by Morgan Rice
It wasn’t until they neared the top flight of steps, until she could see the doorway up ahead, that Scarlet heard screaming. She turned and saw the vampires pointing at her, then saw them all suddenly take off, charging right for her.
Scarlet doubled her speed, as did Ruth, and they burst out of the aqueduct, outside. She was so grateful to be out in fresh air, to be out from underground, and she ran as fast as she possibly could, hoping she could outrun them. She knew she didn’t have much of a lead, but still, she ran, twisting and turning down alleyway after alleyway, praying she would not hit a dead-end. Ruth ran beside her, following close.
Scarlet turned a corner, and as she did, her heart stopped.
It was a dead-end.
Scarlet could already hear the rumble, and knew that, not too far behind, the vampires were chasing her down. She knew that, in just a moment, she would be dead. She didn’t care for herself anymore, but she cared so desperately for her mommy. She just wanted to see her one last time. To warn her. To explain that it wasn’t her fault. To ask her forgiveness.
As Scarlet saw a figure fly down from the sky, right towards her, she knew that the end had come. She braced herself, and only wished that she didn’t have to die this way.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Caitlin flew as fast as her wings would take her, racing towards Jerusalem. She held in her mind that it still was possible to find her Dad, to find Scarlet, find the Shield, and to get back in time to help Caleb, Aiden and the others. She wiped away her tears, and tried to brush the negative thoughts out of her mind. She insisted on holding in her mind that all would be well. She flew even faster, determined to defy fate, determined to make everything turn out okay.
Caitlin flew so fast, she barely even noticed the land of Israel below her, the rolling hills, beautiful in the morning light, barely even noticed the topography changing from mountains to valley to city. In fact, it wasn’t until she was flying directly over Jerusalem that she was shaken out of her reverie. She looked down, and was taken aback by the site.
The city of Jerusalem, sprawled out below, was the most magnificent sight Caitlin had ever seen. She had been to extraordinary cities and countries in her lifetime, all throughout the centuries, and had seen some amazing things—yet nothing she had seen rivaled Jerusalem. The architecture was stunning; it was still simple, being the first century, with a large stone wall demarcating the city line, in which were several arched gates. Inside the city, she could see a network of twisting and turning alleyways and side streets, opening up onto small squares and plazas.
But dominating the city was the massive holy Temple of Solomon. It looked exactly like it had looked in her vision: it was enormous, its stone walls soaring hundreds of feet into the air, stretching in every direction, filling the city. She could feel in every fiber of her body that that was where she was meant to be. She felt that somehow, her father lay beyond those walls.
But it wasn’t just the architecture of Jerusalem that left such a deep impression on Caitlin: it was its energy. Even from up here, soaring above it, circling, she could feel an intense spiritual energy radiating off of it. She felt it was the holiest, most charged place she had ever been. It was like one huge energy field.
The closer she flew to it, the more she felt the energy. The hairs on her forearms and on the back of her neck stood on edge. This place was positively tingling with electricity, and she could feel it her from her toes to her head. She sensed that there were incredibly powerful, unseen forces swirling in the air here, for good and for evil. That it was the spiritual battleground of the world.
Caitlin circled the city again and again, trying to take it all in, and as she did, she had an ominous feeling: she sensed Scarlet down there somewhere, and sensed she was in danger. She circled again and again, looking for her, but she could not find her. She tried to shake off the feeling, wondering if it was just her mind playing tricks on her. But deep down, she felt an even greater sense of urgency.
Caitlin focused on the Temple, realizing she had to get their as soon as possible, and find her Dad. That was the only way she knew to get Scarlet.
As she dove down, flying closer, she began to sense something else: a great disturbance. It felt as if a dark energy had been unleashed on the city. She couldn’t understand: looking down, she could see no evidence of anything wrong. But she didn’t like her sense of foreboding. She flew even faster.
Caitlin landed right before the immense, arched stone gate leading to the Temple. She figured that the best way to enter, to find whatever what it was she needed, was to enter the proper way, through the main gate, and to see where her senses led her.
Caitlin landed behind a wall, so as not to attract attention, then walked out, blending into the crowd and walking right through the immense entrance to the holy Temple. She squeezed in with hundreds of people, all rushing to enter, and could tell that this place was always crowded, people always rushing to enter and pray. Hundreds of people were also lined up along its outside walls, praying, while hundreds more were streaming out.
As Caitlin passed through the gates and entered the temple mount, she looked up, in awe: spread out before her was a huge stone plaza, stretching hundreds of feet. People milled across it, praying, hurrying to and fro. In the center sat the holy temple: it was huge, a perfectly square structure, made of the finest marble, stretching hundreds of feet in every direction. People streamed in and out, many of them leading sheep and oxen. It looked exactly like the temple in her vision, and Caitlin sensed immediately it was where she needed to go.
A square within a square.
It was all starting to make sense. Caitlin could feel the ivory staff in her hands throbbing, warming her palm. She knew it. This was where she was meant to go.
Caitlin walked across the wide, stone plaza of the Temple Mount, feeling the staff grow warmer, feeling her body tingling as she approached. As she made her way through the crowd and got a good view of the structure, she was awestruck. Carved golden cherubs stared down at her, their wings stretching outward. The columns before it, and all its cornices, were made of gold. Dozens of Roman soldiers stood near the entrance, watching the crowd warily.
Caitlin passed through its doors, and entered the huge main room of the temple.
Inside, it was overwhelming: packed with people and animals and noises and smells, the sounds of bleating sheep mixed with the sounds of people crying out in prayer. It was organized chaos. Before her was a huge, copper washbasin, and near that was an altar, towards which people were leading their animals. There was a long line, stretching around the room.
Caitlin watched the person at the front of the line walk forward with his sheep. As he reached the altar, the high priest said a prayer, then slaughtered the sheep with a sharp blade. The sheep collapsed, and the blood dripped down into a wide bowl beneath the altar. Two attendants hurried forward and carried the dead animal to the far side of the room, where there burned a roaring fire. As another high priest said a prayer, the dead animal was thrown into the flames.
Caitlin was amazed to watch a huge cloud of smoke appear, and consume the animal whole. It was as if the hand of God were reaching down and accepting the sacrifice.
This was the most intense place Caitlin had ever been. She searched the room, looking for any sign of where her Dad could be. Was he one of the high priests?
A square within a square.
Caitlin looked, and on the far side of the room, she saw a section of the room closed off by long, white velvet curtains on golden rods. There was a narrow crack in the curtains, and she could see through, just enough, to catch a glimpse of what lay beyond: a small structure, perfectly square, maybe twenty feet high and wide, made of solid marble. It had elaborate columns before it, bedecked in gold. More golden cherubs were mounted above it.
Caitlin could feel the energy radiating off it. She knew that behind those walls sat hidden the Holy Ark of the covenant, containing the tablets of God. The holy of holies.
&nb
sp; A square within a square.
Caitlin suddenly felt the ivory staff burning in her hand. That was it. The holiest of holy sites within Jerusalem. Could her Dad be there?
Standing before it were dozens of rabbis, dressed in long white robes and hoods, praying. Among them were dozens of Roman soldiers, standing guard in case anyone attempted to approach. The holy of holies was clearly off limits. Caitlin could already tell this would not be easy.
She stepped forward to approach, and as she did, suddenly a Roman soldier blocked her way, scowling down.
“No one is allowed past this point,” he snapped.
Caitlin looked around, and could see dozens of soldiers staring at her, ready to jump into action. She knew she didn’t have much time. It was now or never.
She broke into action: she leapt up high into the air, over the soldier’s head, and ran for the entrance. Luckily, she was much faster than anyone else, and before they could even react, she was already at the entrance. A huge outcry rose up all throughout the room, as people saw her charging for the holy of holies. She ran through the curtain, yanked open the marble door and, just as the soldiers were charging her, slammed it shut behind her.
Caitlin immediately heard dozens of fists pounding at the door, trying to get in. She found a spear and barred it, hoping it would hold. She only needed a few minutes to get this done.
Caitlin could feel the intense spiritual energy in here. It was almost suffocating, the strongest thing she’d ever felt. She knew that she couldn’t stay long. She had to get whatever she could, and get out. Otherwise, the energy of this place would consume her.
On the far side of the room were more curtains, and a surreal light glowing from behind them. She knew that behind them lay the holy Ark of God. And she knew enough to know that she could never dare approach it—and that she would die on the spot if she tried.
But she sensed she didn’t need to: whatever it was she needed was right here, in this room. She looked around, searching, trying to drown out the banging on the door. She took several steps forward, examining the marble floor and walls, looking for any clue.
And then she saw it.
It was there, right before her, in the center of the room: a small, golden pedestal, maybe a foot high. Perfectly square. In the center of it was a round hole. Just the size of the width of her staff.
A square within a square.
She approached it slowly, her heart pounding. She could feel the staff throbbing in her hand the closer she got. She reached up and lowered it, already feeling it would be a perfect fit.
It was. The staff slid down into the hole, and she let go. It slid lower and lower on its own, sinking into the earth. And that was when Caitlin heard it.
She turned, and her eyes opened wide: she could not believe what she saw.
CHAPTER TWENTY
Scarlet stood with Ruth at the end of the dead end, bracing herself for instant death. She looked up at the dark figure flying down towards her, saw it raise a weapon, and hurl it down right at her. It looked like a long spear. She ducked, bracing herself, and figured this was what it felt like to die.
Scarlet heard a noise of shattering metal, and braced herself for pain.
But as she opened her eyes, she was unhurt. She realized the noise she heard was the sound of her silver chains breaking. She realized that the weapon had been thrown to free her. And as the vampire landed before her, she realized it was not an adversary. It was a friend. Someone she recognized. Someone she remembered from her time in Scotland. Someone who had saved her life once before.
It was the man that Mommy once loved.
It was Blake.
*
Blake reached down and undid Scarlet’s chains without hesitating. He undid Ruth’s muzzle, and she jumped on him, licking him, remembering him, too.
“There’s no time,” he said urgently, fear in his eyes. “They’re coming. Grab on.”
Scarlet grabbed onto his back with her little hands, clutching for life, while Blake reached down and scooped up Ruth. A moment later he leapt into the air, his wings extending, flapping, soaring.
They flew above the city, above ancient Jerusalem, and as they did Scarlet was able to look down and see it all, the labyrinthine maze of alleys and side streets beneath her. She was amazed that she had been running down there, in that maze, and had been able to navigate it at all.
She checked back over her shoulder, still fearful of the hordes chasing her, and in the distance, she could see a great black mass gathering on the horizon. She could see shadow after shadow, vampire after vampire, streaming out of the Aqueduct, on the far side of Jerusalem. It looked like a flock of bats surfacing from the bowels of the earth, spreading everywhere. Scarlet’s heart stopped in her throat, as she feared they were coming after her.
But then her stomach dropped as she looked down and realized they were plummeting down, in a dive, straight towards the earth. She held on with all she had, screaming.
“HOLD ON!” Blake screamed.
They dove straight down, landing behind a large wall in another quarter of Jerusalem. Soon, they were back on the ground, in a remote alley, unseen. Blake carried them into a far corner, hiding, so that they would not be seen from overhead.
The three of them squatted there, waiting, watching the sky. Scarlet heard a great humming and buzzing noise, then a great commotion, like a flapping of wings. She looked up and saw hundreds, then thousands, of black wings covering the sky. It looked like an enormous flock of birds. When she was younger, she had once watched a never-ending flock cover the sky, migrating from one end of the earth to the other. She remembered watching for what felt like hours, as the world seemed to turn black. She had thought it would never end. This reminded her of that.
They crouched there silently, waiting for Scarlet didn’t know how long. Scarlet held her breath the entire time, and she could feel how tense Blake and Ruth were, too. She prayed they remained undetected.
Finally, the vampires passed by. All was still. They were undetected. Blake had saved her. Again.
Blake stood, and Scarlet did, too. She looked up at him, more grateful to him than she had ever been. She was also happy to see him. A friendly face. Someone who she actually recognized and who was actually on her side. Someone who was friends with her mommy and daddy. She wondered if he could help lead her to them.
“Have you seen my mommy?” Scarlet asked without hesitating.
Slowly, Blake shook his head.
“I was going to ask you the same question,” he said.
“I’ve been looking for her everywhere,” she said.
“Me too,” he answered.
Scarlet’s eyes opened wide as she realized. She hadn’t really considered it, but she could see now how much this man loved her mommy. It made her feel uncomfortable, as she thought of her daddy, and suddenly felt protective of him.
“She’s married, you know,” Scarlet said suddenly, with a touch of defiance.
Blake seemed taken aback by that.
“I…I…know,” he stammered.
“So why do you want to see her?” Scarlet pressed.
She knew it was none of her business, and that she should be thanking him, not interrogating him—but still, she had to know.
“I…” Blake trailed off. “I know she’s married,” he said. “But I…”
He turned away, and Scarlet thought she could see tears in his eyes.
“I just have to see her,” he said finally. “I’ve searched for her everywhere. I’ve been circling Jerusalem for days. I sensed a great disturbance in this time and place. I sensed that she needed me. That the others did, too. And then, today, I sensed your presence.”
“I don’t even know where to look for her,” Scarlet said. “And I think I’ve done something terrible.”
Blake narrowed his eyes.
“What?” he asked.
“All of those mean vampires…I think I lead them to something. The old one, he took my bracelet. I think
it helped them. I didn’t mean to. You have to understand. I didn’t mean it. Now they say they’re going to hurt my mommy. Is it true?”
Blake narrowed his eyes further.
“Where did you lead them?” he asked.
“I don’t know,” she said. “They took me down this long alleyway, underground. And then they found this golden door. And when they opened it, they took out this thing…it looked like a shield.”
Blake opened his eyes wide in shock.
“A shield?” he asked. He seemed afraid to even pronounce the word.
“It was awful,” Scarlet said, shaking her head. “All of these mean vampires came back to life. That one they called Kyle.”
“Kyle?” Blake asked, sounding even more surprised.
“Is it true? Will they hurt my mommy?”
Blake looked away. He looked as if he’d seen a ghost, and stared into space.
“There is no time to lose,” he said, gravely. “We have to find her. We have to find her immediately.”
“But I don’t know where she is,” Scarlet pleaded, feeling worse than ever.
Suddenly, Ruth turned and took off down the alleyway. Scarlet couldn’t understand why; she had never seen her act like this.
“Ruth!” she screamed. She and Blake suddenly turned and chased after her.
As they chased after her, down alley after alley, Ruth finally ran out into the wide open plaza before the holy Temple. Ruth stood there, barking and barking, as Scarlet and Blake finally caught up to her. Scarlet stroked her, trying to figure out what had gotten into her.
“What is it, Ruth?”
Scarlet followed Ruth’s stare and looked out across the plaza. As she watched, suddenly a huge crowd started to form, gathering before a golden gate in the temple wall. The commotion increased as the gate began to open.
A single person appeared, flocked by followers.
