Dragon Nest

Chapter 19

Blood," Lillian whimpered. "Help me to the kitchen." They pulled each other up, Lillian cradling her useless hand gently with the other. "In the fridge. All of it, get all of it!" Drained by the magical burn, she could barely stand, and allowed Susan to support her as they stumbled over to one of the big silver fridges.

Susan grabbed an armful of blood bags and dumped the first load on the bench alongside the sink.

"More!" Lillian hissed, fangs flashing as she pulled a bag from Susan's grip and sunk her teeth into it, messily splattering her chin and neck, dripping onto her turtleneck and staining it an even deeper red. Her previously light brown irises dilated to all-black as Susan returned with a second round.

"In the sink, cut them into the sink!" Lillian spluttered before ripping into another. Susan plugged the sink, grabbed a knife, and slit bag after bag, draining the contents into the stainless steel basin until Lillian told her to stop.

Gingerly, Lillian reached over and lowered her useless hand into the few inches of chilled crimson, breathing a sigh as it provided some relief. In her other hand she held her fourth bag, sipping from it, the blood's rejuvenating effects somewhat countered by the onset of bloat from having recently glugged it down.

"Are you going to be alright?" Susan asked tentatively, leaning against a fridge door across the way. It had been downright terrifying to be so close to the vampire, while she had screamed for blood. Her intake had been voracious. What would happen if the fridge ran out?

Under normal circumstances, the smell of Susan's fear would excite her. Lillian, however, only sighed and burped; she must be a right mess, covered in blood. Glancing first around the kitchen, she then turned to look grimly over at the witch. "Yes, I'll be fine in a while. You don't have to worry about me biting you. I'm stuffed." A slight sense of euphoria had begun grow as her hand throbbed painfully. It had begun to heal, submerged in the pool of blood. "There had better be a damn good explanation for this," she added grimly.

"There isn't," Susan replied, "he's put an enchantment on her, somehow. I've never seen anything like it. I suspect he meant it to protect her. It must have lashed out when you touched her."

"How did that happen? You said he couldn't use magic," Lillian snapped, narrowing her eyes.

They were both in shock, she realized too late; she needed to maintain her discipline, remain calm.

"I said he hasn't used magic," Susan snapped back, "He's never cast a spell in his life until now." She snorted. "The first one he tries, almost wipes him out. It's the dragon. Chris wouldn't know how to place an enchantment like that."

"You talk about them like they're two different Beings." Lillian groaned under her breath from a fresh onset of sensations, as newly-regenerated muscles and ligaments began to knit together.

"One Being. Two sides," Susan clarified. "Just like you have a human side and a vampiric side. Sometimes you're talking to Chris, sometimes a dragon."

"You know I have to report this." Lillian pulled her hand out of the blood briefly to inspect the progress. The blackened layers of skin were gone. Raw nerves burned from within the fresh layer of sub-dermis, exposed to air without an outer protective layer of skin yet generated, to cover them.

Susan wasn't squeamish as a rule, but the vampire's healing hand looked unnaturally gruesome: myriad growing tissues writhed as they absorbed the blood. She had felt relief after it was once again submerged. Looking away, she noted the state of the kitchen. Spattered blood, ripped bags littered and dripped across the nearby counters and floor. She chuckled almost maniacally. What a mess. They hadn't even been here for a full day. The statement about making a report swam back into focus.... The vampire didn't grasp the situation at all.

"Report?" Susan exclaimed. "Every Being with any magical sensitivity within 200 miles of here felt that! The Synod will be having a f*****g emergency phone conference as we speak. I should have known this wouldn't stay quiet. What's Lady Narlakis going to do now?"

"I can only guess," Lillian said honestly if still a bit sharply, despite attempts to infuse her voice with calm. "She wants him for herself, so she'll protect him. She'll be tempted; but I doubt she'll make a direct play to take him from you. You know how she is, no?"

"Yes, I know. Will you help me?" Susan had sensed the edge in Lillian's voice; nevertheless, she could really use a friend in this.

"I already am." Lillian attempted to smile, before wincing again as she tried moving her fingers. "I hate that elf more than you can imagine; but we have a blood pact, I'm bound to her."

"Really?" Blood pacts were a particularly powerful bond, very rare these days. "How?"

"I was young and greedy," Lillian admitted. "Stupid, too."

"How will you help us, then?" Susan pressed on. "Wait, what did she give you in return?"

Firmly, Lillian disciplined herself to become calm, to relax through the pain of her healing hand and the excitement of the last few minutes. "I'll run whatever diversions I can, while you get him on his feet. It won't be much, but anything to f**k with Reyla sounds great. In the end though, I do what she tells me." She flexed, grimaced, and continued. "Perhaps I'll just do exactly that. None of my own thinking or reporting helpful little insights." It might actually be enough to throw the Drow off a little. She looked at Susan with a serious, steady gaze. "Ultimately though, Susan, Reyla isn't your enemy. You just need to watch out for your dragon until he and the lady settle into their relationship."

"Yes, I'm relying on Reyla to protect him. Well, I'm relying on you; I just don't want her claws in him this early. He needs to be independent." If only they could make her see past Chris's value as simply an item for her collection.... If Reyla befriended him, she would have his loyalty without his resentment. "Hey, what about your part of the blood pact?"

"Well, I can do this." Using her power, she lifted Susan slightly, suspending her a scant inch off of the ground.

"Oh! What's –? Put me down!" Weightlessness was a disconcerting feeling; Susan wanted none of it.

At the sound of her shriek, Lillian hastily released her. Once back on the ground Susan felt a bit embarrassed; she heard Lillian chuckle and waited a few seconds, regaining composure before continuing.

"You're telekinetic. That's very powerful for a vampire."

"Yeah, pretty cool huh?" was Lillian's slightly sarcastic rejoinder, wincing again during a particularly painful few seconds' healing.

"Not at your price. I appreciate your help though; I'll need all I can get, to keep him safe. If you're okay I'll go check on them again, just don't touch Annabel again until we know how this enchantment works."

"I'm almost done healing," Lillian looked up at Susan's retreating form. "And yeah, I'm not touching the girl with a broomstick; it would explode. Be careful, you can't heal like I do," she added, surprising herself with a sudden, almost sisterly twinge of concern for the witch. Just then her pocket started buzzing; it was her cellphone. Probably Reyla.

Susan had stopped and turned in the doorway to listen.

Lillian gave her an approving nod as she pulled out the phone. "Yes, Reyla," she answered. "You felt that? Yes, Susan said he put an enchantment on the girl.... I have no idea, I'm not a witch.... No, she's legally his familiar now.... No, I can't, I have my hand in a sink full of blood because it almost got burned off when I tried to touch her.... No, they both passed out.... Fine, I'll come see you in half an hour.... No, it's been quite a busy afternoon, my Lady.... Fine, I'll turn the bugs on before I leave.... No I'm not feeling rebellious, it's just my hand.... Yes.... Yes, I'll be fine.... Goodbye."

"So?"

"She felt it. I think she's actually a little scared. I have to go report to her soon and boot up the surveillance system before I go. She's pissed I didn't do it to begin with."

"What kind of system?"

"Video and sound in all the rooms. There's no getting around it, really. You should look for your own accommodations as soon as possible; although for the time being, this is very secure. I recommend you don't tell Chris and Annabel; they might accidentally give me away," Lillian reasoned.

"Thank you, it means a lot that you'll help me." Susan looked at the bloodstained vampire in a new, more friendly light.

"Eh," Lillian smiled, flashing fang. "This is the most exciting thing since that unicorn lost it and rampaged through half the magic district. Wish I could have avoided this, though," she flashed her a half-hearted grin, turning back to her healing hand in the sink.

***

Reyla observed the witch, Susan, via the now-activated window on her tablet's screen. Lillian had finally powered up the surveillance system a few minutes ago, just as Reyla had ended a lengthy phone conversation with the rather relieved Synod. They'd been quite perplexed, upon first receiving the field reports. That the newly discovered dragon had been the source of such a powerful spell, added more fuel to the proverbial gossip fire. Maginet was probably already abuzz with speculation about its significance. Reyla would have avoided such publicity at all costs; the more tongues wagged, the harder it would be to keep the dragon for her own purposes. Already, the Synod had put plans in motion to meet with Lord Guthrie face-to-face; they'd arranged for a jet to take Chris to Europe in a few days. Meanwhile, they would be 'advising' her on his care and education, 'checking in regularly'.

Usually quick to assess, judge, and devise a cunning plan, Reyla, was at a loss. In truth, she had no idea what to do with her unique, young Being.

"My Lady." Lillian interrupted Reyla's musing, entering quietly into her lavish, darkened office.

"You look a mess, Lillian." Reyla noted the blood smeared across the vampire's face, neck, and arms, matting her brown hair in places, and staining her top.

"Yes. I consumed quite a lot, used even more on my hand." She displayed it for Reyla's review, fleshed-out and covered with new pink skin.

"What of the dragon?"

"Can't you see for yourself?" Lillian gestured toward the tablet resting in Reyla's lap.

"He's just lying there. He's human again. The witch is watching him."

"Then you know as much as I do," said the vampire.