Lost in Mist and Shadow: A Between the Worlds Novel (36 page)

“
In the lot behind the store. It’s bad, it’s really bad. I think he’s dying. What do I do
?” she knew she was hysterical but couldn’t calm herself. His face had started to go gray. He was bleeding to death and he couldn’t breathe. She felt a sudden, overwhelming certainty that he would be dead before anyone could get here to help her, and she sobbed. Her mind raced to think of something, anything she could do.

“
Brynneth wants to know where he was struck
?” Jess’s voice cut through her panic enough for her to remember some basic first aid. She pulled off her shirt and pressed it to the chest wound trying not to think about the way the blood immediately soaked the material.

“
In the back, on the right, but the, where it went out in the front is worse. He’s losing a lot of blood and I don’t think he can breathe
,” she thought back. Unbidden a page from the grimoire appeared in her mind, a spell to heal by using the life energy of someone else….

“
Bryn says to hold pressure on the wound.”

“
I am
,” she thought back desperately. The gurgling sound had lessened, and dimly Allie was aware of a voice on her phone; she ignored it.

“
We are coming Allie
.” Jess was still speaking but she ignored him too. Watching Bleidd carefully she was certain he had stopped breathing.

No. No, no, no, no
….she thought, her mind running in circles. She could not let him die. Not like this. Not because of her. She thought of the spell from the grimoire again, but she knew the spell was at the absolute limit of her ability. And it would mean…

His body shuddered once and went still. Without another thought she started the spell, her lips silently moving in the pattern of the chant, her hands tracing the symbols over his body. The original called for using a human life – since she would not do that her mind cast about for anything else, anything she could substitute, and the image of birds came into her head. The chant changed as she called the life energy to her. It was harder than she’d ever imagined such a thing would be and she started to sweat as she fought to pull what she needed to herself. When it worked the energy came in a huge wave almost overwhelming her. She was afraid if she lost it now she wouldn’t be able to even try again. Quickly she directed the energy into the framework set up over his body, before she could lose control of it.

It fell into Bleidd and his whole body glowed, like light reflecting on water. It was not like any healing she had ever seen or felt before. An instant later his body convulsed and then he drew a long shuddering breath, then another. The color returned to his face, and he groaned.

Allie fell backwards, the concrete step scraping her back. She was so exhausted she could barely keep her eyes open and she knew she’d be useless for any magic for at least a week. Looking down she saw the tiny bodies of the little wrens that had been living over her doorway, now cold and dead, lying next to the building. She sobbed, her head falling forward, stunned by what she had done. Looking down she saw fresh blood high on her left forearm and she reached out to touch it. It was warm and flowing and it occurred to her that the bullet that had hit Bleidd had also struck her in the arm.

She heard sirens wailing in the distance, and dimly she could hear Jess speaking to her, his voice desperate. She wondered how much of what she had just done he had been aware of. And then the ground was rushing up to meet her face and everything went dark.

*******************************

Amy lowered the rifle slowly, frowning. She was worried that she may have accidently hit the young woman, which would be bad. Her instructions had been explicit. But the unexpected opportunity to use the warning shot she was supposed to be firing not just to frighten the woman but to take out one of
them
had been irresistible. Wasn’t the whole point of what they were doing to rid the world of the horrid Fairy creatures? Obviously it was better to do it completely with the magic ritual the group was working on, but surely shooting one of them when she had the chance was good too, Amy reasoned.

She stepped back further into the narrow space between the abandoned house and the old garage, trusting the overgrown lot between her hiding space and the back parking lot of Between the Worlds to disguise her movement. Even with such perfect cover she needed to get the gun broken down and get out of the area before the police arrived. She had shifted the rifle to one hand when she felt a blade pressing hard against the side of her neck, and a melodious voice said, “Drop the gun, now.”

She complied immediately, too shocked at first to be afraid. The blade bit into her neck, and she flinched away from it as blood began to seep down, soaking her shirt. A hand grabbed the back of her neck roughly, holding her head in place. “Move again and you’ll be dead before you draw another breath.”

She froze, holding herself perfectly still.
What is this
? Amy thought, finally starting to be afraid,
What is going on?

“I really don’t care if you killed that meddling bastard who has been making our plans so difficult to implement,” the voice went on, “But killing the girl would ruin everything and I just can’t allow that.”

“I didn’t,” Amy whispered, trying to speak without moving her head. Still the blade cut deeper into her neck and angry tears joined the blood flowing down into her collar.

He switched the blade from the side of her neck around to the front, pressing it against the skin under her ear on the other side. She held completely still, feeling the sharp edge slicing into the delicate skin. “I know you didn’t, you foolish human cow, but did you miss her by accident or by design?”

It took her a moment to work through what he had said; it was hard to focus through the pain. “No I wasn’t aiming for her. I was just supposed to scare her.”

“You have no doubt accomplished that,” he hissed, “and in doing so made our job that much more difficult.”

“I’m sorry,” she whispered.

“Not as sorry as you shall be,” he whispered, and she started to shake at the dark promises in his voice.

“Please don’t hurt me,” she begged hopelessly.

“Oh my foolish little human I am going to hurt you very much indeed,” he said and then laughed. She sobbed slightly, the blade cutting deeper into her neck.

A second voice spoke from somewhere behind her, “Stop playing with her and ask her why she was trying to frighten Allie in the first place.”

“Oh Allie is it?” the first voice said archly, “Perhaps you’d rather handle the questioning, since you care so much about the mixed blooded bitch we are here to kidnap and bring back to be tortured for information. Unless you’ve decided on a different course?”

“Stop ranting like an idiot,” the second voice said coldly. “We are here to accomplish a purpose. I told you before that there were others who also had a purpose for the girl, but you would not listen. Well now you see the proof of it. We need to know who they are, why they are acting against her, and what they seek to accomplish.”

“Foolish child. I already know who they are and what they seek,” the one holding her sneered, his hand on her neck tightening until she whimpered. “They are part of the group enacting the rituals from the book that was destroyed, and they also seek to learn what she knows and use it to their own advantage. Is that not so?”

At the question she felt her stomach drop. She could not betray the group. She swallowed hard. He pressed the knife into her neck, splitting the skin until she cried out. “Answer the question, or you will pray for death long before I give it to you.”

The second one spoke again, ignoring her plight as if it didn’t matter at all to him, “She is using a spell from the book even as we speak. Something dark and glorious. I wish I could be close enough to see it well – it would be a useful thing to know.”

“Much closer and you’d be dead,” he said wryly. And then to her, “Answer the question.”

She trembled, as he squeezed her neck harder, pinching the nerves until she couldn’t bear it anymore, “Yes! Yes, we are trying to fix the world.”

He relaxed his hand slightly and she felt a wave of relief go through her. In the distance she could hear sirens. Good, the police were coming. At this point she’d rather face arrest for shooting an elf than keep being tormented by whoever was holding her.

Behind her she heard him cluck his tongue slightly, “Alas for you little human I hear the sound of your police rushing to see what damage you have wrought. That will surely spoil my fun and there is no way to drag you out of here that won’t attract too much attention. How fortunate that we are in such a secluded spot.”

Without another word he pushed her head forward with the hand on the back of her neck and drew the blade across her throat with brutal efficiency. He flung her to the ground as she choked, blood spraying the wall of the old garage. As she lay there, everything starting to fade, she heard his voice one last time, “No more wasting time or she will get herself killed while we delay. We will move and be done with this.”

******************************

The first Guard vehicle pulled into the parking lot at speed, its siren wailing, followed immediately by the second. Close on their bumper, responding to Allie’s 911 call, was a very bewildered Ashwood patrol officer who knew only that there had been an emergency call made from this location. Before the vehicles had entirely stopped Jess had already vaulted out and was running towards the two bodies lying near the rear door. Brynneth was close on his heels.

Jess quickly noted Bleidd, lying on his back with Allie’s shirt a bloody lump against his side. Allie lay face down next to him, her back scraped and bleeding sluggishly. His heart in his throat he gently scooped her up, moving her away from the fallen elf, even as Brynneth knelt down to try to help him.

He carried her a short distance away, cradling her against his armor. Her face was white, however her breathing was steady and even. She was deeply unconscious but the only serious injury appeared to be a wound on her arm. He set her down and quickly bandaged the injury until Brynneth could attend to her, then picked her back up again loath to leave her on the cold ground. His whole body trembled slightly as he held her, thanking whatever God kept watching over her and saving her from the danger she threw herself headlong into.

Zarethyn appeared at his shoulder, sword drawn, the patrol officer just behind him. His brother took in the scene with a glance. “How is she?”

“She lives, but is unconscious. I believe she was shot as well, through the arm, but Brynneth would be the best judge of that. I have slowed the bleeding,” Jess said keeping his voice absolutely emotionless.

From several feet away Brynneth spoke up. “Bleidd will live, although I do not understand how he was not dead before we arrived. There is strange magic here, such as I have never seen. Somehow what should have been a mortal wound has been stabilized and partially healed. I have done more for him, but he should be taken to the clinic and monitored at the least to be certain he is truly stable.”

“Look at all the birds,” Mariniessa said quietly. Jess and the others looked up at her and she gestured with her chin. “I can see a dozen dead birds from where I am standing.”

Zarethyn glanced around the immediate area. “Natarien, Mariniessa, secure the scene and then circle outwards until you find where the shot originated from.”

As soon as the two moved to do as they had been told he knelt down by Bleidd, running his hands over the elf’s body searching for clues to the spell used. Brynneth came and crouched down next to Allie, unwrapping the bandage Jess had set in place.

The patrolman suddenly spoke up, his voice timid, “What’s going on here?”

It took Jess a moment to realize the man didn’t know what they had been saying because they had naturally spoken in their own language. Switching consciously to English he said, “Call detective Riordan and tell him that two people have been shot in the parking lot of Between the Worlds. One is an elf, and the Elven Guard are on the scene already.”

The cop bristled slightly at the blunt order, “Why detective Riordan?”

“He has been investigating the owner of this store being stalked and connected it to a previous murder case. He will want to know that she has been shot.”

The man’s eyes widened at that and he quickly got on his hand held radio. Jess didn’t particularly care, but if he had to deal with human police he preferred Riordan to a stranger. At least the detective knew how to act civilized, even in the midst of the current arguments over who should have control over the investigation.

Under Brynneth’s ministrations Allie stirred in his arms, her eyes flickering open. She looked dazed and very tired, but he felt immense relief to see her awake. “
Jess?
” she thought uncertainly to him and he rejoiced to hear her speak.

“
Yes, my love, I am here. We are all here. You are safe
,” he thought back soothingly.

She tensed in his arms, gasping, and Brynneth tried to calm her, “Allie, I am healing your arm, you need to stay still.”

In his mind she said, “
Bleidd, is he?... Did he?... Is he okay
?”

A small petty part of him was unhappy that she so quickly thought to ask about the other elf, but he replied as kindly as he could, “
He is well my heart. Brynneth has helped him and we have called for an ambulance to take him to the clinic. They have some experience treating elves.
”