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 | | From: | Teserk | | Subject: | [VampFiles] Chapter 8 - Medicine for the Soul | | Date: | Fri, 07 Jan 2005 16:31:54 GMT |
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 | Vamp Files. Written by Wade and Teserk
Archived at:
http://www.geocities.com/cerebin/stories/Vamp_Files/index.html
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Chapter 8 - Medicine for the Soul
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[Griffin]
"Burning the midnight oil again, I see."
Commander Temkin, head of the Elite Forces unit of the Royal
Guard tensed at the unexpected voice. It was a slight
movement of the shoulders, a micro shrug that most men would
probably miss, but Griffin knew Temkin very well.
"Still skirking about HQ when you should be out fulfilling
your assignments?"
Temkin didn't turn from his seat at his desk. Instead,
Griffin moved from his entry point of the secret door along
Temkin's back wall to the wooden chair in front of the
commander. He flipped the chair so its high back faced
Temkin and straddled it as he sat down.
Temkin continued writing in an open logbook and the only
sound for a few moments was the scratching of the quill pen.
"Surprised you, didn't I."
Temkin finished a line with a sharp poke of the quill then
jammed the instrument back in its holder.
"Yes, and it annoys me to no end." Temkin gestured wildly
at the wall behind him. "I have wards on that door, man.
Strong wards! New wards. I set them myself. It is
supposed to be secure."
Griffin chuckled. This had become something of a game
between the two - Temkin trying to keep Griffin from
entering his office unawares. Griffin had been getting the
best of the commander as of late.
"That's the problem, sir. You set them yourself. How many
times do I have to tell you that no matter how hard you try
to mask it, your aural signature marks your work?"
"But the trap..."
"I saw that, quite clever actually. You wove the ward to
warn if anyone with your signature tried to take it down."
"Then how...?
"Since you couldn't take down the ward without setting off
the trap, there had to be another way. You enlisted a
backup man. This time, that was Downy. I recognized his
signature, too."
"Damn you and your damnable aura skills! You had better
watch it. The next time I'll just rig up a fireball and fry
your butt. I'm through with subtlety. "
Griffin could only smile.
Temkin sighed. "I assume you're here to report."
Griffin nodded and launched into a concise description of
the day's activities. He didn't skimp on important facts,
but intentionally left out certain things: specifically his
injury and the subsequent visit of Kelisharii.
Temkin listened attentively then sat back in his chair.
"So you think there is a brood war brewing between weres and
vampires."
"It's a strong possibility. Davian thinks such things occur
with relative frequency."
"Not in my city," Temkin said. "What does he suggest?"
"He's going to check into things from the Guild's point of
view. If we can determine when the weres started becoming
active in the city, perhaps we can link it to some event
that will give us a clue. I'm going to work it from the
other end, try and figure out who in the government has been
most opposed to the were-guild's interests."
"Going to visit the RAB?"
"I just might at that."
"Don't get caught. The thought of a brood war scares the
pants off me and I'll need you if and when fat hits the
frying pan."
-----
[Davian]
It was reaching that time of the morning where the light
starts to intrude itself into the night and creates larger
and deeper shadows. Tonight was especially fickle, and
Aspia led them along a wide open street in the quiet of the
pre-dawn. Dew was settling over the cobbles in the
roadways, making footing less safe, but erasing any sign of
their passage. Neither had any trouble keeping quiet or
moving down the roadways of the city.
Davian had asked, as politely as possible, as he would not
have her serve him under duress, to find them a place to
rest for a few hours. He needed some time to think and
process the information Lian had fed him. She made no
response but to turn and lead him through the gardens and
back into the street. He guessed she probably assumed that
he would ask for more than a guide. He would not, but if
she offered he would certainly not refuse. Bae are not so
different from humans in many ways.
They arrived outside of a hostel that was well maintained.
The porch was swept, the boards glistening in the early
morning dew. The eaves were free of debris and no trash
fluttered about the slats. A fairly inviting place really.
Aspia perfunctorily told him to remain outside, she would
come back for him in a moment. Not wishing to cause waves,
and knowing she would not leave him behind for long, he
leaned against a support and waited. The hostel was dark,
but soon a flicker of candle light shone through the
material covering the window. A few moments later, at
almost the same time as a ray of sunlight streamed onto the
street she called him in, without coming out to get him.
The room was decorated sparsely, but with good taste. A
large firepit dominated the back where cookpots hung dry. No
continuously produced stews in this place to disagree with
your stomach. There was no one else about, the owner had
left the candle on the counter.
"You may have the room for a day's time. I will find you,
here, at the setting of the sun." He tried to look closely
at her face, but it was mostly hidden from view in shadow.
"You are not staying here?"
She raised an eyebrow, turned toward the back, and said
again, "I will find you here this evening." She must have
moved quickly after that, for as Davian moved toward the
door she had vanished down, there was no more sign of her.
Blowing out the candle on the counter, he scooped up the
key, labeled with the picture of a bird or bat and wandered
up to find his room and rest.
-----
[Griffin]
Griffin didn't head straight for the Royal Administration
Building. It was unlikely he would unearth anything of
value in the maze that was the RAB in the dead of night.
Chances were greater he would run into the vampire who would
promptly eliminate a stupid guardsman for thinking he could
intrude upon its territory without adequate preparation.
Instead, Griffin headed somewhere he had rarely been in the
last several years - his own residence.
The small apartment was located in a quaint Almedean market
district named Hensignton Square after the trading family
that had first set up shop there some fifty years
previously. The businesses in Hensington Square were wildly
varied in what they sold, from simple dry goods and
household necessities to children's toys to jewelry and
exotic spices. The shops were all relatively small and
well tended and were frequented by Almedea's growing middle
class. Frequent guard patrols - aided by a quaint, but
effective neighborhood watch system - kept the area quiet
and free of major crime. From his first days in Almedea,
Griffin had appreciated the peaceful quality of the square
and had chosen to make his permanent residence there. The
fact that he was so rarely home made his visits that much
more pleasant.
Griffin turned down a small side street, anticipation of a
clean, soft bed foremost in his mind. He was so tired he
was having trouble even thinking straight. He had been
awake for almost forty straight hours now and the fatigue
had finally caught up with him. The sight of a familiar
external stairway leading to an upstairs apartment brought a
smile to his face. Home.
He mounted the worn wooden steps slowly, failing to muster
the energy to move any faster. It was only after he had
crossed the small balcony to the door and began to fit the
key into the lock that he noticed the light. A small golden
flicker escaped from crack at the bottom of the door. With
a shock he realized someone was inside.
Griffin was jolted into full awareness. He cursed himself
for relaxing his guard before he was safely at home behind
locked and warded doors. If the intruder was the least bit
perceptive he was sure to have heard the scratching of the
key in the lock. Rather than give the person time to
prepare, Griffin turned the key in the lock and burst
inside, his sword already clearing the scabbard.
He stopped short and stared. His sword slowly lowered as a
musical voice met his entry.
"Do you always make such grand entrances to your own home?"
Kelisharii stood before his fireplace, his teakettle in one
hand and the fire poker in the other.
"Are you going to come in, or do you intend to stand in the
doorway all night?"
Griffin recovered from the shock of finding the gypsie in
his apartment and quickly closed the door. He reset the
lock then pulled the internal bolt. Having secured the
door, he slammed his sword back into its sheath.
"What are you doing here?" It came out more as a demand
than a question. Kelisharii responded with the infamous
gypsie temper.
"What am _I_ doing here? The more appropriate question is
'What are _you_ doing here?' I believe we had an
appointment." She set the teakettle down hard enough to
splash steaming water onto the small kitchen table. "I was
there on time."
Griffin fought the urge to respond in kind. He wasn't angry
with her for being here - he was angry with himself for his
lapse in vigilance. He sighed.
"I'm sorry. Please don't take offense at my tone. I'm very
tired, but still very happy to see you."
The heat in her eyes diminished as he pulled out a chair and
collapsed into it.
"How did you find me?" He didn't bother to ask her how she
had gotten inside. Gypsies were good at many things other
than healing.
Kelisharii seated herself in a chair opposite him and pulled
a small packet from a pouch at her waist. She pulled some
oddly shaped leaves from it and rolled them between her
hands as she spoke.
"When I saw the mess at the hostel I knew you wouldn't
return there tonight. This is the only other place of yours
I know of. I naturally assumed that you would meet me here."
Her eyes dared him to contradict her.
"Naturally."
The edges of Kelisharii's mouth turned up slightly. She
dumped the leaves - which had been reduced to a stinking
green pulp - into the teakettle.
"Where's your partner?"
Griffin rubbed at his eyes. Now that the surprise at
finding Kelisharii had worn off, his fatigue was returning.
A dull throbbing in his temples indicated the commencement
of a headache.
"We got separated. I'll find him again in a few days."
There was a short pause. "You don't look so good."
"I'm just tired." An acrid smell began to emanate from the
teakettle. "What is that stuff?"
"Wolf's Bane."
Griffin suddenly remembered the reason for their
appointment. Gods, he must be tired if he was forgetting
something like that. He rubbed at the wound on his arm.
"Smells awful."
"Most potent medicines do."
"Is it going to work?"
The pause this time was longer. "I don't know. I hope so."
They sat in silence for a few minutes. Griffin's headache
was getting worse. He rubbed at his temples.
"Would you get a teacup for me?" Kelisharii asked.
Griffin hauled himself out of the chair and shuffled to the
cupboard. He found a teacup inside and returned with it to
the table. Kelisharii took the proffered cup and deftly
filled it from the teakettle, then pushed the drink across
the table to him.
The concoction smelled vile. It tasted even worse. Griffin
finally managed to gag it down.
"You didn't tell me it was going to be so bitter."
"I didn't know. I've never had it before."
There was another lapse in the conversation. Griffin's head
pounded more forcefully now and his eyes began to swim.
"You really look tired," Kelisharii said. "You had best lie
down before you fall asleep on the table."
Griffin protested weakly as Kelisharii guided him to the
bedroom. "Can't yet...wards...."
"The wards will wait."
He made to protest again, but his mouth had seemed to stop
working. His body was becoming lethargic. He felt himself
helped onto something soft. It was the most natural thing
in the world to lay down. The pain in his head was going
now. Kelisharii's face filled his vision for a moment and
he felt a pleasant wetness on his cheek before the world
went dark.
-----
[Kelisharii]
Kelisharii unbuckled Griffin's swordbelt and slid it from
beneath him. She set the weapon next to the headboard and
then went to work on removing Griffin's boots. It might not
have been wise to slip the bitter sleeping herbs into the
tea as he went for the cup, but she hadn't been able to help
herself. He had been dead on his feet and knowing the
lieutenant like she did, he would only have slept for a few
hours before duty would have had him back up and about. He
needed time and rest if the Wolf's Bane was to do its work
and he wasn't going to get that unassisted.
The gypsie placed the boots on the floor then returned to
the kitchen. She dumped the remaining tea in the fire.
Wolf's Bane infusions were only effective when fresh - at
least that's what she had been told. Her hands began to
shake and she was forced to set the teakettle down to avoid
dropping it.
Lycanthropy. The word echoed around inside of her. Gypsie
folklore held firm to the belief that Wolf's Bane, properly
prepared, would stop the dreaded disease if administered
before the first transformation. Kelisharii had faith in
the traditions of her people, but she was concerned
nonetheless. What if she had made a mistake? What if her
preparations had not been sufficient? What if Griffin
succumbed?
Kelisharii pushed such thoughts from her mind and forced
herself to calm. She had to trust in her abilities. What
other source of reassurance did she have?
She plucked the candle from the table and walked back into
the bedroom. The room was cold, she realized. She placed
the candle on a bedside stand and pulled a heavy comforter
up and around Griffin's slumbering form. The worn,
care-troubled look had faded from his face leaving only the
peace of deep sleep.
How long she stood there watching him, Kelisharii didn't
know. She knew she should go, but the worries in her heart
kept her rooted in place. When she finally did move it was
not towards the door.
Kelisharii undressed down to her shift. She blew out the
candle then slipped beneath the blanket. With one arm
across his chest, her head pillowed on his shoulder, she
clung to him in the dark drawing comfort from his warmth.
Sleep was a long time in coming.
-----
[Davian]
Sunlight streamed in through the cracks in the slats that
served as shutters over the window. He heard the everyday
ramblings of people in the building: the shuffling of feet,
the scuff of heel on stairs, the clatter of crockery.
Nothing unusual at all, but he still could not sleep. He
remained on the bed, lying perfectly still with his hands
folded on his stomach. He had taken off his boots and had
cleaned and then replaced his clothing in the nearby basin.
He watched dust motes lazily blink in and out of existence
as they passed through the thin beams of sunlight and
continued to think about recent events.
Finding a Bae in charge of the city's thieves guild made
things at once more complicated and more understandable. He
would have to tread lightly around the man, he would not
break the sanctity of the organization. But, that would not
stop him from digging, as best he could, for the filthy
vampires that seemed to be crawling about the city.
His thoughts paused as a set of softer clad feet moved past
the door and the click of a door told him the person had
moved on.
Aspia kept creeping her stealthy way back into his thoughts.
It had been some time since he had found a woman who caused
that reaction. Perhaps it was her training around Lian that
made her that much more attractive. Perhaps he was just
feeling his hormones. He cleared the thought from his still
mind and moved back to the subject of dealing with vampires.
The sun had passed beyond the slats of his room and still
he had no answers and no real direction. The only
conclusion was that he would have to rely on Aspia and the
guild to help get him back on a hot track. He hoped Griffin
was having more luck.
Allowing himself to drift off to sleep, Davian kept his mind
open to strange sounds and smells. To anyone entering the
room unnoticed, he would have appeared more like a zombie
than a tall human at this point. He breathed, but it was
long and slow, barely discernable.
---
Davian awoke to the sound of kids playing in the streets.
Judging that this must be the last rush of kids to play
before dinner, he stood and stretched. Rest was always good
when it could be found. Davian pushed the bed to the side
of the room to give himself more space, then spun and pulled
his twin lengthy daggers. His pace only accelerated as he
ran through the forms he used to train his muscles. As his
body heated, he removed articles of clothing without
breaking speed on the forms, the blades continuing to move
in wicked patterns about his body. Soon he was covered with
nothing more than his leather breaches, his muscles rippling
with the strain of common movement. It was these forms,
their repeated use, that drilled movement into his body.
Conscious thought played little role as his body arched and
struck outward.
The click of the latch, which he had locked when he entered
the room, brought both of his blades forward, stopping
within inches of Aspia's neck. She never flinched, merely
raised an appraising eyebrow in his direction.
He finished the form and placed the blades on the bed, aware
of her, but not paying her much attention. She closed the
door and waited, no word said, but he knew she was following
his every move. He rinsed his face and torso in what
remained of the water from the basin, cleaned his weapons of
sweat so they wouldn't rust, then dressed himself.
"I've seen those same body markings on Lian." The comment
was the most personal and questing he had yet heard from her.
He looked her over. She looked a bit tired, as though she
had not slept enough. "You are early."
She glanced briefly at the lack of light from the shutters
but said not a word. Not wanting to seem gruff and
unapproachable, Davian continued, "These tattoos are old
thieving marks. A brotherhood of sorts." Her eyes looked to
his torso where those marks were now hidden.
"That explains Lian's willingness to assist you, although if
you were here for thieving, I imagine he would have taken
your life without blinking. Tralian doesn't permit
interlopers."
Her familiar use of the man's full name surprised him. He
would have thought that would be something Lian did not
readily share. Perhaps this one shared his bed and knew
more than others. If so, he must indeed trust her. Her
scent was not as clear this day, but that lavender smell was
still there. Davian would have to trust this woman himself
it would seem.
"I'm in need of food," Davian told her. "Let's go get
something and discuss what comes next."
-----
[Griffin]
Griffin awoke to muted sunlight through the curtained
windows of his bedchamber. He was a little surprised to
find himself in his own bed, but he always felt that way
after a long assignment away from home. The familiar sounds
from the market played at his ears while the slight scent of
lavender tickled his nose. It was nice to be home.
Wait, lavender? That didn't fit. He sat bolt upright in
bed, his eyes playing warily about the room. He was alone.
A quick inspection revealed that the lavender scent was
coming from his own clothing on his left hand side.
Kelisharii? It had to be. He searched his memory of the
previous night to see if she had been wearing a lavender
perfume, but his recollection was hazy. That in itself was
strange. His memory of such details was generally very
good. Griffin lifted the curtains and gauged the time. It
was past noon. This, too, startled him. It wasn't like him
to sleep for so long. It seemed that Wolf's Bane had more
effects than just preventing lycanthropy. Well, there was
nothing for it. He had wasted half the day and there was
work to be done.
Griffin washed his face with water Kelisharii had
conveniently left in a pitcher near the bed. A search of
his closet produced an outfit worthy of a clerk of the Royal
Administration Building. He donned it quickly and set about
creating the disguise he normally used when hunting for
information at the RAB.
Ten minutes later he was in the kitchen, making quick work
of some fruit and rolls Kelisharii had left on the table
with a note stating that she would be back that evening to
administer a second dosage of the Wolf's Bane. Griffin
couldn't remember when he'd ever had such service. He
rather liked it.
(To be continued...)
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