by Luke Metcalf
“Emily, listen to me,” he said patiently.
But she was in no mood to calm down. “Do you have any idea how humiliating this is? Is this some kind of joke to you?”
“What? No, of course not,” he said, covering a smile with his hand. “I have never read your mind, Emily.” His eyes were calm and clear. This caught her off guard.
“Huh? You haven’t?”
“No. I respect your privacy and would never intrude upon it unless it was for something important. When I met you in the woods, I felt you were different somehow. It was important to me that I gain a clear understanding of what was going on. I tried to read your mind, but it was very hard. I tried to push deep into your thoughts and memories but to my amazement, you noticed and you resisted, so I stopped. I didn’t want to hurt you.”
“In the forest?” asked Emily, recalling the night. “Oh wow, I do remember feeling a little light headed for a minute, but I didn’t know why.”
“Other mortals don’t notice when I read their minds. It must either be because you are from Magella, or perhaps it has something to do with your parents being wizards or your study of magic.”
So many questions burned in her mind. She wanted to ask him everything but was too nervous to think straight.
“Is it getting hot in here?” she murmured, getting up to crack open the window.
When she turned back their eyes locked. He stared at her intently and she had the feeling she was floating into a tranquil, emerald heaven. She could feel her breathing slowing and her heart rate returning to normal. After a moment, she felt like herself again.
“Did you just hypnotize me?”
“Only a little bit,” he said. “My eyes naturally have that effect, but if I concentrate, I can make the effect much more powerful.”
“Oh.” She thought about other effects he might have on her and blushed. She found it very arousing and unsettling that he could gain such power over her so easily and even more unsettling that she liked and desired it. Like every other time she looked into his eyes a part of her wanted to open her mind to him completely and let him come all the way inside her and totally possess her, mind, body and soul.
“I have so many questions I want to ask you,” she said. “I have no idea where to begin. Why are you here?”
“Actually, I’ve come to see the documents that you took from the warehouse.”
“Oh.” Emily’s heart dropped at the realization he hadn’t come to see her, then she felt ashamed. At the same time she was excited by what she and Mercurios had discovered.
“Oh my gosh, this is incredible.” She picked the pile of documents up off her desk and handed Mitchell the list. She told him everything that Mercurios had told her. Mitchell’s eyes grew wide with wonder as he scanned the pages.
“So that’s it!” he whispered. “My god. That has been Baelaar and the Priests of Mezzor’s master plan from the beginning!” He stood up and paced back and forth.
“What?”
“Of course,” he continued, ignoring her. “They not only act as shadow governments to instigate wars and mass slaughters as blood sacrifices, but they are the ones in control of the looting of the conquered countries! They have instigated wars for six hundred years so they could loot the world’s treasures. They took everything they could and stashed it, knowing that with the passage of time the value would increase vastly. They were waiting, waiting for some predetermined time or event. And now, they are finally making their move, they are going to liquidate the whole of it, over a trillion dollars of looted treasure. And what are they going to use all that money for? Perhaps to instigate the greatest slaughter, the greatest blood sacrifice, in history?” Mitchell stopped pacing and looked at Emily. “And they’re going to start here in America.”
Twenty-One
“Does it have the date the treasure is supposed to be shipped into Portland?” Mitchell asked.
“I couldn’t find any shipping timetable in these documents.”
“No matter.”
“What do you mean ‘no matter?’ We have to stop them!”
“Not my concern.”
“What? Why?” Emily stared at him. “This is the most important thing ever and you don’t care?”
“I have more important things to deal with.”
“More important? What could possibly be more important than this?”
“I must find the Well of Many Worlds.”
“But why do you want the Well so badly?”
“That’s my business.”
“Who are these Priests of Mezzor?”
“A satanic death cult of vampires.”
“I can’t believe that Bethany’s father is mixed up with them.”
“Who?”
“Mr. Denman, the guy who owns a shipping company and is going to arrange for two of his ships to crash to distract the coast guard so Commander Claw can bring the treasure in in his submarines. He’s the father of one of my friends.”
“That’s unfortunate.”
“Does Vadas Asger mean anything to you?”
Mitchell looked shocked. “Where did you hear that?”
“It was carved into an antique desk my father left me, why?”
“I heard those words many years ago, we thought it was a place in Russia where the Well was hidden, but I could never find anywhere with that name. And now the princess is in the Kungur Ice Caves… it must have something to do with Russia but I have no idea what.”
“We are pretty sure Cady Sunner is after the desk because of that. We think ‘Vadas Asger’ is a place or code or person that will lead to the Well. So I hid it so they wouldn’t find out. Who is this princess?” Emily felt a twinge of jealousy.
“It’s crucial that I find out what it means and find the Well. I must go to Russia.”
“Well, I’m going to courier this list to the police with an anonymous note saying where it was found and what their plan is.”
“Good for you.”
“Then I’m going to help you find the Well. I need to find it too. I… uh need the Well to save my friend Tom. Since we’re looking for the same thing, I think it would make sense to team up and work together. We should probably stay close together until we find it.”
She told him what Mercurios had said about Tom, but said nothing about the fact that she was possessed by a demon, not knowing how Mitchell would react to that.
“Don’t be a fool,” he growled waving his hand dismissively. “It is far too great a risk. I promise to tell you when I have found it and you are welcome to use it when I am done with it.”
His tone made Emily feel like a silly little girl but she stood her ground, determined not to lose him again. “The risk is irrelevant, because I’ll be looking for the Well with the help of Mercurios and the spell book. I’m going after it with or without you, so it might as well be with. Right? With magic we may be able to help you find it faster.”
“Hmmmm, I have a lot of questions I would like to ask this imp of yours about the Well of Many Worlds.”
“Unless you agree to take me with you I will command him not to answer any of your questions.”
He stared at her long and hard. “Okay fine,” he sighed.
“Amazing!” She couldn’t hide her excitement. “What now?”
“What now is; I should give you some background information.”
Mitchell explained everything that had happened in Paris with Sylvain and the French Revolution, followed by the events that took place after his return from the depths of the ocean, including what Lord Ruthen had told him in the cemetery. Emily just sat there staring at him, mouth open wide in awe.
“So you see, I must go to Russia to try to find the princess, she and the words ‘Vadas Asger’ are the only leads I have to find the Well. If you insist on coming I suggest you bring clothes for very cold weather.”
Emily felt another rush of jealousy as she tried to imagine this princess and wondered if she were beautiful, then immediately hated hersel
f for it.
“But how are we going to get there?”
“In my jet.”
“Your jet?”
“Yes.”
“Whoa. What do you do for a living? Oh, wait, yeah, I guess you don’t really need a job if you are immortal and have superhuman powers.”
“No.” Mitchell chuckled. “Over the ages I have accumulated more wealth than I could have dreamed of. Prepare for the trip,” he ordered, taking out his cell phone. “James, we need to be ready to leave immediately. Very good.” He hung up his phone and looked at Emily. “Now I would very much like to meet this imp of whom you speak.” He glanced around her room.
“Mercurios,” said Emily. Nothing happened. “He really doesn’t want to reveal himself to anyone else,” she explained with embarrassment, wondering what might happen if Mercurios refused to appear and Mitchell thought she was just imagining him. “Mercurios, I’m going to Russia. It would be a lot safer for both of us if you came along. Hello?”
Mercurios appeared on her dresser.
“Ah, there you are. Don’t answer any of his questions until we are on the plane and if he tries to read your mind, disappear.” She turned to face Mitchell. “Mitchell, I’d like you to meet Mercurios. Mercurios, I’d like you to meet Mitchell.”
“So very pleased to meet you,” Mitchell said after a moment, obviously surprised.
“He’s cute, isn’t he?” Emily laughed.
“Adorable,” Mitchell mumbled.
“Ahem,” Mercurios interjected, not appreciating being talked about like he wasn’t there. “I suppose I should thank you, Mitchell. You’ve done an excellent job helping to protect Emily. Yes, an excellent job indeed.”
Mitchell stepped forward and stared more closely at Mercurios. “How fascinating,” he said. “Well, after four hundred years, I thought I had seen pretty much everything there was to see… but this…”
As Mitchell continued to stare at Mercurios, Emily shoved some things into a backpack, including her warmest parka, readying herself for the chill of northern Russia. She then wrote a note telling her mother she was going to have a sleepover at Cindy’s and texted Cindy, asking her to cover for her. When she was ready Mitchell told her to climb on his back and they went out of her window, into the tree. She could feel the muscles of his shoulders and back moving beneath her as he descended nimbly through the branches as if she were no weight at all. She clung to him tighter than was strictly necessary. They then ran to the street where Mitchell had a new cherry-red Lamborghini parked.
“Whoa, is this your car?” Emily’s eyes widened.
“One of them.”
“Wow.” She climbed into the passenger seat. She had never been in a car this expensive and was soaking it all in. “I could get used to this,” she murmured.
Roaring into the airport, they turned into the private jet section and drove straight out onto the tarmac, parking beside the steps to the plane.
“Mr. Keats,” the pilot greeted them. “Everything is ready.”
“Good. This is Emily Bliss, she’ll be joining us. Emily, this is my pilot, James.”
Emily shook his hand. “Pleased to meet you.”
The plane was massive for a private jet and no luxury had been spared. The seats were buttery soft beige leather and the carpet was thick wool. There was a bar, a kitchen, a movie screen and a huge bathroom equipped with a hot tub.
“Wow,” Emily said, looking about her. “Nice jet! This is nicer than most people’s houses! By the way, where do you live?”
“I have a number of places but I would call my estate in England my home.”
Emily turned to Mercurios, who had appeared when the pilot shut the door of the cockpit. “Um, would you mind giving us some alone time?”
“If you insist, I’ll wait in the—”
“Closet,” Emily said, giving him the evil eye, “I insist.”
Mercurios took the hint and disappeared.
Oh, crap,” Emily exclaimed slapping her forehead. “I totally forgot my passport!”
“Don’t worry.” Mitchell smiled. “I will take care of that.”
“Oh, okay. Oh, crap!” Emily exclaimed again as another thought struck her. “I forgot to send the list of treasure and a note to the police.”
“It will have to wait.”
“Okay. Look, I promise Mercurios will answer all your questions,” Emily said as she and Mitchell buckled their seat belts for takeoff. “But I want to talk with you first.” As the jet taxied out to the runway Emily stared at Mitchell, her heart pounding hard. “I have so many questions to ask.”
Mitchell uncrossed his legs and reclined his chair. “Ask away.”
“Who are you? I mean, I know what you’ve told me but what happened before? How did you become… what you are?”
As the plane lifted sharply into the sky Mitchell took a deep breath and stared at the ceiling as if his memories were hanging there, waiting to be plucked. “The sixteenth century, when I was human, was a time of amazing change. It was the beginning of the modern era. The New World had been discovered. The Renaissance in Italy was peaking and spreading north. The printing press had created a revolution. Some of the greatest minds in history were achieving their most masterful triumphs: Copernicus, Galileo, Shakespeare, Sir Frances Bacon, Christopher Marlowe, Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci… Like I said… an amazing time.”
Emily listened enraptured as Mitchell spoke, however he described his life before his transformation into a vampire only in vague brush strokes. She wanted more details and had so many questions but she didn’t want to interrupt him. He told her that when he was a little older than she was now he had been turned into a vampire. He explained that shortly after his transformation he had met Fionn, the leader of a group of vampires called the Niveus Gladius and had been trained by him as a warrior but had rejected the offer to join them. He did not explain why. He told her that he had then spent ages hunting for the Well of Many worlds but again refused to explain why. That brought them up to what he had already told her about Sylvain and the French Revolution.
“Did you ever see that vampire Sylvain again?” she asked. “Or Fionn?”
“No, Fionn was destroyed. I have no idea what became of Sylvain. Now I would be very interested in asking Mercurios some questions if I may, you did promise.”
Emily was less than satisfied with what Mitchell had told her and still had a million questions, but she relented. “Um okay sure, Mercurios come here.”
The imp stepped out of the closet. “Yes?”
Mitchell wanted to learn all that he could about Magella and the Well of Many Worlds. Emily watched and listened as he grilled the imp for information on how to use the Well and what other dimensions he knew existed, particularly the nine planes of Hell and the Abyss. The imp explained that as far as he knew those dimensions, along with many others, did indeed exist and could potentially be accessed using the Well, but he had no idea how to operate it. Mitchell stood up and paced for a long while, deep in thought. Emily didn’t interrupt him. As usual she found him deeply intimidating. Although he was inhumanly gorgeous, he was also a beast, both powerful and deadly. She didn’t want to annoy him. They made a couple of stops to refuel and change pilots and eventually arrived in Perm, Russia.
When the customs official boarded the plane Mitchell hypnotized her with his eyes and she did not ask to see any passports. Emily felt another surge of jealousy at how attracted the customs official obviously was to him. She didn’t like the thought that any woman in the world would probably fall on her knees at the sight of him. A stretch SUV limousine was waiting for them on the tarmac and carried them to the Belogorsky Monastery.
The ancient monastery was a magnificent building, its golden domes frosted in snow, making it look like a giant magical gingerbread house covered in confectioner’s sugar. The same snow was hard and crunchy underfoot as Mitchell searched the area for Lord Ruthen. More snowflakes began to fall and Emily felt them wet on her face and lips
. She stuck out her tongue to catch them.
“Look!” Mitchell pointed at some footprints. “They’re leading toward the Kungur Ice Caves. He must have already gone on. Unless this is a trap. Either way, I feel we should leave for the caves immediately.”
Climbing back into the limousine they set off on the hundred-mile trip. As they drove, Mitchell talked. “In answer to your earlier question, vampires are, in a sense, inorganic beings. Rather, we are not governed by the same rules that organic beings are. The inorganic blood of a vampire enters a mortal like a conquering army, eliminating all that is organic life. It feels like being burned alive from the inside out. The mortal, physical body dies, and only the vampire body remains, yet we maintain our individual characters, minds, and spirits.”
It had been hard enough for Emily to wrap her mind around the revelation that he was more than four hundred years old. Understanding that he was immortal was more than she could fully comprehend. Then again, she still hadn’t entirely digested the news that she was from another world either.
“We are beyond death,” Mitchell continued. “In that our blood is inorganic and enables our cells to regenerate perfectly forever. The vampire’s genetic coding replaces the human genetic coding, and that new DNA sends out commands to the tissue of the body to continually regenerate as that of a young adult in prime physical health. Regardless of the person’s age at the time they are turned, they will always appear as if in their prime, unless they go without blood for too long, in which case they will soon look like a withered corpse.”
“Why?”
“In the DNA of all mortal beings, there is essentially a self-destruct mechanism, commonly known as aging. We don’t have that – I suspect, for hunting prowess, yet, we aren’t really alive either. We are not alive, we are not dead, we are undead, but why?” He shook his head. “Who knows? We carry on existing, balancing between two worlds. Perhaps that is why we have supernatural powers over the base elements of this world. Being an eternally regenerating undead being has obvious benefits. Any injury quickly heals, any poison or illness we are immune to. We also have superhuman strength and hypnotic eyes to seduce our prey.”