The Breaking of Bonds

Chapter II

Chapter II

Seth

HESRAH’S ROOM FELT SO FAMILIAR, even in the dim light of the twilight. Seth remembered every detail, every piece of the shabby décor, her scent, her books, and the careless mess that reigned here. Hesrah hadn’t changed a bit. As her steps brought her closer, he slipped out the window and up the old oak guarding it.

She walked in, looking worn out. Seth wasn’t surprised, not with the stress of the past week and the ruthless workout she had submitted herself to. She looked pale and worried and she reached out to the glass of water without even looking at it. She drank it all and lay down on the bed, probably thinking it would be for a minute, a little rest before going to the portal. But she wouldn’t wake up until morning; the tasteless drops from Magnus would take care of that.

“Sleep, little sister. I’ll watch over the portal tonight,” he whispered, smiling down on her. Someone had to take care of her, and their mother was failing miserably. Hesrah did not know how to deal with her own emotions. When she was faced with pain or fear or worse, lack of control over a situation, she’d retreat into pushing her body beyond any reasonable limit and pretend things were fine.

She was doing it now, obsessing over shifts to watch the portals, her human friend, and those who had betrayed her. Seth guessed what had hurt her the most, apart from her friend’s fate being anyone’s guess. That Louis character who had deceived her. She hardly ever made friends, and when she did, she put too much of her heart in the relationship.

“I so miss you,” he said softly, the corners of his mouth dropping, his smile now gone.

Seth had just made it to the portal when it flared up. Nothing happened for several minutes, but it wouldn’t close. He took a few steps back, thinking he might keeping it active, but it was something else altogether. He stood, arms crossed over his chest, and waited for a few more minutes. Just when he thought this was nothing but a weird glitch, the spit out a body, propelling so viciously, it landed fifty feet away.

He ran to where the body had fallen and kneeled next to it. He reached out and turned it over, sucking in a breath. Alexa. She looked paler than anything he’d ever seen, her skin cold and clammy. Her wet hair stuck to her head in a tangled, dark mess. Seth felt for a pulse, then hurried to take out a knife. He made a small incision on his left wrist, and held it over her mouth, just like Magnus had instructed.

“Come on, Alexa, drink,” he urged her, watching the blood pour through her slightly parted lips. She didn’t open her eyes, but she grabbed his arm tightly and pressed it to her lips, drinking her fill. She wouldn’t stop, and when Seth started to feel dizzy, he had to force his hand away from her grip,

“Louis,” she whispered and then faded away.

“You call his name all you want if that keeps you alive,” Seth said, brushing a strand of hair away from her face. “You’ll want your revenge soon enough if you’re anything like my sister.”

Now that he’d remembered to check, Seth noticed Alexa still had an ugly bruise on her neck, the bitemarks still open and oozing blood. Maybe now that she’d drank from him, completing the transition, she would get better. He hoped, for his sister’s sake, that Magnus had been right about that.

Seth picked her up and carried her to the doorstep of the Inner Sanctum’s headquarters. He put her down gently and knocked hard before concealing his presence in the shadows of the night. He didn’t stick around, knowing they’d come for her and she’d be safe.

He made his way through the forest, further to the enormous lake at the heart of it. Seth could have jumped in and swum back home, but the blood loss had weakened him, so he took out the small boat from the bush it had been hidden in and rowed his way back to Magnus’s mansion.

Magnus was waiting in the library with a glass of whiskey he had especially delivered from Earth every month. Seth hated it, alcohol tasted like poison to him, but Magnus liked his night cap, along with the horde of other habits he had acquired on Earth and was keen on keeping.

“She’s here,” Seth announced before crashing in one of the old armchairs.

“She is? Did you feed her your blood?” Magnus asked with a look Seth couldn’t quite read. Surprise? Admiration maybe? Something along those lines.

“I did, then carried her to the Inner Sanctum.” Seth rubbed his eyes with the heels of his hands, pressing slightly. He felt drained as if he’d been through a grueling workout.

“Your sister will be happy.”

“If Alexa survives,” Seth said, praying his lack of faith in a positive outcome would be proven wrong. He could follow Magnuss’ logic, but didn’t agree with his conclusion. Any transformation on Earth was bound by the first feeding, which had to be on blood. But here, on Ankhsis? Why would it be needed? He expected Alexa to get sick from all that blood and go through a much harder recovery. Even if she needed it, he was not human, so his blood was not a good enough replacement.

“I sure hope she does. This is by far the most interesting thing to happen around here since your fallout with your sister.” Magnus chuckled, swirling the dark amber in his glass and looking at it, his eyes glowing.

Seth frowned and left the room. He always hated remembering those moments of his life, all the regret they’d caused, all the sadness and anger towards Tali and himself.

“One of these days, you’ll have to tell me what happened,” he heard Magnus say just as he was climbing the stairs to his room. Seth would, eventually, but he was hoping to delay that moment for as long as possible.

Hesrah

Hesrah woke up to her mother’s shouting and banging on her locked door.

“What is it?” she asked, glaring at Sekhmet after having managed to stumble to the door and yank it open.

“She’s crossed over. Someone left her on the steps at the main entrance,” her mother said, breathless and smiling.

It took Hesrah a while to process the words. Alexa! Alexa had made it through. Hesrah was supposed to be there when it happened, but she’d slept through it. When her friend’s very much alive state sunk in, all other thoughts flew out of her head.

Hesrah looked at her mother, a weird mix of emotions bubbling up from her chest. She burst into tears and laughter at the same time, unable to stop either. She hugged Sekhmet tightly and gave in to all the tumbling emotions fighting to take over: happiness, sadness, relief, guilt, fear that it might not last. It was a hurricane she’d never experienced.

“Come, let me take you to her,” Sekhmet whispered when Hesrah had regained her composure.

“Yes, let’s go, I want to see it for myself.”

“Are you all right, child?” Sekhmet caught her shoulder, stopping her hasty exit from her room, and inspected her carefully.

“Yes, of course, why wouldn’t I be?”

“Because we have been trying to wake you up for hours.”

“Oh. Maybe it was the exhaustion,” she said, waving off her mother’s concern. Hesrah had no time to consider the reasons for her oversleeping when Alexa could still be in a critical condition.

Her mother was not walking fast enough, which annoyed her. Hesrah trailed behind Sekhmet down the twisted corridors of the Inner Sanctum headquarters. It seemed to lengthen with every step, keeping them from ever getting to their destination. Where had they taken Alexa, the end of the world?

They finally entered a spacious and sparsely furnished room somewhere in the bowls of the west wing. There was a huge bed and they had placed Alexa on it. She wasn’t moving and Hesrah had to take a few minutes to convince herself Alexa was indeed breathing. She was so pale, she hardly looked like herself. The wounds on her neck hadn’t even begun to heal and she was all bruised up. Dried blood marred her mouth. Was it Hesrah’s?

A pang of guilt crept into her thoughts. Over the week that had passed, Hesrah had relentlessly replayed the events of that night in her head, trying to think of what she could have done differently. She’d been looking for anything that wouldn’t have led to her turning her friend into a vampire. Seeing Alexa there, lying almost completely still in her sickbed, didn’t help with how vile Hesrah felt. Maybe when she recovered, the guilt would be easier to bear.

“She’s feverish and dehydrated. Other than that, she seems fine, nothing broken,” her mother said. “She will be fine, Hesrah.”

“You don’t know that. She is not like us. You have no idea how she’ll react, or whether she’ll heal faster just because she’s here. You don’t know if she needs medicine or if ours is good for her.”

“Hesrah, that’s enough,” Sekhmet said, her voice commanding eve if quiet. Questioning Sekhmet like that was not the wisest thing someone under her command could do. She expected people to take her word for granted and accept it as the truth.

“It’s not. She needs a doctor, one from her realm. She needs machines and tests and drugs.” Her voice pierced through the room, the high pitch hurting even her own ears.

Sekhmet sighed and took a seat in one of the chairs on the side of the bed. “We cannot give her any of that here.”

“Then let me take her back.” Hesrah walked to her mother, taking her hand and giving it a little squeeze.

“Hesrah, stop and think for a second. How do you know it won’t take another week? What if it does more harm than good?”

“What then?” Hesrah had to make an effort not to stomp her foot like a little child.

“Go to Magnus and ask him to come.”

“Why would I want Magnus here? Indirectly, he’s the reason for all this,” she hissed, her mouth twisting in anger and disgust.

“He’s also a doctor. One of his… interests,” Sekhmet said with a dismissive twist of her wrist. “He picked it up on Earth and kept improving his skills since he’s returned.”

“He’s been gone for centuries. It won’t help her much, his knowledge is antiquated by now.”

“He’s her best chance. If the fever does not break soon, we’ll have to get him.”

Sekhmet left the room without waiting for a reply, probably expecting it to be done as she’d asked. Hesrah imagined that her mother also knew her well enough to know she’d stay by Alexa’s side instead. And so she did, for the few hours left until dawn. She checked for a fever and, as she feared, Alexa was still burning up. Although she knew it to be futile, Hesrah gave it another half hour before finally getting up and heading for Magnus’s mansion.

Hesrah hadn’t been there since she was a child, back when her mother and father were visiting Magnus regularly. She would go there with her brother and run around the empty rooms of that huge mausoleum inhabited by Magnus the Mad and his persistent guilt. But she couldn’t feel that oppressive burden back then. To Hesrah, the mansion was a world full of wonders, perfect for running around and playing with Seth. Sometimes Tali would come along and Hesrah remembered hating every second of those visits. When Seth was around, Hesrah suddenly became invisible. Tali would forget her altogether, chasing after Seth. Given her childhood behavior, Hesrah should have known better.

Hesrah took the shortest route to the Inner Sanctum docks. She rushed through the forest, got on one of the boats and tried not to think of her soon-to-come encounter with her brother as she waited to cross over. The man rowing the boat tried to start some sort of conversation with her, but he gave up soon enough. He was much older than her and would have probably scolded anyone else for their lack of manners, but she was the daughter of Sekhmet and they were both famous for their short fuses.

It didn’t take long to cross the Great Lake over to the deserted island where Magnus dwelled. His mansion was the only building on this piece of land sprouted in the middle of the lake. Another five minutes and she’d be there. No matter how slow her pace, she’d still have to face Mangus and her brother eventually.

Hesrah reached the entrance and pushed the great wooden door open without knocking. She stepped inside, looking through the dim hallway. “Magnus, are you here?” she shouted, hoping Seth would hear her and stay hidden in whatever corner he used to hide.

“Magnus,” she tried again when no one replied.

“He’s not here, he’s on the other side of the island.” The sound of Seth’s voice startled her. He was right next to her and of course she had never heard him coming. No wonder he used to be the greatest warrior the Inner Sanctum had seen for generations.

“I was hoping I wouldn’t have to see you,” she said, schooling her expression to show no emotion.

“I know, so tell me what is it that you want from Magnus so you can leave faster.” Seth’s voice was even and his face a mask she couldn’t crack. Cold as ice, always the same since that dreaded night. Well, at least he was talking to her if he absolutely had to, that was some sort of progress.

“Tell him to come to the Inner Sanctum the moment he gets back. Alexa is running a fever and he’s the only one with human medicine training in this world.”

“How high is the fever?” He asked, threading his fingers together.

“I don’t know. Do I look like a freaking mobile human hospital to you?” She scowled and stepped away from him. “She’s burning up and we don’t know if any of our treatments will work on her. Nobody knows what she is now.”

“I’ll leave a note and come with you. He’ll follow us,” Seth said, already half way to the door.

“Why would you come? I don’t want you around her.”

“Because Magnus said so. He feared this might happen.” He shrugged and turned to open the door.

She wanted to keep protesting, but she had no one to protest to. Seth had left her there and made for the Sanctum. Knowing him, he’d swim across, so at least she wouldn’t have to share a boat ride back with him.

Hesrah’s joy was short-lived. Seth was already on the boat when she got there, and they were rowed back in the deepest of silences. The longest half hour she had ever experienced. Hesrah kept fussing about, counting in her head and trying to remember the lyrics to some song she’d heard one night when Alexa had taken her out dancing. Anything to avoid thinking of this whole mess with Seth or worse, trying to talk to him again and have him stare at her and say nothing.

When they eventually reached the shore, they managed to turn the walk to Alexa’s room into a contest of who could faster without breaking into a run. She felt it was all very silly but couldn’t stop playing the stupid game. They were both out of breath when they reached the white marble building that held the Circle of Social Issues and the Inner Sanctum.

“Dismiss everyone when we get to her room,” Seth said, keeping his voice low. Hesrah gasped at his order, considering whether she should gracefully trip him, just to see him fall on his face. Her first thought was to refuse, but then she remembered Seth was following Magnus’s instructions.

Alexa’s room was fortunately empty, so she didn’t have to ask anyone to leave without giving a plausible reason.

“Lock the door,” Seth said without looking at her.

She suppressed her urge to protest and did as he had so smugly asked. She could still make faces behind his back though.

“Stop and be serious for five minutes,” Seth said, sighing and rolling his shoulders.

Damn, he could still tell! “What now?” Hesrah asked. He did not seem to be doing much more than touch her neck and forehead to check the temperature. She had already done that, so it all felt rather pointless.

Seth got a small knife out of his jacket and cut his wrist, then raised Alexa and whispered to her, urging her to drink. He was giving her blood, Hesrah realized, her eyes bulging out and her jaw dropping.

Seth’s face twisted in pain and he grunted, but didn’t move her face. Hesrah’s eyes widened. Seth showing he was hurting? That was new. And probably unbearable for him to display it like that.

“What’s wrong?” She hurried to his side, peeking over his shoulder.

“She just took me by surprise, don’t worry. She didn’t have fangs the last time,” he said, a small chuckle escaping him.

“She has what now? What last time and why are you giving her blood?”

“Fangs, Hesrah! Like those you have on Earth when the feral side takes over. She needs to complete the transition and apparently she still needs blood.” He shrugged and turned to watch her friend drinking from his wrist, her slurps suddenly deafening in the almost empty room.

“Still? She’s had blood before?”

“Yes, last night when she made it through. I gave her some and brought her here.”

Hesrah remembered the stains of blood on her lips and chin and realized what she had initially thought was her own blood, was her brother’s. “So what is she?” she asked, her voice meek.

“No clue. Over here, apparently some sort of trueborn that can turn feral even on Ankhsis.”

“That’s so cool,” Hesrah blurted out, an appreciative grin turning the corners of her mouth.

“Cool? What the hell does that mean?”

“You know, great. Brilliant.”

“I wasn’t asking for a definition, Hesrah. This might seem cool to you, but it’s also a threat so keep your mouth shut,” he said sternly.