| |
––––––––
I ran towards the image of Lucius on the floor asking myself why he hadn’t got up yet and panic set in that something was majorly wrong! I wanted to bang my fist on what I now could see was a shimmering layer of air between us. As if it was nothing but dust particles innocently getting caught in the sunrays. It looked as light and airy as if I should have just been able to wave my hand through it all, but I knew this not to be true...No, I had learned my lesson finally after being put on my ass five times and well, that shit gets old quickly!
“Come on, Lucius, honey, wake up for me!” I pleaded again but nothing. I could at the very least see that he was still breathing which was currently the only positive I was seeing here.
“WAKE UP!” I shouted stopping my fist just in time from banging on what seemed like nothing more than glittery air.
“He cannot hear you...”
“Not like we can.”
“Mmmawahamm”
I spun around quickly at the sounds of three different voices, the last being nothing more than an indistinguishable mumble of sounds. My hand flew to my pounding heart as fear started to creep its way in, because really, I had no clue what I faced down here. I may not have had anything to fear in my father’s world but down here...well, I wasn’t in fucking Kansas anymore!
“Wwwho’s there?!” I said trying to get the first word of that question not to sound so shaky. I turned around in the dark space, one that was barely illuminated enough from the opening we had just passed through, one Lucius was currently lying unconscious in.
“We are the Keeper of three...”
“We see, hear and speak of all that the blood of Kings commands.”
“Mmnsebm” Again the mumbled voice followed, making me wonder of the point of it. I also found myself frowning at the creepy words that sounded hissed and scratchy.
“Yeah, well lucky for you then, as I can see shit!” I snapped and suddenly at my complaint, the huge room sparked into life.
“Gods,” I muttered in sight of all the huge torches that were being lit by unnatural means. Large disks of gold, the size of cars, sat in curved iron twists of metal and started to fill with a flaming liquid that poured from above. I followed the flow up and saw that the flaming waterfalls each came from holes in the rock face and there were seven in total. Then, once the disks had been filled with enough fuel, the waterfalls stopped, leaving flames to lick and snap at the air. But it offered enough light for me to see now where I was, and it could only be one place...
“I am in the Temple of the Tree of Souls.” The place was real! It wasn’t a fabled tale after all or a memory that had deceived Lucius.
“She knows...”
“She is clever.”
“Sss mmise.”
The three voices said again, making me awkwardly say,
“Uh...thanks...I guess.” Well, at least they seemed to like me, so big plus on that one, especially if that meant I wasn’t going to get eaten anytime soon. My voice echoed around what I could now see was a carved temple that looked to be as old as time itself!
The markings along its walls belonged to every known civilization since the time of man and there were many even I didn’t recognise. But giant pillars the size of redwood trees were all carved in every type of symbol, hieroglyphics and script known and unknown. They framed the open space and there were far too many of them to count, which spoke for how big the Temple was.
As for the floor, it was a series of broken slabs that had been uprooted and split from the dark black roots that looked charred as if they had been set alight. I followed them all the way to the centre of the room which was the whole reason the Temple had been built. For it hadn’t been for the tree above, where Lucius had died as Judas, it had been from this tree grown from his ascension.
It was an enormous stone grey tree that reminded me of the one in Afterlife, the Temple of Souls. Clearly souls needed a lot of temples I thought sarcastically. But this tree was most definitely different as, like the roots that had led us here, the whole tree looked to be made of them. So instead of having a trunk and branches, it was simply a giant series of roots in the shape of a tree, only at the top there were so many silver leaves, there must have been millions. Each one seemed to flutter and shimmer as if caught on some imaginary wind, and at the very top of the tree was what looked like a single blood red rose. One that could only be seen as it was the only colour on there. That and a strange strip of shadows that seemed to swirl around the centre part of the tree, making me question if this had something to do with the shadows I had seen surrounding the army of rogues?
But then as I stepped closer, I started to notice more.
“The tree...what...what is wrong with it?” I asked at the sight of the black charred roots that weren’t just contained to those under my feet and slabs, but also to the base of the tree. It was like a darkness rising up from the ground below and reaching all the way to the first set of branches of the tree. Reaching to where thousands of leaves had turned to black and even now, I could see as one started to fall to the ground and then crumble away to ash. Then seconds later there was another.
“Hurt...”
“Infected.”
“Mmawam.”
The three said making me step further into the space and as I started to walk round the tree, I could now see the huge split at its core that looked like an opening. The closer I got the more I could see for myself that it was in fact a doorway, one as big as the one we had just both tried to step through. An ominous red glow came from the darkness within, as if daring you to take a look and find out where it led. Well, that was one rabbit hole I was most definitely staying away from, I thought with a shiver.
I looked back to Lucius and asked,
“Will he be alright?”
“He sleeps through his death no longer...”
“The Blood of the King still beats.”
“Mhom hamme.” The mumbled part was a little pointless and I couldn’t help but wonder why. So, I asked,
“Where are you all?”
“She seeks the seekers...”
“Keepers of three must we be,”
“Memme mh.”
Then I saw only one huge figure as tall as Ragnar appear from behind one of the massive pillars. He was wearing a long worn cloak that covered all of its misshapen figure. I could feel my mind working overtime just trying to distinguish which part was which, and why there was only one that had appeared, when three voices could always be heard. When suddenly I didn’t need to ask again, as the cloak fell away and revealed the true horror of who it was I was speaking to.
“Holy shit,” I muttered, taking quick steps back as the figure of three bodies combined emerged. It was like the tree in a way, where three torsos conjoined as the shape of a triangle and were twisted up in six arms and four legs, as it was clear, only two were needed for walking.
But this wasn’t the only thing about the creature that was horrifying, it was the three heads all grouped together and, like the body, were off centre and not quite in a line. It also became clear to see why one was always mumbling.
“Gods in Heaven,” I uttered in shock as I took all of him or should I say all of them in. One of the twisted limbs was reaching up for the face closest. Its hand was tucked inside his mouth, dragging his jaw down making it impossible for him to speak. Pained, angry eyes wrinkled the features on his face making the skin on the bridge of his nose rippled.
As for the other two heads, another hand had reached up the head of the next, one that was turned towards the side and in between the other two. The hand was positioned over the top of his head with its fingertips embedded in the eye sockets, in a painful grip blinding him. The last and top head had two hands reaching up and not only covering its ears, but had the fingers tugging down at the flesh so they hung limp and unused. But strangely out of the three, he looked the less pained and was obviously the one that relied on sight.
So, it seemed for them to exist at all, they had no choice but to work together as a whole. For two could speak, two could hear and two could see but only one of each was useful to the three. Which told me that perhaps they communicated as one mind, as all communicated.
“See no evil, speak no evil and hear no evil,” I whispered as it dawned on me, making them hiss and at first, I thought I had insulted them. When it became apparent it was actually a strange chuckled sound.
“She is funny our queen of blood...”
“She will save us.”
“Meesss.”
“What do you mean, I am...” They interrupted my question by telling me,
“You are our Master’s Chosen One.”
“His blood born and first of your kind.”
“Mhossone.” I frowned at this and looked back to Lucius who was still passed out on the floor.
“I don’t understand,” I admitted shaking my head as if there was some temple sized puzzle piece I was missing here.
“We are keepers of the...”
“Yeah, yeah I got that bit, so skip ahead...no pun intended,” I said making them snigger a hiss again. So just as they were about to yet again repeat themselves, I held up a hand and said for them,
“Yeah I know, I’m funny, now get to the part where you explain what it is you think I have to do with any of this,” I told them as my irritation was mounting.
“The Tree of Souls dies from the Venom of God.”
“Yes, the Venom is what kills us.”
“Mmmauanu.”
“What did he say?” I asked, referring to the mumbling one, checking I wasn’t actually missing out on the helpful one of the group.
“He said that it must be stopped before the infection reaches the branches of our queen.” I frowned and looked to the blood red rose that seemed to be at the top of the tree.
“The blood of your queen?” I muttered wondering if they had this wrong, was it something to do with my mother...was she the rose, the only human that Lucius had turned?
“So, what you’re saying is that this Venom of God is poisoning the tree...wait, so the rogues, we were right, they are turning.” They all started nodding enthusiastically and in truth, it looked painful. Then they told me,
“Each leaf is a soul collected.”
“And a soul collected turns black when the infection takes hold.”
“Mnmmham”
“And what about that one there...” I pointed to yet another leaf that fell and crumbled away to ashes before it hit the floor.
“Ah, they destroyed another one.”
“Yes, another soul lost.”
“Mnonnem.” They sounded sad as they shook their heads all at the same time, making the big body sway. But this was when I started to get it.
“So, each leaf is a vampire Lucius turned and when they turn black that means they are rogue but when they fall...”
“Then they die.”
“They are no more.”
“Mubbfubm”
I raised a brow questioning the mumbler, when the first one to speak every time told me,
“He agrees.”
“Right...okay, so there must be a way to stop it?” I questioned thinking that if this was an infection we just had to find a way to cut it off before it had more chance to spread. That was the only way we would save the Vampires and with it my mother.
“A solution there is...”
“But travel to where it all begun you must go.”
“Mellmen.” The Keepers told me nodding as if they were happy they had finally got through to me.
“And where is that...is it...through there?” I asked as I nodded towards the doorway at the core of the tree.
“It is and hurry you must.”
“Time is the key, and we have been waiting for you.”
“Mhaanm.” I held my hands up and started shaking my head,
“Now just wait a second, I think you have the wrong girl, or sex for that matter as it’s Lucius that you need, it’s his blood that...?” I was suddenly cut off, and in a way where their words started to make my heart pound.
“That he stole from you.”
“For his sacrifice can only be undone by the sacrifice of the blood of the pure born.”
“Mmhamum.” I frowned at this in a questioning way before pointing out the obvious,
“But I am just human.” The two that were able gave me a smile and it definitely was more creepy that the comforting one I think they were aiming for. Because they then told me,
“No, you are the rose that blooms.”
“The blood stolen will set us free,”
“Muah.”
“I don’t understand...what are you trying to tell me!” I said now looking up towards that single flower and asking myself,
“Is that not my mother’s soul?” They tilted their heads at my question the way a dog would when hearing a new sound. Then they dropped a bombshell on me and said,
“No, it is yours.”
“The pieces of soul he stole from you.”
“Mnmnhm” I gasped as my hands flew to my mouth at the same time I was shaking my head. Because no, it was impossible...he would never...he wouldn’t. So, I told them,
“Lucius!? No...No that...that can’t be...I am just a human! I was born this way,” I said stumbling back as I said this, unable to keep my eyes from that fucking flower.
“The Venom of God left you human.”
“It took from you our Queen born.”
“Mhh.”
I shook my head again, trying to make sense of what they were telling me. All that time wondering, asking myself how could I possibly be human? How not a single piece of my father had made it through into my life? That surely it was wrong. Surely a mistake had been made. Feeling all my years as if something was missing and now...now as I stared up at the blood red rose, I was starting to feel it. The river of blood in my veins. The one I had somehow managed to call forth that day in the vault.
How had I done that?
How had I fucking done that if I was nothing but human?!
Which meant that I had only one last question left to ask,
“What am I? What part of my soul did Lucius steal?” The question left my lips and my gaze went to the thief in question, knowing in the depth of my heart that he had known. All this time, since when I was born, the first time he ever saw me, not as a teenager but as a baby. He had somehow stolen that part of me, making me human!
And he knew.
He fucking knew!
It was why he had walked away. Putting the life he had put at risk at arms-length.
So now, as I repeated the question, I did so with my own Venom,
“What am I!?” I screamed it this time, having the power to rock the Temple floor, forcing Lucius to begin to waken from the force of my furious question. I could feel this place start to seep into my veins as anger started to shake my body as I trembled, awaiting what I knew was my stolen destiny and all from the man I loved.
And he knew.
All this time, he had lied.
“Amelia?” he said my name, shaking off the effect of our separation as I had done before him.
“What part of me did he steal?” I asked more calmly now, seeing as he was rising from the floor. He quickly took in the sight of me, but he froze as he heard that question.
“Amelia...what are you...?” His question was cut off quickly when he took in the sight of the Tree of Souls and the Keepers. He scanned the whole space in seconds and that was when it hit him.
“NO!” he roared making me close my eyes against his cry of anger,
“No, Amelia look at me! Look at me, don’t listen to them and I will explain.”
“I don’t need you to explain, Lucius, I just need you to tell me what part of my soul it is you stole from me,” I said, looking down at my feet as the tears started to cloud my gaze, making the patterns on the floor merge as one. I swallowed hard and finally looked back up at him, seeing for myself the face of the guilty staring back at me. But despite this, the first part of my answer came from the Keepers, making me suck in a startled breath when they told me, all at the same time, speaking as one...
“The Angel in you, is what he stole.”
At this my legs gave way and my knees hit the floor as if with that truth everything in me came crashing down all at once.
But the truth was far from done as Lucius was then the one to add to his list of crimes against me,
“I stole the soul of an Angel and that of...
“A first born Vampire.”
To be continued in...
Kingdoms of Hell
Transfusion Book 7
Released date
21th May 2020
Fancy a standalone book why you wait for the next instalment?
Try
Devil In Me
A Dark, Twisted, Erotic,
Paranormal Romance, Thriller.
Will you fall for the Devil?
Want a free bonus chapter from the Transfusion Saga?
If you enjoyed the playful side to Amelia and Lucius as they reunited and want to read more then join our mailing list for a free chapter and discover just what did Amelia get up to on her Drunken date with Lucius.
To be emailed the chapter, simply send an email to
stephaniehudson@afterlifesaga.com
And put in the subject: free chapter
Keep updated with all new release news & more at the following
––––––––
Never miss out, sign up to the
mailing list at the website.
Interact with me on social media
––––––––
Also, please feel free to join myself and other Dravenites on my Facebook groups
Interact with me and other fans. Can’t wait to see you there!