A humming sound draws our attention, and we follow the others as they retake their seats. The sound grows, and the walls start to rumble. Sand and rocks fall from the ceiling above.
Will clutches my shoulders. “We should go.”
“No, wait. I want to see what happens.”
“Perhaps from the opening.” Will pushes me into the aisle and pulls me to the back of the room, with Elizabeth, Orm, and Jacob close behind.
I cup my hands over my ears as the electricity shoots through my head, and then there’s silence. Opening my eyes, I see the twelve judges drop hands.
Anastasia approaches Sonia. “What say you in your defense?”
Sonia stands and faces the audience. The witches in the circle step back and form a line behind her.
Straightening her spine, Sonia lifts her chin. “You all know of the prophecy for which I have spent centuries with the aim of fulfilling. There’s nothing of greater importance than freeing the souls of our fallen brethren from the purgatory they’re damned to. Do you look forward to your soul’s internment? It weighs on my heart when I look to my son and know that he, like myself, will live out our days in the darkness of Sheol. The Creator did not want this for us. That’s why he created a pathway for breaking this curse. What others of you can say you’ve done everything in your power to see this curse lifted? How dare you judge me?”
A blast of energy shoots through the room and pierces my skull. I drop to the ground as the searing pain shoots through my nerves. Fight it, I tell myself. She can’t hold this forever. Stretching my hand to my pocket, I slip a dart into each hand. As the hum subsides, I run up the aisle towards Sonia, dart at my side, ready to thrust it in her chest.
Not a foot from her, my body hits an invisible wall. I whirl around to face the others. “You can’t let her get away with this. I fight for freedom for my people too. You don’t see me killing with no regard?”
Marcus strides towards me. “Let the judges speak.”
The twelve judges look between each other. Guinevere takes a step forward. “We find Sonia guilty of siring the hybrid the humans named Adolf Hitler, responsible for his upbringing, and rearing. We don’t know if she entranced or coerced him to commit murder, or if he himself devised those massacres, but he has paid for his crimes.”
My heart sinks as I start to realize Sonia may go free.
“But,” Guinevere continues, “murder is not tolerated in our people. We have looked into her mind and seen the faces of those hundreds of lives she has taken. Because of the crimes against the vampires, they lash out at our people. We can’t, in good conscious, let her go free.”
Marcus clears his throat. “So be it. What shall be her punishment?”
Guinevere raises her chin. “We hereby decree that Sonia be entranced into a torpid state until such time as her soul passes from this earth.”
“Then it shall be.” Marcus approaches Thanatos. “Would you like to say goodbye to your mother?”
I stride towards them. “Where will she be held? How can we ensure she will never be set free?” My eyes cut to Orm for assistance. “The vampires should be given her body.”
Thanatos strides to me. “This is witch business now. Your presence is no longer welcome.”
“She has killed countless vampires. We need assurances that she will not be raised.”
Marcus motions to the exit. “You have my word. She will be enshrined in the house of Uriel, the line of wisdom and light. There all is known, and none may plot her release without being discovered by his house.”
“Is this correct?” I look to Orm.
Orm nods.
“We’ll witness her entrancement and transfer to Uriel’s house. This is non-negotiable. I have an army of three hundred in this city, ready to end you at my word.”
“You’re bluffing. This is a witch matter. We will not allow it.” Thanatos’s voice booms through the room.
For the first time as Chancellor and Queen, I revel in the knowledge that I have the upper hand. I fit my fingers to my lips, sounding a whistle high above the range of human hearing. I listen and wait. The sound of footsteps on rock start low and begin to grow. My army streams in by the hundreds, surrounding the witches and lining the exit corridor.
Heart racing, senses piqued and ready for battle, I lock my eyes on Thanatos. “You are outnumbered four to one. As I said, we will witness Sonia’s entrancement and entombment in the house of Uriel.”
Thanatos crosses to his mother and hugs her. She kisses him on the cheek and whispers something in his ear. I hold my breath, so I may hear the words, but the sound of her voice doesn’t reach my ear drum.
He takes a step back, bows, and returns to his seat. The judges encircle Sonia again and start to chant. Sonia closes her eyes, and the witches fall to the floor.
“You won’t take me,” Sonia hisses.
I snap my fingers, and my archers raise their bows. “Each of these tips are laced with our venom. You don’t stand a chance against my army. Submit and go with dignity or fight and risk all your brethren gathered here.”
Sonia’s eyes meet me. “Very well. But mark my words. You will regret this.”
Sonia lies down on the rock floor and folds her hands atop her stomach. The judges rise and begin their chant. My eyes cut to Thanatos, whose eyes are locked on his mother. I watch as her breathing slows and her heart struggles to pump blood through the vessels. The muscle issues a last beat, and all is quiet.
The judges drop hands. Guinevere approaches Sonia and lays a hand on her chest. “It is done,” Guinevere whispers.
Striding towards Sonia, I kneel beside her. No breath draws into her lungs, and no blood rushes through her veins. “I hereby witness.” I step back as Thanatos approaches his mother.
He picks her up and walks towards the exit. My soldiers line the walls to let him pass. The other witches follow him out, and we walk behind. They take a different path than the one we arrived by, winding through the passages and up into a courtyard. Marcus opens a set of double doors in a structure at the center of the space. Thanatos enters and lays her body on a table in the front hall.
“It’s finished,” Marcus calls to the group. “Please leave the family to grieve.”
I signal to my soldiers, and we retreat into the dark streets.
“When does Marcus arrive?” Will inquires as we enter a rented home on an isle off the coast of Ireland.
“Two days,” I respond, crossing to the window and letting the breeze blow into the structure. “Tonight and tomorrow we’ll celebrate ahead of the talks.”
“I still can’t believe Sonia is gone.” Jacob throws his bag across the room and jumps onto the couch.
Elizabeth pushes his boots from the cushion. “This is not an excuse to live like a heathen.”
“I believe this is the perfect occasion to take a break from life and celebrate our triumph in every way possible.” I grab a bottle of wine from my bag and pull the cork out. “To us and defeating Sonia.”
“It would never have worked if the witches weren’t in agreement that she needed to be put down.” Orm wags a finger at me.
“All the better, I say.” I tip up the bottle of wine and take a long swig. “We’re finally aligned with the witches on the matters of peace, and we can seal a treaty at the conclave in two days. But for now”—I sip from the bottle—“I’m going swimming.”
“Aye, I’ll come along.” Will jumps to his feet.
Running down to the beach, I strip my clothes. Even with the elation of our victory, I’m not completely happy. I jump into the waves and let the water take me where it may. The fight for breath, the struggle for the next lung full of air, helps me forget who’s missing from this celebration, the ones we have lost because of witches, my parents, Alec, the many soldiers of my army, Mambi, Lucas.
31 December 1998 – Los Angeles, California
“Come away, have a drink with everyone.” Will tugs at my arm. “Those screens will still be there in the morning.”
/> “Yes, but those drunk humans that wander into the wrong alley and get snatched up by some rogue vampire will not be.” I point at my wall of displays.
“Okay.” Will places his hands atop my shoulders and guides me into the next room. “See all of these people in here.”
“Hi, Anne.” Various voices greet me.
“These vampires are your employees, and you’re paying them double to work tonight. Let them do their jobs. All you do is work. Let’s get out of here. Do something fun. Go for a swim, perhaps? You haven’t been out of this room all day.”
“We have to be vigilant. Next year—”
“Yes, we know all about next year.” Will tugs at my hand, pulling me down the hallway. “But Sonia is sleeping in the House of Uriel. None of them believe in that crazy prophecy anymore. Elizabeth packed your bag. It’s already in the vehicle.”
“Fine.” I follow Will through the main entrance of my condo to the elevator.
In the basement garage, I slide in the back seat and change as Will drives. With the traffic, it’s an hour to the shore, and I climb over the seat to sit beside him.
“You should put on your seatbelt,” Will notes. “I don’t want to get a ticket.”
“You’re so bossy today.”
“Well, if you would do what you’re supposed to do, then I wouldn’t have to remind you.”
“What am I not doing?”
“Well, having fun for one. You work all the time.”
“I work out. I thought you liked our weapon sessions, jogs, and pool time.”
“Aye, I do. But that isn’t real fun.” Will’s eyes cut to me and then back to the road.
“Well, it’s a good thing we’re going out tonight then.”
We exit the highway and weave along the coast to the beach access. It’s cool for Los Angeles, and there are no cars in the lot. Wind whips around us as we exit the vehicle. Clouds mask the stars, and the sound of the high surf drowns everything else out as we walk barefoot to the sand.
I slide off my cover and leave it with a towel. Walking towards the waves, I let the water splash over my feet. I look up at Will. “You’re right. This was a good idea.”
Jumping into the surf, I know Will follows me. He’s usually not far from my side. Still, swimming is the only time I feel free and alone. Then, I remember why I don’t swim much anymore. Idle time in my brain only leads to one thing—thoughts of those we’ve lost. I feel a bit of guilt, like I’m betraying Alec’s memory that Lucas comes to mind so often. It’s because you have no finality, I convince myself.
No matter how hard I try, when I circle back to everything we’ve accomplished this century and take stock of how much I have, I still feel a space in my heart for that one person who would be my other half, Alec if he were still alive, or another who my chances of finding seem to dwindle by the year. You have enough, a wonderful family, Elizabeth, Orm, Jacob, and Will, to keep you company, I repeat in my head and force thoughts of Lucas out of my brain, focusing on the currents, the swells.
It’s over two hours before my body tires, and I make my way to shore.
“That felt amazing.” Will wipes water from his hair.
“It did.” I bundle my locks in my hand, wringing out the water.
My eyes trace up the beach to where I left the towel, and I freeze. Breath catching in my lungs, I stare at his form. He looks exactly as he did two hundred years ago. How can it be that he stands there, blond hair, blue eyes, and broad muscled chest?
“Anne.” Will shakes my arm. “What’s going on? Are you okay?”
He follows my gaze up the beach. “Is that—”
Anger explodes in my brain. How could he not at least, I don’t know, pop in to say he wasn’t dead? Still, I hold my countenance as we walk towards Lucas. It won’t do for Will to think I have some school-girl crush on an ethereal being. I ball my fists at my side and force a smile.
“Lucas,” I call his name as we approach. “You’re alive.”
Will extends his hand to him, and they lock arms. “We took you for dead. Good to see you.”
“Dead?” Lucas’s eyes cut between Will and me.
In my head, I cock my arm and land a right hook on his perfect chin.
Will rubs his stubbled chin. “We witnessed the battle, if that’s what it was, and you didn’t show up last century. But here you are all human-like, and it isn’t even 1999 or the winter solstice yet.”
With emotions vacillating between relief and rage and back to shock, I tune Will’s voice out. Through all of Will’s long, awkward explanation, Lucas’s eyes are fixed on me. As for my part, I can’t seem to look away from his face.
“No, I can’t die. I apologize if you feared for my safety.” Lucas’s eyes cut to Will and back to me. He lifts my towel from the sand and holds it out to me. “Do you need this?”
I take it and let it fall to my side. “No, it’s warm.” My eyes cut around us, and I realize it wasn’t warm before.
“I assume you have some news for us.” Will grabs his phone from atop his towel and opens it. Punching a few buttons, he calls security command asking for a report. He looks to me. “All seems well at the compound. Sonia’s body is still entombed.”
Lucas straightens his back, and his gaze finds mine. “I wondered if I might have a moment of your time, Anne.”
“Of course.” I wrap the towel around my shoulders.
“Would you like me to wait in the car?” Will points to our SUV.
I nod.
“I can take you home,” Lucas offers.
“Do you have a car?” My eyes scan the parking lot.
“No.” Lucas smiles. “But I have wings. Kind of old fashioned, right?”
His attempt at humor angers me further, and I look to Will. “Yes, wait for me.”
Will slides a shirt over his head and walks towards the parking lot. I wait until he’s inside the car and see him switch on the radio.
“Yes? You have news?” I keep my tone flat.
“You’re angry?”
“I’m sorry. Where are my manners? Lucas, it’s so good to see you . . . alive.” I glare at him. “How have you been the last two hundred years?”
“Anger is an emotion, not the one I was expecting, but a passionate one. Perhaps it implies you do care for me.”
“Can we skip any pleasantries and get to the point of your visit?” I lean over and grab my sweatshirt from the sand and pull it over my head.
Lucas turns his head towards Will and the vehicle. “Perhaps we could walk?”
“That would be acceptable.”
We stroll along the beach until the coast turns inland. I hate that I love everything about his presence, the warm air that surrounds us, the smell of his skin, the gait of his walk, blue eyes that seem to suck light from the air.
Reaching for my hands, he wraps his warm fingers around mine. I snatch them from his grasp before the familiar tingle of his touch can spread to my arms. “What are you doing?”
“Please, I’m so sorry. I had no idea you thought me dead.”
Tears threaten to form in my eyes, and I turn away from him. “What were we supposed to think?”
“I don’t know.”
I raise my chin and face him again. “Why are you here? What do you need to tell me?”
He blinks. “I wanted to see you.”
“So, what? Morbid curiosity? Boredom? Hey, I wonder what that Anne chick is up to these days?”
“No, what are you talking about? Who are you right now?”
“Who am I?” I slap my forehead. “Are you even allowed to be in this form now?”
“Yes and no.”
“Enough with the yes and no.”
“I have no other answers for you. You didn’t need me. I was given other assignments. I’m not always free to go where I please.”
I straighten my spine. “You’re right. We didn’t need you. Sonia orchestrated her own demise.”
“But you sealed the deal.” A smile spreads a
cross his face. With a finger, he rakes a strand of hair from my forehead. The familiar tingling sensations spreads from my face to every nerve of my body.
“Don’t do that.” I swat his hand away. His eyes fall, and I regret my anger. “I’m sorry. What did you want to talk about?”
“Anything but how angry you are with me. I’m not sure how else to apologize.”
I hold his gaze. “You can start by telling me why you’re here.”
“I want to be here. I’ve missed you. I’ve watched you struggle and fight, overcome and celebrate, all from a distance. I can’t fight whatever it is inside that draws me to you anymore.”
My brain spins with his revelation. I feel the same, the pull, like magnets. This is the moment I’ve wished for and dreaded since the first time I saw him. I shake my head. “But we can’t feel this way about each other.”
The muscles of his face relax, and his lips break into a smile. “But you do? You feel something for me other than anger?”
I bite my lip, but tears form anyway. Swiping them away, I lean my head against his chest. I take in his scent and melt into him. He kisses the top of my head and tilts my chin up. His lips press into my forehead and trace down to my lips. I push up on my toes and kiss him. He wraps his arms around my waist and the familiar tingle from his touch spreads through me. I could kiss him forever, but he ends the kiss with another quick one.
“Steady, love, I’m more human-like than you are in this form. I still need to breathe.”
My face flushes. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. You’ve made me the happiest man alive.”
His words remind me that neither of us are human. He much less so than me. I lock my emotions away and slide from his embrace. “Thank you for coming and letting us know you are okay. But you should go now.”
“What? Why?”
“Because, we know this can’t be.”
“Yes, it can.” He clutches my hands. “That’s why I came. I want us to be together. I know it’s only a year, but it’s better than nothing. Please say yes. We can get a house right on the beach, lie on the sand, swim in the ocean, drink wine, and whatever else you’d like to do.”
Kingdom of the Damned: Provocation (KIngdom Journals) Page 30
