Was this it? Was this the hell-hole in which we died? I remembered Ana's prediction then tossed my head irritably. No, this wasn't it. Orchard was a fairy wyld not a deserted human city.
The situation was beyond crazy and all I could think was what next? If only I had gotten back sooner. Tomas wouldn't have been so hungry and maybe Breandan would have paused before trying to stake him. Pushing the hair out of my eyes, I sneezed at the dust floating down my fingers dislodged. I had underestimated the Clerics and it was a mistake I would never make again.
We passed the city and Tomas stopped. I thanked the gods, for my legs were shaking with exhaustion.
"Rae," Tomas said. "You will hear me now."
I stared at him. "Do I really need to tell you know is not the time?"
Tomas lay Breandan down, rather gently all things considered. "Once you have called to the fairies it might be too late."
I was exasperated. "Why?"
"They may kill me before you can stop them. I must try to make you agree."
I smacked myself upside the head. This was not going to be good. "You never said I would have to agree to anything."
"It is a choice you have to make."
Time was of the essence here, but he was right. I had promised to hear him out, and calling trigger-happy fairies in beforehand would not be so clever. I breathed out through my nose and looked him in the eye.
"What the hell do you want from me?"
"I'm dying," he said.
Chapter Eight
It was a statement of a lifetime, and my mouth fell open.
"But, you're immortal," I said, as if that would explain everything.
"We're dying, all vampires and we have been for a while. There are few of us left." Sadness briefly flitted across his face. "We're starving," he told me. "The nest I belong to is small, but one struggling to hold onto some form of dignity. Many of my kind have been reduced to senseless cannibals who would just as likely drain another vampire as a human. They have fallen to the madness of the dark."
This was big. Huge. I didn't know how to begin to respond. I decided to be polite but frank.
"Tomas, I'm sad for you, but I don't see how this could have lead to you to me."
"You know vampires used to be human."
"No, you used to be pussycats." I made a noise of frustration. "We don't have time for this."
He held a pale palm up. "You listen, or I won't help you."
Tomas had saved my life from the Lady Cleric. He had helped Breandan and me escape from the Temple at a risk to himself. Surely I could hear him out like I promised. I mashed my fisted hands into my side.
"Go on," I huffed, bad naturedly.
"We used to be human, but changed and became vampire. We are not infectious. I cannot turn you; I am what I am because of genetics. Just like shifters are born human then discover the ability to change form, we too are born human and change at some significant point in our lives."
"You mean, you're not dead?"
He did one of those fast and annoyed movements with his hand. "Yes. My human body died."
That explained a lot. "Oh, well, um sorry about that." It was an awkward moment for me, though Tomas seemed at ease. I talked over it, "But that does not explain why you're dying."
"What do we eat?"
"Blood."
"Yes. Where do we get blood?"
I tapped my foot and rolled my eyes. He was leading me somewhere and was opting for the prolonged and dramatic route instead of spitting it out. "You drink from humans."
"Where do the survivors of the humankind live?"
I stared at him like he was dumb. "Uh, behind the Wall-"
It hit me between the eyes like a flying brick. Vampirekind had lost their food source. During the Rupture the demons, vampires in particular, had all but made humans extinct. Now they were paying the price for the humans had locked themselves away from the rest of the world.
"You see," he said. "We are starving. Some humans are gifted in magics and become witches. There were some vampires who could touch the Source before they turned, and we have such a one in the nest I was born into, gifted with the Sight. She saw you in my future, though she never said anything about the blood we have shared. You are the key to my survival." He touched a cold hand to my lips. "Rae, you will save me."
Oh gods. I opened my mouth then closed it again. I forgot what he was and prodded him in the chest. "You didn't think to tell me this earlier?"
"I told you it was important."
"No," I hissed.
"You said yourself. I took a great risk diving through the Wall so I could meet you. I'd been trying for a month. I have fairies hunting me. I slept in a wardrobe. Of course what I have to tell you is important."
"Well yeah, but I figured you were going to spew some vampire crap about some bad vampire hurting lots of good vampires, and that maybe you wanted me to get the fairies to help. I didn't realize it would be something as huge as saving your life. The gods damn it, Tomas."
"What will you do now?"
"Figure out how to call a fairy to come fix Breandan."
"Good idea. He does not have much time left." He sounded positively happy at the idea. I glowered at him at he smiled. It was not a beautiful smile, but one of charm and my lip twitched. "Will you call to someone in particular?"
I thought about it. "I've only met one other fairy and he knew loads. Breandan trusts him. He'll have to do."
I closed my eyes. Time passed and nothing happened. I rubbed my temples and resisted the urge to hum.
Tomas sniffed the air. "No magic?"
I shifted on the spot then sat down. Folding my legs beneath me I closed my eyes again. "I haven't touched the Source yet. I wascentering myself."
Lie, lie, lie. I was trying to figure out what the hell to do next, because I had no clue what I was doing. After a few minutes I still had done nothing. I didn't want to call on the Source because I didn't know what to do with it, and I didn't want to make anything bad happen. There was no conscious fairy nearby to fix my mistakes. Urgh.
Tomas sat behind me and pulled me onto his lap. I stiffened and my eyes opened. He reclined against a tree, pulling me with him.
"You need to calm down," he said. I looked over at Breandan, who rested so still a few paces away. I could barely hear him breathe, and I was expected to be calm? Tomas placed both hands either side of my face. They were cold, and felt wonderful against my warm cheeks. He sighed. "Relax, and do what you need to do."
With no more time to lose, I closed my eyes and gasped as pure, blistering energy filled me the instant I reached to the Source. I was learning intense anger or fear helped to focus my mind. I drifted from my body, and sought out the memory I instinctively knew would help me find Conall. Suddenly he was there, aware of me and I locked onto the tenor of his mind like a homing beacon. I reached my hand to touch.