“I need a body. Mine—well, it's aging too fast. I just haven’t decided which out of the bunch of you I will claim.” Dumont says.
Alastair sighs.
“You’re demons, aren’t you? The ones we’ve heard about?” he asks.
Dumont grins.
“Demons? That is what you’ve named us?”
“That is the name of evil. Beings from the Dark World,” Silas says.
“Dark World, huh? We aren’t from any Dark World, but I can’t deny the evil tendencies. I can say this, no matter how horrible your Bible says the demons that roam this world are—I am much worse!” Dumont says in a terrifying tone.
“Release my people and my son, and I will grant you permission to have my body. All this will be yours,” Alastair says bravely.
“I don’t need your permission. All of this will be mine anyway. I’ve already decided which body I will claim,” Dumont replies.
Silas’ eyes dim, he looks over at his father, his heart rate increases ever so slightly, but he shows no fear.
“It's me. You will take me. I will not fight,” Silas says.
Dumont grins again and stands. He casually walks over to the two of them.
“No!” Alastair begs.
“I beg of you, Sir Dumont if no one else … let my father live,” Silas pleads.
“Sorry kid, this kingdom can’t be run by two kings,” Dumont declares, snapping the king’s neck with a wave of his finger.
As if every muscle in his body weakens at one time Silas falls to the floor the moment his father’s body dies.
Dumont nods to Aria and in seconds, bodies drop all around the prince. He weeps silently, trying to be strong as he watches Dumont steal his people’s life force with one deep inhale.
Dumont gestures with his hand for Silas to stand. Uncontrollably Silas stands. Bewitched by Dumont’s power Silas cannot move. Defeat rushes over him, a tear trickles down his cheek and he closes his eyes, preparing for Dumont to invade his body. A deep warmth and then a chill runs through him.
Dumont’s old body drops to the floor. He twirls with excitement within Silas’ body. He races to Aria and lifts her off her feet with a bear hug.
“You do understand what this means, don’t you? This boy was no mere gifted, he was a guard. A guard for the Dark World. A world I never knew existed. Oh, this is going to be fun. Did the gods really think I wouldn’t find out about this?” Dumont laughs. “Once you find Nora I will have everlasting life and we will have everything. Can you do that for me, darling? Can you find her?”
Aria nods.
“I will find her, Father.”
Dumont grabs her hands.
“I know you will, sweetheart. Go—Go pick out your room.”
Aria races off excitedly.
The unseasonably mild air makes Nora shiver, as she sits on the balcony outside her bedroom, listening to the sea crashing on the rocks. Out of all the seasons on Caladesi Island, springtime is the most relaxing to her.
Though she loves the quiet living, Nora suffers from extreme loneliness. Too often, she buries herself within novels and gets lost within the contents of the pages. Sometimes even creating her own reality from them, allowing her imagination to get the best of her at times.
“Twenty-one-years. Twenty-one years of life tomorrow,” she says, as she inhales the spring air.
She flinches just a little as the mist from the waves below tickles her nose. Just as every morning, the ocean welcomes her with a tickle that always surprises her.
Nora’s father has made a big deal about her turning twenty-one. Convincing her that this birthday will be different from the rest. She may not have to spend another birthday locked in her home with her father and Uncle Rod, pretending they are all having the time of their lives. Nora has high hopes that this year she will finally get a chance to do more than eat overly sweetened birthday cake. She dreaded being reminded that they all once lived a happier life. Each of them barely holding the smile that hides the pain that lingers in their eyes. All of them knowing that things will never be the same.
Every day this month, Noah told her that he wished she could stay young forever. He spent more time with her this month than he had in four years. Nora didn’t mind the attention. In fact, she loved it.
Her father and her Uncle Rod’s mysterious business kept him away a lot. Nora was never told what her father did for a living. He always told her, it was for her safety that she didn’t know until she was old enough to handle it.
Nora always assumed he was a secret agent. As a child, she even went as far as acting out scenes where he and she were partners. Her dolls and stuffed bears often played the part of shape shifters, vampires, and thugs, for her to rough up. She would play for hours, making up ways to kill them or put them in jail. It was her way of staying close to her father when he was away.
As she became older, she occasionally asked him about his work, but he always gave her a small kiss on the forehead and smiled, “now is not the time, Nora,” he’d say.
Those words rolled off his tongue so frequently, Nora began to hate them. She despised them so much that for an entire year she tried to avoid using them in her sentences.
Noah Langly is a serious man. Nora would say, too serious at times. His brown eyes seem to see people’s deepest secrets. Although Nora doesn’t remember her mother, she always thought that she got her good looks from her father. She loves that he and she favor so much. Except, Noah is blessed with flawless features that Nora often envies. His wavy, chocolate colored hair is perfectly bouncy and shiny. When Nora was younger, she would primp in the mirror for hours trying to get her hair to have the bounce her father’s has. His high cheek bones are picture-perfect. She often admires his perfect skin, which is naturally tan and completely blemish free. Everything about her father is inhumanly perfect. He’s 6’, 3” tall and built like he works out, but Nora has never seen him exert himself in any way.
Sometimes Nora would sit and stare at him while he reads the paper, marveling at how young he looks at fifty-one. She never understood why he never aged. In those moments again, her imagination runs wild with what ifs. There was a time she swore he was a vampire. To prove she was right, she snuck into his room while he slept to see if he had a hidden room with a coffin in it. Sadly for her, she found nothing. She never hid her curiosity while she looked at him, yet he never asked why she did it, he only pretended not to notice.
Nora has been home schooled her whole life and never had the chance to make any real friends. Other than watching students out on the playground across from the park where her father used to take her and the teen books she read, she never knew what it was like to be popular or picked on. There was a time she would have given anything just to know where she would have fit in. At ten-years-old, she begged Noah to take her to school. Noah placed her on his lap and kissed her cheek.
“This world is dangerous for a girl as special as you,” he said.
Although those words stirred up her curiosity, Nora found that hard to believe. Before she was six years old, she was trained in every self-defense, including weapons. Although she never understood his reasons, for the most part, she trusted her father. She always believed he had a good reason for everything. The older she got, the fewer questions she asked.
Nora always found it strange how deep of a connection she and Noah had. Sometimes she even thought he could feel her no matter where he was. Like her very own guardian angel, looking after her.
This month Nora’s body changed. She can feel it, but is still uncertain what the change is. Her gums have been sore and she occasionally tingles all over. Unnatural to any normal person she would guess, but she ignores it.
Although not much has revealed itself over the years, Nora knows there is something big her father is keeping from her. Something that will soon surface, which makes her almost fear her upcoming birthday.
Noah stands perfectly still in a room filled with artistic golden statues. Three blurred imag
es sit up on large golden chairs. In the bright room. Noah drops to his knees and bows.
“Rise, Noah,” a soft voice echoes.
“Your child is in danger. For that matter, the world is in danger,” another voice says.
“I am aware of the danger that follows my daughter,” Noah replies.
“No, I don’t think you are. As you know, our lead soldier has rebelled against us. Evil beings will find you soon,” Losrath declared.
“My lords, I have known Dumont’s intentions for a long time now. But … no Szion is as strong as Dumont. We are just trying to survive. Thank you for the warning, but I’m afraid I don’t understand the point of the meeting,” Noah says.
Rod and Robert Crew walk out from behind a curtain, both with sadness on their faces.
“Have you brought us here to ask us to stop him?” Robert asks.
“No. We are not the ones that will be able to stop him,” Rod answers.
“It’s Nora and Robbie. Isn’t it?” Robert asks.
“They are the only ones that can,” Desmond says.
“What is it that you want? What can two children possibly do against, Dumont?” Noah snaps.
Losrath slowly stands.
“You will contain your frustration,” he says calmly.
Noah quickly bows and again kneels.
“Please forgive me.”
“Your daughter has something Dumont wants. She can be of valuable use. When she and young Robbie bond it will be powerful. Their love is—like none we’ve ever seen. So—pure. Even, after all these years they still long for one another,” Losrath says.
“No! She’s just … You will not put Nora and Robbie in danger,” Noah says, trying to control his tone.
“Noah. Nora is no longer a child. That world needs her,” Desmond says.
“I will take care of Dumont!” Noah says firmly.
“No. Even if you three try, he will not fight you head on. You will be overpowered by the demons from the Dark World. Dumont has also recruited half of the Boligon army to do what he commands. His army is too strong in numbers for any Szion. But soon—Nora and Robbie will be stronger than any being we have ever seen. If their love is as strong as we hope it is, then together they can get rid of Dumont. Nora alone is more powerful than any three Szion. That is what Dumont is after and he will not stop until she is dead. But … if they cannot stop him …”
“I will kill him,” Noah says.
“I think you forget one important thing Noah,” Losrath says.
“What’s that?”
“Dumont knows your weakness. Every day he uses your daughter against you. You will never be able to do what needs to be done.”
Noah sighs.
“I will take care of it,” he insists.
“As you wish, Noah. If Dumont cannot be stopped, we will send for any Szion that wishes to return and that world will be destroyed,” Tromtorrio says.
“No! What about the lives of our children and families?” Noah asks.
“We have made our decision. Now, you make yours. Do not allow Dumont to kill Nora. If you do, all is lost in that world,” Desmond says.
“I heard you the first time,” Noah says softly. “There will be no need to destroy our home. Nora will be ready.”
In a heartbeat, Noah is back at home standing at his back door.
Two teenage boys, friends since second grade, spend three days planning their suicide. Young men picked on and ridiculed by bigger and more popular boys. This year the boys are in a new high school—seniors. This year they’ve sworn not to be the pun in the jokes of others. They would make a stand showing them that they are not to be messed with.
They have convinced themselves that they have grown into beings with growing supernatural abilities. Each of them huge fans of all books about the supernatural. They are determined to prove that they are changing, now that they are older—becoming powerful, more powerful than any human. Both ready to give their lives to prove they are no longer human.
For months, they talked about it. They finally decided that tonight would be the night they publicly show that not even death scares them.
They believe that not even a bullet can kill them. Never had they attempted to test their assumptions, but tonight they will show everyone that they can defeat death.
For two days now, Dumont has secretly watched them. Amused by their desperate attempt to get attention.
While the boys spend hours drinking and listening to loud music outside the school yard in a small wooded area, near a small campfire, Dumont approaches.
“So, you boys have big plans tonight, do you?” he asks, snatching the bottle of whiskey from the taller of the two.
Dumont sips from the bottle and sits on a tree stump opposite of the boys. They stare up at him in surprise and then laugh. Dumont nods, laughs, and takes another drink.
“What’s it to you, Prince Silas?”
Dumont stares at them for a long moment. One tall, scrawny, and clumsy looking with dark hair and freckles. The other medium height, blond hair, with glasses, and a strong stutter. Dumont smiles.
“Do you have no respect for your King? What are your names?”
The boy’s again laugh.
“King! You are no King.”
Dumont smiles.
“Why suicide? That is not an honorable death,” Dumont says, twisting the cap on the whiskey bottle and tossing it to the blond.
“Oh, we don’t want to die. We won’t die,” the dark-haired boy says.
“You will die. You’re not a demon, nor a gifted as you believe you are. Have you boys ever seen a gifted?”
They both frown and shake their heads.
“A demon?”
The boys again shake their heads.
Dumont sighs deeply.
“We will show you and everyone that thinks we are liars,” the taller boy says.
“No, you are not liars, just a bit confused. You’ve claimed a world that doesn’t belong to you.”
“You n—know, know—nothing about u—us.”
Dumont laughs.
“I know more than you think. You see, I asked your names purely for the sake of conversation. The truth is, I know who you are. Cranston and Scott. I know that you two hate your pathetic lives so much, that you plan to publicly prove to everyone that has made fun of you and called you names, that you are as good as them, if not better than them. In doing so you will die, proving to them that you are as crazy as they say you are,” Dumont says harshly.
The boys look confusingly at each other, then back at Dumont with wide eyes.
“What if I told you I can make you what you desire to be? Not only will you no longer be human, but you will serve your King as soldiers,” Dumont asks.
“What are you talking about?” Cranston asks.
Dumont smiles, he looks to the ground and then back up. The boys jump from their seats.
“W—what are y—you?”
“I am your King and I am in need of an army,” Dumont says.
Dumont’s red eyes glow brighter than the fire.
“I can change your life. You will never have to return home. And—that stutter of yours will be gone. Isn’t this what you are looking for?”
The boys nod.
“Will it hurt?” Cranston asks.
Dumont nods and charges the boys.
One at a time Dumont empties the life from them and replaces it with the life of a demon. The boys stand swaying from side to side in a mummified state. Dumont snaps his fingers and they glare at him with fierce red eyes.
“As promised you have life here. Now I expect you to keep your word. Find me Nora and Robbie. Kill them and bring me their bodies. If you stray I will kill you. Freedom will be yours only when Nora and Robbie are mine,” Dumont says.
“Are the portals open?”
“The portals will open when I have those bodies!” Dumont snaps.
“You expect just the two of us to go against a Szion and a Vilmo?”
> “I am not a fool! There will be more humans willing to die tonight. You will not be alone,” Dumont says vanishing.
Noah and Nora spend the whole day together. Noah tries to do all there is to do with his daughter, all in one day. They walked the town, shopping and talking. Nora loves every minute she spends with her father. When the sun sets Nora is exhausted. She kisses her father’s cheek and stands.
“Going to bed, Daddy.”
Noah nods.
“We are going to Uncle Rod’s in the morning.”
Nora looks at him with a curious look on her face.
“He wants to see you tomorrow,” he says.
Nora nods.
“Nora!”
“Yes, Dad.”
“Nothing. I love you. Sweet dreams.”
His looks of deep sadness and concern covers Nora with worry.
“Dad, what’s wrong?”
“Nothing. Everything is fine. It's nothing for you to worry about,” he says.
Although excited about seeing her uncle, Nora knows something is wrong. Her uncle always comes to them on her birthday. Although Noah says things are fine, Nora’s heart feels something heavier.
Noah looked at her in the same way back in 1898 when all the world was hit by a 24-hour mass sickness. Millions died of unknown causes. That was the same night Nora and her father moved to Caladesi Island from Panama. That night changed Nora’s life. That night changed everyone’s life.
Nora was sixteen and scared out of her mind as she and her father drove through the night. Noah never told her why they had to leave so quickly or why they were leaving the only family they had, but Nora knew there was a good reason. Her only question to him was, why is it they didn’t get sick? He simply smiled and told her she would find out soon enough. That answer was far from good enough, but Nora asked no more questions about it.
Months away from their family turned into years. Then life became almost unlivable for people around the world. The newspapers spoke of horrifying, unexplainable deaths all across the world. At one point, Nora was never allowed to leave her house. She consumed herself with the newspaper her father would bring her. Each day the articles were filled with more death. Out of nowhere people turned hostile. There were moments when it seemed all human decency had vanished.
Vilmo's Wrath: Deglon Blood Page 2