by James Somers
“Where are we?” he managed to ask.
The angel regarded their surroundings. “This is the realm where Tidus once stood along with the other Descendant realms now destroyed.”
“The spiritual plane?” Brody asked. “But the cherubim destroyed everything here.”
“What was destroyed has been remade,” the angel said. He pointed toward the sea. At once, the world rushed past them, bringing them to the shore and within view of an island city. “Trinity,” he said.
Brody looked on at the city. Its high wall made of granite rose nearly thirty feet. “Not exactly impenetrable,” he noticed. “Who dwells there?”
“Vampires,” the angel said. His fingers closed into a fist. Simultaneously, he and Brody passed over the sea and through the perimeter wall like specters.
The experience reminded Brody of his initial disorienting trip into Faerie when Tom had rescued him from the rope in London. Of course, Faerie was the same as the spiritual plane. It just depended who you were talking to as to what they called it.
Passing within this city of Trinity, a host of vampires were found going about seemingly normal lives. The angel pointed to what appeared to be a temple ahead. They were drawn toward the place.
Inside the temple an order of vampire priests brought forth human offerings. They were led in chains, though it seemed unnecessary. These humans could never have hoped to overpower their captors. They had been transported from the mortal world to the spiritual plane. Where would they run if they managed to escape?
I shuddered as they were killed before the great image central to the temple. The image was unfamiliar. I had no idea what it was meant to represent.
“Three pillars?” I guessed.
“Representing the three cherubim,” the angel explained.
“They are worshipped here? But I’ve never known the Breed to worship anyone collectively like this.”
“Promises of power can make a people commit many things they might not otherwise,” the angel replied. “The wickedness of this place is great. They have filled a cup of wrath to the brim already. Judgment will soon fall.”
Temptation
I had been brought to the palace as Felix Yusupov had commanded. However, while I had been placed within a room and a guard set, this was no prison. A marble bed frame holding a firm but comfortable mattress dominated the room. Finely made linens with intricate swirling patterns covered it. A wardrobe stood in the corner. Empty. I had already checked, just in case I might find weapons on hand. A soft rug, with the same pattern as the bed spread out to cover most of the smooth stone floor.
There were no windows in this room. This aspect alone made it more familiar to the tastes of vampires. That and all of this stone. Vampires liked stone. It reminded us of being underground. It felt safe and secure, impenetrable, holding a good cool temperature.
We liked earthy things, but this dwelling above ground was new. I supposed that, since the Breed had been living in Russia for years now, they must have grown accustomed to the luxury of palaces. It had not been that way in Greystone, but here it was.
There had been no temples in Greystone, the former home of the vampires. No coliseum for sport and entertainment had ever been constructed. The city and its palace had been well built but aimed at practicality more than luxury. This place seemed foreign by comparison.
Certainly, I had known nice things in Rockunder, living among Leprechauns for the past nine years. They enjoyed the finest quality goods, servants who dressed them and prepared their meals. The lap of luxury was their status quo. In fact, I sometimes wondered if living among the Descendants in Ireland had made me soft.
When I had lived in Greystone with my parents, Ishbe had kept me strong by pushing me to my limits on a regular basis. Even though Ishbe had really been Black in disguise, for my part, the results had been the same. At only seven years old, I had been in tremendous physical condition and capable of taking on my master. Provided Black had not been toying with me, I had managed to beat him in hand to hand combat on a few occasions. Knowing now that I had been sparring with a fallen angel only added to the value of what I had learned while under his instruction.
I paced the floor like a caged lion. Somewhere in this city, Sadie was all alone under the watch of Yusupov’s vampires. Surely, he wouldn’t do anything to her while I cooperated. He had seemed genuinely interested in having me join them, desiring that I assume the role of king.
There was no way for me to know if the offer was true. It seemed odd to me that Yusupov would willingly give up the power he now held in order to give it to me, regardless of whether or not I was the rightful heir to the throne.
Truly, I was the only heir. However, it was folly not to assume Yusupov would continue to dominate the Breed he had led to this place. He was still young, in his prime. If I agreed, I would likely only serve as a figure head—a rallying point with a royal title and nothing more.
But I could never be a part of this. Not even for my mother’s people. I knew she would never have agreed to this either. No believer could promote the worship of idols with a clear conscience. I had no designs on power. But I still had to find a way to save Sadie from Yusupov. When I refused again, he would have her killed.
Footsteps echoed lightly beyond the door to this bedchamber. Someone was coming down the hall. I remained where I was in the middle of the room, watching the door. There was no use hiding, or attempting to break free. Without Sadie’s whereabouts, it would take me too long to find her. In her incapacitated state, she wouldn’t even cry out when they killed her.
The door opened. A young girl I had never seen before stood in the doorway. She was most definitely human. The scent was unmistakable. As a vampire, I felt the sudden keen awareness that all vampires feel when in the presence of humans.
Those who have made studies of the physiologic conditions in vampires when prey is near, particularly human prey, have noted several changes that occur. The irises dilate. Adrenaline is secreted, placing the muscles on alert for attack. And saliva production increases.
All of these changes create an intensity in the vampire that becomes hard to force down. We focus automatically on the source, like a cat watching a mouse skitter across the floor. The urge to pounce can become almost overwhelming.
However, I happened to have an advantage over most vampires. I was, after all, only half vampire. My father’s elf heritage worked to temper the bloodlust that all the Breed suffered from. But I still experienced the urges brought on by humans, particularly when they are vulnerable as this young girl was.
Still, being half elf, I did not have to feed. I did not know the maddening thirst that can overtake a vampire. My compulsion to attack was no more than reactionary. I could control it without the pain that would eventually overwhelm a pureblood.
Two Breed warriors pushed the girl into the room, following after her, both of them grinning from ear to ear.
“Thought you might be getting hungry,” the bigger one said.
The other said nothing. But his unblinking gaze never left my face. Clearly they had decided to take their opportunity at mocking me. Anyone who had known my mother and father, would have also known of their half breed son. Inside Greystone, when my parents ruled, there had never been any problem. No disrespect had ever been shown. But we weren’t in Greystone now.
The Breed were feeling good about their situation again. They had the backing of the cherubim. They had a new city all their own. And, apparently, they were the only Descendants who had permission to return to the spiritual plane. I assumed the cherubim might attack any other clans who made such an attempt. Clearly, seeing what they had recreated here, they had the power to repress any incursions.
“I’m fine, actually,” I said, pulling my attention off of the girl. She was clearly terrified.
“A little time alone will change your mind,” the big one said. “The smell of her blood is intoxicating.”
“You probably think you’re being fu
nny,” I said. “You know that I’m not a pureblood, or you assume that I’m a vampire who does not feed upon innocents like this girl. Either way, you’re wasting your time. However, since you want to play games, you might also enjoy the fact that Yusupov hopes to persuade me to assume my mother’s throne. Maybe I’ll do that. Then, as your king, I’ll see you both offered to the cherubim as sacrifices.”
The Breed warriors stiffened at the possibility. They looked at one another for a moment, before the big one turned back to me. “As I said, we thought you might be hungry. We meant no disrespect.”
He grabbed the girl’s arm, pulling her roughly back toward the door.
“Leave the girl,” I said. And, in case there was any doubt of my intentions, I added, “I’ll not have you killing her out in the hall, either.”
They glanced at one another again. Finally, he let go of the girl, and they backed away, closing the door.
The girl looked afraid. After all, she still found herself alone in the room with a vampire.
“What’s your name?” I asked.
Her lip trembled as she spoke. “Anna—Anna Parks.”
“American?”
“Yes,” she confirmed. “Baltimore.”
“How old are you?”
“Nineteen,” she said, seeming to relax the slightest bit.
Obviously, the Breed had asked her none of these things. She was only prey to them. None of the rest mattered when you were about to snuff out their life in order to sate your thirst.
“You’re not going to hurt me?” she asked.
She was wearing a plain dress. It now had rips from the Breed’s rough treatment and muddy stains, possibly from the place where she had been kept prisoner.
I shook my head to her question.
“How many humans are there in this place?”
“I only know what I saw,” she said. “There were maybe a hundred in the cages where they keep us. I’ve been here for almost a month. Some leave the cages and never return, but they’re replaced by new faces. I knew I was going to die when those two took me today.”
I nodded absently, considering the information.
“Thank you for saving me,” Anna added.
I glanced up at her. “Don’t thank me just yet,” I said. “I may have only delayed the inevitable. My friend is their prisoner. There’s only so much I can do at the moment.”
“But you said—”
“I merely bluffed them,” I admitted. “I have no authority here.”
Anna began to cry then. I had dashed her hopes of surviving the day. Not on purpose, of course, but if I fought the next group that came to take her away, Sadie would surely be killed. Then an idea occurred to me.
“Unless,” I muttered.
“Unless?”
“I may be able to transport you from this place,” I explained. “However, if I can get you out, you must promise to deliver a message for me.”
“Anything,” Anna said. “Oh please, help me, sir.”
“All right, I’m going to create a way for you to pass through into the palace of the Shade King. Now, I know that, probably, none of this makes any sense to you.”
“Until a month ago, sir, I had no idea that vampires existed,” Anna noted.
I grinned. “Point taken. When you go through the portal, you must find Brody West and tell him that Cole and Sadie are being held prisoner on the spiritual plane in this new vampire city. If you cannot contact him then ask for Laish or Redclaw.”
“This may sound silly, but will I be the only human in this place you intend to send me? After all, I want to go home.”
“There are other humans in the Leprechaun city of Rockunder,” I explained. “They have sworn oaths to keep it secret. Can you remember those names?”
“Brody West, Laish or Redclaw,” Anna repeated. “I’ve got it. Please send me away before they return.”
I made a gesture with my hand, creating a portal matrix. Since I wasn’t going with the girl, I decided to use the traditional method for opening such a gateway. Partly to my surprise, the portal materialized as a shimmer in the air. The cherubim must not be keeping as close a watch as I would have guessed.
Another wave of my hand changed the girl’s clothing to a velvet green dress like those favored by women in Rockunder. “Don’t forget those names,” I said. “And please be quick. Just as you are depending upon me for your life, my friend and I are depending upon you.”
The girl nodded, looking in a much better state than she had moments ago. It was very unlikely that anyone would even stop her, dressed as she was. Certainly, humans were no oddity among the Leprechauns. Their long held pact was well known to all dwelling in Rockunder.
She stood there, seeming uncertain as she watched the portal matrix shimmering before her like ripples upon water. “Are you sure about this?” she asked.
“You could wait for the guards to return, if you’d rather.”
That motivated her plenty. She closed her eyes and walked through. The portal accepted her person and then closed upon itself behind her. I was, once again, alone in my makeshift cell.
Truth
Adolf felt pain first. That was most likely what had brought him out of unconsciousness. The vampires had brutalized him again after he had woke from the beating in the forest. He had been hoping someone would answer his cries, but he hadn’t wanted another pummeling. Still, he had given almost as good as he got. The Breed who had come into the cell earlier had left with enough bruises and lacerations to remember him.
He was lying on his stomach. Adolf pushed up onto his elbows, spitting blood through the metal grate that made up the cell floor. Water from the sea rushing below in the darkness carried it away.
The light coming through the narrow opening in the wall was dimmer now than before. He would be surprised if an entire day had already passed. Probably, it was only later in the same day. But, really, what did it matter? He had no idea what the Breed intended for him, or when he would be leaving this cell.
Sitting up, he leaned back against the wall, hoping to get into a more comfortable position. Lucifer stood in shadows across the cell from him. Adolf was never surprised to see the angel anymore. In fact, he thought, it was usually in just this kind of situation when he showed up.
“Dismal accommodations,” Lucifer remarked.
Adolf sighed heavily, spitting more blood, rolling his tongue around behind his swollen cheeks. “Have I ever told you what a miserable comforter you are?”
“Not my thing, I’m afraid,” the angel replied.
“I don’t suppose you’ve come to help me out of here,” Adolf guessed.
“You’re aren’t in so much danger at the moment,” Lucifer replied. “If I thought you were going to die then I would intervene like I did with the centaurs years ago.”
“Have you seen my face?”
“In a few hours you will look as good as new,” he replied. “I’m sure you already know that healing is faster with you than with other Descendants.”
Adolf nodded. “Still doesn’t make it feel any better in the meantime. By the way, I tried to use that touch that kills maneuver on the vampires.”
“And?”
“I don’t know,” Adolf mused. “It didn’t work. Gave me an awful headache though. Seemed like there was too much coming at me from my intended victim’s body.”
“That gift will take time to master,” Lucifer explained. “You’ll have to focus on particulars in the physiology. You can’t affect every process at once. It’s a deadly but delicate art.”
Adolf nodded. A brief silence passed between them as the seawater rushed below. It was Adolf who finally spoke. “Why have you come then?”
“Something has happened in Rockunder. I wanted you to be aware.”
“What is it?”
“Brody West has killed the Shade King,” Lucifer said, his gaze never leaving Adolf’s face.
For a moment the young man was too stunned to reply.
“Why?” he asked finally. “I thought they were the best of friends. Have been for years.”
“Apparently, Brody has been jealous of Brian Shade’s power,” Lucifer said. “He also accused the king of having an affair with his wife.”
“Sophia? That’s preposterous.”
“Perhaps, but a jealous rage knows no reason,” Lucifer said. “When she attempted to intervene, West killed her as well.”
“That can’t be right,” Adolf said. “Why should I believe any of this.”
Lucifer straightened. “You doubt me?”
“Always,” Adolf replied icily.
The angel grinned. “Wise man. However, when you have returned to Rockunder, you will find that both the king and Sophia are dead.”
“I just can’t believe a man like Brody West would do something like that.”
“Perhaps West is not the man you thought he was,” Lucifer suggested. “I’ve delayed telling you the whole truth about your father for some time. I suppose that, in light of recent events, I should disclose to you what really happened.”
“Does it involve West?”
“It does,” Lucifer said. He paused momentarily. “Brody West is the man who killed Grayson Stone.”
Adolf’s mouth dropped open involuntarily. He seemed to be more shocked by this news than by the death of Sophia and the king at Brody’s hands. He looked into the angel’s eyes, attempting to discern the truth from Lucifer’s expression—a pointless endeavor since fallen angels are consummate liars and accomplished thespians.
“Why have you not told me this before?” Adolf asked, when he had regained a measure of composure. He came to his feet stalking back and forth in the small cell, his wounds seemingly forgotten.
“I did not want you to be distracted,” Lucifer explained. “In order to bring you to the place where you can one day rule, this was necessary. The Descendants are powerful, and West essentially leads them. Even the Shade King often deferred to his judgment.”