Page 57 of Bloody Business

Nightmare

“Are you sorry?”Era snarled.She jerked Julep's hair, exposing her throat for the knife.

“I'm sorry!I didn't know!My family was raided by goblins, too!”They were back in the bathroom, and it was darker and larger, more like a basement.

“Lying whore!My family’s dead because of you.”Era yanked Julep’s hair, whipping her head painfully.

“They fed my dad Loose Tongue!He talked and talked and they killed him anyway.It's your fault!You made that poison.You wanted this to happen!”

“It's a painkiller!”Julep screamed.“Anything powerful enough to kill pain has side effects.I'm not smart enough to make one without it.”

It was a stupid conversation to be having during a knife fight.Part of her realized that, but the danger felt very real.She felt around for a weapon...

“You're sleeping with a goblin!Dirty slut, you'll rut with the enemy...”Suddenly Era gasped.Her grip slackened as she staggered.

Julep had just stabbed her with a pen.

Julep spun around, using her elbow to knock the knife away from her side.She lost hair and cut her arm and back, but she didn't care.It was better than dying.

Her arm burned.She wondered if it would fall off.She was too scared to look.

As was the way with dreams, her attacker had a big knife and all Julep had was a stupid little pen.Typical.At least it wasn't dull scissors.

Tired of being attacked, she snapped, “I didn't make anybody abuse it!”

Era slashed at her.Julep fought back with the poisoned pen.

The dream blurred.Era was on the ground, incapacitated but spewing threats and venom.The pen’s poison had finally kicked in.

Julep crouched, just out of arm's reach.“If you escape, you’ll come back to kill me.Is that right?”She already knew what would happen.In dreams it was possible to be certain.

“Yes!I’ll kill you and everyone you love.I’ll kill your pets.Torture them first...”

Julep held up a hand.“That'll do.”She turned her hand so that Era could see a small vial with a pill.“This is the antidote.”She carefully put it away in her belt.She turned to go.

“Wait!Come back!Give me that.”Era crawled, reaching weakly for the vial.

“You told me that if you lived you'd kill me.”Julep felt anger so dark it was black.She had no mercy left.

“I changed my mind.”

“No you didn't.”

Julep woke up.

For a minute, she just lay there, her heart pounding.The dream felt so real, but that's not what happened.She clung to that thought and she slowly eased into rational thought.

As was his custom, Artur had gotten up a while ago and his side of the bed was cool.

It was just her and her thoughts.

She thought about why she’d created Loose Tongue.About her father, suffering from bone cancer.She'd seen a drawing of a skeleton once, covered with bone spikes and tumors.That was what had happened to her father's body.There had been no escape from the pain.No way to sleep.

The herbal mixture had been a blessing.She would never regret discovering it.

She finally shook off the dream and got up, but she didn't feel like getting dressed.Instead she put on her slippers, added a housecoat over her nightgown and went to Noemi's room.

The little girl was still in bed, her hair sweaty from restless dreams.She looked at Julep with sad eyes.

---