By the time she'd finished, Custodians had appeared, wearing large silver tanks on their backs like something out of an old sci-fi movie.
"What are those for?" I asked Michael.
"Quicksilver."
"I can't believe they have that much of it," Elyssa said as she came to stand next to us.
"This is probably all of it," Michael said. "Nobody knows how to make it anymore, or where to find the ingredients."
I remembered the stuff. Underborn had used it after Brad Nichols and his infected group of vampires had tried to kill me at my school. "Is there any other way to prevent the spread of infection?" I asked.
"Fire works, to a degree." Michael shrugged. "But quicksilver is far more effective."
A great idea occurred to me. "What if we injected Felicia with it? Would it cure the virus?"
He raised an eyebrow. "It'd kill her. Back in the day, before we used non-lethal methods, Templars used to dip their arrows in quicksilver to take out vamplings and vampires alike." Michael grunted. "Dhampyrs have some protection thanks to their human side, but it wouldn't be pretty."
A Custodian administered a shimmering squirt of quicksilver on a puddle of blood. The mercurial substance flashed through the dark liquid, following the streams and tendrils wherever it had leaked, leaving behind bright crimson.
I looked at the sticky red mess on my hands and clothes. "What about the blood on us?"
Elyssa motioned to a nearby Custodian and took a small spray bottle from him. "Hold out your hands. This is a diluted potion, but it'll still sting."
She sprayed a tiny amount into each of my palms. Silvery lightning burned its way across my skin, jumping the patches clean of blood, reaching every little splotch. Clenching my teeth, I watched it devour the dark infection along my arms, leaving behind red, irritated skin and clean blood. Hands balled into fists, I endured the brief pain as it seared across my face and neck.
"Wow, that hurt."
Elyssa gave me a sympathetic look. "You look like death incarnate."
"I feel like poop."
Each of the others used the potion to clean their skin. Michael, stoic as usual, didn't so much as flinch as the diluted solution disinfected his few patches of exposed skin and his uniform.
Meghan motioned to Adam. "I used a sleeping beauty spell on Felicia. It will slow the infection, but not stop it."
The tall Arcane knelt and picked up his sister, cradling her limp form to his chest.
"Let's move out," Fausta said after giving the Custodians a heads-up about the mess I'd left downstairs. She gave Felicia's limp form a concerned look and put a hand on Adam's arm. "You realize, if she turns vampling, we'll have to put her down, right?"
"I know," Adam said, voice rough. "So kindly shut up and get the hell out of my way."
Fausta raised her hands and stepped aside. "Put her someplace secure. I won't risk her infecting anyone else."
After negotiating bodies, blood, and a small army of Custodians as they cleaned up the aftermath of the bloodbath, we emerged outside into the breaking dawn. We were taken into private tents, provided fresh clothes, and given one more burning spray of quicksilver to be sure before they cleared us to leave.
Fausta came out of a tent near mine. She offered me one of her rare smiles and handed me a key. "Christian promoted me to Lieutenant."
"Congrats!" I said, unsure if I should try to hug her, or if that would lead to a swift disembowelment.
"I am the youngest female to ever hold this rank." She sighed. "Everyone had thought Elyssa would be the first. And then you came along."
My heart sank. "Just when I think you're not a bitch, you go and say something like that."
Fausta shrugged. "I don't avoid the truth."
"Yeah, but you could have some tact." I held up the key. "So why did you give me this?"
"It goes to my new quarters—a private cabin at the compound. But I can wait before moving in." She laid a hand on my shoulder. "There's more to you than meets the eye. When I first met you, I thought you were soft and weak, not to mention an untrustworthy demon spawn."
I raised an eyebrow. "Why didn't you just say all that with flowers?"
Her hand dropped and she gave me a genuine smile. Her resemblance to Elyssa was uncanny, despite her larger nose. "Enjoy the cabin. Just wash the sheets before you leave."
I groaned. "Don't take this the wrong way, Fausta,