Of Gods and Goddesses: Book 3 (Lords and Commoners Series) Read online

  “You may be right. I’ll try to remember that next time,” Elijah said.

  “You’ll look even more dreadful with that big scar down your face,” Teller said.

  “You do realize that you resemble Riddick?” Samuel said.

  “Well, I’ve always been the handsome one and now that goes without saying,” Teller said.

  Elijah rolled his eyes. “That’s enough. Let’s get the hell out of here.”

  On his way by, Riddick gave Teller a shove that almost knocked him over.”

  “I suppose I deserved that,” Teller said.

  Chapter 36 South America 2021 A.D

  It was not long before the roads became nothing but jeep trails and that was if it was not pouring rain, in which case the Humvees could barely move forward let alone the trucks. The semis were parked and camouflaged. Samuel used a combination of solar panels and generators to keep the trucks’ coolers running. Half the Court remained behind to guard the trucks and the others took flight with Elijah.

  “What exactly are we looking for?” Samuel asked.

  “It’s a small village in the middle of the Amazon forest. Val and I visited there once but that was a long time ago. I don’t know if it’s still there. If we can find it, perhaps the natives can lead us to secret underground tunnels,” Elijah said.

  “You mean to tell us that you don’t know where these tunnels are?” Riddick said.

  “No. But I’ll know the village when I see it.”

  “So you don’t even know where the village is and you’ve never actually seen the tunnels?” Riddick shook his head.

  “I told you. I’ll find it.”

  They flew along the Amazon River for hours, not seeing much except dense trees and rivers.

  “It may be faster if we dig our own tunnels,” Teller said.

  Elijah spotted a bend in the mighty river, followed by another. This resulted in a perfect ‘S’ shape. It was a familiar landmark. “There.” He Pointed. “That’s the village.” Nestled safely in one of the curves, surrounded by river on three sides, came the slightest glow of fire.

  They landed outside the village and Elijah handed Riddick all his weapons — two whips, two broad swords, the belt of knifes from around his waist. He knew he would not need any of these. He would need much more.

  Elijah’s .45 was always tucked in his pants at the small of his back. He held it out for Riddick to take as well.

  “You can at least keep the gun hidden under your shirt. No one will know you have it,” Riddick protested.

  “I mean these holy people no harm. Besides they will be largely naked and they’re human. They’re no threat to us,” Elijah said.

  “What do you mean — naked?” Teller asked with concern but Elijah was already gone.

  With no weapons, Elijah felt as if he were naked as well. He took a deep breath. Having the courage to put down my weapons is harder than I thought. He emerged from the forest to find a group of humans drumming and singing. Well, it was more of a wailing really. Their golden brown skin was largely exposed. Some wore belts that consisted of thin strings decorated with beads or colorful fabrics. Only a few wore modern clothes and these were threadbare and soiled.

  They slowly stopped singing and drumming as they noticed the stranger approach. Only one singer continued his sorrowful cry. He had been lost in the music. It took him several moments longer to become aware that everyone around had fallen silent.

  “Please, I need your help.” Elijah held his arms out in surrender.

  They chattered amongst one another. Elijah tried to make it out. He spoke many — perhaps most — languages but this was largely foreign to him.

  When he and Val were here centuries ago, she had won them over with rare gifts. She had sweets for the children and some beautiful fabrics for the women. He did not have to do — well, anything. Val was the one who could win people over with her loving smile. Now he had to do it on his own — somehow, with no sweets or silks and no wife.

  A woman approached with a cup of water and a man offered him some dried meat. Elijah realized they thought he was a lost human, starving and thirsty.

  “No, no. I’m fine.” He tried to reassure them. These people only want to help me and they don’t even know me. Hopefully their generosity remains after they find out what I am, he thought. He wished he could understand them. If there had been any Latin or Greek base to their language Elijah could have made out what they were saying. But there was not.

  Finally the boy who had remained in the trance-like state after the others had stopped singing, stepped forward. “What is it that you need?” He spoke with a heavy accent in British English. He was one of the few who wore clothes. He had on an old Star Wars t-shirt and blue jeans. Both of which had numerous holes and stains.

  Elijah sighed with relief. “How is it that you speak English?”

  “I lived with my mother in Natal for a number of years. I was taught English there.”

  Elijah could not help himself. He was curious about this boy. He could not be beyond his eighteenth year. Elijah had to remind himself that he too looked eighteen. “And yet you are here?”

  “These are my people. I was born here and this is where I belong.”

  “You are wise beyond your years.” Elijah smiled.

  The boy frowned in concentration. “Do you mean that I am smarter than I should be … since I’m so young?”

  “Yes. That is exactly what I mean and … I need your help. Your ancestors once spoke of tunnels which ran beneath this land.”

  The boy narrowed his eyes. “My ancestors? You’re one of them, aren’t you — a creature of the night?”

  This boy is sharp, Elijah thought.

  The boy turned to his people and spoke. They began to shrink away from Elijah.

  “You’re aware of what’s going on around the world?” Elijah asked.

  “My great grandmother spoke about the day the world would end. We’ve known of your kind for a long time.” The boy had taken several steps back as well.

  “Please. I will not harm you.” Elijah went down on one knee. One thing he had learned from his brief time with these people was that this was a sign of respect.

  The boy studied Elijah. “You must face my grandmother. I warn you — she sees all.”

  Elijah kept his head respectfully lowered. This is a test. One I have to pass. Crippled hands reached out to cup Elijah’s cheeks. He raised his eyes. The old woman was completely naked. He peered into her cataract-laden eyes. Her arthritic hands must cause her such pain.

  She stared at him intently for a time and with a toothless smile she declared a verdict to her people.

  “Grandmother Tomamacowee has decided that you mean well,” the boy translated.

  The old woman turned to her grandson with further instruction. The boy nodded and kissed her forehead.

  “Grandmother says that I am to take you to our sacred tunnels.”

  Elijah bowed his head again. He exhaled a breath that he had not realized he had been holding.

  From the shadows Mari said, “Why is Elijah bowing to these commoners. They should be bowing to him.”

  Samuel frowned. “These people are not commoners. They are immortals as well. We are in their world now and that old lady is their leader, their queen, if you will.”

  “She’s no queen and they’re not immortal,” Mari countered.

  “I’ve read about these people. They live forever through their ancestors. They have an unbroken chain of knowledge and communication with their forbearers. If one’s essence remains on this earth, is that not immortality?”

  Mari rolled her eyes. “Whatever you say, darling.” It was beyond her to argue with him when he began philosophizing. Although she figured there was some sort of difference between these people’s “immortality” and a vampire’s immortality.

  “What’s your name?” Elijah asked.

  “Marcel,” the boy answered. “Grandmother is Tomamacowee but you may call her Tomoc. Y
our friends may join us now.”

  “Not much gets by you, now, does it?” Elijah said.

  Marcel smiled with confidence. “Well, it’s grandmother really. She told me that it’s not likely that you are a lone creature of the night. You are their leader and your faithful followers are never far away. She’s seen you coming for quite some time.”

  Elijah was impressed with these people’s insight and wisdom. The Court spent the next several hours with the villagers answering questions about vampires, such as if crosses had any effect on them. “No. Garlic doesn’t bother us either.” Elijah had no idea where that myth had come from. Most of the questions came from Marcel who was aware of the world outside this village. He was incredibly eager to learn.

  Chapter 37 South America 2021 A.D

  At dawn they set out from the village with Marcel in the lead.

  “It will only be a matter of time before Elda finds your people. She’s focused on containing heavily populated areas but soon she will send scouts to look for any remaining humans,” Elijah said.

  “We’ve already made plans for when that day comes. We have some supplies in the tunnels and we’re prepared to evacuate quickly. Don’t worry there is plenty of room in the vast tunnels,” Marcel chattered away.

  In a flash, Elijah sped forward. He grabbed Marcel by the shoulders and lifted him off the ground. He gave Marcel a moment to realize that his feet were suspended in the air. Elijah gently set him back down. “That’s how fast they’ll be upon you. You won’t get away — none of you.”

  The boy stared at Elijah with wide brown eyes. “Your point is made. I’ll speak with my people. Perhaps it’s time for us to go into hiding after all?”

  “So we’re going to be one big happy family? Humans and vampires living together underground,” Samuel said. Living with humans was something he had never done. In fact, such an outrageous thought had never crossed his mind.

  “Times have changed my old friend,” Elijah said.

  “It’s not so bad,” Teller added. He was used to living with humans. He had lived around humans for almost two hundred years.

  They hacked their way through the jungle for hours.

  “This is tediously slow. Can’t we carry Marcel and fly there? Mari whined.

  “We’re almost there,” Marcel said. The idea of being carried through the air was not something that sounded appealing. The few seconds suspended in Elijah’s grip had been more than enough. He liked to have his feet firmly on the ground.

  “Can we at least carry him on someone’s back, so we can move faster?” Mari said. She was not used to being out of her palace. Hiking in the jungle was something she would rather read about from the comforts of home.

  “Marcel has to lead the way. Honestly love, try to enjoy the adventure. It’s good for you to slow down and see new places,” Samuel said.

  Yet it took them another hour before they reached the tunnels.

  “We’re here,” Marcel said.

  “Thank God!” Mari breathed.

  They came to a low rock face. Moss and vines covered the stone surface. Marcel pulled back the vegetation to reveal a small passageway. Elijah was relieved to see that the entrance and surrounding area looked much like the expansive jungle around them. It was well hidden; nothing stood out about this place or gave any indication that it led to tunnels. “Perfect,” Elijah said.

  They entered the opening in single file.

  Mari started and grabbed onto Samuel’s arm. “What’s that?”

  “It’s a spider,” Elijah said as he pushed past them.

  “That’s not a spider! It’s a monster,” Mari replied.

  “Well, get used to him. He’s your new roommate,” Riddick said.

  Mari shivered. “I can’t possible live here.”

  “Did you expect the Ritz?” Teller said.

  “All those years spent in castles and grand manors. Now you expect me to live like a caveman? I will not be reduced to this!” Mari said.

  “You mean cavewoman,” Mary corrected.

  “Go ahead, Mari. Try your luck out there in the open. What do you think Elda will do to you when she finds you?” Elijah said.

  Mari whimpered.

  The Court busied themselves setting up their new home — or perhaps compound was a more appropriate term. Samuel and Aaron placed large freezers deep within the tunnels. They were powered by solar with a back-up generator. The solar panels were hidden at night to lessen the chances of one of Elda’s supporters spotting them. They were largely safe during the day. Yet, Elijah worried that the solar panels would point their enemy to the tunnels eventually. Not to mention fuel for the generators would become more difficult to scavenge as time passed. He would worry about the sustainability of all this later. For now they had plenty of blood and they had a way to keep it fresh.

  The tunnels were divided into living quarters. They mined out some areas to make bigger rooms. Teller, Abdullah and the twins installed metal doors, starting with the main entrance. Supplies were brought in for humans. It did not take long for most of the villagers to see the wisdom in moving to the tunnels as well. Gardens were planted within walking distance of the tunnels. They modeled the gardens after the British, planting them with no patterns or rows. From the air the gardens looked as if they were natural vegetation. Chickens and pigs were let out during the day and brought inside to their own quarters within the tunnels by night. Mari was not thrilled about living in an underground barn. Wells and outhouses were dug. The jungle provided much. This would allow them to survive and remain hidden.

  The tunnels were like a maze. They were made up of three main shafts with many shorter laterals branching off. Overall there were several miles of underground caverns. The ceilings were low and taller people had to duck their heads in some places. They mined out a main meeting room that doubled as a mess hall. Samuel and Aaron ran wires and lighting throughout the tunnels.

  Elijah set official rations on their blood supply. Each vampire was given three and a half pints every two weeks. Vampires preferred four pints, as they felt more satisfied. However, they could get by, without side effects, on three and a half pints. Samuel and Aaron had long since figured out the minimum amount of blood it took to keep vampires healthy. This way they had plenty of strength and they did not become so hungry that they put the humans around them at risk.

  “We can donate blood,” Marcel offered.

  “You would do that … for us?” Elijah asked.

  “We’re up against creatures that are many times faster and stronger than us. You’re our best chance of defeating them or even just surviving against them. We’ll do whatever we can to help. If it is as you say and you fought for us for a thousand years then the least we can do is donate some blood.”

  “That’s very generous of you. If we work together it’ll increase the chances of both species surviving,” Elijah said.

  Samuel quickly did the math. “There are not enough humans to sustain us.”

  “But they can help to keep our blood supply up. It’ll give us more time. We’ll set everyone who’s able and willing to donate on an eight week rotation for giving a pint of blood.”

  This required them to head to a city for more supplies. Most of the population of Brazil had been on the east coast. This was where they headed. They found themselves in Natal. This time, abandoned hospitals were their targets. They grabbed all they could carry. They secured what was needed to be able to draw blood plus any other medicines that they thought might be useful.

  Elijah quietly jerked his head toward a closed door. “Shhh. Did you hear that?”

  “I sure did,” Riddick said.

  Elijah twisted the handle of the locked door until the mechanism inside broke. He swung the door open with his hand on his whip. The scent of a human was strong in the tiny storage room. A woman could be seen behind some shelving. She was curled up in the fetal position.

  “We’re not going to hurt you.”

  She flinched at the
sudden nearness of Elijah’s voice.

  She looked up with large brown eyes full of fear. “Are you human?”

  “I’m afraid not but —

  She made a run for it. Elijah nodded to Riddick who quickly wrapped his arms around the young woman, easily subduing her. This caused her to drop a backpack she had in her hand.

  “No! Let me go!” She kicked Riddick’s shin with all her might and Riddick did not so much as flinch.

  “We’ll let you go. I promise, we won’t harm you. There’s one thing you need to know first. You need to know who we are.”

  “Please let me go.” Tears ran down her cheeks.

  Elijah felt terrible for her but he had to try to get through to her. “We can help you. We have a safe place for humans and vampires alike. Not all of us are bad. We have always fought for humans and we’ll always protect them.”

  She continued to struggle in Riddick’s grip so Elijah went on, “You don’t stand a chance out there on your own. … Wait! I know…” Elijah knew the poor girl was too scared to be reasoned with, so he ran to the reception desk and drew a makeshift map on a prescription pad. In no time he was back. “This is a map that will lead you to our hideout — in case you change your mind.”

  He tucked the paper into the front pocket of her jeans and nodded to Riddick. Riddick quickly release the girl. She stumbled to get her footing and grabbed the backpack as she ran out the door. Elijah knew that whatever it was in the pack, it must have been important.

  “Do you think she’ll find us?” Riddick asked.

  “If she’s smart she will.”

  Chapter 38 North America 2021 A.D

  Elda had plenty of time to do this right. After all, if one plans to take over the world, one had better have a flawless plan, with all the details covered. Elda had just that. The next phase was to leave the humans leaderless. Her supporters had long since infiltrated governments all around the world. Only powerful countries were of interest — largely ones with nuclear capabilities. The U.S., as well as Great Britain, Russia, China, North Korea, Japan — these were a few of the most important countries, the ones at the top of Elda’s list. She had people in numerous high-ranking positions with top security clearance, ready to do her dirty work. This was how she easily entered the U.S. president’s emergency bunker. Her spy had all the security codes, clearance key-cards, I.D.s, retina scans — all she needed to get to the president.