Subj: The Scent of Lilacs No More, Chapter 7
Date: 6/11/99 6:10:32 PM Central Daylight Time
From: Beverly LaCroix
The Act of David
Roxanne was fuming! Sebastian had never seen her like this. He was frightened more than just a little. She had sent him to find Barnabas, and follow him to find his resting place. Roxanne wanted him to destroy Barnabas at sunrise. Inside his overcoat was a wooden stake and a mallet. He hated Roxanne, he didn't care about Barnabas except he was responsible for Roxanne being loosed on humanity. The bond that connected him to Roxanne couldn't be broken, he had tried. On more than one occasion he had tried to destroy her, but couldn't. It was raining so hard he could barely see, and the wind wasn't helping. It was almost if a hurricane was right off the coast, but he knew it wasn't hurricane season. He was going to have to stop until the weather settled down. He pulled his car over, and the scent of lilacs filled the car, and he couldn't breathe, his world embraced darkness, darker than he had ever known.
David didn't understand what Quentin meant by Barnabas caused his sickness, and Roxanne was a person who saw into the future, so how could she be like Barnabas. Quentin was wrong. He had to be. Barnabas still hadn't seen him, so he just stood there, and strained to understand what was being said. Barnabas seemed to ignore the comment Quentin made concerning him.
Quentin appeared to be moving uncontrollably, and Barnabas had him in an iron-grip, and David watched with horror as Barnabas seemed to take Quentin's wrist, and it looked like fangs -- David was more frightened than he had ever been -- no, there was one other time he had had a dream about Barnabas coming after him, he was larger than life and he had fangs! David couldn't move, Barnabas had started to sink the fangs into Quentin's wrist, and David was assaulted by the scent of lilacs, and he felt a sinking feeling in his stomach He knew Daphne was in the room, and she was very angry at him, and at Quentin. David saw the glint of silver and on the other side of the room he saw Daphne moving slowly towards Quentin, a bouquet of lilacs in one hand, and a sharp hunter's knife, glinting silver in the other. Was she going to kill Quentin? David wondered, then he saw what she was doing.
Looking back at the scene of Barnabas just sinking his fangs into Quentin's wrist, Quentin seemed to quite down, and now he was thrashing all over the bed, and Barnabas was holding his arm tightly. Quentin was choking from the smell of lilacs, and David saw Daphne begin to throw the deadly dagger, and he was shocked out of his paralysis as he saw what was about to happen, and he ran towards Barnabas yelling NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!
Barnabas immediately disengaged his fangs from Quentin, and looked at the boy, David had a glimpse of Barnabas' fangs dripping blood, and his eyes were flickering red and black. Barnabas thought David was trying to stop him, when David was in front of Barnabas, between the dying man on the bed, and Barnabas reached out for David, when David fell. Barnabas hadn't smelled the lilacs nor seen the ghost. Everything happened so fast it was when David fell against him he saw the knife protruding just above his heart. Cradling David in his arms, he noted the blood was gushing from the wound, and also noted that Quentin had stopped choking.
"David, why?" Barnabas asked him softly.
"She wanted to kill you, so you wouldn't help Quentin. She's gone now, the scent of lilacs are no more. Barnabas, there's blood on your face. What were you doing to Quentin?" David said haltingly, gasping trying to stay conscious.
Barnabas saw David close his eyes, and said, "David you are a very fine and brave young man. Joshua Collins would have been proud to have had you for his son." Barnabas said as a blood tear slipped down his cheek.
To be continued...