Yong greeted the group, that was invading his home, with a smile. The fire crackled and each one took a position. Before the meeting started he sent Jeoff in search of Legrant, Johana, and Pein. It didn’t take them more than a couple of minutes to arrive. With the room full some of them sat down and others decided to stand. Meryl looked at Johana who stood near the window. They had no knowledge they could offer in the meeting. They were inexperienced in war.
“Did Adara and Angelo come?” Caleb asked, astonished that he didn’t see the twins. They were Ajax’s right hand. Ajax’s face hardened when he heard the question. This wasn’t going to be good news.
“No, they’re not on our side. Those bastards only want humans for food. They’ve always had a dark heart. I was hoping I would change them but after so many years I have achieved absolutely nothing. I should have left them to their fate from the beginning. Those little wretches were already cruel when they were humans. There is not a day that I do not regret the pity that I showed them. They are nothing but an impediment for the future. When this is over I will take care of them.”
“Of course, they were ungrateful,” Elizabeth added annoyingly, “but they will pay for it.”
“Of course, they will pay, when their head is separated from their body,” Ajax added, pounding his hand on the small table beside them, it shattered. “They have settled in my zone as if they were the owners of everything. They only cause death.”
Caleb clenched his chin. If Ajax was so furious and convinced to kill them he was really hurt. He was a clumsy man who frequently knocked down everything around him, but never with malice. As a former barbarian, he had lived through the worst wars of mankind. He had fought in them, cut off flesh and amputated limbs. This gave him contrary feelings on things that were common during that time. Now, he just fought out of necessity.”
“Well, they’re a minor problem right now,” Caleb said earnestly. “I want to know what’s happening.”
“We’re not sure,” Elizabeth began. “About three weeks ago some ships arrived. One of my guards told me they were not merchants. Soon my capital sank into conflict. The rumors of what would happen after the war caused many vampires to fade into despair.”
“Epsilon’s spies began to spread the rumors that after the war, no matter who they helped, they would be hunted, and the land would be given back to the humans. That only a handful of us would get to live. This included the leaders and our closest friends,” continued Ajax. “Of course, not everyone believed it, but an overwhelming majority did believe it. They ended up fighting against everyone.”
“We barely escaped from our houses with only the clothes on our backs. If it were not for the ships you sent us we wouldn’t have been able to escape, Caleb.”
“The truth is that I had the suspicion that something like this would happen. Epsilon was not going to sit still while we assembled such a large army.”
“Well, it worked out fine for him.” Ajax was frustrated. “We were barely able to bring a small part of what we had planned.”
“Thanks’ to Yong that will not be a problem.”
The two newcomers looked at the man, who was standing by the fire. He had his hands behind his back and smiled.
“He has provided us with an army that gives us a good chance of victory. Tomorrow we will tell you the details,” Caleb continued, “for now let’s go and rest. It’s been a long journey for you.”
Meryl left with Johana while Legrant stayed with Caleb and Yong. They would go get something for dinner and then they would sleep. It had been a busy afternoon and they were exhausted.
“Well.” Meryl caught her friend’s attention as they dined next to one of the fires outside of the house, where the humans were gathered. “What’s up with Legrant?”
“What’s up about what?” Johanna asked with a frown.
“You know perfectly well,” Meryl replied quite naturally as she served herself some more food.
“Well, I don’t know and don’t care.”
“Come on, Johana. Someday you’ll have to talk to him.”
“There’s nothing to talk about,” she said, trying to avoid the conversation.
“But ...” Meryl’s voice softened until it disappeared.
Meryl stared at the edge of the forest which was close to where she sat. “I’m not sure but I would have almost sworn I’d just seen someone I knew, but it’s not possible. It’s just not possible. He should be dead.”
“Meryl?” Johana called her with concern as she laid a hand on her shoulder. “Are you okay? Did something happen?”
“No, nothing. I’m tired,” Meryl replied, rubbing her eyes worriedly.
“Well, go and rest. It’s very late and it’s been a long day.”
Meryl entered the house that she, Caleb, and Jeoff occupied. She climbed the stairs to her room and lay down on the bed, still in shock. This person, although she hadn’t seen his face had features that Meryl instantly recognized but it was something that simply could not be real.
“I have to be going crazy,” Meryl whispered turning around to sleep more comfortably.
But the thoughts in her head did not let her sleep. After thinking about her life, the events, and impossible things that had happened. A phrase appeared in her head. Maybe it was possible.
When it seemed that her eyelids finally closed an explosion made her jump up on the bed.
“What was that?”
Meryl ran to the window and looked out. The soldiers ran and a fire was lit near where she was. She began to hear some shouting.
“Come on! Someone is attacking the north flank!”
A few seconds later, the person who was shouting in front of the house was approached by three people dressed in black. They almost looked like ninjas with their faces covered. They moved with the stealth of the best assassin and they cut off the man’s head without hesitation.
Chaos and bewilderment sowed despair in just a few moments. No one saw them coming. Though luckily Yong’s soldiers were quick to react. The surprise had been a great advantage.
Meryl left the building and tried to remain in the dark. The need to locate some of her friends left her no other choice than to place herself in a dangerous situation. When one of the attackers passed by without seeing her, panic led her to take refuge on the edge of the forest. It was then she realized how stupid she had been. She should have stayed in the shelter of the house. Surely Caleb would already be there. Furious over her childish decision. Meryl had the intention of returning to the place from which she had left. She tried to find a way back but the fighting a few meters away prevented her from leaving. Meryl heard a noise behind her and turned her head, there was a man there. Meryl was sure she had never seen him before. She would have remembered those features as if they were her own. He was terribly familiar. Especially, the way he looked at her.
He looked like Caleb would look if Caleb had aged ten years older. Meryl thought suddenly.
A spark lit up in her brain like a light that brought out a memory from the darkness. There was only one person in the world who could resemble Caleb at all and that was his own father, Akad. He was standing there in front of her. Meryl wanted to say something, but she couldn’t speak out. Meryl began to feel a strange sensation. It felt like she lost control of her body, but not of her mind. Her body refused to obey her and imprisoned in her head Meryl’s legs began to take firm steps toward him
No, no. Stop, damn it!
Ten feet from her, Akad turned to go deeper into the woods, far from interruptions. It caused Meryl’s heart to be close to a heart attack. Soon, the shouts of the camp were far away.
Those minutes felt eternal to her. Meryl’s eyes were fixed on the back of that ancient being. His long hair was so black that it gleamed in the soft moonlike brilliance that the cloud cover let through. She could only see and breathe which filled her with frus
tration. Her mind was scolding her again and again for not having stayed in the shelter of her room.
Her feet finally stopped and Akad disappeared from her sight. The loneliness around her caused her to feel a panic that she hadn’t felt since long ago. A second later, the first vampire appeared again in front of her, impassive. Meryl couldn’t perceive any type of emotion on his face. Akad put a hand on Meryl’s chin and lifted her face. The vampire who was her distant ancestor and Caleb’s father was terrifying even though his face was the same as that of a stationary statue. Yet his black, twinkling eyes seemed to have no end as if they were a direct route to hell. Soon to be Meryl’s fate.
Meryl tried to force herself to say something. She wanted to plead for the chance to be let go but her throat closed automatically. It almost stopped her from breathing.
Such a power ... was awesome as well as frightening.
Caleb. Meryl thought as she managed to close her eyes.
She felt stupid. Why did she ever listen to him?
The touch of a finger brushed her cheek. When she opened her eyes Akad continued exploring her face, watching and wiping away a small, almost imperceptible tear. There was no point in showing compassion when she didn’t even know if he would kill her or ...
A son? He wants a son. Meryl’s conscience reminded her, terrified.
“Not yet,” Akad said suddenly, to her mental question.
Akad leaned down moving so close that Meryl could feel the heat of his breath against the skin of her neck. Automatically she knew what he would do, but for what purpose?
That second seemed to last for minutes. The sound of her skin tearing was swift and brutal. The pain was instant and every time he sucked her blood she felt a new stabbing sensation in her body. Unable to scream to calm her pain a little Meryl felt the sensation was getting bigger. Although this wasn’t the moment to remember her most intimate moments with Caleb the comparison in her mind was inevitable. It was not even the same. Caleb had caused her only a little pain and she would get sluggish. Now, it was simply unbearable and had she been able to control her body. Meryl would have fallen to the ground.
Enough, stop! Caleb.
A wave of desperation wanted to rip out her soul and she felt that every time she expelled oxygen from her body. Her life left with it.
“No, Meryl!” Meryl heard an agonized cry that at first, she couldn’t identify.
That mysterious voice, that grave tone, evoked in her a taste of nostalgia that had much to do with her past.
It’s the voice of ... It’s not possible ...
With a thud, Meryl fell to the ground. She felt the relief of having the bite cut short. The impact didn’t hurt. Meryl only felt a crushing tranquility. It lasted for half a second and then all the blood in her body seemed to start to burn like hell itself. The convulsions tightened each limb activating muscles she had never used.
Every damn second became an eternity of pain.
“Meryl! Meryl!”
The hands clinging to her shoulders were imperceptible to her, all she felt was pain. However, at the end and after a titanic effort Meryl was able to force her eyes to open a little. The tears that flowed ceaselessly blurred her vision, but the face was the same as in her memories. Just as it had appeared in the happiest years of her life.
“Fa-”
With that sound, Meryl expelled her last breath before her heart stopped forever. There, lying on the ground and with eyes staring at a dark sky Meryl’s last tear of pain fell. It seemed that her soul also glided gently to fall into nothingness. Before her dilated eyes appeared the image of Caleb. He was the only thing she wanted to see at that moment.
Melody Nº 11
The Change
A new dream, perhaps a new vision, or maybe paradise. Meryl was in a strange and beautiful place. Her hands were translucent again. Just like the time she saw the fragments of a past that happened while she slept deeply, ignorant of the cruel destiny of humanity.
“I’m dead,” Meryl realized suddenly. “Caleb ...
Looking around, she seemed to be in a city as old as mankind itself. The columns, sculpted by hand and whose details were fascinating despite her, attracted her visually.
“Meryl.”
Meryl turned her head at the sound of a whisper that touched a phantom heart that no longer beat.
Her feet led her down a worn stone path as her eyes watched small white flowers. In the front, she saw a small building of the same color, and the green grass continued to go on until it was out of sight, among translucent trees and small hills. Without hesitation or fear Meryl approached and opened the door and was paralyzed. She was calm and the pain had passed. The person in front of her eyes made her smile with disproportionate joy.
“Mama,” Meryl said childishly, walking toward her, intending to embrace her.
The woman stopped her with a gesture, smiled tenderly and shook her head.
“You can’t touch me Meryl. My poor child. How you have suffered.” She sighed, closing her eyes.
“I don’t understand anything, Mom. Where are we? Is this heaven?”
“I no longer exist in any form. Right now, I’m just a vision, Meryl. You know that the blood contains more than we believe, especially yours.”
“Mother, George ...” Meryl tried to tell her what had happened, but her mother shook her head again. This time there was no smile on her face.
“I know, sweetheart. I know everything you know and I see more than you see. I don’t think I can explain much. There is no time. When you wake up you’ll be like them ... No,” she corrected herself. “You’ll be more than them.”
“I do not want any of that. I just want…”
“To be with Caleb. But you know that will be difficult as long as they are after you. You must kill George.” Meryl closed her eyes in pain as she heard that, but she knew her mother was right. “And Akad must follow the same fate. The world, our world, is not as simple as we think. Look where we are right now, beyond all logic. Listen to me, Meryl,” she pleaded, “this will be the last chance. If you don’t fix it everyone will die. The world will die. Time is running out.”
Meryl looked down at her hands which were beginning to blink in and out.
“No, not yet ...” she said. “I have a lot of questions, Mom. I think I saw him. I’m sure it was him.”
“It was him, sweetheart. He will help you. I didn’t tell you the whole truth about your father. Listen to him when you wake up.”
“Mom, I can’t see you,” Meryl complained, rubbing her eyes because her vision blurred.
“Every beginning has an end, Meryl. The light will soon bathe the world, but only if everything happens as it should. You must trust in your strength. I know that you can accomplish everything that you want. You are not as weak as you think, or as others think. Your destiny is clear, reach it.”
♫♫♫
The scream that erupted from Meryl’s throat seemed to be accompanied by sharp knives. Her body tensed again to twist seconds later, and her bloodshot eyes widened as her agony grew to a point of insufferable pain. All around her there was endless shouting but she couldn’t understand a single word. The new pain that clung to her body ripped away all of her senses.
“What are you doing?” Caleb was enraged to see the stranger open a huge wound on his arm.
Caleb didn’t know who he was, but he had saved Meryl. It was only because of that act that Caleb had let him live. But he acted oblivious to his decision. Which infuriated Caleb who at that critical point was going mad. He was so close to losing Meryl that his mind was darkening.
“Are you going to give her your blood?” Jeoff asked, confused.
“Yes,” the man grunted and glanced at them sideway. Almost challenging them to stand in his way. “Or are you going to tell me how to save my own daughter?” he remarked furiously.
&n
bsp; Everyone fell silent, leaving only the shouts of pain that Meryl uttered. Even Caleb was surprised at this statement. Meryl’s family was definitely full of unexpected surprises.
The blood slid down Meryl’s throat to the depths of her body. It soon took effect and Meryl ceased to squirm. The pain was gradually waning and disappeared. Meryl finally gave into a calm and painless sleep.
“She’s already stable,” Johana sighed, dropping into a chair. “I thought she was going to die.”
“Calm down. It’s over.” Legrant comforted Johana by placing a heavy hand on her shoulder. “What I do not understand is, how?”
“How?” They looked at Meryl’s father, somewhat uneasy at the irony reflected in his voice. “I’ll tell you how. It’s as simple as a gang of kids playing war.”
“Hey, man.” Legrant walked away from Johana with some irritation at what he had just heard. “Do you think we have nothing better than to fight a war?”
“Quiet.” Caleb looked at Legrant shaking his head. He did not agree with what he had just heard, but it came from a father who had been about to see a daughter die. That, at least in Caleb’s opinion, gave him the right to be angry.
“Do you know who it was?” continued the middle-aged man. His voice softened. “It was Akad who sneaked into your camp and bit my daughter to take her away. If I hadn’t appeared. You would never have seen her again.”
“And you have our thanks for the rest of your life,” Caleb said, standing in front of him. “I understand your anger better than anyone.”
“Are you the leader?” asked Meryl’s father, lifting his chin. Caleb nodded. “Let’s talk.”
They all left the room. They were reluctant to leave the two men alone and Meryl who finally rested after passing through a hell that few would understand.
“It may take a couple of days for her to wake up,” he said, stroking his daughter’s forehead.
“Meryl told me ...”
“What I asked her mother to tell her,” he finished Caleb’s sentence.
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