Blood of the Infinity War (Afterlife saga Book 8)

by Stephanie Hudson

  “She is the only one who knows where she found me that day and I doubt we can just go hunting around the desert for bloody patches in the sand and rotting body parts,” I added.

  “Good point and plus eww.” I gave her a half-cocked smile and said,

  “I thought you were a demon?”

  “Yeah, give me fresh body parts any day of the week, but even I think anything that has had chance to start decomposing is gross, do you know what that putrid shit does to your clothes?” she informed me, quickly planting images of Sophia in a biohazard suit in the desert looking for our ticket out of here.

  “I can’t say I have been around many dead bodies, let alone rotting ones, so I will take your word for it,” I said with a little shiver.

  “So, any ideas on where she could be?” I asked after looking back down at the sleeping, green haired beauty that was curled up on her side. She looked so young and childlike that you just wanted to wrap your arms around her and protect her. Sophia came to sit down next to me on the edge of the bed and tucked a curl behind Pip’s ear, one now full of holes thanks to having taken all her earrings out.

  “Honestly, I have no clue and I feel bad for saying this now, but I never really cared to find out much about her.” I found this amazing seeing as she had been with them all from the beginning.

  “I know what you’re thinking and yes, evidence would suggest that I was an uber bitch back then, but I was also utterly faithful to the Fates and the second I heard about you, then I kind of made it a bit of an obsession,” Sophia admitted shocking me. Okay, so I knew that she was willing to kill me just because she thought I would get in the way of the prophecy by being with her brother. But to hear that she was as obsessed with finding me as her brother was, well that was a bit of a shocker.

  “So Ranka’s obvious love for my brother didn’t exactly sit right with me, which was why we never really saw eye to eye,” she said almost wincing as if feeling guilty for all those times she had been less than kind to her. I knew it was strange and I should have hated her myself considering she was in love with my husband, but for some reason I just couldn’t find myself disliking her. After all, she had protected me and saved me from a horrific death out in the desert. Which also begged the question…why? Why, if she knew who I was to Draven? Well I guess these were on the long list of things I needed to ask her when I finally saw her next, after the main one of course…like could you draw a map to the place where I almost died and you killed a load of guys? Yep, that would be a big one and top of the list right now.

  “I get it, as I felt the same way when I first met her, but I don’t know now, as it’s almost like her love for him comes secondary to the prophecy,” I told her and she nodded, as from her actions it couldn’t be denied.

  “I wonder if there are any clues as to her whereabouts in her room,” Sophia mused aloud.

  “Only one way to find out,” I said slapping my hands to my thighs and getting up.

  “Let’s go,” Sophia said and we both looked back at Pip and said together,

  “She will be fine.”

  We both walked out of the door and I quickly found myself glad that Draven had this side of the palace cleared out as it certainly made sneaking around a lot easier. Ranka’s room wasn’t far from the room Pip was in. It was also close to the one Draven had ordered me to be placed in until it became known who I was to him. I remembered it from when I first woke after being attacked and it was the same door we were slipping into now.

  “Wow, well this is boring,” Sophia said taking in the relatively plain room that held nothing but a cushioned bed, a large wooden chest and a few bows of different sizes on the walls.

  “What did you expect, a David Hasselhoff Night Rider pinball machine and a Darth Vader alarm clock?” I asked making her roll her eyes at me.

  “I don’t know, but I expected after a few thousand years the girl would have at least collected a few possessions.” Okay, said like that I guess she had a point. But this wasn’t what I said because the second I heard even a hint at how old they were I jumped on it,

  “So, few thousand years eh…does that mean Draven is…?”

  “Oh no, nice try blondie but I am not falling for that one, he already warned me not to tell you how old we are,” she said cutting me off and making me fold my arms to sulk for a few minutes.

  “Fine, but I do have a right to know at some point!”

  “Who knows, maybe Dom is planning on telling you for a wedding present,” she joked making me groan.

  “Right, well getting back to the room, or should I say lack of, I don’t think we are going to find much here, do you?” Sophia said and I had to agree with her, as there was nothing in there. I also had to say that the more I looked around the more it began to seem suspicious, as the lack of ‘stuff’ was almost a massive clue in itself.

  “Do you think she could have another room somewhere, like one no one knows about?” I asked making her shrug her shoulders.

  “It’s like I said, I didn’t really know much about her as it was clear who she was on this Earth to obey and it wasn’t myself or Vincent…she was only loyal to Dom.”

  “But what about friends?” I asked and Sophia winced telling me,

  “She didn’t have any.” I frowned thinking this was getting weirder.

  “What about guys…lovers, surely she would…?” My question died when Sophia once again shook her head.

  “Wow, that sounds depressing,” I commented, feeling sorry for her.

  “Well, I don’t think we are getting anywhere here,” Sophia said walking back to the door and I had to agree with her. I turned around about to follow her out when, in true Keira fashion, I tripped over my own feet. I ended up knocking over a pottery jug that must have been there for her morning routine, as it was next to a large matching bowl.

  “Yeah, yeah, I know, you’re bad,” Sophia said as I bent down to pick up the broken pieces, placing them all into the bowl, but that’s when I started to notice something odd.

  “Hey…that’s weird,” I muttered to myself as I noticed all the water started to drain away down in between some large joints in the stone floor. I had to wonder where it went to and was just about to ask Sophia when I reached out for what looked like a strange symbol that started to appear in the corner of one of the stone slabs.

  “What’s weird?” she asked just as I reached out and touched the mark to see if I could rub it off but the second I put weight on it, something happened. The stone slab I was knelt on started to move and tilt up, which in turn sent me flying forward.

  “Keira!” Sophia shouted my name, one that ended when I fell down the person sized hole it created and then it quickly shut back up above me. I only noticed this briefly as I continued to roll down what was a secret staircase. I cried out as pain shot through my knee, elbow and ribcage before I came to land at the bottom with a painful thud, knocking the side of my head on the last stone step.

  “Oww,” I moaned as I tried to move my body, but I quickly found out that this was the least of my problems as a male voice spoke my other name,

  “Electus?” I looked up and the second I saw the horrifying sight I started to panic.

  Piles of mangled and dismembered bloody bodies lay all around me and there was only one thing left for me to do…

  I screamed bloody murder!

  Chapter 22

  Secrets

  I wasn’t ashamed to say that the first thing I did at the sight of all the decaying bodies was to paint the floor with vomit. I heaved and heaved until it felt like there was nothing left but bile. I heard the big sigh from over in the corner where a figure stood hidden in the shadows. I felt the panic quickly build the second I saw him moving closer towards me. I tried to scramble backwards up the steps but felt the pain at the side of my body where I had banged it on the way down.

  “Ah! D…don’t come any closer!” I told him with fear making my yelled warning start out garbled.

  “It’s all right
, I won’t hurt you…I will just stay over here but please, you are hurt and bleeding, please don’t injure yourself further for fear of me,” he said and it was a soft voice I didn’t recognise.

  “Who…who are you?” I asked after deciding there was little I could do but trust in what he was telling me. Again, I heard him release a heavy sigh as if this was the very last thing he wanted to tell me. And considering the revolting state of the room, I couldn’t say I was surprised.

  “I am someone you know but for now, I think it’s wise to get you from this room, for there is little doubt that Saphira is informing the King of your disappearance right now and this is not a place I want anyone to find.” I looked around the dark stone walls that were only lit by the few candles that were situated around the room. But it was enough to show me the carnage of death that lay piled in bloody sacks around the edges of the room. It smelt like, well like you would imagine what a rotting corpse would smell like and not surprisingly, it made me gag.

  Well would you look at that, so much for telling Sophia I hadn’t spent much time around dead people, let alone rotting ones. So, I had to ask myself what were the chances of finding both just minutes later. I was thinking more like close to winning Hell’s version of the lottery, that’s what!

  “Come, for if you stay here it will only make you sicker, I promise Electus, I will not harm you, for I never could…come with me,” he said holding out a hand to me. I looked down the centre of the room and noticed a small seating area at the back, where he had been sitting. And sickeningly, it strangely resembled a small dining room table. I didn’t even want to think why there would be one, so after a revolting shiver wracked my body, I took a deep breath and weighed up my options.

  I quickly decided there was little option left, as in Zero, so I did as he instructed and slowly walked towards him. He pulled a hood up over his face, hiding himself from me for the time being as he motioned me closer.

  “You promise not to hurt me?” I asked knowing it was pointless as it wasn’t as if the Supernatural couldn’t lie. But for some reason I had to hear it first.

  “I swear to you Electus, I am no threat to you or the King.” I didn’t know what it was about the way he said this but I found I could do nothing but believe him. So, I nodded and moved forward until the small table came into view.

  “What is this place?” I asked after I sucked in a horrified breath and coughed through the nausea, when seeing pieces of body parts on large plates on top of the table. I was right, it had been where someone was eating a meal…one where human was on the menu.

  “Not a place for human eyes that is for certain…come,” he said, first making sure I followed before opening a small hidden door, one that was a low enough archway that he had to duck under as he entered. Once inside he gave me a wide berth, no doubt not wanting to scare me by getting too close. So, I took a few steps further in so that he could close the door behind us, thankfully locking out the smell.

  “There is some water on the small table over there, please help yourself,” he told me as he went about bolting the door. I looked to where he had said and walked over to a small seating area that this time seemed cosy enough. Although, with what I was comparing it to it didn’t exactly take much to make it seem ‘cosy’. Just minus a few knawed bones, bitten flesh and chopped organs was really all it took.

  Well, at least this room was the complete opposite to the slasher movie set I had first found myself in. Strangely the small space looked to be filled with a world of artefacts and unlike ones back in my time, none of these looked all that old. It looked as if someone was a pack rat or compulsive hoarder as my mum liked to call them. There was stuff everywhere, statues, scrolls, paintings, instruments of all different shapes and sizes, large precious stones and even what looked like an ancient board game or two, that involved little wooden counters on Chinese looking markers.

  All these things seemed to climb the walls on shelving that looked close to collapsing from the weight. Then on the other side were all things mounted, like hunting trophies and weapons, some still looked stained with blood. Which was when I started to make sense of what I was looking at, each kill was paired with the weapon used to take it down. To be honest it too made me want to gag again, so instead of looking any closer at the poor unfortunate souls that used to roam the land, I sat down in a comfortable looking half-moon shaped chair and poured myself a goblet full of water. I downed the whole thing and all the while the hooded figure said nothing but looked at me. Once I had finished the water I placed it down and wiped my mouth on the back of my hand, feeling better now that I had rid myself of the bitter taste of bile.

  “So, I think it’s now time you tell me who you are,” I said as I watched him and if I didn’t know any better I would say he looked nervous. He started playing with his fingers and then wiped his sweating palms down his cloak.

  “Look, if it helps things I can promise to keep your secret and if you can get me back without anyone seeing, then I won’t tell anyone that you’re down here.”

  “You would do that?” he asked sounding astonished. To get myself out of this gruesome Hellhole and away from a human eating demon, then yeah, of course I bloody would, I thought secretly. Needless to say, I didn’t say this.

  “Of course, if you can first explain to me what it is you are doing down here,” I said nodding to the locked door of death and quickly needing some more water so as not to be sick again just thinking about it.

  “I don’t kill for food,” he said abruptly and I nearly spilled the water I was pouring. I placed the jug down slowly and said,

  “Oookay, well that’s good that you didn’t kill them at least.”

  “I did kill them,” he admitted, causing my eyes to grow wide and suddenly I was wishing there was something stronger in my goblet than just water, preferably something made from potatoes and could give you a mean hangover.

  “That sounded bad,” he said as if having time to digest what he said and play it back to himself.

  “Uh…yeah, kind of,” I agreed and again he released a heavy sigh, something that seemed to be a habit of his.

  “I killed them to save another and it is not in my nature to waste the meat I kill. Their heads however, I was ordered to display on spikes by the King as a warning to all other travellers that think about attacking our people,” he told me and just as I finished processing his words I was suddenly up and out of my seat. The goblet clattered to the floor, making me flinch. It hurt, thanks to the split in my knee and sore ribs, but I didn’t care because if what he was telling me now…well surely it was impossible, wasn’t it?!

  “That…can’t…you…surely…no.” I couldn’t seem to form a sentence as it was too unbelievable, but only managed to keep shaking my head.

  “It is I…Ranka,” he said pulling back his hood and showing me a very male version of the warrior woman I knew…or the one I thought I knew.

  “But you’re a man!” I shouted and he swallowed hard before telling me,

  “This is my true form and yes, I am male.”

  “But you’re in love with Draven!” I blurted out without thinking and I felt like an utter shit when I saw him wince. He looked down and off to one side as if his greatest secret had just been cut from his heart and now he was watching it spill onto the sandstone floor. He even closed his eyes as if the pain was near unbearable.

  “I’m sorry! I shouldn’t have said that,” I said quickly, unable to contain my guilt. Hearing this his eyes suddenly snapped open as if he couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

  “You’re sorry?” he asked with a small shake of his head as if this helped in testing his hearing or something.

  “Yes, it was inconsiderate of me to just blurt it out like that.”

  “But why would you be sorry, you should hate me,” he admitted looking away as if disgusted with himself.

  “We can’t help who we fall in love with and I would be a fool to believe otherwise,” I said thinking about all the yea
rs Draven had been on this earth and knowing that the list of hearts broken by his lack of love returned must have been as long as my body.

  “I would have never…” he started to say on a whisper and then his words trailed off as if unable to finish the sentence. Because let’s face it, could you really say you wouldn’t have when faced with your heart’s desire, no matter what price you had to pay? Look at what Draven himself would sacrifice by turning his back on the prophecy just to save me. Loving someone wasn’t as clear cut as following your heart and looking at Ranka now, I would say he would have agreed with me.

  “I…I…don’t know what to say,” I told him or her, oh God I was so confused. He shrugged his shoulders before walking cautiously over to the empty seat near where I had been sitting. Then he held out a long slender hand for me to sit back down. I did but I also couldn’t help staring at him in awe.

  He was a beautiful man in an exotic feminine way. He had the same almond shaped eyes the colour of hazel and honey that were framed by thin arched eyebrows. Even his triangular shaped face was the same as the Ranka I was used to seeing. His hair was the same mohawk design, one braided back down the centre. He had darker mocha colour skin that was speckled black around his hair line and ears, that were also slightly pointed. It reminded me of tattooed war paint and just like the female version of him, he looked ready for battle. His attire was leather trousers, strapped with numerous wicked curved blades, and tarnished leg armour that looked to have been made moulded to his frame. He was tall, with a slim but fit build that looked made for skill and speed, not for brute strength.

  “Does anyone know?” I asked softly, trying to sound as sympathetic as I felt. He shook his head and I swallowed down the hard lump of pity.

  “Not even Draven…I mean, Arsaces?” The look of panic he gave me had me holding up my arms and saying,