With that, Nathalia grabbed the silver string, stretching it tight between her fists, and brought it to her mouth. A small click of her razor-sharp teeth and the thread of life was cut. She dropped both ends, which floated down to the hollow of her neck, where the birthstone waited patiently for its prana offering. They connected with their goal and began to reel in the rest of life from Eitan.
His death cry was horrific as the string tore from the places it was sewn throughout his body. Nathalia held, forced to stare as Eitan died. As the silver thread of life unstitched itself, he came un-seamed. It looked for a moment that his blood was boiling, but then as his skin broke down, rolling rocks could be seen replacing his flesh and bones.
It was over in an instant. As the last prana pulled from him and joined Nathalia’s birthmark, his body returned to the elements from which it was made. There was a flash as flame ate the air and then a pile of earth laying in a puddle of water was all that remained. Every Nephilim there could see that there was no life, no prana, left in this pile. The second of them was truly dead, both by her hand.
Nathalia rushed to Eiran, tearing open her wrist on the way. She put it to his lips and commanded him to drink. At first the blood only slid down his throat, but then he began to swallow. He soaked up the blood like a sponge and it permeated his flesh, replacing that which Nathalia had taken. When he had enough Nathalia stopped the flow and stood to address the waiting.
I did not lie to Eitan. The law is not abolished, but altered. It still stands that none is to taste the blood of another Nephilim. Those who do will be brought to a justice circle. If the One finds then that his mate is gone from this world by either his own hand or by his inattention to protecting his family line, then I will furnish his final death.
It is not against the law to feed from your Sinnis Ina Ummum Zumru in any way that she accepts. Once she has been converted, she carries a similar enough, if not the same, blood as you. That is how I was able to feed from and feed Eiran and not turn Akhkharu.
Eiran spoke to her alone, That is how you crossed the gisig when it was made only for me. The veil could not distinguish between us. You have known all this time.
No, my love. I don’t deserve the credit you give me. It took more than one piece for me to decipher the puzzle. She turned, returning the love she saw in his eyes. Hold me, Eiran. Tabalu us away from here.
She spoke to the assembly, but aimed the personal message to Eiran. A mate who can move through time and space with you, from whom you can take nourishment and satisfaction only if you are willing to give her the same: this is your reward for having withstood temptation and apathy through your long life. Cherish her, protect her, and love her. Though our battle with evil is far from over, your Sinnis Ina Ummum Zumru is your small reprieve.
As they dissolved, proving that the exchange of blood between Sinnis and Nephilim did not corrupt, Ki released her children. Free, they scattered, carefully avoiding contact with what had been Eitan. Nephilim tabalu’d. Akhkharu ran. Word of what happened would spread quickly.
No one noticed the man in the security guard jacket slipping a sliver of the shattered dagger into his pocket.
In her fourth, out of sixth, hour of transit, Venus moved very slowly across Ud’s face, only visible as a result of the contrast. The tiny black orb could be seen as a dot against the large bright ball, tangible proof that Ki and her inhabitants were not the center of the solar system. Even the center of the solar system was not the heart of the galaxy and certainly not the nexus of the universe.
The thought made Nathalia feel small, even after such a victory. She was the First, but not the One. She was thankful for the reminder of her place in the cosmos. She didn’t know if her animosity toward the Igigi was valid or if it had come from Eitan but there were plenty of things to do before she had to worry about that.
Almost everyone gathered in the sanctuary where the specially designed roof that multiplied the moonlight at night, dimmed the burning rays of the sun during the day enough for them to observe the transit. It occurred in a pattern that repeated every 243 years with pairs of transits eight years apart, so this ceremony was less jelled than their other more routine ones. It was more an occasion than a function. They did not worship Venus, but rather just had a party in her honor. They had so much to celebrate. The Daughters doubled their ranks by allowing men to join and already, after only a few days, could feel the rightness of the alteration. Like a metal alloy, having been through the fire together, they were made stronger.
Nephilim were, while not relishing the loss of their secrecy, willing to try things Nathalia’s way for a while. She insisted that their cooperation with the Daughters would also strengthen both groups. She believed she and Eiran were proof of that. Her conversion and their complete integration had tamed the beast. Existence without its gnawing, ever distractive hunger, allowed them both to live more fully, while shouldering their responsibilities more easily. They would always have each other. Nathalia danced a little closer to Eiran, happy that he had kept his Hunger in check for so long and proud she could provide relief from such a burden.
Others crushed into them, but not in an unpleasant way. Without the demand to kill and consume beating at them, Eiran and Nathalia could enjoy the company of others, human and Nephilim. The room filled with both, along with love and magic. The floor was covered with dancing people wearing dress whites. Spun and woven by hand at a Sister Abbey, infused with magical blessings and protections and soaked in the basking white pure joy of the Capacitors, they were normally reserved for weddings and other high-ranking events. Today everyone wore at least one piece of the holy material.
Only a few people were missing the festivities. Camilla was downstairs in the storage room; there were still pregnancies to be protected. Maeve, Aaron, Harith, and Nanae were in the medical wing. Billy, ashamed of his attempt on Nathalia’s life, had refused to come back to the compound at all. Sensing their son needed some time to sort things out, Leonard and Libby had gone on their anniversary trip.
The Nephilim in the room anxiously awaited the arrival of the One, who was to be born during the Transit of Venus though she wasn’t due for a few more weeks. They watched expectantly as their Healer made his way through the crowd toward Ereshkigal and Eiran. Jolie, whose due date was today, had delivered a few weeks ago after being confined to bed rest immediately following Eitan’s attack on the One. Marcie, who lived off grounds, and was further into her pregnancy than either woman, had still not delivered. Nathalia suspected that the two women’s exposure to the collected energy of the Capacitors had advanced their pregnancies and Nanae’s announcement confirmed her notion.
“Maeve has delivered a beautiful healthy daughter. Holy Mother and child are doing perfectly well.” A cheer went up and the celebrating blossomed in earnest, stealing attention away from Nanae before he could continue. “Ereshkigal of the Kafziel family line, having served my brothers, their families and my own, I seek the final death by your hand.”
Nanae, I cannot do that.
He knelt before her. “I beg you. Now that I have seen the One, I feel my duty is done and my exhaustion is only beginning.”
I’m sorry; the answer is no.
“You do not understand what it means to live this long. Everyone I love grows old and dies, and every day of their lives is a struggle not to give in to the beast’s drive to devour them. I cannot do it any longer. Please have mercy on those of us too weary to go on but too strong to die.”
I can only imagine how it has been for you, especially as a healer. You’re able to treat every ailment except old age. Nathalia leaned down and took Nanae’s hand in hers, lifting him up off his knees. Eiran, confident in her, made no move to come between the other Nephilim and her. I cannot release you from this mortal coil. Not yet. The One is only just born. She may need you during her childhood in the days before she can be converted.
“He Who is for the One will care for her. Have you no mercy, Ereshkigal?”
Harith Samsiel is no healer. He cannot share his blood with her, even to save her for fear of conversion before her time. We need you. If I were to grant your request, I would damn your Sinnis Ina Ummum Zumru to a short life filled with misery. I have mercy on her by not killing the only thing that could make her whole. You will find that it is mercy on you also, once her existence becomes known to you. Courage, man; the hurt cannot be much that the promise of comfort cannot overshadow it.
“I will see the One through her eighteenth year. On that day, you will give me death or I will give into my Hunger. Either way, that will be my last as a Nephilim. I swear it on my mother’s body.”
The First Couple were taken aback. An oath sworn by a Nephilim on the body of a mother was unbreakable. Nanae’s eyes shone and for the briefest of moments. Ereshkigal caught sight of his beast within their depths, enlivened by the promise of freedom. It stretched, testing Nanae’s leash, and found that his oath had put a weakness in the chain. The beast knew that if continual pressure was put on that leash, it would break exactly eighteen years from now to the date.
Come to me on that day and I will allow you to meet the final death with your honor intact.
Nanae made a half bow, turned and walked back the way he had come without another word. They turned to watch him go. Maybe he had felt the change the oath made in the beast. Maybe he was frightened by what he had done. Maybe he was angry at Nathalia for forcing his hand.
“Every effort will be made to find Nanae’s mate before then.” Eiran’s concern was not for Nanae, but Nathalia. He knew better than anyone what it would do to her to destroy a brother. He could continue as the Keeper of the Betrayers because his job was no longer endless and she could be the Bringer of Final Justice because she could see the mercy in it. She could not see the mercy in ending an uncorrupted.
Nathalia nodded. They would put every resource to getting each Nephilim his Sinnis. Too bad Maeve’s matchmaking did not work for Nephilim. Minali would be of great use to them all and Nathalia felt certain it was the reason the girl had felt the call to join the Texas sect. Minali had used her siren ability for the first two hours of the transit, when all women’s power was enhanced by the celestial body so infused with female characteristics, but had disappeared once her duty was fulfilled. Nathalia hoped the girl’s power was strong enough to attract Nephilim and Sinnis to this place, but Minali did not seem to be adjusting to her new life here and her power was weakening.
There were so many brothers unaccounted for, and it was urgent that they congregate here. Some were bound to be tainted, but all had the chance of eternal happiness if even one branch of their lineage remained. There were not so few Nephilim who had withstood temptation and protected their family lines that Ereshkigal could excuse those who had not. There were some who had managed to protect their bloodlines even with the corruption of betrayal coursing through their veins, whispering, taunting, encouraging them to destroy their one hope of salvation. Those had buckled under the pressure on one, two or even a hundred instances, but were, at their core, good. Those who had succumbed to not only those chances to drink brethren blood but also their base evil nature, tracking and draining their family trees branch by branch, deserved death. Only the One could pass judgment on that count. The First could only enforce the sentence.
“Come, my love. Let us go meet the Sarvamata Yaminah Prema.”
They did not have to go anywhere to meet the One. She came to them. The baby looked absurdly small in the arms of such a giant, but Harith carried his bundle of joy gingerly through the crowd. Time stood still as they approached the center of the sanctuary. The sea of bodies parted and all eyes fell on Her. He Who is for the One carefully transferred the infant to Nathalia’s waiting arms. His voice, barely more than a whisper, said, “Her name is Genevieve.”
Nathalia found the name fitting for both the baby and the woman she would become. Nathalia looked at the face of the promised One, the sister destined to be her partner. She was beautiful, perfect even. Nathalia felt a pang of sadness for her. She would need to grow up very quickly. They couldn’t allow her the luxury of a lengthy childhood. Her skills would be needed long before her eighteenth year. Constantly in danger from jealous humans and hungry Akhkharu, she would begin passing judgments over betrayers before she understood what her sentence truly entailed. Judgments that Nathalia would carry out, transforming this place, the one Nathalia had found as her refuge from the violence of this world, into just the opposite.
The holy material worn by everyone in the room was also used as the One’s first blanket. It felt rough against Nathalia’s arm. Luckily, it didn’t seem to bother the baby. Those Nephilim without Sinnis would find her irresistible and it would be necessary for her to wear a piece of it at all times.
Nathalia felt a breeze from all directions and tore her gaze from the One’s face to find herself surrounded by Nephilim. Not the tame, camouflaged versions the Daughters were used to, but the wildly inhuman winged giant heroes of old; men renown. She felt a short-lived flash of fear. Each one knelt, their wings framing their bowed bodies, as they took the oath.
“Sarvamata Yaminah Prema is born again. May the body of my mother turn to dust and the well of her power dry should I fail the One. She will be the true mother of peace and take the throne of her ancestor and will reign over Earth forever; Her kingdom will never end.”
Though both the First and the One stood before them, they could see only Genevieve. She was innocence, their hope for peace and happiness. She completely eclipsed Nathalia, their promise of death. A truer reflection of the celestial occurrence happening above them could not be found in all the world.
The Shinar shook. Ishtar, the woman of the people, had found her way back to Earth and they had little leverage against her.
Nanae Raphael started drinking again. After years without, he had once again given in to temptation. It was her fault. She had come in here with that intoxicating scent. One whiff and years of self-denial went right out the window. He could stop anytime, he told himself. He just didn’t want to.
Her blood was unlike any he could remember. Her body called out to him. She was his Sinnis Ina Ummum Zumru and he had recognized her as soon as she’d walked in the room. He guessed it was her near exclusive exposure to the heightened power of the holy Capacitors that had kept her existence and location from him. She spent every day with them, seeing to their every discomfort. If only he had known about her before he made his vow.
His words replayed in his mind, taunting him. “I will see the One through her eighteenth year. On that day you will give me death or I will give in to my Hunger. Either way, that will be my last as a Nephilim. I swear it on my mother’s body,” he had said. No use fretting about it now. An oath sworn by a Nephilim on the body of a mother was unbreakable. Nanae’s beast, within his depths, enlivened by the promise of freedom, stretched, testing Nanae’s leash, and found that his oath had put a weakness in the chain. He had felt it and Ereshkigal had seen it. The beast knew that if continual pressure was put on that leash, it would break. Come to me on that day and I will allow you to meet the final death with your honor intact, the First had said to him. There would be no escape, but eighteen years is a long time, for a human. Or a Nephilim who had lost control of his Hunger. His Sinnis, Camilla Tharese Brewster Lovejoy, would survive him. She would survive him if he could refrain from killing her.
If he could keep his Hunger beast from recognizing her as his Sinnis.
She was tiny with a wealth of blonde hair the same color as his. Striking with minimal effort, her hair was all the same length, like she hadn’t bothered to cut it in years. A petite pixie with small but perfect breasts and a heart shaped butt, her legs were short but shapely, ending with thin ankles and delicate feet. She wore no makeup, but her fiery green eyes and pink mouth gave her face all the color she needed. Her lips were thin but well-shaped. With a top lip almost as long as the bottom one, her smile was wide and barely upturned at the corners. She
had a dimple on one side. Her skin was pale, almost transparent, blue veins and pink arteries prominent. The beast had called for her death, her immediate draining, and Nanae had almost given in. Ereshkigal’s Law be damned; no one should smell that delicious.
Then she’d spoken.
He would have given her anything after hearing that voice. She was asking for something only he could give her and he couldn’t deny her. She wanted a baby. She was a Panacea Primo for the Daughters of Women. Since she came from the same maternal line as he, she could be none other than a healer. Her ability was different though. There were almost no limits to what he could heal. Hers manifested itself as the ability to remove any abnormality from the human bodies around her. It was very handy for curing cancer and infections but could not differentiate between a tumor and a desired pregnancy.
That was where he came in. Camilla was fairly certain she could conceive but needed him to block her natural ability. She needed him to hold the pregnancy to her until it was a viable age, able to survive life outside her body. He agreed. He wished his seed carried the spark of life but Nephilim could not procreate that way. A human man would have to provide.
This service would cost her. He’d told her the price and she’d agreed. It was reasonable, she said. Little did she know. There was nothing reasonable about what he would demand from her. He had only taken a few drops, just a taste, to seal the deal. It had been almost impossible to reign the beast back. Would he be strong enough next time?
The Dying Art of Magic Page 23
