Black Hellebore

by Maya Shepherd

  “Give him your blood!” she pleads with Lia in a panicked voice. Lia complies immediately and presses her wrist to his mouth again. Maybe she didn’t give him enough the first time. Orlando opens his eyes, which are bloodshot and full of fear. He spits out her blood so he doesn’t choke again. Lia screams in frustration. Why can’t she help him?

  “What should I do?” She asks him tearfully. “How can I save you?”

  Orlando reaches out his trembling hand towards her face. Lia immediately presses her cheek against the palm of his hand.

  “Please, I love you!” she stutters with a trembling tearful voice.

  His last words are loud and clear.

  “You already have saved me, my little black hellebore.”

  - 42. Lilith -

  The scream that escapes Lia’s throat is loud and shrill like a dying animal. The moment that Orlando closed his eyes for the last time is the moment in which she loses her last trace of humanity. Chasity, Claudia, Mary and Tru all put their hands up to their ears, unable to withstand the sound that could crumble entire mountains. Lilith’s hard smack in her face brings Lia back to reality.

  “My child, he could drink your body dry and it would not help him. It is the silver that killed him. Your blood can not save him.”

  Bloody tears are streaming from Lia’s eyes as she pounces on her mother. She hits her and claws at her immaculate face.

  “This is all your fault! You took him away from me!” she screams at her, and Lilith can’t understand what is happening. She steps back and takes every injury that heals itself within seconds of being inflicted. Lia can’t inflict any bodily harm on her, but she doesn’t need to. To see her own daughter attacking her is worse than anything else she could imagine. She always knew that she was never the kind of mother to Liandra that a young girl could have hoped for, but still she assumed that she could feel something like love for her. She always loved her daughter, even if it was in her own strange way.

  She has no choice but to push the aggressive succubus away from her.

  “Calm yourself!” she demands from Lia, who sinks down and starts to sob again. The dhampire immediately throws her arms protectively around her, and looks up at Lilith with a deep hatred in her eyes.

  “What kind of a mother are you?! Can you not see that you have made her life a living hell?” she continues the tirade that her daughter had started. Lilith steps back. She has no idea why the two of them are so angry. She shifts her gaze to towards the dead vampire.

  “Because of him?! She has had so many men come and go in her life. He is nothing special!” she doesn’t say it with cruel intentions, but she doesn’t realise that she has hit on a sore spot with these words.

  “You have turned me into a monster!” Lia roars as her tears mix with her blood. “All I ever wanted in my entire life was to be a normal girl, but because of you I was always called a slut. I hate you!”

  Lilith can see the pain in her first daughter’s eyes and it pierces her heart like an arrow. She could never imagine what it would have been like for Lia or for any of her other daughters to be dependent on the life-force of men. She had always just played with men, and it never affected her, but her daughter seems to feel pain and degradation from her actions.

  Lilith steps towards Lia. She wants to comfort her and show her that she really cares for her, but with every step she takes, Lia takes another step back. She snarls at her. When Lilith reaches Orlando, she stops and looks down at the vampire. She saw how he died for her daughter. His last glance at her was so full of love, that it deeply affected Lilith. Cain had never looked at her that way her slim hand glides over his face and his closed eyes.

  “Keep your hands off him!” the red-headed girl next to him hisses. Her gaze speaks volumes. She turns towards the two vampires who moments before had served as her bodyguards. Their faces are filled with nothing but hatred towards her now too. Lilith sighs.

  “I can save him!” she admits.

  Lia immediately rushes to her side. Her tear-stained eyes are full of a new hope.

  “Then do it! What are you waiting for?”

  “He won’t be the same afterwards!”

  “I don’t care, as long as he is with me again!”

  Lilith expected that response, and so she closes her eyes and bites into her wrist. Her blood is black as it runs into Orlando’s lifeless lips. Everyone stands hopefully around him. At first nothing happens, but then in shock Mary tears her hand away from where it has been laying on his chest.

  “His heart...” she stammers. “It is beating.”

  Lia sceptically places her hand on his chest where his heart should be. A calm heartbeat pulses against her hand. His pale skin comes to life as his cheeks turn red and warmth shoots through his entire body. Then he opens his eyes and gasps for air, his fangs have disappeared. Lia and Mary hug him at the same time as Lilith retreats into the shadows of the rock formation.

  She didn’t lie when she said she was the goddess of life. As opposed to Cain, she can use her blood to transform any monstrous creation back into what nature intended them to be; human.

  Soon after she can hear quiet footsteps coming towards her. She turns around and to her dismay it is not her daughter coming to thank her for saving her friend as she had hoped, but it is the other four. Lilith can see something in their eyes that she can’t put her finger on. They kneel before her. The little vampire girl who looks so similar to her begins to speak.

  “Honourable queen, goddess of life, we humbly beg you to give us the gift of human life as you have given Orlando.”

  Lilith’s eyes widen in amazement. She was expecting anything but this. Are they insane?

  “How can you want to throw away your immortal lives? Are you not grateful for them?”

  “It is not easy to live forever” the dhampire interjects with a sad look in her eyes.

  “It can be very lonely,” Claudia agrees.

  Chasity takes her hand. “People who live forever can make too many mistakes. We don’t value life anymore. It loses its appeal when it has no limit.”

  Lilith finally realises that she and Cain have been deluding themselves this entire time. Immortality is neither a gift nor a blessing; it is a curse. Maybe Cain does still have a chance at redemption. Maybe there is one last chance for them to be together.

  “Where is Liandra?”

  The women point outside in confusion.

  “You shall get what you have asked for, but first I must exchange a few last words with my daughter.”

  Engulfed in shadows, Lilith heads out into the approaching dawn. Lia and the former vampire are sitting on the edge of the cliff. They are holding hands. Lilith couldn’t feel any more out of place. She meekly clears her throat. They both turn their heads towards her, and while Orlando is looking at her in appreciation, Lilith sees nothing but emptiness in her daughter’s gaze. The hatred has disappeared, but not much else.

  “I would like to talk to you.”

  “Then talk. I have nothing to hide from Orlando.” The coldness in her voice pains her, but it is probably what Lilith deserves. She goes down on her haunches next to her daughter.

  “I am sorry.”

  Lia looks away. Lilith has never apologised to anyone for anything in all of the thousands of years she has been alive. Tears blur her vision.

  “I will make it all better.” She whispers quietly. Lia turns towards her and pauses as she sees the tears in her proud and all-powerful mother’s eyes.

  “How? Are you going to magically get rid of my wings and claws?” she asks brazenly, whereby her voice is much less harsh than the meaning of her words.

  Lilith shakes her head.

  “I know it is hard for you, but please trust me.” It is risky, but she bends down to her daughter and places a kiss on her blonde parting.

  “I have always loved you.” She says before walking back towards the battlefield under the watchful eye of her daughter.

  The tortured screams have sub
sided. All that is left are wounded vampires and succubi, and a whole lot of corpses. Dead vampires as well as the succubi will turn to ash at sunrise, leaving no trace of their existence. The blood will soak deep into the earth leaving nothing but a feud without any hope of peace. It is time to bring all of this to an end. She stops in the middle of the field.

  She doesn’t even need to call his name to lure him out. She barely looks towards the cave before Cain steps out. His long hair is shimmering in the fading moonlight. He leaves no foot prints in the sand behind him as he walks towards her. There is sorrow in his expression. They have both suffered. Wounded pride and loneliness reflect in both of their eyes. The tension could be cut with a knife.

  “You left me.” Cain accuses her sadly.

  Lilith would like to stab him again for his self-pity. “You threw me away.”

  “I never said that you should leave.”

  “What did you expect? That I would just be one of your many women? Was I not worth more to you?” she looks for validation in his eyes. “I saved your life.”

  Cain hesitates. He knows that Lilith is right. He was so afraid to be submissive to her. A woman above him; he couldn’t live with that.

  “I’m sorry.”

  After all these years it is finally out there; the words that could have saved them so much pain and suffering. But it is not enough.

  “Prove it to me; let me drink your blood” Lilith demands, fully aware of what she is asking of Cain. Now it shall be known how serious Cain really is about his apology.

  “If I give you my blood, it will kill me.” Cain answers shaken. It is the curse that bound them together when she transformed him with her blood. Only an equal trade can bring him salvation.

  “Not just you. It will wipe out that which we once began. Humans are not meant to live forever.” Lilith replies. The hatred has gone from her voice and the warmth which Cain has sought after for so many years has returned.

  “We are not humans.”

  “Then we should at least die like them. I am tired of living.” Cain understands the truth in her words and holds his arm out towards her.

  “Forgive me.”

  Lilith grabs his wrist. Her fingers are warm and gentle.

  “Only those who love can also hate.”

  “You were always the one.”

  “It is our destiny to be bound together.”

  “I couldn’t imagine anything more beautiful.”

  There it is. The gaze that she had envied Lia so much for. Cain loves her so much that he is willing to give up his life. Her teeth sink deep into his flesh and his hot blood flows into her mouth.

  “Do you believe in reincarnation?” Cain asks as the life fades from him. He is a mere shadow of himself as he starts to disintegrate.

  “No...” Lilith says dryly. A smile forms on her lips. “But then again this place is called the Cape of Good Hope.”

  The sun rises in the East and pulls a red morning glow over Table Mountain as their bodies grow pale. The last that can be seen of them is their tightly intertwined bodies rising towards the heavens along with the souls of the other vampires and succubi. The Cape is left deserted.

  - 43. Lia Green -

  She holds Orlando’s hand tightly and never wants to let it go. She can’t say how she feels when she watches Lilith and Cain absolve themselves in the truest sense of the word. The hatred she had for her mother was gone the moment she brought Orlando back to her, but that doesn’t mean that it was replaced by love or affection. Lilith might not be as bad as she thought. Maybe she really did always have the best intentions for her. Maybe she even loved her in some strange way. She would have liked to have a bit more time with her to figure it out.

  A burning sensation suddenly rushes through her wings and feet. She spasms in pain. Orlando immediately turns to face her.

  “What’s wrong?” he asks worried as he starts to blur before Lia’s eyes. The burning spreads from her feet throughout her entire body. It rushes heat around her heart and brings the blood in her veins to a boil. It feels as though her head will explode at any moment.

  Strong arms lift her up and take her out of the light and into the darkness. She groans and her heart starts to beat rapidly. The rhythm of it makes her dizzy and she can no longer tell which way is up and which way is down. Stars appear in front of her eyes and she gasps for air. She throws her hand up to her chest to stop her heart beating. It is beating too fast, much too fast. The world is spinning around her like a carousel. A familiar face suddenly appears before her. Orlando. She remembers their carousel ride on the beach so long ago. It was the moment they had fallen in love. She remembers exactly how the colourful lights reflected in his blue eyes and how the wind ruffled his hair. She was particularly fond of the little dimple that appeared over his upper lip when he laughed. They laughed a lot that night.

  The ride ends and her heart begins to slow. The shadows lighten and her body relaxes. She can feel his hand in hers and his heartbeat on her back. She opens her eyes in a daze. It is dark, but his sky-blue eyes are brightly shining at her. He looks happy and relieved somehow. He strokes her back lovingly. She pauses and holds her breath. Can it be?

  Her eyes move towards her feet. She wiggles her toes. The claws have disappeared and she has her small round toes back. There is a small bit of chipped green nail varnish on her pinky toe.

  She quickly sits up and reaches behind her back. No wings. She cheers and her mother’s voice rings in her head one last time “I know it is hard for you, but please trust me.”

  She really kept her promise.

  “I have always loved you.”

  Her eyes fill with tears. I love you too mum.” She wants to scream but Lilith is long gone. As much happy as she is sad, she rests her head on Orlando’s shoulder as voices can suddenly be heard.

  Red curls fly into her arms.

  “I am human!” Mary screeches as her body shakes with wild laughter. She kisses Orlando and then Lia on their cheeks. She eagerly pulls Lia’s hand to her chest.

  “Can you feel it beating?” she asks excitedly with rosy cheeks.

  Lia quickly nods and stands up. Chasity and Claudia are happily holding each other.

  “Tru!” she yells ecstatically and runs inside the cave where she runs into her and their heads knock against each other causing them to stumble backwards. With a pained face, she rubs her head with a smile.

  “Hey, I am human now. That’s going to leave a bump!” she jokingly complains but then Lia throws herself into her arms.

  “She did it. She saved us all. It was Lilith!” she shouts out in joy as if she were speaking of Santa Claus.

  Tru nods reassuringly. “Yes, it was your mother. She made it all better,”

  “I hope she will be happy wherever she is now.”

  Tru kisses Lia’s forehead. “Definitely!”

  Lia takes her hand and pulls her towards the others. They all stop at the cave entrance. The sun is rising over the horizon and the sky is glowing pink.

  It is not easy to take that first step out after so many centuries, but they are not alone. Above the cape there are vampires and succubi alike heading towards them. The wings, claws and fangs have all disappeared. They are humans made of flesh and blood. Humans walking in the sun.

  Orlando gives Lia his left hand, and reaches for Mary with his right. Mary takes Chasity’s hand and she grabs Claudia’s. She scrunches her face in embarrassment. This is all a bit too cheesy and silly for her. But maybe that is just all a part of being human, and so she takes Chasity’s hand.

  They all step out into their new lives together. The world is shimmering gold and at their feet. From now on, they are all in control of their own destiny. It won’t always be easy, but that’s not what life is all about. It is the small and big hurdles that make life a challenge and worth living. It is not about everything being perfect. Highs and lows are there to be conquered and every mistake and failure makes you stronger. With their friends by their side,
anything is possible.

  Lia looks at Orlando to her right. He seems so different. They are closer than ever before, and that distance she saw in his eyes is gone. They don’t have eternity anymore. But they do have a chance; a chance at a life together.

  Don’t miss MAYA SHEPHERD’S stunning dystopia

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  An unknown illness has wiped out the vast majority of the population, leaving behind the chaos of cities without government. In the absence of rules and laws, the cities have become a wasteland ruled by roving gangs. Those who remain are left to scavenge for the basic necessities of life.

  This is the world in which Nea lives. After the death of Miro, Nea's friend and love, she embarks on a quest to Promise, a city in which a normal life may still be possible. Ahead of her lies a perilous journey full of danger and self-doubt, in addition to the guilt that weighs heavily upon her heart.

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