Chapter 42: Lightning-struck

Waking up on the floor, I had a stiff neck and a dry mouth. My cheek was stuck to the carpet; there was a small thread of dried saliva on my chin. The bandage on my right hand pained; apparently, my fingers had gone to sleep while lying on the carpet. At first, I did not understand where I was.

However, as soon as I looked at the bed and saw Dorian breathing deeply, everything came flooding back: the basement, Cross, the transferring procedure, Kael, the council, and the Commander.

Pushing myself up to my elbows, I examined my surroundings. Jenna was sleeping in the wooden chair by the window, her head thrown back and mouth half-open, with a small snore coming from it every few minutes. Vance was lying in an awkward position on the desk with his head down on the book. Zoe was hugging Mira and sleeping on the floor, placing her hand on Mira's chest.

Every few seconds, Mira's body twitched, her fingers moving on the carpet. From time to time, there was a small sound of pain, probably because her body was rejecting the presence of Raze.

"Kael?" – As soon as I woke up, I looked at him. He leaned against the wall with his arms folded and open eyes. "Did you sleep?"

"No," he replied quietly. "Nephilim don't really need much sleep." Kael pointed his chin in the direction of Mira. "That demon didn't make her life easy last night; she had a hard night."

As Kael said this, I saw how Mira's eyelids moved, and her lips opened and closed.

"Zoe!" – Hearing this, Zoe woke up, rubbed her eyes, and looked at Mira, and then at me. "Is Mira okay?"

"I... don't know," I answered her honestly. How should I answer? "Mira is still here."

"I'll do my best to keep her that way," Vance answered, looking at me with an exhausted expression. Pushing himself up, he put his glasses on his nose and rubbed his temples with the other hand. "The binding is deteriorating faster than expected. Raze fights harder; the girl's body gives in sooner than before."

"Then... how much time do we have left?" – Jenna asked, waking up.

"Probably a week," – replied Vance. "Maybe a little bit less."

For some time, nobody spoke in the room. Only the soft breathing of Dorian sounded. After several minutes, Kael stepped away from the wall and approached the window. Pressing his palm against the cold glass, he said, looking at me:

"There is one thing that can permanently stabilize the binding. Ritual. It needs a willing sacrifice from someone who is hated by the demon."

His gaze moved to me. I saw the calm, almost kind look of his amber eyes – this was very scary. "Mira is hated most of all, and your blood would bind him for good."

Hearing this, I felt my body tremble. So far, I had given my blood for Cross, cutting my palm for the transfer, bleeding for many days. However, the thought of giving more blood made me feel sick.

Nevertheless, seeing Mira trembling on the floor, her face contorted in pain, hearing Zoe talking to her, and the constant sound coming from Mira, I had no choice but to accept what Kael said.

"Dorian," – after this, Dorian opened his eyes and turned to look at me. Then he tried to wake up, but only shook and lay back. "You heard? Mira needs your blood."

"What?" – he repeated quietly. "She's done enough! She almost died twice yesterday!"

"It is either her or somebody else!" – replied Kael, shrugging. "It would be better if this ritual were done. Mira would live another day."

"You can't ask her to do that!" Jenna said angrily.

"Whoever said I'm asking?" – he looked at Jenna with open palms. "If Arya does not want to help herself – fine. In such a case, Mira will simply pay with her life."

"I..." – however, I felt that I had no choice; this was too important. Standing up with stiffness and feeling pain in my spine, I said: "I'll do this."

"You're sure?" – as I walked to the bed, I heard Dorian calling me.

"She's done enough. You have seen how she suffered today! And yet she still protects us," – turning back, I said to him. "I'll be the sacrifice, since Mira is too innocent for it. Just give me some of my blood..."

"You don't know what might happen."

"Yes, I do."

Vance looked at the pages of the book, moving with a finger from left to right. "This ritual is very dangerous," – he explained. "It's dangerous both for her and for us. If the binding won't accept the sacrifice... Raze may try to possess another person."

Jenna crossed her arms on her chest. "Then we gamble. There's no other way."

Kael grinned. "Of course. This is the most interesting part."

Taking my hand away from Dorian's fingers, I turned back to Vance and said: "Tell me when we can do this."

"Three days are needed. I need some iron, salt, silver, and a piece of the demon's original vessel," – said he, thinking about the ritual and making a list on the page.

"Where to find the vessel?" – asked Zoe.

"Exactly. The girl herself is a vessel now. The ritual requires a piece of her hair and some of her blood."

As Vance explained this, Mira woke up, looking at us with open eyes. "You can... do whatever you need with me. Take everything."

"Shh..." – Zoe stroked Mira's hair and whispered something.

Suddenly, Kael's phone rang in his pocket. Pulling it out of his pocket, he saw the message and smiled grimly, looking at the screen of his phone. "This isn't good. The deadline has changed."

"What?" – looking over his shoulder, I saw a text message saying: "The Commander moved the deadline. 14 days instead of 30. Tell the witch. – Marcus"

"Well," – putting his phone back into the pocket, Kael said, and opened the door. "Now you have two weeks to satisfy his demands, and, at the same time, make this ritual."

After saying this, he turned to me once more. "See you in three days. And try not to die."

Kael left the room and closed the door. The latching of the door was heard in the silence of the room.

Now, I had two things to do: perform the ritual in three days, and somehow pay the debts of the Commander.

Sitting down on the bed next to Dorian, I took his hand again. "First, we should think of this ritual, and then deal with the Commander."

"Okay," he said and put his hand on mine.

Outside, the snow finally stopped falling; pale light of the morning filtered through the window.

Vance took a sheet of paper from the book, and Zoe whispered something to Mira. Sitting next to Dorian, I closed my eyes and prepared myself for the upcoming events.