Cursed by Death (The Protectors Book 1)

by Basia Pike

  “It didn’t take long for werewolves to band together and abandon their creators. So, the witches put a curse on the werewolves, only allowing them to turn on a full moon. Ever since, the vampires, witches, and werewolves have struggled amongst themselves for power over the world which they share with humans.”

  Andre looked relieved to have finished his story. I hadn’t been listening. After all, I already knew the story. I watched my fellow Verndarar members carefully. Deon, Julius, and Luciana seemed to accept Andre’s claims. Tom, Casey, Mary and Josh, however, were a different story.

  “Now, are there any questions?” Andre asked.

  “Yes, so because Sparta created humans, there is a way of using the Creaturae to reverse that?” Julius asked.

  “Yes. The Creaturae was lost a long time ago, before humans broke away from the vampires. The vampires created a backup for that reason, so with almost the flip of a switch they could end humanity.”

  “I am sorry, but this all seems too farfetched,” Mary said.

  “Some of you may not believe it. I’ve invited a woman to prove my claims. May I please introduce you to Eve Snow.” I looked up, startled, as the woman I’d bumped into earlier that day strode over to join Andre. She locked eyes with me and blushed a little.

  “Eve Snow is in fact a witch and she will prove it to you.” Andre placed a brick on the dining table. “Eve, if you wouldn’t mind…”

  She nodded and stepped in front of the brick, waving her hand.

  “Elevare,” she chanted, and the brick lifted into the air. Mary, screamed before fainting. I rolled my eyes as Luciana tended to her.

  “That’s awesome!” Josh exclaimed. Casey had gone white and wasn’t so excited. Luciana, Julius and Deon were undeterred. Tom was looking a little pale.

  I was glad Andre had agreed not to tell them I was a witch. I didn’t really have any intention of revealing any part of my past to my team members.

  Mary regained consciousness, but was looking worse for wear.

  “Now we’ve got that out of the way, time for dinner,” Andre clapped his hands together. He turned to Eve. “Please join us,” he said, pointing to the empty seat next to me.

  I gulped as she sat down. The waiters entered with the food.

  Tom turned toward me. “Jesus Christ, what do ya think about all that?” he asked, running a hand through his hair.

  “Andre already told me the story, and it’s believable considering everything we’ve seen here.”

  Tom nodded and then returned his attention to the food that was being placed on the table. As everyone ate, it became quiet.

  I hadn’t looked at Eve, but she glanced over at me more than once. It was only a matter of time until she said something.

  “Elijah, I didn’t know you were part of the Verndarar,” she said.

  “Yes, I’m the leader.”

  She looked surprised. “Oh, I see.” A silence fell between us as we are. “Are you put off getting a drink with me because I’m a witch?”

  “No, of course not.”

  She smiled. I knew I wasn’t ready to date anyone, but I would go out of politeness. Andre stood, tapping his knife against his glass to call the attention of the group.

  “Everyone listen up.” Silence fell over the entire room. “I need not tell you how important your task is. The future of the entire human race is in your hands. I have to leave you in the capable hands of Elijah.” He signaled to me. “Will you say a few words, Elijah?”

  My stomach sank and my grip tightened on the glass I was holding. I stood up and looked around at the faces watching me.

  “I … I want to say I look forward to working with you to ensure the safety of human kind. I hope that you can see how important our cause is…” I looked at Luciana and she glared at me. “It’ll be tough going and we’re against the clock. As a wise man always tells me, the Kugarar aren’t sitting around waiting for us to finish our training.” I smiled at Andre, who nodded. “I’m looking forward to starting this journey with you all.”

  Tom lifted his glass in there air. “Cheers!” he said, and everyone followed suit.

  “Thank you, Elijah,” Andre said. “For me, this is goodbye. As of tomorrow, I won’t be here.”

  “Where are you going?” Josh asked.

  “Now that is a story for a different day. This won’t be goodbye forever. I will drop in now and then to check in on you.”

  “It is like school? Are you the headmaster?” Casey asked, laughing, and Josh joined in. I stared at them. I could see they were going to give me some trouble.

  “No, it’s not school. Your roles here are much more important than any school. I’m off to bed now, as I have an early start. However, I hope you will all enjoy the evening.”

  He walked away and I stood to catch up with him. “Andre, wait.”

  He turned to face me and adjusted his glasses. “I wanted to say thank you for everything. I look forward to stopping the Kugarar and then getting the revenge on those bastards that took my wife’s life.”

  A slight smile crept onto Andre’s face. “Your welcome. I hope you realize how important your role is here, and it wasn’t just because you wanted to get revenge that you agreed to join.”

  My eyes narrowed. The truth was that had been the only reason, but now I honestly felt I had found a new home here with the Verndarar.

  He placed a hand on my shoulder. “Take care, Elijah, and keep an eye out for me.” With that he turned and left. I approached Luciana my stomach in knots.

  “Luciana, may I have a word?” I asked. She turned and glared at me. With a reluctant stare, she stood and followed me.

  “I wanted to clear the air between us. I’m not sure what I’ve done wrong, but I sense you dislike me.”

  Luciana had her arms crossed over her chest. “I’ve met your kind before, and I don’t trust you,” she said.

  My kind?

  “What do you mean?”

  “You’re a witch, I sensed it the instant we met.” My mouth dropped open, and I glanced towards the rest of the group making sure no one was listening.

  “How could you…”

  “Witches were common and out in the open in our time. I was taught how to detect them.”

  I gulped, “I’m a witch, but Andre bound my powers,” I admitted, “Does Julius know as well?”

  She shook her head, “No, I didn’t tell him my concerns.”

  “We’re in this team together, and I hope you can get past this and learn to trust me.”

  She still had her arms crossed, and she narrowed her eyes. “ I can try.”

  I stared at her. “Will you keep this to yourself?” I asked. I didn’t believe it possible for her eyes to narrow anymore but they did.

  “Why don’t you tell them?” It was a viable question, but one I was unsure how to answer.

  “You saw how people reacted to Eve. I’m not sure people would be comfortable with the fact their leader is a witch.”

  Her arms remained crossed firmly over her chest, but her eyes softened. “Fine. I’ll keep your secret.” I watched her walk away. I’d never heard of humans detecting witches like that.

  18

  The magical swirling lights flashed in front of us. We stood in front of it prepared for our first assignment. I glanced at Mary, I was still nervous about her going into the field. Josh and Casey were remaining behind on this assignment because they had to work on their inventions, which weren’t ready.

  Helen placed a hand on my shoulder. “Are you okay?”

  “Yes, I’m just not sure we’re ready for this.”

  She shook her head. “It’s not going to be that dangerous. You will only be gone a day or two investigating the leads I gave you.”

  I nodded, but she hadn’t eased my anxiety. I gripped tightly onto the pieces of paper she’d given me.

  We were headed to Athens, 120 AD, to investigate two leads. All of us were dressed in ancient Greek clothing, which was surprisingly comfortable. Deon
looked in his element.

  “I’ll go through first,” I said, approaching the portal. “See you all on the other side.” Everyone gave me a nod and I turned and disappeared through the portal.

  I fell onto a hard stone floor in our Athens’ base. Shortly after, Tom thumped down onto the floor next to me. I jumped to my feet and helped him up.

  “I still never get used to time travel. It’s horrible!” he said.

  I looked around at our surroundings. We were in a small home made from pretty white stone. You could hear the bustling streets outside echoing through the house.

  Once the rest of the team arrived, we stood together and went over the plan.

  “Right, so we’re splitting into two groups. Luciana, Julius, and Mary will be going together to the Acropolis. We will head to the theatre square.” Everyone nodded in agreement.

  I turned to Tom and Deon. “Let’s get going. We want to get this done as soon as possible.”

  “Let’s do it!” Deon said enthusiastically.

  It was incredible being in such an ancient time of history. To see people in their day to day lives and hear them speaking Ancient Greek. The smell wasn’t so pleasant. A mix of sewage and strong spices filled the air.

  The theatre was a half an hour walk. The rumor was that the Kugarar had a permanent base situated somewhere close to the theatre.

  The three of us swept the area, checking for any obvious signs of modern technology. We had the element of surprise in the sense that the Kugarar weren’t aware of our presence and most likely wouldn’t hide their use of modern devices.

  “How we gonna know exactly where the base is?” Tom asked, looking to me. I shrugged, feeling helpless.

  “How about we split up and search the area?” Deon suggested. I wasn’t sure about splitting up, but it would help speed things up.

  “Okay, but be careful and stay in this square,” I warned. Deon took off to the left and Tom went to the right, leaving me to head towards the houses in front of me. How were we going the find the base? It was like looking for a needle in a haystack.

  I took a good look around the square and at the houses and balconies surrounding me. There were hundreds of people bustling around me. Market stalls were set up all around the edge of the square.

  A man sat on his balcony holding what appeared to be binoculars, surveying the square, caught my eye. I averted my gaze quickly to ensure he didn’t see me.

  That’s got to be them! I searched the busy crowd, looking for any signs of Deon or Tom. Damn it. There was no sign of them. I felt torn. Did I go in there on my own or wait to find the others?

  I made the decision to go for it. It didn’t make sense for all of us to rush in there. I slipped down a side street that ran alongside the building, out of his view, and started the climb up the side. There was an open window I climbed through, making sure not to make a sound. My heart was beating in my ears.

  Luckily, the door to the room I’d entered was shut, but I could hear muffled voices in the room neighboring it. I scanned the room. There were modern gadgets on the bed, and a load of papers on the desk. What to check first?

  I headed towards the gadgets, but they meant nothing to me. I pulled my phone out of my pocket and snapped some pictures of them, intending to show them to Casey and Josh.

  I then headed towards the desk. There was a lot of Greek paperwork on the desk, with English translations scrawled by the side. I shifted carefully through the paperwork until something caught my eye:

  Dear E.L.S

  The Creaturae whereabouts is still unknown. However, after searching Athens for a month it has become clear that it was here, and with a little more research we may be able to find it.

  After doing some extensive research of the history of Athens, I stumbled across some artifacts, and scripture which were tied to Elaric Cureliva, a number of which either referenced or mentioned the Creaturae…

  A loud bang made me jump; my heart leapt into my throat and entire body was frozen. I didn’t have time to wait around reading the letters.

  I moved all the letters addressed to E.L.S to the top of the pile, took a photo of each one, and returned the paper to the general position I’d found them.

  I glanced at the window, but something else caught my eye. A photo on the bedside table. It was a man and a woman, but the woman’s face was covered other than her eyes. I stared at it, trying to figure out where I’d seen those eyes. They looked so familiar.

  The sound of footsteps approaching the room drew me out of my thoughts. Shit! I didn’t have time to get back out of the window. I flung myself behind the bed.

  “It’s in here somewhere, I’m sure it is.”

  “Ethan, you really need to organize this mess. Jensen wouldn’t be happy if he saw this.” Jensen?

  “I know, I know. I haven’t had the time—Oh, here it is!” I was holding my breath. I could hear them heading back towards the door, but then they stopped.

  “Wait, I smell something,” Ethan said.

  I sniffed my armpits. Do I stink? I did put aftershave on that morning. Surely, he couldn’t smell that.

  “Someone has been in here.” I could hear his footsteps approach the bed. I could see one pair of feet underneath. Oh God! What I would have given for my magic.

  He made his way round the bed. My grip tightened around the hilt of the dagger affixed to my belt, and as he was about to walk around the corner I jumped to my feet.

  The man I was looking at had wispy blond hair and was pale and thin, with red eyes! He glared at me unperturbed by my presence.

  That’s why he could smell me. Vampires had unbelievably good senses.

  “I knew it!” Before he could retaliate, I swiped my dagger towards him. He blocked it with his arm; the dagger drew blood and he yowled, falling backwards.

  The man who’s name I was unaware of advanced towards me with a dagger.

  I managed to block the strike with my own, and pushed him back with force.

  “Who the hell are you?” he shouted, keeping away from me. I wasn’t going to answer. The vampire had already healed and jumped to his feet.

  I glanced around the room, but I was too far from the window to escape. Within a flash he was to the side of me. I tried to fight him off but before I knew it his teeth had sunk into my neck. After a short moment he made a sickening noise and writhed in agony on the floor.

  “He’s a damn witch!” the vampire screeched. The blood trickling from his mouth. A vampire had never tried to feed on me, but I had heard that they couldn’t drink witches blood.

  The other man ran towards me, and I blocked another strike towards my throat, our daggers locked together. He was straining trying to overpower me. I kicked him backwards, forcing him away.

  “If he’s a witch why isn’t he using his magic?” he exclaimed.

  I made a dash towards the window while he was still attempting to recover. I flung myself out of it and descended down the side of the building at speed, breathing a small sigh of relief as I hit the ground and sprinted back into the square. The man was following, but before he could make it to the ground I was gone. It was even busier than earlier.

  I needed to keep moving. If I stopped, I risked being caught. I weaved around the masses of people. Merchants selling oils and spices tried to accost me as hastily dodged their advances. I couldn’t see Tom or Deon anywhere. There were too many people.

  I was heading back towards the direction Tom went. Out of nowhere Ethan appeared in front of me and his red eyes met mine. A malicious smirk flitted onto his lips and he sprinted towards me

  Shit!

  I sprinted back towards the way we’d entered the square originally. I glanced back over my shoulder and collided with something hard.

  “Elijah, what are ya running for?” Tom asked.

  “Thank God I’ve found you! Where’s Deon?”

  Tom shrugged. I couldn’t see my pursuer anymore.

  “What happened?” Tom asked, and I shook my head. />
  “Now isn’t the time. We need to find Deon and get out of here.”

  Tom gave me an odd look but nodded. “He was over that way when we split up, so that’s the best way to go.”

  He was signaling toward the way I’d come. It was only a matter of time until Ethan found us. We walked slowly back towards the north of the square. It couldn’t be that hard to find him with his blond hair.

  A bob of bright blond caught my attention and I grabbed Tom’s arm. “Over there?” I pointed.

  Tom nodded. “Looks like ‘I’m!” We approached him, but I was still on edge checking for any signs of the pursuing men. Deon looked as relieved to see us as we were to see him.

  “Let’s get the hell out of here,” I said.

  He frowned. “Why? Have you found the base?”

  I nodded. “Yeah, but no time to explain.”

  “Oi!” I heard someone shout and glanced up. It was Ethan, followed by three others. They were pointing straight at us and started into a sprint towards us.

  “Shit! Run!” Tom and Deon glanced to where I was looking before following me.

  We ran back towards our base, but I knew we couldn’t out run a vampire. I signaled to a building on our left and pulled myself up it.

  If we wanted to lose them, we would have to disappear and the rooftops were the best place to do that. Tom and Deon followed quickly heaving themselves up the building. Once at the top we were thankful to glance back over and see the men run past.

  “That was close!” I said.

  Tom and Deon gave me a questioning look.

  “I’ll explain back at base. Let’s go.” I stood and vaulted across the rooftops of Athens.