Chapter 769: Transformation
I hated to give her hope, but felt it rise like a flare of flame, her fingers trembling in my grasp. "You have a cure?"
I couldn't help but turn and look at Sebastian who nodded to me before bowing to his former queen.
Pannera coughed again, softer this time. "My darling Sebastian," she said. "How I've missed you."
He came to her side at once, kneeling next to me, face so sad I wanted to hug him. "Sweet Pannera," he whispered. "Let Sydlynn help you."
Her gray eyes went from his face to mine. "Tell me what you have in mind."
Sebastian's power flared, engulfed her and Pannera gasped. "You know I've changed," he said. "But I'm certain you have no idea just how much."
The Sthol vampires sighed as one as they felt his life, heard his heartbeat. I held my breath as the sound of it, amplified by his magic, thudded against the stone walls before he let it fall silent.
Pannera's eyes flared with spirit power. "You can do this thing?"
"I can try," I said, suddenly afraid. What if I failed? She was so far gone...
"If you cannot," Pannera said in a voice softened by gratitude, "I will not judge you or call your intentions false. But if you succeed..." The dying queen sighed, the wet rattle shaking her chest under the parody of her satin gown, the bodice barely held in place by her crumbling body. "If you succeed, you can have anything of me."
"I don't want anything," I said. Glanced at Sebastian who smiled, touched my hair with his free hand. "I'll do my best."
I don't know about this, my vampire sent as I retreated, opened my mind to speak to her and the others.
Great, just what I needed.
You mean we can't make it work? Well, that sucked. She could have told me before I planted the seed of possibility.
She's very far gone, my demon sent, her amber magic flaring.
Sunny was under the full influence of the taint for only a short time, Shaylee sent. She has some residual damage. But this...
Centuries, my vampire sent. As queen, Pannera held the core of the taint for centuries. Possibly for as long as she's been queen.
So much the Brotherhood had to answer for.
Just one more layer on top of a heaping pile of whoop ass.
We can only try, my demon sent.
Yes, of course. Shaylee's earth magic hummed in the floor under my feet.
Indeed, my vampire sent. But we have one person to ask for help, first.
I didn't want to call on her. Still held so much fury in my heart toward the maji Iepa. She sat on the same shelf as the drach leader, Max, and the Light Fate. All responsible for Liam's loss. They could have acted, could have allowed me to save him. Didn't. Chose to be all destiny and stuff.
Yeah.
Still.
It had been Iepa who guided me with the werewolves, though she refused to take part herself. And while I'd acted on impulse to save Sebastian, Pannera was going to be an entirely different situation.
A little help would be nice.
I ground my teeth together, prepared for either a) her ignoring me or b) the company line of non-interference and reached out to Iepa.
Was shocked down to the ground when she answered me immediately and with great regret in her mind.
Sydlynn. Her power embraced me, her sympathy and self-loathing so clear I shrank from her. Didn't want to feel badly, still wanted to hate her. Hard to do when I felt Iepa's own heart aching with Liam's loss.
Damn her.
I need help. Sharp tone in place? Check. Short sentences? Check. Hard heart?
Traitor.
Iepa's magic settled. I will assist if I can.
Yeah, here we go, "If I can" all over again. Still battling my anger, I showed her Sebastian. Heard her sigh of happiness.
You've done so well, she sent. Sydlynn, I am proud of you.
One of my molars chipped as my teeth ground together. How nice for you, I shot back. Then showed her Pannera.
She sighed, her presence nodding. I'm aware of her deterioration, she sent. What do you propose?
Can I do to her what I did to him? I forced myself to release my tension as a soft, silver body settled next to me, Sassafras's purr easing me a little.
Iepa's hesitation made me worry. Worse when she spoke.
It's possible, she sent, tone heavy with doubt. But the repair required might be too extensive to succeed.
I was afraid of that.
I don't know how I did it last time. Hated admitting it to her.
Sydlynn, she sent, tone gentle and loving, you don't have to know how. How is unimportant. Your power will know what to do.
Okay then.
I take it you can't help me. Not like I was expecting her to break her track record of leaving me to handle things.
I can't. There was her grief again. They will not allow it.
The other maji. Zeon still being a jerktard?
While she remained sad, her laugh broke the edge of her sorrow. My leader, though kind of countenance, can be quite stubborn and short sighted. He'd shown me his happy Santa side, all right. Even as he sent me away to figure stuff out on my own. So I understood completely. I've stepped over the line as far as I'm permitted. And I would go farther if I thought it would be necessary. But Sydlynn, please believe, you can accomplish just as much as I. She hesitated. More. You are stronger than I am now, stronger than my people here in Center. And I worry their fear of you and how your power continues to grow will only escalate.
There was a warning if ever I heard one. And a bit of shocking news.
Didn't know which to bring up first.
Naturally, didn't get the chance to bring up either.
I wish you only the best, Iepa sent. If anyone can heal Pannera, all the vampires, to evolve the magic races to their full potential, it is you, my friend.
And then, she was gone.
Leaving me to chew my bottom lip and wonder if I was going to have the maji to worry about in the near future.
Shook it off. Drew a breath.
"Okay," I said. "Let's do it."
Didn't give Pannera a chance to argue.
Dove inside her mind. And met a wall. I don't think she even realized it was up. Her magic seemed eager enough to welcome me, but centuries of protecting herself, of wards and shields and being alone in her leadership formed a barrier.
Yes, I could have forced my way through. But in her fragile state, I didn't want to risk it.
Looked down as Sassafras's mind touched mine.
I'm here, Sassafras sent. For what that's worth. If I can help...
I don't think he understood what was in my way, only spoke out of his need to assist. But the moment he did, I had an epiphany.
On impulse, I released Pannera's hand, lifting the silver Persian into her lap. His body lit with amber fire, his purr louder than before. Pannera's eyes dimmed, softened, her tension easing under the influence of his magic.
And when I returned to her mind, I felt him there, the beloved presence of his power softening her edges, taking down the wall, allowing me in.
Thank you, Sass, I sent and moved on.
So much damage. Yes, it was visible on her surface, and I'd felt it when I'd cleared her of the taint originally. But her degradation progressed to the point of near collapse. I didn't know if Pannera was aware just how short her time was. Wouldn't put it past her she was totally in tune with her pending final death.
So, I sent to my egos, Iepa seems to think we already know what to do. Do we?
Trust her, my vampire sent. Though she's proven unfaithful in the past thanks to the burdens of Fate, she's had her own forced path to walk and, I believe, has always had our best interest at heart.
Agreed, my demon sent. As much as I hate to admit it.
When we saved Sebastian, Shaylee sent, we had to follow him to the edge of death. So that saves a step?
Yes, my vampire sent as Pannera's life force clung to the tattered remains of her physical form. He was empty. And we filled him up.
My sorcery swelled, the blossom parting, widening as the family magic swirled around me.
Right. Pannera was a vampire. But her cells couldn't absorb blood anymore. I could feel it floating inside her, the crimson waste rotting even as it turned to its own dust. She simply couldn't take it in. No wonder she was falling to pieces.
I think I knew even before I tried we were throwing power after a lost cause, but it didn't stop me from giving everything I had to save her. Maji magic flowed out of me in a steady stream, encasing her in a glowing iridescent bubble of energy as I tried to tie her back together, to reassemble what had been destroyed. But even as I rebuilt one part of her, another crumbled and fell to nothing. There just wasn't any part of her intact enough for me to use to stabilize her.
Sydlynn. My vampire spoke softly in my mind as I drew a breath and kept trying. Enough.
Damn it.
Just damn it.
I let the bubble collapse, felt Pannera sag with it even as her people cried out as one in grief.
Her gray eyes never left mine as I sank back from her, shaking my head, real sorrow for her twisting inside me.
"I'm so sorry," I said, wishing there was something else I could say. Pannera's slow nod, tiny smile on her dusty face, held no animosity.
"As am I," she said.
And softly wept without tears for her body to shed.
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