The Demons in Me
Chapter 5. The Past
"Because the life you've been living is a lie."
I stared at him with a mixture of shock and disbelief, and yet I felt a cold lump in my stomach from the fear that he was telling the truth. He stared me down, as if daring me to contradict him while I tried to come up with a response.
"How-… I…" I was completely rendered speechless, so instead I tried to throw the water at him in my growing rage. However, whatever drug they had used to knock me out was still in my system for I threw the entire cup, which flew wide of the mark and hit the door with a solid thunk! The door immediately slammed open and two guards came in, pointing wicked sharp lances at me. The Cardinal held up his hand.
"Peace… Nothing is wrong. The girl misjudged her strength." He said, waving his hand to dismiss the guards.
"But sir…"
"You are dismissed, Captain!" He stared the Captain down coldly before the captain mumbled an apology and closed the door. Cardinal Jinette turned back to me and sighed. "I understand that you're angry…"
"Angry doesn't even begin to describe how I'm feeling right now," I hissed.
"Nevertheless, what I tell you is the truth. If you want to even try to understand what you're going through, you will listen to what I have to say. Unless you would rather sit here and be completely ignorant of why you are the way you are." Despite my rage, his words managed to shake me back to myself. I hadn't even realized that my jaw had started to ache like that night, but I did notice that the candle had become blindingly bright. The ache in my jaw faded away as I calmed myself, but the room still looked as if it was bathed in the light of the noon sun. What was worse was that where I knew there were supposed to be deep shadows, the light seemed to swirl and dim. It caused a fresh wave of dizziness and nausea to well up, forcing me to lie back on my cot and groan as I covered my face with my hands. I started in surprise when I felt a cool cloth drape across my forehead. I looked up and Cardinal Jinette was staring at me with a sad smile.
"Wha-" the Cardinal cut me off.
"I am not a cruel person Sylvia, nor do I believe you to be evil. I am sorry that this great tragedy has had to fall upon your shoulders. I resent even more that, despite your past, the rest of the council does not share my view upon the situation that has befallen you…" The Cardinal sighed heavily, "But you would not be interested in the sorrows of an old soul." He said, patting my hand softly. I looked at him and could see that he meant what he said. I exhaled slowly and sat up again.
"Please tell me…" I whispered, "Tell me how I became… whatever I am." I pleaded. The Cardinal released another heavy sigh.
"It began 17 years ago, before you were born. I was just instated as a Bishop in this very Church, but I had been a Knight for the Holy Order for many years by that time but that is not important. We received an urgent message from our agents in the east that the evil that dwells in that part of the world was growing ever bolder and more active: Reports of whole villages being completely wiped out of their citizens, more sightings of nightmarish creatures stalking the night and attacking innocent souls. However, these reports were just the beginning. While we were busy fighting the onslaught of attacks upon our eastern flank, we were unaware that an evil plot was afoot until it was too late to stop it.
"We found out that the vampires of Transylvania had made a deal with a powerful witch to create something not of this world. In a ritual that involved the sacrifices of hundreds of innocent souls, they brought forth a creature that could either damn or save all of humanity, but in the most unlikely form: a Dhampir - a child of both vampire and human descent. And to increase the power of this child, the witch herself carried the baby within her to ensure that her powers would be passed down to the child." I felt a shiver shake my spine as I began to connect the dots in his story.
"Just before the baby came to term, we finally caught up to the witch. Unfortunately, she died, but the knight who confronted her was able to save the baby. And despite that the child was conceived unnaturally, she still has human blood in her veins so the church allowed the child to live. She was brought to Rome and entrusted with a family that had been with Order for generations. They were charged to raise her as their own, keeping her ignorant of her heritage as long as she showed no evidence of her vampire nature… I was the one that carried you from Venice to Rome and placed you in your mother's arms after her own infant daughter had been still-born. And until this day, the vampires have believed that you had died with woman that carried you." He paused for a moment. I could feel the hot tears streaming down my face, and yet it wasn't from anger or grief. It was from guilt.
"How could you let me live when all of you knew what I was?" I whispered harshly.
"You are still human. You still have the choices that God gave you. And one day you may be able to walk through the gates of St. Peter into the house of God, and that is why you were saved. As long as you keep your humanity, nothing is beyond hope Sylvia." He smiled at me for a moment but it was lost when the door slammed open yet again.
"What is the meaning of this, Cardinal Jinette?!" The Arabic man, Mahdi, stormed into my small cell as more heavily armed knights milled around the doorway. "The council ordered no visitors!"
"And yet I see you here as well Ulama Mahdi. Tell me; is it customary for you to barge into the cells of prisoners?" Jinette answered smoothly. I watched Mahdi's face go from red to the deep purple of rage as he tried to stutter out a response. I was amazed that I could see the deep throbbing arteries in his neck. The air also smelled strangely spicy, like cinnamon and pepper with a hint of honey. My nose twitched as my gaze locked onto the vein in Mahdi's neck.
'I wonder if it's as thick as it smells,' My mouth suddenly went dry like I was dying of thirst.
"Sylvia, are you alright?" It seemed as if the Cardinal was far away as he tried to talk to me.
Still I stared at Madhi. The air suddenly became sweet like the ripe tropical fruit father had brought home once. I inhaled deeply, feeling my stomach roil in a hunger I had never felt. Suddenly my gaze was broken as a soldier stepped between Mahdi and me. I snarled and tried to lunge, when the soldier punched me without warning. I wheeled backwards, trying to avoid the blow. Instead I fell into my cot, sending it to the floor in splinters.
I stared dumbfounded at the soldier and brought my hand up to my smarting lip. I prodded it a bit, wincing at the tender spots, when I cut my finger. I hissed in pain and tried to suck on it, but the pain only sharpened. Suddenly, I knew why the soldier had punched me. I had stared at Mahdi like rabid dog with sharp fangs. I stared horrified at my bloodied finger as it began to heal itself before my very eyes.
"I… I'm…" I stammered, trying to form an apology, when suddenly I felt a flair of pain in the back of my head and I knew no more.
Author's Note: Thank you Grievousorvenom for that review that finally got my procrastinating butt into gear. Sorry about such a long time and no updates. Sadly the only excuse I have is that I wasn't really in the mood to write, and well the even sadder fact is... I'm a procrastinator at heart. Seriously...
*Dracula: She isn't joking. Why even in Middle school she was voted Procrastinator of the ye-
Charlotte: Shut it! How the heck do you find out about that anyways?
Dracula: I found the certificate hidden away in your closet. Really my dear, if you don't want people to know you shouldn't keep it in your closet.
Charlotte:... Don't make me go get the cast iron skillet... I will whack you in the head until you get xray vision.
Dracula: That doesn't even make any sense
Charlotte: Exactly, so don't make me do it or I will find a way. Anyways, I'm going to bed now. Night!
P.S. I can't remember if I explained Ulama to yall. It's no longer used really in Islam, although it is the title of a teacher in the religion. Or at least that is what I can conclude from my research. Anyways the term is no longer used because anyone in Islam is able to conduct the worship ritual so they have no hierarchy such as in the Catholic church. Just thought that would be an interesting fact. If anyone who reads this is a member of the Islam religion, feel free to correct me. I try my best to be accurate. Anyways, CIAO!
*Disclaimers: I do not own any of the characters that belong to the original story of Van Helsing. I just own Sylvia and her story.
