Revenant

by Janet Jones

  "I am afraid not, Mrs. Benedikt. I've bled her as much as I dare. Best make her comfortable and prepare yourself."

  Mrs. Benedikt? Talisen turned at the sound of footsteps on the other side of the door. It opened, and before she could scramble out of the way, a man in a swirling black cape, carrying a physician's bag, walked right through her and vanished down the hall.

  In the doorway stood a woman with the red hair and keen eyes of so many of her kinswomen.

  "Madeline Rudyard?” Talisen whispered.

  "Yes,” Freya returned.

  Madeline turned and went back into the room, closing the door before Talisen could peek inside. The blue light from the room across the hall was gone. The corridor was dark.

  She stood up and stared at the door she'd been leaning against. Already a memory was forming in her mind, hazy and indistinct. “Thank you, Freya."

  She reached for the doorknob, turned it slowly, opened the door and went in.

  The chamber was lit only by the fire, but it was so sweltering in here she didn't know why they wanted a fire in the first place. She broke out in a sweat, then shivered.

  Ellory seemed far away from her in this room. Maybe that was why she didn't want to be here. Yes. She wanted to leave. She would, too, in just a little while. But first—

  "We have to talk, Madeline.” The small, wasted form on the bed in the corner coughed and gasped out a whisper Talisen could feel in her chest and taste in her mouth. “I've tried to say it before. You would not listen."

  Talisen moved closer to the bed. She and Sarah had the same hair and eyes. Their facial features were different in ways that time and culture had wrought upon them both, but the resemblance was stunning.

  Sarah coughed again, and Talisen's head spun. She reached for the arm of a chair and shivered until her teeth chattered. A fit of coughing sluiced through Sarah. Talisen coughed too. Hard. What was going on? Her head felt so heavy and hot, like it was on fire, but her body felt icy.

  Madeline sat by the bedside. She leaned closer, tears glittering on her face in the firelight. “Why torture us both, Sarah? He is gone. I accepted it long ago. I would have done so sooner, if you hadn't demanded I keep looking for him. You would not let him go."

  "Never.... “Sarah opened her eyes wide, and her mouth gaped while she struggled to breathe. “My jewelry box. There is a ring. A silver poesy ring."

  Madeline went to the dresser, opened the jewelry box, and began rooting through its contents. “I am looking, cousin."

  "I want you to know,” Sarah choked out, “I have always loved Ellory, and I always will."

  Madeline paused in her rummaging and bent her head, closed her eyes, and shook. Talisen watched her wipe her tears away before drawing a deep breath and going on with her search. A moment later, she took out a ring and held it up to the light.

  Talisen hobbled closer. The silver band with forget-me-nots engraved around it was as familiar to her as though she'd placed it in that jewelry box herself yesterday. It was her ring, the one Grandma had given to her. But Grandma always said Ellory had given Madeline that ring. But Sarah ... Sarah had had it first.

  The roar in Talisen's head nearly drowned out Madeline's words. “I've found it, cousin.” She returned to Sarah's side. “It's lovely. Sweet and simple. Perfect for you. Where did you get it?"

  Sarah grasped Madeline's hand. Her eyes filled with tears. “From him."

  Talisen closed her eyes and exhaled. Ellory had given Sarah the ring. Ellory had loved Sarah. Ellory had loved her.

  Madeline's mouth parted. “He ... you...."

  Sarah shook her head. “He would not dishonor you, or me, or himself in such a way, Maddie. He bought it for you, but he feared you wouldn't like it, because ‘tis so plain. But I loved it. So he gave it to me instead, as a token of ... of our friendship. I want you to wear it. For us."

  Madeline's shoulders shook. “Forgive me, Sarah. Before Ellory and I wed, I tried to make light of your affection for him. But there were times when he would look at you, and you knew naught of it, and I would see it in his eyes. He loved you.” She covered her face with her hands. “I cannot wear this ring."

  Sarah's eyes closed, and her breath slowed to a wheeze. But on her face was a sweet, triumphant, serene smile. “Do keep it. I do not need it now. I am off to find him. Wherever he is, and wherever I must go, I will call him to me. We will never be parted again. I will see to it."

  Talisen brushed the tears out of her eyes. Joy and sorrow choked her, and she coughed with Sarah one more time. Then she felt nothing holding her here. Raising her hands, she felt her way through descending darkness, stumbled through the floor and kept falling, right into a sea of light.

  But she wasn't afraid. Everything was all right. Her ring had come back to her. And so had Ellory.

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  Chapter Twelve

  Ellory sat down on the sofa with Talisen in his lap and freshened his grip on her jerking body, trying not to hurt her in the process.

  He reached for Meinrad's thought-path. Quit your sulking, boy, and fetch me something to bathe Talisen's face with. Be quick about it.

  Meinrad emerged immediately from the restroom with a handful of damp paper towels. If Ellory hadn't been so worried about Talisen, he'd have been fighting off a grin at the sight of his fledgling. The white hooded cloak and linen tunic of Freya's Guard were a far cry from leather jackets and jeans.

  "Is Talisen all right?” the young vampire murmured.

  "We'll know when she comes to."

  Ellory washed Talisen's face and smoothed her damp hair out of her eyes. Closing his eyes, he put a hand on her brow. He found her crumpled up in the darkest corner of her mind.

  Come awake, love. That was rough, I know, but it's all over now. You're safe.

  She surfaced, slapping and kicking at anything she could reach, and then threw her arms around him as if she'd never let go.

  "It's all right,” he whispered in her ear.

  Her breath tickled his cheek. “Just hold me."

  He cradled her close. Freya, she's still shaking. What did you do to her?

  When she wants to tell you, she will.

  Talisen opened her eyes and looked at Freya. “Thank you."

  The queen nodded.

  Ellory cursed. What were they talking about?

  Talisen brushed his face with her palm and looked at him as though she couldn't get enough of him.

  Freya stirred with a hiss of impatience. “I suggest we get on with the discussion at hand, if your woman has recovered."

  Ellory carried Talisen to a chair at the table and kissed her before seating himself beside her. Suvee drifted closer to stand behind Freya's chair, but Freya waved him away. A look from her fetched Meinrad to her side like a yo-yo.

  "Nice duds, Meinrad,” Talisen said. “You look ... uhm...."

  The fledgling grunted. “Like the choirboy from hell."

  Freya leveled her gaze on Ellory. “Why did you come back here to Camden?"

  That wasn't the question he'd expected. He rubbed the back of his head, searching for words. “I felt a pull on my soul, drawing me back here. I'd been feeling it for years, but it finally got strong enough to be maddening. So I came back to face whoever it was who had hold of me."

  Talisen asked the next question. “When did it start?"

  He could remember when he had first felt it take hold of him. Almost the exact hour. “Twenty-four years ago."

  Talisen's mouth parted, and she glanced at Freya.

  The queen's eyes sparkled with laughter. “I would call that a confirmation, wouldn't you?"

  Ellory felt Talisen's fingers close over his so tightly that her arm shook. Was she crying? She was, by heaven. “What's wrong? Tell me, my lamb. I'll make it all right."

  But she merely threw her arms around him and clung to him, halfway between laughter and sobs. It drove him mad. She'd obviously broken under the strain of Freya's probe.

  He ga
ve his queen a scathing scowl, but she smiled broadly at him, rose and sauntered to the window. Meinrad drifted into a corner, wincing over Talisen's display. Suvee took up his post at the door, his demeanor appropriately disinterested.

  The vibration in the floor was the only warning they had.

  * * * *

  Talisen thought she felt Ellory shudder just before he jettisoned her through the air. Then all she could hear was the explosion, and fire swallowed everything. She screamed only once. The scorching air closed her throat before she could scream a second time. Down she fell through the airless heat.

  A wiry little coil of arms and legs wrapped itself around her and brought her up short before she hit the parking lot with a splat. “Steady, Talisen. I've got you."

  "Georgina? Ellory...."

  "Right. Got the call about three and half seconds ago. The others are coming. Meical's making sure Sean and Shelby are safe first."

  "Whoa ... you got here fast...."

  "Of course I did. I'm the fastest. Chin up, dearie. I think you're in shock. Just hold tight to me for a moment. Everything's going to be all right."

  Talisen floated between what seemed real and what didn't, coughing out smoke and the stench of burning flesh. Her vision cleared enough for her to see the inferno where Sartori's nightclub had been a moment ago.

  Arcs of fire shot out of the sky, trailing in all directions to strike down those who made it out of the flames. Whether they were human or vampire, she couldn't tell. They didn't sound human, but it was hard to tell by their screams.

  Georgina rocked her silently while they watched the blue fire drop out of the sky with deadly precision. Bodies exploded in mid-flight.

  It registered like a blow to her stomach. “ELLORY!"

  All she could think of was his beautiful body going up in flames, his tortured soul cast to the winds ... without her. She pushed herself to her feet and fell right down again. Georgina grabbed her up and dragged her further into the cover of the trees that skirted the parking lot.

  "He's in there!” she screamed. “We've got to get him out!"

  Georgina shook her. “Reach inside yourself. If anything had happened to him, we'd feel it. He's all right."

  Talisen shut everything out and reached for him. No answer. She tried again, holding her breath. Nothing. But his presence was there. She felt him like a hum of pain, distant, erratic, and angry. He was searching.

  She and Georgina said it simultaneously, just as the rest of the fledglings and Meical appeared. “Meinrad!"

  There came a roar from inside the fire. It shook the ground beneath them, and like a match snuffed out, the fire died. In the black crater that was left, a lone figure turned around and around on his feet, staring at the ground. He threw back his head and roared again, shaking his fists at the sky.

  Talisen crawled out of Georgina's embrace and stumbled into the scorched earth and rubble. He needed her. Her knees buckled, but this time it was Meical who caught her.

  He swung her up in his arms and covered the distance that separated them from Ellory in one smooth glide. “Fan out, everyone. Look for your brother. Quickly. We must all be gone before we're inundated by firefighters and police."

  Talisen kept her eyes on Ellory. She could feel his pain now. Grief. Guilt. Rage. Wave after wave. “Put me down, Meical. He needs me."

  Grabian put her down slowly. She watched him kneel among the piles of rubble and remains, eyes closed, face utterly composed. The rest of them did the same.

  She fixed her gaze on Ellory, trying to ignore what she was picking her way through. Bits of hair and clothing flapped in the wind. Some of the bodies were reduced to powder, others to ashes. Some were still whole, but charred beyond recognition.

  When she reached Ellory, he held up a hand for her to stand back. “Meical, get her out of here."

  Heartbroken, Talisen sidestepped Grabian. “I can help."

  The blond vampire eyed Ellory, then sighed. “And just where the devil do you think she'll be safe, if she's not with you? Stop bellowing like an idiot and calm yourself. If you want to find Meinrad, you need to be quiet and concentrate. You've got the strongest bond with him. We can help, but it's you who will have to find him."

  Ellory rubbed his face with his blackened hand. “I didn't have time to protect him. I had to think of Talisen."

  His words sliced her heart in two. Meinrad would still be here, if not for her. “But ... you said you can't be killed."

  When Ellory made no effort to answer her, Meical did.

  "The ones who were destroyed here won't be coming back.” He looked around them. “Strange. All fledglings. The older ones may have survived. They'll go into hiding, likely as not. The rest of these poor wretches are the humans."

  "And revenants,” Christophe called from where he stood beside a pile of scorched linen.

  Ellory spun on his heel and leaped across the refuse to where Christophe stood. He stared at the pile of what remained of Freya's Guard. “Stand back, Christophe."

  Rising into the sky, Ellory jackknifed and dove straight into the heap, sending clods of earth and flesh in all directions.

  Talisen moved closer, along with the fledglings, who spread out in a semi-circle around the crater Ellory had made.

  Meical shoved his hands into his pockets. “Revenants are somewhat overrated. They couldn't protect her in the end, more's the pity."

  Georgina shook her head. “They needn't have. She should have survived this."

  What were they talking about? Talisen wrapped her arms around herself and bit back another onslaught of tears. The words drummed in her head. Please, please, please let Meinrad be okay. If he were dead, she'd never be able to look Ellory in the eye again.

  Delfina pointed at the hole Ellory had made in the pile. “But look at the way they were piled up."

  "Yes,” Meical whispered. “Almost as though they were protecting someone."

  Talisen felt the excitement chase through them.

  Meical rose and paced the outside edge of the hole. “Suppose Freya fetched her revenants to shield Meinrad."

  Adrienne gasped. “But they weren't enough to protect him."

  "So, she added her life energy to theirs,” murmured Meical.

  Talisen eyed their stunned faces. What did that mean?

  Georgina whispered, “That's why she didn't survive it."

  Meical nodded. “But Meinrad may have. Thanks to her."

  They locked their gazes on the place where Ellory had disappeared. Talisen lifted her head to listen to the sirens in the distance, but they seemed to be going round in circles.

  Meical gave her a sidelong grin. “I'm holding ‘em off."

  The minutes slid past her, taking little bits and pieces of her sanity with them. Suddenly the ground vibrated like a small earthquake, and a geyser of dirt, smoke, and fire spewed up from the hole, forcing them backward. Ellory emerged with Meinrad in his arms. The fledgling looked utterly unmarked. He also looked dead.

  Ellory swept over them to the clearing beyond the parking lot. The rest of them flew after him. By the time Talisen reached them, they were all in a circle around Ellory and Meinrad. Ellory held Meinrad clasped against him with his hand on the young vampire's chest.

  What was he doing? Anyone could see Meinrad was gone. Talisen staggered backward, shaking her head. She half-turned away, but Georgina caught her arm and turned her back around.

  "Hold on,” said the little vampiress. “Freya shut his body down before she and the revenants shielded him. That's all."

  Talisen felt her stomach twist. “But that means he's—"

  "No, no, it's not the same thing at all. She did it so he couldn't be detected, in case there was a second attack on stragglers. Any sign of life would've given him away. Ellory's just got to get him to come back to us."

  Awe quivered along Talisen's spine. Could Ellory really call someone back from death? She watched him bend over Meinrad with his eyes closed. He was utterly still, like a m
an made of stone. Suddenly Meinrad came awake with a jolt and a cough.

  The first sound out of his mouth was a scream. “Papa!"

  Ellory wrapped him in his arms and held him tight. “I'm here, Meinrad. I'm here. You're safe, my boy. Safe."

  Meinrad sobbed and clutched at Ellory while the others gathered around them, holding each other and caressing Meinrad's wispy blond hair.

  Relief drove away what was left of Talisen's strength. Meical caught her again before she sat down hard.

  "Deep breaths, Ms. Davies."

  "If not for me,” she choked out, “Ellory could've protected Meinrad, maybe even Freya."

  "But you, madam, are his sanity."

  She met his gaze, surprised by his sincerity. He looked at the others again and said nothing.

  She wiped her eyes. “What about Freya? Shouldn't we at least look for her body or something? I mean—"

  Meical flinched beside her, and before she could cry out, he grabbed her up and backed closer to the others.

  Silence filled the grove. Even Meinrad was quiet. From behind her, Talisen heard whispered exclamations. Meical eased her into Ellory's arms, and Ellory put her behind him.

  "Everyone, stay close,” he murmured.

  "Ellory, what is it?” Talisen whispered.

  He pointed into the dark. “There."

  Meical nodded, eyes agleam like sapphires. “He's alone."

  "He's always alone,” hissed Ellory.

  "Who?” Talisen asked.

  Ellory replied in a hushed voice, “The Alchemist."

  "The crazy vampire?"

  "Talisen, my sweet, he can hear you."

  "He wants something,” Meical murmured, “or we'd be dead."

  "Exactly my thought."

  "Does he have a name?” asked Talisen.

  "As I said, the Alchemist."

  Talisen rolled her eyes. “That's not a name, that's a handle. What's his name?"

  They looked down at her with perfectly clueless looks on their perfectly gorgeous faces. Meical said, “I think it's Benemerut Neshi, but—"

  She pushed past them, dodged Ellory's grab for her and addressed the dark. “Benemerut Neshi? Only cowards hide."