Blood in the Fire (Timelaws Trilogy) (10 page)

Earth – June 1981

Elizabeth

With the way our house worked, there was no way to know if we had some friends bumming on our front steps. My second choice, an empty lot about a block away, was too close to some roadwork being done today. Instead, we settled on appearing inside the cargo area of an abandoned semitrailer Mark told us about. It took a second to get oriented to the darkness inside the box. After blinking a few times to adjust our eyes, Tamer figured out where the sliding door was and rolled it open. We piled out into the sunlight, happy to leave the rusty smell behind.

First thing my eyes landed on was a trashcan by some backdoor stairs. I limped over, lifted the lid and ralphed.

“You okay?” Luke asked.

“Fine,” I replied. “Sometimes teleports make people a little nauseous. Changes in gravity can do that, too.”

Anton frowned at me from next to the truck, but Luke and Mark didn’t notice. They were probably feeling a little queasy themselves. I looked down at my dress and then back up at Anton and Tamer.

“Seriously guys? You two teleport yourselves in wearing your street clothes, but you leave me in this?” Both of them were now wearing black jeans and dark tee shirts.

“I don’t know how to conjure women’s clothes,” Tamer replied. Anton shrugged in agreement. I glared at them. Both could have managed a pair of jeans if they’d wanted too. They just enjoyed seeing me squirm and I was too low on power to transform out of the uniform myself.

Everyone turned and started heading down the long driveway. Mark came over and pulled my arm around his shoulder so he could help support my weight.

“If anyone I know sees me in this, I’ll never hear the end of it,” I complained as Anton paused to walk in step with Mark and me. We weren’t going very fast, given my ankle.

You haven’t been nauseous after a teleport since your first off-Earth mission,
he accused telepathically.

I think I have wizard flu,
I explained.
The guard said something right before I jumped. He may have infected me.
Anton frowned again. Wizard flu was the term we used to describe any disease we contracted from wizards. It didn’t happen often, but when it did, we usually cured ourselves with a spell or had a medical expert do it. The nearest medical expert I knew of was several galaxies away.

Tamer, Elizabeth might have wizard flu,
Anton communicated so that only Tamer and I could hear.
Do you have any power left for a heal?

Tamer had been walking ahead with Luke, but he instinctively stopped and turned to look back at us when he replied.
No, but I might be able to scan her and find out what kind of bug she has. No promises though.
He furrowed his brow.
When do you think you got it?
It was a little fast for me to be showing symptoms.

The wizard cast it on me with a spell,
I told him. Tamer’s eyes darted to meet with Anton’s, seeking confirmation. I reached out to pick up Anton’s hand, hoping I might interrupt the exchange of concerned glances. My gesture only succeeded in redirecting his worried eyes back toward me. He squeezed my hand in return: an attempt to reassure me. They were making way too big a deal out of this.

“They’re having a conversation in their heads aren’t they?” Luke asked Mark.

“Yeah,” Mark replied, sounding only a little annoyed. “You get used to it.”

I guess Anton and I conversed telepathically in front of him more often than I’d noticed. Until now, it had never occurred to me how obvious it must look.

Tamer used the last of his available power to scan me. As he worked, the strain became evident on his paling face. He closed his eyes to concentrate.

“You okay, buddy?” Mark asked.

After a moment, Tamer looked at Mark and nodded. He was winded, and he bent over to catch his breath.
It’s viral and it’s been accelerated,
Tamer informed me and Anton.
I couldn’t get any more information.
Luke patted him on the back as a show of concern. Tamer straightened up in response and then looked at me.
I imagine the earliest we’d have enough power to tackle it would be tomorrow evening. Can you reach anyone with powers?
Both Anton and I shook our heads. All Darks in our timeline were still low on power from the Timelaws spell and most of them were hiding away on far off space stations. Moreover, Anton and I had already regenerated and used up more power than most of them normally possessed.

Mark and Luke had been observing Tamer with some concern while they waited for us to finish our conversation.

“Why don’t you guys head back to the house with us?” Luke suggested. “We’ll drive you both home from there.”

Anton and Tamer glanced at each other, then shrugged. “Sure, thanks,” Anton acknowledged. Luke and Tamer turned to head home, and the rest of us followed.

I guess you’ll have to tough it out till tomorrow night,
Anton said to me privately.
Think you’ll be okay that long?

I nodded tiredly. Walking on my sore ankle required some concentration.
I’m a lot tougher than that wizard calculated,
I reassured both Tamer and Anton. With that said, I felt drained and a headache was creeping on. Admittedly, the gash on my head might have been the cause.

There wasn’t much conversation for most of our walk home. My breathing became a little heavy by the time we were about half a mile from our house. I’m not sure if it was that or the fact that Luke got impatient with our slow pace, but he picked me up and carried me the remainder of the way. I protested a little, but then I laid my head on his shoulder and rested my eyes.

***

“Holy crap! What the hell is she wearing?” It was Brian’s voice. I guess he’d never seen me in a dress. My heavy eyelids lifted. It was hard to believe that sleep had overtaken me so quickly. I looked up and noticed that we were headed up the sidewalk to our front door. Our friends, Brian and Jack had probably just arrived and might have been about to leave if we hadn’t shown up. I wished we’d walked a little slower.

“What happened to you?” Jack asked me as I tapped Luke on the shoulder to be put down. It was embarrassing enough being seen in my dress, never mind being carried by my brother.

“Sprained my ankle in a fight,” I replied. “Some jerks were picking on a little kid.” It was truth enough. At least I thought so, though Luke glared at me as he placed me on the front step. He was probably wondering how often I’d answered his questions like that, and I squirmed inwardly as I considered the answer.

Mark unlocked the door and Jack followed him in with the rest of us close behind. All except Brian. “You’re the guy who showed up at the movie theater a couple days ago,” Brian accused from the yard. We all turned to look back at him through the door. He pointed at Anton, and strode into our living room. “I’m talking to you, kid.”

Anton shrugged. Brian sounded like he wanted to start some sort of fight.

I tried to interrupt. “He’s my boyfriend,” I said.
Why was Brian so pissed?

Brian shoved Anton aside and marched straight at me. “I can’t believe you,” he growled. “Do you know who he is?” Brian didn’t wait for me to respond. “He’s Amanda’s brother.” Brian was taller than me and he stood over my head as he continued to yell. “How could you possibly sleep with Mark’s ex-girlfriend’s brother, you…” The rest of his sentence made everyone in the room blush. Vito Corleone would have turned red in the face after that speech.

I took a step back and looked up to meet Brian’s eyes. A cold smile grew on my lips. “First of all, we’re not sleeping together. Second of all, who I spend time with is not and will never be any of your business. And third, if you ever call me anything like that again, I’ll kick your butt into the next century.”

Brian looked like he might hit me. Luke took a step toward us. A reminder to Brian that one swing at me would land him on the business side of Luke’s fist.

I turned away from Brian and gazed at Luke. My hand on his arm gently pushed my oldest brother away. It was a message, letting him know that I could handle Brian myself.

Brian saw Luke back up. Feeling more confident, he leaned in closer and took a threatening tone. I watched his lips move, but my brain didn’t process his words. My head was spinning a bit. I wanted to sit down and rest.
Focus Liz.
I blinked a couple times and tried to hear the rest of Brian’s rampage. He was getting louder. I could smell beer on his breath.

“What’s the matter, you don’t even listen when someone’s yelling at you,” he accused.

It’s not like your saying anything worth listening to,
I thought to myself. The sarcasm must have been evident on my face, and it was too much for Brian to handle. He lifted his arm and took a swing at me. I ducked and let his fist pass over my head.

“Brian, cool it,” Mark commanded. The only reason he and Luke hadn’t gotten physically involved yet was because they knew I could take Brian. I had established with both of them and my friends, my fights were mine alone. Anton was a different story. He stepped in front of me while looking Brian in the eye.

Brian studied my boyfriend and swayed as he spoke to him. “You can tell that tramp you call a sister—”

“BRIAN!” I interrupted loudly enough to startle him. Anton wouldn’t fight over words, period, no matter what anyone said or who it was about. Physical threats were a different matter.

I can handle myself
, I told Anton. This little spat didn’t need to get ugly. Brian thought I was betraying Mark by dating Amanda’s brother. It was true that the end of the relationship with Amanda had left Mark sour, but my brother and Anton still got along great. Brian didn’t understand that, and he was trying to stick up for his best friend. If only Brian could fathom just how much Mark hated drama, he would have stopped. Perhaps, I could have explained if he wasn’t buzzed.

Brian smiled. “Since when do you need a guy to protect you?” he asked me. “And here I was thinking you took care of yourself.”

“She’s sick,” Anton answered for me. I winced. “I’m sure she’ll be happy to kick your butt herself once she’s feeling better.”

Brilliant.
Thank you, Anton.

At least Brian seemed to pick up on my irritation. Either that or he knew my brothers’ restraint wouldn’t extend enough to let him fight me while I was ill. “Fine with me,” he announced and stormed out. Tamer, who’d looked most uncomfortable while that whole scene was unfolding, relaxed visibly and plopped down on the couch. Jack landed his behind in the armchair. Unfortunately, I knew better than to think the tension was over.

“Is that why you were blowing chunks earlier?” Luke asked me. “Did you lie to me?”

With a few long strides, Luke circled me and took a position where Brian had been. He put a hand on my forehead while I responded. “I’m sorry, Luke. I just didn’t want you to worry. And I didn’t lie. People do get nauseous when teleporting.”
I glanced behind Luke at Tamer and noticed he was wearing an expression like he thought maybe today was the wrong day to visit.

The anger on Luke’s face transformed into parental concern. “You’re burning up. Is this a cold or something else?”

I shrugged and stared at the floor. “Wizard flu,” I said quietly.

Luke did not like that answer. “What the hell does that mean?” he growled, grabbing my wrist and pushing me back into the bedroom. I stumbled and nearly landed on my butt, but Luke held me up by my wrist, and I managed to stay on my feet.

“Whoa, Luke, take it easy,” Jack exclaimed, jumping up from the armchair in surprise. Luke must have forgotten about my ankle. “I’m sure she didn’t mean to be mouthy. It’s not like she’s no doctor or nothin’ and knows what she’s caught.”

Luke knew I wasn’t being a smart-alec, but he was scared and angry for being lied to. Wizard flu was one more gruesome mystery to add to his crumbling perception of reality. It must have seemed like the world was falling apart around him. But Luke hated to let Mark and me see his fear so he converted it to anger instead. I stared at him, anxious of his next move. Luke scowled at me for a second longer and then released my arm. He put his hand back on my forehead. “You’re temperature’s running well over a hundred and five. We’re taking you to the hospital.”

“You can’t,” I hissed under my breath in hopes no one else would hear me. They probably did anyways. Luke didn’t appear convinced. I walked around him and closed the door to my bedroom for privacy. My head was swimming a little and I still wanted to sit down, but that would not have been conducive to my case. “Luke, the hospital’s not going to have a clue what to do with wizard flu.” I paused to take a deep breath. This bug was running me down pretty hard. “We could start fear of an epidemic. And when they didn’t’ know how to treat me, I’d be stuck there under quarantine unable to heal myself without raising suspicion.” That argument was a mouthful. I took another deep breath and allowed myself to lean back against the doorframe. “By tomorrow evening, Tamer, Anton and I should have enough power between us to cure me.”

Luke sighed and laid a hand on my shoulder. “Take it easy until then,” he instructed. Then he walked past me, yanked the door open and exited into the living room.