is standing now, holding her hands up in defeat. She says, “OK. You win, Nathan. No more.” She looks at the groaning bodies on the ground, saying, “Though I still think they’ve improved.”
“Yeah, against anyone normal they’d be lethal.”
The voice comes from the trees and I look over and Nesbitt is there, grinning at me.
Blood Lust
The beautiful blonde Black Witch lights her cigarette and then throws the lighter to me. It’s good to have a cigarette now and again, especially one of hers. The smoke I inhale is deliciously thick, with the flavor of blueberries, and I blow out a long plume of heavy violet smoke and watch it hover above my head and fade to nothing. I didn’t use to trust Van enough to smoke her stuff, but these are no stronger than tobacco and taste better.
Van says, “I believe you attacked a group of Hunters, Nathan.”
“They’re the enemy. Isn’t that what we’re supposed to do?”
“You’re supposed to follow orders. There were no orders to attack.”
“I stumbled across them. Seemed like a good opportunity. I didn’t have time to get permission.”
“You know you wouldn’t have got permission if you’d sought it.”
We’re sitting in the center of the new Camp Three with Nesbitt, Gabriel, and Greatorex. Van’s an expert at potions and I assume she’s here to mix up a truth potion for Donna, though so far there’s been no mention of that and the conversation is more on me.
Van continues. “You risk your life and the lives of others for a few Hunters. Your attacks do little but satisfy your lust for blood.”
“Nothing’ll satisfy that,” Nesbitt mutters from behind.
“I took a risk and it paid off.”
“We’d rather you didn’t take the risk.”
“We all risk being killed at any time. We might all be dead by this time tomorrow. If I choose to attack some of them, that’s up to me.”
Van shakes her head and looks to Gabriel. He says, “Nathan takes calculated risks and wouldn’t endanger anyone else.” And somehow it feels worse that he’s covering for me when I know he doesn’t approve of my attacks.
“Well, calculated or not,” continues Van, “if they carry on, the likelihood is that you will get killed, Nathan. And we need you for a bigger purpose.”
“Yeah?” I say. So maybe this is the real point of her visit.
“The longer the war goes on, the stronger Soul gets. He is drawing more White Witch councils from Europe under his influence. We’re still trying to recruit from all sections of the witch community, but after our defeat at Bialowieza—well, it’s hard.” She glances at me and draws heavily on her cigarette before blowing out a stream of lilac smoke. “And there’s another factor holding people back. They don’t see the point in joining the fight when they believe you’ll kill Soul in any case. Rumors are circulating that some witches have had visions of you doing that. Personally, I’m not sure if they’re visions or desperate hopes. But everyone knows that you took your father’s Gifts.”
“So it’s all down to me? Is that what you believe too, Van?”
“If you do have your father’s Gifts and can control them, then you are stronger than Soul.”
“Soul alone,” I say. “Not Soul and hundreds of Hunters.”
“Soul knows you’re the last real threat to him,” says Nesbitt. “That’s why he’s sending messages out about the amnesty. Not that anyone believes he’d stick to his promises.”
“What amnesty?” I ask.
Nesbitt grins. “You haven’t heard? Anyone would think you’ve been living under a stone, mate.”
Van says, “Two weeks ago, Soul announced an amnesty for everyone in the Alliance and that all Alliance prisoners will be released—if we hand you over to him.”
“It’s a tempting offer,” Nesbitt adds. “But I’ve told everyone that if they give you up I’ll never speak to them again. That seems to have deterred them so far.”
There was a time, years ago, when Celia wouldn’t have thought twice about killing me or letting me die, but now I know she’d never do that. There was also a time when Nesbitt’s comment would have annoyed me. Now I blow smoke rings.
One of the trainees mutters something about the conditions the prisoners are kept in. I realize then that all the trainees are standing round, listening in. I wonder how many of them would like to hand me over in exchange for an amnesty.
Nesbitt has heard the comment too and he looks over at the trainees and then says loud enough for all to hear, “Course you could give