Thirst No. 4 (26 page)

But the hand stops me from turning around.

The creature isn’t going to let me see it. Not yet.

My eyes are still shut. However, my vision is forced back toward the center of the circle. My mind is no longer with Lisa. But just as her blood seemed to fill the vase, now I sense the Familiars emptying it. Even though they remain standing behind their respective wards, the level of the blood in the crystal vase slowly drops until it’s totally drained. I hear a licking sound. Like they don’t want to waste a single drop.

The pressure on the back of my skull eases up.

I feel my body sag forward. Someone squeezes my hand; it’s Jolie. Someone else pats me on the back; that’s Lark. I hear the noises of the real room and when I do open my eyes, the
lights are back on and the kids are standing and stretching. I look up and Lark offers me his hand.

“How do you feel?” he asks as he pulls me to my feet.

“Weird.” I let go of his hand and touch the back of my skull. “Like someone just operated on my brain.”

“The first time can be rough but it gets easier.”

“I threw up the first time,” Jolie says, holding on to Mr. Topper.

“When we sit together like this, our minds link,” Lark says. “We become one.”

Their remarks confirm they meet regularly.

“Does that mean you were able to read my mind?” I’m curious because I wasn’t able to pick up their specific thoughts, although I could sense their overall mood. For example, their feeling of satisfaction when Lisa struck the ground. Lark shakes his head.

“I felt your emotions more than your thoughts,” he says. “I know you were shocked when you realized your friend was innocent.”

I frown. “I wouldn’t say she was innocent.”

“Then you didn’t see into her mind. She never betrayed you.” Lark grins. “You didn’t have to offer such an innocent victim. Yet you have pleased the powers, and been accepted into the Cradle. A great being has been assigned to you.”

I feel sick at heart with what I have done to Lisa. I struggle to hide my pain.

“Are you talking about that thing that was standing behind me?” I ask.

“That Familiar is your master now. If I were you, I’d speak of him with more respect. He’s very special.”

“How do you know? Did you see him?”

Lark’s eyes shine. But he doesn’t answer my question.

B
rutran wants to speak to me after my firsthand experience with the Cradle but I feel the need to be alone. There’s a room on the fourth floor that was ordinarily used as an overnight suite for IIC executives that were working late and didn’t have time to go home. I have appropriated it as my own private quarters. After speaking to Lark, I hurry upstairs and lock the door.

Already I feel I’m in deeper than I planned. Mentally linking with the Cradle reminds me of the time the Telar tortured me with a device called the Pulse. The purpose of the Telar’s invention was simple—to induce agony. But in practice it caused so much pain it made me lose even my sense of “I.” Sharing a psychic connection with the kids has a similar effect on me. With both, I feel I’m no longer myself.

Yet I fear the long-term effects of the Cradle will be worse
than the Pulse. Alone in my room, I don’t feel alone. It’s as if I have two shadows instead of one, and this second shadow doesn’t conform to my movements. It follows me, it gives the impression it will never leave me, but it does what it wants. I worry that in time I will do what it wants.

I feel watched.

Eyes staring at the back of my skull.

Invisible hands on my shoulders.

Most of all I feel fear.

Yes, I, the fearless vampire—the thing terrifies me.

I throw myself down on the suite bed and try to sleep. Since I have entered the IIC stronghold, I have slept at most three hours, and my nerves are ragged from fatigue.

I feel a desperate need to hear a friendly voice. Matt has given me what he swears is a secure cell phone. I pick it up and give Umara a call. She answers right away.

“How are you?” she asks.

“I feel like I’m losing my mind,” I say.

“That’s to be expected. Tell me everything that’s happened.”

I give Umara a quick but thorough overview. It doesn’t take long with her because she grasps situations quickly. Plus she was in a similar position thousands of years ago. When I finish, she asks if I want help.

“Not yet,” I reply. “No matter how much Brutran opens up to me, I don’t trust her. There’s no predicting how she’ll react when the Telar’s top people have been killed.”

“When she’s done using you, she’ll try to get rid of you.”

“Probably. But she’s more desperate than you would imagine. This will sound strange but it’s like she clings to me.”

“It’s probably an act. She’s a master manipulator,” Umara says.

“It could be genuine. And she still might be planning to kill me.”

“The devil’s at his most dangerous when he’s telling the truth.”

“Speaking of devils, how do I get rid of this feeling that the Familiar is still attached to me?”

“You can’t. It is attached to you. And it will grow stronger the more you feed it.”

“With pain and suffering?”

“I think for a creature as advanced as your Familiar, that’s probably dessert. I’m sure it’s listening to every word we’re saying, while drawing up long-term plans.”

“For what? Me? The world?”

“Both. Sita, I’m sorry but I did warn you.”

“When you spoke in the car on the drive down, I don’t know, it all felt like an old fable. I didn’t really think I’d be battling demons.”

“The battle has yet to start. Right now you’re allies.”

I groan. “Tell me some good news.”

“Shanti and Seymour are a hundred percent cured. That means we can start manufacturing Charlie’s vaccine. The question is, who should we turn to for help?”

“I’ve been thinking about that. As soon as we attack the Source, the Telar will release the virus. We’re almost out of time. I say send Charlie here and let him turn over his research to the IIC’s best scientists. With a sample of the vaccine already available, I bet they can start mass-producing it within two days.”

“The Telar can kill half the population in that time.”

“That’s why we should get it ready now,” I say.

“One point worries me. Without the need for daily injections, you’ll lose the strongest hold you have over Brutran and her people.”

“I still have your blood samples. That’s enough. They still need me.”

“I hope you’re right.”

“Hey, you’re supposed to be cheering me up.”

I feel Umara smile. “Would you like to talk to Matt? He told me to tell him if you called.”

I hesitate. “What’s his state of mind?”

“The trip back to Missouri was rough. Teri’s funeral, seeing her parents, having to invent a story to explain her ‘accident.’”

“I wish I could have been there.”

“You look too much like her. You would have raised questions.”

“Put Matt on. I’ll talk to him.”

Umara pauses. “Sita?”

“Yes?”

“You had to sacrifice Lisa. It was your only way in.”

“I know. But it doesn’t make me feel any better.”

Umara sets down the phone and while I wait I roll on my back and stare at the ceiling. It’s almost as if I see a shadow hovering over me.

“Hello, Sita. Mom says you’re going through hell.”

“I’m sure I deserve it.” I give him a quick rundown on what’s been happening, almost a repeat of my update to Umara. The only difference is Matt doesn’t ask any questions. He doesn’t even object when I talk about sending Charlie to join me. That’s a surprise. It’s like he no longer cares, about anything.

“You have always been against going to the IIC for help,” I say.

“You’re already there, it’s done. Besides, you’re right, you start to hurt the Telar and they’ll strike back. We need tons of vaccine on hand. Let the IIC make it and distribute it.” He pauses. “Isn’t that what you want?”

“I guess I just miss our old arguments,” I say.

“They were all about nothing.”

“You miss her. I miss her, too.”

“I know. At least I got to . . . say good-bye.”

“That was fortunate.”

I hear Matt sigh. “I just wish my mom had more of Krishna’s blood. Or John could have kept Teri in her body. She was right there, you know, in my arms. She just slipped away.”

“I don’t think we’ll understand why it happened the way it did. But you know, even though her life was short, it was rich. She won the big race. She won your love.”

“Yeah. The love of a man who couldn’t protect her.”

“Your love was wonderful. And who knows, perhaps we’ll all meet again one day. All these battles I’m fighting with these demons, it makes me believe there’s got to be a few angels out there, somewhere, looking over us. Krishna couldn’t have stacked the deck totally against us.”

Matt draws in a deep breath and slowly lets it go. He sounds like he’s relaxing. “Your words help.”

“Your voice helps, Matt. Just the fact you’re out there.”

“You get in a tight spot, give me a call. I’ll be there in a heartbeat.”

“That means a lot to me.” I pause. “I love you.”

He’s silent a long time. “You’re always in my heart, Sita.”

We talk a while longer but it’s just a bunch of words. He does tell me, however, that Lieutenant William Treach came to Teri’s funeral. He says the man appeared confused. Worse, it appears his wife is in a mental hospital. Matt gives me the name of the clinic. He got it from the detective knowing I would want it.

When Matt and I hang up I call the police detective. I feel responsible for upsetting the Treaches’ lives. I catch him at work, alone in his office. The man asks who I am and in an instant I know he’s not well. Damn, I should never have
used my psychic powers when I was in Teri’s body. I definitely started a loop in his mind.

“I’m Teri Raine’s cousin,” I say. “She told me about meeting you in Denver. And I heard you were at her funeral in Missouri.”

“That’s true. Our first meeting was serious. It involved a murder case. But we formed a bond of sorts the next time we spoke.” He stops and the confusion in his voice is evident. “I felt close to Teri, it’s hard to explain. I was saddened to hear about her death.”

“It was a tragedy.”

“I was never clear how she died.”

“I believe the accident is still being investigated. But it’s not the reason I called. I’m concerned about you and your wife.”

“My wife? How do you know my wife?”

“I heard she was ill.”

“Who told you this?”

I allow a measure of my telepathic power to flow out. “It doesn’t matter. Lieutenant William Treach, Bill, please close your eyes and relax. Listen to the sound of my voice. You don’t have to block out other sounds, you simply have no interest in them. You’re not even concerned with your office. You hear my voice and that’s all that matters. Do you understand?”

He sounds dreamy. “Yes.”

“From the time you returned home to your wife after meeting Teri Raine, a series of suggestions were placed in your
mind. They were placed there with the best of intentions. No one meant you any harm. But it’s time those suggestions were erased. You’ll feel better with them gone. Now go back in time to that evening. You walk in the house and you sense someone behind you. From that instant on, until six o’clock the next morning, I want you to purge all your memories. Anything that happened during that time can no longer bother you. It no longer exists. From now on, you’ll feel and act like your old self. Is that clear?”

“Yes.”

“Continue to sit with your eyes closed and take a five-minute nap. When you awaken, you will have forgotten that I called. But you’ll feel rested and refreshed, ready to tackle any task that comes your way. At the same time, deep in your heart, you know your wife, Sandra, is going to be okay. She’s going to make a full recovery. Is this totally clear?”

He hesitates. “I don’t feel . . . Yes.”

My mental powers are at full strength. I don’t know why he hesitates.

“What don’t you feel, Detective?” I ask.

He’s a long time answering. His breathing sounds strained.

“Something’s here,” he whispers. “Something . . . dreadful.”

I go to ask him to clarify but stop. He’s sensing the Familiar! Worse, the creature’s trying to disturb the healing I’m doing on him.

“Hang up the phone, Detective, and take your nap.”

I cut the line before anything else can be done to the man.

I feel as if I’ve been psychically abused. I dare not call Sandra and try to repair her mind. In her disturbed mental state, God only knows how vulnerable she would be to a Familiar. I’ll have to avoid acting as a healer until I’m rid of the creature.

The Familiar interference shakes me up. There’s one thing I can’t stand—it’s the feeling of losing control. Now, with this parasite attached to my skull, or my shoulders, or wherever, I feel exposed to all kinds of dark and invisible influences. But I’m not sure if that’s really the case or if it’s just fear that’s making the situation seem worse than it is.

Lying back on my bed, I try to recall any helpful clues Umara might have given me when she told me the story about the origin of the Telar.

“How did a primitive culture like the ancient Egyptians come up with something as sophisticated as Professor Sharp’s array?” I asked as Umara and I left the enchanting town of Carmel behind and began to enter the even more magical redwood forests of Big Sur. The coastal route from Santa Cruz to Malibu took longer than the inland route but I wanted to enjoy the beauty of the rugged coast before condemning myself to a miserable imprisonment in Brutran’s stronghold.

“Who are you calling primitive?” Umara said from the passenger seat. We had argued over who was to drive. Both of us were control freaks. In the end, we agreed to split the task.

“Sharp needed computers to be certain his array was working. The same with the IIC and their psychic army. How did the Telar manage to skip these steps?”

“You assume we stumbled across it the same way. That wasn’t the case. You have to understand we were a deeply religious people. We worshipped many deities but understood they were all manifestations of the one. We were especially grateful to what nature gave us and for that reason our names for God and Mother Nature were identical. My own name, Umara, means ‘the Mother.’”