by Ali Vali
Asra searched the floor where Abez had stood, but her brother had taken her father’s most precious gift. “Thank you, but did my skill help them?” She gestured to everyone who lay slaughtered.
“It won’t erase the pain Abez has caused here, but if you accept my offer to join us, you could change the fate of many.”
“Who is us?”
As Morgaine had done the night before, she explained how and why she existed. Those who understood and fought the unexplainable had formed the Genesis Clan. “Ages before your birth, a great sickness swept through a mountain village in a land leagues to the north. The weaker villagers died after weeks of suffering pains that contorted their bodies enough to break bones. Only a few survived, and a new breed of human was born who possessed incredible strength and longevity. But their new powers had limitations that rendered them to dust. Those weaknesses killed the majority of the survivors, leaving only one: Ora.”
“Why does Abez fear you?” She knelt before her father’s body, his wounds grotesque in the soft light.
“Of the little we know of her, Ora is highly intelligent, despite springing from an unevolved society, and was the powerful witch or medicine woman of her village. She was apparently more interested in the dark arts than in the healing part of her craft.”
“What do you call her if she’s a monster like Abez?” she asked, looking up at Morgaine. The woman’s vigor and beauty momentarily blocked out the gore around her.
“The Elders at first called her a succubus, but your brother didn’t inflict the wounds you see here to satisfy demon lust. Eventually, like Ora, your brother will learn finesse to get what he needs—the warm blood from a living being.” Morgaine stopped in front of a servant girl who had died close to Raad. “See how gaunt her face appears,” she said, pointing to the girl’s eyes and mouth. “Was she like this in life?”
“No, my father used to tease her about her plump cheeks.”
“Abez is now a child of Ora, and, like hers, his body will survive only on blood. Because of this the Elders call her and her kind vampires.”
“Why have I never seen or heard of anything like this?” Her voice sounded calm to her ears, but something seemed to be ripping her chest apart.
“We know of Ora, but she is elusive.” Morgaine knelt beside her. “I followed her trail here, but she had turned Abez before I could narrow my search. Ora is smart, but she will gladly kill and sacrifice others to learn more about her power. She has acquired the ability to turn others into what she is by taking their life, then giving it back to them.”
“What did my brother have to do?”
“She drained him to the point of death, then he drank from her like a baby at his mother’s teat. Mingling his blood with hers made him a vampire, and he will find release from the darkness only in death.”
“Then when I find him again I’ll free him from this curse. I’ll kill him even if I must sacrifice myself.”
“You’ve listened to why this happened, Asra, so will you give equal measure to the gift I mentioned? At least listen to the rest of my tale.”
She searched Morgaine’s face for any sign of what she’d just seen in Abez. If a monster lay dormant under the beautiful façade, it was well hidden behind the eyes that reminded her of sunshine. “Please, finish your story.”
“The legend of what happened in Ora’s village was fodder for storytellers’ tales for many seasons, but as with most old stories few facts of what really happened remained. Talk didn’t begin again until Ora discovered that she could share her gift. As she started to increase her family, as she refers to them, strange deaths occurred, mounting until fear swept the northern territories.”
“Where were your Elders then?” Asra focused her anger now on Morgaine because if what she said was true, she and her Elders had done nothing to save her father and the rest of their household. Actually, she thought Morgaine mad, but Abez’s monstrous features were hard to explain.
“Ora is even older than the Genesis Clan,” Morgaine said, leaning closer. “The villagers that Ora and her cursed followers preyed on tried to fight back but failed until a great shaman had a vision. His foresight told of a force that would restore balance to nature. As a young man he started searching for the secret to life, but his grandson perfected the elixir of the sun, bringing to fruition the old man’s prophecy. We cannot completely destroy evil, but we can maintain a balance.”
Her father’s body was cold under her fingers when she closed his eyes, but her gesture did little to erase the terror frozen on his face. “Are you a freak like Abez has become?”
“I’m young compared to some of the others, but I have dedicated my life to fight creatures like the one you saw tonight. Very little of who Abez was still exists. Our numbers need no blood to survive, and we find strength and healing in the sunlight instead of from the misery of others.” Morgaine rested her hands on her thighs. “We are the balance to the darkness Abez has given himself over to, and we do not extend the invitation to join our ranks often, but we have found you worthy.”
“If I agree, what do you expect of me?”
“I will train you to fight the darkness that has stolen Abez’s spirit. With that knowledge also comes a gift.”
“What, you want my spirit as well?”
“No, I want to give you life—one that will outlast the great pyramids and temples of Egypt. We ask in return only that you serve when called.” Morgaine held out her hand, palm up.
Asra laughed and took the hand. “No one can live forever, woman.”
Morgaine smiled as she pulled Asra to her feet. “Then time will be my proof. Will you commit?”
Asra nodded and placed her fist over her chest, willing to take any risk to avenge her father and the others who lay dead at her feet. Fear of death held no sway over her if she could take her brother with her to the land of the dead. The life she had worked so hard for meant nothing to her now. Thoughts of vengeance replaced everything she had ever believed in.
Together they rode into the desert to a camp. Morgaine had set up a large tent next to the watering hole and under the trees of the oasis. When sunset came, Morgaine stripped Asra’s bloody uniform, stained from battle and from burying her father and the others. Asra sat placidly as Morgaine bathed her and washed her hair. The attention threatened to make her forget the almost overwhelming sadness.
“Your brother has chosen the darkness, and he will dwell in darkness for the rest of his days because his thirst will blind him to any remaining humanity. But you, warrior mine, will walk a different path. The sun will bring you life, strength, and wisdom. For Abez it will bring only death.” Morgaine spoke in soft tones as she cleansed Asra’s skin. When she was done she led Asra to a blanket under the stars.
With fascination Asra watched Morgaine mix numerous strange ingredients with clean, fresh water. Morgaine told her the purpose of each item that went into the cup, how much she used as well as the incantations that she had to say in order for it to work. When she finished, the cup appeared to contain only the fresh water she had begun with, but it emitted yellow smoke that glowed as bright as the sun and seemed to boil.
“Drink and live forever,” Morgaine said, holding up the cup out to her with both hands.
Asra took the first sip tentatively, thinking it would be hot. It was, in truth, extremely cold, but she felt like she was consuming the strength of a hundred men with each sip, and the feeling of power intoxicated her.
As she drank, her muscles twitched and jumped as they were infused with the power of the sun. Finally, she roused and Morgaine led her to the watering hole. Asra’s eyes were now the same pale blue as Morgaine’s, and a slight rim of yellow flakes around her irises made them resemble the daytime sky almost as a tribute. The elixir had worked. The Genesis Clan’s newest warrior was immortal.
“You are one of us now, Asra. You cannot turn back, but for as long as you walk the earth I will be here to help you. Are you ready to begin?”
�
�Soon,” she said.
Morgaine showed no reluctance when Asra pulled her forward and kissed her. Despite their difference in age and strength, Asra held Morgaine still against her.
“Do you feel it?” Morgaine tried to break free but failed. “Your strength and purity will make you the greatest slayer we have ever produced. No one will ever be able to seduce you as they have Abez.”
Asra lowered Morgaine and ran her hand down the length of her beautiful body. Soon she would learn how to destroy not only Abez, but the bitch who had turned him. And if Morgaine was right, she would have an infinite number of tomorrows to make them pay for the life of her father.
Chapter Two
New York, present day
The pink tendrils of dawn painted the sky outside Kendal Richoux’s penthouse like no master artist could. She stopped her workout to watch the sunrise, letting the sweat on her body cool.
“That never does get old,” she said, placing her sword back on the wall lined with various weapons. Her phone started ringing as she headed to the kitchen, but she waited to answer it until she stripped off her damp clothes.
“Have you been well?”
Kendal stopped and stood naked in front of the open refrigerator, not because of the question, but because of the caller. “Considering I haven’t heard from you in years, I thought you’d lost interest.”
“I’ve had my reasons, warrior mine, but a lack of interest isn’t one,” Morgaine said, and Kendal could picture her smile. “I’ve missed you.”
“No more than I’ve missed you.” She shut the door on the cold air and walked over to sit in the chair that gave her the best view of Central Park. A quick glance at her phone screen showed Morgaine’s number was blocked; she could be anywhere in the world, even downstairs. “Or am I not allowed to say so?”
“We can argue later, but I called to tell you that the Elders think it’s time.”
She’d heard that line so many times she’d lost count. At first messengers had arrived carrying scrolls with her assignments, but the Elders of the Genesis Clan had embraced the age of technology with gusto. However, even after thirty-five hundred years, they still softened the orders they believed would bother her by sending the one she loved above all others. For those occasions Morgaine delivered their message, as she had all those years ago.
“Time for what? I haven’t heard of any problems lately.” Her skin tingled as the sun rose higher. “The bad guys seem to have learned some self-control.”
“It’s time for you to return to New Orleans, Asra, and finish what you couldn’t the last time you were there.”
“You cut deep when you choose to, Watcher.” She called Morgaine by the title that defined their relationship and roles within the Clan. “I’ve postponed what I’ve wanted for centuries for you, so you might approach me more diplomatically.”
“I haven’t forgotten your sacrifice, or your promise, but your word no longer binds you. The Elders want to remind you of what they promised you, and it’s time to go back.” While Morgaine paused, Kendal opened her hand and raised it to catch the first rays that streamed through the window. The feeling still intoxicated her. “They’ve waited for you, and in that time the problem has festered. The balance we’ve fought so hard for is in danger of tipping, but not in our favor.”
“When?”
“I realize your current identity makes it more difficult to disappear, but as soon as you can.”
“I’ll try to be there tonight. I’m sure I can find some business deal to make.” She stood and walked along the wall of glass, not caring if anyone was up early enough to see her. “Tell your little minions to stay out of my way.”
“Why Kendal Richoux, and Richoux International? You’ve always picked more noble pursuits than being a corporate raider.”
“I’m not exactly pillaging defenseless villages, darling.” She brought the computer in her bedroom to life so she could scroll through the list of prospects she kept constantly updated. “I have to be a little heartless at times, but I haven’t used this much strategy since my time with Pharaoh Hatshepsut.”
“Be careful, then, and don’t let the old pains blunt your skills.”
The softening of Morgaine’s voice made Kendal reconsider her anger, and she gave an honest answer. “I choose places with no life left in them, and while I make money, I give the employees of each company back something their employers gambled with to stay afloat. All of them receive the retirement that’s owed them, and we help find them jobs when possible.”
“What you’re doing is legal. You don’t owe me an explanation.”
“I didn’t want you to think the nickname and the business have made me someone you won’t recognize.”
Morgaine laughed, which made Kendal smile. “I know the core of you, Asra, and whatever window dressing you have to assume doesn’t change that. Besides, I’m sure the men you faced in battle the day after I found you would have agreed with the nickname ‘Great White,’ had they known what it was.”
“A mindless killer, you mean?” she asked, teasing.
“Mindless? I’d never say or believe that.” Morgaine laughed again. “Please be careful, though. Time has been our enemy in this case.”
“Actually, this is the opportunity I’ve waited an eternity for, and once I’m done I believe the reward will be so fulfilling, it’ll change my life forever.” She stopped scrolling at a company that showed the qualities her team usually went after.
“What do you mean?”
“It’ll finally put my past to rest, bringing peace to a pain so old it’s part of my soul. Perhaps in the future I can learn to better enjoy your gift of immortality, but I have to avenge my father.”
“No, warrior mine, you’ll find your true purpose in something wonderful, not in vengeance. You’ve left a legacy of goodness through time because you aren’t afraid.”
Kendal e-mailed her office the information about the floundering company so her staff could start the process. “The ghoulies aren’t hard to figure out, so I don’t have much fear once I learn their weaknesses.”
“That’s not what I meant,” Morgaine said, and Kendal heard her inhale deeply. “You’re never afraid to open and share your heart, and that’s what the evil beings you face fear in you. Don’t let this encounter blunt your skills or your ability to find the good in any situation.”
“You sound so poetic.”
“The truth sometimes deserves to be expressed in such a way.” Kendal gripped the phone, wishing she could guess where Morgaine was so she could see and touch her. “My brother’s waiting and he’s ready. I’ve waited as long, and I’ve been ready from the day you handed me that cup. This will end a cruel chapter of my history, but don’t worry. I’m still open and curious about whatever comes next.”
“Until tomorrow, then,” Morgaine said, and Kendal knew their time together had come to an end.
“And whatever it brings.”
*
A quick trip to the office brought Kendal’s team up to speed on their target, Marmande Shipyard and Construction, but to drag out her time on the project, Kendal decided to take only her executive vice president, Bruce Babbage, and a few associates. Their prospect was a dinosaur in a modern world that had sprung up around its facility, making it totally noncompetitive.
She had the reports on the owners and how they’d reached this point in her briefcase, but she’d save them for later. Depending on their demeanor, she’d decide what to do with them and how much leeway she’d give Bruce, since she had to keep him on a short leash to curb his natural killer instincts.
The flight attendant left a glass of brandy next to her without speaking, so she reclined her seat and stared out the window. The fields south of the airport reminded her of the patchwork quilts common in the South. It had been close to three hundred years since she’d first stepped off a boat in the port of New Orleans, and her time there had begun as an escape after she completed a grueling assignment with Morgaine and a
few Elders on the outskirts of Paris. Sadly, it had ended in her exile from a place she’d come to love.
Not that she ever stayed in one place very long, another lesson she’d learned before Morgaine released her into a world she didn’t recognize anymore. Since then, she felt more like a bard or a court performer as she morphed from one life to another, learning new trades, meeting people now studied in history books, but always remembering the one purpose for which she existed.
Egypt, 1442 BC
The oasis had changed some in the forty years they had been there. At least that’s how much time Morgaine had told her had passed since their arrival. They were alone except for the small caravans that occasionally brought supplies they didn’t really need but enjoyed, as well as news from the Elders Morgaine often spoke of. All the other travelers passed them by, never coming close, as if they didn’t even see the lush spot in the leagues of sand and wind.
As she did every morning, Asra ran to the highest dune to look out at the emptiness. The only part of her that the sun hadn’t bronzed was the part that the loincloth she wore during the day covered, unless some of Morgaine’s company was there. She’d expected the effects of the mixture she drank to wear off, but only the length of her hair and nails changed. The rest stayed trapped in the body she’d had when she was twenty-four years old.
“Do you see anything new today?” Morgaine asked, suddenly beside her.
“This place is like me,” she said, her fists on her hips. “Always the same.”
“Why come up here, then?” Morgaine had become tan also, making her blond hair more vivid. Asra let her gaze drop to the milky white skin around her breasts and hips, since Morgaine had run naked. “Are you getting bored with my company?”
