Chapter 25

“I wish I had something better to tell you,” Dr. Weber said, her voice tinged with frustration. “But I’ve given her every test I can think of, and spoken with a dozen colleagues, and I haven’t found the slightest indication of any condition or disease. She’s simply wasting away. She’s dying, as people do when they’re old ... But she’s not old.”

Mark and Katherine stared at her blankly.

Dr. Weber sighed, glancing down at her notes before continuing. “I will tell you one other thing,” she said. “Not as a doctor, but as an Amritan. One of the people I spoke with said they’d heard second-hand about a case that seemed similar -- no other symptoms, all tests negative. The person received Amrita, and that resolved it.”

“Amrita,” Mark repeated

“Yes,” she said, nodding slowly. “It could be simply a rumor, or have gotten garbled, or doesn’t reflect all the facts. I don’t know. As I said, it was second-hand.”

“Well, anything is worth trying!” Mark said. “Is there any risk in giving her Amrita?”

“Not that I know of,” the doctor replied. “The physiological changes in her have already occurred from her initial doses.”

“Then we have to try it,” Mark said.

“Yes,” Dr. Weber agreed, her eyebrows furrowed in thought. “The only problem is ... where will you get the Amrita?”

The question hung in the air. The room was silent except for the faint hum of the refrigerator from the kitchen. Mark and Katherine exchanged glances.

“I don’t know,” Mark finally admitted. “But we have to try. We have to try everything.”

Mark had been directed to a street corner where he’d been picked up in a nondescript gray Corolla by people he didn’t recognize, blindfolded and driven in a circuitous route to the café where they now sat across from each other at an outdoor table. The sun cast long shadows as it dipped behind the nearby buildings, and the faint aroma of freshly brewed coffee lingered in the air. Vivian’s gaze was steely.

“Let me see if I have this straight,” she said. “You want me to betray my people, steal Amrita, and hand it over to the Dacians—all for you, who abandoned us without a word and went over to the Dacian side. Does that about sum it up?”

Mark took a deep breath. “Vivian, I know this is incredibly difficult for you given our history, and I understand why you’d see it that way. But this isn’t about sides. It’s about saving a life.”

Vivian leaned forward, her expression unyielding. “To save the life of a Dacian who devotes all of her energy to stealing our Amrita and hijacking our converts and who has killed at least four of our people and wounded one in the process?”

“I know,” Mark replied, his hands running through his hair in frustration. “I can’t deny what happened. I can say it didn’t happen the way you said it did. One of Lilith’s people was wearing a body camera – the one who was killed. The Elysians started shooting first. Arthur included. I can show you the video if you want. It wasn’t the way you thought it was. And she took the man she wounded to the hospital. Bandaged him up. But regardless, you have every right to be angry and to not trust me. But without Amrita, she’ll die within days, Vivian. We’ve tried everything else, every avenue.”

“We?” Vivian almost shouted, drawing glances from nearby patrons. She lowered her voice to an angry whisper. “You and the Dacians?”

“No, her sister,” Mark said quickly. “She’s Elysian.”

Vivian’s eyes widened in surprise. “Her sister’s Elysian? How?”

“They were interrupted during conversion. They got Lilith, but not her sister. Just like Julia and me.”

Vivian scrutinized him, her eyes full of skepticism. “That’s quite a coincidence, isn’t it? Why should I believe you?”

“It’s the truth, Vivian. I swear to you: that’s the truth.”

She looked at him in silence. Mark’s stomach knotted with anxiety as he waited.

“Go to the same place tomorrow,” Vivian finally said. “Same time and rules. Bring the video.”

She stood up and walked away.

“She’s just stalling. Hoping Lilith will die.”

“No, Katherine!” Mark said, shaking his head impatiently. “Why would she bother? She could just have done nothing, and the same thing would have happened.”

“She’s got some other plan,” Katherine insisted. “She’s not giving you the Amrita. She just wants the video. Or you.”

“Well, maybe she does,” Mark admitted. “What does it matter? We have no choice. We’re out of options.”

“He’s right, Katherine,” Roxanne said. “We don’t have a choice.”

“The lamp was on fire,” Lilith murmured from the bed. They all looked over. Her eyes were open but unfocused.

“The lamp?” Katherine said, moving quickly to the bedside.

Lilith nodded weakly, pointing to the lamp on the table next to her. “That one.”

“It’s okay, now, sweetie,” Katherine said tenderly, stroking Lilith’s cheek. “Everything’s all right now.”

The doctor had warned them that Lilith might start experiencing hallucinations as she drifted in and out of her dreamlike state. While usually lucid when awake, Lilith had started to share some of her dreams when in that intermediate condition, the line between reality and fantasy blurred for her.

“Let’s talk outside,” Katherine said.

________________________________________________________ This time, it was a motel room. The stale air smelled faintly of mildew and old smoke. Mark was on the edge of the bed, eyes fixed on Vivian who sat at the desk, absorbed in the video. She had the volume down on the laptop, but he could hear the faint pops of gunfire.

She turned the chair around and looked at him, her face impassive.

“All right,” she said. “I’ll do what you ask.”

Relief washed over Mark. “Thank God—”

“Wait!” she interrupted, her voice firm. “On one condition.”

“Yes?” Mark asked, sudden tightness in his chest.

“You leave the Dacians and come back to us. Permanently.”

Mark stared, his mind reeling.

“They get to keep one; we get one back. Fair trade,” Vivian continued. “And just to be clear,” she said, leaning toward him. “You leave her and come back to me.”

The world around them seemed to pause as Mark grappled with what she had just said.

“Come back to you...” Mark repeated, the words heavy on his tongue.

“Yes.”

“Why?” Mark asked.

“S¬¬he stole you from me,” Vivian said.

Mark continued to gaze at her. He had to acknowledge the truth of what she was saying. But so much had happened since then, so much water under the bridge. Could he possibly...?

“It’s not a difficult decision, Mark,” Vivian continued. “You can say yes or no. Either way, you won’t have her. But in one case, she’ll be dead.”

Mark closed his eyes and ran his hand over his hair. His breaths came in ragged gasps as he struggled with how to respond. Vivian waited in silence.

He opened his eyes. “Okay.”

“Good,” Vivian said. “Right decision.”

“So you’ll give me the Amrita?”

“No, I’ll give her the Amrita,” Vivian said. “I’m not giving it to you. You’ll just disappear with her if I do.”

“How will that work?” Mark asked, incredulously.

“You’re going to bring her to me. I’m going to administer it. Then, I’ll have people take her to wherever you want. And you’ll stay with me. Or, more specifically, you’ll go where I tell you to and I will be there later.”

“But how will I know whether or not it worked?” Mark said.

“It will work,” Vivian said.

“How do you know?”

“Because I’ve seen this before. This isn’t unique to Dacians. It happens to Elysians. It’s rare, but it happens. Fortunately, for us, it’s easily remedied. I’ve never seen it not work, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

“How quickly?” Mark said.

“You see improvement within a few hours. In a couple of weeks, they’re back to normal.”

Mark looked at her, indecision swirling in his head.

“I’ll give you an email address,” Vivian said. “They can tell you that way. Send you pictures and love notes. Happy?”

“Could it happen again?” Mark asked.

“I’ve never seen it happen twice to the same person,” Vivian said. “But, Mark, we’re wasting time. You’re in a take-it-or-leave it position. Let’s get on with it before it’s too late.”

“Yes, of course,” Mark hurriedly agreed. “What do I need to do?”