Sui Generis – 16

 

"I'm not quite as poor as I've made it out I am," Brand said. "The homeless gig just gave me a reason to be hanging around on the streets."

"Ah ha. So while I've been busting my ass making enough money to pay the rent on this place, you could have afforded a much nicer one for us. And—" Mag shook his head disgustedly, "—paid our tuition at a real college."

"We're at a real college—well, trade school. And why pay for it when we got in on need scholarships because we're smart and passed our GED tests with flying colors?"

"Because?"

"That's not an answer. And I don't have that kind of money. Even if I did, how would I have explained it to you when I was supposed to be down and out the same way you are? Were."

"Well…"

"Exactly."

"Gentlemen," Antton said, "all this is fine and dandy and interesting, but it's not getting us where we need to be at the moment, which is finding out just what Fedor did to you, Brand, and figuring out how to do something permanent about him."

"Do I have to tell you what he did?" Brand asked, shuddering. "Isn't it enough to know that he changed me? Can't we leave it at that?"

"Yes," Mag said, taking Brand's hand to stop his pacing.

"No," Antton replied at the same time. "In order to know what he thought he was creating, I need to know how he went about it."

"That's simple enough," Brand said bitterly. "He broke me. He tore me down—tore me apart—until I was nearly insane and close to death. Then he gave me blood—not his blood, not vampire blood. That would have killed me, since I'm half vampire."

Antton shook his head. "If you're going to say what I think you are, our blood would have killed you just as quickly."

"So you'd think, but he was clever. He did it slowly, very slowly. First, he mixed in minute quantities with my food, once he allowed me to eat again. Then when I didn't get sick or die, he increased the dosages, as he explained to me at one point."

"I thought… I mean, the legends say that it's the bite of a werewolf that turns a human into one, not their blood," Mag commented.

"True enough," Antton agreed. He looked at Brand thoughtfully. "You're half human. I'm surprised he didn't try that first."

"He told me, in one of his bragging moments, that he did with another dhampir he had… had experimented on. The dhampir's blood killed the werewolf and did nothing to change Fedor's victim. Go figure."

"Possible I suppose, as vampires and werewolves are not compatible in more ways than you might think." Antton chuckled. "Still, there is a Serbian myth that when a werewolf dies, he becomes a vampire. I've never seen any proof of that."

"Well, when it comes down to it," Mag pointed out, "until today, I never saw any proof either species even existed outside of books and movies. Obviously, that's not true."

"Agreed." Antton smiled dryly. "We have to keep our existence hidden if we're going to survive. That's neither here nor there at the moment, however. What is, is what Fedor did to Brand. I would take it that he wasn't successful? That you can't find a werewolf the way you can a vampire."

"I'd say that's a given, since I didn't know what you were until Mag told me," Brand agreed. "Still, who knows if it would have been possible for me to tell in time, if I hadn't managed to escape before he finished his experimenting?"

"How did you do that?"

"Luck and determination." Brand sat, finally, staring down at his hands. "He kept me in a cell, chained up at first, except when… when he… he let his men use me." He glanced at Mag for a second. "You were half right, although he didn't sell me to customers. He just used that as a way to break me. That, starvation, taunts, threats—you name it. He's a master at torture, without leaving marks except—" he tapped his forehead, "—in here."

When Mag took a step toward Brand, looking as if he wanted to hold or console him, Brand said, "Don't. I'm… I can't get this out if you try to make me feel… if you feel sorry for me and…"

"I understand," Mag replied softly, taking a seat in the chair opposite the sofa.