Exton

The phone rings only twice before it's answered.

"Rowan."

"Magnus. You may want to put this on speaker if there is anyone with you."

"Just Raina. She'll definitely want to know. Just a sec." There is a pause then, "Go ahead."

"The blood in the bottle is infused with some other substance, a most virulent poison. Rats treated with the poison died within six hours of the most hellish agony I have ever witnessed - and I have witnessed much. Further analysis reveals that the poison causes the red blood cells to literally burn up when exposed to oxygen, as when hemoglobin is present. Whoever poisoned him knew that the poison would be intensely painful for a long time before it would prove fatal."

"Fatal?"

"Unfortunately, yes. Has Nekron slept since he was poisoned?"

"Not at all."

"Then the poisoner is both sadistic and subtle. The poison itself cannot kill Nekron, since he is already dead; but if he does not rest, the lack of rest will eventually kill him in and of itself."

"We can't let that happen."

"No drug I am aware of will work on the undead - which makes this poison all the more peculiar. I know something of organic poisons, and I am willing to stake my life that this poison is not indigenous to this area. Nay, I go farther. I do not believe this poison, or the source of it, may be found on this planet. Perhaps some obscure plant from the upper Amazon or such - but I do not believe it."

"How would living beings poisoned with this stuff react?"

"Much as Nekron has, save that I do not believe that they would survive nearly so long. Too, his peculiar lack of pigmentation when he is "vamped out" would be atypical. In his case, one sees a reddish tinge beneath the whiteness; an ordinary human's skin would turn, I fancy, a dirty grey as more erythrocytes were consumed."

There is a crash, as if someone had knocked over a large metal container or tray. "What is that?"

"Just a minute." There is a moment of silence, then Rowan comes back on. "That was Gareth. He was bringing us some drinks, and he dropped the tray."

"That is odd. Elves are generally more graceful than humans. What caused this to happen?"

More silence, then. "Let me put him on. Tell him what you just told me, about the action of the toxin on the living."

I wait, then there is a masculine voice with a Celtic lilt. "Hello? This is Gareth."

"I am called Mortuis. I was telling Rowan just now, that this poison would change the skin tone of the victim to a dirty grey as the symptoms advanced."

Gareth's voice  is hushed and fearful. "Sieur Mortuis, I think I know this poison."

"Then speak, man. Tell me all you know."

"It is a Fae poison we call Bloodbane. It causes many of the same symptoms we have seen in Nick; however, Bloodbane poisoning is accompanied by ashy-grey skin, and this symptom did not manifest itself in Nick. Danu, I should have known!"

"Save recriminations for later. Is there an antidote, and if so, how may we obtain it?"

"There is none." I hear a wail from Raina, but press on.

"Where does this poison originate?"

"It comes from a red flower found only in the Unformed Plane. It is invariably fatal, and for centuries its possession, manufacture, sale or use has been an automatic death sentence in both Courts."

"Can you obtain a sample of this flower? Nekron's life may depend on it."

"I can contact a friend of mine from the Seelie Court. She is Queen Titania's personal envoy, and if anyone can obtain a dispensation to obtain this flower, she can."

"I am not interested in dispensations, young man." There is a warning growl in my voice. "I want that flower, and whether the Queen agrees or not is of no moment to me."

"I will send a message to Inari at once, Sieur Mortuis."

"Thank you. Please put Rowan back on."

"Rowan."

"I will experiment further with this poison to learn what I may, in case Gareth's flower proves to be too difficult to obtain. If there be aught to learn, I shall learn it; however, I think this flower is our best hope. I cannot tell how much the proteins in the blood may have altered the poison before it was ingested, so my results may not be of any practical use."

"Thank you, Magnus. I'll wait to hear from you, and continue treating Nick as I have been."

"That would be wise." The phone is passed to another, and I recognize Raina's voice, thick with grief.

"Save him, Magnus - please, I'll do anything you want, just save him."

"I will save him, Lady Raina, if it be humanly or Otherly possible, not for reward, but because it is the right thing to do. Be of good cheer, lady, and show him a fair face and a smile when he emerges from his fit; it will help more than you know."