Dark Song

by Christine Feehan

  You know I can tell, päläfertiilam, and I would not get close to them. If I identify a problem, you and the healer can decide how best to handle it.

  Masculine amusement filled her mind. I see how you survived the centuries, minan piŋe sarnanak. You keep after what you believe is right.

  He was back to calling her his little songbird. That boded well and gave her even more confidence that when she was persistent, he wouldn’t get angry with her or dismiss what she thought was important. I would wait for you, but wish to reassure Emeline that you will look into this for her and take it seriously, even if they are children and the older couple are human.

  Ask her about Genevieve. Are there signs of her being infected? Is she out of sorts?

  “Emeline, have you been around Genevieve? Do you feel that she might be infected as well?” Elisabeta kept her voice as soothing as the gentle breeze moving through the room. Already the baby had responded to the peaceful atmosphere and the faint blend of lavender, lime, orange and bergamot. The fragrance was so subtle it was barely there, but helped lift anxiety as she sent a wave of healing energy toward Emeline.

  “Genevieve is one of the most calm, steady women I’ve ever met in my life,” Emeline said. “I’ve never seen her angry. If she is infected, she certainly has an abundance of control to keep it in check, and I would find it hard to believe that she could do so better than Dragomir.”

  Julija nodded. “I have to agree with that statement. The ancients have checked their emotions for centuries. It doesn’t make sense that they are having trouble not losing their tempers, especially someone like Sandu, who can’t even feel his emotions.”

  Elisabeta frowned. “Ancient hunters without lifemates may not feel emotion, but they have feelings the same as everyone else. I can feel them when I’m near them. Sometimes even when I am not close but they are broadcasting because they are grief-stricken. Whatever this infection is bypasses the block that prevents them from feeling and goes straight to the core of where emotion and judgment are.”

  “Humans get illnesses, like the flu,” Lorraine said. “I know Carpathians don’t, but is it possible, with the composition of the soil changed so much, that the answer is that simple? It’s a new illness sweeping through the compound?”

  “That’s an interesting theory,” Emeline said. “One I wouldn’t have considered and I doubt if the others have, although perhaps the healer has. He seems to give thought to everything. What do you think, Elisabeta? You’ve seen the results of it up close.”

  Elisabeta wasn’t used to anyone asking her opinion. She went back and forth on enjoying the discussion with the women and then panicking a little at the completely unfamiliar need to actually give her own response.

  It is okay to tell them what you are thinking, sívamet. They are simply speculating, as you would be. I have no answer. Gary and I are throwing out ideas in the hopes that we hit on something. I repeated Lorraine’s theory of a flu of some sort to Gary, but he does not think it could be that.

  She took a deep breath, taking the scents that helped with anxiety deep into her lungs. She’d sent the fragrances around the room to aid Emeline and now hoped they helped her. Not only did she have to talk—something she found difficult—and give an opinion—which was even worse—but even in the small space, without the bars between her eyes and the rest of the world, she found it difficult to look around her without feeling disoriented.

  “I do not know what is causing this infection, but the burns can be very deep in some and not in others. It does not appear to be a sickness to me.” Her heart beat so hard in her chest she pressed her fist there to help mask the sound. She thought she might faint. She bit down very hard on her lower lip and once again pressed her nails into her forearm. Her distress level was rising the longer she was there alone and the more that was required of her.

  They wish only to be your friend, Elisabeta. Nothing is required of you. Lean on Julija. She will get you through any difficulty.

  Merged as she was with Ferro, something alerted her to his state of mind when directing her to lean on her friend. It wasn’t an inflection in his voice, or any hint of emotion, but still, her connection with him was extremely strong. She knew there was a cost to him when he gave her that advice. He wanted to be the one she leaned on, and yet he generously pushed her toward the three women, certain it would be good for her to have female friends.

  You will get me through all difficulties, kont o sívanak. Deliberately she called him “strong heart.” He was that to her. I like them, but it is you I have placed my trust in. It is you I have given my allegiance to. I will learn, over time, to trust in my friendships with them, but it is you I have need of, Ferro, unless I am too much trouble. She may have been reading him wrong. It was possible he was trying to pass her off to someone else because he was tired of her clingy ways.

  Amusement flooded her mind. You are certainly trouble, but never too much. I enjoy our little skirmishes. Isai comes for Julija. She is with child and we cannot take a chance that she becomes infected. He is not at this time and until we figure out what is happening, he will keep her away as much as possible, Ferro warned.

  Elisabeta could see that all three women had already been contacted by their respective lifemates.

  Julija was up and handing the sleeping child to Emeline. “Isai comes to collect me. Thank you for allowing me to spend time with Carisma. She’s beautiful.”

  “Dragomir is also on his way,” Emeline said. “I’m going to talk to him about the children and Genevieve. She might be in real danger.”

  “No worries, Emeline,” Elisabeta said. “I promise I will see to them without them realizing anyone is checking for trouble. You have a little one to protect.”

  “You’ve been through hell,” Emeline protested.

  “It helps me to concentrate on others.” Elisabeta told the strict truth. “I do not have to think about all the little details I am expected to learn about this new life.”

  Dragomir’s broad shoulders filled the doorway, his golden eyes moving over his lifemate, seeing everything. He gave a courtly bow to the other women as he stepped inside and took Carisma from Emeline, his mouth brushing a gentle kiss on his lifemate’s temple. He took her hand and tugged until he brought her under the protection of his shoulder.

  “Ferro and the healer will be careful with the children, Emeline. Elisabeta will keep them in line.” He smiled at Elisabeta and then he was gone, taking his family with him.

  Isai came in next, Andor right behind him. Elisabeta folded her hands in her lap, uncertain of what to do. This wasn’t her home. Apparently, it wasn’t Emeline’s home, either. Isai saluted her and Julija waved as he all but carried her out.

  It was good to see you out with just the girls, Elisabeta, Julija said. I’m so proud of your progress. Isai is railroading me back to our home. Will you be okay until Ferro gets there?

  Would she? Elisabeta didn’t move, frozen in the comfortable chair. Of course, I will be fine. He is bound to turn up soon. She wasn’t going to ask him where he was. He would come for her. He knew the others had come for their women.

  “Do you want us to stay with you until Ferro gets here, Elisabeta?” Lorraine asked.

  Andor shook his head before Elisabeta could answer. “Ferro gave very strict instructions. He wants Elisabeta to sit in here. When we leave, we will leave the door open behind us. Amelia will come in at Genevieve’s request to check the house and, Elisabeta, you introduce yourself and tell her you are waiting for Ferro to come. He will be here, unseen but close, should there be trouble.”

  Elisabeta nodded, hurt that Ferro hadn’t given her the instructions himself. It felt strange to her to have Lorraine’s lifemate speaking directly to her. Did that mean she needed to answer him? Her fingers twisted in the skirt of her dress. She couldn’t look up at Andor or Lorraine.

  He does not expect you to answer,
piŋe sarnanak. I am Ferro, after all, and I do not share my lifemate. Just sit there and look demure. Lorraine will lose her mind again and call me a caveman. The night air will be cooling to you when they leave the door open.

  “That horrid Ferro has commanded you not to answer Andor, hasn’t he?” Lorraine demanded.

  Before she could shake her head, Ferro laughed. You are not to answer Andor, Elisabeta.

  You said that on purpose. She was relieved all the same. She gave the tiniest of nods to Lorraine.

  Yes, Ferro admitted to her, making her want to laugh.

  “I am going to strangle that man,” Lorraine proclaimed. She went out the door. Ferro, you had better not bully that girl. I thought we cleared this up.

  Elisabeta heard Lorraine’s voice in her merged mind with Ferro. He didn’t respond until Lorraine and Andor were gone completely.

  You really like to get her riled up.

  She has a bit of a temper. Andor finds her very appealing when she gets fired up and passionate. I like to give her an outlet to vent.

  Someone is coming up the stairs. I can hear them. It is definitely the younger girl.

  Amelia. Gary and I are in the house with you. Do you feel me close, sívamet? You will have to talk to her.

  Elisabeta felt his hand sweep down the back of her head in a long caress.

  She is fifteen now, but has had vampires assault her and use her as a spy. Her life has been turned upside down. She needs and wants to be converted but not without her brother, Danny. She does not want him to be alone. Her little sister and Lourdes can both be converted, but she refuses to allow at least Bella to be converted until Danny is safe.

  Elisabeta knew Ferro wanted her to feel compassion for the teenager to make it easier to speak with her. A young girl stalked right into the room without hesitation. She was very slim and had thick, dark hair and vivid green eyes.

  “Who are you? What are you doing in here?”

  Elisabeta studied the teenager. Her fists were clenched. There was belligerence stamped on her face. There was no doubt, even without checking further, that Amelia had been infected. Elisabeta sent a sweet breeze to surround the girl, a soothing peace. “I am Elisabeta. I was visiting with Emeline, Lorraine and Julija, but their lifemates came for them and mine is late.”

  The peaceful calm settling over Amelia seemed to drain some of her anger, or at least minimize it. Ferro stepped up behind Amelia, materializing and waving his hand toward her as he did so. The teen froze just as Josef had done.

  Josef knew what was happening to him. Does she? Elisabeta didn’t want the child to suffer any more than she already had.

  “Josef is Carpathian, and Gary wanted him to know what was happening, so he shared with him all information. Once you removed the burns, he could understand and was not angry. There is no need for her to know anything is wrong.” Ferro spoke aloud, indicating to Elisabeta that they could do so.

  As pure light, Gary entered the child first, allowing Ferro to follow through their bond. Merged as she was with her lifemate, Elisabeta moved straight to the damaged areas. She was prepared to see burns, but not to the extent that they were in Amelia’s brain. The scoring was far worse in the teenager than it had been in anyone else she’d encountered so far.

  This is horrible. This has been done over a period of time, longer than a couple of days. Perhaps a week? Two? She didn’t want to think longer, the same amount of time she had been at the compound in the healing grounds. Did you find burns in anyone else?

  No other hunter. Gary and I checked Lorraine, Emeline and Julija. They show no signs of burns.

  Why the children and Tariq? Sandu? Dragomir? What of Traian and Joie? Elisabeta felt a little anxious over her birth brother and his lifemate.

  No trace of burns. Neither were infected. I wish I had an answer for you, piŋe sarnanak, but I do not, and neither does Gary. We can only try to fit the pieces of the puzzle together. Can you rid her of these burns?

  Elisabeta studied the terrible, angry dark red slashes. They were deep, and so many it looked as if they were one continuous mass coloring over the areas of the brain affecting Amelia’s abilities of judgment and rational thinking. She was shocked that the teenager hadn’t had far more outbursts.

  She has more damage even than Josef, yet Emeline was not certain if Amelia was infected.

  Gary answered her. This child is extremely strong. She fought a master vampire’s hold on her. She did her best against him, although eventually he did wear her down, and she still feels guilty over it. She most likely has restrained herself in order to keep from lashing out, knowing instinctively something is wrong.

  Elisabeta immediately felt kinship with the girl. She began to flood the teenager’s brain with a cool, healing breeze, this one much stronger than she had ever used on the others. It was going to be a very difficult and long process to remove the deep scoring in her brain, but Elisabeta was determined.

  Someone must examine Danny. If Amelia is this bad and Danny actually pushed Genevieve, then he could be worse. Can Sandu inspect him? Tariq or Maksim must be able to lead him into the boy’s brain, Ferro suggested to Gary.

  Elisabeta could tell Ferro was worried for her, not for the unknown boy. He didn’t know the children, but she was expending a great amount of energy on Amelia. If Amelia’s brother was as bad or worse, to clear out the burns and rid him of the infection, Elisabeta would be exhausted beyond measure. She wanted to surround Ferro with soothing peace but she knew she couldn’t waste even a small amount of energy to reassure him. The task before her was too great.

  I am worried for the boy. And what of the little ones? She kept working as she addressed both Carpathians.

  Tariq would prefer either Dragomir or Andor go with him into Danny’s mind. Gary addressed Ferro’s concern. They have lifemates to anchor them.

  That made no difference to this infection, Ferro pointed out.

  That is true, Gary agreed, in no way perturbed. But Sandu is still without his lifemate and, this infection aside, would be a threat to Tariq’s children. He has adopted these children, human or not. He loves them.

  Elisabeta stayed silent through the exchange, hoping the healer would address her concerns and allow Ferro to understand what Gary had said about Tariq and the children. Ferro had been sequestered in the monastery while the world around him changed. He had little to do with humans before that. He might have caught up with knowledge simply by extracting it from those around him, but that didn’t give him the emotional understanding needed in these circumstances.

  I will ask Tariq to inspect the little ones, with one of the ancients to guard him, Gary assured Elisabeta.

  You have seen Elisabeta work, Ferro said. Can you rid them of this infection?

  She knew the answer even before she felt the healer’s negative reaction.

  I wish I could say that I could, Ferro. I have the memories of my ancestors and all the many situations and experiences they encountered. None have ever run across this before. What Elisabeta does seems unique to her. This is not a poison or injury, although it appears as a burn.

  Elisabeta felt Ferro’s frustration and knew what he was going to say before he actually said it, and her heart sank.

  She cannot possibly erase these destructive burns from everyone, especially if they are as deep and as massive as this girl’s are. Elisabeta is still weak from long years without proper sustenance. If these children are infected—and you know they are—that is three more right there. That is without the older couple, who most likely are as well.

  I am sorry, Ferro, Gary replied. As a healer, I feel my failure even more than you. I am merged with you. We are tied together. I already know the exhaustion she is feeling.

  Elisabeta despised that she could not comfort either of them. It wasn’t their fault that some mysterious infestation was creeping through the compound. She
didn’t want to think that she may have brought it with her, but looking at the violent scorching in Amelia’s brain, she knew the damage had happened over the last few weeks, not just since Josef had arrived. She was almost certain if they measured the injury, they could pinpoint the exact night of her arrival.

  I am an ancient, Gary, Ferro replied. This is my failure as well. I am her lifemate and I have always been able to heal every wound, no matter how bad, yet this eludes my skills.

  Elisabeta couldn’t stand it. Neither of you has failed me. Please just find out about the children and the older couple. I will work as long as possible. If Sandu and the other ancients are willing to give me blood, I will be able to continue. It just takes time.

  Minan piŋe sarnanak, we do not know what is causing this. You may remove all traces of the infection only to have it back this next rising, Ferro said.

  Elisabeta knew he was right, but she couldn’t help the need in her to help. That trait overrode all else, the centuries of conditioning, the strange reaction to large spaces, her fear of giving her opinion, everything.

  Perhaps we do not know what is causing this infection, Gary said, but we might be one step closer to identifying it if someone who previously had it gets it back. We need to find something they all have in common.

  Because the scoring was so thick, it took much longer to heal, and a concentrated breeze centered on the heavy swath of red, but in the end, the burns gave way, first thinning and then floating in tatters before simply dissolving completely. Elisabeta took her time with the deep scoring, working on healing those crevices the burns had created before she was finally able to withdraw from the teenager.