4 July 2009, After Dark, Manchester

Sue had made several circuits of my little library by the time her dancing ended. A quiet breath and she walked over to settle near both of us. "It is done."

Quietly, seriously, and very tiredly I said to Korshan, "You may have to get in line." Stealing another glance at Rad's ring, I said, "I owe them."

Korshan smirked at me. "I would say that you do." His attention was again drawn away by Sue, and at her words, his eyes travel around the room, searching it intently for something. He just nodded to Sue and asked the question that probably everyone wanted the answer to. "Are they many, in this group that took you?"

About that time, I heard the booms outside, the telltale signs of the city fireworks display. I was anchored in time again, July 4, 2009, 9:30 pm. A little uplifted, I lifted my head up off the bed and first spoke to Sue. "Thank you. Let me do you a favor next time." At least now the bedroom and sanctum were protected for a while from certain intrusions. Prime stuffing was Rad's preference for most things, but in a situation like this, I was glad to simply have a barrier.

Turning back to Korshan, I once more rubbed my right palm on the blankets. The answer to who took me was simple, "It was just Amy. Got the drop on me when I got the mail." Considering the mayhem at the end, I doubt anyone believed there were many of 'them' left.

Sue smiled a little, "Just do me the favor of making no decisions out of a thirst for revenge. It will harm you more then it will help them to learn anything about the wrongness of what they have done."

"I have bigger issues than revenge...more worried about whoever helped them find me...or how to find him...." I rubbed my eyes, which were a little irritated. And you bet was downplaying my own problems. Besides, if Rad needed help, it wasn't going to happen with me sitting around crying my sorrows about how fucking sick I was--or about what happened in Hartford. The truth was that this situation hadn't left me on my back for a week and I was grateful for that.

Though, I had to admit that there was a certain bother about my eyes. It was kinda cool, on the one hand, but also kinda spooky. The whiteness of them had slowly invaded my thinking and now I started drawing parallels, "I look like a comic book heroine right at the moment. Rather hope it isn't permanent."

Sue nodded just once, "We will find these things out. I will get the others to take sentry shifts, in addition to the ward. It is your task, now, to get better, and recover. The Scourge will leave you in time, most likely, but you need to heal in other ways."

Well, that was a new term for me. I asked, "Scourge?"

Korshan shook his head. "I would hope not. The poisons in your and your condition made it impossible for Kammie to help purge them away. When you are feeling better, I will try to help you my way if you would like."

Sue murmured quietly "There is no cure for Scourge but time, Korshan, and no cure for the psyche but correcting thought. Scourge, Beatrice. You must have done something very powerful."

The light came on about what Sue was saying. Fingering my forehead a little, I said to Sue, quietly "Oh...yeah.... Maybe...." Yeah something powerful had happened alright.

Korshan nodded in acceptance of Sue's explanation. "I would only have hoped to remove the poisons and drugs if I could." He looked into the distance, brow creased in thought. "I cannot imagine being able to affect anything other than that."

Sue murmured "Kammie managed those, despite the adverse reaction you had, Beatrice. I do not think Korshan's way would have caused that, but Aliya seemed to think your cure was worse then the condition." She smiled softly at Korshan.

Another rub to the side of my head and then I painstakingly turned to my back again, "Considering the way she screamed...." I remembered the hell of the night of the purification and those screams from behind me were almost more than I could bear. The misunderstanding about what 'marhame' was, only served to make a bad situation worse. I added, as an aside, "If I never see another hypodermic needle, it will be too soon."

Sue chuckled softly "I think we can arrange that. Now that you are awake, you will no longer need the IV."

Korshan chuckled. "And just think, Beatrice, Aliya went into the purification willingly."

I said offhandedly, "I'd still do it willingly." The whole incident with Aliya was probably what put me on the path to the seeking. It was why I'd gone off and fasted in the first place.

Sue settled back quietly "I owe you new kitchen knives, by the way. You wouldn't want to use them now."

I listened to Sue and somehow didn't want to know why. Closing my eyes, I accepted and nodded, "Sue?"

Korshan looked sternly at at me, "Not any time soon, as I see it. You will need to be stronger and perhaps past this scourge before I could perform the ritual on you." He was firm in his conviction and most probably right to refuse.

At my question, Sue glanced toward me, "Yes?"

"We got any chance of finding him?"

She murmured quietly, "There is always a chance. Rest... I will need your help to try."

I simply looked over at Korshan, nodding to his statement. Then I looked back to Sue, "You see me running any footraces?" and I added with a little laugh, "I'm so fucked up that I'm seeing stuff in the corners of my vision."

She smiled softly at me, "That could just be the Scourge. Someone will always be with you, though, until things are better for you. This, too, shall pass."

Korshan nodded in agreement. "I have as long as I will need to be at your side, if you need to be attended, Beatrice. I know that everyone else has many things to be about, and I have few things that tax my time."

I just mumbled, "Bet there's no kefir in the house again."

Another soft murmur from Sue, "Even you should have a chance to rest and eat, Korshan. There are several here who care for Beatrice, and will help." At the mention of kefir, she chuckled as softly, "I will bring some back with me from the Fruited Plain."

"Money in the box under the bulletin board in the kitchen.", I said, trying to be helpful.

Sue smiled, "Don't worry... I get a discount."

"Stomach is too torn up to eat right now. Need a drink again.", I gave it a bit of a rub with my right hand. Days of vomiting like someone from 'The Exorcist' had left me more than a little nervous about consuming anything. "Bottled spring water in the back of the fridge." I remarked with a little laugh and a fading smile, "Had to come home. I'm the only person who knows where everything is."

Korshan rubbed his own stomach, "That would be wonderful, Dark Eyes. I will go and get the water from the kitchen for you if you like, Beatrice. Juice would probably be better for you if you think you can handle it, though."

"Just the water please." Nope, there was no way I was going to even consider setting off a round of barfing. Been there, done that, had to wash the t-shirt.

Sue commented, with a thinly veiled layer of insistence, "She will have broth later."

Yes Mom.... I note that my mother was never that way. "And probably throw it right back up, too."

Korshan got up and said, "Very well. Just the water for now." He righted himself fully and chuckled at the exchange as he turned away toward the door.

"Not this sort, not unless for reasons other then physical." Sue said with a quiet, sort of knowing smile. Sue probably knows everything.

I waited until Korshan was out of the room before I said plainly, "They killed those kids in Rhode Island...I got the fruits of their labors."

She nodded a little, murmuring "I thought it had to be them, as did that."

"The stuff they made with the blood tore holes in me...." and I cut myself off because of Korshan's pending return.

Korshan came back with a bottle of water and a glass. He settled in and looked as if he would pour me a glass, something I truly didn't need with that nice squeeze bottle. "Would it be easier from the bottle?" He sounded like he was still wary for me.

I looked at his motions and then said with a trace of a smile, "Mind reader."

Sue raked a hand through her hair while Korshan handed me the bottle. As I sucked down a few precious squirts of Alton water, I noted how she studied the two of us. No idea what she was thinking, but the silent man sees and hears more than the man who talks incessantly. It's a wisdom I should learn to cultivate.

Korshan put unused glass down beside him and placed a hand on Sue's knee, peering at her through a tangle of locks. "You were able to get some rest, as well, I take it?" Wasn't hard to figure out they were close somehow.

I was tired and the initial mumble about the IV was just about impossible for me to understand. Looking at the needle in her arm and really wanting it gone, I asked, "Somebody take this thing out? I got enough strange sensations right now." I took another squirt from the bottle, popped the top closed again and lid the bottle next to the bed. Tired, I closed my eyes and relaxed. I'd had it.

The two of them talked to each other as I started drifting off. I never heard a word of it. Instead, I descended into the relative comfort of sleep, such as it was--or was going to be.