Chapter 38

Sookie wakes up disoriented; she has no idea where she is or how she got here.  She tries to move around to investigate her surroundings, but she cannot; her hands and feet are bound by iron shackles.  Fighting the feeling of panic that is rising up, she turns her head to look around.  Besides the bed she is lying on, the only other piece of furniture in the room is a wooden chair.  There are no linens on the bed, and nothing adorns the walls.  Trying to push through the dizziness in her head, Sookie lowers her shields and reaches out with her telepathy.  She can detect nothing other than the feeling of a void somewhere close by…vampire.  The void doesn’t buzz like they normally do when animated, so Sookie can only assume that it is still daylight.

The door to the room flings open, and Neave swaggers in the room.  She grabs the chair and drags it closer to Sookie.  She straddles the chair and folds her arms against the back.  “Are you comfortable, Princess?  I hope the accommodations meet with your standards,” she finishes sarcastically.

“Five-star quality; I’ll be sure to let concierge know that I’ve enjoyed my stay,” Sookie deadpans.

Neave smirks at Sookie, “So brave for one so young.  Too bad your bravery won’t last long.  I shall enjoy listening to your screams, Princess,” Neave says maliciously.

“I’m sorry; you have me at a disadvantage.  You seem to know who I am, but I have no idea who you are,” Sookie says as she tries to probe Neave’s mind with her own.

Neave raises her hand and slaps Sookie across the face.  A trickle of blood appears on the left side of Sookie’s mouth.  Neave snarls at Sookie, “Don’t try your mind tricks on me, Princess; it won’t work.  And as for who I am, all you need to know is that I’m the one responsible for your death.”

***

Godric wakes with a feeling of unease, but does not know why.   He searches his bond with his progeny, but can find nothing amiss.  He tries to search his blood for Sookie, but he cannot feel her.  Given the amount of time since she last took his blood, the distance between them and the forming of her bond with Eric, Godric can no longer feel her.  He hopes that once she and Eric complete the blood bond he will be able to feel an echo of her through the bond with his progeny.  Godric likes feeling Sookie; her presence in his life has given him a new lease on life.  Feeling her emotions has re-energized what had become a stagnant existence for him.  Prior to Sookie’s arrival in his undead life, Godric had felt a sense of ennui. He no longer found enjoyment in this existence and he had seriously contemplated meeting the sun.

Godric sits up on his bed and reaches for the cell phone on the table.  He sees that he has several voice mails and text messages from the same number.  Godric dials the number without reading the texts or listening to the voice mail messages.

“What has happened?” Godric demands once the call connects.

“The farmhouse was attacked after the sun rose this morning.  Gladiola is dead; Fintan is seriously wounded.  They took Sookie,” Niall summarizes wearily for Godric.

“What happened to the enchantments that were in place to keep all those with harmful intentions from entering the house?  What happened to the guards that were stationed at the house?  Who has my daughter?” Godric shouts into the phone.

“The enchantments that placed on the farmhouse were the work of a very powerful coven of witches.  It would have taken the same coven or someone more powerful to remove those enchantments.  Several of the élite royal Fae guards were at the house to help protect them, but there is no sign of them.  I can only assume they were either part of the plot, or they are dead.  There are several dead werewolves at the house.  Diantha said that only one of them escaped.  I have sent my best trackers to find him.  As for who took my great-granddaughter,” Niall stresses his relationship with Sookie, “I do not know.  Diantha knows they are Fae because they teleported away from the house, but she is unfamiliar with them.”

“You assured the Supernatural Council that the hostile threats were eradicated from the Fae realm.  Were you lying to all of us?  Have you knowingly endangered Sookie’s life for your own personal gain?”  Godric knows from previous conversations with Fintan that Niall was not thrilled to learn of his sister’s vision.  Publicly Niall has never questioned The Ancient Pythoness’ prophecy and has worked closely with her to make sure the vampire and Fae races remain at peace.  Privately, Niall has expressed his preference to have all those with the essential spark return to the Fae realm.  While Niall is not against the Fae breeding with humans, the high concentration of iron in this world is affecting the Fae’s ability to reproduce.  Returning to the Fae realm would remove the interference of iron.  Godric does not know how much of the prophecy Niall was aware of prior to Adele’s passing, but Godric found it suspicious at the funeral how accepting Niall was of Sookie’s relationship with Eric.  After all, a fertile, female member of the royal bloodline will not have a Fae mate.  She will not ascend to the throne in the Fae realm, and the likelihood of her having children is almost nonexistent.

“Do not take your anger out on me vampire,” Niall commands coldly.  “I could end your undead existence in an instant if I so choose, regardless of who you are.  I am not answerable to you; do not question me again.  I am just as desperate to find Sookie as you; I want the heads of those that have attacked my family.  I will do everything in my power to see that justice is delivered.  I will be in touch if we find something.”  With that the connection ends.  It takes all of Godric’s two thousand plus years of training to keep from hurling his phone through the nearest wall.  Instead he dials the number for his day man.

David answers promptly. “Good afternoon, Sir.  How may I be of assistance?”

“David, I need you to arrange light-tight transportation for me to Jackson immediately.  Sookie has been taken.  I don’t know by whom; the only clue I have is Jackson, Mississippi.  Call Russell’s day person and update him on the situation.  I need permission from Russell to hunt in his territory.”  As Godric is speaking to David, he wheels a black carry-on suitcase out of his closet.  This bag is packed at all times; it is Godric’s emergency plan.  The bag has several nondescript outfits, over a hundred thousand dollars in cash, and several types of identification all in different identities.  Godric pulls a matching suitcase out of the closet and places it near the door of his chamber with the other case.  This case is not something that the typical traveler would carry with them; inside is an assortment of knives (silver, iron, and steel), guns (ammunition is wooden, silver, and regular), silver chains, stakes, and various smaller weapons designed to inflict the greatest amount of damage to an opponent.

“I am returning to your home immediately, Sir.  I should be there within ten minutes.  If you get in your travel coffin, I can transport you to the airport.  I will arrange for the private jet to be fueled and ready for takeoff within the hour, ninety minutes at the most.  Do you know who has taken Miss Sookie?” David is concerned.  He has seen Sookie grow from a child to the woman she is today; he views her as a member of his family.

“I do not David.  And before you ask, yes you are coming with me.  I need someone I can trust during the day.  I do not know what we will find in Jackson,” Godric says with a trace of fear in his voice.  Godric has seen all manners of imprisonment and torture in his time on this Earth; he fears for his beloved daughter.

***

Eric’s eyes snap open and he bellows in agony.  It feels as if has been beaten with silver chains; his entire body aches with pain and he feels as if he is suffocating, which makes no sense as he has no need to breathe.  Quickly inspecting his body, Eric sees no visible injuries to his body and can smell no blood.  If the pain is not due to any injuries he has suffered, then that means it is coming through one of his bonds.

Godric…Pam…Sookie.

Eric panics as he tries to find where the pain is coming from.  He wishes for none of those he loves to be in pain, but he prays to his long-forgotten Gods that the pain is coming from either Godric or Pam.  Both of them have experienced pain like this before, and given their vampire nature, they will both recover in time.  If it still beat, his heart would have stopped when Eric realizes the pain is coming from Sookie.  Eric falls to the ground as bone-breaking pain steams through the bond.  He writhes on the floor in agony for several seconds and then everything vanishes; he can feel nothing from Sookie through the bond.

“SOOKIE!!!!”  Eric screams in horror.  It’s as if she is gone.  Eric frantically searches the bond trying to find her.  He relaxes slightly when he realizes she is still alive, small comfort that it may be.  In the bond she seems hazy, not the normal sensation he feels when she is sleeping.  It’s like she is anesthetized or under the influence of magic.

Eric’s phone rings shrilly in the room.  He rises on unsteady legs to stumble back to his bed.  He sits gingerly down as he puts the phone to his ear.

“Master, what has happened?” Eric is incredulous.  “I can feel Sookie is in pain, but I do not feel her as clearly as I normally do.  Something is very wrong,” Eric says in an anguished voice.  Bloody tears fall unimpeded from his face and stain the sheets and floor around him.

“The farmhouse was attacked earlier today; Fintan was wounded and Sookie was taken.  I do not know who has her.  My flight is ready to take off, but I felt your distress and wanted to call you first.  I’m heading to Jackson; it’s the only lead we have.  I do not know who we can trust, my son,” Godric says worriedly.  “There are too many variables here I cannot account for.  We must tread carefully Eric,” Godric cautions.

“Fuck caution, Godric.  I will burn the state to the ground if that is what it takes to find Sookie.  I will destroy any that have harmed her,” Eric snarls to the ground.  His voice breaks as he continues. “If I lose her…”

“Do not think of that, my child.  We will find her,” Godric vows.

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