Carpathian 05 - Dark Challenge

wave, Syndil is not strong enough to dilute the blood .
    This is a small thing to do for Syndil, Desari . Darius closed his eyes again and sank into himself, sealing off the worst of the claw marks and beginning the ritual to heal each of the deep wounds from the inside out.
    Syndil watched Darius's face, waiting until he was far from them in spirit, not heeding their conversation, before she spoke. "Is he lying to me?" she asked.
    Desari stroked her brother's arm, choosing her words carefully, thoughtfully. "There was another besides the mortals. We do not know what he is. He saved my life, sealing off my wounds and giving me his blood. Darius attacked him; they fought. Apparently neither came out the victor."
    Syndil studied Desari's face. "You are afraid. It is true then. You have this intruder's blood in you."
    Desari nodded. "I feel different inside. He did something." She whispered the words aloud, for the first time admitting it to someone other than herself. "I am changed."
    Syndil put an arm around Desari. "Sit beside Darius. You look as if you are going to fall on your face."
    "I feel like it, too." Desari buried her face on Syndil's shoulder for a moment, hugging her tightly. "What would we do without him?"
    "He will be fine," Syndil said softly. "Darius cannot be killed so easily."
    "I know." Then Desari confessed her worst fear. "It is just that he has been so unhappy for so long. I am always afraid he will one day allow something or someone to destroy him so that he does not have to continue."
    "We all have been unhappy," Syndil pointed out as she firmly pushed Desari to a sitting position. "How could what Savon did to me, to all of us, leave us unchanged? But Darius will not desert us. He would never do such a thing, not even in the guise of a carelessly received wound."
    "Do you think he was careless then?" That frightened Desari even more. If Darius had been careless, it meant her fears were closer to the mark than ever.

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    "Take my blood, Desari. It is freely offered to you and Darius. I hope that it provides both of you with strength and peace," Syndil replied softly. She opened her wrist with one sharp nail and held it to Desari's mouth. "For Darius, if not for yourself."
    Desari fed, then leaned down to her brother, whispering softly into his ear. "Take from me what is freely offered, brother, what you need. Take it for yourself and for all of us who depend so heavily on you. I offer up my life that you might live."
    "Desari!" Syndil protested sharply. "Darius might not know what he does. You cannot say things like that."
    "But it is true," Desari said softly, stroking back her brother's hair. "He is the greatest man I have ever known. I would do anything to save his life." She pressed her opened wrist to her brother's mouth. "What he has done for all of us, no other could have done. No other six-year-old could ever have saved us. It was a miracle, Syndil. He had no training, no one to guide him, yet he managed to keep us all alive. The life he gave us has been a good one. He deserves so much more than he has."
    "You must take more of my blood, Desari," Syndil insisted softly. "You are so pale. Darius would be angry with you if he knew you did not feed properly. I insist, Desari. You must feed." To force the issue, Syndil reopened her own vein with her teeth and pushed her wrist to Desari's mouth. "Do as I say, little sister." She gave the order in her firmest voice.
    It was so unlike Syndil, Desari was startled into obeying her. Syndil had a gentle, soft-spoken, and loving nature. She rarely did wild, unpredictable things the way Desari did. Desari was forever getting reprimanded by her brother, not that it did him much good. She always found something new and different to try. Always amazed at the beauty of the world around her, she found everything exciting, people intriguing. She was not content, as Syndil was, to do as the men instructed.
    It wasn't as if she set out to defy Darius. She would never do that; no one would dare. She just ended up in trouble over lots of little things. For instance, Darius did not want Desari wandering off by herself, but she liked her privacy, and she enjoyed running in the forest, taking to the skies, swimming with fish.
    Life was bubbling over with so many opportunities for adventure, and Desari wanted to try everything.
    Darius, however, believed that vampires might be lurking