The Whispers of the Fallen (35 page)

Cahir climbed a nearby hill. At the top of the hill, Cahir rhythmically stomped both of his feet. With each stomp, a violent shout came forth. I watched as small cracks appeared on the hill’s ashy surface. Like glass, it began to shatter. Reaching out from the cracks, hands stretched forth, waving and twirling.

“This hill was a snake pit. The serpents that the Fallen Stars used to perform the Dark Exchange were kept here,” Cahir said as he continuously stomped his feet against the cracking hill.

Bodies came out through the cracks. They crawled about, howling and screeching. These were Lessers but these looked different from Cahir. They had bright yellow eyes, an abnormally large mouth and their bodies were covered with small scales.

I read their minds, only to discover that they were empty, void of any thoughts and emotion. A continuous flow of mindless bodies were coming out of the first hill and then other hills began to break open, releasing more Lessers.

“Are the Lessers the secret to the disappearance of the people of Madbouseux?” I asked Cahir.

“Because of the corruption that overtook the king’s heart, a curse came to rest upon the people of Madbouseux. Some of the people turned into snakes and were banished to this place. It wasn’t long after that the Fallen Stars discovered us and then…” His words failed.

“Cahir, their minds are empty,” I retorted.

Cahir scoffed. “Then you must fill them, Nephele.”

I was shocked at his unexpected allegation.

“And where are the Fallen? Have they abandoned you here to rot?” Erebos asked.

“Abandoned? No, no. Mordred said that they had to take care of some urgent affairs, and they would return to give us minds of our own,” he replied adamantly. “I cannot help but also wonder why you were never informed by the Fallen Stars of this place, Erebos.”

I knew Mordred would not be returning to this place for a while, because he no longer had a human body to host himself in. His spirit must recover from being cast out of Isaac’s body before he is able to find another host.

The Lessers were scattered over the hills and on the ground. They piled up on top of each other; mindless beings, drooling and waiting to be given a mind of their own. My mind pictured the Shadows and the Lessers banding together to create an army invincible to all. The Lessers’ brains were an empty vacuum and the Fallen were too occupied in other realms to come and give them minds of their own. The Nephilins could fill their minds with the thoughts and actions necessary to defeat the Creator and retrieve the books.

“Maybe we should lead them out of here,” I queried, not hiding the grin on my face. Erebos smiled.

“My dear, we could create an undefeatable army, but would the Fallen not come for us when they discover we have taken the Lessers out of here without a direct order?”

“I do not care if they do. My allegiance is not to your kind—I care only for the Dark One. We cannot leave such an army abandoned here in this desolate place. You and I both know that Mordred will not be returning for them anytime soon. The other Fallen Stars are probably tending to his weakened spirit in the Abyss. We could do it,” I affirmed. “Are our desires to see Lessers and Shadows fighting together as one invincible army not the same?”

“I do desire their union very much,” he said, musing. “My allegiance lies with the Dark One also. I am prepared for the consequences that might come with taking this army of Lessers out of the Heart of Elysium.”

My hands gently caressed his face; his eyes darkened as he gave me a smile. Dark tears strolled down his pale face; his veins turned black and became visible under his skin. Every single one of the Lessers that were scattered around the hills and on the ground were consumed by his power. Their eyes darkened; tears also slipped down their cheeks. Moans of agony erupted as their cries filled the air while they stood up on their feet.

Erebos’ body trembled as the Lessers approached him. They growled and roared, standing in a single line.

“You mentioned that only a part of the inhabitants of Madbouseux became snakes. What happened to the others?” I faced Cahir. “Where are they?”

Cahir smiled; his head twitched. “They became monsters…worse than Shadows if you ask me,” he answered.

“What kind of monsters?” I asked curiously.

“In the Book, the king discovered a curse that could give humans eternal life.” He eyed the growling Lessers.

“How do you know all this, Cahir?” I wondered how he knew what had happened to the other citizens, given he was a snake not that long ago.
How could an animal retrieve so much information?
I was dumbfounded.

“I was a human once, Nephele. I know it may be hard to see me that way…” he said brokenly. “But the king had a purpose for the other people,” he continued.

Erebos was on his knees; the screams of the Lessers grew louder.

“What purpose, Cahir?” I shouted above the screams.

“To breed an army that would overtake Elysium. They found a curse in the Book of Letters called ‘The Letters of the Dark Wine’…” Cahir hissed.

“Dark Wine? Why was it named that way?”

“The curse spoke of a drink the humans had to consume in order to live forever,” he responded.

“What was it, Cahir? What was the drink?” I asked.

He paused for a second. “Blood,” he answered coldly. “They had to drink the king’s blood in order to become…immortal. You see, the king offered his life to Lucifer, which tainted his blood with the power of Lucifer’s Darkness.” He paused briefly. “When a human gives his life to Lucifer willingly, if this human feeds another human with his own blood, they will become blood drinkers—
immortal
blood drinkers, that is.”

I was left speechless. I had never imagined that such a curse could exist.

“What happened to the immortal blood-drinkers? Are they here in the Heart of Elysium?” I asked impatiently.

“Yes, they are here. Their bodies are in a never-ending state of decomposition, but their souls continue to rest.”

“Are they strong, Cahir?” In my mind, I was already plotting a strategy on how to utilize these beings in our army.

“Indeed. They are fast, agile and skilled in battle,” he responded. “That is why the king chose them to become the generals of his army. The lesser skilled became snakes…useless snakes…”

I looked at Erebos. The veins on his neck were no longer visible; his eyes had returned to their normal crimson color. Sweat flowed from his brow.

“Did you hear what Cahir said?” I asked Erebos, not being able to contain my joy at the newfound information Cahir had divulged to me.

He grunted. “Yes. Despite all the pain I went through, I
did
hear what he said.”

“I say we find the blood-drinkers,” I implored. “Tell the Lessers to wait here while we look for them, Erebos.”

Erebos had dark circles under his eyes as a result of the strength drained from him during the process of the Exchange.

“Do you know where the blood-drinkers are?” Erebos asked.

Cahir nodded his head. “They are asleep in a valley not far from here.”

“Asleep?” Erebos mumbled.

There was no denying the anxiety that rose within me at the thought of finding the blood-drinkers. We had never heard of the stories about the disappearance of Madbouseux’s people. There must be a very good reason why these tales were hidden from our kind. Still, I was insane with the desire for great power and above all else—I wanted to please the Dark One. I wanted to raise an undefeatable army, even if it was a costly price.

“Take us to them,” I ordered Cahir.

Erebos turned to the Lessers that stood motionless, waiting for his command.

“Stay here and wait until I return,” he declared in a loud voice. The Lessers moaned and grunted, standing perfectly still in a straight line.

“We must follow the cobblestone road that leads us deep into the mountains until we reach the blood-drinkers’ resting place,” Cahir said as he hastily led us.

I glanced back as the thick gray mist caused me to lose sight of the Lessers.

The landscape around us looked desolate.

“Cahir, you have mentioned so much about the king and his doings, but you never told us what became of him. Where is his body located now?” I inquired. Erebos shot me a piercing glance.

“Well, he is here in the Heart, sleeping with the lot of blood-drinkers,” he replied. “Even with all the power bestowed upon him, the king had a desire to become like the blood-drinkers. His own powers were not enough for him. He drank his own blood so that the curse could also alight upon him. He was driven with the desire for immortality, even if it meant being a servant of Lucifer and a blood-drinker.”

“But if the blood that coursed through his veins already belonged to Lucifer, why did he have to drink his own?” I asked as we followed the path along the desolate road.

“You really seem interested in these creatures, Nephele,” Erebos affirmed with a worried look stamped across his face. I nodded.

“The blood only gives immortality when it touches the lips,” Cahir answered. “The king decided to drink his own blood as a precaution, in case something was to ever happen to him.”

Cahir kept his eyes attentively on the road as he answered my questions. I read his thoughts and realized that he was afraid of what we were to find.

“How do you feel, Erebos? Are all your powers still intact?” I asked him, afraid he might have lost his power during the Exchange when he gave part of himself to the Lessers.

“My body is well but I am confused. Here we are hunting for these blood-drinkers while the Lessers wait near their hills. Should we not train the Lessers prior to finding these blood-drinkers?”

“We cannot waste time, Erebos,” I said sharply.

His face warned of apprehension. “What if the Fallen Stars come today? They are not fools. You know this. If they know such an army exists, they are probably keeping a close watch on this place.”

I knew in my heart that the Fallen Stars would eventually come for them, but for some reason they were delaying their actions. Such an army was not meant to just sit here idly. “We are carrying out what the Fallen Stars have been unable to,” I answered.

“This is where they sleep,” Cahir said as he stopped in front of a hill. “They are buried beneath this hill. If you choose to wake the blood-drinkers, you will have to provide food for them,” he acknowledged.

A thought then hit me. “Cahir, do they need to kill in order to feed?”

Cahir hissed. “No, my lady…. Some can stop drinking blood before their victim dies but I cannot guarantee it, especially since they have been underground for so long.”

“Can they feed on the blood of the Lessers?” I asked, hopeful.

Erebos’ look pierced mine as his eyes shifted in my direction. He looked surprised.

“You must be insane, Nephele. Are you telling me that we have come all this way for the Lessers and now you want to use them as bait for the blood-drinkers? What if the blood-drinkers kill them?” Erebos asked in rage.

“Cahir, you said that you would serve us wholeheartedly, right?” I asked him. He gave me a soft frightful smile.

“What are you doing, Nephele?” Erebos charged.

I approached Cahir, who stood next to one of the hills. I gently folded his hand in mine. “Will you allow one of the blood-drinkers to feed on you?”

He retracted his hand from mine instantly. “What are you saying?”

“All I am saying is that if you allow one of the blood-drinkers to feed on your blood, we will not have to bring all of the other Lessers here. Think of it this way—if he feeds on you and you don’t die, we will know that the others can drink from the Lessers and they too shall live.”

Cahir slowly bent down on his knees as he faced me. “Do what you will,” he said. I kneeled alongside him so that my hands could comfortably caress his face. “Think of what I am offering you, you will be doing your kind a favor. I would not want to lead my own kind to their destruction if I could have done something that could have helped to avoid it.”

He moved his fingers to touch the ashes that sat on the hill. Silence filled the air. He purposely lifted his right arm toward his face; he fixed his eyes on his wrist. He brought his wrist toward his mouth and ripped it open with his teeth. Without a single word, he watched as his blood poured over the ashes. Seconds later, he used his other hand to put pressure onto the wound, stopping the flow of blood.

I withdrew my presence from him, allowing him to stand on top of the hill alone. It wasn’t long until the hill exploded, becoming nothing but dust.

Cahir’s body was thrown to the side, landing on the ground. I was alarmed.

“Be ready in case it attacks,” Erebos declared.

Once the dust settled, the decayed, colorless and lifeless body appeared. It stood upright. Instead of skin, a clear pasty substance covered its entire body. A few scraggly strands of black hair covered its scalp. There were gigantic holes where the creature’s eyes and nose had once been. Its jaw dangled loosely from its mouth. Two of its upper teeth were longer than the rest, glaring brightly.

Cahir trembled with fright as he approached the blood-drinker; his lower jaw quivered. He drew his wrist closer to its mouth. The blood-drinker grabbed Cahir’s wrist violently. It drank the blood carelessly, spilling it everywhere as the blood drained profusely from both sides of the blood-drinker’s mouth. Erebos approached me.