A week has passed since we arrived at the Hybrid Safe Place. Since learning that Daniel can read witches’ minds and vice versa, I’ve maintained my distance from him. I don’t trust him. What else is he keeping from me? He told me he doesn’t know what humans did to witches to make them side with the New Order. He’s lying. He can read their minds for Christ’s sake.
There are about three hundred hybrids like me atop this frozen high mountain somewhere in the north. My guess is Russia but I can’t be sure.
We sleep in cabins, ten to each cabin. I’m cold and hungry all the time but there is no sense in complaining, not when I’m lucky to be alive while the whole world is collapsing.
Every couple of days, half-vampire, half-angel hybrids risk their lives going out to see if any humans have been able to fight the New Order and take their towns and cities back. There is never any hopeful news. No one is winning against the New Order.
All is lost. Of this I’m convinced.
The Fae hybrids may have incredible power that shoots from our hands but we’re not ready to fight. Most are scared and still in disbelief, and of the ones who have accepted what they are, only few have been able to summon their powers. And even then, they can’t control it. I can’t control it.
A few trees and two cabins have accidentally been burned to the ground because of our lack of discipline. I was only responsible for one small tree. My fellow hybrids did most of the damage, not that I should be proud of my mistake but at least I wasn’t the cause of scorching someone’s house. Thankfully, no one was inside when the cabins caught on fire.
Daniel is convinced that the answer to destroying the New Order lies in my journal. He isn’t the only one who thinks that. Virtually everyone is resting their hope on me and my journal.
It’s a burden I wish I could throw into the river. I can’t save humanity. My journal can’t save humanity.
But that doesn’t stop Daniel and the leaders of the community from studying my journal daily, seemingly from sunup to sundown. They pace back and forth in Daniel’s cabin, scratching their heads, rubbing their chins, cursing and smacking the table, frustrated at their inability to de-code the formulas in a little leather book.
It also doesn’t stop them from asking me over and over again if I remember anything else than what I told them. Am I sure that no one ever visited me again? Am I very, very sure that I just haven’t forgotten how to decode the formulas? If I could just concentrate really hard, if I could just remember, if I could just please help them save the world.
I disappoint them every time. I don’t know where the journal came from or who left it for me and for what purpose. All I know is that the morning of my sixteenth birthday, I got up from my bed and went to the bathroom to brush my teeth. The journal was on the sink.
When I opened it, what was inside made no sense to me. The journal was filled with mathematical formulas I did not understand. A note inside read, keep it safe and show it to no one. The time will come when you will know what to do.
I never told my parents about it. But I became obsessed with trying to decipher the formulas. I endlessly researched books and articles but nothing I read made any mention of the formulas in my journal.
For a while I thought maybe aliens had left it for me. I thought maybe I was an alien suffering from amnesia.
As the years passed, I stopped trying to decipher it. But I kept it safe and told no one about it.
And now my journal may hold the salvation of humanity within its pages.
It’s midday. Most of the others are having lunch in the lodge. I rarely join them because all my presence does is invite stares and more questions.
I put on a coat, a hat and a pair of worn-out cotton gloves, all things I received from the supplier when I first arrived. Next I slip on a pair of boots that are slightly too big for me and head out for a walk in the snow.
Daniel has warned me about wolves and doesn’t want me to venture outside of the community’s wooden walls. People take turns keeping watch from a tower. People take turns doing everything here. Cooking, keeping guard, cleaning and training others how to fight.
I don’t have any tasks. I’ve asked how I can help. I’m not a freeloader. I’m willing to help in any way I can, but every time I ask, I’m pushed aside and told the only way I can help is by remembering how to decode the formulas. There’s nothing to remember! I never knew the formulas in the first place! Why can’t they understand that?
Even though I know they are happy they have the journal, I’m an outcast and shunned because of my lack of knowledge and memory. It’s almost as if they think I’m purposely keeping something from them, as if I’m secretly cheering for the end of the world.
I’m going to walk around the perimeter, which is what I usually do. This place isn’t very big, maybe four or five acres at the most. When I’m walking I feel as if I’m completely alone. No one is staring at me. No one judges me or asks me questions. I can be alone with my own thoughts which sometimes are dark and dreadfully sad.
More than once in my darkest moments I’ve thought about leaving and walking into the forest and just giving up—maybe freezing to death or letting the wolves eat me. Surrendering to grief isn’t noble, but when all seems hopeless and you’ve witnessed your fair share of atrocities, it’s more than forgivable. It’s hard to ignore the dark whispers that surround me.
A few minutes into my walk, I hear footsteps behind me on the hardened snow.
I turn around to see Daniel coming toward me. He’s dressed in a t-shirt and jeans; hybrids of his kind can’t feel the cold, something he says his angel ancestors passed on to him.
He also says fae’s don’t get cold, a trait that I unfortunately did not inherit, nor did any of my fellow fae hybrids.
Right now, I wish I was a full-blooded fae. I can barely feel my lips and I haven’t even been outside that long.
I increase my pace. Maybe Daniel will get the hint that I’m not interested in talking to him and leave me alone.
I can’t outpace him, I realize. The man can fly. There are only about a dozen other hybrids like Daniel in the community, most simply dropped off their assigned fae hybrid and left. Daniel says they are searching for the pure angels that went into hiding after the first war. Their hope is to find them and convince them to help them fight the New Order.
The ones who chose to stay have an attachment, romantically or otherwise, to their assigned hybrid. Daniel chose to stay.
We have four half-vampire, half-angel hybrids who are the leaders. They train the fae hybrids every day how to fight, but so far I haven’t seen a single fae hybrid who can swing a sword without dropping it or fire a bullet even remotely close to the target.
“Selena, please stop.”
I ignore him and urge my feet to move faster, an almost impossible ordeal since the snow is not only firm but also five or six inches high. Nonetheless, I carry on.
“Fine, you win. I’ll leave you alone!”
I don’t hear him anymore. Good.
I turn around to make sure he isn’t still following me. He’s standing right behind me. Startled, I scream and lose my balance, falling on my back.
Maybe I should make the best of my humiliation and make a snow angel. It would suit the situation, actually.
He lies next to me. “I can’t stand it any longer.”
“Stand what?”
“Not talking to you or being close to you. I miss you.”
I laugh, not a flat out mean laugh but not a sweet one either. “You can’t miss me. We don’t know each other.”
“I’m sorry I kept things from you. I was trying to protect you.”
I gaze at the sky. There is a hybrid flying high into the clouds. He’s alone and he’s flying with urgency as if he’s fleeing or in a hurry.
I point at the hybrid, “Where is he going?”
“That’s what I was coming to tell you. One of our scout teams may have found a small group of the lost pure angels. He’s going t
o find out whether or not it’s true.”
The pure angels are supposed to have incredible strength. If what Daniel is saying is true, we may have a chance to defeat the New Order. Hope rushes through my veins and I scramble to my feet.
Daniel stands, too. “Do you realize what this means?”
“Yes! It means we can fight.”
“We’ll need to convince them first.”
“They have to join us. They will, right?”
Daniel swallows. “They joined vampires against humans in the first war. Humans disappointed them time and time again. The angels believed they had given humans enough chances to redeem themselves and when they didn’t, the angels decided it was time to end mankind.”
“Maybe after all these years they no longer feel that way. Maybe they regret what they did.”
“That is my hope. There is a way we can convince them. They won’t refuse us if we…”
“If we, what?”
“If we bring you to them and show them the journal.”
“Why would they care about my journal?”
“Because they might be able to decode the formulas.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Pure fae were their allies for centuries. They co-existed together in peace until the first war when the fae sided with humans. Before the first war, the fae taught some angels how to decode their formulas.”
I’m listening to what Daniel is saying to me and it’s all still so difficult for me to comprehend and accept. Not only are we hiding behind walls atop a mountain from vampires, witches and the Infected, we are also charged with saving humanity. In most supernatural post-apocalyptic movies or TV shows, the survivors have one mission: stay alive. Not an easy mission, I realize, but it is one mission.
I need more answers from Daniel before I agree to what he is asking me to do.
“Tell me why witches hate humans?”
He averts his eyes and stares at the snow as if he’s hoping it will melt and the ground will break open and save him from answering me.
“Tell me!”
“After the first war, your ancestors started a war with each other. They killed each other for land and gold and their lust led them to an undiscovered settlement of witches. These witches were a reclusive group who had detached themselves from their own kind because they wanted to live a simple life. They gave up their powers, leaving themselves vulnerable to anyone who would want to harm them. The Witches’ Council let them go with the understanding that if anyone ever discovered them and tried to harm them, the Council would not come to their defense because they willingly chose to stop being witches.” He sighs. “For centuries, this small subgroup of witches lived in peace. Until humans found them.”
“Go on.” If he wants to spare me the gruesome details he need not bother. I want to know everything.
“The humans befriended the witches at first, living among them for months. When the witches finally asked them to leave, the humans declined their request.”
“Why?”
“They wanted the witches to help them defeat their enemies, other humans, with whom they were at war. When the witches explained to them that they no longer had any powers and even if they did they wouldn’t help them, the humans did not believe them. They kidnapped innocent children and threatened to kill them if the witches didn’t agree to their demand. The witches pleaded with the wretched humans, but it was all for nothing.” He glances at the sky, “the humans murdered the children. But they didn’t stop there. They burned down the settlement and slaughtered hundreds of witches and warlocks. The few who were able to get away fled to the Witches’ Council and begged for help.”
“The Council refused?”
“Yes. But what your ancestors did was not forgotten. The Council sent word to witches all over the world of the atrocities the humans had committed. They instructed all witches to turn their backs on humans. They vowed to destroy all of humanity.”
I’m frozen, partly because of the cold, but mostly because of what Daniel has told me. I understand now why he kept it from me. My heart weeps because of what my ancestors did, the vicious cruelty all in the name of power and greed.
I understand the hatred witches have for humans, of course I do, but I cannot allow the deeds of my ancestors to be the cause of the extinguishment of humanity.
I will fight the witches and anyone else who seeks the destruction of humans, even if it means dying.
“Thank you for telling me truth. I have one more question. Why can witches and half-vampire, half-fallen angels read each other’s minds?”
“It’s not something we could always do. When the New Order started growing in numbers and attacking more and more towns around the world, we asked the Witches’ Council for help. But they refused for reasons you now know. The Council knew that we would do everything we could to protect humans. So they cast a spell on us, one that would allow them to read our minds when they are near us.”
“But you can read their minds, too. How does that benefit them?”
“It doesn’t. Their power, while strong, is limited. Their spells sometimes come at a cost to them. They always weigh the consequences when casting spells. In our case, they accepted the risk. By reading our minds, we would in turn be able to read theirs, which is not easy to do. They have the ability to block their thoughts, but we are able to sometimes break through.”
I digest what Daniel has told me. Why would witches willingly make themselves vulnerable? Yes, they gain by reading the minds of hybrids but the gain doesn’t seem to outweigh the risk, even with the ability to block their thoughts. It doesn’t make sense. Unless, they are desperate…unless, the New Order isn’t as strong as we think.
I rub my half frozen face. I’ll need to head back to my cabin soon. “Do you know if the witches have tried to find the lost pure angels?”
“We are not the only ones searching for them. Witches and vampires are looking for them, too.”
I free an exaggerated sigh. “Don’t you get it?”
“What?”
“If the New Order is so strong why are they looking for the pure angels? They need their help, which means we need to get to them first!”
I start walking but he tugs my arm and pulls me to him. He brings me close to him and wraps his arms around me. I don’t resist. His warmth melts my frigid body. I should push him away, but I don’t. I let him warm me until I’m no longer cold.
He lifts my chin with the soft touch of his hand. He cocks his head to one side and slowly brings his mouth to mine. He kisses me tenderly and I greedily kiss him back.
Screams interrupt our embrace.
A bloodied fae hybrid treks toward us. Daniel and I hurry over to him.
He has several deep cuts and bites on his face. “Infected got through the wall gate.” He falls into Daniel’s arms. “I’m bit. Please don’t let me become one of them.”
I think of Jonathan. “We’re not going to let that happen.” His name is Zach and he’s only sixteen or seventeen years old. He’s going to die. My power can only help end his life quicker. It can’t help save him.
“How did they get in?” Daniel asks.
“Someone left open the gate.”
A careless mistake? My gut tells me this wasn’t a mistake. This was deliberate.
Zach coughs, blood spilling out of his mouth.
“I’m sorry,” Daniel says to him. Then he looks at me. “Turn away.”
“Can’t you save him?”
“My healing powers won’t work on him. He’s bitten.”
“What are you going to do?”
“End his pain.”
I’m enraged and upset at what my life has become. That I have to watch a kid die in front of me, that the whole damn world has collapsed and that we have a traitor amongst us. When I find this traitor I’m going to make him suffer for what he did. My heart grows colder with each day that passes and I will have no mercy for whoever is responsible for this.
“Do
it,” I say to Daniel.
Daniel puts one hand on the kid’s head and the other on his throat and with one swift movement breaks his neck.
Chapter Six
There are about two hundred of the Infected within our walls. Someone must have led them up the mountain. This isn’t an accident.
I’m in the lodge with eighty fae hybrids who were able to get to safety before the Infected got to them. I want to use my skill to scorch the demons but Daniel said I should protect my fellow hybrids, many of whom are young and scared.
Daniel and his hybrid brothers and sisters are outside fighting the Infected. From the window I can’t see what is happening. All I see is snow.
My companions are huddled together, crying and asking me if they are going to die. I tell them that there is no way in all of hell that Daniel and the others will allow them to get killed. I remind them that they swore an oath to protect us and I tell them that I witnessed Daniel easily rip off the head of an Infected.
I tell them that everything is going to be fine, that they should calm down and stop crying.
I’m not lying to them. If Daniel and the others fail, I will defend these fae hybrids with all of my might. And I will succeed. Of this I’m sure.
The New Order wants me to lie down and surrender. It wants me to weep and beg for mercy. I will not surrender. And I will never beg them for mercy.
I accept what I am. I accept all of it. I am a fae hybrid and I will fight the New Order to the death.
Two hours have passed since we were ambushed. It’s still and quiet outside. I don’t see anyone, Infected or otherwise.
More snow is falling, painting a beautiful and peaceful picture, temporarily masking the darkness.
The young fae hybrids have stopped crying, some have found solace in sleep.
Daniel is coming up the stairs to the lodge’s porch. I dash to the door and open it.
I throw myself into his arms. “Are you hurt?”
There isn’t a scratch on him. He isn’t sweating either. He doesn’t resemble someone who has battled monsters. I’ve never seen Daniel sweat or look tired or sick.
Immortals like him never age, never get sick and never die.
Legends of the Damned: A Collection of Edgy Urban Fantasy and Paranormal Romance Novels Page 251
