by Donna Altman
“Daught, we’ll spend our eternity together no matter the outcome tomorrow brings. We’ll always be together.” Her thoughts were convicted.
“I’ll never let anything happen to you Ellie. No matter what the price, I won’t allow this.” I spoke firmly and held her tighter.
I demanded this from the Universe, the great master of all beings, the house of the Gods of our past. I demanded the safety of my Ellie. My thoughts became silent as I listened to Ellie's thoughts.
ELLIE:
I pledge my love to Daught. I wouldn't continue to exist without him. If this were to come, I would find Elizabeth before they could take me away so she would end my fate. NO, - We together would win this war against my uncles. The child Daught spoke of would be born. I hoped he would look like Daught and have his eyes and his smile. I loved his smile. If it were a star, it would light up the world with one glean of his white teeth. His smell was one I couldn’t resist. I remembered the first day in class. I could tell he was a vampire, but his scent was like my first taste of blood; so inviting. It overpowered my thoughts even though I didn’t remember his love. I couldn’t stay away from him. I needed his touch and the electricity that exchange between our bodies. I loved this creation of mine. I would love our creation together, and I would be the mother they didn't allow mine to be.
My mother, she was so beautiful. I can’t believe she came back to me. To know she loved me even when they didn’t allow her, and she protected me through the years. She was the real reason I felt like I did. It wasn’t a spell that controlled my compassion. My mother passed this way of being down to Dee and me.
My sister Dee had always looked after me. I didn’t understand at the time her true meaning and her thoughts, but she was always looking for my best interest. “I love you sister.”
Now Suzi, why didn’t you trust that we would protect you? I bid you farewell, and may you rest in peace, my dear sister. You did have love around you, but you wouldn’t accept it.
Elizabeth and Ultress, my precious grandparents, they gave me existence. If it weren’t for you, I would never know the love Daught rained upon me. I learned so much from you. “Thank you for teaching me the ways of love.”
My precious unknown child, I loved your father. He was everything to me. He made me smile and gave me the world to take and enjoy. You would have been such a lucky little one to have a father like Daught. I so hoped you looked like him. His smile was the sun that brightens my days, and the moon that made the ocean move its tide. “I hope and pray you get to meet him.”
***
I felt the terror and loneliness in Ellie’s thoughts. I could no longer bear to feel her pain. I interrupted her thoughts.
“Ellie, your thoughts are wandering. They’re jumping all over the place. Everything will be fine. Don’t think of us as the past. We’ll win this war.” I promised.
She laughed at my insinuation of her wandering mind. I pulled my body over hers. Her lips again invited mine. I could taste her venom. The taste pulled me to feast on the delicacy that lay before me. We made love the rest of the night.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
WAR
The Sun rose for the last time before the Armageddon that could end our existence took place. Ultress was out scouting the lands where this Great War would take place. I went to meet him. He knew the ways of his sons. They would come from the east and try to take us by surprise. They would taunt us and try to break our bonds of love using every evil trick they could bring. Ultress hoped he would never see the day he would have to choose between his sons and the love of his wife, daughter and granddaughters. He had already made his decision. He stood strong today. There was no sign of the weakness that plagued him a few days ago.
“Daught take care of Ellie. She’s the one they’ll try to capture. They’ll do whatever it takes to get to her. I’ll take care of my sons. It’s their time to feel the terror they blast on every immortal that has descended from me.” He was firm. His voice was harsh. His normally soft voice showed the hatred that now radiated though every fiber of his being.
“I promise I’ll take care of her. She’s everything to me,” I said. He turned to me and smiled. He continued to amaze me. Ultress never showed any of the things I knew about real purebloods. He wasn’t the vile evil killer that lurked in the dark waiting for his prey. He was a gentle giant that only turned venomous if something or someone endangered his family.
“When the time comes, I beg you to take Elizabeth away so she doesn’t have to witness the demise of her sons. I don’t want her to know the wrath of their fate.” He again made me promise. I bowed my head in agreement of his request.
He returned to his thoughts as he walked through the jungle. He neared the waterfall where we saw Suzi for the last time. Her words of damning her grandparents to hell were still fresh in the sounds of the water. He closed his eyes in grief because he knew his sons had extinguished her. I touched his enormous muscular arm to convey my understanding, and then I saw his thoughts. I could see the pictures of torture that Suzi must have gone through. The fear in her eyes when she cried for her grandfather to help her, but he couldn’t hear her because she damned him to the hell from which he had returned. She was alone. She had no sisters to stand with her and no mother to love her. Her fate wasn’t fast. I was sure it lingered for their enjoyment. Ultress’s thought cast these visual images in my mind. This poor misguided child knew of no other way.
“Ultress, Ellie thinks you’re going to be restrained by the witches. She’s going to try to get you to follow her to the water fall.” I told him. He looked down at me and smiled.
“I know Daught. Elizabeth told me what Ellie believes, and I will allow her to take me. I know you’re just protecting her from the same fate Suzi learned.” He turned back and looked deep into the roar of the waters tumbling edge. He stood quiet for a few minutes. I knew he allowed me to see the images of Suzi’s fate, so I would know what they would do to Ellie. He knew I would never let her go.
“It’s time to get the others.” I told him. He bowed his head, and we turned back toward the village.
Our walk back to the village was in silence. We were both lost in our own thoughts. I worried about Ellie, and he worried about our entire clan. Ultress was a true leader that I was proud to follow.
Elizabeth, Ellie, and Lauren stood outside the hut. The witches and other witchyres stood behind them. They were ready to go to the place that would bring their fate, to face extinguishment or to rule the witchyres once again.
As we entered the village, Ellie met me and held her arms out to embrace me. She needed to remember what I felt like against her. Elizabeth did the same with Ultress. Our embraces were long and lingering, none of us wanted to end this feeling, but it was time to fight for our eternity and the freedom of the witchyres. Dee came from the trees beyond the village. She held a combination of flowers. Ellie didn’t understand her gesture when she handed them to me. They consisted of roses, lilac, and lavender. I looked at her not sure of what to make of them.
“I heard your thoughts last night. When the time is right you’ll know what to do with them,” she smiled. It was hard for me to understand her offering, but I took them and placed them in my shirt. Dee fell into her mother’s arms. Ellie embraced her as well. The love that flowed between the three of them was strong and forceful. There were no worries of Dee’s weakness. She would stand strong with her family.
“I love you my children.” Lauren spoke softly to them. She held each of her daughters tightly. I read her thoughts of knowing she had just found her children and now risk losing them forever. I smiled, and she looked up at me as she read my return thoughts. She agreed she would have many years with her children, but if she didn’t she was grateful for the chance to hold them in her arms.
Each of the girls exchanged vows of love with their mother. The same scene replayed between others in the group. Ultress was proud of this tribe. This was the way all witchyres should have been. He held hi
s large arm in the air.
“The time has come for us to defend our way of life. I stand and fight beside each of you with pride. I am your maker, and I will remember your unselfishness. You are all now my family and my loyal followers. Let’s bring peace to all witchyres.” His voice had changed to the stronger more forceful one I had heard before. His body showed a story of strength for his followers. Elizabeth’s smile overflowed with pride for her husband.
We began our procession to the large opening in the forest floor just beyond the large waterfall. The witches were ready to cast their magic. Ellie moved closer to her grandfather. She had a task she intended to carry out. Ultress followed suit. Ellie's persuasion was as she intended. At least that was what she thought.
We continued walking in the direction of the large opening as Ellie, her grandfather and little Graylee walked to the security of the waterfall. The little girl named Graylee ran beside Ellie and grabbed Ultress’s hand pushing Ellie out of the way. He smiled at this new generation of witchyres. The last thoughts I read of Ellie’s was that the little girl was a brat, and I heard her hiss. I couldn’t help but laugh.
The witches looked in Elizabeth’s direction and then broke off from our group. I knew their intentions. Ellie would hate me in just a few minutes, but I hoped she would understand my intentions.
The jungle was quiet. There were no sounds from the animals that normally brought the jungle to life. They remained silent for fear they would be extinguished. They hid in the green camouflage that concealed their watchful eyes, chameleons of the jungle. The scene they watched would play out its intended monolog. The Gods that viewed from the heavens only knew the ending. We would have to wait to find out if our existence continued.
Ellie’s thoughts were now silent as were Ultress’s. They both lead the other into a trap of security unknowing the trap was for two prey. Elizabeth knew she completed her intentions. She bowed her head in hopes her loyalties to concealed Ultress wouldn’t infuriate his anger. We both made the decision to protect the ones we loved.
The moon rose its new form and darkened the sky with only the light from the stars that filled the heavens to make out the lurking enemy. I directed my thoughts toward the Lords. They were near. The deep scent of death was in the air. The large opening in the jungle filled with the immortal bodies of destruction. Humans were our normal prey, but tonight our hunt was for the abolishment of one side or the other.
Ultress sent Thomas to lead several of the villagers ahead to the eastern side of the jungle to watch for our enemies’ arrival. He knew he could trust Thomas because he saw the fear in his eyes when he thought he was about to be extinguished. As we sat waiting for the signal from Thomas, Elizabeth spoke through her thoughts to one of the witches that held Ellie and Ultress. She informed Elizabeth that Ultress was calm while he sat talking to little Graylee, but Ellie was angry and fighting against the restraints. Elizabeth smile, but I feared the wrath that would follow this war.
Elizabeth was now in the leader’s position. I was at her side. I hoped Ultress would know I was now her protector. Lauren stood on the other side of her mother ready to follow her to hell. Dee was directly behind me. She was now my security and ally. The signal came from Thomas, and Lauren called out to the Lords to let them know we were aware of their arrival.
As with all immortal wars, the leaders pulled forward to the middle of the battlefield. It was the meeting of the gentlemen. This would be short because there were no gentlemen among the immortals. Three large figures descend from the forefront of the opposing group as Elizabeth, Lauren, Dee and I moved toward their decent. The three figures were tall, muscular and of the same build. Their hair dark as were their eyes that stared back into their mother's. Their faces were stern and strong with no concept of the ability to love. They were blank as the darkness they carried in their non-beating heart. Each of these men looked to be no older than eighteen, but their years of experience with hate and torture marked their faces. The figure in the middle spoke.
“Mother.” His voice had no emotion for the one that gave him existence. He looked over the ones that stood in front of him and glared at each of us.
“Alexander” she returned his greeting without showing any emotion.
Alexander was the oldest of the sons and the leader. His brothers followed his command. Ellie told me of their names and their rank in command last night as we lay in each other’s arm. Behind Alexander were Patrick and Lucas. The two younger maintained the same rank, which held very little differences from that of the elder other than respect for his age. He was Ultress and Elizabeth’s first born.
To look at each of the three brothers you would think they were teenage bullies at some teen event trying to insight a fight.
“I see the other hybrid vampire has left you to fight on your own.” His tone remained black. He turned to his brothers and laughed. He turned back to our directions. His address was to Elizabeth, but he turned and looked in my direction. I withheld my hiss. I knew this would lead to a quick annihilation. Dee began to speak, but Alexander held his hand up to halt her speech. She stopped without saying another word. I knew Dee stood with us, but I heard the fear of them in her silence.
“Where are my dear father and this assault on our kind that you call a granddaughter?” He spoke to Elizabeth, but sneered again in my direction. I knew I was his intended recipient. He was trying to insight a response from me so he could get on with this intended reason for his journey.
“I give you one last chance to step down from your reign or face your fate.” Elizabeth’s speech was cold and condemning. The three laughed at her demands. This meeting of leaders in the middle of this battleground ended. Neither side was going to move from their intended task. His eyes turned cold and his expression went black. He faced Elizabeth and uttered the words that sent us in a flash back to our lines of battle.
“NEVER.”
With that word spoken, the sides were determined and the last hand had hit the top of the bat. Neither side would back down from this impending war. It would be a battle of this family for power. This meeting was over. We parted from the middle of this clearing that would house the ending of one side or the other. Once both sides leaders were back to their assigned side, Alexander held his arms high into the air to charge his followers. They roared letting him know they were ready for battle. Elizabeth did the same. Our bodies tensed waiting for the first sign of aggression, the first to blink, the first to launch their weapons. Alexander dropped his arms first.
The battle began with lightning bolts of energy thrust at each side. The sounds of the thunderous roars that crashed trees and blasted the earth from its home woke the jungle and sent every living creature to find deeper shelter from this grave expression of hate.
At first, there were just a few, but then multiple flashes passed between the two sides. All stood to see what the other side would throw in their wake. Arms rose to detect and counter the other’s movements. The silence of the jungle rained down with thunderous roars and flashes of lightning deflected to hit the targets of the hiding place of those creatures watching in fear.
Humans from far way would see these spectacular flashes of light followed by loud roars as a hurricane of bad weather rolling in the distances to soak the jungle floor. Immortality was this hurricanes name. These immortals came together and stood on the battlefield in the middle of a South American jungle. They were at war. It was a time for the annihilation of the weakest of this family of immortals.
Alexander's thoughts were directed toward Elizabeth. She heard his thoughts as he stood far across the opening in the jungle. He stood proud. His brothers stood on each side of him. He pointed far into the distance and smiled an evil grin. I turned to look where he pointed. I felt the non-beating heart in my chest fall to the ground. It was Ellie and Ultress. They found them, and we were finished. I couldn’t believe my eyes. Their keepers had not told Elizabeth of their capture. Elizabeth smiled and glared into the eyes of her eld
est son. With a quick thrust of her hand, she threw a bolt of light in the direction of Ultress and Ellie. I heard myself scream “Ellie,” but my voice didn't amplify. The sounds of the battle obscured my warning. I fell to my knees, and I threw my hands over my eyes. This was the end. My Ellie was no more.
There had been times in my life when changes made me look and wonder why my life ever began in the first place. I’ve had many of these times, and this was one of them. Why would I want to exist if I had no reason? I now had no reason to walk the face of the earth because my reason was now gone in a flash of fantastic lightning.
When people closed their eyes at night to rest their weary soul, they hoped to dream. To dream of sweet scents: roses, lilac and lavender, and the comfort of love, but when sleep catches them they fall in a world of nightmares. My nightmare had started, and my existence was over. I held my head down, and I watched no further.
Dee touched my arm, and she pointed in the direction of the image of Ellie and Ultress. I didn’t want to look, but I controlled my resistance and raised my head to look in the directions my Ellie once stood. The light had passed through their forms and connected with a large tree behind them. Elizabeth knew this was just a hologram. She could feel there was no life in the forms of already nonexistent soul. The three lords laughed at my reaction. They mocked my love for Ellie and laughed at my attempt to stop Elizabeth from harming the forms I thought were real. The flashing lights continued with falling trees, and jungle greenery clearing from what was once dense with thickness. My hatred for these three immortals grew. I wanted them extinguished.