Riddick watched me intently. Whatever he saw in my face, it caused him to drop the subject.
Riddick rose through the military ranks and was soon in good standing with the Court. He and Elijah often trained together. In order to best each other, they pushed each other to their limits. It was a friendly competition of sorts. Well, mostly friendly; sometimes it seemed they truly were trying to kill each other.
I was constantly after Mari to train. She hated it and was not very skilled. Getting her to come to the training arena was like trying to forge cold iron. Even when I did get her there it was a battle.
“Try to hit me, Mari” I said.
“But I don’t want to hit you.”
I sighed. “Very well. Block my attack.” I was barely able to stop my fist before it hit her face. “Mari, this is important!”
“I don’t see why. I am a woman. Why should I have to learn to fight?”
“You are married to a powerful man, a high member of the Court, remember? We have enemies and they are as strong and as fast as you. It is only a matter of time before the Court is attacked. You must be at least prepared to defend yourself,” I pled.
Samuel appeared at her side, dipped her down in his arms and kissed her. This made me blush and look away. I had to admit they were wonderful together.
“She is a lover, not a fighter.” Samuel twirled her around, then disappeared — back to his training.
Mari laughed with delight. I was happy for her, yet I could not help feeling annoyed with Samuel. He was encouraging and perhaps even requiring her defenselessness. What if she is attacked? Would he not want her to be able to fight back? I suppose he thinks he will always be there to save her. He had better be, I thought. This was a dangerous world we lived in and Mari did not seem to fully comprehend that.
I gave up on her — for the time being — and trained with the others.
That evening Elijah came to my room, his brow creased with worry.
“What is it?” I asked.
Once behind closed doors in my chamber, he said, “Father is sending me on a diplomatic mission to the Orient. There is a coven of new vampires there. He wants to gain their support and he is sending me to meet with them.”
“That sounds … interesting. I have never been east of Constantinople.”
He took my hands. “Will you come with me?”
“Of course.” It was the protectiveness I had developed for Elijah that prompted me to say yes. There was no way of knowing if these vampires would be friendly or not. I wanted to make sure he was safe.
“Samuel and Riddick will be going with us. Father does not want me to go without guards.”
Now it was my brow that creased. What is Riddick’s level of commitment to protecting Elijah? Will he defend Elijah if needed? He had saved me in the past but not Elijah — at least not directly. It would personally benefit Riddick to have Elijah out of his way.
Chapter 67 Middle East 1262 A.D
We traveled southeast through the night until we reached lands that were so desolate it was difficult to imagine that anything could survive in such harshness. Early on the first morning, we headed straight for the first inn we could find. Even with my hood up the sun was impossibly bright.
How do people — or vampires — live here? I wondered. Stepping into the dark inn was like waking from a bad dream — instant relief. It took a moment for my eyes to stop stinging.
The innkeeper yelled a greeting.
I instinctively covered my ears. “I forgot how loud they are.” I spoke to my companions in what would have been no more than a whisper to a human.
Elijah and Samuel chuckled.
“Annoying, isn’t it?” Riddick said.
The only room available was one large room containing six beds. Elijah quickly assigned us beds. He claimed the one next to me and put Riddick as far away as possible — no doubt that was intentional.
Even Elijah and Samuel seemed relieved to be out of the relentless sun. They were older and could handle sunlight better but the desert sun here was merciless. So there was nothing to do but wait until dark.
This gave me time to think, which usually meant trouble. It dawned on me that we knew very little about Riddick. We trained together almost daily but we made little time for small talk. Otherwise, I was avoiding him or thwarting his advances. Yet I was curious about him and being in a safe environment, I could finally ask him about his life before Denmark.
“How old are you, Riddick?” I sat on my bed with my arms wrapped around my legs.
He looked thoughtful for a moment. “Forty years a vampire, give or take.”
“How old were you when you were turned?”
“Close to twenty.”
“Did Ramdasha turn you?”
“No.” Riddick snapped.
Elijah looked at Riddick with interest and Samuel sat up in his bed.
“Were you born in Constantinople?”
“No.” Riddick laid down turning his back to us.
Apparently, he did not want to talk about himself, or at least his past. This was surprising, as he seemed like the type who would relish the attention and the chance to tell his story. That he did not, made me all the more curious.
“Did I say something offensive?” I mouthed to Elijah.
He shrugged and looked at Riddick’s back with curiosity.
I turned my attention to Samuel. I was fired up — or perhaps bored. “Samuel, you do realize you are putting Mari in danger by encouraging her not to train?”
“She is not like you, Val.”
Since the conversation had turned away from him, Riddick turned to face us.
“I understand that but she needs to at least learn to defend herself.”
“I don’t like it. It is … unnatural — ladies wearing breeches and fighting like men. If it is not my job to protect her, then what good am I? It is not as if we can have children and I could fulfill my role as provider. If we abandon all traditions, then there would be nothing left. There would be no point.” Samuel add softly, as if to himself, “I would be useless.”
I had never seen this side of Samuel — serious, even melancholy. My initial irritation with Samuel faded and my heart went out to him.
“Unnatural: this is a good word for us. There is nothing natural about us. No one should have the speed and strength that we do. I too would give anything for my human life back. To be a mother and a wife.” I paused, trying to hold back the tears. “But that is not the world we live in, Samuel. What if the Court was attacked and you were not there?”
“That is wonderful, Val. Now I will be worried half to death until we get back.”
“Good,” I whispered.
“Very well, your point is made. I will work with her when we get back.”
“Thank you.” I smiled. “I worry about Mari. She and Elijah are all that I have left of my home.”
Riddick sat up looking interested. “Are you from Targoviste as well?” he asked Elijah.
Elijah looked confused.
“Oh,” I said. “That was a lie. I told Ramdasha I was from Targoviste in order to protect my family.”
“We are from a village nestled in the heart of the Carpathian Mountains. It is called Ludus,” Elijah corrected.
Riddick nodded. “Well, it was clever of you not to tell Ramdasha the truth.”
I worried about Riddick knowing where my family was. Hopefully, we can trust him.
“All this talk is depressing. I’m going down for a drink,” Riddick said.
“I could use one as well, thanks to Val.” Samuel gave a mock scowl. “Maybe more than one.”
I gave him a weak smile, though I felt — well, Riddick had said it — depressed.
When they were gone, Elijah motioned for me to sit by him on his bed. I did. He put his arm around me and I laid my head on his chest. Being close to him was consoling and my mood lightened.
“You certainly know how to clear a room,” Elijah said.
I chuck
led. “Emotional conversation is an effective way to get rid of men.”
He was quiet, so I raised my head to study his expression. There was a tear running down his cheek. I had never seen him cry. There was the frequent sadness in his eyes but never tears. This caused a stabbing pain in my heart. I gently wiped away the tear. Not for the first time and not for the last, I wanted to kiss him. I wanted to do something, anything to take his pain away.
“What is wrong?” I whispered.
“I’m sorry. If only I had not fallen in love with you, if only I had had the strength to leave you alone, you could have had a wonderful human life. I took that from you.”
“No, Elijah, your father took that from me. He made that choice for us.”
“But he turned you for me. When I first saw you in the village, I wished that somehow I could be … human. That I could give you everything you wanted … everything I wanted. I was envious of Teller. He could have given you a family and a normal life — far away from this dangerous world.”
I did not know what to say. I understood what he meant. When I’d returned to Ludus for Teller, I’d had some deluded belief that a human-vampire romance could work, that I could somehow be more human if I were with Teller.
“I understand Samuel’s point,” Elijah continued. “If we abandon all human traditions, then we have nothing left of our humanity. Vampire women do not need men to provide for them and protect them.”
I laid my head on his chest.
“Seven hundred years and I am still … here. What is the point of this wretched life?” His voice was utterly hopeless.
It took all my strength not press my lips to his, instead I said, “That is not true. Mari needs Samuel. Vampire women still need to be loved. We can look out for one another. Perhaps we need to let go of human ways of thinking. If we accepted this life for what it is — maybe we could see the point of it.”
“You are wise for your years.”
I laid my head on his chest. His heartbeat was loud, almost too loud. “I need you. I would be lost without you.”
He ran his fingers through my hair. “And I you.”
“How did we get here? Two people with everything and yet … nothing. I mean, strength, power, wealth, eternal youth — do you know how many humans would give anything to be where we are? Yet all we want is a normal life … with a family and children. Is immortality wasted on us?” I said.
“No. You are right. We need to let go of human hopes and dreams. Perhaps then we can be content. We are exactly the type of immortals who should lead our kind. We are doing good by protecting mankind from vampires like Ramdasha.”
“You see, there is a point to this life,” I said.
Elijah kissed my forehead. We were still and silent until we fell asleep. Samuel and Riddick’s noisy return startled me and I moved quickly away from Elijah.
“Sorry, My Lord,” Samuel said. “We should have knocked.”
Riddick glared at me and turned his back to us.
“You needn’t apologize, Samuel.” Elijah replied.
I moved back to my bed and was soon listening to their heavy breathing. I rolled over and looked at Elijah. He was awake, too. It must have been a quick hour, as we had slept enough.
“Come. Let them sleep. Besides, I could do with a drink as well.” We left silently for the common room below.
Chapter 68 Middle East 1262 A.D
Elijah persuaded the innkeeper — with a heavy bag of coins — to allow him to rummage through the wine cellar. This consisted of several racks of wine in a dirt-walled basement.
“I still don’t understand why people drink the old bitter wines.” I blew dust off a flagon of wine.
“It is an acquired taste. You will learn to like it.” He handed me a flagon. “This is a mead you may find suitable.” He scanned the shelves. “This one, however, is a dry wine. It will do for me.”
The innkeeper insisted that we eat. We accepted in order to keep a human appearance, though neither of us ate much. Human food was only for enjoyment. It was not required. I supposed we were not in the mood for fun.
Elijah picked up a deck of cards. “Do you play?”
“No.”
“I’ll teach you.” He shuffled the deck expertly.
It was not long before Riddick and Samuel joined us. As the day wore on, local villagers came and went from the tavern. Our table was soon full of empty flagons and I had had enough sweet mead for a lifetime. So this is what boredom is like, I thought. It was all I could do to stop myself from cleaning the filthy tavern.
However, we were all in better spirits. I grew tired of losing at cards, so I watched Elijah play to see how he was winning.
A couple of local men asked to join us. Elijah welcomed them to our table.
“Where are you from?” one man asked.
“Denmark,” Elijah answered.
The man’s eye’s widened. “You are a long way from home. What are you doing in these parts?”
“We are on a diplomatic mission for Lord Chastellain of Denmark.”
I raised my eyebrows at Elijah. I had not expected him to tell these men the truth.
“Aye, nobles. I should have guessed as much. Is this your lady?” The man’s eyes wandered all over me.
“Yes,” Elijah replied without hesitation.
“It is just that I have never seen a lady wearing breeches before.” The man shifted uncomfortably under Elijah’s warning stare.
“It is the latest fashion in Denmark.” Elijah smiled. “In all the North, actually.” Samuel and I laughed; even Riddick smiled and shook his head.
“Well, she is a beauty anyway. You don’t see the likes of her around these parts.”
“Thank you.” Elijah put his arm around me.
I leaned in closer, making it clear that I was spoken for. I hoped this would allow us to get out of here without a confrontation — meaning that we would not have to hurt anyone.
Riddick’s jaw muscles flexed and he looked away from us.
“How long will you be staying?” another local asked.
“We will leave at dusk,” Elijah said.
“Oh no, it is far too dangerous. You can’t travel at night, especially with a lady.” The man was genuinely concerned.
Riddick rolled his eyes and Samuel chuckled. We must seem like arrogant arses to these humans.
“Honestly, it is not safe out there at night. There have been cases of madness overtaking people at night.” The man spoke with earnest.
This got our attention.
“What kind of madness?” Elijah asked.
“Folks callin’ it Tarantism. It comes from the bite of a tarantula. Some people have even died.” The man was clearly enjoying the fact that he had our attention.
“Do these bites occur only at night?” Samuel asked.
“Usually,” the man answered.
Elijah and Samuel exchanged knowing looks.
“This sounds familiar,” Samuel said under his breath. His mouth barely moved and the human did not seem to notice that he had said anything.
As the afternoon turned to evening, the tavern filled with more locals. One played a lute and another a drum. They sang local songs.
The music was different. It lighted my mood. “You see? This life is not entirely terrible,” I whispered to Elijah.
He smiled.
We overheard two girls who had been watching us. “Maybe they are royalty, a foreign ruler and his wife?” one girl said.
“No, they are too young. A prince and princess, maybe,” the other girl said.
“Vampires appear impossibly beautiful and graceful to humans,” Elijah said. “We most likely look like something from a fairy story.”
“Not to mention we look nothing like them. If only they knew what we truly are and how dangerous and deadly we can be.” It was a relief to see that Elijah was feeling better. I’m sure it had something to do with the fifteen flagons of wine they had drunk today.
Elijah looked o
ut the window at the setting sun. “It is time.” Only vampires could have heard him. He settled our tab with the innkeeper paying him all too well.
Despite protests from some of the locals, we left.
“Don’t worry; we are the most frightening things out here.” Riddick reassured them on his way out. Once in the fresh air, Riddick took a deep breath and rubbed his throat.
“How are you faring?” I asked.
“I forget how hard it can be to be surrounded by humans.”
Samuel slapped Riddick on the shoulder. “How right you are. Let’s get out of here.”
We took flight as soon as possible and continued to head southeast. The cool night air cleared my head. In no time we were over a vast ocean. It looked too inviting to ignore. I shot higher up into the sky, then tucked my wings in tight. Head first I spiraled straight for the water at full speed. It was a thrill. The others followed.
Chapter 69 India 1262 A.D
It was not long before we came to land. The earth below was lush and green, like home. Yet it was nothing like home. The trees and plants were strange, unlike anything I had ever seen before. The air was hot and heavy with dew.
“This is India?” I asked.
“Yes, we should be nearly there. Look for the lights of a city,” Elijah said.
We came to a populated area but there were few lights. They did not have lanterns hanging outside homes and businesses as was common in Europe. There were many modest homes with only an occasional candle or oil lamp burning.
“This is it,” Elijah said. We landed outside of the town. Many of the structures on the outskirts of town were barely glorified lean-tos. Many had rags or old blankets hanging from windows or doorways. The homes toward the center of town were more permanent structures, yet still rather modest.
“This is nothing like Constantinople, or even Copenhagen, for that matter.” The disgust in Riddick’s voice made it clear that he was not impressed.
“It is simple. I like it.” I studied every detail of my new surroundings with awe. The trees, the plants and the homes were all so different and beautiful.
Of Lords and Commoners: Book 1 (Lords and Commoners Series) Page 28
