Spinning around to face Andras and the tree, Soborgne gave him a wicked smile that spoke volumes of the things she had in mind. Approaching the twisted shape, she could feel the mix of torment and rage that circulated from the heart of the tree but chose to ignore it. Instead, she turned to face her congregation once more as she ran her hand gently down the bark-covered form of Cain’s back.
“I am the unholy trinity. The seed of the three races come to rule. I am the demon queen.” Soborgne thrust her arms in the air and spun. Her blood boiled and the physical changes zinged through her body like live wires. Her once deep chocolate eyes drained of color and the blanket of midnight that she had seen in Andras’s eyes remained. Her nails, already hardened and sharp, elongated and curled into deadly claws.
Andras approached her, his chest swollen with pride. He, at last, had a mate worthy of standing at his side and the final key to the prophecy was approaching. He could feel the redheaded one in the demon realm. He could taste her fear like a delicacy for him to savor. She would join him or her blood would flow. It would be better to harness the power of both but, if his hand was forced, he would allow Soborgne to rip her little friend to shreds.
24
With Agi’s assistance, Matteo prepared to wait out whatever spell held his beloved in its grasp. They cleaned away the bits of flower and the charred clothing. Matteo bathed Jenda with a cloth and brushed out her long curling hair. He wept as he dressed her in one of his freshly pressed button-downs, her favorite thing to wear to bed, despite his frequent protests that he rarely had a nice shirt.
Tucked into the massive bed with the soft crimson comforter neatly folded beneath her hands, Jenda appeared, at first glance, to be merely sleeping. The soft rays illuminated the natural highlights of her hair against the white pillow so that she looked like a masterpiece painted by Botticelli. The illusion was a small comfort that lasted briefly for Matteo as he sat beside the bed holding her hand in his.
The morning wore on in undiluted pain. Sunlight flooded in from the open window, making it impossible for any of the night creatures that remained awake to enter the room where Jenda rested. Sensing his need for space, Agi went to place a kiss on his dampened cheek. “I am going to go now. I will have someone stand guard and keep the others away. Meredith will come later to check on our girl.”
Matteo reached up to capture the delicate hand she had placed on his shoulder. “Thank you Agi. Thank you for everything. You are a true friend to us. When this is over, I will see to it that you and your family receive proper thanks. I have one favor before I send you off to rest and concentrate on the life that is growing inside you rather than the lives of the undead.”
Matteo often forgot that, beneath the soft human shell, Agi was just as much a warrior as the rest of the Vajdahunyad crew. The steel in the girl’s voice surprised him. “You forget, dear, I am no servant to be bribed. I do what I do because I care for those around me. Maybe the strain of the day has made you overlook the fact that I am more than hired help in this castle. As for my family, I care for myself and the baby just fine, Matteo Angelleti.” Seeing the hurt and shock brought to the surface once more, she softened. “What is it that you need from me, sweetheart?”
A sudden intensity burned in Matteo’s eyes and his voice dropped to a whisper. “There may be a way to save her. I’m not sure. The book of blood and flesh and another large leather bound volume are in my room. Bring them to me, but tell no one.”
Agi knew better than question the conviction in his eyes. After all, he had known Jenda was alive. “I will bring them right away.”
As he waited for Agi, Matteo concentrated all his senses on Jenda. He whispered to her, trying to call her back to him. He wept as he prayed that he would see the smallest movement. Any sign of life would have comforted him but there was none. Her chest lay still with no sign of breathing, her eyes did not shift beneath the sealed lids, and her lips did not curl into the lazy smile he had often witnessed while she slumbered. His only relief was that she had ceased to flicker.
Once Agi had brought him the books, Matteo tucked himself into the chair by Jenda’s bed and stared at the prophecy once more. Jenda’s notes badgered him relentlessly. The answer to the riddle was hidden inside the books and her cryptic musings. He only had to find it. Forcing himself to concentrate on the writing within the tomes, he began to read.
Page after page, his eyes scanned the book that Jenda had stolen from the library. It felt as if it had been decades since she and Agi had betrayed him to formulate Jenda’s plan. He wondered at the fact it had only been a short time ago. Forcing himself not to skip ahead to the page she had marked, Matteo read every word. He feared overlooking some small thing in his haste. With no real clues, he had to accept the idea that every bit of information could hold the key to bringing Jenda back from the death-like sleep.
Hours passed as he scanned the pages, only occasionally marking a page in hopes the information might help later. Meredith came. The closest thing to a healer that Vajdahunyad possessed, she attempted to discover the depths of what imprisoned Jenda within a body that didn’t seem to live. Matteo was thankful that she plastered on a sincere outer appearance to hide her clinical fascination.
Meredith’s methods were a blend of science and craft. Explaining to Matteo her every move, she was not surprised that he did not speak as his eyes followed her every move. A vampire male in his position was a volatile creature and the emotional stress of having his mate in such a state could easily draw him into insanity and a raging bloodlust. She secretly jotted observances about his own condition as she made lists about Jenda in a tiny notebook.
“I’m going to draw blood now. I will test it for other toxins like the one used in the first attack. I am not picking up any psychic or physical vibrations from her with craft. I would like to bring in an EEG machine. Because even vampire’s brains produce sparks of electricity, the machine will let us know if she has brain activity on a level below what my senses are able to observe.”
She waited expectantly for Matteo’s response. When he did not answer and the stormy look on his face seemed to darken, Meredith explained farther. “It causes no pain and she will more than likely be completely unaware of the test. It will only take a few minutes for us to discover if the incident did permanent damage and is the cause of what is happening to her.”
The low growl was the only warning she received before Matteo was on her. Slamming the unexpecting witch into the wall, Matteo snarled into her face. “The incident? Is that how you refer to having my wife beheaded in front of me? How can you look at her and not feel it? How is it no one other than Agi and I seem to recognize that emptiness that she left behind for what it is? Let me tell you then, witch. That strange silence that surrounds her body is the eye of the storm. When whatever is coming erupts, she is going to be the center of it and if we can’t bring her back to her body, we are going to all be lost.”
Meredith’s gold eyes flashed and she pulled her power in like a snake coiling to strike. She kept her voice level and only allowed a hint of her reserve slip. “Release me, vampire. I would never harm Jenda but if you do not let me go, I will turn you into a pile of ash. You are not so old or so strong that the head of the Coven cannot strip you of your immortality. Whatever holds her will not be released by our mutual destruction.”
Matteo held her roughly for another moment before backing away. Rational thought slowly clawed its way to the surface of his brain. “I apologize, Meredith. This is all so difficult. I understand you are only trying to help. I am very aware of the possible implications of my actions. The healing may not have been full. When her head was severed, I shouldn’t have tried to help her. I know it may be my fault that she is a vegetable. The spine, the brain, or some small seemingly unimportant thing may not have reconnected properly. Whatever it is, it is my fault that she is trapped in her body.”
By the time he finished, Matteo was a whimpering mess. Meredith did not go to him, did not offe
r him comfort. Instead, she focused more on Jenda. Pity could not heal his grief and time wasted would not help Jenda’s condition. “This strange wavering, you have seen this before?”
Matteo explained how, while held captive in Belle’s compound, Jenda had experienced a similar reaction, and that her transition into the astral planes had been the source of the phenomenon. Meredith considered the information but added none of her observations or thoughts on the subject. Instead, she moved on to a major concern that no one else had considered.
Meredith pried open Jenda’s eye and examined the pupil as she spoke. “How do you expect to feed her?”
The question caught Matteo off guard. “I hadn’t thought about that. We have to provide for her.”
“I can run a feeding tube and pump human blood into her. It will prevent her from feeling hunger and prevent madness and emaciation.” Meredith turned to look through the medical supplies that she had brought with her. Choosing two bags of blood, she tossed one to Matteo and prepared to insert the IV into Jenda’s hand. “Why don’t you two have dinner together? You must remember to take care of yourself as we care for Jenda. If she pulls out of this, she is going to need you more than ever.”
Unable to watch Meredith run the tubing into Jenda’s nasal passage, Matteo busied himself with instructing the guard at the door on what supplies he would need in order to warm his own dinner. By the time he returned, Meredith had finished putting the clear tubing in place. The sight of the blood flowing into the tube brought the first burn of hunger to the back of Matteo’s throat and reminded him that he could not recall the last time he had fed from the vein.
Once he had eaten and Meredith had left, promising to return the next day with the machines, Matteo settled back down to read. Picking up the old volume once more, he turned to the drawing of the ancient myth and reread Jenda’s notes. He could feel the answer lingering in the recesses just out of his reach. His eyes grew heavy and the sudden need to sleep came over him, causing his limbs to feel heavy and his thoughts to blur.
He gave in to the overwhelming exhaustion and slid fully clothed onto the bed next to her. His lips brushed lightly on her cheek as he covered her hand with his. As he drifted off to sleep, he whispered into her ear. “What did you see in that picture Jenda? What did you find?”
Matteo dreamed of Jenda dancing at the ball once more. This time when the man raised his head from Jenda’s throat, it was not Augustine at all. Just as had happened before, ebony wings sprouted from the stranger’s back and his eyes became bottomless pits of hate and loathing. The monster’s mouth opened to reveal a black forked tongue that slid over the side of Jenda’s face.
Jenda screamed as she tried to escape, “The book. Look in the book. The tree is in—” Her words ended as Matteo fought to reach her. The demon’s talons cut into her flesh and silenced his beloved once more.
Matteo woke from the dream. His clothes and hair, damp with blood sweat, clung to his skin. Jolting upright in the bed, he jerked his head from left to right, searching the room for danger. Cursing, he realized his abrupt movements were jostling Jenda. Carefully sliding from the bed, Matteo crossed the room. His mind full of confusion and pain, he stood at the large window and watched as the sky faded from sunset into the hazy twilight hour.
Once the first stars began to fill the sky, he went back to the books and her words. Letting his mind just absorb the sight of them together, Matteo thought over the nightmare. When the answer came to him, he swore aloud. Speaking to Jenda’s unconscious body, he ranted. “The damn tree. The godforsaken thing has been right under our nose the whole time in the demon landscape. The only way to reach that tree would be death, magic, or by escort from the demon prince himself.”
Opening the book of blood and bone, he turned the pages without thought to the fact that his fingers scanned the surface of preserved human skin. Unsure of what he was searching for, he tried to consume each page as quickly as he could. Halfway through, he found what he needed. Unable to read the foreign words eloquently scrawled on the page, he could only be sure by the picture that accompanied the notes.
The carmine colored tree closely resembled the one Jenda had located in connection with the Tree of Life myth. The dragon was less Asian in design and the phoenix looked more like a griffin but all the criteria were present. Strange runes and more of the alien symbols surrounded the illustration. Certain that he had found the key to resurrecting his wife, Matteo’s eyes filled with tears of a different nature.
Falling to his knees beside the bed, Matteo buried his face into Jenda’s neck. “I will find a way to come after you. If it takes killing me, I will get you free from him. Walk carefully my love. I am coming.” Snatching up the books, Matteo ran from the room in search of the rest of the Coven and Clan.
He made only one stop on his way. In the feeding rooms located in a renovated dungeon, Matteo found Agi working her shift as the receptionist. Her eyes brightened as he walked into the room. Out of instinct, she looked down at the book on her desk to see what feeder she had open for him. “Matteo, honey. How are you feeling? Have you come to feed?”
Placing his hand over the page, he recaptured her attention. “I need a favor.”
25
Back in the seventh realm, Abraxos stared in disbelief at Jaoel’s form. The fact that she had chosen to go with the most traditional human belief surprised him, though he had done the same. The vision of the dominion angel dressed in the guise of a dainty and angelic creature with flowing blonde hair and ivory white wings was nearly laughable. He had almost expected to see a tiny golden halo hovering over the crown of her head. Unfortunately for him, neither Jaoel nor Eiael found any humor in the situation. The newly formed angel among them was quickly forgotten as they launched into a verbal attack.
“Have you lost your mind? You gave a vampire your blood. You broke the rules, Abraxos. The Lord will hear about this.” Eiael nearly foamed at the mouth.
Jaoel only seemed to grow increasingly sadder. “It’s quite unfortunate. You are dangerously close to the edge, Abraxos. If you don’t step back now, you may fall.”
“I am nowhere near the edge.” He tried to put conviction into his words but the lesser angel had begun to doubt himself as much as the others did. He had not known what he was doing when he offered the vampire his blood. The idea had overtaken him with a powerful need that he had been unable to control.
Surprisingly, the new addition to their group was the one to offer him comfort. Ashley stopped fluttering the wings they had dressed her in for Jenda’s benefit during the transcendence and looked at the others with concern. “That vampire is my granddaughter and the key to saving all of us from something worse than falling from God’s good graces. To die in battle may be to die in honor for some but to me it is senseless. The prophecy tells us that the angels will fall if that vampire does not succeed. Perhaps your friend here has given her the edge that she needed.”
The booming voice shook the ground around them. “That is not generally a tone I care to hear my children use, especially when speaking to each other.”
Tears sprung to Ashley’s eyes when she realized that it was the ruler of heaven who had spoken. Falling to her knees she pleaded, “Please, forgive me Father. I am sorry that I have misspoken.”
Like thunder in the desert, his voice burst forth again. “Silence. My angels, you have both succeeded and failed. The child has been sent forth to face our enemy but with the blood of an angel in her veins.”
Abraxos felt himself cringe beneath the weight of the accusation in the disembodied voice. Speaking with the Lord face-to-face was one thing but when his presence encompassed every molecule of space around his body, the messenger angel felt the lowliness of his status. He dared not to speak in his defense. He knew he had violated the rules of heaven and the trust of God. He knew the punishment would come. He accepted his fate with a bowed head and a heavy heart.
“Eiael, take the new angel to Raphaiem and ensure she is taken car
e of. When you have accomplished this task to completion with no mistakes, you may report to me.” The voice did not soften and the dominion angel made a poor choice.
Eiael squeaked, “Lord, I could be of serv—”
“Go!” The resounding command left no room for argument.
Once Ashley and Eiael faded from sight, God turned his focus to the two trembling angels before him. “Jaoel, you are to return to your domain and retrieve two peili. Bring them to my throne—and guardian, I suggest you waste no time.”
Abraxos, struck with the realization that he would be alone in the presence of an angry and all-powerful God, felt the urge to throw himself prostrate on the ground and bury his head in fear. Instead, he remained standing and waited for the worst to come. The sudden appearance of Michael and Gabrielle confirmed his worries that he would face expulsion from the heavenly realms.
Between the mighty and glorious bodies of the archangels, the Lord appeared. He was once again dressed as the elderly human man. This time, when Abraxos looked into the piercing blue eyes, he saw more than glory and love. He saw the wrath of God burning like a white light with the promise of righteousness. His betrayal had tipped the scales too far.
“Abraxos, messenger angel of the seventh realm, you are charged with the offense of offering your blood to the cursed. You have given of yourself and uttered the words of such a blessing to one who has not yet been proven worthy. You have turned to darkness and you align yourself with the fallen by your action and your word. Do you have anything to say before your brethren or before your Lord?”
Even as the words spilled from his mouth, Abraxos wanted to deny them. He did not want to face the punishment that would await him but what was in his heart was what would be judged and he knew that there was no hiding what lay within. “I beg for mercy, Lord Almighty. I plead with my brothers to show leniency upon one who has strayed from the path of the righteous and good. I beseech you to forgive what I have done but I do not regret my deeds.”
Requiem of Humanity Page 57