“He says he has his reasons. It may not be ideal to protect the hybrid, but he says he knows things.”
I stared at her in disbelief. “Seriously? He says? You act like the freaking cat can speak.”
Outside the bush, the Panther growled. Tamyra looked at me. “Please try not to anger him. We are lucky to have his protection. Try to keep an open mind, Val. For someone who has seen and experienced what you have since Halloween, I wouldn’t think you would still be so close-minded.”
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5
Lost Cities
Iwished Tamyra would get her head out of her book and answer the questions abounding within my mind. Unfortunately, she seemed to feel that whatever she was reading on those pages over and over again was far more important than my silly naïve questions. In the days to come, we would both regret that decision.
We trudged along, through the dark gloomy forest for hours. The giant Panther had eventually returned to the small black cat. Again, I wondered at the possibility of such a thing. Just trying to imagine how his body rearranged itself in size gave me a major headache. The funny part was, he seemed just as curious about me as I was about him. It didn’t offer me much comfort. I felt like a ship floating in the breeze, lost without a captain or crew. My compass was broken, and my sails ripped.
One of the things I heard Tamyra mutter stuck in my mind.
“The bloodline that was mixed shall burn in flames, but rise again from the ashes as another. When the last Lonely City has fallen, and the moon casts its shadow upon earth, darkness will rule. No creature shall hide, no man shall be safe. Within that darkness, there is light, but within that light, there exists turmoil. If evil prevails, darkness shall reign a thousand years.”
She offered no conversation as she read that entry to herself over and over, as though trying to sort through it to discover another meaning. I was more curious after hearing that passage. I strained to listen, but much of what she said sounded like riddles. Suddenly, she stopped. Hours had passed since leaving the cabin, and I had no idea where we were. She lifted her eyes to my face.
“We must go to one of the Lost Cities. That’s where we will find the others, and more answers.”
“What are Lost Cities? Who’s going to be there?” I waited, hoping this would be one of the times she would answer me.
Looking at me, she pursed her lips. “The Lost Cities are entries to the other realms. Beneath these cities there exists an intricate labyrinth of cities belonging to the…..” she looked at me a long time. “The paranormal I suppose you would call them. Those of us who are…. Different call them the Ancient Casts.”
I found this bit of information very interesting. “So, how do you know which cities are Lost Cities?”
Cocking her head at me, she grinned. Picking up a twig, she drew a shape on the ground. As I moved to look closer, I saw it was a pentagon.
Looking back up at me, she said, “If you draw this symbol on a map, each point touches a city. The cross sections also cross over cities and towns. I do not know them all by heart. There are twelve in all. I know one point touches Portland.
Another point touches Los Angeles. There is a reason they call it the city of Angels, you know.” She winked at me, causing a shiver to course down my spine. Did she mean real Angels? She didn’t give me much time to ponder that question as she continued.
“Across the continent the others I am aware of are: Providence, San Antonio, and Salem, the one in Massachusetts. I have heard there is another near New Orleans, but I cannot recall the name. One clue that will always point the way- the more the town or city embraces corruption the more likely there is a Lost City nearby.”
I pictured these cities in my head, at least what I had seen and heard about them. It was hard to imagine an underground city existing anywhere. “So, is that where we’re going then? To Portland?”
Tamyra once again had her nose buried in her Witches’ book. She nodded absently at me. I wasn’t sure it was a good idea. “Uh, sorry to question your judgment, I know you are really old, but don’t you think someone will recognize me there?”
From the look she sent me, I had the feeling she didn’t find my comment about her age amusing.
“You will need to learn how to blend in. We cannot hide forever. Eventually, you will need to learn to fend for yourself. You are not meant to hide. I am just trying to keep you safe long enough for us to get to the one who waits for you.”
Yes, the mysterious man who waited for me. You would think she could give me a name or something. I trudged along, and as I looked up, the lights of a city shone in the distance. The brightness was welcoming, and I found myself overjoyed to see the signs of civilization. I sighed in relief. The chance to get some decent clothes, maybe some food and rest…stopping, I remembered. I didn’t actually eat, or drink, or sleep. Hum. This was going to take a lot more getting used to than I had realized.
The closer we came to the lights of the city, the edgier I began to feel. I wasn’t sure if it was nerves or fear of finding more strange creatures on the hunt for me. Whatever it was, I did not expect to see what I did upon entering the city of Portland. The place was crawling with…I don’t even know. The paranormal, I suppose is the best way to say it. Several times I thought I had seen Dominique, but upon closer inspection, I realized there was something, some small detail that was different about each man who resembled him.
“Tamyra, why do I see so many men who resemble that creepy supposed cousin of mine?” Another man with the pasty pale skin and bright blue eyes passed us by.
Looking back at me, Tamyra studied me for a long moment. “Do you mean pale skin and very light blue eyes?”
I nodded. “Yep, that sounds right. They make me feel icky. That’s what Dominique looked like.”
Tamyra closed her eyes. When she opened them, she nodded. “I see. So that is who they sent for you. The reason they make you edgy is they are all Vampire like he is. The signature look is pale skin and those damning eyes.”
Okay. That explained a lot. “So why do I see, like, millions of them? I never noticed anyone like that before.”
Tamyra turned to continue walking as she spoke to me. “I told you. This is one of the Lost Cities. It means there is an underground city here, and that this place has basically been taken over long ago and claimed as territory for different Casts. Which one it is can vary. Vampire are very powerful. They rule many of the Lost Cities, but there are some who challenge their rule.
For example, the highest point of the map of Lost Cities lands upon one of the largest Wolf packs in the world. I cannot remember the town’s name, but you certainly do not want to go there if you are an enemy of the Wolf.” She cocked her head toward the cat.
Laughing I nodded in understanding. “What other Casts rule the Lost Cities? Is that what we call ourselves? A Cast?”
Tamyra stopped walking. Rubbing her temple, she looked back at me in annoyance. “You ask a lot of questions. We are Casts, it is what we call the different bloodlines and groups who are other than human. I am from a Witch Cast. That means my kind are Witches. We are one of the Casts of others. Some, like Shifters, call themselves packs or prides. Vampire are simply that. There are many others as well.
You, Val, are not part of any Cast. There is none I know of who’s…” she looked down at my arm. Frowning, she hurried to pull my frock over it. “This is a problem. Come. We must cover you more.”
I looked down to see what had so bothered her. The veins inside me were once again glowing and surging up and down my body. “That’s odd. I haven’t seen it do that in a while. Do you think it means something?”
Tamyra grabbed my hand, yanking me out of the street and into a dark alley. “Yes! I think it means you sense a threat. It would seem your body does this when you are near danger, and when you get emotional. You need to learn control.”
I stared at her. “How am I supposed to learn control when I don’t even know what I am or how I work?�
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Tamyra paced the dark alley. “I don’t know, child. I don’t have all the answers. I have lived in the woods for a long time waiting for you. There was no guide on how to care for you nor teach you. Now, I need you to stay here. I’m going to get you some clothes.” Pausing, she looked down at the cat. The two eyed each other for a long time, and again, I had the impression they were speaking to one another.
“The cat will stay with you. He will keep you safe. Just please, stay here, and be quiet. Try not to draw attention to yourself.”
Glaring at her back as she left, I muttered under my breath. Plopping down against the cold brick wall, I hunkered beneath my frock. I hated this. I missed my family. I didn’t want to be some freak whose veins glowed. I wanted to go back to Middletown and be with my friends and my family. Unfortunately, they were all gone. Dead. Burnt to ash.
Taking a long breath, I studied the decaying brick beside my head. I needed something else to focus on for a while. I understood none of this strange world where the monsters from the movies appeared to walk amongst us. I had been blinded, we all had. Humans lived alongside these monsters every day. As if a veil covered their faces, they were all ignorant to the real world.
The biggest question seemed to be, what was I? Tamyra was a Witch hundreds of years old, with an obviously very important book, and yet she herself was stumped. Lifting my hand toward my face, I stared at it. Fiery orange ran beneath my ivory skin, making my hand illuminate in the darkness of the dank alley. I watched it, mesmerized by the fire within me seemed to flow through me. It was an unending path. It gushed up into my fingers one at a time, before receding back into my hand and disappearing up my arm. I found myself captivated by the thought that there could be a fire within me. Pulling a strand of my dark hair forward, I was stunned when the tips glowed like the deep vivid orange of an ember.
Across the alley from me, I heard the distinct meow of the black cat. Looking up at him, I shrugged, feeling like I had just been reprimanded. Letting my hand and hair fall back down, I sighed.
“How would you like it if you didn’t even know who you were? If you wanted to cry for those you lost, but this damnable body you had been brought back in would not even shed a single tear?”
The cat twitched his tail. Standing, he moved a few feet closer. I shook my head. “See, even you are wary of me. I know the Witch doesn’t want to deal with me. She has already said it. I do not have a Cast. I do not have a kind. I am a freak that no one wants, an outcast.”
This time, the cat looked at me openly. He did not twitch his tail or flatten his ears. I wanted to pretend he offered me comfort, but I wasn’t sure he even understood me. As I pondered this, the cat suddenly leaped up, hair on his tail raised. He spun about, hissing toward the opening of the alley. I lifted my gaze to follow his. A man stood there, looking at me.
“Well, now. What is a pretty young thing like you doing out here in a dark alley all alone, sweetheart? Hasn’t your mama ever told you these streets are dangerous after dark?”
I swallowed. Well, I tried. There was no moisture in my throat. It was dry, and I was scared. The cat hissed again, and the man hesitated. He wore a pin-striped suit and a funny hat. In his left hand, he twirled a cane. I noticed the cane because of the bird with outstretched wings mounted to the top, like a tiny crow that had been shrunken down and glued to the tip of it. Why it was that this cane caught my attention I am not sure.
As the man tried to decide whether the cat was worth the risk to get to me, I tried to figure out what I should do. I didn’t know if this was a Vampire, but something told me he was no ordinary man. I stood on shaky legs, trying to keep all of my skin covered beneath my frock. The man smiled. I had no issue seeing in the dark, and I could see his eyes were not blue like the Vampire. This man’s eyes glowed a very unusual color. White, void of any pupil.
I wondered if perhaps he was blind, but then how would he have been able to see my dark form in the darkness of an alley? I could see the cat was growing more agitated by the second. I wasn’t sure if he would shift to the Panther here, so close to humans. Looking around the alley in desperation, I slowly backed up. The man, well, the thing’s attention was momentarily distracted by the hissing cat who advanced on him.
There was a door, and I hoped against all odds that this door would be unlocked. I tried to back up as discreetly as possible. I wanted the man’s attention to stay on the cat and not on me. I was so frightened, I didn’t even dare to breathe. Would Tamyra make it back before something happened? I didn’t want to stick around to find out. The longer I faced this strange man in the pinstriped suit, the more I noticed there was something very wrong with him. He didn’t seem human at all, his face was long, and gaunt, and his hands had a skeletal look to them.
When finally I reached the door, I very slowly, and very carefully turned the nob. To my disappointment, it was locked. I wanted to wail, to scream. This could not be happening. My emotions rose, and as I held the nob in frustration, I felt the heat pool there in my palms, growing hotter until the nob melted in my palm. I didn’t have time to consider what had just happened. I pushed the door open and slunk into the dark recess within. The building smelled just as musty and decayed as the brick alley had. I gaged at the assaulting intensity of the scents.
Walking slowly into the emptiness of the building, I tried to keep my senses on full alert. The first floor seemed empty enough. Debris littered the floor, and old torn apart couches stood askew along the walls. Moving farther into the dark recesses of the building, I hoped the cat was all right and that the freaky man wouldn’t follow. I knew it was too much to hope for, but I hoped anyway.
Finding the stairs that led upward, I wasn’t sure if it was a good idea to go upward, but right then, I didn’t have much choice. The first step made me hesitate. It creaked and groaned beneath my weight. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the pinstriped suit approaching. Sucking in a breath, I took the step. It held. I took the next one. And the next. I had one step to go when I heard the most terrible splintering noise.
Looking down, I thought no, no, no! The board gave way, and as I screamed, the entire staircase collapsed in on itself. I felt myself falling, the ceiling above me growing farther and farther away. The longer I crashed down, the more I thought I was falling too long. Why was I still falling? I felt like there was no end to this fall, but I had only been on the first flight of stairs. It didn’t make much sense.
When the end finally did come, I regretted wishing for it. My body slammed into the floor beneath me with a very audible smash. I groaned. I hadn’t thought I was able to feel pain, but I certainly felt that. It was then that I found out the fall itself wasn’t even the worse part. All around me, others stood staring down at me. Several looked up in confusion, as though wondering where I had come from.
When I looked up to where I had fallen from, there was nothing there. It was like a black void where nothing existed. A black ceiling perhaps, but certainly no hole where I had fallen through. I sighed. The thought, out of the ashes and into the fire, crossed my mind. I was a goner. There was no way I was going to survive a world full of monsters. Tamyra had been right.
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6
Tombs of Viren
Awoman stood over me. She stared down at me for a long time, and the oddest thing was, I felt a strange sense of familiarity as I stared into her ice-blue eyes. Although her face was beautiful, and her body shaped like a model, she had the most frightening pair of fangs I had ever seen. They extended from beneath her upper lip to curve down, nearly puncturing her lower lip. Even more terrifying to me, however, were her icy blue eyes. I knew what that meant. Vampire. It was the look in those eyes that made me hesitate.
Reflected in the icy pools of her beautiful blue eyes, I saw fear. Did she fear me? Did she recognize what I was? I stared back at her. After a long moment, she blinked rapidly, shaking her head, and muttering beneath her breath. I couldn’t make out her words, but her face expressed
shock. She reached a hand down to grasp my arm. Yanking me up, her nails dug into my skin, but they neither pierced my flesh nor caused me pain. When I was standing upright, she leaned close, whispering into my ear.
“You are either the dumbest creature ever, or you have a serious death wish. No one just falls into the Tombs of Viren like that. Are you trying to land a date with death?”
I frowned. I thought the Vampire were already dead. I was wise enough not to say that. The female Vampire eyed my frock with disgust.
“What are you trying to hide beneath that hideous thing? Are you horrid to look at? Perhaps you’re fat.” Tilting her head, she shook it. “No. you are not fat. I can see that by your face. Come. Let’s get the attention off of you.”
Pulling me along with her talons sunk into my arm, the woman drug me away from the crowd. Most went back to their prior tasks, but I noticed a few long lingering looks cast my way. I wasn’t sure what to do. Should I tell her I had friends looking for me? Did she think I was Vampire? It seemed she did. I allowed her to drag me along the creepy paths of this place. I took in the detail as I tried to keep from tripping over my feet as I attempted to keep up with her pace. The walls here looked like a mixture of brick and dirt. The worst part was when we entered a tunnel lit by torches and lined with skulls. I shuddered. It looked like the catacombs I had read about in Europe.
The reddish colored clay walls were home to bones. Thousands, from what I could tell. Skulls lined the walls, as though put there on purpose, and bones of all types peeked out of the clay. I had never seen such a gruesome display of human bones before. My body wanted to gag again, but I managed to hold it in. I was tempted to ask her why there were bones in these walls, but, as I still knew nothing about her plans for me, I kept my mouth closed. Fear was not an ally of mine. The more my fear rose, the more I could feel the fire within my veins moving throughout my body.
Becoming Valkyrie Page 5
