Ballad of Blood

by Amy Sumida

  “Yes; of course,” Kukulcan said.

  “Humans have established laws which their governments are good at enforcing,” I said. “Your people may not be able to sacrifice to you as they once did, but that goes for pretty much anywhere on Earth.”

  “Laws can be worked around,” one of the gods waved his hand negligently.

  “If people break the law, they can be imprisoned for a very long time,” I explained. “You will lose followers quickly if you insist on them killing others. Perhaps you could find a way to instruct them to offer blood without sacrificing the entire human?”

  They looked at each other in concern at first and then with consideration.

  “We will figure it out,” Kukulcan said to the Maya. “It has no bearing on the truce—it is simply the way of the world now—but thank you for being honest with us, Elaria.”

  I nodded. “So, we're good?”

  “You and I are very good,” Kukulcan announced and then signed the parchment.

  Kukulcan's signature glowed as he set it to paper, and then the glow traveled up his arm and over his body before settling into his skin. He handed the parchment to the next god before he stepped closer to me and extended his hand.

  “Thank you, Elaria,” Kukulcan said as we shook hands. “You have been true to your word, and I'm glad to have allied with you. You and yours are now considered friends of the Maya Gods, and are owed a favor in return.”

  “I appreciate that,” I said.

  When the parchment was fully signed, it was handed back to me.

  “As the only neutral party involved, I'd like for you to keep the truce for us,” Kukulcan said. “The Angelic Host will know that the contract is complete by the weight of the spell settling upon us, and that should be enough for them.”

  “I'll keep it safe,” I promised.

  “To celebrate our new friendship, I'm going to confide in you and tell you how I was able to silence you,” Kukulcan offered.

  “How?” I asked with narrowed eyes.

  Kukulcan laughed. “You were never silenced at all, Spellsinger; it was an illusion. I merely made you believe that you couldn't sing.”

  “And because it wasn't an attack necessarily, the Girdle didn't stop it,” Declan concluded.

  “Exactly.” Kukulcan nodded.

  “You tricky god,” I huffed. “Thank you for telling me; I lost a little confidence from that.”

  “Well, you deserve more than the return of your confidence. Thank you again, Elaria,” Kukulcan said and then turned his attention to the men. “And thank you for helping her.”

  “Keep the peace, and we'll be happy,” Torin said. “But if you ever try to take Elaria from me again, I will bring my army to your heaven and make it into another hell.”

  “I understand completely,” Kukulcan said with a smile. He shot a secret look my way and added, “Your little bird is a rare one indeed. I don't blame you for being overprotective.”

  Chapter Forty-Six

  The signed truce scroll went into Kyanite Castle's treasury. I didn't even know we had such a thing until I was speaking to my steward about installing a safe in my bedroom. He pointed out that the treasury was more reliable than a human-built box, in that only the monarch of the kingdom could enter it. Yes; of course I made a beeline for the treasury. I had treasure? Why had no one told me this?

  The treasury vault was a circular room beneath the castle, lined in shelves full of strange items, gold nuggets, and casks of jewels. Yes; I stood on the threshold gawking for about five minutes. Not that I was unused to wealth, but to have it simply handed to me—in that quantity—was mind-boggling.

  On top of the treasure on display, there were also storage drawers set in lines down the center of the room; containing maps, important documents, jewelry, and artwork. The truce went into a drawer of one of the end units. I also snagged a couple of tiaras, because a girl can never have enough tiaras... you know; for everyday use when I'm not wearing my crown.

  Once the document was safe, I felt like I could finally relax. The Blooders weren't being hunted anymore, the Maya were going to find a way to exist peacefully in Mexico, and the Angels were going to leave the Maya alone. My work there was done.

  Banning had gone home to Kansas to look after his gura and his businesses, Declan had gone to Alexandrite to see to his kingdom, and Gage had gone to my house in Hawaii to hang out with Cerberus and give me some time with Torin. Now, I could get back to running my kingdom and living my life.

  I set the tiaras on my vanity and then slipped out of my dress. I was about to remove the Golden Girdle when Torin stopped me.

  “Leave that on a bit longer, little bird,” Torin said as he lounged on my bed and watched me. “Seeing you remove it is giving me a feeling of dread.”

  “Okay,” I whispered as my hands stilled.

  I turned to walk down the little dais and over to the bed. Torin's words had made me nervous, but I was intent on having a nice evening, so I pushed the bad feelings away.

  “How about my underwear; should I leave them on too?” I teased him.

  “No.” Torin smiled as he laid back against the pillows. “Those you can remove... slowly.”

  Clad only in a pair of cotton breeches, with his hair left loose about his shoulders, Torin looked like a warlord lounging on the bed of his captive princess. His muscles seemed more savage against the background of white silk, and his gaze looked wicked—glowing with power and desire. He was incredibly sexy and everything that I needed to focus on.

  “Oh, you want it slow, Onyx King?” I asked as I slid a bra strap over my shoulder. “How slow should I go?” I dipped a finger beneath the bra and pushed it down with ridiculous languidness. “Is this good?”

  An edge of rosy flesh started to show, and Torin's eyes fixated on it. He moved forward—unable to remain in his laid-back position any longer—and crawled toward me like a predator. I moved my hand to the other side of my bra before I revealed too much, and Torin growled in frustration. Within seconds, I was beneath him on the bed; laughing up into his aroused expression. Torin's blue eyes flashed, and his lips parted with heaving breaths. I could feel him pressing hard against me, and I reached between us to stroke him through his boxers.

  “Sweet stones,” Torin groaned. “If I'm not inside you soon, I'll lose my sanity, Elaria.”

  I gave up on rubbing Torin in favor of sliding my panties off. I made a great show of lifting them up for him to see before I tossed them over the side of the bed. Torin growled and undid my bra before he flung it off in the direction of my panties. I shoved his underwear down his ass as he settled against me, and then Torin was home, and I was in heaven again. This time, Heaven was all I wanted it to be.

  I forgot about Blooders, Gods, and ex-boyfriends, and just enjoyed the man in my arms. Then the RS latched onto our love and connected us with my other consorts. The amount of emotion rushing through me was suddenly overwhelming, and tears slid down my cheeks. Torin nuzzled them away before he kissed me sweetly. He didn't need to say anything; it was already laid bare between us—between all of us. This was the pinnacle of love; I was certain we couldn't climb any higher. But I had been wrong before, and even in my certainty, I suspected that I could be wrong again.

  Love was an ever-changing thing for me, and I wouldn't want it any other way.

  Chapter Forty-Seven

  It was two blissfully calm months before the bodies started popping up in Mexico. Ritually slain corpses surfaced in lakes and shallow graves. Some had their throats slit, but others were found in far worse conditions that I refuse to talk about. Let's just say that they were horrific enough to get the Policia Federal Ministerial (you may know them as the Federales) sent out to investigate. In short; Mexico was freaking the fuck out.

  Raphael called me, but I was in Kyanite, so it was Gage who spoke to him. Gage contacted me via charm, and I was soon back in Omeyocan with my consorts. As lovely as the place was, I had hoped never to return.

  “
Elaria!” Kukulcan exclaimed.

  “Pardon the interruption,” I said and then cleared my throat. “I didn't know of another location to travel to.”

  The goddess Kukulcan had been having sex with huffed and pulled the sheet over herself, but he got out of bed to greet me. His cloud robe floated down to cover his sex-slicked body as he stepped forward.

  “Not at all; it's lovely to see you,” Kukulcan said warmly. “You remember Colel Cab?”

  Kukulcan waved a hand toward the woman in his bed, and I realized that I did remember her.

  “Right, the one with the giant bee,” I said.

  “I have an affinity for them,” she said haughtily.

  “That's fantastic,” my voice went dry. “I'm so happy for you. Does that mean you take honey with your blood?”

  “Is there something wrong?” Kukulcan asked.

  “Uh... yeah, you see...” I floundered.

  “Have your followers been killing people?” Gage asked boldly.

  “Yes; we found a way to conceal our followers. 'Cover their tracks' is the term, I believe,” Kukulcan said proudly. “The authorities will never find them.”

  “There's a small problem with that,” I said. “The Angels didn't want to offer you a truce at first because they said you'd go back to accepting blood sacrifice. So, I told them what I told you; that the human government would pursue murderers and put them in jail.”

  “Ha!” Kukulcan laughed. “So, we outwitted the Host! Excellent!”

  “Not exactly,” I muttered. “You don't see anything wrong with making humans murder each other?”

  “It's not murder,” he said calmly. “It's sacrifice; there's a considerable difference.”

  “The only difference I can find is that you get power from one and not the other,” I pointed out. “And I've seen the pictures of the remains, by the way; those sacrifices are brutal.”

  Kukulcan shrugged. “We guide and guard our people, and they provide for us. The brutality is traditional for some of our gods, and it makes the humans feel as if each sacrifice is special.”

  “Special indeed,” Declan muttered.

  “Is this really the only way you can survive?” I asked Kukulcan.

  “It is the most expedient path to power,” he said with narrowed eyes. “And it doesn't matter; we found a way to protect our people and have our sacrifices. I don't understand why you're upset.”

  “I was so confident that you wouldn't be able to accept blood sacrifice that I offered to lead the Angelic Host against you if you found a way around the obstacle the human government posed,” I said.

  “What?” Kukulcan went serious.

  “It was the only way to give the Seraphim the confidence to sign,” I explained. “I need you to stop the human sacrifice, or there will be a war after all, and I will be a part of it.”

  “I was very clear with you, Elaria,” Kukulcan said. “I never insinuated that I wouldn't be accepting blood. In fact, I specifically stated that I'd find a way to do just that. I am a man true to my word.”

  “No, dude; you said that you'd figure it out,” Gage said. “That did all kinds of insinuating; mainly making us think that you'd figure out a way to take sacrifice without killing people.”

  “What you assumed has no bearing on what I meant.” Kukulcan crossed his arms.

  “That's the wrong kind of slick,” Banning noted. “It reeks of dishonor. Believe me; I'm familiar with it.”

  “The bottom line is; I thought you'd be unsuccessful,” I said with a sigh. “I'm sorry, but even without the Angels' involvement, I couldn't stand aside and watch this kind of brutality happen. Savagery done simply to prolong the lives of an advanced race which is already long-lived isn't right.”

  “Not right?” Kukulcan growled. “Not right is how you tricked me into believing we were allies. Not right is how the Host imprisoned my people in Hell. Not right is coming here and asking me to stop the very thing that makes my people stronger. Not right is bringing me a truce to sign that made me believe I could act freely when you actually wanted to hobble me.”

  “That's a lot of not-rights,” I noted dryly. “But it still doesn't add up to your one wrong. Murder; that's what you're perpetrating, and that's what I can't condone.”

  “Condone?” Kukulcan laughed menacingly. “You have no influence over what I do, pretty bird. I am Quetzalcoatl; God of the Four Elements. I gave civilization to the humans. I taught them how to grow food, how to build homes, how to heal themselves, and I also taught them how to kill. I am the reason they thrived, and I am the reason they die. That is how it is, and how it will continue to be until I decide it's over. Your approval is not needed nor wanted. I will slaughter all of Mexico if I see fit, and you can't do a damn thing to stop me.”

  I sighed deeply and looked tiredly at my consorts. They were wearing matching expressions of fury, and they nodded to me crisply. The time for diplomacy was over. But damn it all, I didn't want to fight. I had got out of the “fixing” business so I wouldn't have to kill anymore, and yet it seemed that was all I did—and in much greater quantities than before. I'd been so happy when I'd negotiated the truce and found a solution that didn't involve bloodshed. But there I was again; staring war in its ugly face.

  “I thought I saw something honorable in you,” I said sadly. “But—and it pains me to say this—it seems that the Angels were right; you're a savage bastard. I can stop you, Kukulcan, and I don't even need the Host to do it. But I'll lead them against you because I promised them that I would, and I too keep my promises.”

  Kukulcan narrowed his eyes at me as the Bee Goddess slipped out of bed and into some clothes. She was looking back and forth between us warily, and as she eased toward the open wall, her giant bee came in for a landing. She climbed aboard its fuzzy back and buzzed away without another word.

  I didn't blame her; things were about to get ugly.

  “If you lead the Host against me, Elaria Tanager, I will declare war not only on the Angels but on you and yours as well. Anyone connected to you will become a target for my wrath. I will see the blood of your family running through my fingers and lay the heads of your loved ones at your feet.” Kukulcan stalked closer; his eyes flashing with the magic running through him as he bared his teeth to me. “That will be my gift to you, Spellsinger, right before I claim you as my war prize and bring you back to Omeyocan to live forever chained to my bed.”

  “Don't threaten her,” Torin said calmly. “We talked about this.”

  “I am not afraid of Shining Ones,” Kukulcan ground out as he shifted his stare to Torin. “Not even their kings.”

  “You should be,” Declan said as he casually cracked his neck. “You've been underground awhile and although you've met some of the strongest of our race”—Declan waved his hand toward Torin and then himself—“you haven't seen us at our best, nor do you know the might we have available to us. So, let me clue you in on what you'll be facing if you attempt to harm my consort. I have sixteen-thousand warriors at my disposal; all of whom are just as powerful, if not more so, than your gods. And that's just my kingdom. Torin has his own army, as does Elaria. And then there are Banning's Blooders, and Gage's Griffins. One griffin is easily worth ten of your warriors, and Gage's tribe alone is over a hundred strong. Do you really want to face all of us, or would you prefer to simply find a non-lethal way of getting your blood?”

  “Blooders have done it for years now,” Banning added. “We take from willing donors and only drink a little at a time, or we get our blood from blood banks.”

  “Blood banks?” Kukulcan scowled. “What is a blood bank?”

  “Humans collect and preserve blood for medical use,” I explained. “I don't know if it would be helpful to you, but there must be other options you can explore.”

  “This is the way we have done things since the beginning,” Kukulcan growled. “There will be no changing.”

  “Then your people will pay the price for your unwillingness to compromise,” I sa
id sadly.

  “And yours will pay the price for your treachery,” Kukulcan started to shift. “As will you, Elaria Tanager.”

  I briefly considered facing Kukulcan there; just ending the war before it began. But then I remembered what he'd said about being more powerful in Omeyocan, and I grabbed my consorts urgently.

  “Time to go; he's too strong here,” I whispered. Then I called out, “Think this over, Kukulcan. I'll give you three days before I go to the Host.”

  Then my consorts and I got the hell out of heaven.

  Chapter Forty-Eight

  Kukulcan didn't need three days to think it over; he began killing all the Catholics, Christians, and Jews who lived in—or happened to be visiting—Mexico the very next morning. Any human at all associated with the Angelic Host was fair game.

  I guess I shouldn't have been surprised after his temper tantrum, but a small part of me had thought that Kukulcan had some good in him. I had thought that the Angels were wrong for imprisoning him and his people. But then I remembered what Sorin had said about the creation of Nachzehrer; how it was such a horrific process that only a psychopath would be able to do it. And the Maya Gods had created hundreds, if not thousands, of Nachzehrer. What kind of psychos did that make them?

  I had used the night to research the Maya Pantheon, and what I found disturbed me. There were several deities who had the power of regeneration. They must have been the ones who helped Isis create so many Nachzehrer. And they were only the beginning. The Maya had magic over death, disease, hurricanes, earthquakes, wind, and water. If it was an element, they could do something with it. Oh, and let's not forget the bees. Not only did we have Colel Cab—an earth goddess who loved bees (frankly, she wasn't so bad, and I happen to agree with her; bees are important) but there were also gods with names like “Serpent Charmer” and “Blood Gatherer.” Some of their gods sounded as if they were more along the lines of the bee lady; like Ixchel; Lady of Rainbows. That sounded nice, right? But after meeting Colel Cab, I had a feeling that even the tamer Maya gods were both bonkers and bloodthirsty.