The Dark Edge Chronicles - Clan War

Struck Down

Naryan looked around and spotted Lash's earpiece sitting on the counter where presumably the Asian lilith currently sobbing in the passenger bay put it after she Compelled him into seasonal intimacy, not wanting anybody listening in.

"Negative, Dru," she replied. "The procedure has generated casualties." And again she stifled the urge to walk into the passenger bay and shoot the crying lilith in the face. "Two, end transmission."

Then she was grunting as Ellie flung herself into her arms to cry against her shoulder. Wrapping her arms around her childhood friend, Naryan squeezed tight.

"Is he going to be okay, Narya?" Ellie managed to ask between the sobs.

"I don't know, Ell," Naryan quietly confessed. Then she stiffened as Fiadh put her arms around both. How dare this lilith ... But then she thought about how the Irish vampiress looked at Lash, how she acted around him, touched him. Sun Witch burn her, she was as in love with him as they were! She was in this thing just as much as she and Ell were.

"I'm so sorry," Fiadh whispered, emotional pain and misery painting each word. "I tried to counteract what Sakura did. I just couldn't reach him!"

"None of us can, Fiadh," Naryan replied. "Only a psionic can reach him now!"

Fiadh abruptly stepped back, her eyes wide.

"What ... did you say?"

Naryan frowned as she looked at her.

"I said only a psionic could reach him. Why?"

"Because Lash knows a psionic!" the Irish lilith exclaimed, looking back at the unmoving Lash. "We need to secure him and get fluids and blood into him. Once we reach Hunters' Fjord, I'm going to play a hunch." She looked at Ellie then Naryan. "If it works, we'll see the end of this yet! And Lash will be returned to us."

"And if it doesn't?" Ellie said with a sniffle, trying to dry her eyes with a sleeve. Fiadh quickly turned her gaze onto the Ventru little sister.

"Then we fight on in his name. We find Anna van Tallert, bleed her for her handler's name, and work our way back to the traitor on the Council," she fiercely replied. She stepped to the unmoving vampire and leaned down to tenderly kiss the top of his head. Then she was turning to stride firmly to the galley's door.

"Truk! I need you, Ballan, and Narcist in here."

The square Ventru operator quickly stepped in.

"Of course, mistress. What do you ...?" He stammered to a halt when he saw Lash unmoving in the chair. "Wolf!"

Fiadh's hand in the center of his chest stopped him from charging forward.

"He's been overloaded with Compulsion," Fiadh tersely explained. "He's saturated to the point I couldn't bring him back like I brought you and Narcist back at Heathrow. We are doing an emergency diversion to the nearest fully equipped Qos Viran base at Hunters' Fjord in Norway to get him properly treated and flushed out. In the meantime, we need him secured with an IV and an infusion."

Always the professional soldier, Truk quickly nodded in understanding just as Ballan and Narcist joined them.

"Lash has been oversaturated," the blocky operator explained when they looked at him in curiosity. "We need to get him to a full medical facility to get him properly flushed out. Grab a sleeping pad and frame from stores, along with IV fluids and a couple liters of blood. We'll secure him against that wall over there," he said, pointing at the wall closest to where Lash was sitting.

"We've already diverted then?" Narcist asked tightly, looking over at Naryan. "I felt us change course a couple minutes ago."

Naryan nodded.

"Hunters' Fjord, in Norway. We're about fifty minutes out," the legionnaire officer revealed.

"I'm guessing the lilith responsible is the one soaking her blanket with tears in the passenger bay," Ballan said, also grim as he returned with a sleeping pad and frame from storage.

Naryan nodded a second time.

"We need to keep an eye on her," she tautly indicated. "She's as tightly wound as a vampire could physically and emotionally be after three months in a chemically-induced coma."

"While that's understandable, it's not reducing my desire to go out there and smash her in the face," Narcist darkly stated as she helped Ballan set up the frame. "Lash has done nothing but protect and honor the liliths. And all they've done to him is use him, and hurt him!"

"I agree," Fiadh said heavily. "I know I've played my part. But you've my blood oath, Narcist, that I will do everything within my power to help Lash recover to the fullest extent. And I will continue to stand with you all against Ventru's enemies. Now, and forever!"

Narcist stared at her for a long moment before abruptly nodding.

"You, I trust, mistress," she said. "You fought alongside us all the way to Salzburg! But I'm afraid I have lost trust in your sisters."

Fiadh looked down at the deck.

"So have I," she quietly confessed.

"So have I!"

****