Val screamed.
“Mama!” Eva yelled.
Valentina ripped the bullet out with her back teeth and spit it out. Val fell to the ground. Valentina caught her and straightened her out so she would be more comfortable, while she rested and healed. The two girls stared with open mouths at their blood-splattered grandmother who had dark red blood dripping from her chin — their mother’s blood!
“Don’t be afraid, my darlings. You’re safe and your mother will heal quickly.” Valentina made an attempt to wipe the blood away, which only smeared it. The girls were too frightened to move.
Sasha and Angela had followed the sound of gunfire and made their way to the battle. The girls ran to them. At least they were not covered in blood, only sweat from their long hike up and over the volcano wall. Sasha and Angela took the girls into their arms as they surveyed the gruesome scene — eight headless bodies and Valentina covered in blood.
“Val!” Sasha ran forward. “Will she be okay?”
Valentina smiled with relief at seeing them. “Yes. She was shot. The bullet was in her bone and apparently touching a bundle of nerves, as she passed out from the pain when I removed it.” Valentina gave a shiver at the thought of her daughter’s agony. “But she will be fine. Let’s get out of here. We’ll clean up by the stream and you two can help Val to heal while I return to the cabin one last time for anything we may need. We’ll need to leave as soon as Val is able.” Valentina gently lifted Val into her arms and carried her to a nearby stream to wash her.
Chapter 52 Northern Canada 2034 A.D
When Val woke, she jumped to her feet in a flash.
“The girls are fine. We’re all fine,” Valentina said in a calm voice.
The girls raced to hug their mother. Val felt the soreness in her shoulder and arm when she wrapped it around Eva.
“But we must leave at once. Can you fly?” Valentina said with urgency.
In no time, they headed south. Val carried Sasha on her back and Eva in her arms, while Valentina took Angela and Vera. The humans carried the packs. Valentina sprinkled dust behind them to cover their scent.
More of Elda’s followers would be headed this way. Val knew they had only killed the ones who had been close by. Others were on their way from farther off.
They flew late into the night.
“I don’t think I can hang on any longer. I need to rest,” Angela said.
Val did not want to stop. She wanted to get as far away from Elda’s men as possible. She was also more than anxious to see her other family — her ancient family. She could hardly contain the jittery feeling in her stomach.
They unrolled four sleeping bags. Angela was barely in hers before she was snoring. The girls had slept some as they flew. They all — save Angela — worked to set a protective shield around them and the Court’s tunnels in the Amazon.
“Poor Angela. Her age is finally catching up with her. This trip will be rough on her,” Valentina mused.
“Mama,” Vera’s voice was barely audible. “I’m so sorry.” She began to sob.
Val took Vera in her arms. “What are you sorry for?” Val asked, although she had a good idea what the answer would be.
“I just wanted to see the world. I wanted to see what was outside the volcano.”
“What did you do?”
“When we woke and you were asleep and Grandma was gone, I knew that was our chance to see what was over the volcano wall and … I took the cloth off the crystal. I wanted to be found so we would no longer have to hide. I thought it would set us free.” Vera buried her head in her mother’s chest.
“And you ran off without telling anyone?”
Vera nodded. “We can’t sneak past you and Grandma. You always hear us but we did get by Sasha and Angela.”
“It was easy,” Eva added.
Val gritted her teeth. “You put us in real danger, Vera.” She was surprised at how upset she was over her daughter’s betrayal. “You did not trust us. You thought we were keeping you in the volcano to be cruel, when we were only trying to protect you.”
Vera started sobbing again. “I know, Mama. I’ll never doubt you again.”
Val felt her heart soften as her anger waned. Her daughter was truly sorry and she had learned a valuable lesson — she knew who to trust. Val hugged Vera tight. “Well, you are in the real world now. Our secret is out.”
“No!” Eva said. “I want to go home. I want things to be the way they were.”
“That home is gone forever. We can never go back. It will never be safe again.”
This caused tears to fall from both girls.
“And don’t think you have gotten out of trouble, Eva.”
“I didn’t do anything! It was all Vera’s idea.”
“Yet you went along with your sister. You did not try to stop her.”
“That’s not fair. It’s all her fault,” Eva snapped.
Val glared at Eva. Eva put her head down. “I’m sorry, Mama. I should have told Angela and Sasha.”
“I’m sorry that you two are not normal children — that you are not free to see the world. You’re very special and we’re going to have to work extra hard to protect you now,” Val said.
Sasha lit up. “Perhaps our sight was unclear because we were not looking for a betrayal from within.”
“We sensed that change was coming but could not see when or who was behind it. We were not looking for one of the girls to reveal us to Elda,” Val added.
“That does make sense. However, the word betrayal is a bit harsh. After all, they’re only six year old girls who wanted to see the world,” Sasha protested.
“Vera wanted to see the world, not me. And we’re thirteen,” Eva corrected.
“You’re not thirteen yet and you are entirely too short to be twelve,” Valentina said.
“But we’re smart,” Eva and Vera said in unison.
“Yes, you’re very smart for six-year-olds but this morning you acted like six-year-olds,” Val said.
“Now all I want is to go back to our old life,” Vera cried.
“This world is dangerous and you two will need to be strong in order to survive. Yet, we’ll have a new life. Things will be different and different does not mean bad. It can be good but it will not be like our old life.” Val paused and looked to her mother, who nodded in return.
“We’re taking you to meet some very old and very dear friends of mine. They have been like family to me and …”
“What is it?” Vera prompted.
“Well …” Val sighed. “You know how I have always been … vague when you asked about your father?”
“We get to meet our father?” Eva’s emerald eyes danced, as Teller’s eyes had when he gazed upon Vallachia.
Val smiled at the memory and nodded.
“Tell us about him! What’s he like?” Eva asked.
“Oh, you have heard of him,” Valentina said.
“We have?”
Val glared at her mother. “Don’t you dare. They have had enough fright for one day. And Teller is not who he once was a long time ago.”
“You’re not going to tell them that their father is the infamous Dracula?”
Sasha choked on her water and they all looked to Val with wide eyes.
“Dracula? Really?” Vera said.
“They need to know the truth,” Valentina said.
“Our father is Count Dracula?” Eva looked terrified all over again.
Val shot one last glare to Valentina. “No. Not anymore and count is a newer term. He once went by Prince Vlad for a number of years but —
“Cool! Our dad is Dracula,” Vera said.
“Not anymore. He goes by his given name — Teller — and he’s very kind and loving, not someone to be afraid of.”
“So what’s he like,” Eva asked with trepidation.
“Your father and I are about the same age. We grew up together in a small village called Ludus. Ludus is in the country now known as Romania. Teller and Mari —
whom you will also meet — are my two oldest companions. Your father and I had fallen in love but then I was turned into a vampire …” Val continued to tell her story until the girls were fast asleep.
“Thanks for that, Mother.” Val was still upset with Valentina for mentioning Dracula.
“Please, don’t call me ‘Mother’. It sounds so … cold. And it’s better that they know. We can no longer keep them sheltered from the world. They would have found out and it’s better they hear it from you.”
“That was a brief and insignificant time in Teller’s life.” Val snapped.
“Or some might say it was his most significant time. It’s what he’ll always be remembered for.”
Val didn’t want to admit that her mother might be right.
“Imagine how proud I was to learn that my daughter was in love with Vlad the Impaler.” Valentina’s voice was full of sarcasm.
“Shut up, Mom,” Val whispered.
“That’s better.” Valentina laughed. “You know I prefer to be called ‘Mom’.”
They stayed up to keep watch throughout the night.
The next morning Vera woke full of energy. While Sasha cooked breakfast over a campfire, Vera threw punches and kicks into the air. “I didn’t know you and Grandma could kick butt like that. I want to be like you!”
“You thought we kept swords and shields around simply for show?” Valentina said.
Vera grabbed one of Val’s swords. She could hardly lift it.
Valentina took the sword from her. “Not yet, little one. You’ll hurt someone or, more likely, you’ll hurt yourself.”
“But I want to learn. Can you teach me? Pleeeease!” Vera’s emerald eyes glittered with excitement.
“We’ll start with something much less dangerous. Why don’t you run along and find us two sticks that will work for fencing practice?”
“I’m sure I’ll be a good fighter. After all I’m Dracula’s daughter.” Vera ran off on a mission to find the perfect sticks.
Eva curled up on Val’s lap. “I want to go home, Mama.”
“We are going home — to a new home.”
“But I want our old home back.”
“I know, Baby, but you know that can’t happen.”
They took flight as soon as it was humanly possible, which was entirely too slow for Val. Having to stop to rest and eat greatly slowed their journey to the Amazon.
When Val and her new family made their way across the open skies of Colorado, she noticed a distant humming sound. It was a sound she had not heard in a long time. It was a sound that she realized had all but vanished after vampires took over the world.
“Do you hear that?” she asked her mother.
Valentina closed her eyes to focus on what could be heard. “It’s electricity and a lot of it.”
Val pointed to a large power plant in the distance. “That plant is still operational.
“It must be vampires who maintain it. They will not be friends to us. Let’s travel far around it,” Valentina said.
“What could the plant be powering? Colorado Springs appears to be abandoned,” Angela yelled over the wind blowing by her.
“Is that Pikes Peak?” Val asked.
“Indeed,” Valentina said.
Val narrowed her eyes at the highest point in the mountain range. An uneasy feeling came over her. “Let’s get out of here.”
Chapter 53 North America 2034 A.D
Deep beneath Pikes Peak, Elda and Silvia had been debating about heading out on their own to find the former queen and her children.
“If we can’t rely on others to find them, then we have to do it ourselves.”
“We were so close,” Silvia said. “We finally found where they were hiding. They couldn’t have gone far.”
Two of Elda’s guards marched into the conference room. They roughly grabbed Elda and forced her arms behind her back. They slapped thick iron shackles around her wrists.
Silvia stepped toward Elda. “How dare you —
In the next heartbeat, Silvia found herself in the same position.
“What are you doing? Have you gone mad?” Elda demanded.
“Unhand us, you fools!” Silvia spat.
“We have not gone mad, my dear. Indeed it’s quite the contrary — we have come to our senses.” John rounded the corner, entering the conference room with the rest of Elda’s entourage, who once had been her trusted guards.
“It has been decided that you’re not fit to lead. You’re misguided. You only care about finding two tiny little girls, when you should be worried about finding our enemies. Elijah and his resistance are a real threat but you only care about two harmless children.”
“You are a fool. Those girls will have the power to destroy us. They’re the only things that can stop me.”
“You’re wrong. I can stop you. Imprison her!” John commanded.
“No! We must find the chosen ones. You don’t understand,” Elda said.
“This time you’re correct. I don’t understand your obsession with these children. In all my years, prophecies of every kind have been foretold and guess what? They’re only the false musings of crackpots. That’s what you are — a crackpot — and we have decided that you’re not fit to rule the world.”
“And you are?” Elda spat.
“I am the oldest amongst us. I have ruled the vampire race for fifteen hundred years. Obviously, I’m highly qualified.”
“You never ruled. You were a mere servant to the true leaders. You’re nothing but a traitor!”
“That’s quite enough.” John’s cheeks turned bright red. “You should be happy that I’m not going to kill you. We,” John pointed to Elda’s former guards, “agree with your law which declares that it’s a crime for vampires to kill one another. If we are to truly be an honorable race then we can’t run about slaying vampires like savages — as the Court once did. That’s why I’m locking you up. I can’t risk you interfering. Take them away.”
“John, wait! It’s not a prophecy. My visions have always come true —
“Vision, prophecy, there is no difference. Besides I thought you lost your sight?”
“I did but this was a very strong vision that I used to have before I took over and my ability to see the future … vanished,” Elda choked.
“You have wasted enough of my time.” John flicked his wrist and Elda and Silvia were dragged out of the room.”
“John, please!”
One month after being imprisoned, a guard came to give Elda and Silvia their meager ration of blood.
Silvia jumped to her feet in order to serve her beloved Elda. “So it’s not okay to kill us but it’s okay to starve us?” Silvia yelled after the guard as she retreated down the long hallway.
The guard did not respond.
Carefully and quickly Silvia poured one of the glasses of blood into the other and turned to give it to Elda.
“What happened to your portion?” Elda asked.
“I already drank it. I was too thirsty. Please forgive me.”
Elda smiled and downed her glass — both portions. “It’s not your fault.” Elda rubbed her throat, which was still dry. “It’s not nearly enough. You know those girls are the only chance of undoing what we’ve … what I’ve done?” Elda said.
“I know. We’ll find a way.” Or rather you will. Silvia kept this last part to herself. She was growing weak — slowly starving to death.
A month passed but this time when the blood rations came Silvia did not get up to retrieve them. Elda was weak and tired. She barely woke enough to say, “It’s here.”
Silvia did not move.
“Silvia!” Elda crawled to her side. Elda shook her. Silvia’s head fell forward and Elda gasped. Silvia’s cheekbones were greatly sunken. There were dark circles under her hollow eye sockets.
“No,” Elda whispered.
“That’s what happens to vampires who don’t feed,” a woman’s voice came from the other side of the tiny barred opening of
the thick iron door.
“We petrify?” Elda asked.
“Aye. It’s not pretty but she’s not in pain and she’ll wake when a copious amount of blood is poured down her throat.”
“Why am I not petrified?”
“Your faithful servant must’ve given you her blood rations.”
Elda gasped. Of course! Silvia had been giving me all the blood and taking none for herself. Moisture formed in Elda’s eyes. “How do you know all this about what happens to us when we don’t feed?”
“You really don’t know, do you?”
Elda heard the heavy steel rod as it was removed from barring the door and the door latch made a deafening noise as it was released. A woman entered only to glare at Elda. She was the guard who often watched over them or more accurately, came around every couple of weeks to hand out blood.
“What don’t I know?” Elda demanded. She may be in prison but she was still royalty.
“What it’s like out there on the streets. Blood is scarce and many vampires have mummified, like your precious Silvia.”
“That’s not true. There are millions of humans left. There is plenty of blood to go around.”
“If one can afford it.”
“What are you saying?”
“He who controls the blood controls everything. That’s the world you’ve created.”
“I didn’t set any limits on blood rations. It should be free to all, as it has always been.”
“Exactly. You have done nothing to stop your men who guard the human prisons. They can name their price and only those who pay a ridiculous amount can get humans to feed from. Being a guard is a dangerous job with those rebels out there. At least this is how the prison guards justify what they do. Those who can’t afford to pay the guards’ price, well …” the woman pointed to Silvia.
“This can’t be.” Elda had heard word of unrest but surely things were not as bad as this woman said. “Are you here to kill me?”
The woman laughed. “No. I supported you — in the beginning and I still believe that vampires should not kill their own kind. I’m here to free you.”
Of Gods and Goddesses: Book 3 (Lords and Commoners Series) Page 20
