Chapter 22

December Sixth

"I really thought I was going to be able to stay away that time," Balathu murmured, his mental voice weak from exertion. His form shimmered and blurred as his exhausted mind struggled to maintain the minimal concentration needed to hold it steady.

Across from him, Lei sat cross legged, her image as solid and certain as always.

With a crooked smile, she replied, "You are improving, Balsam, but Rome was not built in a day."

Each night they spent two subjective weeks in traditional instruction, which, because they did not need to break for rest or food, was the equivalent of months of training in the physical world. They then spent another subjective day doing what Lei referred to as "exercising his will." This consisted of him trying to move away from the house while she held him there. He had come to believe that it was also intended as a lesson in humility.

At the end of each session, like now, Lei permitted him to ask any question he wanted, although she continued to refuse to discuss the alleged impending disaster. As he cleared his metaphysical throat, she raised an eyebrow expectantly.

"Why blood?" he asked. When her lips pursed in confusion, he elaborated, "You've told me enough about the Outsider that I know that it doesn't feed on bodily fluids, but, instead, directly drains the life energy from its victims. So why do you feed on blood?"

"The short answer to your question is that it was the result of a mistake. You must understand that much of my nature was established by conscious volition and careful planning. I and the other zi masters knew that the Outsider required life energy to sustain it, and that the hybrid creature that resulted from the fusion would need the same. We also knew that, as it was, the human body was ill equipped to provide such sustenance: most of the zi is long gone from the dead things we eat and what little there is passes right through our digestive systems.

"This is where our ignorance came into play. You see, at the time, we did not define life as science does now in terms of growth, the ability to reproduce, metabolic activity, and the like. Rather, we equated it with movement, as that was the only way we could reconcile the life we knew was in animals and plants with the facts that the flowing rivers teemed with zi, and the stuff of life floated on the breeze. We had no concept of microscopic organisms. We had no idea that the zi that we saw in the rivers and the wind did not belong to those things, but to the bacteria, algae and other single celled life that filled them.

"Because of our erroneous belief, we assumed that the blood, which was always moving, was the seat of the zi within our bodies. Therefore, we designed incantations that would make the human-Outsider hybrid able to feed only on bodily fluids. Unfortunately, we were wrong. There is some zi in the blood, of course, as it contains living cells, but not nearly enough to sustain us. It is not until the body is drained unto death that the zi that fills it loosens its hold on the vessel enough for us to absorb it."

"Why not just use whatever the Outsider had that allowed it to feed?" Balathu asked curiously.

"Mainly because the Outsider can drain all of the life from thousands at a time with little more than a thought," Lei answered grimly. "We decided that it would be best not to trust such power to the hands of any former human."

"Yes, I can see how that could be a bad thing," was his muted reply.

After a brief silence, he asked, "What about the sexual effects of feeding? Were those also planned?"

With a musical laugh, Lei replied, "Not at all. It was a side effect of the fusion. Not everything that I am now came from the Outsider; much came from me as well. Humans are very sexual creatures. We are so proud of our sentience, but consider how we use it. Think about how much thought is dedicated to planning romantic conquests or on sexual fantasies. Even the non-sexual activities in which we engage are, more often that not, ultimately motivated by sex. Although they rarely admit it even to themselves, most people who seek fame and fortune do so not for the sake of having those things in and of themselves, but to increase the quantity and quality of their sexual encounters. At our core, we are still animals driven by the basest of instincts. It should be of no surprise to you that this fundamental part of our nature found expression in and was amplified by the fusion with the Outsider."

Seeing his skeptical look, Lei laughed again. "What? You think that I am too cold and calculating to be a sexual being?" She fixed him with a smokey stare. "Were we here in the flesh, I would show you just how wrong you are."

Balathu was appalled by the rush of desire that her words inspired, desire so intense it threatened to overwhelm the proper and natural horror he felt at the thought of physical intimacy with an abomination. Lei exploded with laughter at his reaction.

Looking for an excuse to change the subject, he turned his attention to the physical occupants of the home who were sitting around the kitchen table. He concentrated briefly to return his perception of time to normal.

Mia was knitting again, this time a blanket. Her skill had improved, and her hands moved with the speed and precision of a machine. Her leg, now encased in an air cast, was stretched out stiffly in front of her and propped up on a chair. As far as he could tell, there had been little improvement in the injury. He was surprised by the amount of guilt that he felt.

Tom was leaning forward with his elbows on the table. His face filled with longing, he watched intently as Dana ate a cheeseburger and a salad.

Grinning mischievously, Dana, who was very conscious of her audience, rolled her eyes with exaggerated pleasure each time she took a bite, and punctuated each mouthful by smacking her lips with a loud, "Mmmmm." She chuckled evilly as Tom muttered something about Renfield having never been so cruel to his vampire.