Balance (Book 9 )

Mum was quietly resting in her chair and startled when we teleported in. I ignored Mum as my gaze settled on my master’s sword. It lays next to Mum’s sword against the wall within hands reach from where she sat. My fear of the sword came forth.

“Do not fear it. It cannot harm you. Your master is long dead, and his soul never saw Bardo.” Gabriel projected.

I took comfort that he could never harm me again. I wordlessly took hold of the hilt of the sword and left the building.

“Lara?” I heard Mum call for me. Gabriel silenced her and allowed me to leave unmolested. I cannot be distracted. I must open my master’s sword a learn of its secrets. It is the tool my husband selected for me to use to destroy the earth. I must conquer my fear.

The night is filled with sirens and angry shouts. Everything is covered in cemented or brick. Tall buildings with glass and stone raced toward the sky. Roads and walkways connect each building. I could not see the earth in any direction. I walked around the block looking for gardens or patches of dirt and could find none.

The air is thick with waste and burned the lungs. Trash and feces lined the sidewalks. Humans slept against small corners of the buildings. This part of the city looked like a third world country. I could feel the rot seep into my skin. The city needed to be cleansed.

I walked several miles looking for the earth. It started turning dawn when I finally caught the scent of freshly cut grass. I followed the scent until I found a park. It was a tiny park with a few tables to sit on. There are no trees for shade or homes for wildlife.

I took my shoes off and walked along the grass, listening to it. I could not hear birds chirping. There were no squirrels or underground moles here. Insects were too few to move the dirt and seed. I went to the center of the park and sat cross-legged with my palms on the grass. I could feel the earth groan under the weight of the city.

People lived above ground and underground. People traveled by trains and built stores and homes miles under the surface. Under my spot is such a place. This place is filled with vampires. I grew angry with them. They gathered and talked about raiding a part of the city and capturing humans to play with. Thoughts of sexual rapes and mental torture were prominent. I went deeper into my meditation, looking for life worth saving. The raw power was reduced from a river to a slow trickle stream. It needed blood. It needed life and the decay of flesh to survive.

“My mate. I have found a coven of vampires. There are hundreds below my feet. The earth shall fest on their blood.” Gabriel appeared with Mum in front of me only a moment later.

“The vampires are hungry, and the world starves. A coven is no place for Mum.” I warned Gabriel.

“I have grown and can protect myself. I am not the queen you knew. I would enjoy fighting alongside you.”

“As you wish.” I shrugged and returned my attention to the sword at my feet.

I did not truly care if Mum was capable or not. Death was only the beginning of a new life. I would enjoy her presence. I have not been near her since I left with Gabriel to Egypt over a millennia ago.

The sword lying at my feet is beautifully made and has survived at least ten thousand years. It is a single-handed sword with an intricately designed handle. The handle has a golden vine that wraps around the hilt then stops at a sunburst. The blade is a matt steel with a dark gray center where the fuller should be. The grey center gives the appearance of a second sword.

This sword has many powers. My master used it when he punished or killed a member of his clan. It has drunk the blood of hundreds of vampires. Perhaps it will hunger for more. It has tasted my blood and called for my life several times. I shivered from the memory of its bite.

I touched the hilt, and a surge of power coursed through me, making my skin glow as I used to do. It matched my thirst for blood.

I have never felt its power from simply touching it. I kept it safe and hidden during my life as a vampire. It helped me cut down my enemies when I truly needed it; however, it never showed its power to me. The only time I ever felt its power is when my master used it against me and forced me to do unspeakable things.

I inhaled deeply as I allowed its thirst for blood to join my own. Mum took a step back as she saw the sword feed off my sanity. It suggested I lose myself in my lust.

Gabriel’s hand touched my shoulder. “You are still connected to the spear I gave you. Use your vision and look at the sword itself and look at its power within you. Do not let it command you.” Gabriel projected.

Gabriel’s voice is always comforting to me. As a vampire, I relied on his council. As my husband, I relied on him to teach me the ways of the gods. Until recently, he has never let me down.

I followed his recommendation and unlocked the spear’s power. It allowed me to see tiny flaws and magnified the world around me. The spear also allowed me to see the truth that no one else can see. I looked at Gabriel and saw Anubis in his mighty form, standing near me. I looked at mum and saw her as she truly is. She is more beautiful than her image. She has an aura of white light that radiates off her.

I looked at the sword. It glowed a crimson red. Black runes appeared along the blade. It was an ancient language long forgotten. I studied it willing the words to reveal themselves. My skin’s glow brightened as I touched the sword with my mind. Whispers of war and blood became louder in my mind.

“Who are you?” I projected to it.

The crimson red darkened, making it appear black. I took the blade and sliced my arm, giving it a taste of blood. Its glow intensified, almost blinding me. The runes began changing. I could feel the sword’s power attempt to overcome my own. I would only allow it to grow to the point I knew I could easily release from its influences. The sword was only as strong as I would allow it to be.

I looked deeper into the sword and saw a power that would make me fear it as the matriarch. This is a formidable weapon and will not fail me in battle. My master did not know the depth of the blade. I sent admiration to it. It pulsed with my thought.

As I pulled my vision back, the etching revealed itself. The words were written in the depths and could only be read in a vertical fashion, not as you would see them on paper.

Adrestia.

I called its name out loud. The blade burst into brilliant reds as it separated into two swords. One was sterling silver and highly polished. The other was as black as the underworld. ‘Life’ and ‘Death.’ It could take or give life as long as it tasted blood.

Very nice indeed

I remembered Benjamin using this sword to spare with me. It made me miss him.

“He will live again if we bring balance to the world.” Gabriel projected. The sun started to rise, painting the sky with pinks and oranges.

“Let us not disappoint the earth. It is hungry.” The swords hummed and became excited for the feast that was to come.

“We are with you, my mate. Lead us to the coven.”

Gabriel’s voice was smooth and calm. He controlled his fear for me well. I could still smell it from both of them. It is sickening but manageable.

The stench of fear was more potent from Mum. The knowledge she has received, and the witness of my mental status is too much for her to comprehend. I stood up and looked at her.

“If this is uncomfortable, Gabriel can see you home.” Mum blinked at me as if I interrupted her from a deep thought.

“I can feel your distress, Mum. I do not need to be connected to you.”

“I will continue on, Lara. I will not fail you. It is only hard to see someone come back from the dead.”

I nodded and used my vision to view the structure underground. I followed hallways until I found stairs leading up to the surface.

Humans began rising and coming out of their homes. Any human I crossed met my sword and fell to their death. I was focused and lost to the need to rid the city of its people. I was no longer connected or aware of Gabriel and Mum, who walked behind me.

People screamed and ran from me as they witnessed their neighbors fall to my blades. I allowed them the luxury of thinking they were safe. The scent of blood and the screams of the dying was like a sweet symphony. I relished the delicious waves of ecstasy as I cut down my enemy. I laughed like a giddy school girl who just received the best gift of her life. Once I reached the building that led to the underground city, I went inside and walked down the stairs. Pictures of fangs dripping with blood and of vampires feasting on humans lined the walls as I traveled further down.

We went down a hundred feet before the stairs ended and leveled out to an opened space. Thousands of vampires walked back and forth in the hall. I projected my mind out to view everything. The underground city went beyond my three mile radius. This portion of the city is a shopping mall of sorts. Stores that only sold wares to vampires lined an upper level. Restaurants promising fine cuisine and quenching any lustful desires followed the halls of the lower level.

The vampires walking around the open space noticed me and stopped to stare. My dress was smeared with blood from hundreds of living souls. My twin blades dripped with more blood. My skin glowed and dulled the lighting of the florescent lights.

As the traffic slowed, I yelled out, magnifying my voice with my power. “You have failed the earth! You have failed as a species! In the name of the ancient God Horace, you shall die at my hand for your transgressions!” Laughter erupted. It seems I do not look as threatening as I thought.

I looked at Gabriel and Mum. A wicked grin crossed my lips. “Let us teach them respect.”

Anubis’s spear appeared in Gabriel’s hand. His gaze matched my mood. He will enjoy teaching these vampires manners. Mum’s sword glowed bright red with her mood. I took my swords and tapped the ends of the hilts together. Thunder with no sound pulsed outward, severing all vampires within twenty feet of me. Blood coated the ground and rained down. Death hummed with pleasure. Laughter quickly became growls and hisses of anger.

“Come play with me! I desire blood.”

The danger in my voice should have deterred them from coming.

Fools! They deserve death

A wave of anger and blood lust clouded my vision. I became lost in my task.

As the vampires came to enact vengeance, I cut and sliced all. None of them attempted to enter my mind. These were weak, worthless vampires. The screams excited me and sent chills through my body, encouraging me to take more pleasure. The sword’s power hummed at its joy and spread through my veins.

More, I need more I heard a whisper.

I put power in my speed as I walked through, killing everything in my way. Vampires started coming out of the stores and restaurants to see what was happening.

“The ancient Egyptian God, Horace has past judgment! Only Ra can save you!” I faintly hear my voice call out.

I hoped none would call out for his help. Blood began to pool on the ground as more came. They started running away, telling everyone to run for their lives. As my hunger was sedated, I could feel Gabriel’s joy of the carnage and love of watching me cut my enemy down. The last time he saw me glow to this brilliance was the war against Una. He missed seeing his goddess shine. He began to think the underworld was no place for such a work of art. His admiration weakened my anger, and a wave of love came to me as the battle within continued.

Mum felt pleased being able to destroy these disrespectful sorry excuses for a vampire. She had lived hidden from them so she would not be swarmed and killed. All of the old vampires are hunted and killed, destroying the old ways. It is a sign of strength if they could prove they overcame an ancient vampire.

I went from place to place, killing everything that breathed. Vampire and human alike fed my blades. It took an entire day to cleans the underground city. We were able to kill five thousand souls. Many ran away. They will live long enough to tell of the destruction. The last human fed Mum and refuel her power.

“I am being summonsed. I shall return.” Gabriel embraced me, then passionately kissed me before he left. Deep love vibrated in his tendril, and his power warmed me, caressing my heart ad soul.

Knots in my stomach formed. I could not help but grin and love him. I wished to continue the carnage or use my power to run as fast as I could. My heart sang with joy that I could not contain.

Mum’s steel eyes met mine, and I giggled with a blood soaked finger in my mouth. She was not amused. The eyes of a disappointed queen returned my gaze. “Are you well enough to walk back to your home? I wish to rid more humans of their burden as we travel.” Mum only nodded.

I ignored her silence and led her back to the small park and killed anything that came to us along the way. I wished to reconnect with the earth to look for any changes.

The sun began setting low. More sirens filled the area, deafening my ears. We came upon a scene of law enforcement and human healers. Hundreds of humans gathered around a grizzly scene. Yellow rope blocked onlookers from touching the dead bodies. The sidewalk was stained red. They unwittingly made it easier to kill. Humans and vampire alike stood in a group. I looked at Mum with a twinkle in my eye and a smile. The excitement of a bloody rain coursed through my veins. I could see the concern in Mum’s face. I have changed. I am not the Lara she knew a millennia ago.

“I am well, my Queen. You do not see what I see. Gabriel thinks me insane.”

“I must agree with him. You have a madness I have seen before. I only hope for a wise king to help you find your way.”

She referred to the wolf I befriended shortly before Una’s army attacked my home. I had given up on life, and he forced me to see my error. He saved my life only to be hunted by humans. The memory of the wolf is unwanted. I rushed to her with anger. “Creatures of old are gone, Mum. Cenn Mor is dead! His soul wanders the underworld. Is this what you prefer?” I pointed to the bloody scene. “Do you prefer a world of disrespectful insects who feed off the earth? They are the ones who have destroyed what we once knew.”

Her gaze lowered from mine. “I will follow you as you sedate your need for blood.” Her voice was emotionless as she used to do. She will not argue the point. My mind is set in my decision.

I will find a way to make her see. Anger flared and clouded my vision as the war in my mind shifted, allowing insanity to come forth. If she wishes to see insanity, then I shall show her insanity! I turned from her and magnified my voice so all could hear me.

“You have failed this earth and failed as a species! In the name of the ancient God Horace, you shall die at my hand for your transgressions. Kneel and pray Ra will hear you as you pay with your blood!” Everyone turned wide eyed and saw my glow.

I brought the twin blades and connected the bottom of the hilt. Thunder without sound exploded and sent a concussion all around. The wave was stronger and went further than before. It sliced through anything living and nonliving. Cars flipped over, and alarms began to ring out from the buildings and the cars that were not damaged. One building started to crumble and threatened to fall. Blood and body parts sprayed like rain coating everything and making it shimmer in crimson red. The concussion went out fifty feet in all directions. The screams ignited my desire for more.

I walked to the building that began to crumble and crossed my blades. Life under Death. Fire burst and consumed the blades. I pinned the blades against the building and sent my power to the fire, making it hotter until the building caught fire. I wordlessly began walking away back to the park, still killing anything that dared provoke me. Most people ran from the glowing figure with two blood stained swords.

The feast ended. Adrestia pulsed a thorn in the hilts, making me release the swords. The two came together into one sword. The sterling silver polish dulled to steel, and the black turned into a dark grey. The grey sword nested in the middle of the steel giving the single blade an accent. I could feel Mum’s fatigue. I will take her home soon. I sat at the center of the park and listened. Screams of sorrow and fear came to me. The underground vampire city has been abandoned. The earth moans its pleasure. It’s life force beats only a fraction better than hours ago. It will require much, much, more blood.

I stood up and approached Mum. Her fear of me insulted my nose. I gave her credit. She did not run from me. “I will not harm you. My love for you is great, and your soul is an ancient soul. When the day comes that you must return to the earth, your soul will carry on.” Mum did not understand. How could she? I gently reached for her hand and teleported her to her apartment.

“Rest, my Queen. I shall see you in the morning.”

“I am not your queen. I have not been your queen since the day you left my clan. When will you see that?”

“Perhaps never, I know in my mind I am your superior. I am your god, but in my heart, you will always be my queen. You are both like a child and a mother to me.” She did not argue the point. She knew I would not change my mind.