Krerina also wasn’t any help. Hallie kept a close eye on her while she tried to decipher the archaic writing on the tablet. She paid very little attention to what went on around her.
“Ayden, if you have any suggestions, I’m all ears.”
“Can’t you do something?” Ayden blurted out to Krerina who finally looked up from the tablet.
“If you’re asking if I can get her to talk with dark magic, the answer is no. I can’t. It doesn’t work that way.” She rested her elbows on the table. “Dorvo vampires are different from Deamhan. My ancestors created Deamhan but not them.” She returned back to the tablet.
“Well, something has to be done because if Anzuna shows up, we’re screwed,” Ayden replied.
“If she comes, I can take care of her.”
“How?” Hallie didn’t believe him.
“Dark magic. Just ask Anastasia.” Krerina smiled. “She can vouch for what I’m capable of.”
“What in the hell is she thinking anyway?” Ayden complained. “I should’ve never let her go after Anzuna.”
“She was thinking about Remy,” Hallie answered, with a hint of sentiment in her voice. “And what do you mean you wouldn’t let her go? You couldn’t stop her.”
“Could you two please lower your voices?” Krerina asked. “I’m trying to concentrate here.”
Maris approached her. “What are you doing exactly?”
“As you all know, the Dark Curse tablet is like a how-to-do manual for Kashshapu,” Krerina replied. “It contains different spells, including the one that created Deamhan and Limbo. I need to find the exact spell to put Amenirdis back in there.”
“I remember small parts of it when she was released in the first place.”
“Yes, but each time it’s different.” Krerina grabbed the tablet. “I can’t concentrate in here. I’ll be out back.” She left the room and Hallie went to follow.
“Hallie, I need to talk to you,” Nathan spoke.
She stalled. “Yeah?”
“Alone.”
She stared at Ayden who didn’t take the hint until she asked him to leave. After he left the study with Maris, Nathan skidded his feet along the floor to the bookcase.
“Anastasia wants me to keep an eye on Krerina.” Hallie watched him closely.
“She isn’t going anywhere. We still haven’t found where Ruby hid her piece.”
She tightened her lips and grunted when he reached for a journal. “How are you doing anyway? You haven’t spoken much about your sickness.”
“There’s nothing to say.”
“You could just say you’re fine… or something.” Just from the smell, she was sure that the cancer had spread to different areas of Nathan’s body. He wasn’t faring well. The cure for his sickness rested in the bodies of his vampire acquaintances, Alexis and Lambert, which he refused. She had to accept the hardcore truth, but never had the disease hit so close to home. Nathan couldn’t die. Not like this.
If Nathan willed it, she wouldn’t waste time draining them for every drop of blood in their dead bodies to help fight the disease. In the beginning, Anastasia was the only one who truly knew how vital it was for his health, but they refused to listen to her.
He placed a journal on the bookcase and retraced his steps, back to a stack of packed boxes against the wall. As he leaned forward, his body swayed and she caught him before he fell.
“You need to sit.” She helped him to his chair. “I’ll unpack the boxes for you.” She moved quickly in Deamhan speed and within seconds, she’d unpacked every journal and placed them on the table.
“Thank you.”
“Nathan, I’m worried about you.”
“There are more important things to worry about.”
“Well, you’re important to me. You’re not getting any better and you refuse help.”
“I just… I just prefer to meet this disease head on.”
“Why don’t you take Lambert up on the offer? You know he’ll give you his blood if that means you’ll get better.”
“I can’t.”
“I know if I was you, I’d drink his blood in a heartbeat, just to save myself. Even if it’s just one drop.”
Nathan drummed his hands together. “My father, Butch, took just a drop on a dare from other researchers before he was excommunicated, if you want to call it that, from the Brotherhood. The next time, he swallowed two drops. After that, he drank the whole vial. His addiction grew and only with my mother’s help was he able to beat it. That all started with just one drop.”
“And you think the same will happen to you?”
“It will happen. What vampire blood does to humans is staggering.”
“Just because your father was addicted doesn’t mean you’ll become addicted.” She feared bringing up the issue again but she pushed through it. “Have you ever thought about… being turned?”
“I want a natural death. If I’m supposed to die tomorrow, so be it. I’ve been around the supernatural long enough to know that nothing good comes out of immortality, be it a vampire or a Deamhan. I cherish my mortality as you cherish immortality.”
“Nathan, I don’t cherish it. I wasn’t given a choice to be what I am.”
He looked back to the doorway of the study. “Could you please hand me that journal on the second shelf from the bottom, third from the left?”
She grabbed it and handed it to him.
He flipped through it. “So far, I haven’t found anything about the Defiler in these journals.” He switched the subject. “Or any evidence to suggest that any Kashshapu survived when they were hunted into extinction except for this.” He pointed to a rough sketch on the page.
She took a closer look and noticed the image of a box with gold etchings. “What is that?” She sat next to him.
“It’s the box Krerina had with her when she arrived. This entry only mentions that it contains various dark magic items. I knew I’d seen it before, when I was younger and a researcher. It was once housed in the Brotherhood Archives until it was stolen. That was a few decades ago.”
“Who stole it?”
He shrugged. “They never found out. A few researchers were questioned, including my father. This was before they knew that he stole from the Archives and often. But I remember my father telling me a little about the box. The Deamhan he knew weren’t scared about what it contained. The Brotherhood would never use it against them because you needed a Kashshapu. But no one knew who the original owner was. That information was lost to history.”
“And everyone thought they no longer existed.”
“Correct. That’s the second most important piece of information that a researcher, new to the organization, is taught. The first thing is the history of Deamhan—the very beginnings and how they came to be, and then who created them.”
Hallie knew the story somewhat well, thanks to her nights spent alone at the manor. In the first few years as a Deamhan, Anastasia didn’t allow her to leave the area. She was a control freak and she followed the old rules—The Dictum, which forbade someone as young as Hallie to be sired in the first place.
“Researchers were told about this great and powerful practitioner of dark magic, a Kashshapu, who lived in the ancient Sumerian city state of Ur,” she repeated the story. “That person was Maris’ ancestor and Amenirdis’ father. Vampires attacked the city at night, killing anyone who was stupid enough to be out so late. The king approached the Kashshapu, looking for a resolution; he believed that dark magic was the only way to reach the gods and ask for help. Right?”
Nathan nodded. “Yes. Of course, the Kashshapu obeyed. What other choice did he have? He managed to tap into that magic, but when it manifested, he realized it couldn’t survive in this world without a host. So four people were chosen and thus the Ramanga, Metusba, Lamia, and Lugat were created. They were given the same abilities as the vampires they were to fight against. Immortality, speed, strength. However, they were unaffected by sunlight and wood. The city was saved, for
the time being. When his creations turned against humans, the Kashshapu realized he made a mistake by abusing the magic. The king, upset at the Kashshapu, forced him tap into that dark magic again and he did. His own daughter, Amenirdis, became one of the hosts.”
Ruby tussled around in her chair, garnering their attention. However, they ignored her and Nathan continued with his explanation.
“He created Estrie, Empusa, Ekimmu, and Adze with the same strengths. However, they had the ability to feed not only on vampires but also their own kind. It didn’t last long. They soon turned on everyone as well. That was when he created Limbo to lock them away forever. By then the ones they sired fled the city.” He flipped through the book again. “That’s the history that we had to learn to be researchers in the Brotherhood. I took it with a grain of salt.”
“So why would a Kashshapu kill Deamhan unless…”
“The Defiler isn’t one. If she isn’t, then what or who is she?”
“Why don’t we ask Krerina? She’s the resident Kashshapu here.” Distraught, she placed her hands on her head.
Ruby tussled around in her chair again.
“Maybe she’s ready to talk?” Hallie approached the Dorvo vampire. “She knows. She has to.” She ripped off the tape from her mouth and watched Ruby stretch her dry, cracked lips. “Start talking.” Hallie stared into her multicolored eyes and saw nothing but deception.
“Krerina isn’t a Kashshapu.”
“How do you know?”
“I’m not telling.” She fidgeted in her seat.
Hallie rolled her eyes. “You probably don’t know anything.”
“I’m sure that I know more than you do, baby Deamhan.”
“Oh, I doubt that. Remy told me all about you and how you work.”
“Did he now?” She continued to smile.
“Tell us where you hid the tablet piece. It doesn’t belong to you,” Nathan spoke.
“And it doesn’t belong to you either.”
“Just tell us.” Hallie kicked the legs of the chair.
“Why?” Ruby leaned back in her chair. “It’s my leverage.”
The phone in the study rang, disrupting their interrogation. Hallie quickly replaced the tape over her mouth and picked up the phone.
“I need to speak to Nathan.” She heard Lambert’s voice on the other end.
“It’s for you.” She handed the phone to Nathan and waited.
The call lasted for several minutes in which she observed him tapping his chin in thought, replying in short spurts, and nodding his head frequently. After he hung up the phone, he sat back in his chair.
“What did Lambert want?” Curious, Hallie asked.
“Anastasia and Sia stopped by the club and wanted him to see if he could find out anything about the Defiler.”
“Did he?”
“He said we should reach out to the Brotherhood.”
“What?!” She quickly went to work to dissuade him. “Wait a minute.”
“His contacts told him that they’ve been watching the Defiler closely.”
“But, they’re the enemy! They took Veronica! They were responsible for her mother’s death. They’re evil.”
“We don’t have any other options.”
“I’m sure the Brotherhood wants us all dead just as much as Ruby does.”
“Then they wouldn’t have a reason to exist. At one point, they had the entire tablet in their possession. For hundreds of years, they kept it locked and hidden. If they wanted Deamhan dead, they would’ve found a way to do it. They know the tablet contains step-by-step instructions of how to create more Deamhan, how to destroy Deamhan, how to put Deamhan in Limbo…” His voice wavered. “Lambert also said that Krerina isn’t a Kashshapu.”
Ruby’s crackling laughter broke through the conversation. “Told you.” She grinned.
CHAPTER TEN
ANASTASIA
Anastasia and Sia arrived at the Wabasha Caves to find it overrun with police, detectives, and the media. She’d never ventured to in all her years living in the city even though she’d heard of the place from various Deamhan.
They stood near Harriet Park, watching the chaos and the onlookers. The air was cool and fallen leaves circled in mini tornadoes near their feet. The park was a good distance away and they had to rely on their extraordinary sight to make sense of the commotion. A group of humans walked by and Sia lowered her head to avoid their gaze. She also grabbed her hood and flipped it over her head. A helicopter buzzed overhead and the sounds of police sirens blasted the air as they sped by.
“This isn’t good,” she whispered, and Anastasia agreed. The attention given to the caves was more than anything she’d seen since she came to the city a long time ago. She focused her hearing, picking up words and sewing them together into complete sentences. The police knew a confrontation occurred at the site but they lacked the evidence to prove it. Lambert had done a great job at wiping down the site,
However, the threat still remained.
“The humans have no idea who they’re dealing with. When and if they do, they won’t be in any position to stand their ground. It will be a bloodbath.”
“We don’t even have any idea who we’re dealing with,” Anastasia replied. “I think that this Defiler woman is more of a threat than the Dark Mother.”
“Why? Is it that you actually believed every word that Deamhan said?”
“Yes. Didn’t you?” She stared at Sia and watched her sewn eyes flinch slightly at her response.
Sia disagreed. “We shouldn’t trust vampires; your friend Ollie could be lying, and Ruby spreads lies. That’s what she does.”
“Remy told me that Anzuna mentioned the Defiler. Is she not to be trusted as well?”
Sia squatted and rubbed her hand over the sharp blades of grass.
“Maybe you just don’t want to admit that we’re more vulnerable than we’ve been since our creation?”
“No. I’m just more concerned that Deamhan and vampires will be exposed than the rumors of some powerful human who can kill Deamhan.”
“If any death can be avoided, then it should.”
“Is it worth the cost of our exposure?”
The threat of exposure was a reality every Deamhan, regardless of who they were and what they believed in, wanted to avoid. Vampires had already had their time in the spotlight, as humans mocked and pretended to dive into that particular lifestyle. But society viewed vampires as myths—creatures that didn’t exist. They knew little about Deamhan, and Deamhan liked it that way.
“I won’t choose between a human’s life and my privacy. But I do agree that we should know more about the Defiler, but this situation has to be solved first before the attention becomes too much for us to correct. Deamhan have been here for a long time, and before, it was easy to control and bury the myths about monsters in the shadows and drained, dead bodies found. But this? There is no coming back from this. If the humans find out what’s really going on, the Brotherhood and our Dark Mother will be the least of our worries.”
“She’s not my mother and it won’t get that far.” Anastasia marched forward to take a closer look. “We have to get you in there. It’s the only way you can tell where your sister ran off to, right?” She looked over her shoulder.
Sia nodded. “Not when there are humans scouring the area.”
Anastasia lowered her body, hoping she could pick up some kind of scent that would help them. She could feel the onset of sunrise in her bones. “We need to decide now. Either we go in there or we don’t.”
“We should come back tomorrow night.”
“Remy will be dead by then.” Fed up, Anastasia growled at her. “You may have no emotional investment in his health but Hallie, Nathan, and I do.”
“He isn’t worth the risk.”
“I allowed you to come with me.” She faced her. “But I didn’t allow you to dictate how to handle this. If you don’t like it, you can go back to the manor.”
“That’s not the is
sue. Our secrecy is something that we must not ignore.”
Anastasia picked up on reporters broadcasting the murder scene. She then heard a group of veteran cops commenting about the dried bloodstains left behind. One rookie ran out of the cave and regurgitated right in front of the news cameras. However, she heard a static voice over a police radio that had her undivided attention. “Did you hear that?”
“Yes.” Sia lifted her head. “They just had another call about bodies at a different location over the police radio.”
“More bodies?” She moved her head to the side and tucked her dark hair behind her ear. She listened, and when she finally heard the location, she couldn’t believe it herself. “It’s where Deamhan had the last Gathering in the city.” At first, she thought she heard incorrectly. That location was also the scene of Lucius’ comeback and the end of Kei’s reign. It had long been abandoned after Lucius’ rampage, or so she thought. No Deamhan bothered to head back there since.
“Deamhan in this city must have owned all the warehouses,” Sia murmured to herself.
“Majority of them. We have to get there.”
“Through my shadows?”
“Yes.”
“It doesn’t work like that. I don’t know this location. I need to have a visual of it to know where I’m going.”
Anastasia tapped the side of her head. “Dig in.” Never before did she allow any Deamhan to read her thoughts with her blessing. But this was a different situation, requiring her to take that risk.
Sia studied her for a moment, and before Anastasia could change her mind, she invaded it. At first, the force was bearable but soon, it felt like little worms squirming through her brain tissue, and she squinted briefly at the pain. She had to constantly remind herself about this type of ‘dangerous Deamhan’ who could eat her up and spit her out in the blink of an eye. None of that mattered to her now, though. What mattered most was finding those who threatened her existence and putting an end to the chaos once and for all.
“Have you found it?” She struggled to keep her eyes opened while in pain.
Divination (Deamhan Chronicles Book 4) Page 10
