Within the Cards (33 page)

Tonight I was with Ellie. She was the one thing in my existence that made sense. I loved her, and she loved me. We were finally one again even if it ended with the new moon.

“
Daught, promise me tomorrow you’ll take care of yourself,” she begged. Her eyes were fearful.

“
Ellie, we’ll both be alright. I can’t think of a time in the future that I will not be with you.” I assured her and smiled.

She knew my thoughts were not so sure. Her thoughts were the same. She feared she would become a slave to her uncles. She knew if they caught her she would have to extinguish me and live an eternity in a world that wouldn’t be kind. Her mind showed me a picture of her fears. I couldn’t stand her thoughts. If I were human my stomach would turn, and I would expel the food I digested. The Lords were sick and evil. My Ellie couldn’t be enslaved to them.

“
Remember Elizabeth’s promise to me?” She asked. I pulled her tight.

“
I remember my love.” I replied. I didn’t want to think of Ellie being removed from this earth. She was a lovely, peaceful being that all immortals needed to guide them. I pulled her close to my body. I felt the warmth of her skin next to mine. The candle flickered and made her skin glow in the dark. This flickering took me back to my meeting with Anesidora. She told me that only I could end this war and that my powers were greater than I knew. This was true, but I hadn’t been able to make them work. Again, her words rang out in my mind. With my makers help, together we would win. Her thoughts rang in my mind. What was Anesidora trying to say?

“
She’s right. Together we can do anything.” Ellie broke my thoughts.

“
She first said only I could end this war, and then she told me we had to unite to protect each other. I don’t understand how only I can do this.” I stated. I stared at the ceiling of the hut. I felt Ellie’s warm breath at the nape of my neck.

“
You’ve perfected your new powers, Daught. You can use them to help.” She reminded me.

“
Yes Ellie, but the one I need I can’t get to work. The key will not come to me,” I reminded her of this fact. I rubbed her arm. Ellie tucked her head under my chin. I loved the feeling of her body lying against my skin. Her scent was sweet: the rose, lilac, and lavender concoction. Only Ellie could wear this scent with such grace. I breathed in deep and pulled every molecule of the scent into my body. The candle continued to flicker and again my thoughts were on Anesidora.

The Great War spoken of was now impending, but she spoke of something else she referred to as the prophet, Ellie’s and my child. Would this creature ever come into existence? Would I ever have the pleasure of seeing Ellie hold our child in her arms? The one that was the prophecy, I couldn’t imagine a world where all immortal beings unite. Could this possibility come about?

“
Daught, you’re thinking of our child again.” Ellie smiled, and I heard a slight giggle.

“
Yes my dear, our child.” I stated and squeezed her in my arms.

I remembered another time when this thought came into my mind. Ellie laughed in my face. She swore we would never have a child together. Could she be right? Would this war end our future of being parents to a child we made together? Ellie tightened her grip around me. She didn’t want to hear the thoughts of this being never coming to us.

“
I’ll have your child, Daught.” She assured me.

“
I know Ellie. I wait for the day you give birth to our creation.” I smiled at the thought, and I kissed the top of her head.

We lay still holding each other as if we were scared to let the other go for fear we would wake, and it would have been just a dream. I thought about the possibility that I would still be looking for Ellie, and she would still not remember my existence. I couldn’t bear these thoughts. I couldn’t dream so this was our reality, and our fate.

My thoughts carried me to tomorrow. How I wished tomorrow was just a nightmare that would startle me awake. A nightmare I would wake from and find my Ellie in my arms with no harm to her or our family. If I could only sleep, I would wipe this nightmare away and dream of only peace and beauty. I smiled through my thoughts. A great play writer named Shakespeare begged ‘To sleep perchance to dream’, how I wish I could do the same. In my reality, there was no chance to dream or to have a nightmare. No chance to wake and realize everything was as I left it before I drifted away to rest.

“
Daught, clear your mind of this sadness. We’re together now, and you’re not dreaming me. I’m real. Please love me as if we will never make love again.” Her request was strong. She pulled herself up with part of her body covering my chest. Her face was directly in front of mine.

“
I love you, Daught.” She spoke in a voice that sounded like a child. Her breath was of the sweet aroma I craved.

“
I love you too.” I pulled her tighter in my arms and wanted to hold her there and forget about this reality that would soon be revealed.

Our bodies entwined. We made love as if this act of our affection would never happen again. Her kisses were sweet. Her scent was erotic to my nose. If this were the end, I would gladly welcome my extinction. If I could make sure Ellie wasn’t in harm’s way. Ellie pulled my thoughts to hers. Our bodies were in perfect timing. We made love for hours. I didn’t want this to end. I wanted to spend the rest of my eternity in her arms. I begged for a nightmare that I couldn’t wake from so my Ellie wouldn’t be harmed.

“
Daught, we’ll spend our eternity together no matter the outcome tomorrow brings. We’ll always be together.” Her thoughts were convicted.

“
I’ll never let anything happen to you Ellie. No matter what the price, I won’t allow this.” I spoke firmly and held her tighter.

I demanded this from the Universe, the great master of all beings, the house of the Gods of our past. I demanded the safety of my Ellie. My thoughts became silent as I listened to Ellie's thoughts.

ELLIE:

I pledge my love to Daught. I wouldn't continue to exist without him. If this were to come, I would find Elizabeth before they could take me away so she would end my fate. NO, - We together would win this war against my uncles. The child Daught spoke of would be born. I hoped he would look like Daught and have his eyes and his smile. I loved his smile. If it were a star, it would light up the world with one glean of his white teeth. His smell was one I couldn’t resist. I remembered the first day in class. I could tell he was a vampire, but his scent was like my first taste of blood; so inviting. It overpowered my thoughts even though I didn’t remember his love. I couldn’t stay away from him. I needed his touch and the electricity that exchange between our bodies. I loved this creation of mine. I would love our creation together, and I would be the mother they didn't allow mine to be.

My mother, she was so beautiful. I can’t believe she came back to me. To know she loved me even when they didn’t allow her, and she protected me through the years. She was the real reason I felt like I did. It wasn’t a spell that controlled my compassion. My mother passed this way of being down to Dee and me.

My sister Dee had always looked after me. I didn’t understand at the time her true meaning and her thoughts, but she was always looking for my best interest. “I love you sister.”

Now Suzi, why didn’t you trust that we would protect you? I bid you farewell, and may you rest in peace, my dear sister. You did have love around you, but you wouldn’t accept it.

Elizabeth and Ultress, my precious grandparents, they gave me existence. If it weren’t for you, I would never know the love Daught rained upon me. I learned so much from you. “Thank you for teaching me the ways of love.”

My precious unknown child, I loved your father. He was everything to me. He made me smile and gave me the world to take and enjoy. You would have been such a lucky little one to have a father like Daught. I so hoped you looked like him. His smile was the sun that brightens my days, and the moon that made the ocean move its tide. “I hope and pray you get to meet him.”

***

I felt the terror and loneliness in Ellie’s thoughts. I could no longer bear to feel her pain. I interrupted her thoughts.

“Ellie, your thoughts are wandering. They’re jumping all over the place. Everything will be fine. Don’t think of us as the past. We’ll win this war.” I promised.

She laughed at my insinuation of her wandering mind. I pulled my body over hers. Her lips again invited mine. I could taste her venom. The taste pulled me to feast on the delicacy that lay before me. We made love the rest of the night.

Chapter Twenty-Nine

WAR

The Sun rose for the last time before the Armageddon that could end our existence took place. Ultress was out scouting the lands where this Great War would take place. I went to meet him. He knew the ways of his sons. They would come from the east and try to take us by surprise. They would taunt us and try to break our bonds of love using every evil trick they could bring. Ultress hoped he would never see the day he would have to choose between his sons and the love of his wife, daughter and granddaughters. He had already made his decision. He stood strong today. There was no sign of the weakness that plagued him a few days ago.

“Daught take care of Ellie. She’s the one they’ll try to capture. They’ll do whatever it takes to get to her. I’ll take care of my sons. It’s their time to feel the terror they blast on every immortal that has descended from me.” He was firm. His voice was harsh. His normally soft voice showed the hatred that now radiated though every fiber of his being.

“I promise I’ll take care of her. She’s everything to me,” I said. He turned to me and smiled. He continued to amaze me. Ultress never showed any of the things I knew about real purebloods. He wasn’t the vile evil killer that lurked in the dark waiting for his prey. He was a gentle giant that only turned venomous if something or someone endangered his family.

“When the time comes, I beg you to take Elizabeth away so she doesn’t have to witness the demise of her sons. I don’t want her to know the wrath of their fate.” He again made me promise. I bowed my head in agreement of his request.

He returned to his thoughts as he walked through the jungle. He neared the waterfall where we saw Suzi for the last time. Her words of damning her grandparents to hell were still fresh in the sounds of the water. He closed his eyes in grief because he knew his sons had extinguished her. I touched his enormous muscular arm to convey my understanding, and then I saw his thoughts. I could see the pictures of torture that Suzi must have gone through. The fear in her eyes when she cried for her grandfather to help her, but he couldn’t hear her because she damned him to the hell from which he had returned. She was alone. She had no sisters to stand with her and no mother to love her. Her fate wasn’t fast. I was sure it lingered for their enjoyment. Ultress’s thought cast these visual images in my mind. This poor misguided child knew of no other way.

“Ultress, Ellie thinks you’re going to be restrained by the witches. She’s going to try to get you to follow her to the water fall.” I told him. He looked down at me and smiled.

“I know Daught. Elizabeth told me what Ellie believes, and I will allow her to take me. I know you’re just protecting her from the same fate Suzi learned.” He turned back and looked deep into the roar of the waters tumbling edge. He stood quiet for a few minutes. I knew he allowed me to see the images of Suzi’s fate, so I would know what they would do to Ellie. He knew I would never let her go.

“It’s time to get the others.” I told him. He bowed his head, and we turned back toward the village.

Our walk back to the village was in silence. We were both lost in our own thoughts. I worried about Ellie, and he worried about our entire clan. Ultress was a true leader that I was proud to follow.

Elizabeth, Ellie, and Lauren stood outside the hut. The witches and other witchyres stood behind them. They were ready to go to the place that would bring their fate, to face extinguishment or to rule the witchyres once again.

As we entered the village, Ellie met me and held her arms out to embrace me. She needed to remember what I felt like against her. Elizabeth did the same with Ultress. Our embraces were long and lingering, none of us wanted to end this feeling, but it was time to fight for our eternity and the freedom of the witchyres. Dee came from the trees beyond the village. She held a combination of flowers. Ellie didn’t understand her gesture when she handed them to me. They consisted of roses, lilac, and lavender. I looked at her not sure of what to make of them.

“I heard your thoughts last night. When the time is right you’ll know what to do with them,” she smiled. It was hard for me to understand her offering, but I took them and placed them in my shirt. Dee fell into her mother’s arms. Ellie embraced her as well. The love that flowed between the three of them was strong and forceful. There were no worries of Dee’s weakness. She would stand strong with her family.

“I love you my children.” Lauren spoke softly to them. She held each of her daughters tightly. I read her thoughts of knowing she had just found her children and now risk losing them forever. I smiled, and she looked up at me as she read my return thoughts. She agreed she would have many years with her children, but if she didn’t she was grateful for the chance to hold them in her arms.

Each of the girls exchanged vows of love with their mother. The same scene replayed between others in the group. Ultress was proud of this tribe. This was the way all witchyres should have been. He held his large arm in the air.

“The time has come for us to defend our way of life. I stand and fight beside each of you with pride. I am your maker, and I will remember your unselfishness. You are all now my family and my loyal followers. Let’s bring peace to all witchyres.” His voice had changed to the stronger more forceful one I had heard before. His body showed a story of strength for his followers. Elizabeth’s smile overflowed with pride for her husband.