“You will have your peace soon, I promise,” she whispered into Hartwin’s ear.
His fingers twitched in her hand. His purple eyes opened, and he stared at her. It was as if he was looking through her.
“I have come for you. You were brave and now you needn’t worry anymore,” Lilia said to him.
Ealdraed finished removing the cursed objects. He moved on to pulling apart the chain links. The silver burned his skin and a smell of roasted meat flooded the room. He managed to pull apart both chains with a grimace that stayed with him for a minute longer.
“We need to get him out of here,” Lilia ordered.
“What is the meaning of this?” a woman’s voice came from the side.
Lilia turned her head to find Arthemis’ daughter, Laclia, standing in the doorway.
The woman’s eyes took in the sight before her, and she pursed her lips. “Brother, you are going against Father’s orders…”
“I know,” Ealdraed responded. He got up and made his way to Laclia. Cupping her cheek, he pressed his forehead to hers. “Please, sister, help us escape.”
“Arthemis will be furious. If she leaves, he may kill the other Councilman and his woman,” Laclia said.
Lilia pressed her lips together. Helena would be mad at her for allowing Hans and Perri get killed, but she had no choice. That girl was no longer here and sacrifices had to be made. “We need to end this messy business. From Helena’s memories, I know that Malachi and the hunters are nearby somewhere. Getting to them is our priority.”
Laclia’s mouth fell open. “Lilia is in control of her vessel? What about the girl from earlier?”
“She is no more,” Lilia assured her.
“My dear sister, help me get Hartwin out,” Ealdraed begged. “We must let him rest and see if his mind is gone for good.”
Laclia looked from Hartwin’s shivering body to her other brother. She glared at Lilia. “It is your fault my family suffers. If you had only allowed us to live in peace, none of this would have happened.”
“You know as well as I do that Arthemis must be stopped. This world does not deserve another war,” Lilia countered.
“Fine, I’ll help. I’m doing this for you, Ealdraed, and not for that wench,” Laclia grumbled, marching to Hartwin. She draped his arm over her shoulders and lifted him up.
Ealdraed smiled at his sister and pulled Lilia to him. He lifted her into his arms, briefly allowing his cold eyes to study her face. Then, he blew out a breath and flames burst to life throughout the cell.
They left the basement, and the fire followed them like a snake, spreading out faster and faster.
“This will keep the hounds and the others busy while we escape,” Ealdraed informed them and headed for the garden door.
They stepped into the autumn air and rain battered against Lilia’s exposed skin and dress. It was hard for her to focus on the darkness ahead, but she knew something was wrong. Their escape was cut short.
“Restrain Lilia and keep her quiet,” Arthemis said in an authoritative tone and stepped out from the shadows. His tuxedo was drenched. Next to him, Cenric, Bion, and Kallias stood with swords in their hands.
Ealdraed’s body shifted. He lowered Lilia with a grimace then pulled her back against his chest and covered her mouth with his large palm.
“Laclia, drop Hartwin and kneel,” Arthemis barked another order.
She instantly obeyed, dropping onto one knee like a soldier.
“It has been many years since we got to see one another, Mother,” Arthemis said in a velvety voice. “Are you not pleased to see me?”
Lilia glared daggers at him.
“I must apologise. I could not allow you to escape.” Arthemis stepped closer and observed her expression. “That same disgust and hatred in your beautiful blue eyes have not faded, I see.”
She struggled to speak, but Ealdraed’s palm muffled her words.
“Do you promise not to cast spells?” Arthemis inquired.
With a final glare, she nodded.
“Let her speak,” Arthemis barked using the power of his voice. The vampires had no choice but to obey him when he used his ability on them.
“I should have killed you when I had the chance…” Her voice shook with regret and sorrow. “Can you not see the destruction in your wake? You should have never been born. Your existence sullies this world.”
For a second, she thought she saw hurt in Arthemis’ eyes. She had to be imagining things. He did not feel emotions like normal people did. He was cold, heartless—a perfect killer shaped by the Demon Queen.
A smirk worked its way onto his face. “When I am done, no one and nothing will stand in my way. I will destroy everything you have fought to protect and everything you have loved about this realm. For you, dear mother, I will carve out a throne of blood and bones of mortals who oppose me.” He chuckled and sauntered back into the mansion. The fire inside had long since was extinguished since Ealdraed had stopped using his ability to conjure it.
At the door, Arthemis gave Ealdraed and the others one last order, “Follow me and bring those two along.”
22
THE WELL OF SOULS
HELENA
I t was peaceful in the Well of Souls. The stream of water carried Helena’s soul around, and she couldn’t help wondering if this was the end for her. She would never see her family, witness her sister’s birth, or kiss Lucious. There were many things she wanted to do, one of which was making sure that Lucious was not consumed by Arthemis.
She floated in the water, looking up at the mist that hung above her.
“You should not be here,” a woman’s voice stopped her.
Helena felt her soul being lifted out of the water by loving hands. She squinted to make out a face through the endless mist. The marginal pieces of the face gave her an idea of whom she was talking to.
“Diya?” Helena’s voice resonated from the shimmering orb.
The fate smiled at her through the mist. “I see that my sister has done another terrible deed. We cannot allow for her to continue with this madness.”
It was unnerving being without a body. Helena couldn’t move or display expressions. She was energy and thought. “How? I am no longer in my body… And, how are you here? Weren’t you supposed to be inside my sister?”
“All souls are in two places at once until they are formally born. I had left a part of myself in this world to be able to influence my path.” Her eyes watered yet her smile never faded. “Malachi…I can see you have met him. Is he well?”
“He’s fine. He came to help when Lilia called him.”
“My sister had no right to summon him and use us in her game. I am glad you told him of where I will be born. Unlike Arthemis who craves his mother’s affection, my daughter grew to hate me over the centuries because she believed I had abandoned her by participating in the ritual. She had urged her children to seek me out upon my return to the Human Realm and to eliminate me while I’m still young.”
“What do you mean?” Helena asked, panicking. “Will my sister be in danger?”
“Malachi will keep me safe, I’m certain. He is a powerful demon, and I have faith in him.” Diya stroked Helena’s soul with a tender gaze. “Now I will do what I can to send you back. We cannot waste any more time. Remember, Helena, you must call out to Lucious when you return. He is not a weak soul who would give in to Arthemis. We chose him because he is strong and can defy fate.”
“I know he is strong but will he hear me?” Helena’s words were uncertain.
“Call out with your heart and soul to him. You were bonded for a long time, long enough to reach a balanced state between a mortal and an immortal.” Diya gave Helena a reassuring wink. “Love is stronger than any physical bond. It will always exist inside of us.”
“Thank you. I mean it,” Helena replied, filled with excitement. She would be able to get Lucious back. Everything will work out, somehow.
“I am glad I will have a sister like yo
u. Lilia used to be a good person before the Human Realm twisted her personality…no…even before then. When Michael was imprisoned, leaving her alone with a child. It broke something inside my sister and changed her forever.”
Helena’s orb darkened with her sadness and the loss of a friend who had watched over her for many years. “Is he…alive?”
“The gods had played a cruel trick on him and erased him for good for disobedience. Be wary of the gods, Helena. Never trust them and allow them to get near you. They do not like what they cannot control, and since you and Lilia share the same vessel, you are beyond fate. The choices you make will be your own. Now go. Return to your body and put up a fight. My sister cannot keep on this dark path much longer or the hatred will taint her soul for good.”
Diya lifted Helena’s soul high into the sky and whispered a prayer that made Helena’s spirit hurt all over. She felt like she was being ripped away from the ultimate comfort and peace only to be plunged into the darkness that she soon discovered was her real body. Her limbs hurt, her palm was bleeding, and the sight before her had her breath catching in her throat. Blood coated every marble tile on the floor of the large room. Bodies were piled on top of one another and their blood seeped out of them to add to the sea of red. And the man getting closer to her with a smile on his face was the person she needed to save from himself…
LILIA
Her son had the audacity to order his childe, Ealdraed, to drag her after him as if she were a piece of furniture. He had toyed with her, allowing her to locate Hartwin and deplete her energy on breaking out both men from their imprisonment. Arthemis was always cunning and manipulative. She should have known something was amiss when she could not find any vampires guarding her or the prison cells.
She was brought to a large central room in the mansion. The white marble floor stretched to the throne-like chair at the top of the room. Nothing else was here other than the silver chandeliers above their heads. Yet, that was not what held her full attention. She spied a ghost of Arthemis’ true form hovering above the ground. The body’s eyes were closed but the features brought back the memories of the terrible choices she had made in the past to put him to sleep.
“You are restoring your body? How?” Lilia asked.
Arthemis turned around a few steps away from his throne and looked at the spirit representation of his original vessel. “I am pulling it from the other realm with blood magic. After all, you were the best teacher.”
“I taught you blood magic to defend yourself, not to kill others out of pleasure,” Lilia huffed.
Ealdraed’s hands moved to her shoulders. He was keeping her in place. Of course, she could try and use a spell to hurt him and push him away, but she was too tired to use magic. Without the sacrifice of another person, she would be unable to cast a spell that won’t kill her.
“Pleasure?” Arthemis laughed and looked at his children, Bion and Kallias, who were standing by the entrance. “Bring the young in ten at a time. I am going to complete the ritual and restore my body now.”
“Yes, Father,” they responded together and fleeted out of the room.
“What do you plan to do when you have your body and your army?” Lilia snapped at her son. “The gods of this realm will fight you with everything they have.”
“You once hated the gods more than you hated me.” He traced the outline of his future body’s chiselled jaw. “You thought that their brainwashing and murder of the supernatural beings was barbaric and unjust.”
“That was before you started drinking the blood of your own children to gain more power!” Lilia’s face contorted with her fury. “You are the reason why Michael and I could not be together. Your existence has ruined any chance of my being happy!”
He clapped his hands with a false smile. “And the truth comes out at last. How long have you bottled those feelings up? A thousand, two thousand years?”
“Since the day you were born,” she said, immediately regretting her words.
Arthemis’ smile did not fade, yet the pain in his red eyes was evident. Her son could still be hurt by her. On some level, he cared for her in his own deranged way.
Kallias and Bion marched into the room with ten newly-turned vampires bound together with silver chains. As they passed by her, they snarled and hissed, trying to get to her.
Bion jerked the chain, pulling them past her and propelling them closer to Arthemis.
Her son’s voice boomed as he bent the will of the vampires before him. “Kill yourselves.”
The ten vampires robotically plunged their hands into their chests and ripped their hearts out one by one.
Lilia covered her gasp with her hands. Their organs dropped on the floor next to them, and the vampires collapsed, landing a short distance away from Arthemis’ feet.
Pleased, Arthemis took off his shirt and bit into his wrist. He used his blood to draw runes on his arms. “Watch me, Mother. Watch as I destroy the world in your name.”
“You…are mad,” Lilia whispered. Her further words were trapped in her throat. Disbelief and shock kept her in place more than Ealdraed’s hands. For a second, she was thankful that he was there, keeping her upright. Her legs have long since given up on supporting her.
Bion and Kallias kept bringing in more vampires until she had counted over seventy. All of them had killed themselves at Arthemis’ request, and all bled out onto the floor.
So much sacrifice…
Her eyes stung with unshed tears. Her son was nothing short of a monster. He had turned mortals only to kill them as vampires, and for what? For his immortal body?
“Kill me if you can,” Arthemis told her when he finished drawing the rune on his chest. “Because if you don’t do it in time, everything you love about this realm will be gone.”
Lilia shook the remnants of paralysing shock from herself. She could no longer remain a bystander who did nothing. She needed help. One name came to mind—Malachi. That demon’s bracelet was still on her wrist. She could sense it gently seeping tiny amounts of her life force away. Squeezing her hand until her nails pierced her palm, she rubbed the blood on the bracelet and willed her energy into the connection between her and the demon.
“Malachi, I need your help!” she said through the mind-link.
“Now? I’m in the shower,” he grumbled.
She rolled her eyes. “My son is about to reclaim his body and start a true war against the gods. Your cleaning routine can wait.”
Malachi’s next question surprised her. “What about Helena? What did you do to her?”
“Tell the hunters to come here this instant!”
She disconnected from the link and watched as the runes around her son’s body started to glow. Similar patterns appeared on his astral body, too. Soon, the blood on the floor spread out, covering most of the room. It had reached her feet, and she grimaced.
“Isn’t this a familiar sight?” Arthemis asked her, getting closer. “Is this not what you hate me for the most?”
“You are doing this on purpose?” she asked in a wavering voice. “Why?”
“Why do you think?”
Nothing came to mind. For what reason could he possibly be doing such things just to upset her? “I don’t understand.”
“In time you will.” Arthemis closed his eyes and spread his arms out. He started chanting a spell for his ritual theatrically.
Lilia balled her hands at her sides. He was a lost cause. She was right all along. He had to die. What she saw in him—the brief flash of pain—that was part of his manipulation. He had no feelings of remorse. He thought the world belonged to him alone.
The blood on the floor lit like a crimson beacon. His astral body slowly began gaining presence in the Human Realm, solidifying with each passing second.
Closing her eyes, Lilia prayed for Malachi and the hunters to come and create a distraction large enough for her to end this farce.
As if to answer her prayers, an explosion shook the building. The Royals turned tow
ards Arthemis for direction.
“Stay,” he ordered them. “They will come to us.”
Lilia bit her lip. Please hurry… To her surprise, her body began to tremble. She felt another soul being jammed into her vessel by force.
This should not have happened. How did Helena come back?
Her soul was being ripped out of the driver’s seat. “No. No!” Before she could protest further, her vision faded and her conscience was subjugated.
HELENA
Helena didn’t have time to try and figure out what the hell was going on. The gore and glowing blood were disturbing enough to give her indigestion. She focused her attention on Arthemis who got close to her. He stopped a foot away and frowned.
“Helena?” he asked with uncertainty.
She nodded and touched his face. “Come back to me, Lucious. I need you!”
He slapped her hands away, his eyes burning with frustration. “I told you not to speak his name!”
“Lucious!” she cried out his name, feeling her heart being squeezed by her need to see him. “Fight! You must fight—”
Arthemis slapped her across the face with the back of his hand. Her cheek ached, but she knew she was getting to him. The red in his eyes turned blue for a split-second; long enough for her to know that it was working.
“Lucious…” Helena called out again.
The original’s anger showed on his face. He lifted her into the air by her throat. Ealdraed’s hands fell away from her, and her breaths became laboured. It was next to impossible to inhale with his fingers sinking into her trachea.
Arthemis covered his eyes with his free hand and groaned. He fell to his knees, making the blood on the floor soak into his black trousers. “Not…now…”
Helena coughed, and the Royals shifted closer to them. As they did, a large black monster flew into the room and growled at them. It spread its bat-like wings in what seemed to be a protective stance to keep the Royals away from her.
Fated Origins: An Urban Fantasy Novel (Helena Hawthorn Series Book 4) Page 27