Requiem of Humanity

by Catherine Stovall

  Matteo had told her and Soborgne that body piercings would be nearly impossible for a vampire. After a second of amazement, she realized none of them were real. Apparently, clip-on and magnetic jewelry was still useful after death. Jenda wished for Soborgne fiercely when she thought of how much fun they could have with such jewelry.

  The boy had a nice smile, despite the way it turned up in a crooked line. His large, almost violet eyes made her think of the little porcelain dolls her mother use to collect. They were sad, innocent, and sweet. Jenda couldn’t help but stare. He was a contradiction of danger and attraction.

  Starting with the woman directly to her left, Celeste announced, “This is Anya, the head of a prestigious coven in the Republic of Congo.”

  The woman was a witch, but her eyes were different from the other witches Jenda knew. Where the others’ eyes were mostly gold with a black crescent pupil, this woman’s eyes were almost completely black with small edges of gold. Her skin was the color of milk chocolate and the telltale gold runes ran along her face, neck, and hands. At first, Jenda wondered how she had missed this obvious detail. Guiltily, she realized her fixation on Drew had caused her to miss this important factor.

  Jenda became edgy. If she had been paying attention, she would have noticed right away that not everyone there was a vampire. She tried to smile at Anya and hide her thoughts, but she feared everyone could see how startled she was. Concentrating on the brightly colored scarf the woman wore and her beautiful wrap didn’t help. Jenda couldn’t stop her eyes from roaming to the mystical swirling patterns.

  The next in line for introductions was a ridiculous looking man. He was the type you saw at carnivals. Jenda was trying not to laugh at his blatant Gypsy attire. He wore a large red turban, a colorful patchwork silk vest, and matching pantaloons. His chest was bare underneath the vest, and the eddy of gold designs on almond butter skin matched the huge gold earrings that dangled from each ear. His gold eyes, like the woman’s, were lined in coal liner, but he went the extra distance and brought the bottom and top lines out to meet in a point stretching out across his temples.

  Jenda almost laughed, but just before she did, the man bowed deeply and she heard his voice inside her head. A creepy echo followed each word. “Jenda, you have been long awaited. May I offer you my assistance, and a bit of advice? Do not judge a book by its cover, or a man by his design.”

  “Jenda, I see that Tobias has decided to introduce himself.” Celeste must have known by Jenda’s expression, because she could feel her own jaw sitting on the floor. “Tobias is a man of many extraordinary talents. He is a nomad of sorts, so he lays claim to no one establishment. However, he is famous throughout the world for being the only male to have inherited the coven’s power in more than two hundred years. He is a tremendous power, even if he does dress like a swami.”

  The smile on Celeste’s face was endearing. The formality of the introductions broke as they all began to laugh and make comments about the various costumes in the room. For a few moments, the meeting grew less tense and the occupants of the room seemed almost normal.

  Once everything calmed down, Celeste spoke again in her even and comforting voice. Gesturing to the last woman, Celeste’s eyes filled with compassion. “You have met Meredith, who despite her recent loss has been so kind as to join us. Meredith is the keeper of the coven here in Budapest, and is a longtime friend of this house.”

  Meredith was the same as Jenda remembered her, except, now that some time had passed, she looked worn. Her appearance was still one of regal bearing and beauty, but an aura about her spoke of loss and trial. The horror of the situation struck Jenda like a fist in her heart. She had killed one of Meredith’s daughters with her own two hands, and yet the woman still stood here offering her assistance.

  Celeste gave no one time to reflect on those around them. Her voice rang out from her place at the prime position on the round table. “Let this meeting of the Clan and the Coven commence. We offer our respect to the blood, the bond, and the magic that enhances, entrances, and enchants us.”

  Everyone took a seat at the table except for Matteo and Imre, who was doing his usual lurking-in-a-corner act. Matteo touched her hand softly and went to stand at the opposite end of the room as Imre. Jenda doubted that they would ever stand together, no matter the situation. The feud between them bubbled and smoldered even now.

  The bad blood between them was centuries old. Even though Jenda wasn’t sure why they hated each other, she was sure it would never end. She didn’t understand why Celeste didn’t invite Matteo to join them. He stood as Imre stood, as a sentinel. Then she realized: that was his job now. He was her protector, her consort.

  No matter what she thought of the new development, she had no time to worry about it. Nervously, she sat down and looked around the table. Everyone seemed to be waiting for something. They all sat quietly, glancing between Celeste and Jenda. A few seconds later, out of desperation to end the silence, Jenda asked, “What are we meeting about?”

  Just like that, a conversation began. They were all waiting for the Lady or her prodigy, but now it was time to get to the heart of the matter. They were here for one common goal. They needed to find a way to protect the Clan and the Coven. They were vampires and witches, uniting, as they had for millennia, to protect their ways of life. Each unique character shared common thoughts. They would not bow beneath the Dracul and they would not allow the prophecy to end in the destruction of the humans or themselves. They were here because Jenda was here.

  Jenda tried her best to keep up. It seemed that Meredith, Nicholi, and Anya were in favor of a direct attack on the Dracul. An invasion similar to the one staged on Vajdahunyad was their master plan. A difficult task, with the Dracul’s superior numbers, but with the witch Coven it would be successful.

  Tobias, Drew, and Chenda were against the direct attack. They were more in favor of sniper attacks. Drew’s voice rose above the crowd. “Listen, if we try to go in there they will kick our asses!” He clamped his mouth shut very quickly as Nicholi gave him a disgruntled nudge.

  “I beg your pardon, ladies.” He ducked his head and caught Jenda’s eye, making her drop her gaze to the table. “I only mean to say we our outnumbered and less powerful than even a handful of their top ranks. The Dracul has been collecting their big players for centuries. They knew the time would come when they would take on the world. Our best bet is to sabotage them by taking their warriors and powers out one by one.”

  Anya was the first to disagree. “That would take years. We don’t have that kind of time. Many of their great powers have not arrived yet, or are already stationed somewhere else. I have connections inside their hold that tell me they are building their resistance elsewhere. The bloodletting will not happen here. Budapest is too much of a strong hold. They want to take this off the home field.” She was ferocious and beautiful.

  The conversation continued on and on into the night. They discussed the pros and cons, argued, and laughed. Drew was always cracking jokes, even while adding valuable input. Nicholi wasn’t a big talker, but when he spoke, everyone listened. Chenda’s tiny voice was barely audible. She was soft spoken, but her words were wise. Meredith spoke calmly and with caution. Anya was fiery and quick. Instead of talking aloud, Tobias tended to project his opinion straight into their minds. Jenda occasionally caught something pass between him and Celeste and wished she could read their minds.

  Celeste wasn’t giving any input. She simply stared at them all as she soaked it all in. Jenda spoke rarely. She would agree or disagree with a specific point, but would not choose a side. They did not argue. They simply stated their ideas as clearly as they could in hopes of coming to a decision. Their voices were getting louder and the conversation wasn’t going anywhere. They came to a deadlock.

  At last, Jenda tired of the entire situation. She had a more important agenda awaiting her. She was not a part of their world at this point. She was nothing but a figurehead for a war she never wanted to f
ight. She stood from her chair and all conversation halted.

  “I’m sorry, everyone. It seems you all have chosen your sides and you have settled on two ways to achieve our goal. I have my own ideas, and I would prefer to begin with them. If I don’t fulfill the prophecy, then the battle does not have to happen. If you choose to seek revenge on the Dracul for their murderous invasion of Vajdahunyad, I understand. My priority is not in war. I am most concerned with preventing the destruction of me, my friends, the vampire species, and the human race.” When Jenda finished speaking, she paused for their reaction.

  The entire room, except for Celeste, was awestruck. Jenda’s voice was beginning to fill with the power she held so closely in check. Her green eyes were burning embers and her words were a shock to them all. She could feel something pushing its way up from the recesses inside her. A newfound strength was guiding her. It had come to her during the first moments of the attack and was growing with each new situation that arose. She was half-afraid of it, and half-thankful.

  Tobias was the first to find his voice. “Tell us, my dear, what is it that you think you may do? You are but a baby in death, and you were not much more in life. You have never seen war, you have never laid eyes on a demon, and you have just begun to learn your gifts. Forgive me, and please do not take offense at my words. I mean no harm when I say that you are a live wire without a safety switch.”

  Jenda could see Matteo moving forward and Imre edging along behind him. She wondered if they intended to protect her or hold her back. She knew either gesture was unneeded. Holding her hand up, she signaled them to stop. Tobias cast a careful eye towards them and then stared hard at Jenda.

  “My intentions are to find Soborgne and take her back from the Dracul. Once I have her by my side, we will flee. We will go somewhere so isolated that we will be invisible. If that is not a possibility, my only choice will be to kill the two of us. If by ending our lives we can save all of you and the entire world, it is a small price to pay.”

  This time even Tobias was speechless. Matteo was shocked. He had no idea that she was planning to kill herself. He knew the demons and the Dracul would never let her and Soborgne live in peace. Their death was as certain as the sunrise. Celeste was still looking as if it were nothing she did not already know.

  “Jenda, though that seems to be a very gallant proposal, I do not think either path is the wisest. Soborgne is no longer the girl you loved. The darkness has taken her, and if you would find her—though that is almost impossible—she would not willing come with you or die by your hand.” Celeste was always straightforward with her, and sometimes her words were cruel.

  Jenda didn’t back down. She was not the good little girl anymore. For the first time in her life, she stood up to someone who she deemed her superior. In the most respectful manner she could muster, she bid good night to the room.

  Without waiting to see if even Matteo would follow, she turned on her heel and exited the room. Celeste finally lost her all-knowing patient composure. Jenda might as well have slapped her in the face. The Lady was wounded as she watched her prodigy walk away.

  20

  Jenda knew her strength was building. She knew she was becoming faster, harder, and more of a vampire each day. She would have to test those skills. The plan she and Agi had devised was going to take a lot of agility and speed to accomplish. Without thinking, without trying, Jenda began to run. Her feet hit the marble in silent pads, another awesome vampire trick. Moving with stealth was handy. She ran her hardest and found herself standing in the stairwell that led to the donor room in less time than even she could imagine.

  Agi popped her head out and looked up at Jenda. “Are we ready?” She was smiling from ear to ear, and Jenda couldn’t help but love that the girl was enjoying being bad so much.

  “Agi, are you sure you want to do this? You can say no. I would understand.” Jenda felt guilty for asking so much from the little human girl who would soon be a mother. She didn’t want to risk Agi’s newfound favor with Celeste on her own needs.

  “Are you kidding me? You and I made a deal, and I would like to think that we are friends. If you need me, I’m gonna help you.” She sounded so sure of herself that, for a moment, Jenda wanted to make her a vampire too.

  She could imagine the little blonde girl creating quite a whirlwind. The image faded as Agi climbed the stairs with one hand resting on her flat belly. No, Agi could not be one of them because she was already something else much greater. That little baby was going to be a lucky kid with a mom like that.

  Jenda couldn’t run now. She didn’t even want to walk too quickly for fear that Agi would become tired. The tiny life inside her affected Jenda profoundly. She had never been around small children in her other life. She didn’t babysit for friends or neighbors like other girls her age. Little children, especially babies, made her uncomfortable. They were so very breakable, and they cried so often. Now she felt an overwhelming need to protect Agi and her unborn child.

  The girls moved as quickly as possible through the dark twisting halls. As soon as Agi turned fifteen, her family had sent her to work at the castle. Children younger than that were not allowed to enter the castle unless by special permission. Vampires, no matter how well behaved, were still susceptible in the worst of times. No one wanted such an ugly incident. Agi had made good use of her four years in the castle and learned much of its layout, even the rarely used halls.

  With confidence, Agi led Jenda to the large metal door that separated Celeste’s domain from the rest of the castle. Jenda listened carefully with her vampire hearing and her special gift for emotions. Both of them told her that no one else was around. She nodded to Agi and watched as the girl punched in a code on the electronic alarm pad.

  The metal door slid up in complete silence, revealing an ancient set of wooden doors on the other side. Agi produced a key from her pocket and unlocked the door. Her devilish grin told Jenda that Agi had lifted the key from somewhere she shouldn’t have been. Jenda gave in to a whim and hugged the girl to her. Agi stiffened at first, but realizing that it was just a friendly hug, she squeezed Jenda back.

  “I’ll be back here at dawn to get you.” To Jenda’s surprise, she slid a cell phone and a small flashlight out of her back pocket and handed them over. “If you need me before then, just call me. If things get too crazy here, I will let you know. The library is just through these doors and to the right. Good luck.”

  The only light in the huge room came from the cracks of the curtains. A streetlight outside tried valiantly to shine through the dirty windowpanes and heavy velvet curtains. Jenda’s eyes adjusted quickly to the dark and she edged along the wall towards the library. She didn’t sense anyone near, but it was better to be safe than sorry. She could see the library doors looming up on the other side of the room. A golden plate hung on each door and the heavily filtered light glinted off it, reminding her of Meredith and the other witches.

  Creeping closer and closer to the doors, she began to get braver. When she finally stood directly in front of them, she paused for a minute. Standing on her tiptoes, she read the plaque:

  “Invent your own mythology or be slave to another man’s”

  ~William Blake~

  Shrugging her shoulders at the mysterious words by the infamous Mr. Blake, Jenda pushed open the door as quietly as she could. Nothing stirred in the room, and she saw no sign of other occupants. Wall to wall shelves full of books stood proudly above her, making her feel small in their presence. Jenda found it humbling to stand in the middle of a room full of knowledge bound in thousands of volumes. For her, it was being a witness to something immeasurable and great.

  Walking slowly through the room, she noticed with relief that there were no windows anywhere. Memories of studying the Watergate scandal made her worry that someone would see light in the room and come to investigate. Paranoia went hand in hand with hiding out in dark unused rooms where you were not supposed to be.

  Not really knowing where to s
tart, Jenda went to each section and selected two or three books. She carried them by the armloads back to the table. She knew what she needed to know, but she had no idea of how to find it. In order to find Soborgne, this had to work. If left up to the Coven and the Clan, Soborgne would be just another necessary casualty of the war neither of them ever chose.

  21

  “I don’t care! You will do whatever it is you have to do to find her. She is transitioning too quickly to be out on her own. She could be dangerous. Not to mention, if either the Dracul or the demons catch her scent, she is as good as dead.” Matteo’s voice was booming.

  He was livid. No one could find Jenda. After she ran out of the meeting, she simply vanished. Celeste was becoming frantic with worry, and though he was trying to conceal it as best he could, he could feel himself beginning to panic as well. Even Imre joined in the manhunt. They were searching airports, bus stops, streets, and alleys. The problem was that when a vampire—even a very young one—disappears, it is a difficult thing to overcome.

  “Eh, Matteo, she will be fine, do not worry lad.” Patrick’s voice was a comfort to hear. Matteo had always liked the Irish vampire, and was glad to have him on their side.

  “I know, Patrick. She’s tough, but right now, she isn’t running on a full tank. She hasn’t slept in days, and her feeding pattern has been highly erratic. I guess I never told you about her first days. She never lusted or became incensed with the blood, as most fledglings do. She was normal compared to Soborgne. Soborgne bounced between more bloodlust than I have ever seen and being almost completely normal. I am afraid for Jenda right now.”

  “Aye, laddie, I can see where you might be a wee bit worried, but if I know our lass, she isn’t gone too far. She wouldna be leaving ya behind.” Patrick had a knowing twinkle in his eye that caused Matteo to suspect something was up.

  “Patrick, I swear to God, if you know where she is and you are not telling me, I will rip your throat out with my bare hands just to watch you squeal like a pig.” Matteo was serious and Patrick knew it. The problem was that he didn’t care.