The Silver Eyed Prince (Highest Royal Coven of Europe) (15 page)

“Guys, guys—,” Elizabeth put her hands up. “Slow down, okay? He didn't give me
The Eyes,”
she imitated the way Carlos stressed the words, “he gave me
The Soup Spoon
.” She waggled the utensil in question.

“What-e-vah!” Ben stood up and placed his tray back in the middle of the table. “F-Y-I, my diva radar is never wrong.”

Elizabeth shrugged and put her own tray away. She slung her bag on her shoulder and followed Ben, Carlos, and Lela to the exit. On their way to their next class, they passed by the main foyer where the monument of Prince Mikhail stood in the center.

Elizabeth stopped for a moment and stared at the centerpiece, amazed at the likeness of the sculpture to Chad. He even had the same vibe—, the strong, brave, protective type.

So unlike Mr. Mockery!
She thought with a frown. Chad's aura made her feel safe, whereas
Mr. Mockery ...
frightened her.

“Elizabeth!” Carlos called impatiently from the stairs. “Quit ogling that statue like a pervert! We're late!”

“Coming!” She chuckled and ran to catch up.
Now why on Earth did she think of Mr. Mockery out of the blue?

History and Religion Class

With Si
ster Mary Clarendon

       T
he class was about to begin when Elizabeth and her friends slipped in the seats near the doorway at the back of the classroom.

“Hello, everyone!” a nun said chee
rfully as she entered. “My name is Sister Mary Clarendon.” She paused in front, facing the class. “I am your History and Religion instructor.”

Elizabeth studied the petite woman with the kind face and easy smile. Physically, she looked to be in her late twenties although she wondered what her real age was. She had red eyes like Richard.

“As you can see, I'm a nun.” She took a stack of leaflets from her table and placed the pile on Jill Weber’s desk, motioning for her to take one and pass them along. “I have devoted myself to the study of the
Universal Creed
, our religion. So not only will you learn about our philosophy, heritage, and history. You will also learn about our faith.”

“Let's start our lesson in
Etiology.
” The Sister pulled out a white board marker from her habit pocket. “Does anyone know what Etiology means?

Bret raised a hand clad in a black leather gauntlet studded with silver rivets.

“Yes, Mr. Kline?”

“
Etiology
is the study of origins,” Bret replied, the chains hanging on his waist clinking as he stood up.

“He’s sooo cute.” Lela sighed next to Elizabeth.

“You are correct, Mr. Kline!” Sister Mary Clarendon said. “
Origins,
meaning: the genesis of our species. Now, who can tell me the scientific theory behind our origin?” The Sister scanned the classroom from corner to corner, waiting for an answer. “Anyone?” She raised the marker in her hand, sweeping it slowly in a half circle. “Yes? Mr. Alistair, exchange student—correct?”

“Yes, Sister.” Chad nodded. “We have no known scientific theory that could explain our Etiology.”

“Brilliant answer, Mr. Alistair!” Sister Mary Clarendon beamed in approval. “Ancient scriptures were the only source of information regarding the genesis of our species.”

“Sister?” Ishmael, the boy with dreadlocks who a
lways sat strumming his guitar before class, raised his hand.

“Yes, Mr. Johnson?”

Ishmael stood up. “If our genesis was based on the scriptures ... does that mean we were created by the Omni just like every living thing on Earth?”

“Exactly,” the Sister nodded. “According to the a
ncient scriptures, the Omni, our God, after having created Earth and everything in it, had created a male and a female. He created both in his likeness—, bestowed with incredible physical prowess, powers of the mind, and possessed with remarkable beauty.

“He established them in the sacred land to live and thrive and gave them dominion over all his creation. Then, as a final gift, the Omni entrusted a lamb to their protection and care.

“They made use of the bounty in the sacred land. The male learned how to raise livestock while the female learned how to grow wheat, herbs, and vegetables. The Omni was greatly pleased with their ingenuity and progress.

“And then, one day, the female woke up to find that her garden had been ravaged. Everything she had grown for the past few months and anticipa
ted to harvest that day had been ruined. Seething with wrath, she set out to find the culprit.

“At the far end of the field she found the lamb stout with consumption still chewing on some lettuce leaves. Filled with blinding rage, she killed the lamb with a si
ngle blow to the head.

“That evening, when the male came home for di
nner, they had a sumptuous feast. The meal was the best he'd ever had, so he ate every single morsel. Afterwards, he went for a walk in the garden and saw that everything had been uprooted.

“A dreadful feeling came over him so he asked the female. She told him that the lamb had destroyed and consumed everything in the field, so in turn, she slaug
htered it and they had eaten it for dinner.”

A collective groan of disgust sounded in the clas
sroom.

The Sister raised a hand to silence the class. “After the female's declaration of transgression, the Omni a
ppeared. Both of them dropped to their knees and asked for forgiveness, but the Omni was angry. The male tried to reason with the Omni that he was a victim of circumstances instigated by the female, but the Omni silenced him by pointing out that he was as liable as the female for neglecting his responsibility to protect the lamb in favor of his work. The Omni went on to say that he asked them to care for the lamb in order for them to learn the virtues of love and tolerance towards the weaker beings that shared their world so they may enforce his
Divine Providence.
Does anyone know what the Divine Providence is? Yes, Miss Ikeda?”

Lela stood up. “It is the Omni's will for the male and female to act as protectors of the delicate balance of nature and maintain the peaceful co-existence of all cre
ation.”

“Well said, Miss Ikeda.” Sister Mary Clarendon tapped the marker on her palm. “But they disobeyed the Omni and failed miserably.  

“In His wrath, the Omni banished them from light and condemned them to a perpetual life of darkness. He doomed them into dependence on other living creatures for sustenance. For them to survive, they must suck the life out of others.

“He then turned to the male and forfeited his gifts of the mind, bea
uty and prowess, reducing him into a disfigured and repulsive-looking creature. Then, he turned to the female and told her that she would remain beautiful, but vile and venomous. She would lead a life of loneliness and desolation, and lastly, he damned her into infertility.

“The final curse was her undoing. In her devast
ation, she left the male and prowled the Earth in darkness for centuries. Soon, she discovered a new breed that bore a pleasant similarity to her appearance. She stalked it and found that they lived in colonies. Most important of all, they had children.”

“She saw human beings?” Jared Crowe asked.

“Yes.” the Sister nodded. “One night, she snatched a little girl while the parents slept. She bit her just enough to pump venom in her blood, thinking that by infecting her she would become her child. But the girl went into convulsions and transformed into a wild creature that attacked and fed on any warm blooded thing it could find.”

“She became a Hellion!” Debbie Parks exclaimed.

“You're right, Miss Parks!” Sister Mary Clarendon flicked the marker in her direction. “All her attempts to convert human children proved to be disastrous. As the decades came and went, she became more desperate, longing for a companion. And having had no success with the young ones, she turned her attention toward the adults.”

“She wanted to convert them too?” Julie Anne e
xclaimed from her seat next to Carlos.

“No, that wasn't her intent.” the Sister shook her head. “She learned from her mistakes with the young ones. This time, all she wanted was the pleasure of ha
ving someone's company, so she used her beauty to attract a fine young man.

“For a while, she was satisfied. The young man was attentive and ente
rtaining. However, one night, he kissed her. And for the first time, she felt a different kind of craving—, the need for another's affection. Sadly, not long after he'd kissed her, the young man collapsed and died. She belatedly realized that even her kiss was venomous and had killed him.”

“Did she go and find another companion?” Lela asked.

“Not right away. The realization that she could never share intimacy with another devastated her. She swore not to ever let anyone stir that craving again.”

“Great. Another man-hater.” Ben grimaced.

“She was, until she saw Lord Idellyde,” Sister Clarendon smiled at Ben, “a dashing aristocrat who was as intelligent as he was handsome. She fell madly in love with him.

“However, Lord Idellyde wanted more than just plain companionship. Like the young man before him, he wanted to express his feelings in a more physical way, but she wouldn't even let him kiss her for fear of killing him unintentionally.

“Her aloofness put a strain in their relationship. Before long, Lord Idellyde shifted his affection to another woman who could satisfy his needs. She walked in on them one night when she visited his home unannounced.”

“That must've been a real bummer.” Jill frowned.

“Her fury was like no other, Miss Weber,” Sister Mary Clarendon said gravely. “But she couldn't bring herself to harm her beloved Lord Idellyde. Instead, she fled, and in her bitterness reverted to her wicked ways. She lured and seduced men everywhere she went. Some of them she murdered with her venomous kiss and some she bit, infecting their blood. Then, she discovered something astounding.”

Feet shuffled in the classroom and an expectant s
ilence descended.

“She found out that adults reacted differently to the venom she pumped in their bloodstream. Yes, they craved blood like the young Hellions, but they didn't turn into wild, mindless creatures. They retained their facu
lties and were clever, blending back into human society where they enticed and seduced victims. Most of all, they followed her like a Queen and were immune to her venom. At last, she found the companionship she craved.

“She wasted no time in building a clan, teaching her followers how to select and convert humans. Only the charismatic and beautiful would do, characteristics she knew were advant
ageous to them. The ones who didn't meet their standards they fed on, leaving heavy human casualties in every city they settled in.

“Their group had grown so large that they would exhaust a town’s su
pply and then move on. By that time, their activities were reported all over the world and humans feared them. They were labeled many names, including the modern term,
Vampire
.

“Now, do not confuse this notor
ious word with who we are. We are Deimons, true descendants of our ancestors by blood and by birth. Vampires or Hellions are a different breed altogether. They are the result of infected and mutated human DNA. 

“Sister Mary.” Ishmael raised his pencil and tossed his dreadlocks. “Based on your story, are you saying that there are two kinds Hellions?”

“Indeed, Mr. Johnson. The vicious young ones, and the deceivingly charming adults. But make no mistake—, the latter is more dangerous.”

“Sister?” Elizabeth lifted her hand. “Did the female ever consider converting Lord Idellyde?”

“Excellent question, Miss Hamilton. Yes, she did, but decided against it. She learned that though her adult converts didn't lose their minds, they did lose their personalities. They became stoic, unable to express joy, grief, pleasure, and affection. She couldn't bear to turn her beloved, the spirited and passionate Lord Idellyde, into such a
cold
creature.”

“Where is the female now?” Ishmael asked.

“She's dead. In 1468, King Eadmon the Fifth inherited the crown and the task as enforcer of the Divine Providence. He heard about the hostile clan under the leadership of a Queen and set out to find her. He couldn't allow her to keep disturbing the balance of nature and disrupting peaceful co-existence so he killed her.”

“How?” Bret Kline asked.

“By playing her own game,” Sister Mary Clarendon replied. “King Eadmon was handsome and intelligent like Lord Idellyde. She fell for his trap easily. According to history, his kiss enthralled her so much so, that she didn't even feel the dagger in her heart until it was too late and he had flung her into the raging flames in the fireplace.”

“What about the others?” Bret sat up in his chair, his incredible pale blue eyes widening. “Whatever ha
ppened to them?”