Deception (Deamhan Chronicles Book 3)

by Morrison, Isaiyan

  “You left me!” she screamed at him. “Why did you leave me?”

  Anastasia continued to watch from behind the veil. She lifted her hand to touch it, but the idea of being shocked again made her change her mind. She heard Kyra speak.

  “It's too late for him. We must go before they arrive.”

  A cold wind settled against the back of her neck. Anastasia looked over her shoulder at the darkness behind her. Amenirdis appeared out of the murkiness, naked. She also took interest in watching the spectacle in silence.

  “Where am I?” she questioned the Pure One. “Where have you taken me? Is this Limbo?”

  “Yes.”

  “But how?” Stupid question. Her eyes scanned the Ekimmu Deamhan with such disgust that she was sure Amenirdis felt it.

  “This is our hell.” She raised her hand and a large circular ball appeared.

  The image snapped Anastasia back to the first time she saw the fluorescent circular ball. She remembered how it zagged through the air, blinding them all before Amenirdis made her grand entrance.

  It tore through the veil and exploded, blinding everyone in the room in a yellow light.

  “Now I will prepare the world for us.” She ripped the veil and stepped through the opening. Just as Anastasia started to follow her, a voice called out to her from the depths of Limbo.

  “Don’t let them out.”

  The familiar scent of a Lugat Deamhan crammed her nostrils. At first, she felt deceived. It couldn’t be possible. She saw Selene hand over her life for the ritual. She was there along with the others. There was no way she was still alive…in Limbo.

  The dark dimension had its secrets that only its creator and those held within it knew. Nathan had mentioned that Limbo needed nourishment to maintain its shape. If that was the case, what kind of ‘nourishment’ did Selene provide? Most importantly, what would happen to Limbo if it were robbed of its nutrients?

  Selene’s body, or lack thereof, appeared suspended in the air by something that even Anastasia’s Deamhan sight struggled to see. Her exposed skin was covered in thin dark lines, which resembled cobwebs. Her eyes were hollowed pits.

  “Don’t let them out!” When she spoke, her skin in the corners of her mouth ripped open.

  Anastasia moved back. “But you’re dead.” Concern for Selene brushed her thoughts. She never liked her but tolerated her for Lucius’ sake. Yet now, seeing her trapped in the same darkness with the other Pure Ones, forever subjected to pain…it was an eyesore to gaze at.

  A soft hand slapped Anastasia on her shoulder and forced her back into reality.

  ****

  The sunset signaled a pulse in her body, stirring Anastasia from her dream. The bones throughout her arms and legs cracked as she pushed herself from the comfort of her bed and to her feet.

  The sunset signaled a pulse in her body, stirring Anastasia from her dream. The bones throughout her arms and legs cracked as she pushed herself from the comfort of her bed and to her feet.

  “No, it has to be an illusion.” Selene couldn’t still be alive in Limbo. It was impossible. After clearing her mind, she glared around her room, noticing that she hadn’t cleaned it in weeks. Realizing the sheer thought of her room’s tidiness couldn’t overshadow the other important matters at hand.

  She had to tell Nathan about her dream. After grabbing clothes from her dresser, she stormed out of her room and down the hallway. Nathan’s sickening smell, more pungent this time around, infiltrated the air. The blinds covering the windows still remained closed and as she walked toward the stairs, she opened each and every one.

  Soon another mixed scent swam into her nostrils, coming from Remy’s room. It was Hallie, and when Anastasia approached the door secretly, she heard what sounded like muted music from inside.

  She heard the beginning of the song—a male’s voice echoing through the air carrying a tone of disheartening pain. With her ear up to the door, she heard the song progress along with Hallie who sang along.

  The song had a pleasurable tone, unlike other songs she had heard throughout her lifetime. Music never did anything for her as a Deamhan but when human, she enjoyed the pleasures of anything entertaining.

  As a little girl, she immersed herself in the Shakespearean plays at the Rose Theater in Central London. Just one of the many theaters located on the Bankside, she prayed that one day she’d be just one of the many talented actors to grace the stage. While her father forbid her from what he called an unrealistic dream, her mother encouraged her, telling her that one day she would see her dream come to fruition. Her mother loved anything classic, including history. On occasion she’d fill Anastasia’s young mind with stories about ancient Roman and Grecian culture. She planted the flower in her daughter, starting with naming her ‘Auerelia,’ which caused nonstop arguments with her husband.

  Her mother also told her that she would be the first female to ever grace the stage during a time when women weren’t allowed to. Until then, Anastasia accompanied her to watch renditions of Romeo and Juliet. She sat in the stands, stuffing her mouth full of hazelnuts while mumbling the lines along with the actors. Sometimes she saw herself as Juliet and other times as Lady Montague. She knew she had the talent to play any part if given the opportunity.

  When bubonic plague consumed the theater goers and townsfolk in 1592, the year she was sired, her heart ached. The plays came to an end. As a new Deamhan, her sire informed her that she had no room in her new life for trivial things. When that didn’t work, she used Anastasia’s new and uncontrollable craving to put an end to anything having to do with her human desires. After her sire killed her human lover, she ripped her father’s throat out, leaving Anastasia to end her mother’s life, along with the innocent upbringing that she somewhat still missed to this day.

  The song ended and she knocked on the door before opening it. The feeling in the room suddenly changed and now Hallie stood on guard, giving Anastasia a cold and hard stare.

  The disheveled room that once belonged to Remy, represented the human side of Hallie that she wanted to maintain. She decorated the walls with posters of musical artists and Hollywood actors. A new flat-screen television sat on a wide TV stand along with various gaming systems. She didn’t know how the young Deamhan managed to afford her new gadgets, but she assumed that Nathan had something to do with it. Upon seeing her, Hallie bottled up her emotions and stormed by Anastasia to the door.

  “Wait a minute.” Anastasia held out her arm to stop her. “Sit for a moment.”

  Hallie doubled back and plopped on Remy’s soft queen-size bed. “What now.” She grabbed a pack of cigarettes from a nearby nightstand.

  Anastasia carefully surveyed the room for a few more seconds and wondered if she needed to also tell her about her dream.

  “How long were you out there?” Hallie lit her cigarette, inhaled, waited, and gently exhaled a long string of white smoke.

  “About a minute or so.” Anastasia approached a large poster on the far wall. The matted portrait of a country-view sunrise carried a new and mixed smell of polyester and cotton. She looked over her shoulder. “When did you move into his room?”

  “He said I could have it.”

  “I didn’t ask you ‘why.’ I wanted to know ‘when’.”

  She turned around. “Why do you care?”

  “You don’t think he’s coming back?”

  “From that place?” A surprised look appeared on her face. “No.”

  “You aren’t worried?”

  “A little.” She admired her cigarette.

  “I heard you playing a song.” Anastasia continued to pace around the room. “What’s the name of it?”

  Confused, Hallie answered slowly. “It’s called ‘Black’ by Pearl Jam.”

  “Pearl Jam?”

  “You’ve never heard of them?” Hallie questioned, then laughed. “It’s like, my favorite grunge band of all time.”

  “Sounds like the name of some kind of food.”

  “It�
��s a great song. The lyrics are catchy.”

  Anastasia walked over to the bed. “It isn’t better than the music I used to listen to.”

  “You listened to music?” Hallie laughed.

  “Yes. There was music back in my day.”

  “Like what? Yodeling?”

  “Classical. Lovable songs with catchy tunes that you could dance to.”

  “You used to listen to music?” Hallie repeated in awe.

  “I appreciate all forms of art, believe it or not. Many of us Deamhan do. Maris once owned a club in Chicago. She told me that Louis Armstrong and his band, Hot Five, played there.”

  “She owned a club?”

  “If I remember correctly, it was called ‘Fontay Club.’ ”

  “Man, to see what you and Maris have seen.” Hallie whistled. “I guess that’s one good thing about being immortal, right?”

  Anastasia stepped back, realizing that this was the first time she came to an understanding with Hallie. She opened herself up to the Metusba, revealing sacred memories from her past; things that she hadn’t told Nathan or any of those she sired throughout her lifetime. Back then she didn’t have any desire to know them beyond what she needed them for. Simple things like choice of music and clothes never concerned her.

  “Yes, I guess that’s one good thing,” she said in agreement. “But Maris doesn’t think that way. She thinks there’s nothing good in what we are. To her, Deamhan aren’t normal. We aren’t supposed to exist.”

  “But we do.”

  “Yes. We do.” She headed for the door. “Come downstairs. There’s something that I need to tell you and Nathan.”

  Hallie allowed her cigarette to dangle from her index and middle finger. “What’s Revelation?”

  “Revelation?” She looked back at her.

  “I remember hearing that it’s connected to her. Like the Dark Curse, Dorvo Coven, Amenirdis—all that shit. So, what is it?” She stood up.

  “It’s a means to end our world as we live it now.”

  “And that’s why you allowed Ayden to leave Minneapolis with her?”

  “They were going to leave regardless.”

  “But if Amenirdis comes back and realizes that she isn’t here…wouldn’t that be a bad thing?”

  “I’m sure Amenirdis already knows.”

  “I was thinking.” Hallie approached her. “Lambert said we should leave. Maybe that’s not a bad idea. We can take Nathan with us, you know? Leave Minneapolis, go somewhere else. Start new.”

  “And go where?”

  “I don’t know. Go to some bum-fuck island in the middle of the Pacific or something. Anything is better than just staying here.”

  “She’s a Pure One. Eventually she’ll find us.” Anastasia felt her forehead pulsate. It confused and intrigued her at the same time. The origin of her mild pain came from Hallie’s direction.

  “You don’t belong in there.” She pushed against Hallie’s influence. “My thoughts are my own.”

  “I know, but I’ve been practicing the mind-reading thing.”

  “Good for you. Now, come downstairs.”

  “Do you want to know what I saw in your thoughts?”

  “Not really.”

  “A pile of dead bodies,” —Hallie pointed her finger in Anastasia’s forehead— “extending farther in the darkness than I can see.”

  ****

  Anastasia sat across from Nathan with her arms resting comfortably on the chair’s armrests. Now and then she dug her fingernails into the wood, especially when she revealed to him what happened at the orphan sanctuary.

  “They were afraid. Useless. They didn’t care what happens to us or themselves.” She explained to him how they blamed her for the violence in the city, and their eerie worship of Amenirdis. Their disrespect toward Deamhan her age rattled her but didn’t surprise her. She smelled Hallie, who lingered in the hallway, listening in on their conversation. After a few moments, Nathan told her to come in.

  “So there are Deamhan still here,” he said, exasperated.

  “Doesn’t matter,” she replied. “They aren’t going to lift a finger to help the situation.”

  “At least you didn’t kill Enlai,” Hallie said.

  “No, I didn’t kill anyone.” Anastasia changed the subject. “Have you guys found anything useful?”

  Nathan’s tired eyes scanned over the opened journals scattered on the floor, the table, and his lap. “Nothing.” He wiped his forehead. “I thought there’d be something here at least.”

  “I may have something.” She paid attention to his exhausted state. It wasn’t good, considering his current health situation. She stood up from her chair. “She was in my dreams again.”

  “Amenirdis?”

  “Yes.” Anastasia stroked the back of her neck. “In the beginning of my dream, I was in Limbo and I saw Selene.”

  His eyes expanded to the size of Christmas bulbs. “Are you sure?”

  “It was Selene.” She nodded in her assertion. “She looked…alive and stuck in Limbo.”

  “That’s impossible.”

  “Tell me about it.” She sighed. “I watched Lucius do the incantation. I was stuck in the place, unable to get out. There was this… veil, like some kind of see-through curtain wall. When I touched it, it sent a shock through my system. After Lucius killed himself it was like the veil between that place and this world lost its spark.”

  “But how can Selene still be alive? You said he killed her. You watched her body disintegrate.”

  “Yes, I did, but I also know what I saw. If Kyra didn’t kill Lucius before he finished, Amenirdis wouldn’t have been the only Pure One to escape.”

  “Did you see the other Pure Ones?”

  “No. Just her. She’s the strongest of all of them. She has to be because she was released first.”

  “Or maybe this is their plan. She was the one who reached out to Kei and helped him place Lucius in Limbo in the first place.”

  She thought for a moment. “But I still don’t understand. When Lucius went in, no one came out. When he came out, no one went in.”

  Nathan mediated. He coughed, sending Hallie on high alert.

  “You look tired,” Anastasia spoke. “Your sickness is getting worse.”

  He waved away her worry. “No, there’s no time. We have to figure this out now.”

  “You need medical attention.”

  “I’m fine.”

  His stubbornness reminded her of Veronica. It was an annoying trait that got in the way of important matters. “No, you’re not. You’re getting worse. We can all smell it.” She took two steps toward him. “If you don’t want human doctors poking you, then let me call Lambert. Vampire blood can heal human sickness.”

  “I know what vampire blood can do.”

  “Then ask Lambert. I’m sure he won’t refuse.”

  “Anastasia, I don’t want it.”

  Her eyesight narrowed as she pushed her way into his thoughts. She wanted to know why he didn’t consider the option in front of him. Why he wanted death more than any human she’d known in her long lifetime. More importantly, she wanted to narrow down and understand what ailed him.

  “You have no right.” He protested against her invasion.

  She pulled back. “I’m trying to understand why you want to experience this. It makes no sense to me. Your death won’t help our situation. If you die, then what will happen to this place? What will happen to us?” She worried about the fate of Blind Bluff Manor and all the things Nathan collected in his life. The Greek marble statues, the Journals of Blank Pages, researcher journals... He was throwing all his hard work away.

  The next few words she said to him, she did so telepathically. And what about Hallie? What about all you’ve done since you made this place your home? Have you given up so easily?

  “I’m not giving up,” Nathan replied, out loud. “I’m living my life as it should be.”

  No, you are giving up. Once you are dead, she can’t survive o
n her own.

  Nathan replied telepathically. She isn’t inexperienced. She can handle herself.

  And Blind Bluff Manor?

  I made arrangements for my death years ago. He twiddled his thumbs together. This is more about how you feel, Anastasia.

  Irked, she stepped back. “Have you gone mad?” Her eyes moved to Hallie. “Maybe you were right. Leaving may be our best option.”

  “And what about what’s going on in the city?” he asked. “The Dorvo vampires? The Brotherhood?”

  “They want Maris. If I trick them into thinking that I know where she is, they’ll come for me.”

  “This is the most ridiculous thing you’ve said to me in a very long time.” In complete disapproval, he stared her down. “Maybe you should ask yourself if it’s you who has gone mad?”

  “I’m not going to sit here and wait for them to come.” She held her ground. “In doing so, they’ll get what they want. I need to move first, for my sake and your survival.”

  “So you’re going to leave?” Hallie stuttered in fright. “W-what about us?”

  “What you decide to do is up to you.” She looked to Nathan. “But I wouldn’t rely on him to help you while he craves a martyred death.”

  “So that’s it?” Frustrated, Hallie grunted. “You’re just going to leave us, like Remy did. You shouldn’t go. I don’t want you to.”

  “You should never plead to another Deamhan.” Thinking back, Anastasia couldn’t recall a time she pleaded for anything in her life out of frustration. When she wanted something, she used other means to get it. When Silvanus almost killed her back in London, she maintained her stance. When Ruby locked her up in a metal coffin for a hundred years, she remained unforgiven and refused to apologize for killing her sire.

  “What about Amenirdis?” Hallie spoke in a raised voice. “Earlier you said that wherever we go, she’ll find us.”

  “She’s not interested in you. She’s interested in me.”

  Hallie snugged her chin into her chest. Like before, her thoughts ran amok and invaded the air, making the atmosphere thick around them. Her eyes faded to black. She didn’t want anyone else to leave and it made little difference to Anastasia what the young Deamhan wanted.