“We’ll stand,” Taylor advises as she crosses her blood smeared arms in front of her torn shirt. “Continue.”
Karthick wears a soft grin. Tearing his vexed gaze away from Taylor, he tilts his head back as he sucks in a breath. He releases it, saying, “There are multiple evils. In this world, the one amongst us today, there are the Faylamen. There is no point in their possession, only the numbers in the possession of other beings, rather it be man, creature, or animal. For the Qualms,”—he chuckles as he calls the name—“they are very interesting creatures. They’re not from our world. Did you know that?”
Karthik’s eyes light up with admiration as he reveals, “These things entered from a realm unknown to our own. Their desire is greater than numbers, they want to overtake, to rule. They desire to have the biggest influence over the humans as they rule highest on the pyramid. They are the only creatures who do not outrightly hide who they are, they are free, and the Qualms require their freedom. But they won’t stop there, they want the strongest of beings as well. They’ll use them to help take control of the humans. But, they can do none of this with just their being alone, so they require a latch, for strength, and for control. Like a parasite. Then my favorite part of the story, there is a demon who shall not be named, ever. He—it—is a very smart creature, and he’s had a play in the making since the beginning.”
Cautiously, the three of us sit around the table. The upper level has gone quiet and Karthik seems to believe we’re in the clear down here. I encourage him to continue with a nod.
“Many have been believed to be the All-Seeing of Death, a single being—said to be a Sephlem of sorts—who will have the ability to avert the mind, control one’s body, fill a heart with its own desires, invade the vision and change the sight or perception. Oh boy,” he sings, rubbing his ashy hands together. “The control is unlimited.” He throws up his hand, palm in a cupping gesture. “This one person can control the will of a person where a single thought will snatch the life from someone. Here one moment instantly gone the next!” He snaps and it echoes off the walls.
Taylor, Carmen, and I exchange glances. His excitement in this thing is absurd. Who would want that kind of power? To eliminate the free will of everyone, to destroy someone by their own thought. I had a problem with Nathan being able to do that to me, he could insert thoughts in my mind and sometimes make them seem as if I was thinking for myself. No one should be able to control someone’s mind.
“Her mate, the death of the meaning, though he can cause death, he can also stop it,” he admires, eyes growing wide with wonder. “Controlled he can control, because of his bloodline, he secretly holds these abilities and the capability to manage all this power! Oh, what most would give for his body. Mmm.” He has an infogasm, eyes rolling upward as he balls his fists.
I share another glance with Carmen and she turns up her nose.
Karthick relaxes and his glossed-over gaze falls on me. “Her. The seeing of the meaning has the eyes of a Volvë, seeress, known as Elbany. She ruled as queen over her people. They looked upon her not only as guidance but also as their keeper. She was able to see beyond realms, in their lives, her life, and others’ lives. She was able to envision a better understanding of them so that they could live right and be sacred. Seeing for the people, saving the people from devastation and misfortune, from themselves and others. She saw who they really were in their hearts, what they really wanted, what their utmost desires were, and what was required of them to accomplish those wants and needs.”
Maybe there’s a hint of similarity there . . .
“She used her powers for evil. Visited frequently by this demon that made her promises of sight for things she has not yet accomplished, things they would show her to increase her ability. She already possessed what they promised, the strongest of her kind. But greedily, she followed them, yearning for the promise of more, of something better, of perfection. One of flesh’s greatest weaknesses. Greed. She was fooled and taken over by the demon who desired her most, the one who required the power, who wanted Elbany’s worshipers because they loved her so dearly. This demon received all of it through possession of her.
“Elbany’s people hated who she’d become, the pride she kept, the resilience she had. One night in her sleep, her body was slain. The demon within her latched onto the nearest being, who happened to be her murderer. This added onto its desire, but it was dissatisfied living within this normal man. He didn’t attain nearly as much worship as he did while inhibited within Elbany, The All-Seeing Goddess. With that, he searched for greatness, someone he could shed his current form for and set his plan in motion as he was nowhere near as powerful as required. In his search, he came across a woman who was Sephlem. She was a different type of creature the demon had not yet embarked upon. She smelled different, possessed non-human abilities, though she looked human.
“Intrigued, he became infatuated with her as she played in his trap of seduction. He made love to the unfamiliar creature and made her promise she’ll remain as his forever, forever bound to him. From her, one night as she slept, he took her heart and sucked the blood from it before refilling it with his own. Now, the two were bound by the exchange when he returned the heart to her. A year later, alone, the female bore three different children. All of which were Sephlems, but of a new nature. Burdened, Hybrid, and the final, simple like her. This was a change this world wasn’t expecting.”
“What does that have to do with the demons and them bringing dead people back to life?” Carmen cuts in and is shushed by Taylor and me.
“Let him finish,” I say.
Karthik nods. “The woman searched for her seducer, only coming upon his lifeless body discarded by a nearby town that was run by a king called Nathan. This king was possessed by the demon whose name I cannot reveal. The town was small and her presence drew attention from citizens of the city.
“A farmer told the king about a woman who was accompanied by three babies: one red with gray eyes and hair sharp as needles, one pale with black eyes and liquid black hair, and another of normality, and that she was being held in the home of a wine-man. The king promptly wanted to know of this woman and why her children were not of one’s anyone had ever seen. Within the red child, he saw himself, not in its looks but in the deep blue churning of its eyes. This child, he kept and raised, finding this baby was much like him. A demon in the body of a beast. The beast of the body he was currently in.
“It was by no mistake King Nathan was sovereign, by the murder of the previous king―his father, he took the throne and the people adored him, for the things he was capable of. He conquered every war, he took care of his people, and would slay an enemy without question no matter the means. For the woman, he remained bound to her eternally. The demon had a plan to become more powerful by mixing the strength of the beast he created and the power of the seerer he once was. He had taken the sample of life he drew from Elbany’s dead body and fed it to the Burdened baby as he hexed the child with the mark of what we know to be the All-Seeing of Death. He thought this would take effect immediately and the boy would grow into this beast he desired, but it never took.
“For years, he waited and watched, but it never came to pass, as the hex was in the bloodline, not the body. He gave up, keeping his eyes peeled for a sign. You see, he didn’t know there was one thing he was missing. However, the possessing of the body is what brought me to this story.”
Sorrow wipes his once excited eyes sober, and he continues, “The Qualms have come in search of the body of the Sephlem that holds the heart of an innocent but bares the soul of the wicked. This is the part of the hex the demon ignored. The descendant from the direct bloodline of the Sephlems’ creator. And they’ve found him. They have found exactly what they need. And this . . . Lauren is bad. Everything will change.”
“But you help them,” I softly accuse, not understanding what’s changed in his disposition.
He nods. “It’s my job. I owe my soul. A debt I can only pay in d
eath. Cursed, years ago, I cannot die. It leaves me obligated to be a servant to him who asks of me. Now, they ask me to work with the Faylamen and Qualms, in helping them gain as many available, willing and unwilling creatures, as we can. You cannot kill what is already dead, what has not taken a body and walks among you in its truest form. But in seeing what is in the desire of one who is dead, in death can lay defeat brought forth by death.”
“That doesn’t make any sense,” I tell him truthfully.
“With your mate being deceased, it is nothing but a pointless prophecy for saving what we will look upon in our future as peace. What we see today as challenging times will be our beg for mercy for what is to come.”
“So, we’re doomed,” Carmen blurts.
He smiles kind-heartedly, personality switching from wicked to mournful, powerless. “It was very nice to meet you, Lauren. Sorry to hear about your mate. I had hopes for us all.”
Standing from the table, I blink and behind his kindhearted smile, he weeps. It saddens me to see his grief, and truthfully, I admit, “My name is not Lauren, it is Tracey. Nathan is my mate. He was once dead and now, suddenly, he is alive. I’ve seen him, but he doesn’t remember me, his family, or anything. I don’t know how to fix it.”
“Thank you, Tracey, for your time. It was my pleasure to meet you, and the best of luck with getting Nathan back to you. For all our sakes. You two have an ardent purpose that can help save us or will trouble us. I and many others are hoping for the better.” Karthik rises from the chair, contemplation in his eyes. “Please choose wisely.”
I lie, “I’ll do my best. We should go. Can you tell me how to get out of here?”
Start of Time
Tracey
The night is heavy. It weighs on me as though I’m walking with this car on my back instead of driving it. It’s not just me, Taylor and Carmen haven’t said a word since we left that warehouse. I chance a glance to my right. “Taylor, are you okay?” Her presence fills the car with regret and despondence.
“I’m relating.”
“Ooh-kay . . . ?” What does that mean? To what?
“Going with the enemy for help and turning on your family.” She raises her blood-smeared hands. “I didn’t think twice . . .” She shoves her hands in her face. “I had zero control.”
I dared to look in Mrs. Waturstrom’s direction when we exited from the basement of that place. Blood had pooled on the floor and by the cracking sound I heard from their battle, I was very familiar with the outcome.
“We would always talk about how bad Nathan was, how merciless he could be,” Taylor whispers. “I could never ignore the fact, though, that with our family, he wasn’t that bad. Look at what I did to him, to you. He never came close to killing me. He may have thought about it, maybe discussed it, but he wouldn’t kill me. With everything we’ve done to him . . . the only one of us whose death was brought forth by Nathan was our father’s. But he shouldn’t have been the only one.
“I, unlike my brother, didn’t think twice before I brutally murdered my aunt. Not a single thought of mercy for her seared through my mind. Only the need for revenge, to give to her what she gave to our mother, to repay her for the damage and suffering she caused my brothers. I regarded her as though she was the one who stole the life of my mother. I lost it and punished her as if she was nothing to us. Nothing like family would have. Nathan wouldn’t have done that, and we talk about how bad he is.” She shifts in her seat, looking in the back. “I’m sorry, Carmen.”
I lift my gaze to the rearview. Carmen flicks her hand, waving off Taylor’s apology as if her actions are no big deal, but when she turns toward her window, after Taylor turns around, she drags her finger across her nose. In the reflection, I see her tears fall.
Mrs. Waturstrom stood in place as Carmen, Courtney, and Carteal’s mother. They lost their parent’s long ago, and she was the one who took that role for them. Now, maybe, she feels like she has no one.
Whether the death is forthcoming, unexpected, or brought on by someone, no matter the betrayal, when you love someone, you love them, and the loss of them all hurts the same. Knowing you’ll never get the opportunity to see them, to hear them, to experience a single graze of their hand gently caressing your skin, it always still hurts. Even though they did some extremely messed up shit—like kill off another family member—knowing they’re gone from you forever still burns a hole in your heart.
We make it home, and Carmen stops on the porch. “When is Laine supposed to come back?” she asks.
I retract and wrap my hands around my elbows. “He didn’t, he just left. Everything okay?”
“I’m going home, Tracey. Just a day or two. Let me know when Laine gets back.” She hugs me. “Sorry, I just need a break from all this for a minute. I’m a little sad about my aunt and just.” She sighs. “Tracey, I don’t want to add onto everything with my stuff too.” I feel her sadness coating her presence, though she’s trying to cover it with a smile. Nudging me, she grins. “Not like I had many immediate older relatives left, you know. Just Aunt Nati and Aunt Cent.” She zones out and a pool of tears collect along her lids. Clearing her throat, she blinks them away. I envy how she’s able to forbid the gloom that’s demanding release. With only the straightening of her neck and two blinks, she’s back to chipper Carmen. “I’ll tell my brother to come over here.”
I frown. “You don’t need to do that, Carmen. Little Nathan’s here. I can bug him if anything comes up.”
Her attempt to appear strong struggles as we continue our exchange. “I’ve already told them,” she says, shaking her head. “Carteal is coming. Courtney will stay with me, do the big brother thing and let me cry on his shoulder. Be a total girl for a day.”
“We all need one of those days.” I sigh, pinching my lips to the side.
She cackles to simulate cheer. I see past it. Her faux exterior is nothing less than a lie, deceived by the lambent gloss of her eyes. “Don’t die or anything while I’m gone.”
I wrap my arms around her neck. “I get it, Carmen. Take as much time as you need. It’s okay. But know, I can also be that friend you need right now.”
“Thanks, Tracey. But you have enough to worry about. Every minute you spend talking to me is time you can spend looking for Nathan.”
My first thought is to say Nathan isn’t as important as being there for her, but that’d be a lie. I chew on my bottom lip and search for the words to bring her comfort and reiterate her importance in my life. The best I have is, “I do need to find him, yes. But I’ve spent years, Carmen, and you’ve given years for us. I’ll take that time for you, and Nathan would want me to, too. I’ve waited for him this long, and I can wait for him a little longer.”
“Thanks, Tracey. That means a lot to me.” A grim smirk tugs at the corner of her lips. I hadn’t realized how Carmen has ceased to look me in my eyes until now. There’s been nothing but a flick of her gaze, taking seconds of a glance at my face. She does it again, eyes rising to me and falling away within the same second. “Bye.”
Courtney pulls up, and she gets in the passenger’s side of the car.
Whatever it is about me, it’s off-putting to her, but I won’t make her feel bad about it.
Only Hope
Tracey
I try to rest in bed, but there’s been an unusual tug in my chest ever since we left that building earlier. It’s not until I settle down that I notice it. Thinking back on it, it’s been here ever since I stepped foot in that warehouse, but I was too distracted by Donald.
I lay on my bed, house silent, room dark, cringing from the attacks squeezing my chest tighter. My hand burns hot. In the center of my palm there’s a slight sting coming from my fire snake demanding release. I fold my fingers over it.
It’s eleven thirty.
I sit up on the bed, pushing my hand across my chest. I feel my heartbeat thrashing. “Okay,” I say. “Let’s go.”
I snag my boots and jacket from the closet. In case I’m spotted, to
ensure I don’t stand out, I let my hair hang down around my face. I leave from the back door and take off full speed. There’s a peculiar excitement thrashing through me as I push myself to follow my heart. I need to be at that warehouse right now, at this moment.
I raise my blackened palm and say to it, “Help me find Nathan.” Though I can’t feel Nathan, something tells me the fire snake can, that this feeling in my chest and it are somehow connected.
My palm burns viciously as I let it down and the fire snake slithers from me, taking the color of blue flames to dim its brightness. It slithers off, clearing ground faster than I can run. I race behind it, wind burning my cheeks. The snake slows to a stop on a hill overlooking the building that’s now darkened. I lean over on my knees, panting. This part of the city has fallen asleep with its buildings dark and lack of people or passing cars. The only light offered is by the streetlights.
“He’s in there?” I ask the snake, still catching my breath.
It slithers in place before lifting itself up to come back in my hand. Assuming this means it agrees, I move my hand over its head, accepting it back.
I’m not leaving here without him, no matter how hard he fights me, or if he tries to kill me.
Every step I take nearing the building, I prepare myself for whatever is about to come. A fight? Most likely.
Standing in a parking lot, I cross the concrete to the metal door we used earlier. It’s locked. I round the brick and metal warehouse, checking for a door that’s opened, but find them all sealed shut.
I look up, surveying the building, seeing a window cracked on the second level. A couple of pipes and a ledge assist my climb to it, and I push it open so I can slip inside.
I cloak my eyes to see in the dark and examine this level of the warehouse. I’m on a landing that leads to a flight of stairs, the scent of sawdust and rusty metal tickles my nose. It’s so quiet, I’m afraid to take a step.
Finite: A Dark Paranormal Romance (The Sephlem Trials Book 4) Page 20
