Into Eternity (The Eternals Book 3)

by Richard M. Ankers

  Walter's lips parted, and he spoke, “But I left her.”

  “You had no choice.”

  “But I left her,” he repeated.

  “I know you did.”

  “But I've waited so long.”

  “We all have,” Aurora replied.

  With that, she slipped her cloak from her shoulders, wrapped it about them both, and vanished.

  “But I thought that only worked on her?” I said.

  “I'd just like to know what she said,” replied Linka.

  The incorporeal voice that whispered through the ether to trail away like a ghost said, “Father.”

  Chapter Twenty-One

  -

  Family

  Bemused, Linka led me away. We slipped from the throne room and into Shangri-La's dark corridors. Along the winding passages, she swept, me in tow until we reached a door of a certain solidity.

  “Are you ready, Jean?” she purred.

  “For what?”

  “Me.”

  The look in her eyes said I had no choice. The force of her grip as she dragged me into the room confirmed it.

  * * *

  “I don't think those kinds of shenanigans are allowed in a place of worship.”

  “Morning, Walter.”

  “Is it?” Merryweather flapped his arms at the fog in a vain attempt to clear a view. “I see you're on your own.”

  “Just about see I'm on my own,” I corrected.

  “Tee-hee.”

  “Linka's resting.”

  “I'm not surprised. Goddamn disgraceful, you should be ashamed!”

  “Couldn't you sleep?” I said, ignoring him.

  “I kept hearing ghosts, they kept me awake.”

  “The moaning?”

  “Ooh, you're sharp this morning, evening, whatever it is.”

  “I'm used to your humour.”

  “Then, I'm glad this world is at an end, as I should never wish to become boring.”

  “I doubt you'll ever be that.”

  “Was that some kind of backhanded compliment? Am I lauded only at the point of incineration? Has the world gone mad, turned on its head? Is even the sanctity of your verbal venom lost to the end of time?”

  “Unfortunately, yes, yes, yes, and yes.”

  “Oh, I was hoping you'd say not. Anyway, I don't sleep well at the best of times.”

  “Between you and me, neither do I.”

  “I expect it's something to do with our mental stimulation, throws the body out of kilter.”

  “I've had enough mental stimulation to last a lifetime.”

  “Me too.”

  “Where's Aurora?”

  “Ah, I was wondering how long it would take you to come round to that.”

  “What?”

  “Don't come it with me, young man, I'm too tired for games.”

  “I may be still asleep.”

  “You are; I've come to you as an angel.”

  “Of what?”

  “Good taste.”

  I laughed at that unable to disguise a smile; the fog swallowed my joy. “So?”

  “She's asleep.”

  “She's had a busy time of late.”

  “Oh, you know how it is, you do nothing for centuries, then suddenly, you gain a view, a friend, and to top it all off, a father.”

  “You could have just said, you know. She'd have understood.”

  “Would she?”

  “I think so.”

  “As it happens, she did. I didn't think she would, though. What if I'd been a disappointment to her? I don't have many moral plus points. It wouldn't have been fair to the girl to just spring it on her.”

  “When did you tell her?”

  “When she set off to kill her mother. She was most upset by how they'd treated you.”

  “She what!”

  “It's true. I couldn't understand it either. Once she knew Linka was sound of mind and capable of sorting you and Sunyin, she upped and left.”

  “How did you stop her?”

  “At first, I threatened her. That didn't go down too well.” He rubbed an arm where I imagined she'd punched him.

  “And?”

  “Well, she thought she'd do the old disappearing act and just fade away, so to speak.”

  “And?”

  “Stop being so impatient, I'm getting to it! Anyhow, the cloak doesn't work on me, it was mine after all, so I followed her until she realised she couldn't lose me. That's when I told her.”

  “You're a braver man than me.”

  “No, Jean, I'm not,” he said and gazed out into the fog. “If I was, I'd have told her centuries ago.”

  “I got the impression you'd tried.”

  “Ooh, you're sharper than I give you credit for. Sometimes.”

  “Thanks.”

  “You're welcome.”

  “And yes, I tried. Not hard enough, though.”

  “Was Serena so determined to keep her from you?”

  “No, I think she was more determined to keep herself from me.”

  “Were you lovers?”

  “Once.”

  “A long time ago, I presume.”

  Walter spun back and sniffed. He cocked his head to one side in the same manner as his daughter and said, “Longer than you could possibly imagine, my friend.”

  “That must have been hard.”

  “It was. When presented with a means of communicating with her, it made me, how can I put it, giddy. Or it did until you strung me up.”

  “That was Serena you were speaking to?”

  “Yes.”

  “Why on earth do you never say anything about anything?”

  “How would I have put it? Sorry, Jean, I was just on the line to a legendary, albino queen who lives beneath the Arctic and is dying.”

  “Dying?”

  “Yes, a piece at a time. All the Nordics are on a slow-motion descent to hell. That's what interbreeding and animal blood will do for you,” he sighed.

  “Then, how did she give birth to Aurora if she'd never seen you in, as you put it, a very long time?”

  “Thanks to an ancient practice mastered by humanity called artificial insemination.”

  “Huh!”

  “You don't want to know, it's a dirty business. Let's say it was done without my consent from a stockpile of…”

  “La, la, la, la, la! I can guess the rest.”

  “Phew, that's a relief, I didn't fancy explaining that one.”

  “So how did you know and why did she do it?”

  “Questions, questions, questions.”

  “It's not my fault, you shouldn't be so secretive.”

  “I'm not secretive, I'm misunderstood.”

  “Whatever.”

  “And as I've told you on so many occasions, I know much. As for the why she did it, well, a queen needs a people to rule, or she's not really a queen at all. Serena always liked her title, it's why she wouldn't marry. She couldn't bear the thought of bowing to a man.”

  “Neither could I.”

  “Oh, bravo, you're on a roll.”

  “And Aurora was to provide her with said disciples,” I said, ignoring his slow handclap.

  “Ooh, I like that. That's a good way of putting it.”

  “Then, why treat Aurora as she did?”

  “Because not long after she conceived and gave birth to the girl – quite a momentous moment, you know, there's only been three newborns in the last who knows how long – she was told there was no man who could reciprocate.”

  “How do you mean?”

  “The men of this world are as sterile as the lands they roam. Have been for many a year,” he added. “All bar one, anyway. I could have told her that without going to the lengths she did.”

  “What lengths?”

  “Will you promise not to hit me?”

  “I can't give a full guarantee.”

  “Charming! I thought we were friends.”

  “You know what thought did.”

  “Act
ually I don't, but we digress.”

  “Yes, you do.”

  “So you said you won't hit me.”

  “I don't recall it.”

  “What kind of comfort is that?”

  “Cold.”

  Merryweather looked me up and down, then burst into raucous laughter. He laughed so hard that he fell over on his back and started kicking his legs in the air.

  Rather than get embroiled in his lunacy, I waited until he'd finished and staggered back to his feet.

  “Do you know what?” he panted.

  “What.”

  “I will tell you just to see how you react.” Merryweather gave me a good hard stare and said, “Your parents, Jean. That's why they faked their own deaths, so they might spend time undisturbed with queen frigid.”

  I said nothing.

  “What's that noise?”

  I remained calm.

  “It's really quite annoying.”

  I closed my eyes

  “Is it your teeth? It is, it's your teeth. Why are you doing that?”

  “I'm a little on edge.”

  “Well, I can't say I blame you. After all, your parents are complete headcases, as we used to say in the old days. You have to hand it to them, though, there's nothing like monopolising technology. If not for them, we wouldn't have airships, bombs and pretty much everything else that requires the pushing of a button to work. On the plus side, they gave me Aurora, and the world, you. They were also stupid enough to make a deal with me to make sure Aurora got that cloak. I bet they regret making that promise. If only they'd known what it did, eh?” Merryweather folded his arms and gave a sagely nod, his blond hair flopping across his eyes.

  “How did you get them to do it?”

  “Well… I… er… um!”

  “Just spit it out, I'm passed caring.”

  “I made a deal.”

  “What deal?”

  “I promised I wouldn't divulge what I knew.”

  “To who?”

  “You, you idiot.”

  “You broke that promise.”

  “Not until I knew Aurora was safe I didn't.”

  “Touché.”

  “So, you're not too mad.”

  “I'm indifferent.”

  “As have I been to almost everything for…”

  “A very long time,” I interrupted.

  “Exactly! We really are on the same wavelength today.”

  “Is that good?”

  “I like to think so.”

  “Aren't you worried they might exact sweet revenge upon you?”

  “They've already made one pre-emptive strike via the only person strong enough to harm me.”

  “Who?”

  “Why, you, dear boy. They really are the king and queen of manipulation. I put it down to their mastery of calculus.”

  “To what?”

  “Mathematics and the like.”

  “Ah.”

  “Like I said, them making you has been a lifesaver.”

  “I wouldn't say giving the world me was much of a plus.”

  “Au contraire, dear boy, I beg to differ. I think giving the world you was the best thing that ever happened.”

  “Might I ask why?”

  “Because you're going to kill them.”

  None too soon, the voice of she who we'd both come to think of as our angel broke the moment.

  “Father.”

  “Hello, dear,” Merryweather replied.

  “Jean.”

  “Aura. I hear you have a new male role model in your life.”

  “I'm not sure I would call my father that.”

  “Charming! Do you two confer?”

  “On many things,” Aurora answered.

  “We will have to work on our dialogue, dear. I just get Jean sorted, and now I've you to work through.”

  “I hope I'm not a chore.”

  “Dear girl, you are the least tiresome thing to ever happen to me. I think I might have gone quite mad without you.”

  “Madder,” said I.

  “No, not really. There was a time when I was the most serious man on the planet. I used to think through everything.”

  “What happened?” Aurora and I said together.

  “Oh, you know, life. Once you've done all that can be done about ten-million times things get monotonous. If it wasn't for the likes of yourselves, my head should be as addled as all those idiots who waltzed themselves to death. They were all so self-centred. So up themselves, I believe the expression once was. The Hierarchy and their minions could never fulfil the prophecy, all far too egocentric.”

  “What prophecy? Sunyin said the same thing.”

  “Yes, father, you have not mentioned this.”

  “Ah… well… er… uhh!”

  “Oh for God's sake Walter, spit it out. If we haven't earned the right to hear it by now, then we never will.”

  “This won't be easy for Aurora to hear.”

  “Nothing ever has,” she sighed.

  An Arctic wind was in her breath that settled on the spines of both Walter and myself.

  “I know, Aurora.” Walter took his daughter's hand and kissed it with a tenderness I would not have thought him capable of. “I would not have had it so. You know that?”

  “I do.” Aurora's reply was as always simple and heartfelt.

  “Good,” her father said. “Good.”

  Walter took a deep breath, his chest rising and falling like a barrel in a churning ocean. He licked at the inside of his mouth and then began.

  “It concerns the humans.”

  “Grella hinted at such,” I said.

  “Are you going to interrupt everything, eh, are you?”

  “My apologies, Father of Aurora.”

  “Ooh, I like that. Don't you, my dear?”

  Aurora shrugged.

  “Hmm, yes well, as I was saying. Before the humans left, they said they would return before the end came, when one of our vampire kind would make a selfless sacrifice.”

  “Eternal kind.”

  “Jean, with the greatest of respect, shut up.” Walter cast me a withering look, then continued. “They believed us consumed with self, you see. That we couldn't manage it no matter how hard we tried, which we couldn't. They themselves had evolved so much further. Self became a word they could not even comprehend. For them, there was only 'they' and the greater good. Humanity had put individuality and difference behind them and could not risk vampire… Pardon me, Eternal kind, tainting it.”

  “So how does one make a truly selfless act?”

  “Good girl, Aurora, always straight to the point. And I should say this in response. Ask your brother. Your eldest brother,” he added. “Verstra isn't worth mentioning in the same breath,” he said as an aside. “No offence, dear girl,” he said turning back to his daughter.

  “None taken.”

  “So what does Grella intend?”

  “I honestly don't know. It's not as if he was even there when they said it.”

  “Who was,” Aurora asked quick as a flash.

  Walter spoke before his brain could assimilate the information.

  “Oh, just your mother and I. Oops!”

  “Oops,” I repeated. “It was you and Serena in the mural, wasn't it?”

  “Yes,” a flat response.

  “And I venture to say you drew it.”

  “I suffer from memory lapses, I thought it for the best.”

  “So Grella will do whatever it is he's going to do and the humans will just reappear and save us.”

  “Pretty much.”

  “What do you mean, pretty much?”

  “I mean you're close enough and that's all I'm saying.”

  “Do the others know this?”

  “Your parents know everything.”

  “But, how?”

  “They worked some of it out from history, the rest…”

  “The rest?” I pressed

  “They got from me. My apologies, Aurora,” he said.

/>   “For what?”

  “This.”

  Walter stepped back, took another dramatic breath, then did the last thing I should ever have expected. First, he removed his jacket, then continued by unbuttoning his shirt. The scar I had given him back when I'd left him for dead was still clearly visible across his stomach. It was not alone. A few inches above my branding, where his heart should have resided, there was a circular, stitched pattern. I gasped. Aurora burst into tears.

  “You see, Jean, as I told you, you couldn't kill me because I was already dead.”

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  -

  Heartless

  “All those times you thought me heartless, you couldn't have been more right.”

  “Where?” I mustered.

  “They gave it to the Marquis for safe keeping.”

  “Who did?”

  “Come on, old man, who'd you think?”

  “My parents.”

  “Da-dah! Now you know why I've had to tread so carefully. One slip of a talon and I'm a goner. If there wasn't the uncertainty over whether I'd be needed at the end, I'd already be dead.”

  “Why would they think that?”

  “Because, dear Jean, as I've prayed you might have realised by now, I was and always have been, the first.”

  “First what?”

  “Us, you idiot!”

  “You! You are the original?” Aurora looked wide-eyed and disbelieving.

  “Yes, dear girl, although I was not the actual first, but the first bitten to not die. Not in the true sense of the word, anyway.”

  “You created all that followed?”

  “Yes.”

  “Then, you are father to us all.”

  “In a diluted manner, I suppose. Although, I'd never lay claim to anyone who dresses with as much gloom as a stormy midnight. No offence meant, Jean.”

  I was way beyond comebacks.

  “Oh, my!” Aurora flustered.

  Merryweather took his daughter's hand and led her to one of the many stone seats that dotted the Zen gardens. I watched him grimace and pat her hand as though in a dream. Aurora appeared similarly afflicted.

  “Uhh, take deep breaths,” Walter suggested. “No, that won't help, forget it, that's stupid. Uhh, put your head between your knees. No, that's crazy talk, forget that, too. Count to ten whilst holding your nose and drinking a glass of blood. Oh, shut up babbling, Walter,” he said, chastising himself mid-ramble.