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"FEVER"

Chapter Ten

Pam floated on the surface of the soothing cool water, watching the pale face of the unconscious girl that she kept afloat beside her.

She was in the basement level of the property; where the dim lighting of the room gave an aloof, sensual atmosphere. The limestone walls, stone pillars, and high ceilings made the area a good spot for entertaining. Not that it was often used. A large rectangular pool, tiled in antique, roman glass, was the central feature and there was an artful display of Greek marble statues placed amongst stone bench seats. Potted palms and ferns softened the austere surroundings.


Elliane had gone to sleep the night before, after Godric had left and she slept the rest of that night, all the next day, and well into this night. Pam and Eric arranged for either one of them to be around while Godric was gone, so Pam had stayed with Elliane while Eric had gone to Fangtasia.

When Pam had awoken at dusk and found Elli still asleep, she had been tempted to wake her, but decided against it since her sleep then - seemed natural. As the hours bore on she waited patiently beside the bed on the grey upholstered chair. It was only two hours ago that Pam had become aware that something was wrong.

When Elli had awoken suddenly she had reached for Pam frantically. Babbling incoherently and hysterically in Occitan; an old language once used predominately in southern France, Pam had assessed that the girl was delirious and quite ill. The heat radiated from her like a furnace. Pam had quickly taken her into the underground pool in an attempt to reduce her fever.


"Bring her back to the edge," came the strident voice of Dr. Ludwig. The doctor had arrived a few minutes earlier and after a cursory perusal of Elliane had started rummaging through her bags.

Eric arrived now. In a rapid movement down the stairs, at vampire speed, he took in the situation. Pam was dressed in pink and blue spotted bathers, a one piece, (1950's style) while Elliane was dressed only in a wet oversized t-shirt that she had worn as pyjama's and a black pair of boy-leg panties.

"Pam," he looked confused. "What are you doing in the pool?"

"She is saving the life of your human," answered Dr. Ludwig. The dwarf like woman with the acerbic tongue glared at Eric. "Now if you must be here, you can at least helpful."

Eric shot an annoyed glance at the Doctor who had moved to the pool edge where Pam had floated over with Elliane.

"Hold her arm and keep it still," said the Doctor to Eric. The Doctor then flicked the glass of the large syringe she held, to remove any air bubbles and while Eric held Elliane's arm, she quickly administered the shot.

The unconscious Elliane didn't even flinch.

The slender arm felt burning hot to Eric. Now that the Doctor had now finished with the injection Eric allowed the arm to slowly drop back into the water. He examined her face. Her skin was deathly gaunt and she had dark circles around her eyes. Two bright spots of red burned on each cheek.

"What is wrong with her?" he asked Dr Ludwig.

"I am not exactly sure of the causes, but her fever is critically high and she is suffering some form of polycythemia," answered the Doctor. "The shot I've just given her should reduce the fever, but we need to get her dressed and back into bed."

Eric looked to Pam. "I will take her," he said. "You find towels and something for her to wear."

Eric lifted Elliane from the water and Pam quickly exited the pool. They both went upstairs. Dr Ludwig trailed quickly behind. Eric brought Elliane back to the bedroom she had been using, as Pam arrived with a bathrobe. The bed in here was unmade. The tangled sheets were half reefed off the mattress from where Pam had pulled Elliane out of the bed earlier.

"Be quick," said the Doctor as she entered the room.

Eric held Elli upright as Pam quickly stripped her of the wet underwear and dripping shirt. Pam couldn't help but snicker softly when she noticed that Eric had closed his eyes after his fangs extended. She then wrapped the bathrobe around the naked body and Eric laid Elliane onto the unmade bed. The doctor quickly moved over to the limp body, pulling up her eyelids and examining Elliane carefully. Doctor Ludwig muttered to herself, checking her pulse and blood pressure before she sat back and sighed.

"Looks like you two get lucky," she stated with a grim face. "She needs to be tapped."

"What?" Eric asked.

"You heard me! Now don't overdo it. She needs to loose a pint and a half of blood," the Doctor replied and she stepped back from Elliane.

The vampires didn't need to be told more than twice. Within seconds they had all but launched themselves onto Elliane. Pam reached her first, sinking her fangs into her undamaged upper arm, the one which held the fading remains of an ornate henna tattoo. Though Pam would the preferred the neck, Elli still had wounds there from where Godric had fed the night before. Eric's gaze had caught the length of her leg which had become exposed slightly from a gap in the bathrobe. He quickly slid the fabric up over her hip and then lowered his fangs into the tender flesh on her inner upper thigh.

Dr Ludwig raised her eyes heavenward as she heard the moans of pleasure from the two vampires. She gathered some things from out some things from her medical bag before she decided it was time to put an end to the opportune feed.

"Okay, that is enough!" her voice pierced through air.

Eric and Pam both drew back. They were both feeling surprisingly content with their fill of blood.

Pam's face was full of colour and her eyes were bright and rapturous. "Is she human?" she asked.

"Mostly - I think," answered the Doctor. "Now move out of the way. I need to set her up with a drip. Her blood is still too thick and she needs to be re-hydrated."

"She tastes incredible," said Pam, her tone full of wonder.

"Her blood is rich at the moment. There are several conditions that cause high fevers and excessive blood. She may need further testing. However, I don't think her the origin of her illness is disease. She had no indication of this condition two nights ago. She might be under a curse or some form of psychic attack."

Eric eyes sharpened at this comment. "She is under attack?"

"Possibly… It is hard to say. I do know that there is nothing else I can do for her at the moment. I will check back on her tomorrow."

Once a drip was in place, the doctor packed away her medical gear and placed a glass jar containing a powder on the mantle of the fireplace.

"She should wake up soon, if her brain isn't too fried. Give her a spoonful of this powder mixed in a large glass of water - as often as possible. I will come past in the afternoon to check her progress. You might want to look at getting a witch to put some wards on her." The doctor headed towards the door.

"I shall do that. That you for coming out, Doctor Ludwig," said Eric.

The doctor snorted and walked out.

As soon as Doctor Ludwig left, Pam and Eric flew into action. Eric retrieved his phone and started to make a call while Pam sorted the bed out. She stripped off the tangled sheet, leaving the lower sheet on and then she repositioned Elliane comfortably so that she was on one side of the bed and the drip was safely to one side. Pam left the room briefly and returned after she changed out of her wet bathers and into something stylish and comfortable. She brought with her more pillows, replacing the damp ones beneath Elliane's head and setting a couple more next to her. She then propped herself up in the bed beside unconscious girl, while Eric finished his phone call.

"I have a witch coming by in the morning. It's the soonest one can arrive," he stated.

"I will leave a note for Dickson, so the guards know who to expect," Pam responded lazily.

Eric moved and stood beside Elliane taking in her appearance with a thoughtful frown. When he looked down to where the drip was inserted in her hand, he noticed the ring she had put on the night before. His eyes widened.

"The ring she is wearing." Eric lifted her hand to examine it closely "I've seen this ring before. Godric must have given it to her."

"Oh?" said Pam. "To read with her gift you suppose?"

Eric's face became very serious and thoughtful. "Yes.. I am just surprised that Godric didn't inform me of it."

"The ring is important?"

"To Godric certainly. He was the one who gave it to…"

Eric went silent. His eyes seeming to cloud with memory and after a moment he walked around the side of the bed and gestured to Pam to move over so that he too could lay upon the length. Grabbing a pillow he placed himself at the opposite end so that he could look directly at her as he spoke. Pam was now in the middle with an unconscious Elliane one side and Eric on the other.

"Who did he give it too?" Pam asked.

"Petronilla," he answered.

Pam quirked her brows and Eric continued.

"This was a long time ago. There was a war of our race in France and Spain. Godric was pretty wild back then. I was still young. About your age I guess." He grinned at Pam.

Pam looked bemused. "This was a long time ago, then."

"Yes, the turn of the 13th Century. Godric and I were hunting down traitors and had split up for a number of weeks. We were in France and somehow he had managed to get himself into trouble." Eric shrugged as though the details were unimportant. "Petronilla had found him tied to a tree with a silver chain, and as dawn was approaching, he would certainly have died had she not rescued him."

Pam nodded. "So he gave her this ring in gratitude."

"Not exactly. Godric had lost his fangs and was in bad shape. Petronilla hid him and fed him. She gave him her own blood when she realised what he was. She was quite remarkable, an interesting mix of power and mercy. She was the Abbess of Fontevrault as well as being the Granddaughter of Louis VII and Eleanor of Aquitaine."

Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine? Pam had to admit to being mildly curious. "So Petronilla, who was human I assume, helped Godric, knowing what he was. That he preyed on her kind?"

"Yes. She truly was all that was pure and compassionate. I've rarely met another like her. When I came for him a few weeks later I observed her for myself. She was beautiful." Eric smiled reminiscently "..delicious."

"You fed from her too?"

"No. Godric wouldn't allow it. But she smelled delicious. I wanted her very badly and tried a number of times to seduce her. Godric was furious and you would be surprised to learn that we nearly killed each other over her. He wouldn't take her himself, yet wouldn't let me have her either."

Pam's eyes sparkled with interest. "My, my.. why have I not heard about her before? Was Godric in love with her."

Eric remained silent for a while before he spoke. "She became a sore spot for both of us I guess. We missed her when she died, she was still young. Godric wasn't in love with her, but he loved her, as one might a child or a friend. Fontevrault Abbey had become a safe house for us over the years, while she was the Abbess there. We would see her fairly often at times and other times there would be a year or more between our visits. The last time we saw her alive, Godric offered to turn her"

"Oh my… How very sad for him," said Pam softly. She suddenly felt a wave of deep sorrow from her maker, through the bond they shared and she noticed that Eric's eyes were dark and distant.

"She had a profound effect on Godric. He changed much after her. Becoming… less wild."

"How did she die?"

"We don't know. Godric was sent a letter on her death and when we arrived, the ring he gave to her was returned to him."

"The ring that Elliane now wears?"

Eric nodded. "We asked about her, and the nun who had met with us became very nervous. We questioned many locals but they knew nothing about it. The other nuns had become hard to access now that Petronilla was no longer. It was her patronage that gained us entry into the abbey."

A weak voice spoke from the end of the bed. "She died of a fever," said Elliane. "She became ill after she gave birth to a son and died a few days later."

Pam blinked at the voice and Eric turned to Elliane sharply. "She was a nun. She lived like one too. How would she of had a child?" he asked.

"She was seduced…" Elliane responded quietly. She opened her eyes now; the black circles around them a striking contrast to the dark silvery glow.

"Shadows wanted to take the child and she begged the nuns to protect him." Elliane coughed as she tried to talk, her voice hoarse.

Eric sped around the bed and knelt at the floor beside Elliane. "Shadows?" he asked.

"Yes, they waited and talked between themselves while she slept. She had put magical protections around the abbey and only the shadows could enter to watch."

Pam had removed herself from the bed and left the room, reappearing with a glass of green looking water in her hand.

"Doctor Ludwig said you must drink this," she stated.

Elliane looked at the glass, her face wincing at the colour. She tried to sit upright and failed. Eric picked her up carefully and sat himself back on the bed, holding her up in his lap while Pam fed her some of the green water. Elli managed to take a few sips.

"It's Gatorade," she whispered surprised. She raised her hands to her temples, noticing the drip in her hand and closed her eyes. "I need some pain killers."

"Would you like some of my blood," said Pam.

"Ah.. no thanks." Elli shook her head.

"Drink some more of the green stuff." Eric commanded. He continued to prop her up on his lap and encouraged her to drink while they peppered her with questions.

"Who seduced the Abbess?" Pam asked.

"I don't know and I don't think she knew," answered Elliane. "He was very beautiful though. A beautiful mysterious stranger."

"Really?" Pam queried with a grin. "What did he look like?"

Despite the ongoing headache, Elliane eyed her with amusement. "Very tall, a powerful looking knight. He had long black hair, and a face that was strong. His eyes.." she went quiet and thoughtful.

Eric snorted. "Maybe he drugged her… gave her a potion or draft."

"Not quite…" she answered distractedly. "He ensorcelled her - he used magic."

Elliane reached for more of the Gatorade and heard a hiss from Pam. "Your nose is bleeding," she said to Elliane.

Elliane blotted at her nose with her hand and was surprised to see a look of concern from Pam. "I feel terrible. This ring … It's so old… so much information. So much to process."

Elliane started to shiver as her skin became clammy. "I've never been this unwell afterwards before."

"Take the ring off then," said Eric.

"No," she whispered. "It is done now and he gave it to me with the intent that I keep it I think."

Elliane took more of the Gatorade and continued. "Godric has some remarkable talents it would seem. When he gave Lady Petronilla the ring he did so because he knew from her blood that she was a descendant of his maker. He wanted his maker to meet her and told her this. The ring was his maker's ring."

Elliane felt Eric's grip on her tighten, and there was a heavy silence in the air. "Did his maker ever meet her?" Eric asked.

"No. Godric couldn't find him."

"I thought Godric's maker was long gone." said Pam.

"Godric never talks of him," replied Eric.

Elliane felt a strangeness overcome her. Hundreds of year's worth of memories seemed to overwhelm her mind and she attempted to box them up. She needed to shut them down, package them away so that the overload on her mental system would stop the painful throbbing in the front of her head. As past distant images and events came to her mind she found tears pouring down her cheeks.

"Godric told Petronilla that the ring could only be worn by a child of his maker. His maker was Bres. Bres was so angered at the death of his son that he himself defied death…"

Elliane paused and Pam's face went blank. Elliane felt Eric move sharply beneath her. Eric had listened in on the conversation that Godric had with Elliane the night before.

Elliane felt a chill run over her, suddenly aware that Godric had told her these stories specifically, so that she would understand more. "Bres was the only child of Tyr. The God who lost his hand to Fenris the wolf."

"But now you wear the ring Elliane,' said Pam.

Elliane nodded. "Yes. I am their descendant it would appear."

"So it's Gods blood," mused Pam. "I just knew you were not human… you taste incredible."

Elliane's eyes narrowed and she frowned. "Taste?"

"It was doctor's orders," said Eric. "She bit you on the arm."

"What?!" A sudden fire leapt into Elliane eyes.

Pam smirked. "Eric fed too.. he bit you on the thigh."

Elliane glanced down hazily at herself, noticing for the first time that she was wrapped only in a skimpy bathrobe, which was currently gaping everywhere. She saw the bite on her thigh, which was only three inches away from her groin and she gasped in shock.

"Oh my god…" she spluttered. Her silver eyes dilated in rage. "I can't believe it.. you have bitten me. And… AND… I am NAKED!"

Pam frowned delicately. "You are not naked. You're wearing a robe."

Elliane struggled weakly in Eric's arms and he allowed her to drag herself off him. He helped her to sit on the bed, but she promptly fell against the bed-sheet on her side. She pulled the bathrobe around her protectively.

"Pam took you down to the pool when your fever went out of control. Doctor Ludwig said, that she saved your life."

"Really?" Elliane was quiet while she got her anger back into control. Pam had saved her life. She turned to Pam and met her eyes. There was a humorous glint in Pam's eyes but Elliane could sense no malice.

"Thank you, Pam," she said politely.

Pam simply grinned. "Let me get you something nice to wear."