Silverblood Demons (Daughters of Darkness Book 1)

by Turhan

  “I did?” Sorry I don’t remember.”

  “Can I take a look?” Kira asked. “I just want to−”

  “Sure,” I cut in. “But why were you two touching . . . ”

  “Um, I think this is getting wacky,” Sin-dy said. “Should I be worried?”

  “Is that what you and Elektra were whispering about?” I asked. “I saw you trying to shield your mouth when you were talking outside.”

  “It’s just a hunch Kylar,” said Elektra. “But our parents told us we had a sibling.”

  “Do you mean me? It’s impossible, I would know if I had siblings, wouldn’t you?”

  “Dad admitted to having an affair for years,” Kira said. “Mom had a massive blowout with him when we were kids. We never met his mistress, your mom? But there are some coincidences, like Davina being together with your daughters, and you have special powers too.”

  “Let’s clear this up,” Kira said. “Look.”

  She pulled back her hair and there it was, a small tattoo, but her inscription was different from mine. It read

  ‘Filia Diaboli Sarine Ūndēcentum’

  “I have the same inscription my sister has,” Elektra walked over to me. “May I?”

  “Sure.”

  She read out loud the inscription on my neck. “Filia Diaboli Sarine Centum”

  “What’s your father’s name?” Elektra asked.

  “James Silverblood, how about you?”

  “James W Silverblood,” Kira and Elektra spoke together.

  A momentary silence ensued where none of us knew what to say or how to act. I guessed we had a connection. Back at Moon Rising’s base we held hands and felt something special between us and again when we were spiraling on the ice platform down to Hell and heard a voice saying, “Hold Hands” Was that my aunt? Talking to us?

  “My aunt’s name was−”

  “Victoria,” Kira cut in. “You’re our bro?”

  “Yeah, it sure looks that way, sis!? Her name was Victoria, looks like destiny had a plan for us, and I guess I have a niece too.”

  “Hey I’m beginning to feel left out,” Sin-dy said. “Where do I fit in?”

  ”You’re really special to me Sin-dy, you know I always lov−”

  “Well now that we have that mystery solved,” Elektra interrupted. “And if you two are done with all the mushy stuff, I think we need to focus back on the plan?”

  “Yeah, the plan, sorry.”

  Sin-dy was left hanging, I could tell she wanted to talk but now wasn’t the time and as much as I also wanted to ask my sister’s some questions about who their mother was and why we all had tattoos with Satan’s daughter’s name on our necks, we had to focus hard on some kind of strategy.

  “Sin-dy, earlier you said that some of Sarine’s closest allies were objecting to their children being killed after giving birth. Maybe you can convince some of them that Sarine’s plan is endangering her own life, because she may be subject to retribution from other demons, then maybe she’ll listen to them, and back off?”

  “But she isn’tendangering her own life,” Kira said. “She’s going to become stronger after all the girls give birth to more demons, there’ll be millions more of them. The Templars will be overrun and－”

  “There are a lot of dissenters,” Sin-dy said. “That’s why she keeps bumping them off, but most of them are afraid to object, they know they’d be on her list.”

  “Do you think we can convince her dissenters to send their daughters out of Hell and back home?” Kira asked. “How about if we give them something Sarine really wants, in exchange for letting the girls go. Perhaps then they may be brave enough to approach the subject with her?”

  “That better be the best something in Hell,” I said. “Otherwise we’ll be up Styx creek, and without a paddle, we’re dog meat.”

  “I think I have another idea,” Elektra said. “Maybe Jade or Amber will know something we can use as leverage.”

  “That sounds like a great idea,” said Sin-dy. “Did you tell Amber when we’d be returning for them?”

  “I told her a couple of days, but I’m starting to feel a little uneasy about them still being there, something in my gut is telling me not to waste any time. Didn’t ‘lexa say she’d be back soon?”

  “Yes, you’re right, she did,” Sin-dy said. “But how do we get them out without alerting their Tutella.”

  “It’s a chance we’ll have to take,” said Elektra. “Maybe you can wrap her up in that web thingy you like to−”

  “Then we have to get them back here before dawn,” Kira interrupted, sensing she needed to head off yet another possible spat. “What do you think Sin-dy? Do we come back here or do you know of a safe house we could head for once we have the girls?”

  “I have the perfect place for all of us. It’s where I would have taken you when we first got here, but it would have been too far from the girls.”

  After having made our short term plans, we put together some supplies. Then I began to wonder what the rest of this evening had in store for us. I now had two sisters and a niece, I almost told Sin-dy I love her, and we would shortly be under way to remove our kids from harms way.

  Back on earth the four of us would make a powerful force to be reckoned with but here in Hell, we wouldn’t stand a chance against Sarine’s army of demons. We were going to need every ounce of strength we could pull together and even then, without the support of our enemy, we were destined to complete failure.

  We headed back in the direction of the Yurt that held our kids in open captivity, it was still dark as we approached their home, but there was something different this time. Every light was on in the building and the front door was wide open, something bad was going on.

  “NO! Leave us alone!” Jade was screaming like her life depended on it.

  Within seconds the four of us had descended onto the building.

  An ugly demon was holding Jade in one hand and Amber in its other hand, its mouth was dripping with unearthly colored foam as though it was relishing the thought of eating them. In a blaze of massive power I shot a black ray at its head, Elektra blasted its belly with fire, Kira had created a spear of ice that she thrust in its heart, and using her sword Sin-dy hacked off its head as it stumbled in her direction.

  The demon’s grip loosened on the girls who ran screaming toward us, and we watched as the wretched creature’s head hit the floor.

  Coral and Davina were crying upstairs. Sin-dy was there in an instant and brought them down covered with a blanket and took them straight out so they never caught sight of the demon. She called out to us. “Hurry! Follow me!”

  Coral cried out, “No, I want my tiara!” Amber ran up to the bedroom and returned with both tiaras adorned with their multi-colored glass rocks.

  “Let’s go!” Elektra grabbed Amber’s hand, while Kira and I took Jade by hers. The four of us took to the sky as though it were second nature for us. We swooped, soared, and flew above thousands of buildings and cottages until finally what seemed to be an hour later we arrived at a hill. Sin-dy flew right at it but I was confused, where was our refuge? We were out in the open.

  I should have known better, Sin-dy continued descending and without a moments hesitation she pulled her sword from its sheath and pointed it at the hill, it parted right down the middle and we dove into its black but welcoming embrace.

  With the hillside closing in above us we found ourselves surrounded by hundreds of candles magikally flickering alive one by one until the darkness was overcome by the flames that lit the walls of our sanctuary.

  “Where are we?” Coral asked as she hugged Davina tightly. “Are we going to be okay?”

  “Yes of course,” said Jade. “We’re all −”

  “Family,” Kira cut in. “We’re your family, and everything’s gonna be alright.” Kira held her daughter Davina tight. “We’re going to take you all home, soon.”

  “We’re safe,” Sin-dy said. “I’ve spent many nights sleeping here
, in between running reconnaissance for the Templars, the only danger is going to be when we leave, all of Hell will be searching for us.”

  “Do you think you and Davina would like to relax a little,” Sin-dy whispered to Coral. “Maybe you could cuddle with her over here.” Sin-dy had several blankets and pillows set aside that she made comfortable for the girls to lie on.

  “K bro,” Elektra said. “Back to the plan, should we ask the girls－”

  “Yeah, but let’s make sure they’re feeling okay.”

  “Amber, Jade, can I get you some water?” Sin-dy asked. “We have a couple of questions if you guys are feeling up to talking?”

  Sin-dy was great, she knew just how to put them at ease as she sat between them, a hand in each of theirs. Elektra brought over two terracotta cups of water from a slow stream of water that ran at the far side of where we were seated.

  Amber reached up to touch Elektra’s hair. “Can I do that? I want multi colored hair too.”

  “Of course, just as soon as we get home.”

  “Before you ask us any questions,” Jade said, “we have something to confess. Do you want to tell them.” She was looking nervous and moved over to sit next to Amber.

  “Confess what?” Elektra asked. “Are you guys worried about something?”

  “We killed−”

  “No Jade, I killed Madame Tutella, it was an accident, kind of.”

  “What do you mean Amber?” I asked. “What happened?”

  “We followed her to her morning meeting and found out that we were going to be given a sleeping meal,” Amber said. “We were afraid, so we tied her up while she was asleep, but she woke up, so I grabbed the ingredients for the sleeping meal and put it in her mouth . . . and she died.”

  “You were just defending yourself Amber,” Kira comforted her. “Your sisters and Davina were depending on you to protect them.”

  “Yeah, don’t ever let anyone harm you,” Sin-dy reached up to touch the bullet wound in her chest. “It’s done now, and she’ll never have the chance to hurt you again.”

  “Where was the meeting held?” Elektra asked. “Do you know how to get back there?”

  “Yeah, it’s easy to find,” Amber replied. “I can take you there anytime.”

  Sin-dy and I looked at each other, was this the opening we were looking for?

  “Can you tell us how to get there?” I asked. “You’ve been through enough already.”

  “You don’t know my sister very well,” Jade said. “She’s going with you whether you like it or not, and don’t bother trying to talk her out of it, it’ll never work.”

  “I think we talked enough for tonight,” said Kira. “The girls need to get some rest, I think we all do.”

  Kira was right. She took the girls with her and made them comfortable alongside of Coral and Davina. It was the first time she could actually hold her daughter safely in her arms and watch her sleep. Tonight was hers, and surrounded by the girls she fell asleep embraced by all their love.

  “I have to go to the meeting place with Amber tomorrow,” Sin-dy said. “I’m a familiar face and if we’re seen−”

  “Don’t even go there Sin-dy,” Elektra cut in. “I’m coming too.”

  “Me too Sin-dy, there’s no way around it,” I said. “Besides, if we have a problem, we’re going to need each other for protection.”

  Deep in the heart of the hillside we had a surreal calm that was destined to be broken by a brewing storm and the world outside was probably raging with a search for the humans that had the power to kill one of their own. Amber had given us a ray of hope and perhaps we could glean some information from the meeting tomorrow that could give us the leverage we were looking for.

  Elektra joined her sister amongst the girls and I made my bed on the other side of the enclosure they were in. Sin-dy looked at me and I opened up my blanket for her to lie next to me. We didn’t say a word but we knew that if we ever got out of Sarturas alive our relationship would be closer, maybe even the most special of relationships that two adults could have.

  Tonight was for sleeping, but tomorrow was Kismet and I wondered, would she smile on us? We fell asleep to the sound of water trickling, the candles giving off their soothing light and the warm air flowing through our safe haven.

  Chapter 10

  Elementals

  The following morning Sin-dy served up some flax seed crackers, fig jam, spirulina, roasted seaweed, and cool spring water.

  My sisters had already talked and Kira agreed to stay behind with the girls, well, except for Amber. Just like Jade had mentioned yesterday, she wouldn’t take no for an answer, she was going with us. Sin-dy had woven Amber’s hair into a fire-red pigtail and she looked really pretty. I don’t know who my daughter’s mother is, but surely she must have some redeeming features, even for a demon.

  Before leaving the hillside I had to ask my sisters about our father and our mothers.

  “Did either of you know what the ‘Midnight bloodlettings’ were all about?”

  “We were talking about it this morning,” Kira said. “It’s what Sin-dy said about the Templars, maybe they were the intended victims of the rituals. Each time one was revealed the group probably met and cast a spell on them.”

  “Yeah, and we think mom and dad were trying to protect us by keeping our powers secret from the group,” Elektra said. “If it was discovered that we were ‘special’ they would have wanted to dispose of us too. It’s the only way they could be sure we wouldn’t have used our powers against them once we were older.”

  “So who raised you?” I asked. “If it wasn’t for Aunt Victoria, I don’t know what I would’ve done.”

  “Victoria placed us with foster parents,” Kira said. “She told us we couldn’t stay with her, that it wouldn’t be safe for us all to be together, now we know what she meant by “all,” “Maybe our fosters were Templars, we never found out, they went missing in our late teens.”

  “Aunt Victoria came by often,” Elektra said. “She told me I looked like mom, you know, beautiful and all that, right Amb’?”

  “She’s right, you’re stunning aunt Elektra.”

  Elektra winked at Amber and tugged on her pigtail. “Ready to go give em hell Kiddo?”

  “You’re funny I think,” Amber said.

  “I had one other question Amber, did you ever try sending me signals from here to my world? I thought I felt something one time when I was at a friend’s bookstore.”

  “No, wasn’t me, and I’m not going to ask what a “bookstore” is. By the way, before you woke up this morning, Kira told us she is Davina’s mom and that you’re my?”

  “Yeah, it’s true Amber, and I couldn’t be more proud of you, all of you.”

  “You’re gonna make a great dad,” Sin-dy said. As she put her arm around my waist and tugged at me. “But it’s almost time, the meetings are due to start in about an hour and a half.”

  “I’m ready−”

  “Wait!” I know who it was, Jasmine! She told me she was trying to do an ancient voodoo thingy to reach her dad in a free ka? Maybe the signals went to the wrong place!”

  “Oh, Africa?” Elektra guessed.

  “I’m ready too,” Sin-dy had finished girding her hips with a sword that had the same pommel as Amber’s knife, I wasn’t sure if there was a connection, but its handle was also engraved with the triangle and the three conjoined horns inside of it, the same shape we had encountered back at the subterranean shaft.

  “If you get us into the general area,” Amber said. “I can take you right there. Can I fly with you Aunt Elektra?”

  “Of course!” said Elektra. Looking at me and Sin-dy she realized we needed a moment to ourselves. “Let’s go say goodbye to the rest of the gang.”

  “Kylar, promise me something,” Sin-dy said.

  “Anything. What is it?”

  “If something bad happens today, to me, you know how to get out of Sarturas, right, with those rings−?”

  “
The only thing I promise is, to never leave you behind,” I leaned forward and for the first time in a long time, I kissed Sin-dy on her lips, as I pulled away I remembered she tasted of vanilla. It brought back memories, awesome ones. We dated for almost a couple of years and if it wasn’t for my dumb fear of commitment . . .

  “We’re ready guys,” Amber said. “You ready dad?” Amber sounded like she was having fun calling me dad, and actually it sounded kinda kool to me too.

  Sin-dy looked up, pulled the sword from its sheath and pointed it at the ceiling above us. With dirt raining in on us, the hillside cracked open and she led us out, as Kira and the girls watched us disappear into the still dark sky.

  We flew as low as we could but as high as possible trying to find the balance of not being seen from the ground or from above us. Dawn was breaking as Amber spoke up. “That way,” she was pointing at a group of houses, “that’s where Jasmine lives.”

  “We need to stay to the right,” Amber said. “Over there, but we have to land, right now.”

  Back on Hell’s Terra Firma we made sure to stop inside a field of tall golden wheatgrass. Amber didn’t waste a second, she was already moving ahead, forging her way through as we followed until we reached its edge.

  Although it was almost dawn, there was still a slight dusky presence to the morning, and in the distance we could see a walled forest of trees.

  “There,” Amber whispered. “That’s where they’re going to meet.”

  “Great job Amber,” Elektra said. “Do you know if there are any guards we need to avoid?”

  “Only at the entrance. Once we’re inside I can show you the clearing where they met last time.”

  “I think we should go in there now,” I said. “We can get settled down before they arrive, I don’t want to risk being heard if we creep up on them.”

  Staying at the edge of the wheatgrass for as long as possible, we finally found a place that offered some degree of shelter and made our way over to the stone wall. Elektra took Amber’s hand and we all flew over and into the forest.

  “This is where I watched the meeting last time,” Amber whispered. “But the group would have to walk right past us to get to the clearing, let’s go over to the far side.” My daughter is a smart kid. We followed her lead as she found the perfect spot to watch the impending assembly of miscreants.