Alex, a sense of panic rising in her voice.
“Move out of the way,” said Blackbird. Alex moved off the bed and she sat beside him and drew back his eyelids. His eyes were dilated almost to black. “That’s not good.”
“What’s wrong?” asked Alex, her voice rising towards panic.
“This shouldn’t happen here,” said Blackbird. “The wardings on the house should prevent it.”
“He’s not…”
“Alex!” That got her attention. “I need you calm and focused. Bring me the bag from the chair.” Alex brought the bag and Blackbird rummaged inside it, extracting a long yellow shard of bone.
“What are you going to do with that?” asked Alex.
“Give me your hand.”
“No,” said Alex, putting her hands behind her back.
“Alex, you want to help your father don’t you?”
“What are you going to do?” she asked.
“I need a drop of your blood,” said Blackbird. “I need to call you father back. He’s got himself lost again and I need you to help me.”
“What’s so special about my blood? Use some of your own.”
“Blood calls to blood, Alex. It always has and it always will. You are his daughter and of his line. Without it I can’t call him back.”
“There must be another way,” said Alex.
Blackbird sighed. “Very well. Bring me the baby.”
“What!”
“I said, bring me my son. He is also of Niall’s blood. One of you has to help him and if you won’t do it, then he’ll have to.”
Alex stared at the yellow shard in Blackbird’s hand. “You can’t… you wouldn’t.”
Blackbird’s eyes narrowed. “There are few things indeed, Alex Dobson, that I would not do. I am anchoring your father here. Do you want me to release him and fetch the baby myself?”
Alex hesitated. “Will it hurt?” she asked.
“Yes,” said Blackbird. “You were expecting me to lie to you?”
Alex slowly offered her hand. Blackbird reached for it and Alex almost snatched it away. Blackbird watched her. “Yes or no,” she said. “Willing is better, but I’ll take what I can get.”
“You’re mean,” said Alex, finally giving her hand.
“You don’t know the half of it,” said Blackbird, releasing her hold on Niall and grasping Alex’s hand around the fleshy part of her thumb.
“Hey, you’ve let go of Dad.” Alex protested. “Ah! Fuck, that hurts!”
Blackbird gouged the sharp bone fragment into Alex’s thumb. “Don’t flinch, girl, or I’ll make a mess of it.” Blood welled up in the jagged gash in Alex’s thumb. Blackbird released her and Alex immediately stuck her thumb in her mouth and sucked, looking resentful.
Blackbird took Niall’s limp hand and did the same, gouging a deep hole in Niall’s thumb that welled red. “Now mix your blood with his,” said Blackbird. “We need to reinforce the connection.”
“That’s gross,” said Alex.
Blackbird unceremoniously seized Alex’s wrist and tugged her towards the bed. “Do it,” she said.
The expression on Alex’s face as she pressed her bleeding thumb to her father’s was close to revulsion. Pressing their thumbs together opened the cuts and as she withdrew it left a trail of red spots on the white quilt. Alex’s eyes widened and she went pale.
“Bathroom!” said Blackbird, “Quick!”
Alex ran for the bathroom and there was the sound of retching as she threw up noisily in the sink. After a moment there was the sound of running water. She emerged, holding a wet facecloth tight around her wounded thumb.
“Better?” asked Blackbird.
Alex nodded slowly. “You’d think after all I’d seen, a little blood wouldn’t bother me.”
“Come and sit the other side of him,” said Blackbird. “I’d ask you to hold his hand, but I don’t want you throwing up on the bed.”
“I’m OK now.” She sat on the other side of the bed and held her father’s other hand, but her eyes avoided the spots on the quilt.
“Ready,” said Blackbird. “Once we begin, we’re committed. You can’t let go,
“Move out of the way,” said Blackbird. Alex moved off the bed and she sat beside him and drew back his eyelids. His eyes were dilated almost to black. “That’s not good.”
“What’s wrong?” asked Alex, her voice rising towards panic.
“This shouldn’t happen here,” said Blackbird. “The wardings on the house should prevent it.”
“He’s not…”
“Alex!” That got her attention. “I need you calm and focused. Bring me the bag from the chair.” Alex brought the bag and Blackbird rummaged inside it, extracting a long yellow shard of bone.
“What are you going to do with that?” asked Alex.
“Give me your hand.”
“No,” said Alex, putting her hands behind her back.
“Alex, you want to help your father don’t you?”
“What are you going to do?” she asked.
“I need a drop of your blood,” said Blackbird. “I need to call you father back. He’s got himself lost again and I need you to help me.”
“What’s so special about my blood? Use some of your own.”
“Blood calls to blood, Alex. It always has and it always will. You are his daughter and of his line. Without it I can’t call him back.”
“There must be another way,” said Alex.
Blackbird sighed. “Very well. Bring me the baby.”
“What!”
“I said, bring me my son. He is also of Niall’s blood. One of you has to help him and if you won’t do it, then he’ll have to.”
Alex stared at the yellow shard in Blackbird’s hand. “You can’t… you wouldn’t.”
Blackbird’s eyes narrowed. “There are few things indeed, Alex Dobson, that I would not do. I am anchoring your father here. Do you want me to release him and fetch the baby myself?”
Alex hesitated. “Will it hurt?” she asked.
“Yes,” said Blackbird. “You were expecting me to lie to you?”
Alex slowly offered her hand. Blackbird reached for it and Alex almost snatched it away. Blackbird watched her. “Yes or no,” she said. “Willing is better, but I’ll take what I can get.”
“You’re mean,” said Alex, finally giving her hand.
“You don’t know the half of it,” said Blackbird, releasing her hold on Niall and grasping Alex’s hand around the fleshy part of her thumb.
“Hey, you’ve let go of Dad.” Alex protested. “Ah! Fuck, that hurts!”
Blackbird gouged the sharp bone fragment into Alex’s thumb. “Don’t flinch, girl, or I’ll make a mess of it.” Blood welled up in the jagged gash in Alex’s thumb. Blackbird released her and Alex immediately stuck her thumb in her mouth and sucked, looking resentful.
Blackbird took Niall’s limp hand and did the same, gouging a deep hole in Niall’s thumb that welled red. “Now mix your blood with his,” said Blackbird. “We need to reinforce the connection.”
“That’s gross,” said Alex.
Blackbird unceremoniously seized Alex’s wrist and tugged her towards the bed. “Do it,” she said.
The expression on Alex’s face as she pressed her bleeding thumb to her father’s was close to revulsion. Pressing their thumbs together opened the cuts and as she withdrew it left a trail of red spots on the white quilt. Alex’s eyes widened and she went pale.
“Bathroom!” said Blackbird, “Quick!”
Alex ran for the bathroom and there was the sound of retching as she threw up noisily in the sink. After a moment there was the sound of running water. She emerged, holding a wet facecloth tight around her wounded thumb.
“Better?” asked Blackbird.
Alex nodded slowly. “You’d think after all I’d seen, a little blood wouldn’t bother me.”
“Come and sit the other side of him,” said Blackbird. “I’d ask you to hold his hand, but I don’t want you throwing up on the bed.”
“I’m OK now.” She sat on the other side of the bed and held her father’s other hand, but her eyes avoided the spots on the quilt.
“Ready,” said Blackbird. “Once we begin, we’re committed. You can’t let go,
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