1. Macabre Marmalade (COMPLETED; EDITING)

XLIII (19.1)

The sound of Todor's steps across the sidewalk echoed in his ears. Rejoining the surface after short jaunt under the ground left him strangely unsure of himself. The call from the old Seer, a cryptic poem he got from her that told him nothing, and now hair-rising quiet that lay over the neighborhood. Everything contributed to a state of mind that was overly sensitive and on the very edge of the breaking point.

He managed to calm his ragged nerves somewhat when his eyes fell upon the yard. There spread across the green lawn were his furniture and the entire door from the entrance. His right hand twitched in a nervous gesture as he noticed bodies on the lawn. He let out a sigh when he recognized them as vampire cadavers.

"Anyone there?" he called out but got no response. Bursting into motion, in two seconds he was at the opening where his door once stood. For a moment he was afraid to look inside, fearing what he will find. But a wave of encouragement came from Ezezu and he stepped into the house.

The first thing he saw was Irry frozen inside of a crystal, her face trapped in a grimace of rage and fury, her fists clenched and suspended in a motion of trying to slam the wall of her prison. Dozen of vampire bodies in various states of condition were around the hall and living room. She is fine, just trapped. We can dispel this spell easily, Ezezu said reassuringly.

Before Todor could say something the loud meowing came from behind the sofa. He rushed to see when his heart skipped a beat. There lay Mab, his head sporting a bleeding cut and Mihos sitting on his chest and making noises. The cat looked at Todor and than moved away from the boy still making low noises, his whiskers twitching. Todor was at Mab's side in two steps, checking his pulse and pressing his handkerchief to the cut. Six bodies of vampires were arrayed around small squire, his milky white blade still in his grip.

"Good job, squire. You showed them. Now don't die. You hear me?" Todor mumbled as he cradled the boy in his arm. "Ezezu, do we have any healing spells or something?" Ezezu sent a mental shaking of her head.

"Damn it. I have no idea what is wrong with him, he just has a cut above his eye and no other injuries," he said out loud.

He is alive and stable. Maybe we should dispel the knife-ear slaver and she could help with a boy, Ezezu suggested and Todor nodded. Then a wave of cold sweat bathed him.

"Where is Cassandra?" He jumped to his feet looking around. In a few steps, he was in the kitchen but that room was almost untouched. Heart beating out of his chest he hurried to the stairs and climbed them in four jumps. Looking from room to room, he found no one has been upstairs and everything was like he left it. Only thing was, Cassandra was gone.

Calm down and think, fool, Ezezu intruded through his panic thoughts and strings of scenarios that paraded there. First focus on people you can help right away. Then move to other problems.

Todor nodded going back to the ground floor. Taking deep shallow breaths, slowly calming down. His blood felt as if it could melt steel, right palm opening and closing on the hilt of his sword. The uncombed hair sweaty and messy falling on his eyes which he swiftly slicked back with his left palm.

"Alright, spell to free Irry," he mumbled glancing worriedly at Mab. The Ezezu materialized as a book and Todor looked at the page. "Zi Dingir Anna Kanpa! Kalu Eseru!"

Mana formed in Todor's left palm and he pointed it towards frozen Irry. The pale pink mist exploded outward engulfing the crystal, slowly dissolving it. A few seconds later Irry dropped to her knees, coughing, tears streaking her beautiful face. Her head rose and she saw Todor standing there, waiting for her to compose herself.