by Stina
“Just breathe, Cairo. Everything will be okay,” he said to himself as he walked down the long hall. He heard a roar of laughter from the dinner hall below, and he knew that the others were having the time of their life. “You know, maybe you’ll be able to go down there after you tell the Ancient One the news. Yeah, maybe you’ll be able to enjoy a nice tall glass of your favorite vodka.”
He reached the tall closed door where he knew the Ancient One was. There was a wolf door knocker that he reached to grab, but his presence was already known.
“Come in, young one.”
The voice boomed so loudly in his head that he had to wonder if he’d heard it out loud. Slowly, he turned the handle and pushed the door open. He entered the room, purposely leaving the door open as he took a few steps inside. He had to force himself not to jump when he heard the door slam behind him.
How did that happen?
The temperature in the room was warm, but for some reason, he felt cold. The room was big, bigger than any master bedroom he’d ever seen, complete with a library in the corner, a tall chair resembling a throne, and a fireplace in front of it. The chair was facing the opposite way and whoever was sitting in it was breathing heavily, like a beast, and watching the flame.
“You have news about the prophecy child?”
The voice was so loud, it was like something he’d heard in a nightmare. He heard a scratching sound, like a nail scratching a board repeatedly. He cleared his throat and bowed once. “Y . . . yes, Ancient One.”
Cairo heard him begin to sniff the air, as if something about the newcomer was off. “You are not the soldier I sent to handle the job. The one I allowed to taste my blood.”
“No, I am not him, Ancient One. That was Willeth.”
“And you are?”
“Cairo. My name is Cairo.”
“Your blood is fresh. You aren’t even a year old. How were you able to hear my call?”
Cairo was shocked. He didn’t understand what the Ancient One meant by that. He was under the impression that any Lykan in the surrounding states had heard the call. “I was under the impression that all Lykans could hear the call if they are near. And if they are far then they can feel you.”
“Only the most powerful of my kind can hear my call. You smell weak.”
“I . . .”
“Where is the soldier I sent? The one you call Willeth.”
“Dead, sir. I mean, Ancient One. It seems as if he may have been ambushed.”
“Ambushed?”
The way his voice carried made the young Lykan subconsciously take a step back, but it was too late. The Ancient One moved with speed unseen, and before Cairo knew it, he was being pinned on a wall by the biggest beast he’d ever seen in his life. He himself was a werewolf, but he’d never seen another look as frightening as the one before him. It was seven feet tall, thick black and gold fur coated its body, and the sharp teeth were as long as half of his human arm. Its eyes were the color of fire, and now Cairo understood why it felt as if he were hearing the voice in his mind: because he was.
“What do you mean, ambushed!” The voice sounded again, but the mouth never moved. Saliva and snot from the beast sprayed on Cairo’s face.
Cairo tried to speak, but his airway was completely closed. The beast’s paws were the same size as his whole torso. Its fingers were wrapped so tightly around Cairo’s neck that the long claws were digging into his shoulders. Just when he was sure to pass out, Cairo was released and dropped to the ground with a loud thud.
Cairo grabbed his throbbing neck and gasped for air. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the beast get smaller until he was just a man. He watched the bare feet walk toward the large bed, and the man threw on long red silk robes.
“Leave me.”
That time the voice was aloud. It wasn’t too deep, but it wasn’t high pitched, either. It was just smooth. Cairo struggled to his feet, too fearful to even look behind him at the face of the man.
“Let me get that for you,” the Ancient One said.
The door flung open, and Cairo hurried to it. He couldn’t get out of there fast enough.
Chapter 6
There will be one born to vampire who will be able to walk in the daylight and drink the blood of mortals at his own will. He is one who all vampirekind must protect with their most precious of life, for his is more important. For his blood has the power to turn the darkest inhuman of hearts mortal again.
Chapter 7
It took an entire day to reach their destination, and they arrived at night. Kesh was the one who’d taught Adirah that not everything was what it seemed, but when they reached the snowy mountains in Colorado, he was confused. On the ride, his wounds still had not healed completely, but he’d put on another shirt to cover them. “Where are we?”
Dena smiled at him and got out of the car. “Home,” she said, and he followed her.
In the back seat, Adirah glanced out the window and looked up at the snowy mountains. She understood why Dena had the thick cloak on, and she realized that they hadn’t packed any winter clothes since it was still so hot outside. She turned her attention to her sleeping son and leaned down to kiss his forehead. He had been such a big boy on the ride and had only fussed a few times.
She sighed. “I’m sorry, baby boy,” she whispered. “This isn’t the life I wanted for you. But we will do everything to protect you.” She looked out the window again. “Even climb a tall, snowy mountain, apparently.”
She got out of the car and wasn’t prepared for the nip at her ears or the snow on her exposed toes in her sandals. She gave a small shriek, and Dena laughed at her.
“Even vampires get cold.”
“Cold is an understatement.”
“You remind me of Adie and me when we were first brought here. But no worries; you won’t need thick clothes where we’re going.”
“This experience isn’t anything like the stories I read when I was younger,” Adirah complained.
“Most things are correct. They left out the most important thing, though.”
“And what’s that?”
Dena didn’t answer her. Instead, she trudged through the snow toward the base of the mountain they’d stopped next to. She placed her palm on it and closed her eyes. The place where her hand was glowed a vibrant orange before the entire mountain rippled like water. She looked back at Adirah and smiled.
“The magic.” She motioned for them all to get back into the SUV, and once they were inside, she drove through the mountain. “It is only a fifteen-second window.”
Adirah looked back at the mountain and watched the entire thing fade until she was looking into nothing but clear skies. She had a feeling that she wasn’t even in Denver anymore.
“We just drove through a mountain,” Adirah said. “I don’t think anything is going to surprise me after this.”
“Except maybe a castle on a hill?”
“A castle on the wh . . .” Adirah didn’t need to finish her sentence. The shock on her face turned into a broad smile. “Magic.”
The craziest thing about everything that was happening was that in her mortal life she never knew of any of the things, the beautiful things, that were hidden in the shadows. Ever since she’d been turned, it was like she learned something new every day. It was amazing to think that just two years ago she didn’t believe in the things that went bump in the night. Now she couldn’t imagine life without Kesh or baby Adis.
Dena drove the SUV all the way to a tall metal gate that lifted the moment they got there. “We are here,” Dena said, cutting the car off and stepping out.
As soon as her feet touched the ground at least five other vampires, men and women, came to her aid. They bowed to her, and she smiled at them all as they welcomed her home. When Kesh and Adirah got out of the car, the group of vampires did not acknowledge them. However, when Adirah scooped Adis into her arms and brought him into their view, everything got quiet. Their eyes on her son made Adirah wary to take another step
.
“Do not worry,” Dena said. “There are no savages here. They have never seen a baby vampire before. Or anything like him for that matter. Come.”
Kesh took Adirah by the hand and guided her through the forming crowd of vampires and across the grassy plain to the castle. It was strange: he’d been through many centuries of life, and it was like the castle had a little piece of each century. Still, it was obvious that it had been modernized. Once they stepped through the tall double doors, his favorite scent in the whole world hit his nostrils.
“Butterscotch?”
“Funny,” Dena said, closing the doors behind her, “I smell clean linen this time. What do you smell, Adirah?”
Adirah inhaled and laughed slightly, bewildered. “I smell baby Adis’s bath soap. But, how?”
“This castle is one of the many wonders of the world. It was created by a very old magic no longer practiced by witches. Our maker asked for it to be made for us and it has provided us shelter from the outside world for almost our entire existence. One of its wonders is that you will smell a different scent every time you enter, always one of your favorites. This way.”
She led them through the large castle and on the way they passed a number of vampires, all dressed in modern clothes. The entire place was like something out of a movie and Adirah couldn’t help but be in awe of it all, from the elegant fixtures to the famous paintings that decorated the walls. The floors were wooden, and the windows were crystal. She lost count of how many fountains she passed and how many room doors. It seemed as if the castle would never end. She didn’t even know how Dena knew where she was going.
“Years of practice.” Dena winked at her.
Adirah gasped, realizing that she could read her mind. “But, Kesh can’t read my mind. How can you?”
“I am an Ancient, my dear. I can do a lot of things that Kesh cannot do, or you for that matter. But you will learn.”
As they walked, Adirah asked with the excitement of a child in her voice, “Is it true that you all once battled the Ancient Lykans? I remember hearing those stories when I was first turned. Back then it all just sounded like myths, but now I’m thinking they weren’t.”
“It is true.” Dena nodded, but her eyes seemed to glaze over, as if she was thinking of something that she would much rather forget. “There were five of them. More powerful than any Lykan you’ve ever seen.”
“Like Willeth?”
“Twenty times more powerful than Willeth.”
“How did they get here? The same as the Ancients?”
“No one knows exactly how they got here, but the Ancient Lykans were a threat to everyone. Not just vampires. There was a time when they were at war with the witches, and after too many of them were murdered they decided to create a monster thirsty for blood.”
“Dracula.”
“Yes. They made my creator, and he was the first of our kind. He had the witches’ magic in his veins, which made him the most powerful vampire. Yet, as powerful as he was, he was still not strong enough to defeat all five of them by himself. So, he created us. Together, we were able to destroy three of them, but the last two were the most powerful.”
“What happened to them?”
“We weakened them enough to the point where the witches were able to put them into a deep slumber.”
“At the house, Willeth said he drank from the blood of an Ancient. If they are all asleep, how is this possible?”
Dena looked from Kesh to Adirah, and the look on her face was not readable. Kesh felt the hairs on the back of his neck sit up, and he knew instantly that whatever she had to say would not be good.
“When you meet the other Ancient vampires, it will all be explained.”
“Where are you taking us?” Kesh asked, not accepting her answer. “What will be explained?”
They reached a door at the end of a hall on the second floor. It was slightly ajar as if whoever was inside it was waiting for them. The light inside was dimmed, and there were murmurs coming from it. Before entering, Dena glanced back at baby Adis, and a hint of wonder crossed her eyes.
“The prophecy,” she said, before walking across the threshold of the doors.
Chapter 8
“So it is true,” said the Ancient introduced to Kesh as Tep, as he stared at Adis.
The baby had to have sensed the power in the room because as soon as they’d entered the room, he woke up. He now sat in his mother’s arms staring at the new faces around the round table. There was a candle in front of Adirah’s spot, and she naturally pushed it out of Adis’s reach. The last thing she needed was for any of his beautiful curls to be set on fire.
Dena introduced everyone, but it was obvious that the other Ancients couldn’t care less about Kesh or Adirah. Their infatuation was with the baby vampire in the room. Adirah didn’t like the way their eyes lingered on him. It was almost as if they were dissecting him with their eyes.
“Yes, Tep,” Constance said in wonder. “Just like the prophecy says.”
“A baby vampire,” Eron muttered.
“Who can walk in the sun without a magic ring.”
“He’s so cute!”
“Lira!”
“What? He is cute!”
Tep shook his head at Lira and then turned his attention to Dena. “What all have you told them?”
“Just what they needed to know until now.”
“Nothing of the prophecy?”
“No. I figured I’d leave that up to you.”
Kesh didn’t like that he was being talked about as if he were not in the room. “What prophecy?”
“The one about your son,” Lira told him. “Have you ever heard of something called a ‘golden child’?”
“Yes.”
“Well, he’s more like the ‘black child.’ And I’m not talking about his skin.”
“Lira!” Tep groaned again.
“What! It’s true! He’s a cute little chocolate baby,” Lira said. Her short haircut fit her heart-shaped face perfectly. The bangs in the front came down to her chin, and when she focused her attention back to Kesh, she brushed them away from her eyes. “Your son is very special.”
“Because he has a soul.”
“That is one reason, yes. The other is, well, Tep?” Lira looked to Tep in hopes that he would jump in, and he did just that.
“The prophecy was written long ago by the witches. It was the only way to ensure that the spell they used on the Ancient Lykans would make them stay asleep forever. They thought for sure it was foolproof.”
“Thought?” Adirah finally found her voice.
“Yes. They had no clue that one of the gifts Dracula gave us would be the gift of life. They counted on the fact that no vampire could reproduce, and now, well, we have your son here.”
“What does the prophecy say?” Adirah asked.
“‘There will be one born to vampire who will be able to walk in the daylight and drink the blood of mortals at his own will. He is one who all vampirekind must protect with their most precious of life, for his is more important. For his blood has the power to turn the darkest inhuman of hearts mortal again.’”
When Tep got done reciting the prophecy the entire room grew silent. Adirah’s breath slowed, and her wide eyes found her love’s. She wanted Kesh to say something to ease her mind but, from the looks of it, he was holding the same bewildered expression. Tep’s voice seemed to linger in the air, and his words played over again in her head: “For his blood has the power to turn the darkest inhuman of hearts mortal again.”
She listened to her son coo and “aw” at the people in the room, not knowing what exactly was going on or being said. He was bubbly and happy.
“What does his birth have to do with the Ancient Lykans waking up?” Kesh wanted to know.
“By him being born, the curse was broken. One of them is already awake,” Dena said, and that struck up alarm across the table.
“How do you know this?” the Ancient known as Brax asked.
“By an Ancient Lykan?”
“No, but a Lykan nonetheless. He was stronger than the rest, but not as strong as an Ancient. He told Kesh that he’d drunk the blood of one, though.”
“That can only mean that one of them has awakened,” Rain said, pushing her long, thick braids to the back of her head and rubbing her dark hands together.
“But which one?” Eron asked. “Mezza or Tidas?”
“I don’t know,” Dena answered. “I killed the beast before he could take Kesh’s head off his shoulders.”
It was obvious that Kesh was embarrassed. After Adie turned him, he was used to being the most respected and powerful vampire in the room. Right then he felt like a peon next to giants. Granted, he was thankful to Dena for saving his life; he just couldn’t get it out of his head that he wasn’t able to defeat a Lykan, of all things. He’d defeated and killed many of them in his time as king of the Sefu. However, his most powerful punch barely made Willeth budge. If that was what just drinking from an Ancient Lykan could do, he didn’t want to think about what fighting a real one would be like.
“There is something else,” Dena said. Using her speed, she went from her chair across from Kesh to standing right beside him in the blink of an eye. She grabbed the bottom of the T-shirt he’d put on, and she lifted it, exposing his wounds to the room. “After being attacked by the Lykan, his regeneration powers are going very slowly.”
“I have heard of this, but surely . . . No, it can’t be.” Xion shook his head. His long hair was combed neatly up into a bun on his head. His handsome face held nothing but worry, like he was trying to make sense of something that he didn’t understand. “It just cannot be.”
“What cannot be, brother? Speak,” Tep goaded him.
“I have heard stories, from the vampires we allow to come and go, that there are some Lykans who dip their claws in holy water before battling vampires. It weakens them by interfering with their ability to heal during the battle and makes it easier for the beast to go in for the kill.”