A/N: SVM is owned by Charlaine Harris. The birthday girl is FiniteAnarchy.
In the last chapter:
Eric offers to buy Sookie's house, but she refuses. She finally gets out to Bon Temps to warn Gran about Bill moving in. While in town she meets Sam, Hadley's new boss. He comes off as extremely wary of other supes, which Sookie considers to be a good thing where her family's safety is concerned.
When Ghellert learns that Sookie is planning to move, he's compelled to reveal that Mintah will soon be offering her a new position in Scotland. It's a dream job, except that it would take her away from her family and friends.
Pam and Sookie have a girls' night out that ends with a car chase as unknown vampires pursue them through the streets of Shreveport. On Eric's orders, they flee to Fangtasia, where the Area 5 cavalry awaits.
Chapter 34 – His Own Vampire
Who is she?
I wasn't sure if the question came from one vampire in particular or all of them at once. It was pretty freaking disconcerting that it came at all.
Eric took two of the vampires with him when he left and I was alone in the room with four others until Pam came to my side on the couch. Her body was turned toward me. If she were a human friend, I would have said her posture was meant to be comforting. Here, I recognized it as defensive.
Of the vampires that remained with us, I knew all but one, at least by sight. The pretty Indian woman who'd come to Luxe Nails was there, along with the bartender, Long Shadow, and to my regret, Bill Compton. The new guy was an Asian vampire whose chest and arms were covered with a beautiful pattern of intricate tattoos, like the kind associated with the Yakuza. If I were correct, that meant I was staring at a former Japanese gangster, and he was staring right back at me.
Eric did not make any introductions when he returned, alone. I suppose the two he'd taken with him were standing sentry outside or watching over the humans in the club. The others delved right in to conversation. What surprised me was that they were even debating who the car-chasers had been.
Though Pam was able to describe the vehicles with astonishing accuracy, she hadn't gotten a very good look at any of the vampires inside. That should have begged the question of how she knew they were vampires at all, but to my relief, nobody asked. Evidently there were plenty enough candidates. Maybe the were-witch coven had contracted some vampires from Florida, since they went after Pam. Maybe Mississippi, recently spurned from a marriage proposal, was information gathering. Boldly, given that this company included Bill Compton, Long Shadow suggested they were agents of the Queen.
"Obviously it was Arkansas."
The six pairs of eyes now focused on me assured that yes, I'd spoken that thought out loud.
"And why is that obvious?" Long Shadow sneered.
I took a deep breath. "We saw two Arkansas vamps as we were leaving the Trifecta, and they saw us. We're also pretty sure someone followed us to my home that night, which is where they tried to corner us."
"How do we know these are not your enemies?"
Because my enemies don't use cars and wouldn't contract vampires to nab me, not that it's any of your business.
"I have no vampire enemies," I said. "Excepting Arkansas, if they realize I had something to do with their plot against Eric failing."
"Can you be certain about that?" Bill Compton asked. "I'm sure from time to time, people are displeased with you due to your work."
I frowned. "That's unlikely. All I do is assess. I have nothing to do with sales or people's money. If someone is unhappy with Splendide, they wouldn't blame me. Besides, the only vampires we have dealt with lately are the Queen and Arkansas."
As I said it though, a shiver of worry ran through me, because that was not entirely true. I thought of the vampire adjudicator's set that Mintah confiscated from Haagenti and gifted in parts to Eric and I. That would certainly piss off any vampires who heard about it. Eric was staring at me. Had he reached the same conclusion?
"I don't believe these were agents of the Queen," Compton said, in a calm, cool voice. He was no longer watching me, but turned instead to Eric. "If she needed to speak with either your human or your child, she would simply command you to present them to her."
"Yes," Eric agreed finally, confirming to the room that he would indeed hand me over to the Queen should she request it.
"They came for Pam and I together," I said. "If it were just me, or just Pam they were after, there would be better opportunities. From what I've heard, Arkansas is completely in the dark about what went down the other night. Their only lead is the fact that they saw Pam and I leaving."
"Sookie is right," Eric ruled. "Most likely we are dealing with Arkansas. I will inform the Queen of the attempt."
Pam gave me a reassuring pat. Good little human. I gave her a weak smile in return.
Eric got on the phone, speaking to the Queen, I guessed. The others were murmuring amongst themselves, except for Compton, who was back to watching Pam and I.
"What happens now?" I asked her.
"At the moment, we need to get you home, though I don't think I should take you. Why don't you call your Were?"
I guess the option of Eric taking me home wasn't on the table. He had some serious Sheriffing to do tonight. I assured myself that my getting home safely probably was on his list of priorities, but that didn't mean he had to do it himself.
I dialed Tray to explain that some out of town vamps were making trouble, and asked if he was looking for another night of babysitting work.
"I don't think I can." He sounded conflicted. I envisioned him rubbing his neck with a grimace. "I've got my son this weekend. I'm off for two days in a row. We've got plans in the morning."
"Oh! I'm so sorry to bother you."
"No, it's alright, you didn't know. Maybe I could work something..."
"No," I said firmly, interrupting. "See your son. I'll figure it out. I'll see you at work on Monday."
"You gonna be okay?"
"Yes," I said. "I just need to get home and stay put."
"Yeah," he agreed. "That place is a fortress."
"Right," I said quickly, not wishing him to say more. "Well you have a good weekend with your son."
"I will. You stay safe."
"Thanks."
"I can see you safely home," Bill Compton offered. "If the Sheriff would permit."
Everything went quiet again. I looked at Eric, still on the phone, but now looking at Bill. Pam shifted beside me. Eric started speaking again but was interrupted when a black vampire dressed in Brooks Brothers entered the office immediately after knocking. Maybe one of Eric's stocks just plummeted.
"Hold," Eric barked into the phone. "Yes?" he asked of the new arrival.
"Two of them just drove past the club. Arkansas plates. Sara has left to follow them."
It was an effort not to shoot Long Shadow a look of 'I told you so.' Eric acknowledged the words and signaled the black vampire, along the Asian one, to return to the bar.
"You heard that?" he continued into the phone. "Yes... They are... We will. Yes. Before dawn."
And with that, he concluded his conversation.
"Call the eagle," Eric told me, before turning away. "Long Shadow, you will need to make arrangements for another place to stay tonight. I do not think you or Pam should return to your nest. I need to see Colonel Flood. We have been ordered to watch the border. Thankfully they are traveling in cars, so it will be manageable."
Eric stood, gestured for the other vampires to follow him, and I was left alone. I didn't have Ghellert's number. I'm not even sure where he stayed when he wasn't at Splendide. It might have been the plantation home Mintah had confiscated, but for all I knew he'd built a roost in some tall pine out in the country. With nothing else to go on, I called Splendide. After the fourth ring, Holly's polite and professional voice reminded me of our business hours and invited me to leave a message. I hung up instead.
I could always just call a taxi cab. It would look completely innocent. Surely on any given night here, there are people who drink too much and can't drive home on their own. It wouldn't take much to disguise myself enough to get out the front doors and into a waiting car, just in case anyone was watching the club. The only problem would be getting from the cab to my front door, if people were still watching the house.
I presented this plan to Eric when he returned, along with the sticking point. He was now trailed only by Pam and Compton. He must be allowing the new man to shadow him. Hopefully he'd report good things about Eric's crisis handling.
"Compton, you will go to Sookie's house and make sure no one is lying in wait. Call us, and then you will wait there until she is safely inside before returning to Fangtasia. We do not want the people of Arkansas to be able to question her. If you are followed, then return here."
"Yes, Sheriff."
"Go now," Eric suggested, when Compton did not immediately stir to leave.
Without another word, Bill Compton left Eric's office. I started to speak, but Pam held up her hand. When she nodded to me a moment later, I realized she must have wanted to wait until he'd left the building.
"He didn't have to ask for my address," I said.
"No, he didn't." He sounded way too impassive. I had to wonder if Eric had used the opportunity to gauge exactly how deep Bill's interest in me ran. Probably.
"Whatever else he is," Pam said, "I do believe he is loyal to the Queen, and tonight, that's what's of consequence."
I tried my best to feel reassured, which I figured was her aim. I'd seen enough of their dynamic to know she wasn't vocalizing her agreement for his benefit. Pam might be subservient to Eric, but she wasn't a sycophant.
He returned to the front of the club after that, while she remained with me for twenty minutes until we got the all-clear from Bill; at which point Pam called the cab company. The incredibly brief conversation she had with the dispatcher informed me that I'd been right, this was routine.
I didn't see Eric again until Pam escorted me outside. He was sitting at a booth with Colonel Flood and a Were women I didn't know, and glanced up at me only briefly as I passed by. I was a little surprised that the Packmaster had come right over. After what happened with the witches, I didn't blame him for being overly cautious about strangers in the area.
The ride to my house was short, and the driver said very little. In his experience, drunks were not stellar conversationalists, and he had a long night ahead of him. I listened to the chatter over the dispatch radio as we drove. A car which I assumed to be Bill's was parked in front of my house, and I could see the faint glow of him as he stood on the porch. He was the only person, living or dead, in my range. I paid the man and exited the car, which drove off quickly as I sprinted for the safety of the front porch.
As soon as I reached Bill, I knew something was wrong. There was a foul smell in the air, like burned meat, but chemical. I realized too late that his hands were behind his back. His face was pained. He lurched forward towards me, showing fang and I stumbled backward.
Before I could tumble down the steps, a hand caught the back of my coat and I was pulled through the air into a hard, cold body. I gasped to scream, but as soon as I got the air in a hand clamped over my mouth. I tried to bite, but my teeth could not make purchase. I didn't know who was behind me, except that it was a vampire, and I tried to struggle but the other arm caught around my arms, pinning them down. I tried to writhe free but was hoisted off the ground again, and though my flailing legs made awkward contact, it wasn't enough to throw off my attacker.
I saw two vampires come up out of nowhere and move behind Bill, shoving him face first down the stairs. He landed hard with a groan and I saw the glint of silver at his back confirming that he was already restrained. Something caught my legs and then they were bound together. I was dropped abruptly and it was all I could do to get my knees under me so I didn't go the same way as Compton. I managed to keep my face off the ground before I was pulled back again by the arms and they too were bound. I'd dropped my little purse at some point. A woman had it in her hands now. I watched as she grabbed the phone from it, broke it in her hands, and threw it into the distance. I managed a single shriek of "HELP!" before I took a blow across the face, followed by tape across my mouth, and even more disturbingly, across my eyes and around my head.
For a long moment all I could hear or focus on was my own breathing, hard through my nose. I had to calm down. I wasn't getting enough oxygen. I cried out again, muffled now against the duct tape, as I was plucked up by the arms and carried with my legs dragging across the lawn. I was shoved in a car trunk.
Moments later something heavy fell on top of me. The burning smell was back, even more intense. With a whoosh and a final slam, I realized to my great dismay that I was now locked in here with Bill Compton. He began to thrash, not heeding me at all. I whimpered as his bound body made contact with mine, but if I thought that risk of hurting me would prevent him from trying to get free of whatever was binding him, I was mistaken. I felt the car begin to move.
The acrid smell grew worse, and it was all I could do to keep my head out of his way. I felt a tiny draft coming from somewhere. Maybe near the wheel well. I did my best to angle my face toward it, taking a bash on the cheek as Compton pushed me into the trunk wall.
Eric will find me. It was all I could think. He will know almost immediately that something went wrong, and he will track me down and find me. This is why I took his blood in the first place. I just need to survive until that happens. He'll check on me and realize I'm not where I'm supposed to be, and he'll come. He'll come. He could be on his way right now.
At some point Bill stopped pummeling himself, and me. Every once in a while he moaned. The sound was muffled. He must be gagged too, with silver. The smell as his dead flesh burned under the metal was nearly caustic. I knew it weakened them, but it was also excruciatingly painful. The metal would burn away their skin as it continued to knit itself. If they stayed in silver long enough, they would eventually lose the strength to heal. That would take days though; longer than a car ride. Vampires in that state were dangerous. As the car bounced around, and me with it, I kept losing my tiny stream of fresher air. I breathed shallowly.
Maybe I shouldn't be trying to keep calm. Maybe I should let myself panic. Could Eric feel my emotions over such a distance?
We banked hard. A sharp turn? Maybe my rescuers were already chasing! I just hoped to hell they wouldn't try ramming the car I was in to get us to slow down. Either way it left me part rolling, part sliding into Bill. My cheek brushed something else cold. Him? No. I bobbed my head, brushing the rough surface with the little exposed skin on my face, trying to ascertain what I was touching. A low growl sounded right in my ear and I jerked back as best as I could, gasping in the noxious air. His face. His face was covered with silver mesh. That's one way to subdue a vampire. I had to be grateful for it, considering my own position here with him in this enclosed space. Still, though I was uncomfortable, even in pain, he had to be in utter agony.
I rolled away as we turned again, and tried to find my little draft of slightly less polluted air. I never did. I thought we had slowed down some, but it seemed to only mean that we'd left the smoothness of the highway. The jostling became more regular on the bumpier road. We hadn't gone that far. Maybe we weren't too far inside Arkansas? Maybe we hadn't gotten there at all yet. I didn't know if Eric had already gotten his people watching the major roads. Could be that's what we were avoiding. That was my last thought for a while. We hit another pothole or something and I felt the top half of my body rise up in the air before slamming back against the trunk floor.
Next thing I knew I was weightless again, or rather, I was being dragged. My feet were brushing the ground and I was held up by my arms, folded behind my back. My head shot from side to side, not that it made any different. I felt the tape pull my hair as I turned, and gave it up immediately as a bad idea. I couldn't see. I heard someone, a woman, well, female anyway, comment that I was awake.
"Good," came the reply from behind me. Another female. I tried to get my feet under me, but we were moving too quickly, and they were still bound. I stumbled, bobbed, but whoever was hoisting me along didn't let me drop. I let my feet drag again. She was carrying me along at arm's length, like a bag of particularly smelly trash. The ground felt rough. There was stuff. Leaves, twigs. I inhaled. We were in the woods. Yeah. That narrowed it down.
The tops of my ankles suddenly collided with one, two, ow, three somethings... steps... before we moved inside of somewhere. It wasn't any warmer, but the air was less fresh. I was dropped to my knees on the floor; wood. A moment later I was strung up, literally. My arms were folded behind my back. Someone looped a rope around my forearms and tugged hard, pulling me to my feet and then just a smidgen higher. I squirmed, struggling to get my arms into a better position so I wouldn't jerk them out of their sockets should I lose my balance on my tiptoes. I managed to clasp my hands around the opposite elbows, which at stabilized me somewhat. The pulling on my arms forced my back to bow slightly towards the floor. I didn't think I could last long like this.
There were two vampires in here with me and three outside, moving. I was pretty sure that one of those was Bill. They must be taking him to a different building. It couldn't be close to dawn yet – no way I'd been out that long – but, maybe they were storing him in a light tight place anyway. I had no idea. I hoped to hell I'd be out of here before dawn. Any time now, sweetcheeks.
A vampire moved in front of me and inhaled deeply.
"This is the one. She reeks of Northman," said the first male voice I'd heard.
Jesus Christ. They weren't sure? What the hell would they have done if I hadn't been who they were looking for? On second thought, I didn't want to know the answer.
"I'll remove the gag now. You can scream. In fact, I reckon you will, if you don't tell us what we need to know, but no one who cares will be able to hear you."
His voice sounded so common. Deep baritone, slight southern accent. It could be any man at the grocery store. A neighbor. My guess was that it belonged to a vampire who was from around here, which meant maybe not that old.
The tape was peeled back off my cheek slightly, and then abruptly ripped from my face. It took some skin from my lip with it, and I did cry out, and then I panted. Then, disgustingly, I felt a cool tongue lave across my mouth. I guess I was bleeding.
"Delicious," the male voice commented. "I can see why your Sheriff keeps you around."
I let out an involuntary whimper and tried to pull back, sucking my lips between my teeth. It hurt. God. Everything hurt, and I knew we hadn't even begun.
"Enough," snapped one of the females. I think it was the one who said I was waking up. She moved closer.
"Your name is Sookie Stackhouse," she sneered.
Was I supposed to confirm that? I didn't say anything. Mistake. She slapped me across the face.
"You will answer my questions," Slap-happy informed me.
You didn't ask a question, bitch. "Yes ma'am," I breathed. "I'm Sookie Stackhouse."
"You were at the Trifecta Casino with Pam Ravenscroft, the child of Eric Northman."
"Yes ma'am."
"Where is Pam Ravenscroft?"
"She was at Fangtasia. When I left, she was still there."
"And where is she going to ground tonight?"
"I don't know."
Another slap.
"I don't know!" I said more emphatically. "Eric said she couldn't go home, but I don't know where he's taking her!"
"Are you a witch?" she demanded.
"No?" What?
"What witch put the wards on your house?"
"I..."
Slap.
I didn't answer, and got another blow for it. This time she lifted my chin to give her a better target. I couldn't out myself, and I wasn't about to give up the names of the only witches I knew, Octavia and Louis. It hadn't been a witch who put the wards on my home.
"D-demon wards. They're demon wards."
She grabbed my jaw again, tightly.
"Which demon put wards on your house, human?"
"Mintah! It was Mintah! One of Mintah's people, I don't know his name!"
She let go of my jaw then, and stepped back. For an instant I foolishly believed that the name had scared her, then the rope jerked higher, and my toes were barely touching the ground. For a minute my feet skittered around scrambling to make purchase before I resigned myself to mostly hanging. I put all my strength into keeping my arms tucked to my back, so the pull from the rope wouldn't wrench them as much.
"Does Pam Ravenscroft stay in your home during the day?"
"No."
"Does Eric Northman?"
"He stayed one time only."
"Where is the resting place?"
"I don't have one. He stayed in the closet in my spare room and we put blankets all around the door. I don't have vampires staying with me. Please," I begged. "my arms!" It was to no avail as she ignored me.
"Why were you leaving the Trifecta with the Sheriff's child?"
"Eric had her come to take me home."
"And why were you there?"
"I...overheard something and I wanted to help Eric."
Someone kicked my knees from the side and I cried out as I swung slightly.
"What did you overhear?"
"Three guys... at a diner... were talking about Eric and what would happen to him. I just didn't want anything to happen to Eric."
"Fucking Weres," said the male vamp from beside me. I guess he was the kicker.
"She's lying," the female said viciously, assuredly, correctly.
"Then take off the blindfold," the male said.
Oh no. Oh no, no. I wouldn't have a choice about outing myself. Suddenly the rope was loosed and I crumpled to the floor, dragged back into something like a sitting position by my hair. A hand fell heavy on the top of my head, and then came the ripping. I would have taken a hundred more slaps. I felt my hair come out in huge hanks by the roots as she ripped the duct-tape-blindfold off. I did scream, but the male had been right. No one who cared heard me.
I went into something like a fetal position, bending my chin to my chest and pulling my knees up. I should have known that wouldn't be allowed. I got a kick to my back for that, letting out another groan. My ears were still ringing and my head was on fire.
"Can't," I panted. "Can't glamour me. It won't work."
I was grabbed the hair again and wrenched upward so I was looking into the face of a brown-haired woman. It might have been one of the two I'd seen at the Trifecta with Pam. She was white-skinned, with dark brown eyes and full lips. Probably gorgeous like every other vampire, but her whole self looked ugly to my eyes.
"And why is that?" she snapped.
"Part...demon." My voice was labored from the pain.
She exchanged a look with the male, who was also white and sandy-haired. I would have said he had a boyish face, despite the sinister look in his eyes. Like a frat boy gone evil, or the Good Son. I shuddered involuntarily and Slap Happy turned her attention back on me. I felt the pressure on my mind immediately as she tried to exert her will. Her strongest attempt was not as strong as Eric's, and I'd had no trouble resisting him. She frowned in concentration.
"Who is your sire?"
"My parents are d-dead. Desmond Cataliades is my sponsor."
She hissed.
"You know him?" Sandy asked.
"He works for their Queen," she replied. "He has been here. The fat demon lawyer."
"She can't be glamoured because she's a demon?"
"You tasted her. Does she taste like a demon?"
"I've never had one."
"You would remember," she said dryly, and turned her attention back to me. "She doesn't smell like a demon. You are lying to me, blondie."
"I'm not," I promised. "I swear I'm not. I'll tell you anything you want to know. Those three guys, I don't know what happened to them, but I think one died at the hotel, and one of the vampires died, and the other one, they took him to New Orleans."
"Where his Henrik Feith?" she demanded.
"Area 4. Eric said he's in Area 4," I answered.
"What did you hear at the diner?"
"Just that they were going to do something to Eric. They were talking about what could happen to him. I didn't want anything to happen to him."
I'd started crying when she ripped my hair out, and I felt my eyes burning now. I was in pain, and I hoped it was all enough to be convincing. I also hoped Bill Compton wasn't over there telling them any more than I was.
Evidently she thought it was time to check, because she left abruptly. If I thought that meant reprieve, I was mistaken. It only meant Sandy-hair didn't have a supervisor.
"If you're not a demon, what are you?"
I didn't answer. He kicked my ass, hard. For all the times that expression gets thrown around, I'd never experienced it literally before. I felt my insides churn, and a dull pain shot down my legs. I tried to curl up again, pulling down against my shoulders as if that would shield my back, but my hands weren't free. He yanked the rope up again very suddenly and I was on my knees. He came close and inhaled again, letting out a low moan.
"You smell like blood and fear," he hissed in my ear. "You're going to die tonight. It's only a matter of how quickly and painfully that happens. We haven't even begun to break your bones. You have a lot of those."
"I've told you everything I know," I croaked out.
"She doesn't believe you." He inhaled again, grabbing the hair at the name of my neck in his fist and jerking my head up. "There are other things we can do before you die."
He licked my neck. I thought he hummed. I felt the faint scrapes of his fangs and had to force myself to hold. I screamed as he bit and got a hand clamped over my mouth. He hoisted me up further, pressing himself against me and suddenly he was ripped back. I felt the skin tear at my neck, but that pain barely registered. All I could see was the furious face of Eric before he brought a heavy sword down on the neck of Sandy, whose shout was...cut short.
I slumped to the ground again as the rope was cut.
"Get her free," Eric ordered, and only then did I realize that he hadn't come in alone. Someone behind me was ripping through the tape on my arms. I never thought I'd be so glad of the stench of carrion. Ghellert.
"Someone is coming," Eric said quietly. He was by the door. My arms freed up, but it wasn't the relief I'd been hoping for. Spikes of pain radiated through them and shoulders, wrenched beyond reason with limited circulation for... how long? I couldn't help my groan as Ghellert moved away quickly, flanking the other side of the door, opposite Eric. I rocked up onto my butt and started to force my numb fingers to work at the tape binding my ankles. They'd done a thorough job. I couldn't rip it. What I wouldn't give for some of that vampire puissance.
The vampire halted before the doorway. I could be seen, partway escaping. She shouted, and Ghellert reached out an arm that ended, not in a hand, but four scaly claws tipped with digit-length, wicked black talons. He lunged out, seizing the vampire by the face, the talons sinking horrifyingly into the mouth and eye sockets. The vamp scrabbled at the eagle's wrist, but Ghellert pulled him into Eric's reach, and my viking finished the job. Ghellert flung the head away, before returning to me. He had a far easier time slicing through the tape.
Eric helped me to my feet, his expression fierce. He reached to touch my neck or my chin, and I flinched. A softer look flitted across his face for an instant but it was quickly replaced by more fury.
"How many more?" he asked.
"Two, and Bill."
"I'll take her. You distract," Eric said.
"No," I said, stepping away from him, and turning so I could see them both. "Go together. They have lots of silver, and they're strong. They got Bill easily..." I trailed off.
"I'll fight better if I shift again fully," Ghellert said.
"We should leave him to rot," Eric growled. "That would solve another problem."
"Or create one," I argued. "He'll talk eventually. They've got him in silver, and you know he's suspicious of me. They know something isn't right. She tried to glamour me."
"Something is coming," Ghellert interrupted, and Eric's head shot to the open door of the dingy... I guess it must be a hunting cabin. I looked around for the first time. There were no furnishings. The wood floor was littered with spatters of what was presumably my blood, along with bits of rapidly disintegrating vampire.
"How many?" Eric asked again. He was talking to Ghellert, who had his head cocked with avian focus. I pushed out with my mind, scanning in all directions. The three, away somewhere to the left of where we currently stood, were the same three. The others were approaching quickly. I felt as the voids moved into my range.
"Two," Ghellert said.
"Three," I corrected, and pointed at a spot on the wall which corresponded to the direction they were coming from.
"Change," Eric ordered Ghellert, but he was already doing so.
"I can help," I said.
"You can barely stand."
Eric and I shared a long look, both studiously not turning towards the sickening stirring and grinding sound that accompanied the bodily transformation of the shapeshifter. There was the sharp clicking of talons on wood, as Ghellert hopped and flew out the door, tucking his massive wings as he went through. They would have to fight outside; he was designed for dive-bombing, not close quarters.
"Go," I urged Eric. They didn't have much time.
He reached across his back and pulled something from the scabbard he had strapped to himself, offering me a knife, blade first. I realized immediately that was because its tip was silver. He only touched the handle.
"Stay," he ordered. "Unless you must leave. We will try to keep them out."
He stared hard at my face for another moment until we heard Ghellert scream from outside, not in pain, but a battle cry, and then Eric was gone. I moved to the corner adjacent to the door and started rolling my shoulders, which hurt like a bitch. So did the rest of me, but I couldn't dwell on it. I wish I could see the battle, but I couldn't risk drawing any more attention to myself. He was right; if I just stayed here, maybe the new comers would assume I was still restrained, and ignore me.
I followed the blank spots with my mind. It was easy to tell where Eric was, both because he was familiar, and because he was taking a page out of Ghellert's book. They were both doing aerial assaults, though Eric stayed on the ground for longer. One was brought down quickly, but once they lost the element of surprise, it as a real brawl. One of the vamps who had been with Bill entered the fray, keeping my rescuers at a disadvantage of numbers. They seemed to be moving further away, which was good in one part, but bad in another.
I knew from researching harpies that Ghellert would be adept at fighting from the trees, but Eric seemed stuck on the ground then, and I could only hope the eagle was providing a consistent enough distraction that he wouldn't be cornered. I heard Eric's bellow as one of the vampires blinked out of my perception entirely, and then the last of Bill's and my captors was out, away from him, and heading to the fight. There was shouting in two languages I didn't know; whatever Eric spoke, and something that might as well have been Swahili. I started to panic again. Just wait here. How can I just wait here when I could be of use?
I wasn't going to get in the fight, but I could rescue Bill, and maybe he could help them. They were along into the woods now. I crept out the door. I checked again. There was no one close.
There was only moonlight and the dim light from a single window in the crappy cabin outside. I blinked quickly, willing my eyes to adjust. Bill was in another long shed. I could see light coming from the open door. We must not be too far from civilization if there's electricity out here, and considering how quickly the reinforcements must have arrived...
Bill was chained to a chair, his head slumped to the side. The silver mesh had been folded back so it only covered his eyes and head. I guess they needed his mouth free so he could talk. He snarled as I approached.
"Bill, it's me Sookie," I whispered. "Don't bite okay? I'm going to get you out. They're fighting, and... they could use you. Can you fight?"
"Free me," Bill demanded angrily. I took that as a yes.
I pulled at the mesh and it peeled away like half-dried glue, with the same snapping, tacky noise. He rocked hard in the chair, which was bolted to the floor, and I backed off for a moment in fear, until I saw his teeth clenched and realized he was only trying not to scream. They hadn't needed locks; only silver chains that pressed against bare arms and legs where they'd ripped the fabric of his clothes out of the way. As soon as I got an arm free, he reached for the other to do the job quicker but recoiled as his fingers touched the metal. I got the other arm free and started on his legs and he kept shoving his hands in the way, like a child who simply refuses to learn that the stove is still hot.
"Just let me!" I barked.
"No, let me," said Slap Happy from the doorway.
She was on me in a second, pinning me to the ground. I didn't have a lot of strength left in me, but even if I did, it wouldn't have been enough. Hell, I'd been stymied by duct tape, and this was a healthy vampire. The knife Eric had given me, the knife I'd dropped beside Bill's chair so I could work with both hands to free him, was out of reach.
"I know what you are," she snarled at me. "And I'm to take you to my king, fairy, but if you die attempting to escape, no one can blame me..."
Just as suddenly her weight was off me as Bill stood over her, grappling at the ends of the silver chain as he pulled it around her neck with cloth-covered hands. She struggled and kicked, and he stumbled backwards taking her with him. I grabbed for the knife, got to my feet, and just as he pulled her up against his chest, I ran forward and stabbed the blade in to her heart. She screamed, and the sound amplified in the empty room, and it seemed to come from outside as well. Bill dropped the body. He lunged for the door and broke it. He grabbed a shard of wood and drove it into her back for good measure, but the bitch was already crumbling. I watched as her fingertips dried, blackened, and turned to ash.
I looked at Bill, whose face and extremities were still a bloody horror.
"Eric," I breathed.
Bill kicked the corpse over, plucked the knife from its chest, and was gone. I took the jagged little stake he'd made and clutched it tightly. Eric was going to come find me in the other cabin. I had to go back there. I should have run, but I didn't have the energy. Now that I focused on it, walking in itself was kind of a problem. That's why it took me so long; why I was still outside when the eagle came soaring from the direction of the fight. It landed, hopped, and flew another few feet, low, and repeated the process. Limping. Injured. At least he'd gotten away.
A streak of red bolted past me. Ghellert jumped, turned, and came bearing down on the vampire, but he hadn't enough time to generate speed, to build the kinetic energy that made him lethal. She grabbed for his talons, let them tear her, and still managed to seize his leg, and snap it. He buffeted her with his wings, but she pulled him down. Like Eric, she too had a whopping great sword in her hand. There was nothing I could do but watch as she swung it around and then down, cleaving deep into the eagle's breast.
Eric was there. He was on her. He and Bill. Two on one. They finished the fight quickly. I crawled to Ghellert. I don't know when I got to my knees. He was changing, going back to human shape. I stroked the last few feathers as they receded, turning into legs, hips.
I tried to cover his wound with my hands, but I couldn't. It was bigger than my hands. The red woman had cut the bird nearly in half, and Ghellert was split from shoulder to groin.
"Go," he breathed.
I shook my head. I wasn't leaving him. We hadn't left goddamned Bill Compton. We weren't leaving now.
I found his hand and clutched it, bowing my head over him. Crying again.
"Sookie. Go," he told me.
"Sookie, he is right, we must leave." I barely heard Eric, but Ghellert did.
"No," Ghellert said, with the last of his strength. "Go."
I knew what he was telling me. He didn't mean here and now. He meant all of this. Arkansas, or wherever the hell we were, Louisiana, these vampires, their Weres, their witches, everything.
Go.
His fingers went limp in mine and I let out a wail. Dead. My savior. My friend.
Eric picked me up and I let him carry me away.
A/N: The chapter title comes from this quote by Helen Keller, "As the eagle was killed by the arrow winged with his own feather, so the hand of the world is wounded by its own skill."