Discovery: Altera Realm Trilogy (40 page)

"Are they gone?"

Gabe looked at Noelle. He could see the fear on her face as well as smell it. Her heart was beating fast, adrenalin pouring through her veins. "I can still smell them," he said. He looked around the fallen tree they were hiding behind.

When the Daemons had attacked, Gabe instinctively had grabbed Noelle and pulled her to a safer spot. He easily had found Syney through Hunter's thoughts and concentrated on keeping Noelle out of harm's way. There was only one Daemon who dared come near them, and Gabe had pulled off his head the second he had come within a few feet. He wasn't sure what was going on right now, but there wasn't any time to think, just act.

He saw a few dead Daemons, but no more actually moving, which was good. The bad part was the number of Magic Users and Lycins he saw spread out along the grass. This had been a massacre, the worst he had seen in a long time. He looked back at Noelle. "I think it's over. But stay here while I get Syney and the others."

"You are not leaving me here!" she yelped, her eyes getting wide.

"You really don't want to see what's behind this tree," he said, putting his hands on either side of her face. "I don't want you to see it."

She started to cry. He gave her credit for lasting so long and not letting the tears flow.

"Gabe!"

He looked up at the sound of his name, but it had come from his head. He was suddenly accosted with images of Syney lying on the ground, not moving. He swore under his breath and looked around. He saw Hunter, not far away, fighting one last Daemon. He grabbed Noelle's hand. "Come on. Syney needs me." He pulled her to her feet and ran to a series of large gray stones. He gave a glance to Hunter and saw Reed run up and land a blow to the Daemon's head. That part was handled.

"Oh, god!" Noelle yelled and rushed over to Syney.

Gabe stopped a few inches from her. He couldn't hear her heartbeat. He dropped to his knees and placed a hand on her bruised neck. No pulse, nothing.

"Help her!" Noelle yelled.

"She's dead," Gabe whispered.

Noelle looked at him and shook her head. "It hasn't been that long."

He stared at her, still amazed at her knowledge of Vampires. He swallowed and put his wrist to his mouth, ripping the skin away with the fangs that sprang out from his gums. Once his blood was running freely, he put his wrist to Syney's mouth. He closed his eyes and willed her mind to work, to accept the blood he was giving her. After what seemed like forever, he heard a faint thump and then another. He smiled and opened his eyes. Syney's eyes flew open, and her hands reached up to Gabe's arm, but she didn't fight him this time, didn't try to pull his wrist away. Instead she grabbed his arm, holding it to her mouth. He felt her suck the blood out of his wrist faster than it flowed. He winced and swore in pain.

"You OK?" Noelle asked quietly.

"She's pulling," he said through gritted teeth.

"Is she OK?" Hunter asked, heavily collapsing next to Noelle.

"She will be," Gabe said, closing his eyes. He felt his own heartbeat slow down and knew he couldn't let her have much more—not without killing himself. But she was still sucking with everything in her being. Gabe had seen this before. Syney had been dead. The second her body realized that Gabe's blood was healing, it craved more—much more than he had given her back at her house when Scorpina had poisoned her. That had been a simple fix. This obviously wasn't.

"Don't give her too much," Noelle warned.

"I know," he said, his teeth still clenched.

"Why? What will it do?" Hunter asked.

Gabe was silent. He wanted to give her as much as she needed, or at least as much as he could, so he needed to concentrate.

"If a Vampire gives too much of his or her blood, the person starts to get more than just the healing power of the blood," Noelle explained. "A Vampire's life force is their blood. Their powers, their memories, everything flows through it."

"So she'll become a Vampire?"

"No," Gabe growled, both to Syney and Hunter. He pulled back his wrist but Syney held on. "A little help, please."

Hunter reached over and ripped Syney's hand from his arm. Gabe pulled back and fell onto his back, exhausted. He saw Syney struggle against Hunter to get back to Gabe, back to the blood, but Hunter held her down. Gabe reached into her mind again and put her to sleep after a few moments. Once she was down, he closed his eyes and laid his head back on the grass. He doubted he was going to move anytime soon.

"Her eyes are gold," Noelle said softly.

"It'll go away," Gabe managed as his head started to pound.

"So whatever she gets from you isn't permanent?" Hunter asked.

"No. But I have no idea when it'll go away, so don't ask." Gabe put his hand to his head as his heartbeat slowly returned to normal.

After a moment he heard movement. He glanced to the side as Reed walked up. The kid didn't look good. He was dirty and covered with blood and god knows what else.

"Is she OK?" he asked.

"Yes, just unconscious," Noelle said.

"We need to get back to the palace," Hunter said, standing up. He crouched down next to Gabe. "Can you walk?"

"No." He slowly sat up. "But I will." He took Hunter's hand and got to his feet.

"Were there any more survivors?" Noelle asked.

Reed nodded. "Commander Leaf and a group of Guards, Fern included, got as many as they could onto the horses. They're probably halfway to the palace."

"Rule number one—run," Noelle said, standing up.

"Please tell me there are at least horses?" Gabe asked.

"A couple," the kid said.

"We'll double-ride them," Hunter said.

Gabe looked back down at Syney and then at the dead Daemon a few feet away. He needed to find out what the hell had happened to lying low—and fast. But first he needed to be there when Syney woke up. He knew the golden eyes were only the tip of the iceberg—not that he wanted to tell anyone else that. She needed him right now. The Daemons would have to wait.

Helen

News of the attack reached Helen the second the survivors entered the palace. She was in the chapel for her daily offering of prayers to the gods and goddesses when Ember charged in. He told her there had been an attack on the party that had gone out to the Great Lake. The second the words finished coming out of his mouth, the master alarm sounded throughout the Village. Helen stared at her Protector, not knowing what to say. They had taken trips to the Great Lake hundreds of times—not only that, but it had been Daemons? They were sleeping so far underground that only a spell could wake them. It was a spell that was said to be locked up so tightly that no one dared to get to it—not that they would want to wake up the dangerous beasts. Ember told her she needed to stay put in her room, but Helen couldn't think to do that. Syney had been on that trip. Leaf had been on that trip.

"They'll need help in the infirmary. We don't have many doctors. I can help," she said, heading for the door.

Ember cut her off to stop her. "You're not a doctor."

"But there are always things I can do to help. Please. I can't just stay in my room." She stared at him for a moment.

Finally he relented and escorted her to the infirmary. He led her right into the room where Syney had spent most of her time. Then it had been just her in the long room of beds, but now there were people everywhere, and they were all injured. She wasn't sure what she should do, but she walked right into the
room with a purpose. Toward the back of the room, she saw Leaf standing over a young Lycin, and her heart slowed down a bit. She walked over to stand on the other side of the bed upon which the young boy lay.

"What can I do to help?" she asked.

Leaf looked up at her, for a moment confused. "Go back to your room."

"No. What can I do?"

He sighed and pulled her hand to where his was. "Put pressure on this."

She held her hand over a white towel over the boy's midsection and pushed down. She looked back up to Leaf, but he was gone. She saw him across the room helping another person. A few scattered doctors were doing the best they could do, but there were so many casualties. She scanned the room but didn't see Syney anywhere. She didn't realize the boy below her was crying until she looked back down at him. He couldn't have been any older than thirty, which was young for a Lycin, especially a Guard. She took her other hand and stroked his blood-matted hair.

"Hey, it's going to be OK," she whispered, although she wasn't so sure, as the towel was slowly turning red.

"They came out of nowhere," he said in a cracked, hoarse voice.

Helen nodded, feeling tears coming to her eyes. "You're home now, and the doctors are going to take good care of you. I promise."

He turned to look at her with his brown eyes. "My mom—she needs to know... I'm so sorry. She needs to know."

"And you'll tell her." She looked around for a doctor.

The boy grabbed her arm, forcing her eyes back on him. "Please tell her. We had a fight. She didn't want me to go. She was scared." He coughed, some blood coming from his mouth.

Helen knew that wasn't good. "I need a doctor!" she yelled, but no one heard her over the roar of activity.

He started to cry harder as the blood from his wound surrounded her hand.

Helen looked around desperately. No one was going to help her. She sighed out of frustration and leaned forward. "What's your name and house?"

"Spark of House Spring."

"OK. I'll find her. I'll tell her."

"Just...tell her I love her."

Helen nodded. "Do you want to pray with me?"

He coughed some more but managed to nod.

Helen started to say a prayer that she had learned as a little girl. It was one said on people's deathbeds. Spark knew it and joined in with her. By the time she reached the end, he had stopped speaking. She felt for a pulse but didn't feel any. She stepped back and looked at the dead boy. He was younger than her,
and now his whole life was gone. She walked backward until she hit the wall and slid to the floor. She looked down at the blood on her hands and cried. She wasn't sure how long she was there, but once she looked up again, the noise and activity had died down. She looked over at the bed next to her. She couldn't see the boy, but she felt that he was still there. She stared up at the bed as her tears started to slow.

She didn't hear or see Leaf until he was right in front of her, crouching to be at her level. "Princess?" he asked softly.

She looked at him, not entirely focusing on him. She swallowed and looked back at the bed. "He's dead."

Leaf nodded. "He is. I'm sorry I left you there."

A sob escaped her lips. "I prayed with him...but he died anyway."

"He was a good warrior. He died protecting your people."

Something about that saddened Helen. She never had questioned the Protector and Guard system. But now, seeing that boy dead, and for her people no less—it left a bad taste in her mouth. "I...I have to find his mother."

"All of the families will be notified, Princess. Don't worry."

She shook her head. "No! I have to...talk to her...tell her. He asked me to talk to her."

"I'll talk to her. Don't worry."

"You're not listening! I promised! He's...Spark of House Spring. He told me that he loved her and that he was sorry. And I have to go tell her!"

Leaf took her hands in his and nodded. "OK. OK, Helen. I'll take you there."

"You will?"

He nodded. "Come on." He pulled her to her feet.

Helen didn't look at the boy again; she couldn't. She kept staring at Leaf as he led her to the door of the infirmary.

"Wait here," he said.

She nodded, her breathing finally returning to normal. Leaf returned a moment later with a small medal. He gave it to her and told her it was Spark's Medal of Honor. Helen nodded and held it close to her chest. She knew every Lycin was given a medal that they wore somewhere on them at all times. If they ever died, especially in battle, the medal would be given to the next of kin.

When Helen gave Spark's medal to his mother, the older woman cried into her shoulder. Helen kept her cool and hugged the woman. She gave her his message as well, squeezing the woman's hands as she did. When they went to leave, Helen gave her a blessing and offered a prayer up to the gods who watched over Valhalla.

Once outside she looked at Leaf. "I want to do the rest as well."

"What?" he asked.

"You said you were going to notify the families. I want to go and tell them. They died for us. They deserve one of us to tell them."

Leaf stared down at her, and Helen could have sworn she saw his eyes get a bit wetter. "All right."

Helen smiled. This wasn't going to make anything right, but she needed to do something.

Mellisandrianna