Blood Legacy Origin of Species (15 page)

Susan’s phrasing caught Abigail’s attention. She considered it for a moment, turning the phrase over and over in her mind. She reached out and mentally touched Susan, probing and assessing. She spoke at last.

“There is something you are not saying, Dr. Ryerson.”

Susan was instantly the focus of everyone’s attention.

“Well,” she began reluctantly, “there is something I’ve noticed.”

“I implore you, please speak freely, Dr. Ryerson,” Victor said.

“I assure you,” Susan replied, “my hesitation is due only to the fact that I have no proof, only speculation, and what I’m proposing seems so outlandish.”

“Go ahead, dear,” Abigail prompted her, both verbally and with a subtle mental influence.

“Perhaps it’s only because I’ve been documenting my own Change so exhaustively, but something occurred to me while watching Ryan struggle with these cyclical phases.”

Susan continued, choosing her words very carefully. “Clearly this is just a theory. Madelyn was not our Kind, but she was something similar. It’s possible that exposing Ryan to her blood could initiate another cascade of genetic mutations since Ryan’s blood is so malleable.”

Victor stared at the young woman very hard. “What exactly are you saying, Dr. Ryerson?”

Susan stopped herself, and there seemed to be a collective holding of breath even though these creatures did not breathe. Susan mentally sought medical terms, technical phrases, anything that would make her pronouncement sound less demented. But in the end, there was only way to say what she needed to say.

“Ryan may be undergoing a second Change.”

Victor stared at the young woman, stunned. He had thought in terms of infection, of disease. This possibility had not occurred to him.

“Into what?” Marilyn asked, interjecting at last.

“I don’t know,” Susan said, “after all, it’s just a theory, an untested possibility.”

The room settled into silence, each occupant mulling this potential outcome. Victor realized that Susan was still standing there, and released her.

“Thank you, Dr. Ryerson,” Victor said. “Please continue your work and keep me informed.”

“I don’t know if I want her to Change,” Marilyn said at last, “I kind of like her the way she is.”

Victor stood, his unease translating into motion that he could no longer contain. Abigail watched him closely.

“What if Dr. Ryerson is correct?” she asked. “What if contact with Madelyn’s blood has initiated another Change in Ryan? Neither you or I can remember anything before our Change, so it is possible that Ryan is in the early stages of something similar.”

Victor turned to Abigail and he could not hide the anguish in his eyes. As concerned as he was about this scenario, there was one that was even worse. The monstrously powerful creature that had saved Ryan at the end had dwarfed Madelyn’s abilities. What if it was contact with this creature’s blood that was initiating a Change in Ryan? The question resolved itself into its simplest, most brutal form.

What would happen to Ryan from Sharing with his mother?

CHAPTER 11

RYAN SAT IN HER SUITE, extending her senses throughout the compound. The chambers of the Grand Council were a marvel of engineering, deep beneath the surface of the earth with thick, solid rock walls. It was the thickness of the walls that made it an ideal location for the members of the Grand Council as no one, not even those with such exceptional hearing could hear through them. The isolation of the location, as well as the near impossibility of accessing the facility without permission, also made it ideal for the chambers of the Old Ones.

Those characteristics made it an ideal prison as well, Ryan thought grimly. With proper precautions, it was unlikely she would be able to escape from here even in her most uncontrolled state. And she certainly wouldn’t be able to wander out when her memory slipped away.

She glanced around the room. The furnishings were simple but luxurious and she wanted for nothing. Still, she could not help but compare her current lodging with her captivity. She had been imprisoned in a rock fortress high in the mountains and her furnishings there, although odd and alien, had been fairly luxurious as well.

She stood, struggling with the feelings that threatened to overwhelm her. She reminded herself that this was by her own edict, her own choice, and that no one had imprisoned her here. She could probably convince the others to let her leave if she truly wanted to.

“Ah, little one, I have never seen you like this.”

There was no need to turn at the presence. She had sensed Ala’s arrival, and that low, melodic voice flowed over her like warm water, soothing, caressing, healing. Ryan closed her eyes at the sensation for a moment, enjoying the power emanating from the earth mother. She opened her eyes and turned to the last member of the Grand Council.

Ala smiled and her teeth were brilliant against her ebony skin. She was gorgeous in a most earthy way, her beauty formed at a time in the world when famine ruled and those who were wise worshiped generous, fertile curves. She was an African goddess, her grace and elegance moving past all cultural and temporal norms. She was an immortal archetype, the child of Egyptian royalty.

Ryan interacted with each of the Old Ones in a unique way specific to her relationship and orientation to them. She moved to the beautiful black woman and without hesitation fell into her arms, embracing her in almost desperation. Ala pulled the youngster to her ample breast, her heart wide open to the girl. At last, Ryan regained control and stepped back.

“Thank you for coming, Ala,” she said, “I know that you were just here, and that there’s much that you face on your continent right now.”

“Shush girl,” Ala said, settling herself onto a couch and patting the space next to her. “Kokumuo loves to be in charge when I’m gone. Although,” she said, “when I told him I was coming to see you he was quite despondent he would miss the opportunity. He has had quite the crush since he attempted to crucify you.”

The memory made Ryan smile as she settled next to Ala. She quickly sobered. “I really am not myself right now,” she said, “I’ll just warn you ahead of time.”

“Yes, yes,” Ala said dismissively, “Victor has told me of your phases, and you know how close Kusunoki and I are.”

Ryan sighed. Ala and Kusunoki were very close, almost like lovers. It was likely Ala knew more of her actions than she herself did. She had not spoken much to anyone since she had ordered the assembly of the Grand Council, and other than spending time with Drake, she had chosen to spend her time alone.

“That is not good for you,” Ala said disapprovingly, Ryan’s thoughts so open to her. “It pains your father to be apart from you.”

“Yes,” Ryan said, “and it pains me to have attacked him, and Kusunoki as well. It pains me to be a threat to everyone and everything that I hold dear. It pains me to be so out of control that I don’t know if I will wake up remembering who I am or if I’ll be wandering about throwing cars at people.”

Motion became imperative and Ryan jumped up and began stalking about the room. “I seem to have made a devil’s bargain,” she said, “time never held much meaning to me. When I was human, life was short, hard, brutal. When I became immortal, centuries passed quickly. But now my son is aging before my eyes and time has become so incredibly precious again. Yet I’m missing so much of his life, which is ironic because it’s the only reason why I stayed here.”

“What do you mean ‘the only reason you stayed here?’” Ala asked slowly.

The muscles on the side of Ryan’s jaw worked spasmodically. “The creature, not Madelyn, but the one who took me at the end. She wanted me to stay with her.” The tension in Ryan’s body mirrored that which she was attempting to communicate. “And I wanted to stay with her, more than anything. But I could not leave my son. I could not let him grow up without a mother.”

Ryan whirled around, continuing her stalking. “And so I made an agreement. I would be allowed to stay until my son was grown and safely Changed.”

“And then?” Ala asked, not wanting to know the answer.

Ryan turned to her and stopped. “Then I have to leave,” she said simply. “I promised to return to Ravlen.”

“And Ravlen is Victor’s mother, your grandmother?”

Ryan nodded. “Yes, I believe so.”

Ala did not like this conversation. “And if you choose to break your promise?”

Her expression transitioned from sad to utterly fatalistic. Ryan’s tone was unequivocal. “You don’t understand. There is no breaking of this promise. There is no choice at all involved in this. Ravlen and her Kind are almost incomprehensible to us, and I am here only because she allows it.”

Ala felt a coldness deep inside of her. “Have you told your father this?”

Ryan shook her head. “I haven’t told anyone.” She began stalking again, her restlessness overcoming her. “It was my intent to Share with Victor at the first opportunity, to pass on what I’ve seen. But then it became obvious that something was wrong with me.” She sprawled, almost violently, into a chair opposite Ala. “I had brief contact with him, but nothing significant. I Shared completely with Marilyn,” then added under her breath, “from what I understand, but I had no memory at the time and therefore passed on nothing. And my connection with Kusunoki was so violent there was no mental connection at all.”

Motion again took control and Ryan leaped to her feet. “And it’s not as if I can relay all of this in a simple conversation. I didn’t receive it verbally and could never communicate it that way. All I have are images, emotions, implicit understandings of things that are not understandable to us. I have an alien world flitting about in my head, one that is burying me, crushing me, and one I just cannot comprehend.”

Ala was silent for a moment as she watched the girl stalk about the room, the energy in her threatening to overwhelm them both.

“And you do not wish to relive it.”

Ryan stopped, and Ala feared the corporeal form in front of her would explode with the energy that threatened to erupt. But instead, Ryan just stood there considering her words. At long last she spoke.

“You’re right,” she said simply, “I don’t want to relive it.”

“Then why don’t you tell your father what you can?” Ala said gently. “He needs to know, and you need to share your burden.”

Ryan sat on the couch across from Victor. She had chosen this room because of its informal comfort, and for the fact that all could sit in the circular arrangement of the cushioned seats. Ala was settled next to Victor, and Kusunoki was on her other side. Susan sat adjacent to Ryan and Edward next to her. Marilyn, Abigail, and Aeron were not expected for another day or so, but Ryan knew that Victor would communicate whatever she had to say to them as well. She did not want to wait for their arrival because she had little faith in the stability of her mental and physical condition. Jason was entertaining Drake off in the corner, out of ear-shot of the conversation. But Ryan was very aware that her son could hear her. He glanced up uneasily every once in a while, as if to assure himself that she was still there.

“Go ahead, Ryan,” Ala said encouragingly.

The words seemed trapped. Ryan stared at her father, uncertain how to begin. She started to speak, stopped, then slowly but surely began forcing the words from her mouth.

“I can’t explain much, but I can tell you what I’ve seen. It started when I began to see a young boy. I think he was Roman, but I can’t be certain. The time period seems sixth or seventh century, it’s hard to tell. His parents were killed by barbarian invaders when he was very young, but he was able to flee the sacked city.”

“Do you know the name of the city?” Victor asked.

“No,” Ryan said, “but I think it was in England before it was England, and I think the barbarians were Saxons.” She combed her memory. “The boy’s name was Ambrosius and he fled to the countryside. He was a very skilled hunter and so he was able to survive even though he was very young. He made friends with the tribes in the forest and often saved them from the barbarians. When he was still young, maybe fifteen or sixteen, he came across a woman in the forest.”

Ryan stopped. She could see the perfect goddess standing in the water as she spoke, feeling the awe and desire of the young man who stumbled across her. The visions became clearer and clearer to her as she spoke, and her voice took on a mesmerizing quality.

“She was stunningly beautiful: dark-haired, dark-eyed, moved with an inhuman grace. She seemed almost amused by the boy and she seduced him.” Ryan watched the scene play out in her head, the ferocious passion of the two causing her to pause in her recount. “Then the woman left and Ambrosius was devastated. He became a great warrior, even a king, and most thought it was the horror of his parents’ death that drove him. But it was really the pain of the loss of this woman that molded him because he was dead without her.”

The sorrow weighed on Ryan for a moment, the burden as great as if the sorrow were her own. And as she began to fully experience and be absorbed into this life of another, she exhibited a gift that none of her Kind had ever exhibited before, one that she herself had manifested only once.

The Others could see what she was seeing, feel what she was feeling, see it displayed out before them as an extraordinary movie in holographic form. Both Susan and Victor recognized the sensation because Ryan had accomplished the feat at her trial, showing those present the life and death of her mother.