Chapter 122
Hotch rubbed the side of the muzzle as he looked at Brady. "Will it hurt coming off?"
Brady laughed. "Not really. I thought it was going to peel my face off, too, but it was just the same burning sensation as when I put it on." He smiled. "I do it for everyone they bring in here, but I understand that you don't trust me because you don't know me. You're choice."
Hotch felt the top of the muzzle. "Will it really peel my face off if I try to do it?"
"Yes! I've seen it happen twice. Two fools who didn't believe them." He swallowed and winced. "Not a pretty sight, even in here."
Hotch sighed.
"And don't think that trying to put it back on once the pain really starts will stop it. Once you start taking it off, it will come off completely, and it will peel your skin and muscle off with it. With you being a vampire, you would heal, I guess."
Hotch shook his head. "That's not something I want to try." A moan left him as hunger pangs bent him over a little. "But I would be willing for you to do it."
Brady eyed him. "When did they feed you last?"
Hotch ran a hand through is hair as he tried to figure out how long it had been. "It was before they brought me down here, but I'm not sure how long ago that was." With Brady's confused look, Hotch smirked. "They had me in the labyrinth."
"Oh," Brady said and then went to another table. "Then you should have this," he told him as he grabbed a tall mug and turned back.
As soon as the metal cup was close enough for Hotch to smell what was in it, his mouth watered even more and his stomach roared, but he didn't reach for the cup.
"You don't want it?" Brady asked as he frowned. "But it's human. Isn't that what you vampires prefer?"
Hotch had to fight the urge to snatch the mug, and he shook his head. "So he does take humans and use them for food?"
Brady sighed. "He does, sometimes. We normally don't get them in this specific room except every now and then. This, though, isn't from some random victim, this is from one of the master's own men. Apparently, he pissed the master off."
Hotch's eyes snapped to his. "Was it a guy named Reese?"
Brady took a step back. "And how do you know that?"
Hotch huffed. "Because the warlock killed him over me. I was there when he did it."
"What do you mean, over you?"
Hotch shrugged. "Reese is one of the people who captured me, and when the warlock found out how little time I've been a vampire, he got upset. Reese tried talking his way out of the blame, and the warlock killed him."
Brady laughed and held out the mug again. "That's what I call poetic justice." Hotch frowned, but Brady laughed even more. "The guy captures you, and now you get to not be starving thanks to him."
Hotch still didn't reach for the mug, and Brady wilted. "If you don't want it, you could have any of the other, but this would probably heal that leg you've been limping on right up."
Hotch licked his lips. Well, it's not like I killed him or anything. He sighed and then nodded. "Alright. Take this damn thing off me."
Brady nodded, set the mug down, and reached for the muzzle. "Hold still, and remember, it will burn a little as it separates from your skin."
Hotch nodded, held his breath, and then held still as Brady started pulling the muzzle off. Hotch cringed and groaned, but Brady got it off even quicker than it had taken to adhere.
Once it was off completely, Hotch felt his face and was glad to find it intact. He smiled at the man. "Thank you."
Brady nodded. "No problem, but you better drink that down and put that muzzle back on in case someone comes," he instructed as he picked up the mug and handed it to Hotch.
Hotch took it, inhaled deeply, and then brought the mug to his lips and gulped it down.
XXXXX
"What the fuck?" Kahlan uttered as she looked around. She wasn't leaning down to the old woman any more; she was standing up, and the old woman was standing before her. They weren't in the little room anymore either; they were surrounded by blackness. She couldn't see any of the others, and the only thing she could hear was silence.
The old woman held up a hand. "Do not be alarmed. I wish you no harm."
Kahlan took a step back. "What the hell is this?"
The witch shrugged. "A private conversation between sisters, nothing more."
Kahlan studied her. It was the same old woman, but she was whole, unhurt, and looked strong. "What have you done to my friends?" she demanded to know as her hand went to the knife at her waist.
The woman smiled. "They are still with you; you are just here with me."
Kahlan pulled the knife as her eyes burned with anger. "I don't have time for your fucking riddles! End this, or I will end you!"
The woman's face softened. "No, you do not have time, sister. Aaron needs you. He needs you more than he ever has."
The knife slowly lowered as tears formed in Kahlan's eyes. "How do you know about Aaron?"
"I know many things, sister." She sighed. "Many, many things," she whispered as her eyes took on a far-away quality. After a second, she shook her head and looked at Kahlan again. "I know you doubt that he's alive, but I want to assure you that he is. Do not doubt your gift, sister."
Kahlan frowned. A hundred questions were swirling through her mind, but she put voice to the most burning one. "Do you know where he is?" she asked as her heart pounded.
The witch took a deep breath as she closed her eyes.
Kahlan put her knife back in its sheath as she watched the woman. After several seconds, she wondered if the witch had gone to sleep, and she fought back the urge to ask the question again.
After several more seconds, the woman wilted and then shook her head as she opened her eyes. "I am so sorry, sister, but he is blocked from my vision."
"And why is that?"
The woman looked to her right for a second and then winced. "I do not know."
"Are you psychic or something?"
The woman smiled. "Being an elemental witch might be considered psychic by some, but I am not what you are thinking."
Kahlan huffed. "And yet, wouldn't you be considered psychic if you know what I'm thinking?"
A light laugh left the woman and she smiled some more. "My powers draw more from the elemental world than from the mind like yours."
"Like mine?" Kahlan took a step closer to her. "What do you mean?"
Lights started flashing around them and the woman shook her head. "I am much too weak to keep this conversation going. I am sorry. Maybe we can continue this when I am stronger." She moved all the way to Kahlan and placed a soft hand on her cheek. "But do not give up hope, sister," she continued as she placed her other wrinkled hand on Kahlan's chest. "Know in your heart, in your soul, that you will find him."
A tear dripped from Kahlan's eye as she looked into the light green eyes before her. "Will I?"
The witch smiled. "You will," she stated plainly as she looked around at things that weren't there. "The elements say it is so."
Kahlan took a shaky breath and suddenly they were back in the little room illuminated by Chuck's flashlight.
"Thank you, sister," the old woman said as she took the opened protein bar.
Kahlan swallowed and looked around at the others. By their lack of reactions, she knew that they had seen nothing except her giving the old woman the bar. She nodded and stood back up as she wondered if she had imagined the whole thing. When she felt the tear slipping further down her cheek, she used running a hand through her hair as an excuse for wiping it away.
Chuck moved to her. "You ok?" he whispered in her ear.
She nodded. "Yeah. Why wouldn't I be?"
He studied her as his brows furrowed. After a second he winced. "Cause you suddenly seem even sadder." He looked at the old woman on the floor for a second and then back to his best friend.
Kahlan forced a smile for him. "She just reminds me of my grandmother, I guess."
He nodded, but still frowned.
Kahlan took a deep breath and looked at the others in the room. "Let her eat while we see to the others. We need to figure out what we are going to do with them all, so we can get back to why we came here."
Christian looked at the witch, then to Kahlan, and then to Sebastian, and Sebastian tried to ignore him as he nodded to Kahlan. "Yes. We need to figure out what to do with them, and then have a long talk with the harvester."
The old woman stopped chewing and looked at the ancient vampire. "And what will you be doing with him?"
Sebastian glanced at the others. "We haven't decided that, yet."
The witch's smile was villainous. "You could give him to us. I am sure we would all love to show him exactly how much we have appreciated his hospitality."
Kahlan's smile matched the old woman's. "Not to worry. You all will have your chance."
The old woman's eyes locked with Kahlan's for a moment and then she nodded and went back to eating.
Chuck reached up and wiggled the light bulb and it came on, and then he looked at the old woman. "Is that alright, or would you prefer the dark?"
She sighed. "You have no idea how long it took me to loosen that. I wanted it dark the next time he opened the door, but since I don't have to worry about him anymore, I think I'd like it on. Thank you, child."
Chuck nodded and moved to follow Cam out of the door.
"The cave," the witch told them before they could all leave. "You must go to the cave. Essence needs your help, too!"
Rossi frowned. "Essence?"
"The unicorn," Kahlan put in.
The old woman smiled. "Yes."
Christian again shot a look to Sebastian.
Chuck smiled at the witch. "We found her, and we're helping her, too."
The woman studied him a moment, looked toward the door, and then nodded. "Unicorns do not trust humans normally, but it seems that she likes you all very much."
Chuck's smile grew, but Rossi frowned. "And how would you know that?"
She shrugged. "A unicorn's magic is aligned to the elemental a lot like mine." She looked at him and smiled. "But I know many things, David."
He studied her for a moment and then nodded. "Yes ma'am, I bet you do."
XXXXX
As Hotch lowered the empty mug, his eyes shut. He couldn't feel any of the usual power he normally felt when drinking human blood, but he figured that was because of the collar. He could feel a tingling sensation filling his stomach, though, as his hunger dwindled away.
He took a deep breath as he opened his eyes and then nodded to Brady. "Thank you. That really helped," he told him as he handed him back the mug.
Brady was studying him. "You need any more?"
Hotch shook his head. "No. That should do it."
"How's the leg?"
Hotch shrugged. "It'll be alright."
Brady took the mug. "How'd you hurt it anyway, or did they do that to you?" he asked as he put the mug back on the table.
Hotch huffed. "I broke it as I fell out of the labyrinth."
Brady looked at him as his eyes narrowed. "Fell out of it?"
Hotch nodded. "I was trapped in a room after that dinosaur thing died, and then. . ."
"You killed the dinosaur?!" Brady asked with wide eyes.
Hotch wilted. "I used one of the traps on it. It was going to kill me!"
Brady shook his head. "No wonder they sent you in here. They're probably pissed at you."
Hotch frowned. "What do you mean?"
Chewie rumbled something, and Brady looked towards him for a second and then gestured to the muzzle he'd sat down. "You better get that back on and come on. It wouldn't do either one of us any good to be caught standing around talking."
Hotch sighed but picked the blob up and let it seal to his face again. It didn't hurt as much as it had the first time, and he wondered if he was used to it or if it was because he'd finally eaten. He really didn't care what the reason was; he was just glad for it as he followed the werewolf around the table to the other side of the room.
Brady walked him up to a waterfall with a smile. "Here. You can wash up."
Hotch took a step back from it, though. "Are you sure that's safe? I saw one of my friends attacked by something in water."
Brady laughed. "Yes. The monsters in the labyrinth stay in the labyrinth." He frowned as he studied Hotch again. "Course, I never heard of anyone killing any of them."
Hotch looked at the dried blood all over him and then to the water. "I hope you're right about that."
Brady laughed some more and stepped into the water and let it run over his head and down his body. "Come on. You don't want to stay covered in blood, do you?"
Hotch looked at his pants. They were starting to stiffen from all the blood, and he sighed as he stepped into the water. He gasped; it was a lot colder than he was expecting, and Brady laughed.
Hotch shook his head and then proceeded to clean himself. After the heat of the place, the water, once he was used to it, actually felt pretty good on his bare skin. "What did you mean that they are mad at me for the dinosaur thing?"
Brady smirked. "They've never sent me anyone from the primary cage before. Most of them come as punishment once they are in the beginning stages of the pits. You haven't even made it there yet."
Hotch huffed. Leave it to me. He shook his head and worked on trying to scrub his pants as well as he could while still wearing them.
Before he was done, though, Brady suddenly grabbed him by the shoulder and took him to the ground right under the water. Even though the water couldn't go through the muzzle and into his mouth and nose, it did slam into his eyes; and before he could figure out what was going on, the werewolf leaned down by his ear. "Play along," he whispered, and then grabbed Hotch's throat. "You want the blood off so badly, then here!" he yelled.
While trying to blink the water out of his eyes, Hotch could see Red walking towards them, and he held up his hands in surrender. "Alright! I'm sorry! I won't complain again!"
"You're damn right you won't complain again, you fucking blood sucker!" Brady yelled to be heard over the water as his hands tightened around Hotch's neck even more. He still wasn't squeezing enough to cause any damage, but his arms were shaking as if he was trying to choke the life out of the vampire.
"That's enough," Red said as he placed a hand on Brady's back. "Let the git up. I need 'em back in his cage before I can call it a night."
Brady looked at him, nodded, and then let Hotch go.
Hotch sat up and wiped the water out of his face, but he didn't get up or say anything.
Red giggled. "Ye can't go anywhere without getting in trouble, huh, git?"
Hotch ran a hand through his wet hair. "I guess not."
Red snorted, reached down and grab Hotch's arm, and then pulled him into a standing position. His eyes started glowing a deeper red as he locked eyes with him. "Ye are going to have a very rough time 'ere, git, if ye don't learn to follow orders and keep ye mouth shut."
Hotch swallowed and then nodded. "I'll try to keep that in mind."
The leprechaun huffed. "Ye better, git, ye better!" he yelled and then shoved Hotch towards the door.
Before he could get to it, a cart came through, and its contents made Hotch's stomach tighten.
"There was a tussle in one of the cages, so I got a couple more for you, Brady," a massive yellow being yelled as he pushed the cart into the room completely.
There was a huge corpse on top of the pile, but two brown, curly furred legs that ended in hooves sticking out from under it, made Hotch wince. No! He glanced at Red, saw he wasn't paying him any attention, and then looked at Brady.
Brady could see the fear in Hotch's eyes, and he looked at the yellow being. "And where are these fools from?"
"From up in the arena staging area. Waiting until tomorrow's fight was too much for them, I guess."
Hotch silently breathed a sigh of relief, and Red grabbed his arm. "As much as I would love to see ye have to process the new meat, ye don't have time."
As Red forced him to the door, Hotch glanced back at Brady, and his ever so slight nod thanked the werewolf for everything.
Brady sent him a small smile and silently wished him luck.
Before Hotch got through the door completely, his eyes were drawn to a shelf on the wall. There among many other things was a wide, copper wristband, and Hotch mentally sighed. Knowing it was the match to the one Maxin had taken off the arm he'd found in the labyrinth, Hotch's eyes slid shut. I'm so sorry, Gaylord. He had silently hoped that the wizard had survived the attack even if he'd been short one arm, and that he would get a chance to see him again to give him back the stone he'd shoved into Hotch's pocket.
Red shoved his shoulder to urge him to move even faster, and Hotch sped up. Now what the hell am I supposed to do with it?
