In Darkness We Must Abide: The Complete Second Season: Episodes 6-10

by Rhiannon Frater

  Lying back on the filthy floor, she wept. The hunger was growing, and soon it would consume her. With the hunger would come the madness. If she didn’t escape, she would be crazed with bloodlust until she died. But who would find her here? It was awful to admit, but there was the possibility that all her friends were now dead. And where was Vanora? Was Armando keeping her safe? She began to weep miserably, feeling the hunger swelling and the madness creeping into her mind.

  A few minutes later, or was it hours, or days possibly, she heard a heartbeat nearby. She tried to open her parched lips and cry out, but no sound escaped her throat. It was as if her voice had left her as well as her strength. Alisha thrashed on the cold floor in agony, all the while listening to that wonderful heartbeat so close and yet so far away. She was utterly helpless.

  The mausoleum door creaked open. Soft footsteps approached. In agony, she tried to rise up, but her limbs failed her. Maybe it was the wolf-woman returning to kill her. Alisha managed to roll over and force her eyes open. As her gaze focused, she drew in her breath sharply.

  A figure stood over her cloaked in shadows, and for an instant she thought it was the albino vampire come to kill her. Then as the form bent down over her, subtly glowing hazel eyes came sharply into focus as the man flipped on a small flashlight. A stranger’s face emerged from the darkness. Dressed in a black turtleneck and jeans, the mysterious male had a very distinctive face with rather sharp features framed by dark hair.

  He looked delicious

  The hunger welled up within her. Alisha lashed out with a clawed hand, her long teeth descending.

  The stranger caught her hand and caressed it gently. “Alisha Socoli, I’m here to help you. I’m Dexios.” Like the wolf-woman, he spoke in a Greek accent.

  “I’m hungry,” she gasped. “So hungry.”

  “I know you are. I’m sorry I didn’t get here sooner, but it was difficult for me to slip away during the purge.”

  Alisha drew in a shuddering breath. “You were with the wolf-woman . . .”

  “She is my mother,” he admitted. “She had you drugged and hidden here from Aeron the White and Terrible to prevent you from being captured by him.”

  “Why?”

  Dexios gave her a wry smile. “Because she wished to.”

  “I’m so hungry…”

  “You must feed. You must be strong.” He rolled up one sleeve and pressed his wrist against her trembling lips. “Feed, Alisha. It’s all right. Once you are strong, I will help you find your sister. Leto has sent me to guard you and protect you against Aeron’s people.”

  “I don’t understand,” Alisha murmured, her head buzzing with the hunger and confusion.

  “I know. But you will. Drink.”

  Alisha stared into the warm hazel eyes of the werewolf. She needed to feed. Her sharp teeth bit through his flesh, and she drank.

  Epilogue

  Aeron respectfully approached the domain of the Oracle. Freshly bathed, he was dressed only in white linen trousers. The blood of his enemies no longer stained his flesh, but he could still taste it on his lips. The sun would soon rise, and the night of fire and blood would come to an end. The early victories were lost in the terrible defeat leveled upon him by the incubus and the traitorous Carlotta. He was uneasy at his failure to bring home his beloved and sought comfort from the Oracle.

  The air thickened with incense and magic the closer he drew to the small temple he’d had constructed for the Oracle in his new haven. Red firelight danced along the ivory pillars that encircled a fire pit. Seated on the opposite side was Siana, the Oracle who had first spoken the words of his destiny. Her long black hair pooled over her bare thighs, one long streak of white resting against her cheek. A silk scarf was wrapped around her head multiple times, completely covering her eyes. Siana never looked at the world with her physical eyes but her inner eye.

  “Victory eluded you,” Siana said, her pink lips twisting up at the corners.

  As Aeron took a seat across from her on the cold marble floor, he said, “Yes.” He was never quite certain if the Oracle was mocking him or not. Her guidance through the centuries was invaluable, but he doubted she was actually fond of him.

  “Betrayal. A child defied you. A demon absconded with the white witch.” Siana dunked her hand in a bowl of liquid, stirring the contents.

  “Yes. Do you see where the demon took her?”

  “Darkness obscures my eye when I turn it toward her as it always has since she was born. She is protected by forces that oppose you.”

  “The Seven Sisters are dead,” Aeron replied, anger seeping into his tone. “I killed them. There should be no others. The gods are dead, and only Leto remains, and she serves me.”

  Siana flicked her wet fingers toward the fire, droplets of liquid making the flames sizzle. “You’ve killed my people until only I remained. You killed the witches until only your legacy endured. Or did you? Are you so certain that you have eliminated all your enemies?”

  “You are the Oracle. You tell me! That is your purpose!”

  Siana smirked. “My purpose is to serve the gods.”

  “I am a god.”

  The Oracle didn’t respond but leaned toward the flames. The light illuminated her soft round cheeks and full lips. “Ask your question.”

  “Throughout my life I have felt Vanora’s presence at my side. I have felt her touch while I slept, her kiss when I was in pain, and her strength when I felt weak. It wasn’t until she was actually born that I felt her presence leave me. I crave to feel it once more. My destiny. Tonight, when I saw her and felt her presence, she regarded me with fear. How can this be?”

  “She has yet to travel at your side,” Siana answered.

  “I do not understand.” Aeron leaned forward, wishing he could see the eyes of the Oracle. It was always disconcerting not to be able to discern her intentions.

  “It’s not important for you to understand. Vanora will come to you willingly once she has traveled at your side.”

  Aeron hated the vagaries of the Oracle. “So victory will be mine?”

  “Your destiny will be fulfilled,” Siana assured him.

  Aeron smiled. “Then I will wait for her.”

  About the Author

  Rhiannon Frater is the award-winning author of the As the World Dies trilogy(The First Days, Fighting to Survive, Siege,) and the author of three other books: the vampire novels Pretty When She Dies and The Tale of the Vampire Bride and the young-adult zombie novel The Living Dead Boy and the Zombie Hunters. Inspired to independently produce her work from the urging of her fans, she publishedThe First Days in late 2008 and quickly gathered a cult following. She won the Dead Letter Award back-to-back for both The First Days and Fighting to Survive, the former of which the Harrisburg Book Examiner called ‘one of the best zombie books of the decade.’ Rhiannon is currently represented by Hannah Gordon of the Foundry + Literary Media agency. You may contact her by sending an email to rhiannonfrater@gmail.com.

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