“Why do you want me to wear a hor—” he began, but was quickly interrupted.
“I love you too, Elijah.” She finished tying the bracelet around his wrist and then folded his big hand inside of hers. “The past years of my life were miserable without you. I can’t be apart from you again, and this will ensure that.” She shifted her eyes up to his face, and then looked back down at the bracelet.
“We will be tethered together for all of eternity, as long as we wear these bracelets; so don’t lose yours! The man said that the strength of two tethered horses was far more than just the sum of their independent strengths. So, the way I see it, as long as we wear these bracelets, we remain tethered together… and as long as we remain tethered, there is no burden we can’t bear. And no one, not even your father, will ever be able to harm us again.”
Letting go of his hand, she fell into his embrace and gently propped her chin on his rain-soaked shoulder. “I don’t know if anything that man said is true, Elijah, but I do know that nothing makes me feel safer or stronger than being with you.” She had pressed her face against his ear as she whispered through the pouring rain.
Elijah gently pushed her back and placed a hand on each side of her face as he gently kissed her lips. He loved her more than life, and he knew she was right. Together they could do anything, perhaps even move on and leave this mess behind them. Feelings of hope and peace moved freely through his mind and body for the first time since his family was butchered.
He had no idea why Sara believed in him so strongly, but it filled him with strength and courage. He realized he had much more than just hate and revenge to live for. He had Sara. He had love, and he would protect her at all costs.
With her eyes closed, Sara stood breathless for a moment. Slowly opening her eyes, she caught Elijah’s gaze and smiled. Then she took a couple steps back and threw her arms in the air as she began to spin.
“Dance with me, Elijah!” She shouted. It had been years since he had danced. He had been with Sara then, too, and it had been raining just as hard. After a still moment of quiet reflection, Elijah took her hand and the pair danced beneath the rain.
Chapter 10
“That was a lot of fun.” The shower had finally subsided, and the sun hovered directly overhead. The two sat under a tree just outside of the city. Elijah was peeling an orange.
“That looks good. I miss real food.” Sara scrunched her nose and poked a stick into the ground.
“Here, try it.” Holding what was left of the orange, Elijah reached out his hand.
“No. Even the smell makes me sick.” She pushed his hand back as she spoke. Taking the last bite, he threw what was left of the peel on the ground and wiped his hands together.
“How far did you say it was to Granada?” He was still chewing his food. He knew the distance, but was trying to get her to think about something else.
“Well, it would usually take at least a few days, but I think we could be there before nightfall.” She grinned broadly. Since finding peace in each other, they were both having fun exploring the extent of their new powers.
“I hope you can keep up, because I’m going to be leaping across the tree tops!” Elijah pushed to his feet and off the ground in one swift motion. He landed on a large tree limb several yards above where he had been sitting. “Come on up. The view is great.” He extended his hand.
“Not right now.” Rising up from the rock where she had been sitting, she stood and crossed her arms. Elijah noticed she was no longer smiling.
“What’s wrong, Sara?” Elijah dropped from his position on the tree to stand right in front of her with his hand resting on the side of her neck.
“Elijah.” She lifted her head and looked him in the eye. “What if we can’t find a way to fix me? What if there is no way? What if I have to remain a monster forever?” She spoke with her eyes closed as a single tear rolled down her cheek.
“Sara, you are not a monster. You just need blood, and you can get that from me. Even if we can’t find a way to change you, you won’t have to hurt anyone anymore. You are not a monster.” He stopped speaking for a moment and wiped the tear from her face. “If you were really a monster you couldn’t control your hunger the way you do; you wouldn’t care to.” As he finished speaking he pulled her to him and held her for a few moments.
“Better now?” he asked, gently easing her away.
“You don’t need blood; why do you not need blood?” She looked and sounded frustrated. “Perhaps it has something to do with who we were before all of this.” She looked down for a moment and then stared directly into his eyes.
“Sara, you are not evil, and this is not your fault. I don’t understand the differences between us either, but if it was as you suggest, then everything would be reversed.” He gently rubbed the hair above her ear. “You have always been a good person, better than me.” Elijah smiled. “Are you okay now? Can we go?”
“Yes, I’m fine.” She leaned in to hug him once more. “I guess we should go if we are to have any chance of finding William.” She was still pressed against him while she spoke.
“All right; come on.” He took her arm and gently tugged her towards the path. They ran hard, hoping they might find William and Solomon in Granada. They ran through the forest, taking care to stay a good distance from the road. They couldn’t risk being seen.
Chapter 11
They stepped through the city gates just as night fell. Since there was no one in sight, it was obvious that something wasn’t right.
“My father must be close,” Elijah whispered as his eyes scanned their surroundings. It wasn’t hard to spot the mosque; it was even larger and more elaborate than the one in Jaen.
“Wait here.” Elijah turned to Sara as they reached the foot of the stairs leading up to the mosque. “I’ll be right back.” He kissed her cheek and tucked her into a crevice beside the stairwell before starting up the steps.
“No!” Elijah heard someone cry out from the other side of the city.
“Did you hear that?” He peered down at Sara from the top of the stairwell.
“Yes, and I smell it too!” She quickly looked back down at the ground.
“What do you mean?” He was back at her side in an instant.
“I smell the blood; lots of it.” She pointed in the direction of the scream.
“Is that what that smell is?” Elijah had noticed an unusually strong stench, but hadn’t realized what it was.
“Maybe we should just go.” Sara was still staring at the ground.
“Why would we do that? Our answers are here, and we might be able to help those people. Come on.” He tugged at her arm, but she wouldn’t budge. “Don’t be afraid, Sara; I won’t let them hurt you again.”
She still didn’t move. “It’s not that Elijah; I just want to leave… please.” Her voice was quiet but insistent.
“Why? What is wrong? Look at me, Sara.” He could feel the change as soon as he touched her face. Tensed muscle and bulging veins had replaced the usual soft curves. “Sara.” He spoke softly as he cupped her chin in his hand and slowly forced it up. The moonlight revealed everything.
“You are not going to hurt anyone, Sara,” he reassured her. “You are not like them.”
“I’m afraid, Elijah!” She stepped closer and pressed her face against his chest. “You don’t know what it’s like.”
“Maybe not.” He wrapped his arms around her. “But I do know you, Sara. Please trust me. You can handle it. We need to do this.” He cradled her face with his hands and stared down into her crimson, pulsating eyes.
“Okay,” she whispered.
Elijah could still sense her fear; he could hear the reluctance in her voice, but he believed she was strong enough to get through it. Besides, this was the only chance they had to find a cure for what ailed her.
As the two grew closer to the stench they began to see more and more signs of William’s malevolence and ferocity. Bodies and bits of bodies littered the streets.
“There!” Elijah pointed as he saw movement in the distance. “Did you see that?” He received only silence. “Sara?” He looked back to see her standing immobile, seeming to be in a trance as she stared down at the bodies and blood. “Sara!” He shook her and her head snapped up quickly, her teeth bared.
“Sorry.” She closed her mouth.
“You have no need to apologize; come on.” He took her hand and they rushed forward. A monstrous figure resembling William was revealed as a body fell to the ground in front of them. His face was disfigured like Sara’s.
Elijah closed his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. Visions of William snapping Malaki’s neck flashed vividly and relentlessly in his mind; hatred and rage began to stir once again in his gut.
“Father!” he roared as William looked up.
“What? How is it that you are here, Son?” Elijah could see his father’s new eyes flickering with a mixture of excitement and confusion, almost as if Elijah was the last person in the world he had expected to see. His father’s eyes were bright, almost glowing, but not in the same way as Sara’s. They radiated a rich, sweltering light that burned in small blue circles around his pupils. Elijah turned his attention to the burly man standing beside William, but Solomon was nowhere in sight.
“Let her go.” Elijah stalked forward as William grabbed a small girl from the other man’s arms.
“Why? You want her?” William held his arm under the girl’s neck and cocked his head, pressing his chin against the side of her head. He looked at Elijah and then at Sara, who was trying to hide her face. “I can see that she does, but you? You are controlling yourself quite well. Don’t fight it, Son.”
William cut the girl’s neck slightly with his claw as he shoved her to the ground. Elijah helped her up from where she’d fallen and moved her to safety behind him, keeping himself between her and William.
“What is it you want?” William threw his hands in the air.
“What I want is to rip the spine from your back, but I will settle for answers. I need to know how to help Sara, how to cure her. If you help her, I will let you live; I will forget about you.” Elijah cracked his neck and rolled his shoulders back. The frenzy of emotion erupting within him was expanding, moving outward to his fingertips as he stretched his fingers before clenching them into fists.
“You are going to make demands of me?” William laughed raucously. “You always were such an arrogant little shit.” Spittle flew from his mouth as he shouted.
“Tell me, Father,” Elijah repeated.
“I have already helped her. I have transformed her into a goddess, and there is no cure for that.” William stepped backwards, towards the side of a building. “I know you are angry with me, Son, but we are the same now, you and I, and I am delighted to see you are alive.” Again, Elijah could see an awestruck confusion in his eyes.
“Angry?” Elijah forced a laugh. “We are not the same; we are nothing alike.”
“Ahh!” Elijah looked back towards the sound to see Sara chewing and sucking on the child’s neck.
“No!” Elijah rushed over, grabbed Sara by the arm, and jerked her away from the girl. She whirled and jumped on Elijah, nearly knocking him to the ground. He grabbed her by the neck and slammed her head against the brick wall beside them, again and again, until she fell unconscious.
“I have no answers for you, Son,” William continued lazily, as if nothing had just happened, “but I will let you live. Come with me, and I will show you a whole new world. I have great plans, and I will let the two of you be a part of it. You are one of us, now, and if you do not indulge, you will not survive.”
The bright glow in his father’s eyes pushed Elijah further into the storm of rage threatening to consume him. Those eyes weren’t like Sara’s; they were actually glowing bright blue. He looked over at the big man standing beside his father; his eyes suddenly filled with blue sparks that grew together and burned as one, just as bright as William’s.
He could feel his mother’s pendant resting against his chest, and it triggered visions of her mutilated corpse that flashed through his mind. He closed his eyes; his pulse began to race faster and faster. All of this was his father’s fault; Sara was his father’s fault.
Even with his eyes closed he could feel William watching his every move, the wringing of his hands, the grinding of his teeth… waiting.
“Don’t be foolish, Son,” William warned. “You have made it this far, don’t test your luck. It will not end well for you.”
Elijah opened his eyes and launched himself at William. In an instant, his right arm was wrapped tightly around William’s waist and his shoulder rammed hard against his abdomen. He lifted his father’s feet off of the ground as he continued to push forward until they crashed into the wall at William’s back. Part of the wall crumbled around William as Elijah quickly pulled away and kicked his father the rest of the way through.
William pushed himself up and fastidiously tugged at the sleeves of his tunic. Moving like lightning, he pulled a dagger from his belt and swung it at Elijah’s throat. Elijah leaned back to avoid the blow, but was met with a hard backhand to the face as William quickly spun. Elijah slammed his right heel into William’s side, forcing him to crash into the wall once again.
“I’m impressed.” William smiled and turned back to him, pointing at Elijah with his dagger. “You must have fed!”
“I told you, I am nothing like you.” Elijah turned his head slightly and spat blood on the ground.
“Liar!” William lunged at Elijah’s chest with his dagger.
Elijah twisted to his left and grabbed William’s wrist as the dagger grazed him just beneath the collarbone. With his other hand, Elijah tightened his fingers around William’s neck and lifted him off the ground.
Elijah’s grip tightened as he leaned forward and slammed William’s head and back hard against the ground while continuing to squeeze his neck. His anger once again narrowed his view as he kept his eyes focused on William’s, waiting to see the life extinguish within them.
Taking advantage of Elijah’s rage, William struck him hard with his left fist, first against his ribs and then his jaw. The second blow rattled Elijah and knocked him off balance, causing him to loosen his grip around William’s throat. William quickly jumped to his feet and kicked Elijah in the face, knocking him from his knees to his back.
William fell on top of him with his blade, forcing it into his stomach and then jabbing it through the side of his neck, where he held it.
“I’m not that impressed,” William whispered into Elijah’s ear, keeping his weight on his chest. He used the blade in Elijah’s neck to twist his head to the side, bringing Sara into view. “I’m not going to kill you,” he said cheerfully, “not this time, but I can’t help what happens to her.”
Elijah struggled to move, but was pinned down hard. He had lost a lot of blood and his father was simply too strong.
Sara was awake now, and clutched tightly in the burly man’s grip.
“No, please,” Elijah begged.
“I’m sorry, Son, but I have to teach you a lesson.” William nodded towards the big man, who pulled a large knife from the leather strap on his side.
“Elijah!” He heard Sara shriek his name in agony as the man began carving her with his knife. Suddenly, a sharp pain in Elijah’s neck caused the world to disappear around him.
Chapter 12
A stinging pain radiated throughout Elijah’s neck and he thought his head might explode. Pushing to his feet, Elijah suddenly remembered where he was and what had happened.
“Sara!” he yelled at the top of his lungs, but heard no response. He looked all around. He didn’t see her anywhere, but he saw the little girl. Dead. Elijah knelt down and closed her eyes.
“Elijah.” He heard a faint call from the other side of the building. Elijah ran past the ruined wall and saw Sara lying a few yards away. Her body had been carved up everywhere. There was an especially deep gash in he
r neck, but she was scarcely bleeding. His heart sank as he realized she must already have bled out.
Her eyes opened as he dropped to his knees next to her. I can still save her! I must. Tears sprang to his eyes as he tore his teeth through his wrist and gently lifted her head to drink.
“No.” Her voice was barely a whisper, and she didn’t seem to have much strength left, but Elijah could feel her pulling away.
“You have to drink, Sara!” Elijah pressed his wrist to her mouth again.
“No, Elijah.” She turned her head and spit out the small amount of blood that had trickled into her mouth. “I don’t want to live if I have to be like this. Please, Elijah.” She tried to spit again, but barely had the strength to lift her head.
“This isn’t your fault, love; you can learn to control it.” Elijah gently lifted her head onto his lap. “Let me help you.”
“You already have, Elijah, so many times.”
He wiped his own tears from her cheek.
“I waited for you to come.” She opened her hand. “I want you to take this.” It was her bracelet. “I need you to know that it’s not your job to avenge me, or your family.”
Elijah stifled a sob and looked away.
“Promise me you will leave all of this behind you, that you will forget about revenge. Don’t let this turn you into someone you are not. Promise me you will remain the prince you have always been.”
Tears continued to streak down his face as he once again looked away. How could he promise her such things?
“Please, Elijah.” Her hand brushed softly against his face. “Give this to her when you find her.”
He could see the bracelet hanging from her thumb, and he reluctantly took it.
“Give it to who?” Elijah sobbed.
“Promise me, Elijah! Promise me you will find your princess and you will give the bracelet to her.”
Apotheosis of the Immortal Page 5
