The Blood Painted Cage

I slept deeply when I returned to the welcoming tenderness of my home just before the sun rose above the mountains lining the horizon. As soon as my head hit the pillow I was out and reaching out into the darkness.

The familiar solid warmth of Blackburn instantly arrested me when he felt me brush his mind, dragging me to him and holding me firmly in his mental arms. For a man having been tormented by horrific nightmares for years, even with me healing him every night, he was surprisingly strong. Feeling such security in his damaged but sane mind I suddenly felt sorrowful. The memories of the small Lindstrom boy grew in my eyes, tearing at my heart as I remembered his death. He was so weak when we found him there was no chance he would’ve lived. His spirit was battered as well as his body and the child was more than willing to move on. Once he decided to, no one could save him.

I stirred from my heart wrenching thoughts when Vincent drew me closer, his mind becoming clouded with rage. As I was within his mind he could see my memories, just like I could his although I chose not to. It is not often I go to him in a state of sadness, normally focusing my attention on his fear and healing so it did not surprise me that he skimmed my memories to seek what was bothering me.

For a while I just hovered in his mind, letting myself be soothed by his presence and allowed the tears fall from my eyes until I felt his weariness. Suddenly realising I was not doing what I was supposed to, a wave of guilt washed over me and I threw myself into the task I was meant to be doing. Hurriedly I banished the darkness surrounding him, allowing him to have a moments rest from the nightmares and set to work on healing his mind. For four years he had been in here and for four years I had been keeping him sane. I knew he would have been lost years ago. His mind was already tormented by the poison and the knowledge of what he had done before he entered the First Penalty. Being thrown into a place where his most feared thoughts come to life would have crushed him quickly.

And while I did this Vincent was still and I could feel his hard gaze watching me and his irritation growing but he said nothing. He was perfectly silent. Not that we said much when we were connected like this. Normally we let our memories and emotions speak for us. Right then I knew I was the cause of his irritation and I stopped myself from asking how. It would only make his irritation grow.

As soon as I finished, Vincent surprised me when he enveloped me, wrapping me in his strong warmth. I didn’t struggle; in fact I leaned on his strength, letting the familiar sense of Vincent cover me and heal my sorrow.

Soon I felt him sleep, resting his mind for the horrors to begin again when I left. I didn’t know what appeared in the darkness here, what he saw and feared. I felt that would be too personal for me to see. Sometimes it was a creature, person or object the vampire feared, other times it was the death and torture of someone they held dear. It varied and I hoped no one had to suffer this again for a long time.

I consciously cradled him at first, gently singing to him while he slept and held me tightly, but eventually even my mind became blank as I slowly fell asleep.

*

I woke feeling fully rested even though it was one in the afternoon. It was rare for me to sleep during the day even if I had been out traipsing about after killers all night.

My mind was calm after sleeping beside Blackburn in his mind. The sorrow was still there but it was fading. I knew Blackburn healed me, taking the guilt away while I banished the fear from him.

After dozing for half an hour longer after waking I pushed myself up and forced myself out of bed. I didn’t bother to retrieve my dressing gown as I left my small simple room even if it was currently winter with snow lying thickly outside the house.

I dragged my feet as I walked down the hallway, yawning and rubbing my eyes. I stopped however outside of Viorel’s room when my eyes slid to the open door and picked up the hunched up shape of Viorel. I sighed and shook my head when my ears picked up the gentle even breathing of Viorel, knowing he had once again fallen asleep in middle of working. He was working himself to exhaustion more and more often lately and it worried me.

I tiptoed lightly in and approached his back, snatching up the chequered blanket flung messily on his bed. Smoothly I dropped it over his shoulders and smoothed down his long messy hair. I glanced up at the screen shimmering before me and saw the notes of the tortured men and women, both human and vampire. So far all he could find out about them was that they had gone missing but nothing else. He would continue to search though until either he found something or forced to admit defeat. The latter was more often than the former.

I allowed myself to continue to watch him sleep for a little longer before I left him in peace, closing the door quietly behind me. First stop was the kitchen. I needed tea and I had to brew it myself I found out when my eyes landed on the curled up body of Livia in the lounge. She was sleeping heavily and I left her alone. The sun was probably the last straw after several sleepless days and fighting off the parasites only last night. My maids were strong and loyal but even they had limits on how much sleep they could be deprived of.

I flitted into the kitchen on light feet and absentmindedly busied myself with the tea. I watched the steam swirl with half closed eyes as I waited patiently for it to brew, counting the seconds away quietly in my head. After taking the tea bag out and splashing the milk in, I pottered may way through my dead house until I came before one of the once unused rooms. Swinging the door open, I shuffled into my self-made lab and settled myself before my computer and switched it on.

I sipped at my tea as I watched the screen flicker and wrinkled my nose at the bitterness of the drink. I don’t know why but the tea I made always tasted nasty compared to the sweet tea my maids made. It was apparent I was doing something wrong when making it myself.

I sighed, placing the tea aside, and set to work. So far creating this antidote had been hard. When I analysed Vincent’s blood I found a mass amount of parasite blood and multiplying by the dozen. If Vincent’s blood was not so pure I doubt he would have lasted as long as he did against the poison. It was made to eat away at the vampire blood and replace it with the parasite, in effect creating a monster where one was almost impossible to create. No one wonder it took these people many years and many tests to create it. But now I was fighting against it, trying to create a counter poison that does the same thing but eat away at the parasite instead of the vampire.

I worked for a while, getting excited as I my experiment seemed to be working. It was not long now. I got the antidote to eat at the parasite but it was always overwhelmed. I just needed to work out how to strengthen it.

However I soon mimicked Viorel, nodding off as the weariness of the past few days began to eat at my eyes. It seemed I was not as awake as originally thought. Before I knew what I was doing, I was leaning my head on the table and dozing heavily.

Only to be woken by the distinct alarm in my head.

Snapping my eyes open, I clumsily reached out with my mind to the sudden threat, grabbing the claw that was driving its way towards me and flung it and whatever was attached backwards. I slipped off my chair smoothly as I heard the heavy thud of a body hitting the floor, keeping myself firmly in front of the computer and chemicals. I was not going to risk this research to be destroyed. It would take years to re-do and I doubted Blackburn would last that long. I didn’t want to fail in my promise to him.

I watched with wary eyes as the wolf-man stood, his big hybrid body forced to crouch in the low ceiling room. This was a first, a werewolf attacking me. No one of my own people dared to face me let alone of the other two Races.

“What is it you want, Pack brother?” I asked gently.

The werewolf’s eyes narrowed and he bared his jagged fangs, snarling at me before he rushed forward. I reached out with my mind and tried to hold him in one place but much to my horror found that I couldn’t. I tried again, he stumbled but carried on. I froze in both fear and shock. This had never happened before. Never had my mind failed me. And my mind was my only weapon and defence. Without it, I was truly as weak as a human child.

I squeezed my eyes shut and shrunk back when he pounced, his teeth and claws ready to rip me apart, but the room was suddenly filled with a crash and yelp. I opened my eyes slightly to see the door broken and Livia at the werewolf’s throat. She roared viciously, her eyes ablaze and her fangs elongated, as she wrestled the wolf to the floor. She grabbed his snapping jaws, keeping her knees firmly pressed on his shoulders, and then wrenched his head violently. A snap cracked wickedly in the air and the wolf went limp instantly.

Livia dropped his head, kicking his arm for good measure, and moved backwards towards me. After taking a few deep breaths and seeing that the werewolf didn’t so much as twitch, she allowed herself to turn her back on the corpse to face me with a face of sorrow.

“I am so sorry Lady.” She said thickly. “I was stupid and fell asleep, not guarding the house like I should have been.”

Shakily I raised my hand and touched her cheek. “I am safe Livia so do not worry. What I am more concerned about is the fact I could not protect myself.”

Livia blinked and suddenly looked worried. “Your mind is weak?”

I nodded, letting her link my hand in hers. “I could nudge him but not take hold. It seemed like the first time I took hold depleted my mental strength.”

Livia looked at me gently and tugged me away from the desk I had been guarding. “Come with me and rest, Lady. I will get you some tea.”

I stumbled after her, briefly letting my eyes glide down to the wolf corpse. He was shifting now. Only when a wolf or cat is alive can they keep their animalistic form intact. In death they return to their human form, showing they are more human than animal. He was young and I knew he had a long life ahead of him. Why would he would do something that would no doubt end his life whether or not I died saddened and confused me.

I allowed her to guide me to the lounge and push me back on the chair. After one glance at my sad expression she fled to the kitchen in search of my tea, leaving alone to ponder about why I was attacked by a werewolf and how my mental power was suddenly non-existent.