by Lila Huff
“Your girl has told me,” she looked to Paul, “and I can now see that it is true, that you have offered sanctuary to a member of the Asakku?” Her statement came out as a question, and I knew that Lilith heard the underlying deluge of questions.
“Come, my old friend, we will discuss this in a quieter place.” Lilith extended her airy white hand toward the water spirit and they both retreated to Lilith’s chamber.
As soon as the doors shut the lines were clearly drawn in the hall. I retreated next to Paul’s side of that line, everyone else was on the other, and Demetrius was oddly missing from the hall again. I wondered if he knew that his presence would have made things difficult for me. I knew that was possible, but I had a sneaking suspicion that he was abstaining because he knew that he couldn’t support me without taking Paul’s side. I knew that Paul saw him as a rival, and I wondered if Metri had the same misconceptions.
I heard the whispers begin between the Naiadu girl and Carla, and Billy was quickly by the male’s side. I learned their names through their whispers. The elder girl was Lydia, the younger Jill, and the man was called John. He said it was not his full name, but I wouldn’t waste time trying to determine it now.
“You must admit, Carla, he has not become addicted…” Lydia whispered to her. “Look at his eyes.” Her voice was almost as hollow as Siris, while the other girl’s was more like the trickling of a small brook.
“I do not think that he can be trusted.” Jill whispered in Carla’s other ear. “He may not yet be the addicted monster we all know the other Asakku to be, but he more than likely will become so.”
I turned to Paul, “I’m sorry to tell you, but you’re a monster. You may not want to be a monster, but that’s just who you are going to be.” I crossed my arms and bit my cheek to try to keep from laughing.
But Paul wasn’t in the joking mood I was. “What if they’re right Ellie?” he said in a hushed tone as he put his hand on my shoulder. “I can feel the urge to kill, it’s not easy to control.”
“But you’re fighting it.” I said with genuine hope. “That’s better than most.”
“It’s easier to fight when I’m around you, but I don’t know how long I’ll be able to keep myself from killing.”
I looked back to Carla, her expression was fearful, as though Paul was a ticking time bomb, but with no indicator to tell us when he was going to explode. John looked at me differently now, probably assuming that Paul’s feelings were returned and that was the reason I was siding with him.
“I don’t believe that. We always have a choice.” I spoke to Paul as I looked at Carla. Hadn’t she been wrong about Demetrius? He hadn’t tried to destroy a city, he hadn’t wrought the destruction that Davidov had. “You’re stronger than you think.”
“I hope you’re right,” he replied in an ember-like crackle.
I spoke to Carla this time, “I will not believe that we are entirely governed by those that created us.” The Naiadu looked at me with an odd expression, somehow, it seems, they did not expect me to actually side with Paul. “If that were the case, Demetrius would be governed partially by evil, I have seen nothing that would prove that to me.” I felt Paul’s shoulders slump as Carla shrunk into her chair. “I, too, would be governed in part by that evil, but then, we know how you feel about me.” The last statement, or accusation, came out as a hiss.
“You have the potential for good.” Lydia said, standing and placing herself between us. “The Asakku have never shown that potential.”
“Until now.” I interjected. “Paul has lived among them for the past six months and he has not yet lost his humanity. The simple fact that he came to us seeking our aide should be enough of a demonstration that he does not want to be evil.”
Lydia held up her hands as though she was attempting to broker peace. “I do not think that anyone wants to be evil…”
“Then you are naïve,” I spat at her.
“There are some evils that do not allow for free will. They, like the giant octopus, wrap their tentacles around a soul and constrict until it has no choice to bend to the evil’s will and be devoured.”
“And the Asakku is that kind of evil?” I asked, annoyed by the surety in her words.
“No, the Asakku may not be, but Gallu most certainly is.” Her answer was quiet, as though she did not wish to offend me.
“She is right.” Paul said from behind me. “Gallu is an evil that would devour anyone who attempted to defy her.”
I looked at him, saddened by the resolve in his voice. “But if you are here, she can’t get that strangle hold on you.”
“He cannot stay here.” Carla was livid at the suggestion. “He would bring Gallu and all of her minions down upon us. Harboring this fugitive will be our death sentence.”
“And casting him out would be his.” I was beginning to hate Carla. “Would you condemn him to death over your fear? Are you so simple minded that you wish to destroy anything you don’t understand?”
“It doesn’t matter what I think or how I feel. Siris will soon talk some sense into Mother and then he will have to leave.” Carla slumped back into her chair, crossing her arms in a decidedly stubborn manner.
“I wouldn’t be so sure cousin,” Lydia said quietly from beside her. “Lilith knows the threat her sister poses as well as Siris knows Lamatesh. I do not think that she would take in the Asakku turncoat without considering the threat it posed to you and the rest of her children.”
Nate and Christi were once again at the large round table, though this time the puzzle was gone and they sat on either side of a backgammon board. It was Nate who spoke above everyone else. “Mother has too kind of a heart for her own good. But I do not think it is right for us to think of Paul as a pawn in our game. He is as much one of the players as we all are. To think of him as a game piece is not only rude, but also detrimental to us.”
“How so?” John asked, his voice was like a raging river that crashed against the rocks along its bank.
“A game piece,” Nate explained, holding up a small black disk, “has no mind. It makes no decisions of its own, and therefore does not affect the overall strategic outcome of the game. A player, however, controls his own portion of the game, therefore adding a complex array of diversity to the game’s strategy.”
“What are you babbling about?” Carla asked, annoyed.
“My argument is the same as yours,” he said as he moved one of the pieces on the board. “Are we players, or are we Lilith’s pawns? If we decide that Paul is simply Gallu’s pawn… what does that make us?”
There was a long silence in the hall as four different kinds of lesser demons looked to each other for answers none of us had. Were we pawns or players? Was this even our game?
I doubted that we would ever know the full answer, but I could not let myself believe we were pawns, if we had no choice in this life, what point was there to living it. But we weren’t the living. We had no choice in our deaths; I had to believe that fate wouldn’t intervene in our afterlives. That thought gave me hope.
I looked to Paul and did not see the same hope reflected in his expression. He was not as sure about his position in the world. I put my hand in his and felt his grip tighten around my fingers, but he didn’t look at me. He was lost in thoughts I would never know. Thoughts I would never ask to hear. The sanctuary of the mind was something that my six-month coma had given me more of a respect for.
Carla was the only one in the group whose silence was not pensive. Her face was contorted in anger. The suggestion that she would be equal with an Asakku was less than appetizing to her. I wondered if it was the logic and reason of Nate’s statement that caused her to appear so upset.
The Naiadu were all placidly quiet; they did not seem to be afflicted by the same thoughts that plagued the rest of us. Their expressions were smooth as though their cares had all been carried off to sea.
“You are very calm,” John said, his head tilted to the side as he stared at Paul. “I would think
that surrounded by a vast number of demons who have the ability…” he cast a sideways glance at Carla. “and some who are motivated, to kill you, one might seem a little more agitated.”
“I would rather die here, trying to do what’s right, than to return to Gallu, and live a thousand or more years.” Paul’s answer was a growl and I felt him tense slightly.
“Peace, friend, I have no quarrel with you,” he said with an amused smile. “I was merely pointing out the danger you have put yourself in.”
“I know what I have done by coming here,” he said as I felt his tension relax. “I had not expected to last much longer anyway. My only goal as an Asakku was to find out which of the others had killed Ellie, exact my revenge and then allow them to destroy me.” He stood and paced toward the door.
I stared at him; he had said nothing of this before. “That’s not okay.” I said, as he walked back and I punched his shoulder. He winced and I immediately felt sorry, “you should have gotten your facts straight first, before you went about looking for ways to die.” I placed my hand over the place where I had punched him, scrunching my mouth up in an apologetic way.
“I saw your tombstone, what was I supposed to think?” He asked as he rubbed his shoulder.
“Well… you should know that there are possibilities other than death now.” I was incredulous.
He thought for a moment, “I guess that’s true, but you flew off the handle yourself when you found out what I was.”
“I’ll admit I acted before I thought.” I felt a little sheepish about it now.
“Please,” Carla said with a groan. “Why should we believe anything an Asakku says? You who consort with those who have spawned the myths of the vampire, the werewolf, and the demonic minions of Satan, you are guilty by association.”
“And the fact that my association was forced means nothing to you?” He asked calmly.
“Not in the least.” Her resolve was evident on her face as she glowered at Paul.
“I understand that you are prejudiced against me. You did not know me in life, and you only know me by the Asakku’s reputation in the afterlife.” He sighed and sat in the chair that was behind him. “I have no doubt that Ellie would have had the same prejudices had she not known me in life.”
Carla rolled her lavender eyes and turned her head to the side, doing her best to ignore Paul. Earl, who had been sitting silently until now moved from his chair to stand behind her, making his viewpoint clear wordlessly. He would back Carla regardless of what his own opinion was.
Billy and Lizzie sat in the corner with concerned looks on their faces. I could tell that Billy was entirely against the idea of an Asakku residing anywhere near Lizzie. Lizzie, on the other hand, did not seem to be concerned for herself. If I had learned anything about her in the brief time I had been here it was that she hated conflict. She may have been uneasy about Paul’s presence, but if that unease would cause turmoil, she would be the last to express it. The siblings were undecided as to where they stood in this conflict.
Suddenly I realized that their prejudices against Paul were much like Carla’s previous prejudice against me. They were afraid of the unknown. When the only known was a destructive demonic force, they could not trust that there was an alternative. Preconceived notions, I thought, and with a sigh I shook my head as I placed it in my hands. “Do we become monsters ourselves, so that we may protect ourselves from other monsters?”
I felt Paul’s hand on my back and I looked up as the doors opened from Lilith’s chamber. The two women that left the room came toward us with equal grace, but though Lilith moved as though she was floating on air, Siris could have been gliding across an iced over pond.
“I have heard Lilith’s account of the boy’s history, and I we have discussed the potential threats he may cause.” Siris’ eyes were no longer the grey stormy waters, but now a placid blue sea. “I see no reason why the boy cannot remain in her protection, until he disproves his loyalty to the Lilitu way of peace.”
“That’s it?” Carla practically threw herself from her chair as she stood, her momentum sent it backward to the floor. “I came to you for help and you’re allowing this beast to stay?”
“If you do not feel comfortable being here, you are more than welcome to return to Atlantis with us,” Siris said to Carla with an apologetic crease in her forehead. “You can stay for as long as you wish.”
“So I am supposed to leave my home to make way for this mongrel?” She was livid. “How does that add up in the scheme of things?”
“I am sorry, but I cannot condemn him to death, regardless of what he is.” Siris looked to Paul. “I do not know that you will never succumb to the true nature of your kind, but until you do I will not treat you as an Asakku.”
It was then that I heard the howling moan of a banshee.
18. Ramifications
-Paul-
The prissy one had murder in her eyes, and it was directed at me. How does one hold on to the wind? The answer is: you don’t.
The two Naiadu women tried to hold her, but their hands went right through her arms. The male Naiadu stepped between us, but she threw him to the side with a hurricane force gale. She flew toward me, as though she were weightless, and I sat as still as I could. The best way for me to remain alive was to let the others stop her, though my mouth salivated at the thought of killing her.
She was suddenly cut off from my vision by a dark blue satin ruffle, and my desire to kill was cut off with the breaking of my line of sight.
Ellie stood in front of me in a very casual manner, though her skirt still swayed from her sudden appearance in front of me, and I couldn’t see the force that was Carla as she crossed the final feet to get to me.
But nothing happened. Ellie didn’t move, and there was no wind demon threatening to kill me; it was as though a storm had just fizzled out before it began.
I peeked around Ellie’s ridiculous skirt and saw the fuming wind demon standing rigidly in place. She seemed to be calculating her odds.
“You will not harm him Carla,” Ellie said to the livid woman in front of her. “I will stop you. Even if it means that I have to kill you.”
She backed away from Ellie. If she’s had hackles, they would have been up. Her lips were pursed and her eyes were narrowed. “I knew you couldn’t be trusted,” she spat. “You are going to turn, and it will be to the detriment of all of us.”
“I am not the one who told you to leave him alone.” I saw her head tilt towards Lilith. “Or haven’t you noticed that no one is coming to your aid.”
I looked around the room and saw the others. The Naiadu were clustered near Siris, all staring at the exchange with emotionless expressions. The rest of the Lilitu where scattered about the room in their usual groupings, some looked horrified, the big one that had wanted so much to kill me in the first place was staring at the floor, ashamed of his mate. Siris and Lilith wore expressions of expectant concern, as though they knew the outcome, but were unable to circumvent Carla’s display.
The furious blonde left in a violent swirling of air and Earl followed quietly after her, as though he was sucked out by the remnants of her fury.
“Well, that was interesting.” the younger Naiadu said in a bubbly voice. She looked at me with her head tilted to the side… “I’ve never seen an Asakku in person before.”
“They don’t look that menacing, do they Jill?” The older female said. “He’s domesticated though, so I’m not sure he’s an accurate representation of the species.”
“He’s scary enough, Lydia,” Jill said as she shied away from me, stepping behind the male.
“He won’t bite,” Ellie said, and I heard the humor in her voice, though I wasn’t sure that anyone else did.
“But will you?” The male asked, looking at her quizzically. “Carla was right in her decision to walk away from you. You are most certainly not a demon to trifle with. But you are quite a specimen; I wouldn’t mind if you were protecting me.”
&nb
sp; “Some other time perhaps.” Ellie replied with an obvious dislike for the scaled man.
“Your friend there may not yet exhibit the more odious traits of the Asakku, but given time, I have little doubt that he will succumb to his lesser instincts, the way we all do eventually. As evident by Carla’s outbursts, you should know that our emotions become less easily controlled as we age.” The ripples in his eyes moved toward me and his eyebrows knit together apologetically. “You will one day falter.”
I suddenly hated this water demon and his assumption that we were all the same. Though in my gut I knew he was right. Didn’t I want to kill everyone in the room without reason? I wished he wasn’t right about me, and at the same time I wished that there was some reason for me to pummel him. But I inhaled and let the anger go with my exhale. Just breathe, I told myself, he’s not worth the trouble.
“Fish gotta swim?” Ellie said icily. “Is that it? We’re all who we are because of who made us?”
“More or less.” He said flatly and turned back to the two females, who eyed him with concern, their gazes continually shifting to Ellie, as though they did not trust her.
“I can see why Carla fled to you,” She all but snarled.
It was silly of them to not trust her simply because she wished to help me. They didn’t seem to have a problem with me anymore, but the way they spoke to and moved about Ellie showed genuine fear on their parts, it was strange to me. Hell hath no fury, I thought with a laugh. All eyes flickered to me for a moment, and I realized the depth of the tension behind the seeming calm that now blanketed the room.
Lilith and Siris looked at me. Their hands were clasped together and I saw the white tendrils moving up Siris’ arm as shimmery blue ripples flowed up Lilith’s, they were holding a private council now, even as the rest of us sat in their midst.
Their eyes were calm – a still lake and a cloudless sky – as Lilith turned to Ellie. “Joellen, dear, please show the Naiadu around Zephyr. Siris and I have more things that need to be discussed before they leave.”
