Within the Cards

by Donna Altman

  Again, Alexander pointed toward the distance, but this form was real. It was Suzi. The same restraints bound her that bound the vampire held in the dungeon. The vampire Dee ripped apart after Ellie and I escaped. I saw fear in Suzi’s eyes. She pleaded for us to save her. She had come to the realization her Lords were no more than evil slave traders that punished their followers who didn’t yield to their intended demands. Suzi hadn’t been annihilated. She was being used as a pawn to ensure Elizabeth’s surrender. They were using the one thing they felt weaken our side. They were playing on our love for each other. Dee froze. She read Elizabeth’s thoughts, and I, in turn, read them as well.

  I saw Elizabeth’s hesitation. She too knew Suzi wasn’t a hologram of trickery. Alexander’s laughter was deafening. He knew Elizabeth wouldn’t be able to abolish her. It wasn’t Ultress’s weakness that would be our downfall. Elizabeth couldn’t bring herself to abolish her lost grandchild. The sounds of war stopped and everyone stood frozen with their eyes on Suzi. Alexander with his laughter of evil along with his brothers saw our defeat was eminent. Elizabeth hung her head. She knew she failed Ultress and Ellie. The creatures of the jungle came out of their hiding place and peeked through what remained of their concealment of greenery. Every eye was on Elizabeth. They waited to see what her reaction was going to be. Alexander boasted of their certain victory. My rage built.

  “Bring us our father and the young one as well as her creation. If you comply, we will let you continue.” Patrick spoke above his brothers roars of laughter.

  My mind went to Ellie. I knew I would never allow them to touch her. This couldn’t be the end. I looked to the sky as if some magical sign would fall out into my hands. Dee touched my shoulder. She knew I wasn’t going to allow Ellie’s capture. She held my shoulder tight.

  “Grandmother, Mother stop this” she pleaded.

  They stopped and froze. Elizabeth and Lauren knew if they made any move to save Suzi that Alexander would extinguish his prisoner. Their thoughts were empty as the last words of the Lords were to order Elizabeth to bring Ultress, Ellie and myself to them. They would let everyone else survive. Otherwise, we would all die.

  Elizabeth’s thoughts were to obey in hopes that Ultress, herself and I would survive. She made the decision to save everyone else. She knew a day would come the others would rescue us. I could not let this happen. Ellie could not endure the punishment the Lords planned to enact on her. Their plans would require her to extinguish me or make me watch the vile acts put upon her. I knew their plan. Ultress and Elizabeth would be annihilated.

  Dee pulled me close to her side. Her words were forceful and stern.

  “Remember what you put in your shirt, Daught. It’s time for you to believe in your abilities,” she insisted. I looked in her eyes, and I reached in my shirt. I felt the bouquet of roses, lilac and lavender. I could smell the scent of Ellie. I looked at her, and she smiled. I knew what she meant when she gave me this bouquet. Her thoughts and mine were the same. They were on the key. I closed my eyes and thought harder than I had ever in the past. I took in the scent of Ellie. I held out my hand and with every aspect of my concentration. I focused on the key. My eyes were tight and my concentration was stern. I felt something cold in my hand. It was cold metal. I had done it. The love of Ellie and the fear of her capture strengthened my thoughts. The key materialized. Dee clapped once and opened her hands as the box appeared. I put the key in the box and unlocked its content.

  The three brothers looked in my direction. Their faces told the story of their fear. They knew what this box held, and they knew the evil I would unleash. Dee separated the waters of the fall, so Ellie could hear my thoughts.

  “The wind Ellie; blow it in the direction of the Lords.” I sent my thought to her.

  Without questioning me, she pursed her lips in the air, and the winds started to move in the eastern direction that the Lords had made their stand. I opened the lid and the contents of the box swirled in the wind like a swarm of locus. It unleashed itself on our enemy. The night sky grew darker from the mist of a black cloud of plague that drifted east to engulf our enemy. There was more evil, misery and sorrow than one could imagine. The black magic of horror unleashed on the immortals caused them to turn on one another and extinguish each other where they stood. We watched in amazement. The battle was no longer against us, but they fought against each other. Flashes of lightning and roars of thunder revealed the grand finale of this spectacular display of hatred. Dee and I shielded our eyes from the horror that took place before us. I knew Ultress was shielding Ellie and little Graylee’s eyes. Lauren and Elizabeth shielded each other.

  When the evil and black magic completed it intended mission, I opened the box and commanded it to return. I sealed it once more. The key turned its final time, and I removed it from its mate. All that remained were a few battle-scarred survivors and the three weakened brothers. Most of the surviving witchyres begged for our compassion and joined our side to leave the Lords standing alone. Others ran and hid in what was left of the jungles camouflage. The three brothers stood beaten unbelieving they had just witnessed the annihilation of a clan that was supposed to be unbeatable. We turned the tables on these bullies and used the exact plan they intended to use on us.

  The witches released their restraints on Ultress and Ellie. Ultress knew what his duties were. Ellie took Graylee as Ultress moved in the direction of what remained of his three sons. I pulled Elizabeth and Lauren in my direction to shield them from our final blow. Ultress completed his mission with his double fangs descended to unleash his venom on his intended targets. He ripped and slashed at what was left of his sons. The brothers stood no more. Their last comments were that they intended to see Ultress in hell one day soon. I heard Ultress’s thoughts shouting, they may see him one day in hell, but they would have to wait. I looked in the direction Suzi stood, but she was no longer there. She was nowhere to be seen. I listened for her thoughts, but heard nothing.

  The jungle was again quite. No sounds came from the greenery of any edge of the opening. There was no laughter heard. Elizabeth and Lauren raised their heads to see Ultress return from the place the Lords once stood. His eye never left Elizabeth's. She knew his thoughts and sorrows. Ultress had already forgiven her for her trickery. He knew she was attempting to save him from a fate that she wasn’t able to follow. He held out his arms, and she fell into them. They mourned their loss. Not of a war, but of the three sons and the granddaughter that refused to change until it was too late.

  Ellie, Dee, and Lauren were standing in shock of what had happened. The leadership they knew no longer existed. They were free, no longer under the laws of the witchyre rule that held little mercy on their ideas of change. Ultress’s followers gathered the remaining witchyres and issued them one last chance to join our clan or suffer the fate of their fallen leaders.

  I walked toward Ellie unsure if she hated me for my part in holding her hostage. Her bewildered looked changed as she caught my eyes coming toward her. She ran to me and jumped into my arms. She kissed me deep and hard. I knew the anger the witches told Elizabeth of was over just as the Lords once stood in front of us laughing at our eminent defeat.

  “Daught, if you ever do that to me again as your maker, I am going to kill you.” She was direct with her words and then kissed me again. I smiled through her kisses.

  “Oh Ellie get over yourself, he was just trying to save your ass.” Dee said as she rolled her eyes and raised her fist to hit my arm, but stopped. She looked me in the eye then began to laugh. She held her hand high into the air. I raised mine and as her hand met with mine the silence of the jungle changed with a high five of rolling thunder that brought it back to life. Our side had won and the rejoicing began. All that came to stand with us cheered and shouted. The jungle was alive. We came together to defeat the leaders that every witchyre feared.

  Little Graylee stood beside Ultress as she pulled on his pant leg. He looked down to see her bright shining eyes and large sm
ile. He bent over and picked her up.

  “Is it over?” She asked, as she looked deep into his eyes.

  “Yes my child, it’s over.” Ultress responded. She wrapped her arms around his neck and squeezed tight. She turned to look at Ellie and me. I saw the question in her face. As with all mortal children, she vocalized her thoughts.

  “Are you going to kill him now?” She asked.

  Ellie held her head down. She remembered the comments she made while she was restrained. I pulled her face up to mine.

  “It’s ok dear. I knew you would be mad, but I couldn’t take the chance of them capturing you.” I told her and kissed the top of her head.

  “Sorry Daught, my temper got the best of me.” She replied as she looked up at me.

  “I told you she’d be pissed.” Dee laughed hitting me on the arm.

  “I think he’s wonderful. If you don’t want him anymore can I have him?” Little Graylee said as she smiled. Everyone began to laugh. Her smile gave us a glimpse of a bright new image of what the future of this race would be like. Graylee’s smile was heartfelt, and I smiled back at her.

  “Little bit, in another few months you will be full grown and if Ellie doesn’t behave I’ll come back and look for you.” I laughed. Graylee clapped her hands and hugged Ultress. Elizabeth patted her on the back.

  Ellie put her elbow in my side, and I felt her strength when she connected with my body. We began to laugh, as did the others in the group. However, this short time of happiness didn't last long. Our recent memories fell back on our thoughts. Suzi was gone. The group mourned her memory. She was a sister, a daughter and a granddaughter. We could not resent her for her hatred. We were not normal immortals. We had hearts that just didn’t beat.

  I looked at Ultress and saw his strength again fade from his towering form. Elizabeth leaned against him as they both mourned their sons and granddaughter. I saw his thoughts as he relived the annihilation of his sons. There wasn’t hate and revenge in his act. He held nothing, but sorrow and shame for allowing hatred to become a part of the witchyre in the first place.

  Chapter Thirty

  AFTERMATH

  The war was over. We all began to walk in silence back to the village. Our victory felt of sadness. Ultress had abolished the sons he and Elizabeth conceived hundreds of years ago. Suzi was nowhere to be found. We knew the wrath of the box had taken its toll.

  Ellie and I walked arm in arm. Ultress held little Graylee as Elizabeth clung to his side. Dee and Lauren followed for the long journey back to the village that celebrated our victory and awaited our return. We stopped at the waterfall where Ellie and Ultress sat concealed from the Lord’s grip during the war. The water flowed as it cleaned the earth and carried the staleness of time far away to the past. Ellie rested her head on my shoulder and for the first time she felt exhausted from the war of the immortals that had no true winners.

  “I love you, Ellie.” I whispered in her ear. She smiled because she knew our love would last for the eternity that started so many years ago.

  Thomas came to find his sister. Ultress handed her to him and smiled at the warrior that proved himself to his ruler. We continued our walk back to the village where joy and laughter were ringing out among the boundaries. Elizabeth stopped and looked at the rest of us.

  “Now is the time we must celebrate our victory. Although sadden as we are that our children didn’t conceit to our way, we must show strength for the others. So smile and enjoy this new existence we shall have.” Her tone was soft and gentle as it had been so many times before. She kissed each of her granddaughters then her daughter. She looked at me and touched my face. Her hand was soft and warm. She turned to Ultress and took his hand. Together they led our entrance.

  I looked at each of my new family members and felt proud to be a part of this group. Ellie looked up at me and smiled. I saw Graylee looking at us. She laughed and winked at me. I could no longer control myself. My laughter rang out, as did the rest of the groups.

  We entered the village as shouts and praises filled the air. This was our new family. They had welcomed us and gave us shelter from the Lords in our time of need. Now we had to ensure them that their generosity hadn't gone unnoticed.

  “To Ultress, our returned leader.” Came shouts from the crowd.

  “To Ultress and his family,” another yelled. The crowd celebrated with loud applause as they chanted for their new leader. The smiles that radiated from the group could have lit up the dark night's sky.

  Ellie looked at me and giggled. Ultress raised his arms in victory. The crowd celebrated as shouts and chants roared again from the village. The witches raised their glasses to Elizabeth. She returned a smile in their direction, and she sent a silent thank you. They knew her gratitude and assured her they would return if she were in need of their assistance again. They vanished returning to the place they dwell.

  As the party continued Ellie, Dee and I walked to the shoreline. Ellie turned to Dee and took her hands.

  “Thank you dear sister for standing with Daught and giving him what he needed to end this Great War.” She bowed to her sister. Dee took her hand and raised Ellie’s face to her.

  “It wasn’t me that gave him the strength he needed little sister. It was you. I just showed him the way.” She replied smiling and kissed Ellie on the forehead.

  Dee looked at me and winked. I pulled the flowers from my shirt and handed them to Ellie. She looked at me with her eyebrow raised. I bent down, put my nose to the bouquet, and sniffed. Again, she looked at me with a strange expression on her face. She sniffed the flowers and could smell their scent. Her eyes returned to mine.

  “I don’t understand Daught. What does this have to do with anything?” She asked.

  “Do you smell the beautiful aroma they make when their scents mixes together?” I answered her question with a question. She looked in Dee’s directions only to see her slightly snicker. I glared at Dee, and she read my thoughts respecting my command. She stopped her snickering and straightened her face to convey the reality of the meaning of this scent.

  “Yes, they make a lovely scent Daught, but I have no idea what you’re trying to tell me.” She looked again at Dee. Dee again snickered as she looked at me and stopped at once as she rolled her eyes at me. I shook my head trying to ignore her.

  “This is the scent that you carry. This is what you smell like to me.” I said and smiled at her. She still didn’t understand why I had the flowers.

  “Dee heard my thoughts when we lay in bed the other night. She gave them to me before we left for our battle. Your sister knew this scent would make me realize I might never have you again if I didn’t try with everything in me to make the key appear. Ellie it worked.” I conveyed to her.

  The smile on her face was more than any words she could have spoken. I knew she understood she was the reason I had the strength to make the key materialize. She pulled me in her arms and kissed me deeper than she had ever kissed me. The mixture of our venom was sweet and inviting. Anesidora was right. I would win the war, but only with Ellie’s and my strength combined.

  “Excuse me you two. It’s not like I’m not still standing here.” Dee insisted and rolled her eyes.

  We broke our bond and began to laugh. Her smile met ours. She was happy to see the worry on Ellie's face for the last two weeks was no longer visible. It blew away with the storm that fell to the east. Ellie turned to Dee, and I wrapped my arms around her as I stood behind her.

  “Thank you Dee for everything. I love you my dear sister.” Ellie told her and hugged her again.

  “Yes thank you Dee, I’m forever in your debt.” I spoke before I realized what I said. She smiled at me and gave me a look that told me she would hold me to my promise.

  “Well Vamp, I really thought the flowers might change your smell seeing I had to stand behind you during the fight. But I guess it worked out for the best.” She laughed.

  Dee and I had formed a bond that would always be a little mischievous
, but I understood what she was saying. I grabbed her picking her up and swinging her around several times. She pounded on my back, but I could not let her get the last jab at our newly found friendship. She laughed and gave me a punch that I was sure could level any synthetic structure. When I put her down, she excused herself to rejoin the party. We watched as she skipped toward the village. She felt pleased with herself for the forethought to pick the beautiful bouquet.

  Ellie and I laughed and talked as we walked along the shore. The water rippled meeting the sand that gave into the pressure beneath our feet. I pulled her close. We knew our future was the eternity we planned. Our physical bodies dropped to the watery sand, and we made love. That night, we proved our love of infinity.

  I heard the music from the party the immortals of the South American continent unleashed. The sounds were loud and joyful. I knew Ultress’s thoughts. He was proud of his family of outcasts. We proved our loyalty to the newly reigning leader of what remained of the witchyres. The celebration lasted through the rising of the sun.

  Ellie and I rejoined the party. Lauren and Dee welcomed Ellie warmly. I watched in amazement the bond of their love for one another as they danced to the music of the villagers. Elizabeth’s smile and laughter were in themselves music from the Gods. Ultress saw me admiring this scene. He came over to the place I rested, and he leaned against the large tree as I knelt at its base.

  “You have proven to me your love for my family.” He spoke. “I will forever be in your debt.”

  “Ultress, I look upon the one that gave me immortality, and I am in awe of her beauty. She is my reason to survive. She is my strength.” I stated. “I am in your debt for creating her.”

  Ellie laughed and danced with her mother and sister as Elizabeth joined in the circle. The small child named Graylee’s laughter echoed through the jungle. These five beings were the pride of the witchyres. Ultress continued to rest against the tree that towered above him making him look small against its glory. He too looked upon them with admiration. We enjoyed this perfect picture. The picture was of the women who fought for our survival. They were the women that neither of us would allow any harm to come.