The Witch's Thirst

Although Evee trusted Pierre with her life, she feared that if they didn’t hurry and collect the missing Nosferatu and get all of them to the North Compound for feeding time, more fights would break out. Then they might lose the protection of the scabior canopy, and the Cartesians would find her Originals and annihilate them. Then it wouldn’t be long before humans throughout the city would die senseless, useless deaths.

Evee feared that might be going on even now with her Nosferatu. She felt in her gut that somewhere in the city more deaths had already taken place. She could only hope she and her sisters wouldn’t be next.

The Benders seemed very confident in their abilities and seemed to have a solid plan in place, or as solid as one might have in such a situation.

Evee, on the other hand, had not known this much fear—ever.

Chapter 2

Lucien didn’t like the idea of leaving the catacombs to hunt for the missing Nosferatu. Although he knew that finding them was a task that had to be taken care of, he worried about the scabior dome flickering out again. If it happened once, it might happen again. Despite what he had told Evee about the energy generated by the squabbling Nosferatu making the dome less effective, Lucien wasn’t convinced of that. That was just an assumption. He had no idea what had really caused the dome to weaken. The truth was that no Bender ever before had created a large-scale electrical barrier that locked in any creature. Having run out of options when so many Originals went missing, the cousins had found their task upon arriving in New Orleans more than overwhelming, and had opted to give it a try.

The first attempt had been at the North Compound to protect Viv’s Loup Garous. When that had proven successful, he and his cousins had used the same technique to protect the Chenilles in the Louis I Cemetery, then here in the catacombs under St. John’s Cathedral. The waning of power here concerned him greatly. Whatever hunting was needed must be done quickly and with specific directives so they wouldn’t be chasing their tails as he felt they had been doing for the last day or two.

As Lucien considered a game plan, he noticed that Evee had moved closer and was now standing between him and Ronan.

“I know we have to look for the missing,” Evee said. “But I want to apologize for zeroing out on the two of you earlier. All of the Nosferatu are my charge. You are here to help, which is much appreciated, and I had no business zoning out on you the way I did.”

Lucien put a hand on Evee’s shoulder and felt his pulse quicken when he touched her. Although Evee was dressed casually in jeans and a light blue T-shirt, she might as well have been dressed in a ball gown and tiara for all he cared. She was astonishingly beautiful no matter what she wore, and the simple act of touching her made his insides quiver.

“Don’t beat yourself up over that,” he said to her. “With all that’s going on, I think you’re handling yourself quite well. We just need to keep our heads about us.” He gave her a soft smile. “For all you know, I might be the next one to ‘zero out,’ like you said, so I’ll have to count on you and Ronan reining me back in.” He squeezed her shoulder gently. “Don’t worry, if you go to la-la land again, I promise to be there to bring you back.”

He saw a flash of gratitude in Evee’s eyes, and he felt his smile broaden. He forced himself to look away from her and down at his watch. “Time’s pushing. If we’re going to do any hunting for missing Nosferatu before feeding time, we’d better get started.”

Evee nodded, took a step back and squared her shoulders. “If we’re going to get this done,” she said, “we’ll need to split up. I know the two of you are here to protect me and my Originals, but look at what we’re dealing with now. Too many missing Nosferatu, and humans, innocent humans, unwittingly waiting to be an Original’s next meal. The closer we get to feeding time, the hungrier the Nosferatu will become. Humans will definitely be their target. So splitting up and hitting different directions only makes sense.”

Lucien held up a hand. “No way are we splitting up.”

“That would put you in too much danger,” Ronan said, the frown on his face deepening.

“That would make us utterly irresponsible in our task to protect and defend,” Lucien said.

Evee’s eyes narrowed. “So are you saying that going off on your own, knowing there are loose Nosferatu, Loup Garous and Chenilles, any of which could slaughter you within seconds, is irresponsible?” she asked Lucien.

“Yes,” Lucien said defiantly. “The bottom line is splitting more than we already have is ludicrous. We’d be asking for disaster.”

“Yes,” Ronan said. “Like we don’t have enough to deal with now. I think we should stick together.”

“Of course,” Evee said. “Any wuss would want to play the safe card. Look, if the two of you would just stop yammering and get to searching, we might actually get the job done.”

Lucien had to bite the inside of his cheeks to keep from laughing. If anything, Evee was not short on piss and vinegar once she had her mind set on something.

Ronan, on the other hand, evidently felt different. Appearing dumbstruck, he looked away, his cheeks turning a shade of pink.

“Look,” Evee said to Lucien and Ronan. “I didn’t mean for that to come out so...bitchy. I apologize.”

Lucien looked up at her with a stoic expression. “Apology accepted.”

With a sigh of relief, Evee looked from Ronan to Lucien. “We have to be levelheaded about this. I know what to look for where my Nosferatu are concerned. And believe me, as far as rifts are concerned, if I see so much as a deformed cloud in the sky, I’ll be running to find you guys quicker than you can blink.”

Lucien blew out a breath and glanced from Evee to Ronan. In his mind, Lucien knew Evee was right. They’d be able to cover much more ground if they separated. But his heart refused to let the words out of his mouth. He feared for her life and couldn’t stand the thought of Evee heading anywhere alone.

Finally, Ronan said, “I hate to admit it, but what she’s saying makes sense. I can head north into the Quarter and search there.” He looked at Evee. “You’ll have to tell me what to look for, though. Since it’s already dark out, the Originals will have taken human form to blend in. They certainly won’t have bald heads with thick veins and sharp fangs like the ones here. How do I tell what human is truly Nosferatu?”

“Good question,” Evee said. “You can typically spot them easily if you know what you’re looking for. I can usually locate a Nosferatu by scent. In your and Lucien’s case, look for anyone standing about simply watching people, either an individual or a small crowd. If interest sparks, the Nosferatu will start following that person or crowd, keeping tabs on their every move. Also their skin will be much paler than the average human’s. Some have eyes that are extremely light-sensitive, so they’ll be wearing sunglasses inside buildings, even at night.”

“What about clothing?” Lucien asked.

“No different than anyone else around them. Remember, they’re trying to fit in and go unnoticed so they can scout out their next victim. And remember, too, the both of you are in as much danger as any human out there. I’m the only one who can control the Nosferatu. Don’t confront them head-on or you might wind up being a meal. Should you find one, you need to come and get me or call for me. You can’t fight them alone. They’re too strong.”

“This is sounding worse by the moment,” Ronan said, sweeping his hands through his hair. “I’ve changed my mind. I really don’t like the idea about splitting up.”

“I know,” Evee said. “And I agree that this plan is putting us a bit out there, raising the stakes and ratcheting up the danger, but think of what might happen if we don’t do it. Let’s at least give it a try. We can go in separate directions, hunt for half an hour, then meet back here in front of St. John’s. That way we can report on what we’ve seen, then go our own ways again, each of us taking a different direction. At least that way we won’t be apart for hours at a time. Thirty minutes, not that long, and if one of us doesn’t show up, the others will know the direction to head to look for him...or her.”

Lucien bit his bottom lip, rubbed a hand across his chin. “I don’t think what I have to say about the plan matters. You’re going to do what you want to do, right?”

Evee gave him a lopsided grin. “Pretty much.”

“I figured as much,” Ronan said.

“Fine, Ms. François, we’ll do it your way,” Lucien said with a half smile, which was the best he had to offer. He still thought the entire plan was a mistake. “Let’s get it done and over with, then. Ronan, you head north to the Quarter. I’ll take the riverbank west.”

“Guess that leaves me with the east riverbank,” Evee said.

“All right,” Lucien said. “But what if something comes up and one of us needs help? We don’t carry cell phones because they interfere with your spells and our scabiors. We have no way of contacting one another. You may have telepathic abilities with your sisters, but I don’t have that ability with Ronan, Gavril or Nikoli. We have to find a method to reach out for help if we need it.”

“Can you whistle?” Evee asked.

Lucien looked at her quizzically.

“Simple question,” Evee said. “Can you whistle?”

Lucien pressed his bottom lip against his bottom teeth and let out a loud, ear-piercing whistle.

Evee clamped her hands over her ears until he finished, then said, “Sounds good to me.” She turned to Ronan. “How about you?”

Without preamble, Ronan pressed two fingers against his bottom lip and let out a whistle just as shrill as Lucien’s, if not louder.

“Good,” Evee said. “If either one of you gets into trouble, whistle long and loud, and I’ll come for you right away.”

“No matter where we are?” Lucien asked. “Your hearing’s that good?”

“Better than a hound’s,” Evee said.

“What about you?” Lucien asked. “What if you get into trouble? You plan to whistle, as well?”

Evee gave him a small smile. “Nope, sorry. I can’t whistle my way out of a bucket. If I find my Nosferatu, I’ll take care of them myself. I know how to deal with them. And if I run into a Cartesian, trust me, I’ll run like hell and find you.”

“You can’t outrun a Cartesian,” Lucien said. “If you see a rift appear, the best thing for you to do is hightail it into the nearest building. Stay out of sight. When the half hour mark comes around, and you don’t show, we’ll at least know what direction to head to find you.”

“What exactly does a rift look like?”

Lucien thought for a moment, stroked his beard. “Think of it as a black wound, one blacker than black. You can see it even on a moonless, starless night. When it first appears it’s like a black strip, a stitched wound in the sky. Then, as the Cartesians work their way through it, it begins to widen, like the stitches are being ripped away from the wound.”

Evee shivered at the thought. “Believe me,” she said. “Any of those ugly mothers won’t have a chance to get a hand out of a rift before I haul ass. Don’t worry. I’ll keep my eyes peeled for anything odd in the sky.”

“Doesn’t sound like much of a plan,” Lucien said.

“I agree,” Ronan said, shifting nervously from foot to foot.

“Suppose you’re so focused on finding the Nosferatu that you don’t notice a Cartesian until it’s halfway through a rift and reaching for you?” Lucien asked.

Evee gave him a stern look. “I’m not stupid.”

“I in no way assumed or meant to imply you were,” Lucien said, and arched a brow.

“I’ll be alert,” Evee said.

“But how can you look for your Nosferatu and watch for rifts overhead?” Ronan asked.

Evee scrubbed a hand over her face as if to wipe away frustration. “Remember, I have a slight advantage over the two of you. I can sense my Nosferatu. I’ll keep my Spidey senses tuned to them while watching overhead.”

It took another fifteen minutes before the three of them finally agreed to the divide-and-conquer method Evee had proposed.

When they finally left the catacombs, Ronan immediately headed for the French Quarter and Lucien started walking west, down the riverwalk. He watched Evee take off for the east bank of the river, watched her long, lean body stride with confidence, her shoulder-length black hair blown back by the wind. He remembered how her copper-colored eyes glinted with determination as they’d discussed their search-and-rescue plan. Lucien worried about her, more so now than ever.

Although the Triad looked similar, they weren’t identical. Their eyes told different stories, as did their personalities. Evee always seemed to be the peacemaker, the one to handle things more logically than her sisters. She was also more apt to follow than lead. At this point, Lucien feared Evee had reached the point of desperation. That was why she had suggested they split up to search for her Nosferatu. He still felt like it was a big mistake.

As Lucien watched Evee’s body fade off into the distance, his pace slowed. He continued heading west but kept looking back for her every few seconds. She continued heading east, and when he could barely make out her silhouette, Lucien suddenly felt like he was trudging through knee-deep mud.

He wasn’t as worried about Ronan. His cousin was sharp and knew how to fight no matter what he faced. Ronan could easily take care of himself. But if a Cartesian attacked Evee, she’d be helpless. All the bravado she’d displayed in their conversation in the catacombs was one thing, but Lucien feared that dealing with a Cartesian, especially the unreliability of a Cartesian, would be far beyond her powers.

As crucial as it was to find the missing Nosferatu before any humans were attacked, he felt it was a greater priority to keep the Cartesians away from the Originals and especially the Triad he was responsible for. He would never be able to live with himself if something happened to Evee.

Lucien trudged another block west before suddenly doing an about-face and beginning to head east, in Evee’s direction.

Something about the woman drew him, called to him. Lucien couldn’t quite put his finger on it, but he just knew that he had to take care of her above all else.

He picked up his pace, almost to a run, wanting to at least catch sight of Evee as soon as possible. He heard the calliope of a steamboat in the distance as it chugged along the river. He smelled burgers and fries, pizza and pralines, all of which made his stomach rumble. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d eaten.

The farther he headed east, the more the crowds began to dissipate, and the cacophony of music, talking and laughter muted to a distant hum.

It felt like he’d walked five miles before he finally spotted Evee walking along the river’s edge, just as she had been before. He noticed her gaze shifting from left to right, then up, obviously trying to sense her Nosferatu and watching for Cartesians at the same time.

Suddenly Evee came to an abrupt stop, and even from where Lucien stood he saw a quizzical look cross her face. She looked up again, turned her head to one side, and Lucien saw her mouth drop open. He followed her gaze and saw it—a widening rift in the sky right above her. A Cartesian was hanging out from it at the waist.

“Run!” Lucien shouted to Evee, then yanked his scabior out of its sheath.

The Cartesian, evidently hearing Lucien’s yell, threw Lucien a piercing, evil look, narrowing its monstrous eyes.

Obviously determined to complete the task before it, the Cartesian turned away from Lucien, stuck one of its long, furry arms tipped with four-inch razor-sharp talons out of the rift, then lifted its arm up and out, aiming for Evee.

It wasn’t hard to determine that Evee had seen the same, for she let out a heart-stopping scream, then took off running—right into the river.

Lucien charged his scabior and shot a bolt of lightning at the Cartesian, hitting it square in the head. It shrieked and flew backward into the rift, and Lucien heard a distinct pop that indicated he’d shoved the monstrosity into the next dimension. The rift remained open, however, and Lucien kept his scabior aimed there, pushing the Cartesian farther and farther back.

By the time Lucien was able to sound off two more pops, a more crucial sound reached his ear. Evee screaming for help.

Like a wild man, Lucien spun about on his heels, tracking the sound of her voice. Evee was still in the river, her head bobbing up and then going under the murky water. Each time her head poked out of the water, less and less of it appeared. She flailed her arms frantically, coughed and sputtered whenever her mouth broke the surface of the water.

Lucien was now stuck between a rock and a hard place. It was obvious Evee needed to be pulled out of the river, but the rift overhead was still open. If he ignored it and went after Evee, another Cartesian could easily make its way through the rift and take her.

Praying Evee could at least dog-paddle, Lucien put all his energy into the open rift and held on to his scabior with two hands. Although only seconds passed before he heard yet another explosive sound, which meant the Cartesian had been pushed into another dimension and the rift was finally closed, it felt like hours.

For the entire time he fought the Cartesian, all Lucien heard was Evee sputtering and screaming, “H-help! I c-can’t swim!”

Chapter 3

Evee knew she was about to die. Panic-stricken, she paddled with hands and feet as hard as she could to stay afloat in the water, but it was only enough to get her nose and mouth to break surface—every once in a while. Each time she got sucked down below the surface, her mouth and nose filled with muddy silt from the river. Bad enough she couldn’t breathe, it made her want to throw up. The few seconds she broke the surface of the water she spent coughing, gagging, trying to cøapture as much oxygen as she could before slipping helplessly downward.

She tried moving her arms like she’d seen swimmers do, out and down, kicking furiously, desperate to move up and forward. But her body refused to stay horizontal. It felt weighted with stones and determined to pull her feetfirst down into the depths of the Mississippi.

Evee didn’t know what scared her more: the realization that she was about to drown or having seen the Cartesian take aim for her. Either way, she didn’t plan to go quietly into any dark night. All she knew to do was to keep fighting, struggling, hoping.

For the life of her, Evee had no idea why she’d run into the river instead of in the opposite direction toward land and buildings. Surely she would have found a safe, dry place to hide. But something seemed to overtake her logical brain as soon as she saw the Cartesian’s arm cock and aim. Her brain immediately screamed, RUN! And in that horrifying moment, the only direction that made sense to her was away.

Even as she bobbed up and then underwater, fighting for air, for her life, she still saw the gruesome face of the Cartesian in her mind’s eye. Monstrously huge head covered with scraggly fur. Long, pointed ears that flapped over at the tips. A flat nose with no bridge, and nostrils that looked canyon-size. Eyes solid black, without pupils, and the size of saucers. And its teeth, the most horrible of all—each tooth a thick pointed incisor, a mouth equipped to shred and masticate anything it got hold of. She shuddered, thinking about it.

Trying to keep her wits about her and forcing herself to think of the water, the enemy trying to destroy her now, Evee kicked harder, moved her arms and hands overhead, then down one at a time, hoping for progress. She heard herself crying out for help, but the voice sounded like it came from far away and from someone else. She didn’t know which was worse: drowning or being chewed to death by a Cartesian. Both carried the same weight of fear in her heart.

Exhaustion sat atop her like concrete blocks, forcing her lower into the water. She barely had the energy to care anymore.

As she sank lower into the dark water, Evee suddenly felt an arm wrap around her waist. Freaked, she twisted and turned, trying to get away. Opened her mouth to scream, only to have it fill with silt. She only had a few seconds of breath left in her lungs, and she used it to struggle all the more. The more she fought, the tighter the grip grew on her waist.

Finally, after what seemed to take an eternity, her head surfaced above water. Evee coughed, spat and gasped. When her lungs filled with air, her brain suddenly went into overdrive. She screamed, looking left and right, then up, searching for the Cartesian. Then the pressure around her waist registered once again, and all she saw in her mind’s eye were long black talons ready to gut her from stem to stern. She screamed, whirling about, shoving her elbows backward, trying to pummel whatever held her.

“Stop, it’s me, Evee. It’s me.”

Evee heard the voice, but her fear overrode recognition. She tried frantically to get away. “Let go, you ugly son of a bitch! Let me go!”

Arms wrapped around her waist tighter, and she felt her back pressed against...a man?

“It’s me, Evee. Lucien. You’re safe. It’s okay. You’re okay.”

Startled, Evee turned her head sharply to the left. Lucien’s face loomed beside her. A whimper of gratitude escaped her.

“The C-Cartesian,” Evee said. “I—I...it...” Before any more words could form, she burst into tears that quickly turned into sobs, her body shivering against Lucien.

“I know,” he said softly against her ear. “But you’re safe now. I’ve got you. The Cartesian is gone. You’re safe.”

Evee put her arms around his neck, and Lucien swam closer to shore. Before long, he stood upright, leaned over and scooped her into his arms.

Without another thought, she wrapped both of her arms around his neck as he walked onto shore, and buried her face in the crook of his neck. She shivered as if she’d just been dunked into a tub of ice water.

“I’m taking you home so you can get into some dry clothes,” Lucien said matter-of-factly.

“I—I can walk from here,” Evee said through chattering teeth. She removed her arms from around his neck, and Lucien set her tentatively, seemingly reluctantly, on her feet.

The minute her feet touched the ground, it felt like every muscle in Evee’s body suddenly turned to mush. She felt her body go limp, but before she hit the ground, Lucien had her back in his arms again.

Neither of them spoke as Lucien walked the long distance to her home. She clung to him once more, buried her face against his chest. She felt safe in his arms, as if the bulging muscles in his arms and chest, his soft breath against her hair and face, was the safest place on earth. He never once broke stride or panted for breath as he cradled her.

It wasn’t until they’d crossed the threshold of the three-story Victorian that Evee and her sisters called home, which they’d inherited from their mother, that Lucien set her feet back on the ground. He held on to her arm, as if making sure she’d stand steady before fully releasing her.

Evee had no sooner leaned against the kitchen table to catch her breath than Hoot, her horned owl familiar, came flying into the room at full speed. He flew straight toward Lucien, swooped down onto his left shoulder and dug his talons into him.

“Let go of him now!” Evee shouted hoarsely at Hoot, shooing him away.

“He has no business being here, Evette. Make him leave,” Hoot demanded.

Evee was grateful that she was the only one, besides the Elders, who could understand her familiar. Everyone else, including Lucien, only heard squawks, squeals and chirps. She shooed at Hoot again. He remained on Lucien’s shoulder, talons digging in deeper until Lucien grimaced.

“You had no business bringing him here alone,” Hoot said. “And look at you. Just look at you. Soaking wet. What did he do to you? Did he hurt you? Are you bleeding anywhere? Have you been bruised? Damaged?”