by A. R. Mummey
Chapter Eleven
In the end, Heath wouldn’t leave me. I’d hoped to do this without him, but he sensed we were up to something and became annoyed when Theo broke down, telling him where we were going. So, here we were.
The door opened, but Anabel stood in front of me, blocking my view. Anabel introduced the three of us in turn, the guys greeting the woman with an air of familiarity. I held back, being introduced last. “And this is Lorelei. Lorelei, this is my cousin, Bast.”
In the dark recesses of my mind, I remembered hearing her name before in whispered conversations while I was dying in my bed. Looking at her, I saw the family resemblance immediately—tan, with long, black hair, bright green cat eyes, high cheek bones, and a lean build. She looked like her namesake. It was like seeing a slightly older version of Anabel, with different hair and eyes.
But there was something about her presence, the way she carried herself. She had an inner strength that was intimidating. Looking at her, I knew that she wasn’t just one of the Dark; she was a leader. My energy reached out to hers tentatively. Her eyes flickered over me, her energy pulling taut. Without speaking, she moved out of the doorway, extending her hand to wave us in. Taking a deep breath, I followed Anabel. Heath and Theo brought up the rear. She led us through a hallway, moving with poise and grace.
We went to the back of the house to a large study. Everything was modern, chic. A shag white rug was spread across the center of the room. Dark wood floors seeped out from the edges of the massive rug. A curved glass desk sat kitty corner from the door. The far wall was floor-to-ceiling glass. The desk stood facing the door and the rest of the room with two swoop arm chairs across it and a large sectional in the opposite corner.
Bast sat at her desk in a large white chair. The boys moved to the sectional while Anabel and I sat in the chairs across from her. Her emerald eyes met mine, and she spoke for the first time. “My sister Freya will be home soon. It will only upset her if she sees you.” She turned her gaze to Anabel, the last comment causing her to flinch. That’s when I remembered they weren’t supposed to have a relationship. Based on Anabel’s flinch, I guessed Freya had a huge problem with Anabel being Gifted.
Anabel spoke concisely, watering down everything that didn’t directly involve Thea. When she was done, Bast rose and stood in front of us, leaning against the desk.
“Who are you?” She flicked her eyes to me. “Where do you come from?”
“I’m Lor—”
She cut me off. “I know your name. Who are your people? What side of your family has powers, and how far back can you trace it?”
Anabel broke to explain my lack of knowledge until very recently. I fought the impulse to shuffle my feet as she revealed how I was essentially clueless in this other world—how my powers had come suddenly and were becoming strong quickly. She ended by explaining that their powers were strengthening as well.
“Well, that’s easy enough. Your interaction with the Others finally tripped you up. You couldn’t stay dormant forever. Not you.” She looked at me.
“So, is that why their powers are growing?” I asked, nodding my head at Theo and Heath.
“In part. But it’s also you. You are a true leader. You come from a very strong, very old bloodline. Your family must have taken great precautions, great pains, to hide you from this world. Are you certain no one—not a parent, a sibling, a grandparent—had powers?”
I shook my head slowly. “My mom passed from cancer. My sister and father are normal. Father’s parents are mean, but normal. My mom’s parents were lovely. They passed shortly before my mom, but they weren’t around much.”
Bast walked out of the room only to return momentarily with a large, tattered, leather-bound journal. Setting it in my hands, she closed her eyes, her hand hovering over the book. An emerald mist emanated from her fingertips down to the book. It flew open, the pages turning fast, stopping swiftly. I felt a sudden breeze behind me, and I knew Heath and Theo had joined us. Holding my breath, I looked down.
“The problem with the Gifted is that they don’t embrace their power. They run from the supernatural and therefore can never be truly powerful. Their covens are weak, and they give up the life or play second fiddle. That’s why the Dark reign. We embrace what we are meant to be. The Gifted don’t want to upset the balance, but by not strengthening themselves, they give us the upper hand. That’s why the Gifted are dying out. You’re not doing good. You’re doing nothing.” I felt the others tense, and I knew why. She was talking about their families.
“Please,” I said quickly. “How do we win?”
“Do you know the legend of the succubus? Where they come from? How it relates to us?”
“Lilith. Adam’s first wife, supposedly, instead of Eve, if I remember correctly. She left him because she didn’t want to be subservient to him. She was one of the sacred four. She mated with one of the archangels,” Heath responded quickly. I looked at him, eyebrow arched questioningly.
“What? I paid some attention to the Sorcery teachings.”
“Exactly. People believe Lilith was the first Queen. Mother of the demons. Maybe she was. I couldn’t say. She left Adam and mated with Satan, who treated her as an equal. Notice the theme of strong women being evil? Anyway Lilith produced demon spawn that God took away from her for refusing to go back to Adam. All speculation.” Bast rolled her eyes. I couldn’t help but smile, even in sorcery women had to be inferior.
“Now, supposedly Lilith and Eisheth Zenunim bloodlines are dead. Only Agrat bat Mahlat’s and Naama’s are still around. They were the Four Queens of the demons, or the Sacred Four.”
“What do you mean their bloodlines ‘are’ still around?” I asked, my eyes widening slowly. My conversation with Ash spiraling through my head. Four Queens he had said. He never mentioned they were succubae or angels! A pit rose in my stomach. My hands started to tremble as I realized where this conversation was heading.
“The four queens mated with the archangel Samael. God wanted to punish them so he castrated Samael and made Lilith infertile. Before he could castrate Samael, however, Samael mated with Agrat, Naama, and Eisheth. They bore sons from him. Agrat’s was Asmodeus and she pretended it was King David’s child. Her bloodline continued through her son and through the centuries. Naama’s and Eisheth’s son’s names are unknown, but their lines descended in much the same way. It’s also said, that with Satan’s help Lilith was able to have a son with Samael and protect him and any subsequent descendants from God’s wrath. Some of our kind still believe these succubae are still around. That they’re immortal and they still rule over all demons. Point is, succubae are rare. To become one, this Thea would have had to be incredibly powerful, and she would have had to pay an awful price.”
“So, again, how do we win? What does this legend have to do with the here and now?” I looked from Bast to Anabel, questioningly. I now had two versions of the same story of the Four Queens and no information on how to kill a succubus. This was a waste of time.
Bast sighed in exasperation and rolled her eyes, reminding me of Josephine. “Watch,” she said. She pulled a glass bowl from the bookshelf nearest her. The bottom had what looked like water in it. She stared at it, her face pulled into a look of fierce concentration, when a red ember began to bloom on top of the water. She smiled, and the ember bloomed into a flame, changing slowly from red to green. I felt Heath’s hand on my shoulder as I caught my breath. Bast stared at me over the fire deviously. I knew what she wanted me to do; it was my turn to focus on the flame. I could feel the energy pouring from me as I focused every inch of myself on it. Slowly, it began to rise up and twirl, the color fading from green to blue. My blue.
Bast clapped gleefully, and the flame disappeared. “I knew it,” she gushed. “That’s demon fire.” My mouth dropped open, and I stared at her, horrified. Anabel murmured soothing words to me, but I wasn’t listening. Demon fire?! The words hung in the air. My mind raced.
“What the hell is wrong with
you? You’re scaring her. Look at her,” Heath was arguing heatedly, Theo trying to calm him, but Bast was still staring at me, smiling.
“The legend,” Bast began, ignoring everyone. I had no clue if anyone else was listening, but I leaned in, her voice the only sound in the world. “The legend continues that each Queen wielded an element. Part angel, part succubus Agrat bat Mahlat’s element is water. That blue fire you have is called demon fire. That fire shows up once a generation and as her descendant you wield that fire. The fire is a way to preserve balance. With the Queens gone or in hiding, it’s our job to use this fire to protect our world from evil. It got its name long ago when we fought battles against demons who tried to wreak havoc on the world. They feared your ancestors and gave your gift that name. You have to understand Agrat is a fallen angel, but an angel nonetheless, as well as a succubus. She believes in balance. That fire shows up in every generation. It is demonic and heavenly and makes you a leader of the entire Gifted race. You saw my fire. It’s called hell fire. Again a name the demons gave it. Anyone descended with this emerald fire is always a ruler of the Dark. Anyone descended with your sapphire fire is the ruler of the Gifted. My guess is that your family tried to protect you from your calling. It’s a tall order.”
“So, how was I chosen then? Why not my sister?” I asked hesitantly.
“Bloodline. Just like mine. It can be anyone. Once someone dies off, another is chosen. Cousin. Sister. Mother. Long-lost female relative. As long as it’s female. There’s no way to tell who is going to be the leader.”
“How am I a ruler of the Gifted? It’s not possible. Demon fire. We’re part demon.” My mind whirled as I muttered incoherently to myself.
“We’re sorceresses. Agrat mated with Samael. Two fallen angels. That’s your line. So, your fire or energy is a mix of Agrat’s water element, angelic purity, and also Agrat’s succubus side. But most importantly, you’re part human. A large chunk of you is human. When you mix all those elements together you get a sorceress. You’re not angelic or demonic, you’re you. A Leader. A fighter. Think of us as built-in safeguards. The Queens rule. But we’re a separate entity that can fight back and hold our own. Defend humans.” I felt dizzy, crazy, trying to wrap my mind around all she was telling me.
“But, wait…. We have choices. We can choose to be one of the Gifted or one of the Dark.”
“Yes. They do.” Bast said, gesturing to Anabel, Theo, and Heath who all sat enraptured by the conversation. “But not us. It’s in our nature. It’s who we are. Don’t get me wrong. No one is inherently good or evil. Everyone is a mixture. For you and me, it’s not about good or evil. It’s the big picture. We’re two sides of the same coin in a much larger vision.” Bast stared at me, her cat-like eyes searching mine.
“But, how can I be a leader?” I felt my voice straining.
“Because we’re human. Humans with special abilities. Angels can be vengeful and cruel. Demons can be respectful or sparing. But, in order to lead, in order to take on the evil in the world, you have to be a little dark! You have to believe in justice and be able to dole it out! So, Agrat was both, and she passed on that Gift to female ancestors. You are a leader. You are special. We have a lot in common. Think about it. Demon fire, to slay the monsters. Hell fire, to send them back to the pits they came from. Dark and Gifted are divided only because they believe it needs to be so, but it’s not true. We have the same goals, just different means of achieving them. You and I are alike. We both consort with unseemly characters, and doing so enhances our abilities. Admit it; it makes you feel whole.” She looked at me, her face suddenly wistful.
“How long have you felt lost? Devoid of everything. Then one day you happen upon someone who breaks you open, and your world is changed. You feel more intensely than ever before. But more importantly, for once, you feel like you have a purpose. Something real, tangible. This is a beautiful Gift. I know my cousin and her little friends here have been holding out on you. There comes a time for each of us when we have to make a choice. Dark or Gifted. Two sides of the same coin, Lorelei. If we choose different than our friends and family, we have to break ties. I’ve broken the rule because of Anabel. I’m sure she told you we keep in touch. I was sixteen when this power came to light. The moment it did, I knew I was on my own. My parents, Anabel, the entire family had been Gifted. But this was different. It forced me to re-evaluate. To look deeper into my past, my family tree. I uncovered certain things….
“Anyway, my sister Freya joined me and Anabel almost did, but she chose what she felt was right. You will have to choose, and soon. You are Gifted; there’s no choice in that. It pours out of you in waves. You will have to choose whether to embrace it or stand down.” She broke eye contact with me, leaving me to turn everything over in my mind.
“What about you?” I asked thoughtfully.
“What about me?”
“If I’m descended from Agrat, then I assume you are descended from Naama?”
“Correct.” She eyed me expectantly.
“So, what makes your fire or energy different?”
“Ahh, now you’re thinking. Hell fire. Naama’s element is earth. She wielded the natural soil and bedrock to her bidding. While she is depicted as being the most nurturing of the queens. She is nurturing and loving to her element and to her children, but she is a seductress, preying on people at crossroads. Enchanting them, corrupting them, feeding from them. As for the name hell fire … it’s just a name, mostly, like demon fire. But names that strike fear into all creatures.”
“So, when you say we’re two sides of the same coin, you mean that? Because Agrat and Naama were sister angels, and then they had sons by Samael. We share blood. That’s what you mean? How we’re sorcerers? We’re distantly related.” She stared at me briefly, and I knew I’d hit the nail on the head, so to speak.
“Anabel, it’s time to go. I don’t want Freya to know you’re here. You know how it upsets her.” Bast’s expression was slightly worried. Anabel nodded, and they embraced briefly. I tried not to feel too annoyed that I kept getting the brush off as soon as I got close to some real answers. After all, I felt Bast had given me more information about myself than anyone else. We stood, the boys and Anabel heading out when Bast grabbed my arm.
“One more thing,” Bast whispered urgently. “Thea is very old and very dangerous. She’s quite cunning and manipulative. She’s the most powerful and most famous Dark there’s ever been. Ask around; look it up in the scribes. Her real name is not Theodora. She has many names, but look her up as Temperance Decker.”
She let go, shoving something in my hand, and I walked in a daze to the car. My mind was a mess. It kept turning over and over. I felt sick and angry. How much had my supposed friends known? How could they let me wander blindly in this?
The worst part was how easily Bast understood me. I did feel whole. Really whole. With Patrick, with my Gift. For a moment, I had completely forgotten about work, school, the gnawing ache in my heart when I thought of my life, and the feeling that I was slowly suffocating whenever I thought of my future. Bleak, hard, pathetic.