IMMORTAL SECRETS: THE SACRIFICIAL LAMB

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX - SOLOM

Games. My dear, old friend Avanish loves playing games, and so I will play with him.

He has placed a purebred boy in Accalia's dreams to gain information on my location and to learn, no doubt, how powerful I have become thanks to his Book I stole. In response, I will use my newly recruited purebred to gain information regarding their plans of attack. I could gain this information from my first recruited spy, but he does not completely trust me, holds me at a distance, as he should. His words are few and our visits are brief, but he has agreed to misfeed information regarding my castle's location. Do not be naive, I have not divulged the real location to the spy. I simply feed him information to bring back to the angel scum to ensure they search for me elsewhere.

The spy cannot throw them off me forever, some may even disregard him. Sooner or later, they will be closer to pinpointing my exact location thanks to my latest misstep – forgetting to conceal my castle while creating – what shall I call them – my vampires, perhaps.

I will visit the recruited purebreds' dreams and gain his loyalty/trust, the way Avanish is using the other purebred boy to gain Accalia's loyalty/trust. I will persuade him to think my loyalty lies with mix-breeds – every living soul to me are equals – the way the other purebred boy pretends to care for Accalia in her dreams. I will persuade the recruited purebred into thinking he will be the savior of the mix-breeds. But really, another of my disposable pawns in this dangerous game.

When I happened upon the recruited purebred, while my consciousness searched for Accalia, he was cursing them. Sees them as unfair, because their precious humans can interbreed. He, after all, his human image, is half Italian and half African. Nephians interbreed and their lives are over. Powers or not, love is love. This recruited purebred will be quite useful, not only to gain information on them, but, when the time comes, to destroy the humans of earth.

I am eager for my war against the angels to reignite. My son Nicholas, Zachariah, and Dameon should arrive here tomorrow with Accalia. My sacrificial lamb will then again partake in the Bestowment ritual to give me her powers. Can you tell me, has Nicholas found her yet, or is he close?

No, you do not wish to divulge?

It's okay. You may not be fond of me anymore, since you learned I am the one who will bring your demise. I understand. No fuss, nonetheless; I will sense it from you soon enough through your emotions. You cannot keep them guarded around me forever.

As you have likely learned, I do not care about any part of any stupid prophecy. That is the beauty of hate, it blinds you from everything except your goal.

I am looking forward to the death of the humans and mix-breeds; the day I can stop using my powers to hide unworthy retches. Then, I will be left alone to live a life with my son, Nicholas, while they ache for their losses. And when the time comes to hunt me again, I will use their angelic power to lay them down and my Sensus power to confuse them, that is, if they can find me.

Are you wondering what role the vampires I created will play in this dangerous game? They are disposable backups. I do not believe my son Nicholas will fail in bringing Accalia home ... wait ... what was that? I am sensing ...

I am not sure what emotion I am sensing from you readers of Earth, shock perhaps? And now it is concern, fear even. Has something happened with Accalia?

No answer? That is expected. I will learn from you soon enough.

Where was I? Ah yes, I do not believe my son Nicholas will fail in bringing Accalia home, but he is stealing her from them. Therefore, a risk is drawn. If she is too protected, I will unleash the vampire beasts to ravage the town where she resides, so my son can grab her in the chaos. I wait for word from him.

Beast hounds, the vampires are. When they first woke and I lifted my calming blanket, they were huddled together trembling, unsure of who they are, why they are. Untrusting of me. I convinced them I care, their new loving father. I threw a rabbit for each to devour. After drinking the blood, they came closer to me. With each animal I offered, the vampires' comfort level grew. Now they are quite comfortable in my castle. As we speak, they are terrorizing it.

Following mix-breed screams, I stalk down a candle-lit hallway. Upon turning the corner, I halt between two candles to assess the scene. Timothy halts at my side. Wearing my black cloak, silken tunic, leather pants, and with my hair the color of night, I blend like a shadow in the dark. Timothy's long, braided hair is the same dark and so are the garments around his legs. The garments wrapping his right leg, in fact, shows parts of his mix-breed power, earth and fire vibrating off his exposed skin, but he dims it as to not attract vampire attention.

The four vampires I created are dressed in leather adorned in fur and feathers, same as everyone in my castle, and a black cloak similar to mine hangs off them. They are pale with dark hair like me. My blood and powers give them human form and heightened senses. Each lacks one sense, however. Peculiar noises come from one male, and he shakes his head in confusion; he is deaf. The other male has white eyes, no color; he is blind. A female has no tongue as she bites into the wailing goat which was to be my dinner; she has no taste. The other female has a blank spot where her nose should be; she can't smell. The deaf male pinches her, trying to claim his spot on my goat, but the female does not flinch. She must also have no feeling on her skin.

With frustrated anger building, I take notice of the hallway. The candle light makes visible blood splatters on my walls and puddles on the ground with animal carcasses torn in half. No doubt these monsters I have created were fighting over the food they have stolen from me.

I hear whimpering, suddenly. Four mix-breeds hold onto one another against a wall close to the vampires. Gashes in their legs keep them from running. Were my vampire monsters going to feed on the blood of my mix-breed pawns? Their lives are mine alone to waste!

I take a step from the shadows to expose myself to the vampires. All but one turns their heads to me, and then they continue devouring. Like steam rushing through the air and with the prolonged breath following me, I reappear behind the vampires – grab one by the neck and throw her against the wall. She shrieks in pain. From her opened mouth, I see she is the one with no tongue.

Timothy catching up to me – reaches down with both hands to choke a vampire before throwing him against the same wall.

"You are not savage beasts!" I yell; my power over sound amplifies my voice for the vampires so my words are agonizing to their ears. For the deaf one, I give his skin an agonizing twist that weighs him down and suffocates him. "You will act civilized and obey me!"

I explain my castle rules before releasing them from my powers and releasing myself of the agitation the vampires caused me. The male sprawled on the ground, weighed down, lifts himself then shrinks from me. The others hold their pounding heads, my voice echoing in their thoughts.

Using my power over sound again, I order four random mix-breeds to join us in the candle-lit hallway.

"Are we still hungry?" I ask the vampires, pleasantly. Afraid at first, they say nothing. I ask again with more authority, cocking my head to the side, so they understand to give me an answer. Three heads shake yes. The fourth cannot hear but expresses horror, and so I will presume his answer is the same.

Assumedly, the transformation evoked a terrible hunger. The stolen Book did not warn of such, only of the creation lacking part of the creator's powers while the rest are heightened, as we see here.

My eyes narrow in disgust, "You will clean this mess in my hall, and then you will join me and Timothy for dinner like civilized creatures." Feeling my powers could incapacitate the vampires, they nod.

The mix-breed pawns I summoned appear unsure in the hall. The blood and torn animals are the reasons for their slowness. I assure no danger is here, then order them to help the four injured mix-breeds to their beds where they will be tended to.

The vampires sadly watch their prey vanish down the hall, before their eyes are back on me in terrified obedience.

Good. I turn my back to them and walk away. Timothy is following my lead.

Monsters no more. Four more obedient pawns are added to my army.