Deadman's Blood (24 page)

“That’s what they are trying to figure out,” Anton said.

“Why can’t they just ask him?” Mark asked.

“He’s been in a coma since they’ve been there.”

“So what, they’re just going to let him die?” Mark asked.

“I’m not sure there’s anything they can do, but I can assure you if there is anything that can be done, my father will insist upon it,” Anton answered.

“I’m really sorry, Anton. That’s terrible news,” Alyssa said.

“The worst part is that is not all the bad news I have,” Anton continued.

“Oh, come on. How can there be more? He’s already dying,” Mark said.

“Did you hear about the plane that went down today?” Anton asked.

“The one that has been all over the news, how could you not hear about it?” Mark said.

“Josh’s parents were on that plane.”

“What?” Mark exclaimed.

“Oh no. Does Josh know?” Alyssa asked.

“Dominic’s telling him right now - he and Melanie went to California also.”

“How do you know they were on the plane?” Mark asked.

“I took them to the airport this morning. They had been visiting here to meet Melanie, Dad, and me,” Anton explained.

“Oh man. That stinks,” Mark replied.

“Do Devon and Darby know about Blake?” Alyssa asked.

“I’ve been trying to reach them but I haven’t been able to yet. I’ve been sending daily messengers and calling all over Ireland, trying to get the message to them, but nothing so far,” Anton said.

“Geez…how is Rowan doing?” Mark asked.

“Dominic said they’ve been keeping her sedated.”

“Poor thing,” Alyssa said. “Is there anything we can do?”

“Not really, I’m sorry to say.”

They sat together, befuddled and sad. The house was painfully quiet and somehow a little colder.

*****

After Alyssa and Mark headed back down to the cottage to settle in, Anton’s phone rang. It was Dominic.

“Hey, Dad. How are things there?”

“Not great. Nothing new with Blake and Josh is doing as well as can be expected,” Dominic said.

“He didn’t take it well, then…” Anton inquired.

“No. There’s a rather big hole in the hospital waiting room now,” Dominic admitted.

“Hmm. Is there anything I can do?” Anton asked.

“No, Son. Just keep trying to get a hold of Devon and Darby. Anything going on there?” Dominic said.

“Mark and Alyssa moved into the cottage today. We had dinner together and I updated them on all that is going on. They send their condolences to Josh and their well wishes to Blake and Rowan,” Anton answered.

“That’s sweet,” Dominic said.

“You wouldn’t happen to have a number for any relatives of Bernard’s, would you?” Anton asked.

“No. Not anymore. His sister died a while back. I don’t think there is any other family. Why? Is something wrong?”

“Well, I’m not sure. I haven’t seen him since this morning,” Anton said.

“That’s not like him. That’s very odd indeed. Keep me posted if you hear anything,” Dominic said.

“I will,” Anton said.

“I know it is off topic, but on the plane, Josh and I seem to have made some progress on that piece that comes off of the artifact,” Dominic said.

“Oh really? What’s that?”

“It’s quite amazing. It appears to be some sort of key. I hadn’t noticed it before, but when the seal is turned it morphs into some sort of odd looking key,” Dominic explained.

“Really? How amazing. What do you think it goes to?”

“Truthfully, I think it has something to do with the altar room. I just don’t know what,” Dominic admitted.

“How strange that you would say that. I wanted to talk to you about another one of those strange dreams I had where I was inside that vampire’s head,” Anton said.

“Yes. The one when the vampire killed that business man,” Dominic remembered.

“Yes. I had another one and we were in the altar room. The vampire went straight to a very specific place in the hearth looking for something but it was missing. Do you think the vampire was looking for the artifact you found?”

“Quite possible. Just wish we knew who the vampire was. It would be nice to know whether the Black Orchids were trying to come to power again,” Dominic said.

“Well, that’s the other thing I wanted to talk to you about. If the artifact is what the vampire was looking for, then you might be in some danger,” Anton said.

“Why do you say that?”

“Because I know who the vampire is,” Anton admitted.

“You do? How?”

“I saw our reflection in some glass.”

“And?” Dominic prodded.

“It’s the Dark Angel.”

“Oh!” Dominic exclaimed.

“Oh, is right! And it’s not just the artifact the Dark Angel wants, I think it was the Dark Angel that somehow poisoned Blake with this Deadman’s Blood,” Anton said.

“Ah yes. The dead businessman you saw the Dark Angel drain. I suppose its possible, but why Blake?” Dominic wondered.

“Maybe it wasn’t Blake that was supposed to receive it?” Anton thought.

“What are you saying?” Dominic asked.

“I’m saying, it may have been intended for you.”

“Me? How is that possible?”

“Don’t you remember?” Anton asked. “Blake took some of the blood supply home right after we received the latest shipment.”

“But that would mean the Dark Angel knows where we get our blood and all kinds of things about us!” Dominic said, alarmed.

“Exactly, Dad. Just to be on the safe side, if our supply has been tampered with, I’ve disposed of what stock we had and had a new shipment sent from Dr. Rowe,” Anton said.

“Good thinking, Anton,” Dominic stated.

“Thanks. Send my well wishes to Blake and Rowan, Dad…and be careful.”

“I will. You too, son,” Dominic replied.

*****

In the bed alone, Darby woke to voices downstairs. She listened for a moment, realizing one of the voices was Devon when she remembered he had said the electrician would be coming this morning. She swung her legs to the side of the bed, wiggling her toes, yawning, and stretching. Her feet searched for her slippers only to find the cold wood floor.
Where have my slippers gone?
Sleepy eyes searched the floor to find nothing. She knelt down to look under the bed, finding nothing. Still not quite awake, she stood up, only to trip over her slippers at the foot of the bed.

“What are you doing here?” she said to the slippers. They were turned with the toes pointing away from the bed like she would have left them if she had been just getting into bed, but that was not possible with the tall footboard. Her feet quickly took their happy, soft place within the slippers as she walked to the bathroom to wash her face.

She ran the water to get the iciness out of it, then cupped her hands and splashed her face clean of sleep. With her eyes closed, she reached for the hand towel with her left hand to find nothing but wall. Squinting one eye, she searched for the missing blue towel only to find it strewn over the shower curtain rod on the right side of the bathroom. She grabbed a larger, closer towel to dry her hands and face and, suspicious, turned back to the towel rack where the towel should have been.

What the heck is going on here? Am I totally losing it? I know I put that towel on the towel rack last night….or did I?
Frustrated already after only having been awake for a few short minutes, she slipped on some jeans and a hoodie and proceeded downstairs.

The smell of fresh brewed coffee wafted up the stairwell as she descended. “Coffee…that’s what I need,” she said quietly to herself as she headed for the kitchen. A large, barrel-chested man was speaking with Devon in the living room as she passed the doorway into the kitchen. She yawned as she opened the cupboard door, grabbed a cup, and poured coffee. She reached to her left blindly and grabbed for the sugar, which too, was not in its place as her other hand reached in the utensil drawer and grabbed a teaspoon. She looked down the length of the counter for the sugar bowl only to find it on the stove top between the burners.

Okay, I know I didn’t put that there. Hmmm. Maybe Devon was using the sugar when the electrician came and he just sat it there on his way to the answer the door. It’s possible.

She shuffled over to the stove with her coffee and teaspoon in hand and picked up the sugar bowl on her way to the kitchen table. She rubbed her eyes and yawned once more after she took a sip only to spit it out as her taste buds informed her that the sugar was not sugar at all but salt.

Devon walked in just as she spewed coffee all over the table. “Well, at least it didn’t go through your nose,” he laughed.

“Ha ha, very funny. You are hilarious today, but you really shouldn’t mess with a person’s coffee, no matter how funny you think it might be. Or for that matter, messing with slippers and towels. What is it? April Fools Day?” she said grumpily.

“What are you talking about?” Devon asked.

“I’m talking about switching the sugar for salt, moving my slippers to the end of the bed, and moving the towel in the bathroom.”

“I haven’t a clue as to what you are talking about…I didn’t do any of those things,” he said, sitting down at the table as she wiped it clean of coffee. He put his fingers into the sugar bowl and took a small pinch of the white crystals and sprinkled it on his tongue.

“Tastes like sugar to me!” he said, confused.

“I’m not falling for that twice,” she said.

“Suit yourself,” he said as he spooned some sugar into his coffee, stirred, then took a big swig of it, reading the paper all the while. She watched him do this and was astonished when he made no reaction. She stuck her finger into the sugar bowl and set some crystals on her tongue, finding it to be sweet and delicious. Then she cautiously took a sip of her coffee, to find it not salty but absolutely perfect.

“What is going on?”

“Maybe it’s the Wee Folk,” he said laughing then continued more seriously, “Maybe you are coming down with something…You weren’t feeling well before we left the US; maybe your taste buds are just off from an oncoming cold or something.”

“Maybe! But I feel fine - starving, but fine,” Darby answered with a puzzled expression.

“You have been very hungry lately. I don’t recall you ever really eating much in the morning, but the last few weeks you’ve been ravenous,” Devon said.

“Are you saying I’m putting on some weight?” Darby baited him.

“No…I said you’ve been very hungry – it’s an observation, not an insult,” Devon said in his defense.

“Sure,” she said sarcastically.

“Did you wake up on the wrong side of the bed, Sweetness?”

“Why? Are you saying I’m being crabby?” Darby asked defensively.

“Uh…no…but you’ve been accusing me of moving things and playing tricks on you,” Devon replied.

“I just…I don’t know? Something weird is going on. I swear I hear you talking to me in my head, yet the couple of times I’ve asked you about it, you weren’t. Then there are things I swear I put in one place and find them in another. I don’t know. I feel like I’m losing my mind,” Darby admitted.

With a concerned face, he reached out and patted her right hand lovingly and said, “Maybe you are just more tired than you thought with jet lag or maybe you really are coming down with something. You should relax. Don’t try to get so much done.”

“Maybe…oh by the way, did you get that envelope that I left in the living room? I found it leaned up against the front door. Must have come when I was in the potting shed,” Darby asked.

“No. I didn’t see anything,” Devon said.

“Really? I thought I put it on the little table by the chair you like to read in at night,” Darby said rather puzzled.

“I didn’t see it. I’ll go look.” He got up and went into the living room for a moment. After a minute he came back empty handed. “No…I don’t see any envelopes. Did you see who it was from?”

“No. I hadn’t really looked at it, just picked it up outside and laid it down on the table,” she said as she walked through the scenario in her mind.

“Hmmm. I’m sure it will show up,” Devon said, not too concerned.

“I know, but this is happening so much. I put something down and a minute later I can’t find it. It’s making me crazy,” she said.

“Maybe you should just take it easy today and relax. The electrician will be working in the attic, basement, and the front bedroom we’ve decided will be the office. I have to run into town to get some things for him, but there is nothing you need to do today. Just get some rest,” Devon said.

“I’ll think about it. I didn’t really think I was all that tired, but maybe you’re right,” she agreed reluctantly.

“Good. I won’t be long and I’ll bring you back some of that peppermint tea you like so much. That should relax you,” he said.