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

  “They are not with you?” Mari asked. She looked around as if she had somehow overlooked their presence.

  Val shook her head no. “I don’t know where they are.” Her voice was flat.

  From the look on Mari’s face she clearly did not believe Vallachia.

  “I don’t know where they are but they won’t be coming with us,” Val continued.

  “Surely that is not true.” Mari twisted her face in confusion.

  “Teller said it was time for him to move on.”

  Mari placed her hands firmly on her hips with a stubborn huff. “He is not coming with us to America?”

  Val could tell that Mari did not want to accept that Teller was gone. Val understood precisely how she felt. “No. He said he hoped never to return to us.”

  “What!” Mari’s cheeks turned crimson, as Val had anticipated. “He cannot leave without so much as a farewell.”

  “He told me to tell you all goodbye for him. So you are hearing it from me,” Val snapped.

  “What an arse!” Mari said. “We have only known each other since we were babes. We grew up together for heaven’s sake and he doesn’t have the decency to let me know that he is leaving — for good? What a selfish —

  “Because we would not have let him go,” Val interrupted.

  “Yet you let him go?” Elijah smiled and wrapped his arms around his wife.

  Val laid her head on Elijah’s chest, which was usually a place of great comfort but this time there was little comfort as her mask of numbness threatened to give way.

  Mari’s anger faded with Val’s last comment, as she realized that Val was right — she would have tried to convince Teller to stay. Mari wrapped her arms around both Elijah and Val. “I’m sorry he’s gone,” she whispered.

  This did not help Val to keep her mask intact. She could feel it crack and flood waters threatened to spill out of her eyes.

  “All right, that is enough.” Riddick was all business. “We should already be in the sky. Daylight will soon be upon us and this place will be crawling with humans. It is time we move out.”

  Teller was right — Riddick is not bothered in the least by Teller’s disappearance, Val thought.

  Riddick was also correct — it was past time for them to leave. There was no way Vallachia could delay their departure any longer. Her feet felt as if they were boulders. She did not know if she could take flight. Elijah had to pull her into the air. Val could not stop herself from looking back.

  Elijah squeezed her hand. “Don’t. Only look forward — to America.”

  Val wondered how Elijah could leave so easily. He had lived there longer than she had, upwards of six hundred years. Elijah’s father, Lord Chastellain, was buried in the catacombs beneath the castle. So many memories, so much history and they were leaving it all behind because the world had grown in around them. It would be easier to keep their dark secret if they left their beloved home.

  Chapter 3 London 1664 A.D

  As Elijah and Vallachia had predicted, they had been able to enjoy a long period of peace after the dreaded vampire war of 1551. Elijah was the king of the High Court of Elders. He inherited the thrown from his father, Lord Chastellain. With Vallachia by Elijah’s side they ruled the vampire world. It was a small world compared to that of humans. The Court’s main objective was to ensure that vampires kept themselves hidden from humans.

  Vampire populations had been greatly reduced in the war of 1551. With fewer vampires, humans began to flourish. They emerged out of the stagnant and dark times of the middle ages. This gave rise to a new era and the Renaissance was born. With this came new technologies, arts, music and philosophies. Thus transforming the hackneyed culture of Europe.

  Time — like vampires — had previously floated along unchanging. As this new era fell upon these ageless creatures they had to learn to adapt. This was not an easy task for timeless immortals. Medieval Europe had been a time of strict social norms, monarchies and religious rule. The world stood still, which was comfortable for Queen Vallachia and her Court.

  Many vampires found this new world more difficult to maneuver. They had to adjust their ancient thinking in order to comprehend concepts such as the earth not being the center of the universe. Vallachia and her companions had tried for a couple of years to convince Samuel, Elijah’s closest friend, that the world was indeed a giant ball. In the end it was not Vallachia who persuaded him but rather the works of Galileo. Samuel pored over Galileo’s charts and maps of the stars. He spent endless nights studying the sky. He would often mumble to himself, “It simply cannot be. The world is not as we once thought.”

  Samuel and Aaron visited Galileo while he was under house arrest for heresy against the Church. Galileo’s outlandish ideas were the reason for his arrest. It appeared that it was difficult for humans to accept change as well. After all, the church was a large vessel that did not easily alter its course. It was as ancient and stubborn as vampires.

  Elijah’s entourage stopped in London to meet with the members of the British Court and to pick up their dear friends, Mary and Elizabeth. Vallachia had been overjoyed when Mary and Elizabeth agreed to join them on their journey to America.

  “There is a British colony, recently won from the Dutch. It is called New York, named after our very own Duke of York. It is a small, yet prosperous city,” Lord Alexandru said. Lord Alexandru was the head of the British branch of the Court.

  “Are you suggesting we settle in this … New York?” Elijah asked.

  “I have heard that it is lovely.” Alexandru unrolled a large map and others moved closer to examine it.

  “Our belongings have been shipped to Jamestown.” Elijah pointed to the map. “Where is New York?”

  “Farther north. It is easy to find because of the long island that protrudes outward.” Alexandru ran his finger along the jagged coastline and stopped at New York’s location. There was much discussion as they studied the map.

  “We do prefer the darker winters in the north,” John said. John had once been Elijah’s father’s most trusted companion. Since Lord Chastellain’s death, John had become Elijah’s advisor and more. John had helped to raise Elijah, which made him a father figure.

  “I have heard that America is lush and green, like our very own Motherland,” Elizabeth said.

  Val hoped this was true.

  In the end, it was decided that they would travel to New York to see what it had to offer.

  Lord Alexandru promised that he would visit and that he would tend to Court affairs in Europe. His castle was also surrounded by the ever-expanding city. He said he would not leave London; even if that meant he would have to live under the pretense of being human.

  Val was glad Alexandru had chosen to stay behind and look after the vampires of Europe. Elijah bequeathed him with the full power of the High Court of Elders to act on Elijah and Vallachia’s behalf.

  There were still occasional outbreaks of small vampire “plagues” across Europe. This was usually caused by a handful of unruly vampires. Such cases were not a threat to the Court. It was a simple matter of newly-turned vampires who could not control their thirst. Lord Alexandru was perfectly capable of dealing with them — which often meant removing their heads.

  It was difficult for Vallachia to leave London as well. It had been her second home over the years. She hovered high over the city to take it in one last time. The glistening River Thames snaked its way through the sea of rooftops.

  “This is far from a final farewell. We will visit.” Once again, Elijah had to take Val’s hand and lead her westward.

  They were leaving all they knew. It felt as if the mask of numbness had become her true self. She wondered if this emotionless state might consume her.

  In contrast, Elijah’s eyes shone bright with the light of adventure. They were more blue than grey and Val knew this meant that he was excited to explore new places.

  They flew through the night seeing nothing except endless ocean. Val spotted the massive
body of a fish; but it was not simply any fish. It was larger than anything she had seen before.

  “Look!” Val pointed to the large creature. The fish broke the surface and water shot into the air, as it was forced out of a small opening.

  Val tucked her wings in and dived into the water. In doing so, she was transformed from a winged beast to a young woman with gills on her neck and webbed fingers and toes. She could see the fish was much bigger than she had originally thought. It was wider than a common house and many times longer. Swimming alongside it, she ran her webbed hand along its body. Its skin was smooth except where crustaceans had gathered. It was incredibly graceful for its size. With her vampire ears, she could hear the lonely and eerie sounds it made. She imagined that it was calling to a lost love — or was that her own heart making that sound?

  The others had followed Val.

  “What was that?” Mari asked, as they tread water.

  “I have heard seamen speak of such large fish but I always thought they were exaggerating. Now I see they were being modest when describing these magnificent creatures,” Samuel said.

  “Whatever it was, it was beautiful,” Val mused. Seeing the water giant allowed a hint of excitement to creep in. Think of all the wonderful things we will find in America. Her mask of numbness began to crack.

  Mari studied her companions — floating or swimming about gracefully in the water, far from any land. “I don’t know what that thing was but I would wager that the myth of mermaids originated from vampires.”

  “What are you talking about?” Samuel said. “We are nothing like the mythical sea creatures with fish tails from children’s stories.”

  “Think about it, dear. What would sailors think if they came upon us now?”

  “I suppose they would think we were a group of…fish-people.”

  “Precisely — mermaids.”

  Samuel furrowed his brow. He was either convinced that Mari was right or he had long since learned that it was not fruitful to argue with his wife. Having been married for a good four hundred years, he had learned a thing or two.

  Chapter 4 America 1664 A.D

  Elijah’s entourage had been at sea for two nights and a day. The sun was on the rise when land appeared in the west. They were weary, as there had been no way to take their customary brief rests while at sea.

  “That must be America,” Elijah said.

  As they flew closer, Val could see that the land was indeed green. It reminded her of home. Two equally powerful emotions hit her. First, there was a longing for home that settled deep in her stomach and made it turn. Yet there was relief that Elizabeth was right. Maybe this place could become our home after all. She took Elijah’s hand.

  Elijah scanned the horizon until he found what he was looking for. “There.” He pointed to the northwest. “That must be the long island Lord Alexandru showed us on the map.”

  They landed outside a populated area and walked the streets.

  “This is New York?” Val asked.

  Elijah nodded his confirmation.

  “It is so … small.” Elizabeth frowned as she surveyed the town. She was clearly unimpressed.

  “There must be no more than a couple thousand people,” Aaron said.

  “That cannot be. London supports upwards of four hundred-thousand,” Mary said.

  “The fact that it is not overly populated should be a good thing. I thought we came here to get away from humans,” Riddick said.

  “I’m beginning to reconsider,” Mary said. “I thought there would be at least a good number of people.”

  “Yes. I feel homesick already,” Elizabeth added.

  “Give it time. We can be free here. Perhaps it will grow on you,” Val said.

  Only the main road was cobblestone. All other streets were dirt. The buildings were of a modern architecture as they were all new. They were much more modest than many European homes. There were none of the old elaborate structures found in Europe. No large stone buildings rose high into the sky. Even the churches were simple wooden structures.

  It reminded Val of the village where she was born. “It’s perfect,” she whispered. She was already falling in love with New York. She found the infancy of this place fascinating. She was witnessing the beginning of a new town. The surrounding lands were wild, vast and open, largely unaltered by man. This was exactly what they were looking for.

  The Court built a home far to the north of town. It was a one hundred and fifty room mansion surrounded by a thousand acres. The iron gate leading to the home consisted of an elaborate Chastellain family crest with a gold letter “C” in the middle. Its many rooms were for the vampires who came and went from the premises. There were anywhere from fifty to a hundred vampires living there at any one time.

  Once settled in, the Court lived as they had before. Elijah and Val continued to seek out new allies and maintain existing alliances. They made it their business to know who their fellow vampires were. In order to stay apprised of the happenings in their world, they frequently traveled across this new land. They were continually on the lookout for any threats to the Court.

  Thankfully their reputation had followed them from the old world. They rarely had to intervene with vampires who revealed their true nature to humans. Once every decade or so, they would have to execute a small coven of vampires for revealing themselves.

  Teller stayed true to his word and did not return to the Court. He wrote to Val at least once a year, informing her of his latest adventures. He always made a point to let her know where he was. This made it possible for her to write him in return — or find him, if she were to change her mind. As the years slipped away, his letters came less frequently. She hoped this meant that he was letting her go — or did she truly want that?

  Teller spent several years in India with Shantanu’s family. He eventually made his way to China.

  October 7, 1672

  Dear Vallachia,

  I have slowly wound my way across Russia. We have found a coven in Beijing. They are friendly and eager to learn how to feed without killing. They are relatively young, with the oldest being no more than one hundred. The leader of this coven wants to train her men to fight. They have agreed to help enforce the Court’s laws throughout this land. They want to help protect humans from our kind.

  It appears that vampires are few in number in the Far East. I am a giant in this land — over a head taller than the natives. Plus I am easily twice the girth of the locals. I wish you could see how they react to Abdullah. They quickly step aside and sometimes scatter when they see him. [Val could almost hear Teller laughing.] As you can imagine, this makes blending in difficult so we largely keep to our own kind.

  I have to warn you. I spotted Neacsa, [Val’s heart jumped into her throat.] or at least it was a woman who greatly resembled her. She was in a crowd of people. I ran after her but she vanished. There is a good chance that it was Neacsa, as it appeared that her faithful companion was at her side. What are the chances of seeing two women who looked exactly like Neacsa and her maid of old? The fact that they were able to disappear also makes me wonder. Perhaps I only imagined them, as I caught no scent of vampires.

  The Chinese language is odd but we are slowly getting more proficient. Recently we visited some of the Southern lands. You would love the Karst Mountains. They are like nothing I have ever seen. They are more beautiful than the Carpathian Mountains of home and I never thought I would say that. I wish you would come to me, then I could show you all of China.

  Tel

  October 15, 1672

  Dear Teller,

  I am glad you are getting to see the world. It is wonderful to hear from you and to learn that you are safe! It is grand news that the coven in China will join the Court. I’m glad they will help to keep the delicate balance between humans and vampires. That is very concerning news about Neacsa! I hope it was only someone who resembled her.

  We are continuing the Court’s work here as well, with regular diplomatic effort
s. The world is much bigger than we thought. It is working out perfectly, with Lord Alexandru watching over Europe and now you watching over the Far East.

  We all miss you. I miss you. I wish there was a way we could be together. I suppose you being gone is for the best. It is easier on both of us.

  Much Love,

  Val

  This was all the news the Court received about Ramdasha’s wife — or lover — Elda. Or perhaps she still went by Princess Neacsa Dracula. Whoever she was or whatever name she went by, no one appeared to know what happened to her after Elijah ended the greatest of vampire wars by killing Ramdasha.

  Ramdasha had been the Court’s longtime adversary. He did not like the Court’s laws restricting vampires. Ramdasha and his followers didn’t want to hide their true nature from humans. They wanted to rule the world. As the dominate race they wished to make humans their slaves.

  As soon as Vallachia dared to hope that Elda was dead, another vague sighting of her would reach the ears of the Court. She remained a ghost and Val prayed that they had not been true sightings.

  Overall, the vampire world was quiet; there was not so much as a whisper of anyone moving against the Court. As far as they knew, no one was rebuilding an army or planning to attack. If Elda was out there and continuing Ramdasha’s legacy, she was successful in keeping it a secret. The Court had many allies throughout the world and the vampire world was many times smaller than the human world. News traveled fast — as vampires traveled fast — and there was no talk of a rebellion against the Court.

  Chapter 5 America 1860 A.D

  Slavery had been around since the beginning of time — so it seemed. Yet there was a fundamental shift occurring; the world was waking up to concepts long forgotten or suppressed during the middle ages. A sense of fairness and justice swept across Europe and America.