The Afflicted Ch. 12

Through all of this, the four had been struggling to be silent. When they had heard Galen open with the argument that they should be mates, it had been a good thing they were restrained, or else they might have leapt up in joy. Hypatia, however, had sent them a note that they were to show their best decorum in the hearing.

It did not stop them from exchanging glances, however, and Aimée couldn't help but give a blushing look to Jacob. It was surreal, yet wonderful for her to contemplate that this handsome young man would be her life mate sometime soon. Claude, too, found himself looking at Abby in an entirely different light. Abby personally was struggling, wishing she could reach out to communicate her joy to Claude at the prospect of taking the ultimate step with him.

The proceedings began to go surprisingly smoothly. The air of the room became suddenly relaxed. The three judges asked questions of the four young people, marveling at the tales they had heard, and teasing them about their amorous adventures.

"There is an ancient tale," said Patroclus. "In the story, an overprotective king locks his virginal daughter in a tower. A young man finds a magic ring that transports him there every night, where things go... very well. Leave it to two Afflicted women to bring such a fairy tale to life. I would challenge anyone here to tell me they wouldn't have done the same when they were young and newly awakened, if they had access to such powers. Now, turn off the dampener and set these four at ease."

The hearing went so far as for the judges to consult Hypatia on certain legal matters. Inheritance was a complicated issue among the long-lived, and the three Council members wondered how to interpret the will left by Abby and Jacob's parents, which apparently included vast land holdings and investments.

Less than an hour later, Patroclus was rapping his gavel.

"All that is left is for us to discuss our decision and make it formal," he said. "I think all of our concerns have been allayed and we can anticipate a happy outcome. I'm calling a fifteen minute recess, and for god's sake unchain these beautiful young people. They are not a threat, nor are they an escape risk, I would hope."

Patroclus, Angelina, and Peregrine rose and departed, followed as before by their mandated deplaceurs.

As the children were unchained, there wasn't a dry eye among them. Palo and Frederique, and even Hypatia, were beaming with happy tears.

"Well," said Hypatia, "I was hardly needed.

Claude scooped Abby up in his arms and she wrapped her tiny figure 'round his muscular frame as she kissed him. Jacob, too, lifted Aimée and twirled her about in a joyful embrace. Frederique was already planning the details of the mating ceremony and the four even began discussing where they might live.

Frederique looked about at all of her friends in the gallery and nodded to many of them, exchanging joyful smiles.

Then, a three-note, staccato whistle blew and Hypatia looked up in alarm. It was the caution notes, not the regular call which signaled reconvening.

Abby, more than anyone, detected the shift in the room. Four guards approached, with dampening collars, and pulled the children roughly back to the seats. Each guard remained behind each youth.

Abby had been so overwhelmed with the joyous news that she had scarcely noticed the crowd around. Just before the guards came back, she felt something amiss, but couldn't quite place it. Then, the collar was locked around her neck and the four youths were once again shackled to the chairs. In the back of her mind, Abby was struggling to place what it was that she'd detected; the odd shift in the emotions of the crowd.

The three judges returned, and their demeanor was radically changed. Patroclus no longer seemed kindly; Angelina was wearing a frown, and Peregrine appeared outright angry.

"We have decided we need to investigate a few things further," said Peregrine. "And what we have to discuss is in relation to this."

He held up a canary-yellow envelope and a gasp went through the crowd.

"The sealed sheet," was the whisper that went through the crowd. "

"This is ridiculous," cried Hypatia, leaping to her feet.

Galen himself and risen in surprise.

"You made no mention of this, before," said Hypatia. "Why now?"

Peregrine looked on them all with a haughty expression. "That is the purpose of the deliberations, to discuss. We discussed the situation and arrived at some startling conclusions. I will read now."

He blew on the end of the envelope to open it again and removed the sealed sheet.

"I must object," said Galen. "What I wrote there is conjecture only, and the chances are miniscule."

"Yes, so you mention on the sheet," said Peregrine. "Yet you did feel the need to point it out, so we've decided to discuss it."

Peregrine unfolded the sheet and began to read.

"I'll just skip to the important parts," he said. Galen, you wrote, "It should perhaps be noted that there have been rare instances when a gift is passed on from a prior bloodmate. I have found in Frederique strong concentrations of cells from Christophe, the clockmaker. Just as a mother's blood mixes with the child in the womb, so do the Afflicted cells she carries. There is a small chance, perhaps one in ten thousand, that when Claude Dujobe or Aimée Dujobe mate, especially with someone with strong gifts, that they will also acquire the clockmaker's gift."

There was an uncomfortable shuffling and stirring in the room, but Frederique could not turn - so frozen was she by the findings.

"I want you to listen carefully to those words," cried Galen, who sat alone to the side. "Small chance. One in ten-thousand."

"Yet, the chance is there," argued Patroclus. "None of us here needs to be reminded what someone with the clockmaker's gift can accomplish."

"We have, therefore," continued Angelina, "revised our findings and we have a new decision."

Frederique cried angry tears and turned to see the crowd. Save for the Cadets who seemed just as shocked as she was, there was not a sympathetic eye to be found.

How quickly they can turn, she mused.

Peregrine reached into a notebook and pulled out a carefully written piece of paper.

"Our new findings are thus," he said. "Because of the clear and present threat represented to the Afflicted by the four disobedient youths, and further because of the threat they represent to our kind, we have made the following decisions in regard to their future."

"Claude Dujobe, Aimée Dujobe, and Jacob Lamont each pose a significant future threat to our kind. The Dujobes because they may carry the clockmaker's gift, Jacob because he shares the same blood as his sister. It is our recommendation that all three be mated with mortals of average intelligence, so their gifts might not be strengthened; only diluted. It is further recommended that they, and any mates they take, be sterilized."

"What!" cried Palo leaping not only to his feet, but onto the table. Claude and Jacob also tried to rise.

"Mr. Dujobe, you will be seated," said Patroclus.

"Wait," cried Abby. "It all makes sense. Look at their eyes! It's..."

She was not able to finish, her guard had gagged her with a length of silk cloth.

"Thank you, guard," said Patroclus. "Peregrine, continue."

"Thank you, Patroclus," said the Irishman. "We finally must speak of the empath, Abigail Lamont. Experience has shown that no person with such gifts should be allowed. It is therefore the recommendation of the council that she be terminated, as soon as possible."

"No!" shouted Hypatia.

She slammed her notebook down on the table in front of Frederique and marched to face the three of the Council.

"These are not your decisions to make," she said with flashing eyes. "You are here to make decisions in regard to their mates. Decisions beyond that are to be put before the full council, the laws are quite clear."

At the same moment, Palo looked down at the notebook Hypatia had seemingly thrown down in anger. He quietly drew Frederique's attention to the page - on which were written the words:

FIGHT

FREE

FLEE.

Frederique nodded in agreement. They gathered themselves, getting ready to spring into action.

"Yes" said Peregrine, "there are laws, but you'll also note that special councils are allowed to make exceptional decisions in times of conflict. If the threat of Arnet is not an exceptional circumstance, what is?"

"It is still beyond your scope," insisted Hypatia. "You can have them locked away until another time. You can have them collared, but you cannot make such decisions, you don't have the authority."

"But we have, and we will," said Patroclus. "Abby Lamont shall be first. Guards, remove her for immediate execution."

Abby was so stunned, she couldn't even protest through the gag.

Then came hope.

She heard a small click and instantly became aware of of the emotions of everyone around her. Her collar had been unlocked, instantly disabling the dampener. She saw the surprised looks of her friends as they also felt the unnerving field around them disappear. Next, came a tiny click around Abby's wrists. She felt her shackles start to fall and quickly grasped them.

Abby searched the minds of the room in an instant flash. Her first suspicion was confirmed, the entire room, save the Cadets, had been bound to Arnet. As for who had released their collars, she had a few suspicions but could not detect the mind who had done the miraculous deed.

The others also grasped their shackles and they thought they might not be detected. However, Aimée's wrist-irons fell too rapidly from her narrow wrists and went clanging to the floor.

It was a moment that lasted for an eternity. All of the room paused upon realizing the implications of Aimée's bonds being released with no one near.

"Take me last!" rang Abby's voice in Aimée's head.

There were several bursts of vision.

First, Palo and Hypatia disappeared.

Then the room seemed to stop.

Next, Claude, Jacob and Frederique were gone.

The world stopped again.

Back into action, Scaurus disappeared along with the Jeanne Villepreux-Power.

Another freeze.

Next, Brana and the Cadets were gone.

The world stopped again, and now Brolly was standing next to Abby, reaching out for her. At the same moment, Brolly tugged at Abby's right arm and Aimée tugged at her left.

Time resumed again, and the world was treated to the rare sight of a deplaceurs battle. Aimée winked out and back in again elsewhere, then out and in again - popping in and out with stunning rapidity, Brolly always appearing in the spots where Aimée had just been.

Bullet and Leonora crouched at the edge of the room, ready to leap into the fray, but like someone trying to jump into a skipping rope in motion, they had to take care to find the right opening.

Brolly and Aimée and popped in out of the air. The room sounded like small firecrackers were being detonated from the tiny pops. Somehow, Aimée was able to keep one flash ahead of the English jumper. Luckily for her, the other jumpers could not enter the fray. It was too dangerous.

Finally (as it appeared to all watching) Brolly found an opening. Aimée had materialized at the edge of the room and was facing away from him. Brolly popped in and grabbed her triumphantly.

"Let go of me!" cried the woman.

"I don't think... so..." said Brolly. It suddenly occurred to him that the voice speaking was not Aimée's. His head clearing, he suddenly realized he had hold of Angelina. Abby had tricked his mind.

"No!" he cried. "Bullet!"

Aimée was standing by Abby, holding her arm.

Bullet was already in motion, lunging forward with blade in hand as she winked out.

She rematerialized in front of Aimée and Abby, striding at a full run toward Aimée. The two girls popped out of sight as Bullet's lunge continued through where they had been.

Bullet looked to her short blade and saw blood upon it. She smiled a grim smile and disappeared on a search for Abby and Aimée, hoping the young deplaceur had chosen a familiar location to escape to.

Patroclus cursed when he saw that Abby was gone. Peregrine and Brolly strolled to his side.

"The master won't be happy," said Peregrine.

"No," said Brolly. "The one person he wanted was the empath. He feels she is the key to it all."

"We'll find her," said Leonora.

"Yes, you will," said a thin voice from the entrance.

The entire room turned as one, and kneeled on one knee before the short figure in the silk cape.

Arnet walked in, flanked by recently 'turned' Afflicted group on one side, and a mortal group under the influence of his serum, God's Strength, on the other.

"The empath?" he asked.

"Gone," said Brolly. "We're sorry, master."

"Frederique?" asked Arnet, his voice rising higher.

"Also gone," said Patroclus.

"Her children?" asked Arnet, the anger boiling in his voice.

"Also escaped," said Peregrine. "But we think Frederique's daughter may have been injured."

"Well," said Arnet. "I think you could have done better. Don't get me wrong, though. Brolly, I'm very pleased with you. You're reputation bears up."

"It was a stroke of genius, I must say, master," said Patroclus. "Infecting our top deplaceur guaranteed you the greatest access."

"And of course, I quickly enlisted our other best deplaceur," said Brolly. "From there, things have fallen rapidly into place."

"Reykjavik?" asked Arnet.

"Surprisingly easy," said another deplaceur walking in. "Those darts are sheer magic."

"Tell me, did my plan work for the assembly hall?" asked Arnet.

"Like clockwork," said Angelina. "We were able to watch it from where we sat. The advanced guard injected the back row. Within seconds those people were bound to you, then they took a syringe and injected those in front of them, and so on. It was less than a minute for the whole room."

"The only people we are missing are some cadets, Scaurus and Galen, and of course those we've mentioned," said Peregrine.

"Oh, that's all," said Arnet. "The greatest mind in the world, your head general, the empath, and the woman who defeated my father."

He smacked Peregrine across the face. The great scholar who had lived to see a quarter of a millennium cowered at Arnet's feet like a dog.

"I'm sorry, Master. We will find them, I promise."

* * * *

Abby and Aimée reappeared at the side of a lovely underground swimming pool.

"Well done, Aimée!" cried Abby.

Her joy was cut instantly short, however, upon feeling the crippling pain and shock emanating from her friend. Aimée's breathing was heavily labored. There was massive pain in her chest.

"Aimée!" cried Abby.

"Warn them!" rasped Aimée. "Warn them first. Do it!"

Abby understood and gathered her strength.

She reached out to everyone she knew. She also touched those with whom she was intimately connected, her other three, and through them, she called out to every possible individual that they were connected to.

It wasn't words, but images. There was no time for words. The images were simple: Arnet; a syringe-like dart; a generic face with a blank, adoring expression; and a sword. The message was remarkably clear.

Abby gripped Aimée fiercely and sent a face to her.

"Take us now," she begged her friend through tears. "Take us to Galen before you are too weak"

Aimée tried to follow the trail of Abby's mind to the physician, but she could not get a fix.

"Damn it!" cried Abby, "Where the hell are you Galen?"

Abby concentrated again, this time on Villepreux-Power and this time they were gone, the beloved pool of Aimée's childhood home in Morocco lay empty and lonely once more. A spot of blood lay slowly spreading on the marble surface.

* * * *

Frederique's pupils widened to adjust to the darkness.

"Where the hell?" she whispered.

"Who's there?" said another voice. She believed it belong to Jacob.

"Mother? Jacob?," said Claude's voice.

Her eyes now adjusted, she saw a lantern on a small table with matches beside it.

She lit the lantern and they took stock of their surroundings. It appeared to be some sort of makeshift office in a mine. The walls were rough-hewn and there was a lot of dust with just a few footprints other than theirs that appeared to be a week or two old.

"How did..." started Claude, but he never finished his thought. Both Claude and Jacob's eyes suddenly went blank.

Frederique's mind was flooded with the four images, coming from Claude. Arnet, syringe, enslaved, fight. Almost instantly after that, she received the same images from Aimée, though from very far away.

"Good girl," mused Frederique, realizing it was Abby.

"What should..."

"Come on," she said, picking up the lantern. "We need to leave. If Aimée knows this place, she was most likely introduced to it by another deplaceur. Come."

Cracks of the sun appeared through the front door. She led the boys to the rear door which opened into the mine beyond. She gratefully saw an insulated emergency kit on a shelf, complete with blood and rations. Remembering their footprints, she gathered her will. With her gesture, a breeze swept through the chamber, swirling the floor and tables clean.

Perhaps a minute after the door shut, there was a gentle pop in the room. Bullet, on the hunt, looked around quickly and popped back out again, on to the next location.

* * * *

Scaurus, Palo, and Hypatia looked around. It appeared to be a wine cellar.

"Look around!" cried Scaurus. "There's bound to be a passage out of here, or at least a hiding place."

They started to search. Palo and Scaurus paused as the images passed to them and through them.

"Good girl," murmured Scaurus as he continued his search. "Be on the ready Palo, Hypatia. We've got less than a minute if I guess correctly."

Both of the warriors cursed the lack of weapons. None were ever allowed into Council events and since Aimée had deplaced them away, they'd had no chance to gather any arms.

"Here," cried Hypatia. "Quickly!"

It was a narrow spot behind wine shelf. In the wall was a door which was locked.

Scaurus moved behind the shelf first and examined the lock.

"There's a key here somewhere," he whispered, "but we don't have time to find it. Get back here quickly."

The three of them squeezed behind the shelves and Hypatia found herself sandwiched between the two men.

"My my," she whispered. "Wedged between two handsome warriors. I haven't found myself in a situation like this since I got caught in the middle of a Suleiman campaign in Belgrade."

"Quiet," whispered Scaurus. "Any moment now."

His prediction was correct, as a quiet pop shook the room. Peering between the bottles, they saw Leonora looking about carefully. She searched for perhaps two minutes before deplacing to the next location.

"They'll do a rapid sweep first," explained Scaurus once she was gone. "Later, they'll be more thorough, but hopefully we'll be long gone by then."

They searched the room and it was Hypatia who found the key to the passage, hidden within a false bottle in the racks.

They opened the door and were pleased to find it didn't lead to a simple room, but to a long tiled passageway.

"Hold on," said Palo. "I recognize these patterns in the tiles."

"What do they mean?" asked Hypatia.

"Follow me," he urged. "I believe they mean we will soon be hiding in a place of great comfort."

Palo was flying away before he even finished his sentence and Scaurus had Hypatia's hand in his and they were soon following.