Apotheosis of the Immortal (14 page)

Chapter 26

Elijah sat alone
just outside the Mongol encampment. Once again, he struggled with what he had done. Tears fell from his chin as he mourned the man he had become, as he realized he was willing to stop at nothing, to stoop to any treachery, to achieve his revenge. Most men, even the worst of them, lived by a set of guidelines; some men had a lot of lines and some had only a few. The longer Elijah lived and the closer he came to a confrontation with his father, the more he realized his lines were just a fiction.

They were a necessary fiction, one that allowed him to maintain the illusion that he was still a decent man. It was ironic that losing those lines, realizing they no longer existed, made him feel freer and more lost at the same time. It now seemed illusions were all he had left of his old self.

“It appears there may be a soul in there after all.” Ayda sat down next to him.

“What are you doing? Where did you come from?” Elijah turned his head away from her and swiped at his eyes with his arm.

“I saw you sitting here. I yelled first.” She wrapped her arms around her knees and looked at him.

“You really shouldn’t pry.” Elijah leaned forward and pulled his hair back on the side of his face opposite Ayda; he tucked it behind his ear and tugged on a curl that fell just below his jawline.

“I’m sorry; I didn’t mean to pry. I just wanted you to know I found your pineapple. I’ll leave you alone.” Ayda stood up and looked down at the wavy locks of hair hiding Elijah’s face.

“Ha.” Elijah laughed as he pushed the hair from his face and looked up at her.

“What is it?” Her brow furrowed as she narrowed her eyes.

“I don’t even like pineapple.” Elijah laughed again.

“What? Why did you ask me to get it?” Her expression was rigid and remote.

“I’m sorry,” Elijah couldn’t stop laughing. “I never thought you would be able to find one, not out here.”

Ayda’s expression slowly softened until Elijah noticed a hint of a smile spring up on her face. “What would you require of me now?” She bowed sarcastically.

“Find me a papaya,” Elijah grinned. She stared at him for a moment with a wide smile.

“I will be in your tent, when you would like to talk.” She leaned over and pulled the hair from behind his ear. “You’re not so bad.” She looked into his eyes for a moment before turning around and walking back into the camp.

Elijah enjoyed watching her. It was a temporary escape from the hell that filled and surrounded him; she was like a single drop of color on a solid black canvas.

He was about to get up when Elijah noticed a Mongol bow lying a few feet away, propped against a small tent at the edge of camp. Elijah reached for the bow and examined it. This bow was nothing like the ones used by Assassins; it looked more like a work of art than a weapon.

“The key is in the construction.” Hulagu Khan emerged from opposite the tent and noticed Elijah admiring the bow. “Our bows are layered with boiled horn and sinew; it makes them much stronger and more accurate. Our best archers can hit a bird’s wing in midflight.” The Khan smiled proudly. “Do you know the bow? It seems you are nearly unmatched with the sword.” The Khan motioned for a soldier. He took the soldier’s quiver and threw it to Elijah.

“I have no use for a bow.” Elijah caught the quiver and immediately held it out to the soldier.

“A person can learn a lot about himself from the bow. It can lead one to perfection.” The Khan looked at Elijah and then again at the quiver. “If you really plan to kill William, you need all the perfection you can get.” The Khan pushed the quiver back towards Elijah and walked away. Elijah eyed the weapon as he considered the Khan’s words.

“How hard could it be?” Elijah pulled out an arrow and picked up the bow. He took a look around as he nocked the arrow onto the bowstring. Finding a large tree about fifty paces off, he raised the bow and pulled back on the string. He took his time, carefully lining up the arrow with the middle of the tree trunk. Remaining as steady as he could, he loosed the arrow… and it lodged in the middle of a smaller tree a couple yards back and to the left of where he had aimed.

“You got one! Let’s just hope he was in league with that big bastard, because otherwise you could have just killed one of your own men.”

Elijah turned around to discover the Khan standing just behind him.

“What? I knew you would give it a try, and I didn’t want to miss it when the great Elijah fell on his face.” The Khan smiled as he stepped forward and reached for the bow.

“Well, they should wear uniforms if they don’t want to fall by friendly fire.” Elijah handed the Khan the bow with a small, sardonic bow.

“Ha!” The Khan stretched back the bowstring and closed one eye. “Did this curmudgeon actually make a joke? You are an old man, are you not? Despite your youthful appearance.” The Khan took an arrow and fitted it to the string. He looked over at Elijah, anticipating a response, but Elijah remained silent.

“How do you know William?” The Khan pulled back the string as he raised the bow towards the large tree Elijah had attempted to hit. “Even more curious, how do you know Solomon?” The Khan released the arrow; in an instant it was lodged in the very middle of the tree Elijah had chosen. “Very well, if you don’t wish to discuss that, then tell me how you learned to survive without blood.” The Khan retrieved another arrow and nocked it.

“I’m not vampire.” Elijah sat back down with his wrists on his knees.

“If that is true, then what are you?” The Khan held the bow at his side as he turned towards him.

“He slaughtered my family; that is why I need to find him.” Elijah picked up a small pebble from beneath his right knee and tossed it towards the Khan.

“Do you want some advice?” The Khan turned back towards the tree. “Forget about William; he is too strong. You will only get yourself killed.” The Khan raised his bow and loosed another arrow.

“Do you know how many kids there are out there just like you? Children left orphaned because of William and beings like him? They all dream of revenge, but the smart ones eventually learn to appreciate that they escaped death and they move on with their lives.” The Khan turned towards Elijah.

“The ones who can’t move on die,” he continued. “I truly am sorry about what happened to your family, but if you don’t move on while you can, you will probably die, too.” The Khan propped one end of the bow on the ground and twirled it with his fingers. “Don’t misunderstand me. You are a gifted warrior, but even if you kill him, what then?”

“I didn’t ask for your advice, and I don’t want it.” Elijah stood and brushed off his knees.

“Listen to me, Elijah; I knew a man just like you once.” The Khan sat down on the ground and motioned for Elijah to sit beside him. “I was just a boy, but I still remember his face. He was the leader of a nearby tribe. He was such a strong man; I’d heard stories about him. They say when my grandfather’s men went into his village, he killed at least ten of them by himself before his own people handed over his wife and two children to appease the Great Khan.” Finding interest in the story, Elijah slowly walked over and sat down beside the Khan.

“A week before, my grandfather and his men had entered another village and slaughtered every last man, woman, and child. You see, he knew the story would spread quickly, and the next time he entered a village the people would be too afraid to resist.” The Khan took a deep breath and continued.

“The great Genghis Khan sliced the throats of this man’s family. I suppose it was another show of power, letting the villagers know
he
was their new leader. That was the first tribe that joined his growing empire.” Elijah looked at the Khan, who had dropped his head to his knees.

“That is a nice history lesson, but what does it have to do with me ?”

The Khan remained silent for a moment longer before lifting his head and turning towards Elijah. “Just listen.” He continued the story then. “I didn’t know the man until years later. Grandfather spared him to help solidify the union of the tribes. He even made the man one of his generals, but even then the man couldn’t let it go.” The Khan shook his head.

“You see, he didn’t have your strength; he couldn’t come at his enemy straight on. Instead, he spent decades earning the Khan’s trust, until he eventually became part of the Khan’s innermost circle of advisors.” The Khan took another deep breath and exhaled slowly.

“I was eight years old, and my grandfather had just returned from a long conquest. He had invited his closest companions over to stay and celebrate the victory. Everyone was drinking wine, even the guards, everyone except the man who had finally become my grandfather’s most trusted friend.” The Khan’s eyes were shut as if he were seeing it all over again in his mind.

“That night, I was in the hallway when the door to my grandfather’s bedroom chamber broke open and my grandfather nearly fell out onto the floor, followed by three young girls. They couldn’t have been more than a few years older than I was. I thought one of them was the most beautiful creature I had ever seen. Anyway, I had never seen my grandfather so drunk; he sent the girls away with the guards and told them to have fun. Less than an hour later I heard light footsteps outside of my door. Hoping it was the girl I had seen earlier, I stepped outside to take a peek. My bedchamber wasn’t far from the Great Khan’s.”

The Khan turned to Elijah; his eyes seemed to droop with guilt or regret.

“Needless to say, it wasn’t the girl. It was the man who had fought so hard for his village, and as he walked towards me his surcoat swung open, and I saw a blade. I know it doesn’t seem like much, but that part of the palace was strictly for family, and even the few guards who were allowed to stand outside my grandfather’s chambers were not permitted to be armed. I knew something was wrong, so I asked him what he was doing. He said there was an emergency and he needed to speak with the Khan. I walked beside him as he made his way to my grandfather’s room. I told him Grandfather was asleep and then asked why he was armed. He quickly replied that there was no time, he had to speak to my grandfather right away. He told me to go back to bed.

“I told him I would get my grandfather for him, and as I tried to run past him, he grabbed me and shoved me against the wall. ‘Go back to bed, now!’ I could tell he was nervous. ‘Grandfather!’ I yelled. The man pulled out his dagger and pressed it to my throat. ‘Don’t say another word,’ he whispered.

“A moment later I heard my grandfather fumbling around in his room. He asked what was going on, but when no one answered, he yelled for the guards, who weren’t around.

“The general yelled, ‘I’ve got your grandson out here and I will kill him if you don’t come out and face me.’ The next thing I heard was the large iron bolt inside my grandfather’s door slam shut; he was going to leave me there to die.

“‘You should have checked the door first!’ I heard my grandfather chuckle before he yelled once more for the guards.

It wasn’t long before two of them came racing around the corner. The man whispered into my ear and then pushed me away; by the time I turned around he had slit his own throat and blood was pouring out everywhere. I had never seen so much blood, not back then; he was the first man to ever die before my eyes.”

Hulagu rubbed his eyes and nose before turning once again towards Elijah.

“Well!” Elijah exclaimed after a long silence.

“Well, what?” The Khan’s eyes widened and he gently shook his head.

“What did he say, what did he tell you before he killed himself?” The Khan exhaled loudly and leaned his head to the right.

“Did you miss the entire point of the story?” The Khan looked at Elijah, who just stared back without saying a word. Then he shrugged. “He simply said he was sorry.” The Khan’s expression dimmed, his eyes glazed.

“You see, Elijah, if that man could have just let it go, relinquished his anger and need for revenge, he could have had a new life, a great life. The Khan had placed him in a position of great power and wealth. Most important, he wouldn’t have died before his time.” The Khan stood up and started to walk back towards his tent.

“Hulagu.” Elijah picked up the bow and stood. “I understand the intention of your story, but what you don’t understand is that there is more than one way to die. Days and years mean nothing to a man who is already dead on the inside. There are some things more important than being alive, and for such a man, living a few extra years would have been a duty, a torture, a prison, not a privilege.” Elijah picked up another arrow from the quiver lying on the ground.

“You truly are hopeless.” The Khan walked over and grasped Elijah’s shoulder, squeezing tightly. “So, if you refuse to listen, then I have no choice but to help. I would love to see them all dead, and you are the only person I know who might possibly accomplish that, but you are not yet ready.” Elijah pulled back on the bowstring.

“Pull it back to your chin and then exhale as you release.”

Elijah dropped the bow to his side and turned to the Khan. “Are you finished?”

The Khan shrugged.

“Quiet, then. I need to concentrate.” Elijah raised the bow and aimed once again at the big tree.