章 39: Chapter Thirty-Nine: Outside Treachery
Sunny glanced up into the trees and saw she was being shadowed by more than one raven. She assumed that Danu was among the number. She did not spot any Watchers, but she always knew they were there and concealed themselves from view.
She reached the edge of town, slowed her pace to catch her breath, and then began her climb toward Cluny's tavern. When she got within sight of the tavern, she spotted Sean sitting outside on the bench, seemingly waiting for her.
Tully's words echoed in her mind. Cassie's wards on the tavern would prevent anyone with thoughts of harm from entering. He looked up and spotted her. A huge grin split his face and he stood up and met her halfway. "Sunny you look fabulous! How are you?"
She hugged him quickly and stepped back to look into his face, "I'm fine, Sean. I'm so surprised – and happy to see you!"
His grin flew from his face and a dark look passed in his eyes. He raked his fingers through his hair in agitation. "Sunny, I had to come back. I needed to know if you were okay."
"Why wouldn't I be?" Sunny asked and laughed lightly, though something in his manner was making her very uneasy.
"I know there's been people getting sick," Sean glanced around then back to Sunny. "Some of them have been through the clinic, and they were all here."
"There's been a few here with an illness, even my Aunt Fiona came down with a case of it. Do you know what it is?"
"Flu," Sean said flatly. "It's a super strain of influenza."
Sunny felt an icy finger track down her spine. "Have they been treated?"
Sean looked away and stared hard at something in the distance then looked back at her. "They were treated, Sunny. But Sunny – they didn't make it; they all died!"
"So, you came to warn me --,"
"No Sunny, I came to see if you had contracted the virus," Sean scrubbed his face wearily, "You were infected that night too!"
"I was?" She was horrified at the thought, "How!"
"You remember my ring scratching you?
"Yes."
"That night, I infected at least twenty people, maybe more," Sean told her. "I didn't mean to infect you; it was an accident that you got scratched."
Sunny suddenly felt sick to her stomach! She reached back to feel for the stone ledge of the water fountain behind her and sat down. "You infected them – why!"
Sean began to pace back and forth in front of her, his face stricken with pain and remorse. "It had to be done," he said and stopped and looked down at Sunny. "It was for my grandmother."
"Your grandmother? Sean, who is your grandmother?" Sunny demanded as she stared at him in dismay.
Sean clutched at his head as if in pain. He scrubbed his face with his knuckles and began to pace once again. "She told me stories of when she was a little girl and how she was married off to a brute who beat her!"
"What is her name, Sean?" Sunny asked.
Sean continued as if he had not heard, "She told me how they shunned her and made her leave her family. She despised them, and I grew to hate them too!"
"Who!" Sunny shouted and got to her feet.
"Alyssum Mack," Sean whispered. "She was of the Wolfe clan until they banished her!"
"What? No! She lied to you Sean!" Sunny was horrified and glared at him, determined to make him see the truth. "Did she tell you she was married to the chieftain of the Wolfe Clan? Did she tell you she used a man from another clan so she could be rid of her husband?"
Sean shook his head in disbelief, "That's not true – they shunned her for loving a man outside her clan, she was forced to marry a man who raped and beat her!"
"That is a lie, Sean!" Sunny flung back. "She was never raped or beaten! She's used you! And now she's made you a murderer!"
"No!" Sean cried out in denial.
Their exchange brought the curious to the door of the tavern, but it was Piper who ordered them back into the tavern. He nodded toward Sean and frowned at him, then looked quizzically at Sunny. "Are you all right, lass?"
Sunny continued to look at Sean in utter horror then nodded, turning to Piper as calmly as she could and said: "Yes, Piper everything is fine."
Piper nodded and went back inside but he was not convinced. He turned to one of the boys standing at the window staring out at the stranger and Sunny. "Jimmy, go fetch Tully and have him come here as quick as he can."
"Aye!" the boy whispered, slipped out the tavern's back door, and was gone.
Sunny turned from the tavern door and went over to the fountain where Sean now stood staring hard into the water. "You've condemned these people to die for something they are innocent of! How could you! --- how could you do this!"
Sean began to pace back and forth in agitation, "She told me the stories my whole life! I would do anything for her! When my mother died, she took me, in and she raised me! She worked—so hard and made money to help get me into university!"
"She used you!" Sunny said coldly then she took hold of his arm and shook it. "But you're going to undo the harm you've done!"
"How?" Sean asked imploringly. "How can I?"
"You're going to vaccinate them all --,"
"That's just it, Sunny – I can't!" Sean told her. "I can't!"
"Why can't you?" Sunny demanded. She felt her anger flare deep inside and she pushed herself away from Sean a few paces and stood away from him.
"Because there's no cure!" Sean said his voice was a harsh whisper.
Sunny faced him and he shuffled backward as he saw the golden fire flare in her eyes. He was unsure of what she had become, but he was suddenly terrified of what he saw! From somewhere in her rage, she heard a stern voice, ["Get ahold of your emotions, Siobhan!"]
Sunny turned sharply away from Sean and lowered her gaze to her hands. They were clenched in tight fists in front of her. She had never been so enraged in her life! Even the day she had seen Jason and Maya together paled in comparison to how she felt at this very moment! She looked over her shoulder at where Sean now seemed cemented to the spot. "You are going to find a cure!" She growled at him, "I don't care how you do it, but you are going to find a cure!"
Sean frowned in thought, something was happening to him, and he felt so confused by everything. "I can't!"
Sunny felt something rise inside her as she stepped up, took hold of Sean's arms, and gave them a shake. "Look at me!"
Sean's frightened grey-green eyes met her flaming emerald glare. "Sean, you are going to find an immunization or you're going to make one!"
"I -I would need someone who survived – "
"I did!" Sunny declared. "I survived! Aunt Fiona is recovering."
Sean shook his head as if to clear it. "I might be able to make a blood serum, but if you inject incompatible blood plasma it would kill them!"
"You picked a hell of a fine time to consider medical ethics!" Sunny scoffed at Sean and his protestations. "You're going to have to do better than that!" Sunny told him.
Tully arrived in his wagon and pulled up alongside Sunny and Sean where they stood in the street. Jimmy jumped down from the wagon and went back inside to rejoin his friends who had their faces pressed to the tavern window. Tully dropped the reins and stepped down to the cobblestones, "What the devil is going on here?"
Sunny turned to Tully, "We need to go to each clan and find out who has fallen ill and quarantine them here!"
"The Badger clan is still here, mostly," Tully said thinking of who had packed up and gone. "The Thorne clan has all but cleared out and some of the Wolfe clan are gone, except for those who are sick."
"Is there any way to bring them back?" Sunny asked. "If they've left with family members that are sick, they could infect the entire family and anyone they meet!"
"Lucy would know," Tully said. "She would know who has gotten sick, but there is no way to know for sure."
Sunny began to pace, looking deep for answers but none were forthcoming. She gave up and looked at Sean, "What do you need to begin making a serum?"
"I'd need your blood and access to a lab," Sean replied.
Tully looked between them, "What the hell are you two talking about?"
Sunny looked at Tully, trying to gather and calm her thoughts before she could explain. "Sean is Alyssum Mack's grandson, and she's spread her poison to him. He's a doctor and he's infected the clans with a sickness that has no cure!"
Tully had to sit down on the ledge of the water fountain. He turned a sickly grey under his coppery skin. "The first of the chosen have already gone."
"Oh, my God!" Sunny turned to Sean, "You're going to have to work with what you have here! You're going to have to make your serum here and now!"
Sean began backing away made ready to bolt and run but fell into the restraining hands of Nicodemus Fury. Sunny did not have to explain anything to Nicodemus, he already had received the terrible news through his connection with her.
Nicodemus turned Sean over to Tully and took Sunny aside, "Calm down, Siobhan! I have sent word for those clans on this side of the arch with sick family members to return to the festival grounds. Lucy and Cassie are contacting everyone they know to reach Rainbow and his people and have them return."
"What about those who have already gone back to Nu'Ada?" Sunny asked. "Some were here that night and went home that next evening."
"I have my men waiting to stop who they can. There will be encampments for those with illness," Nicodemus scowled in worried thought, "They cannot catch them all, but they will try."
"Good," Sunny answered then looked at Sean. "Do you have any of your medical equipment with you?"
"I have a few things --," he began then Sunny turned away from him and turned to Tully.
"We're going to need everyone who is even showing signs of illness to be put in one isolation camp."
Tully nodded in understanding then took her by the shoulders and looked deep into her clear green eyes. "How bad is it?"
Sunny scowled over her shoulder at Sean. "It's bad, but he is going to fix it!" Tully winced as her golden-rimmed eyes turned back to him. The Da'ark influences were present in the girl. He had seen the signs before. He glanced at Fury then back to Sunny.
"Where are you talking about?" Sean asked suddenly. "Is it the place where the Mack's are forbidden? She only wanted to go home!"
Sunny paused in thought and angled a sharp look at Sean. "What did you say? She wanted to go home?"
"She was prevented from going home!" Sean told her. "Grandmum told me that she never wanted to be with the man she was forced to marry! She wanted to go home!"
Things were growing more complicated by the second! Sunny felt overwhelmed suddenly by the rush of thoughts and feelings that flooded her. Nicodemus took Sunny's hand, "Siobhan, focus one thing at a time."
Nicodemus was studying Sean with dark keen eyes. Something was not ringing true at anything the man had revealed. Something was not right! He looked up into the trees in search of one of Danu's brothers. When he spotted Danu himself, he stepped away.
Sunny tried to feel sorry for him, but she could not allow that emotion to overwhelm her. "What do you have with you?" she asked sharply.
Sean flinched as her voice broke through his confused thoughts. He scrubbed his hands over his face as if to rub away the horror spreading throughout his mind. "I have some equipment in my car, it's on the edge of town. It stalled out there and I had to leave it and walk in."
Sunny looked for Nicodemus. He lifted his arm, and the raven sprang up into the air and flew off on his errand. He returned to her. "I will find the boys from the Badger clan," Nicodemus told her. "They will know what to do."
Sunny understood and nodded in agreement. "Give me your keys," Sunny ordered Sean, "We'll have the car brought in so you can get what you need."
Sean dug into his pocket, pulled out a ring of keys, and handed them to Sunny. She held up a chunky black key with a fob dangling with it and detached it from the other keys on the ring. "It's probably fried. There's a chip in the key and the key fob --- whoever is going after the car, they might have to break a window to get in." Nicodemus nodded in understanding. He took it and left to collect the men who would bring the car in.
Sunny watched Nicodemus walk away, and she looked back to Sean. "Tell me what you need to begin making the serum."
"Sterile containers to collect the blood and then some kind of centrifuge to separate red blood from plasma," Sean began, "I have a few syringes and needles in my kit, but I'll need more."
"We'll figure out what do to when we get to that point," Sunny told him, "Even if we have to sterilize and reuse them."
"You can't do that," Sean told her, "It's not safe--,"
"Stop!" Sunny snarled at him. "Just stop! Where was your head when you were infecting innocent people?" Sunny snapped at him. "Right now, you just focus on what you're going to do to help these people!"
Sean looked down at the ground. "I only know what my grand-mum told me."
"You could show him the truth," Tully said softly.
She looked at Sean, she could call up the exact moment in time and show Sean the truthful events. It would be devastating to Sean, but she could have Lucy wipe his mind afterward.
Tully nodded, and he glanced over his shoulder. "While no one is watching, do what you must."
"When all of this is over," Sunny replied as she stepped closer to Sean, "Maybe I'll have Lucy make you forget all this."
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DaoistI42fqo
DaoistI42fqo This is the first threat -- soon the next threat will appear and it will hit close to home! If you are enjoying this adventure, let other Fantasy readers know about this tale! Thank you for reading my story! :-)
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