Nightwish (An Echoes of Eternity Novel Book 1) (14 page)

“And when I leave this plane,” Grams said, “I grant
The Book of Souls
to your protection.”

But she still hadn’t given it to me. I merely protected it from falling into the wrong hands.

Grams said, “Each woman in our line who possesses
The Book of Souls
decides whom to bequeath it to. Without fail for hundreds of years, it has passed from mother to daughter. Until now. I’ve always regarded you as the daughter I always wanted but never had. Only you have the moral compass to safeguard it…until you pass it along to the individual you deem fit to maintain its secrets.”

“Have you no desire to embrace your heritage?” asked Zephora with a relaxed smile, still unaware that Grams’s apparition glowed a few feet away from her. Zephora balled her hands together so tightly they trembled from the strain. “To invoke the power of your ancestry?”

“I believe in you,” Grams said to me, pride in her voice. “I trust you’ll do the right thing.”

I chose that moment to catch a glimpse of Grams. Light permeated from her heart and extended outward. A gentle, loving smile touched her lips. That image, so often bestowed upon me, gave me tremendous peace of mind. I took great comfort in knowing that she had plenty of confidence in me.

Then I realized why the light around Grams shined so brightly, why she looked so happy and graceful. Grams had moved on from this plane. Zephora’s eyes narrowed. She gnashed her teeth. Her body began shaking, as though her frame couldn’t control the power locked deep inside her. Then in one quick motion, she removed both hands from her hips and spread them to either side of her.

This turn of events startled me and, without realizing it, I’d backed up a few inches. Zephora had taken full control of Grams’s body. If I didn’t act immediately, she would probably make good on her threat to skin me alive.

“Then you shall suffer!” A wave of heat emanated from her body. Balls of electricity oscillated in her palms, giving off sparks. With a gruesome smile, she raised her hands, prepared to throw those bolts at me.

Without a second thought, I lowered my sword and rushed her, plunging my sword so deep into her heart that the tip punctured her chest and came out her back.

Zephora let out a shocked gasp. The pulsating magnetism in her hands flickered out, leaving her hands blackened, the hideous scent of burnt flesh drifting into the air in gray puffs of smoke.

I drew back my sword, which oddly enough didn’t have a drop of blood on it. I inspected Delphine, who still clutched onto Kendall and Brandon, and Alexis, looking for any sign that they would mount an attack. But they looked so horrified that they didn’t even blink.

Darius stepped beside me. “From this moment forth, I side with Serena.” He looked at Alexis. “Do not attempt to harm her. Any attempt on her life will be met with severe punishment.”

“Yeah?” Alexis revealed a knowing smile. “You can’t hurt the witches in our line. So, good luck with that. An impotent vampire: how pathetic!

I looked at Celestina, hoping that she hadn’t seen the sight unfold before her, and then I realized she didn’t need to see it. She’d probably already seen it in her mind…at some point in the past. That explained why she once more looked at the ground.

A beaming grin lit Delphine’s face. She released Kendall, who shuddered from the cold. Then Delphine removed her hand from Brandon’s shoulder. He swiped the perspiration from his brow and gasped for cooler air, as though he’d spent the last hour inside a sauna.

Delphine looked relaxed and carefree. “I’d like to thank you, Serena. I couldn’t have planned it any better. And I’ve got to say; I’m impressed. I didn’t think you had it in you to go that far.” She paused for a moment. “Thank you for releasing Zephora.”

I didn’t like the ominous tone behind that statement. “I didn’t kill Grams. The Alzheimer’s did her in. And even then, Zephora locked Grams out of her body. Grams couldn’t return to it, and she wouldn’t have wanted to anyway.”

“Keep telling yourself that…if it’ll help you sleep at night.”

That lit a fuse of fury inside me, setting aside the loss that I’d just suffered. “I knew her. You didn’t!”

“But I’m her
daughter
. And I’ve known her twice as long as you have. So yes, I’d say I know her a lot better than you.”

“This from the daughter she never wanted,” I said.

“Well, at least we have something in common.” Delphine’s smile brightened. “But I think you misunderstood me. I’m not blaming you for killing my mother. I’m talking about the events you’ve just set in motion. The consequences of what you’ve done will echo through your every thought and every action for the rest of your life. You’re going to look back at this moment and regret that decision.”

Delphine went over and placed a hand on Alexis’s shoulder, spinning her around toward the exit. Realizing that Celestina hadn’t followed them, she turned around. “Celestina, come!”

My mouth dropped at the command, as though my niece was nothing more than a puppy. I locked eyes with my niece, only to find Celestina imparting an empathetic expression. Based on that look, Delphine hadn’t lied: it seemed I would soon have a lot to atone for.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

I looked down at the gleaming sword in my hand. A residual hum of power extended to my every nerve ending, every muscle. It exceeded the sensations of a runner’s high.

I liked it. A lot. Maybe too much. He’d demanded that I use this sword while sparring with him. We’d practiced for an entire year, mixing martial arts and sword-work. While I hadn’t given any thought to the sword I now held in years, muscle memory allowed me to pick up right where I left off.

That’s when my gaze fell upon Grams’s body. I expected plenty of blood, but only a three-inch wide slit the width of an envelope slicked her blouse. I had a difficult time swallowing past the ball of anxiety in my throat. I scanned the premises for Grams’s spirit, but she’d left. It seemed she’d fulfilled her duty; getting me to remove Zephora from her body.

I turned to Darius. “What happened to Zephora? Did she die?”

“Highly unlikely. She left your grandmother’s body, but her spirit lives on.”

“What do you mean…elsewhere?’”

“Hell. I can’t imagine that God will welcome her into His kingdom.”

I could have asked a number of follow-up questions, but seeing my grandmother’s body lying there and knowing I was to blame for ending her corporeal existence, I was saddened to the point of nausea.

The sword fell from my hands and clinked to the ground. The swell of energy in my veins immediately deserted my body, and I felt the full impact of what I’d done. A cloak of gloom descended upon me, so much in fact that my knees gave way, and I fell to the ground at Grams’s feet. Tears filled my eyes as I scrambled beside Grams and looked at her closed eyes. Memories and regrets whipped through my mind, and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t rid them and gain clarity.

“She doesn’t blame you.” Kendall knelt beside me and wrapped an arm around my shoulder. “She understands.”

But Kendall
didn’t
understand. She might have loved Grams, but she hadn’t been raised by her. As one of four siblings, Kendall would never know what it felt like to be an only child and on the receiving end all of the attention (good and bad) that went along with it. I didn’t have to compete with anyone for affection. Grams had placed all of the emphasis on me. I’d grown accustomed to that type of lifestyle, where everything I said and did was magnified. Grams made me feel special.

Darius stepped into view. “Delphine wasn’t wrong. There will be consequences. You will be challenged.”

We barely knew each other, so what persuaded him to devote his life to saving mine? Regardless, knowing that he felt that way gave me strength, simply because I inferred that he would have died for Grams.

Once more, I prepared to set my gaze on Grams…only to find a pile of dust where she had lain just moments ago. “Wait,” I said, startled. “Where did she go? She was right here.”

Darius nodded. “Zephora created a spell whereby, upon death, every supernatural entity with unhindered powers would leave dust in its wake.”

“Why?”

“To throw off suspicion of those that might otherwise call attention to paranormal creatures.”

Fury took hold of me. “But I didn’t get to say goodbye.”

A slight smirk appeared. “You’ll be able to say goodbye. Once Lorraine slips beyond the veil, witches and demons are the only supernatural beings that can still communicate with the living.”

“So vampires, werewolves, and all that… they just vanish? Why don’t demons turn to dust?” Then I recalled that Lucifer created demons, so they weren’t bound by
The Rule of Three
.

Darius inferred that I’d answered my own question. “Demons often inhabit those without any abilities. It’s easier to wrestle control from those without supernatural powers.”

“But Zephora entered Grams’s body. And she’s not a demon. So how did that happen?”

Darius shook his head, appearing troubled by his uncertainty. “I don’t know. Only Zephora knows.”

“How well do you know Delphine?”

“Not well. But from what I’ve seen, I agree with your grandmother: Delphine isn’t trustworthy. She’s too selfish, too self-serving. She cares for her family but amassing power comes first.”

“Why did you say there will be challenges ahead?”

“Only after you struck down your grandmother did I realize what comes next.”

That didn’t sound good. I steadied myself for what he had to say.

“You have to understand: it would have happened even if you hadn’t… ” His eyes went to the spot Grams’s body had inhabited only moments ago. “Maybe not now, but whenever she would have passed away, it would have taken place. No one could have stopped it. You shouldn’t blame yourself.”

“It? What do you mean?”

“You know Zephora created a succession plan consisting of three generations of firstborn daughters. When the first daughter of each successive generation links with those before her, the family line maintains balance to ensure that no single witch obtains too much power. More than that, they create a powerful line of defense against others from entering our world.”

“Okay, let’s assume I’m a first grader in witch-ology. What others?”

“Other creatures.” His gaze veered to Brandon. “Others may soon rise because the balance of power has been upset.”

“But you said three firstborn witches needed to be in place. We have that: Delphine, Alexis, and Celestina.”

“Indeed. The strength of your line depends on how well a firstborn witch is versed in witchcraft. Or to put it another way, it depends on your level of power. If the line isn’t strong enough to prevent the barrier from splitting, you’ll all pay the price. But I’m certain Delphine indoctrinated Celestina into your line’s history and practices, so I don’t worry about a fissure.”

“You said something about a barrier.”

“The firstborn witch in your line is usually taught at a very young age how to access and control her powers. That way, once the transition takes place, balance is maintained. The elders in your line needed to spend time and patience to make sure their young ones harnessed the power granted to them. If they didn’t, their children would suffer the consequences.”

That last comment reminded me of Delphine’s statement. “What consequences?”

The consequences of Zephora’s failure. She proved to be a wise teacher, but her daughter became so fearful that others in her line would become as power-hungry as Zephora that she failed to teach her
own
daughter all of the knowledge that had been handed down to her. It created a power vacuum, one that made it difficult for all succeeding witches to control their powers.

“Zephora’s granddaughter didn’t place her utmost attention on learning her craft. She sought the easy way out: black magic, which Zephora dabbled in so her line would maintain its power and control. Eventually both Zephora and her granddaughter had fallen prey to black magic.”

“And then?” asked Brandon, stepping beside me. He looked more composed now that his body more or less had returned to its natural state. He looked at me with an irritated expression. “Hey, it seems I’m in this now, so I want to know what comes next.”

Kendall appeared at his side, but she folded her arms inward, still battling the chill that hadn’t yet left her bones. She opened her mouth, but a second later, her teeth chattered, preventing her from saying a word.

Upon learning the history of my heritage, I had all but forgotten that Brandon and Kendall stood behind me. Their presence and eagerness to learn more filled me with gratitude that my friends hadn’t abandoned me.

“I regarded it as the first wave,” said Darius. “Zephora’s granddaughter didn’t want to learn the fundamentals of witchcraft. She side-stepped the basics in order to discover her abilities and all that came with it.”

I didn’t know how that worked. “Is there a Cliff’s Notes version you can give me?”

He furrowed his brow. “I’m unfamiliar with a man named Cliff.” His expression grew darker, more intense. “Is he a sorcerer? A warlock?”

“Neither.” Kendall laughed, still trembling. “She was just joking. Keep going.”

Brandon went over to her, pulled an arm around her shoulder and slid a hand up and down her arm, attempting to warm her.

Kendall curled toward him, melting in his embrace.

“Because she didn’t learn the basics,” Darius said, “she took shortcuts. Lorraine and I suspect that Zephora somehow managed to manipulate her. It didn’t end well.”

“What happened?” I asked.

“Zephora’s granddaughter distorted the human form. She created many life-forms that most humans regard as folklore.”

“Like Bigfoot?” Brandon asked. “Is he real? And don’t say he’s Chewbacca from Star Wars.”

Darius examined him for a long moment. “You are a strange man.”

A smile broke across Brandon’s face. “Thanks.”

Darius looked at me. “As I’ve said, unless a complete power structure is in control, the powers your line has created in the past will come to pass. It must have cracked open already due to Lorraine’s illness. Otherwise, that demon wouldn’t have been able to cross into this dimension.”

“Are we talking zombies or something?” Kendall asked.

“No,” he said, looking at her with a curious look. “This situation has occurred three times in the past: during the American Revolution, during the Civil War, and during the Great Depression. After restoring order at the conclusion of those eras, those with supernatural abilities ceased to retain those qualities.”

I tried to grasp the weight of the situation, but I didn’t quite understand how it would shake out. “So after my line regained control, vampires lost their supernatural powers: they weren’t strong or fast and didn’t crave blood?”

“Precisely. But they continued to walk the earth unless they were killed. Otherwise, they would wander the Earth as humans. When the line breaks, those who
were
vampires will once again
become
vampires.”

“Right now, you walk around in the sunlight?” Brandon said.

“Correct. And if the line breaks, I’ll be unable to walk by daylight.”

“All because of a curse?”

“Not just any curse…a blood curse. Once cursed blood enters the blood stream, it attacks the chemical structure of a person’s original life source. The cursed blood kills every last drop of human blood inside that individual, and the human body can’t process the power of the cursed blood, resulting in death.”

“Wait,” Kendall said. “Are you saying—”

“It’s similar to an electrical short circuit,” Darius said. “There is too much energy going into one outlet to process, so it blows a fuse, or in this case, the victim dies. However, the Blood Curse specifies that vampires can only die by a wooden stake to the heart, decapitation, or by incineration via direct sunlight. In effect, the Blood Curse both kills and revives. The entire process lasts perhaps five minutes, if not sooner, so most bodily functions are unaffected by the trauma any given victim experienced. Thereafter, the heart continues to beat.”

“You keep saying victim,” I said. “Do you consider yourself a victim?”

“Most definitely. It’s called a Blood
Curse
for a reason. I did not choose this fate. It was forced it upon me.”

“Why?” I asked. “What did you do?”

“Wait, wait, wait,” Brandon said. “So you’re saying that vampires have beating hearts, and they’re not really dead?”

“Yes. Since those afflicted with cursed blood die, many often assume that they’re…undead. But nothing could be further from the truth. Once an infected person’s heart stops beating, they die. But they were revived. It is no different from a human who suffers a heart attack and dies, only to be resuscitated.”

“Then why call a human…a human?” I asked.

Kendall analyzed Darius. “You don’t look evil. You’re not hiding a pentagram necklace around your neck, are you?”

Brandon pulled a black pentagram necklace out from under his own t-shirt. “You mean like this one?” He turned an eye on Darius and smiled. “Don’t worry, dude: I won’t hurt you.”

Darius almost cracked a smile at that.

If I hadn’t been studying Darius’s expression, I wouldn’t have noticed him wince ever so subtly, as though he detested Brandon’s comment. When he turned his gaze onto mine, I tried to interpret what he felt, but I failed to do so. Still, neither he nor I looked away until Kendall’s voice broke the silence.

“If those outbreaks occurred three times during the last few hundred years, how come no one knows about vampires or werewolves today?”

“Because it was my duty to end their existence before that came to pass.” He looked neither pleased nor disappointed in the role he’d played.

“So you went around the country killing supernatural creatures? Not once or twice but three times in your life?”

“Yes. Month after month, year after year, until they were all dead. ”

“Why?”

“Because they don’t belong on Earth.”

“But what about you?” I asked. “You’re a vampire. Are you saying you don’t belong on Earth?”