by J R Stone
Enoch pondered. If she died, maybe he would go back to normal. He picked up the sword and walked over to her.
“No!” screamed Seth. “Stop!” He could not lose her.
Enoch did not hesitate. He plunged the sword into her heart.
“Is she dead?” asked Adam.
“I don’t know,” said Enoch.
“We’re still paralyzed. She’s coming back,” affirmed Vincent.
Sarah took a deep breath and removed the sword from her chest. “No!” she shouted. She gave the sword to Enoch. “Take my head off!”
“Sarah, I’m afraid that won’t change anything,” said Enoch starting to believe that they were doomed to live forever. He felt bad for her for a moment. She wanted to die so badly, yet she could not.
“Do it!” she ordered.
Enoch decapitated Sarah in one swing of the sword. Her head rolled down on the floor. Her body dropped dead on the divan.
Seth and the others were not paralyzed anymore. Seth was crying.
Adam put a hand on the general’s shoulder. “I’m sorry,” he said.
“What’s happening?” asked Darius, his eyes fixed on Sarah. Her body and head had turned into ashes. However, in a matter of seconds, the ashes had gathered together and burst into flames, leaving Sarah’s body completely intact on the floor. She sat down. She was breathing fast. The awareness that she was immortal filled her heart with darkness. The others were quiet, perplexed. She stood up and walked to Tzeel.
“He’ll wait for me forever. He said he would.” Sarah caressed Tzeel’s hair. “He knew I couldn’t die,” she cried helplessly. “We will never, ever be together again. What could I possibly have done to deserve this? What have we done to deserve this?”
Seth wanted to comfort Sarah, but he found no words. Adam approached Sarah. “We’ll find a way, Sarah,” he said gently.
“Don’t make promises you won’t be able to keep,” she said wiping her tears. “We’re leaving Totkan. Get us some horses and wait for me outside,” she said sharply.
They left her alone with Tzeel’s body.
“I love you,” she whispered. “My heart and soul will always be with you.” She kissed Tzeel’s lips for the last time.
When she left the palace, the others were waiting for her. She got on her horse. Seth was beside her. She turned around and looked at the palace one last time.
“Never could I have imagined that this would be the place where I would be the happiest and yet the most miserable I’ve ever been,” said Sarah, lost in her thoughts. “Burn!” she commanded. Flames covered the palace instantaneously. She started trotting down the hill. As they walked toward the city gate, the city started to burn. It was the end of Totkan.
XI
Sarah saw her village in the distance. It was time she got her revenge. There was no room for forgiveness in her heart. She wanted pain, death, fear.
“Sarah!” shouted Aatami as he ran toward her.
Sarah smiled and got off her horse. “Good to see you, Aatami.”
“I’m glad you’re alive,” said Aatami smiling.
“I wouldn’t put it that way,” she said flatly. Aatami was clearly confused. “Never mind.”
Aatami stared at the knights with Sarah. They did not look friendly at all. He recognized Victor and Darius. Aatami gave a step back.
“What are they doing here?” Aatami asked frightened.
“Where’s Sami?” she asked.
“Sarah, please, let’s forget that. You’re safe. He regrets what he has done,” said Aatami trying to intercede on the behalf of Sami.
“Listen, Aatami, we can do this the easy way or the hard way. I don’t want to hurt anyone but Sami. Let’s keep it that way, shall we?” she asked cruelly.
“I’m here,” said Sami leaving a house.
“Good,” said Sarah, smiling.
“You know what, Sami, I’m grateful for your lack of scruples. Because of it, I had the most perfect weeks of my life. However, I’m completely repulsed by betrayal.” She looked at Seth and the others. “Are you hungry, boys?” she asked maliciously. “Help yourself!”
Vincent did not think twice. Not only was he starving, but he also agreed that traitors should die. He got to Sami quickly, sinking his teeth into Sami’s neck so voraciously that he took his head off. “Oops!” said Vincent jokingly. “I’m sorry, guys,” he apologized to the others, who seemed a bit upset to have lost the opportunity to feed.
“Where’s Amrath?” asked Sarah to the villagers who watched everything in shock.
“He’s sick,” said Geula, an old woman.
“That does not answer my question,” said Sarah harshly.
“He’s in his house,” said Geula pointing at Amrath’s house.
“Thanks. I still know where that is. Behave, boys,” said Sarah to the others.
“I can’t promise anything,” said Vincent jokingly. He was still starving. Sarah gave him a cold look. “Okay, okay. I’ll behave,” he said. He could not understand why Sarah would care about the villagers. They were no longer her people; he and the others were.
Sarah walked into Amrath’s house. He was in bed. His heart was beating weakly. He did not have much time.
Sarah sat beside him. She touched his forehead. He was burning in fever. Amrath opened his eyes.
“Sarah,” he murmured. He gave her a faint smile. It was the best he could do, she knew it.
“Hey. I’m sorry, Amrath.”
“Not your fault. I’m glad you’re okay.” He held her hand.
“I’m not okay, but I can help you. You just need to tell me whether you’d rather die or live forever,” she said.
“What are you talking about?” He frowned.
“Die or become immortal. Choose. I want it to be your decision, not mine.” It would be nice to know that at least one of them had a choice. “Which one do you prefer?”
Amrath was confused. He knew Sarah was powerful, but making him immortal seemed beyond anyone’s ability. She was too serious, though. He stared at her. She meant it. He pondered for a few seconds.
“Are you immortal?” he asked.
“Yes,” she said sadly. “But it was not my choice.”
“I can see that. I’ll keep you company, Sarah.”
Sarah stared at him. She admired her friend’s loyalty and this was one more reason to be completely frank with him. “There’s a price, Amrath.”
“What is it?”
“You’ll feed on other people. You’ll become a monster,” she replied.
Amrath did not hesitate. “If you can do it, so can I,” he said firmly.
Sarah leaned into him, pushed his head a little and bit his neck. Amrath felt a sudden but quick pain. Sarah stopped. She bit her wrist and gave him her blood. He drank as much as she let him.
After a few seconds, Amrath felt as if he had never been sick in his life. He was strong and full of energy.
“Let’s go,” she said walking toward the door. “This is no longer your home.”
Seth was mad. He could see Sarah coming towards them, followed by Amrath. He could not believe she had given that curse to someone else. He decided he would not keep his thoughts to himself. He moved closer to her as she was getting on her horse.
“What are you doing?” asked Seth reprimanding Sarah.
“I saved a friend,” she replied remorselessly. “He had a choice, Seth.”
“Lucky him,” said Seth bitterly. He turned around and trotted out of the city.
Sarah did not let those words get to her. “Get a horse, Amrath,” she said.
Amrath looked at the others. He remembered having seen two of them before. He saw Sami’s head on the ground. He wanted to feel sad, but he only felt hungry.
“We’ll get you something to eat soon,” said Sarah to Amrath. “We’re all starving.” She started trotting to leave the city.
“Where are we going?” asked Adam.
“To the North. Let’s conquer.” She smiled. The ot
hers followed her without questioning. They felt bonded to her in a way that seemed unbreakable.
Sarah and her knights trotted for a day until seeing the gates to a new city.
“Let’s wait for the night to fall,” she said.
“Why?” asked Seth.
“Because I want to surprise them. Relax, Seth.” She got off her horse. “I see a shepherd some miles away, boys. Who is the hungriest?”
“Probably the new guy,” said Victor.
“My name’s Amrath,” he said between his teeth. Hunger had made him irritable and sour.
Victor ignored Amrath’s tone. He knew how hard the first moments of that new life could be. “I’m Victor. If you don’t run to feed, I’ll go, man. I’m starving!”
“Do you want company?” asked Sarah gently.
“No, I can do this,” said Amrath trotting toward the shepherd.
Sarah smiled. Amrath was dealing with feeding better than Seth. She looked at Seth. He was probably starving. He had fed only on her, and there had been days since the last time. She wondered how much longer he would be able to go without feeding.
Seth was completely disgusted. He did not recognize Sarah anymore. Even Enoch was changed. The truth was that the others had let the curse corrupt them. Seth got off his horse, sat on the ground and closed his eyes. He did not want to talk to anyone.
Amrath saw the shepherd stop to drink water. The man seemed old and tired. Amrath was ravenous.
The man’s blood ran cold when he saw Amrath. There was something evil in the way the young man looked at him.
Amrath could feel the shepherd’s fear, and that gave him a rush of adrenaline. He got off the horse and slowly walked toward the man.
“Good afternoon,” said the shepherd giving a step back.
“Great!” said Amrath running to the man at a speed he did not believe possible. Unable to control his strength, Amrath threw the shepherd on the ground. He heard a bone breaking. The shepherd screamed.
Amrath looked at the shepherd’s leg. The bone had torn the man’s skin and was exposed. The vivid red blood oozing from the wound made Amrath’s eyes turn silver. He bit the shepherd’s neck and drained him. The sensation was sublime. Amrath would not have any problems doing that for eternity. He got on his horse and went back to the others.
“Still hungry?” asked Enoch. He knew the hunger of the first days was simply insatiable.
“Yes,” replied Amrath.
“A feast awaits us, boys. Be patient.” Sarah smiled. They would wait a few hours for darkness.
“Leave the horses here,” she said. “We’re going on foot. Don’t let anyone see you.” Sarah was discovering the beauty of the moment of the hunt. The anxiety she felt, the fear running through the prey’s veins, the adrenaline that took over, the sensation of power – all that seduced her.
The city had high walls, but Sarah slowly and silently opened the gate with her magic. The soldiers guarding the gate were not fast enough to warn about the intrusion. Victor was the first to feed, followed by Amrath and Vincent. Soon they all had fed on the soldiers. All, except for Seth.
They sneaked into the palace. Darius and Victor took care of the soldiers guarding the entrance. Enoch, Vincent, and Adam killed the soldiers in the main hall. Killing had become too easy for them. They could kill an entire army within minutes. Quickly and with no remorse.
“Well done,” complimented Sarah. “Find their rulers,” she said to Victor, Vincent, Enoch, and Adam. “Get three peasants, a man and two women,” she said to Seth, Amrath, and Darius.
Seth did not move. It was clear that he did not want to participate in any of it.
“You will have to feed eventually,” she said.
He did not say anything. He did not even look at her. If it were possible, he would never feed again.
Victor quickly came back with an old man and a woman. They were frightened.
“On your knees,” he said harshly. The man and the woman obeyed.
“Please, don’t hurt us,” begged the woman who was probably the queen.
“Well, we’re not the ones deciding that,” said Sarah maliciously.
Enoch came back with a young man who was probably about Sarah’s age. Vincent and Adam also brought a man each. They were lined up in a row. Amrath and Darius got back with two women and a man, just as Sarah had asked.
“I am Sarah. A very common name. But, you see, I want to be remembered, so I need a new name. What do people call the bird that dies, turns into ashes, and then gets back to life?” asked Sarah.
“That would be the phoenix,” answered Enoch.
“I like that! From now on, I’ll call myself Sarah, the Phoenix.” She smiled cruelly. “And you boys will be my knights. The Knights of the Phoenix. What do you think?”
“I like it,” said Vincent smiling.
“It’s settled then. I’ll introduce myself again. I’m the Phoenix and these are my Knights,” said Sarah triumphantly.
Seth was abhorred by Sarah’s behavior. He looked down.
“Now, let’s get to business. Tell me,” she addressed the peasants, “what kind of rulers are they?”
“Evil,” said a middle-aged woman.
“Is that right?” asked Sarah sarcastically.
“Yes. They rape, torture, humiliate, kidnap, force us to do all sort of things,” said a younger woman.
“Wow, you are lucky we’re here. Let’s finish this tyranny, shall we boys?”
They all smiled but Seth. He watched the others kill everyone but the peasants, who watched everything in shock.
Sarah did not feed. She walked over to the peasants. “Tell your people you have a new ruler. Any evil action will be punished with death. No more rapes, tortures, thefts, or any kind of dishonesty or cruelty. We will take care of you. If you do not behave properly, you’ll become food. Have I made myself clear?” asked Sarah coldly.
“Yes,” said the man tremulously.
“Good. Now, tell me, what’s the name of this city?” asked Sarah.
“Gannan,” said the young woman.
“I’ve never heard of it before. What enemies do you have?” asked Sarah.
“Zuvia and Oren,” said the man.
“Your enemies, our enemies. Two cities to feed on. What do you say, boys? Sounds appetizing, doesn’t it?” said Sarah, smiling evilly, and so did the others. “Thanks. I appreciate all your help. You can go,” she said to the town dwellers. “Oh, one last thing. Trying to escape will also be punished with death.” She smiled. She patiently waited for them to leave.
“Are you satisfied?” asked Sarah to her Knights. They nodded. “Good. You heard the rules. Rapists, thieves, executioners, murderers, and any other bad people can be killed. Let’s try to make things work here for some time.”
Sarah spent over an hour walking around the palace. She found a huge room that faced the city. She would make that her room. She waited by the window.
Seth would probably walk into her room any time soon. He had been following her since she left the main hall. It did not take him long to knock on the door. He was still a gentleman!
“Come in.” She smiled.
Seth walked in and closed the door. He was disappointed and furious. He had always been against carnage. “Is this really necessary?” he asked in outrage.
“How would you like things to be, Seth?” She raised her eyebrows.
“We are better than this. You are better than this,” he said gloomily.
“I have no intention whatsoever of getting back to being who I was. Our goodness got us here. Being merciful and kind made us weak. This is who I am now, Seth. If you’re not pleased, you can leave,” she said sharply. She did not want him to go, but if he stayed he had to be with them, and not against them.
Seth hesitated. Sarah realized the true reason for his hesitation.
“I see. You don’t want to stay because of me, Enoch, Darius or Victor. You want to stay for yourself, so you can feed on me and not have to
kill anyone,” she said moving closer to him. Seth looked down. She was right. “You’ll starve then,” she said bitterly. She stormed out of the room.
Seth sat down on the bed. He was not only afraid of killing someone; he was afraid of killing someone and liking it. He could only hope Sarah changed her mind.
Sarah left the palace and walked around the city. There was no one on the streets. People were probably too frightened to leave their homes. That was good; she preferred to be alone.
The houses were small and dirty. The city smelled bad. The cry of a baby made her immediately place her hand on her belly. A tear ran down her face. Connecting to her deepest feelings made her regret having been so hard on Seth. He was holding on to his essence, unlike her and the others who had succumbed to evil. No matter what happened, Seth never let her down. He was always giving her reasons to admire him.
She rushed to her room. Hopefully, he would still be there.
Sarah was glad to see that Seth was in her room standing by the window.
“Seth,” she said sweetly. He recognized the Sarah he had always admired in her tone of voice.
“I’m sorry, I don’t want you to leave,” she said walking over to him. “I can’t do this without you.”
“I won’t go anywhere.” He stared at her. She was more gorgeous than ever.
“You can drink my blood.”
They were so close that Seth could feel her breath on his face. He touched her face, and she leaned her head a bit. His hand touched the nape of her neck. His fingers went through her hair. He sank his teeth into her skin. She could not help desiring him. His bite was poisonous. It was filled with lust, and that was the only explanation she found for that insane desire she felt only when he bit her. Unable to fight back, she bit him.
Seth pulled her closer, sinking his teeth deeper into her vein. Sarah did not object; his blood tasted marvelously. He held her waist tightly and pulled her against him. She pulled his hair and kissed his lips. She immediately thought of how Tzeel’s kisses tasted heavenly.
Thinking of Tzeel brought her back to reality. The sensation she was experiencing with Seth was not real. It was a consequence of his bite. Her feelings for Tzeel were real.