by Jamie King
“Yes.”
The alley is filled with trash bags that are piled against an overflowing dumpster. An animal stirs in the rotting pile as we pass by. I cringe at the thought of it and hurry to catch up to Luka who is now about ten feet ahead of me. His stamina is truly beyond me. I grunt as I will my legs to press on. The muscles burn with each step and my knees wobble. “You can do it.” I whisper to myself.
The alley opens into a large warehouse district. The black paved road is littered with potholes. Pieces of wood and metal jut up against a massive brick warehouse.
Luka hugs the side of the building to remain hidden in shadow and I follow close behind. A large pile of rusted metal blocks our path and I follow Luka around it. My foot catches on something and I trip into Luka’s back. I clutch my nose. “Oh my god your back is like a solid wall.” My eyes water and I hold my fingers up to check for blood.
“Careful, watch where you’re going.” He hisses.
“Sorry.” I whisper as I rub my nose and look around. A small overhead lamp extends from a wooden arm above a rusted metal door. The logo on the overhang reads Bronze Dragon Metal Working with a bronze dragon ouroboros painted on the door. “Clever.” I whisper. He glares at me once more. Where did this irritation come from all of a sudden?
Luka knocks on the door then steps back beside me. His body is full of tension. The door opens and a petite woman in military garb steps into view. Her dark brown hair is braided and twisted into a bun. Her chestnut brown eyes shimmer under the lamp as she gives Luka a warm smile. I shrink behind him. My fingers grip the back of his hoodie.
“We come from the white and seek sanctuary with the Gray.” Luka announces with an authoritative tone.
She peers around him at me. Her face pales and she backs away. “Y-you.” She points in fear.
Luka steps forward. “She has done nothing wrong. Please take us to your priestess. We have requested sanctuary.”
The woman backs away and grips the door shaking her head in fear. Her eyes wide as she gapes at me. “No, no.” she mutters as she attempts to close the door.
Luka slams his hand against the door. The sound of the impact echoes through the air. The woman attempts to shut it again, but he’s too strong. “Your creed is to follow balance and neutrality providing sanctuary to all whom request, unless the requester has broken the law of the gods. All whom seek shelter are welcome under the dragon of balance.”
The woman tears her eyes away from me to gaze up at him. “She is a Daeolc. Sh-she is dangerous.”
“You are not the one to make that judgement.”
At his words, she lowers her head and releases the door. She pulls her trembling hands to her chest and turns around. “Follow me.” She whispers and disappears into the building.
We follow her down a dimly lit gray hallway until we come to an elevator. She presses the down arrow and it.
Why do these covens love to be under ground? The elevator buzzes deafeningly announcing its arrival. Metal clangs as she pulls the gates open granting us entry into the old birdcage like elevator.
“Jason will meet you down below.” She quickly shuts the metal caging and hurries away as the elevator starts with a jolt and takes us beneath the warehouse.
The elevator comes to a stop and a tall man with fire red hair steps into view. His slender body moves gracefully as he unlocks the metal gates and pulls them open with little effort. Much like the girl that greeted us at the entrance, he is dressed in a dark gray military attire. His boots are black and a bronze ouroboros is embroidered on the left arm.
“Hello, welcome to Summergaurd Stronghold. Home of the Gray Coven here in Pine Hills. How may we be of service this evening?” His hazel eyes land on me and his thin smile wavers slightly.
Luka folds his arms over his chest. “We need to meet with your priestess.”
“Right away sir. I shall go rouse her once I get you two settled in, yes?” We nod our agreement. “Good, good. You two must be cold. I’ll start a fire for you.” He turns on his heels. “Right this way.” Jason glances over his shoulder. “Daesidh, huh?” He turns his attention back to the cramped gray hallway ahead of him. “You must be powerful if you still look like that while being on earth.” He strokes a rough five o’clock shadow.
“Must be.” Luka says in a musing tone.
“May I ask what you are?” I allow my curiosity to overrule my nerves.
A gentle chuckle escapes him. “I happen to be a vampire.”
My steps falter for a moment. “V-vampire?”
“The gray has been kind enough to allow safety and comfort for many supernatural beings like myself. Tainted by something we cannot control.” He sighs heavily and opens a door that leads to another dim hallway. “I left my clan over a hundred years ago and found sanctuary here.” He glances around at the walls. “Well, not here per say, but with the gray coven. I’ve seen many types come through here in search of safety, family, kinship, and love. You name it. Though this is the first I’ve ever seen a Daesidh. Quite intimidating, if I do say so myself. I imagine you gave little Susie upstairs a scare.” He chuckles and rubs his head. “Though, I’ve heard many stories of your kind being overtaken by the power, so I can see why so many fear you. Doesn’t make it right though.” He shakes his head wearily.
“She did seem a bit frightened.” Luka adds with a smirk. Did he enjoy that I scared her?
Jason opens a wooden door and flicks on a table lamp. The dim yellow glow provides just enough light to see the outline of the sofa and armchair. He kneels in front of the large fireplace and expertly lights the logs. “You two can relax here until the priestess is ready for you.”
“Thank you.” I whisper. Jason closes the door behind him.
“Come on, why don’t we warm up by the fire.” Luka sits on the dark gray loveseat.
I sit beside him. My tail is compressed inside the leg of my pants and my wings bump the sofa pillows. I try to relax as much as possible. I catch Luka smiling at me when I finally settle down.
“Ri, we haven’t had a chance to talk, do you want to talk about what happened?”
I stare into the flames. Images of the night we were imprisoned play through my mind. Splinters of wood exploding into the room. Blood flying and the sounds of screams echoing in the darkness. Rough hands grabbing and touching me. The sound of Luka’s screams as I was taken away. Knuckles landing on my face and the sinister eyes of that woman as she prepared to torture me. No. I don’t want to talk about that. Not one bit. “There’s nothing to talk about.”
“Ri, you went through a lot.”
“Yeah, so did you. What’s done is done. There is nothing for anyone to say that can change that.”
“Ri.” I feel him glance down at my tangled fingers gripping and tugging my shirt. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be, it isn’t your fault.”
“It was my fault.” He breathes out. His hand comes up to my face and I lean into it. Warmth spreads over my cheek and I fall into his touch. How long has it been? How long were we locked away?
I feel him move and then his lips gently caress mine. My exhaustion and unease fade away as I allow Luka to take over every thought. I reach for him and run my fingers through his hair. His hand cups the back of my neck as my heart slams against my ribcage.
The door to the room opens and a very round many comes in. “Oh, pardon me. I didn’t mean to interrupt.” He bashfully looks away.
Luka pulls away and clears his throat. “No problem.”
“I, uh, was told that there was a young lady in here that needs some help reigning in her,” he raises his hands to make air quotes, “Form.”
“You can do that?”
“Oh yes my dear. You can control what parts you want to show and which ones you don’t. Only takes a bit of concentration and the right teacher.” He gives a wink. His red cheeks glow in the warm light. Ice blue eyes only make his skin appear more crimson. He’s like a beardless Santa clause. I smile at the though
t of him in a red suit handing out toys to children. “Come, let us try.” He beckons me to him.
I take his hand cautiously and stand in front of him. I feel Luka’s gaze and I peer over my shoulder at him. Amusement clearly written all over his face. Great. Happy to entertain.
“Okay, what’s your name dear?” His voice is soothing like a warm blanket on a cold winter day.
“Nuri.”
“What a pretty name.” He smiles. “I am Liam.”
He grabs my other hand without warning and I flinch away. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you.”
I place my hand in his once more. “No, it’s not your fault.”
“Now, I want you to close your eyes. Breathe in and out. Think of only relaxation and calmness. Find your own section of peace within your heart.”
I breathe deeply and shed all thoughts of my life. Images of warm sun wash over me. My mind tingles and pure calm encases me.
“Very good. Now imagine yourself without your wings and horns.”
“And tail.” I add.
His eyes widen in surprise. “Oh, a tail, how lovely.” He chuckles. “Now, imagine yourself as just the normal you. The human you. The you that you picture as the most familiar. Imagine those parts you don’t want visible sinking into your body to enter a deep slumber.” I picture them folding into my body to hide away from the world. “Yes, good. That’s right. They’re going to sleep now.”
Gradually an odd sensation of pressure ripples under my skin and then nothing. I open my eyes. “Did I do it?”
Liam looks proud. “You sure did.” He beams at me.
I glance over my shoulder at a surprised Luka. “This is amazing.” His eyes wonder over me. “I never knew that was possible.”
“Oh yes, anything is possible.” Liam chuckles.
I look behind me. No tail, no wings. I touch the top of my head and find only hair. “Thank you, thank you so much!”
“You’re welcome, dear. Now let’s go meet priestess Kamila.”
Luka and I follow Liam down a long hallway that comes to an end at wooden double doors. Liam pushes the doors open exposing an industrialized great room. A long glass table sits at the center of the room surrounded by fifteen or so black mesh ergonomic office chairs. A woman is at the head of the table, her attention deep in a pile of paperwork. Her dark brown hair is pulled back into a tight bun and her smooth dark skin appears like silk under the light. Her soft round features and almond shaped chocolate eyes are breathtaking. She wears a white turtle neck, black skinny jeans, and black boots. A small scar is carved through the eyebrow over her right eye. As we approach, she lifts her face to greet us.
“You are the two that Lillian told me about, I assume.” She folds the paper in her hand and places it on the table beside a wine glass and a half-eaten plate of food.
“Lillian?” Luka’s brows furrow.
“Yes, Lillian told me that I may be receiving some odd visitors. The Halfling son of the great queen’s guard and the Daesidh that’s been touched by the gods.” Luka and I exchange a glance. “I expected you both over a week ago, but I guess things change.”
“We recently escaped our confinement within the Golden Oak, priestess.” Luka bows his head in respect. “We have been charged with treason and are now on the run as fugitives of the white coven.”
Her eyes widen and a dimple forms on her cheek as she smirks. “How unfortunate. Treason you say? What on earth did you do?”
“Exist.” I mumble.
She scoffs. “Yes, the Daesidh are seen as a threat to the realms. I’m honestly surprised you’re alive. The white typically kills your kind on sight.” Her gaze moves to Luka. “And you, General.” Her eyes move over us. “Involved with a woman that is not your betrothed.”
Luka stiffens at the accusation. “Unforeseen circumstances, priestess.” He glances down at me with sad eyes. “Sometimes we discover that the path we’re on is not the one meant for us.”
“The path is not always clear, but it is always the right one.” She retorts. “Come and sit. There are important items we need to discuss.” Luka and I sit beside each other directly to her left. “Now tell me Nuri, who are your parents?”
I freeze as I think about Baal and my mother. “She doesn’t know her father ma’am.” Luka says in an attempt to help me.
“I didn’t ask you Luka.” She chides.
“I don’t know who my father is, but my mother was Grace Hayes. We discovered just before our imprisonment that it is possible her real name was Endellion Maher. That’s all I know about my family.” If you could call it a family.
She leans back in her chair. “The gods can be cruel.” She rubs her thumb over her lips as she watches us. “Do you know anything about the Maher family?”
“A little. Luka told me what he knows.”
“Which isn’t that much.” Luka adds apologetically
She shifts in her chair and folds her arms over her chest. “The Maher family has been considered royalty for hundreds of generations and are known to be the purest descendants of the Anunaki.” She looks at me inquisitively. “Do you know of the Anunaki?”
“I don’t think so.” I shake my head. “I vaguely remember studying them in my ancient history course in college, but I never got very far.”
She smiles. “The Anunaki were a group of Fairy that came to earth many thousands of years ago. When humans were still nomadic and uncivilized. The Anunaki created a civilization in the hills of what is now the Middle East, to worship the god Anu in seclusion. Eventually they grew tired of their self-imposed seclusion and ventured down to the land of Sumer where they encountered the humans for the first time.”
I nod. “Luka told me about these people. Some mated with humans, right?”
“Yes, these children were called halflings and they possessed immense power and a soul.”
“Luka mentioned that Lucifer started a rebellion because of souls, but why does a soul matter so much?”
“It’s a tradeoff, demons and fae have extraordinarily long life spans, whereas humans live for only a small percentage of that. Having a soul allows them entry into the Astral plane to exist until they are reincarnated. Essentially living forever.” She lifts her wine glass to her lips. “Lucifer found this unfair for the other mortal beings. This eternal life.” She waves her free hand gingerly.
“Oh, I guess that makes sense.”
“The Anunaki realized that their offspring were granted this blessing of eternal life by mating with humans. Anu was displeased that his creations were able to breed together in such a way. So, he cursed the Anunaki, so they would never be able to return to any other realm in an attempt to prevent the knowledge from spreading.” She leans forward and sets the glass down. “The king of the Anunaki, Alulim, was the father of the Maher bloodline. It is said that his power rivaled that of the gods themselves. He established the Sumerian kingdom and lived peacefully for thousands of years. Eventually the original Anunaki died leaving their offspring to rule. With each halfling generation the lifespan and power began to lessen. The Maher family realized this and would marry only other powerful bloodlines and sometimes even intermarry among siblings. They were meticulous in their selection in order to keep the purest blood. They ruled over Sumeria until war forced them to flee.” She traces a finger over the glass table. “As time passed, the bloodlines became so mingled with humans that the lifespan of these descendants matched that of normal humans. While we still retain much of our magic, this magic is nothing compared to the original halflings.”
I stare at Luka. I wonder how powerful he is. He is both of this Halfling bloodline, but also his father was a fairy. Yet, his wings don’t appear on earth, so does that mean I’m more powerful than he is?
“In order to preserve our history and bloodlines, the three covens were formed in representation of the three dragon watchers. We became known to humans as the wise ones. The bringers of knowledge and life until Lucifer and his rebels were cast from heaven about
six thousand years ago.”
I glance over at Luka. “Luka told me a little about the rebellion.”
“Oh, good. Essentially Anu tainted his name and all that was associated with the other gods. Knowledge was lost to book burnings and genocides of those that refused to believe the lies being spread by the followers of the prophets. Anu told these so-called prophets his falsehood and had them spread it among the humans in an attempt to rid the earth of any remaining halfling descendants.”
‘Oh, god.’ I whisper in shock. The recount of human history is a complete lie. I press my hand to my lips. It’s all a lie. “Why would he do that?”
“No one knows Anu’s true motivation.” Luka says. “But, we became the hunted.”
“When the witch hunts began, we feared extinction, so we hid ourselves from the world completely. We spread all over the globe and established many headquarters and sanctuaries that could be a haven for any witch that came in need.”
I lean forward and clasp my hands together allowing the history lesson to sink in. “So, if we came from Fairies breeding with humans, then how do vampires exist?”
She giggles at my question and leans back down in her chair. “The Zenith are a race of creatures from the Fae realm. Detestable creatures those things. They feed on the life force of other fae. A few thousand years ago, shortly after the dragon of balance was killed, someone opened a portal from Fae to earth and released thousands of Zenith onto earth. They swarmed earth like a plague and ended up bringing with them a virus that is specific to their homeland that most Fae are immune to at this point. This virus took hold of those that had been fed on. They became much like the Zenith in behavior. They needed another being’s life force in order to live.”
I drop my hand to my lap. “I assume werewolves are some magical mishap as well?”
Luka laughs. “That’s a virus gone awry too. It came from shapeshifters that bit humans.”
“Can I ask another question?”
