Part 18 (1/2)

G.o.d in heaven, it was her vision.

”Is there a light?” She set down the blanket again and looked around.

”Why are you here?” His voice was hard, but without its usual force.

”To get help you escape, of course.” Why else would she have come three hundred miles, and risked being caught by Elyta?

”Had second thoughts about betraying me?”

Oh. That was what made his voice hard. Well. She'd made the decision, and now she had to face the consequences. ”No second thoughts. The way I saw it, your mother was going to die immediately if she didn't tell Elyta where you were, whereas your death was not yet a certainty. Telling Elyta about you to save your mother seemed the lesser of two evils.”

”She's alive?” He still had control of his voice, but she could hear the hope there.

”When I left her. But weak.”

”Thank G.o.d,” he breathed.

”Now, stop jumping to conclusions for a minute.” She peered around. ”Is there a light?”

”A candelabrum to... to your right on the bench... in the arch.”

She had never heard his voice tremble. Feeling her way along the wall, she came to the arch, bent to the bench. Candelabrum.

Striker? Yes. She flipped it twice and the flint caught. She lit the candles and turned.

She almost gasped. Even in the flickering light, Gian looked horrible. In the vision he hadn't had all those burned places on his body. Those must be where Elyta had set the stones against him. Or the cuts, half-healed, the jagged tears. Why hadn't he healed?

”Oh, Gian.” She hurried over. and knelt beside him, touching his belly, his chest lightly, not knowing how to help him. His cinnamon scent was very faint, just sensed beneath the blood and the sweat. There was no feeling of electric energy about him at all. He shoved himself up with effort. He had a three-day growth of beard and there were dark circles under his eyes. She must get him out of here immediately.

”Luigi has the carnage at the gates. Will you burn if I cover you in this blanket?” She fished in her hair for the hairpin yet again and pulled the heavy shackles toward her. His wrists were chafed b.l.o.o.d.y.”I might burn, I don't know, but it will heal.”

She glanced up at him. ”That doesn't seem to be going so well right now.”

”Get out, Kate. This is too dangerous.”

”They've retired for the day. Be quiet.” She twisted her hairpin in the lock. These were quite simple locks because they were so old. Not a great deal of demand for iron shackles these days. It clicked open and she grabbed the other one.

Electric energy. Cinnamon. Kate turned.

A vampire pushed in through the open door, wearing a hooded cloak. ”What do you think you're doing?” he growled. ”Elyta!”

This was shouted. He shut the thick wooden door with a bang and stood in front of it.

Kate leaped up. She gave him a shove. He stumbled back. Kate lunged for the door.

Vibrating energy washed over the room. By the time she turned, the other vampires had already materialized into the shadowed corner of the chapel. Elyta was dressed in a wrapper of purple so dark it was almost black. Her hair was down about her shoulders, as though she had been interrupted at undressing.

”Well, well,” Elyta cooed. ”How touching. The tragically scarred thief has fallen in love with you, Gian, and has gallantly come to save you. But then everyone does fall in love with you. You count on that. Everyone except me.” She motioned to the two vampires who stood beside her. They stepped forward and grabbed Kate. ”How good, Frederico, that you made one final check before we retired.”

Elyta knelt beside Gian and held out the shackle.

”Let her go, Elyta,” he rasped. ”She is nothing to you.” Elyta raised her brows. He put his raw wrist back inside the shackle and she snapped it shut.

”Let her go? When she obviously cares so much for you? I think not. Perhaps she'd like to stay and watch us frolic tonight. She would love to see your c.o.c.k stand to attention, eager to service me. I know Sergei and Illya have been pestering me to watch.”

Gian jerked against his chains. Kate heard the threat to herself, but all she could think about was that he had... had made love to Elyta, after what she had done to him.

Elyta laughed. She looked at Kate, much struck. ”But no, why should they not play too? You can have her, lads, before we suck her dry.”

The image of vampires sucking all her blood out danced before Kate's eyes.

”I wouldn't want the likes of her,” one of the pair spat.

Kate flushed. Ahhhh. The scar. Perhaps it had its uses.

”Take her from behind, you'll never know the difference, Sergei,” Elyta advised. They both laughed this time. Kate felt her stomach roll and wasn't sure whether it was from the thought of Sergei and Illya, or the thought of Gian with Elyta. She glanced to the vampires.

The melting of her surroundings that presaged a vision clamped down and held her rigid.

She saw the vampire named Illya falling overboard in the dark of a storm at sea. A great wave sc.r.a.ped him from the deck of a s.h.i.+p like he was nothing, and she was him and he was rolling over and over, water filling his lungs. Panic seized him, them. But then she felt the realization that he couldn't drown. Relief washed through him. His Companion sent a surge of power up through his veins and he thought of the s.h.i.+p. There was a sere of pain, but he was used to that. Then he was standing on the deck again.

He scrambled to the hatch and threw himself down into the relative safety of the hold as the deck rolled and pitched.

The vision faded.

”What's wrong with her?” Elyta was barking. ”Are you having some kind of a fit?”

”No,” Kate said as calmly as she could. Could she turn her vision to advantage? ”I saw his future.” She nodded toward Illya.

”You were swept off the deck of a s.h.i.+p. But don't worry.” She made her voice kind. ”You are frightened, but of course you can't drown. You survive.”

”Nonsense.” Elyta snorted. ”Don't try your flummery on us.”

”I'm not. I had a vision of you touching Gian with the stone. That's how I knew where to find him.” She pointed to the window. ”I looked for the window I saw in my vision.”

”I don't believe in supernatural powers.” Elyta said.

”Strange for a vampire. But neither did I. There you have it though.” Kate shrugged.

”She's valuable to you,” Gian croaked. ”Think what you could do if you knew the future.” He was trying to protect her.

”These are easy things to say.”

”There is proof.” Was Gian daft? There was no proof at all until something she saw came true, and who knew how long that might be? ”The stones don't drive her mad.”

Brilliant. She could use that. ”The reason they don't affect me is that I already know the future. My brain sorts out the true line of events.” It might not be true, but it was a good story. ”As a matter of fact,” she said, pretending to be much struck, ”I didn't actually have a vision until after I saw the stone. Perhaps it triggered something in me.”