Apotheosis of the Immortal
Page 30
“What did you see when you peered into the little girl’s eyes?” she asked. She was trying to hide her fear, but her voice was shaky and her lip was trembling.
“I saw the devil… my own reflection,” he said. His mind went back to that moment as it had so many times before. In that child’s eyes, he had seen his future; he had seen who he would become. He had seen his father. Hassan had been right; he had lost his soul that night.
“What do you see when you look into mine?” Emira’s voice brought him back. He stared into her eyes for another few moments.
“I see nothing.” He lied; her eyes betrayed her secret. They were enamored with him; he hadn’t yet filled them with disappointment as he had Ayda’s. This girl saw goodness in him. But then she hadn’t known him long enough to know better, and although it scared him, it also moved him in other ways. It pushed him out of his comfort zone. Her youth and innocence gave her the eyes to see what others could not, or perhaps what wasn’t even there.
Either way, she was somehow hard-wired to Elijah’s emotions. They surged like rolling hills every time she was near. She forced him to feel. She broke through the guise of apathy, which was the only dam holding back an ocean of feelings he couldn’t handle. Elijah climbed off the bed and walked to the table where he threw back another shot of bourbon.
“I don’t believe you,” she exclaimed as she scooted back to the edge of the bed. “You obviously cared deeply for someone once,” she said as she tucked her hair behind her ear.
“That was a long time ago.” Elijah closed his eyes. “You can come to care for anything, even a slave, if it’s around long enough.” Elijah’s thoughts turned to Ayda. “Khalid was right; you shouldn’t be here,” he repeated as he turned around and walked back towards his bed.
“If you don’t want me to stay, then just tell me why you are here. Tell me what happened between you and Khalid earlier; tell me the truth, and I’ll leave.”
Elijah turned around to see her expression dull; he had disappointed her again. He was also disappointed, but it wouldn’t be good for either of them if she stayed.
BOOM! They both jumped and looked towards the door. BOOM! Another blow to the door, even louder this time.
Elijah looked at Emira; she was trembling. He was suddenly stricken with anger, even rage. Had this girl not been through enough? This was the second time tonight she had been filled with fear, and with good reason.
“Emira, look at me.” Elijah walked over to her bed and knelt down and leaned in close. “You are going to be all right. I promise; there is a reason I have been alive for so long.” Elijah tried to comfort her; he wanted to protect her. He rubbed his thumb across her face and then rose and walked towards the window.
“Can you say the same about your friends?” she asked with shaky bravado. Elijah looked back at her. The question had caught him off guard. He thought about Sara and Hassan, and how he had been unable to save either of them.
“No, but I never had many friends, either,” he answered as he opened the shades a bit to look out the window. He couldn’t see anything from there. ”Looks like they gave up and left,” he said in a low voice.
“Do you think it was the men from before?” She had crawled to the back of the bed.
“Sure, probably,” he said. He didn’t want her to be afraid, but he knew those men wouldn’t have come back. This was someone, or something, else. “Stay in the room; I’ll be right back,” he instructed as he walked to the door.
“No! Please, stay with me.” She pleaded, beckoning for him to come to her.
“Emira, I will not let anything bad happen to you.” He walked back to the bed. “I promise you, whatever is out there, no matter how bad, how dangerous, vicious, or dark, I am much worse.” Heat flooded his eye sockets and rushed through his body; he could tell the spark of amber that lit them gave her comfort.
“You promise?” she asked as she curled up against the wall.
“I do.” Elijah watched as she nodded and most of the fear seemed to leave her eyes. Her trust in him was comforting, even though it was misplaced. “Here.” He looked from her face to his wrist and then back to her face.
“I’m going to let you borrow this.” He flipped the leather loop on his bracelet over the knot and it fell into his hand. “I don’t have much. This is one of the single most important things I own; it means more to me than you could possibly imagine. Give me your hand.” Emira surrendered her arm to his gentle touch.
“BOOM!” This time the knock rattled the door hard; it almost broke from its hinges. Elijah saw Emira shaking and heard her heart begin to pound beneath her chest, so he didn’t even look back.
“Look at me,” he said calmly. She looked up as Elijah looped the bracelet around her wrist and then clasped her hand inside his. “If I lose you, then I lose this, and I am not losing this, not tonight.” He let go of her hand; the bracelet was so big she had to hold it to keep it from falling off.
“Stay right here. I’ll be back,” he assured her. She nodded and Elijah turned back to the door. “Lock the door behind me,” he whispered.
Chapter 74
Elijah stepped out onto the catwalk and heard the chain rattle from inside as Emira locked the door behind him.
“What a heroic display, Brother!” A deep voice heralded from beneath the catwalk. Elijah’s entire body shivered and his pulse quickened. A second later, his entire body was burning from the inside out.
Solomon! It had been nearly a millennium since Elijah had heard his voice, but he recognized his brother immediately.
“I nearly swooned when you whisked her up in your arms. You’ve made quite a mess of the steps, though,” Solomon paused his falsely jocular commentary. Elijah remained silent; he could hear a slight chuckle from below. “But don’t worry, Brother; I took care of the nasty lot of them. Scum like that shouldn’t be allowed to roam the Earth, not with such precious and helpless creatures about.”
This was the moment Elijah had been waiting for! His body went rigid, nearly every muscle contracted at once.
“Are you going to look at me Brother? Please don’t be rude.” Solomon’s voice sounded the same, but he spoke differently. Elijah had never before heard him sound cold and condescending. He wanted so much to rip out his brother’s throat, but even more, Elijah needed an explanation. Deep down, he still held out hope his brother had a reason for what he had done all those years ago.
Nine-hundred-year-old memories flooded him and rocked Elijah from his momentary petrification. His body’s temperature continued to rise with anticipation, and he could feel his bones solidify and expand. He had dreamed of this moment a million times.
“I’m going to hurt much more than your feelings,” Elijah growled as he vaulted over the balcony and landed directly in front of Solomon. His right hand clenched tightly around his big brother’s muscular neck, and he felt amber fire burn bright in his eyes.
Fresh blood was smeared at the corner of Solomon’s mouth and he smelled of death, but he didn’t struggle; he wasn’t afraid. Elijah wasn’t surprised by his brother’s lack of fear, but by the warmth eclipsing his tired face.
“That is not very courteous, Brother. Now, embrace me,” Solomon demanded.
The thought sickened Elijah. He was appalled at Solomon’s audacity, that he would speak to him as if they were anything but enemies, as if they were still brothers.
“Brother.” Solomon spoke softly as he reached his hand slowly towards Elijah’s face. There was nothing menacing about his gesture, but Elijah quickly knocked his hand away—this creature was no longer his brother.
“I thought you were dead. All this time Elijah, I thought you were dead!” Solomon’s expression was now jubilant.
Elijah was confused, but didn’t waver. “You thought Father killed me when he nailed me to that ship? Everyone seems to forget how difficult it is to kill me.” Elijah could feel his fingers tightening around Solomon’s throat.
“No, Brother. I know nothing
of that; I would never harm you.” Solomon whispered; he seemed offended and confused.
Elijah could hear the abhorrence in his voice, but he didn’t believe him, not after what he had witnessed.
“But I did see Father rip your head from your shoulders,” Solomon continued.
His apparent sincerity piqued Elijah’s curiosity for a moment, but he quickly brushed it aside. Solomon couldn’t be trusted; he would probably say anything at this point, with his life being held firmly in Elijah’s lethal grip.
Elijah’s confusion disappeared and his purpose became clear; he was finally going to finish what he had set out to do all those years ago. His strong hand clenched even tighter. Solomon remained still; he seemed to welcome death at the hands of his brother.
Then Solomon stirred briefly. “Mal..a..ki,” he gagged out in spite of Elijah’s viselike grip.
Hearing Solomon say his little brother’s name infuriated Elijah; it inflamed his already turbulent spirit and he started to pull back his arm as his fingers sank deeper into Solomon’s neck.
“Malaki is still alive!” Solomon managed to croak the words out just moments before he would have lost his throat.
Startled, Elijah loosened his grip. “What do you mean? How? I saw Father break his neck. I know he wasn’t part of yours and father’s twisted betrayal.” Elijah stepped back as confusion clouded his mind and his eyes cooled, dimming to their normal dark brown.
“Mine and Father’s?” Solomon sounded shocked and offended. “What exactly do you remember of that night?” Solomon asked; his tone was accusing.
“I remember enough!” Elijah exclaimed. “I remember Malaki screaming. I remember Mother’s body, broken and bloody on the floor. And I remember you, Solomon, big brother. I remember you helping Father. I remember you striking my head with that log.” Elijah was once again smoldering with the anticipation of revenge. “I saw Malaki die with my own eyes. I saw Father snap his neck just before you blindsided me.” Elijah’s face was burning; he was bitter and enraged.
“And I saw you die that night also, but here you are. Father was already a vampire when he snapped Malaki’s neck; do you not remember him biting Mali first?” Solomon asked. “Malaki is alive.”
Solomon sounded sincere, but he always had. Elijah found himself wanting to believe his big brother, but, after all he had seen, there was only one way he could be sure.
“Bring him to me,” Elijah demanded, staring fiercely at Solomon.
“I can’t,” Solomon asserted as he shrugged his shoulders and raised his hands in the air.
“Liar! If he were still alive, you would have some proof!” Elijah shouted.
“I can’t bring him to you because I don’t know where he is. Father hid him from me all those years ago, but he has promised me if I help him, he will return Malaki alive. That is the reason for everything I have done, every wrong step I have taken, and every time I have stood by and allowed the most terrible things to transpire. It is also the reason I stopped you from attacking Father. I believed Father was the only one who could have brought Malaki back to life. I didn’t know the bite itself would have restored him.” Solomon stepped closer to his brother as he begged for acceptance.
Elijah backed away instinctively, but he was torn. If his brother was telling the truth, then Elijah had the explanation he had sought. He could finally make sense of Solomon’s actions and forgive him. He wanted to believe his brother, but it wasn’t easy to give up on a millennium-old desire for vengeance. It wasn’t easy to trust him again, especially after Elijah had seen Malaki die with his own eyes.
“You are a much greater fool than I remember if you believe that nonsense, or if you think I am willing to. Malaki is dead. Some people may be harder to kill, but the dead stay dead, there is no coming back from that,” Elijah bellowed.
“Are you serious, Brother? In nearly nine hundred years of killing our kind, you have never watched someone turn?” Solomon asked; confusion suffused his face. “They usually die first.”
Elijah’s thoughts immediately turned to Sara. She died before coming back as a vampire. And Hassan, the same thing had nearly happened to him. Perhaps his brother was telling the truth. Perhaps Malaki was alive. If being a vampire could be called living, because if what Solomon described was true, then Malaki must be one of the creatures Elijah had hunted all his life.
Elijah did recall now that William bit him first, but he thought William had killed him before giving the boy a chance to turn. Hope suddenly bloomed in his chest. He looked up to see Emira hanging over the rail of the catwalk listening to every word. She looked disgusted.
“I have never fed on the living. I am not vampire,” Elijah said.
“I know, Brother; our father has told me. But if you are not animated by blood, then what?” Solomon asked.
“I do not know how or why I am, but I do know you and I are very different. Perhaps hate is what fuels me and keeps me young. Perhaps when retribution and punishment have dealt their hands, I will fade away with the light of that day.” Elijah spoke boldly; the words resonated from the depths of whatever bit of soul he had left, and he could see Solomon understood, however well he could.
“I am deeply sorry for the mistakes I have made that hurt you, but Father will kill Malaki if I don’t obey him. I have never known what else to do. I can’t just let Malaki die; watching Father kill you was more than enough to break me,” Solomon admitted.
For the first time, Elijah began to sympathize with his brother. What Solomon described made more sense than anything else Elijah had considered.
Elijah looked up and saw Emira leaning over the rail. “Go back inside,” he mouthed, but she just shook her head.
“Since that day,” Solomon continued, “I have been biding my time. I have killed thousands of men over the years, draining them of their blood to stay young and strong. I have done far too much evil for no good to ever come of it. So I will continue doing whatever I must do to get Malaki back.” His tone was changing. He no longer sounded apologetic; he was speaking as if this revelation should somehow vindicate him.
“And we’re close, Elijah. Since he turned me, and led me to the creature who made me into this,” Solomon lit up his eyes to emphasize his point; he too was a vampire lord, “Father has been looking for something, and he has charged me with helping him. He has promised me, when this object is in his hands, Malaki will be freed.”
Solomon smiled as though he had made a conclusive point. “This has been a long, hard road, but we can finally have our family back, Elijah. Father has traced whatever he is looking for right to this area. There is a man here with connections to it. He claims to be simply a scholar of sorts, but father believes him to be much more. He is part of an order charged with protecting this secret, these tablets, or whatever they are, for hundreds of years, if not more. The man’s name is Khalid Gondal. He hasn’t given us anything yet, but he will.” Solomon’s voice resounded with enthusiasm. Excitement radiated from his smile, fueled by an obvious belief he was on the verge of finding Malaki, but his words filled Elijah with foreboding.
“Please, help us. Help me to save our brother. We will take what we need from this man, and then we can have our family back,” Solomon implored.
“And what about Mother? Will you raise her from the grave where I placed her, repair her body, and fill her with life?” Amber lightning bolts seared through his eyes.
Solomon lowered his head as he closed his eyes. “I’m sorry Elijah, but I swear to you, I had nothing to do with that.”
Elijah didn’t know what to do. He wanted what was left of his family back. He wanted to trust Solomon and to save Malaki, but not at such a cost.
Ayda had warned him of the dangers of letting his father find whatever this thing was. Regardless of Solomon’s reasons for helping their father, William was evil. Elijah knew his father could not be trusted. They needed to discover a different way to rescue Malaki.
Chapter 75
Elijah glanced
up once more to see Emira still standing on the catwalk. She had heard his brother’s plans for Khalid and his appeal for Elijah’s help. She looked desperate; her light was gone and her dark eyes were pleading with him, as if he was her only hope.
Elijah stood silent for a long time, taking it all in, doing his best to carefully weigh his brother’s words.
“I hear you, Brother. You were weak and you made bad choices, but those choices were your own. I can’t allow your choices to hurt another person whom I care about.” He looked up at Emira and she seemed consoled.
Elijah didn’t understand how this girl who barely knew him could put so much faith in his decency and his abilities. Elijah couldn’t understand the confidence she placed in him, but it strengthened him all the same.
“Who you care about!” Solomon exclaimed. “You don’t even know him.” He stated.
“You are right, but I do know people who care about him.” Elijah’s eyes shifted towards Emira and then back to his brother. “Besides, we can’t trust Father’s word. It is too dangerous to let him get his hands on this parchment. There has to be another way,” Elijah insisted.
“No, there is not. Father is too strong already.” Solomon’s enthusiasm dimmed. “You would put these people before your own family?” His question was an accusation.
“That is not what I’m doing. Listen to me Solomon. I believe you, but this will not bring Malaki back. Father will not give up his hold over you, but, if we work together, we can defeat him and save Malaki.” Elijah’s pulse was racing once again with anticipation. He hoped his brother would recognize his fool’s errand and join with him.
“Please reconsider, Brother,” Solomon growled. “Father doesn’t give second chances,” he said ominously. Elijah could see him growing angry as his eyes began to flicker with sparks of icy blue. He wasn’t going to come around, at least not yet.