Requiem of Humanity

by Catherine Stovall

  “Lilith, with no thought to her own needs, immediately opened her veins to her child and gave her the blood that would help her to survive. Seeing this angered Asmodeus, and he ordered Andras to retrieve the girl. Lilith and Cain fought to keep their daughter by their side, but the demons easily overpowered them. Lilith took note that Andras was far gentler with Lamashtu than his father was, and she hoped that something within him would help her.

  “‘Asmodeus, you have called us here and we have come. We give ourselves for the life of our daughter in return. Shall you keep your word, demon?’ Cain’s voice rang out strong, and it silenced the jeers and animalistic sounds emanating from the demons around them.

  “‘Son of Adam, you dare not question me. Nor shall you claim I have no honor. I shall keep my bargain. Your daughter’s life will be spared. See, you have made the bargain so that she may live, but not to be free to return to your people. I shall give her to my most beloved son, Andras, as a reward for your lives.’ Andras held tightly to Lamashtu as she struggled. She begged and screamed. Yet, he stood silently, and as solid as stone.

  “Lilith and Cain had no more time. They leaped from their knees. Each was ready to battle for their daughter’s sake, but Asmodeus’ devilish plan was already set his to work. He raised his fist towards the heavens and began to chant in a strange tongue. The ground beneath Lilith and Cain reached up to ensnare them. Confused by the sudden pain, Lilith looked down to see that roots were spreading up her legs. The mighty spirals of bark also held Cain, and he fought gallantly, trying to tear them from Lilith instead of himself.

  “They tried snapping the thick tendrils that rapidly snaked up their bodies but it was useless. The wooden serpents were spreading faster than Cain or Lilith could tear them away. The menacing bark swallowed their bodies and soon nothing was left of the couple except their form. Anchored into the unholy land of the demons, they remained imprisoned. At last, they knew there was no hope.

  “They whispered goodbyes to Lamashtu and bid her to keep herself well. Lilith, reaching out for the tiniest glimmer of hope, spoke to Andras between painful gasps. ‘Please, if there is an ounce of love in your black heart, love my daughter, and keep her safe. Do not let her wither from starvation and die of madness. We beg you. Do not let her death stem from the abuse of your brothers.’ In saddened defeat, Lilith turned to Cain and rested her head upon his shoulder.

  “Lamashtu recreated this embrace centuries later when she carved this statue and set it upon the Dracul’s altar. The act of defiance served as her refusal to join them in their fight to conquer the world. She was the only one besides the demons to see her parents’ terrible fate. The image was so impressed upon her mind that it haunted her night and day.”

  Celeste’s story was finished. Matteo looked sad, Soborgne just stared quizzically at the statue, and Jenda was smiling. “I get it. I understand why Lamashtu did not join the battle. She watched so much blood, pain, and sacrifice happen for the right to rule, and she did not want to be involved. Can’t we do the same? Can’t Soborgne and I just refuse? I will not be the Daughter of Light and she will not be the Daughter of Darkness. Matteo can refuse to be the Guardian, and you can refuse to be the Watcher.”

  Soborgne joined Jenda’s protest quickly. “Yeah, can’t we just say, ‘Screw it, we are out’? I mean, who says we have to be the ones? I am not evil and she is no warrior—we quit!” Smiling smugly at each other, they broke Celeste’s heart with their youthful abandon and faith in what was easy and right.

  “Oh, I wish it could be so. I wish it were that simple. The powers to be did not choose Lamashtu to represent their sides in the battle, as you have been chosen. The only reason the Dracul wanted her is because she knew where to find Cain and Lilith’s resting place. Lamashtu lived with the Dracul for many years. They felt she owed them her knowledge for their help.

  “By finding the Tree of Life, they hope to release Cain and Lilith back into this world and fulfill the prophecy. Shortly after her refusal, Lamashtu disappeared, as so many of our kind do. She vanished, leaving nothing other than the statue behind.”

  12

  Daylight was growing near and the long and stressful night was taking its toll. The discussion flowed into a few inconsequential topics until Celeste and Soborgne began to drift into a sleepy haze. They ended the night with promises to discuss matters further just as Imre entered the room. He exchanged courteous hellos with Soborgne and Jenda and gave a curt nod to Matteo before going to Celeste’s side.

  “Come my dear, it is time that you are off to your slumber.” He spoke with such gentleness, as if he were speaking to a very young child. Celeste smiled up at him and the love they shared glowed between them.

  Jenda’s heart was torn. She and Matteo had so little time for tender moments, and even though they shared the same bed, he was as virtuous as a saint. For Jenda, it was admirable and frustrating. She wanted so much more, but didn’t know how to show him. She was afraid that if she insisted that they take their relationship further on the physical level, then he would refuse and have her moved to another suite. Not having the pleasure of lying in his arms each night would be like having her own soul separated from her.

  Lost in thought as they made their way back to the suite with a sleepy and grumpy Soborgne in tow, Jenda almost missed seeing the hooded figure. The slight movement caught her eye and she watched as the person slipped from the shadows by the entrance and eased out the door.

  The only thing visible was a shock of long blonde hair peeking out from the edge of the hood. Jenda didn’t mention what she saw. People came and went at all hours of the night, so it did not seem strange. Jenda knew that it couldn’t be a vampire because it was nearing sun up, but it could easily be a donor or one of the other mortals in the castle.

  Jenda wanted to talk to Soborgne about Matteo, but her friend didn’t seem in the mood. She went straight to her own suite and shut the door softly behind her without giving Jenda a chance to follow or even say goodnight. Matteo could see the hurt on Jenda’s face. “You have both had a long day, my love. She is overwhelmed. In the morning, I am sure she will be back to her highly annoying self.”

  Jenda smiled and slapped him on his arm playfully. The impact made a loud crack and they both looked around like guilty children before hurrying into their own suite. Jenda went about her normal ritual. She grabbed one of Matteo’s t-shirts and a pair of shorts and headed to the bathroom to change. She was almost to the door when Matteo stopped her. He reached out and pulled her into his arms. She melted instantly into him, her stomach fluttering in anticipation of his kiss.

  When he brought his lips down to hers, she felt the familiar jolt of love, passion, and excitement. She ran her hands up his back and let them trace his strong shoulders. He gripped her at the hip and pulled her closer than she thought possible. Jenda loved the pressure and friction. She loved the overwhelming sense of him as their bodies melded together in perfect unity.

  Matteo let his hands slide further down and Jenda gasped in surprise as he lifted her up and off the ground. Womanly instinct kicked in. She wrapped her legs securely around his waist and smiled seductively down at him. Her long hair cascaded around them and the purplish color lightly reflected on Matteo’s face. He seemed unearthly for a moment—not a vampire, not a man, but something more. Something inside her whispered that maybe, just maybe, he was more.

  She didn’t want to break the spell as they stared so lovingly into each other’s eyes, but she also did not want to give him time to think about stopping. Wanting one more than the other, she rekindled their passionate kisses. Matteo held her up with one arm while his free hand ran through her hair and up and down her spine. He let his lips trace from her mouth to her jaw line and down her neck. His teeth gently grazed the soft skin just above her artery and Jenda felt her whole body fill with electricity.

  Her mind ran crazy. A strange desire began to grow inside her. She wanted Matteo to take her blood. She wanted to feel him drink from
her. Not knowing how to voice the feelings that threatened to overcome her, Jenda opened her mind. She allowed the thoughts to speak for her. The need to share every part of herself with him overwhelmed her. She unconsciously pushed his head towards her neck as she arched in a blunt offering.

  Then it was gone. She was standing in the center of the room alone. He fled so quickly she didn’t have time to process it. He sat her down and removed himself to the farthest corner of the room so fast. He stood there in the shadows, his face a mask.

  When Jenda finally found her voice, she had only one word. It echoed the hurt, the rejection, and the emptiness she felt inside so completely. “Why?”

  The same raw emotion and hurt filled his voice. “You don’t know what it is you are asking, Baobhan Sith. You do not know how much I would like to give you everything you ask for.”

  “Why?” She repeated the word as the tears welled up in her eyes. She was fighting valiantly to hold them back. When she spoke, she hated the childish and whiney voice that she heard. “Don’t you want to? Don’t you love me?”

  Jenda could feel the emptiness in the space around her so keenly. When he had fled her arms, she’d felt as if he’d ripped away a part of her. She wanted to be a woman, but right now, she felt like a child. Lost and lonely, confused and sad, she was teetering on the brink of a meltdown. Love was not supposed to be this painful. True love was supposed to be bliss and not torture.

  “Jenda, I do. How often do I have to tell you this? I would die for you, my love. I want you, God knows I do, but we must wait. Why hurry? We have eternity. Can you not hold off for a little longer?” He wasn’t arguing, he was begging. She could hear it in his voice. He gave the same excuses as last time.

  Jenda wanted to believe him. She wanted to stop acting like a spoiled child, but she didn’t. Embarrassed by the way she had acted and nursing her injured pride, she wanted to be angry. Girls weren’t supposed to be the ones trying to pressure the boy. She had never been with anyone, but now she was acting like a total hussy, as her grandma would say.

  She let the icy feeling fill her veins. It froze the hot tears that she repressed, it turned her heart as solid as stone, and it put a wall up between them. She had nothing left to say. No words could melt the frost that covered her right now. Wrapping herself up in her own misery, she turned his apologies away. Jenda strode over to the bed, still fully clothed, and climbed beneath the covers. She turned her back to him and shut her eyes.

  After a few moments, he joined her. He kissed her lightly on top of the head and whispered, “I’m sorry.”

  The ice melted just a little and she wanted to reach out to him, to embrace him, but she couldn’t. She would not allow herself the comforting feeling of his cool flesh beneath her own. Just for tonight, she would lie beside him, inches away but worlds apart. Soon his body relaxed and she knew he was sleeping. Jenda lay awake. She replayed the horrible scene in her mind. At last, the pent up emotion and guilt won over and she fell into an exhausted but solid sleep.

  In the next room, Soborgne was not so lucky. Her sleep was fitful and she tossed and turned, fighting off the nightmares swirling around her in a hellish vortex. She stood in a dark place where the ground burned and smoldered. The fear of something unseen and deadly crept through her. Tall peaks of stone stuck out from the rough and uneven ground. Everywhere she looked there seemed to be dangerous crags, sharp edges, and a million hazards. Even the earth seemed to be trying to prevent her escape.

  She had no choice. She would have to brave the lethal landscape if she wanted to live. The only possible route she could use without being in the open or having to plummet fifty feet into darkness was about thirty feet to her right. A steep wall of rock stretched as far as she could see. If she could reach its peak, perhaps she could find an easier path on the other side.

  “Or maybe it will be another one of those bottomless pits, or maybe you will get halfway up and fall to your death on those sharp rocks.” Her own mind taunted her but she refused to listen. If she stayed here, he would catch her.

  She darted across the open space between the ledge she stood on and the rock wall. She had climbed up the rock wall at the YMCA a hundred times. She kept telling herself this would be no different. She had to stay focused and not look down.

  The traitor inside her mind gave a different point of view. “Ha. Just like the YMCA! Except that here there’s no cute instructor, no safety rope, and there’s not a bunch of nice padded mats below. You think those rocks are gonna hurt when your ass hits them?”

  To try to blur out the inner voice, Soborgne began to sing. She wasn’t that good of a singer, but it wasn’t as if anyone was listening. She just picked a song at random, and the next thing she knew she was scaling the rock while blurting a tuneless version of This Little Light of Mine. That would teach her inner voice to be such a sarcastic and nasty deserter in times like these.

  Halfway up the rocks, Soborgne realized two things at once. First, it was a lot further up than it looked from the ground, and second, her inner voice was right. She wasn’t going to make it. Her fingers were bleeding from grasping the sharp edges of the rock and the blood was making everything slippery. The muscles in her arms and legs felt strained beyond their capacity. A painful burning began in her calves and they jittered in violent spasms.

  She still had probably twenty more feet before she got to the top, and even then she’d have to find a way down again. She knew she wouldn’t be lucky enough to find a nice clear path leading down. She was giving up. Her body was too soft and weak.

  The darkness around her suddenly grew darker and a gust of wind blew hard against her skin. Soborgne jerked her head left and right, trying to see what caused it. The strange red illumination gave her enough light to see around her. She could see nothing living out there, but still the hairs on the back of her neck raised and an icy chill ran down the length of her spine.

  The fear gave her enough adrenaline that she started climbing again, with haste. She had been moving slowly before, methodically planning her path up the rocks so that she would not run out of hand and footholds. Now she scurried up the rock, scraping her knees, arms, and even her face in desperation to gain some distance. He was here. She could feel him. His dark presence pulled at her, beckoned her to her own death. His powers were so strong that any mortal—and most non-mortals—would beg to be his victim. Not Soborgne. She could feel the seductive desire pass over her, but she could fight it.

  At last, she found herself at the top of the cliff. She had little strength left, and it took the last of it to haul her broken and bleeding body over the edge. She didn’t even flinch as a sharp edge tore the flesh of her ribcage, exposing the bone. She lay in a heap, panting and trying to force her body to heal more quickly. She knew he was toying with her now, that he had watched her ascent. He could’ve have swooped down and knocked her off the wall or carried her away at any point. He liked to play games, and as long as he underestimated her, she still had a chance of surviving.

  The wounds in her hands were closing up slowly. She had lost so much blood that it took forever for them to heal. The open wound in her side was still fresh enough that she could feel the blood pooling beneath her. She had to sit up and try to staunch the cut, but she was so very tired. Trying feebly to raise herself, she almost didn’t hear the soft crunch of loose stones as Andras landed softly behind her. She twisted too quickly and screamed in pain as the wound deepened itself.

  He raised his head and sniffed the air, as any carnivorous hunter would do in the presence of wounded prey. As he looked back down at her, a smile spread wide across his face and the forked tip of his tongue jutted out, as if tasting the saltiness of her blood in the air. “Do you fear me?” His question startled her.

  She almost said yes, but then she let her other side take control, the one whose voice was acid in her head earlier. “Fear you? No, I just don’t want to get near that creepy tongue of yours. What are you supposed to be, anyway? Are you a snake, a
bird, a man? I think your species is confused.”

  Even though she was breathless with pain, she managed to put venom in her words. Soborgne’s wit was her defense anytime she was uncomfortable. Her sarcasm threw up a barrier in front of her, making her appear more self-possessed than she really was. It sometimes only made the trouble she was in worse, but sometimes it gave her the edge she needed.

  He surprised her by laughing. His voice was deep and sexy. Despite the freaky tongue and the huge black wings, he was a heck of a good-looking creature. His sinewy and muscular form stood tall above her. He was beautiful in the way a viper is beautiful. His deadliness only enhanced his appeal. She was positive that he could crush her with his bare hands if he chose, and he would probably do so soon.

  “Your strength is almost as impressive as your mockery and false bravery. I will share a secret with you, if you like. You shouldn’t fear me, little one, for it is I who created you. You are the one who will bring about the apocalypse. When I placed the seed of your life inside a mortal’s womb, I never thought that it would work. Yet,here you are.”

  The creature bent to lift her from the ground and Soborgne winced in both pain and revulsion. Cradling her in his powerful arms as if she were a little child, the demon looked at her with something like adoration. “I am Andras, and your mother was the vampire princess Lamashtu. I stole from her the essence of your life before she fled me to the upper worlds. With her essence, I mixed the seed of the demon hordes. The woman who gave birth to you was neither vampire nor demon, and her own humanity eked into you. Her blood polluted what you would have been. I wondered if your true blood would ever surface. I thought perhaps God had intervened and taken you from me. Why I would have ever considered the thought that he might notice, I do not know.”

  He seemed to grow angrier, and he looked up to the heavens before spitting onto the ground. “God is not the all-powerful and loving creator your story books and naïve beliefs make him out to be. He has let earth and its inhabitants pitch themselves further and further into darkness. He sits upon his thrown and lets humans turn back into the animals he intended them to be. All the while, they mewl and pray for his approval. Disgusting! His interference only comes to punish those who would rise against him, as we will.”