Dark Nephilim Page 9

  Stillness hung heavy around us. No sounds penetrated that stillness. Finding my breath after this surprise, I asked again breaking the silence, “Where are we?”

  With a huge glowing smile, he looked into my eyes. “This is my sanctuary. I have never shared it with another, but I have come here for decades when I needed to escape. Allow me to lead you to my home.” He looked like a boy at that moment, proudly showing off his creation. “It is humble and basic. I come here to get away from the human world, from other immortals. I come here to read, to study, and to rest. I don’t know where we are. It’s a portal. That’s all I know. There are many portals. I can show you them, but this is my favourite one and where I call home. Demons—well, at least me—don’t spend all our time tormenting humans and supernaturals! That would be boring! I can only speak for myself and my sister.”

  “You have a sister? Is she here?” I asked, trying not to sound anxious.

  “No, I have never brought her here. And I haven’t seen her for many years.”

  “So, how does that work? You must then have parents?”

  “Not as such. We come from split energy, from the same mind of creation—the being that created us into reality. But we never speak of it.”

  I was feeling unsteady with so much to take in. A portal, a demon who reads, a sister. I looked around searching for others, thinking surely we would not be alone here.

  He offered me his hand which I did not want, but I took as I wanted him to feel at ease with me. And my legs, my body were shaken from this weird reality. Walking together he put his arm around me and led the way.

  I had to take a deep breath and concentrate so that I didn’t flinch. The difference when a fantasy becomes a reality.

  “There are creatures here, Rachel. Many. They’re mostly shy and I have never known any to be harmful. They’re not like creatures from the world you’re used to. They are more unusual, dark, spectacular even. I find it all, and them, very fascinating.”

  I knew I should be afraid, and that I should be trying to get back. But I didn’t. For once I felt at peace with this place, even if not with him.

  It was beautiful. The red glow of the atmosphere, the walkway of twisted hazel trees that led us to his stone cottage and the small, lithe black creatures I caught in the corner of my eye who were spying at our presence and darting back so as not to be seen. They didn’t feel like a threat to me at all.

  His home was like a cabin from a fairy-tale. Made of logs with a thatch roof and a small stone chimney topping it. It was small, rectangular with a little stone wall around it that contained a garden.

  “I promise you that you will be safe here, and I will always endeavour to keep you safe.”

  I looked at him then. I stopped in the middle of the path, just before we’d reached his cottage. His dark, almost black eyes were sincere. His black hair flopped over his forehead in an almost boyish way that enhanced how handsome his face was. I almost pushed the lock of hair away, but I stopped myself. My need to ask this question burned brighter than my desire to touch his hair. “But why? Why me? What do you want from me?”

  He looked taken aback. “I love you, of course. I have watched you for weeks, sensed you, your heart, your feelings, your loneliness. I love you and I want to be with you. We shall have a child, a son of course. He will become a powerful necromancer. We will be together forever.”

  My heart sank. Oh God... A demon was in love with me, kidnapped me to God knows where. I needed to get out of here. I needed to get away regardless of how serene it was. I wasn’t about to fall in love with a creature that declared his heart to me after five minutes and kidnapped me. And a child?

  But before I could think further he said, “We are connected you know. You and I, we have a shared energy. We are one.”

  He sounded sincere, for a psychotic demon, so I pressed him carefully. “Explain? I mean I am physical, a vampire, but you are, well I’m not sure who you are. Tell me, I want to know how demons come into existence.”

  I knew I had to play him, to learn as much as possible about him, where we were and how to get out of here. And he was all too willing to oblige me. Then again, I had been through this before with my Maker. And thank God he couldn’t read minds!

  “We demons don’t come from the same dimension as you. We can only become physical when a human or immortal becomes aware of us. Before that we are just energy. How that happens, I don’t know. We just exist as non-physical beings, but we are attracted to those who resonate on a similar energy, or of those who interest us.

  “You interested me greatly. A vampire. Of course I have met many a vampire, but none quite as you. There is a purity about you, in your heart. So when those nephilim mentioned that I was in your home, and you became aware of me, I knew then that as soon as you accepted my existence I could become real to you. I had watched you for some time before, as I watched Anthony secretly helping Nathaniel—your enemy. And I knew you deserved better. Damien was cause for my concern, but not now. Now that you are with me, we have eternity to know each other.”

  Damien! How the hell did he know about him! Alarm bells were ringing so loud it was all I could do to compose myself. Dear God...

  “So how do we get in and out of these portals?” His confidence in himself was my advantage, and he spilled forth information because of my demeanour. He didn’t doubt me for a moment. He must have assumed he was stronger. Foolish creature.

  “To get here, I used a dark mirror. I had to summon energy from within the mirror and focusing on travelling through the portal, you have to train your mind and your bodywork to do this because it has to be felt from within, on the place you want to go. There are other places, not on Earth but in different dimensions. There are portal entrances here, mirrors dotted around in the woodlands. You don’t have to worry, I won’t keep you prisoner here, I just needed to get us away from the nephilim.”

  And Damien. “What of the creatures here? Who are they, and why are they here?”

  “They came, most likely, from your dimension. Some may have been left. They change into shadow over time. Their matter diminishes because of the pull or the energy difference. It’s not wise to spend too long in a portal. I am no expert and have little interest in physics. In the main, they are harmless but some seem tortured. Probably those who’ve been left here.”

  “And you don’t know who left them?”

  “They were here before I arrived. I haven’t met any others here, so I don’t know. I have been to other portals in my lifetime and shadow creatures are often found there. But for their history, I don’t know. It would be best to avoid them.”

  So then I knew, to get home I would need to find a mirror and feel like I was home. The other thing I knew then was that I needed to make contact with these shadow creatures, and help them get home in return for helping me. As for him, now he was physical, that part would be easy. I had to be balanced, not too nice and not nasty, to gain his trust. And that’s exactly what I was doing.

  His log cabin had two rooms, a little open fire and was sparsely furnished. He’d most likely built it himself, probably for his previous victim. It was clean which told me he’d used it recently and as he lit a fire I sat back pondering this incredulous experience.

  “What do you eat?”

  “We don’t. Well, we live off of the energy of mortals. If you were mortal you’d no doubt think that awful, but under the circumstances...”

  I had no idea what demon blood would do to me, maybe it would kill me. I knew the experience would not be good, but I knew no other way out. So I said, “What about me? I can hardly drink the blood of the others here. I know they have none and I am hungry. A hungry vampire is not something you want to experience!” I grinned trying to make it a joke, but to convey how serious I was.

  He looked tentatively at me, slightly unsure but then he obviously felt he was confident in his judgement that he could trust me. He actually believed that I wanted to be with him, have his child. As if kidn
apping and trapping someone was normal! I didn’t know whether he was stupid or narcissistic. I wasn’t about to find out.

  “There are two choices, we could go back through the portal, but with our enemies there I don’t recommend right now or...you could try me? I know your blood mixed with mine, we will have a son who is beyond any other. A powerful necromancer. As we will be together forever, we have to trust each other.”

  He walked forward to where I was sitting and knelt before me, moving his silky black hair away from his neck. Demon blood—I had no idea what affect this would have on me, but I also had no choice. Before my lips touched his neck, he moved his face and looked me in the eyes, a plea of trust. But I am a vampire and only a fool trusts a vampire.

  “I have looked for you for centuries,” he whispered so softly I almost missed it. I pitied him then, just for a second. And then I bit his neck.

  He stiffened at first but I held him tenderly stroking his back and his arm lovingly, luring him into a false sense of sensuality. He seemed so fragile then, in my arms, and his blood was bitter and strong. Under normal circumstances I would’ve spat it out, but my life depended on me taking his. And that was the situation he had put me in. And so I drank.

  Seconds later he realized his error and started struggling, but surprisingly for me, his strength was nothing compared to mine. I didn’t understand that as the nephilim had said demons were stronger, maybe I was lucky that my maker was so old and so strong.

  As I drank I experienced his emotions through his lifetime, they were wicked, terrible, he had feasted on the vulnerable, luring them in, using them and taking their life force, their soul, leaving them hollow and drained. These had been innocent souls, mainly women and some young men. I almost choked on that acrid blood filled with so much hate, violence, and maliciousness but I drew it in now, harshly. My head swam with his experiences and my grip was firm; he didn’t stand a chance. This time he had picked on the wrong woman. Vampires are not for the faint hearted or the weak.

  As I felt his black rotten heart stop I remained fixed on him, just to be sure. I dragged his lifeless body outside and as I built the pyre the Shadow creatures’ peered out from their hiding places. I didn’t stop to look at them, I was just aware of their presence.

  One called to me, half hidden behind the tree line, its voice weak and high. “You’ll have to cut off his head and tear out his heart before you burn it!”

  “What?”

  “He’s a demon, fire alone may not kill his spirit. To be sure, you should do as I suggest.”

  I couldn’t believe it, killing by drinking his blood was one thing. How the hell would I cut off his head and take out his heart! What a repulsive thought. It crossed my mind that this creature was teasing me.

  “I don’t have anything to do that with,” I called back. To my amazement two of them crept forward, one carrying a large, curved silver dagger and the other a silver sword. They laid these near me and ran off like startled animals. I wanted to ask why they had these, who they were, but I also didn’t want to hang around, in case this demon decided to rise from the dead.

  Oh God, just do it. The dagger was beautiful with an ornate wooden handle and a silver blade that curved slightly, the light catching it like some Holy relic. Using the dagger I ripped open his shirt and paused. Taking blood is very different from this, but gritting my teeth I thrust the blade into him. It was worse than disgusting and the smell, putrid and strong. Tearing the flesh and pulling past the ribs, using all my strength, I pulled out his heart. It wasn’t red, but black and it pumped sporadically in my hand causing me to jump. I cast it down in horror, grabbed the sword and hesitated. My hands were bloody and slippery, so I placed the sword next to me and grabbed up his shirt to wipe off his blood.

  Divine give me strength, I knew that if I’d been mortal I wouldn’t have had the emotional or physical strength for this, as it was tough. As his head separated, a fierce green light shot out and sent me backwards. For seconds it belted out, illuminating everything around me, and the shadow people hid in fear, though my gut told me this wasn’t the first demon they had seen destroyed.

  I was sent back off my feet and this light grew, brightening everything, intense heat warming me instantly. It shot up and blazed and a great crack like lightening then thunder reverberated around the wood. I was too dazed to move for a few seconds, spots and flashes blurred my sight from the intensity of the light.

  I heard the shadow people creep slightly forward, and I wondered what effect this had on us all. Picking myself up, I brushed myself down then looked around for some dry sticks. I couldn’t help but grin, my shadowy friends spied from the trees watching me intently.

  Rubbing two sticks together I eventually got a flame, placing it on some tinder bundle and put this around the base of the pyre. I picked up his head and heart and placed it on. I smelt of his death, which I suppose was apt. I had sympathized with him, before I drank his blood and learned the story of his cruelty.

  The flames caught his caustic body quickly and grew fiercely, within minutes creating an inferno so hot that I had to step back several paces. Nausea hit me, that putrid blood in my veins, and I fought against it. It had to make me stronger, had to.

  And as I watched, standing back I was aware that others had joined me, keeping their distance but just watching. I felt no threat from them, as he had suggested. Maybe because they knew I could not really harm them since they seemed almost diaphanous. Like ghosts, their shadow forms started to emerge and soon I saw dozens of them creeping around the tree lines, shadows within shadows.

  I turned slowly to address them and most slunk back, hiding so I spoke softly.

  “I did not come here of my own will but was kidnapped here by him, a taker of souls and maker of lies. I need to find the mirrors to get home, those who can help me; I will gladly take with me.”

  Not a creature stirred. “I mean you no harm; I just want to get home. Who can help? Who also wants to return home?” No answer. I turned to watch him burn, he had seemed crazy but not evil. He’d hidden that maliciousness well, maybe because he knew I was strong. Had I been weaker, he probably would’ve treated me badly as he’d done with the others.

  A shrill voice replied, “We don’t know if we can trust you. Anyway, our home may not be the same as yours, there are many channels leading to different portals.”

  “I come from Earth. I have no quarrel with you, but it saddens me that you may be stuck here as I am, and may want to get home.”

  “Time is different here, you think you’ve been here a day or so, but out there, it could be years.”

  “So you’d rather stay here, fading? You don’t even want the chance to see, to get back?”

  Murmurs amongst them filled the quiet night and a flock of shadow birds landed on the tree above me. To my surprise they spoke.

  “We will help. We don’t know if it’s possible but we can try. We know of the mirrors you seek, but they are not near.”

  As they finished, another voice from a spindly tall creature in the shape of a human, stepped forth with others behind it. “We, too, shall help. Some here regard this place as home, those like him.” And it pointed to the burning remains of Lucius. “They come here with their foul, cruel ways bringing those against their will. But others prefer it; it is peaceful in the main. I know some wish to leave and yearn for home. I believe you. You cannot easily harm us, for we have no blood. You will starve here if you stay and in that starvation madness will consume you. So we will come.”

  I felt relieved. Not only could I get home, though God knows what year it might be when I return, but I could help others, too. Even if we failed, at least we tried which was better than doing nothing.

  The birds led the way, flying above us through the dark, tangled wood, the leaves crunching under my feet. They were a small flock and I wondered how they’d got here. They told me that they were sent here by a necromancer. As they were crows he had tried to use them for his magic. They, like t
he others, didn't know how long they'd been here, possibly years. One thing was common—they had all arrived here against their will.

  The land nurtured no living things here. When I asked about the trees and plants they told me they were suspended, in a perpetual state of autumn. The whole place had an eerie silence to it.

  The scenery around us shimmered and bent in the strange red light, like walking through glass, yet things looked normal, until I looked too close or glanced at the shadow creatures around me. This world was also too still, too quiet. Except for our small travelling party, nothing moved. I was warm and I wasn’t sure if it was the demon blood or the temperature. Whatever the case, I was ready to escape this place where everything appeared normal, but wasn’t.

  After I’d fought the initial nausea from drinking Lucius’s blood, I felt stronger than ever with a wild energy running through me like nature, rushing and forceful. It took all my will to control this and keep my focus. This energy was surging, and at times I felt lightheaded and distracted.

  I tried not to stare and they didn’t seem keen on talking. There were a dozen that came with me, the birds above cawed, but these creatures only whispered amongst themselves.

  Time passed and the dark orange sun began to crest the horizon and the air felt crisp and clean. The wood seemed never ending, but it was beautiful and I knew then at some point I would venture back when I understood how to travel here properly.

  One of the birds swooped down and landed on a low branch just ahead of me. “We should be nearing the place now. You’ll see a large mirror in the woods, near a gate,” it cawed.

  I nodded, I wasn’t sure whether it had spoken words to me, or whether I now understood it’s cawing. I hoped it was the latter. I hoped this was a new gift I had received.

  I wanted to know how and why a large mirror would end up here, but all of this was beyond my comprehension. Magic would be the answer so I didn’t bother to ask. It was fascinating in this place, and with Lucius’s blood in me I seemed more alert to the scent in the air, the slight changes in direction of the wind.