I was perched in my office when a loud knock caught my attention. Poole opened the door and a familiar voice came to me, Ethan. His distinct accent was thicker than usual. He sounded distressed "I am instructed not to disturb the lady unless there is an emergency" "this is an emergency-" "Poole, sir" "Poole, this is an emergency and Miss Barker is the best healer in the city. I trust her" "very well" I heard the disdain in Poole's voice. Be careful, Poole, he is Lupus Dei. The Wolf of God. A werewolf. "Mr. Ethan Chandler, My Lady" I nodded and Ethan was shown into my office "you moved, I had to inquire where the Midwife of Fleet Street had gotten to" "now I am the Midwife of Hyde Street" I smiled "he called you my lady, why is that?" "I am a Lady pretending to be a pauper, simple as that" "why?" "I hate high society. I was born Lady Evalina Whispers" I motioned for him to sit "what brought you to me, Ethan? Is Brona worse?" "no, thank God" "is she taking the elixirs and herbs I have given her?" "of course, except she vanished a while ago only to be returned" "so I heard" "others are being stolen away" "so I heard" "you do not care?" "I care enough to know they are being returned home safe and sound. Unharmed but for a few needle marks and confusion. What brought you here, Ethan?" "Vanessa" "and what, pray tell, has befallen her now? If you require purging agents to cleanse her reputation I will give you what I gave her years ago. If she requires a calming agent as well I have those too. What does Vanessa require?" I heard the bite in my own tone "you're her friend" "friends do not kick their friends in the ass when they are down, Ethan" "what do you mean? She said you abandoned her" "I am at the mercy of men, Ethan. My father, my husband, my husband's lawyer and his servant. I am at the mercy of my church and those who hold my chains. She is free" "she is tormented" "tormented?" I rose "tormented how?" his mouth opened but he could not get the words out "she must be screaming profanities, cursing, and speaking in languages a lady such as herself should never know. Is this correct?" "it is" he sounded incredibly hesitant to admit it to me "my father recommended she seek assistance with Dr. Henry Jekyll, a psychiatrist in Bedlam. She did not. Her family placed her in Fogg's, a private asylum, then in Bedlam toward the end. I believe we had the same orderly at one point" "should we seek help from him?" "Henry is incredibly busy, you will not bother him unless I decide to pull him in" "he's your husband, isn't he? That is his servant who tried to deny me" I glared "please, Evalina, Dr. Frankenstein has her sedated for now but restraints do not hold her, nothing we have tried is working" I sighed. Damn it! I cannot refuse a call for assistance. I turned my chair to my medicine cabinet and began pulling medications, herbs, poultices, anything I thought would help her. I also pulled out heavy chains made from Damascus Steel, blessed by High Priests, they contained a coating of oils and waters that could hold even me. I had blessed these chains once I realized I could use them for good. They were the same ones Bonnet put on me when he held me in his home. "let us go" I closed my bag with a soft snap "Poole, inform Henry that I will be out for I do not know how long, will you see that two changes of clothes, and my comb are sent to Sir Malcolm's house if I do not return by evenfall?" "of course, Lady Jekyll" he bowed as he wrapped my shawl around my shoulders and put my cloak on over that "Dr. Jekyll will be terribly upset that he will have to celebrate on his own" "tell Henry I shall make it up to him, I promise. He may find me at Sir Malcolm's" Ethan handed me into the carriage "you will not speak of my marriage to anyone, am I clear, Ethan? Not even Brona" "why?" "I could tarnish his reputation, especially now when the Board of Governor's stands in his way. He is supposed to be betrothed to Miss Emma Carew, daughter of Sir Danvers Carew" "would that not hurt the lady?" "he may take more than one wife if it pleases him. She is pretty, she will give him many strong children" "and supplant you" I placed my hand over my stomach to shield my child from his words "never supplant me. I am a pureblood, Ethan. Just as you are mixed" "excuse me?" "Lupus Dei"
The words came out of her mouth easily, not an accusation, a statement of fact. As if she was speaking of the weather. "you know?" "I do" "how?" "look at me, Ethan. You tell me" I stared at her and saw not a carefully constructed nineteen-year-old façade but an ancient, powerful- something. "what are you?" magic thrummed "you're a witch" "yes" "don't they want Vanessa too?" I had seen scarred women watching her, watching the house. "They do" "and you? You were tasked to bring Vanessa to them-" I wanted to halt the carriage, protecting Vanessa was my job and the lady herself was known for getting into things she could not easily escape. "I mean her no harm if that was what you are insinuating. Vanessa is safe in my hands, I may be jealous and angry but I would never intentionally harm her just to bring her to the Master. He understands that Vanessa is ill and needs treatment to become strong in the surety of her powers before he can try. And in all honesty, I do not want Vanessa in his grasp" "why is that?" "she would be His Queen. I am His Concubine. She would take my place in his life" "you truly are jealous over this?" I was incredulous "I have held this title since I turned sixteen, Ethan" "and you are how old now?" "do not ask a lady her age, it is impolite" "that old?" "older" she stared out the window and I saw the golden chains which wrapped around her tightly "do those hurt?" "does what hurt?" "the chains" "they have always been a part of me. Spells were woven one day to turn them on me, but I control them. I can break them whenever I want" "why don't you?" "I do not want to, they are simply pretty ornaments that only a prized few can see" "so you are telling me I should be honored-" "I am telling you that what we see can have multiple meanings. You see chains, I see safety" her voice became shorter "if you hate Vanessa this much why are you helping her?" "you asked me for help, Mr. Chandler. I cannot reject someone in need, if I do I feel the worst pain imaginable" "you ignore a lot of cries for help" "many I know I cannot help but Vanessa I can. If I went around playing vigilante then where would we be? London would be in shambles and there would be no one left in the city. It is not so much ignoring their cries, it is the type of cry that I hear. Those who require a healer or a midwife call to me like a siren's song" "so you're like a healing dousing rod?" she snorted "no. I am descended from great healers, some say the blood of the Titans and Gods but I do not know about that" she stared out the window "I told you more than I tell most, Mr. Chandler. More than even Vanessa knows- she does not know that I am a witch, and Sir Malcolm will certainly try to kill me for being one" her silver eyes glowed in the light "to them I am nothing but evil but my magic is neutral. I am neutral chaos walking the path between the light and the dark. The façade I put up has been in place so long I do not remember what the truth is. I have been reforged time and time again to fit what was needed. Hopelessness, pain, and torture are my life, Ethan." "but your husband loves you" she laughed "to an extent, mostly he loves my power. He must resent me for denying his wife care when she needed it" her face became set in a mask as we came to a stop before Sir Malcolm's home leaving me to ponder her words. I handed her out and walked her to the door where Sembene waited to take her cloak and shawl. "What do we have here, Mr. Chandler?" Dr. Frankenstein was arrogant as he looked Evalina up and down "Evalina, dear, you should not be here. This is no place for you, it is too dangerous" Sir Malcolm sounded surprised she was even here. According to him she had not been by in weeks and it worried him. Vanessa was a mix of heartbreak over the loss of her friend and joy over gentlemen callers. "Sir Malcolm, with all the respect I owe you, this is exactly where I should be. A woman is within who requires assistance" she spoke firmly by respectfully "you are not a doctor" Frankenstein interjected "neither are you" she stared him down "I beg your pardon! I will have you know I went to school-" he was sputtering "I know all about your inability to complete your schooling, you never finished medical school. You are a Resurrection Man who cuts up the bodies of criminals, the poor, and the victims of criminals. You dig up bodies to get what you want, that is not a medical degree. That is a man who takes corpses without the knowledge or consent of their families or their loved ones, and cuts them up to study for his own gain" "how do you think medicine works, little girl?" she did not back down when he loomed over her "medicine does use Resurrection Men, but with consent. I shall point you to the law" "what gives you a medical license? You are a mere woman" "I finished my studies as a midwife, healer, and apothecary. I went to school for quite some time as well as my apprenticeship. I teach other midwives and healers, I learned alongside men such as Dr. Henry Jekyll. The good doctor has made me his partner in the study and application of his experiments as well as allows me some capabilities to oversee difficult cases in Bedlam" her voice never took on a haughty tone, it stayed even and smooth. She stood her ground and I watched Dr. Frankenstein shrink under her gaze "now that we have that folly out of the way, Sir Malcolm, is it her normal growling and screaming? Tell me, has she gone this far before with you? Has she been sleeping with anyone?" "why do you want to know that?" "she has had an episode like this when-" he nodded, coldly "I will see to the lady now" "and I shall let Dr. Jekyll know you're throwing his name around" "oh, please do. I am certain Henry would enjoy hearing an old school friend tarnishing the name and reputation of not only a member of his church and his business partner, but the daughter of one of his oldest friends who he has sworn to protect. I am certain Henry will agree with you and come fetch me presently" her voice dripped with venom "do not fool yourself, Frankenstein, Henry trusts me to have good judgement. He understands this is part of my jurisdiction so if you must contact him ask if he will be willing to consult when I request it" she ascended the stairs without any other how do you do. I followed her up to Vanessa's room. "Has she been breaking the chains?" "when she's awake we sedate her quick enough to not find that out" "sedated with what?" "morphine" she swore "I will not beg your pardon, it needed to be said. How much is he giving her?" "a syringe full" "damn him. No more of that, it is addictive" she set her bag down and approached the sleeping Vanessa. Her fingers brushed Vanessa's eyelids up to peer into them, she examined her carefully. "Oh, I was not expecting that" "what?" "prostitutes in the city are vanishing only to appear with marks such as these upon them. They have no recollection of what happened nor where they went. Has she vanished?" "she has not been home much recently if that is what you're asking" "do you know where she went?" "Sir Malcolm says she's been seeing two gentlemen but I only saw her with Dorian Grey. Could he be behind this? He is known for-" "I am aware of what he is known for. He's pretty harmless, mostly he's a simple deviant. Nothing more" "how do you know this?" those silver eyes regarded me carefully for a moment "he- I cannot give away his secrets but I know him well enough to address him by his first name. I trust him more than I trust many of the men at my church, they are subtle and cutthroat. Dorian often speaks his mind and he reacts as a man does. He does not forget the basics of humanity like many do" her hands fluttered over Vanessa's face, Evalina's silvery eyes seemed to fluctuate between a gleaming silver and a dull, distant grey. She hissed as she flew from the bed "oww! You do not have to be so cruel about it, Ancient One!" she clutched her head and let out a low moan of agony "what happened?" "I tried to ease Vanessa, tried to see what was causing her to behave as such. I was unaware that she was possessed" "Possessed?" "yes, and it is ancient. Who knows about this?" "Sir Malcolm, Mr. Lyle and Dr. Frankenstein" "and yourself. Could you have told me the truth, Ethan? I dislike being tricked like this. Had I known what I was dealing with I would have brought stronger materials. I think it is best to bind her with my chains instead of these. They are strong enough to hold the Titans, they have been blessed by many High Priests and myself. Oils and herbs have been placed to hold a magical being, a deity of immense power. There is a terrible side effect" "what is it?" "they burn. They are incredibly painful but they will not scar, only leave marks for a time. For her safety, Ethan. I also require this to be her last dose of morphine. The sedative is giving the deity time to take control, I will sedate her personally. Let us change the bindings then we speak to Sir Malcolm and the quack" I watched her move quickly and efficiently with the restraints. She then began pouring what looked to be a mix of sand and salt around Vanessa on the floor, a soft chant coming to her lips "this should hold her if those break" "should?" "I do not know which deity it is, without that I am blind. Come, let us go downstairs so I may scream at the men" I followed her downstairs "well, is there anything you can do, oh great midwife?" Frankenstein taunted "shut up" her voice was sharp and I saw her glare at Sir Malcolm "how dare you gentlemen not inform me what I was dealing with. A possession is something different. I would have brought things that could help me break it" "so you're a mystic now, too?" "shut up you uncouth bastard or I will shut you up" "and how will you do that? See, Sir Malcolm, she is a fraud. Ethan, you brought us a frau-" he choked suddenly as she stared at him. Wind blew in the room as she stalked around him "nod once if you will apologize the second I release you" he nodded and the wind stopped, he collapsed, coughing violently "what is this, Evalina?" "my kind are not hunting Vanessa, Sir Malcolm. I am here because I honestly want to help but I need you to tell me what you know" "what are you?" "a witch is what you will call me, but I am not like those who will call themselves witches. I am not made, I was born. I am a Weird, you require my skills" "a Weird?" "a seer of sorts. We are powerful, leave it at that. I am the most powerful seer born since the oh I forget the year. I am the bloodline of Melusine. Leave it at that. Now, tell me what am I facing? I need to know so I may fight it" "we don't know" "do you have any clues?" "Amunet" "Egypt, of course" her silver eyes scanned the room "do you have any knowledge on Amunet?" "if she and Amun Ra get together-" "the world ends, darkness. Yes I know what the names mean" "you cannot speak Ancient Egyptian" "unlike you, it was taught in my school" she turned to me "Ethan, I require a few things from my home. Poole will help you but most importantly I require Mafdet, my cat" "why?" "bring me Mafdet, she will come if you tell her I require her" she breathed in my face "I need Vanessa's Tarot cards and I need my crystal bowls, Ethan. Tell Poole I will be attempting an exorcism or an entrapment. He will give you what I require" "do you need anything else?" "I need an anchor, Henry would be my first choice but Ethan, if you are strong enough mentally I could potentially use you" "why?" "I need someone to pull me back should I become trapped. I need her Tarot Cards, now" "why? It is just a bunch of falsehoods" "if you do not know what you are doing, what you are inviting in. I want to do a reading on Vanessa since I cannot get into her mind. Now, is there anything else I do not know? You mentioned a beast is following her. What is it?" "he is called Dracula. He is Ancient Egyptian in origin" she began laughing "no, this is a false name. the real Dracula is not what you describe. What you describe is a Nosferatu, not a Strigoi. Strigoi live by certain rules, I am not worried about them. They will leave Vanessa alone, the Nosferatu are feral creatures with no class, controlled entirely by a hive mind like ants they are not cared for by their makers. We kill them when we find them, Strigoi we leave alone. They do not bother us, we do not bother them" "how do you know so much?" "Ethan, why are you still here? Please bring what I require. Vanessa is to no longer have morphine it is causing the beast within her to come out. I am educated in such things. Ethan, now, please" I hastened when I saw the reality in her eyes.