Her pain was so penetrating even I felt it. “I am sorry this happened to you. There is no good outcome in dealing with Lilith.”
She smiled at me—a smile like one who does not know what smiles are for. “We must move on, for the hour is growing near,” she said, pulling on me.
She led me through nearby woodland and then to a clearing where a woman lay facedown on the ground, arms spread wide. She was nude and covered in mud from head to toe. She chanted words I did not understand. How was this possible? This being stunned me. When I turned to ask a question, the woman who had brought me to this place was gone.
The mud-covered woman got to her feet and addressed me. “Dracúl. You have arrived.”
Her words astonished me. “I have not spoken my name in a long time. How do you know it? How did you know I would come?”
“There are details I simply know.”
She came closer. I saw her eyes, although every inch of her was covered in mud. I had never seen eyes like hers in my entire existence. Looking into them was like feeling the earth stand still. Shimmering golden sunbeams radiated from her pupils, and bursts of cerise, coral, ginger, and lavender formed various patterns. The designs and colors kept shifting, combining, forever changing—an illusion. I was in a dream state staring into those eyes.
“My name is Aurora,” she said. Her smile tickled my heart, and I would surely have danced with glee at the sight of it had I not possessed enough control.
Shaking my head as if clearing cobwebs from my mind, I refocused. “The women from the village said you could help me.”
“Yes, I can take you to the grave on the mountain.”
Astounded by her foreknowledge, my mouth slackened. “Do you think we can stop the girl from rising from the dead and killing the men in the village?”
“There is a much better chance if we did this together.” She strolled to a cascade descending into an effervescing pool and immersed in the water. After removing the mud from her hair and body she emerged from the pool, glistening. I caught a glimpse of the woman before I spun around to allow her to dress, but my suspicions were confirmed.
“You are the silver-haired oracle.”
“I am. You may turn around. Your heart belongs to another, so it shall not be captivated by me.” I spun to face her. She wrung the water from her long silvery hair and stood before me, as bare as the ground beneath her feet. She was right—I did not desire her even a little. She merely aroused my curiosity.
Aurora strolled to a nearby tree and pulled from the branches a soft green fabric which hung there. She threw the garment over her and secured it at the waist with a belt lying on a tree stump next to a pair of sandals and a beautiful sword and sheath. After she dressed she approached me, grabbed my hand, and placed in it the sword’s grip.
“This weapon belongs to you. I found it in a cave long ago. The sun shone through the only hole on the cave’s ceiling and beamed down on it, making the metal glint like a star. I knew then it was a special sword with a singular purpose, but it did not belong to me. I had no knowledge to whom it belonged—until now. It is yours, and it shall serve its purpose well in your hands.”
I examined the blade, and it was fine steel. I sheathed it and wore the casing on my belt. I was confident about our mission.
I followed her, and we emerged from the prickles and claws of the woods. “Where are we going?” I said, struggling to keep up with her, for she seemed to glide just above the ground at great speed.
“To the mountain grave, of course. The creature has yet to rise from the earth.” She moved even faster.
I grew concerned I was not up to the task. However, I never allowed fear to stop me from doing what needed to be done. “I have never confronted the living dead. I have heard stories of corpses coming to life. I never believed, until this moment, and even now I am having trouble accepting this truth. I do not know how to fight such a creature.”
She slowed her pace and glanced over her shoulder at me. “Do not fear. You are more than capable of destroying this creature. First, we must vanquish the evil inside the girl, and then we can lay her to rest. I shall tell you how.”
“I will do what is needed.”
She led me to the mountain, and we climbed to where the girl had been buried. I stared at the mound of dirt covering the grave.
“What do we do now?” I asked Aurora.
She held up a hand to silence me, keeping her eyes on the grave. “Wait.”
As we stared at the burial place, a foot emerged from beneath the soil… and then another. I lurched, clenching my jaw. A hand erupted through the ground, reaching toward the twilight sky. I squeezed my eyes shut and opened them wide again to be sure I was not seeing things. Before long, both her arms and legs were flailing above the ground, while the rest of her was still buried. I covered my mouth with a hand and glanced at Aurora, who appeared as tranquil as grass, before turning to the abomination once more. The dead girl’s limbs positioned themselves feet and palms flat on the ground and lifted her torso and head until she was completely unearthed.
The corpse opened her eyes so wide that her eyeballs seemed to bulge out. She raised her body off the ground, the front of it turned toward the sky while her long, skeletal arms and legs held it up in a most unnatural manner. The dead girl lifted her head and swiveled it all the way around to face us. She scuttled toward us like an aberrant spider.
I took a step back. “Stop!” My heart pounded as I slid my sword out of its sheath.
Aurora pointed to the sword in my hand. “Her head must be severed from her body. Only then can she be laid to rest.”
Seconds later, the dead girl rose to her feet in one smooth arc. She whirled around to look at us and suddenly appeared natural and fetching.
“Who are you?” the girl said as she sauntered toward me. “I have never seen you before. What is your name?” Her voice was strange. It had the sound of two or more girls speaking in unison, as if through a pipe. The voices sounded far away and echoed off each other. Although her voice was peculiar, I no longer feared her, for she resembled an innocent young woman. As I took a few steps in her direction Aurora rushed to my side.
“You must not look into her eyes. She can place you under her power with black magic.”
The creature was but a few feet from me. “Tell me your name, beautiful man, for I have seen you and now long to know you.”
I was in a trance, enchanted by her and compelled to step forward.
Aurora gripped my arm. “Do not tell this creature your name. If she knows your name, her power over you would be made stronger.”
The dead girl turned her sight from me to Aurora. She moved toward her, glaring. The distraction allowed me to regain control of my senses. I lifted the sword and sunk it into her shoulder. This did not stop her; instead, it infuriated her. She growled and extended her arms toward me. No longer did I see a fetching young woman. She snarled, displaying long, sharp fangs, and her gray, lifeless face twisted into an enraged grimace.
“Her head! You must sever her head!” Aurora picked up rocks and threw them at the girl, but nothing slowed her pace.
As she reached to grab my neck, I shoved my blade under her chin and up through her head until it came out on the other side. I let go the grip of the sword. The corpse teetered and swayed backward, gawking at us until she finally fell to the earth. The body twitched and jerked on the ground.
I tilted my head back and yelled, “We did it!” I grinned, though still trembling inside.
“We are not done yet,” Aurora said. “You must remove her head from her body. Hurry!”
I stepped to the cadaver and pulled my sword out of her head while she still shook and twitched. Strange sounds escaped the dead woman’s mouth—shrilling, rasping, wailing. I lifted the sword above my head, careful not to allow any of the foul gore on it to drip on me, and brought the blade down on her neck, removing the head from the body. Her limbs fell limp on the ground, and her body lay still and si
lent.
Aurora rushed to me and placed her hand on my shoulder. “Now you did it.”
I drew in a long breath and exhaled with relief. “We bury her now?”
“Yes. We must dig two holes side by side. They must each be ten feet deep. We shall place her body in one of the holes and her head in the other.” Aurora looked around. “We must find something to assist us with the digging.”
We searched for flat rocks and began our task of digging two graves. When we were done, we dropped her body in one hole and her head in the other.
“We must cover each grave halfway with earth and the rest with large rocks,” Aurora said. “I am exhausted, as are you, but we must finish this task tonight.”
I did as she instructed and breathed a sigh of relief when the task was done.
Aurora knelt between the two graves, closed her eyes, and began to sing a series of strange words in a specific range of notes. It was a mysterious and soothing sound.
I stared at her, and without warning, symbols appeared on her face, neck, chest, and arms. The symbols seemed to be words, but they were not written in ink—they were written in light.
When she was done she opened her eyes, and the symbols on her face and body dimmed and then disappeared. She rose to her feet and smiled a triumphant smile.
“The girl is laid to rest. She shall not rise again nor shall she harm another soul. We may leave now and notify the village people.”
“I did not understand your words,” I said. “This puzzled me because while in the city of Babel, Gabriel, an archangel, told me there would be no language on Earth I would not be able to understand.”
“You did not understand my words because they are not from this world.”
“Who… what are you?”
“My father is a Watcher, an angel sent to live amongst the creatures on Earth to observe them. I received many of his gifts, and he taught me much.” We walked into the village hand in hand and met with a crowd of people who waited for us to return.
The little girl with the hazel eyes and the woman who accompanied me to find Aurora were there, as well as the other weeping ladies and their husbands, sons, and brothers. The crowd stared at us, waiting. Some of them appeared to be holding their breath in anticipation—as was I.
“Go ahead,” Aurora said to me, gesturing toward the crowd.
“It is over.” Before I could explain, the crowd cheered. I paused to let the roar subside before continuing. “The young woman has been laid to rest and will never rise to do evil again!”
The crowd became even louder as they hugged and kissed each other. The gray-haired woman approached us with her two sons and husband.
“You are both weary. No doubt it was an arduous undertaking to rid us of the walking dead. My family and I and our people are grateful for the sacrifices you have made. You have delivered us from evil and saved our village. Please come with us. You can bathe, eat, and rest in our home. It is the least we can do.” The woman gestured for us to come, and we followed for we were wearied.
My head was reeling with thoughts of how I would satisfy my hunger.
Aurora and I were taken to separate rooms, where we bathed and clothed ourselves. A table was set, heavy-laden with scrumptious edible delights and drink. Aurora took a seat, but I stood before the table and stared at the food.
“I hope you find something you like on our table. It is everything we have,” the woman said.
“It is a table set for a king and queen,” I said. “Please do not be offended if I do not partake of your feast this night, for I am more weary than I am hungry and wish only to sleep.” They were understanding and gracious. Her sons led me to the room where I would stay the night, and I rested until midnight.
When everyone slept, I slipped out through a window and made my way to the forest, where I found plenty of nocturnal animals to feed on. After my hunger was satiated, I returned to the room and slept.
The next morning another table was set with lavish breads, cheeses, fruits, and eggs. This time I planned to sit with Aurora and the family. The old woman beamed and threw her arms open when she saw me approach the table. I ate with keen enjoyment. Although I knew I might be sick later, there was less chance of it happening since I had fed on blood the night before. The old woman’s husband let out a guffaw as he watched me eat, the sound echoing through the small, cozy dining room. There was lots of joy in this house, and everyone seemed happy to watch me eat.
After the morning meal, I was ready to begin the journey back to the Persian city to see Princess Aini, for I missed her so. Despite everything, my goal to make her my wife and to spend the rest of my life with her had always been in the forefront of my mind. However, returning to Artemisia empty-handed would be unwise.
While the family cleared the table, I pulled Aurora aside. “I must speak to you as soon as possible. It is regarding an urgent matter.”
“You wish to leave this place.”
“Yes, but there is more to it than that. I must tell you the reason I came here in the first place.” I swallowed hard, unable to meet her vibrant, multicolored gaze.
“Ah, you wish to take me back with you,” she said.
I cocked my head and stared at her in disbelief. “No, my mission was to find you and deliver you to Artemisia, the Persian king’s general and adviser.” I huffed, shoving my hair back. “I am in love with the king’s daughter, and Artemisia was in a position to help me, since she is close to the king. She also threatened to tell the king lies about the princess and me—lies that could cost the princess her life.” I hung my head. “Thus… yes, it was my goal, at first, to capture you and take you with me to offer you up to Artemisia. But my mind is changed now. I will not take you to her. I suspect she means to do you harm. Although my love for Princess Aini is strong and true, I cannot sacrifice your life for the sake of my happiness. You are good, and I recognize your importance in this world. I will figure out a way to keep the princess safe—but I was hoping you would help me somehow.”
She made a steeple of her fingers and paced back and forth. “I shall go with you. It is the only way to help you. Do not fear. Artemisia will not harm a hair on my head. I can assure you of this.”
I breathed a sigh of relief, feeling as though my heart flipped a few times in my chest. Laughing, I put my arms around her, carrying her off the ground, spinning her around and around until she yelled for me to stop.
I released her but she held onto my hands, giggling as she swayed gently, looking giddy. The old lady and her family chuckled as they stared at our cheerfulness.
I kissed Aurora on the cheek. “I think it is time we left.”
“Yes, I think it is time,” she said, giggles tucked into the nooks and crannies of her words.
We began our journey to the Royal City. Along the way, Aurora and I conversed about our lives and everything we had been through, which brought us to where we were now. To many, these minor and enormous coincidences would not make sense, but to us they had a clear meaning: a driving force was behind it all; we both knew it.
Her story was a fascinating one but a tale for another day. Our journey was without incident until we approached the city gates. As we passed through the entrance, Aurora lurched backward, as if struck by a sudden rough thrust. She slumped on the ground, drawing a sharp breath, eyes wide. She shook her head while staring at the city gates.
“Do not enter the city,” she said. Her voice was not her usual silvery tone; it was hoarse and breathy.
Every muscle in my body went rigid. “What? What are you saying? Of course I will enter the city. Princess Aini awaits.” I extended my hand to help her off the ground. “What is the matter? I thought our plans were clear.”
She took my hand in hers. “The only thing that awaits you in this city is heartache and pain. We should leave here at once. I implore you.”
Her words made my heart beat so fast I thought it would burst out of my chest. I clasped my hands over my head and walked toward the
gates and then turned away. Back and forth I trudged before finally stopping at the entrance again. I pounded my fists against the wall. Why was there so much sadness and fear in her voice? Aini anticipated my return. It would be wrong to keep her waiting any longer. I had to find her and ask for her hand in marriage.
I stood tall and stormed through the gates without a backward glance.
I trotted toward Artemisia’s mansion to collect my treasure. Aurora hurried behind me, intoning something under her breath. My pulse raced with excitement at the thought of seeing Aini once again.
We ran into one of Aini’s servants as we neared Artemisia’s manor. The servant gasped when she saw me. Her pale, sad face made my stomach tighten.
“What has come to pass that etches your face with dread?” I said to her.
Tears began to flow freely. “I tried to stop them,” she said between sobs. “But there was nothing I could do!” She drew in a tremulous gasp.
An icy panic began to creep up my extremities and into my chest. I folded my hands over my heart. “Please, tell what has happened!”
The servant wrung her hands and continued to sob as we stared at her. “Artemisia’s influence over the king is powerful. She told him lies about the princess, untruths that infuriated him. He went after Aini like a madman. He yelled at her, called her appalling names, and cursed her.” The servant went on sniffling. “Princess Aini cried out, but he would not allow her to speak. He condemned her to death.” She covered her face and wept.
The world around me reeled as if I stood in the eye of a tornado. I lost my balance and staggered. My legs faltered, and I fell to my knees. The servant continued talking but she sounded far away.
“The king’s guards took her by force to the desert. I was forced to join the king and Artemisia, to be a witness to the grotesque ritual,” she said.
My throat clenched. It seemed I had lost my ability to speak. My chest rose and fell with rapid breaths.
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