by Mindy Majors
“I never said I wanted kids, I have my students, and that is enough for me,” Symarah stubbornly replied.
“I don’t believe that is really the issue, considering the fact that all Atlantean gods have the ability to appear as old or as young as they wish,” Vaiden interjected.
“Another lie?” Symarah was devastated. She could feel the unshed tears stinging her eyes, fighting to be released but she refused to give either of them the satisfaction. She had never let anyone see her cry, and she intended to keep it that way. “You’re right Daire, we don’t belong together.”
Daire knew she felt betrayed, he could see the hurt in her eyes. Knowing he had caused her pain was more than he could take. “Symarah, don’t you see; I cannot watch you die again. Meissen was the love of my life, I was devastated when I lost her, when I lost you. It took decades to recover from it. Had I not been immortal, I would have died. I would rather spend eternity alone, and miserable, than to ever have to go through the anguish of watching you die again.”
Symarah immediately regretted her harsh words. How awful it must have been for him to watch his soul mate die. She couldn’t imagine how devastated she would be if she had to watch him die, or Kassie, God forbid. “I had no idea, Daire; I’m so sorry.”
“I hate to break up such a touching display, but I have a schedule to keep. I’m afraid I’m going to have to kill you now,” Vaiden interrupted, as he pressed the dagger deeper into Symarah’s throat.
Daire lunged at him, but before he even took two steps, Vaiden pressed a gold button on the wall behind the chair he had tied Symarah to, and a silver cage dropped from the ceiling, trapping Daire inside. “I’ll have your head for this Vaiden,” Daire growled, as he grabbed the silver bars that made up his prison.
“That is going to be difficult to do without hands,” Vaiden smirked, as he watched the silver burning Daire’s flesh, “and rest assured, under this dirt floor, is a thick layer of silver, so you can walk on it, but you can’t flash through it.”
Daire stubbornly continued to grasp the silver bars for a few more seconds before he reluctantly let go. He knew Vaiden would turn on Symarah any second, and he had to find a way to stall him. The key was to piss him off just enough to keep his attention, but not so much that he would lash out at her. Vaiden lifted the dagger from Symarah’s throat, and aimed it at her chest. He drew back and readied himself to plunge it straight into her heart.
“VAIDEN WAIT!” Daire yelled desperately.
“I have waited long enough for my revenge, my justice,” Vaiden said, the knife still aimed at Symarah’s heart.
“Justice, how the hell can you call this justice?” Daire demanded to know.
“You killed my love, it is only right that I should kill yours,” Vaiden answered.
The distraction had worked, Vaiden was now holding the dagger down at his side.
“You call that love? What the two of you had was not love, it was an abomination,” Daire scolded.
“Why, because we were both men?” Vaiden spat in disgust.
“Please, we are not as naïve as some of these mortals, afraid of anything they don’t understand. Men have been falling in love with other men since the beginning of time, and women with other women.”
“Do you really think that your love is more important than mine? Why, because she is beautiful? I can fix that,” Vaiden snarled, as he pressed the dagger to Symarah’s cheek and cut into her porcelain skin. The pain was almost unbearable. Symarah cringed as the blood dripped down her cheek, but she refused to scream. She wouldn’t give Vaiden the satisfaction.
“No, what you had was not love, it was a mutual lust for pain and death. You were brutal killers with no regard for human life.” Daire had to continue with his distraction, at least until he could figure out a way out of this. If he could just get Vaiden to come close enough to the cage, he could reach through the bars and strangle him. “What the two of you did was not only wrong, it was evil, he deserved to pay for his crimes, as do you.”
“That’s the trouble with good people, so self-righteous, always so sure that your way is right,” Vaiden sneered, as he sauntered toward the cage. “What gives you the right to question me, what makes your way any better than mine?”
“I don’t leave a sea of innocent victims in my wake.” Daire’s plan was working; just a few more steps and Vaiden would be within arm’s length.
“My so-called victims were anything but innocent,” Vaiden sneered, as he took another step toward the cage, “men who beat their wives, women who cheated on their husbands; mortals are vile creatures, too stupid and self-centered to see beyond their own shallow little world.”
“So they deserve to be brutally murdered because you think they are selfish and stupid?” Daire continued his taunting. “Who are you to judge?”
“I am a god,” Vaiden declared with pride, as he took another step closer to Daire. “They are insignificant, and their miserable little lives are not worth sparing.”
One more step and he would be within reach. Daire couldn’t wait to get his hands around Vaiden’s throat. “You are no better than Poseidon, cursing an entire race of people over the actions of a few corrupt gods. Clearly your arrogance knows no bounds.”
“I may be arrogant Daire, but I’m not stupid,” Vaiden smirked, as he leaned dangerously close to the silver cage. “Did you really think I would be dumb enough to get within arm’s length of you? I have to admire your determination though. Always trying to save the damsel in distress. How tragic that your soul mate will be the one damsel you can’t save.” Vaiden turned and walked back toward Symarah. “It’s such a pity that she has to die, she’s quite stunning really; for a female. She’s certainly much more sophisticated than most mortals.” He stood behind her now, pressing the dagger against her throat.
“You are only using her to weaken me because you are not strong enough to kill me on your own.” Daire continued his desperate attempt to stall Vaiden. He knew he was running out of time.
“I don’t need to weaken you, to kill you. You are no match for me, you never were.”
“Then prove it, release me from this cage, and we will see who is more powerful,” Daire challenged.
“Ha, nice try surien, but I have nothing to prove; besides, it’s more fun this way,” Vaiden raised the dagger, and aimed it at Symarah’s heart.
“NO!” Daire screamed in vain, as he grabbed the silver bars. He fixed his eyes on her beautiful face. He knew that Vaiden wanted him to watch as he plunged the dagger into Symarah’s heart, but he refused to give him the satisfaction. As Daire stared into Symarah’s eyes, he was surprised to see, not fear, but sorrow. She was about to die, and instead of being angry, or afraid, she actually felt bad for him. Daire had never known anyone so selfless, so strong, and brave. He couldn’t bear to watch her die, not again. He pulled on the bars as hard as he could, but they didn’t budge. Daire knew that time had run out, and there was nothing more that he could do. He watched in horror, helpless to save her.
Vaiden let out an evil laugh as he thrust the dagger toward her, but before he could plunge it into her heart he was grabbed from behind, and thrown against the wall. He turned to see that the unden had come through the door behind him.
“How the hell did you get in here?” Vaiden roared, as he got up off the floor. “Those doors are sealed by blood magic. Only Daire, Symarah, and I can enter the portal.”
“Yes, but you forget, your blood is in me,” the unden replied with a smirk. “It may be poisoned, but it is still in me.”
“You are my slave,” Vaiden spat at him in disgust, “how dare you disobey me?”
“How dare you steal my soul, and force me to hurt innocent people?”
“I’m confused, I thought you were Kleito’s father, Euenor,” Daire said.
“This is Euenor’s body, but it’s my soul,” the unden explained.
“How the hell do you know any of this?” Vaiden demanded.
“I made a call
to that little shop in Cadiz. Once the shop owner told me everything she knew, I figured the rest out for myself. You performed a ritual to steal my soul and put it into this body. You needed a soul to re-animate Euenor’s body so that you could get your hands on the dagger. I don’t know what Daire has done to you, but Symarah is innocent, and I won’t let you use her to get your revenge, like you’ve used me. I won’t let you destroy her soul.”
“You will do whatever I tell you to do unden,” Vaiden snarled.
“Stop calling me unden,” the slave demanded, “my name is Christian.”
“Do you really think you can stop me slave? Your body may be indestructible, but your soul is not,” Vaiden smirked, as he waved the dagger menacingly at the unden. “I am a god, and you are nothing. You have no powers.” Vaiden lifted him up and pinned him against the wall with a wave of his hand. He continued to taunt the man as he walked over and pressed the dagger against his throat. “If the shauri told you everything, then you know that once I stab you with the dagger, your soul will be destroyed and you will never be reincarnated again.”
“I’m not afraid of you Vaiden.”
“Then you are a fool,” Vaiden said, as he plunged the dagger into Christian’s heart.
“NO!” Symarah screamed, as she lunged at Vaiden, knocking him to the floor and landing on top of him. She had used the diamond bracelet Daire had given her at the party, to cut through the ropes around her wrists. Once her hands were free, she had untied the ropes around her ankles, and was slowly sneaking over to free Daire from his cage while Vaiden’s back was turned. She was a few steps from the cage when she saw Vaiden raise the dagger to kill the slave. She couldn’t let that poor man die. He had risked his soul to save her, and the least she could do was return the favor. When she tackled Vaiden, he hit his head and was knocked unconscious. Symarah ran to the slave, who had fallen to the ground when Vaiden was tackled, but it was too late, the dagger was lodged in his heart.
“I’m so sorry Christian,” Symarah said, as she held back her tears.
“Symarah, there’s no time, you have to get me out of this cage before Vaiden wakes up.”
Symarah ran to the cage, but there was no handle on the door; in fact there wasn’t even a door.
“How the hell do you open this thing?” she said, desperately looking for a way to free Daire.
“The button! You have to push the gold button on that wall,” Daire pointed.
Symarah ran to the wall where the button was, but before she could push it, Vaiden ripped the dagger out of the unden’s chest, and threw it across the room at Symarah. The dagger sliced through her back, killing her instantly.
“How does it feel to lose your soul mate forever surien?” Vaiden asked, as he walked over to the silver cage. “I’m going to enjoy watching you die.”
Daire had felt the dagger as it tore through Symarah’s flesh. He felt the agonizing pain, felt her take her last breath. “You have to open the cage eventually, and when you do, I will make you pay for this Vaiden,” Daire vowed.
“Wrong, you will die, just like your precious Symarah. When your soul mate’s soul dies, yours dies as well. And when you die, I will leave you both here, where no one will ever find you.”
Daire knew Vaiden was right. As he lay on the floor, he could feel his life force slipping away. He knew it wouldn’t be much longer before he was dead too. He didn’t want to live without Symarah anyway, he just wished there was a way to take Vaiden out with him. “Athena will have the entire surien council out looking for you, they won’t stop until you’re dead.”
“Let them find me,” Vaiden sneered.
“Oh, they will, and when one of them does find you, I pray to the gods that it’s Dacian,” Daire said. That thought was the only comfort he had, and it actually brought a smile to his handsome face.
“It’s time I end this for good,” Vaiden said, as he walked over and pulled the dagger out of Symarah’s back. He reached through the bars, and grabbed Daire by his ankle, pulling him closer. “I’ll stab you myself.” He leaned forward, smoke filling the air as the silver burned his chest and arms. Vaiden raised the dagger, aiming it at Daire’s chest. He couldn’t believe after centuries of planning, and hundreds of failed attempts, he was finally going to have his revenge. He thrust the dagger toward Daire’s chest, but before the blade could pierce his skin the dagger was ripped from Vaiden’s hand by an unseen force. He turned to see Symarah slowly walking toward him with the dagger in her hand.
“That is not possible, I killed you.”
“You only killed her human half.”
Vaiden turned to see the unden walking toward him as well. “What the hell is going on? I killed you both.”
“No, you simply freed my soul. You see, the dagger cannot kill a soul, it can only capture it. The only way a soul can die, is by turning evil. When you stabbed me, the dagger took Christian’s soul, and returned mine.”
“You are Christian,” Vaiden growled in frustration.
“Wrong again Vaiden; I am Euenor.”
Vaiden lunged at Euenor, but Symarah lifted him off the ground and pinned him to the wall with a flick of her delicate finger. She lifted the silver cage up over Daire’s head with her other hand, and threw it against the wall with such force that it broke apart as it fell to the ground.
“You bitch, I’ll kill you!” Vaiden roared as he tried to wriggle free.
“THAIS!” Symarah hissed at him, using the Atlantean word for silence. She put her finger to her lips in a shushing motion, and Vaiden was suddenly unable to open his mouth. She rushed to Daire’s side. “Are you alright?” she asked, as she helped him up.
“I’m fine,” he replied, as he brushed himself off. “How are you still alive? I saw you die.”
“I think I can answer that,” Euenor interrupted. “As I said, the dagger was designed to hold the soul, not kill it. When Vaiden stabbed me, the dagger returned my soul, and captured Christian’s. The good news is, his soul is still alive, the bad news is, it can only be returned if his body is still alive, and since he is not a god, the chances of that happening are quite slim.”
“But if the dagger captures souls, why didn’t it take Symarah’s?” Daire questioned.
“Why do I have powers, and how do I know Atlantean words?” Symarah interrupted.
“When Zeus sank Atlantis to the bottom of the sea, Lachesis thought the punishment cruel and unjust, so she forged the dagger from an unbreakable Atlantean alloy. It was designed to hold the souls of the Atlanteans until their human loved ones could be reincarnated, so that they might be reunited. As a special gift, Clotho imbued the dagger with her power to give life. When the dagger is used on a human soul mate, it kills their human half, and gives them eternal life. Because the dagger was forged from Atlantean elements, once the bloodstream is exposed to the blade, the body becomes indestructible, and they are imbued with all the powers of an Atlantean god.”
“Meaning?” Symarah was still a little confused.
“I think it means that you are no longer mortal.” Daire stared at her in amazement. The only thing he had ever wanted was to have Meissen back, and to never have to worry about losing her again. Could it be possible, had he just been granted his only wish?
Symarah was stunned, she couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “If I’m not human anymore, then what am I?”
“You are an Atlantean goddess, and with that title comes great power. Your body is now indestructible as well,” Euenor explained, “and since you were not an Atlantean when Poseidon cast his curse, you are immune to it.”
Symarah was so shocked by this new turn of events that she completely forgot all about Vaiden; that is until he came crashing to the ground with a loud thud.
“You’ve ruined everything,” Vaiden growled, as he lunged for Symarah.
Daire lifted him up with the wave of a hand and sent him sailing through the air. Vaiden hit the wall and fell to the ground, landing in the pile of broken metal that had m
ade up Daire’s prison. Several jagged shards had pierced all the way through his body. He let out a blood-curdling scream as the twisted metal ate through his flesh, leaving nothing but a pile of ash.
It had been a week since Vaiden’s death, and Daire still couldn’t believe that it was finally over. He felt truly blessed to be sitting there at The Lone Wolf surrounded by all his friends, his soul mate by his side.
“So what happened to Christian, were you able to find him, and give him back his soul?” Kassie asked hopefully, as she took another sip of beer.
“Yes, he was at the medical center, in St. Pete. He’s really quite remarkable,” Euenor told her.
“How so?” Duncan questioned.
“The body of a mortal cannot survive without a soul. When Vaiden did the ritual to steal his soul and put it into my body, Christian should have died, but instead he went into a coma. What is even more impressive, is that he remembers everything,” Euenor replied.
“The fact that he was able to resist Vaiden is what impresses me,” Jareth said. “With the poisoned blood in his system, he should have been nothing more than a mindless slave.”
“Well, he is a Marine, and you know the saying; Marines never die, they just go to hell and re-group,” Jaysien smirked, as he patted his brother on the back.
“I didn’t know he was a Marine,” Symarah said.
“Yeah, Staff Sergeant, Christian Cassano, USMC,” Conner replied.
Duncan smiled at his brother’s attempt to sound official. He had been so relieved when they found Conner by the side of the roadway, where Vaiden had left him. He was badly injured, but still breathing. It took Jareth several minutes to fully heal him.
“Isn’t Athena going to be pissed that Christian remembers everything? And what about the three movies based on Symarah’s books?” Kassie wondered.
“There’s no telling what Athena will do, she can be somewhat unpredictable,” Jareth replied.
“Somewhat?” Daire scoffed. “That’s an understatement, hell she idles at unpredictable.”