by Darci Darson
CHAPTER 17
"KILLING YOU IS an act of mercy. You can't escape the prison and I don't want you to stay here for eternity!"Aaldir shouted with despair and anger in his voice. He swept his hand down and tore the skin on the right side of her face. His sharp claw left a deep wound and a damaged eye.”You shouldn’t have come. You shouldn’t have come alone,” he said coldly, but his eyes were on fire with rage. “The prison is for me, not for you! Die and leave me alone!”
Cherry buried her face in her hands. She was so weak that she only could weep quietly. The shock crippled her senses, she cringed in herself, trying to escape from the tearing and burning pain. Cold sweat prickled on her back.
“Go back to your destined true love, whoever this vampire is,” Aaldir said in a freezing and emotionless voice. “Maybe your Varuh will somehow find him again. I’m not able to give you more. This is all your fault, this pathetic end.” His hatred and envy had become tangible and he wanted to destroy everything. He had to kill her and in his desperation he wanted to hurt her even more.
Cherry could feel his internal battle, the evil forcing him to destroy her, his love pushing him to release her, the jealousy and desperation blinding him, the darkness inside him, desiring to erase her. He had been evil for so long and her Varuh struggled to went through this wall of darkness that kept his Varuh in captivity, destroying it bit by bit.
For a moment, there was no pain. There was a soft blanket, covering her body. It smelled like spring. And there was spring all around. Birds twittered. Felicia’s warm, bright face leaned over hers.
“I promised I would be with you all the time, Child,” Felicia said with her kind and deep voice.” Don’t feel guilty about me. I knew the risk. This place is not meant for humans. This is the guardians’ home.” The woman stroked Cherry’s cheek and continued, “I am the first and the last human to stand on its ground. It will bless me and curse me. Have courage, Child. You are helping, you are important,” Felicia’s voice began to fade. It went up and down like a sine curve, drifting away.
“I’m so tired and it hurts,” Cherry sighed.
“This is only a second, Child. This is not what you think it is. The guardians did what they could to save you and Aaldir. He did not choose it. The Darkness hits freely and unexpectedly. The Light must obey the rules. The time is very fragile. And remember 4:25 pm. Remember 4:25 pm...” Felicia smiled. And then she vanished.
Cherry realised that it had been a hallucination and she was in the prison once again.
Aaldir materialised a long, black stake in his hand and rolled Cherry’s body in a fast motion, causing her to lie on her wounded wings. A terrible sound of crushed feather frames accompanied Cherry’s scream. Aaldir threw the stake into her chest. The weapon nailed Cherry to the dark floor. Blood spurted from her mouth as she gasped for breath. The darkness followed the stake and invaded her Varuh. It began to erase particle after particle, the slow process of her immortality dying.
Aaldir had become the first Varuh capable of killing his kind and he had taught the Opyri to murder. However, Cherry could discern tiny vibrations of his hesitation and regret. He knelt beside her, and leant over, observing the hyacinth flame in her intact eye diminish. A second seemed like an hour, or maybe hours were seconds.
"Get away from her!" an angry voice shouted. It was a sweet and beloved voice.
Cherry felt a calming wave of warmth ease her suffering and fill her heart with sheer joy. He had come to her; Imre had come to be with her. She did not care whether she would live or die because Imre had brought peace and happiness to her, whatever the end would be.
Aaldir turned his head. He rose from the ground and flew to Imre in an instant. He caught Imre's neck with one hand piercing the flesh with his claws. He nailed Imre to the ground beside Cherry with the other hand, pulling out another stake. Imre did not manage to react. It was as if Aaldir had operated in another dimension, with a speed exceeding even Imre's own agility. Imre's deep, excruciating moan echoed in the still silence. His cursing followed as Aaldir stepped back and sat on the stone wall of the pond. Facing Cherry, Imre looked straight into her eyes and despite her disfigurement, his hand found hers. He then gripped the stake protruding from his chest and removed it with one slow movement. His groan was full of anger as it blended with the noise of the weapon banging against the floor. The vampire crawled towards Cherry, sitting on his feet and held the stake pinning her body to the ground. Cherry let out a scream full of agony, as he removed it from her chest in a flash, her blood splashing onto his face.
"I waited for you, but you never came back..." Imre said with a great effort. Blood dripped from the corner of his mouth as he helped Cherry to lift her head a bit and rest it on his knees, his arms wrapped around her, cradling her gently. "The Varuh are on the edge of extinction. A new generation was born, the Varuh without wings. The Opyri have started invading other worlds. Radveriel and a few others are trying to stop them," Imre whispered and smiled. Blood spurted from his nostrils and he coughed. "He is a nice guy, this Radveriel. He showed me the prison... We tried to enter it a few thousand times, but it was always hidden from us. But then one day, I heard you screaming,” he paused as if he weighed the next sentence.”I‘m so sorry, Birdie. There was no other way... Radveriel and twenty others gave me their wings so that I could use their magic to enter the prison." Imre then looked at Aaldir, he shook his head as if in desperation and asked coldly, “Was this what you wanted?”
“I did not want any of this, she did,” Aaldir answered with anger and resentment. “And don’t even think about turning her into a vampire. I will kill her again,” he added, retreating slowly.”She has to be a pure Varuh. You should have come earlier. You let her come here on her own. There is still time, the pure Varuh die very slowly.”
"I'm so tired and sleepy. Does it hurt... death?" Cherry asked. Her voice was weak and nearly noiseless. She choked on the blood gathering in her mouth and flooding her airways. “I destroyed everything. I had to come here to... save him. This was my purpose. I’m so scared of death. Does it hurt?” Her human body had already died yet the Varuh within her, which was, in fact, her true self still lived on. She tried to close her eyes. The fragments of her damaged eyelids stung like an injection of a spider’s venom and she could not close her eyes properly. Aaldir watched from the distance and his jealousy radiated and spread in all directions. But only Cherry was able to recognise it in the scarlet mist. Aaldir did not move like he waited for something. He remained focused as though he expected an important message.
"No. Death will come in the blink of an eye... Cherry... Honey, look at me," Imre said softly, his eyes locked on hers, radiating a delicate warmth as he leaned over to kiss her forehead. He knew that she had begun her journey to the afterlife. And he knew there was no escape from Aaldir’s deadly power for any of them. His pride and courage made him focused on easing his sweet little angel’s fears and giving her as much peace as possible. He thought that maybe Cherry was his Guardian Angel. The one who had not appeared after his tragic death to travel with him to all the places important in his life and then to the spirit world…
Cherry opened her undamaged eye. Her vision was blurred and clouded with tiny, dark and red patches. Her soul smiled when she recognised the hazy shape of the Varuh’s shield on Imre’s bare chest and the outline of the black hakama, covering his body from the waist down.
Now for the last effort, a few shallow, wheezing breaths left. She saw in Imre’s eyes that he had lost hope. He had the awareness of fate and its inevitability but also his infinite love and its unconditional strength. She saw tears filling his red eyes that flared like two flames. His chest shook but he stifled his cry.
She was so grateful and happy, though that Imre had not abandoned her in her darkest moment. He was with her until the very end, supporting her in fulfilling her destiny, dying with her.
"Cherry Devita, I will walk by your side and take you to the Gates of Heaven," Imre said. His voice was
like a sudden bolt of vitality, bright and clear. "Don't be scared. Love me, Honey, with all your heart." Imre clutched her hand. In that clasp he gave her all his love and devotion and she returned it to him. Imre lifted her head and closed her mouth with his whilst his arms wrapped tightly around her wounded chest. They were united, fusing into one.
She knew what she was then. She was love and she loved Imre. The laser-blue, shimmering mist embraced their bodies and expanded, loading the darkness with its cleansing and forgiving power. This was pure positive energy, the magic from the ancient world, the love of a pure Varuh and her chosen vampire. It was sealed, powerful and eternal. Imre's body started turning into grey dust, a slow flow of particles lifting from his chest and Cherry's essence separated gradually into pearly molecules, each of them burning in the fire of tiny, blue flames. Her eye sockets filled with light, her body faded and began to disappear. It was a moment, frozen in time, every second an eternity when suddenly a massive explosion of sheer, pearly light destroyed the barren prison. The blackness vanished, taken over by the greedy sun’s bright rays that quickly repossessed the room.
Cherry observed. She was everywhere and nowhere, the purest and most basic form of her existence vibrated and blended with her beloved boyish, spicy and fruity danger. She shared her playful mood with Imre’s funny sarcasm. She knew everything and she was happy. She encircled Aaldir with her now curious invisibility.
Aaldir stood below the rosy sky. He extended his arm and caught two particles in his caring hand. His wings were outspread when his fist produced a laser blue mist. He brought his fist to his lips and whispered a promise. His figure was slowly surrounded by a rustle of feathers. The noise grew to a rumble. Clouds of red dust filled the atmosphere.
Cherry was only a little angry with Aaldir as he had not let Imre and her cross to the Further. He had kept them in his caring hand, breaking the rules once more. She knew she would not remember this moment. The knowledge that she had in this particular moment, gave her this sense of peace and pride as Aaldir appeared to be worth of saving him. She flew... excited and full of hope.
Aaldir looked up and disintegrated into glistening, black tourmaline-like gems. The stones tumbled down like a waterfall of black water.
CHAPTER 18
SHE WAS BEAUTIFUL like a marble angel in the 19th century cemetery. The girl got off the bus numbered 557, a petite, young woman, her mind as if not present, hidden among her thoughts. It was 4:25 pm. She crossed the road and sheltered herself from the burning light of the Spanish Sun with a black umbrella. As she hurried down the hill, she trampled sweet and ripe dates, their nectarous bodies roasting on the hot ground. Her mid height heels clicked on the pavement as she passed a slim, young man. She stopped abruptly, a fragile figure embraced by the intense, bloody redness of her 50s dress. She turned back, smiling and covering her mouth with the back of her right hand. A stream of joy hit her brain. It created memories and unravelled the impressions from the far, distant past.
“You look… older,” she murmured. She felt tears streaming down her cheeks. The flood of her emotions took her breath away.
“I’m twenty years old. You, on the other hand, you are just… you,” the man answered, his face lit up with a sheer happiness.
“Carmen and Ignacio have been good and loving parents to me,” she continued but in fact, she did not know what to say. Her parents were decent people and tried their best to love her. She did not want to start the most important conversation in her life now from complaining about her strict and religious upbringing so added, “I hope you’ve had a good life, too.”
“As a son of a single dad who makes a living by selling his art in Paris, my childhood was quite extraordinary... Do you think there is a purpose for us?”
“Yes. Definitely. I’d like to name her Yasmeen. Do you like this name, Imre?” she asked frivolously.
“We will talk about that later,” Imre said and paused as he saw the woman frowning” Ok, it’s a perfect name. Perfect, but now, Cherry Devita, now I am going to kiss you. And I will be kissing you until the end of the world.”
“That sounds wonderful!” Cherry put her arms around his neck and brushed his lips with hers, a sweet promise of their happiness. She ran her fingers through his hair and enjoyed the moment with all her being. “I like your new haircut. It’s nice and... short.”
Imre embraced her in a tight hug as if he wanted to erase all the bad memories and load the remaining space with his love. He was beaming as he bent his neck, his forehead resting on hers. His lips slid down and crushed down on hers. He lusted for her with a passion and wanted her for all eternity. Cherry inhaled him with all her senses. She could smell tiny traces of his spicy and fruity allure. It had somehow survived, a miniature remnant of his previous life.
"I woke up when I was eighteen. It was the anniversary of my death as Imre Szabolcsi. I started looking for you then,” Imre said, catching his breath. "Not an easy task for a human. But I knew I would find you. I could hear you calling. I never even looked at another girl, I couldn’t.”
“The girls you met must have been devastated,” Cherry said and smiled. Imre’s face clouded with disappointment. Cherry thought that his jealousy had been so sweet. “Imre, I’m a pure Varuh. We choose one person for eternity,” she added.
”I knew I would find you,” Imre repeated. His voice was like an echo. “But guess what. I did proper research, and I found no trace of me or my real father, Gyula Botond,” he continued, confident again.”He was a Prince, well documented in historical books. My real Hungarian family seem to be non-existent. Are we in heaven? Is it magic or a sweet dream?"
"We are in another dimension. This is a gift of Aaldir's twisted love for me,” Cherry said and drifted away in the ocean of her painful memories for a moment. She saddened. “I don’t know whether he was good or evil, probably both. And I don’t know why I don’t despise him. I was scared of dying there and not seeing you again. My worst nightmare would be to lose you again, Imre.”
“I’m here with you, Cherry,” Imre said.”That’s all that counts. And this Aaldir? He killed us and saved us. When you were dying there in the prison, Aaldir told me something. He said, ‘Do it so that I can help you both.’,” Imre murmured; he seemed to be confident but Cherry knew how painful the memories were for him.
“At the very last moment, he just wanted to be released from his eternal prison,” Cherry said.” He chose to love me. He gave you to me. He wanted to help me, by killing me.... And then you came. He left this message imprinted in my genes,” she paused, contemplating her words. “I don’t remember a lot. Just some scraps, but I know one thing for sure. You and I, Imre, are bound to be together; the guardian and her bodyguard. There are still the Opyri scattered in the universe and searching for me."
"So this is my destiny, to keep crazy women alive. What happened to Aaldir?”
"He is travelling as a pure consciousness through time and space to pursue his destiny,” Cherry explained. “The pure Varuh were freed from their duty and helped to create a new balance in their world. This is known to mankind as Atlantis. Those without wings developed a civilization. After a huge catastrophe, Atlantis vanished and its people embarked on a journey to settle in other worlds. The last remnants of pure love incorporated into the evolving Earth, mixing with its strong new energy. It became an imprint, a code of the world gone long ago, the memory of the Varuh. I saw those blurry images in the source but did not understand them then."
"What about this dimension?"
"I don't know yet,” she said and smiled.” I woke up just a few minutes ago. There are a lot of mysteries waiting to be uncovered. I’m still learning to be a Varuh in a human body. I’m so hopeless in comparison to the great, pure Varuh. Let's find out where we really are, but first I need to visit somebody."
"Birdie, I'm sure Madison is doing great. I did my job properly," Imre said. He seemed to be proud of himself but a minute later a tint of uncertainty shadowed his face. “Will y
ou be able to love me like this? As a normal human being? I’m different.”
"My sweet vampire, my sweet human, I must tell you something. I should have told you this long time ago. I love you. I love you with all my heart and I will love you for eternity. You are mine and I am yours." Looking straight into his eyes in order to send him all her feelings in one glance, she said, “Imre, you are a human so that we could have our daughter, our Yasmeen. This wasn’t about me or Aaldir, not entirely. This was about Yasmeen. She must survive.” She cupped his hand in hers and they started walking, side by side, together. Those twenty years without Imre seemed non-existent to Cherry. She felt as if they had just left Aaldir’s prison. All the emotions and desires reborn within her and she wanted Imre more than ever.
“I’m staying in the hotel nearby,” Imre said and drew her closer to him. “The room is nice and the bed is big and comfortable,” he whispered in her ear and kissed the nape of her neck.
“I want to walk with you for a moment,” she said.”And then I’m taking you to Westfad Manor. You said that the house was yours.”
“How are going to get rid of the Opyri, Birdie?”
“I will show you how our bond works, Imre. Can you feel how strong it is?”
“The bond helped me to find you. Now when I’m with you I know that we will always be together no matter what. Is this enough of walking?” he asked, irritated.
“Two minutes, Imre. That’s all I ask, two minutes of normal life. I want to walk like two normal people would walk together for two minutes. After, our life will be crazy again.”
