Bound By Blood (44 page)

             
“I
think
this would be the problem.”
Chymeŕah
hissed as she threw a leather pouch onto the bed.
“I
found it hidden in
her wardrobe over there.
"

             
"What is this?" Kaléé grabbed and sniffed it, curling her lips.

             
"
Dĩas’
imprint is all over it.”
Chymeŕah's fists clenched.

             
Daŕ
ēus
growled as he snatched
up the pouch
from the Vlachŕa's hands
. He shook some of the
contents out into his palm
,
inhaled,
and then
jerked away abruptly. He
threw it back down to the bed.

             
“Wonderful mixture
,
isn’t it?”
Chymeŕah
voice boiled with anger
. Her eyes burned at
Daŕ
ēus
. “It is just the thing to keep her
A
wakening at bay
--
p
ower
ful
enough to keep her blocked from you so that you cannot enter her mind so well or know her whereabouts and thoughts
.
Now
we
know
how she made it to the village without any of us knowing.
Now we know how she has been preventing her Awakening for so long.”

             
Kaléé
took the bag and studied the contents. She moved the crushed herbs around in her hands. She raised a disgusted brow. “Don’t you mean
-- powerful enough to
kill her?” She sp
a
t to
ward
the floor
,
cursing
Dĩas’
stupidity. “Delirium Root, Death bane, Worm
w
ood,”
s
he stated. “All of these herbs are
present
in lethal doses and
grown in
Evil’s favorite playground, the Shadow
Realm
.”
She
hissed low
, rising from the bed
. “Vanadium dust laced with Plague venom. He hasn’t tried to put her
A
wakening at bay
.
He’s tried to bloody kill the beast within her!”

             
Daŕ
ēus growled
again. It was becoming hard to control his anger now. His eyes began to glow a bright red. This was the foul substance that he
’d
sensed in her from the beginning.

             
“
Daŕ
ēus
,
we must
all
give essence to her. She hasn’t enough strength to fight this on her own
,
”
Chymeŕah
told him. Her expression showed fear.
“It was one thing to do this before the signs of her Awakening but to take it now, it’s a bloody wonder she was even walking around.”

             
Daŕ
ēus
shook his head. He knew if he gave
Samanthŕa
his blood
,
it would intensify her
A
wakening. Would she take more of these poisons trying to stop it? He tried to
foresee
the outcome.
He
’d
made a promise to her and before he ever intended on breaking it, she had to give him permission. But how would she give him permission now? How would he keep her trust if he didn’t get it?

             
“We do not have a choice
,
”
Kaléé told
him
, sensing
his thoughts.

             
Their quandary was interrupted
as
Samanthŕa
began to toss and turn on the bed
.
She started to mumble words which made no sense as her body resisted
Daŕ
ēus’
power
to still
her.
Kaléé leaned
down quickly to hear what she was saying
;
Daŕ
ēus and
Chymeŕah
joined together this time to make her still. Her body fell back to its original stiff position. The words stopped.

             
“What did she say?”
Chymeŕah
asked
,
literally on pins and needles.

             
Kaléé
rose back up. She shook her head. “Most of it was idiom. I did manage to make out some of it
,
though.” She looked at
Daŕ
ēus with
sorrowful eyes. “Save me so I can save my
B
rother.
"

             
"The one called Staphãyn?" He asked.

             
Kaléé nodded. "And she said,
Dĩas lies
.
She said that threefold.
” It brought the two women to tears. They could feel
Samanthŕa’s
sorrow and agony.
He knew their
empathy was soaring.

             
Daŕ
ēus’
heart sank
as well
. Without hesitation he looked at
Chymeŕah
.
He had gained his permission
,
in one form or another.
Samant
hŕa wished to be saved in order to help Staph
ãyn. He knew only one way to do that.
“Find a goblet.”

             
She searched the room like a mad woman.
Kaléé whispered
to
Daŕ
ēus
,
“If her mind is aware of what is happening to her, if her thoughts worry
more
for
Staphãyn
,
th
e
n that means she is stronger than we thought. That means it is not only the herbs which have harmed her but rather made her weak enough for something
else
to harm her, to bring her to this point.”

             
Daŕ
ēus nodded
. He had already realized this. The energy hovering throughout the
Theŕéan
home had attacked her. “Get her sisters in here to aid you with the ritual.
Force
them to keep their wits about them and their minds off of the
B
rothers.”

             
Chymeŕah
brought a chalice to him.
             

             
Daŕ
ēus
whispered as he held his wrist over the cup.
“
Bring forth thy blood. Summon thy essence.
”
Without having to cut himself or bring his flesh harm, blood began to fall from his pores like tears. He filled the cup about one third full
; t
hen the blood stopped.
Chymeŕah
and
Kaléé would
do the same.

             
“
Daŕ
ēus
,
you should go to
Maŕ
ēus and
the others now
,”
Kaléé told
him
.
“
Do not let
Dĩas and
his bloody sheep find whoever we hunt
them
selves. There is nothing more you can do here. It is now up to us women.”

             
Daŕ
ēus didn’t
want to leave but he knew he had no choice. The ritual they had to do was between the Goddess and her daughters. No son of the God could be present. Only the essence of the son was called for
.
Before he left though, he leaned down and whispered something in
Samanthŕ
a’s
ear in
an ancient tongue. He knew her soul would understand.
He kept his words
private
from everyone
else.

             
The
words meant,
you will rise from this for my blood and strength is within you. You will survive for I have never taught you how to fail. I refuse you the freedom to learn on your own.
 

             
He waved his hand over her eyes
;
her body relaxed slightly and
then softly
stirred. He knew she could hear him. Somehow, inside her mind, inside her soul, she could hear him.

             
He vanished.

***

             
C
hymeŕah
and
Kaléé filled
the chalice with their blood
. It swirled and rippled with
Daŕ
ēus’
s
essence. Different colors of light bubbled up from the liquid,
the bubbles
snapp
ing
and popp
ing
, dissolving into the air.
Samanthŕa’s
sisters formed a circle around
her
bed. They began to chant in low soft voices as if singing.

             
“Ascend
,
dear sister
,
into the warmth of the Goddess’
s
Many
L
ight
s
. Dissolve thy poisons
, s
ister,
and rise
.”

             
Kaléé
removed
Samanthŕa’s
clothes. She was still in the state of unconsciousness
Daŕ
ēus
had
left her in.
Chymeŕah
tied her hands to the posts of the bed. She did the same to her feet. While the sisters chanted, so did
Kaléé and
Chymeŕah
;
they began to smear the blood over
Samanthŕa’s
body. Her skin
started to
absorb it immediately.

             
Her head began to toss and turn, rise, then fall. Her mouth opened
and
a black smoke like substance sprayed outward and then dispe
r
sed. It was the essence of the dark herbs she had taken. Suddenly her body began to spasm again
and
something formed at the edge of her mouth. Their chanting had forced it away just as it did the herbs.
It
had
l
ong, shadowy claws
and it
fought to hold onto her but the women intensified their chants. It bellowed and hissed until it was thrust out completely. The light
in
the room, even though dim
,
caused it to explode. Blackness scattered around them in millions of pieces
;
like microscopic bits of dust,
it drifted softly
downward until it
disappeared into the stone floor.

             
Samanthŕa’s
body fell limp
and
relaxed. Her eyes closed and she slept.
Kaléé
untied her arms and legs a
nd
they dismissed the sisters. They had no idea of what just happened
,
but they knew it was no time to ask. Silence filled the room
.
Chymeŕah
began to wipe
the fever she had suffered from
Samanthŕa’s
b
row
.
Kaléé brought
the covers up and over her, whispering praise to the Goddess.
The only question that was on their mind now
:
who or what did this to her?  What attacked the Theŕéans and their
realm
?

             
Before they could even ponder these things though, the floor to the palace began to shake. A power rippled throughout all of the
realm
s and the skies above started to quake with power. They heard voices, many,
speaking as one,
echo throughout TEŔAH while something unheard of took place.