in the clinic like any other patient.

  "You're joking, of course."

  "No' a bit," Ram said. "The dog is a former Black Swan mascot who has saved her life once for certain and maybe twice. 'Tis the life of a knight we're talkin' about. He stays in the clinic with her for as long as she and the baby are there."