Blood in the Fire

Chapter Sixteen The Flu

Earth — June 1981

Elizabeth

With the way our house worked, there was no way to know if we had some friends bumming on our front steps. My second choice, an empty lot about a block away, was too close to some roadwork being done today. Instead, we settled on appearing inside the cargo area of an abandoned semitrailer Mark told us about. It took a second to get oriented to the darkness inside the box. After blinking a few times to adjust our eyes, Tamer figured out where the sliding door was and rolled it open. We piled out into the sunlight, happy to leave the rusty smell behind.

First thing my eyes landed on was a trashcan by some backdoor stairs. I limped over, lifted the lid and ralphed.

"You okay?" Luke asked.

"Fine," I replied. "Sometimes teleports make people a little nauseous. Changes in gravity can do that, too."

Anton frowned at me from next to the truck, but Luke and Mark didn't notice. They were probably feeling a little queasy themselves. I looked down at my dress and then back up at Anton and Tamer.

"Seriously guys? You two teleport yourselves in wearing your street clothes, but you leave me in this?" Both of them were now wearing black jeans and dark tee shirts.

"I don't know how to conjure women's clothes," Tamer replied. Anton shrugged in agreement. I glared at them. Both could have managed a pair of jeans if they'd wanted too. They just enjoyed seeing me squirm and I was too low on power to transform out of the uniform myself.

Everyone turned and started heading down the long driveway. Mark came over and pulled my arm around his shoulder so he could help support my weight.

"If anyone I know sees me in this, I'll never hear the end of it," I complained as Anton paused to walk in step with Mark and me. We weren't going very fast, given my ankle.

You haven't been nauseous after a teleport since your first off-Earth mission, he accused telepathically.

I think I have wizard flu, I explained. The guard said something right before I jumped. He may have infected me. Anton frowned again. Wizard flu was the term we used to describe any disease we contracted from wizards. It didn't happen often, but when it did, we usually cured ourselves with a spell or had a medical expert do it. The nearest medical expert I knew of was several galaxies away.

Tamer, Elizabeth might have wizard flu, Anton communicated so that only Tamer and I could hear. Do you have any power left for a heal?

Tamer had been walking ahead with Luke, but he instinctively stopped and turned to look back at us when he replied. No, but I might be able to scan her and find out what kind of bug she has. No promises though. He furrowed his brow. When do you think you got it? It was a little fast for me to be showing symptoms.

The wizard cast it on me with a spell, I told him. Tamer's eyes darted to meet with Anton's, seeking confirmation. I reached out to pick up Anton's hand, hoping I might interrupt the exchange of concerned glances. My gesture only succeeded in redirecting his worried eyes back toward me. He squeezed my hand in return: an attempt to reassure me. They were making way too big a deal out of this.

"They're having a conversation in their heads aren't they?" Luke asked Mark.

"Yeah," Mark replied, sounding only a little annoyed. "You get used to it."

I guess Anton and I conversed telepathically in front of him more often than I'd noticed. Until now, it had never occurred to me how obvious it must look.