"For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised…and we shall be changed."

"For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised…and we shall be changed." I Corinthians 15:52

The clamor at the door sounded like the end of the world. Alcide jumped up and growled and Len took a similar posture. I went to the door and looked out of the peephole. Eric and Nora and Pam and Jessica were at the door. Eric had something bloody wrapped in a sheet over his shoulder. I opened the door.

"Invite us in, hurry, for the love of God," he said. Hearing Eric evoke the creator frightened me a little and I invited them in and Eric stepped in and then crouched down and laid the thing in the red sheet on the wooden floor. He unwrapped it. It was Bill. "Can you help him?" he asked.
"I don't know," I said. Bill was bound magikally but he was fighting it. "Bill?" He looked at me and hissed.
"Can't you take him to that place in Faery, the pool you bathed me in when I was berserked by Edgington?" asked Eric.
"We had the permission of Niall Brigant, but I don't know if he will let us take Bill to the Water of Life," I said.
"Please Aslinn, we need to help him," said Jessica.
"Come on, let's get him into the magik room," I said. Aolani went ahead of us and Renee trailed behind. Pam and Tara and Jessica and Nora followed him as he carried Bill into the magik room. I went to the door and knocked. It seemed to take forever though it was only a few seconds and finally the door opened. Niall looked as he always did, dressed in his customary black and his long blond white hair was smooth and his delicately lined but beautiful face was calm. “Niall, we need your help.”
“What has happened to him?” asked the faery. “He smells bad.”
“It’s Bill, Niall, he has drunk something that has made him…wrong. Jessica cast a binding spell on him but he needs the Water of Life,” I said. He looked coldly at Bill, his head hanging limply over Eric’s arm the sodden and bloody sheet dripping.
“Please,” said Eric quietly. The faery looked up into Eric’s face.
“Come,” he said. He turned back to the door and opened it and Renee, Aolani and I led the way for Eric. “You ladies must stay here.”
“We need Jessica,” I said. “She is our fourth.” Niall looked at her.
“Young woman, you are admonished from biting anyone or anything in my world,” he said sternly. “Aslinn, you and your friends will likely be shut out after this, I have endangered my kind too often for Vampires.”

“I understand,” I said. He led us through what must be his office and through another door. It was night in Faery and the night skies were way different in Faery than in Humanity. Remember the way the night skies seemed to Tara? Triple that to the 10^th degree. Though the day hours in Faery did not burn Vampires, I was still happy it was dark. I hated the way Bill looked. He was monstrous. We followed Niall along a tree lined path and came to the pool where we had baptized Eric. Eric stepped into the water to his chest. Bill was laying there passively as though asleep.

“So what do we do now?” asked Jessica.
“We pray,” said Aolani. “And bathe Bill in the water. We have to get that sheet off him.” Eric held Bill out and we pulled the sopping sheet from him. I wadded it up and tossed it to the ground away from Niall and Eric turned Bill so his head was against his chest and his legs and torso floated free.
“I don’t believe in God though,” said Jessica.
“Well, call upon the elements,” said Aolani. We began to splash the faery water onto Bill’s chest and Eric was even scooping up water in his hand and pouring it on Bill’s face and wiping at it with his palms. His fangs looked huge and leonine and his eyes rolled around and his lips were a snarl.

We began to say our prayers, the same prayers we said over Eric. Eric’s lips were moving but I could not hear what he was saying or who he was praying to. Jessica was calling for the healing elements of the earth, air, fire and water to come and heal her maker.

“Freaks, abominations, witches,” he growled, his usually soft southern voice so smooth and comforting sounded like sharp gravels in his throat. “Take you hands off me you filthy bitch!” he said, as I stroked the blood and mess off his face and neck. I took his hand and whispered: “Let my cry come unto thee Oh Lord of Hosts,” in response to his curse.
“Eric, lower him into the water all the way, let’s get more of this off him,” said Aolani. He pulled Bill into the water and he thrashed around a little and tried to get away but Eric held him fast. We worked, rubbing the material and blood off his skin, out of his hair and Eric pulled him back up and he sputtered choking up the water. Bill could not drown, but he could not consume the water. He seemed to be sick on the cleansing water. Renee wiped the water from his face and eyes, getting rid of the gunk.
“Bill, please come back, please,” wept Renee. “Please, we love you.”

Bill began to shiver and seize. “Jessica, grab him and hold his ankles.” Bill’s body arched and he screamed. Suddenly, a light began to emanate from his body. Eric maintained a hold on him and Jessica struggled with the kicking of his legs. Suddenly he went silent and slid almost completely under the water. He was calm, and his features were calm and he looked relaxed, as though he was sleeping. Eric looked around. “We have company.” We looked around. There were fae all around us. Some were coming out of the water and stepping up on the bank.

“Niall, why have done this?” asked a Faery woman standing by him.
“They are my friends and I want to help them,” said Niall.
“That Vampire is very sick,” said the woman. “He is very wrong, even more so than most Vampires.”
“Will he be well Niall?” asked a male Faery.
“I don’t know, perhaps for a while, perhaps not at all. You must go now and I must close the portal between us,” said Niall. I nodded. I suspected this would be the case. Eric pulled Bill up and slung him over his shoulder and stepped out of the pond. We followed him and the Fae backed up.
“Thank you Niall,” said Eric. “I am in your debt.”
“Go now and be well,” said Niall.

When we stepped through the magik door, it disappeared. We did not have time to brood about that, we led Eric into Bill’s room. Minnie saw us and hurried ahead of us. She pulled the blanket and sheet down and Aolani put a thick towel down under him and he laid Bill on the bed. Renee got us some towels and we began to dry Bill off. The rest of the group joined us. “Will he be okay now?” asked Barrister. “Is it safe to have him here?”
“I want to secure Bill to the bed with silver chains,” said Eric. “Dress him and wrap towels around his waist and arms and legs until we know for sure.” Minnie went through Bill’s dresser and got him a Henley and some lounge pants.
“Alcide, under the sink is a roll of duct tape,” I said. Eric brought out a large canvas sack of silver chains. He was slipping on a pair of leather gloves. Renee and Minnie and Aolani and I were dressing him. Len and Barrister were folding the towels around the silver chains and Alcide was taping them up with duct tape. Eric pulled out locks made of silver and opened them. We chained Bill to the bed and secured them with the silver locks. He looked like he was asleep. Renee and I pulled the sheets and the blankets around him and Renee stroked his hair. “There is Tru:Blood in the fridge so you guys can eat.”
“Have you eaten anything?” asked Eric.
“Yeah, Spookie Tooth brought us some lasagna,” I said.
“You and Renee should rest,” said Eric.
“We will,” I said, lying to the Viking. “Where will Nora be sleeping?”
“She can have my room, I will go to my rest with Minnie,” said Eric.
“Alcide, it is time to put the storm blinds up,” said Pam. “It will make the whole building light tight.”
“Anything else?” asked Alcide, sullenly.
“Adjust your attitude,” said Pam.
“Take it easy. Be nice,” I said. I put my hand on Bill’s head. It was warm. “Jessica, can you get me the thermometer?” She went into Bill’s room and came back with an oral thermometer. I put it in Bill’s mouth. I was relieved Bill’s fangs retracted. I held his mouth shut around the thermometer. I waited a few minutes and then took it out. Bill had a little bit of a temperature. “Jessica, get a spoonful of feverfew and grind it up and boil it in some water and when it has steeped for about 10 minutes, bring it back with some clean towels.”
“Is it like the Death’s Door?” asked Jessica.
“No, it is like a normal fever, well, normal for you guys,” I said. She went to get the feverfew out of the magikal cabinet and make the tea.

Eric went out and Nora came in. “Why do you care? Witches hate Vampires,” she said I her clipped British voice.
“Not us,” I said, stroking Bill’s hair. Renee was sitting by his bed, holding his elegant hand hers. “Your brother is my best friend and this Vampire is my lover.”
“But you are married to a human man,” she said. “Pam told me.”
“Yes, and he is Jessica’s lover,” I said. “I’m sorry, Nora, I would be all for a session of twenty questions with you, but I am not in the mood right now.”
“Sorry,” she said.
“I am sorry,” I said. “I am just worried about Bill.”
“Can I help in anyway?” she asked.
“No, thank you,” I said. Eric came back in.
“Nora, Minnie will show you where you are sleeping. There are some clothes there and she is heating you some blood. Eat something before you to ground.” Nora nodded and walked away. “You have to be patient with Nora, she has been out of the outside world for a very long time. She has also of course been subject to that blood,” said Eric.
“I understand,” I said. Aolani came back in. She handed Eric a Tru:Blood and he kissed her and put his arm around her shoulders. He sipped the blood.
“How much of this do you have?” he asked.
“Practically an ocean of it,” I said. “We have been stealing, mostly from Bill but from bars and other establishments that sell Tru:Blood. It will last a while if you guys will be careful to ration.”
“We can do that,” said Eric. “We will hunt too, but you needn’t worry, we won’t kill anyone.”
“I know you won’t,” I said. “Renee, I will let you have the first watch and then I will take the second.”
“Minnie and I will take a watch too,” said Aolani. Minnie nodded emphatically.
“Okay,” I said. Jessica came in with a ceramic bowl of water and Tara followed with a stack of towels. Jessica sat the bowl on the side table and Tara handed me the stack of towels. Renee took them and handed me one and I soaked it in the greenish grey water and wrung it out. I handed it to Renee. “Do his face, just wipe him down.” Renee nodded and she began to wipe him down.
“Go on to bed guys, we got this,” I said. “And thanks everyone.”
“You think he will be okay?” asked Tara.
“I hope so,” I said. “We will know more when he wakes up.”

Bill slept for two days. He did not move and the only thing we knew for sure was he was alive, a relative term for Vampires, but he had not reverted back to a pile of goo, so we had to assume he would wake. He would wake and either be mad and unreachable, or he would be back to his self if a little confused. I was there when he turned his head and looked at me. I saw the movement over my book as I read quietly at his bedside, my itty bitty book light shining blue white light on the page.

“Aslinn,” he whispered. I put my book down and leaned forward.
“How are you Bill?” I asked.
“Confused, scared. What happened? How did I get here?” he asked.
“Do you remember everything?” I asked. He swallowed and nodded. He shifted a little in bed and realized he was chained to the bed with silver.
“Was I dangerous?” he asked.
“Only to yourself,” I said. “We don’t know how long this…lucidity…will last.” I put my hand on his head and he was back to his same cool self.
“Then you should give me the true death,” he said.
“Nope, it’s not as simple as that,” I said. “Are you hungry?” He nodded. “I will get you some Tru:Blood.”

 I got up and went out. Eric and Nora and Tara and Pam were there as was Alcide and Diantha and the rest of us. We were all tired. The Vampires were suffering from cabin fever and Eric and Nora bickered on and off. Pam was embroidering an elaborate table cloth with no design imprinted on it. It was beautiful thing, full of amazing things from the Vampire’s imagination. I went to heat up and Tru:Blood and Renee came over. Eric stood and followed her. “He’s awake, he is oriented to time and place and he has his memory intact and he spoke to me gently. He is hungry. Let me bring him some blood and then you can go see him Renee.” Renee nodded.

“Don’t free him yet Aslinn, we don’t know how he will react if he is free and refuse him even if he begs you,” said Eric.
“I promise, Eric,” I said. When the blood went off in the microwave, I grabbed it and a straw and went back to the room. Bill was still awake.

“Can you undo my chains?” he asked.
“No, I can’t,” I said. “Let me prop you up a little so you can drink this.” I set the blood on the table and went to him. He raised his head and shoulders as he high as he could and I pulled up the pillows and helped him squirm up a little. I sat on the edge of the bed and held the bottle and the straw. He sipped some and made a face, grimacing. “That good huh?”
“Can I drink some of your blood?” he asked.
“Better not, not just yet, you have been living on human blood for a long while, so synthetic blood tastes bad to you. Eric and Nora had the same problem. Just keep drinking,” I said. He wrapped his lips around the straw and drank more. He made another face.
“Nora and Eric escaped?” he asked.
“Yes, as did Pam and Jessica,” I said.
“And Sookie?” he asked.
“Sookie is fine, she got away,” I said.
“Thank Lilith,” he said. He looked at me. “You don’t like that do you?”

“Bill you can worship any god you like so long as you are reasonable and don’t think I am the scum of the earth or food and nothing more,” I said. He looked at me. “And I am not a filthy bitch, by the way.”
“But you are human and a witch, and the book of Lilith says you are not worthy of the blood,” he said, calmly.
“Yeah, and you are a blood drinking demon of the first order cursed by God and will never see paradise when the Rapture really comes,” I said. “Drink.” I pressed the straw toward his mouth. He looked at me as I fed him his blood. When he finished the bottle he looked at me.
“If you really think that of me, why don’t you give me the true death?” he asked.
“Because I have something I want to show you,” I said. I went to his bureau and picked up two books. “This is the Book of Lilith. Do you know how old this book is?”
“More than five thousand years old,” said Bill.
“Nope, not even close. It is about 200 years old, and it was written by a degenerate old Vampire who spent his time drinking the blood of morphine addicts in the opium dens all over the world,” I said. “Now, do you know what this book is?” Bill shook his head. “This is the Blood Bible. Eric gave it to me to read. It is quite something. Martin De Haave and I spoke of it. He told me this book was over 4000 years old. It tells quite a different story of the creation of Vampires and their relationship to God and to us and how they came to be. Lilith is the mother, you are quite right, but she wanted peace for the children of day and the children of night. When you get to feeling better, I want you to read it.”
“You want to convert me?” he said, lowering his eyes and glowering at me.
“Bill, if I wanted to convert you, I would try to convert you to the Catholic Church. No, I don’t want to convert you. But I had a wonderful priest once. He told me to beware the man of one book. Consider this book as another point of view about the god of the Vampires,” I said. “Renee wants to see you. She is very fragile. She will likely be upset as it is. Please do not upset her anymore. And do not ask her for blood.”

“You have no right,” he said.
“I certainly do have the right. Right now, you are a guest in this human habitation. If you go against the rules of this house, you will be put out. Eric will probably want to stake you if you do,” I said. “Do we understand one another?”
“Yes,” he said. “I thought you loved me.”
“I do, Bill, this is tough love,” I said. I got up and took the bottle with me. “Be nice to Renee, she loves you.”
“I will try,” he said. I leaned over the bed.
“You do more than try, Bill. I don’t get you. You are so steady and so reasonable. You are smart Bill. Think about it. This only happened when you drank the blood. Otherwise, you don’t see Lilith here,” I said, motioning to the room.

“Do you see Mary here?” he asked.
“No, not physically, but I know she is here,” I said.
“Then Lilith is here with me too,” he said.
“I give you that,” I said. “Bill, listen to me. No god takes your will away, no god leaves you without choices. You have free will to be a believer and treat all living things as brothers and sisters or you can be an animal.”
“Your god has fought wars,” he said.
“No, he hasn’t, religions fight wars. And believe me, my god is no more impressed with his human representatives on earth that your god is with her representatives. Think about Godric, Bill. He was 2000 years old and he was…amazing. He was so disappointed in Eric. You want to evolve? Evolve to peace and happiness and love,” I said.
“And what if I can’t love you, any of you?” he asked.
“Then that is your misfortune,” I said. “Because we will always love you. Jessica says she doesn’t believe in god. Maybe she doesn’t but I can tell her and you and Eric this, god believes in you. You said you spent all your Vampire existence being an apologist for Vampires. But we never felt the need for you to make an excuse for your life. Religions did. God never did. So maybe, your war is not so much about what god says of you but what humans say of you. And not all of us feel that way. I could give a shit less about what some undereducated mouth breathing scum of the earth bigot says of you. If I don’t care, why should you? Beware the man of one book Bill, don’t become as fangy version of the cretins who say you are the devil incarnate.” I stood up. “Renee will be in here in a minute. So be nice.” He nodded.  I went out to the main living area. “Renee hun, you can go in. He drank his supper but he will ask you for human blood. Don’t give it to him.” She nodded and went in.

I sat down by Eric and leaned against him. I felt the hot tears on my cheeks and he patted my hand. “Don’t cry Aslinn,” he said.
“I’m not crying,” I said, wiping my tears off my face. He watched me sucking up my tears and he looked somehow proud. “He is still all Lilithed up.”
“Be patient,” said Eric. “Keep talking to him.”
“I will,” I said. I wiped my face and got up again and went to the sink. I ran hot water and washed up the few dishes there in the sink and cleaned out the sink and put the dishes away. Pam was on the computer, reading her emails. Tara and Jessica were playing some game Eric taught them and Minnie and Aolani were sewing patches together for her next quilt and Barrister was reading one of his course books and Len was cleaning his gun. Eric watched me. He got up and came over to stand with me.

“Where is Nora?”
“She went hunting, she will be back soon,” said Eric. “I know this is hard.”
"Harder than Chinese Arithmetic,” I said.
“But you can do it. I called Dr. Ludwig to come and see Bill, take some blood to see what or who he is now. Do you still have any of Bill’s blood?”
“In the fridge in the egg space, it is clearly labeled,” I said.
“Until we know what this is, don’t drink blood from the source,” said Eric. “If you need blood, and you won’t have mine, take Jessica’s blood, or Pam’s blood.”
“I will,” I said. Eric grabbed me and held me to him, his big hand cupping my head. I cried into his body and stood there and just patted me. I finally stopped. “I got you all snotty.”
“I don’t care,” he said. “Just be brave, Aslinn, all of you just be brave, like when you were brave for me.”
“I’ll try,” I said.