(LIB:I) Chapter 19

Gabrielle found her way back to the mansion, carrying the dying woman in her arms. The mansion was unguarded, and Gabrielle assumed it could only be because they had been slain by the Mephis. She was surprised to find that there were no signs of a struggle in the mansion. She remembered leaving, and seeing the place in disarray.

"Gabrielle?" Kristian's voice said, as she entered through the open front door. He and several others were putting the rooms back together.

"Where is an elder?"

"Tzion is in his room." He told her and looked at the dying woman. "Who is that?"

"I don't know. I don't have time to explain, Kristian. Just take me to Tzion."

Kristian stumbled over his words for a moment, "But…"

"Just do it, god damn it! You don't have to make this more difficult then it already is."
He gave no other arguments, and lead her down the halls to Tzion's room.

Opening the door, Tzion stood up from his bed and looked at the woman in Gabrielle's arms.

"What happened?" He asked, Gabrielle noticed a red blood stain on his white pillow. He must have been injured during the battle.

"The Mephis sacrificed her." She told him as she laid the woman down where he had been laying.

He gave her a questioning look.

"Kailin has been ripped apart at this warehouse, she followed the large Mephis inside. I had to leave her to help this woman."

They sat in silence for a moment, "Why didn't you take her to a hospital?"

"And become a witness in another murder, no. You can do something, can't you?"

Tzion shook his head in disbelief, "Kailin… is she alright?"

"The Mephis ate her, well parts of her and then they threw it all up." She gave a loud gulp, holding tears back in eyes, and the memory in her mind. "There was nothing I could do, but we have to go back and help her. They crushed her skull and she isn't responding to me."

"You were there, you saw it?" His voice didn't hold any emotion.

She nodded, he noticed her watery eyes.

"And they lived? The Mephis who ate her?"

"Yes, they just vomited her up. I should of came and got you and the others like she told me too." Gabrielle sobbed, "But when I saw her go in, I just went to make sure she would be ok. Had I went and got you, then this would of never happened."

Tzion ignored her, and concentrated only on the Mephis. "Then they weren't trying to kill her." Tzion sat down on his bed, barely missing the human woman's feet. "Go home. I'll have the others take care of the blood there, and make sure Kailin is properly cared for."

She shook her head, "I can't I want to make sure that she'll be ok."

"Mephis can't kill her, it will take some time to repair herself. I have a holy shrine on my property, she will heal quicker there."

Gabrielle looked into Tzion's eyes, she didn't trust him. If she had known where to find Mathias, she would of went to him. "What about this girl?" She looked down as the girl coughed.

"You needn't worry yourself about the human. Now, go home. Give Kristian directions to the warehouse, and I will send him with an update to your home when the time comes."

Gabrielle nodded her head, and turned around to leave. Her chest and hands were covered in blood from the human and Kailin. When she stepped outside, Kristian stood curiously waiting to find out what had occurred.

"What has happened?" He asked holding a piece of paper and a pen. He had been eavesdropping. Gabrielle grabbed the pen and paper from him and wrote down directions, then handed them back to him and headed towards the main hallway.

"What has happened?" Kristian repeated himself, following her.

"Nothing that concerns you. And if you don't mind, just slip a note under my door when Tzion sends you with news. I rather not speak to you."

"Come on, Gabby." He grabbed her upper arm, "It's obvious you are in distress, why won't you let me help you?"

She pulled her arm from his grasp, "Do not speak to me, anymore." She snapped, and ran down the hallway.

Kristian returned to Tzion's room. The elder was over looking the woman. "Master?"

"Good, Kristian, you are here. Send for Mathias, I will need his help this morning."

He nodded, "Yes, milord, but may I ask what this is about."

"The prophecies."

Kristian didn't understand, but he knew Tzion wouldn't further explain it to him.
And so he headed down the hallway to find the perfect pigeon to deliver his message to Mathias. He liked to send Akela, but she had been injured that evening and was still resting.

---***---

Mathias followed Kristian down the hallway, and through the door when the young Hallowed opened it for him. Tzion stood in his velvet draped room, overlooking a bleeding human on his bed.

"What have you done?" Mathias snapped, assuming the girl was one of Tzion's kills.

"What have I done?" Tzion snorted and turned to face Mathias, "You always think the worst of me. I have done nothing, this was done by the Mephis."

"Why?" he asked, stepping closer to the bed to get a better look. Mephis would never leave someone alive, let alone intact.

"She is a sacrifice to keep Kailin dead, I believe."

"Kailin? Dead?"

He nodded, "She followed that large Mephis to a warehouse, where apparently more Mephis were and they all tore her apart."

"Who told you this? And where is Kailin?"

Tzion looked up at Mathias and grinned, "The Pyrrhonian pet that Kailin keeps brought the human to me. The fool left her own friend in a warehouse to become victim to more Mephis attack, to bring this human to me for repairs."

"Gabrielle must have had her reasons. Beside, Kailin can survive in her state, however this human can not. We should get her to a hospital if you do not plan to help her." He looked down at the girl who was bleeding to death.

"Mephis religion holds no power, besides we can't allow this human to live knowing what she knows. I sense that she won't be as understanding as some."

"We could turn her." Mathias hand reached for her, but Tzion grabbed it.

"No, she isn't right for it. Not everyone is eligible to become a vampire, Mathias. I would think with your experience you would understand this by now." Tzion paused, then looked down at the woman, "You have always been sympathetic to the dying, Mathias." He said as he walked away from the body. "If you turn this one, I will kill you. Prophecy or not." His back was turned to Mathias and the dying woman.

Mathias turned around and looked at his master, "Yes, you seem to have a way of not caring about what the prophecies say, especially for a man who tells them."

He gave a quick chuckle, and kept his back facing him, "Mathias, be careful of what you say, or I will tell your secret."

Mathias said nothing, only stood over looking to dying woman.

"We have to go to the warehouse now. Gather the fresh vampires and meet me there." Tzion ordered.

Mathias watched him leave the room, he kicked the bedpost, causing the woman to cough. Looking down at her, he touched her hand. She was dying a painful death. Though he did not know the woman, her pain could be felt just by looking upon her. Her eyes were closed tightly as if she didn't want to look upon the world any longer. He reached down and wiped a small drizzle of blood that ran from the corner of her lip. As his cold finger pulled her heated blood away she opened her eyes for a moment and looked at him giving him a smile. He could see her good aura staring back at him through her dark brown eyes, and though he would never be sure he thought maybe she had seen his own.

"He doesn't understand." she said, and with that her heart stopped.

---***---

Stepping out of the elevator, her head looked towards her feet as she walked down the hall to her door. Gabrielle had taken her heels off, as they had been ruined by the blood she had walked in. Her thoughts remained on what had happened that evening, she didn't know why she had been so upset. She knew that Kailin wasn't dead, but an injury like that could take a Hallowed years to recover from. Her safe guard from those that hunted her was down, and worst of all, her friend was hurt.

"Gabrielle?" A soft voice said.

She looked up in a fright, she hadn't sensed anyone near by. Lucas stared back at her, he looked different. It took a moment of looking into his eyes to understand why. He was a vampire hunter, and just more then in blood. A hunter could mask their aura from vampires, as well as other hunters.

"Lucas, what… where…"

He grinned, "I need to speak with Kailin."

"She's not here. What do you need?"

"You aren't safe here, Gabby. Damon knows where she is living now and even where she works. I can't stay here long, he thinks I am out hunting."

Gabrielle lifted her eyebrow, "Damon?"

He nodded, "I was told to get training by him. This is the first time I have been without him since I arrived."

"Oh." Gabrielle reached into her purse and pulled out her keys.

"When will Kailin be back? I would like to talk to her myself, there is more I need to tell her."

Looking at him over her shoulder, she frowned. "She was attacked by Mephis, they tore her to pieces."

His face didn't change, "I see. She is alright, though?"

"Like I said, she is in pieces. Lord Tzion went to collect her body and take it to his home. I doubt she will be back for a very long time."

Gabrielle opened the door. Lucas brushed past her, stepping into the apartment before she could reject to entertain him.

"How long is a very long time?" He asked, as she shut the door.

"Injuries like that could take years to heal."

"I suggest then that you move to Tzion's as well. You may not be the one he is after, but killing you will pain Kailin. I think that's all Damon is really after."

Gabrielle nodded, "I know, I've dealt with him many times before." She had laid down her purse on the couch, and headed towards her bedroom door.

"You will leave, won't you?" Lucas asked, placing his hand on the doorknob.

"Maybe tomorrow. I am sure I will be safe until then."

Opening the door that led to the hallway, he gave a quick nod. "Be careful."

"You too."

She went into her bedroom, and put on some gray sweatpants and a white shirt, placed her hair in a pony tail and went back to the couch. Taking a deep breath, she looked around the room. It wasn't as if, she had never been alone in the apartment before. But more that she had never been alone without the knowledge that Kailin was coming home soon. Pulling her legs up onto the couch, she wrapped her arms around her knees. She was scared, she had never been on her own before.

---***---

Tzion stood next to Mathias on the elevated floor in the warehouse, some of the younger Hallowed including Kristian were gathering parts of Kailin from around the room, and placing them on a blue tarp. The sight was almost more then Mathias could take, when he first walked in. Her head was completely crushed, and her brains spilt out over the floor. Had he not known it was her, he could of never of identified her. Several of her bones were showing on her limbs, where the flesh had been torn away. It looked more like a pack of wild dogs had gotten to her then Mephis.

"What are we doing here, Tzion?" Mathias asked.

"She was eaten by the Mephis."

He looked around, "I can see that."

"Don't you understand, Mathias? She has fed from you; she now has your ability of regeneration. She can put herself back together with ease. I wanted us to be here to take careful note of anything… interesting that might occur. As it is your ability, I would think you to be the best to have by my side for these experiments."

Mathias was annoyed when he called Kailin an experiment, but there were more important things to address. If he upset Tzion, then the old coot wouldn't be as forthcoming with his information. "It will take years to put herself back together, at least a couple decades. Which was probably what Anthony had planned to begin with."

"Anthony didn't know she has your regenerative ability now."

"I doubt even my ability can help her much here. Besides, she doesn't know how to control it in a way that will benefit her in this time. All she can do is re-grow, when bonding to the other pieces would be much quicker."

Tzion sighed and turned to Mathias, "She's just a jigsaw puzzle that we must put together, and then the bonding will occur."

Mathias rolled his eyes, "You plan to piece her together? That is the most ridiculous…"

"Sometimes the hardest way is the best way. Anthony would not be attacking her tonight, if he didn't have something planned. We got lucky that they vomited up the pieces that they had eaten. That must have been Samuel's work."

"And why would Samuel help us?"

Tzion rubbed the hair on his chin, "Not us, but her. Mephis or not, he was her lover and she is his master. More so then Anthony. He has an unbreakable bond with her, like you and I have."

Mathias snorted.

"Deny it all you want, Mathias. The truth remains the truth."

"You have a way of making the truth into a lie, Tzion."

He snorted, "I have a way of making a lie sound like the truth, there is a difference." His eyes set themselves on Kristian, as he came to stand in front of them. "Yes?"

"We are almost done here, may I go speak with Gabrielle now?" Kristian asked.

Tzion gave a nod, and watched him leave. "If I didn't know any better, I would say that he has begun to have feelings for that Pyrrhonian."

"Begun?" Mathias laughed and shook his head, "They've been there for some time now. So much for your unbreakable bonds."

There was a silence between them before Mathias spoke again, "How can you be so sure, that she has any use of my ability?"

"This very evening it was, that I saw them in use." Turning to his master, Mathias lifted a questioning eyebrow. "I speak the truth, that sizeable Mephis that she was playing with broke her ankle. Within a few moments, she was right back on it. Much quicker then any normal fresh could heal such an injury. Would take most an hour of concentration." "But she was in much better health, it takes a great deal of focus to…"

Tzion sighed loudly in annoyance, "Do not feed such lies to me, Mathias. I know very well that your elder ability came to you easily. You only desire that it be as complex as most are, however you were lucky in getting one that needs nearly no control on your part."

"I'll have you know, Tzion, that in order to heal myself properly it takes more then just letting it do as it pleases."

"I'm sure it does." He folded his long fingers together, and stepped off the elevated floor looking at Kailin's remains. "Further proof." He pointed towards Kailin's knees.

Mathias came to stand beside him, a large patch of skin had been torn out just below her knee. In an attempt to hurry their cleaning, one of the fresh had just dumped some of her flesh atop of the wound. A small piece was reattaching itself to her.

He only grunted as he watched it quickly seal itself on. "That still remains meaningless."

"Why do you not wish for her to get better, Mathias?" Tzion turned to look at him.

"It's not that I don't want her better, but that the longer she remains this way, the less time you will have to toy with her."

Tzion grinned, "Your resentment for me tastes so bitter. Yet, it's all the more sweeter when you admit that I am right."

Mathias breathed deeply through his nose to show his anger. "I am returning home, I will visit Kailin come sun up." He walked out the large warehouse door, knowing Tzion was chuckling at him.

---***---

Kristian knocked gently on the door, he knew that Gabrielle would sense him and probably not open the door. He smirked to himself when the door began to crack open. Gabrielle was in a pair of sweatpants, something he wasn't use to seeing her in. She normally dressed so elegantly.

"I thought I told you to slip a note under my door."

He nodded, "You did, but I thought I could offer my company as well."

Her eyes held anger for only a moment, then switched to the sadness that she was really containing. Stepping aside, she let him enter the apartment.

At first, he thought it was a trick. His right foot stepped forward to enter, and then pulled back briefly. Looking upon Gabrielle's sadden face, he knew that she was in no mood to be a jokester. He came inside, and removed his black jacket and placed it on the couch.

"How are you doing?" He asked it, and then wanted to take it back. There was no question how she was doing, and he didn't understand why he had asked.

"I have known Kailin for so long, I've lost count of the years. In all that time, I have never before heard her scream like that. Never have I seen her so weaken, or a victim. But today, I watched it all, and I realize now that I have her built up in my mind as more then she really is." Gabrielle walked around the couch and sat atop of Kristian's jacket. She brought her legs to her chest, and wrapped her arms around them.

Kristian came to sit next to her, putting his hand on his knee. His face remained somber, trying not to show his sadness. "What is she if not what you thought?"

Gabrielle looked up into his eyes, "She's not invincible. You should of seen her when we first met, she fought off an entire group of Bowery that were attacking me. I knew right there and then, that she was unstoppable. I knew that with her I would never have to be afraid again." She sniffled, "She's always won. I watched so many times as she fought creatures that could destroy me with one hit, but they were rag dolls to her. I was safe, and now I realize that all those times…" Laying her forehead down on her arm she continued. "I never really was a hundred percent safe, was I? It was all false security that I was feeding myself."

He didn't understand, and wasn't sure if he would be able to. However, knowing Gabrielle's temper, he didn't want her to know that he was unsure of what she had meant. "Kailin isn't invincible, she just as vulnerable as you or I."

The red hair on Gabrielle's head shook back and forth as she disagreed. "No, I've seen her. I know her!" She yelled, and then calmed herself down. "I've replayed her defeat over and over in my mind. It wasn't as if she hadn't fought large groups of Mephis before. It was like… like…" She bit her lower lip.

"Like she allowed them to eat her?"

Gabrielle lifted her head, and nodded slowly. "It's absurd, I know. But that look she gets in her eyes when she fights, that blind justice, it wasn't there." She looked into his eyes, "But, why? Why would Kailin allow them to just tear away at her? She was in such pain, I felt the horror of it just watching. My skin burned, and my eyes watered."

He sighed for a moment, "I don't know, Gabby. I doubt that was what she meant to do, perhaps she just wasn't prepared. This is something you will have to ask her when she is better."

"That's another thing. I have never been alone my entire life. And how long will this take? Two or three years for her to be anywhere close to normal again? What will I do? How will I be safe?"

Kristian grinned, but immediately removed it from his face before Gabrielle noticed. "I over heard Tzion speaking with Mathias. He thinks it won't take her long at all to repair herself, since she fed from him."

"Tzion or Mathias?" She asked.

"Mathias has the ability to repair his wounds rather quickly. When she fed from him, she received it. I don't know how much more it will effect her healing, but I would assume not long, by the way Tzion was carrying on about it."

"You are not fooling me, are you?"

Kristian shook his head, "No, that would be a cruel joke."

Gabrielle shot up out off the couch and ran into her room, slamming the door behind her.

For a moment, Kristian thought he had upset her, but heard her scourging around in her bedroom.

"You must take me to her at once!" Gabrielle yelled. When she stepped out of her room, she wore jeans and a blue shirt. In her hands were a pair of sneakers, that she pulled onto her feet once she sat on the couch.

"Like I said, I don't know how long it will take her…"

Gabrielle grabbed her purse, "I know, but I am betting that Tzion knows, so let's go." She opened the door and pointed out towards the hallway.

Kristian grabbed his coat and pulled it on before he stepped out into the hall. Gabrielle locked the door and headed towards the elevator before he could argue again.