Bound By Blood (35 page)

             
A spell was over the door, a
Phãegen
spell. It was created to confuse anyone who was
immortal
or of negative nature.
Samanthŕa
sensed a woman’s hand invoking it. She smiled. This spell held no power over a Priestess
,
especially since she served the
Phãegens
of the village. She had open invitation as well as dominion over anything they did. She had open
ingress
into their
Templus
, into their homes, into their lives. She was not negative. She also had a bond with
St
a
phãyn
which his heart still held
onto. She
could feel that, even now. He may have renounced the blood and his immortality
,
but he had not renounced her. Not yet.

             
Samanthŕa
opened the door. Why should she knock? She rethought
t
his decision once she found
St
a
phãyn
sta
nd
ing with his sword pressed to her throat. His face nearly collapsed when he saw it was
her
. He lowered the weapon as well as his eyes.
Samanthŕa
caught her breath
, acted
as if it never happened
and calmly shut the door.

             
“If you have come to change my mind you are wasting your time. I have no inten
t
ion of undoing what I have done.” He said
this
in a low voice as he
dropped
to a sitting position at the end of the dusty, tattered bed. A woman leap
t
from it and dodged to a dark corner, trying to hide her nudity with a blanket.

             
Samanthŕa
raised a brow at her. So this
wa
s the
Phãegen
who led her brother’s heart astray? What was so special about her that she was able to twist his already disturbed mind into walking away from what he truly was? The woman who hid in the shadows raised a cloaking spell over herself.
Samanthŕa
almost laughed. It worked like knots forming an invisible net around her. It would take nothing for
Samanthŕa
to unra
vel it. Her mind began to do so, pain or not.

             
"Hello t
o you
, Brother." Samanthŕa said with spit
e. Then
, imitating
his voice. "Good morn
,
silly Vii. Glad to know you survived the Nosophoros last eve. Why, how did you manage to get yourself out of that one?"

             
"
Enough
." Staphãyn scolded her, weakly.

             
"Yes,
enough
. More important matters to d
eal with right now, isn't there?
" She
narrowed him into her sights.
“You
know
they are looking for you,
Dĩas
and the Elders?
Chymeŕah
is even doing so
."

             
"Why would your mother bother? Let me guess, she wishes my destruction too?"

             
"
I doubt her reasons are the same as theirs. I doubt she is as angry
as Dĩas and the Elders
either. You know she has always favored you.”
Samanthŕa
told him
this
as she walked around the small room. “This
,
I imagine
,
has broken her heart. You know how she feels about blood being precious and all of that.” Part of her mind still worked the
mortal woman’s
cloaking
knots.

             
“Of course I know.”
St
a
phãyn
laughed. He was slightly hung over. He reached for his flask and took a drink
and
fell back onto the bed
,
placing his hands behind his neck. “Now ask me
,
silly Vii
,
if I care.”

             
“I know better
,
”
Samanthŕa
said as she wiped a bit of dust away from the
aging
mantle of the room
’s hearth
.
She was sure h
er face showed a bit of
her
disgust.
Just a few more knots to go
, she thought
.
To think this woman believe
d
she could work magic against a Priestess,
Phãegen
magic at that. “What I want to know is
why
,
and do not tell me it is your love of th
is Phãegen
. I know better.”

             
The
Phãegens
meant the world to her
as well,
but she would not renounce who she was
in order
to be with them. She would not offend the Goddess in such a way. She did them more good having the power and title that she had,
not
renouncing it.
Aside from that, St
a
phãyn’s soul belonged to another. He was
Strygĩ
,
which meant he was someone’s
A
wakener
,
or at least he was
once
. She wasn’t sure
what
would happen concerning that now. Had he cursed not only himself but also another Vii of their bloodline? This actually horrified her.
"Why do this, brother?"

             
“Silly Vii, Silly Vii.” He mocked her
,
laughing. “You know why. I refuse to be the pawn of
Dĩas
any longer. I refuse to mingle with those sheep pretending that they are my family.
"

             
"We all lose our way." She spoke softly. "We are not beyond the reach of redemption. We should not give up on each other. We should stand by our blood until the webs can be washed from their eyes. We--"

             
"
They
are
not
family.
"

             
"
Stephãyn
,"

             
"
The old ways are dead. Family is dead. They are no better than Evil.”

             
“Nonsense,”
Samanthŕa
scolded him. “Am I evil? Is
Dezarãe
evil?” She could go down the list but didn’t.
She did not know how long she could block her whereabouts.
She did not want
St
a
phãyn
found
,
fear
ing
what they m
ight
do to
hi
m. Weakness and sickness filled her from the herbs. She didn’t have a lot of time. “There are many in
the
families who
have
not
changed. Not everyone can be judged by
Monéaklá
and the likes of her.”

             
“It’s only a matter of time
before they are all like her
.
Or are you hoping the Father of the Blood will change that?
Is he the source of your new faith?”

             
Samanthŕa
hissed but refused to be baited. “Is he now on your list of those to hate? I’d be curious to know your reasons.” She truly wanted to know. She needed another opinion concerning him.

             
“On the contrary
,
”
h
e smiled. “
I am completely rooting for him.
I hope he tears
Dĩas
to pieces
,
to be honest with you. The friction between those two
!
”
St
a
phãyn
exhaled quickly
,
making a windy noise. His eyes awoke with excitement. “If anyone can right the families
,
then
he
can.”

             
“If you trust him
,
St
a
phãyn
,
then let me take you to him. He can undo what you have done and correct these wrongs. You can work
with
him. Wouldn’t that be better than sitting here drinking your sorrows away?” She knelt before him while her voice softened. She touched his hands gently
and
felt the jealousy of the woman in the corner rise.
T
he
female
felt threatened by
Samanthŕa
.
Phãegens
rarely understood the bonds between those of
Samanthŕa’s
kind
because the bonds were deeper. They were not born the same, conceived the same and they certainly didn’t
feel
the same. Their love and affection
ran
deeper
,
or it should…
.
Just a couple more knots.

             
“It’s to
o
late
,
sister. I am done. I would like more than anything to join with the Father of our
B
lood
,
but I cannot. You have to trust me. My reasons are, well, I have my reasons.”
St
a
phãyn
told her
this
with such sadness drowning his voice. “I can tell you though
,
that you need to be careful. Things are not always as they seem. We were raised on that, remember?”

             
Samanthŕa
nodded.
"Yes my dearest brother. Chymeŕah would say it as often as she reminded us that blood is precious. Do you remember?"
She felt tears stir in her eyes.

             
“
I have always remembered even if the blood is no longer precious." He kissed her forehead. "It is sanies," which meant impure. He whispered, "
Do not be silly, little Vii. If this Father of the Blood is what they say
,
then stay close to him.
Dĩas
and the Elders are not to be trusted
,
”
h
e added.

             
Samanthŕa
raised a brow. “
St
a
phãyn
, what happened to finally push you over the edge? You and
Dĩas
have never seen eye to eye
,
but
something
must have happened for you to do this.” It didn’t make any sense to her. Renouncing one
’
s blood and immortality? He could have just left. Others did
,
like the
Lycãons
. In fact
,
Kaléé
would have welcomed him with open arms.

             
“It doesn’t matter now.” He slipped himself away from her. “For my sake,
let
it go.”

             
“Think of others who will be affected by what you have done. Think of the Vii whom you are destined to Awaken…” she started to say when she heard the Phãegen groan with jealousy. Stephãyn turned quickly towards her. He shook his head
, asking
her to silence her emotions. He
turn
ed back
to
Samanthŕa
and spoke with haste. “I belong to no Vii.
I am poison. And h
eed carefully your words
,
sister
,
for you know not of what you speak.”

             
Samanthŕa was slightly floored by his answer but she had other things on her mind. She
worked past the last knot. The spell shattered. Her eyes became wide. The woman, the
Phãegen
woman carried
St
a
phãyn’s
children
--
twins
. “She is with child
?
" How was this even possible?
"
Is that why?
Did you renounce your blood because of your seed which grows inside her?
”
Samanthŕa
spun around to
t
his new direction. The woman started to cry a
nd
she ran with fear to
St
a
phãyn’s arms.