CHAPTER SIX
‘Today there exist in temples book chests which we ourselves have seen, and, when these temples were plundered, these, we are told, were emptied by our own men …’
Paulus Orosius
‘Isn’t this the restaurant we came to on your birthday?’ Dad asked as we all piled out of the cars and into Hades. Dapper had painted the door again in what was becoming a monthly occurrence. It was now a high-gloss lime green, deco-chic.
‘One and the same,’ I answered, suddenly worried about how Dad would react if he discovered that Hades had become a second home to me. ‘Actually, Dad, I … I’m not sure you should come up …’
‘Not open for negotiation,’ was all Dad said.
I glanced nervously at Griffin.
‘He deserves to be included,’ Griffin responded.
‘Okay, but just stay away from Onyx,’ I pleaded.
Evelyn shot me a sideways look. ‘Was he the one on the flight back from Santorini? The one you stripped?’
I nodded, uncomfortable discussing my ability to strip exiles of their powers against their will. All Grigori could remove exile powers, but usually the exile had to surrender to it – which they never did. I looked at Griffin. ‘Gee, Griff, did you leave anything out?’
He shrugged. ‘It wasn’t like you were getting set to give her the history.’
‘Should we be prepared for conflict?’ Evelyn carried on.
Steph snorted as we walked towards the bar area. ‘Only if he doesn’t like your wardrobe selection.’ She looked at Evelyn’s outfit of dated navy pleated pants and black oversized jumper. ‘Which, no offence, is a possibility.’
‘Steph,’ Salvatore chastised. ‘Apologies, Signora Eden.’ He bowed his head and pushed Steph forwards.
Evelyn looked herself up and down. ‘I haven’t had a chance to catch up with the latest fashions yet, between the lack of consciousness and threats of imprisonment.’
‘You look fine,’ Dad said, a blush tinting his cheeks.
Unfortunately, he was right. Evelyn was tall with striking features highlighted by her intense fire-blue eyes and there was a gravitational force about her that seemed to attract people.
Onyx was working behind the bar, showing off his impressive physique in a tight black T-shirt and torn slim-fit jeans. Dapper was serving a group of girls to his right. Working in sync, the two of them had the entire bar covered. I was struck by the professional attitude Onyx seemed to have adopted as he expertly flipped a coaster onto the bar with one hand just before landing a glass on it with the other. It was quite a change. Almost as different as his casual attire, which had girls draped over the bar eyeing him up instead of crying and running away at some insult he’d launched in their direction – as had happened in the past. Onyx, however, didn’t seem to care for or return their interest.
Dapper saw us nearing and scowled as he tossed a bar towel over his shoulder. It made me smile.
Onyx, in complete contrast, beamed. He quickly motioned for one of the floor staff to relieve him and before we reached the bar he was pouring himself a drink.
‘Just when things were becoming predictable,’ he said, winking at me. ‘I should never have doubted you.’
Dapper moved over grudgingly, taking in all the women drooling over Onyx – I could’ve sworn his eyes blazed before he began jabbing a finger towards Spence.
‘Don’t think I don’t know you got into my stock earlier tonight. I catch you pilfering again and not only will you never set foot in this place again but I’ll haul you down to the cop station myself and press charges. You hearing me?’
Spence grimaced. ‘Hear you.’
Dapper nodded with a grunt and then addressed the rest of us. ‘Whatever this is, let’s get it over and done with.’ He motioned towards the unmarked door that led to his apartment. ‘Try not to frighten away any of my patrons on your way.’
‘He’s not coming with us, is he?’ Evelyn asked Griffin, gesturing to Onyx who was already holding open the door with a look of delight.
‘Onyx has proven himself a useful source and ally,’ Griffin responded.
Evelyn looked disgusted as she passed Onyx.
‘Love a family affair,’ Onyx chimed in as I passed through the door.
In Dapper’s living room, there were more of us than there were seats so Zoe and I took the floor while Lincoln assumed his usual back-of-the-room standing position.
Griffin filled in Dapper and Onyx with the most important updates, ending with Evelyn’s disclosure about defeating Lilith with the Qeres. After giving them some time to absorb all of the information he asked Onyx if he’d ever heard of the substance before.
Onyx brushed non-existent lint from his jeans. I waited for him to break into some drawn-out story, but he surprised me by leaning back in his chair and shaking his head.
‘Not in my angelic memory. Even if I had known, some things leave us the moment we exile. But I’ve heard rumours over the years. I believe there is truth in what she claims.’
‘Dude, you feeling okay?’ Spence blurted out, taking the words from my mouth; Onyx never cooperated without getting something in return.
He grinned secretively. ‘Keeping sight of the bigger picture is an important part of the game.’
Dapper cleared his throat and grunted at Onyx. ‘Is it so impossible to admit you simply wanted to help?’
Onyx’s grin faltered and he rolled his eyes.
‘I’ve heard of the potion,’ Dapper said, standing up and pacing the living room. ‘I believe I have a book that can help you with the first twelve ingredients.’ His brow furrowed. ‘And I have a suspicion the thirteenth ingredient dates back to the Garden of Eden.’
‘How?’ I jumped in.
‘There are stories about a poison there – either in the serpent’s bite or within the apple, depending on which version you want to believe, but something in that garden changed humans from being as indestructible as angels to the mortals we are now.’ He looked away and didn’t seem comfortable with the conversation. ‘I’ll do some research.’
Evelyn shook her head. ‘I’m sorry, but there’s no book that has such details in it.’
Dapper gave her a condescending sniff. ‘Yes, there is.’
Evelyn stood. ‘No, there is not! We hunted this potion for over fifty years. The only chance of ever finding a written reference to it went up in flames a long time ago, along with the–’
‘Library of Alexandria?’ Dapper cut her off with raised eyebrows.
Her eyes widened. ‘Yes. Who are you?’
Dapper moved over to the minibar, grabbed a towel, and started to polish it while casting suspicious glances towards Evelyn and Dad, before finally settling his gaze on me.
I nodded, interpreting his unspoken question. ‘He’s my dad, Dapper, you can trust him.’
He went back to polishing. ‘And her?’
I gnawed on my lip and decided on the truth. ‘Still deciding. But I can give you my word that I’ll protect your secrets if she betrays you.’
I ignored the stunned look on Dad’s face and the almost-proud one on Evelyn’s.
‘Good enough for me,’ Dapper responded, putting down the towel. ‘I’m human. A descendant of the first patriarchs.’
‘The first patriarchs?’ Griffin repeated, as if the connection made all the difference.
Dapper nodded.
Griffin looked taken aback. ‘The first patriarch’s line ended with the flood,’ he murmured, as if mentally running through history.
‘That’s what we thought, too,’ Evelyn said, equally shocked. ‘And we looked, believe me.’ Her expression morphed to one of suspicion.
Dapper gave a knowing smile. ‘Not my fault you couldn’t find us. We’re very good at remaining unnoticed.’
Griffin looked at the rest of us, less historically blessed. ‘The first patriarchs were the direct descendants of Adam – the bloodline that flowed all the way down to Noah. They had certain unique qualities
, including lifespans that stretched to almost one thousand years – but they were all thought to have been wiped out by the flood.’
‘But isn’t Phoenix a descendant of Adam?’ I asked.
Griffin nodded. ‘He is, but Adam impregnated Lilith before Original Sin – from the immortal version of humanity. The first patriarchs descend from Adam in his mortal state, and from his mortal partner. It is they who are the forefathers of humanity as we know it.’
Dapper sighed, and I felt his fear at finally letting this secret out. ‘After the flood, the bloodline continued in secret. Our family tree is extensive and our role has remained the same – collectors and scribes of knowledge, our lives are extended in order that we can provide as much service as possible. Our purpose is to remain in the background; we never take sides and only document events.’
‘That’s why you never wanted to get involved,’ I said, feeling guilty yet again that we had dragged him into our messes.
He shrugged. ‘Old habits. But I long ago left my position as patriarch to other, more willing, family members. I am, for all intents and purposes, just a long-lived barman with some regenerative powers that I can sometimes share.’ He glanced at Steph and Onyx.
Onyx threw back a shot of something and slammed the glass back on the bar. He’d just realised it was Dapper who’d healed him after the exile attack. Steph’s hand went to her face. She’d made the same connection.
‘What is this book you speak of?’ Evelyn continued, ignoring everyone’s reaction to Dapper’s revelation and getting back to business.
‘Do you know how the Library of Alexandria was destroyed?’ Dapper asked the room.
‘No one does exactly,’ Steph chimed in. ‘Some say the fire was started by Julius Caesar.’
Onyx nodded. ‘And, of course, Mark Antony pilfered thousands of scrolls to woo Cleopatra.’
Dapper nodded.
‘Another theory was that the patriarch Theophilus had the books destroyed when he turned the Temple of Serapis into a Christian church,’ Griffin added.
‘Or that it was Caliph Omar, when he took the city of Alexandria and gave instructions for the library’s holdings to be destroyed,’ Dad said.
When everyone turned to stare at him, he gave a dry laugh. ‘What? I studied history. Omar ruled the contents as “superfluous”.’
‘Happy times,’ Spence threw in, earning a stern look from Griffin.
Dapper went back to the minibar and poured himself a long drink. ‘And over what period were all of these events?’
‘Six, seven hundred years?’ Steph answered quickly.
Dapper gave her a smile. That was Steph – brainy with the best of them and not about to be outdone.
‘The truth is that the patriarchs lost faith in the human world. Humans could no longer be trusted to keep this knowledge – and in particular, items of power – safe and sacred. At the time of each of these events the patriarchs used the distraction to remove the scrolls, starting with the most important and ending with the least. Over time, they converted them into books and translated them when possible – the previous translation always destroyed afterwards. There is only ever one version of any text in existence.’
‘Why?’ Lincoln asked.
‘Patriarchs are untrusting people. Knowledge is power.’
Lincoln nodded. Enough said.
I eyed Onyx – who hadn’t said anything since Dapper’s disclosure.
‘You knew, didn’t you?’ I asked him. I could see Dapper’s words were not a surprise to him.
He smiled broadly. ‘Of course, rainbow. I’ve been around a very long time.’
Dapper snorted. ‘And I told him last week.’
Typical.
‘Descendants of the bloodline spend a minimum of one hundred years in service, protecting the knowledge. I did my stint beneath the ground, living with three others of my line, guarding one of the prime knowledge wells in Egypt. It gave me plenty of reading time.’
‘And that is where this book you speak of is now?’ Evelyn asked, leaning forward.
‘No. The well was discovered and destroyed. We saved what we could and decided it would be better to separate and divide up what remained. Over the years I’ve returned most of the books to those more devoted to the cause than I ever was, but …’ the corner of his mouth lifted. ‘Let’s just say that everyone likes to be prepared for a rainy day.’
‘Where is it then?’ Evelyn snapped.
Dapper gave her an unfriendly look. I understood completely.
‘You’re all going to have to move back from that wall,’ he said.
We all stood and shuffled back – Lincoln moving closer to me. Protectively.
Dapper closed his eyes and started to say something quietly – chanting.
‘Gaelic,’ Lincoln whispered in my ear, sending a shiver down my spine.
After a minute or two, the living-room wall started to move towards us, the mantelpiece splitting in the middle, opening up like two massive doors.
‘Open sesame,’ Zoe said, her voice filled with awe.
Spence was grinning ear to ear. ‘I know, right! I’m waiting for the troll to come out and ask for a magic password.’
I smiled at him. Griffin didn’t. He smacked Spence over the head instead.
Dapper, ignoring our banter looked around the room solemnly. ‘My oath is now your oath. If any of you betray it, you would be betraying me, and my people would come with strength and in numbers that would surprise you. They would slay you.’ He half smiled. ‘It wouldn’t be right if I didn’t warn you.’
Dad gasped. The rest of us looked around, unsure, until Spence took a casual step towards the open wall.
‘Same old,’ he said.
Lincoln put a hand on the small of my back, pushing me forward. ‘They’ll have to be comfortable with a first-come first-served situation,’ he – the normally so grave – said, as we moved into the secret room.
Spence slapped a hand on Lincoln’s back as he pushed ahead. ‘Truer words were never spoken, mate.’
Lincoln smiled at my expression and my heart melted. ‘You said you wanted a night of fun. Just holding up my end of the deal.’
When I didn’t immediately smile back, as if sensing all of my fears for our tomorrows and my sadness about the things I – we – had to leave behind, he grabbed my hand.
Honey and spice and all things dangerous are nice.
CHAPTER SEVEN
‘Fate is not satisfied with inflicting one calamity.’
Publilius Syrus
Salvatore and Steph disappeared quickly for some ‘alone time’ after we left Dapper’s, then Zoe and Spence invited me to join them for ‘ice cream’ which – judging by the not-so-subtle winks – I strongly suspected was code for shenanigans.
I opted to stay with Dad. He was basically trembling from the sheer volume of new knowledge. The kind of awareness never intended for humans.
Outside Hades, he’d watched Steph casually walk away arm in arm with Salvatore and shook his head. ‘How does she take all of this so well?’ he’d asked. ‘Isn’t she afraid?’
Among my many confessions to Dad I’d told him how Steph had been taken captive by Phoenix.
‘Sometimes I think Steph was destined for this world more than any of us. She might not be Grigori but she’s chosen to play her part. I’ve had to learn to accept that, Dad.’
Dad looked at his feet, his shoulders slumping forwards. ‘Is that your way of telling me that’s what I have to do – accept your place in this … world of exiled angels?’
I put a hand on his arm briefly, wishing I was better at being consoling. ‘It would make things easier for you if you could.’
When Evelyn and Griffin joined us, I couldn’t help but be irritated. I never had any time alone with Dad these days.
As if reading my mind, Lincoln opened the back passenger door to his car. ‘Mr Eden, how about I give you and Violet a lift home? Griffin can take Evelyn in his car – I’m sure they h
ave some things to discuss.’
Dad looked between Evelyn and me and nodded, slipping into the back seat.
I moved in beside Dad and if my eyes could have said thank you a million times to Lincoln, they did then.
As we drove, Dad’s erratic breathing settled and he relaxed enough to talk.
‘I just can’t believe I never knew all these things. Evelyn has lived for over two hundred years.’ He shook his head. ‘How could I not have known?’
I put my hand on top of his. ‘Dad, there was no way you could’ve. Judgement aside, there’s no denying she’s a master at her work.’ I bit my lip and moved my hand away awkwardly. ‘She’s a manipulator. The only thing we can possibly know for certain is that she chose to lie to you for the entire time she was with you.’
‘That doesn’t mean it was all lies,’ Dad said defensively.
‘No, it doesn’t,’ I conceded. ‘And I’m sure her feelings for you were real – it’s just … She puts her Grigori status above everything and everyone else. Us included.’
‘And you don’t?’
I couldn’t help glancing at Lincoln in the front seat. His face was expressionless as he stared ahead, but his hands had that tell-tale white-knuckled grip on the steering wheel that told me he was listening intently.
I gnawed at the inside of my cheek and decided on the truth. ‘No. I don’t. There are things that are more important to me.’
Dad slumped back into the seat, exhausted. ‘Will she ever age?’
‘Probably not in your lifetime.’ It was a grim reality, but he deserved to know.
He sighed and I noticed the dark circles rimming his eyes. ‘It’s so strange. I look at her, hear her speak – her mannerisms are the same but she’s different as well.’
He ran his trembling hands through his hair and again, I wished I was better at connecting with him.
‘I hear her in the night, tossing and turning – whatever haunts her dreams … It’s awful, Vi.’
I find that hard to believe.
Then again, maybe it was waking up to discover she was back with us that led to the screaming. It didn’t inspire much sympathy.
Endless: Violet Eden Chapters: Book Four Page 5
