And so, I walked onto the first step and rested my hand on the rail, beginning my trek up the golden stairs.
Annika
The trek up the stairs felt like it took hours. Luckily, my Nephilim abilities stopped me from getting winded.
Eventually, I reached the bottom of the cloud. I couldn’t see much after that—just a never-ending white fog—but I used the handrail to continue to guide myself up the stairs. I prepped myself for the air to feel thicker inside the cloud, but there was no difference at all.
I soon surfaced at the top of it, coming sight to sight with a man surrounded by a glowing golden aura. His skin was perfectly smooth, and in his all-white outfit, he appeared to be ageless. His eyes were gold as well. Not just a slim ring of gold around the pupils like I had as a Nephilim, but fully gold.
Just as my angel instinct let me know I was safe in this place, it also let me know that whoever this man was, I could trust him, too.
“Annika Pearce,” he said with a kind smile. “I’ve been expecting you.”
“Hi.” I wrung my hands together, unsure what else to say. A gazillion questions whizzed through my mind, but I started with what seemed like the most important ones. “Where am I? What is this place? Who are you?”
“My name is Emmanuel, and I’m an angel.” His voice was smooth and melodic, like listening to a beautiful song. “Earlier, you entered the main hall of the Tree of Life, which houses the doors to the infinite realms. The one you took led you here—to Heaven.”
“Heaven?” I blinked, sure I must have heard incorrectly. “As in the Heaven?”
“Yes, this is the Heaven,” he confirmed.
“So I can see my family again?” My heart leapt with the possibility.
“Heaven is only for angels and for the Nephilim invited by the angels,” he said. “Those who die go to the Beyond—a place veiled from the universe we know.”
“So my family isn’t here.” My eyes watered, my burst of hope shattered.
“I’m sorry, but no,” he said kindly. “Your family is in the Beyond.”
“Okay,” I said, since what else could I do but accept it? I just hoped that whatever the Beyond was like, they were happy there.
“However, we’re not here to talk about the Beyond,” he said. “We’re here to talk about you—or more importantly, about the item you seek.”
“The Holy Grail.” I looked around the platform where we stood, seeing only endless clouds.
“Yes.” He nodded. “But as it seems you’ve already noticed, the Grail isn’t here right now.”
“Oh.” I frowned. “So if the Grail isn’t here, why am I here?”
“I might know where the Grail is,” he said. “But first, aren’t you interested in hearing why the Grail is needed right now?”
“I am.” I brightened at the possibility that I might finally get some answers.
“I expected as much,” he said. “Do you remember the moment in the Crystal Cavern when you reached for a sword to protect yourself from a swarm of bats?”
“Yes.” I shuddered at the memory of those bats flying down from the ceiling and coming for me all at once.
“That sword wasn’t just any sword,” he said. “It was an ancient, holy object used to imprison the immortal spirit of the greater demon Samael—the last demon who walked the Earth after they were banished to Hell forever. The sword was intended to be a punishment worse than Hell. The moment you drew blood with the sword was the moment when Samael’s spirit was released upon the Earth.”
“What?” My hand rushed to my mouth in horror. “You mean that I released a spirit of a… demon?”
“You did,” he confirmed.
Horror filled me to my bones. Had this all been an elaborate trick? Had I been led here not to retrieve the Grail, but to receive a consequence for what I’d unknowingly done?
“I never meant to do it,” I said, praying he believed me. “I didn’t know.”
“I know that,” he said, although I didn’t relax yet, since that didn’t mean he wasn’t going to punish me. “What’s done is done—there’s no way to reverse what’s already happened. All we can focus on now is making this right.”
I finally could breathe again, since from what he was saying, I wasn’t about to be smitten down by an angel, or whatever an angel would do as punishment. However, I’d still released a demon soul upon the Earth.
How could I possibly make something like that right?
“Can the demon be put back inside the sword?” I asked.
“He should be sent back to where demons belong—to Hell,” Emmanuel said. “But soon after Samael was released, he possessed the body of a young witch named Marigold. He’s been using a combination of his and Marigold’s powers to convince the weaker minded wolves of the Vale that they’re having prophetic dreams of a Savior who will rise and bring peace and prosperity to their species. Samael has the wolves convinced that in order for this ‘Savior’ to rise, the vampires who live in the Vale must be eliminated.”
This all sounded familiar, but at the same time, it didn’t. Jacen had told me about his meeting with the First Prophet Noah, including what Noah had told him of the wolves’ Savior. But from what he’d told me, both he and Noah truly believed that the Savior was legitimate.
Once I returned with the truth of what Emmanuel had told me—and a gut instinct knew that he was telling me the truth—it would change everything.
“If there’s no Savior, then why does Samael want the vampires cleared from the Vale?” I asked.
“Because Samael wants to open a Gate to Hell,” Emmanuel said. “There’s a spell that can open a Hell Gate anywhere that two tectonic plates meet—such as a mountain range—but only if enough supernatural blood is spilled on that land. By encouraging the wolves to wage war on the vampires and spill their blood in the Vale, Samael can then use Marigold’s body to cast the spell to open the Hell Gate. If he does that, the demons will be released onto Earth, and they’ll be free to destroy your realm the same way they destroyed Hell.”
He’d slammed so much information down upon me at once that I had to pause to take it all in.
“So Hell isn’t a place where bad people go where they die, just like Heaven isn’t a place where good people go where they die,” I said, still trying to get this all straight.
“Correct,” Emmanuel said. “Like I said earlier, all who die go on to the Beyond. Heaven is purely for angels, whereas Hell is purely for demons. Demons are soulless, sociopathic creatures, wired to torture and kill for enjoyment. Their realm—Hell—is locked so they can’t bring their destruction to any other realms. But the demons have destroyed Hell by using up all its resources. Now it’s practically unlivable, and they’re desperate for a new place to live. If Samael has his way, that place will be Earth.”
“We can’t let that happen,” I said. “Samael has to be stopped.”
“The cards have already started to fall—at this point, there’s no stopping what’s destined to happen,” Emmanuel said. “But it’s your fate to close the Hell Gate before it’s too late.”
“We can’t wait for the Hell Gate to be opened,” I said. “We have to stop it from being opened in the first place.”
“You may try,” he said. “But no matter what, you’re going to need to drink from this in order to have a chance at defeating Samael.”
He reached down into the cloud beside him and pulled out a large, intricately designed golden chalice—the Holy Grail itself.
Camelia
I arrived in the center of a lavish courtyard, where vampires, witches, and shifters dressed in matching white garments went about their daily tasks.
The moment I appeared, everyone stopped what they were doing and stared at me.
I shifted uncomfortably and tightened my grip on the handle of my suitcase. In my black leather pants and matching jacket, I couldn’t have stood out more if I’d tried.
But the moment of arrival to a new place—especially a place that I
intended to call my future home—wasn’t the time to show weakness. So I straightened and walked to the three people nearest to me—one male vampire and two females—who were sitting on the steps hovering around a cellphone.
The man was looking at the phone as if it were a glowing meteorite that had just fallen from space.
“Hello,” I said, giving them all a curt nod. “Can one of you please tell me where I can find Mary?”
I knew enough about the other kingdoms to know that despite being the leader of the Haven, Mary didn’t use a formal title in front of her name. In the Haven, all were considered equal, including their leader.
“Finally, an outsider—and a witch at that.” The man beamed, as if I’d landed in the Haven’s courtyard straight from Heaven itself. “These two are telling me that these ‘cellphones’ were created by humans without the help of any magic.” He gestured to the phone, like he was unsure I would know what device he was speaking about. “I think they’re trying to play me for a fool. Would you mind settling this debate once and for all?”
I gave him a blank stare, unsure if this was some kind of joke or not.
“He’s serious.” The vampire to his left—a girl with jet-black hair who looked no older than twenty—sighed and rolled her eyes. “Just answer his question, and I’ll take you to Mary.”
“Cellphones were created by humans by using only science,” I said simply, directing my answer more to the woman than to the man. “Now, I’d appreciate being shown to Mary.”
“Sure thing.” She turned to the other woman she was with—a nondescript brunette. “You’ll continue acclimating Peter while I’m gone?”
“I’ll do my best,” she said.
“Pardon me for being such a hassle.” The man—Peter—crossed his arms, looking offended. “Believe it or not, I was fascinated by science during my years. But waking up a century in the future has gotten me behind on the latest innovations…”
The dark haired vampire led me away, and I glanced back at Peter before following her toward the surrounding building.
“Did he just say that he woke up a century in the future?” I asked.
“It’s a long story,” she said. “I’m Elisa, by the way.”
“Camelia,” I replied in return.
“Camelia,” she repeated, stopping in place. “As in the witch who upholds the boundary of the Vale?”
“Yes.” I kept my answer short—I didn’t want to explain more without Mary being present.
“I didn’t think Queen Laila allowed you to leave.” Elisa apparently wasn’t put off by my clipped response. “If you’re not at the Vale, who’s maintaining the boundary there?”
“The Vale is being properly looked after,” I assured her. “I’ll explain more once I have an audience with Mary.”
She nodded—apparently she finally understood my hesitation to say any more right now—and led me inside a bright, ornate building. It was bustling with people, all dressed in the same white uniform.
“So, who was the man you were with when I arrived?” I returned to what I’d asked earlier, because I wanted to divert attention away from myself, and because I was curious. “The one who’d never seen a cellphone?”
“That was Peter,” she said. “He was turned over a century ago by Princess Karina of the Carpathian Kingdom. He’s been reported as dead since the Great War, but he recently awoke in Ireland, nearly starved to death and with no memories of the past century. Normally he would be King Nicolae’s responsibility, but when Mary got wind of his story, she insisted on retrieving him and bringing him to the Haven.”
“He was Princess Karina’s mate?” I asked, since love was the most common reason why vampires turned humans.
“He was.” She nodded and turned a corner, leading me down a less crowded hall.
“Interesting,” I said, since technically, Princess Karina was engaged to Prince Jacen. But Princess Karina had fled the Vale soon after Queen Laila had been killed, and she hadn’t been heard from since.
There was only one reason I could think of why that might be.
“Is Princess Karina here in the Haven as well?” I asked.
“I don’t have the authority to answer that question.” Elisa smiled and opened the door at the end of the hall. “Now, if you’ll please wait here, I’ll go fetch Mary…” She trailed off, staring into the room in shock.
Mary was already sipping on a cup of blood in the colorful tearoom, apparently expecting our arrival.
Camelia
“Have a seat.” Mary motioned to the couch across from her. “I’ve been expecting you.”
I glanced at Elisa, hoping to get a read on her to find out what she knew—if she knew anything at all.
The vampire merely shrugged and stepped back, closing the door to leave me alone with Mary.
I left my suitcase against the wall and sat down where Mary had instructed.
“I had some coconut water brought in for you.” Mary glanced at the pitcher full of cloudy liquid in front of me. “I hear it’s one of the best things one can drink while pregnant.”
“What?” I backed into my seat, shocked. I hadn’t told anyone about my pregnancy. “How did you know…?”
“I have my ways.” She smirked, although it miraculously didn’t come off as smug. “I also know that your intentions for coming to the Haven are pure, although I don’t know what those intentions are. So please, would you care to enlighten me?”
She crossed her legs and took a long sip of blood—apparently the floor was mine.
I poured myself a glass of coconut water and took a sip, making a conscious effort not to wince at its taste. I hated coconut water. But I was a guest here, and the last thing I needed was to appear ungrateful, so I smiled like I enjoyed it.
“War is coming to the Vale,” I told Mary, swallowing down sadness as I spoke about the possibility of the only home I’d ever known being destroyed. “The wolves outnumber us, and for reasons unknown to us they want their land back, even though they have to break the treaty they signed with us centuries ago to do so. It’s not looking good for the vampires and witches that live there. I would have stayed and tried to find a solution, but…” I set my glass down and placed a hand lightly upon my stomach. “I’m not just looking out for myself anymore. You know how difficult it is for a witch of my strength to get pregnant—this might be my only chance to become a mother. I needed to do what was best for my child. Which meant coming here—to the Haven.”
“You’re safe here,” she said. “But tell me—who’s in charge of the Vale now that Queen Laila is gone?”
“You know?” I shouldn’t have been shocked—everyone who’d been in the throne room during Laila’s murder knew that Annika had commanded Geneva to bring her to the Haven.
“Annika told me everything,” she said.
“Of course,” I said, since I’d figured as much. “Is the Nephilim still here?”
She eyed me up as she took a sip of her drink, saying nothing. “Like I said, I have valid reasons to trust that you’re telling me the truth about why you’re here,” she said. “And I believe that a powerful witch such as yourself will be an asset to the Haven. However, if I’m to be fully up front with you about the goings on around here, we’re going to have to make a blood oath.”
Finally, we were getting somewhere.
“What are your terms?” I asked.
“You’re to tell no one of what I’m about to tell you today unless I give you permission to do so.” She studied me, her fierce gaze giving a glimpse of how she’d become a leader of one of the biggest supernatural kingdoms in the world. “Do we have a deal?”
“Yes.” I nodded, my answer a no-brainer. I needed to do whatever I could to protect my child, and that meant acquiring as much information as possible from whoever was willing to offer it. “We have a deal.”
Camelia
Mary told me everything she knew about the wolves—about their Savior preparing to rise, and that He required all
the vampires of the Vale to be gone before that would be possible. She also told me about Rosella and her prophecy.
“Annika and Jacen have left for the Tree of Life so they can acquire the Holy Grail,” she concluded. “I don’t know why they need it—not even Rosella knows why—but we know it’s imperative to ending this war.”
“It’s true, then.” I sat back, taking everything in. “Jacen was never on our side to begin with.”
“He is on our side.” Mary’s gaze was sharp. “He’s fighting for peace on the side of the Haven.”
“Right.” I shook my head, internally cursing my slip-up. “I’m sorry—before this moment, I lived in the Vale for my entire life. The adjustment to a new home will take some getting used to.”
“I understand,” she said. “But as long as you follow the rules of the Haven—which I trust you’ll do, given what’s at stake…” She paused to glance at my stomach. “Then I promise we’ll take good care of both you and your child.”
“Thank you,” I said, more grateful than I could ever express. “I’m in your debt. If you ever need anything from me, please don’t hesitate to ask.”
“Trust me, I won’t.”
I held her gaze with mine, feeling a sense of understanding forming between us. There was also something more than understanding—there was respect.
That was more than Laila and I ever truly had with each other. There was only one thing that was important to Laila—power. She would do whatever she needed to maintain that power, even if it meant hurting those close to her.
While Laila and Mary were both leaders, the two couldn’t have been more opposite from one another if they’d tried.
But even though I should have felt safe in the Haven, I still worried for the Vale. Like I’d told Mary, the Vale had been the only home I’d ever known. I didn’t want anything bad to happen to it or to those within its walls.
The Vampire Wish: The Complete Series (Dark World) Page 62
