Graced (14 page)

~

It took a bit of effort, but, eventual y, both Alexander and Madison awoke from their slumber. Neither had been hurt anywhere nearly as badly as Logan, and Laura suspected it was because the elders were looking for
her and Logan
, not her and Logan and two others.

It took a little bit more time getting them up to speed with what happened. Laura explained how she had been taken into the tent, and the conversations she had with both twisted men. She told them how Gray showed up just in time to rescue her, and how she suspected the
torrial
were key to the barrier she found when she was searching for the others.

“And what about that… darkness?” Alexander asked. “What do you think that was?”

“Based on what Laura’s told us,” Madison offered, “I suspect it has something to do with the powers of the two
torrial.
” Laura nodded in agreement.

“It makes sense,” Logan said. “That a
torrial
would be able to work against
Vassiz
in that way. The darkness that swept up each of us in turn is very likely something extracted from the dream realm and control ed by the two medal ions. We are, unlike humans, very intimately connected to that world.”

“Right,” Laura said, nodding.

“And the herbs,” Madison continued, “that’s… astounding. That something exists that can mute down the vampire within us?”

“I know,” Alexander whistled. “In al my years, I have never heard of something like that. Not even a hint about it existing.”

“Do you remember what they said was in it?” Madison asked Laura.

Laura shook her head. “No. Al they told me was that it was a common herb that did it.”

“Wait a minute,” Logan interrupted. “Didn’t you say you
saw
them apply the mixture to your rag?”

“That’s right,” Laura answered.

“Wel , in that case, wouldn’t the mixture stil be on them? I’m sure we can find it by their bodies.”

“And take care of Gray at the same time,” Madison added. Laura looked at her in surprise. “I can take a look at the wound. With the vampire sense faded, I shouldn’t have any problem discerning the severity of it.”

“Thank you,” Laura said. She got up, and the rest of them fol owed her to the tent. The scene was just as she left it. The canopy had been pul ed over to one side, revealing the two fal en bodies. This time, the queasiness that Laura felt was more subdued. And, she realized with delight, she could already see further in the dark than before.

Gray was stil there, licking at the wound on his leg. Laura ran up to him, and he moved his great head towards her. Madison came next, walking towards him with a bit more caution.

“I’m hoping he recognizes me,” she said, “but, with the vampire sense dul ed, I can see him clearly. And the advantage before was that I was nearly indiscernible to him I just hope I don’t spook him now.”

As Madison got closer, Laura head a growl begin in Gray’s throat. Quickly, she started stroking the back of his neck. “It’s alright,” she whispered to him. “Madison is a friend.” She wished she could form the connection already, but it was stil impossible. “She’s going to take care of you. Don’t worry.”

And, as if Gray understood every single word, he instantly relaxed. She felt his muscles loosen as he settled back down into a more comfortable position.

Madison walked over to the side, and squatted beside Gray. He moved his head to look at her, but Laura pul ed it back. She held onto him as Madison gently examined the wound, spreading his fur out to see it better. When she was done, she got up and nodded to herself.

“So?” Laura asked.

Madison smiled. “It’s not nearly as bad as you might think. Bears are strong creatures, and they get into fights al the time in the wild. This stab is little worse than a scratch he might get from another bear. I wouldn’t worry about it getting infected, or anything like that.”

“But he was limping when he walked,” Laura said.

“I know. The slit from the knife is narrow, but it went pretty deep. Not deep enough to damage anything permanently, but deep enough to cause discomfort until it heals.”

“And how long would that take?”

Madison licked her lips. “Two, maybe three weeks? The wound itself wil close up long before then, but it wil take a while for the muscle fibers to recover. In either case, neither Gray nor you need to worry.”

Laura exhaled a breath she didn’t know she was holding. “That’s such a relief,” she said, and looked to Gray. “You hear that, you big hero? You’re going to be just fine.”

Madison smiled. “Now, I think we need to figure out what to do with them.” She looked over at the two bodies on the ground.

“Right.” Laura rose. Alexander and Logan were already examining the bodies, albeit with a bit of caution. It was like they didn’t quite know how to behave without their vampire senses. Both of the men looked as if they were afraid either Borrak or Serkhol might jump out at them at any second.

“This is the one who used the bottle,” Laura said, pointing at Borrak on the ground. “If we’re to find the mixture anywhere, the first place to check would be on him.”

At her words, Logan bent down right at the body. He gripped Borrak by one side and heaved him over. Laura grimaced. Death had not made him any easier to look at.

Logan patted the front pockets of Borrak’s pants. “I think this is it,” he said as he dug in to pul something out. Sure enough, in his hand was that same dark glass bottle that Laura had seen Borrak use on her rag.

“That’s it,” Laura said, picking her way over. She stil didn’t like the way her bare feet squished through the dirt that was stil moist with blood. Logan handed the bottle to her, and Laura examined it in her hand. It looked to be about half-empty, and had a cork twisted into the top. She didn’t want to open it lest she unleash the effects of the mixture again.

“We should throw it away,” Laura said. “It’s a horrible, vile substance.”

“And yet,” Alexander interceded, “it may come extremely useful in the future.”

“What? How?”

“Think! If we need to fight the elders, having something like
that
to use would give us an immense advantage.”

“And besides,” Logan said, “who knows what its effects might be in the dream realm?”

Laura stared at the two of them in complete shock.
They
were the ones who looked so completely unnerved by their missing vampire powers, and they were suggesting
keeping
the bottle? It didn’t make any sense.

“They’re right, you know,” Madison said gently from just behind Laura. “We should not waste a gift like that. With the little remaining, we could even examine it, maybe find out how it’s made.”

“And if we can make more,” Alexander said. “Perhaps it wil hold the link to the cure that so many are seeking.”

“Cure?” Laura looked around in confusion. “What cure? What are you talking about?”

“A little known secret of the
Vassiz
,” Madison told her quietly, “is that many wish for release from the burden of eternal life. None ever get it. Maybe with this, some that have been denied that choice wil be given the chance.”

Laura blinked. This seemed much too egalitarian. Especial y considering that so many of the other
Vassiz
were hunting them. But then again, Laura knew they were only doing so on the elders orders. To live life like that, perpetual y at someone else’s command…. Laura could imagine yearning for a release. But if Borrak and Serkhol knew of the herbs, did it mean that the elders might, as wel ? They surely must have been the ones who gave it to them. And if so, why didn’t more of the
Vassiz
know about it?

But Laura knew the answer to the question before it was even half-formed. The elders relished their hold on power, and lessening the number of
Vassiz
meant lessening their own influence over the world. A substance that did anything even
close
to what the herbal mixture in her palm did could be catastrophic to the entire hidden society of vampires.

“Alright then,” Laura said. “We’l keep it. But
I
don’t want to be the one holding onto it.”

“I’l take it,” Alexander said smoothly, and whisked it from her hands. “I don’t mind having it on me.”

“Wel , if that’s settled…” Laura began, “… what are we going to do about the bodies? And the two
torrial
?”

“What I’m interested in,” Logan said, “is that barrier you spoke of. How was it formed? And was it truly done just by the
torrial
?”

“By al accounts of her escape,” Alexander said, “that is the only explanation we have of it. And yet, unless any of us want to try the medal ions out ourselves…?” he trailed off to prove his point. “Thought not.”

“So what do we do with them?” Laura asked again.

“Take them with us, of course,” Alexander answered. “Much the same way in which we’re taking the liquid potion. Knowing our enemy’s weapons can only give us an advantage.”

“Besides,” Madison offered, “we don’t want any of the items to fal into the wrong hands.”

“You’re right,” Laura agreed. “And then what about the bodies?”

“Keep them where they are,” Madison said with an unexpected coldness. “The elders sent us a warning by destroying the tower and desecrating the wal in the sanctuary. Let us do the same. Let them know we were able to dispose of their
hounds
, and let the others who come after you fear the same fate.”

Laura blinked. That was… completely ruthless. And yet it made perfect sense. Alexander nodded. “The elders think you for easy meat. And yet, you have shown them time and time again that you are anything but. I agree with Madison. Keep the bodies here, and let them rot, for everybody else to see.”

“It’l be an outright mimicry of anything the elders are trying to do,” Logan said thoughtful y, “but I like it.
They
wil be the ones to feel fear once they realize you are coming after them.” His eyes locked with Laura’s, and she felt shivers run down the back of her spine as he spoke. “You are brave, Laura, and strong. Your escape here and your rescue of us wil be the first direct act of defiance against the rule of the elders. They wil know not to take you lightly. But you have dealt with their two biggest threats and emerged victorious over them both. And you wil finish the coup when you lead us againt them.”

Laura nodded, and realized her heart was beating hard. Adrenaline ran through her veins. She was the one prophesied to defeat the elders, and Logan, Madison, and Alexander were ral ying around her. Let the elders see what had become of their
hounds.
Let them fear the day Laura Cubus comes for them. By the way she saw Logan’s face so clearly in the dark, she could tel her vampire senses were already returning.

~Goodbyes~

It was dark again by the time they arrived at the edge of Portland. The effects of the herbs had lasted al the way through that first night, and into the early daylight hours of the next day. But when they final y wore off –
completely
wore off – it felt like waking up after a very long nap. The senses that came back nearly overpowered Laura with their intensity. It was hard to imagine, but it felt as if her body had gotten
used to
not seeing everything in such high detail; to not smel ing everything with such clarity. Having everything come back to her at once was overwhelming.

She could tel by the way the others reacted that they felt the same way. When their senses were restored, within minutes of each other, al of her companions stumbled as if they had become light headed. It took a moment for each of them to regain themselves, to render control over their bodies. The direct benefit to getting the abilities back, of course, was the immediate speed that they could use in getting to Portland. That is, if Gray were not laboring behind them. His walk had improved, Laura noted, and each time she looked back he seemed to be limping less and less. Stil , the way he avoided putting weight on that leg made Laura worry about him. Which is why the first thing she did when she realized her senses were back was run to Gray and form the connection between their minds.

Relief
flooded from Gray immediately on contact.
Relief
, coming from the fact that their communication channel was not lost forever. And the first thing Laura did was send her
appreciation
, as a pure, unbridled emotion. She wanted him to know how thankful she was he had come for her when he did, and for the way he took care of Borrak and Serkhol. She felt
contentment
come back, as if rescuing her was exactly what he lived for.

Satisfied with that, Laura started prodding, exploring the parts of his mind that he let her. She was looking for the pain center, where she could final y tel how severe the injury felt to him. But, as if he knew exactly what she was looking for, he seemed to…
block off
… her ability to read that part of his mind. She tried again, and again she found the reaching the pain he felt was very
slippery
. No matter what she did, it always seemed just slightly out of reach.

She broke the connection as she crossed her hands and looked at him sternly. He regarded her with his head craned to one side. He was a warrior through and through, and she knew that. But did he have to be so stubborn, as she was starting to realize
all
males were, to not even let her peek at the severity of his hurt? She had thought perhaps it was a human trait, and one that remained within al
Vassiz
, but what Gray had just shown her proved her wrong. It was decidedly a
male
trait, pretending that absolutely nothing was wrong even when something obviously was.

Laura sniffed and turned around. Fine, then – if he wanted to be stubborn that way, let him. But a smal part of her was glad he was strong enough to handle it on his own.

And so, with Gray continuing to limp behind them but blocking Laura from seeing the extent of his injury, the entire trip to Portland took longer than it should have. Yet they were final y there. Except that, like they agreed upon before, they couldn’t go into the city at night.

“Now what?” Laura asked. She realized she needed to get some new clothes before going into the city. From where they stood, on a hil about half a mile away, she could see al the bright lights of the apartment buildings and other real estate that signified a living, breathing city.

“Alexander and I can continue from here,” Madison said. “We’l find a room in a hotel, and come back to get you guys the key.”

“Are you sure it’s safe for you two?” Laura asked.

“Of course. The elders are stil only looking for you. And besides, even if they have found out that there are four to our party, none would suspect us.”

Alexander put an arm around Madison’s back. “Besides,” he added with a wink, “if anything happens, I can take care of her.” He grunted as Madison put an elbow in his side. Laura laughed. “We’l see you soon?”

“We’l be back within the hour,” Madison replied.

Laura watched as Madison and Alexander sped downhil towards the city. They would be there in mere minutes.

“Have you told him yet?”

Laura looked behind her, and saw Logan was standing right there. He was looking at her worriedly. The question caught her off-guard. “Told who what?” Laura asked.

“Gray. Does he know we’re leaving?”

“Oh.” Laura blinked. She had forgotten al about that. “…no.”

“Now seems the best time,” Logan said gently. “We’l be going into the city soon, and he won’t be able to fol ow. And then, if everything works out, we’re bound on a plane to a different continent.”

Laura swal owed. She admitted to herself that maybe she hadn’t
forgotten
, per se, but rather decided not to think about it. She didn’t know how Gray would take it. Especial y now, after he had been wounded. There was no way he could come with them though. And she didn’t know how long the trip would take, or…

she gulped… or if she would even come back.

Logan placed a hand on her shoulder. “I’m sure he’l understand what we need to do,” he said. “And at least you have the advantage of the connection with him.”

Laura nodded stiffly. She felt her eyes burn. Was she
crying
? No. This wouldn’t be the last time she would see Gray. And she wouldn’t let herself cry over such sil y thoughts.

“I’l leave you two alone,” Logan said, stepping away. Glancing back once at Laura, and then again at Gray, he started slowly downhil . About halfway down, he stopped, and sat down on the ground, looking up at the stars.

Laura turned towards Gray. She was dreading the moment she had to tel him. She was dreading his response. But Logan was right. It had to be done now. And Gray had to understand. He was looking curiously up at her as she walked to him. She sat down beside him, sighed, and only then let her hand fal onto his head to form the connection between their minds. She started again by sending him another wave of
appreciation
. For what he did for her, for how he bravely rescued her, and saved al of them in the process. And then – Laura knew this was going to be hard

– she pictured the two of them, right where they were.

Then she made her image flicker. And slowly, the image of herself faded away, until there was only Gray left, by himself, on that spot.

She felt
confusion
come back to her.
Confusion
and…
misunderstanding
. As if he wasn’t clear on what she was tel ing him.

She sighed, and tried again. She thought back to the moment she first saw him, when Logan lowered him into her arms. Back when she took ful responsibility over him. She let him feel the
accountability
that she remembered feeling at that moment, and made him know that it was related to him. Gray nuzzled the side of her arm, and Laura turned away. Her eyes were moist. Like it or not, this would likely be their final goodbye. She kept her arm on his back and continued transferring her thoughts through the link.

Next, she let him see how
she
saw him grow up, so very quickly, until the image of him in her mind was exactly as he was beside her right now.
Confusion
stil echoed back through the bond. Laura sent him her memories of being trapped in the tent. Of being bound to that wooden stake, and knowing there was nowhere to go. And then of Gray arriving to heroical y rescue her from her two captors. She made him see how she watched him grow, from a nearly helpless cub to a ful y grown, enormous bear. He could take care of himself now, and that was what she was trying to communicate to him. That he could take care of himself, and that he did not need her anymore.

A shockingly strong wave of
hurt
pulsed through the link. Laura blinked in confusion. She had only
thought
that last thought, and not communicated it with him through the emotions and images. And yet, his response was as strong as if he understood her completely. She frowned. Was there more to the connection that she believed?

She started thinking again through where she was going and why she would need to leave Gray. She could not bring him into the city, and afterwards, they would need to fly to Egypt. He couldn’t board a plane with her. But she would come back here as soon as she got back, to find him again. It would be the first thing she would do, no matter what happened. The only question was
whether
she’d be able to get back. She would do everything in her power to make sure that happened, but it was nothing she could guarantee…

Concern
echoed through the connection. Laura frowned, and looked at Gray. He was looking at her through heavy eyes, but she was
sure
he understood what was going on. Instead of feeling upset or dejected over what she had to do, he
understood
, and the concern she felt was what
he
felt for her. Because she had communicated enough for him to understand that where she was going, she would not be completely safe.

She was impressed with how Gray was reacting to al of this. There was no bitterness, no sourness that she felt from him. Only simple concern for her wel being, as always. She threw her arms around him in a giant hug. “I’l miss you when I’m gone.”