“Sit down.” Hulagu Khan pulled out Elijah’s chair as he walked past it to the other side of the table and sat down. “We have an agreement. You need to remember, you need me as much as I need you.”
He stared at Elijah for some form of acknowledgment, but Elijah didn’t move; he didn’t say a word. Seeing Hassan tied up had made him regret his decision, but what could he do now? His mind raced as he considered his options and chose his next words with great care. Elijah knew Hassan would be safe for now; they wouldn’t risk hurting him while Elijah was alone with the Khan.
“The man you nearly killed out there is one of my generals; his name is Baiju. I’m sure you can understand why I can’t allow you to disrespect one of my generals.” The Khan narrowed his eyes as he stared at Elijah. “Especially in front of my men.” He leaned his head back and rubbed his temples. Elijah remained silent. “Do you understand?” He slammed his hands on the table.
Fury erupted in Elijah’s mind and erased his caution. The answer was obvious; he could use the Khan for leverage as he walked Hassan to safety, but he would have to be willing to give up finding William, at least for now.
“And I won’t tolerate anyone beating my friend while he is tied up!” Elijah shouted as he leaned over the table. “Leave him untied, and you may beat on him all you like, or you and your generals can at least attempt to do so.” Elijah sat back in his chair and slightly lowered his head, holding the Khan’s stare. The Khan smiled.
“The man in the mask is named Roman. He was sent here by William, for my protection. He will also be charged with making sure you behave.” The Khan’s smile widened as he wagged his finger at Elijah.
“Then you’d better hope he’s behaving, or we’ll find him a few inches shorter when we step out of this tent.” Elijah pushed his chair back and stood up.
“You really think your friend out there would stand a chance against the vampire William sent to protect me from you? I don’t even know if you could fare well in a battle with Roman. I have been assured he is strong enough to protect me. Among the vampires in this army, he is second only to William.” The Khan pulled out a jug of wine and poured two cups.
“You don’t know my friend.” Elijah lifted his eyebrows and pushed his now empty cup against the table as he considered the Khan’s words. “What about Solomon? Is he not second to William?”
Elijah narrowed his eyes as he leaned against the table. He tried to imagine why his father would trust someone above Solomon, or why Solomon might not be as strong. Perhaps William had killed Solomon; Solomon hadn’t been there the last time Elijah had seen William.
“Do you know of Solomon?” Elijah asked, narrowing his eyes further. The Khan seemed disinterested.
“I have heard William speak of him, but I don’t know where he stands among them. I have never met him.” The Khan quickly blinked his eyes; he seemed to be trying to gather himself.
“But he is alive?” Elijah asked.
“Yes, as far as I know. How, exactly, do you know so much?” He gulped down one cup of wine as he offered the other to Elijah; Elijah quickly shook his head and the Khan sat it on the table. “How are you connected to them?”
“That is not of concern. What is of concern is what I am to do now that I know you cannot be trusted to honor the terms of or arrangement.” Elijah walked to the side of the table. He wasn’t sure there was a way out his situation that left both Hassan and the Khan alive.
“Elijah, this doesn’t have to be difficult. We can get along and make this as pleasant as possible, but I will not allow you, or anyone, to question my authority by disobeying or challenging my generals.”
Elijah nodded; perhaps the Khan hadn’t ordered that Hassan be bound and treated badly. “But it wasn’t I who went back on my word. You agreed they would not be prisoners, and then you marched my friends up here like common slaves. We have an agreement, but if you expect me to keep my word, then you had better do the same.” Elijah grabbed an apricot from the Khan’s table, and then a few more.
“You are correct. I apologize; I will speak with all of my generals tonight. This kind of mistake will not occur again, I assure you.” The Khan lifted the other cup from the table and downed its contents.
“Then you didn’t order that they be bound and humiliated?” Elijah asked, sounding disinterested, before taking a bite of apricot.
“Of course not. I had no idea.” The Khan’s brows furrowed as he stood up and poured another drink. Elijah watched him for a moment. Maybe there was a way out of this. He nodded as he turned and left the tent.
“Here.” Elijah handed an apricot to Hassan and one to the imam.
“Elijah!” The Khan rushed out behind him. “I need to speak to your imam.” The Khan stepped towards the imam while Elijah kept his eyes on the man in the mask. Those eyes were haunting him. They weren’t William’s, but could they be those of the burly man who had carried Malaki down the stairs and delivered him to his death?
Roman. He mused. The name didn’t bring anything to mind. Why the mask? What else could they be hiding?
Elijah wasn’t afraid of the giant, but he couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling of familiarity that seemed to crawl up his spine every time he saw the man’s eyes begin to burn as William’s had. The conspicuous change in the Khan’s confidence and demeanor when the masked monster was around convinced Elijah that Roman wasn’t just another vampire lord; he was definitely something more.
“I need you to send a message to Alamut and instruct them to surrender peacefully.” The Khan extended the bowl of fruit in his hand towards the imam, who retrieved an orange. “Then, when we arrive, I will be able to keep my word to our friend here,” the Khan gestured towards Elijah, “and allow them to leave unharmed.”
The imam looked to Hassan as if for guidance, or approval. Hassan nodded.
“Writing that letter will save our brothers’ lives. It is the right thing to do.” Hassan accepted the parchment from the Khan and handed it to the imam. “Will you find him a place to sit?” Hassan asked the Khan.
“Of course, come with me.” The Khan pulled back the opening to his tent and guided the imam to a table, where another man laid ink and a quill pen. The imam wrote the letter dictated by the Khan and sent it to Alamut with Hassan.
Elijah stayed with The Khan as he prepared his army to move.
Chapter 26
Elijah sat alone just outside the Mongol encampment. Once again, he struggled with what he had done. Tears fell from his chin as he mourned the man he had become, as he realized he was willing to stop at nothing, to stoop to any treachery, to achieve his revenge. Most men, even the worst of them, lived by a set of guidelines; some men had a lot of lines and some had only a few. The longer Elijah lived and the closer he came to a confrontation with his father, the more he realized his lines were just a fiction.
They were a necessary fiction, one that allowed him to maintain the illusion that he was still a decent man. It was ironic that losing those lines, realizing they no longer existed, made him feel freer and more lost at the same time. It now seemed illusions were all he had left of his old self.
“It appears there may be a soul in there after all.” Ayda sat down next to him.
“What are you doing? Where did you come from?” Elijah turned his head away from her and swiped at his eyes with his arm.
“I saw you sitting here. I yelled first.” She wrapped her arms around her knees and looked at him.
“You really shouldn’t pry.” Elijah leaned forward and pulled his hair back on the side of his face opposite Ayda; he tucked it behind his ear and tugged on a curl that fell just below his jawline.
“I’m sorry; I didn’t mean to pry. I just wanted you to know I found your pineapple. I’ll leave you alone.” Ayda stood up and looked down at the wavy locks of hair hiding Elijah’s face.
“Ha.” Elijah laughed as he pushed the hair from his face and looked up at her.
“What is it?” Her brow furrowed as she narrowed he
r eyes.
“I don’t even like pineapple.” Elijah laughed again.
“What? Why did you ask me to get it?” Her expression was rigid and remote.
“I’m sorry,” Elijah couldn’t stop laughing. “I never thought you would be able to find one, not out here.”
Ayda’s expression slowly softened until Elijah noticed a hint of a smile spring up on her face. “What would you require of me now?” She bowed sarcastically.
“Find me a papaya,” Elijah grinned. She stared at him for a moment with a wide smile.
“I will be in your tent, when you would like to talk.” She leaned over and pulled the hair from behind his ear. “You’re not so bad.” She looked into his eyes for a moment before turning around and walking back into the camp.
Elijah enjoyed watching her. It was a temporary escape from the hell that filled and surrounded him; she was like a single drop of color on a solid black canvas.
He was about to get up when Elijah noticed a Mongol bow lying a few feet away, propped against a small tent at the edge of camp. Elijah reached for the bow and examined it. This bow was nothing like the ones used by Assassins; it looked more like a work of art than a weapon.
“The key is in the construction.” Hulagu Khan emerged from opposite the tent and noticed Elijah admiring the bow. “Our bows are layered with boiled horn and sinew; it makes them much stronger and more accurate. Our best archers can hit a bird’s wing in midflight.” The Khan smiled proudly. “Do you know the bow? It seems you are nearly unmatched with the sword.” The Khan motioned for a soldier. He took the soldier’s quiver and threw it to Elijah.
“I have no use for a bow.” Elijah caught the quiver and immediately held it out to the soldier.
“A person can learn a lot about himself from the bow. It can lead one to perfection.” The Khan looked at Elijah and then again at the quiver. “If you really plan to kill William, you need all the perfection you can get.” The Khan pushed the quiver back towards Elijah and walked away. Elijah eyed the weapon as he considered the Khan’s words.
“How hard could it be?” Elijah pulled out an arrow and picked up the bow. He took a look around as he nocked the arrow onto the bowstring. Finding a large tree about fifty paces off, he raised the bow and pulled back on the string. He took his time, carefully lining up the arrow with the middle of the tree trunk. Remaining as steady as he could, he loosed the arrow… and it lodged in the middle of a smaller tree a couple yards back and to the left of where he had aimed.
“You got one! Let’s just hope he was in league with that big bastard, because otherwise you could have just killed one of your own men.”
Elijah turned around to discover the Khan standing just behind him.
“What? I knew you would give it a try, and I didn’t want to miss it when the great Elijah fell on his face.” The Khan smiled as he stepped forward and reached for the bow.
“Well, they should wear uniforms if they don’t want to fall by friendly fire.” Elijah handed the Khan the bow with a small, sardonic bow.
“Ha!” The Khan stretched back the bowstring and closed one eye. “Did this curmudgeon actually make a joke? You are an old man, are you not? Despite your youthful appearance.” The Khan took an arrow and fitted it to the string. He looked over at Elijah, anticipating a response, but Elijah remained silent.
“How do you know William?” The Khan pulled back the string as he raised the bow towards the large tree Elijah had attempted to hit. “Even more curious, how do you know Solomon?” The Khan released the arrow; in an instant it was lodged in the very middle of the tree Elijah had chosen. “Very well, if you don’t wish to discuss that, then tell me how you learned to survive without blood.” The Khan retrieved another arrow and nocked it.
“I’m not vampire.” Elijah sat back down with his wrists on his knees.
“If that is true, then what are you?” The Khan held the bow at his side as he turned towards him.
“He slaughtered my family; that is why I need to find him.” Elijah picked up a small pebble from beneath his right knee and tossed it towards the Khan.
“Do you want some advice?” The Khan turned back towards the tree. “Forget about William; he is too strong. You will only get yourself killed.” The Khan raised his bow and loosed another arrow.
“Do you know how many kids there are out there just like you? Children left orphaned because of William and beings like him? They all dream of revenge, but the smart ones eventually learn to appreciate that they escaped death and they move on with their lives.” The Khan turned towards Elijah.
“The ones who can’t move on die,” he continued. “I truly am sorry about what happened to your family, but if you don’t move on while you can, you will probably die, too.” The Khan propped one end of the bow on the ground and twirled it with his fingers. “Don’t misunderstand me. You are a gifted warrior, but even if you kill him, what then?”
“I didn’t ask for your advice, and I don’t want it.” Elijah stood and brushed off his knees.
“Listen to me, Elijah; I knew a man just like you once.” The Khan sat down on the ground and motioned for Elijah to sit beside him. “I was just a boy, but I still remember his face. He was the leader of a nearby tribe. He was such a strong man; I’d heard stories about him. They say when my grandfather’s men went into his village, he killed at least ten of them by himself before his own people handed over his wife and two children to appease the Great Khan.” Finding interest in the story, Elijah slowly walked over and sat down beside the Khan.
“A week before, my grandfather and his men had entered another village and slaughtered every last man, woman, and child. You see, he knew the story would spread quickly, and the next time he entered a village the people would be too afraid to resist.” The Khan took a deep breath and continued.
“The great Genghis Khan sliced the throats of this man’s family. I suppose it was another show of power, letting the villagers know he was their new leader. That was the first tribe that joined his growing empire.” Elijah looked at the Khan, who had dropped his head to his knees.
“That is a nice history lesson, but what does it have to do with me ?”
The Khan remained silent for a moment longer before lifting his head and turning towards Elijah. “Just listen.” He continued the story then. “I didn’t know the man until years later. Grandfather spared him to help solidify the union of the tribes. He even made the man one of his generals, but even then the man couldn’t let it go.” The Khan shook his head.
“You see, he didn’t have your strength; he couldn’t come at his enemy straight on. Instead, he spent decades earning the Khan’s trust, until he eventually became part of the Khan’s innermost circle of advisors.” The Khan took another deep breath and exhaled slowly.
“I was eight years old, and my grandfather had just returned from a long conquest. He had invited his closest companions over to stay and celebrate the victory. Everyone was drinking wine, even the guards, everyone except the man who had finally become my grandfather’s most trusted friend.” The Khan’s eyes were shut as if he were seeing it all over again in his mind.
“That night, I was in the hallway when the door to my grandfather’s bedroom chamber broke open and my grandfather nearly fell out onto the floor, followed by three young girls. They couldn’t have been more than a few years older than I was. I thought one of them was the most beautiful creature I had ever seen. Anyway, I had never seen my grandfather so drunk; he sent the girls away with the guards and told them to have fun. Less than an hour later I heard light footsteps outside of my door. Hoping it was the girl I had seen earlier, I stepped outside to take a peek. My bedchamber wasn’t far from the Great Khan’s.”
The Khan turned to Elijah; his eyes seemed to droop with guilt or regret.
“Needless to say, it wasn’t the girl. It was the man who had fought so hard for his village, and as he walked towards me his surcoat swung open, and I saw a blade. I know it doesn’t seem like
much, but that part of the palace was strictly for family, and even the few guards who were allowed to stand outside my grandfather’s chambers were not permitted to be armed. I knew something was wrong, so I asked him what he was doing. He said there was an emergency and he needed to speak with the Khan. I walked beside him as he made his way to my grandfather’s room. I told him Grandfather was asleep and then asked why he was armed. He quickly replied that there was no time, he had to speak to my grandfather right away. He told me to go back to bed.
“I told him I would get my grandfather for him, and as I tried to run past him, he grabbed me and shoved me against the wall. ‘Go back to bed, now!’ I could tell he was nervous. ‘Grandfather!’ I yelled. The man pulled out his dagger and pressed it to my throat. ‘Don’t say another word,’ he whispered.
“A moment later I heard my grandfather fumbling around in his room. He asked what was going on, but when no one answered, he yelled for the guards, who weren’t around.
“The general yelled, ‘I’ve got your grandson out here and I will kill him if you don’t come out and face me.’ The next thing I heard was the large iron bolt inside my grandfather’s door slam shut; he was going to leave me there to die.
“‘You should have checked the door first!’ I heard my grandfather chuckle before he yelled once more for the guards.
It wasn’t long before two of them came racing around the corner. The man whispered into my ear and then pushed me away; by the time I turned around he had slit his own throat and blood was pouring out everywhere. I had never seen so much blood, not back then; he was the first man to ever die before my eyes.”
Hulagu rubbed his eyes and nose before turning once again towards Elijah.
“Well!” Elijah exclaimed after a long silence.
“Well, what?” The Khan’s eyes widened and he gently shook his head.
“What did he say, what did he tell you before he killed himself?” The Khan exhaled loudly and leaned his head to the right.
“Did you miss the entire point of the story?” The Khan looked at Elijah, who just stared back without saying a word. Then he shrugged. “He simply said he was sorry.” The Khan’s expression dimmed, his eyes glazed.
Apotheosis of the Immortal Page 11
