The door to the room crashed open, and two people strode in unannounced. The man on the left glared daggers at Kallias with his bottomless black eyes while the girl, who seemed to be in her late teens, crossed her tanned arms over her chest.
“What is the meaning of this, brother?” the man snapped.
“Ealdraed, Laclia, long time no see,” Kallias said, backing away.
“More Royals?” someone whispered behind Lucious.
Ealdraed’s gaze never wavered. His arrogant stride didn’t seem to match the dishevelled ebony hair that ran past his shoulders. Lucious noted a gun holster peeking out from inside of the Royal’s double-breasted cream coat. “We do not take seats on Councils. That is a rule we have decided on long ago.”
Kallias snorted. “A rule you created. If I recall correctly, not all of us agreed. And as you may have heard, Runa didn’t get the memo, either.”
Laclia raised a hand, stopping him from adding anything else. “Enough, Kallias. The future you’re playing with is dark. We are better off staying out of this.”
“That’s where you are mistaken,” Kallias said. “Dark means it’s undecided. Let’s not forget, Father was betrayed by Runa and Hartwin. They helped those wicked, hateful fates seal him away in some magical tomb. All we have to do to destroy the hunters is bring him back. He will restore the balance we crave. We will no longer need to hide in the shadows and observe.”
Lucious felt Ealdraed’s attention shifting to his arm, which still had the flame dancing up and down it, before drawing close to Kallias. “Runa is dead. We felt her passing when her life was extinguished. Are you planning to kill Hartwin for his mistake, too?”
“Oh, I didn’t kill Runa. Her precious childe did that.” Kallias motioned to Lucious. “A childe who knows the location of the tomb.”
Ealdraed’s bottomless eyes met Lucious’, trapping him in place. The lights in the room flickered. Smoke-like energy seeped out from the Royal’s body and circled around him like a mini tornado. “Is he speaking the truth, youngling?”
“Anna asked it of me. I had no choice. The demon took hold of her, and she knew it would not let her go. I did what I had to,” Lucious explained.
The dark energy stopped swirling and started gliding along the floor towards him. Lucious took one step back and then another. When the energy stopped its advance, he ceased his retreat.
“You can see it, can’t you?” Ealdraed asked.
“Your energy? Yes.”
“Remarkable, mine and Bion’s powers in one body…”
Kallias’ brows rose. “See, Ealdraed, I knew I was right to stick around. Don’t you see how right I am?”
Laclia flicked Kallias’ forehead. “You never listen. That is why the world is in turmoil.”
“Not at all,” Kallias began with a smirk. “It is because the gods are intervening with everything we do, trying to keep us herded like cattle. How’s that going for you, brother? Did you figure out a way to kill the bastards because I am guessing your conduit hasn’t been reborn yet?”
Ealdraed shook his head. The energy retreated back into his muscular body, and he ran his hand through his hair. “This isn’t right. It doesn’t matter if he is the possible vessel. He has the right to choose his own path.”
“Choices are given to those who have power,” Kallias corrected him. “We are the ones with power.” He raised his voice, nearly shouting, “We will reclaim the glory of our species. No longer will we need to hide in the dark and pretend to be civil. One vampire per one hundred years? I’m sure Zeno here agrees, maintaining our population numbers to the minimum is atrocious.” Kallias spun around, facing each and every one of the delegates, one at a time. “Ladies and gentlemen, shall we bring back the control you crave to possess over the mortals?”
One of the delegates gave a nervous clap which turned into a full-blown applause from the rest. He smirked and caught Lucious’ shoulder. “Shall we take a look at where that pesky tomb is?”
Lucious’ mental shields trembled under the Royal’s overpowering energy. Kallias didn’t hold back as he rammed it against the only thing keeping Lucious’ mind away from being invaded.
Backing up, Lucious slapped Kallias’ hand away and glared at him. “Don’t touch me so freely.”
Kallias looked at Ealdraed. “Should we move this along elsewhere?”
“Are you certain he knows the location of the tomb?” Ealdraed inquired. “It would be a terrible deed to torment this man if he knows nothing.”
“Have I ever been wrong?” Kallias asked.
Laclia slapped her hand to her forehead. “Do you want me to count? I may not have enough fingers on my hands.”
Kallias whipped around and clapped his hands together to claim the attention of the room. “Please get off of your asses and return to your accommodations. You will be summoned again in due time.”
“Some of us need to return home,” a short, bearded man said.
“Then I hope you’ve packed for more than a night’s stay,” Kallias retorted and dismissed the elders with a flick of his wrist.
They rose from their seats, filling the room with the shuffling of their clothes. As they left, Lucious moved to where Hans stood with a sour expression on his face. For a long moment, Lucious couldn’t understand why he hadn’t said anything so far. Hans merely continued to observe the trio standing at the centre of the room as if they owned the place.
“We should leave,” Lucious said.
“I don’t believe we can,” Hans replied.
Kallias grinned. “And you would be right in thinking that. There is a tiny matter we must discuss beforehand.” He faced them, sliding his hands into his pockets. “The delegates have agreed to revive Arthemis—a wish that, as the new Council, we must honour.”
“The delegates were too frightened to disagree,” Lucious corrected him.
Laclia pushed past the two men and offered her hand to Lucious. “I am Laclia, Seer of the Future, daughter of Arthemis. And, you are?”
Reluctant, Lucious shook her hand. “Lucious Ellwood. I’m on the Council in my sire’s stead.”
Her golden eyes clouded and her grip on his hand became painful. The words that rushed out of her mouth had everyone edging closer. “Blood…death, so much death awaits you. Before rivers of blood run, I see her—a woman in red. Don’t take her hand. Don’t let her in.”
Lucious tried to separate from her touch to relieve the grinding of his bones.
Ealdraed joined them, his expression unreadable.
She let go of him and managed a weak smile. “My brother is right. You know where to tomb is. You will lead us there.”
“What makes you so certain?” Lucious demanded.
Ealdraed responded, “The explanation is in her title. My sister sees the future, Kallias sees the past. I”—he rested his palm on his chest—“can burn this hotel down with a single thought.”
Hans finally seemed to shake off his nerves. “Three Royals under one roof… There are many stories floating around the vampire community, one of which states that you don’t intervene with the Councils. Ever.”
Ealdraed gave a light nod. “Correct. We do not like to influence the way you rule yourselves. If we did, the balance would shift.”
“Then why get involved? Why is Kallias here?” Lucious interjected.
“We came here to stop our brother from taking a seat of power but…” Laclia trailed off. Her eyes focused on Lucious. “You are a walking wonder. Runa’s, Bion’s, Ealdraed’s, and my powers, I can see them all in your future. But the darkness is clouding everything else. We must wait for the correct choice to be made before the rest becomes visible to me.”
Lucious’ head began to hurt. He cared little about the prophecies or the future. All he wanted was to get out of here and find out if Helena was well.
“Did you see where the tomb is, Laclia?” Kallias asked, rubbing his hands.
“No, I did not. What I saw was…” She faltered, her gaze flicked
to Lucious once again. “I saw Arthemis waking up.”
“Should we meddle with this?” Ealdraed asked no one in particular. “This is not something we should push onto these vampires.”
Kallias rolled his eyes. “What could be more important than getting Father out of some ancient, dusty tomb? He had saved us. Gave us new eternal lives! Don’t you think it is the time we pay him back for his generosity?”
“Perhaps he saved you, Kallias. Arthemis took my family from me. If I did not possess the elemental power, he would have left me alone. He would have left all of us alone,” Ealdraed said with distaste.
Kallias draped his arm over his blood-brother’s shoulders. “Father can help you find your conduit. He can even help you kill the gods you so despise in this realm. How many of us must die before those three no longer feel threatened?”
“I will find a different way to slay them.”
“Lera would have wanted you to take any chance you got. Or did she die for nothing?” Kallias challenged him.
Ealdraed punched Kallias in the gut, knocking him back. “You don’t know anything about her!”
“I know that you loved her. How else would you get along with the other monsters so well? She must have been great in bed.”
Ealdraed’s nostrils flared. “Kallias, bite your tongue.”
The air in the room warmed, and Lucious nudged Hans to move away from the looming violence. They shifted aside, but the temperature kept on rising. After a few seconds, the chairs burst into orange flames. The angry fire climbed the walls and ceiling, closing off the only way out.
Laclia touched Ealdraed’s shoulder. “Stop this or innocent humans will get hurt.”
Kallias raised his hands in defence. “I’m sorry. You know words flee my mouth before a thought can fix them.”
The fire simmered down and soon vanished entirely. Scorch marks ruined the mahogany furniture which still smoked from the sudden combustion. Lucious could not see this reunion as a happy occasion. He needed these Royals to leave London or disaster would follow. Yet, no solution came to mind. These ancient beings were a thousand times more powerful than him. Vampires only cared about power, and he wasn’t strong enough to send them packing.
“We are left with a choice,” Kallias began full of sincerity. “We could become a superpower the gods will fear or we hide in the shadows like we have done for the past God-knows-how-long… Although, we already know the answer to that. Don’t we, Laclia?”
Her posture exuded certainty. “Arthemis will be awakened by us.”
“So, Lucious, would you be so kind and spill the beans on the location of the tomb or do you want me to check every single memory in your head?” Kallias asked with a preternatural glow in his eyes. “Unlike Laclia’s ability, mine is a little more intrusive. I’m sure there are some private memories with Helena you don’t want me to see.”
Lucious’ face darkened. “If you touch me, I will break your arm.”
Kallias raised a brow. “Let’s try this again. If you don’t let me check your memories willingly, I will track her down myself and get the information from her. Don’t you want to see your pretty little fate?”
Laclia’s eyes bulged. “Fate?”
“Yes, his girlfriend is Lilia’s vessel,” Kallias added.
She shuddered. “I never liked that wench. She hates us for what we are.”
“Just because a fate has emerged, it does not mean we must break the vow we made and take control of the vampires. The others need to be consulted first,” Ealdraed said sternly.
Hans hung his head. “Don’t you think it would be wise to continue this conversation elsewhere? The hounds are beginning to gather outside because of the commotion.”
Everyone except Lucious nodded.
Kallias rubbed his hands in evident excitement. “Let’s move this party to the Council building. You can summon our brothers from there, Ealdraed. I doubt Hartwin will show himself. He did betray Father, after all.”
“We shall see.” Ealdraed started for the door with Laclia following close behind.
Taking this chance, Lucious attempted to rush past them when Kallias grasped his arm in a steel, unrelenting grip. “You’re not getting away, mate. Not until I get my location.”
LILIA
Lilia finished chewing on her apple and cleared her throat to gain the attention of the other two. Maya had prevented her from leaving until Ben arrived. With the hunter back from his journey to bring more sustenance, she was anxious to get going. “When are we going to get out of this place? I am eager to complete my task.”
Ben sat on the edge of the bed, eyeing Lilia. “What about Helena? Is there no way for her to come back? I had things to discuss with her.”
Lilia scowled at him. “She sleeps within me. I have said this to your demon friend.” Her eyes grew large with an idea she suddenly wanted to implement. “Maya, was it?”
The demon shifted her stance, resting her shoulder and hip against the wall. “What do you want?”
“You were the one who merged with Lazarus, which means you remember our deal, correct?”
“Yes…”
“I want you to return the darkness into this body.”
Maya’s mouth fell open. “Are you shitting me? Helena was against the idea of having Lazarus’ energy tainting her soul.”
“I understand, but it will be the taint on my soul from here on in. I need those Wiccan powers from her heritage, in case things don’t go according to plan.”
“And what is the plan?” Ben asked, resting his elbows on his knees as he bent forwards. “You forgot to mention the details.”
Lilia ran her tongue over her lower lip as she contemplated revealing her plan. She couldn’t be certain they didn’t work for Arthemis’ children. But, they did seem to care a great deal about Helena. The only friend she had ever had was her sister, Diya, and she had not been born in this cycle. Not yet. Lilia made certain of that. It was too dangerous to dangle two fates in front of her son. He would kill them both and there would be no other way to stop him if she failed to eliminate him.
“Well?” Maya said, annoyed.
Heaving a sigh, Lilia reclined in the armchair. She licked her lips again, a nervous tick she had developed while being in the land of the mortals. “We must open my son’s tomb and slay him before he is awakened by someone else.”
Maya frowned. “I’m sorry. You want to wake the Devil to kill him?”
“Devil?” Lilia tilted her head to one side and scrunched her brows together. “My son is no fallen angel from Christian lore. He is an abomination.”
“Urgh, never mind that. Why do you have to open the tomb? Can’t you blow him up with some C4?”
Ben chuckled. “I don’t believe the fate knows what C4 is.”
She didn’t and it annoyed her. Lilia raised a brow, awaiting an explanation.
“It’s an explosive.” Maya used hand gestures to reflect her words. “Makes things go boom.”
“I see. That is not something that will kill him. The tomb is magically sealed. It is why it’s undetectable. Only those who have been present during the ritual know of its location.”
“Which is where?” Maya asked.
“You will know when we travel to England. At this time, I need your help to unlock Helena’s Wiccan heritage. There are a few items we need to gather before the spell can be undone. Reaver should have gathered most of them.”
Maya pushed away from the wall and sauntered over. “I’m in two minds about allowing you to gain powers but since Helena let you use her body, I guess I’ve no choice. Come here.”
Lilia joined Maya in the middle of the room and permitted the demon to take her hands. Dark tendrils seeped out from Maya’s body and wrapped tightly around Lilia’s arms. They pricked her skin in many places and slithered inside.
She clenched her jaw to keep from voicing her pain. This torment was nothing compared to the whipping she received when the angels found out about her and Michael’s
relationship. Her body trembled when the chilling darkness gathered in her chest and coiled around her soul. The light she was so fond of began to change. What once was a pure white beacon became a dull grey fog.
Maya released her, and Lilia tumbled to the ground, clutching at her chest as her lungs burned with need for air. Electricity pumped beneath the surface of her skin. She could feel the powers Helena had given up rising to meet her. Closing her eyes, Lilia melded with the energy, letting it consume her until it almost hurt her soul.
“Are you alright?” Maya asked, kneeling in front of her.
“Yes.” Lilia looked at the demon with a smile. “This is how it was meant to be. Fate is finally getting back on course.”
“How much of our fate can you control?” Ben asked.
With Maya’s help, she collapsed into the plush armchair. She was too weak to move till her powers acclimatised to their new master. “I can manipulate souls and their encounters on a basic level when I am in a mortal vessel. Soul-bonds require a lot of energy. I cannot link more than a dozen people in this lifetime without suffering.”
He nodded. “Why didn’t you select someone or something else as your vessel? Why Helena?”
“I did not choose her in particular. My vessel had to be someone in Helena’s bloodline. Before the ritual killed me and Diya, I made a blood-bond with a witch after I helped her become one with her loved one. Her bloodline became my soul’s host.”
“And Lucious? Is he some random vampire you’ve picked?”
Lilia shook her head. “No. Not random at all. I said I could manipulate souls and their encounters. While Helena was in the Angel Realm, I chose for her. Lucious was selected long before he was even born as a mortal. I needed a strong protector, someone who would not be new to the battlefield and would sacrifice himself for a loved one. It took time to weave his path. Without the direct connection to the Domain of Fates, I could only do so much. Certain choices needed to be made for them to meet, fall in love, and—”
“You made them fall in love?” Maya said, wrinkling her nose.
“I gave them a gift.”
“You forced them together!” the demon snapped.
Fated Origins: An Urban Fantasy Novel (Helena Hawthorn Series Book 4) Page 6
