GAME ON - GoM 2

9

Claire looked up from her tea when the fresh wave of energy reached her. Surely Thames was doing some sort of channeling in Alex's room. It was the same kind of energy the girl had felt at the clearing, but this time it didn't mean any righteous smiting. It felt so warm and comforting as it filled the house, that pushed quiet tears down her cheeks. It had to work. No wound, no matter how deep, could fight such a loving nursing.

She heard Father Jason's truck parking outside the house and went to the front door, trying not to cry and giggle at the same time. The priest came in with a duffel bag and paused, hesitating. Only then did Claire notice the golden glow showing from the bedrooms hall.

She giggled, wiping up her tears, and led him to the kitchen. Father Jason followed her, still looking at the hall.

"If we were to make a list of all the unbelievable things we've witnessed in a short week," he muttered.

"It'd take us years." Claire smiled, waving for him to sit down. "A tea?"

"Yes, thanks. How's Alex, Claire?"

"Well, all these fireworks are Gregory healing her, Father. Because she was in bad shape. Really bad. Guess our ordinary minds can't even begin to imagine what it's like, being captured by such a powerful and vicious douchebag."

"So you don't know what happened to her."

"No, and to be honest, I don't want to, either. I can tell you what happened in the clearing when we were there. But I have no idea what happened before that."

"Those lights in the sky. Green, white, red, gold... Was it Father Gregory?"

"No, it was Alex."

Father Jason took a moment to digest the information. "Oh... Dave Graham asked me about them. Looks like the whole town called the police station asking about it."

Claire frowned. She'd just realized that none of them had wasted a single moment thinking how they would explain all the weird things that had happened over the last week. "And what did he say?"

Father Jason shrugged. "He told them that sure this city-weirdo Markus was throwing such an over-the-top party that he'd rented searchlights like the ones they use at airports."

"Color searchlights!" The girl laughed out loud. Way louder than necessary. And tears ran down her face again. Damned Thames. Whatever he was doing, it still affected her.

Father Jason winked at her and sipped his tea. "Color searchlights."

Tom kept his eyes shut because the light filling Alex's room was too bright. When it waned, he risked a glance. Thames sat up. His hands still glowed when he moved them away from Alex, and his eyes were still full of light when he closed them. Tom felt that Alex relaxed in his arms. A soft sigh escaped her lips and her eyelids came down at last. Thames grabbed the bed headboard to stand up, drained, and Tom looked up at him.

"She's clean," Thames said. "Whatever mark Askaroth had made on her, it was all washed away when she channeled."

"You mean...?" Tom trailed off, incapable of uttering the words.

"Yes. She's completely clean." Thames knew what he meant because it was his own worst fear too: Askaroth's spawn rooting in Alex's womb.

Tom let out a shaky sigh and noticed that Alex was sound asleep. Thames tried to smile.

"I don't know how long she's gonna sleep, Tom. It may take her a couple of days to wake up."

Tom only nods, closing his eyes with his lips against Alex's forehead.

"I'm gonna..."

Thames trailed off. Such a waste of time, trying to say anything. Tom couldn't care less about him. So he begged his legs to bear a little longer, and his feet to take him out of the room.

Lucky him, Claire and Father Jason waited for him at the living room. They helped him to the couch, put a mug of herbs tea in his hands and granted him a little break. But soon Claire sent him to take a shower.

"And don't take long. I already fixed an ointment for your burns. And I don't care if your holy blood will have your skin looking like a baby's in a couple of days like nothing happened. You're gonna let me take care of you, 'cause you can't go around like this, looking like a crispy popcorn."

Thames turned to his fellow priest for help. But Father Jason was too amused by Claire quick chatter.

"And I'm gonna need a gallon of speedwell." She huffed. "Al's channeling and Gregory's healing work are the worse sugar rush I ever had."