Night World : Huntress Chapter 18

Jez heard herself scream, but solitary(prenominal) faintly.There was a roaring in her ears as if the BART train was coming at her again. And a stick outing that engulfedher whole body, s final result agonized spasms through her limbs. It centered in her chest, though, wheresomething white-hot was lodged inside her, oppress her lung and dislodging her internal organs andburning counterbalance beside her heart.Shed been s come tod.What she had done so often to others had been done to her.She hadnt realized anything could vitiated identical this. She was glad none of her victims had lived long to keepsuffering.The wood of the s suck was poisoning her heart, she knew. Even if it were removed, she would die.No vampire could survive contact between living wood and its undead heart.Still, she would live for a little while-in inconceivable agony as the poison ate through her.A voice was screaming in her mind. Jez-JezJezJez oer and over, incoherently.Morgead, she thought. And she w ishd he wasnt feeling any of what she was feeling through the silvercord that connected them.Hugh and Claire were sobbing. Jez wished they wouldnt. They had to stay silence to think of a way tosave themselves.Because she couldnt help them anymore.Over the sobbing she heard a needle exchangeable and angry voice. Lily.What is wrong with you? Lily was dictum. Dont you tick off whats happening to her? Dont you want to save her?Through the red haze that fill Jezs vision, she matt-up dim approval. They were doing what shed toldthem. Whichever of them was the Wild index was suppressing itGood. That was what mattered. Although she couldnt really remember why any longer. abruptly a face broke through the red haze. It was Lily, bending over her.Dont you understand? Lily yelled. You send away blank out this right now. Ill lead him kill you cleanly-all the painwill be over. All you have to do is manifest me who it is.Jez smiled at her faintly. She couldnt breathe to answer, and she d idnt want to try.Would you believe that I dont know? she thought. No, I dont think you would. The pain was getting less by itself. It was as if Jez was moving farther and farther away from it.How can you be so dazed? Lily was screaming. Her face was twisted, and to Jezs vision, floating in ascar permit overcast. She looked like a monster. past she turned and confabulatemed to be screaming at someone else.All right. Get the other vampire spate here, too. Morgead. She was looking at Jez again. Well notwithstandinghave to stake your friends one after another until the Wild government agency decides to reveal itself.No. NoSuddenly everything was much clearer around Jez. She could see the room again, and she could feel her deliver body. There was still the roaring in her ears, but she could hear Claires sobs over it.No. Lily couldnt mean it. This couldnt be happening.But it was. They were shoving Morgead down on the floor beside her, and Claire and Hugh beyondhim. The thugs with spears were getting into position.No. No. This cant happen.Jez cute to scream at them, to tell the Wild top executive to do something, because everything was lost nowanyway. But she didnt have air to scream. And she felt so adrift and confused anyway. Her humanityhad be line up disjointed. Her thoughts seemed to be unraveling at all once, past tense memories combining withflashing sensory impressions from the present, and with strange new ideas.If it was involuntary, why didnt the Wild Power work magic more often? Unless there was some otherrequirement.I cant let this happen.The dampness of blood spreading around her heart. Claires nails digging into her arms.When theres no physical way to escape Power in the blood. Claire on the floor there. Screaming and screamingSomething building inside her, hotter than the stake.Morgead beside her verbalize, Jez, I turn in you. push up with the stake over him. Morgead looking up unafraid.Hotter than the heart of a star.Hugh in the distan ce saying almost quietly, Goddess of Life, receive us guide us to the other world. . ..Hotter than the sun and colder and bluer than the moon, like fire that ruin and froze and crackled like illuminening all at once. Something that filled her with an energy that was past rage and past love and past allcontrolling and that she recognized in her soul even though shed never consciously felt it before. It wasswelling Jez to bursting, a pure and terrible flame that was never meant to be unleashed like this.Do it Lily shouted.And Jez let it free.It came roaring out from her in a silent explosion. Blue fire that streamed from her body and blasted in alldirections, but especially up. It came out and out and out, engulfing everything, flowing from her in anever ending torrent. Like a solar flare that didnt stop.It was all she could see. Blue flames, streaked with blue-white lightning that crackled almost soundlessly.Just like the fire that had cocooned her on the BART tracks.Except that now she could tell where it was coming from, even if she couldnt direct it. She knew how tolet it out, now, but once out it did what it wanted.And it wasnt meant to be used this way. That was the tho thing she knew clearly about it. Shed been permit it slip out when she was desperately upset-when she was worried for someones life, and she knewthat she couldnt do anything else to save them. That was forgivable, because it had been unconscious.This wasnt. She was probably violating some law of the universe or something. The blue fire was onlymeant to be used in the last battle, when the darkness came and the cardinal were called to stand against it.I suppose that means I should try to stop now, Jez thought.She wasnt sure how to do it. She guessed that she inevitable to call it back, somehow, to draw it downinto her body again.Maybe if I sort of tug.She did-something. A gathering-up with her mind. It was harder than allow the fire go had been, but itworked. She could feel it returning , flooding back inside her, as if she were sucking it in. And then it was gone, and Jez could see the world again. Could see what it had done. The house had disappeared.Or most of it, anyway. There was about a pick and a half of ragged wall left all around, with charredinsulation spilling out. Blue energy like electricity ran along the edges here and there, fizzing.Other than that, no house. not even chunks of wreckage untruth around. There were beautiful bits of debrisfloating down, making the sunlight hazy, but that was all.It got vaporized, Jez thought, searching for the right word.No Lily. No Azarius. No Pierce. And none of the ugly thugs.Goddess, Jez thought. I didnt mean to do that. I only wanted to stop them from hurting Morgead andClaire and Hugh. What about them? she thought in a sudden panic. She turned her head, painfully.They were there. And alive. They were even stirring. The cords theyd been tied with were lying on thecarpet, sizzling with that same blue energy.Its so weird to have a carpet without a house to go with it, Jez thought fuzzily.She was divergence away again. And that was too bad, but at least it didnt hurt anymore. The pain was gonecompletely, replaced by a warm and sleepy feeling-and the sensation of gently floating outward.Her eyelids felt heavy.Jez? JezIt was a husky whisper. Jez opened her eyes to see Morgeads face.He was crying. Oh, dear, that was bad. Jez hadnt seen him cry since when was it? Sometime whentheyd been little kids.Jez, can you hear me? Now he was talking in her mind.Jez blinked again, and tried to think of something comforting to say to him.I feel warm, she whispered.No, you dont He utter it almost in a growl. Then he looked behind him, and Jez apothegm Hugh and Clairecrawling up. They were all shining with grand light.Youre so pretty, she told them. Like angels.This isnt the time for your weird humor Morgead shouted. snap off it Dont yell at her That was Claire. Claire was crying, too, lovely tears that sh one as they fell.She reached out and took Jezs hand, and that was nice, although Jez couldnt exactly feel it. She couldsee it. Shes going to be all right, Morgead was snarling. Shes lost blood, but shell be okay.Someone was stroking Jezs hair off her face. She felt that it was pleasant. She frowned slowly atMorgead, because there was something important to tell him, and talking was difficult.Tell Hugh she whispered.Tell Hugh your freaking self Hes right here And youre not going anywhere.Jez blinked with the difficulty changing focus. Yes, there was Hugh. He was the one stroking her hair.Hugh the prophecy. I figured out what the two eyes watching were. Theyre the sun and themoon-get it? Two eyes for somebody who belongs to both(prenominal) worlds.The Day valet and the Night World, Hugh said softly. You got it, Jez. That was so smart.And blood, Jez whispered. Power in the blood-thats why I couldnt do it anytime I wanted. Bloodhas to flow before you can let out the power. The first t wo propagation Claire was scratching me. And this time. . . Her voice died off, but it wasnt important. Everybody could see the blood this time, she knew.Hughs voice was thick. That was smart, too, Jez. You figured it out. And you saved us. You dideverything right right.No because theres only going to be three Wild Powers now.No, there arent, Morgead raged. Listen to me, Jez. Theres no reason for you to die-Jez couldnt manage a smile anymore, or a sentence. But she whispered gently, Wood poison.No, it isnt Not to humans. And youre half human, Jez. Youre vampire enough to survive somethingthat would kill a human, but youre human enough not to be poisoned by wood.Jez knew better. She couldnt see much anymore. Only Morgead, and he was getting indistinct. It wasntthat the world was dimming, though-it was getting brighter. Everything was golden and shining.Four less one and darkness triumphs, Jez thought Im so sorry about that. I hope they can manage itsomehow. It would be so sad for e verything human to be lost. Theres so much intimately in the world, and somuch to love.She couldnt even see Morgead now. Only gold. But she could hear. She could hear Claire whisperingto her in a voice broken by tears, and feel wetness dropping on her face.I love you, Jez. Youre the best cousin anybody could ever have.And Hugh. He was crying, too. Jez, Im so proud to be your friend.And then, through the mist and the gold and the warmth and placidity, came a voice that wasnt gentle atall. That was roaring in sheer assail and fury.DONT YOU DARE DIE ON ME, JEZEBEL DONT YOU DARE Or Ill follow you to the next world and KILL you.Suddenly, in the pretty gold mist, she could see something else. The only thing in the universe that wasntgolden.It was a silver cord.You come back and you do it right now, Morgead bellowed in her ears and in her mind. Right nowDo you hear me?The peace was shattered. Nothing seemed quite so warm and wonderful anymore, and she knew thatonce Morgead got into one of his Excited States, he wouldnt stop yelling until he got what he wanted.And there was the cord right in front of her. It was strong, and she could feel that the other end wassomewhere in. Morgeads heart, and that he was trying to drag her back to him.All right. Maybe if I just grab on.Somehow, she was holding on to it, and bit by bit, pulling herself back. And then the golden light wasfading and she was inside a body that hurt and Morgead was holding her and kissing her and crying all atthe same time.Claires voice came from beyond him. Shes breathing again Shes breathingI love you, you stupid human, Morgead gasped against Jezs cheek. I cant live without you. Dont youknow that?Jez whispered, I told you never to call me Jezebel.Then she fainted.Time for a nice bath, the prevail said. And then we can have a visitor.Jez eyed her narrowly. The woman was kind, but she had some mania for scrounge baths, and she wasalways putting strange-smelling ingredients in the water. Which was ac tually not that surprising since shewas a witch.Skip the bath, Jez said. Let the visitor in.Now, now, the witch said, shaking a finger and advancing with the sponge.Jez sighed. Being a Wild Power in a Circle Daybreak sanctuary meant that she could have pretty muchanything she wanted-except that everyone was still treating her like a little kid. Especially the nurses, whospoiled her and flattered her, but talked to her as if she were about three.Still, she was glad to let the Circle take care of some things. Keeping her relatives safe, for instance.Although she was almost fully recovered, thanks to a strong constitution and a lot of healing spells fromthe witches, she wasnt up to that yet. Uncle Bracken and the entire Goddard family needful constantprotection, since Hunter Redfern and the Night World Council were all undoubtedly after them by now. The Circle had imported some experts from back East to take care of it. A rival vampire hunter, of allthings, named Rashel something. Plu s her soulmate, a vampire-turned-Daybreaker called Quinn.At least they were competent. Theyd gotten Jezs uncle Bracken, as well as the remnants of the gang outof San Francisco, a city that was going to be bad for their wellness for a while. Morgead was trying to getthe gang to join Circle Daybreak for theirown good, and he said that Raven, at least, was showing some interest. Val and Thistle were beingstubborn, but that was hardly surprising. What was important was that they were alive.Pierce, on the other hand, was obviously gone. No one had seen a trace of him or Lily or any of her peoplesince Jez blasted them. obviously they had truly been vaporized, and Jez couldnt bring herself to feeltoo badly.All done the nurse said brightly, straightening Jezs pajama top. Which was just as well because at thatmoment a black head came poking in the door.What is going on in here? You getting ready to go to the opera or something?Jez raised her eyebrows at Morgead. Maybe. ar you telling me I cant?He snorted and came in as the nurse went out I wouldnt dare tell you that. Youre the princess, right?You can have anything.Right, Jez said, with huge satisfaction. So how*re Hugh and Claire?Claires fine she fits right in with the witches here. I think shes trying to get them to put up a Web page.And Hughs just his same stupid self. Hes off saving chipmunks from toxic waste or something.And how about the kid?The kid, Morgead said, is living it up. The Day-breakers are sick(p) about her something about one ofthe oldest Old Souls ever found-I dunno. Anyway,theyre trying to talk her mom into let her live here. She says thanks for saving her life and shesdrawing you a picture.Jez nodded, pleased. It would be nice if Iona came to live at the sanctuary it meant Jez could see her alot. Not that Jez planned to live here all the time herself-she and Morgead needed their freedom. Theycouldnt be penned in they had to be able to come and go. She just hadnt gotten around to telling theDayb reakers that yet.With the people she love taken care of, she could turn her attention to other matters. Is thatchocolate?Its the only reason you like to see me, isnt it? Morgead said, allowing her to take the box. He satbeside her, looking tragic.Nah, Jez said with her sass full. She swallowed. Everybody brings em. Then she grinned. I like tosee you for a different reason.He grinned wickedly back. I cant think what that could be.Hmm youre right maybe there is no other reason.Watch it, Jezebel, he growled and leaned forward menacingly.Dont call me that, idiot.Youre the idiot, idiot.And youre- But Jez never got to finish, because he stopped her mouth with a kiss.And then his arms were around her-so gently- and the silver cord was humming and everything waswarm and there were only the two of them in the world.One from the land of kings long forgotten One from the hearth which still holds the glitter One from theDay World where two eyes are watching One from the twilight to be one wit h the dark.The End