Mark of Betrayal

by A. M. Hudson

  “So—” I tried to piece things together in my head. “What does he want my child for if she can't kill him?”

  “I never said she cannot kill him, or that she will not have the power to mortalise vampires, but his true interest in your child is not known to me.”

  “You know what?” I stood up, shoving my chair back with my legs. “No more lies. I already know, Arthur. Jason told me you're here to steal my child and give it to Drake.”

  He looked down, rubbing a hand across his mouth. “Jason knows?”

  “Yes.”

  He nodded, calm. “What else has he told you?”

  “That he doesn't believe you’re a traitor.”

  “I'm not a traitor.”

  “How do I know that? You came here on Drake’s request.”

  He appeared beside me, taking my trembling hand. “I was already planning my stay here when I was called to Drake’s bedside.”

  “His bedside?”

  “He was dying,” Arthur said. “He had consumed the entire box of blood stores Jason took from you in order to survive that venom-tipped sword, and even then, he was struggling.”

  “So, he knows about immunity—that’s how you found out?”

  “Yes.”

  “And, he called you to him for what—to come get more blood from me?”

  “No. My king addressed me as his friend, not his council leader. He thanked me for all that I had done and asked that I go to Loslilian on one last mission before I took my leave.”

  “To impregnate me and kidnap our baby?”

  “Yes, but…there was something else.”

  Arthur wandered across the room, then opened his drawer. “Loslilian is also home to this.”

  “What is that?” I asked, eyeing a box very similar to the one Nhym came in.

  “It’s the Dagger of Yahanna.”

  “Of death?”

  “Correct.” He flipped the lid and spun the box around on the table so I could see inside; above the bone blade, the hilt was twisted silver, rising up around a red stone, like snakes on a Celtic Knot. “This dagger is said to be spelled; that if Drake uses this on the Stone of Truth, forces it through the heart of your infant child, he will gain all power the child holds. Including the rumoured power to reverse immortality.”

  Bingo! The truth. I tried not to grin. “But…if my child can do that anyway, why would he want to take that from her? Why not just—”

  “Because it’s power. Why would anyone follow a dark entity when they can follow the light?”

  “If he holds all power, he reigns supreme.” I nodded to myself, feeling numb. “And, what…he promised you mortality if you gave up my baby?”

  “Yes.”

  “And you agreed?”

  “Yes.”

  I felt my fingertips twitch, a stroke across his face their destination.

  “But it was a lie.” He grabbed my hand.

  “Then why are you really here?” I yanked away from him.

  “Because this goes deeper than any of us can possibly imagine. I am here to protect you—protect the world from what may come.”

  “Like what?”

  “Think about it—what does Drake know? What kind of power will that child have that he’s willing to wait six centuries for it?”

  I swallowed my own words, dropping back on my heels.

  “This is not just about the reversal of immortality, Amara, because, quite frankly, Drake does not give a damn whether a vampire wants to live or die.”

  “Then…” I unclenched my fists. “What does he want her for?”

  “You tell me,” he said, then sighed, pinching his brow. “Look, after Drake let you escape, I—”

  “Let me escape?”

  Arthur half laughed. “Yes. My dear, if he truly wanted you dead that day, you would have been.”

  “But I thought he thought I was dead all that time—before I was crowned.”

  “No. He knows all that goes on in that castle.”

  “Then he must know Jason’s alive.” And David.

  “Possibly. But many other people also knew you were still alive. No one knew about Jason. He was taken away with the rest of the dead.”

  I pictured that in my mind; a pile of bloodied bodies, and Jason beneath them.

  “The castle was unattended for a long period of time preceding that,” Arthur continued. “Your escape happened before Drake was stabbed. Anything after might have slipped his attention.”

  “So, if he let me escape because he wanted me to have this kid, then he’s not really going to attack us, is he?”

  “No,” he said calmly.

  “How long will he give us to deliver what he wants?”

  “I'm not sure.”

  I chuckled nervously, numb and confused, sitting on the chair again. “I bet he was pissed when the council arrested me in the first place, then.”

  “Yes. He was muttering something about changing tactic when I first entered his chamber.” He knelt down in front of me. “I promised him I would come to Loslilian, father a child with you, and bring it to him. But that was never my intention.”

  “Then what is your intention, Arthur?”

  He sighed heavily, standing up. “At first, I was going to help you flee the country, change your identity—make you safe. But, after Drake told me of the dagger, I went to the library to research the location and legend surrounding it. All I found was Drake’s Book of Shadows, which had a half a page of information, a spell Drake had placed on it long ago, and ripped away and stuffed in the back of the book, I found a note.”

  “What did it say?”

  “I don't remember the exact words, because when I returned to the library after getting the Dictionary of Translation, the note was gone.”

  “Who took it?”

  “I have no way of knowing. All I know is that the runes I remembered on the note gave indication that the dagger had another use.”

  “Chopping up steak?”

  “No.” He laughed and gently lifted the dagger from the box, squatting before me again. “That, if wielded by one deemed ruler by the mother of the Earth, one who is sworn in on the Stone of Truth, it could pierce the heart of any vampire, and send its soul to the other side.”

  “Kill it?”

  “Not just kill.” He rested his elbow over one knee, loosely holding the dagger. “Do you remember being told that it is near impossible to sever the connection of a Lilithian soul from the realm of life?”

  “Yes.”

  “Vampires are not so different. Our souls are created immortal—to reincarnate over and over again. They are the reason only some humans can be turned to vampires.”

  “No, that’s because of the sucky gene.”

  “No, it’s because you must have a soul capable of immortality.”

  “Not a gene?”

  “There is no gene.”

  “What!”

  “It was a lie made up to generate fear—to stop vampires changing men randomly and creating the wars we had at the beginning of time.”

  “You’re kidding me?”

  “No.”

  “My God.” I frowned at nothing. “That gene lie caused so much trouble for me.”

  “I know.” He patted my knee. “But, even if it were true, and you had the gene, you could not have been a vampire, because you were born of Lilithian blood. You cannot be Vampirian and Lilithian.”

  “I know. But it just…I just wish I knew then what I know now.”

  “As do we all,” he said sympathetically. “But, even if you’d known you were Lilithian back when Jason bit you at the masquerade, it wouldn't have saved you from slipping into a coma as the venom poisoned your system.”

  “I know. But, it would have saved David a lot of anguish for thinking I was going to die.”

  “If I could have trusted him to protect you, knowing what you were, I would have told him.”

  “Why didn't you trust him?”

  “I was concerned, at first, t
hat his love for the law outweighed his love for you.”

  I nodded to myself. “So, how can you tell if someone has an immortal soul?”

  “It’s in their eyes. Have you ever met someone, seen a child born who has a certain depth about them—wise, as if they’ve been here before?”

  “Yes. I have, actually.”

  “Those are the souls who reincarnate—the ones who become great leaders, wise prophets, scientists—vampires.”

  “But, what about Lilithians? No human has ever died when being turned Lilithian?”

  “No. We believe the Lilithian venom can immortalise a soul.”

  “How?”

  “We’re not sure, but your kind is so much closer to nature than the Vampirian bloodline and all its created. Perhaps a way to look at it would be that one is created of God, the other manmade.”

  “So, are there many immortal souls in the world?”

  “Yes, roughly over a third of today’s population.”

  “Then, those Drake turned to create his new army—why did so many die?”

  “That was exactly the question I asked myself, and my answer was—” He stood up again, “—I suspect he killed half of them deliberately to maintain the lie of the gene. Our people would ask questions if he suddenly created masses of vampires from mere men.”

  “Wow. So the story unfolds,” I said; Arthur laughed. “So, this dagger can send an immortal soul to heaven?”

  “Or hell.”

  “How?”

  “Prevents it from reincarnating.”

  I looked at the dagger. “Then, it could kill you, or even me?”

  Arthur touched the tip of his finger to it. “Yes. But only if wielded by the hand of the king—an entity we do not posses. Unless—”

  “Unless?”

  “By right of heir.”

  “And that's why you want a child with me—not because of the prophecy.”

  “Yes. So I can kill Drake.”

  “Why do you want to be the one?”

  “Because, there is something else you must know about this dagger.”

  “What?”

  He angled it to the light, making the silver sparkle on the edge of the hilt. “He who drives the dagger takes the fate of that beneath it.”

  “Huh?”

  “Whoever kills Drake will die along with him.”

  My lips parted, cold breath making them dry.

  “Do you see, Amara, I never wanted to hurt you; never wanted to have a child with you for my own selfish reasons. I want to die, knowing I've taken that son of a bitch to Hell with me, and that, in the process, I would be saving my nephews.”

  I nodded, looking up quickly when the ring of his plural registered in my ears. “Nephews? Then you know?”

  “That David's alive, yes.” He nodded.

  My jaw almost hit the floor. “How long have you known?”

  He sniffed, leaning back on the table. “I suspected it for a while. But, the Coronation Ball was a dead giveaway.”

  “Why?”

  “I smelled him all over you. At first I thought Jason had come back, but you were much too melancholy for that to be the case. And Jason was supposedly out of the country. It meant only one thing…my David was alive.” His lip pulled into a smile as he turned around, placed Yahanna in its box and closed the lid.

  “Why didn't you tell me you knew?”

  “To be honest, I wasn’t sure you even knew. I watched you closely when you cried for him, when you were sad talking about him, and I could not, for the life of me, decipher your true emotions. I thought maybe he had come to you that day, while you slept, and kissed your hair to show you how proud he was, but that you were left unaware.”

  I touched a hand to my chest, feeling it burn. “Then why didn't you just ask me if I knew?”

  “Because, my dear, if David believed it was safer for you to be left in the dark, I would respect that. I know nothing of his intentions or plans, only that he has good reason for every decision he makes.”

  “So, do you think he knows that the dagger can kill Drake?”

  Arthur nodded. “I suspect so.”

  “What makes you so certain?”

  “Because you weren’t surprised when I mentioned the dagger, which means Jason knows about that as well, and if Jason knows, there is no way he would keep that kind of information from his own brother.” He grinned. “My David is a smart boy. He knows what this dagger does by now, I would bet my life on it.”

  “So, he thinks he has to kill Drake? Is that what he plans to do?”

  “If I know him, yes.”

  “Then…why isn't he here? Why hasn't he come to see me, tell me, spend time with me before he just wanders off to die!”

  “I'm not sure, but whatever his reasons, it must pose some risk to you for him to be here. Or—” He took a moment before continuing. “Or he is mentally preparing you for his death?”

  My chest lifted, moving my shoulders with each panicked breath. “By leaving me alone?”

  “Perhaps to learn to cope without him—to see you do not need him to be strong.”

  The tears broke past restraint. I cried into my hand, my shoulders shaking. “How can he live with that? How can he have known all this time that he’s going to die—going to give up our forever, and not tell me?”

  “I imagine he would not have wanted to see you like this.”

  “But that’s ridiculous! So, he was just going to go off and die, and what, someone else would pick up the pieces?”

  Arthur sighed, sympathy warming his soft smile.

  “That’s not fair. No! He doesn't get to do this. He doesn't get to just—”

  “Amara, calm down.” He cupped both my shoulders, holding me firmly. “It doesn't have to be that way. It won't be that way.”

  I shook, letting my head fall against his chest.

  “And…you understand now, that I'm not the creepy uncle trying to fondle his niece in-law?” He stroked my hair gently. “My offer of a child still stands, but it may not be the prophecy child—if she is, indeed, possible. However, it will save your husband from certain death—a death he is only too aware he's headed for.”

  My eyes watered. “So, we have to stop the coronation from happening. If he gets crowned—”

  “I believe that’s all he’s waiting for—aside from the dagger.”

  “How do you know he hasn't found it?”

  “Because it’s still here, so, you needn’t worry. And he won't find it.”

  “How can you be so sure?”

  “Because that, my dear—” he nodded to the box, “—is not the dagger.”

  “It’s not?”

  “No. It’s a fake.”

  “Where's the real one?”

  He smirked. “Only I know that. And it will remain that way.”

  “Insurance policy, huh?”

  “No. It’s to protect those who seek to protect you, from themselves.”

  I ran that over in my head.

  “By stopping David from using the dagger,” he clarified, “I am stopping him from letting it fall into Drake’s hands. Without that, your child is merely a child. He can kill her, but there would be little point.”

  “Except to take revenge on me for being Lilithian.”

  Arthur shook his head softly. “It’s not like that.”

  “Yes, it is.”

  “No, Amara, I told you already; everything any vampire living today knows about Lilith is based on rumours created by Drake himself. Some people don't even know what year this all took place. I once heard Eric reference the death of Lilith to have occurred in early thirteen hundred, and had to laugh to myself.”

  “When was it?”

  “Fourteen hundred and—I can't remember the exact year. But I know she ruled for only twelve.”

  “Twelve?”

  Arthur nodded.

  “So, Arthur?” I looked at him carefully, swallowing my nerves. “This child…”

  “Shh.” He held his han
d up, looking down. “Say no more. We’ve shared enough for tonight, my dear, and I do believe you have a lighthouse date with a certain nephew of mine.”

  I smiled. “Yeah.”

  He helped me to stand. “Go relax, have some fun; we can talk more about this tomorrow.”

  “I’ll….” It all started to sink in. “Okay, well, I’ll give it some very serious thought.”

  He nodded. “However, I know that mind-block of yours is getting stronger, but you must be careful to keep this from Jason, or we will have a fight on our hands.”

  “What do you mean?”

  He rolled his head to one side, smiling. “What do you think?”

  “What, you think he’ll want to father the child?”

  “Without a doubt.”

  “Why—so he can die?”

  “Yes.”

  My heart turned hard inside my chest. “Why?”

  Arthur stood staring at nothing, biting his lip a little. “This stays between us.”

  I nodded.

  “When the council brought Eric before them to question his whereabouts on the night several people had reported seeing David, he lied, told them he had been with Jason and his girlfriend. But when the security tapes were checked, evidence proved that the man in the tape was David. Eric was arrested and sentenced to six years hard torture.”

  “Oh, my God,” I said into my fist.

  “Jason panicked—told the council he and Eric had been following David, that they’d not reported his whereabouts because they suspected he would lead them to a pure blood Lilithian.”

  “Me?”

  “Yes. He had no way of knowing then exactly what he had set in motion, and he had no intentions of ever letting them catch you. I was there when he confessed to the king, and it is only that confession that saved both himself and Eric.”

  “So, what did Drake do?”

  “Nothing. He stood in the shadows while his World Council discussed our options and made plans for David's arrest and your capture. I reported the information back to Jason each evening, and we devised our own plan—to help you escape. But we needed a back-up plan.”

  “Which was?”

  “We were only too aware of what would happen to you if they brought you in. One of us, who cared for you, needed to be approved as your persecutor. And I knew Jason’s good soul could not handle that. I offered to be the one, but he fought me on it—said that you were safe in his hands—that no one in this world could possibly love you the way he does, and in that, could not torture you delicately enough.”