Eden: The Eighth Day Part 1

Kayin surveyed the sight before him. The steaming puddles of stinking blood on the floor. He saw the shattered bear skull staring at him upside-down. But there were two puddles. Where was the other head? What by Meridian had happened here? Where had the scream come from? He had heard a woman scream, it had sounded like Vita and he had raced to his father’s chambers to investigate.

He didn’t wait long for his explanation. With a crash, the chamber doors flew open and a furious Malum marched across to the scene followed by a nervous Bacchus and three guards.

‘What the hell has she done now?’ the emperor said. He took in the sight before him. ‘Those were two of my best! How is it possible?’ He slammed the door to the room behind him and began to pace up and down his chambers. He turned to his guards. ‘Send out a search party for the girl. Get her bound and chained and into the stocks. I want her sold! I want her gone!’

The guards passed a look between them.

‘NOW!’ Malum ordered.

The guards nodded and marched out of the chambers.

The sound of her mother’s dying scream echoed through Vita’s mind and everything stopped. Time seemed not to exist and with pure clarity only one thought surfaced: they must die. She barely felt the tension of the rusted chain as her wrists snapped the metal, with enough force to send her body backwards.

She watched as the pole splintered clean in two with the impact of the flail, right where her head would have been. The demon panicked and pulled the flail free, bringing it down again towards her. She couldn’t move fast enough this time and her hands came up, palms forward to protect her skull. She waited for the impact.

A few seconds passed and she heard a confused grunt. She dared to open an eye and stared, stunned. Her hands were emitting a sort of white-blue light, bright enough to light up the entire room. She gazed in wonder at the flail which had stopped mere millimetres from her palms and was floating calmly in circles. The demon pulled the weapon, but somehow his efforts were hopeless. The flail was stuck fast. She reached out with lightning reactions, grabbing it from the demon’s rotten hands and she could feel the centuries of cruelty the instrument had yielded. The light vanished, leaving only the darkness once more.

Wielding her weapon, she spun her body around and the spiked ball crashed into the demon’s lower legs. She snarled. The blow brought them out from under him and the seven-foot giant crashed to the floor, the weight of him making the rack and all its weapons tremble and clatter. He didn’t have time to react before Vita was above him.

‘My mother was never a whore,’ she said, as she swung the flail down towards his head, screaming with pure adrenaline. The one powerful blow emitted more strength than even Kayin was able to produce with his sword. It smashed through the bear’s skull and through Cassian’s own underneath. A crater of smashed tiles formed beneath him. She watched with fearful fascination as the demon began to twitch and convulse. What was left of his rotting flesh began to bubble and boil, producing the most rancid stench as it slid off his bones and bubbled away to the stone floor. The bear was no more.

She turned her attention to the gorilla and strode slowly in his direction, a look of pure hatred in her eyes.

‘We – we were only acting on orders, miss,’ Amlethus said, as he backed away from her. ‘It was the emperor told us t’ kill ’em, your parents.’ He backed into the rack causing a few of the weapons to fall to the floor. ‘I – I don’t even know how you can hear us. Only demons can hear other demons.’

She kicked him, her lips curled in disgust. The force caused him to lose his balance, falling face first. Vita approached the unstable rack, ripping an axe from its shelves before tipping the whole thing on him and pinning him to the floor. ‘You killed my mother!’ she roared. ‘You undead piece of shit.’ With that, she brought down the axe.

Kayin and Bacchus watched Malum intently. Neither of them had ever seen him this angry.

‘I thought they were immortal,’ Bacchus whispered to Kayin.

Kayin raised a finger to his lips to silence the advisor but the emperor had already overheard the comment and stormed across the room, slapping the half-breed across the side of his head.

‘Of course they’re not immortal, you idiot!’ said Malum. ‘Nothing is immortal. They are just very, very hard to kill.’ He began to mutter under his breath. ‘For mortals, anyway.’

‘I – I am sorry, sire,’ Bacchus started. ‘I – I just—’

‘I told you not to let her out of your sight,’ said Malum. ‘What kind of dimwit are you?’

‘But the demons, sire—’ Bacchus was shuffling on his spot, wondering what Malum would do to him. ‘They told me to leave.’

‘Imbecile! Why do I keep you around? There is no wonder the empire is turning to shit.’

‘Father, if I may interject?’ said Kayin.

The emperor passed a foul look towards his son but remained silent.

‘The guards are out searching for her. Our priority should be to dispose of the mess and keep the townsfolk from finding out.’ He turned away from his father. ‘I will go and send in the servants and join the search party.’

‘Very well, son,’ said Malum. The panic in his face visibly melted. ‘I think that is the best course of action.’ He breathed a deep sigh.

Bacchus watched the emperor’s face and noticed how old he was looking. It won’t be long now, he thought. And how good it will feel to show you the same courtesy you have shown me, sire.

Vita floated slowly and deliberately down the corridor. She passed statues, which normally entranced her without a glance, her eyes focused on her destination. Her mind was calm and her ambitions clear. She could hear the whispers and shock from two maids who passed her but their concern merely dissolved around her.

She could feel the cold stone on her bare feet and the warm air soothed her as it brushed passed her undergown, each step causing her long hair to brush her skin delicately, making it tingle. She could feel every beat of her heart, letting her know she was truly alive. Each breath she inhaled deeply, feeling the oxygen rushing through her body. She swung the heavy gorilla skull in her hand as though it was weightless.

She could hear the panicked voices of the guards echoing from somewhere nearby but her footsteps continued slowly towards her destination, one step in front of the other. She raised her head and smiled as she pulled back the gold-trimmed curtain.

Kayin and Domine Agil were standing, arms crossed, watching Vita as she disappeared through the curtain.

‘We should stop her,’ said Agil.

‘We should,’ Kayin agreed, leaning lazily against the wall. They stood silently for a few moments watching the curtain return to its previous still state.

‘The emperor will be furious,’ said Agil.

‘He will,’ Kayin agreed. Neither of them moved. ‘If he finds out.’

Agil removed a dagger from its sheath, raising it up towards the window. He narrowed his eyes, inspecting it for dirt.

The pair’s nonchalance was interrupted by the sound of thundering footsteps coming around the corner. A brief look of panic crossed their faces as they quickly regained their composure.

‘Go fetch my mother,’ said Kayin to the guard. ‘She’ll likely be needed when Vita’s finished.’ He smiled darkly.

Agil nodded. He quickly bowed and set off away from the footsteps.

‘Oh, and Agil,’ Kayin added as quietly as he could.

The guard stopped quickly and turned.

‘You were never here.’

‘Of course not.’ Agil winked at the prince and continued towards Vesta’s quarters.

Kayin watched and waited until the guard was far enough out of sight. ‘Guards! Guards!’ he shouted, as the group rounded the corner. He gasped for breath and clutched at his chest as they came into sight. ‘Thank Jupiter you’re here.’

‘Where is she?’ one of the guards asked. His troops were standing behind him in their full battle gear.

‘Quickly,’ said Kayin. ‘This way.’ He pointed down a corridor leading away from the curtain and set off with the guards in pursuit.

Vita let the curtain drop behind her and walked confidently onto the balcony. She held her hands behind her back and stopped in the centre, standing silently for a moment to survey the faces below her. Some, she had seen before, others were strangers. Family men, drunkards, men of high and low standing, young boys and even arthritic old men, all here in an attempt to buy her and take her freedom.

She could feel her heart quickening and for a moment wondered what she was doing. She couldn’t see the Bilo brothers, which gave her cause for relief. A whistle echoed around the yard, followed by an eruption of laughter from the group of her potential husbands. She remained still, letting the sounds wash over her.

’Just come to give us a taster ’av yer love?’ She gazed down at the toothless source of torment and waited patiently for the ensuing laughter to die down.

‘Gentlemen,’ she began to speak slowly. ‘I stand before you today with faith. Faith in the goodness in each of you. I see many different faces below me. I see men I have known and respected, hardworking men, family men and loyal men. I see long-standing friends of my father, people who I used to feel protected by. I see people who, like me, have suffered in this land. And I wonder if it is fear that makes such good men gather here today? You label me a witch, but you can see my flesh is just as vulnerable as yours. If I am cut I will bleed. I am not the one to fear.’

She turned her attention to an old friend of her father’s, an elderly gentleman with a missing arm. ‘Fragosis,’ she said. The old man looked solemnly up towards the balcony. ‘What happened to your arm?’

‘Demon,’ he said simply.

‘Why?’ Vita asked

‘I was out of line,’ Fragosis said.

‘This man,’ said Vita, ‘had his arm ripped off by a demon for protecting a young homeless boy. The same boy was then dragged to the dungeons and killed by a stone thrown by a friend of the emperor’s. Is this what our society has come to?’

‘His own fault,’ a man commented. A series of nods and affirming mumbles followed.

Vita shook her head, bemused. ‘Nico.’ Vita gestured towards a middle-aged man. ‘How is your son?’

The man bristled. He looked around him, worried, but remained silent.

‘This man’s son, Petrus, my dear friend, committed a sin. He collapsed from exhaustion and the horse he was tending to ran away. He was punished by the demons at the order of the emperor. He will never walk again.’

‘You’re talking daft, lass,’ Nico responded good-humouredly. ‘Clumsy fool fell off the horse, now’t else.’

Vita looked at the man in confusion. What was going on here? Were they all blind? She had seen Nico’s face the day Petrus had been released from the demons, a more serious crime having been committed.

She remembered the fear in his eyes as he looked at his son lying face down on the floor, broken, bruised and bloody. She remembered Nico cursing the emperor and the beasts to hell. Were they really this blind or was there another reason for their loyalty to the emperor? She had seen this going much differently. After all the horror the people had seen, she believed it was only their fear that had held them back. Now she knew what power she held, she believed they would follow her. She felt her hands beginning to shake as she realised she was losing control.

‘Ovid? What of your daughter?’ She gestured to another man.

‘Enough woman!’ he said. ‘My daughter killed herself. Now’t to do wi’ demons. Such talk will have us all hung.’

‘She killed herself after being raped and beaten by our good emperor.’

The crowd’s eyes darted to the man.

‘The most sin I see in this place is within these walls. Every year we are told things will get better, but every year there are more and more souls taken at the gallows, more people disappearing and less food for everyone while the palace gets stronger and bigger and their bellies get fatter.’

‘Read the Bible,’ one man shouted. ‘They are blessed by the gods. They’re divine.’

’Do you all think that if what we are told is true, God would choose to save Mendacia? This land is evil.’ She could see the crowd was becoming uneasy.

‘Give it a rest!’ Ovid shouted up at her. ‘Where’s the emperor? Let’s get on with the show.’

‘You’re all just frightened,’ Vita tried, her frustration evident in her voice. ‘Imagine a land where we need not fear the demons. Where we could all be free.’

‘I don’t care,’ someone shouted. ‘I’ve come here to buy me a wife. Just get on with it. I’m hungry, I trust you can cook?’

The courtyard erupted with laughter again and, try as she might, Vita couldn’t quieten the men down.

‘What about your sons’ and daughters’ futures? What about the demons? This can’t be it!’

The courtyard ignored her attempts and carried on laughing and joking at her expense. Her plan had failed and now she had just made a fool of herself. How could they be so ignorant? She felt her whole body trembling with anger and humiliation. Where was her voice? She thought back over her life in the palace and how little anyone had ever listened. Not just to her but to all the servants, the young, the old, the infirm, anyone who showed weakness. Her previous compassion had evaporated. She thought back to the peace she had felt training with Agil. With her eyes closed, she had felt able to escape, to see so clearly. She closed them now.

‘QUIET!’ she boomed, raising one hand towards the crowd.

As she did so a flash of light escaped her fingertips and engulfed the yard, for just a moment. Everyone stopped all at once and turned in unison in the direction of their speaker. No one made a sound, much to Vita’s surprise. She opened her eyes and watched for a moment. All the faces were looking eagerly at her as if under some kind of spell.

‘Have you all been brainwashed? How can any of you deny the fate of yourselves or your loved ones? I pray you would wake up from these delusions.’

A strange sensation seemed to wash over the men at her final words and Vita watched as, man by confused man, each shook his head and looked around, as if he was only just aware of his surroundings. Were they mocking her? She couldn’t tell. But she couldn’t see the amber glow radiating from her eyes either.

She turned her attention back to Nico. ‘I saw you reunited with your son that day and I heard you curse the demons to hell. How can you deny it now?’

‘I – I – I’m not sure,’ Nico said, scratching his balding scalp. ‘I hate the demons and that pathetic excuse for an emperor.’ A rumble of consent rolled around the yard and more men began to speak of the horrors they had seen and stories they had heard. In a matter of minutes, Vita was worried she would have a riot on her hands, which would surely alert someone to her whereabouts.

‘Calm down,’ she said, ‘a riot is not the way.’

‘She’s right,’ a voice said. ‘The demons would rip us to pieces.’

‘What’s your plan then?’ another man shouted.

She couldn’t believe it. They were finally listening to her. Hanging on to her every word. She felt the power surging through her body like a drug and couldn’t fight the smile on her lips.

‘Together,’ she began, ’we must stand up and fight!’ She paused, ’We will kill them.’

Slowly she brought her hands from behind her back and raised the skull high into the air.

The crowd fell silent with awe. ‘We are Mendacia, and will no longer be ruled by this evil.’ She threw the skull into the crowd. They scrambled around for it, gasping with shock and muttering about their future. ‘Tell no one,’ she said, ‘and I will find a way—’ she turned to the sound of pounding footsteps and her face met a pair of strong fists.

She woke feeling stiff and her ankles felt sore. She tried to move them, but couldn’t for the ropes which bound them. Her skin felt itchy from the rough fabric she had been dressed in. She opened her eyes, which were staring at the ground and she could feel the wooden planks surrounding her neck. She craned to look around and could just catch sight of her hands either side of her head. They had managed to get her into the stocks. She looked up and was faced with a large crowd but she couldn’t make out any faces. She wondered how long she had been out and if she had dreamt her speech. She heard footsteps behind her and a guard popped his slimy face in front of her.

‘Nice to see you awake,’ he said with a grin. ‘Comfortable?’ He laughed. ‘Oh, and the emperor knows all about your little speech earlier. He calmed them all down though, don’t you worry.’

Vita spat on his shoe, which just provoked more laughter. She felt saddened that the men had betrayed her. She had thought that she had got through to them.

‘Oh, yes,’ the guard said. ‘“Please don’t bid for me, let me be free.” They told us all about your pleas for freedom. The emperor nearly fell over laughing. But don’t you worry, princess. Two o’ them Bilo brothers are here and they’ll make an honest woman of you.’ He walked away chuckling to himself.

So they had kept the plan secret. She began to smile again, but the thought was swiftly wiped. She’d almost forgotten about the Bilo brothers. Well, that would make things tricky. She doubted she’d ever see daylight again. She could kill them. Knowing what she did now, it was a possibility.

She scanned the crowd and could see Hugo and Gallus’s pathetic frames in the front, but no Vulcan. Strange. She could kill Vulcan, even enjoy it. But, Gallus and Hugo? Well, they weren’t exactly pure souls, but they weren’t bad either. They didn’t deserve death at any rate. Besides, she really didn’t know anything about the light. She’d never be able to control it.

The sound of the auctioneer brought her back from her thoughts. ‘Now, are we all ready?’ he said in a juddering voice.

Vita imagined an elderly man with shaking hands and skin wrinkling in the firelight. A sea of nods and a low rumble of consent confronted her.

‘Then, we’ll begin. I’ll start the bidding at one Numus.’

‘Five,’ Gallus shouted, immediately.

‘Ten,’ another voice.

‘Fifteen,’ said Gallus.

‘Twenty,’ another voice.

‘Fifty Numus,’ Gallus shouted.

Vita’s heart sank. Such a cost was only familiar to royalty. She wondered how they had acquired such wealth, no doubt something to do with Vulcan’s affiliations with the emperor. The crowd went silent. Nobody could match such a sum.

‘Any higher bids?’ the auctioneer asked. ‘Fifty-five, anyone?’ The crowd remained silent.

‘Going once, going twice…’ the auctioneer raised his hammer.

‘Seventy-five Numus,’ a deep, raspy voice sounded.

Vita strained her neck trying to see the source of the bid, but couldn’t.

‘My, my,’ said the auctioneer. The colour in his cheeks rising with his excitement, ‘It would seem we have quite a valuable commodity. Any higher than seventy-five?’

‘One hundred Numus,’ Gallus shouted. He sounded quite panicked, which pleased Vita.

‘Two hundred and fifty,’ the stranger shouted. The crowd gasped.

‘Well, I—’ the auctioneer said, sounding quite flustered. ‘Any more bids?’ He looked keenly around the courtyard, but aside from a few mumbles of disbelief and faces scanning the crowd for the bidder’s identity, all was calm.

Gallus Bilo stood uncomfortably in his place.

‘No more bids? Going once, going twice, sold to the stranger in the hood.’