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Damn. Now what? Kai glanced at Edward, trying to think while Wei Tian defended her against the herald who had leapt over him and was attacking again.
Edward had rolled to one side, revealing the dart that the herald had loosed at Kai at the beginning of the attack. It was embedded in his left eye and the surrounding flesh was bubbling and weeping plasma. Edward was still breathing but was barely moving. Kai didn’t want to think about how much pain he was in. I must bring this to an end.
“Zhao, I don’t know what that bastard brought in, but we can’t let it get out of this office.” Kai yelled.
“You will let me kill them?” Wei Tian parried the herald again, “It’s the only way that you will stop this.”
Kai took a deep breath and surrendered complete control of her body to the Spirit Warrior, “Go ahead.”
She watched the next few moments as if she were in a cinema watching an action movie; interested but detached from feeling anything.
The blade in her hand leapt forward, parried the herald and swung down to slice into the fae’s calf. The woman shrieked with rage and redoubled her attack, ripping her leg off the Jian, blood drenching her pale green trousers.
Wei Tian defended rapidly and after an exchange of blows that Kai lost track of, knocked the dagger out of the Herald’s hand and on the back swing beheaded her. The head tumbled through the air and dropped neatly into the wastepaper basket.
Leaping over a chair, Zhao changed into a half werewolf in mid-air. As he landed, he turned and slashed out with his claws, ripping through the Herald’s tunic and carving furrows into his flesh. The Herald returned the blow, slashing into Zhao’s lower arm with the dagger.
Zhao hissed in pain.
Kai/Wei Tian jumped the herald’s body at the same time as Clarke stumbled toward the herald attacking Zhao. Her face had dissolved down to the bone, the sockets of her eyes empty, but she still made the effort, despite her disappearing flesh.
Zhao took one look at her and then at his arm, which was beginning to putrefy around the wound and held it out toward Kai/Wei Tian, “Cut it off before the toxin gets into my bloodstream.”
“I must deal with this interloper first, Sir.” Kai/Wei Tian snapped.
The Herald spun and attacked, but Clarke threw herself on his blade before he could reach Kai/Wei Tian. The Fae jerked backward in surprise as the vampire’s body burst in a gigantic splash of fluids.
That distraction was enough for Kai/Wei Tian to close with the Herald and slice him into three pieces.
Zhao gasped in pain as his hand dropped off his arm, “Cut it off at the shoulder, damn you!”
Kai tried not to look as Wei Tian brought the blade down and sliced through Zhao’s arm. The limb hit the floor and splattered into pieces.
Zhao howled and fainted.
“What in all the...” Amin dashed in through the door, “Lord Jade Cat?” he was accompanied by several other officers.
Wei Tian flicked the blood from the Jian’s edge and returned control of the body to Kai. She pulled up her hood to hide her face as she turned.
“Apologies for taking so long, no one would believe me.” Amin continued, “Until Faidren walked out of the department without his Heralds.”
“I dealt with it.” Kai said, deepening her voice to hide the lack of voice changer, “Get Zhao medical attention.”
She stalked over to where Edward lay, the Jian still bare and knelt beside him, “Edward?”
Groaning he turned to look up at her and she was horrified to see that his eyes were mere slits between massive blisters that covered his face, “Kai... help.” He could barely move his lips.
How? Who?... Amira. She glanced up at the desk beside her, but the phone was too far away. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes and sent out her mind, looking for Amira. I don’t think I’ve ever done this without being near her or holding her token.
Sweeping her mind across the city, she felt several people’s minds calling out. I wish I could stop to work out how to help them. I’ll have to come back. Kai could also sense a few spirits in the area, so she made a mental note of their location and carried on. She should be at the Temple, If I can find the Yáogǔn jīngshén...
The grounds of the Temple were home to a surprising number of Elemental spirits, but the familiar touch of the Rock Spirit helped her to find Amira. She ‘knocked’ on the edge of her mind.
“Kai? What’s wrong?” the Priestess’ let her in immediately.
Instead of explaining the problem, Kai sent her an image of Edward. She wasn’t sure if Amira would understand, but her friend’s wave of horror and sympathy disabused her of that.
“I’ll be there as soon as I can; that’s Ghoul Pox. Don’t let anyone else touch him; this disease is fatal to most people. If I can give him the cure before it gets any worse, he has a fighting chance.” She let go of Kai’s mind and gave her a little push back toward her body.
Kai found herself back in the office. A medic had knelt beside Edward and was reaching out with a gloved hand to shine a light into his good eye, having just pulled the dart from the ruined one.
“Leave him. I have summoned aid.” Kai snapped.
“But Lord Jade Cat, I may be able to ease his pain...” the medic protested.
“Lady Amira of the Earth Temple is to attend him. She has diagnosed it as Ghoul Pox and if you touch him, you could be infected, so... stay... a...way.” Kai ground out between her teeth.
The medic recoiled and shuffled backward rapidly, “I’ve heard of that, I’ll keep everyone away from the two of you.”
Kai nodded and stretched out her mind to Edward, gently sliding her touch into his consciousness. His pain flooded her senses and she had to spend a long moment disentangling herself.
Finally, she managed to reach the core of his mind. He was panicking, one overwhelming thought repeating in his mind, “I don’t want to die! I don’t want to leave, I have too much to accomplish!”
Kai slipped a soothing thought into the loop, “Edward, stay calm. Amira is coming and she has a cure.”
“Amira coming... cure? Amira coming, Cure!” He seized the words gratefully and the panic subsided.
Pulling her mind out of his, Kai looked up to see a worried looking Amin gazing down at them from a few feet away.
“Are you okay, Lord Jade Cat?” the Naga blinked, his eye scales flashing into view and out again.
“I’m fine.” She said, “Edward has Ghoul Pox though.”
“I know. The medic told us. Should I send an escort for Lady Amira?”
Before Kai could answer, there was a knock at the window and they both looked up. Outside, a lithe, green eastern dragon carrying a gold shoulder bag circled and wound in a dizzying pattern. It landed on the cleaners’ platform hanging by the window, its tail dangling down.
“Let her in, Amin.” Kai said.
“Huh?”
“That’s Amira. Open the window and let her in.”
Amin rushed to the window and opened it. The dragon put its front paws on the windowsill and with a shimmer of green light, changed form.
“Thank you, detective.” Amira said, adjusting the shoulder bag as she finished clambering through the window, “Keep everyone out of the office please. How close did you get to Edward?”
“I was by the end of the desk.” He pointed, “We’ve got the department on lock down so no one apart from Faidren has left.”
“Have any blisters popped?” Amira asked Kai as she swished across to her.
“No. There was a medic that tried to treat him; I don’t know if I got her away fast enough.”
“Hmm. Detective, can you call that medic in?”
“Of course, Lady Amira.” He went to the office door and opened it.
Amira looked around the office. Her eyes widened as she took in the pool of fetid fluid that had been Clarke and the smaller puddle near the carved-up body of the male herald that was Zhao’s arm.
Then she spotted the female herald’s body and head, “You had quite a party it would seem. Faidren turned coat?”
“I think it’s safe to say that we cannot depend on the aid of the Fae anymore. Tabatha is the only Fae I would trust now and she’s missing still.” Kai sighed and looked down at Edward, who was breathing heavily, “Why is this disease called Ghoul Pox?”
Amira gently pushed Kai to one side and took her place, “Because it comes from the toxin a Ghoul secretes from its fangs. It’s how they procreate and why we had to eradicate them.”
“He’s turning into a...” Kai couldn’t finish the sentence.
“If he dies from the Toxin, his spirit will rise again as a Ghoul. The key is not letting him die.” Amira produced a small spray bottle from her bag and sprayed it liberally over herself, Kai and Edward.
“Is that a magic potion or Holy Water?” Kai said, glad to be able to change the subject a little.
“This?” Amira looked surprised, “No, it’s a natural antibacterial spray that we make at the temple. I’m just minimising any secondary contagions.” She leaned toward Kai, took kai’s chin in her hand and turned her face from side to side, “Someone scored a good hit on you too; surprised that you didn’t notice it though.”
“Huh? Now that you mention it,” Kai blinked and realised that her left eyelid was stinging. She raised one hand to it and felt a thin furrow that bisected her left eyebrow, ran over her eyelid and down her cheek, all the way to her chin, “I wasn’t in control of my body during the fight, so I didn’t feel anything.”
“Well, it’s confirmation of your new curative powers; despite the Putrefaction Potion that was clearly being used, your body is almost finished healing. You’ll have a scar but that’s all.” Amira ran a gentle finger over the furrow, “Yes, this will be completely healed by tomorrow.”
Amin returned with the medic, “Here she is, Lady Amira... Hey!”
Amira had jumped up and sprayed the Naga with her antibacterial spray, then she examined his hands and face carefully, “I think you’re safe, but just in case, you need to stay in isolation.”
She turned to the medic, “Did you wear gloves when you touched Edward?”
“Yes, Lady Priestess.” The medic seemed surprised that she had to ask.
“The same ones you are wearing now?”
The medic shook her head, “No, I change them between patients. I put those ones into the incineration bag I carry in my kit.”
“Good.” Amira examined the medic’s face, “You weren’t wearing a mask though, were you?”
“No... why?”
“Your eyes are bloodshot and there are tiny blisters under one eye.” Amira sighed, “I’m glad I caught it early; you should be easy to treat, just go sit over there for a moment.”
The medic gasped and did as she was told.
Amira rummaged in her bag and brought out a small brown vial with a bulb pipette in it. She opened it and checked the bright purple liquid inside by sucking a little up and expelling it back into the bottle with a squeaky noise.
Then she did it back up and tossed it to the medic who caught it reflexively. “Take a whole pipette of that now, and then half a pipette every four hours until it’s all gone. If the blisters don’t go or they get worse, we’ll have to try the next stage cure.” The dragon priestess said.
The medic nodded and immediately took the suggested dose.
Amira turned back to Kai, “How is he looking?
“I think he’s getting worse, “Kai replied, “Am I going to get it?”
“Your body has already fought it off. I can see the signs in your eyes. You’re now immune to it. Good thing too, considering that we have a Ghoul on the loose.” She sat back down beside Edward and brought out a pair of purple latex gloves and slipped them on, “Take my bag and hand me what I ask for.”
Kai took the gold shoulder bag carefully and opened it.
Amira began to softly touch his face and body. Edward gasped in pain as she opened his good eye. Kai saw that his tongue was swollen and bright red as he opened his mouth. Blisters covered his gums, and his teeth were slowing blackening.
“Good, you’re still with us.” Amira said in a matter of fact tone, “Kai, pass me the green bottle with the red ribbon around its neck.”
Kai rummaged in the bag for a moment, found the bottle and gave it to her.
“Edward, I won’t lie to you, this is going to hurt,” the priestess said in the same tone, “I want you to concentrate on your wish to live. The more you fight against the toxin, the more likely you are to survive it.”
She uncorked the green bottle and carefully dripped some into his good eye.
He screamed, an odd gurgling rasping cry that made Kai shiver.
Amira took advantage of the open mouth and poured more from the bottle into his mouth, “Swallow if you can or just let it run down into your stomach; whichever is easiest.”
Edward swallowed the liquid and choked a little.
“Good. Now we wait.” Amira recorked the bottle and settled back on her heels.
“How long for?”
“As long as it takes.”