Of Gods and Goddesses: Book 3 (Lords and Commoners Series) Page 23
“Shut up!” Elijah said.
Teller stirred and Elijah disappeared in a flash. Elijah headed out of the tunnels. He walked the dark jungle for hours trying to reconcile with himself. Did I fail to act? Am I a coward? Or have I done the right thing by not killing Teller … again. The confusion was unbearable.
When Elijah finally returned to his room Mari was chatting away. Val sat frowning at the floor. Mari fell silent and they both stood when he entered. Val looked relieved and Mari looked uncomfortable. Elijah glared at Mari and pointed toward the door, “Get out.”
Mari gave Val a concerned looked. Val nodded for Mari to leave.
Reluctantly Mari exited.
Val approached Elijah. “I’m glad you’re back. I was concerned —
Her words were cut short by the sword Elijah pointed at her chest.
She gasped and took a step back. “Elijah? … What’s going on? Please talk to me.”
“You had his children. Then you hid from me. That’s what’s wrong. How do you expect me to feel?”
“I never hid from you. Elijah, I would never do that. We were hiding from Elda but she found us. That’s why I came back. So that I could be with you, now that the girls were no longer a secret from our enemy.”
Elijah studied her; she seemed sincere. Who to trust? He let out a yell of frustration and threw the sword across the room. It made a loud clattering sound against the rock wall as it fell to the floor and Val gave a start. I shouldn’t have scared her. He fell in a pile on the floor and she moved in sync with him, half catching him and half falling with him. She held him.
“Why couldn’t it have been me? You should’ve had my children.”
“Shhh, I know. I know,” Val whispered.
Elijah eventually fell asleep in her arms. In the past it had always been her in his arms.
He woke abruptly as if the previous night was one long nightmare. He found himself sitting upright in bed. Elijah didn’t remember how he had gotten there. Vallachia stirred by his side. He watched her intently for a moment. I know that she truly does love me.
Elijah felt more like himself after resting, yet still a part of him worried that he had failed. He was not entirely sure how or more accurately, whom he failed. Father, he guessed. This remaining confusion was unsettling. But at least he knew that he would not kill Teller and he would not harm Vallachia. I could never hurt her.
Val sat up and put her arms around his waist. She kissed his neck. “How are you faring?”
Her touch was wonderful — familiar. Elijah could have easily let himself get lost in her caress, as he had always done. He shook his head, as he recalled Riddick’s words, “evil temptress”. Is she toying with me — using me? These thoughts allowed doubt to enter his mind. This also allowed his father’s voice to return. Val is the traitor. She must have been working with Elda the past fifteen years or even longer. How else did she know when Elda would attack? She most likely betrayed us, long ago. Val was the one to tell Ramdasha that I would be in the rear of the army during the battle of 1551. She is responsible for my death.
“No.” Elijah said to the voice in his head. Nevertheless, he removed Val’s hands from his waist.
“Elijah please, don’t push me away,” Val said.
Think, my son! Who had more cause to hate me than Lady Vallachia? “I need some time — to sort things out.” Elijah could not look her directly in the eyes because she would have been able to weaken his resolve. Surely he would give into her crystal-blue eyes, as he always did; well not any more.
Val nodded. “I understand. I’ll be here for you if … or when you need me.” She brushed a tear from her cheek and quickly left the room.
Her children would be waking soon. She needs to be getting back to them. This thought filled Elijah with spite. He lay back down and tried not to think. He let himself go numb — forcing himself to not feel or think. All he wanted was for Vallachia and the stupid voice in his head to leave him alone.
Chapter 59 South America 2034 A.D
Vallachia left Elijah alone for a couple of months, hoping every day or rather, every second, that he would come for her. She prayed he would at least try to get to know the girls. He did not. With every moment that passed, she became more concerned that he would leave her for good. It was all she could do to stay away but she had promised him his space, as he was once gracious enough to grant her.
Val was giving the girls a school lesson in the garden when Samuel appeared behind her.
“Mari asked me to find you. She needs to see you,” Samuel said.
Val nodded. “Where is she?”
“In the meeting room.”
There was an urgency in his voice that caused Val to stand and excuse herself. The girls, well Eva mainly, as Vera had been fine from day one, were getting used to this place and their newfound father. Eva was more comfortable with Val leaving. In fact, she hardly looked up from her math problem to say goodbye. Val could not help but feel a bit disappointed. Her baby no longer needed her as much. On the other hand, Val knew that it was a good sign that Eva was adjusting.
“What’s wrong?” Val asked.
“She would not say,” Samuel replied.
He looked guilty. They are up to something, Val thought.
Once she reached the meeting room, Val turned to Samuel but he had disappeared. She cautiously entered. It quickly became apparent that Mari was not waiting for her in the meeting room, as only Elijah was there. So that’s what’s going on, Val thought. Mari and Samuel are trying to get us to talk. Surely they are hoping to get their two best friends back together.
Val smiled at Mari and Samuel’s slyness. “Hello,” Val said.
Elijah who had been sitting in a chair poring over a large map glanced at Val briefly and looked away.
“I was hoping … well I came here looking for Mari but apparently you’re who I was meant to find,” Val said.
“Then you had better go find her.” Elijah’s voice was flat.
“It’s you I want to see. Can we please talk about this … about us?” Val pled.
Elijah would not look at her. She slowly sat down in the chair across from him.
There was a long awkward silence. “You drive me insane, literally certifiably mad. I can’t …” Elijah blurted.
“And I am sorry for that, I truly am. I never meant to hurt you. The past fifteen years have been out of my control. There is a part of me that would give anything to go back to those perfect years we had together — when there was nothing between us.”
“There has always been something between us or rather someone. I used to ignore it, your love for Teller but I can’t do that anymore.”
“I don’t love him — not like I used to. I care about him and I want my daughters to know their father but I no longer long for him. Now that my relationship with Teller is no longer romantic, you’re going to reject me? Please don’t push me away. You’re the only man I love, the only one I want.”
Elijah still refused to look at her. He began to rub his forehead with his thumb and index finger. This familiar gesture made Val want him all the more. She wanted to comfort him — to ease his pain.
“You see Teller and I had a connection and once the girls were conceived that connection was broken. We were meant to have them and that’s all. It’s over between us. We’ll never be together again. We don’t even want to be together as we once did. Now that I’m entirely yours, please don’t give up on me!” Val resisted the urge to wrap her arms around him. Why won’t he look at me?
“I want to believe you. I do. But what if Riddick is right and I’m nothing but a fool, blinded by you? What if you continue to hurt me?”
“Elijah, I won’t ever hurt you again. You’re my true love. We’re mated for life.”
He shook his head. “I can no longer allow anyone to have this much control over me — driving me mad. Do you know that I actually thought I heard my father’s voice?”
“What did he say?” Though Val ha
d the feeling that she didn’t actually want to know.
“That I should kill Teller and that you are a traitor.”
Val’s lips parted. “Please tell me you don’t believe him.”
“I don’t know what to think. All I know is that you hamper my ability to govern. In case you hadn’t noticed, we’re at war. I have a job to do.” Elijah’s voice rose with each sentence. “I can’t be bothered with this nonsense. I have to be done with you!” Quietly he added, “It’s over … we’re over.”
Val wished he had stabbed her with his sword, as that would have hurt less. How will I live without him? She had never really been without him. He had always been there, throughout the vast majority of her entire long vampire life. Her world grew foggy. She slowly stood and walked out. She wanted to run but her feet would not let her. She wandered the tunnels not knowing where to go. What happens now? She did not want her daughters to see their once strong mother like this; heartbroken and numb. She questioned her ability to be a mother at all.
Her eyes were dry. She was beyond the pain of tears.
Val wasn’t sure if she could stand to see Elijah and not be able to touch him, hold him, kiss him. Perhaps, I should leave … again? I’m of no use here. I’m not a leader anymore. She wanted to get away and try to sort out what she should do with her life. Her life had been defined by her relationship to Elijah. The two of them had acted as one for centuries. If she was no longer his wife then she was no longer the Queen. If I’m not a wife and I’m not a leader, then what am I? Losing Riddick was bad enough; now Elijah? The pain would have been overwhelming if not for her trusty mask of numbness.
Val decided that she had to leave. She didn’t want the few people who still cared about her to worry, so she went to Valentina. Val quickly and quietly pulled her mother aside as the girls played merrily with Teller.
“I have to get out of here,” Val said.
“My dear, you look terrible! Your light … it’s faded. What’s wrong?”
The words would not come. Val could not bring herself to say the unimaginable — that Elijah no longer loved her. “I need some time — to myself—to sort things out.”
“Of course dear, how much time, so I can let the girls know when you’ll be back?”
“I don’t know, a couple of days, maybe more. I’ll send a message if I’ll be longer.”
“Take care of yourself.” Valentina wrapped her arms around Val and kissed her cheek.
Val disappeared.
Chapter 60 South America 2034 A.D
Val was in a grey haze as she flew over the dense jungle. The world around her had dimmed. She no longer saw the colorful trees or the sparkling rivers. She didn’t want to believe that her marriage was over. That was something — the one thing — that was never supposed to end. Marriage did not change in her world. Vampires never left their mates, not that she had seen anyway. Yet after all that had happened, how could she expect anything else? She deserved to lose Elijah. In fact, she had never deserved him.
Val landed by a small stream. Water rushed over and around large boulders as it made its way into the mighty river — the Amazon. She needed to meditate. She had to try to clear her thoughts and figure out what to do. How do I move forward … without Elijah? This question was her focus when she went into a deep trance to ask the Great Goddess for guidance. However, the only answer she received was the clear image of Pikes Peak — the huge mountain in Colorado.
Val shook her head. “No, I don’t care about some random mountain.” Yet even as she said this she knew it was not random. She was reminded of the odd feeling that had overcome her when she last saw the enormous peak a couple of months ago. It had been humming with electricity. Was it another prison for humans?
Vallachia tried again. There must be something I can do to save my marriage? She was barely insightful enough to notice that in this brief time her focus, her desire, went from moving on from her marriage to trying to salvage it. She didn’t truly want to get over Elijah, she wanted him back.
Yet again, she received only the image of the cone-shaped peak rising high into the sky, clear, unmistakable.
And again Val resisted. Many hours passed.
“As you wish. You have always shown me the way. Thank you Great Mother of us all.” Val was not naive. She knew that whatever awaited her in Colorado Springs had nothing to do with her ruined relationship and she also understood her gut-turning feeling about the mountain — it was dangerous. She headed north at once. She trusted the Great Goddess’s guidance. Even though it was likely that enemies awaited for her, she knew she had to go alone. She did not need her army — if it was still hers to command.
At sunup, Val landed on top of the highest peak. From fourteen thousand feet she surveyed the land. There was nothing out of place accept the faint vibration of electricity. It seemed as if the mountain was electrified or at least large amounts of energy were being pumped into it. Why does someone need so much energy — within this mountain or perhaps underneath it? Val decided the entrance must be hidden at its base somewhere. It would be heavily guarded and sealed tight. She hoped that she had not been spotted already. She decided it would be best to blend in. The city in the distance appeared largely vacant but it could be crawling with vampires by night.
Val made the short flight to Colorado Springs. She rummaged through some vacant apartments until she found a pair of jeans and a blue t-shirt that fit. She quickly changed out of her white dress. She tucked her long blond hair in a baseball cap. Of course she always wore sunglasses.
“There. I could be anyone,” she said to her reflection in a mirror. She hid her pack, which contained some basic provisions — mostly blood bags. She had learned that if she drank a pint every five to six days she could get by on five pints a month, rather than the allotted six pints. This didn’t seem to affect her strength, her energy level or her ability to control her thirst. She didn’t know how long she would be gone so she planned ahead.
At dusk she walked the streets looking for signs of life. She didn’t have anything of value on her, save her usual weapons — a long sword and her knife belt. She carried no blood and no money for blood. These were the only things her desperate kind cared about. They would do most anything for blood. Still she was a queen or a former queen; she could be in danger out in the open like this. She had watched over the world from afar — through the seeing crystal. Yet, she was not entirely sure what she would find on the streets.
A handful of bodies with dry wrinkled skin lay about but there was no sign of healthy vampires; until she heard a distant sobbing. Val drew her sword and followed the noise into a narrow alley. She had never grown to like guns. Her sword was an extension of her arm — natural. It was as if she had been born with it. The sword was difficult to give up. It had always protected her. Not to mention guns were entirely too loud.
At the end of the alley there was a figure of a small woman. She hovered over more petrified vampires. The vampires must have come here with what little strength remained to comfort one another. Some had fallen into their starvation sleep as they held each other. Some of them had most likely been lovers. This once had been a coven that cared deeply for one another. Val could almost see herself and her family, her coven, in their sunken faces. For the first time she felt sorry for the mummified vampires. Val had always looked at them as traitors to the Court. Val could see now that they were not all deserving of this fate. Some were simply caught in this awful new world, with no way out. And this could be her family’s fate if things did not change.
Val kept her sword pointed at the woman as she cautiously approached. The small figure sang a gloomy melody…
The pieces are in place
The pawns are ready to play
No more, no more
The chains are broken
The chains are gone
How brief the war
A simple late frost
The color was lost
What was not seen
Without the color
There is no green
The life force itself
No more, no more
Better left unknown
Better left undone
The pieces are in place and
The pawns are ready to play
Tears formed in Val’s eyes, perhaps a drop spilled over. She quickly blinked the moisture away so that it would not impair her vision.
The woman slowly turned. She must have caught the scent of another. Large honey-colored eyes peered up at Val. The rather small woman had full red lips. There was the hint of a dimple. Val was sure it would be a deep crevice in her cheek if only she smiled. But there was no smile. She was stunning; even more so than her image on TV or the hazy figure in the seeing stone.
Vallachia inhaled sharply and then tried to exhale the jealousy away. Teller married this woman. Had he loved her? Val was ashamed of this intrusive thought. This was of no importance in this dire moment. She was facing her greatest enemy and was overwhelmed with shame that her first reaction was as petty and horrible as jealously. Jealousy was the most evil of all emotions. She was humbled to find that it could still overcome her.
Val was sure that all her hard work to become more “enlightened” would make her immune to such primitive emotions. She took another deep breath to regain her insight — her wisdom of years, her father’s and now her mother’s teachings came back to her. She had to reject the darkness that had churned from within. Val could almost hear her mother say, “One is never completely free of negative and harmful emotions. It’s what one does with them that matters.”
Chapter 61 North America 2034 A.D
Vallachia raised her sword to Elda’s throat. Elda remained motionless, she did not even blink. Elda does not care if her head is removed from her body. In fact, she most likely wishes for it. Val swiftly sheathed her weapon, as it was obviously not needed. There was no fight in her enemy. If your enemy wants death then that is the last thing you can give them.