Demon Girl (22 page)

“I don’t know how.”

I pressed my hand onto Breandan’s arm,
needing to feel connected. His skin was cold. I squeezed, but there
was no response to comfort. How could he do this, leave me now I
needed him? I didn’t know what to do. I had been too self-absorbed,
and wrapped in my own problems to ask what I should do if a
situation like this ever occurred. What was I going to do without
him? A fire built in my belly. He had released all this power
within me and now he was going to
leave
me?

“You will not die,” I said fiercely, not sure
why I reached to the Source as I said the words, simply that I
did.

It flowed into me like molten lava and
wrapped around my heart. Hot pain shot up my arm from Breandan into
my stomach. Wavering on my knees, my head took flight as magic ran
riot through my body. With nowhere to channel it I locked it inside
me. One hand clutched at my abdomen the other kept its death grip
on Breandan’s arm; no way was I ever letting go of him.

“Are you hurt?” Tomas ran his eyes over my
body.

“We need to get away from here.”

“If you insist on saving this worthless
fairy’s life, I will have to carry him.”

I sank my teeth into my lip, thinking.
Breandan would not be happy with this. “But where do we go? I have
nowhere else. This is my home, and I have no family, and no friends
apart from Alex, who lives here.”

“We don’t need to go anywhere in particular.
Into the forest will do. You fairies are most powerful there.”

He added nothing else to this impromptu plan
prompting me to say, “Then what?”

“Hope you can learn to call to your kind, or
hope they find us before he dies.” He picked Breandan up and threw
him over his shoulder. “Follow me, and don’t fall behind.”

He ran and I followed behind, trying to keep
pace. I was tired, and after less than a few minutes started to
slow. Tomas pressed a trying pace through the night. Even when I
did fall too far behind, he was easy to find. The metal pole
pointed up and out like a mast from Breandan’s limp body. The hood
of my now holey sweatshirt was up to shield against the cold, but
it flew off my head as Tomas jumped over the Temple wall and I
followed. I didn’t think how impossible it was, I just did it,
pushed off and soared over. Landing was loud affair with much
grunting and gasping. We reached the edge of the region and he
stopped just before the buzzing red wires of the Wall.

“We need an exit,” he said and looked at
me.

I gasped for breath. I bent over to rest my
hands on my knees. “I can’t,” I sobbed. “I’m too tired.”

He grabbed my arm and dragged me forward. Now
he was mad. “This was your choice, I’m hungry, and I carry this
fairy for you.”

He shook me roughly then let me go.

I gritted my teeth and focused. My mouth was
dry from nerves as I reached out and drew on the Source. It flooded
me, but I was not strong enough to control the energy eager to be
free. I felt something within me give, a thread snapping. I lost my
concentration. The fence pinged and unraveled, but the power
whiplashed out to slice through a tree a few feet to my side. There
was a loud snap and groan. It toppled forward, and I was too
shocked to do anything but stare at it.

Tomas grabbed my arm again and dragged me
through the hole in the Wall as the tree smashed to the ground. The
boughs sizzled and sparked as they came into contact with the
electrically charged wires. The klaxon started to blare in the
distance. Tomas kept his grip on my arm and dragged me behind him,
supporting all my weight when my feet failed me. When I was well
enough to continue on my own, I wriggled out of his grasp and he
started to run again.

Soon, we ghosted through a deserted city.
Every street corner had me on edge, wary of every shadow and noise.
I had not walked a town beyond the Wall in my life, and I gazed at
the derelict buildings, disbelieving that humans once lived in such
grand structures. One I will forever remember was so magnificent; I
strained my neck to see behind me as we passed. It was a gargantuan
clock tower, connected to a lengthy building. The glass windows had
long been shattered to nothing, but I imagined them whole, glinting
in the sunlight. I had heard the stories of it, the place near the
river, where the rulers of this region used to meet. A great bell
would chime every hour to remind people of the time. After a while,
it faded into the background and I turned my attention back to my
immediate surroundings. The streets looked like something from a
nightmare. Blood stains; black from age, was smeared on the
pavements and pooled where bodies used to lie. Doors hung from
hinges, windows were smashed and jagged pieces of glass littered
the road. Swarms of bloated rats scurried away as we passed, their
black beady eyes reflecting the weak moonlight. Burnt out cars were
rusted and overturned, or abandoned on the roadside, doors still
open. Trees sprouted from the buildings and knee high blade grass
cut into our shins. Piles of rubble and destruction blocking the
way were easily jumped and climbed over. There were no bodies, just
crumbling brick and pitted stone and twisted metal.

Was this it? Was this the hell-hole in which
we died? I remembered Ana’s prediction then tossed my head
irritably. No, this wasn’t it. Orchard was a fairy wyld not a
deserted human city.

The situation was beyond crazy and all I
could think was what next? If only I had gotten back sooner. Tomas
wouldn’t have been so hungry and maybe Breandan would have paused
before trying to stake him. Pushing the hair out of my eyes, I
sneezed at the dust floating down my fingers dislodged. I had
underestimated the Clerics and it was a mistake I would never make
again.

We passed the city and Tomas stopped. I
thanked the gods, for my legs were shaking with exhaustion.

“Rae,” Tomas said. “You will hear me
now.”

I stared at him. “Do I really need to tell
you know is not the time?”

Tomas lay Breandan down, rather gently all
things considered. “Once you have called to the fairies it might be
too late.”

I was exasperated. “Why?”

“They may kill me before you can stop them. I
must try to make you agree.”

I smacked myself upside the head. This was
not going to be good. “You never said I would have to
agree
to anything.”

“It is a choice you have to make.”

Time was of the essence here, but he was
right. I had promised to hear him out, and calling trigger-happy
fairies in beforehand would not be so clever. I breathed out
through my nose and looked him in the eye.

“What the hell do you want from me?”

“I’m dying,” he said.

It was a statement of a lifetime, and my
mouth fell open.

“But, you’re immortal,” I said, as if that
would explain everything.

“We’re dying, all vampires and we have been
for a while. There are few of us left.” Sadness briefly flitted
across his face. “We’re starving,” he told me. “The nest I belong
to is small, but one struggling to hold onto some form of dignity.
Many of my kind have been reduced to senseless cannibals who would
just as likely drain another vampire as a human. They have fallen
to the madness of the dark.”

This was big. Huge. I didn’t know how to
begin to respond. I decided to be polite but frank.

“Tomas, I’m sad for you, but I don’t see how
this could have lead to you to me.”

“You know vampires used to be human.”

“No, you used to be pussycats.” I made a
noise of frustration. “We don’t have time for this.”

He held a pale palm up. “You listen, or I
won’t help you.”

Tomas had saved my life from the Lady Cleric.
He had helped Breandan and me escape from the Temple at a risk to
himself. Surely I could hear him out like I promised. I mashed my
fisted hands into my side.

“Go on,” I huffed, bad naturedly.

“We used to be human, but changed and became
vampire. We are not infectious. I cannot turn you; I am what I am
because of genetics. Just like shifters are born human then
discover the ability to change form, we too are born human and
change at some significant point in our lives.”

“You mean, you’re not dead?”

He did one of those fast and annoyed
movements with his hand. “Yes. My human body died.”

That explained a lot. “Oh, well, um sorry
about that.” It was an awkward moment for me, though Tomas seemed
at ease. I talked over it, “But that does not explain why you’re
dying.”

“What do we eat?”

“Blood.”

“Yes. Where do we get blood?”

I tapped my foot and rolled my eyes. He was
leading me somewhere and was opting for the prolonged and dramatic
route instead of spitting it out. “You drink from humans.”

“Where do the survivors of the humankind
live?”

I stared at him like he was dumb. “Uh, behind
the Wall–”

It hit me between the eyes like a flying
brick. Vampirekind had lost their food source. During the Rupture
the demons, vampires in particular, had all but made humans
extinct. Now they were paying the price for the humans had locked
themselves away from the rest of the world.

“You see,” he said. “We are starving. Some
humans are gifted in magics and become witches. There were some
vampires who could touch the Source before they turned, and we have
such a one in the nest I was born into, gifted with the Sight. She
saw you in my future, though she never said anything about the
blood we have shared. You are the key to my survival.” He touched a
cold hand to my lips. “Rae, you will save me.”

Oh gods. I opened my mouth then closed it
again. I forgot what he was and prodded him in the chest. “You
didn’t think to tell me this earlier?”

“I told you it was important.”

“No,” I hissed.

“You said yourself. I took a great risk
diving through the Wall so I could meet you. I’d been trying for a
month. I have fairies hunting me. I slept in a wardrobe. Of course
what I have to tell you is important.”

“Well yeah, but I figured you were going to
spew some vampire crap about some bad vampire hurting lots of good
vampires, and that maybe you wanted me to get the fairies to help.
I didn’t realize it would be something as huge as saving your life.
The gods damn it, Tomas.”

“What will you do now?”

“Figure out how to call a fairy to come fix
Breandan.”

“Good idea. He does not have much time left.”
He sounded positively happy at the idea. I glowered at him at he
smiled. It was not a beautiful smile, but one of charm and my lip
twitched. “Will you call to someone in particular?”

I thought about it. “I’ve only met one other
fairy and he knew loads. Breandan trusts him. He’ll have to
do.”

I closed my eyes. Time passed and nothing
happened. I rubbed my temples and resisted the urge to hum.

Tomas sniffed the air. “No magic?”

I shifted on the spot then sat down. Folding
my legs beneath me I closed my eyes again. “I haven’t touched the
Source yet. I was…centering myself.”

Lie, lie, lie. I was trying to figure out
what the hell to do next, because I had no clue what I was doing.
After a few minutes I still had done nothing. I didn’t want to call
on the Source because I didn’t know what to do with it, and I
didn’t want to make anything bad happen. There was no conscious
fairy nearby to fix my mistakes. Urgh.

Tomas sat behind me and pulled me onto his
lap. I stiffened and my eyes opened. He reclined against a tree,
pulling me with him.

“You need to calm down,” he said. I looked
over at Breandan, who rested so still a few paces away. I could
barely hear him breathe, and I was expected to be calm? Tomas
placed both hands either side of my face. They were cold, and felt
wonderful against my warm cheeks. He sighed. “Relax, and do what
you need to do.”

With no more time to lose, I closed my eyes
and gasped as pure, blistering energy filled me the instant I
reached to the Source. I was learning intense anger or fear helped
to focus my mind. I drifted from my body, and sought out the memory
I instinctively knew would help me find Conall. Suddenly he was
there, aware of me and I locked onto the tenor of his mind like a
homing beacon. I reached my hand to touch.

“Conall,” I said and he whirled round.
“Conall,” I called louder. The energy felt like a thrashing rope,
crackling and fighting my control. “I need you, can you feel where
I am? Find me.”

Exhausted, I sobbed and snapped back into my
own mind. I slouched backward and the forest canopy swung into
view. Tomas caught me and rested me on the leaf-strewn floor next
to him.

“Did it work?” he asked close to my ear.
“Keep your eyes open, Rae. Did it work?”

Sighing, I didn’t have the energy to shrug.
“I’m tired,” I said.

“Rest then. I will watch over you.”

I stared up at him. His face was already so
dear to me. How could that be? He was not my kind; he wasn’t’ even
human. Vampires were cold and deadly, and Tomas would have probably
killed me if he had crossed my path in any other circumstance. What
would I do when Breandan woke? Did I tell him about the kiss that
set my heart on fire? Did I tell him the darkness that enveloped
Tomas was now my darkness too? I sighed.

Maybe it would be best if I closed my eyes
and never opened them again. Life was too complicated. I felt
strongly for Breandan. When I was with him here was no one else.
But it was the same with Tomas. Oh gods what was I going to do?

Then pain sliced through everything. Breandan
was getting worse, much worse. Gulping air, I focused on the shiny
space in front of me rather than how difficult it was to breathe.
My heart pumped hard and tried to punch through my chest. I
clutched at it and squeezed, hoping the pressure would help. It
sped up. There was a distant keening in my ears. It tasted like
someone had just shoved a fist full of metal into my mouth. Faint,
but growing louder was sound of my heartbeat. My vision blinkered,
and my heart slowed enough to feel comfortable. A cloying numbness
seeped through my limbs, and the darkness hovering at the edge of
my vision looked inviting, sweet. I turned to embrace it and float
within its cool nothingness.