Elijah: The Reckoning
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“I’m going to kill them all.”
Chapter 88
Elijah opened his eyes to the sting of a cold wind blowing through his room and across his bare chest. Then he remembered where he was and the events of the night before. He was momentarily comforted by thoughts of Emira’s warm body lying next to him… but only now, as he reached across the bed, did he realize she wasn’t there.
She was gone. His heart surged with fear as he leapt out of bed and searched every room. Thoughts of his father ripping open her chest crashed against the inside of his head like tidal waves.
What has happened? How did I let this happen? he thought frantically. Then a stunning realization sank in.
For the first time in almost a millennium, he had fallen asleep. He was furious, at her for making him so weak, but, most of all at himself for not protecting her, for losing his wits when he needed them most.
If she were hurt, there would be a reckoning that would stir the earth and everyone on it; it would shake the very foundation of the universe; the heavens would tumble down, and he would see these gods punished and parted from their heads. For ages to come, the children of men would feel his pain, but no one would suffer more than he. He would be punished by an eternity of despair from which he would never relieve himself.
As he ran up the stairs, he could see the stone slab had been pushed open and feel a cold breeze rushing down to the basement floor. Bursting into the outside air, he was relieved to see Khalid standing just feet from the pile of wood and ash which had been a roaring fire the night before.
“Khalid!” he shouted. As Khalid turned around, Elijah could see the somber look on his face—something was most definitely wrong. He immediately scanned his surroundings to find Emira.
He followed Khalid’s eyes, and he saw it, on a hillside in the distance, the very thing he hoped never to see again. Camouflaged directly beneath an old hickory tree, he could see his father, and in his vicious grip was Emira. It seemed like just moments ago she had been nestled safely against his chest. How could his father have stolen her from beneath his very arm? Maybe she walked out on her own. Elijah’s thoughts were racing.
The sleep had disoriented him; he had only a vague sense of time. The sun was nearly halfway up the eastern sky, so he knew it was some time in the morning. Seeing Emira in his father’s hands again enraged him. His eyes burned with fury as his solidifying bones ached and slightly expanded. There was only one thing he knew to do. He raced towards his father. One way or another, this was all going to end right now.
Khalid intercepted him just yards before he reached his father and Emira. Khalid’s grasp around his chest was like a prison.
“Elijah, stop.” Khalid whispered in his ear. “He will kill her, and I know you don’t want that.”
“Listen to your big friend, my son. Put away those yellow eyes, boy, or do you need another lesson in manners?” William lifted Emira in the air by her throat and twisted her chin slightly as she struggled to breathe. “You don’t want another innocent girl’s blood on your hands, do you?” he chortled. The snide reference to Sara only heightened his fury and his eyes burned hotter.
“Elijah, look!” Khalid shouted as he released him. Elijah looked. Emira was struggling less and less; she was about to die. Elijah took a deep breath and closed his eyes, when he opened them again they had dulled to their natural brown.
“Good.” William sat the girl down on her feet, holding her loosely by the back of the neck. “My foolish boy, did you really think you could turn your brother against me? I own him,” William boasted. Elijah looked at Solomon, who was standing beside his father and staring at the ground. He wouldn’t look Elijah in the eyes.
“I told you I was a monster, Brother. Did you not believe me?” Solomon’s voice was steady, but Elijah could hear his shame.
“You led them here, Solomon? You brought them to my door after I reached out to you last night?” Anger and the pain of betrayal were once again building in his chest. “You are both monsters, and I will have your heads,” Elijah roared.
“Settle down, Son. It wasn’t your brother who gave you away; my people are everywhere. They followed you from the church last night, after Solomon had already left. Did you not know we would be watching you? I told you to leave; I gave you a chance.” He laughed condescendingly.
“Let her go, Father. This is between you and me,” Elijah tried to sound fierce and firm, but he could hear the pleading in his voice.
“No, Son. I have no interest in you. This is between Khalid and me. He has what I want.” Elijah turned to Khalid, who looked defeated and apologetic.
“Give him what he wants,” Elijah demanded.
“I told you last night, I can’t.”
Elijah suddenly remembered their earlier conversation.
“He doesn’t have it!” Elijah shouted. “He told me last night; it does not exist.” Elijah’s voice was cracking with emotion.
“Come on, Elijah, we have been here before. We all know how this ends. Hand it over, or I will do everything to her I had to do to poor Sara.” William handed Emira to Solomon and motioned for him to take her away.
“Kill her in one hour, unless I say different.” He shouted over his shoulder, almost indifferently. Solomon nodded and was gone.
“Khalid is lying to you, Son, and you better find the truth or your girl will find only pain and… .eventually… death.” William’s tone was arrogant and threatening as he walked closer to Elijah and Khalid.
“I will break you in half, old man!” Elijah lunged at his father. Grasping him by the neck, he hurled him towards the pile of ash. When William stood, Elijah gripped him firmly by the chin and bent the man almost double over the huge tree trunk he had ripped from the ground the night before. His father seemed surprised by Elijah’s strength. “You will pay for what you did to Sara!”
“Old man!” William laughed. “You are as old as I am.” The disgusting stench of death was all over the man. Fresh blood stains were on his collar and neck.
“I have no time for games, Father! Where is he taking her?” Elijah was burning with fury and impatience.
“I told you, I can’t have you meddling in my affairs,” William said as he pushed himself nearly upright.
“I should kill you right now,” Elijah growled, pushing him a little harder against the tree until it started cracking under the stress.
“Go ahead, but it would be the girl’s death sentence, and your little brother’s as well.” William smirked.
Elijah’s heart sank for a moment as he thought of Emira and Malaki, and the real possibility he would never see either of them again. His grip dropped to rest on his father’s neck.
“Tell me, Father, where is Malaki?” He tried to sound accusing, but knew his voice was filled with hints of desperation.
“Malaki is in a very safe place, far away from all of this.” William’s continued smirking raised a murderous fury in Elijah; he wanted nothing more than to end his father, in gory battle, right now.
“Is he even still alive?” Elijah demanded.
“Oh, yes, he is very much alive,” William drawled.
Elijah was barely managing to resist his urge to tear his father limb from limb.
“Know this, Father. I will kill you, and in doing so, I will give Malaki the peace in death he deserved so long ago. I may not be able to do it today, but, believe this—your fate is certain.” He twisted his father’s head to the point of snapping it and then suddenly let go.
“Fair enough, Son.” Rubbing his fingers beneath his jaw, William straightened. “But not yet. Today, you will put your tail between your legs and leave this place. We will take your friend here and… well, we’ll do whatever we have to do to discover all of his dirty little secrets.”
Elijah looked up at the mountain of a friend beside him. In Khalid’s eyes he could see many things: remorse, frustration, but not fear. He wasn’t afrai
d of William, or the two other immortals standing near them.
Elijah thought of the gruesome and horrifying things his father would do to him, to force him to talk. The most dreadful thought, which Elijah knew to a near certainty, was the big man would not break, even if he did know more than he was letting on, if not for Emira’s life, then surely not for his own.
Elijah’s choices were impossible. But he couldn’t do anything to risk hurting Emira, which included allowing Khalid to face the wrath of these three immortals on his own. He turned to Khalid.
“Run!” He shouted as he jumped on the man to his father’s immediate right and twisted his head in a complete circle. He lifted the man off the ground and, swinging him by the head like a baseball bat, he hit another of his father’s immortal goons in the back and knocked him off of his feet.
Khalid was not one to run. His instincts told him to fight. He was not afraid, and he could not leave Elijah there to die, especially after the sacrifice he had just made to protect him, but fighting these men could lead to Emira’s death.
“Stop!” Khalid’s voice thundered through the hills. “I will give you what you want.” Everyone else was silent; no one moved. Elijah was shocked. “Leave us now, and bring Emira to my home tonight at dusk, unharmed, and, on my honor, you will hold in your hand that which you seek.” His expression was cold and his voice solemn.
“Give it to me now.” There was excitement and determination in William’s eyes.
“I can’t. It is not here.” He seemed to be telling the truth, at least as far as Elijah could tell.
“Agreed, then.” William was shaking his head and walking towards the big man. “But know this. If you are lying, you are all dead, starting with the girl.” William picked up his nearly-decapitated man and he and his other goon disappeared into the forest. Elijah was shocked by Khalid’s revelation, and appalled at how he had risked Emira’s life by waiting so long to speak up.
Chapter 89
Elijah turned to Khalid and, without warning, slammed his fist into the big man’s chin, sending him stumbling to the ground.
“What were you th—” Before Elijah could finish speaking, the ground around them began to rumble and the world seemed to vanish behind a blinding light.
“Hear me now.” A voice thundered all around them. Elijah thought his head would explode. He looked over at Khalid who was also covering his ears. “I am Mikal.” The expression on Khalid’s face grew grim. Elijah looked up to see the glowing form of a huge man; he seemed to be made of pure energy. The brightness of his glow was so blinding Elijah had to shield his eyes and look away.
“I have empowered you to one end and one end alone, to take your revenge and end my brother’s most unrighteous quest for power. I chose you because I knew your hunger for vengeance would lead me to the truth about these rumors. If this rite does exist, if my brother has truly found a way to elevate a creation to a godlike level or beyond, then you cannot let it fall into the hands of Adol, or your father. I will not allow you to turn away from our righteous path, not for any reason, especially not for a mere creation, a girl.
“Your goal is now within reach,” the booming voice continued. “If you don’t seize it, if you let anything distract you, if you give your father what he wants, I will relieve you of your power. I will rob you of your vengeance forever, and you will wither and die. A thousand years of decomposition will catch up with your empowered corpse in just minutes, and you will be no more. There are no other options. You must press on towards your destiny; be not compromised.” The voice thundered so loudly Elijah could barely understand it. And then it was gone.
Everything was suddenly back to normal; the light was gone. Elijah’s thoughts raced, as if his mind couldn’t accept what had just happened and was searching for some alternate explanation.
Khalid studied his confused countenance for a moment, and then climbed to his feet to face Elijah.
“I knew you were different,” Khalid was in awe, and his tone was gentle. “But I never imagined. One family commissioned by two different gods; now it all makes sense.” Khalid reached out and grabbed Elijah by the shoulder as if to comfort him.
“What do you mean? Did you see that? What was that?” Elijah was staggering with one hand still over his ear.
“You were right. You are nothing like your father, or your brother. You are much, much different.” Khalid’s eyes were wide.
“What are you talking about? Who was that?” Elijah was still in shock.
“Listen to me, Elijah. As you well know, there are immortal beings on this earth—you being one of them. These immortals are the way they are because they have been empowered by the gods.” Khalid grabbed him by both arms as he spoke.
“Yes, yes, you told me all of this last night.” Elijah spoke frantically.
”Remember I told you of Adol? He is called the Lord of Death and Decay. The ancients described him as having no vestige of kindness or mercy. He was considered evil because he took what people held most dear—their lives.
“In some ways Mikal is the yang to Adol’s yin, if you will. He was worshipped as the God of Light, the bringer of life. He wears the visage of goodness and all kinds of creation spring from him.”
Khalid spoke so fast Elijah frowned, trying to keep up.
“I am Mikal.” Elijah was taken back to only moments ago, when he heard that thundering voice. He had seemed more like a tyrant than the bringer of life.
“The vessels of Adol, like your father, their numbers are vast. Adol creates them and charges them with one purpose, to make chaos and to snuff out the life in his brother’s creations and increase his own power on this plane. Lately, his main concern has been finding this rite.” Khalid paused and took a deep breath and then continued.
“Adol can’t create life, but he can alter it. That is why vampires have to feed off of the living to stay alive, because Adol himself does not have the power of life. Instead, they have to steal their life from Mikal’s creations. You, on the other hand, are empowered by the god of life himself, that is why you are fully sustained and your body and power want for nothing.
“You told me the ME didn’t exist.” Elijah was brooding.
“I’m sorry, my friend. I lied to you. I had to. How was I to know the son of Adol’s vessel would be the hand of Mikal? It’s insane. The ME is dangerous and powerful. Mikal is right; we can’t let your father get his hands on it.”
“Hand of Mikal?” Elijah was still shocked and hadn’t put it all together. ”I am Mikal… I empowered you,” the words echoed around his mind. “So you think I have been made immortal by Mikal?” Elijah still didn’t know if he believed any of this. He hadn’t believed in gods since he was a boy.
“Yes. It is the only thing that makes any sense. You are one of the most powerful immortals I have ever met, and you don’t feed on blood. That is exactly what you are.” Khalid seemed certain.
“It never occurred to me. I have never heard of such beings. It makes sense he would pick you, though, with the hate you already had for your family.” Khalid’s logic seemed solid.
“So, why isn’t Mikal concerned with getting this rite for himself?” Elijah inquired.
“Well, the legends say he never believed they existed, but I guess he does now.” Khalid looked around at the havoc created by Mikal’s outburst. “Like I told you before, the ME are said to have been made by Odam, the god of will and the spirit of the earth, to protect men from the gods.” Khalid turned away, running his fingers through his thick, black hair.
“To protect from the gods—plural—but you said Mikal was good.” Elijah frowned in confusion.
“Are you not listening to me? I said he was light, I said he was creation, but I only said he puts on the visage—the face, the pretense—of goodness. In the end he is just as arrogant and power-hungry as Adol; just as careless towards the sufferings of man. Tell me, Elijah, what do you imagine causes more pain, to live or to die? What causes more suffering—life or death
? Neither cares about us; their only concern is for power. That is why they have been locked in battle for millennia.”
Khalid’s words resonated deep in Elijah’s mind. Life had caused him much pain. He hadn’t known death, but he had longed for it many times. He couldn’t imagine death being any worse than life, at least the life he had known.
“Then what about the other brother?” Elijah was desperate. He hoped there was goodness somewhere in the heavens.
“Odam, the god of will. Like I said, he is called the spirit of the earth or the breath of man, that’s what the ancients called him. He left us long ago. He was the only vestige of righteousness in the heavens. He tried to protect man, but he loved his brothers too much to harm them, and finally their tireless quarrelling drove him away, far away.” The tone in Khalid’s voice had changed drastically. Before, it had been as if he was reading out of a book on mythology, but now he was angry, even personally invested. Elijah didn’t understand.
“But before he left, as I told you before, he made his own race of immortals. Their only charge was to hold the planet together, and to fight the very gods above them, it seems.” Now Khalid seemed bitter and sarcastic as he threw up his hands in defeat.
“The truth is, I think he is weak and afraid,” Khalid admitted. Bitterness colored every word he spoke, and Elijah was beginning to believe Khalid was either crazy, or hurt.
“So there’s not much difference between him and the others?” Elijah said with disappointment.
“No, there is. I’m sorry. I was just being emotional and dramatic. Odam has a deep respect for mankind. He sees us as sacred and beautiful. Gods know little if any suffering, which is why he so admires us and carries us through our most difficult times. He sees much beauty and strength in our perseverance in the face of pain and suffering, tragedy and loss, and eventually death.” Khalid’s tone had once again changed; his voice was now filled with love and admiration.
Apotheosis of the Immortal Page 36
