“Alicia, there is no one else that will come to help. We do this alone, we fail,” Alistair said, falling in behind Talia and following her. His tone was grave, but he still followed. Unfortunately, Alicia knew he was right. No one else was coming. No one else dared.
Chapter Seventeen
Join Us
Nick watched as the people moved around him; small fires, the only source of light. He surmised he lay in an abandoned kit of a building. Freezing draughts filtered through the spacious room, causing those around the fires to huddle closer. His eyes shut heavily and it was an effort to get them open again. He had no idea how long he had been here, or where he was, but he knew he had been passing out on and off since he had been here. Once or twice he had woken up in pain or screaming, before lying back down.
Now he felt a dabbing on his arm. He had gotten used to weird smells and strange people touching him, dressing his wounds. This one had tended to him many times. They were short, covered in a dirty jumper with a hood covering their face, the cool mist of their breath visible.
“Thank you…” Nick managed.
“You’re welcome,” replied the soft voice.
“You pullin’ a double shift or what, young fulla?”
Nick looked to his right. The young Aboriginal that he had seen kill the vampires that had attacked him stood addressing his carer who’d backed away quickly. In the sudden movement, a flick of flame illuminated their face. Nick couldn’t believe the name coming out of his mouth, “Zachary?”
His answer was a quick but bright smile. “Hi!”
“What are you doing here?”
Zachary looked to the Aboriginal, silently asking if he could answer. As a response, the man leant against the decaying door frame and crossed his arms, giving the boy a small, polite nod.
“I was put in a centre after my dad died.”
“Your dad?” It was coming back to Nick. Nicole had been trying to help Zack come out of his shell. The boy had been retreating into himself and wouldn’t talk. Nicole couldn’t contact his father as she wasn’t a proper teacher. In the craziness of the wolf invasion, Nick hadn’t asked what had become of him. “I’m…I’m so sorry.”
“It’s ok. It wasn’t your fault. It was Dream State.”
Nick blinked at those last two words. While, yes, it was true he didn’t create or administer the drug, it was still partially his fault it was so readily available. “So…how did you come to be here?”
“I was put in a foster house for a few weeks, and then the sky got black, and then…they came. I guess no one owned the house. They barged down the door. People were running and screaming, but they’re so fast…”
Nick lowered his head, visualising Zachary’s words. Vampires had broken into the house looking for a meal. “How did you escape?”
“I didn’t. The Forgotten found me and drove them off. I’ve been here since,” he finished happily.
“And we are happy to have him here,” said the Aboriginal as he walked a few steps forward, lowering himself to his haunches. “Just as long as you remember there are other people that need that ointment too.”
Zachary went wide-eyed. “Oh. I’m sorry, Koha! He just…” he started, gesturing to Nick, “he tried to help me. I wanted to say thank you. I’ll put this back.”
Zachary moved past Koha, who ruffled the boy’s hair and replied with a playful air, “Get outta here.”
“Bye Nick! Tell Ms O’Brien thank you too!”
Zachary had meant Nicole. If there was anyone that deserved credit for doing all they could to help that kid, it was her. Koha moved across to Nick and sat down, reaching above Nick’s head and bringing down a wooden bowl. “How you feelin’?” Koha asked.
“Like hammered shit…” Nick winced, trying to shift his position. “It was you wasn’t it, that helped me? And that other guy.”
Koha gave a slight nod in the middle of mixing various powders in the bowl. “Lucky for you I followed him to that apartment. He just had to see if his ex was ok.”
Just as Nick gave his thanks, he heard what sounded like a click of fingers and the bowl puffed with a bright blue flame. “Whoa…”
“Put your hand in here,” Koha said. “The Night Mother wants to see you.”
Nick gave a hesitant draw back but did as asked. Within a few seconds he found himself standing in a dank cave with an odour of staleness that wasn’t really unpleasant and a dull tapping of water somewhere. Nick looked straight ahead and spotted a makeshift throne, and…
“Welcome child. Please come forward.”
The voice he presumed to be the Night Mother’s was raspy. A wheeze. She, if it was a she, was very old or very sick. Perhaps a little of both. “Night Mother?”
“I am. And you are Nicholas Slade.”
“How do you know me?”
“We will get to that. For now, how do you fare?”
“I’m managing, thank you.”
“Rest is key to recovery.”
Nick smiled slightly. “Rest is a little hard to come by in that room with that little one hollering.”
“What do you mean?”
“Back up there…or out there…whatever. Is the child sick? Can I help?”
“The youngest member of our family has just turned four. She has been offsite for a number of weeks. We have no infants here at present.”
“That’s so weird. I had this migraine grinding into my skull like a hot needle. I could’ve sworn it sounded like a baby crying.”
“Weird…” the Night Mother echoed. “Indeed. But now then, I think it best to remove all manner of pretence and cloaking between us. I know you are the son of Wilson and Alicia Slade.”
“You know what I am?”
