Seduced by Pain (23 page)

The smell of
manure and moldy hay assaulted us as we entered the dimly lit barn. At the
sight of Giovani, a white stallion to our right neighed and bucked at the
wooden beams imprisoning him. Festering sores from what looked like lashes
across his flanks oozed illness and his eyes clouded with fever. The Inn Keeper
backed away, fear on his face when I turned to him, power lighting up my eyes. "Get
out of here now. If I ever hear of you abusing animal or human again, my
friends will be paying you a visit. Are we clear?"

He nodded and
scuttled from sight and Philip pulled me along. "Danika, I know your heart
is big, but we're running out of time."

I shook him
off and approached the horse. "This won't take much time or power. I can't
leave him here like this, dying and in pain."

The horse eyed
me with suspicion, then sniffed the air. I allowed a tendril of my power to
float free, surrounding the fearful beast. He whimpered and bent his body until
he lay on the foul smelling hay. "There, there. It's going to be okay. I'm
going to help you."

Once he had
calmed, I entered the pen and lay hands on him, summoning the power of water to
cleanse his wounds, and earth to regenerate and heal him. Swirls of green and
blue light warmed my hands and reached out to the illness infecting the horse.
I pulled the pain and sickness into me, holding it in my hands and releasing it
into the earth to be transmuted into something pure.

Wound knit
together and healthy flesh replaced that which was damaged. His eyes cleared
and he pulled himself to standing, huffing and neighing in pleasure. I rubbed
my hands over his body and kissed his nose. "Would you like to come home
with me?" His head nudged mine and I smiled.

The wail of a
woman in pain pulled me from the moment. Philip reached for me. "She needs
you now."

I left the
stall with a silent promise to the horse that I would not forget him and joined
Philip as we followed the screams deeper into the barn.

In one corner,
laying on her own coat, a woman heavy with child cried out as another
contraction wracked her body in pain. I bent down, pushing her thick dark hair
out of her face. "We're here. You're going to be okay."

She clenched
her teeth through the pain as she spoke. "
S'il vous plaît. Aide-moi.
"

My French was
limited, but I knew she plead for help. "
Oui.
We'll help you." I looked up at Philip. "I need
clean cloth, hot water and my bag."

He dropped my
bag next to me and left to get the other items I needed. "I hope you can
understand me. I'm going to give you a tonic to help ease the pain. I need you
to swallow it all, okay?"

She nodded. "I
speak… some."

I reached for
my bag and pulled out a vial that I gave to her. She drank it all and within a
moment sighed in relief as the blend of herbs and magic relaxed her body. "Good.
Where is your husband? I was told there would be two of you."

Her large eyes
filled with tears. "Jean-Paul.
Mort.
"

"Dead. He
died?"

She nodded. "Killed.
They found us. The… how you say? Man who hunts us?"

"The Inquisitor?"

"
Oui
! The Inquisitor, he found us.
Jean-Paul died to save me and
le bébé
."
She cried out with another contraction, this one less painful with the tonic.
When it eased she reached for my hand. "
Le bébé
, he is special. Of the sun,
comprenez-vous
?"

Her pain,
emotional and physical, flowed into me and I struggled to contain it, to send
it back to the earth. "Yes, I understand. He is a Daywalker. Your husband,
he was Nephilim of the Court of Sunrise?"

She slumped
into my arms, her face a mix of emotion. Relief that I understood, fear and
pain for what had passed and what was to come.

My magic
swirled around me and I shared with her my power. "What is your name?"

Her eyes
glowed with the light settling into her. "Lisette."

"Lisette,
I have friends at Court. They will help you and your son, do you understand?"

She nodded.

Philip arrived
at that moment, a bucket of steaming water and a handful of linens that looked
like they could use a good wash, but we didn't have a lot of options.

I thanked him
and held his eyes as I spoke to Lisette. "This is Philip of the Court of
Sunrise. He will be able to initiate your son upon birth and make sure he
receives all of the rights and privileges associated with being a Daywalker."

Philip nodded,
sadness in his eyes as he too pieced together what the woman had lost at the
hands of those who sought to persecute anyone different. He bent and held her
hand. "It would be my honor to do so, if it pleases you."

She cried and
squeezed his hand.
"Oui, s'il
vous plaît. Je vous remercie beaucoup."

Philip's eyes
clouded with tears, and I knew he was thinking about his sister's birth, and
how he had to perform the same rights for her after their mother had died in
childbirth. It must be a Nephilim who performs the rights, for a child of
Sunrise to come into their power and place properly, and Philip's father hadn't
been Nephilim, so that task was left to a young and scared Philip who had just
lost his mother.

Lisette cried
out again and I felt the child drawing near. "It's time. Lisette, I need
you to push."

I positioned
myself to receive the child and instructed Philip to hold her from behind. "When
the next contraction hits, push with everything in you."

She screamed
and pushed. Blood poured out of her and she became pale and listless. My power
searched for the problem. "The baby is coming out the wrong way, feet
first. There's a tear. She's bleeding out." My heart raced as I used my
hands to manipulate the child, trying to turn him in the right direction.
Lisette's cries exploded around us, the pain near unbearable.

I couldn't
extricate my hands to help her. "Philip, I have another vial of tonic in
my bag, give it to her."

As he did, her
body relaxed a fraction and I used my power to repair the damage, but if I
couldn't turn the baby around, it wouldn't make a difference.

Tears streamed
down her face. My hands stayed steady but my heart dropped to my gut as I
fought to keep her alive and save the baby living in her womb. I couldn't let
this woman lose her husband and child on the same day.

My power,
slightly drained from healing the horse, now rushed out of me, leaving me
feeling empty and exhausted. I sought more source, pulling from the earth, the
sky, the water, sucking it in only to empty it into Lisette and her child.

Philip looked
up at me, eyes wide in concern. "Danika, I can hear her heart slowing. She's
dying."

"I know,
but I won't let it happen." My heart cracked and I fought my own tears. So
much hate and pain in this world. All of it unnecessary. She could have lived a
happy life with Jean-Paul and her baby, and instead they had to run from their
home and life because of fear and prejudice. So many killed, and for what?

I couldn't
think of that right now. Had to focus. Finally, the baby turned, head
positioned to exit the birth canal. I sent her more of my power, what little I
had left. "Lisette, we're almost there. Be strong. Push!"

I felt her
draw on her own inner strength and bare down again. The baby's head crested. "Push
again!" And with that last push, the baby dropped into my hands, bloody
and wriggling. I worked fast, sending more power to Lisette to repair the
damage left from the birth while I cleaned off the child and cleared out his
mouth and nose.

Once wrapped
in the cleanest cloth I could find in the pile, I placed him in her arms. "Your
son. He's perfect."

She wept and
kissed him as I cleaned her up, then she passed him to Philip.

A golden glow
of power surrounded him and the child as he spoke the ancient words to initiate
the boy into their court. This would allow him to grow into his own powers as
he aged, rather than having them thrust upon him all at once, without any way
of controlling them. As he reached puberty he would come into his full power
with his wings. It also gave the child a place within their society. He would
never be alone, helpless in a world that didn't understand or want him. I
wished other Gifted had such rituals and community. Too often those like me
never understood who or what they were and died alone and often violently at
the hands of those who feared them.

As Lisette
healed, she regained her color and strength and eagerly reached for her child
when Philip completed the initiation. "
Merci
. Thank you for saving me and my son. He is also Jean-Paul,
for his father."

My head spun
from exhaustion and too much use of power, but I smiled and packed up my bag. "That's
a lovely name. Rest here and we'll see about getting you a room until you're
fit to travel."

Philip nodded
and left to speak to Giovani while I cleaned up the mess of childbirth as best
I could with rags and hot water. I shrugged out of my coat and laid it over
Lisette and her son. "You two need to stay warm." She nodded and
dozed into a half-sleep while nursing her baby.

An unexpected
surge of bittersweet longing clung to my heart as I watched mother and son. I
would never know that kind of bond, never have children of my own. I thought I'd
come to accept that. Being a midwife I often delivered babies and witnesses the
joy of that connection, but it had become harder, knowing what I would have to
do to save the man in my vision… and to save so many others. I didn't regret my
destiny, but I wondered what a softer path in life would have felt like.

I shook myself
out of my own wallowing and leaned against a pile of hay to rest my eyes and
regain some of my own power, but was startled out of my sleep when Philip
charged in and called for me. "Danika, get Lisette and the baby out of
here. We've been betrayed."

***

If I hadn't
been so distracted by the mission and the injured horse, I would have followed
my instincts about Giovani. But, it was too late now. I nudged Lisette awake
and reached for the baby to help her up. "We have to go now. It's not
safe. I'm sorry."

I swayed as I
stood, but clothed the child in my arms and steadied myself. It would take us
too long to get back to the manor by foot. The white horse neighed and I smiled
and walked over to him. "Will you help us?"

He neighed
again and I took that as a yes. "We will have to ride together. I've
healed your tears, so it shouldn't hurt too much. Will you be okay?"

She nodded and
I handed her baby back to her while I prepared the horse for riding. He stayed
calm and even got on his knees to allow Lisette on, as if he knew she needed to
be handled with care. I insisted she keep my jacket and slid in front of her,
ignoring the deep cold of the night air as she and the child pressed against my
back.

Though it had
felt like hours, it was still dark outside. Near the Inn, sounds of fighting
gave me pause. Philip glowed in golden lights, his wings fully visible to
anyone who watched as he took on the five thugs Giovani had summonsed to help
capture us.

Philip looked
up and saw us waiting. "Run! The Inquisitor is coming to Venice and there's
a reward for any Gifted. Go!"

So that was
why the Inn Keeper had suddenly turned on us. Greed. My heart sank as I
contemplated the ramifications of the Inquisition finding its way to here. We
had been safe before, but this changed everything. Where would we send those in
exile? What would become of them, of us all?

I galloped
through the quiet streets, worry weighing heavy on me for Philip and for our
city and our charges.

We made good
time, the sun sending out its first tentative rays of light as the horse slowed
to a stop in front of Philip's estate. A beautiful red-head swung open the
front door, just as I slid off the horse and helped Lisette and her child down.
She ran to me, as much as she could with her own child growing in her, and
hugged me hard. "I've been worried out of my mind." Her green eyes
scanned the lane that lead to her brother's home. "Where's Philip? Is he
okay?"

"He
should be joining us soon. Giovani betrayed us and your brother had to fight
off some thugs. They shouldn't pose much of a challenge against him though."
I hugged her again. "It's good to see you. We need to get them to bed."
I stood back to introduce our new friends. "This is Lisette and her son
Jean-Paul."

Lisette
curtsied. "
Bonjour
."

I held the
reigns on the horse. "Lisette, this is Elizabeth. She's Philip's sister
and my dearest friend. She'll take good care of you and your baby."

Elizabeth
frowned. "You look exhausted. You need to come in and rest."

I shook my
head. "I can't. You know I can't. I'm already late and my brother is going
to be angry as it is."

She sighed, a
guilty expression flashing over her face before it disappeared. "Well, he
did send a message asking about you. But honestly, Danika, Darius is an
overbearing ass. You don't have to do what he says. You're so much more
powerful than him!"