"I will do what I think..."
"NO!" Mrs. Monroe said loudly. "You’ll accept this. I would rather have my baby with this man than some drug dealer. Now, you’ll go over there and apologize and let them have a life."
"What are you doing?" Vera whispered to James as he listened to her parents.
"I don't know," he responded in confusion.
Truthfully, he did know what he was doing, but he couldn’t explain it, at least not on a level that made sense to his mind. So he was left with shaking his head and being amazed, both by what he heard as well as how he heard it.
"Well, isn't this just a pretty picture," a deep voice said from nearby.
James knew that voice and turned to Badir. The man had perched himself on an ornate wrought iron gate that separated Post Alley from the private apartment entrance just beyond.
"Wow! That’s neat," Anna said in amazement of the man on the fence. "How'd you get up there?"
James held his hand to Anna's shoulders in an attempt to quell the child's curiosity. Vera was just as curious and eyed the man as he eyed them.
"Badir, what do you want?"
"The same thing I wanted before," he said, clasping his hands together and adding to the surreal image of his awkward perch. "I want you, and I want your support. By the way, I found it very easy to sneak up on you today. Now that I know who and what you are, I'll be able to do it anytime I want."
James knew that was untrue; Badir had gotten this close because he was distracted by the Monroes. It was a lesson he took to heart.
"Who are you, and what do you want?" Vera asked curiously. She knew something was off with this man, but she didn't know what.
"My, my, what do we have here? Something new, I see." Badir looked at Vera with lust. It was awkwardly apparent, and Vera felt sick. She turned away with disgust.
"Leave her out of this," James seethed through his teeth.
Badir didn't seem to notice as he leaned forward and extended his position, which stretched the imagination for one's ability to balance. Vera backed up in fear, and her shadow tendrils whipped out to the nearby lights. She meant to extinguish a light, but Badir's senses allowed him to see the tendril as it whipped past him, and he was confused; he was being confronted with something he had never seen before, and for a moment he lost his balance. Badir barely caught himself before he hit the ground. His landing was graceful, but his fall had been disjointed—like a cat that righted itself only moments before hitting the ground.
Vera held her hand to her mouth as she stifled a laugh. Badir wasn’t as amused. He was embarrassed and angry—a dangerous combination in a man, let alone a demon.
"You witch!" he cried.
His actions were fast, too fast for anyone to react.
The world spun as James was flung across the alley. He could hear screams and yelling, and when he shook his head clear he saw Badir on top of Vera. She lay on the ground, uselessly fighting against the attacker with his fangs in her throat. Down the alley, Mrs. Monroe was screaming, and Mr. Monroe was yelling. James attempted to stand, but his head immediately swam.
"Fight him, Vera!" he yelled, and as before, he felt a connection to the woman.
Her back arched as if struck suddenly by electricity. Badir fought her as she bucked, holding his position. He bit in deeply, tearing flesh in an effort to hold on even at the expense of drawing blood. James watched through blurred vision as tendrils left her body, flailing wildly about as they did. They hit Badir sporadically and the lights of the alley as well. The entire scene began to fade in and out of darkness as the illumination began to flicker.
Vera made an attempt to disappear, but this only provided an odd view of a vampire holding onto thin air. It was replaced by Vera's image pulsating through the visual range. Badir was confused as his prey disappeared in front of him, but as he could still feel her in his grasp, he continued to hold his ground.
The shadows danced about the combatants, swirling one way and then another. James fought for balance and a standing position. As he made it to his feet, his mind screamed.
Help her!
Much as with the blood pit, the shadows paused in their movements, almost as if they were contemplating the command. The contemplation was soon over, and they attacked Badir. They dove at him, around him, and through him. Shadow tendrils of their own right joined with the tendrils of Vera, and a coordinated attack ensued. They attacked the demon's body and soul. Soon, they began to feed on his very being.
This was an attack that Badir had never known, and it didn't last long. Unsure of what was happening, the vampire released his hold. He stood and backed away as he swatted at the shadows. After a moment, he began to realize that without the beast who was pretending to be a woman, the shadows were mere nuisances. Vera was the real threat.
James was now on his feet and ran to Vera. He grabbed her and began to apply pressure to the wound on her neck. She was convulsing, and he held her as best he could while protecting her. Badir hissed loudly. James turned to the man and thought only one thing.
Ignore us, he commanded with hatred while his eyes burned into the very essence of the vampire. James didn't know if this tactic would work; it was an act of desperation, and little thought entered into his mind in consideration of the action.
Badir blinked several times and looked about. He tried to get his bearings and pay attention to where he was and what was happening around him. His attention was quickly drawn to the screaming woman just down the alley and the man on the phone yelling for the police.
Badir was confused, hurt, and angry, and he reacted with violence. In an instant, he was upon the man, smashing him into the wall. The woman was attacked next; Badir was at her throat, ripping it open with his teeth, foregoing a meal for the silence of a witness. Her death was much quicker than the one he had planned for Vera. This time there was no resistance.
Anna screamed for her mother as she had for Vera, and ran down the alley. She came upon Badir who was still tending to Mrs. Monroe and began to pelt the demon's legs with her small hands.
"Help them," Vera whispered.
James had been watching the scene and now looked at his patient. She was weak and didn't move, and she could do nothing but watch as her parents were murdered.
"Help them," she whispered again, tears coming to her eyes.
James didn't know what to do. He sent out another thought to Badir, but there was no effect. Another command, followed by another, had similar disappointing results. When Badir swatted Anna away, Vera lurched. She couldn’t move voluntarily, but her heightened emotions had temporarily overridden her mind's pained state and caused her spasm. At a loss for what to do, James began to panic and found it hard to think.
Arinai, help us! he cried with all his mind.
A wave of emotion swept before him and cast out into the city. Across the streets, the hills, the waterways, his cry went out, and it was felt by all of his brethren. The selkie in the Sound, the troll about to feed on a stray dog, and every other being in Seattle paused as they sensed the summoning.
Across the city, Arinai felt it and could easily pinpoint its origin. It was far from her, too far for her to be of any assistance, and she feared the worst. She cast her eyes in the general direction of the call. A lone wolf howl pierced the night; it was the response of a lycan, and Arinai knew that James' position and existence was now well known.
"Oh, Oracle, what have you done?" she whispered into the night.
Badir himself felt the call as well, and it confused him. It was close, and yet he couldn’t see its origin; James' command to be ignored was still in effect. Other people in the area had taken notice of the attack, and they could be heard yelling and calling for the police. Badir acted quickly. He made sure the man was dead by once again smashing his head to the ground. He turned to the woman, who was already dead, and began to hide his tracks. Her head was bashed and he ripped at her throat. All telltale signs of a vampire were to be wiped out—a survival tric
k her had learned centuries ago
James could only watch in awe while Vera watched in horror as her family was butchered. She could say nothing, and when Badir turned his attention to Anna, Vera convulsed again. James held her tight and could do nothing but listen to her labored breathing and rapid heartbeat.
"Stop him," she begged in a barely audible voice.
Hide her, James thought towards the shadows. Protect her, he commanded
The shadows swarmed to Anna, confusing Badir for a moment; he shrugged them off quickly and continued with his task.
Vera watched as Badir picked up her sister and brought the young girls skull to the pavement. It crushed easily, leaving Vera an image of her sister's eyes staring at her, up to the point that they were no longer visible due to the damage being inflicted by downward pressure. Vera could say nothing, and couldn’t avert her gaze as tears began to roll down her face.
Badir wasted little time after that. He assured himself that his tracks would be minimal, and with his speed he was gone very quickly. Vera and James were left with nothing but the gruesome scene before them. Vera continued to breathe heavily and held onto James' arms as they remained wrapped around her.
James finally came to his senses. He was in shock and could feel nothing, but he had the presence of mind to pick up his lover. He took her in his arms, turned around, and carried her out of the alley.
He headed up the hill, past the shops and the people that were drawn by the commotion; they all seemed to ignore the tired and bloodied couple. James made it to his street and turned south, heading toward his building. It wasn’t far, but that wouldn't have mattered—he felt no weakness from carrying her.
The outer glass door to his building was opened by a kind attendant who had somehow expected his arrival and decided to allow for easy access. The attendant greeted them warmly, blind to the fact that one of his employers was carrying a wounded woman. He then retrieved an elevator, and the entwined lovers entered. James made it to his floor, through the front door, and to his bedroom with little effort. Once there, he laid Vera down and carefully attended to her wound.
It wasn’t as bad as he expected. The flesh was torn and the bite mark was obvious, but James had seen worse attacks from poodles. He didn't fear loss of blood—the attack had been so swift, and countered just as swiftly—that Badir hadn’t had the time or opportunity to extract much. James had picked up that bit of information, as well as other odd tidbits, from the vampire's mind during the attack.
Vera spasmed and then calmed again. Her reactions were odd, and James attempted to speak to her. Although she was fully awake, she wasn’t able to reply, and James didn't know if it was due to emotional pain or physical trauma. Watching her for a few minutes didn't produce any new insight, and his mind began to fall back on habit. He needed to get her to a hospital. He should have done that right away, why he hadn’t was a reason that escaped him for the moment.
He left her on his bed and went to retrieve his phone. His actions were interrupted by a knock on the door and his thoughts were arrested by the need to answer it. He knew it was Arinai.
Opening the door revealed the woman he expected and a man he hadn’t. He was tall, broad shouldered, imposing, and possessed piercing dark eyes. He needed no introduction. James knew who we was immediately and nodded a greeting, which was ever so slightly returned. With understanding, James stepped aside, resigned to this newest intrusion into his world.
The god of war had come into his life.
Chapter 14
Throughout the night, Vera was attended to by three very different individuals. She watched them as she reeled in pain, listening as they spoke of her condition. She found it hard to speak and said little. When she did open her mouth, it felt odd, different, and not her own.
From James she felt concern. He had argued his case to take her to the hospital, but the other two argued against it. Vera herself had fought the idea when he tried to forcibly pick her up. She was angry with him and bared her teeth to vent that anger. She had been pleased by the look of fear and disgust on his face by her act of defiance. She didn't want his help, not now. She wanted it earlier, when it could have done some good. Now, she only wanted to die, and as the pain grew in intensity, she believed that she would.
The lights of the room continued to fade in and out as her tendrils covered and then uncovered them. Arinai hadn’t seen this ability in a demon before and spent her time with Vera in awe. She asked comforting questions and attempted to soothe the anguishing girl. Vera found that she liked the woman, despite the situation that had thrust them together. She also believed that Arinai was as old as James had said; he may not believe her stories, but Vera did.
Camulas also took a turn watching the patient, and Vera found that she liked him as well. He spoke little and watched her carefully, almost warily. She felt as if she were being analyzed and scrutinized. She did the same to him, and as she watched him, she haphazardly sent out her shadow tendrils to test his mettle; he didn't flinch, not like Badir had.
"If I suspect that you’re a real threat to me, I will extinguish your life," he had said to her plainly.
He didn't say it in anger, or fear, or any other petty emotion. It was a statement of fact that he calmly offered to her. She ignored it and continued to tease him with her tendrils. He responded with a small blade to her throat. She has seen it emerge from nowhere as if in slow motion. That motion had initially sped up and then slowed down as she concentrated on it. It was a trick of her perception, but she was more curious about how the blade materialized than by the fact that the weapon was now at her throat.
She gritted her teeth through the pain, lifted her head, putting more pressure on the blade, and spit in the man's face. He didn't bother to wipe it off. He just leaned in closer and scrutinized her. Vera felt angry, sad, and many other emotions all at the same time. It was an interesting affair to also add the feeling of worthlessness to her current state of being. To Camulas, she was nothing but a possible threat to be dealt with, and she could sense it. If needs be, he would slit her throat and leave the room, allowing her to bleed out in silence.
Camulas continued to size up Vera and decided she wasn’t a threat, at least not at the moment. He removed his blade and Vera watched it go. Like before, she could sense the speed of the action, but her senses were compensating for that speed. She convulsed again and screeched into the night. Camulas took to a knee in pain and put his hands to his ears. It didn't help—the screech pierced his mind and he cried out in pain.
The other two quickly joined in the room and attempted to calm her. It took time. Vera was in no mood, nor any decent physical shape, to be calmed. She momentarily lost sight of the people in the room, and their voices trailed in and out as her consciousness wavered. She found it hard to breathe and the pain was terrible. Coming to a fetal position, she fought against the pain and breathed hard and fast. She felt a small pin prick to her arm, and after a moment of anger and a last second lashing of her tendrils, blissful nonexistence took her.
"We have to do something," James said as he put away the hypodermic needle.
"There is little we can do, Oracle," Camulas said dryly.
James shook his head and watched the sleeping form, she still writhed and as he put his hand to her cheek she calmed for him, sensing his presence.
"Why do I still sense Badir?" James asked.
The others looked at him curiously.
"It's as if he's here but not," James said. "I can't explain it."
"Follow me," Arinai said.
She then led the other two into the living room. It was very late, or very early, depending on how one looked at the time. Either way, the sun would be up soon.
"Do you sense him now?" Arinai asked.
James searched with his mind and shook his head.
"Nothing," he said.
Arinai glanced to Camulas and gave him a knowing look. James caught it.
"What?" he asked determinedly.
"Depending on the attack, Badir and Vera may be linked," Arinai said.
"Excuse me?" James asked incredulously.
"The attack was most likely mental as well as physical," Camulas stated. "A battle of wills, and they may still be waging it. From your description of the attack, and your sensing Badir while near Vera, we have to assume they are still linked somehow."
"Is that bad?" James asked.
"It ain't good, Oracle," the man answered as if James were an idiot.
James moved angrily forward and Camulas stiffened. Arinai stood between them and held her hands apart.
"Enough," she said. "We will have to hope that this connection with Badir is only temporary. We will also have to treat her with care. No discussing anything important in her presence. If they are connected, Badir might learn things from her."
"She already knows a lot," Camulas said.
"All the more reason she should not know anymore," Arinai said.
"But she needs to know about…"
"Ah," Arinai said, putting her hand up and silencing James. "Not a word. We need to concentrate on making her better."
James was about to retort, but Arinai silenced him with a glare. Nodding his head, he agreed and then moved onto the important tasks.
"We need to get her to a hospital," he said.
"We’ve already discussed this. We can’t take her to the hospital. First off, they won't be able to help her. Secondly, they could do more harm than good. This is not a case of the flu."
"Well, what is it?" James said. "You seem to know nothing about this, and I find it hard to believe that the two of you claim to be nearly two thousand years old, have witnessed all this wonderment, and haven’t seen anything like this."
James was angry, and that anger came through as he spoke.
Celtics Rising: Birth of an Oracle Page 13
