Hi guys, I'm back. School is drawing ever closer Shudder

Shout outs:

Thanks to:

Artemis Gray

Funky in Fishnet

Èowyn

Diablocat

I STILL don't own anything except Katrina.

Chapter Three

Plans were being made to recover the one spell that had been removed from the box. It was decided that Katrina, Skinner and Jekyll would travel to the keeper the next day and claim the spell. According to Katrina, the spell was in the possession of a well-meaning witch doctor that lived a small way away.

"The nearest base for the Thieves' Guild is just outside Kenya." Katrina informed them "It's not very likely that they could find out that we had the spell and catch up with us."

Zarina entered the room shortly after, informing Katrina that there was a room ready for her that night.

"Thank you Zarina." Katrina stood awkwardly "Good night everyone."

The league heard saw her retreat from the room and heard the heavy thumps of her boots making their way up the stairs.

"She is a strange contradiction." Nemo mused after a while.

"What do you mean?" Asked Skinner. He was visible now after applying a white cream to his features.

"She moves as if she is a lady of great poise but with the accuracy and thoughtfulness of a Hunter."

"I smelt the blood on her." Mina uttered faintly from the corner "She is hurt... But..."

"What?"

"There was something not quite... right about the blood. Like there was something else diluting it."

"Should we help her?" Jekyll enquired.

"She said she was fine." Sawyer spoke dismissively. Mina looked at the younger man.

"She lied. Did you not see how she was holding her self?"

Sawyer looked away.

"I'll go and see if she's alright." Skinner Stood and moved from the room. The remaining company heard the light-footed gentleman thief trudging up the narrow stairs.

Seconds later he was back "She's lying on the Landing!"

Mina and Jekyll were stood in a second "And you left her there?"

"Where was I going to put her?"

The entire league filtered from the room and up the stairs. Zarina heard the commotion and dashed after them from the kitchen, her hands soaking wet and soapy.

Jekyll lifted Katrina and turned to Zarina who was just arriving at the top of the stairs.

"Which is her room?" he asked the middle-aged woman urgently. Zarina pointed to the third door down on the left. Mina hurried to open it and ushered the doctor inside.

Slipping off Katrina's long overcoat Jekyll's eyes met a most unpleasant sight. The back of Katrina's shirt was torn near the top and stained with dark red blood. At the very top of her left shoulder was a jagged wound.

"An arrow wound." He murmured.

Jekyll tipped Katrina's body forward to get a better look, one arm around her waist holding the unconscious girl half-upright. Katrina's head lolled forward and she groaned a little, but remained unconscious.

Laying his free hand upon Katrina's brow Jekyll was alarmed to find that the young woman had a fast rising fever. Turning back to the wound he inspected the point of entry. It could not have been more than twenty four hours old as the edges of the wound were only just beginning to curl inwards as the skin tightened under the healing process. What was most curious was although Katrina was running a fever the wound was not swelling and reddening, which would have been logical. Instead, the skin surrounding the wound was black. Jekyll heard the door open behind him and Mina slipped inside.

"Oh Dear god," She gasped, leaning forward to get a better view "What a lucky young woman. Any lower and she would have been facing a collapsed lung. Yet there is still something wrong..."

Jekyll wiped a small amount of blood that was trickling down Katrina's shoulder onto his fingers. Holding it a few inches away from Mina's face the Vampire took a sharp sniff and drew her face away "Lead." She confirmed.

"We can only guess who she angered for now." Jekyll nodded his head as if to acknowledge the fact that Katrina would not be waking anytime soon "We need to sterilise the wound."

"And the fever?"

"While she is unconscious there is nothing we can do. Unless it gets worse and she suffers with Hallucinations and such, it will have to run its course. She will need to be watched at all times."

Jekyll dressed the wound and with Mina's help, he led Katrina on her right side to sleep. Small beads of sweat had begun to form on the young woman's forehead.

Jekyll left Mina with Katrina, walked downstairs and entered the drawing room. The league sat dotted about, waiting for news.

"Is the young woman alright?" Nemo stood. Jekyll looked at his feet "It is too early to say. She is still unconscious. Mina sits with her but I believe we should all stay with her in turn at least once, so we can stay informed of her condition. It appears that travelling to see this Witch Doctor may be impossible for a short while as only Katrina knows the way."

"This could put us behind." Sawyer said from his chair where he was polishing his gun. Again.

"Would you have her die?" Jekyll asked the detective, who fell silent.

Wherever Katrina was, she didn't like it.

It was dark and the air smelt of blood and sweat. The pain in her shoulder was indescribable, and she was so cold. Just opening her eyes took so much out of her she had to close them again to regain her energy. Not that having her eyes open or shut made much difference.

Katrina tried to lift her good arm so that she could wipe the sweat from her brow but she couldn't. Her arm was trapped under something. She tried to scream but her mouth wouldn't work. She tried to wriggle her legs but they seemed to be made of stone.

Mina heard Katrina whimper in her sleep and pressed a cold flannel to her brow. Her temperature was rising fast. Mina brushed the young woman's hair away from her neck to keep her cool. The door opened a little and a strip of light filtered in to the room for a few seconds before it was taken up by a shadow.

"I am here to take over your watch of the girl Mrs. Harker." Captain Nemo stood by Katrina's bed "How is she?"

"Her condition is deteriorating fast. Her fever has risen at an alarming rate and I fear if she does not wake soon she may die." Mina did not mince her words.

"Get some rest," Nemo said gently "I will call you or Doctor Jekyll if anything untoward happens."

Mina nodded and stood to leave. Again, the slice of lightappeared for a few seconds and then disappeared.

Lines. She was seeing lines.

Every so often, a segment of white would fill her vision and make her head spin. Once she had gotten rid of one lot, the next would be along.

Katrina's ears seemed to be ringing yet silent at the same time. It felt like there was a giant weight pressing down on her head and squashing her face.

Cold... so cold...

The night went on. Katrina stayed unconscious, her fever ever rising.

At Ten o' clock the next morning, Jekyll went out and later on returned to the boarding house with a small vial. He disappeared upstairs into Katrina's room.

It was Sawyer's turn to stay with Katrina. He was sat by the window, peering out into the day when Jekyll slipped into the bedroom.

Jekyll beckoned Sawyer over to the bed where Katrina lay. The young woman looked sick. There was no doubt about it. Her skin was pale and oily where she had been sweating so much. Her hands were bent into claw-like shapes, clutching onto the blanket, her dark hair was in disarray.

"What are you going to do?" Sawyer asked as Jekyll took the vial from his pocket.

"I'm going to wake her up. These are smelling salts." Jekyll handed the vial to Sawyer "You hold them under her nose and wait for her to breathe some of the scent in. Hopefully it should wake her up. I'll hold her shoulder in case she decides to fall back on it."

Sawyer nodded. Reaching over he gently hooked a hand under Katrina's chin and held the smelling salts under the young woman's nose.

Katrina's eyes shot open and she gasped "Bright!" She stammered "Bright- Hurts!"

As Jekyll had predicted Katrina tried to roll onto her other side out of instinct to avoid the bright light filtering in through the window. Jekyll caught her lower back and turned to Tom "Shut the curtains!" the younger man hurried to do so.

"Hurts... It hurts!" Katrina began to sob "It h-hurts..."

Sawyer hurried back over to the bed where Katrina was making a valiant attempt to wriggle from Jekyll's grasp. Grabbing both of her wrists in one hand he held her head in the other.

"So cold... I'm so cold!" Katrina wept.

"That's the fever, Katrina." Jekyll tried to say this gently. It didn't help that he was struggling with her lower body at the time "Try to relax."

"I don't... I don't want to... g-go back!"

"Go back where Katrina?" Sawyer held Katrina's hands between his as she struggled.

All of a sudden Katrina stopped moving. She laid stock still, her eyes wide open. As suddenly as she stopped she started to struggle again.

"They're on me! Get them off! Off!" Katrina thrashed "Snakes! Everywhere!"

"She's hallucinating! Can you stay here for a few moments while I get her some morphine?"

"Just go!" Sawyer ducked as one of Katrina's flailing limbs threatened to hit him. Jekyll stood and hurried from the room.

"They're on me! H-help me- Help me please! Get them off!"

"Shhh Katrina it's alright... It's all going to be alright..." Sawyer tried to speak in soothing tones. Katrina gradually stopped thrashing around and reduced herself to great sobs that wracked her body.

"It h-hurts..." She snivelled "It hurts so much."

Sawyer reached up to stroke her hair while she cried "Shhh... Settle down now." he whispered, his Missourian accent beginning show through.

"I'm... so cold." Katrina whimpered.

"That's the fever."

Katrina gripped Sawyer's hand tightly and he stayed by her bedside until Jekyll returned with the Morphine.

Jeez, you would not BELIEVE how long it took me to write all this. It's my brother's birthday so I permanently have his friends in here telling me about their rugby injuries. Like I really want to know about pus. This is however dedicated to my Baby brother-14 today! Happy Birthday Josh!

Please review!

Take care

Officer Budbabe