A Shade of Vampire 43: A House of Mysteries(36)

“Syphon? You mean a sentry!”

“And your primary ability is to syphon,” he growled back at me. “He has taken in too much of the herb. I should have predicted this! It’s an energy herb—his body thinks it’s food.”

I realized what the Druid was saying. Phoenix had not only inhaled the herb like the others, his instincts must have kicked in as well, and so his body had started to syphon up the fumes, eager for the energy they would provide.

“So what’s happening?” I cried. “What do we do now?”

“It needs to get out of his system. Bijarki, Field, Jovi—move his body closer to the house and out of the direction of the breeze. He needs clean air.”

I staggered back up to my feet, following them as they heaved Phoenix’s frame over toward the greenhouse.

Phoenix’s body continued to twitch, moving more violently with every passing second.

“What can I do?” I turned to Draven, my eyes pleading. “Please, tell me what I can do!”

“The herbs are now at a level where they’re poisonous,” he replied, not looking me in the eye. “It’s going to be causing him great pain—which will make things much worse. His body is cramping up, when it needs to relax in order to expel the poison. Have you ever tried to syphon pain away?” he asked.

“What? No! It doesn’t work like that,” I retorted angrily.

“It can, I assure you. I have met other creatures with syphoning abilities, and it should work the same way. I just don’t think you’ve tried before.”

“Then show me how,” I replied swiftly, willing to try anything, no matter how ludicrous the idea seemed.

The Druid took my hands in his strangely rough ones. Together we knelt down on the floor, his eyes now fixed on mine, not flinching as he met my panicked gaze.

“You need to stay calm. Breathe for a moment.”

I did as he asked, my breath only hitching once, when my brother cried out—an undistinguishable guttural sound, indicating that his pain was worsening.

“I’m ready,” I replied firmly.

“Place your hands across his chest. Try to find the pain in his mind, and remove it—taking on part of it.”

I nodded, doing what he’d told me. Phoenix’s chest was as ice-cold as the rest of him, and my arms trembled as I touched him, so frightened that he wouldn’t make it. That I wouldn’t be able to help.

I closed my eyes, focusing solely on my brother and letting my surroundings blur and melt away. I could feel his mind—jagged, pained, my vision filled with red and black as my energy reached out toward his. But Draven was right. I could feel his pain. It was like a black poison in his mind, vicious and bitter. I started to syphon it off him, focusing only on the poison, so I wouldn’t sap his energy. Eventually I could feel it becoming my own—my head throbbing with his pain, my veins filling up with its acid poison.

Phoenix stopped twitching. I opened my eyes, watching as his face relaxed from its contortion, soon looking like he was back in a state of dream-filled sleep. I took the last of what my body could hold of his pain, and a moment later, while I was still reeling from its effect, his eyelids fluttered open.

It worked.





Serena





I felt sick. The sensation had been such an unpleasant one, and I couldn’t seem to get rid of the feelings that were circulating my body, leaving every limb feeling heavy and dead.

“What was that?” Phoenix asked groggily as he moved to sit up.

“Wait a bit,” Field replied, easing my brother back down onto the ground.

“I’m sorry,” Draven replied evenly. “I didn’t realize it would have that effect on you—you took too much of the herb in. It toxified your bloodstream. It will be out soon, there won’t be any permanent damage.”

“And you’re sure of that this time?” I couldn’t help but snap. The Druid had pushed me too far—endangering my brother’s life like that was unacceptable. He should have told us that the herb could be poisonous in large quantities so at least we could have been forewarned that it was dangerous.

“I am sorry,” Draven replied. “I should have thought more carefully.”

“Yeah, you should have,” I agreed.

“The others are fine,” Bijarki added, gesturing to Aida and Vita still sleeping peacefully in the grass. “It was an honest mistake.”

I shook my head, in no mood to hear the incubus defending his friend.

“Your methods are too dangerous.” Jovi joined in, glaring at both the Druid and Bijarki. “We all want answers, but you’re rushing them. They’re obviously not prepared for this yet! Vita had the first vision on her own, without your so-called ‘help’—why not just give them some time to work it out?”