Blood of the Pure (Gaea) (47 page)

“They usually offer us to the
Shedim
as a way to guarantee future favors.”

“And what do they do with you? Slaves?” I tried to guess, already picturing some dark-age society, chains and whips included, and Alexander smiled gently.

“They eat us,” he plainly told me between two mouthfuls, and I felt the blood drain from my face, making me queasy. My ever-ready-for-some-more-escaping mind told me I probably hadn’t heard correctly. “I see that the cat didn’t tell you about this,” he calmly observed with pity in his eyes.

“Eat, but ...” I stammered and my body convulsed into a shudder as I imagined Gabriel’s figure, all white, tall and lean, devouring something so similar to a Human Being.

“Yes. But only because that’s the faster and most effective way to rapidly gain power. I guess you can see it as a way of transferring power, or stealing it would be the accurate word.” He was apparently unfazed by the gruesome implication in his words and I stared blankly at my plate. He kept eating, eagerly. I’d just lost my appetite. “I understand this may be shocking to you. But it’s really quite normal for us, even amongst the
Merifri
, your angels.” My shock was even greater and I stared at him wide-eyed.

He smiled and went on. “
Merifri
, like
Deiwos
, are also divided into castes and have their own hierarchy. Of course, for ethical reasons, they do not eat each other as openly and frequently as
Deiwos
do. You see,
Merifri
live by a stronger, unchallengeable set of rules. Which, of course, also includes the who and when they are allowed to eat. Traditionally, their inferior caste, the
Micaloz
, that could be compared with the
Ruhim
since they’re also immaterial, aren’t even regarded as living beings and their only mission is to grant more power to the
Merifri
that, by merit, deserve it.”

I flattened a hand across my lips, feeling sick.
Ruhim
was Lea’s caste. How could they do such a thing! I clearly remembered his child-like voice when he’d told me about how unhappy and limited his existence had been, before Gabriel had granted him a body. But, even then, he had been alive! He had felt things, had thoughts, had seen the world! And he had felt fear; cold, terrifying, constant fear. Now I understood why.

“Mari, you must understand that, contrary to what you Humans think, your concept of good and evil applies strictly to you,” he added. “For us, that doesn’t even make sense. Not for
Merifri
and certainly not for
Deiwos
.”

“So, they took you to him ... for him...” I courageously struggled for the right words and Alexander nodded with a smile.

“Yes. Because Izrail is very powerful, even among his caste. As it seems his mother was a
Shedim
of incredible power. As for his father, as customary, no one knows exactly who he is. But most believe that he is the son of the clan leader himself. Which, I might add, is probably true. No one can really believe that he’d allow any other male to plant his seed in such a high quality female. Whatever the case, Izrail has always been regarded with very high expectations. They were all hoping he’d be immensely strong, even before his birth. And, as a child, he was raised to be just that.”

“Lea told me that the
Mazzikin
take care of the children,” I offered fearfully, starting to understand that things weren’t that linear.

“Take care. That cat can really say things pleasantly,” he snorted sardonically. My heart beat anxiously. What kind of world was that? Truly hell, I thought, my fingers tightly wrapped around my fork and knife as if to give me courage to just keep listening. And yet, if that was the truth, then it was the truth that I had searched for so long, in books and on the internet. I couldn’t run away, now that she’d come to me.

“Did you know that, in the beginning,
Shedim
were born of a tree?” Alexander continued. “Much like all the fruits you know.” He had a nostalgic smile, and I tried to imagine a tree, heavy with fruits that were actually beings. “Those were the ones we still call originals. The same happens with the
Iaida
, the
Merifri
’s highest caste. But the trees of the
Shedim
withered away, because they started reproducing among themselves. Some say it was a divine curse, since, to both
Deiwos
and
Merifri
, intercourse is forbidden.”

“The Law.”

“Yes,” Alexander confirmed with a smile. “However, after the trees of the
Shedim
withered, there was really only one way left in order to create a new
Shedim
, much the same way all the living beings of your world do it. But, as it still is forbidden, the female carrying the child never survives the birth. I believe you can easily see how this can change the way a society is structured. A female’s only purpose became conceiving a child. They are exchanged, sold and bought according to their power. A clan is considered as strong as the sum of the power of its members. And, since females inevitably die, power is measured only through males. Larger, more powerful clans can buy more powerful females to produce a new generation even more powerful, if possible. And so on.”

“And he ... was one of these children,” I muttered.

“As were all of his caste. However, and because the clan leader had high expectations about Izrail, his training was especially hard. Because
Shedim
only develop new powers if they are stimulated in that direction. And that’s what the
Mazzikin
are for. As soon as they start to walk, all
Shedim
male children are placed in huge houses, far away in some remote place. Then
Mazzikin
are sent to them with only one mission at hand — to kill them.” I held my breath and stared at him, stunned. What did he mean? “Of course they start up with the weakest
Mazzikin
,” he clarified, as if that would make any difference. “But they all have a time line to keep, which is considered the necessary time for a child to achieve enough power to survive.”

“And if they can’t?”

“Then they die,” he calmly replied as I shuddered. “Either the child dies, or the
Mazzikin
dies. That’s how things work, until the surviving children are strong enough the leave the houses by their own power. In the end, to do it, they have to pass a last test, and kill the
Shedim
guarding their door. Only the strongest are allowed to survive. And, those that do, are then taken before the clan leader, and the Law is explained to them, and complete obedience is demanded. Since all the clans are ruled by the law of the strongest, there are many who try to take over the clan leader’s position and, the only way to be able to do this, is by gaining yet more power. The clan leader himself has a personal army of
Se’irim
and
Mazzikin
to hunt for him. And punishments for disobedience are often being eaten by someone else.

“In my case, however, they gave me to Izrail more as a challenge,” he went on as I swallowed hard. “As it seems, even though he is as strong as everyone expected, he never showed any intentions of further increasing his power. Once freed from his training, he left the main settlement and isolated himself in some remote place. The power he wields is immense, but everyone knows that it could be even greater, should he choose to cultivate it. For this reason, Izrail has always been envied by many, and feared as a rival by most. From assassins sent in the middle of the night to treacherous requests for alliances or even direct challenges, even far from the politics and plots surrounding the ruling class, I’ve never seen him have a minute’s rest. I was given to him by the clan leader himself, in the hope he might finally start doing what someone like him should be doing. But Izrail didn’t eat me. As it seems, it was the same with that cat.”

“Lea, too? Was given to him ... for that?” I struggled. Besides being too much information for my bewildered head, the shock kept muddling my ability to think.

“Yes. But that was before me.”

“Then he ... he never ...” I stammered again and Alexander shrugged, pulling another plate in front of him. The other one was already empty, I noticed absentmindedly.

“That I don’t know. All I know is that he didn’t eat me. Quite the opposite. He allowed me to stay in that dark, empty house of his, until I regained my strength. He patiently explained to me how things worked around there. I read a lot and his library helped me a great deal to make sense of the new world I’d been thrown into. Besides that, he showed interest when I told him about Jonathan, whom I had been forced to leave behind, here, in your world. And, when I asked him, he helped me return here so I could come and get him. After that, when I took him with me, he protected him when I couldn’t. As I’m sure you can imagine, a living Human Being is something rather rare around there.”

I took a deep breath and tried to unknot my wrapped stomach. Alexander, on the other hand, went on happily with his lunch, completely immune to the dark theme of our conversation. It was almost as if what he told me didn’t concern him, as if it were someone else’s magic tale.

“So, that’s why ... Skylar,” I clarified. The protector. Now, there was a hard concept to grasp.

“I don’t know who first called him that. But it would seem that, over time, he spared many
Ruhim
, and that’s how he’s known among them.”

“Like Lea.”

“Yes. Although in Lea’s case, he went to the point of giving him a body. Now, that’s something that has always spiked my interest. I’m guessing you know that
Ruhim
are created by the unrestrained wishes of Humans, wishes that lead to negative actions and emotions.” I nodded and he went on. “Did that cat tell you about his true nature? About what kind of wishes gave way to his existence?”

“No,” I replied and he smiled softly.

“Suileabhan was completely created by other children’s wishes, hence his child-like appearance. Even in his feline shape, he’s still just a kitten.”

“What kind of wishes?” I insisted and Alexander pulled his third plate as I blinked in astonishment. He’d gone over his second even faster than his first.

“Wishes of being loved, related to the pain of having been abandoned, connected with feelings of rage, anger and vengeance. He is like the inner voice of all the children who never knew neither love nor the feeling of protection they should have had from those who were supposed to be there for them. Although he may look just like some annoying kid, Suileabhan is truly unstable and dangerous. He’s only apparently contained thanks to Izrail, who, in accepting him, answered his most inner desire, the one at the foundation of his entire being. I don’t even want to think about what would happen should Izrail refuse him or simply disappear. Better yet, I really don’t want to be anywhere near when that happens.”

I couldn’t help think that he must be exaggerating. Lea could never hurt anyone!

“I don’t think that will be a problem,” I said. “I think that ... he loves Lea very much.” I searched for the right word. I wasn’t sure that Human feelings like love could apply to someone like him, or if they were enough to describe the emotions I saw in his face, every time he gazed upon that child.

“Yes. And Suileabhan is eternally grateful to him and obviously adores him. But still, I can’t help think that, somehow, Izrail identifies with him. That cat was the only living creature roaming around his house when I was taken there. All the others that came, over time, no matter how grateful they were that he’d spared them, always left as soon as possible.” I smiled briefly as I recalled what Lea had told me about the dark, empty house his Master inhabited, and the reason why he’d decided to wear his golden bell.

“But he was Sealed for some time, right?” I reminded Alexander, who nodded.

“For about eighty of your years.”

“What about Lea? If it’s as you say, what happened to him during this time?”

“Izrail put him to sleep.” He saw my shocked look and laughed, clearly making fun of me. I looked away, blushing, and Alexander took a deep breath. “You’re really funny, you know? I hadn’t had this much fun in a while.” Well, at least I wasn’t just interesting anymore, I thought critically. “I really miss these kinds of things. Only a Human Being will react like that.” It only contributed to my increasing frustration. “It was the last thing he did. I suppose he knew all too well what would happen if he left that cat alone. Besides, no one could tell with certainty how long he’d be locked up in that dimension.”

“Why didn’t you release him?” I demanded, slightly accusingly. If he’d done it, I wouldn’t be in that position right now. “If you knew what happened, why didn’t you break him free?”

“Because I couldn’t. We’re never able to break Seals cast by other
Deiwos
. Only the one who did it could have undone it. Not even the strongest of the
Shedim
would have been able to set him free.” He said and the way he did it clearly pointed towards the obvious conclusion — that, somehow, I held more power than the strongest of his kind.