“I had no taste for war, preferring to tend my family’s land and enjoy the pleasures of worshipping the gods. We celebrated our gods back then, toasting them with wine and food. Huge feasts were thrown in celebration of the gods, thanking them for their blessings. Special festivals were held at different points of the year to give thanks for the bounty they bestowed on us."
He spoke with such fervor. I knew this subject must be near and dear to his heart. A smile stretched wide across his face, reaching up to his sparkling eyes.
“It was at the Oscophoria, a grape harvesting festival, that I first glimpsed Kallisto.”
I lost myself staring into his eyes, watching him speak instead of looking at the book in my lap.
He pointed down to the picture, refocusing me. “Throngs of people crowded the temple in celebration as youths brought forth the finest ripened grapes from the vine.”
Lysander’s eyes closed, and his smile turned into a crooked grin. He appeared to be reliving a pleasant memory.
“She was alone, making her way through the sea of people, and upon viewing her, I had to meet her.”
Sounded like love at first sight. I hadn’t figured Lysander for the romantic type. I admired the serene look on his handsome face.
“I remember my first glimpse of her as clearly as if I were looking at her right now,” he sighed. “She was an enchanting beauty with gorgeous long black hair.”
He turned the page again, pointing out another drawing of a tall, slender woman dressed in traditional Greek style, with dark hair and a floor-length, white tunic dress.
Wow, she is beautiful.
“It was that night that I would be turned. Kallisto told me she was born of the gods and wished to bestow her gift on me. She enticed me with carnal pleasures, telling me I needed to free myself from mortality with ecstasy and wine. Only the wine she offered me was blood. We lay as lovers that night, entwined in one another’s bodies, sharing in the feast of blood. By morning I was a vampire and we retreated to the lower hidden floor of the temple.”
I nodded as Lysander turned the page, revealing more writing and a drawing of a man holding two women covered in blood.
The serene look left Lysander’s face. “I too struggled initially with the thought of killing, as I see you do,” he said. “Though my teacher was not so patient with me. The first night after my transformation, I was offered two beautiful virgins for my first meal. I refused them at first, feeling sorry for them, not wanting to end their lives. I feared becoming a monster as you do.”
Lysander spoke matter-of-factly, but his words were a relief to me. I was glad to hear I wasn’t a disappointment for struggling with my newfound need for blood.
He continued, “This enraged Kallisto, and in her fury, she attacked me. Her strength outmatched mine. I was a newborn vampire, weak and unable to stop her. She tossed me around like a rag doll and threatened to abandon me to the sunlight as punishment. It was made clear from the start that there would never be a choice in who was to be sacrificed. I was to drink the blood of the living or die for showing disrespect to my mistress for her gift.”
“So she made you kill the virgins?” I gasped, covering my mouth with my hand.
“Yes.”
“She sounds cruel and heartless,” I said, under my breath.
“Kallisto was a strict mistress, but also a talented lover. She used the pleasures of the flesh to reward my obedient behavior, allowing me to perform any act of carnal desire with her as long as I accepted her as my mistress. Over the years, I grew to love Kallisto and wanted nothing more than her happiness. We became partners, a kind of husband and wife, and it was just the two of us living in the temple.”
He turned the page again, showing another drawing of a large city. “Time moved on, and soon the Romans commanded Greece.”
I recognized the huge coliseum in the center of the picture, surrounded by a tight network of streets and wondered how he managed to get such detail into his drawings
“Kallisto grew restless and soon tired of living in the temple. She decided we would move to the heart of the empire and add to our family. So, we left Amfissa and headed to Rome.”
“You left your home for her?”
“Yes, I loved Kallisto. I wanted to make her happy. Also, a vampire can only stay in one place for so long before people get too suspicious.”
“Yeah, I guess you do have a point there.”
I smiled, leaning in attentively as Lysander continued his story.
“We made it to Rome, and our timing could not have been better. We arrived just after the assassination of the great Gaius Julius Caesar. All of Rome was in an uproar as political powers scrambled to reestablish order. Kallisto loved the chaos and used it to establish the first members of our coven. She sought out and quickly befriended Roman patricians and anyone with homes and money. Using the gift of immortality as trade, she gained access to riches and palatial homes. The upheaval in the aftermath of Caesar’s death left many fearing they would be murdered for their political alliances, and for them, immortality was the only way they would survive. It was a good plan, and our family grew to a few dozen in just a month after our arrival in Rome.”
He turned another page, revealing a drawing of a palatial home filled with people dressed in long, colorful tunic dresses, shawls, and togas.
“Oh, how beautiful.” I admired the various women with long hair, adorned with glittering decorations.
“We lived in the lap of luxury, just as Kallisto wanted, and she and I were worshipped as rulers among our fledgling family.”
Why would Lysander leave the coven, then? I looked up, trying to glean some information from his expression. He ignored my questioning gaze, continuing with his story.
“Rules soon had to be established to maintain order amongst our group. Fledglings began turning their mortal lovers, and our homes overflowed with too many vampires. Kallisto and I came up with and instructed our brood on the five laws that would rule our coven.”
He turned the page again, showing me what appeared to be a list marked by large, ornately drawn Roman numerals. He pointed them out as he read them to me.
“Number one. We do not walk among men as equals. We are hidden gods, revealing ourselves only to our victims before the moment of their deaths, or to our children before bestowing our gift upon them. Death shall be your reward for revealing our true nature to mortals.
“Number two. Our gifts shall not be squandered. Only the unique among mortals will be granted immortality and approval shall be sought before performing the act. Death shall be you and your child’s reward for siring without consent.”
My heart skipped a beat. I gasped, realizing now why Edmond was sent to warn Lysander. Lysander turned me, and now Kallisto wanted us dead.
Lysander continued reading, seemingly unaware of my panic.
“Number three. The rules governing mortal crimes shall be enforced among immortals. Murder and thievery will not be tolerated among your brethren, and your mistress will judge you on the severity of your crimes.
“Number four. Discretion in your feeding is your duty, and no trace should be left of your nightly activities, or you risk exposure of our kind to mortals. Death shall be your reward for breaking our veil of secrecy.
“And finally, number five. Your brethren’s victims are theirs to have and feed from. Do not covet or attempt to take them from your brothers and sisters. We must all respect one another as family. Exile shall be your reward for covetousness.”
Lysander finally looked at me. “I told you covens were fanatical.” Though I was horrified by this revelation, his tone hadn’t changed. He spoke plainly, as if he were not affected by what he was telling me.
“Punishments were harsh in our coven. We had to keep the rules strict to maintain order among our brood.”
“But you broke one of those rules by turning me.”
“Whose rules are they?”
I thought for a moment before speaking. “Kallis
to’s.”
“Exactly. Not mine. I am no longer a member of that coven.”
“But you helped establish them. Kallisto sent someone to tell you that you broke a law. And if those rules are still in effect, you signed both our death warrants when you turned me.”
“Get a hold of yourself, Alyssa. I told you, I do not belong with her any longer.”
I couldn’t hide the fright in my voice. “If she is sending messengers, then she might still think you do.” How could he be so calm about all of this?
“Alyssa, please understand. Her coven is not the only coven out there. Her laws, though she might not want to admit it, do not govern the entirety of the vampire world.”
I wasn’t entirely convinced. If Kallisto sent a messenger out to warn us, there had to be some real reason behind it.
“Even as Kallisto and I were making these rules for our new coven, there were already many other vampires populating the world. Remember, Kallisto must have been turned by someone before coming to Amfissa. Logic will tell you there had to be others out there. Now, shall I continue with my story?”
“Fine, go on.” I took a deep breath, trying to calm my frantically beating heart.
Below the five marked rules was another group of words in Latin. Lysander looked back down at his book, translating the words.
“ ‘To be exiled is to be lowered in status, equal to that of mortal men. Members of the coven are free to prey upon the exiled and condemned, and use their blood to strengthen themselves.’ ”
My hand clenched into a tight fist in my lap. Oh, God, that’s how they are going to do it. They are going to hunt us down and feed on us.
Lysander looked up from the book, meeting my frightened eyes. “Our laws were not met with approval from many in our newly enlarged family. When we began enforcing them, a small faction decided to break off and start a new coven. Even in a city as large as Rome, it was hard to contain two covens, and for at least a century, a feud was fought between our coven and the members of the new house. The feuding spilled over into the streets of Rome, and the city became victim to the fighting of our two families. On many occasions, the streets of Rome erupted in flame as immortal brothers attacked one another, trying to gain control of the city.”
He turned another page in the book and pointed to a frightening picture of streets ablaze and people running in terror.
“Rome was changing around us. The old gods were being replaced by Christianity, and the Romans saw many emperors come and go. I and many of our family grew tired of the feuding between the covens. We had stayed in Rome too long, so I pleaded with Kallisto to give up control and move our coven somewhere else.”
Okay, this might be good. Kallisto listened to him back then. Maybe there was some hope here.
“After much debate, she agreed, and we left Rome, searching for a new place where our family could live in peace. This started a trend that would continue throughout the modern era. We would move to a location and set up a home. After a century or so, we would move on. A period of peace and prosperity among our coven lasted through the twelfth century. Life was extremely comfortable, and we were happy to watch the world developing around us.”
Again, the thought crossed my mind. Why would Lysander want to leave, if coven life was so wonderful?
“We eventually made our way to what is now France, and it was there that we met the gentleman you saw tonight.”
He turned the page, showing a large drawing of Edmond. Lysander’s body tensed and his eyes narrowed.
“Edmond was a wealthy land owner and immediately took Kallisto’s interest.” He spoke in a carefully controlled tone. “We had lived as rulers and mates for more than a thousand years without much incident until he came along. She turned him, and his home became our own. Kallisto took to spending all of her time with this new fledgling. She lavished affection on him and saw to his education personally. They would disappear together for days at a time, leaving me to maintain order among the coven, whose numbers had reached above fifty.”
Wow, that’s a huge coven.
Lysander’s lip curled into a sneer. “Edmond’s mortal status secured for us our home and wealth, and Kallisto used this to grant him a position of power in the coven, a title and award, which she had not done for others in the past. This brought unrest among the coven again and threatened to split our house apart, as had happened in Rome.”
He let out a long sigh.
“Edmond was rapidly promoted to her personal adviser, and rumors threatened that I was about to be unseated as Kallisto’s mate and king. My supporters wanted to wage war and destroy Kallisto and her new consort, but I would not allow it. I loved Kallisto, despite her infidelity and politics, and could not bear to harm her. I never did have a taste for war, so I prepared myself to leave the coven.”
He turned the page again. This picture was horrific, a twisted and deformed blob of people and blood. I cringed and looked away from the picture.
“To my knowledge, there has never been a coven of this magnitude in one location again.”
Lysander’s voice became somber.
“My announcement that I wished to leave was not met with any resistance until followers of mine stepped forward, announcing their intentions to leave as well. Kallisto did not want to lose her followers and commanded that all deserters be put to death. A bloody battle raged that evening, brother against brother. Family members who had been together for centuries turned on one another. I lost many an old friend that night. Before morning, I, and those who had survived and were still loyal to me, fled to safety.”
Lysander paused, and his hands rose to his face, covering his eyes. He took a silent moment. An odd sensation hit me. Sadness, sorrow; but those weren’t my feelings. Again, I felt as if I were channeling the feelings from Lysander.
The moment passed. Lysander reached out and turned the page again, showing another upsetting picture, a city ravaged by death. Bodies lay in the streets, and the living people looked pale and diseased.
“Our small clan of immortals eventually made its way to England. It was a dirty and depressing place. The Black Death was new to the area and began spreading like wildfire. People were dying all around us, and the city reeked of disease. We were a small group now, and we were poor. Kallisto’s knack for allying herself with the affluent and respected in society was not available to us, and our meager clan of vampires was not as politically minded.”
He turned to the next page in the book, revealing a group of people crowded into a small room. I counted no more than six: a man resembling Lysander, a short, dark-haired man, a brunette woman, two blond men, and a red-headed woman.
“Who are they?”
“All who were left. We managed to secure a small home in central London where the plague seemed at its worst. The deaths around us easily masked our nightly feeding, but drastically reduced the numbers of healthy mortals on whom to feed. It wasn’t long before our small clan dwindled away, each person leaving for various reasons. I bore them no ill will. They had stood for me when it had counted, and I would not deny them their own way in life, so I let them go.
“I soon found myself alone, depressed and not willing to go on. I decided I had had enough of immortality.”
He looked up at me, his blue-gray eyes filled with sadness. “The years can wear on you when you’re happy, and so much more so when you aren’t.”
I wanted to reach out and hold him. The feeling of sadness was almost overwhelming. Poor Lysander. I nodded silently, telling him to continue with his story.
“I had lived to see the centuries pass and witnessed the greatness of social evolution. I saw the height and fall of Rome, observed countries develop from bands of fighting factions, and watched as the old gods and traditions were replaced with a new and more powerful deity.”
He took a deep breath. Turning his attention back to the book, he flipped the page. I saw a large, empty room and a man, whom I assumed was Lysander, lying on the ground.
“I sealed myself into a newly built tomb. I lay down on the soft dirt within and waited for death from starvation.”
The odd feeling of sadness ended. Lysander took another deep breath, reaching again to the book to turn another page.
“Death was not to be mine,” he said. “Hunger eventually turned to paralysis, and I became immobile, like a living statue destined for eternal sleep.”
How horrible. To be paralyzed forever.
“During my centuries of sleep, Kallisto’s coven came under attack by a new group of crusaders: vampire hunters with the backing of the Roman Catholic Church. It was the first time anyone had seen a group such as this, and although mortal, they were able to hunt and destroy groups of vampires.
“Kallisto came to England and found my tomb.”
He turned the page, and I saw the two lovers in one another’s arms, lying in the dirt of Lysander’s tomb.
“I found myself awakening to the taste of her blood as I lay in her lap. She fed me and brought me back from my deathlike sleep, offering me a home again with her and all that remained of her coven. I wanted to rejoin her and for a short time I tried, but Edmond was still there—her right hand. The coven had a mere fraction of its original strength. I was no longer the respected and beloved king. Kallisto still wanted me, but her mate was now Edmond. I could not bear to live with them and made my intentions known that I would be leaving again.
“Kallisto was unhappy and threatened death, warning me to be careful in my choice. At that point, death was preferable to living with her coven.”
Lysander’s face became serious again. “Edmond stepped in as Kallisto was delivering her sentence. He suggested another alternative: loneliness and exile. I was told if I would not live with the coven, I would live alone and walk through eternity with no one by my side.”
“Loneliness and exile: So you can’t have any friends or partners?” Great, another reason why turning me was a problem. So Kallisto didn’t want Lysander dead, she wanted me dead.
Lysander scoffed. “They are so arrogant. They think they control the world. My ties to them ended there.”
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