Disclaimer: I own nothing that belongs to Amelia Atwater-Rhodes. Inspiration for this chapter also came from: Soulforge, The Wayfarer Redemption series, and Greek mythology.
Dark Lady
Just as I was about to get out of bed, I remembered that I had not done my miniscule amount of math homework. Though it would be easy, it would also throw off my morning routine. All of a sudden, I looked at the calendar across the room and nearly smacked myself for my idiocy. It was Saturday! I shook my head, made sure my alarm clock was turned off, and rolled over.
Several hours later, I woke once more. In those other hours of sleep, I did not dream. My dream of Arcturus was vivid enough for many nights. I might have slept for even longer, but I then remembered what I had learned last night. It was time for me to track down a god.
I decided to start with that small lead that Sulene had given me. I transported myself to Washington D.C. after putting on some casual clothes that could blend in with any class. I decided to start asking around among the poor, since they usually hear the most.
I stopped in the first alleyway I came across, and stopped a young girl. I was particularly glad to find her, since it seemed to be people like her that the 'god' liked the most. "Hello."
My guess that she would speak was correct. "Hello. Who are you?" If I'd judged accurately, her mother was likely an addict or something that put her daughter on the street and didn't allow her to teach her daughter common sense.
"My name is Maeg. Did you have breakfast today?" At her surprised nod of no, I pulled a muffin out of my pocket. I hoped that whereever it came from wouldn't miss it terribly. "Here. I already ate."
"Mommy said never to take food from strangers." Apparently, her mother had taught her something. "She said if someone gives you food or money, they always want something back." The girl had taken a stance that suggested that she was carefully reciting this phrase from memory.
"Well, your mother sounds like a very smart lady. All I want is to know if you've heard of something. Don't worry, I won't hurt you. What's your name?" I smiled kindly crouching down so that I was at her level.
She hesitantly smiled back. "My name is Niobe." She spoke with the air of someone divulging a great secret. "What do you want to know?" Her voice was still very cautious. She still didn't trust me, and I couldn't blame her. Girls of about five or six who lived on the street shouldn't trust people too easily.
"Well, I've heard that there's a very bad man in this area. He's been calling himself a god, and hurting little girls like you. Have you heard of him?" I hoped that this information would be in terms that she could understand, and could respond to.
"Well," she looked thoughtful. "I don't know about any bad men, but my mommy has joined a new church. We sometimes go there. I don't like the priest. He always talks about blood. And, we have to go at night when I want to be asleep!"
I could not believe my luck. Though it was possible that this was just some mortal fanatic, I felt as though this was what I was looking for. I contained my excitement carefully, not wanting to scare the young girl. "When is the next service at this place?"
She frowned, obviously deep in thought. "Tonight, I think. Yes, my mommy got me a new hair tie." This seemed to signify something important to her, and solidified the belief that it was indeed tonight.
"May I go with you? I'd like very much to see this service." This was the tricky part. I needed her to agree to this, because I might not get so lucky in finding another person who knew of the vampire's cult.
"I guess. I don't think that Mommy would mind." She looked at me inquisitively.
I shook my head. "I'm sure she won't. Can I meet you back here later?"
"I guess so. We have to be there at eight o'clock, I think."
I nodded to her. "I'll meet you at seven-thirty then. Here, you take the muffin. I promise, there's nothing wrong with it. You were just really helpful for me." I smiled in what I hoped was a comforting, inviting way.
"Okay. Thank you." She hesitantly took the muffin, and took a bite. By the look of pleasure on her face as she chewed, as well as her unnatural thinness, I could tell that breakfast was not the first meal she had missed. I pulled another muffin out of my pocket, and this one she did not hesitate to grab.
I decided to go back to sleep for the day so that I would have my wits about me for the night. That was definitely an advantage to being a vampire, I decided. As long as I got enough sleep, my body was not very picky about whether it was during day, night, or alternated.
At seven o'clock, I woke once more. I was not really sure what to wear to a cult ceremony, so it took me a long time to decide. Finally, I chose a long gypsy-like dress with long slits up the sides. I felt that it would look fancy enough to be someone's religious gown, but also allowed me total freedom if it came down to a fight. Though I hoped it wouldn't, I got a nasty feeling that something bad was about to happen.
As soon as I'd dressed, I transported myself to where I'd promised to meet Niobe. I found her immediately, though she was dressed up in a red and black puffy dress, with the ribbon she'd mentioned earlier holding her hair in a prim French braid. Behind her stood a woman who I only realized to be her mother by the fact that she looked very similar to Niobe. I could see that if Niobe were about ten years older, they'd be nearly identical.
The reason I did not immediately realize that she was Niobe's mother was her attire. The woman, in her mid-twenties, was well dressed, a politician perhaps. She was wearing a navy blue business suit, and her hair was pinned in a bun. For a woman in her twenties, however, she looked most unhealthy. She too held an emaciated look that seemed to indicate many missed meals, and her hair had many streaks of grey. I wondered why someone in her position treated herself the way she obviously did.
"So." The strange woman spoke. "You're this Maeg that my daughter told me about. What do you want with us?" Her voice was sharp, questioning, and suspicious.
"I apologize, Ma'am. I had heard of a …" I stopped myself before I said 'cult'. "Religious group whose followers saw great wonders. I was curious, and your daughter seemed to know something of them. I only wish to go with you to a service." I hoped I sounded sincere, but I wasn't very worried. No one who couldn't read auras had been able to detect a lie of mine in several hundred years.
"Oh." The woman sounded surprised. "Niobe didn't tell me you were interested in the Midnight Group." At first, I thought that this group might be connected to Midnight, but then I realized that it wasn't the same type of operation. "You will love it there. I do. It has become everything to me." The woman's eyes had taken on a fanatical gleam. I pretended not to notice.
"Oh, I'm so glad you don't mind me coming along!" I laughed inwardly at my babbling tone. I could feel the anger rising within me at the mistreatment of the young girl, but I attempted to keep it down. I might need it later, but for now, it was better left hidden.
"Come then." The woman motioned, and I finally noticed a car in the alleyway. It was a Mercedes, obviously expensive. I wondered why she spent on her car but not her own daughter.
We got in, and drove for several minutes. Finally, we turned on to an alleyway, similar from the one whence we'd come. I doubtfully looked around, wondering if the woman truly was insane rather than just obsessed. Niobe, however, did not seem surprised. She climbed out of the car with the air of one who knew something unpleasant was coming, but could do nothing about it. She glanced at me, and pulled me out of the car after her, trying to smile for my sake. I smiled comfortingly back.
The three of us walked a ways further down the alley, where we had not been able to drive due to the large piles of refuse littering the streets. We then came to a doorway guarded by a black-cloaked man. I checked his aura, and he turned out to be a vampire. However, he would be no danger whatsoever, as he was one of the weakest vampires I'd ever encountered.
He greeted Niobe and her mother cordially, but he looked upon me with suspicion. After a distrustful glare, however, he let me through. Between my naturally benevolent aura and that vampire's weakness, he didn't even realize that I was not just another mortal.
We were ushered through the door, and it was there that the scenery changed. The sanctuary was a far cry from the disgusting alley outside, but just as sickening in its own way, at least in my perspective. The room was coliseum-like, with black velvet covered seats surrounding a ring in the center. The seats went all the way around except for several feet in the very back.
Most of those feet were taken up by a huge statue of a man, dressed in Greek-style robes. He was easily ten times larger than a real man, perhaps more. The statue was made from pale marble, without even the dark lines frequently found in that stone. The face was angelic, with long, curling hair framing perfect features. His arms were raised in rapture, and his head was upturned, praising the heavens. The only thing preventing the statue from being the avatar of the perfect mortal were the two over-long fangs springing from its mouth.
I tried to hide how disturbed I was, and followedNiobe and her mother to a row of seats four rows up from the front. Now that I didn't have to see over peoples' heads, I could see what was on the floor of the ring much better. There were several large structures that looked like stone birdbaths, save for the fact that they weren't spouting water. I wondered what those large bowls could be used for.
Finally, the 'service', if it could be called that, began. A man came out of the base of the statue, dressed in black clerical robes with blood red trim. I could sense that he was merely a bonded mortal, though a strong one. "Welcome, friends old and new. For those of you who may not yet know of the miracles of the Immortal, I shall tell you. The Immortal can heal you, bring you luck, your enemies misfortune. The Immortal can bring death, or call those at the brink back. All you must do is believe, and give blood to feed him.
"The Immortal is the solution to all of your problems." My eyes started to get bleary, and I blinked rapidly. I then noticed a shiny pendant that the man was wearing, and subtly using to reflect the bit of ambient light in the room. With this was vampiric power from another source; one I think was coming from behind the statue. I strengthened my mental shields.
For about another hour, the cleric babbled on about "The Immortal's" greatness. To me, it was just a slight exaggeration upon a normal vampire's powers. I spent this time examining the room more closely. I focused my gaze on the statue, examining it closely. It was that way that I noticed the latticework at the top that was likely hooked to a microphone that led to the base, where someone could stand.
If I hadn't noticed this hole, it likely would have scared me out of my wits when a deep, musical voice issued from the statue. I could tell that the human on the 'stage' was not just throwing his voice, partly because no sane person chooses to speak at least a full octave above where their voice naturally falls, as the statue did compared to the man.
However, I was scared rather badly by what the voice said. "It is time for your sacrifices. My priests will be coming around with bowls and knives. For the miracles to work, everyone must give blood. I am aware that several young people in this group have come of age for the giving. I look forward to blood from Adam, George, and Niobe."
A/N: Well, hope you enjoyed. Couldn't resist the evil cliffie! 3 reviews this time! I'm proud of all of you. Now, to answer those reviews:
Firstevil: Glad you enjoyed.
Narina Nightfall: Ag, you caught me! Two of my barely explainable things that I was hoping no one would notice… Glad you did, though, 'cause it means you've been reading. Okay, agreed, that Maegith would not likely remember Jeth after 25 years. My excuse to myself is that he's the only patient she'd really talked with, and he left an impression. Hope that's good enough for you too. And the germ question – I needed something to make Cafell better than the other healers, and cleanliness was that. I figured that there would be no reason for her to have it unless she knew why it was necessary, therefore, she got REALLY strong eyesight! As to your question about Sulene, there will be more about her, I promise.
Jade Limill: Yeah, the reason I used the other tense that one time was that Sulene had known and still knows about Maegith's job. I figured that because that is an ongoing act, it could be present. If I'm wrong, though, I apologize. As to ESGAME, why haven't you reviewed yet, young lady? Catch the big inspiration from Soulforge in this chapter? Hint: Widow Judith!
