“No. I won’t. There will not be anyone if you don’t stay.” He could feel her getting weaker.
“Promise me, Elijah; find her.” Her eyelids dropped shut, as though just the effort of keeping them open had exhausted her.
It finally sank in, she was going to leave him; he was going to lose her.
“I promise, then! Do you hear me? I promise!” Elijah shook her and her eyes opened for another moment. He couldn’t let her die without her last wish.
“Always my prince.” She smiled. “Is the little girl still alive? Were you able to save her?” Elijah could see the pain in her eyes.
“Yes, she is fine.” He would say anything to help her be at peace.
“Thank you.” He saw a look of remorse lift from her eyes before she closed them again, for the last time.
Rain began to fall and he sat there beneath it, holding her, as he allowed the waters to hide his pain. The rain poured from a cloudless sky as if it were her last gift to him. He held her as he carefully recalled every beautiful moment they had shared, and regretted every moment they should have. It rained only long enough to hide his last tear, and then it stopped.
Elijah carried her into the forest outside of the city. He built a small pyre of found wood, an altar, and kissed her one last time. Before burning her body, Elijah pulled two silver deneros from his pouch and placed them in her mouth. This was not a custom of his ancestors, but his mother had once told him a story about the great love between Psyche and Cupid.
In the story, Psyche carried two coins with her into the underworld to pay the ferryman for a ride back across the River Styx and back into this world, so she could be with her true love. Elijah thought Sara must have been planning to find a way back to this world, because that was the only way he could ever find his princess, as she had made him promise he would do.
A deep, stinging pain set in at the center of his chest as he faced the fact that he had just lost the last person in this world he cared about, and who cared about him.
Despite what he had promised Sara, he knew that at least for the moment, revenge was the only thing he had left to live for.
He would find William and he would kill him, even if it took a thousand lifetimes.
Hassan of Alamut
1195 AD
“You must let go of your hate, it is the only way you will ever reach your full potential, and to do that you must be firmly grounded in hope. Hope will make you resolute; it will allow you to be steadfast and unshakable in your will. A tree with deep enough roots can grow tall in the most miserable of terrains.”
Chapter 13
Elijah scoured every city to the east and to the north, relentlessly hunting the men who had brutally murdered his loved ones, travelling until he reached the ocean on each side.
He learned much about the world beyond his narrow peasant existence as he traveled. He watched armies with men numbering in the thousands ruthlessly crush through much smaller forces, with not an ounce of mercy.
He learned how men fought over gods and religion, bringing war into his homeland and claiming it was their god’s will. Elijah no longer believed in the gods, not even Janus, the god of beginnings and endings. During times of war, the Romans would open the door to Janus’s temple as a symbolic gesture, and his image was worshipped at a small shrine not far from Elijah’s old home. He learned that men would use any excuse to take what they wanted.
He had seen much fighting, but had been careful not to get involved. On his way back north, he arrived at a city called Cordoba, where he saw a great force gathering and heard the people in the city cheering.
The Almohad caliph Yaqub al-Mansur was leading an army to retake the lands to the north; they would be marching towards Toledo in the morning. Elijah knew his father would stay as far away from the toils of men as he could, so Elijah decided to get ahead of the army and leave right away, since he was also headed toward Toledo.
When he reached the pass of Muradal, he saw a large group of men, most of them on foot, surrounding a handful of heavily armored men on horses. The armored men, who were now being forced to dismount, had crosses on the mantles covering their breastplates. The men on foot were also armored, but mostly in silk.
As Elijah approached, it occurred to him he was about to witness an execution. He watched as the men on horseback were shoved off their horses to the ground. He was reminded how much he hated wicked men who took lives without cause or mercy.
The landscape was narrow and cavernous. The Christian knights had clearly surrendered because they had no choice; there was nowhere to run. They had allowed themselves to be blocked in on both sides. Elijah thought it was a very stupid move for a group of mounted knights, or any group of soldiers for that matter, to take this route.
“What have these men done?” Elijah spoke in fluent Arabic. A few men pulled their swords, shocked at how silently he had appeared before them. They relaxed when they perceived an unarmed peasant, probably a local farmer.
“This is the business of the caliph. Now run along, boy.” The big man who seemed to be in charge sheathed his sword and turned back to his captives.
“Are you going to kill them?” Elijah pressed closer as he spoke.
“They are enemy spies; they deserve execution. Now leave this place, or I’ll count you among them.” The man had clearly styled himself as the one in charge. Elijah didn’t know what to do. He wanted to simply kill the man, but decided to give him a chance.
“Leave these men now, for they only serve loyally, as you do.” Elijah took another step forward.
“These men are criminals and will be executed,” he turned to his fellow soldiers. “Get this boy out of here.” Two men came at Elijah with swords. He countered in two swift moves, forcing their swords into each other’s chests; they dropped immediately. The leader turned and stared at the carnage, then at Elijah.
“Who are you?” The man’s eyes were still wide.
“I make you the same offer. Let them go or die.”
The large man tugged on his beard for a moment, as if to consider all that had just transpired. There were hints of awe, but there was no fear in his eyes. Suddenly one of the men who had been tied up on the ground broke his bindings and leapt towards the big man facing Elijah, his face disfigured as Sara’s had been, his mouth wide open to free his fangs.
Elijah jerked the two swords from the men who’d first attacked him and leapt to intercept the monster. He shoved one sword in the monster’s belly and sliced off its head with the other.
“Allah be merciful.” The big man now stood behind Elijah with his company of soldiers. The five other men who had been tied up also broke their bindings and rose to their feet, revealing their true nature. Elijah had made a grave mistake.
“This is a trap; you and your men need to get out of here now!” The monsters were all moving in to attack.
“I don’t think so. If it is God’s will for us to die here today, then so be it.” As the big man spoke, the men behind him all rushed into line without hesitation.
Are these men crazy? Elijah knew they stood no chance against these monsters. He turned for just a second to see the big man grin at his bewildered look.
Taking his time, the man bent over and scooped a handful of dry dirt into his hands. “It helps with the grip.” Just as he spoke, another vampire leapt forward. When the monster was nearly upon him, the man rose and pulled his sword in one quick and fluid motion. The vampire was parted from his head before he hit the ground. The other vampires began hurling themselves at Elijah and the men behind him.
Two of them came at Elijah. The vampire on his right swung his sword at Elijah’s neck, but Elijah caught the blade and yanked it from the monster’s grip. It then jumped on him but was barely able to bite through the flesh on his neck before Elijah grabbed his face and pushed him away, twisting and pulling on the monster’s chin until his neck ripped in two.
No mercy, then. The bite on his neck had reminded him of Sara. No one
would ever drink his blood again.
The vampire to Elijah’s left was smiling and hissing as he twirled his blade and thrust it forward. Elijah’s mind was still consumed with hatred and grief over Sara, but then he realized these vampires might know something about William. Without flinching, he allowed the monster’s sword to puncture his abdomen. Grabbing the vampire’s wrist, he pulled him closer, forcing the sword deeper. As the two came face to face, Elijah could see fear in the monster’s eyes.
“What are you?” Confusion eclipsed the vampire’s face.
Elijah smiled. He glanced behind him to note that his companions had sustained few losses; his big friend’s men had fared well. Now the only vampire left alive was the one holding the blade that pierced Elijah’s stomach.
“What do you know of a vampire named William?” Elijah demanded. The vampire tried to turn his head but couldn’t; his chin was now firmly in Elijah’s right hand. He tried to free his hand from the sword, but Elijah held tight. The vampire remained silent. “Talk! Now!” Elijah shouted as he twisted its head nearly off.
“His eyes glow blue,” Elijah shouted.
“As do all vampire lords’,” the monster replied. Elijah twisted a bit further.
“Yes, yes, I have heard that name when others speak of a master vampire, a vampire lord. I hear he is vicious and has much ambition. I heard he was going east towards Mesopotamia.”
The monster speaking to Elijah had diminished to a man once again. “What are you?” he asked again, almost pleading.
“What is a vampire lord?” Elijah pressed his thumb and fingers inward, between the vampire’s teeth, forcing its mouth to open. It finally nodded as blood flooded its throat, forcing it to gag.
“A vampire lord is born; he is made by God himself. He is not bitten.”
Elijah’s eyes widened, as he seemed to look straight through the now frail-looking being before him. The fog of rage dissipated, and his brows bent in disgust as he once again focused on the pitifully reduced monster in front of him.
“God,” he whispered as his eyes closed, opening again only narrowly.
“Yes, God. Now, tell me who you are, what you are.” The vampire spoke between clenched teeth.
“I am the reckoning.” Elijah pulled the sword from his own gut and threw the vampire to the ground.
The men surrounding him stood there with mouths agape and furrowed brows.
“You’re going to let him go?” The big man beside Elijah was wiping his blade clean with a piece of cloth as the vampire ran off into the desert.
“He’s not your enemy in this war; he is an enemy to us all. I can only hope he might lead my father to me. You don’t seem entirely surprised by what happened,” Elijah said as he watched the wound on his stomach heal.
“I have seen many things in my years as an Assassin. I have been sent from my home at Alamut to the corners of the earth to perform my duties.” The man was still wiping his blade as he spoke.
“Have you seen these things before?” Elijah asked, swinging his chin toward the vampire bodies.
“A few times; they are hard to kill. I have never seen one fight against the others as you do.” The man looked up from his blade and stared at Elijah.
“I am not one of them. I am something else. My name is Elijah.” The man seemed satisfied and did not press. “How is it that a mere man can kill such things?” Elijah picked up a sword at his feet.
“With that.” The man pointed to the sword in Elijah’s hand. “As an Assassin, I have trained since I was just a boy to master many weapons.”
At that moment Elijah realized he needed to become skilled in the use of weapons if he was to beat his father when they next met.
“Now, you tell me, how could one so blessed by God twinge and scoff at the sound of His name?” The man returned his blade to its scabbard and faced Elijah squarely.
“You tell me this, my learned and God-fearing Moor, how could a man who knows so much of the ways of God be so easily deceived? To see a blessing in the hollow eyes of a man who is cursed at his core is to have the eyes of a fool.”
The two stood face to face. A single spark could have ignited bloodshed.
“Teach me the sword.” Elijah spoke after a long silence; his expression was fierce.
“I have no time to teach you anything, and besides, it looks like you have all the tools you need.” The man looked down at the slain bodies lying at Elijah’s feet.
“Not where I’m going. I have a sworn duty, and without those skills, I might not be able to see it to its proper end.” Elijah held the big man’s stare.
“Very well.” The man looked around for a brief moment and then back at Elijah. “It seems you may have saved my life; assist me with my task tonight and I will train you to wield the short sword of an Assassin. With your natural abilities, it shouldn’t be as difficult.”
Elijah considered his words for a moment and then nodded.
“My name is Hassan. I am named for the great Lord of Alamut, Hassan-i Sabbah. Put these on.” Hassan pointed to the dead man’s clothes that lay at Elijah’s feet. “They will allow you to move freely while giving you a certain amount of protection.”
Elijah bent down and disrobed the dead Muslim soldier. “Where are we going?” Elijah frowned as he donned the dead man’s garbs.
“We are going to send a message.” Hassan instructed the other men to continue scouting the area for spies while he and Elijah rode towards Toledo on horseback.
“What about the rest of your men?” Elijah shouted as they galloped.
Hassan quickly halted and turned to Elijah. “Those are not my men.” Hassan’s tone was firm, if not agitated. “I am an Assassin; I work alone. I broke my journey to speak with the caliph before performing my mission, and he asked me to help these men catch a group of spies that had been seen roaming the paths outside of Cordoba.” Hassan stared at Elijah for a moment, as if he were reconsidering their arrangement, before putting heel to flank and thundering forward.
Chapter 14
It was night by the time the city came into view, illuminated by the faint glow of a crescent moon. Hassan said the moonlight made them vulnerable and insisted they leave their horses behind. Stealth and speed would be their primary weapons as they crawled toward the city wall.
Elijah watched from a distance while Hassan dispatched a lookout by sneaking up behind him and slicing his throat. He then motioned for Elijah to move forward. Elijah could hear roars coming from within the city walls.
“I can’t get to these lookouts without the sentries on the wall seeing me. I need you to take care of them. Leave your sword; just a dagger to the throat and then let them fall outside the wall.”
Elijah thought it sounded easy enough, but his mind was elsewhere.
“Hassan.” Elijah grabbed him hard by the arm to keep him from disappearing into the night. “Do you hear the cheers?” Elijah looked at Hassan and then at the wall.
“Of course I do. They are preparing for battle, to fight and die if necessary for their God.” Hassan jerked his arm free as Elijah’s grip loosened. “Now get to the wall!” Hassan pointed with his dagger.
“Those are the same sounds that were rising from Cordoba as I fled the city. A different language of course, but it sounded the same.” Elijah looked back towards Hassan.
“What is your point, Elijah?” Hassan was growing anxious; they didn’t have much time.
“How much land and wealth do these two gods need? What makes it worth sacrificing thousands of innocent lives, as well as the lives of the dedicated soldiers, who risk everything when they fight and bleed on the battlefield?” Elijah narrowed his eyes but continued to hold Hassan’s gaze.
“Elijah, you are a naïve boy; you know nothing of this. To die in the service of God is the greatest honor one can hope to achieve.” Hassan glanced down. “Now, we have to move!”
“When your side wins, will your God work the land, the limitless acres soaked with the blood of innocent far
mers? Will he tend to the livestock he stole from the starving children of innocent herdsmen? Christian, Muslim, there is no difference,” Elijah growled, willing the Assassin to listen. “These wars are fought to steal from those who are too weak to guard their own goods, and to kill anyone and everyone who stands in the way of what their leaders want—leaders who are not gods nor devils, but mere men, men who want far more than they need and infinitely more than they deserve.”
Elijah looked back towards the city wall. “I am going to help you with this assignment,” he continued, “but I want something to be clear. I am neither on your side nor on the side of your God. If the gods truly exist, they only bless you in the morning so they can curse you at night. I am not a good man, but I am obviously more blessed than you are when it comes to imagination, because I can think of many things worth far more than dying for a selfish god.” Elijah quietly pulled the dagger from his belt and disappeared into the darkness.
He raced towards the wall and scaled it effortlessly. He approached the first sentry with blinding speed and accidentally sliced off the man’s head. Luckily, he caught it just before it fell into the city. He was more careful as he sliced the throats of his next two victims, dropped them off the far side of the wall, and then jumped back down.
Scanning the scene, he saw Hassan had already taken care of all but one lookout. Excitement burst into his chest. Every life he took was a poor substitute for the lives he wanted to take; still, it helped to relieve some of his frustration.
Elijah looked at the dagger in his hand for a moment before sliding it into his belt. Rushing forward, he wrapped his arms around the last lookout’s chest and pulled his chin backwards until his head was separated from his body. Tension and frustration once again escaped Elijah’s body. His burning passion dulled as a slight calm flowed over him. He needed this.
Elijah saw shock and disdain on Hassan’s face as he approached.
Apotheosis of the Immortal Page 6
