by I. T. Lucas
“Is she the head of your clan?”
Sari nodded.
“What about your father? Did he pass away?”
She laughed. “That’s such a chauvinistic thing to say. If I told you that my father was the head of the clan, would you have assumed that my mother had passed?”
“You are right. I wouldn’t. Was your mother always the chieftain?”
“That is not the right term. She is the clan’s founder.”
Evidently, he’d been right, and Sari’s community wasn’t a traditional clan of extended family members, but a group of people who lived in a commune. There was at least one more center in California, and since more people were arriving the next day, including the clan’s founder, there was probably another center elsewhere.
Perhaps he should google female cult leaders.
Except, his devices didn’t work in the castle, most likely because there was no internet connection and no cellular service. Then again, if they were ordering things online, they had to have access to the outside world. Perhaps it was limited to the leadership?
Was Sari’s mother a charismatic cult leader?
He really needed to find out more about this place and what was going on before letting himself develop feelings for Sari.
“Your mother must be one hell of an impressive lady.”
“She is.” A calculating expression flitted across Sari’s beautiful face. “You can see for yourself when you meet her and my sister tomorrow.”
David tensed. Did the cult leader’s arrival have anything to do with him? If Kalugal, a secondary leader in the organization, was a powerful hypnotist, his aunt was probably even more so.
Were they planning on indoctrinating him into their cult? Was that why he was there?
Sari regarded him curiously. “What’s the matter, David? Is the prospect of meeting my mother stressing you out?” She put her hand on his shoulder. “I’m an adult, and I don’t need my mother to approve my choices in men.”
That didn’t sound like something a follower would say about her cult leader. As usual, he was letting his imagination run wild. Except, what other explanation could there be for all the strangeness?
For now, he would play along and try to find out as much as he could. “Am I your chosen guy?”
Sari tilted her head. “Why would I be spending every free moment I have with you if I weren’t interested?” She smiled shyly. “And kissing you.”
“A kiss on the cheek doesn’t count.”
“It does for me. I’ve never adopted the Mediterranean habit of greeting people by kissing them on both their cheeks.”
She looked so innocent, so sweet. Maybe he was freaking out for nothing and building scenarios in his head that had nothing to do with reality.
Except, things were definitely strange, and he couldn’t find a simple explanation for the oddities. The cult theory was the only one that could explain most of what he had witnessed so far.
“I have to be frank with you, Sari. I like you a lot, but I can’t keep suspending disbelief and going with Kalugal’s, aka Kajeck’s, explanation that this is an alternate reality. It was a nice game to play, but I need to know what’s really going on.”
“Like what?”
“Let’s start with the obvious. Why is everyone more or less the same age? Or how do you connect with the outside world when there is no cellular or internet connection? Is access limited to leadership, and the others are kept isolated?”
Sari shook her head. “No one is kept isolated. We have both cellular and internet connections, but only clan-issue devices work in the castle. We have our own network.”
“Why?”
She sighed. “The explanation requires extensive background that will demand the suspension of disbelief.”
He lifted a brow. “More than the alternate reality story?”
She regarded him with an amused expression. “I’m not sure. Once I’m done, you can decide which version is more fantastic.”
30
Sari
Sari walked over to her favorite spot in the gardens, a gazebo so densely covered by vines that it was like a little outdoor room. “This is a good place for this story. When I need to think, I come here and look at the clear sky, imagining my ancestors arriving in their spaceships.” She smiled at him. “They didn’t land in Scotland, of course. They landed in what was later known as Sumer.”
Sitting next to her, David had an amused expression on his face, probably waiting for the punchline of her joke. “Are you one of those who believe that our origins are extraterrestrial?”
“I’m not sure. Not even my mother knows where the gods came from. She was born on earth. Her parents, as well as the other original settlers, kept the information from the next generation of gods. But she heard rumors and whispers that pointed toward extraterrestrial origins.”
As David shook his head, the acrid scent of his disappointment reached her nostrils. “It’s even worse than I suspected.”
She frowned. “What did you suspect?”
“That you are a cult leader. Or maybe that your mother is. But I didn’t expect alien worship.”
“That’s insulting, David, but I get why you would think that. We are not a cult, we are a clan, a family, and we are also immortal. That is why everyone seems to be the same age to you. Regrettably, births are extremely rare for us, and that is why you didn’t see kids. We only have two young children and two teenagers, and they were seated far away from you at dinner.”
“I didn’t see any, and I was actively scanning the dining hall for anyone older or younger.”
Sari lifted a brow. “Are you accusing me of lying?”
“I just want a straightforward explanation.”
Evidently, the professor had reached the limit of what he was willing to accept, and he wasn’t going to believe anything she told him unless she showed him proof of her immortality first.
“Nothing of what I’m going to tell you will sound straightforward to you. Perhaps you need to see proof first. Who is your favorite movie actress?”
“I don’t have one.”
“Then I’ll have to improvise.” Inspired by her mother’s best friend, Sari decided to go for Wonder Woman. She hadn’t seen the latest movie, so she modeled her shroud on the original actress.
“Hello, David.” Sari chuckled at his shocked expression. “This is what we call a shroud. Immortals have the ability to manipulate human minds.” She dropped the Wonder Woman illusion and switched to that of a fairy with shimmering wings. “I’m planting the image in your mind. Nothing about me is really changing.”
He reached with his hand for one of her wings, but she purposely did not add the illusion of touch even though she could do so, which was rare for a female immortal.
“Did you drug me? Is that how Kajeck turned into Kalugal or vice versa?”
“Kalugal used the same mind trick, but no one drugged you.” She released his mind. “Do you believe me now?”
David shook his head. “You and your cousin could be powerful hypnotists, and your mind tricks don’t prove that you are immortal.”
With a sigh, Sari pushed to her feet. “I can show you more tangible proof, but we need to get back to the house for that. Horseback riding will have to wait for another occasion.”
For a long moment, David remained seated and just looked up at her. “What kind of proof are we talking about?”
“My rapid healing.”
He frowned. “What are you going to do? I hope it doesn’t involve jumping out the tower window because I won’t let you do that.”
Sari laughed. “I’m not crazy, David, and I’m not about to do anything that will cause me too much damage. Even my rapid healing won’t help if my body is splattered at the bottom of the tower. Perhaps I should have qualified that we are near-immortal, not immortal. We don’t get sick, and our bodies can heal most injuries, but when the damage is too extensive or vital organs are destroyed, we can die. All I’m going to do is make a lit
tle cut on my arm. Watching it close up in seconds should suffice to convince you.”
He let out a long-suffering breath and got up. “Cult members are not crazy. They are brainwashed. There is no limit to what a charismatic leader can convince people of, including that they are immortal and indestructible.”
“We are not a cult.” She started walking. “Did you see anyone regard me with a worshipful attitude?”
“I didn’t. But what about your mother? You said that she is in charge.”
“She’s the head of the clan, and she has the last say, but she leaves the day-to-day operation to Kian and me.” Since he was already disbelieving, Sari added, “My mother is a pure-blooded goddess, which makes her more powerful than Kian and me, or any of the others who are just immortal. Still, our people love her and respect her, but they don’t worship her.”
“A goddess.” David shook his head. “On the one hand, I want someone to pinch me and get me out of this crazy dream, but on the other hand, I don’t want to wake up because I want to believe that what you are telling me is true. But mostly, I want you to be real. I will be very disappointed if I wake up and realize that you were just a dream.”
31
David
As David fell in step with Sari, she cast him a sad smile. “Thank you for that. At least I know that you are still interested in me, but I’m beginning to realize that Kalugal’s alternate reality game is backfiring. You doubt everything I say, thinking that you are either drugged or hypnotized, but with your background you should know better. The only time I took hold of your mind was to shroud myself so you’d believe me that I’m not human.”
Not human?
“What do you mean? Are there biological differences? I mean aside from the mental powers and rapid healing?”
His question, as well as his worry about their compatibility, indicated that on some level he believed her, which was absurd. If immortals coexisted with humans, someone would have known about that.
As Area 51 popped into David’s mind, he thought about all the conspiracy theories surrounding it. He had no doubt that the government wasn’t telling its citizens everything, but it wasn’t hiding knowledge of aliens or immortals. The place was probably used to test experimental weapons and maybe even chemical and biological agents.
Sari cast him an amused sidelong glance. “If you are concerned about our compatibility, don’t be. Remember the Bible story about the sons of gods taking the daughters of men? It’s not a myth. In reality, though, the sons and daughters of gods took the sons and daughters of men.”
She led him to the kitchen and pulled a sharp knife from a drawer. “Let’s go back to your room.”
“I don’t like the idea of you hurting yourself. Is there another way?”
“I can ask one of the men to show you his fangs, but you won’t believe your eyes anyway. A bleeding cut closing in seconds is something you can touch and smell and even taste.”
Things were getting progressively worse.
Now Sari was talking about fangs and tasting blood. Next, she would tell him that vampires were real, and that the stories about them were actually about her people. He’d seen them eating regular food, so the blood-drinking was probably ritualistic.
They reached the tower door, and as Sari opened it and started up the stairs, he lagged a few steps behind.
“I can feel your tension mounting.” She looked at him over her shoulder. “What’s going on in that head of yours?”
“Blood, fangs, vampires. It sounds like a horror movie, and I wonder what’s my part in it.”
“I vow that you have nothing to fear from us, David. I know it’s a lot to absorb but try to keep your mind open. I promise that in the end you will be convinced. Not only that, but you will also realize that we are the good guys in the story.”
He could do that.
Anyway, he was trapped in the castle, and David had no doubt that if he tried to leave, he would be stopped. On the other hand, the more he knew, the less it was likely that they would let him go.
But what choice did he have?
Besides, he was curious to see Sari’s demonstration.
When they reached his room, she sat on one of the armchairs and motioned for him to sit on the coffee table in front of her. “You want to watch it closely or you’ll miss it. The wound is going to heal in seconds.”
“Aren’t you going to disinfect it first?”
“No need. I’m immune to all harmful bacteria and viruses.”
If he was willing to suspend disbelief and accept what she was saying as truth, then she and others of her kind were very valuable test subjects. If word got out about their existence, they would be hunted by everyone.
“Viruses mutate. How can you have antibodies for every possible virus?”
“We don’t. The protection is on the genetic level. That’s why studying us won’t help humans. Maybe in the future, when genetic engineering gets advanced enough, they will be able to copy our code.” She smiled. “Although given the superiority it gives us, I’m sure it’s extremely well protected.”
“You are talking about it as if it’s a computer program.”
“On some level, it is.” She lifted the small knife and brought it to her forearm. “Are you ready?”
David grimaced. “Are you?”
“I’m not looking forward to it, but it’s not a big deal. Watch my arm closely, and when the blood starts welling, scoop a drop of it on your finger. Otherwise, you won’t believe that it wasn’t an illusion.”
He nodded.
Moving incredibly quickly, Sari made a small, shallow cut on her forearm. “Touch the blood, David.”
He really wasn’t fond of touching someone else’s blood, especially without gloves, but those were special circumstances. Sometimes life required taking a risk.
“Now, David. It’s starting to close.”
Taking a deep breath, he scented the blood as he reached with his finger and touched the cut. It felt real.
“Taste it,” Sari commanded.
He had no intention of doing that, but he brought his blood-covered finger to his nose and smelled it.
“Look at the wound.”
The skin was knitting together right before his eyes, and a couple of seconds later, only a light smear of blood remained. “Can I touch it again?”
“Go ahead.”
Taking Sari’s hand, he lifted her arm and wiped the smeared blood away with his finger.
No sign of the cut remained, not even the light line that had been visible a moment ago.
“Do you believe me now?”
“I don’t know. It could still be an illusion, a trick, a hypnotic suggestion.”
Sari threw her hands in the air. “I thought that you’d be more open-minded than most, not the other way around. I don’t think any of the other Dormants were as obstinate as you.”
“Dormants?”
“Dormant carriers of our godly genes. That’s why you are here, David. Kalugal thinks that you might be one, and he convinced everyone to give you a chance. But I’m starting to doubt his assessment.”
For the first time since the beginning of the bizarre trip, David finally had another potential working hypothesis for why Kalugal had invited him. It was even crazier than indoctrination into a cult, but at least it had a positive spin.
“I’m sorry for causing you such frustration, but you must realize how crazy this all sounds to me. That being said, I prefer this spin to the one I had before.”
“Which was?”
“Indoctrination into a cult. A psychologist who specializes in post-traumatic stress disorder could be a valuable asset to such an organization.”
“How can I convince you?”
“Tell me your story. I’m ready to listen now.” David pushed to his feet and walked over to the sideboard. “I was wondering about the whiskey bottles your butler left in there. Was it done in preparation for this?”
Sari laughed. “No, but you ar
e welcome to pour some for both of us. Just not too much. I don’t want you to get drunk while hearing my story. You don’t need any more excuses to doubt me.”
32
Sari
While David poured the drinks, Sari went to the bathroom to wash her arm.
She shouldn’t be surprised that the Fates had sent her the most obstinate Dormant male to date. Nothing in her life had been achieved easily, so why should her future mate be any different?
Perhaps that was the best indication that David was the one for her. The Fates liked to challenge her, or maybe they thought that she needed a challenge to appreciate their gift.
David came back with the two glasses, handed her one, and sat in the other armchair. “I’m ready.”
Since Sari’s arm of the clan never had newcomers, and she had no children to tell the story to, this was her first time, and she wondered where to start.
For David to believe her, she needed to focus on what made sense scientifically and stay away from the more fantastical. It also meant that she needed to embellish a little on what was the accepted history of the clan. Some of that was her own thoughts and suspicions on the subject, and some she’d collected from conversations with Kalugal, Kian, and Amanda.
“I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but the mythological pantheons are all similar. The same main gods appear in most of them. They have different names, and there are slight variations in the descriptions of their personalities, but they are easily recognizable.”
“I’ve noticed. The ancient civilizations copied from one another and adopted each other’s deities.”
“Possibly. But I believe the real reason is that at the root of those stories were actual people and events. Some of those stories even found their way into the Bible, but they received a monotheistic spin to fit the one-god agenda.”
“I’m aware of that.”
So far, there had been no head shaking and no anxious scents.
She was making progress.
