Circle of Death

by Thais Lopes

  I was carried to the center of the circle, floating above my body. But my spirit was still too strong for my wounded body, and without the full song I would die.

  And then I saw Death straighten herself and move toward the circle of music. At the same time she started to sing and, instinctively, I recognized the melody I had searched for so long, the one that would complete the song and give it its full power. Hearing the Song of Day and Night, complete for the first time in an eon, I lost consciousness.

  2. Lucio

  Those days were the worst of my whole existence. In that moment, when the Song of Day and Night had been complete, the Veils had disappeared and any spirit on this side of them could have crossed it. Death couldn’t tell if we had done it and Kelene was simply unconscious, or if her sleeping body would stay this way, alive but without a spirit. Not even the Witches’ Council, with all their efforts, had been able to feel the woman’s presence. Hope was something visible in all our gazes, but as the hours went by, everyone started getting ready for the worst.

  Because without Kelene it would be impossible to imprison the Nameless again.

  After the circle, Death had guided all of us through death’s pathways until we arrived at another ruin. I had no idea of which city that had been, but I could see it hadn’t been destroyed around the time of the Intervention, but before it. According to Death, it had once been a thriving city, but today was only a testimonial of the old ones’ abilities as, to my surprise, most of the buildings still stood, and it was called a ruin mostly because it protected those who lived there. I had always wondered how those from the Otherworld who choose to hide from humankind lived, and now I could see it. They had adapted some of the buildings to have modern comforts, and the community there didn’t need any outside contact to survive. Now they were locked with us, inside the shields the witches and the Fae had raised around the city.

  Those who lived there were told about what was going on – there was no way to keep the secret with so many people discussing it in the ruins. But now we didn’t know what to do, as many there had their doubts about what we were doing, and I was sure they wouldn’t hesitate to warn Seth or the Nameless.

  In those days of waiting, the witches and the Fae made sure to spread the news about the Nameless’ escape, and some of the stories of the past, of what he had done. Soon, all the Otherworld would be aware, but I was sure many wouldn’t believe or understand what it really meant.

  Each minute I wasn’t busy with something, I was beside Kelene, waiting, hoping for any kind of movement or any sign that she was really alive. Still, I was caught by surprise when she opened her eyes and slowly sat up.

  Wordlessly, not knowing how to deal with that feeling of relief and happiness, I grabbed a bottle of water and offered it to her. Kelene drank slowly, but emptied the bottle in a few minutes.

  “For how long was I unconscious?”

  “Almost two days.”

  “From your expression, I thought it had been longer.” She smiled faintly.

  I couldn’t hold back anymore. Approaching the bed, I pulled her close and hugged her, almost sighing when I felt her arms come around me.

  “I’ve never been so afraid before, Kelene. Not as afraid as I was when I saw you on the ground in the Sanctuary, without even understanding what was going on. And then we didn’t know if the song had been enough and if you had survived or not…”

  She moved away and I released her. Holding my gaze with an intensity I hadn’t seen before, she sat on the edge of the bed.

  “It almost wasn’t enough. And thank you, Lucio. I owe you my life again.”

  “Don’t thank me.” My answer was quick. “I only got you away from the Sanctuary.”

  “No. If it wasn’t for you I wouldn’t have survived, I know. Death wouldn’t be able to reach me then, and no one else would arrived at the Sanctuary in time.” She sighed. “Even if someone else got there in time, you were the only one who could have reached me, anyway. And in that last second, when the Song had acted, it was only because of you it was enough.” Kelene added, her fingers drawing a line over her left breast, where I knew I would see a scar from that last night if I could see her naked skin.

  “This scar will never disappear.” I said, not knowing how to answer to all she had said.

  “I know. I knew what I was doing.” She smiled.

  I stared at her, not sure if I could believe it. Kelene had chosen me and sought a commitment whose depth was beyond life or death. Without words, I pulled her for a kiss.

  But not matter how much I wanted to celebrate the fact that Kelene had survived, we both knew our time was counted. We couldn’t waste any second if we wanted to stop the Nameless. As if she was thinking the same thing, she sighed.

  “Where are we? Who came with us?”

  “This city is from before the Intervention, turned into a refuge by the people from the Otherworld who don’t want or can’t live together with humans. I don’t know any name for this place, but Death can probably tell you more, she brought us here. She’s here, and so are Avés, many of the Fae, Lilian the Seer and many of your neighbors. They refused to go home without knowing what had happened to you.”

  She nodded.

  “Before anything else, I need to talk to Death.”

  “Can you call her like you did before? No one knows for sure where she is, she’s keeping apart from us.”

  “I can call her.”

  She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. Nothing happened, but I already knew I shouldn’t expect anything fancy. Less than a minute later, Death opened the door and walked in, instead of just materializing – that was what it looked like when she stepped out of the death’s pathways – as she usually did. I noticed when she hesitated, and for once her eyes weren’t ice cold.

  “Kelene…” Her relief was clear, and she closed her eyes and sighed, in a gesture so human I was caught by surprise. “You’re well.”

  “Yes.”

  I glanced at Kelene, and she seemed as surprised as I was.

  There was a strange silence, and then Death spoke, as if she was fighting against the words.

  “You were right, Kelene. The Nameless was fooling me all the time. I should have been able to notice it. I was arrogant, and now everyone will pay for my blindness.”

  Kelene didn’t say anything, and made me shut up with a glance when I started speaking. As I had no plans of disagreeing with her about Death, I moved away, closing the door Death had left open and leaning against the wall beside it. After a couple of minutes of that tense silence, where the only sound was the cracking of the bones on Death’s staff, she went on.

  “There was more. Just before the Nameless escaped, Seth called me. He wanted to negotiate.” From where I was I could see Death’s shoulders rising and falling when she sighed. Her voice didn’t even sound as the other times I had heard it, it was as if she had lost that scary confidence she used to have. “He offered to turn all the White Hand’s circle in payment for two things: immunity for a year and a weakness for Lucio during the same time.”

  She stopped, but I already knew what had happened. I remember the Hand’s desperate call.

  “You accepted it.” I said.

  “All the seven… turned? Bound to him?” Kelene asked, incredulously. “And Seth with immunity for a year... What is Lucio’s weakness? Does Seth know?”

  “No.” Death seemed to regain some of her confidence. “He didn’t have enough lives to pay for that. And Lucio’s weakness is the bond between you.”

  That was how vampires got new powers: negotiating with Death. I had never understood why she paid them to turn some people, until Kelene explained Death liked when her Hands were vampires, as that meant she had a level of control over them, through the power called upon on the Intervention. But, because of the same power, vampires couldn’t accept the deal that made them Hands, as they didn’t have enough free will for that. The only ones who weren’t under
Death’s control were Seth and me, the firstborns. The Hands needed to accept it as humans, and later be transformed. I had never heard of a Hand turned willingly, and Death rewarded the vampires who discovered who were the Hands and transformed them.

  But I didn’t understand what that weakness Death gave me meant. How could the bond between Kelene and me be used to destroy me? I glanced at the woman, and realized she knew exactly what it meant.

  “You didn’t want him to be able to destroy Lucio. I know how to use a bond like this to kill, and I have the powers for this… But Seth doesn’t know and, even if he figured it out, he wouldn’t be able to do it.” She said, her expression unreadable. “Why? Weren’t you so interested in destroying Lucio?”

  I could see from Death’s stiff posture that she didn’t like the question. But she answered it, her voice sounding strained.

  “I wasn’t interested in destroying Lucio, but his destruction wouldn’t bother me… As long as I was the one to do it. Seth forgot he is still a Keeper. If he was to be destroyed, it would be by my hands, not by a traitor.”

  “And still you negotiated with a traitor.” Kelene went on, with steel in her voice. “What about now? Can I count Death as an ally, as I am going to fight the Nameless, or do I need to protect those around me against any kind of deal?”

  Death stared at her for a couple of seconds before replying.

  “Not anymore. Never again. Kelene, Lucio...” Her gaze turned to me. “I owe you more than an apology. You are my only chance of stopping the Nameless. I made too many mistakes, but they won’t be repeated.”

  Kelene turned to me, smiling. I already knew what to expect when she spoke again.

  “Let’s finish this quickly. How are the vampires doing?”

  “It’s bad.” I answered, knowing she meant the fact that human blood no longer fed us.

  I had asked about what was going on while we waited, and the news I received were alarming. Madness, loss of control… The Masters were barely keeping the real situation hidden from humankind. I still didn’t feel any hunger – the blood I had drank from Kelene, on the day before she went to the Sanctuary, still sustained me.

  “We’ll have to take care of it, too.” She added, before facing Death again.

  3. Kelene

  As I had imagined, after those moments in the Veils I could count with Death beside us, working with us and not trying to undermine us, as she had done so far. I wouldn’t need to worry about any possible loophole in the wording of any deal we made. Besides, she knew me well enough to be able to guess exactly what I wanted, even if I couldn’t ask for it. With a half smile, I turned my right arm, raising the blouse’s sleeve to leave my scars visible.

  “Stop where you are, because you owe me. You owe me for the death you had me cause, and now I call the debt.” I spoke the ritual words for the second time in few days, and felt the scars burn.

  “What do you want?”

  “A weakness to Seth, while he is immune to Death herself.”

  She nodded, understanding what I mean, as I had imagined would happen. The negotiations with Death had rules, be it for the vampires or for the White Hand. Asking for a weakness was simple, a few of my scars were enough to pay for it. But asking for an specific weakness or questioning what was that weakness would cost far more. With Death as an ally, she would give me exactly what I wanted. I counted the scars that had just been crossed, and smiled. It was the price I had expected, payment for making Seth vulnerable to the technique that named the first White Hands.

  “And I also want that the vampires fighting beside us against the Nameless, the ones who owe allegiance to Lucio, be freed from the hunger for blood until the Nameless is imprisoned again or destroyed.”

  I held Death’s gaze, seeing her surprise, and knew Lucio’s expression wouldn’t be very different from hers. None of them expected this, but there was no choice.

  “Do you know the price?” Death asked.

  It would cost a lot, and the price would depend on how many vampires joined us and how long would it take to imprison the Nameless. But it was the only way to avoid that all vampires joined Seth, and I thought I had enough lives to pay for that. I hoped I had enough lives for that.

  “Yes.”

  Death nodded, and only one scar was crossed. More would burn as the vampires joined us.

  “That’s all.” I said, ending the negotiation.

  “Are you sure you’ll be able to pay for this, Kelene?” Death asked, her concern clear in her voice in a way I hadn’t heard since my first days as a Hand in training. “You know the consequences, and not even I can ignore the laws that rule this kind of deal.”

  “I have to be.” I answer with a confidence I didn’t really feel. “It won’t be for long, we will have only one chance and we can’t take long. My scars are more than enough.”

  “And if the Nameless has too much time to cause the destruction he likes, it will throw humans and the Otherworld in an endless conflict. The relationship between both worlds isn’t one of the best. That destruction would be enough for a true war and we know how that would end.” Lucio said.

  “The Otherworld will blame humans, because they know the Nameless is human, and humans will blame the Otherworld, because they don’t know what’s going on.” I added, thoughtful.

  I hadn’t thought about that little detail before. We would need to be very careful with that situation. It would be easy to spread the panic among humans, and that would mean the start of a conflict, maybe even before the Nameless really started acting. We had to avoid it at any cost.

  And with the time I had been unconscious, it was possible that the chaos had already began.

  Death nodded, agreeing with what we said, before warning.

  “All the pathways are closed, we are the only ones who can use them. As soon as we know where to go, we can be there in a matter of seconds.”

  “The Veils are still lowered, then? It means we only need to figure out where the dead are coming from, then.” I said, already embracing that coldness that had always let me do my job, no matter what has happening or what the risks were.

  “Seth and the Nameless are in different places. We need to be able to attack and win in one shot.” Death told us, understanding what I needed to know. “There won’t be any second chance.”

  No. If we didn’t win at our first try, we would be dead.

  I nodded, an idea already taking form in my mind.

  “Lucio, you know what I need you do do.”

  He nodded.

  “I’ll take care of the vampires.” He was standing with the strangely tense posture of a Keeper, and I couldn’t avoid smiling.

  Death left without any more words, and Lucio and I still had time for a goodbye kiss before he left. He would get in touch with the vampires who had been sworn to him in the past and ask them to renew their vows. We needed them beside us, not only because we couldn’t afford to let Seth and the Nameless get stronger, but also because we would need to fight Seth’s vampires.

  Only then I looked around, realizing someone had left me clothes. It had probably been Alice, as she was the only one who would think about clothes in a time like that, and she also had the keys to my apartment. With a satisfied sigh, I noticed that the city we were in was one of the really old ones, with that architecture the rogues from the Otherworld were so good at adapting to accept modern comforts. Hoping I was right, I opened the other door in the room. My smile widened when I saw it had been turned into a bathroom, even if a rustic one. The water from the shower would be cold, probably from a nearby well, but at least I could take a shower.

  4. Lucio

  Long ago, I had been considered a god, the strongest among vampires, worshiped by humans and vampires alike. It had been my choice to move away from all that, back when I decided to abandon Seth and the vampire community, running from the sanguinary instincts they exalted and I tried to control. Now, I had few hours to reclaim what had
once been mine.

  When the Nameless escaped, Seth was the first to be turned into a vampire, moved by his need to be the best always, and I followed him. We were the only ones transformed by the Nameless himself, who subverted Life’s powers to make us what we are. All the other vampires, whenever they were turned, descend from one of us. And, in the old times, that was how the vampires’ loyalties were divided: those sworn to Seth, and those sworn to me. Those were the vows Seth was calling again.

  While I followed death’s pathways, I thought about how what had happened in the last days had changed us. Kelene abandoned much of her defensive stance, and I finally saw why Death had thought her a White Hand good enough to be brought back. She was like a river: once she decided her path, nothing would stop her. It didn’t matter how many barriers she found: she would go around them and move on. She had a strength that wasn’t easily found, and wasn’t afraid of risking herself doing whatever was needed. And I… I had finally accepted my past, with all my mistakes and all the destruction I had caused and allowed to be caused. Like I had once said to Kelene, that past was what had turned me into who I was, and it was also what gave me strength to go ahead, as I knew what would happen if we failed – and I wouldn’t allow the past to repeat itself.

  With a new determination, I left death’s pathway, quickly crossing the few blocks that separated me from the mansion where one of the two most powerful Masters of my line lived. The ornate metal gates opened automatically when I approached, and I crossed the empty moonlit gardens. That area was one of his vampires’ favorites, and I had never seen it empty before, when I watched the house. As soon as I went up the front steps, the door opened, revealing a young vampire, with the weakened appearance of someone who was starving and with a shadow of madness in his eyes.

  “Welcome, lord Lucio.” He greeted, his voice still strong, and his words were a subtle insult, a reminder that I was no longer their master. “My Master awaits you in the main hall.”