Descent (The Immortal Chronicles Book 1)

by Sloane Murphy

  I walk over to the bed and lay down, the thoughts buzzing through my head making it hurt. Everything I thought I understood is starting to unravel, and I have no idea which way is up anymore.

  The last few weeks have passed so quickly, my new found freedom has made being here much more bearable. After Michael and Celeste walked me through a few hundred times, I finally got a clue about this place. It's freaking huge, and it really is a maze, it's not a surprise I had no idea of where I was going before. I’ve barely seen Kaden, and I’m happy about that. Ever since I broke down again in the shower, I’ve managed to keep my emotions in check and not lose my shit, and I’m not sure I’ll be able to do that if I see him. I’m still fully confused by him, and I’m not ready to face it all, or make sense of it all yet.

  Plus, I’ve been busy focusing on helping Rose contact Xander, but she’s had no luck in managing to get to him. Apparently he doesn’t sleep much, or if he is sleeping, it's not when we are. Rose thinks it's her, because she hasn't practiced in so long, so we’ve stopped for a while. I could see how much it was affecting her, and she felt like she was letting me down, plus we didn't want anyone to question why she was suddenly so tired and sad again.

  Since my new found freedom, I’ve spent a lot of time down in the music bar. There is always live music on here. Michael tells me they’re cover bands, covering the music from the good times. Apparently I’ve heard everything; Pink Floyd, U2, Metallica, to someone called Lady Gaga – I mean, what the hell sort of name is that! But I like it down here none the less. The music soothes me; it makes me wish I could play the guitar or the piano. Music was never an option at the Academy, it is only ever the Fae or the Vampyrs who perform.

  I signal to Anya for another drink. She’s another Vampyr here, but she’s always been nice to me. I get the feeling that she’s not here by choice, but what do I know? She's not from here either, she told me she’s from Russia, and from what I remember that's half a world away, literally. But she's amazing, and I love the way her accent sounds.

  “You want another?” she asks me.

  “Sure, why not!” I smile at her. I’ve grown to like the sweet soda that Kaden gave me on my first night here.

  “I've got something a little stronger than that, but just as sweet. You should give it a go. Variety is the spice of life right?” she laughs, walking away and pouring me a clear drink from a clear bottle over ice, before placing it in front of me.

  “What is it?”

  “Just drink it, you wouldn't know what it was if I told you.” I take a sip of the drink and it burns as it goes down, making my eyes water.

  “That, my dear, is the water of my homeland. Vodka. Beautiful. It will keep you strong, but I know you like it sweet, so that was peach vodka,” she says proudly. It actually tastes okay once you get over the burning, and I find myself sipping away at it, listening to the music playing, the night slipping away.

  ***

  Oh my god, my head! I can barely open my eyes. What the hell is this pain? I groan out loud, and that's when I hear Michael chuckling beside me.

  “Morning sweetie. Welcome to your first hangover!” he almost sings at me. I groan as I roll over, trying to bury my head in the pillow mountain that surrounds me.

  “Sorry not today honey, Kaden has requested your presence. So you need to get up, so we can feed you and get you to him before he loses his damn mind,” he clucks at me, pulling off the comforter and lifting me from the bed. My head hurts so much that there’s little to no resistance from me, and then I’m falling. Water splashes around me. That motherfucker dropped me in the bath! I look up at him in stupor.

  “At least it’s warm,” I grumble. I wait for him to leave the room, then strip off my wet clothes and bathe. I get myself to a presentable state and tell Michael I’m ready to go.

  “Food first cupcake.”

  “I don’t know if I can eat,” I say, my stomach is swirling from the lack of food I ate yesterday, and the amount of vodka I drank. In my defence, it tasted so, so good. I follow him down to the dining room we’ve been eating in recently, now we’re allowed out of the bedroom, and make my way over to the buffet of breakfast they have laid out. Suddenly the thought of grease makes me ravenous, so I grab a plate and load it up with bacon, scrambled eggs, hash browns, with a side of blueberry pancakes. The only good thing about here is the food. I head over to an empty table and sit before diving into my food. Rose and Michael join me, both with much less food than me, they look at me like I’ve lost my mind.

  “Fuck it, ya know?” I smile. “You only live once, and people are going to judge anyway, so I say be happy and eat free.”

  Michael laughs at me and starts eating his breakfast, while Rose picks at hers, just staring at me in wonder.

  We finish breakfast and I head back to the music room where Michael told me Kaden is waiting for me, while they head out to the lake, apparently they get to go on a boat! I want to go on a boat dammit, not talk to this asshat! I walk in and see Kaden sat at a table in front of the stage. It’s not hard to spot him, he’s the only person in here other than Anya who is behind the bar again. She winks at me and I wave hello, before making my way across the room to Kaden.

  “You summoned me, oh mighty one,” I say, the sarcasm dripping from my words. The look on his face is terse, and I start to worry about what I’m doing here.

  “Sit down Addie. We need to talk.”

  I take a seat opposite him as Anya appears with a glass for us each. I take a sip, thankfully it’s soda, I don’t think I could handle anything stronger right now, though from the look on Kaden’s face, I might need it.

  “What do you know about my kind Addie?” he asks me looking tense.

  “I know what I was taught, Vampyrs are almost as old as the Fae, though no-one seems to know how the first Vampyrs came to be, they’ve been on earth more than a few lifetimes over. I know that to become a Vampyr, you can either be born, though it is rare, or you can be turned by the head of a syreline, but it is a long and painful process. I know you need human blood to survive, but can eat and drink the same things I do too, and that you thrive when you do. I’ve also heard that alcohol helps curb the blood lust for some Vampyrs. Should I keep going?”

  “Yes.”

  “Ok, um, I know you’re stronger and faster than humans, though some Fae can move faster and can be stronger than you, dependant on their blood lines. I know that you were divided by the Dark War, and where before there were thirteen houses who lived reasonably harmoniously, that five of the houses joined the Demon King, and the rest joined the Fae. I know that most of the Vampyrs who joined the Demon King, the lesser Vampyrs, the newer ones became shades, they lost their humanity fighting for the Demon King because he fed on their souls. Honestly, I think that’s about everything. Why are you asking?”

  “I’m asking Addie, because you’ve been lied to. All of you have been lied to for years, and it angers me. We hid for so long before the war, because everyone thought the world would implode if the humans knew about the supernatural world, but there is no excuse anymore. Humans have accepted Vampyrs and Fae, so lying to them, or giving them false truths just seems insane. Don’t you agree?” he asks, but I get the feeling he’s not really asking me a question, so I just nod and let him keep talking with no idea what he’s going on about.

  “The Fae know exactly what the origins of the Vampyrs are, hell, they helped make us.”

  “I’m sorry what? They made you? But how?” I ask. I don’t understand why no one ever told us.

  “Yes, they helped make us. I guess I need to go further back, to where we came from in the first place. The original Vampyrs, those of us like me, Xander, Dimitri, Michael and Celeste, and others. We are what is now known as the Fallen, but once, once we were Angels.”

  “I’m sorry, what?! Angels? I didn’t think they existed. We were taught that Angels and God were a myth, taught by ignorant humans from the start of days, to give them something bigger than themselves to bel
ieve in.”

  “Of course you were. That’s what they wanted you to think. I can’t tell you much about God, I sure as hell never saw him. All I knew was that Cole was our leader, and when the end of our world as we knew it came to an end, we had two choices. Perish alongside our brothers and sisters, who clung to the world we loved as it was destroyed, or Fall. Many of us fell, but once here we found we were no longer as strong, and we started to weaken rapidly. Many of my family died before the Fae found us, before they helped us. Their earth magic mixed with royal Fae blood restored us, we flourished, our wings strong again. What they didn’t tell us about was the blood lust, our dependency on human blood to survive, to stay the way we are. Some accepted their new dependency, while others despised the Fae for not telling the whole truth. As you can see, it’s a flaw they constantly flaunt.”

  “I’m sorry, did you say wings?” I gasp

  “From all that, all you got was wings?” he sighs.

  “No obviously not, but honestly, it sounds like a twisted fairy tale. It’s just more than a little unbelievable."

  He stands and shrugs off his jacket, then takes off his long sleeved tee, standing before me in just black jeans, barefoot. I can’t help but once again admire him. He is covered in tattoos. I hadn’t noticed them before, but they’re everywhere. The images go down both his arms, with writing across his chest and collarbones. ‘Fortitudo Aedificat Moribus’. It’s some form of old language, Latin I think, but I’m not positive. They trail down his chest and abs, dipping below his trouser line. He’s just so pretty to look at, it’s a shame he’s such an ass, a delusional one too from the sounds of it.

  “You don’t believe me do you?” he asks with a smirk on his face.

  “Not entirely, no.”

  “I had a feeling…”

  He stretches his neck and closes his eyes, and I hear what sounds like bones crunching, followed by a whoosh.

  “Holy fuck….” HE HAS FREAKING WINGS! Huge black feathered wings, the tips of each feather turning to grey. They’re beautiful. I think I’m in shock. I step toward him with my hand stretched out in front of me, but stop just before I touch them. I look at him, asking permission, and he nods. I move forward with wide eyes and stroke the feathers of his wings. He moans softly, but I can’t stop touching them. I’m mesmerised. They’re so soft, layered in such a way that they hide the strength they hold. I press my hand against them, and I can feel the taut muscle beneath the soft exterior.

  “Believe me now?” he asks, his voice tight. I pull my hand back and look at him with wide eyes.

  “How can I not? This is… Amazing! I just don’t understand why you hide?”

  “Because the Fae bound us, they swore us to secrecy, we could never tell any human.”

  “So why tell me? Why risk it?”

  “You’ll see in time. Would you like to fly Addie?”

  I shake my head. This is amazing, but I still don’t trust him, even if he is the only person to ever tell me the truth.

  “No? Maybe next time.” He smirks, before folding his wings away. He turns around once they’re gone, and there is no trace of them, his back is smooth and lean, with no sign of wings. He puts his top back on and turns to face me.

  “I imagine this is a lot to take in. Do you have anything you want to ask me?”

  I sit down staring at him, gawping almost. I have no freaking idea what is going on. I pinch my arm, ouch, nope I’m awake.

  “I guess not; you took this much better than I thought you would. Maybe it’s the shock. I’ve got some things I need to attend to, but I’m sure you see why we needed to talk. I will see you soon Addie.”

  ***

  I sit at the table Kaden just left, reeling. I don’t want to believe him, I don’t want to trust him, but the look on his face… I just know he wasn’t lying to me. Hell, he showed me the truth, he stood there and revealed himself to me, and now I have no idea what to do. I don’t understand why this has been kept from everyone. Surely this would give them something more to believe in, in something bigger? Maybe that’s why. And then… then there’s Xander and D. They lied to me too. I don’t know which one hurts more, Xander because of how close we’ve become, or D who’s known me my entire life. Do I even really know them at all? I don’t know whether or not to be angry at them, or disappointed that they didn’t trust me enough. Hell Kaden did! Plus, I’m still here, and there’s no sign that anyone is coming for me, and after all this time, I’ve lost any hope I had of them finding me, or of Rose being able to contact them. Maybe I don’t mean as much to them as I thought.

  I sway to the music coming from the girl on the stage, I swear live music is the only constant in this place. Her words call to me,

  “Don't speak, I can't believe this is here happening, our situation isn't right… But what if I need you baby? Would you even try to save me? Or would you find some lame excuse to never be true?”

  Her words resonate in me, she sounds so sad, but so strong all at the same time. I recognise her, but I don’t know where from. I signal for another drink from the one of the other guys behind the bar, and he puts another drink in front of me. Who would’ve thought something as girlie as peach vodka would be my drink of choice? I take a sip and thank Anya silently for introducing me to it. I focus on the burn as it goes down, to avoid thinking about my world burning down around me. I mean, I might be exaggerating it, but after the way Ty lied to me, I’ve had enough of non-truths. Even if they’re just omissions of the truth, it’s still a lie. He had freaking wings! Huge black feathered wings, and apparently they all have them. Well the original Fallen. I’m not sure how to process it all, so I finish my drink and head back to my ‘room’.

  The only good thing about having been here for so long is that I finally know my way around. Well, for the most part at least, I still don’t know how to get out of here, but that’s next on my plan of action. I get to my room and see Rose sat on my bed, listening to music from the new toy Kaden gave to me via Michael. It’s so small, but it plays music and has headphones, so I can block out the world. I’m so glad she’s finally comfortable around me, even if she won’t leave the room without me or Michael, and trembles every time one of the others comes near. Though, after what Kaden told me, maybe that’s not so strange after all. Knowing that those original twenty are still the way they are because of royal Fae blood, and with her being a royal Fae. Even if the blood was given willingly, I guess just what they are makes her afraid, what they can do.

  “Hey Rose, you okay?” I ask sitting next to her on the bed.

  “I am thank you. Are you?”

  “Erm, I think so, considering everything.”

  “I’m just so grateful to you for helping me. I can’t ask for anything more, I’ve been here for so long. Being left for dead as a child, then found by these monsters after hiding for so long. I think you might be the first person to ever be truly kind to me. To be my friend,” she says wistfully, staring out across the water through the windows in the room. My heart breaks for her all over again. She hasn’t spoken much about what happened to her before, that’s probably the most she’s told me about her past since I faced off against Kaden about her, and now I’m glad I did. She’s so sweet, so innocent and pure, she doesn’t deserve the hand fate has dealt her.

  “Rose, can I ask you a question?” she looks at me with caution in her eyes, but nods. “Did you know about Kaden? About him, Michael and Celeste? About Xander, and what they really are I mean?” Her eyes go wide with fear, and I know she knows, but she also knows that I shouldn’t know.

  “Don’t worry,” I reassure her, “It was Kaden that told me, well showed me really, so you don’t have to worry about people thinking you told me. You’re safe with me. Always okay?” I see the panic inside her ebb and she nods at me again, before wrapping her arms around me and hugging me.

  “Thank you Addie. I think I might be dead by now if it wasn’t for you. I don’t think I would have survived another night of their games.”<
br />
  “You’re stronger than you know Rose, you’d have made it through. You survived so much before I came along. You’d have saved yourself if I hadn’t been here,” I say to her, hugging her back. I know she doesn’t believe me. A knock on the door makes her go from relaxed to rigid in an instant.

  “It will be fine; I promise,” I whisper to her. The door opens and Michael enters the room with a flair that only he can manage.

  “Hello beautifuls. I am to be your dashing escort this afternoon,” he says with a smile on his face.

  “Dude, do you ever wear a shirt?” I ask, teasing him.

  “Sweetie, why the hell would I cover this up? I mean, look at me. Really! Cover up? Ha!” I can’t help but laugh at him.

  “And where exactly is it you’re whisking us away to, my dashing prince?” I ask him, I can’t hold what I now know against him. He’s been the one person here who has been nothing but nice to me, more than nice, he’s the only person here I’d consider an actual friend.

  “Well sweetie, that’s where the sad part comes, for me anyway,” he says and I stand, ready to fight about wherever the hell he’s taking me.

  “Come on Mikey, spit it out.”

  “Home Addie, I’m taking you home.”

  “WHAT?” I shout, this must be some sort of trick. Surely after everything, they’re not just going to let me go?

  “This is exactly why it’s me taking you home. I fought Kaden about it, but I knew you’d need to hear this from me. Trust me Addie, I wouldn’t lie to you. I’ve never lied to you about a thing. It was me who pushed him to tell you, I’ve been pushing him since the day you got here. You’re going home, and Rose gets to go with you. You can thank me for that little bit too.”

  I’m frozen. I have no idea what I’m meant to say or do here. I mean, I’m happy to be going home. But why? Why now? I feel Rose rush past me and she throws herself around Michael, but I can’t help but feel suspicion and unease. It makes no sense.