by J. D. Netto
I was silent.
“I thought so. If you had the Book of Letters, you wouldn’t be here,” he groaned.
“We seek your allegiance to destroy those that oppose Lucifer and his ideals. We need to gather the books and their bearers in order to awake him from his sleep,” I informed him.
“If we pledge allegiance to you, how are we to know that the Creator will not send us back here again?” He stepped forward, his eyes only inches from mine. “How can you guarantee that we will not be imprisoned here in the Heart of Elysium again?”
I knew what I was capable of doing to him and I was aware of the power inside of me, but he stirred up emotions in my heart that were unknown to me. He made me feel vulnerable. “We have an ally inside of Tristar,” I divulged. “We can trust him to watch over your kind. You do not need to worry about returning to this place. Our armies are numerous and strong.”
“Then why is it that you are seeking my kind?” the blood-drinker retorted.
“Will you join us?” Erebos asked impatiently. “We are not here to waste any more time.”
“And I have not returned to waste mine,” he proclaimed. “I will join with you. Even a slight chance of vengeance against the Creator is better than none at all.”
“What is your name?” I asked.
“Bartholomew Winmore, king of Madbouseux. That is what the people called me during my reign in my human days,” he answered.
Unexpectedly, he paced around us, looking at the other nearby hills. He strolled down to our right, approaching a very old, dead oak tree. He walked by Cahir’s unconscious body, looked at the body in disgust and continued to head toward the tree. Once he was under the branches, he lowered himself to his knees and caressed the ground.
“I have a question for you,” he shouted. “What will the other blood-drinkers feed on in order to awake from slumber?” His eyes were threatening as they drilled into mine. “You?”
I did not think twice before answering. “Him…” I pointed to Cahir. “Let them feed on him. Cahir has served his purpose already. He has led us to you.” I waited for Erebos’ approval.
“Are you sure you want to sacrifice him this way? He could still be useful,” Erebos contested.
“I am more than certain. We have an army of Lessers waiting for us. Cahir’s life is a small sacrifice compared to the greater honor.” I observed that Cahir’s blood was oozing from his wounded wrist.
Bartholomew’s eyes were fixed on me, as he waited for a confirmation to allow the others to feed on Cahir.
“Do not just sit there. Feed him to the other blood-drinkers,” I ordered as I came near to him.
“His blood won’t be enough to keep us fed for long. There are ten of us in this region. More are scattered throughout the Heart,” he said. “We will need more blood.”
“When we leave the Heart of Elysium, we will come upon a village where you and your kind can feed at will, but right now, this is all that we have to offer,” Erebos added.
“Again, I am afraid, this will not suffice,” he said sharply. “They might have to feed on one that has the ability to heal fast and feels no pain.” Without hesitating, he brought his wrist to his mouth and brutally sunk his teeth into it. He extended his arm; the blackish-colored blood dripped onto ground. Within moments, the ground caved in as the creature rose up from the ashes. Its physical features were very similar to Bartholomew before he had received the quota of blood to restore his body to its original design.
The blood-drinker was naked; dirt covered its entire body. The creature grabbed ahold of Bartholomew’s blood-soaked wrist and drank zealously from it. Bartholomew obligingly let the blood-drinker feed. He hummed a tune as he watched the creature gulp his blood.
“Ah, ah, ah.” He smirked. “Enough. You can feed on more at a later time.”
I could tell this one was a woman. Her golden locks regained their color and her eyes were the color of hazel. Her skin was as pale as the moon, and her cheeks had a slight shade of red to them.
“I need to feed,” she cried in a weak voice as she turned away from Bartholomew’s wrist. “Why would you allow me to feed upon your blood? You know to drink a blood-drinker’s blood is against the law,” she said as she turned to face Erebos and me.
“Who are you?” she asked. “Are you the ones that have awakened us?”
“Yes, we are. This is Nephele and I am Erebos,” Erebos replied. “We are your allies.”
“They are with us,” Bartholomew assured her.
“Why did I have to drink from you?” she asked Bartholomew.
“Nylora, desperate times call for desperate measures. We need to leave the Heart of Elysium and they have come to lead us out.”
“We have been buried in the Heart of Elysium for hundreds of years. What is it that we are going back to? What does the world have left to offer us?” She gently placed her right hand on his face. Her skin had not yet fully restored to humanlike flesh; patches of gray wounds were scattered throughout her body.
“Lucifer is about to awake. The Diary has been found, but the Book of Letters is still missing. Do you not remember our days of glory, when I had the Book of Letters?” He smiled. “I’d say we have a lot to go back to.”
“I hope their kind is trustworthy, Nephele,” Erebos whispered. “If they become a hindrance to the tasks the Dark One requires of us, I will not hesitate to send them back to this place.”
“And I would gladly help you,” I added.
“Are we ready to carry on?” I asked Bartholomew and Nylora. “I believe you have been in this place long enough.”
“Wait…wait…impatient Nephilins,” Bartholomew chanted haltingly. “We must awaken the others.”
Bartholomew and Nylora were unhurried as they examined the dark landscape, checking every hill and tree, searching for the location of the other blood-drinkers.
“I hear one in here, my lord,” Nylora stated as she pressed her head against a small hill behind us.
“Ah! I can see that this one is starving,” Bartholomew noted as he once again sank his teeth into his wrist; blood oozed out of the wound, dripping onto the ground.
The hill shook violently, exploding into dust. The blood-drinker forcefully snatched Bartholomew’s wrist, gulping down his blood. Seven times the same act was repeated until all the awakened blood-drinkers in this area had been revived.
Erebos and I watched closely, observing the blood-drinkers as they awakened. Bartholomew healed quickly, showing no signs of weakness as the blood-drinkers fed off of him. Once all the blood-drinkers were fully restored, they would ask Bartholomew the same question: Why did you feed us your blood?
The joy of being alive again was explicitly painted on their faces as they rejoiced at the sight of each other’s company. They greeted each other with exuberant hugs and handshakes.
XX
“My people—hear me!” Bartholomew shouted at the top of his lungs. The blood-drinkers attentively looked at him as he walked in our direction. “These are the ones that have come to our aid. They have revealed unto us that the Diary has been found.” The other blood-drinkers let out loud chants. “These people said they are to make war against Tristar and the Creator. I say we join them in battle and take back the Book of Letters so we can once again live in full glory!”
They yelled frantically in agreement to his speech.
“Let us head back to where the Lessers are,” Erebos suggested in a loud voice. “We cannot leave without them.”
Nylora hastily approached us.
“Others? What others?” she asked.
“The Lessers—they await us not far from here,” I responded. “They have also sided with us.”
Bartholomew’s face was stamped with anger. The veins on his neck popped, his hands fiercely clasping each other as he took heavy breaths. “By Lessers you mean the snakes that dwell here?” he asked.
“Yes,” Erebos affirmed coldly.
“You do not really think that we are to s
tand next to those weaklings again, do you?” Nylora said with a disgusted look on her face.
“I do not see a reason why our union would not work,” I said in aggravation.
“The reason why some people became snakes and others became blood-drinkers was simply because one kind was smarter, stronger and more skillful than the other. They are foolish and weak.” Bartholomew’s voice deepened. “What can we expect from creatures that eat dust and slither on their stomachs?” Bartholomew barked angrily. The other blood-drinkers laughed hysterically.
“They are no longer brainless creatures,” Erebos retorted. “I have given them a mind of their own through the Dark Exchange. A part of me lives inside of them now. You just drank from one of them.” Erebos pointed at Cahir’s immobile body.
“They will only be useful when we need to feed, nothing more,” Bartholomew contested. “Still, we refuse to fight alongside them, whether you like it or not.”
“I guess we have an issue to solve now, don’t we?” I implied. “Who will get what they want…”
Nylora raised her right eyebrow. “There are ten of us and two of you. I don’t see a battle happening,” Nylora retorted with a sneer.
Flames enveloped the blood-drinkers as Erebos moved his hands swiftly. “I think you are forgetting that I am a Fallen Star, commissioned by Lucifer to fulfill his desires,” he shouted as the flames danced around the blood-drinkers.
“You are of lesser authority, Fallen Star. If Lucifer trusted you completely, he would have told you about us—about the Heart of Elysium. Instead, he told other Fallen Stars and kept you in the dark,” Bartholomew shouted from behind the fire as the flames lost their intensity. “Do not forget that we also had a covenant with Lucifer, which gave us great powers, and once we get ahold of the Book of Letters, we will be sure to rid Elysium of your kind.”
I was speechless when I saw Bartholomew had stopped the flames. “To tell you the truth, our allegiance lies with no one other than ourselves. We want the Book of Letters and we will find it. We’ve had the book before; we know what the book looks like. We don’t need your help.” The blood-drinkers synchronically walked toward us as Bartholomew spoke.
My body turned to shadow, hovering over the blood-drinkers. I released pain upon them. Scattered screams resounded as the ten were brought to their knees.
Erebos raised his right hand, swiftly moving his fingers. Grunts, moans and screams followed as the blood-drinkers were tortured with pain.
I changed back to physical form.
“Let us hope that after this little lesson, you will refrain from saying such foolish things,” Erebos spoke in rage; his eyes were opened wide and fixed on every single one of the blood-drinkers. I had ceased my attack, while Erebos inflicted them all with torturous pain.
To our surprise, one by one, the blood-drinkers stood to their feet. “We may not have fed properly, but we still harbor great strength,” one of the blood-drinkers with flaming red hair and green eyes said. “We are Madbouseux’s strongest warriors and we will not take surrender lightly.” His body disintegrated in the air, becoming a gray shadow. He moved around us in a circular motion. Erebos grabbed my hand as our bodies shifted to shadows. With all our speed, we flew away from them.
Behind us, I saw the blood-drinkers ferociously chasing us; their dragon-like wings were dark and rugged.
“Where are we headed to?” I asked Erebos as we made our way through the air.
“The Lessers…. They have allied to us. They will fight for us.” His voice sounded apprehensive. “It would be foolish to try to defeat all these blood-drinkers by ourselves.”
Bolts of light and fire passed us by, followed by the blood-drinkers’ strong cries of rage. I was not accustomed to retreating from my foes, but this situation was particularly different. We were outnumbered. We headed toward the Lessers, not knowing what to expect once they saw the blood-drinkers.
Their bodies changed color as they flew. To my right, one blood-drinker assumed the form of a hand that grabbed me by the arm, snatched me, and pulled me against the ground. I reacted immediately, attacking the blood-drinker with my mind. I was released from the strong grasp as the hand vanished.
Above us, the Lessers appeared, flying in the direction of the blood-drinkers.
“I have called them out to fight,” Erebos stated as we hastily flew. “I have given them wings also…to help them in battle…”
Confusion stirred inside of me. “The Lessers might die in battle here,” I bellowed. “You should not have called them to fight before consulting with me.”
“Forgive me, Nephele, but we are running out of time. We need to leave the Heart of Elysium,” Erebos replied coldly.
The Lessers’ speed and agility were incredible. Their wings resembled that of a vulture; rugged feathers with faded colors. Their faces were void of any emotion.
We turned to look at the Lessers the moment the battle cries arose.
“The Dark One never asked us to come to the Heart of Elysium. We have the Shadows, the Fallen Stars and the Lessers. Our army is strong enough already. We do not need this forsaken army. We should head out now,” Erebos affirmed in rage.
As soon as those words came out of his mouth, I landed a punch on his face with all of my might; his body shot straight down to the ground. The impact of his body was so severe, it formed a crater.
“We are not turning back!” I yelled, approaching his body.
“Nephele, you do not want to fight me. You know what I am capable of.” The dust that formed from the impact moved around him like a tornado. “Lucifer has commanded me to go into the kingdoms and command their rulers to fight for him. I will not allow your stubbornness to hinder me from fulfilling the task Lucifer has entrusted me with,” he added.
I laughed. “Just because you are embodied inside of a king does not make you one, Erebos. Just because your kind fathered us, it does not give you the right to dictate our doings.” Flames of fury burned inside of my heart. My loyalty did not lie with the Fallen Stars or the Shadows—my heart was loyal only to the Dark One. “I will face and destroy any who oppose Lucifer’s wishes.”
“Leave the Lessers and the blood-drinkers here or we are going to have a problem.” The dust surrounded him like a blanket. With my gaze, I caused flames to engulf his body.
“We stay, we fight and take the Lessers with us, back to Elysium,” I declared.
A heart-wrenching roar filled the air as the blood drinkers and the Lessers lightened the sky with their attacks.
“I am trying to save us, Nephele,” Erebos shouted. “Stop this madness.”
I ceased the fire when a loud roar echoed, followed by a putrid stench. Some unseen force tightened its grasp around me; I had never experienced such a feeling before. The pain I felt overwhelmed me from head to toe. My head felt as if it was about to explode.
“Capios,” Erebos said. “I have the ability to create them.” He walked toward me. Everything around me was growing dim. “It is time that you show respect to those that are superior to you. I am growing tired of your stubbornness. You are going to get us both killed if you do not listen to me.
“As the Capios’ grasp tightens, you will soon wish for death and when you do, I will release you and you will follow my orders. I will not tolerate such stubborn actions from you anymore. Your devotion to the Dark One is clouding your judgment.”
I felt the hands of the Capios pressing me down. They turned me onto my stomach and forced my face on the ground. Blood dripped from my nostrils and mouth. With every breath I took, ashes permeated my throat. Their growls were soft and shallow.
“Why do fools get caught up in the affairs of others?” a loud voice bellowed. The Capios let me loose; their growling faded. I lifted my head up and saw a man of high stature standing in front of me.
“I was wondering when I would see you again. You have some explaining to do,” Erebos affirmed in a strong voice.
“Explaining?” The man’s voice was unlike any
thing I had ever heard. He spoke every word peacefully, but with great authority. “Erebos, you were told by Lucifer to go about the kingdoms to gather their kings to fight alongside us, not to meddle in the affairs of Nephilins.” A soft grin was stamped across the man’s colorless face. His hair was short and dark and his eyes were gray like the ashes scattered along the ground. The rugged garments he wore were stained with blood.
“You are not in a position to inquire about what the Dark One has asked of me, Xavier,” Erebos said. “You kept me in the dark all this time about this place…these creatures…”
“I never told you about this place and yet you have found it on your own,” Xavier asserted sarcastically. “How mature of you, little brother!”
Xavier raised his right hand in the direction of the fight between the Lessers and blood-drinkers. “I see you have been playing with my puppets. You should have known better,” Xavier said; Erebos scoffed in anger.
The blood-drinkers and the Lessers walked toward him like spellbound drones. Their eyes were glazed over with a white mist.
“What are you doing to them?” I asked him. “We are to use the Lessers and blood-drinkers against Elysium and in the conquering of the kingdoms.” I approached him.
Xavier’s laugh caused a great rage to rise within me. Who was this man?
“Little girl, these creatures do not concern you. Lucifer already had plans for them before you even knew they existed.”
“I have accomplished that which you have ordered, Master,” a broken voice cried out from behind me. Quickly, I looked over my shoulder to find Cahir dragging his broken body against the ash-covered ground.
“Master?” Erebos mumbled, confused. “How is he your master?”
“After the castle of Justicia fell in Elysium, I found Cahir lying desolate in the forest. When I saw the transformation he had gone through after the fall, I knew he could be useful. My good and faithful servant led you two to exactly where I wanted you to be.”
I pondered on Xavier’s claims about Cahir luring us to do his bidding. How could Lucifer have allowed such a thing?