“Wow,” she said, sipping from her thermos. “Sorry your parents were killed. You have a real fucked up view of parent-child relationships.”
“This is not a joke. I know it’s easier for you to joke about these things. It’s a pattern you fall into when you’re not willing to see the truth in something.”
“Oh, because you know me so well. Thanks, Sigmund Freud. Maybe you can help diagnose the complex I have about my mother being murdered, too. Do you charge by the hour?”
Reluctantly, he smiled. Although her joking was a pain in the ass, she was pretty damn funny. He supposed he could use a bit more humor in his life. “See, you always go there. Don’t get me wrong, the comic relief is nice, but it holds you back from seeing the truth.”
She sighed and lifted her head to look at the trees above. “What do you want me to say? That I believe my father’s going to fuck me over? Even if I did believe it, I would never admit it to you, my greatest enemy on the damn planet.”
Sathan regarded her in the firelight. Her eyelashes were so long and seemed to turn white right at the end. Rosy cheeks, warmed by the fire, bookended her soft, pink lips. “Are we still such great enemies? Even after I helped you retrieve the Blade? Surely that has to count for something.”
“What will you do when I return to my compound and you return to yours? Will you continue to hunt my people?”
“That depends,” he said softly. “Will you continue to bank blood for us? Will your father allow that?”
Miranda’s eyes dropped and he could see her brain struggling to find a scenario where the answer was ‘yes’. Unfortunately, they both knew that would never be the case. “I don’t know.”
“Yes, you do. You and I both know that he is intent on dragging out this war until one or both of our species are extinct.”
“Well, what would you have me do? Align with you?” she asked angrily. “Do you think my people would just accept it if I stood up and announced ‘Oh, hey everybody, it’s me, your princess. We’re gonna become besties with the species who have hunted and murdered us for a thousand years. Yay’?” She shook her hands in the air as if she was cheering at a football game.
Sathan shook his head. “If you said it like that then, no, I’m pretty sure people wouldn’t take kindly to it.”
“What you’re asking of me is impossible. I want to end the fighting as badly as you do but the damage is too deep. I don’t see how our people can ever be allies again. I think the best we can hope for is to live separately and peacefully for eternity.”
“And who will fight the Deamons? Surely someone will rise to take Crimeous’ place if you succeed in killing him.” An unreadable flash washed over her face, as if he had stumbled upon something he shouldn’t know, but it was just as quickly gone. “Are you aware of plans that someone has to overtake the Deamon kingdom?”
“Of course not,” she said, waiving off his suggestion. “But I think you’re living in la-la land if you think that Slayers and Vampyres will align their armies to fight the Deamons.”
“Look at us. We’re getting along.” He laughed at the sardonic look she gave him. “Seriously. We’ve succeeded on this mission beautifully.”
“Because I’m holding your sister hostage.”
“I don’t really like her anyway,” he joked, shrugging his shoulders.
“Stop it,” she said, punching his upper arm.
“Easy there, killer,” he said, happy that her anger had evaporated slightly. This woman really did ride a roller coaster of emotions. He wondered how she had the stamina. “It’s been an honor getting to know you on this journey. Regardless of our people’s past transgressions against each other, I feel that you and I have similar goals. We both want our people to be happy and free. If we had the courage, we could align together to accomplish that goal. Two armies working together will always be better than one.”
She sighed, long and sad, and shook her head. “I just don’t see how it could work now. My father will need time to come around. Perhaps once I kill Crimeous and change the way he sees me…but until then, I can’t offer to align with you. To do so under false pretenses wouldn’t be truthful and I at least owe you honesty for helping me free the Blade. Oh, and for the great vodka.” With a broad grin, she took another sip.
Honesty. Loyalty. Freedom. These were lofty goals to aspire to and this woman embodied them all. Admiration swam through him and he knew he had chosen the right ally. He also knew that her father would do as he’d said and forbid her to attack Crimeous. Hopefully this conversation would open the door to her asking for help when that happened. The future happiness of his people depended on it.
Deciding he’d pushed her hard enough for one night, he decided to change the subject to something lighter. “So, Metallica, huh?”
“Hell yeah. They’re fucking awesome.”
“How in the heck did you get into human music? They’re heathens.”
“Of course they are, but they make some damn fine music. As I’m always telling Ken, one day you’ll all come around and realize the awesomeness of Enter Sandman.”
Sathan laughed and shook his head. “I don’t think so. I just can’t get over the human thing. Do you know that Etherya told me that in one of the parallel universes there was a planet similar to our Earth where humans were the dominant species?”
“Yes,” Miranda said, excited. “Our soothsayers told me the same! How is that even possible? Humans are absolute morons. They think that Vampyres live in the shadows and can be killed with garlic and crosses. And that they drink the blood of humans just for fun and sport. Can you imagine such a thing? Drinking human blood? Ew.”
“Humans also believe that Vampyres have no reflection. How would I comb my beautiful hair in the morning?” he joked, running his hand over his thick black hair.
“Okay, Romeo,” she said, snickering with him. “It’s all so absurd. And what about the Slayers? Humans think they’re teenage girls with names like Buffy and Willow. What the hell? They relegated an entire species to sixteen-year old girls?”
“It is farcical, to say the least,” he said, enjoying the ease of their conversation. “I wonder what they think about Deamons?”
“Who knows? At this rate they could be the rulers of the planet!” They both erupted in laughter and spent the rest of the hour coming up with even crazier scenarios. As Sathan drifted off that night beside his brother he realized that it was the first time he had ever laughed that hard with a woman.
Chapter 15
In the Deamon caves, the mood was quite a bit darker. Darkrip stood in his father’s study and watched him flip his desk over, as if it were weightless, in a fit of rage. “Why didn’t she didn’t kill him?” the Deamon Lord screamed. Spittle flew from his mouth and muscles corded tight as strings under the pasty skin of his long neck.
“She pulled the Blade and attempted to, but he was too quick. He knocked her unconscious and fled the cave with her.”
“She’s so fucking weak,” his father said, his beady eyes narrowing.
“Yes,” Darkrip said, trying to disguise his hatred. It would do no good to undo centuries of gaining his father’s trust just to lose it now. He had worked too hard and sacrificed too many years for that.
Crimeous sighed and rubbed his hand on his forehead. Long fingers stretched into pointed claws; he truly was repulsive. “Fine. At this point we must mount an attack on one of the compounds. I’m wondering which one is more vulnerable. Astaria because the king is absent or Uteria because the Slayers have let their defenses down.”
“It is my opinion that we should attack Restia,” Darkrip said.
His father’s head snapped up, angry. “A satellite compound? That would never send a strong enough message. Why are you suggesting this?”
Darkrip shrugged. “It would send a message that we’re coming for every angle of the Slayers’ existence. The Vampyres only ever attack Uteria. If we attack a less fortified compound our chances of success are greater.”
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Crimeous mulled over his son’s idea. “It is true that they don’t fortify Restia as well, although the gate is heavily guarded.”
“If I lead the attack I can assure that their guards are disabled quickly.”
The Dark Lord arched a thin eyebrow, surprised. “Your initiative is encouraging, my son. I had wondered when you were young if you had the strength to be a great leader. I see that you are embracing your evil more and more each day. It makes me proud.”
Darkrip struggled to tamp down the bile that bubbled in his throat from his father’s compliment. “Thank you. I would like to get to work on an attack plan. It would be best to attack at night, possibly tomorrow evening if we can rally the troops.”
“So be it,” his father said with a nod. “I’ll give you a hundred soldiers. Kenden’s troops will surely kill them all but our men should be able to cause many mass casualties before that happens.”
So little regard this ruler had for his people. A hundred men that he was sending to their sure death. How did one become so evil?
“I will report back before we depart.” Bowing to his king, he turned and left the chamber. He had some planning to do if he was going to manipulate this attack to his will.
* * * *
Lila and Heden sat in the basement of the castle at Astaria in what they lovingly called the “tech room.” Heden, being a super geek of giant proportions, and Lila, who was fascinated with helping him succeed in his endeavors, usually found themselves here plotting their new ideas.
“I’m so excited for these tunnels,” Lila said, pointing to the schematics on the large flat-screen in front of them.
“Totally,” Heden said, typing something on the keyboard. “Look at this.” He lifted his hand to point at the screen. “The high-speed underground rail will be able to get from Astaria to any of the three satellite compounds in under thirty minutes. We’ll be connected like never before.”
“You’re a genius!” she said, smiling broadly at him.
“Damn, Lila, when you smile at me like that it makes me want to murder my brother so that I can whisk you away and bond with you myself. Is that treason?” he asked, rubbing his goateed chin as he contemplated.
“Stop it,” she said, slapping him playfully on his chest. He truly was one of her favorite people on the entire planet. He popped a Starburst into his mouth and chewed as he proceeded to furiously type and stare at the screen. Lila observed the thick, corded muscles of his neck which sloped into a wide chest and thick build. The goatee had appeared a few centuries ago and although his brothers mocked him for it, Lila thought it was quite cute.
The royal siblings all shared similar features: dark black hair, ice-blue eyes (except for Sathan’s irises, which were pitch black for some unexplained reason), strong bone structures, angular noses. Heden, Arderin and Sathan all shared their thick, wavy hair. Only Latimus’ raven hair was straight and long, stopping just before his shoulders. He always secured it with a leather strap so that it formed a tiny tail at the back of his head. Lila had witnessed many a jibing session between Heden and Latimus where they debated which was worse: Latimus’ ponytail or Heden’s goatee. Not surprisingly, Latimus usually won. Mostly likely because his hand always seemed to end up squeezing Heden’s throat before the youngest sibling could laughingly call mercy. It was all in good fun though, as Lila had never seen a stronger bond between siblings than the royal Vampyres.
She had longed for a sibling as a child. Some sort of companion she could share her innermost thoughts with. Latimus had been her best childhood friend and he had secured that spot in her heart for a few precious years. But responsibilities and duties could ruin even the strongest of friendships if they took precedent in one’s life. Perhaps she was partly to blame for Latimus’ dislike of her, as she had wanted so badly to be the perfect betrothed to the king that she lost focus on anything else.
“Hey, buttercup,” Heden said, chucking her on the chin. “You look sad.”
Smiling, she shook her head. “It’s nothing. What else can I do to help you here?”
“The schematics are done, thank the goddess. Next will be the tunnel construction, which will take about a year if we assign a good deal of men to it. When we’ll really need you is for the roll-out of the trains. Our people aren’t exactly early adopters and getting them to trust our underground railway won’t be an easy task. Luckily, your diplomatic skills will save the day. As you ride the rail with the governors of each compound, do press conferences and engage our people, you’ll become the face of the railway. So exciting. You’re like our very own Kate Middleton. Or Princess Diana, if we’re sticking with the same hair color.”
Lila flipped her waist-long, platinum blond hair over her shoulder. “My hair is my best feature.”
“Um, I’m not sure if you’ve looked in a mirror lately, but every feature is your best feature, sweetie. I feel bad for other women of our realm. Sathan’s a damn lucky man.”
Lila grinned shyly, thanking him in her own silent way. She had no idea why people found her so beautiful. Her coloring was very rare for a Vampyre. As a child she’d been told that her hair would change from it’s almost platinum-blond color as she matured, but unfortunately when she went through her change in her early-thirties it was still there. Most Vampyres had light eyes and dark hair and she had always felt awkward. Deciding that she might as well go with it, she had grown out her hair until it fell long and wavy to her waist. The length, if not the color, was something that she could control. Her eyes were strange too, as they were a shade of deep lavender that she had never seen on a Vampyre or any other species for that matter. When she was young the other children would make fun of her and call her “ugly eyes.” Latimus had always stood up for her, defending her honor. But that was a lifetime ago. She had no idea why, after so many centuries, the memories were still there, just as vivid.
Normal, average features made up the rest of her face. With her Vampyre-pale skin she sometimes thought she looked like one of the human ghosts that were depicted in their movies. But for whatever reason, Heden always told her she was attractive. And she loved him all the more for that. Over the years he had become her best friend, besides Arderin, and her confidant as well. Not wanting to bother Sathan with trivial matters, she usually went to one of them if she needed anything, which was rare.
As a child of the aristocracy, founded long before the Awakening, she was raised that duty was the number one aspiration of her life. Duty to the realm, to the king, were priorities above all others. At all times she must speak in a pleasant manner, strive to perfection and do her best to bring peace to the realm. Due to this, she was extremely excited to be the ambassador for the new rail system. Harmoniously joining the compounds together would be the culmination of a thousand years of rearing and training. She was ready.
Standing, she squeezed Heden’s shoulder. “I’m going to head to my chamber. It’s almost daylight—”
A loud noise from the hallway outside the tech room caused her to pause. She thought she heard a woman calling her name.
“Did you hear?” she asked.
“Yeah,” Heden said, standing.
Then they were both running from the room, up the stairs, to the main foyer of the Vampyre castle. The black and white tiled floor of the foyer glistened under the light of the massive chandelier and they ran past the large, carpeted spiral staircase. They both stopped short in surprise.
“I’m home,” Arderin said, her arms outstretched as tears ran down her face.
“Arderin!” they both called, running to her and embracing in a massive group hug.
“How did you…when did you…what happened?” Heden asked, running his hands over her wet cheeks, happiness glowing in his blue eyes. “We were so worried.”
“I know,” she said, nodding and wiping mucus from her nose on the sleeve of the blue dress she had been wearing all those nights ago when she had disappeared. To Lila, it seemed an eternity ago. “I escaped.”
&nbs
p; “I’ll be damned,” Heden said with wonder, giving her another big hug. “Don’t fuck with my sister! Those Slayers should’ve known!”
Arderin laughed. “They should’ve. I missed you guys so much.”
Lila hugged her once more and took her hand. “Come, let’s get you out of this dress and into a warm shower.” Leaning closer, she whispered into her ear, “They didn’t hurt you, did they?”
“No,” Arderin said, smiling at Lila through her tears. “I’m fine. But yes, I need to get out of this fucking dress. For the love of the goddess, I just need a shower and some sweatpants right now.”
Lila laughed and pulled her friend toward the large staircase. “Let’s get you cleaned up. Heden, go prepare some Slayer blood for her. We’ll be back down within the hour. I can’t wait to hear the whole story.”
Lila’s heart was full as she led her friend up the stairs. Taking care of people was her highest honor. Taking care of Arderin, whom she loved dearly, was the highlight of her year.
Chapter 16
The next two nights’ hike back to the Hummer were uneventful. Once they reached the vehicle, they drove back to the mouth of the Portal of Mithos, choosing to camp there for the day.
Miranda noticed a thick tension between the Vampyre brothers and did her best to steer clear.
The next evening’s journey back through the foothills of the Strok Mountains was easier than the first pass had been and they all found themselves camping under a thick canopy at daylight, knowing that the next night’s journey would be their last together.
Sitting by the fire that he had built, Latimus took three thermos cups and divided the last of the Scotch between them. “To a successful mission,” he said, lifting his cup.
“To a successful mission,” Sathan and Miranda repeated and they all clinked their cups together.
“So, now that you have the Blade, what is your plan of attack? Will you storm Crimeous at the Deamon Caves?” Latimus asked.
The End of Hatred Page 13
