* * *
"No, brother. She became mist in seconds, if that," Henri spoke to his brother Gervais, who was currently on assignment in France. "And only her hand formed to knock the wood shaft of the arrow away. I would be flaking away somewhere in the U.S. but for her."
"What happened with the Council?"
"They found her guilty of disobeying her sire and sentenced her to a beating. Twenty strokes, delivered by that cretin Sebastian."
"He is much too heavy handed. Why did they not ask someone else?"
"They did. Everyone else refused," Henri replied.
"Do you think she will speak with us? Perhaps she can teach us how to improve our changing time." Gervais desired that greatly. It took the brothers five minutes to turn to mist every time. So much might be accomplished if their misting time could be reduced.
"We must make the request through her sire, I believe. She is committed to Gavin as you know, so his permission may be required as well."
"We will see," Gervais replied. He was more concerned about Gavin than Merrill on the matter.
* * *
"Tell me what happened." Wlodek sat in Merrill's study, a glass of wine in his hand. Wlodek had the tiniest bit of taste where wine was concerned. Food he abhorred but he enjoyed a glass of wine upon occasion. Merrill explained how he and Gavin had checked on Lissa regularly throughout the night, but shortly before dawn, she'd misted out of the house and gone to the roof.
"We can't chain her as I did Brock," Merrill sighed. "Not only can she mist out of the chains, but it will certainly break her spirit if that has not happened already." Brock had tried repeatedly to get away to visit friends, forcing Merrill to chain him and lock him up for two months.
"I would not suggest it either," Wlodek replied. "We took a chance with the beating, but we have witnessed the results of that."
"Most of them recover in one night and it is forgotten," Merrill nodded. "But these are males we speak of. Everything now hinges on Lissa taking a breath." Merrill toyed with his own glass of wine. "If she does not, well." Merrill didn't finish.
* * *
Gavin carried a chair into Lissa's bathroom and settled it beside the tub, watching for any sign of a breath and changing the water whenever the timer went off. It was currently two hours past sunset and he was trying to remember what their last phone conversation had been. Had he been angry and cursing? He couldn't recall. Lissa, unless he upset her, was always kind in her conversations.
Wlodek looked in one more time before he left at three hours past sunset. He had business to conduct and was forced to leave. His mind wouldn't be on his work, however, when he went home.
Charles met Wlodek at the door when he returned, afraid to ask after Lissa. "There is no change, she still has not taken a breath," Wlodek informed him, sweeping past his assistant. Charles turned away. "Did you do the research as I asked?" Wlodek went on, striding quickly toward the stairs and his private study.
"She has no brothers or sisters. Lissa was an only child," Charles said, trailing behind Wlodek as he made for the steps. "I found something else, though, that might explain all this. I wish I'd thought to look into this earlier."
"What did you find?" Wlodek stopped and lifted an eyebrow at Charles.
"I have the information printed out for you—news clippings and such," Charles followed Wlodek down the long, carpeted hallway to Wlodek's study. Wlodek sat down at his desk and opened the file folder. This would be added to Lissa's file when he was finished reading it. The headline on the top page caused him to catch his breath.
"Charles, make a copy of this and have it delivered to Merrill, please," Wlodek closed the file and handed it to his waiting assistant.
"If you don't need me, I can deliver it myself."
"Very well. Do not linger there, young Charles, we have much work to do," Wlodek reminded him.
"Of course, Honored One," Charles nodded and left to run his errand.
* * *
"Wlodek asked me to bring this. I did the research earlier this evening," Charles handed the copied folder off to Merrill. "May I see her?" he asked timidly.
"There's not much to see, but yes." Merrill led the way. Gavin was still sitting beside the tub, waiting. It was now five hours past sunset. Charles drew in a sharp breath at the sight of Lissa's burned body lying in a tub of water, flakes of black ash floating about her torso. He wondered if anyone could live over that severe an injury but didn't want to say it; Gavin looked as if he were about to crumble. Charles only stayed for a moment before leaving; Wlodek was waiting for him, after all.
Merrill flipped open the file after seeing Charles to the door. He stopped still in the kitchen, slapped the folder shut and cursed. The headline read Man Arrested in Beating Death of Wife and below that, the article said Teen daughter in critical condition at local hospital after assault. There was a photograph there of Lissa at age nineteen. The article cited years of abuse suffered by a wife and daughter at the hands of an alcoholic monster. Merrill walked up the stairs to check on Lissa again, wondering if he should pass the folder to Gavin or not. He decided to hold back for the moment—perhaps he would hand it over if she lived. This time.
Seven hours past sunset came and Gavin changed the water. Merrill came in and offered to relieve him. Gavin growled. Merrill left. He'd chased Franklin off to bed earlier, threatening compulsion if he didn't. Franklin would have to take over in the morning, if there was any reason left to take over.
"Lissa, do not leave us like this—do not leave me like this," Gavin begged. "Take a breath for me. Just one. That is all I ask." He spoke to her in French. Then in Italian, German, Spanish, Latin and Greek. He even threw in a few phrases in Russian, although he thought it might upset her. She had been frightened of Ivan. Gavin was losing hope at eight hours past sunset. The sun would be rising in two hours and he didn’t think anything would save her past that. Merrill returned and settled in the floor next to the tub. He would have to bury this one, too. He sighed and leaned his head on an arm.
"She had the most perfect mouth," Gavin said, startling Merrill and causing him to lift his head. "I sometimes lost my train of thought, just staring at it. I would revert to other languages at times so she wouldn't know."
"That upset her—when she couldn't understand what you were saying."
"I know. If she would breathe for me, I would be happy to translate every word." Gavin sighed and trailed fingers through the water surrounding Lissa's face. "When she first met me and didn't know what I was, she thought I smelled good," Gavin went on. "I had no idea I was ruining things for us when I did what I did, in order to bring her back to the Council. I thought I would have to take her life."