The room fell silent. Val was hoping he would go on — to explain — as none of this made any sense. It only raised endless questions. Val looked at Mari and Mari shook her head and shrugged.
“What does this mean? What are our enemies up to?” Val asked.
“I don’t know but surely it’s a move against the Court,” Teller said.
“It sounds like tales of witchcraft.” Yet Val had never encountered real witches. She always believed that the witch burnings throughout history were simply excuses to kill strong minded women who did not accept that their place was below men.
“There’s no way to know for sure but I don’t think they call themselves witches. They referred to themselves as ‘the Servants of Aggadad.’”
“How did you manage to get away?” Val asked.
“The morning they intended to kill me, I woke to the delicious smell of human blood.”
“I wager that that is an effective way to wake a hungry vampire,” Mari said.
“At first I thought the woman holding the blood bag was you.” Teller turned his gaze to Val.
Val shifted uncomfortably under his affectionate stare.
“As I downed the blood, my strength came back and my head cleared. That’s when I noticed the differences between the woman who saved me and you. She looked to be older than you but definitely resembled you. She wore a long white dress and appeared to … glow. Yet, she smelled like a vampire and something else unidentifiable. This strange woman unchained me and told me to come straight to you. So … here I am.”
Val’s mind raced. “Who was she? What was she?”
Teller shook his head, not knowing the answers. “That’s all I could gather and it makes no more sense to me than it does to you. It does follow that if they were not able to get what they needed from me, then Elijah would be their next target. It appears that Neacsa needs the blood of your true love, to carry out her plan. Sergiu referred to her as a witch. It was not something that I wanted to accept but she does appear to have certain abilities. The chanting that weakened me and her uncanny ability to see the future are clues that lead me to believe that Sergiu may have been right all those years ago.”
“It sounds as if Elda is planning to fight us on a different level — one we know nothing about,” Val said. “It’s unlikely that they will attack with an army, as that tactic failed miserably before. I suppose they intend to challenge the Court in an entirely unexpected manner.”
“That is concerning, to say the least,” Mari said. “We’re always prepared for a war but how do we fight against something we don’t understand?”
“That makes it the perfect plan to defeat us,” Val said.
Chapter 14 New York 2020 A.D
Riddick and John entered the Great Hall.
“The other members of the Court are on their way, My Lady,” John said.
“Thank you,” Val whispered. Her mind swam with a million questions.
Teller returned Riddick’s glare with a condescending smile.
These two will never change. They’re like children. Val stepped between them, “That’s quite enough, boys. We all have to get along. I’m not sure what to make of all this. But one thing is certain, we need one another. We are on the same side.” She looked between Teller and Riddick for understanding.
Teller shrugged. “You’re the boss.” His tone was sarcastic.
Riddick stepped forward. “You’re still an arrogant asshole.”
The palm of Val’s hand slammed into Riddick’s chest as he advanced on Teller. Val gave Riddick a knowing stare and nod that said, “I can handle this.”
Riddick took a step back. Val turned her attention to Teller. “In Elijah’s absences I am the boss and you will do well to remember that.”
Teller put his hands up in surrender. “Of course, Your Majesty.” He issued a dashing smile.
Val understood how Riddick felt; Teller was infuriating. The look on his face made Val want to slap him and kiss him at the same time. She shook her head to clear it. “Our first priority is to find Elijah. The other members of the Court need to know Teller’s story. Some of them may know something about the Servants of Aggadad. Hopefully someone will be able to shed some light on what we’re up against.”
Samuel had been out looking for Elijah but returned for the meeting of Elders. He greeted Teller as the old friend that he was. Then he went straight to Mari and they shared a concerned glance.
Soon Val was surrounded by her coven; the leaders of the Court from abroad joined the meeting remotely on large flat-screens. This included Lord Alexandru in London, Lord Shantanu in India and Lady Jinlan in Beijing. She was Teller’s friend and the leader of the Chinese branch of the Court.
Teller retold his story. Unfortunately no one had heard of the Servants of Aggadad or the mysterious lady in white who resembled Vallachia and who had saved Teller. It was decided, that the number-one priority was to find Elijah. Reinforcements from their allies overseas were to join the Court in America. They were to help in the search for Elijah and to try to discover anything they could about Elda and Aggadad.
Teller had been taken to Zhengzhou, China and held captive in an underground lab. It was decided that if Elda and these “servants” did indeed have Elijah, it was unlikely they would bother transporting him all the way back to Zhengzhou. It was more probable that Elijah was being held closer to where he was captured, as Teller had been. Nevertheless, a small group of Jinlan’s men were going to search for the lab in Zhengzhou to see if they could find any clues, before heading this way.
It was decided that Val would set up a base outside New York City in order to more easily coordinate their search for the King. The Court also came to the conclusion that if Elda did have Elijah, then she most likely needed him alive — for now at least. This gave Val hope, she knew he was not dead and that they would find him. They simply had to.
Val headed straight for her room to pack after the meeting. Her girlfriends joined her.
“Don’t worry. We’ll find him in time.” Sonia wrapped her tiny arms around Val’s waist.
Val only nodded as she was too choked up to speak. Her other friends joined in the embrace. This got the tears flowing. Val feared the worst. Was Elda torturing him? After all, it was Elijah who beheaded her love, Ramdasha. Val was also worried that they may be able to gain the power they needed from Elijah — her true love. They may soon be able to carry out their plan — whatever that might be. Whatever the Servants of Aggadad were up to, Val knew it was not good.
The Court set up a camp consisting of many large tents deep in the forest yet only a short flight from New York City. These were not just any tents. They were tall enough for people to easily stand in. Val’s tent held a bed, desk, dresser, table and chairs. Her tent was partitioned off into several different “rooms” by silk tapestries and elegantly carved wooden partitions. Plush rugs lined the floor. This was how queens “camped”.
“Riddick is to lead the search,” Val announced.
Riddick stepped forward. “Please My Lady, send Samuel to lead the search. You’re solely in charge now. I can’t leave you unprotected.”
“She will not be unprotected,” Teller snapped. “I will look after her.”
Riddick glared at Teller. “I bet you will. However, it’s my duty to protect the Queen … from all manner of vermin.”
Teller narrowed his eyes. He stood from the table he had being leaning on and stepped toward Riddick. “What exactly is that suppose to mean?”
Val shook her head in frustration. She did not understand their hatred for each other. “Please, you two, we don’t have time for this.” The concern in her voice seemed to bring them back to the task at hand.
“You must heed my advice,” Riddick said. “This could be part of Elda’s plan. If we put all our resources into trying to find the king it will make it easier for them to get to you. Without you and Elijah everything would be lost. That may be exactly what the enemy wants.”
V
al nodded. “You’re right. … Thank you.” Thinking with only her heart, she wanted to put everything the Court had into finding Elijah but she could not allow their ancient reign to fall apart in Elijah’s absence. This was much bigger than Elijah or Val. It was her duty to keep the Court together until the king returned. “Riddick will remain here to guard the camp. Samuel will lead the searches.”
Samuel quickly stood — ready to find his oldest and closest friend.
Val placed her hand on Riddick’s shoulder. “You do what you must to keep this camp secure.”
“Of course, My Lady.”
Val wished she could help in the search but her friends convinced her to stay put for two reasons; for her protection and in case Elijah returned. They figured he would seek Val out first and she would be easier to find if she remained in one place.
Chapter 15 New York 2020 A.D
The problem was that hanging out at camp was not good for Val’s mental health. She felt useless and there was nothing to do. She could not focus on reading or much of anything, for that matter. She conducted searches on her phone for information about the Servants of Aggadad but didn’t find anything of use. It was as though they didn’t exist.
Val walked with Riddick on patrol around the camp simply for something to do. He had opened his mouth several times to speak, only to shut it again.
“Out with it already.” Val said.
“At the risk of offending you, I want to ask you to do something for me — for all of us.”
Val tilted her head. “Very well.”
“Stay away from Teller,” Riddick blurted.
“Oh,” Val said. “That is offensive. You know I’m worried sick about Elijah and I wouldn’t do that to him.”
“I know. You say that now but if you deny the power Teller has over you then you will falter. We all know how you two feel about each other and the way he looks at you …” Riddick shook his head. “It worries me. I mean, can we even trust him? He shows up after all these years with some odd story. It’s suspicious.”
Val narrowed her eyes. “Of course we can trust him.” She took a deep breath. “Thank you for voicing your concern. Once again, you’re right and I have every intention of staying away from Teller. You know, I would be lost without you.”
“Thank you for the kind words, My Lady but it’s you we would be lost without. You’re the solitary leader of the vampire world … until we find Elijah.”
Val gave him a peck on the cheek and headed for her tent. She was going to be tested right way, as she caught Teller’s scent before she entered. She pulled the tent flap back just enough to see him. Teller was waiting for her. She watched him for a moment. It was wonderful to see him — to know where he was — to know that he was safe. She shook her head to clear it. She turned on her heel and headed for Mari’s tent. Val lay beside Mari on her bed.
“Avoiding Teller?” Mari said.
Val’s friends knew her too well. She supposed that was bound to happen after being together for the better part of seven hundred and seventy years.
“Maybe I simply needed to see my oldest and dearest friend,” Val said.
“Don’t bother denying it. You know I’m right.” Mari put her index finger against her lips as she thought. “You know, Elijah would forgive you.”
Val’s mouth fell open. “For what?”
“Giving in to your desires for Teller.”
“I can’t believe you said that and at a time like this!”
“I’m simply saying — how long can this go on? Teller has not let go of you in the least and you’re equally guilty. The two of you are locked in temptation.”
“Where did you get that — from those terrible romance novels you read?”
“Oh, come now, you like the same books I do.”
“If only you knew what it felt like to touch him then you would understand.”
“I do understand. I told you many years ago, you made the wrong choice.”
“Technically you never said that I chose the wrong man,” Val snapped.
“Maybe if you two got together then you could finally get over each other and both of you could move on. We all would be happy to see that happen including Elijah. Your feelings for Teller aren’t fair to Elijah.”
Val stood to leave; this was the last thing she needed to hear. “You’re mad you know! This nonsense you’re talking is treason.”
“Come now, we don’t live in the middle-ages anymore. It’s the twenty-first century for crying out loud,” Mari yelled to Val’s back as she left the tent.
Val could not find anyone else to distract her. Mary, Elizabeth, Aaron and Sonia were all out searching. So she wandered around camp alone and tried not to think.
Chapter 16 New York 2020 A.D
Elijah mindlessly walked the crowded streets of New York City. Change is upon us. Things have been perfect for a long time. I have everything, including a perfect queen to rule by my side. She is beloved by the Court’s followers and she is my world. Vampires follow her as much as they do me. Together we make this work. We keep the delicate balance between humans and vampires. Yet, I cannot shake the feeling that she will be leaving me and the Court. No, she would never do that. I have no doubt that everything would fall apart if she were to leave — including me.
A sense of urgency came over Elijah. I should be with her now. I must try to convince her to stay.
Elijah turned around to head home when he noticed a number of people closing in around him. He had been lost in his own miserable thoughts and did not see the threat. They had formed a circle around him and it was too late. Some of the strangers chanted, while others attacked. Elijah’s fist hit the first attacker in the jaw, followed by Elijah’s elbow slamming into his face, sending him flying back.
Elijah spun around pulling out the gun that had been tucked safely in his jeans at his lower back. The members of the Court still did not leave home without being armed. Handguns were easier to conceal than swords, though he wished he had his trusty weapons of old. He shot the next attacker in the chest; the .45 caliber bullets sent his opponent stumbling back. People on the street scattered and screams rang out, mixing with the sound of gunfire.
Elijah’s head began to spin and he knew they would capture him. He could also tell that they did not want him dead as the attackers backed away when Elijah fell to his knees. They had attacked only to distract him — to keep him from escaping the spell that rendered him useless. He swiftly dropped his phone. It slid under a drop box outside the nearby post office, thus concealing his phone. His friends would find it and hopefully discern that he was in peril. He felt the sting of a needle enter deep into his lower back. He was unable to move, let alone fight them off. Elijah’s world slowly grew dark.
When Elijah came to, it was difficult to focus on anything. He could not move an inch as he had been chained to a gurney with heavy shackles. The space around him looked like a hospital room or a laboratory. Something told him that he was deep underground. He was hooked up to an IV bag but instead of injecting fluids into his body, it was taking his blood. He only recognized one face, “Elda,” he whispered.
A man in a white lab coat approached with a syringe that was four times the size of those used on humans. It must take that much more anesthetic — or whatever they were using — to render a vampire unconscious. The long needle sank deep into Elijah’s arm and once again the light began to fade.
The worst part was that when he was unconscious, the nightmares would return. He endlessly fought the dragon to no avail. Vallachia would call to him as the dragon tore her away — forever.
After several times of being drugged whenever Elijah woke, he decided to keep his eyes closed and pretend to still be unconscious. He overheard Elda, “It’s working. We found the right one this time. He must be the Queen’s true love. Soon we will be able to take over. We only need a little more of his blood, then we can kill him.”
“He should wake any minute,” a man’s voice said.
The next time Elijah came to, there was a tall woman in a long white dress standing over him. At first, all he could make out was long blond hair.
“Drink this. Quickly now,” the blond woman whispered.
“Val?” Elijah whispered.
The lady shook her head no.
When he could finally focus on her face, he could see that it was not Vallachia but the woman resembled her. A slight glow encompassed her entire body. The smell of blood was overwhelming. He drank eagerly. The blood helped to clear his head. The woman quickly unlocked his chains and threw them off. Elijah broke the last one in two before she was able to unlock it.
“Good, your strength is back. Elda will be along any moment to knock you out or to kill you. Your people are in a camp north of the city. Go now!” She indicated a door at the other end of the room. “There’s an elevator at the end of the hall.”
Elijah’s mind was slowly coming back to reality. “Valentina?”
She nodded. “It’s good to see you again Elijah but we don’t have time. You must go now!” She gave him a firm shove toward the door.
Elijah ran out of the room and toward the elevator. He pressed the call button. “We thought you were dead.” But when he turned around, he found that he was alone. Valentina had not followed.
Of Gods and Goddesses: Book 3 (Lords and Commoners Series) Page 6
