The Link (pt 3)
by KamiKaze ©2002.
Io? Are you still there?
I'm still here, Davy. Come to me.
A small tow-headed boy, of about seven, barefoot, sunburned and sporting a tiny pair of dark wings ran up to her, and gave her a fierce hug.
I told you I'd come. Even if there's monsters. Are you still sad, Io?
No, I'm not sad anymore; I knew you would come, Davy, that's why I waited for you. You're very brave.
He peered up at her happily though his over-long bangs. Iolanthe blinked. A pair of fierce deep blue eyes glittered up at her.
Your colors are as pretty as I imagined. Little Davy grinned.
Is that so? Iolanthe grinned back.
Yup. Prettier, even. Do you wanna come fishin' with me, and with Mark? Mark said he'd let me come fishing with him today, just like the humans do. He'll let you come too, even if you're a girl. Mark's really cool. Come on! Little Davy tugged her hand, tried to lead her back into the darkness. Hurry, or he'll leave without us!
We can't go back there, Davy.
Little Davy squinted up at her, as if they were standing in too-bright afternoon sunlight. What do you mean, Io? Why can't we go fishing?
Because you don't belong there, Davy. Come back with me. Come back to the real world, before you die.
No! I won't go back! He bared his little fangs at her. What, are you crazy Io? Don't you know the monsters are out there?
The monsters are gone, Davy. Mark and I chased them away. He killed them.
Really? Little Davy squinted up at her doubtfully. Then he looked back into the dark. Well, if it's all the same to youÑI'd still rather go fishin' with my brother. Bye!
Wait! Iolanthe squatted down and held out her arms. Can I at least get a hug before you go?
Sure! Little Davy bounded back into her arms, and gave her a fierce little bear hug. I love you, Io! Iolanthe sighed.
I love you too, Davy. Forgive me. She turned and started walking, carrying him with her.
NOOOOOO!!!!! Little Davy panicked. His wings beat frantically against her arms; she winced from the pain of the little talons on his wingtips. Io, Stop, Please, what are you doing?
Iolanthe kept walking. Little Davy shrieked again, this time in genuine anguish.
IO, THIS HURTS, PLEASE STOP! IO, YOU'RE HURTING ME!!!
It'll only hurt for a little while, honey--we're gonna make you all better. You'll see.
Lemme go, PLEEEAAASSSEE!!!!
Iolanthe felt a warm wetness seeping through to her chest. She looked down, and nearly dropped Little Davy in horror. His body was ripped open from breastbone to navel. The remnants of his shirt hung off of him in tattered strips. She took a few more steps, and then had to stop, because his feet were dragging on the ground. He was fully grown Davy now, and he began fighting in earnest.
Dammit Iolanthe, Let me go!!
No. I'm not letting you die. Iolanthe said stubbornly. She clung to David with all her might. David pounded the air with his one good wing. He was taller than Io now, she couldn't carry him off, but he couldn't drag her with him either, with his badly mangled leg and his broken wing. He hissed his frustration, and bit her. Iolanthe gasped as his razor sharp fangs sank into her shoulder. She hung on grimly; she felt a sudden sharp tingling thrust of power, a flare of anger.
Biting? You fight like a girl. No wonder the kludde kicked your ass. You'll have to do better than that to get rid of me, mister!
Why are you doing this to me? I hate you--Let Me Go!!
And then, there came a full tidal rush of power. Iolanthe was shocked; she nearly did let go, before she realized that the surge of magic was coming not from Davy, but from Mark. Well, that wasn't nearly as bad as Mark said it would be.... Come here boy--time to fix you up. And then the world was turned inside out, by a third, and even greater jolt of energy.
She was flung back into her body with a violence that took her breath away. She opened her eyes and looked at Mark, gasped in horror. Mark was a desiccated corpse. All bones, covered with dry peeling shreds of dead skin, a few long strands of black hair clinging to his flaking skull. Her hand rested on bony ribcage, wrapped in tissue-paper flesh. There was a cracking sound. Her hand plunged through his chest, slid into his body cavity as far as her wrist. There was a sucking sound, and she made a small sound of terror and disgust as her arm continued being pulled into the dead sorcerer. Her hand touched something alive. Alive and warm and wiggling. She made another small, terrified sound, and tried to pull her hand free. Oh god, no, let me go... And Mark raised his head. In his sunken eye sockets, were two pinpoint glowing blue lights. The fanged, grinning corpse opened his mouth, and spoke to her:
"Oh, for the love of Chaos! Iolanthe, you little fool! FOCUS! We're losing him!"
Iolanthe gasped, and looked down at David. He was dead too. Dead and wet and rotting, covered with maggots. There were gaping empty holes, shedding tears of dark blood, where his eyes had been.
"Iolanthe... Please...let me go. The pain..." he groaned. Black blood spilled out from between his lips. A maggot slid from between Iolanthe's fingers, began inching its way across her hand.... Iolanthe closed her eyes. NO. This isn't real. None of this is. Her Davy wasn't a rotting corpse. Her Davy was...alive and well, and smiling shyly at her...He was brushing that little unruly lock of hair out of her face, and with strong but gentle hands, pulling her close for a kiss...he was... laughing at some outrageous comment she'd made...blushing when she caught him watching her from across the room.... He was...lying on the floor, twisted and broken, in a pool of blood.... Why the hell was she doing this? He didn't want to live, he as good as told her that--he said he hated her--he didn't want to be here, didn't want to be with herÉShe was going though all of this for nothing, nothing! Iolanthe was furious. Why the hell am I trying to save you--you ungrateful bastard, when you don't even care to save yourself? More than likely, even if she did save him, he'd leave her. She was the reason he was in this condition in the first place, because she had a price on her head. Surely Davy figured that she was more trouble than she was worth. Horrible slutty little dark fae that she was. She would save him, he would leave her, and he'd love another girl. Yes, a nice, normal girl who wouldn't embarrass him and get him eaten by monsters. Maybe that's why he wouldnÕt sleep with her--he knew deep down that they weren't meant to be....
David twitched. His eyes opened, and he stared sightlessly out into space. "Io...please, I'm sorry." he whispered. She hated him. She had been calling him, and he tried really hard to answer her, tried really really hard, and now he was here, and she hated him, and she was torturing him. She had a huge hammer, and she had smashed his leg, so he couldn't walk, and his wing, so he couldn't fly...he couldn't get away...so she could do things to him. She was torturing him, and laughing that lovely infectious laugh. He wished he could see, then at least he could see what she was going to do to him next; he could steel himself against it. Oh god, he hurt. And Iolanthe hated him. He moaned softly, started slipping into unconsciousness again. Iolanthe, whatever I did...to make you hate me...I'm sorry....
"Iolanthe--You stupid little bitch--You're Killing Him!" Mark tried desperately to cut himself off from her. Struggled, and failed. Iolanthe's hands were in fists; her golden eyes were blazing. She had taken control somehow, and she was draining him. "Damn you! Iolanthe, Stop this--Stop it at once!" He had taken down all of his safeguards, all of his mental barriers to maximize the efficiency of the link. He was powerless now, simply a living battery of magical energy that was all too rapidly reaching the end of its stores. The vampire decided to take a desperate gamble. If he took the last of his power, gathered it, made a weapon of it, and struck her with it, like a fist, hopefully he'd overload the link, and she'd cut it off out of self-defense before it fried her brain. Before she killed his brother, and destroyed him in the process. The boy had been healed somewhat--hopefully enough that he'd survive. Mark didn't see any other options. He bared his fangs...and hit Iolanthe with everything he had, all in one brutal, deadly shot.
Iolanthe screamed. She felt as if she'd been dipped in alcohol and set on fire. Every pore, every cell in her body burned. Every bad memory she'd ever had came to the fore, fought to be relived all at once. Again and again. And then Davy was there-
"Io! Iolanthe, what's wrong, Io--let me help you! Please, I can help you--let me have it! Io, I love you, let me help you!"
--And Iolanthe pictured Davy putting his arms around her, holding her tightly, his face buried in his hair, like the night they had met. Davy stroking her hair, telling her that he cared for her, Davy telling her that he wanted her. She let go, let him have the power...and then suddenly, Davy, the real Davy was holding her, alive and whole and healthy, holding her and talking to her, telling her to....
"Iolanthe! Io! Stop, I'm okay, it's okay, you have to stop--you're draining Mark dry...let go of the link! Let it go!--Ah, shit! Hang on, Mark!" David's eyes flashed silver, and the link, the very air all around them, went dead. It was over.
"Thank Chaos..." groaned Mark. He looked like one of the rougher levels of Hell. There were deep bruised circles under his eyes, his great dark wings were drooping, trembling, and beads of sweat tricked down a face as white as paper. His hair hung lank, soaked with sweat, sticking to a suddenly fragile--looking body. He shivered violently, and his teeth chattered.
Curled up in David's arms, Iolanthe sobbed as if her heart would break.
"It's okay, love, it's okay..." he crooned to her, stroking her hair. "You were great...you were magnificent, fabulous, spectacular...incredible...um...really, really, really nice...you saved my life, so now I'm indebted to you forever...do you know that?"
Iolanthe grinned up at him through her tears. "Does that mean I own you? Oh, you're in trouble now, bloodsucker." she said.
Mark Sartain gave David a feeble grin. "U-ungrateful b-bastard...Y-you m-make it s-sound like s-she did all t-the w-work..." he stuttered weakly. "W-wel-c-come b-back, lil' b-brother..." The sapphire eyes rolled up into his head, and then he toppled over and fell to the floor, lifeless as a rag doll.
* * * * *
"Thank you for helping me with him." David said to Iolanthe, as they tucked Mark into his bed.
"Hey, don't mention it. You know, your brother may be a total shithead, but he really must love you." She said, thoughtfully.
David sighed. "I guess. He just has a funny way of showing it." He studied his brother thoughtfully. "You know, he's always been there to ride to my rescue, come hell or high water. I've often wondered why he bothers, since ordinarily he seems to go out of his way to make my life miserable. Just when I'm absolutely positive that he hates me, something like this happens. I'm not totally sure that he loves me, but there has to be a little more to this than just the whole family honor story that he always tells me."
Mark was feverish. He muttered softly and stirred restlessly under the blankets. He uttered a low moan, and quieted briefly. Several seconds ticked by before he started up again.
"Well," said David. "At least he's semi-conscious now. I've got to figure out a way of getting a meal into him, and then I think he'll be okay. He used to get sick every now and then back when he was still an apprentice, whenever he overextended himself--although I admit, I haven't seen him this bad in years."
"I could make a quick trip to the blood bank for you, if you want to keep an eye on him." Iolanthe suggested.
David sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "No...he's a finicky bastard. I'm pretty sure I won't be able to coax him to bite unless it's alive." He looked around the darkly elegant, almost obscenely decadent, bedroom. "And of course, all of his help has fallen off the planet. I haven't even seen his valet." He chuckled. "My brother's reward for being actually being selfless for a change, and letting his servants have the night off--is starving to death."
"I could try calling my sibling."
"Aerael? That's a great idea!"
"Oh, um...yeah, it would be a great idea, except I just remembered that he's out of town until tomorrow." She sighed.
Davy rested his head on his hands, scowling. "I'm running out of viable options, it seems."
"I guess just grabbing some poor soul off of the street is out of the question, huh?" Iolanthe said.
"Hells, I'd consider it at this point, except for one little problem--he's the friggin' vampire Bill Gates, only prettier...just about anyone we grab is going to recognize him, and by the next morning, all the headlines will read--"Billionaire Vampire Near Death," and "Sartain Kidnaps Woman to Feed Starving Brother" Of course, my brother might find that amusing...his concept of comedy is rather twisted." David grinned, and put on a haughty tone. "However, as acting CEO, now that my brother is out of commission, I'm afraid I simply can not allow it, because if that kind of news leaked out to the press, well then thereÕd be FBI investigations, free-lance vampire hunters, the whole living the rest of our lives as fugitives thing...why, ZauberCorp stock would absolutely plummet. That is, if we weren't privately owned." He winked at Iolanthe, and she giggled, and tousled his hair, making it even messier.
"You're such a cutie." Then she looked thoughtful. "So, what, then, Davy--would you like me to make a donation?" She drew her hair away from her neck. He caught her wrist.
"I'd just as soon you didn't." He said softly. "I know this probably sounds kinda stupid, but it wouldn't just be a meal...you'd be sharing an intimate experience with him that I can't have with you--" he blushed, "and that I would desperately love to have...and I'd be insanely jealous of for the rest of my life."
Now it was Iolanthe's turn to blush. "Um...yes...well, it's probably for the best--knowing your brother, he'd make a point of rubbing it in every chance he got."
"Oh, you better believe he would." David gave her an affectionate nuzzle and a gentle kiss. "No, there's only one thing left to do, and frankly, I'm cringing at the thought of it, but I don't see where there's a choice." He started rolling up his sleeve. Iolanthe gave him a puzzled look.
"Why cringing?" she asked.
"Because-" he gave his sleeve a good tug, and a final tuck, to keep it above his elbow. "Because it's just plain icky, that's why--I mean, he's my brother." The vampire made a face.
"Well, it's not like you're diddling him, or something." Iolanthe said, brightly. Then she thought about it. "I guess it's like diddling, though, in a way."
David groaned. "I don't really want to talk about this. Otherwise, I'm not gonna be able to go through with it." He looked at his brother and winced.
"Do you want me to leave?" Iolanthe asked.
"Um...well, as uncomfortable as I am to have an audience for this, I'd actually feel a little safer if you stayed, just in case."
"In case there's an attempted diddling?"
"No! No! No!" David looked slightly ill. "Um...sorry...I didn't mean to yell, um, what I meant is just in case I need help with him. To get him to stop. HeÕs probably not going to be aware of whatÕs happening." The blond vampire pulled an ornately carved dark wooden chair over to the bed, sat down on its velvet burgundy cushion, and hesitated.
"And I'm struggling with a bit of a moral dilemma right now."
"What do you mean?" asked Iolanthe.
"Well, I've been through enough pain in the last couple of hours to last me the rest of my life. I don't really think I could stand for anymore right now." he said.
"You changed your mind?" Iolanthe asked. "Do you want to go with the kidnapping idea instead?"
David shook his head. "Oh, no, I haven't changed my mind about that. I was just trying to decide whether or not I should rein in my null field or not. If I don't, this is going to really hurt."
"And if you do?"
"Well, Mark's glamour is pretty strong stuff, and while you guys did a great job healing me up--really, I've never felt healthier, but mentally and emotionally, I'm exhausted. I could use a good--oh, I dunno, two, maybe three weeks sleep. Top that off with Mark not being very aware of what's going on..."
"You're afraid that things will get out of control, and you'll end up diddling your brother." Iolanthe finished for him.
David winced again. "Iolanthe... There. Will. Be. No. Diddling."
"Sorry." Said Iolanthe, petulantly.
"Or at least none involving my brother, anyway. I was more worried about massive blood loss." he smiled, and tweaked the end of her nose. "Do you have any idea of how close I came to dying a virgin tonight? Well, I think we should take steps to ensure that such an awful thing can never possibly happen."
"Oh, really?" Iolanthe smirked. "And what steps do you think we should take?"
"Hmmm... well, what do you think would work better, as far as self-defense goes, a grenade launcher or one of those really cool--oof!" Iolanthe whacked him over the head with a pillow.
"You're such a horrible tease!"
"Who? Me?--Oh, ow, hey! Man, Io, you swing one mean pillow!"
Iolanthe stopped pounding Davy's head. "Tell me what other steps we're gonna take. Whether or not I use this--" she brandished the pillow threateningly, "Depends on whether or not I like your answers. Just remember, I saved your life, bloodsucker. I own you. Talk."
"Well, in all honesty, the first step I'd take to ensuring a long healthy life for the both of us, is to tell the fucking Sidhe to leave my woman alone." he chuckled at the expression on Iolanthe's face, and raised an arm to ward off the pillow. "Wait! I'm not done! As for the rest..." he ran a finger down the side of Iolanthe's face, traced along the curve of her neck. "You'll need a place to spend the night, I guess, huh?"
Iolanthe's eyes widened. She dropped the pillow. "Um well, yes...but are you sure? I could always go stay at Aerael's..."
"You could, but I'd be all lonely, and wondering if you're okay..."
Mark sat up, his eyes wide open. "Someone let the goblins loose in sector six." he said. David jumped away from Iolanthe like a scalded cat. The succubus rolled her eyes and heaved a frustrated sigh.
"Wadaya know? There must be a god--and she hates us." She said.
David patted his brother on the shoulder reassuringly.
"It's okay, those goblins you're seeing are really white lab mice, and they were rounded up a long time ago."
His brother's eyes roamed the room, wild, unfocused. "I'm hungry...where's that girl? --And Damnit, somebody better fucking Round Up Those GOBLINS!!" The last was delivered in a furious roar normally reserved for only the most grievous job-related errors. "Thank you." His eyes rolled one last time, and he collapsed back onto the pillow.
"Okay," David sighed. "I think IÕve put this off long enough." He started to ease the chair closer to the bed, thought the better of it, and simply sat down on the edge of the bed. He carefully eased Mark forward, and slipped in behind him a bit, eased him back, let Mark's head rest on his chest. He brought his bared arm up to his lips. "Watch us." he said to Iolanthe. "If I pass out, or otherwise show signs of weakening, make him let go."
Iolanthe nodded. "Okie dokie" she said--and then added "just for the record, if things do start getting hot and heavy--"
"Iolanthe! Please!!"
Iolanthe giggled. "Sorry, it's just the expression on your face, it's soooo funny."
"And if the unthinkable does start to occur, please, please, please, for the love of heaven, stop us immediately. Don't get any funny ideas, you little perv."
Iolanthe grinned. "I'll go get that video camera ready."
"That's not funny. Alright, here goes nothin'." David firmly pressed his wrist against his brotherÕs mouth. For a moment, nothing happened, and then, suddenly, he responded. Quicker than thought, Mark opened his mouth and snapped his fangs down on DavidÕs wrist.
"Argh!Ó DavidÕs head snapped forward, his own fangs bared, and then, snapped back again. For a moment, his face was taunt, his eyes open and staring at the ceiling. Then they closed, and he relaxed. An expression of complete rapture spread slowly across his face. He laid his other hand on MarkÕs head. Mark groaned softly, drank as though he had been stranded in a desert for the past week. His fingers tightened around David's hand, and his other hand wrapped around his elbow, holding his arm fixed in place. The room was filled with the sounds of his rapid, rhythmic sucking. He clutched DavidÕs arm even more tightly.
David's face grew more intense. His hand tightened on Mark's hair. He moaned softly. His mouth hung slack. A soft tremor ran though him. It turned into a violent quivering. Iolanthe started to move toward them, then hesitated. David let out a long, shuddering sigh, and let go of MarkÕs hair. He bought his hand down, slid it down the side of his brother's face, seized hold of his mouth and chin, and tried to pull him away. Now Iolanthe was sure.
"Okay Sartain, last call." She scrambled up behind him, grabbed his shoulders, and pulled. He growled and continued to feed. "Maybe-argh--you should've--uh!--warned me that--grr--your brother was part pitbull." she gasped, as she struggled to pull the vampire away.
David's eyes flashed silver--Io flinched automatically when she felt the familiar tingle of his null field--and then those silver eyes widened dramatically. "Ow! Ow! Ow!" David yelled, and started pounding on the back of Mark's head with his free fist.
Mark suddenly let go, and he and Iolanthe went tumbling backwards. Feathers flew. "Shit!" yelled the little succubus, as she hit the far end of the bed, flipped off the side, and hit the floor with a thud.
"What the f--?" Mark started, groggily rubbing the back of his head. He turned and looked over the side of his bed at Iolanthe, and then looked at his brother, who was looking annoyed and rubbing at his wrist. Mark made a face, reached for his silk robe, hurriedly slid it on, and tied it at the waist. "For the love of Chaos, please tell me I wasnÕt feeding on you." He snapped, disgusted.
"You weren't feeding on me." David answered flatly. He got up and pushed his sleeve back down.
"You're a fucking liar." Mark picked up a pair of black pants, and put them on in a series of quick, angry motions.
"You didn't ask me to tell you the truth, you told me to say 'you werenÕt feeding on me.'"
"What the hell is the matter with you? I thought you were the one with the morals! I bet you feed on chickens too, or-or-- sheep! I swear this thing you've got against feeding on live humans is making you insane." He checked his hair in the mirror, picked up a brush, applied a couple of strokes.
"B-but, but, we didn't have any choice!" David exploded.
"Fine, fine--whatever you say, just get out of my room. I won't tell anyone about this little incident, if you don't. That goes for you too, girl." He pointed at Iolanthe.
"Your dirty little secret is safe with me." Iolanthe smirked.
David scowled. "You'd have done the same thing, if the situation was reversed."
"No...because I would've fed you that fluffy purple thing over there." He gestured at Iolanthe. "Why didn't you give her to me, hmmm, Davy? Answer me that!"
"Because I love her, she's mine, and damnit, I'm not sharing!" He yelled back. "Now, why don't you thank me for taking care of your evil ass so I can go and attempt to salvage whatever remains of our sorry excuse for a date!" He kicked over the heavily carved chair and glared at it as if were the source of all of his problems. "All I wanted out of today was to be able to get some time in with my girlfriend!" he roared. "Instead I got jumped by the kludde, damn near killed, very painfully resuscitated, had to feed myself to my own brother, and did I get a thank you for that--Hell, No!--Just more of your stupid shit--and now, I'm tired, I'm frustrated, and there's a two month waiting list to get new reservations at the restaurant I had all picked out for us to go to tonight!"
Mark Sartain raised an eyebrow at his little brother. "Temper, temper." He smirked. "I don't have to thank you--I saved your life, remember? Now go home, and for the love of Chaos, please let that little feathered sex-toy of yours get you off. You're wound way too tight." The smile grew a bit more twisted. "I'm afraid that I have to bid the both of you adieu--please, forgive my rudeness, Iolanthe, I canÕt show you out--I must hurry and see if I can find a few suitable sacrifices before the sun comes up. We must always remember to give Lord Chaos his due, as he is a very harsh master indeed." He walked over to a set of dark velvet drapes and pulled them aside to reveal a moonlit balcony. Mark turned and looked at Iolanthe again. "And if you expect to continue your relationship with my little brother, unsatisfying though it may be," he looked at David, and smirked. David blushed. "--you need to start taking better care of him." The tall raven-haired fairy stepped out on to his balcony, spread his wings, and glided off silently into the night.
David just stood there, looking sheepish. "Sorry I lost it like that."
Iolanthe slipped her arms around him, raised her face for a kiss. "Hey, that's okay; I hear that almost dying can be very stressful." she said, shrugging.
"Still not as stressful as living can be, though." said David. He gave her a slow, lingering kiss. "So...about your sleeping arrangements..." he began.
"Do you still want to 'take precautions' against a horrific virginal death?" she dimpled.
"Oh, I guess we should. Where is my bullet-proof vest?"
She grabbed a pointed ear and twisted.
"Ow!"
"I warned you before, you tease!" she said. "You shouldn't mess with a hungry succubus. Now, where are we going?" She eyed the rumpled bed. "Wouldn't that just piss your brother off?" she said with a grin.
"Oh, you wicked little--" He scooped her up, and spun her around. She let out a delighted squeal. "I love you, Io!" he crowed happily, then stopped spinning and set her down gently on her feet. He looked down at her, brushed a lock of hair out of her face. "Um...Iolanthe?" he hesitated. "Seriously Io--I mean it--will you please come home with me tonight?"
Iolanthe jumped up, wrapped her arms and legs around him, and kissed him until he was breathless and dizzy.
"...Um...I--I'm gonna take that as a yes." David grinned foolishly. He settled her more securely in his arms, and carried her out of the sprawling moonlit mansion.
Finis