Nature or Nurture Ch. 68

Mina now takes Lukas to the kitchen, to help her make coffee and tea, and soon enough Adison, Vincent and Melissa arrive with their visitors.

Father Nicholas looks much the same as yesterday, but tired, no doubt his night was even longer than theirs. Two burly men follow him on his heels, Hercules, now dressed in trousers and a work-shirt, and shoes, and the nameless guard, also fully clothed in a simple manner, and sporting a few bandages where Lord Douglas cut him with his fabulous sword-play.

To think he never crossed blades with more than one opponent, and only in practise, Mina can hardly believe the young man managed to subdue two skilled fighters and only had to kill one of them. This one is only superficially wounded, but of course he doesn't show any sign of hurting, he cannot.

When they are all seated and holding a cup of coffee or tea, except the possessed men, who stare into space and do nothing much at all, Father Nicholas observes, 'I haven't gotten them to eat or drink anything. If you cannot help them I'm afraid we'll lose them to dehydration within the week. Mr Quesnet must have had a command to make them eat.'

He truly feels this, it is so weird to rhyme this sensitive, caring man with the mindless persecution by the witch-hunters he leads.

Mina can see Adison soften under the Father's admission, she still reproaches him being dishonest towards them, endangering Mina's life and Vincent's sanity, but this proof of his good heart touches her own feelings. Well, she's the one who is going to do the hard work, so she is the one who needs to find some kind of peace with what the Father did.

By now, Victor and Paul have managed to pull themselves away from their favourite subject and enter the room, greeting the Father politely.

'I've tried to avoid getting acquainted with the three of you, for your own safety, but after bumping into Lukas here last time, I'm afraid we can't avoid making our formal introductions.'

Hearing Paul's connection to one of the most influential families in the city clearly gives the Father some feeling of relief rather than anxiety. So George was right, being rich and having connections does make a difference to the witch-hunters. Well, after this is done, they need have very little to do with Father Nicholas, and everybody will be safe.

Father Nicholas proceeds to tell them what happened inside Mr Quesnet's place after they left, and it is not a pretty tale. Apparently they did find a hidden cellar, with an altar, and sacrifices. Most were tortured to death, undoubtedly to gather all the power he needed to accomplish his final possession, but a few pitiable souls were still alive.

'They have been taken to one of the charities under my command, and with proper care most will live, but the cruelties they have suffered and the things they have seen will probably haunt them forever. I hope you will take pity on me and finally tell me why these practitioners of the dark arts always seem to feel a need to torture innocents.

Is is just innate cruelty that seeks its way out, or does it serve some larger purpose? I know I am the enemy, but will someone please tell me? It is such a burden to bear, these lives destroyed.'

Father Nicholas seems hardly suitable for such tasks, he seems to feel everything so keenly, he must be suffering great disturbance of mind often, not just from these atrocities, but from the need of the people he spends most of his time with as well. He cannot be a happy man, how can he keep his faith in his god?

'We have destroyed everything we found that had the slightest connection to witch-craft, except two cursed medallions we just couldn't make a scratch on. I've wrapped them in black silk personally, then blessed the fabric with holy water, hoping one of you knows a way to get rid of them.'

Now Paul gazes straight at the Father, and starts to speak, formally.

'As the Guardian of the third quarter of our capital city, I have asked and obtained leave of our own council to tell you about the foul practice that is called blood-magic. It is not our habit to enlighten our enemies with knowledge of that which they seek to destroy without any reference to the nature of its users, but since your advice has proven sound, I am allowed to give some knowledge in return.'

Father Nicholas looks positively hungry, and Paul continues.

'You yourself have apparently proven to possess a magic talent, Father, and you know the common terms that the talented use.

But there are people who know of the existence of magic, but do not possess the talent, just the sight to recognize it in others. The only way these people can ever use magic is by stealing the power from the talented through painful rites, leaving them burned out, their talent destroyed, but generally alive to stumble through the rest of their lives as mindless zombies. The victims are usually children or untrained adults, for trained talented know how to defend themselves against these dangerous predators.

You employ a lot of the unfortunates with sight but without talent as witch-hunters, and undoubtedly some of their fervour comes from jealousy at being able to see magic being used, but unable to do so themselves. Others take it further, believe me, I've dealt with their kind.

Then there are those who have neither sight, nor talent. They can learn the use of magic, usually from evil books, but sometimes from another such mage, evil without exceptions, for to get their power they have to prey on the weak.

As the life all around us gives off power in tiny amounts just by being alive, so the death of an innocent releases all that power at once, and there are spells to harvest that magic, and to store it in such an amulet as you describe you found in the Master's house.

This magic can only be seen with sight as it is used, which makes it difficult to spy out and very difficult to counter. But it can be done, and blood-mages rarely gain true competence, their inability to understand what they are doing hinders them greatly.

Still, they cause immense harm and pain, and need to be destroyed, but as you so rightly said to my friends, without sight and without a talent of one's own it is very dangerous and near impossible to do so.

Does that answer your question?'

That certainly did answer Father Nicholas' plea for information, and Mina is certain this will not go any further than the Father himself. For understandably magic-users keep that information to themselves, the less people know that magic can be practised at the cost of human lives, the better. And vampires liking to kill slowly and with suffering may be another way to gather magic for their own existence, gruesome, but true.

Maybe Father Nicholas knows where all the vampires went, there were dozens in London at one time. But Mina is not going to draw his attention to the fact that she is one of them, he probably knows for seeing Vincent feed her yesterday, but then again, maybe he did not see it.

They now file out of the sitting-room towards the basement, where all the weaponry has been taken out of sight, and the two benches are left.

Lukas sits down on one of them, Adison on his one side, Paul on his other. Father Nicholas leads the first mindless man to the opposite bench and sits down next to him, Vincent placing himself on the other side, and Mina keeping an eye on the second victim, who is standing where Father Nicholas left him, near the stairs.

As Paul takes Lukas' hand with obvious affection, Lukas asks Adison to let him deal with the first patient and merely watch what he does. The next one she can handle with his help.

'This is dangerous, Adison, but with Paul anchoring us we will be safe.'

To Mina it is obvious that Paul and Lukas are not merely sharing a woman, there is a lot of love between the two men as well. Melissa sits on the stairs right next to Mina.

'That is true, Paul is a very good anchor, not all mages are. Some feel too important to do such a menial task, but Paul knows that anchoring Lukas is not menial at all, Lukas is very important to us, and he lets himself get carried away sometimes, he wants to help so badly.'

'He didn't use an anchor just now, when he helped me with my bad past,' Mina offers.

'If he knows a person well, and knows what to expect, he usually doesn't need an anchor anymore. He told us he needed to be alone with you, and deemed it safe. Did it work?'

'I think so, yes, I feel lighter, eager to go on, and I used to feel guilty most of the time. He was very wise, and understanding, he thought I was afraid he'd seduce me, but that wasn't true.

I just didn't want to admit to any weakness, that would have gotten me killed in my former life.'

By now Lukas is concentrated on his case, and Adison is not aware of the room anymore either, and for ten minutes they stay that way. Paul merely checks the patient and his charges, and stays very calm, but alert.

Then suddenly, the expressionless face of the first man, the one with the bandages, looks around in bewilderment until his gaze flicks across Vincent.

'Mr Heathcliff! Thank god you're back, they said you were dead! Everything went wrong from the day you failed to show up.'

Vincent gives no sign of recognition at all, undoubtedly searching his mind for memories of this burly man. One would say that anyone who had worked with him would remember him.

'Where are we, Mr Heathcliff? And what happened to your face? You look as if you were in a terrible accident.'

Vincent takes the hand the man holds out to him, and says mildly, 'You are right, something terrible did happen to me. I lost most of my memory, and I cannot seem to recall your face among my former colleagues. Can you stir it up a little?'

'You've changed, Mr Heathcliff, you never used to talk like a book. I'm little Teddy, remember? I changed a bit in the year since you disappeared, I became a man.'

Looking at himself, he observes with some shock, 'But I didn't change this much, I look like a strongman in the circus! I feel dizzy, what happened? And who are all these people, do you know them?'

At the mention of the name Teddy, Vincent starts visibly, and he takes a very good look at the burly man in front of him, then exclaims, 'Teddy? No, you can't be, Teddy was as thin as a rail!'

'I was, wasn't I? But people change, Mr Heathcliff, none more than you begging your pardon, you've lost a few pounds and gained a lot of muscle, too. And your eyes are much less fearsome, though the colour begs otherwise. What happened, Mr Heathcliff?'

'The Master tried to kill me, Teddy, and he nearly succeeded. My life was saved but my memory was lost, and I guess that is when I started to talk like a book. But you say a year, Teddy, and in fact I have been missing nearly two. Can you remember what happened to you?'

'When you were gone, Rueger Marsh got your job, but he wasn't much good at it. Got himself killed pretty quickly, I suppose by one of us he crossed one time too many. Anyway, the Master got me to his own place, that was a week ago. Can't remember much more, and if I try I get dizzier, I may be sick.'

'Teddy, the Master did something to you to make you obey him without question. These people around you are my friends, three of them freed your mind, but you've lost as much as half a year, maybe even more. The Master is gone, killed by the witch-hunters for using magic. Do you have anywhere you can go? Your parents, a girlfriend?

Don't try to think of what happened, it will either come to you or it will not. Remember, I lost my memory too, I know. Just concentrate on finding someone who can take care of you.'

'That's easy Mr Heathcliff, I can live with my parents like I used to.

They didn't like my going to live with the Master one bit, they'll be right glad to have me back. I suppose I don't have a job anymore then, if the Master is gone, though mum'd say it wasn't much of a job anyway, and frankly, she'd be right. I don't feel so good, Mr Heathcliff, my arms hurt, and I'm still so dizzy.'

Vincent must have remembered Teddy, for he puts an arm around his former henchman and calls out, 'There are three doctors present, can one of them help this poor guy? He used to be a favourite in our group, not a hard-bitten criminal but a shiny-eyed youth.'

Adison replies, voice tired but not suggestive of pain.

'He's wounded, Vincent, and he hasn't eaten for at least a day. Let's give him a quiet place to recover and a square meal, some painkillers, and he'll probably be happiest with his folks.'

As Vincent helps the burly man sit down in a quiet corner, Victor hurries up the stairs, and Adison calls him, 'Will you bring a blanket for him, and for the other, too?'

Mina decides that is too much for one person to carry, and follows him up the stairs to help gather the stuff they need.

When she reaches the top of the stairs, Victor is waiting for her.

'I'll get the blankets and my bag to care for his wounds, will you bring food and drink? Make it something light, he may be nauseous, complaining of dizziness.'

Within five minutes they return, finding poor Teddy asleep, still sitting with Vincent, who seems to feel responsible.

Adison looks fine, Lukas has probably taken care of any power she needed.

Wrapping the big man in the blanket almost tenderly, Vincent shakes him a little to wake him up.

'Better drink something and eat a bit, Teddy, and then my friend Victor here will look at the wounds on your arm. You were in a fight yesterday, and took a bit of damage, that is what hurts.'

It's almost endearing to see Vincent care for a guy at least his own size with the tenderness he usually shows Catherine or Adison, feeding him little pieces of bread, and sips of water.

Adison was right, for the food and drink quickly restore Teddy, enough to make a fuss when Victor carefully but thoroughly cleans the wounds on his arms with the Chinese mixture.

'You're a big boy, Teddy,' Vincent admonishes him, 'Dr Frankenstein only wants to prevent your wounds from infecting, so you'll be able to help out your folks as soon as possible until you find a new job. They'll be happy to see you, you must have been missing for at least six months but more likely a year.'

Teddy doesn't even hear the last bit, for at the mention of his caretaker's name he looks up in awe and exclaims, 'Dr Frankenstein? Why sir, they say you can raise the dead!'

And at Vincent, 'Did he save your life when the Master tried to kill you?'

Teddy is getting quite sharp with a little food in his stomach, and Vincent strokes the big guy's head as if he is the boy he remembers from his days as Heathcliff.

'He did, Teddy, together with my wife Adison, she helped to awaken you. I was lucky to end up in the hands of the best doctors in London, as are you. Now eat some more, and sleep a little, and when we're finished here we'll send a message to your parents.'

Confusion must still befuddle Teddy more than a little, for despite showing Vincent all the respect Heathcliff was due, he still reaches out for the large scar on Vincent's temple, tracing it around as nearly everyone feels compelled to do who dares to touch Vincent.

'That looks very bad, Mr Heathcliff, I'm glad you got cured, you always took good care of us.'

'Thank you, Teddy, that means a lot to me. Now get some sleep, and before you know it you'll be home.'

'Thank you, Dr Frankenstein,' Teddy says to Victor, who has finished bandaging the sword-cuts on his arm.

'I'm sorry I made a fuss. I suppose Mr Heathcliff never complained, he was always the bravest of all of us.'

'He never did, Teddy,' Victor replies gently, 'but I suppose that was also because I never cleaned his wounds, but Miss Adison, now Mrs Heathcliff. You would probably have bit your tongue, too, before complaining to such a lovely lady.'

Warm and comfortable, Teddy falls asleep with a smile, and Vincent immediately checks on his lovely lady, who kisses him and says, 'It's weird to see you mixed up with Heathcliff, Vincent, but I suppose it's less a problem than I expected.

Ready for the next one?'

'Are you, Adison? You sounded tired just now.'

Vincent is not taking any chances with his beloved.

'I'm fine, love, Lukas took care of it since you were busy. I'm eager to try myself, since it was such a success. Don't worry, I'll be safe.'

But as it turns out, Adison is safe, but not well when she has finished. As she follows Lukas' directions, she strikes the barrier she saw in this man's mind yesterday evening, and tears it down easily.

Memories come pouring out, a character is re-established, and as Adison realizes that Hercules was someone stolen from the streets and coerced to do the Master's bidding, she is overcome with remorse for killing Samson in cold blood.

Hercules never asked to be the Master's pawn, he just couldn't resist the physical force used to take him from his hideout, nor the mental force used to possess his mind. He gave up his identity and pulled back behind the barrier, and Samson was most likely just the same.

As Father Nicholas wraps the dazed man in a blanket and offers him some food and water, Lukas and Vincent try to reason with Adison that she acted under pressure, and that no-one faults her for killing what at that moment was a mindless thug barring her from saving the man she loves, but somehow Adison is not reasonable, and deaf to their logic.

'Never mind,' Paul now says calmly, 'I've seen it before, and you have seen it before, Lukas. Logic is of no use here, what Adison needs is a nice cup of tea, a loving embrace, and a chance to have a good cry, and she'll feel much better afterwards. Trust me, or ask Melissa.'

Melissa is nodding fervently, and observes, 'You take care of that poor man, he doesn't even remember his name. And Mina, Vincent and I will take care of our friend, upstairs in the sitting-room.'

And she does lead Adison away, Mina and Vincent following, not understanding one bit, but happy someone knows what is going on.

Lukas and Paul get left behind with Father Nicholas, one sleeping man and one totally confused man, and Victor, who looks at them in total confusion.

'You heard that blood-mage too, didn't you?' Paul explains.

'Vincent told us the man said he has another child on the way, a son this time. Which means Adison will have her feelings shaken a lot the coming months. Just let her get it out, and show her you love her, and all will be well.'

'She did kill that man, you know,' Victor objects.

'She also killed the Master, and if she hadn't, she might have lost the love of her life. I would have killed to save my beloved, no hesitation. Wouldn't you?'

Paul is very certain that this will all blow over.

'I saw her do it,' Father Nicholas states, 'and in her situation, I would have done exactly the same. She didn't know any better than that the poor man was truly lost, and Vincent was in dire straits and seemed to need help. As it is, this man may never regain his memories anyway. I'll take him with me, he will have every chance of recovery. Are you sure Mrs Heathcliff will be all right? She seemed so very distraught, after doing so much good.'

'She will be fine,' Paul says with great conviction, 'Vincent is a very steady fellow, and Melissa knows exactly what is ailing her, together they will sort it out.

Father Nicholas, do you have those medallions on you? I'll be pleased to destroy them for you, rid the world of evil magic.'

'I did bring them, yes, in the hope one of you would be able to help me.'

The Father rummages in his coat-pocket, and fishes out a handful of black cloth. As he prepares to unfold the fabric, Paul admonishes him, 'Better let me do that, Father, and next time you carry items you know are evil, please carry them in a satchel, not on your body. Even touching them can be dangerous, as you church people like to say, lead you into temptation.'