Cain can feel his flock turning away from him. He might be their father and creator, but they now realise that there is something much more powerful than him. Lilith’s powers, which can make all their dreams come true, are all too tempting.
“Tell me, is your power everlasting, or does it just last long enough for you to put on this little show for us?” he asks angrily. She is insulting his pride, just as she has always done. Her biggest mistake was always being stronger than him. They were supposed to be equals, but she always knew better.
“It lasts for one day, but one day should be enough to wipe out what you have created.”
Panic erupts among the vampires. Whoever can give them the ability to walk in the sun can surely wipe them out just as easily.
“Do you hear her? Lilith is no goddess of life, not even a queen. She wants to kill you all, and leave none of you alive. Do you want to let that happen? Have we really come all this way to die here?”
Cain knowingly uses the hatred of his loved ones. She wants her slaughter, and she will get exactly that. They could end it right here and make all this so much easier, but she doesn’t want it that way. If it takes blood, death and destruction lead her back into his arms, then so be it.
His children are back at his side. A life in the darkness is better than death.
“Never!” a thousand voices reply from inside the cave, and it is so loud and strong that it makes the rock quake.
“Meet me tonight and blood will be shed to secure my victory over you once and for all!”
Even though Lilith has retreated for now, he still searches for her with his eyes. He is trapped by her gaze, and can’t wait for the moment that they finally face each other in battle. Is her skin still as soft as silk? Is her scent as pure and beguiling as morning dew? He knows he should be giving his vampires words of encouragement, but he simply can’t tear his thoughts away from her.
He watches in awe as she paces back and forth between her daughters, stopping at each one to give them a kiss on the cheek and to whisper words of encouragement in their ears. She was always a better ruler, and he knew it. She never reacted with a threat or hatred, but with grace and understanding. That probably scared him so much that he felt he had to usurp her. The first humans feared him, but they loved Lilith. And how could anyone not love her?
The last rays of sunlight bathe Table Mountain in a golden glow before disappearing over the horizon. Crickets chirp, the desert grass blows in the wind, and the smell of hot earth hangs in the air. The silence is deceptive, as it will soon be replaced with the pained screams of vampires and succubi alike.
Their enemies are standing ready, just a few metres ahead of them. Lilith is standing among them, flanked by the two vampires. She will have her work cut out for her if she thinks she can protect them. Every vampire in the cave is gunning for them more than for anyone else. They are not only traitors to their race, but they got to bask in the sunlight while the other vampires had to spend eternity in the darkness. Cain is buzzing from the sound of all the swords, arrows and spears behind him. It is their first battle against the succubi. They don’t know if silver or hawthorn might be lethal to them, but they don’t have any other weapons. Their biggest strength is in their numbers. They are thousands against mere hundreds.
Cain takes his first step out onto the open ground, which is still warm from the sun. The red sand crunches under his feet before another dares to exit the cave. The vampires follow him like frightened animals in a tightly knit group. Their courage is gone and fear has taken over. He can almost feel them trembling, feeling disgusted by his own creation.
Cain stops a few feet away from the succubi, and his army stops behind him. His vision blurs. He can’t see the humbling view across the African plane, nor can he see the starry sky or the sea of black wings. The only thing he sees is Lilith. Her body is surrounded by a black fog while her hair lights up the night like a wildfire. Her eyes emit a green light that hypnotises him. To compare their colour with emeralds would not do them justice. Lilith’s eyes are older than every emerald, and more beautiful and unique. The hostility in her face brings back his ancient love for her. When she raises her arm to give the signal for attack, he finds himself more in awe of her than ever before.
The vampires and succubi crash into each other, screeching and shouting as they do. Steel cuts into flesh. The sound of shattering wood and silver hitting silver forms the orchestra that will accompany this life-changing night. Cain stands still in the middle of all the fighting. Lilith walks towards him with her two vampire bodyguards at her side. Only now does he realise that Nemesis is beside him. She hasn’t moved an inch from his side since they got here.
“I will not let her touch a single hair on your head, father.” She assures him lovingly and full of hope. Cain strokes her cheek and places a goodbye kiss on her lips.
“Sleep well my goddess of retribution.” He whispers in her ear before Lilith’s vampires separate them. Nemesis goes into battle with both of them, and is clearly outmatched. Not only must she fight alone, but also against two of the oldest vampires on the battlefield.
Cain slowly and carefully reaches his arm out towards the woman of his dreams. He is unarmed and his torso is bare as it always is. Lilith cuts off his hand with a jewel-encrusted dagger. It burns, but he just frowns and grinds his teeth. It takes less than a minute for his hand to fully grow back.
“What was that all about love? Did you really think I had become so weak that you could hurt me? We are gods.”
“You are scum!” Lilith says between clenched teeth. She strikes her dagger at his heart and stabs deep into his flesh. Instead of flinching in pain, Cain grabs her wrist and pushes the dagger further into his chest. Their faces are separated by mere inches. He takes in the scent of her warm skin with pleasure. With his hand pressed tightly around hers, he can feel that she is still as soft and delicate as she always had been.
“You can’t kill me, we are already dead. Why do you keep trying?”
Disappointment and despair can be seen in Lilith’s face. Her green eyes are staring back at him in pain as she takes a step back. She grabs Nemesis by the throat with a single swift move of her hand. The poor thing is already covered in bloody wounds from her fight with Chasity and Claudia. Her breathing is heavy and panicked, as Lilith slowly cuts off her air. Her feet are swinging over the ground as she hopelessly claws at the hand around her throat. She gasps for air like a fish on land as she fights against her inevitable death. Lilith fixes her gaze on Cain’s eyes.
“Was she worth it? Can she replace me? Was she able to give you what I gave you?” Lilith shouts at him, and her eyes fill with unwelcome tears.
Cain shakes his head. “She is one of many, and meaningless.”
“Then why did you have to take her? Why was I not enough for you?” she says with a trembling voice. Her body is shaking uncontrollably. “WHY?” she spits at him full of rage and sorrow. A single tear runs down her cheek and makes Cain speechless. He has never seen her cry, not even when she left him. She was always strong and in control. It almost seemed as if his betrayal meant nothing to her. She shrugged off all of his women, instead of falling into a jealous frenzy, even just once, as he had wanted her to. Now, after all of these thousands of years, he finally sees how much his actions had actually affected her. So much, that she wishes him dead. This is no game for her, she is very serious. Unable to speak, he simply shakes his head.
“I...”
Lilith’s eyes narrow into slits. The fact that she cried for him makes her hate him even more. With her free hand she rips Nemesis’ heart from her chest and throws it at Cain’s bare torso, so that it leaves a blood stain on him before falling to his feet. Nemesis’ eyes widen in fear and then freeze. Lilith lets her lifeless body fall to the ground like a sack of potatoes.
“You murdered her. All of this is your doing.” She accuses him bitterly. Cain falls to his knees before her, just as he should have done from the very beginning. H
e has no remorse for Nemesis, but he does for Lilith. He hurt her more than he could ever have imagined.
“What can I do?” for the first time his voice is not full of scorn or triumph, but rather he is just as hurt as she is.
Seeing him kneeling in the dirt calms Lilith’s mind and she stops trembling.
She sticks her chin up in the air.
“Nothing. There is nothing you can do to undo what has been done. All that I want is for you to die.”
She turns her back to him and lets her bodyguards lead her off the battlefield. This fight is senseless. The lives that are going to end tonight will be in vain.
- 41. Lia Green -
Her heart is pounding like crazy and she would love to just cover her ears to drown out the sounds of all the torture and pained screams. Tru is kneeling in front of her and keeps peeking carefully over the rocks that they have been hiding behind since the battle started. They have gone unnoticed until now, and they are hoping for it to stay that way.
Lia’s foot is tapping uncontrollably on the ground. She turns around herself now and takes a look at the battlefield.
“Can you see him anywhere?” it is so loud that she has to shout for Tru to hear her. The local people must be scared to death.
Tru morosely shakes her head. “Maybe he didn’t come with them.”
“I don’t think he had a choice.”
Bodies wrapped in black wings are lying on the battlefield next to the pale, lifeless bodies of vampires. Expressions of terror are chiselled onto their faces, and will remain that way until the sun rises to turn their bodies to dust. The red sand in stained black with all the dark blood, and the full moon in the sky shining down on them as bright as ever. Neither the sun, nor the moon has any interest in the triviality of what happens on earth. And the ones responsible for the war don’t seem to be too interested in what is going on, because neither Cain nor Lilith are anywhere to be seen. The thought of her mother makes Lia so angry that she balls her hands into fists. She presses them so tightly that her claws dig into her skin. She regrets ever wanting to know her mother, because she is nothing but a selfish, narcissistic witch; a disappointment in every way.
For a moment Lia thinks she has spotted her amidst the slaughter. Red curls are glowing between the succubi’s dark wings, but when she looks closer she realises that the person is much smaller and younger than Lilith. She is over a head shorter than her adversary, and her face makes her look like she is no older than fifteen. Her blood red eyes are looking around helplessly and recognition hits Lia like a smack in the face. Curls that gently stroke her cheek, blood-red eyes that look at her from above. ‘Drink!’ she can hear the soft voice saying in her head. That little vampire girl is Mary. She is the one who saved Lia’s life with her blood that night. She was transformed through her nectar of life. This war is technically all her fault, but she did it out of love for Orlando. Lia knows how much the girl means to him and not helping her is out of the question. She pushes herself up on her knees and rises from the protective cover of the rocks. Tru tries to hold her back in a panic.
“What are you doing? We agreed that we would stay hidden until it is over!”, she hisses and holds her arm tightly.
“I have to help her. I would be dead without her”, Lia answers and stumbled out onto the battlefield. Tru loads her crossbow and follows her friend’s every step. As soon as anything gets close to Lia - vampire or succubus - Tru fires a stake at them. Every shot she hits the target right in the heart. Their aggressive tactics attract attention, making them bigger targets, and so more and more enemies start to swarm towards them. Tru has her work cut out for her, trying to keep them all from Lia as she continues on undeterred towards Mary, who is being attacked by two succubi at once. Only when the girl falls helplessly to the ground does Lia remember the black wings on her back that aren’t just for decoration. She powerfully pushes herself from the ground and spreads her wings. She lifts ten feet off the ground and glides towards Mary, and then with a powerful thrust, she pushes her two ‘sisters’ to the side. Meanwhile, Tru stays behind and fights for her life.
The succubus who had been knocked aside screeches angrily as Lia stands protectively in front of the little vampire.
“Leave her alone, she belongs to me!”
“It’s funny how all vampires, humans and other freaks of nature belong to you!” her sister snaps without taking even a single step back.
We are no less monsters than they are!”
“But still it is us or them. How can you stand against us?” the second succubus interjects.
“I am not against you. This whole war is senseless. Why can’t we just live alongside them?”
“Because mother said so.”
“And? Do you see her anywhere? She doesn’t care whether we live or die. The main thing for her is that she can kill Cain! Imagine if every woman started a war over their love troubles. What would be left of humanity?!”
The succubi’s eyes start scanning the battlefield, but they too can’t see Lilith anywhere. That gives them something to think about.
“My life is ruined and all because of her. Before she showed up, I didn’t even know that there was such a thing as vampires and succubi,” she tells the two in outrage.
“I would have laughed at anyone who tried to tell me that I would have wings growing out of my back one day.” The others agree with her. “And now look at us; we are monsters. A normal life is now unimaginable.”
Suddenly her eyes widen in disbelief and the silver tip of a sword appears from the middle of her chest. Blood spills out of her mouth and drops to the floor. Mary starts screaming behind Lia and as the succubus’ body falls lifelessly to the floor, a vampire appears behind her. His face is warped into a hateful grimace and Mary quickly grabs Lia’s hand.
“We have to go, quick! That is Victor. He will kill us!” she shouts in a panicked voice and jumps up. As she drags Lia behind her, Lia looks around for Tru who is lost in the commotion of the battle. She can see other succubi pouncing on Victor out of the corner of her eye. She could have convinced her sisters of peace, if he hadn’t shown up and ruined it all.
“Do you know where Orlando is?” she murmurs into Mary’s ear but she just shakes her head.
“We got separated.” Mary squeezes her hand a bit tighter before smiling at her. “He will be happy to see you again. He has missed you.”
They rush over the dead bodies and severed limbs that are strewn across the battlefield, and all of the spilled blood slips them up again and again. It is an all out disaster. As they reach the vampire’s cave, a voice suddenly echoes out from within.
“MARY!” there is worry in it, and the two girls turn around at the same time. The world seems to stand still for Lia. Orlando.
Amidst the fighting vampires and succubi, he stands with a raised hawthorn spear covered in blood, watching them. His eyes widen in recognition. Liandra.
Nothing can stop their feet now as they run towards each other. It feels like they have finally reached the end of a very long journey. Lia spreads her wings again and flies over the battlefield. She lets herself drop into Orlando’s waiting arms and feels momentarily safe. It is as though the close proximity of everyone else is giving them a moment of sanctuary amidst the chaos. Their lips touch and fit perfectly together like two pieces of a puzzle. They are covering each other with kisses as their tears mix. Every cruel word is forgiven and forgotten.
“Finally you are with me again little hellebore.” He whispers into her ear with a cracking voice. He has noticed her wings, but they are meaningless to him. All that matters is that he has his Liandra back.
His breath caresses her pale skin and spreads all over her. Her hands find his dirty face and wipe the tears away. The blue in his eyes is like heaven on earth. They are like a window into his soul that suddenly shatters. Deep red blood sprays into her face where he had been kissing her moments ago. Lia’s heart is being grabbed by an invisible hand and squashed as Orlando’s
life runs out of his chest and falls down into the sand. He falls to his knees. Victor’s hate-filled eyes are staring at her. ‘Why? Why? Why?’ she screeches in her head. But Victor is a vampire. Her attention is set entirely on Orlando. She falls down beside him and takes his head in her lap. It wouldn’t matter to her if Victor killed her right here and now. She can see the life slowly fading from Orlando’s eyes.
“Please don’t leave me!” she begs him as her tears fall on his face. She quickly bites open her wrist and lets her blood drip into his open mouth. She has already saved one life this way, it must work a second time. But Orlando just starts to cough in pain. Her blood is choking him and he is unable to catch his breath. He desperately grabs her hand and pushes it away from his mouth.
Victor’s grabs Lia’s hair tightly and pulls her back. His mouth is open in a silent scream and Lia can see that he has not tongue. His eyes are open wide and his pupils are huge and black. Madness is written in his face. Did Orlando do this to him? Is that why he hates him so much?
If she had a weapon she would stab it deep into his cold heart, but instead he brings the blade of his sword up to her throat. Let him just end it already!
But it doesn’t come to that. An arrow flies through the air and hits him in the middle of his forehead, making him stumble backwards, as Tru and Mary come running towards them. Mary throws herself down next to her adopted father in tears and starts shaking his limp body as if that could bring him back from the brink of death. In the same moment, Lia crawls towards Victor on all fours and rips the arrow out of his head, watching as the wound already starts to heal itself. Tru then grabs her hand and places a hawthorn stake into it. With their combined power, they ram the stake into Victor’s heart before he can get to his feet. As the life fades from him, there is nobody there to stroke his face or shed a tear for him. He dies alone and without any hope.
Tru and Lia bring Orlando to his feet together. The sword narrowly missed his heart but the deadly silver is quickly spreading through his body. Lia flies out of the battlefield with Orlando while Tru leads Mary away from the danger zone. She lands under a rock formation where Chasity and Claudia immediately come running towards her. When Chasity recognises her dying cousin, she immediately begins to cry.
Black Hellebore Page 32