Born of Darkness

by Rita Vetere

  The apparition lingered for another moment before it disassembled, shooting upward and out of sight in the blink of an eye.

  Silence reigned in the aftermath. Jasmine glanced at Thomas and Nathaniel, who stared back at her in awe. Pandora had fallen fast asleep in her arms.

  It was Carla who finally broke the silence. Her voice trembled as she said, “Uh, I hate to break up the party, but I had my first contraction a half hour ago, and I think I'm having another one now..."

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  Chapter 38

  In the chaotic aftermath of Ahriman's death, it was Thomas who took charge, executing what needed to be done with cool efficiency.

  "Oh, no...” Carla doubled over in pain.

  Nathaniel rushed to Carla's side to assist her.

  "Bring her into Ahriman's suite. It's the largest,” directed Thomas.

  After taking Pandora from Jasmine, Thomas helped her to Ahriman's room, where Nathaniel had already settled Carla on the bed. Thomas dragged the lounger next to the bed so that Jasmine could remain near her friend, and then placed a sleeping Pandora in her crib.

  "I'm going to see what I can find in Stronik's room that might help,” said Thomas, casting a worried glance at Jasmine when Carla was rocked with another contraction right away. “I don't think there's time to get her to a hospital."

  "Is it supposed to hurt this much?” asked Carla through gritted teeth.

  Jasmine did her best to calm her friend. She remembered all too well the excruciating pain of her own labor in birthing Pandora.

  "Oh, God ... What if it's a girl?” Carla asked suddenly, her face betraying her fear. “Female Cambions don't survive..."

  "You don't know that ... I survived, didn't I? And so did Pandora. Don't upset yourself thinking that way. We're here, Carla, and we won't leave you. Everything's going to be all right."

  Thomas returned bearing a box of instruments and clean sheets and towels.

  Not two hours later, Nathaniel wiped the perspiration from Carla's brow and held her hand tightly as Thomas assisted Carla in delivering her baby, a healthy male Cambion.

  Carla cried tears of relief and joy when, after Thomas cut the umbilical cord and cleaned the baby up, he handed her son to her.

  "He's beautiful,” whispered Jasmine.

  "Downright angelic,” agreed Nathaniel. “What will you name him?"

  Carla seemed unable to tear her gaze away from her gorgeous child. “I don't know ... I hadn't given it any thought."

  "May I make a suggestion?” Nathaniel asked.

  When Carla nodded, he said “Athen. It's the name of the very first Cambion, one who lived for almost five hundred years before taking his leave of this earth."

  "What?” Jasmine thought she had misunderstood. “What do you mean five hundred years?"

  Nathaniel shot a surprised look at Thomas.

  "Cambions live a long time, Jasmine,” explained Thomas. “Even though you are the first female, I can pretty much assure you that you'll be around for roughly four hundred years in the normal course of things."

  Stunned by the revelation, Jasmine watched as Carla and Nathaniel locked eyes over the infant between them.

  "Athen it is,” Carla said. She smiled at Nathaniel.

  Jasmine looked at the two of them. He's in love with her. She could see it in Nathaniel's eyes as he regarded Carla and her newborn son. And by the look on her best friend's face, the feeling was mutual. The thought filled her with a strange mixture of joy and angst. She pictured the years to come, were they to unite. Carla would grow old, while Nathaniel would retain his youthful appearance for another two centuries, or more. He would remain alive long after Carla passed on. The thought saddened her, but the joy on her friend's face overrode her concern.

  * * * *

  Just before dawn, Jasmine remained awake, studying Carla and her baby, who were now both sleeping soundly. Thomas poked his head in the door.

  "Nathaniel and I will be back in an hour or two. Will you be all right until we return?"

  "Yes, of course. Where are you going?” Jasmine asked.

  He stepped inside and sat down next to her.

  "I think it's best that Nathaniel and I dispose of the bodies. What happened here tonight, and who we are, can't be made public. You understand?"

  Jasmine nodded. She had been thinking the same thing herself.

  "The forest on the property is large and inside the walls of the estate. We'll find a place to bury the bodies where they won't be discovered. Tomorrow, I'll contact the staff and advise them their services are no longer required. I'll tell them Ahriman and Christopher have left on business for an undetermined length of time—they're used to them being gone for long stretches. And I'll let them know Stronik's returned to America. Then Nathaniel I will make arrangements to close the place up."

  Jasmine nodded again. “All right. But it'll be a while before Carla and I will be able to travel so we can return home. Will you stay with us until then?"

  Thomas smiled kindly at her. “That's the other thing I wanted to talk to you about. I think the two of you and the children should return to Venice with Nathaniel and me, once you're both able to travel."

  "Venice?"

  "Yes. That's where we live. I think you'll find our home comfortable, and it'll give everyone a chance to recover from all that's happened. Besides,” he continued, glancing at a sleeping Carla, “Nathaniel made it clear he wants to look after Carla and Athen. I don't think he'll take no for an answer."

  "I don't think Carla will protest too much,” Jasmine said. “I suspect the feeling's mutual. It's very generous of you, thank you. To be honest, the thought of returning to my life in Tampa doesn't seem to make sense after everything that's happened. I think a fresh start is a good idea."

  "We're agreed then. We'll work out the details tomorrow."

  He left then to join Nathaniel in carrying out the gruesome task of disposing of Ahriman's remains, as well as those of Christopher and Stronik.

  Two hours later, the brothers returned. Thomas confided to Jasmine that their father's mortal body had decomposed in an unnatural manner, and that, by the time he had buried Ahriman's remains deep within the forest backing onto the estate, there had been nothing left of him but shards of bones and quickly disintegrating chunks of flesh. He voiced his suspicion that, were the grave to be dug up, no trace of him would be found.

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  Epilogue

  Ten Months Later

  Jasmine ambled along the panoramic main deck of the luxury cruise ship, pushing a stroller bearing Pandora, who cooed her contentment in the afternoon sunlight. The seven-day Mediterranean cruise had been Thomas's idea, a celebration of Pandora's first birthday. The six of them, Jasmine, Thomas, Nathaniel, Carla, Pandora, and little Athen, had boarded the ship four days ago at the port of Civitavecchia, near Rome. From there, they had travelled to Genoa, and Barcelona. Yesterday afternoon, they'd arrived in Tunis, and tomorrow they would dock in Malta, where they'd spend the day. After that, they'd head for Palermo, Sicily, then back to Rome and on to Venice, where, for the past ten months, Jasmine had taken up residence with her new family in Thomas and Nathaniel's extraordinary home.

  Jasmine settled herself on one of the loungers lining the deck and bent over the stroller to adjust the light blanket Pandora had once again kicked away. The warmth of the sun beating down on her, combined with the Mediterranean sea breeze, made a pleasant combination. She still hadn't gotten her fill of fresh air and sunshine following her enforced confinement last year.

  After a moment, she spotted Thomas emerging from the stairwell onto the deck, dressed conservatively, as usual, in a sports jacket, slacks and loafers, his waves of blond hair neatly gelled back.

  A smile touched her lips as she studied him, the brother she had never known and with whom she shared so much in common. Over the past ten months, she'd come to respect his quiet intelligence and the fine sense of humor that lurked b
eneath it. He and Nathaniel, having lived such long lives, had been a source of knowledge and inspiration for her. And she owed so much to Thomas, she reminded herself, her thoughts returning to the hellish night of Ahriman's demise almost a year ago.

  Jasmine, who had never travelled abroad save for the dreadful ocean voyage she'd endured and her forcible confinement in England, had immediately fallen in love with the magical city of bridges. The six of them had spent many memorable days touring the marvelous city. The past ten months had proven to be a time of healing and bonding for all of them.

  Carla and Nathaniel had indeed become lovers not long after they arrived in Venice. Both made it clear that they would remain together as long as they wished. As Carla wisely pointed out, all of them were subject to death by misfortune at any time, just like mortals. Also, Carla had confided to Jasmine that Nathaniel had expressed his desire to raise Athen as his own child. He would be there for her halfling son, even after her demise. Jasmine knew that despite Nathaniel's striking physical resemblance to Ahriman, her brother had a generous nature and a heart big enough to encompass Carla's humanness as well as her Cambion son. He would take good care of her friend and little Athen.

  Jasmine delighted in spending every waking hour with Pandora, who still remained, for the most part, an enigma to her. She really had no idea what the child was capable of. That her daughter would eventually have the ability to summon souls, as did Jasmine and Ahriman before her, was a fair assumption. Just over a month ago, Pandora revealed that she may also have inherited Jasmine's ability to summon raw energy. On more than a few occasions, Pandora had caused objects in her vicinity to move or topple over, most noticeably when the child became excited, or upset. Jasmine supposed the full extent of her daughter's powers would be revealed a little at a time as she grew older. In the meantime, she had watched her precious daughter take her first steps and utter her first words.

  Jasmine looked up to find Thomas standing beside her. After eliciting a smile from Pandora, he sat down next to Jasmine. As if he had read her thoughts, which of course he could not, being a Cambion like she was, Thomas said, “Have you given any more thought to what we discussed?"

  Jasmine gathered Pandora from the stroller, suddenly wanting her near. Luxuriating in the baby-fresh scent of her, she looked into her daughter's mysterious, black-and-jade eyes and hugged her close. She did not immediately answer Thomas's question, wondering, as she had for the past month, whether they should go ahead with what he had proposed.

  Thomas continued in his usual calm and considered manner. “The villa outside of Rome won't be available indefinitely. We'll have to make a decision immediately upon our return home."

  "Yes, I know,” Jasmine replied.

  "It would be a safe environment for Pandora—secluded, but close enough to Rome that she wouldn't be culturally deprived. Besides, Nathaniel and I want to take an active part in helping you to raise her. She's an extraordinary child, and her needs will have to be carefully considered. It would be good for her to be raised there, out of the public eye, until we know better what she's capable of. Besides,” he added, “there are the others to consider..."

  Jasmine sighed. “Do you really think it's the right thing to do, Thomas? The young ones—their lives will be completely disrupted once we explain their true nature. We don't even know how old the remaining six are ... They might be too young to deal with the information. We may be doing them more harm than good by telling them."

  Thomas took her hand. “Have you forgotten what you went through? You've told me many times over the past year how apart and alone you always felt growing up, how the sense of not belonging anywhere haunted you. They have the right to know. And,” he added, “they'll have the recourse of joining us in Rome at any time they feel the need. We can help them to assimilate, and give them the sense of community that they'll otherwise lack. It's the right thing to do. Besides, they'll learn the truth eventually. As they remain the same while everyone around them grows old and dies, their real natures will be revealed, not just to themselves but to the mortals in their lives. That could have disastrous consequences for them."

  She could not dispute Thomas's logic. “You're right, of course.” She sighed. “Still, I'm going to miss living in Venice. It's been wonderful these past months. I've never been happier."

  Thomas brushed an errant lock of hair away from her face and smiled. “The privilege has been mine, sister. And I can't think of anyone more deserving of happiness than you."

  Her brother appeared genuinely pleased. “It's settled then. Nathaniel and I will arrange to go ahead with the purchase of the Villa as soon as we return. Once we're settled in, we'll begin our search for the others. Hopefully, it won't take too long to locate them. I have notes made by Christopher from information Ahriman gave him. We'll have a starting point for each of the six. Naturally, the choice to join us will be theirs, and they will decide if and when to do so. We'll have a better idea of what to expect once we meet them."

  On impulse, Jasmine reached over and hugged her brother, nearly crushing Pandora between them. The child expressed her annoyance by overturning the stroller in front of them, using only her mind.

  Jasmine looked into her daughter's eyes, probing her thoughts. Pandora responded, probing back, but it came across as nothing more than a mental question mark. Jasmine broke out laughing, and Pandora returned the favor by giving her mother a cherubic smile. The child's extraordinary beauty struck Jasmine anew.

  Her daughter's eyes were on the pendant Jasmine wore, which twinkled in the sunlight. Jasmine had tried on many occasions, both on her own and with Thomas's help, to destroy the pendant following Ahriman's demise. They had not succeeded in doing so. Whatever the origin of the thing, it appeared to be indestructible. She had spent many sleepless nights worrying about what to do with the pendant. Ahriman had stumbled upon it and used it to enter the physical world. What, she worried, was to stop some other dark entity from doing the same? In the end, she decided it would be wise to keep the pendant on her person at all times. If anything were to attempt to come through again, at least they would have immediate knowledge of it.

  She turned back to Thomas, about to ask him when the move to Rome might take place, when the pendant suddenly moved of its own accord, slipping over Jasmine's head and hovering in the air above her. Jasmine looked up in surprise at the pendant floating above her, then back at her daughter. Pandora's eyes were glued to the pendant, her chubby little arms outstretched as she attempted to pluck it from the air.

  "Pandora,” cried Jasmine, surprised at what the child had just done.

  Her tone of voice must have startled the child, because in the next second, Pandora began to cry. At the same time, Jasmine reached for the pendant above her, but before she could grasp it, it went flying through the air away from her, across the ship's deck and past the railing to the sea below.

  "Oh, no.” Jasmine got up, holding her wailing child, and she and Thomas raced to the ship's railing to look over. They saw nothing that might have broken the pendant's fall into the churning water below. The sea had swallowed it.

  Jasmine and Thomas looked at each other, neither of them knowing what to do. From several feet away, Jasmine heard a woman say: “Did you see that?"

  They were attracting unwanted attention. Thomas gave her a knowing look and stepped over to the nearby tourists. A moment later, following a brief conversation with the group, he returned.

  "Let's go,” he said, taking Pandora from her and placing her back in the stroller. “They've already forgotten what they saw."

  As they walked away, Jasmine said, “But the pendant..."

  Thomas, she could see, shared her concern. “I know. Unfortunate. I would have preferred it to remain in our possession."

  "Yes, and now it's gone for good. We'll never be able to retrieve it."

  "Still,” Thomas said, “who knows? Maybe it's for the best."

  Jasmine considered this. “Perhaps. I suppose there are
worse places it might have ended up than the bottom of the ocean."

  After a moment of silence, he said, “It's strange. When you think about it, you and I wouldn't even be here if not for that thing."

  "I know,” she said gently. “I've thought about that, too."

  Three Days Later:

  Luca finished his cigarette in the brilliant morning sunshine, surrounded by the sparkling blue water of the Mediterranean. He stopped chatting with Andrea when the captain, his uncle, gave the order to haul in the drifting longline from the stern of the fishing trawler. He and Andrea gloved up and began the process of hauling in the day's catch of swordfish.

  Luca enjoyed working on his uncle's fishing boat, but two weeks at sea found him more than ready to head back to his home in Valletta, Malta, not to mention back to his girl, the lovely Martina. As he and the crew wrestled the lines and hooked fish into the boat, Luca daydreamed about Martina, remembering the taste of her sensuous lips when she'd kissed him good-bye two weeks ago. Her dark eyes had sparkled, the caramel skin of her bare arms as smooth as silk beneath his fingers. Tomorrow, he had decided, when he returned to Valletta, he would ask the dark-haired beauty to be his wife.

  After the strenuous job of hoisting in the longlines was done, Luca joined the other men in the messy task of gutting and cleaning the catch, his least-favorite part of the job, before putting the swordfish on ice. Nevertheless, Luca went about the task quickly and efficiently. After removing the hooks, he laid the catch out on the padded floor of the stern. Using a saw, he removed first the head, then the fins and gillcovers. He turned each fish belly-up and slit the abdomen open with a sharp knife, then gutted the fish.

  An hour later, Luca turned a large swordfish over and made a clean slit. As he emptied the cavity, the midday sun glinted off something metallic in the innards that had spilled out onto the padded floor.

  Luca used a gloved hand to pick up the object and wiped the blood and fish guts from it. A second later, he called out to his friend in surprise.