Mahu clasped her palm. “I don’t know how to thank you.”
“There’s no need.”
Almost afraid to ask the next question, Mahu forced the words out one by one. “And this cure, is it permanent? Will I get sick again?”
“You’ll need to drink from me once every couple of decades to stave off the sickness, but don’t worry about that now. I’ve been thinking of ways to facilitate this service for ancient vampires and already have quite a few ideas.”
Mahu blinked, astonished by her generosity. So many questions lingered on his tongue, but none of them came out.
Sachi rose from the bed and tugged his hand. “Come, you must be sick of this room.”
“I am.” Mahu stood with surprising ease, bones and muscle cooperating in a way that had been lost to him in recent weeks. He rolled his neck and followed her to the window where Elias watched them both.
“This is my friend Elias.” Sachi released Mahu’s hand so he could take Elias’s. “If you must thank someone, let it be him.”
The lad was already shaking his head. “No, no. No need to thank me either. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you.”
“The pleasure is mine, and my thanks are the least I can offer.” Mahu had worried for this young one, knowing his sire, Valeri, was a difficult man. Perhaps now he could help them. “Was it you who found Sachi? Have you really journeyed from the Arctic circle?”
Elias’s grin held volumes. “That is quite a long story. I could easily fill the pages of an entire novel with the tale. I’d be glad to tell you all of it, of course, but is that what you want right now?”
Mahu liked this one already. He and Sachi both. “You’re right, I would love to hear the story, but now what I want most is to leave this room. If I could, I’d head straight for Egypt, but I suppose I must plan for a trip of that magnitude.”
“Egypt!” Sachi’s big eyes widened with excitement. “To the pyramids? Really? I’ve always wanted to see them.”
“They are magnificent. Egypt holds many treasures,” said Mahu, his thoughts lingering on Dakarai. “I can hardly believe I shall have the chance to behold their glory again, thanks to you both.” More importantly, he’d have the chance to make things right with Daka after all these years.
Sachi took Elias’s elbow. “We’ll leave you to wash up in peace, but if you’d like to join us, Elias has promised me a tour of the grounds. We could wait in the courtyard.”
“I would love that. I won’t be long.”
Sachi’s gaze shifted to the door, then back to Mahu. “There’s a crowd in the hall, all of them eager to see your recovery for themselves. Shall I send them away?”
Mahu should have realized as much. While she spoke, he honed his senses and heard them for himself, milling about, waiting. “If you would please tell them I’m all right, if a little overwhelmed, I’d be much obliged.”
“We will.” Elias bowed his head respectfully. The two of them left.
Mahu heard the voices in the hallway, then listened as they faded away, leaving him alone with his thoughts.
Alone with Dakarai.
24
Daka
As the weeks ticked slowly by, Dakarai’s anticipation grew to bursting. Mahu had promised to come to him, and though Daka had waited centuries, the last few weeks were absolute torture.
In the back of his mind, he worried Mahu would break his promise. When Mahu had spoken his vow,Dakarai. I will come for you, he’d just been pried from the jaws of death a second time, emotions running high, logical thought lagging behind.
What if he’d changed his mind?
Daka couldn’t take it if he had. The unfairness of it all overwhelmed him at times. That he couldn’t travel to Mahu the way that Mahu could travel to him. He couldn’t summon Mahu the way Mahu could summon him. All communication was one-sided, and Daka had no control over it.
But Mahu had promised, which was more than Daka had gotten from him since ancient times, and he had to believe Mahu would keep his word.
His other worry, and it was a big one, was that Mahu would arrive in Egypt and wouldn’t be able to find him. Both Rhakotis and Naukratis were now ruins beneath more modern cities. Dakarai and his family had lived by Cairo for nearly four hundred years. He’d toyed with the idea of heading north toward their old stomping grounds, but his instinct said Mahu wouldn’t want to go there.
No, he had to trust that Mahu, as a millennia-old vampire, would have the resources to find his family. It’s not like they were hiding. They associated with a handful of vampires over the years; that was how Daka had kept tabs on Mahu. Surely that line of communication worked both ways.
