(LIB:I) Chapter 23

Kailin didn't move for several hours, and finally her eyes flickered. Her head was throbbing, and she rubbed it constantly trying to retake control of her own mind. He was in there, whispering the sounds of death to her, and pleading her to leave the cathedral. It had all occurred as if it were a dream, but she knew by the blood stains on her clothes that it had been real.

Mathias gave her a moment to collect herself. He waited patiently until she acknowledged him, but kept a close eye on her. Standing up, she walked over to the fountain in the center of the cathedral. Her eyes looked down at her own reflection in the water, and then up to Mathias.

"How are you feeling?" He asked as he came to stand next to her.

"He is whispering to me. I can barely hear him, but I understand what he wants." Kailin looked back down at her reflection.

Mathias understood that she meant Marekio, "Remain strong, Kailin."

"Is Gabrielle alright?" She asked, ignoring his words of encouragement.

"Yes, she will be. Took a hard knock to the head, though."

"She has a hard head anyway." She grinned, but it soon faded.

"It wasn't your fault, Kailin." He told her, sensing the regret.

She dipped the ends of her fingers into the water and then looked at the small droplets run down her hand. "Wasn't what I was thinking about."

"What were you thinking about then?" He sat down on the edge of the fountain.

"My sister." She looked over at him, and then mimicked him by sitting on the edge of the fountain too.
"What about her?" He crossed his arms.

"I was just wondering had I not of given myself in place of my sister, would I of become a vampire anyway and created the Mephis. Had he killed her I would never of created the first Mephis even if I did become a vampire."

"Being a vampire gives you a lot of time to think about what ifs."

She nodded, "Gives you a lot of time to miss what you never appreciated."

"You mean Nathaniel?"

Another nod was given, "My father, mother, brother, everyone that was once a part of my life."

"He was a good man, your husband."

She chuckled, "You must of saw a lot of things he did for me, when you were stalking me in the shadows."

"Yes, but I also knew first hand."

Kailin rose her eyebrow and she stared at him, "What do you mean?"

"I think it's time I told you what I have done. Come clean with you, so that you can start to truly see what you are up against." He swallowed, "You may hate me after I tell you, but you should know."

"Hate you, what do you mean?"

"You were created on purpose, you know that right? You were meant to make the Mephis and you were meant to destroy them."

"Why to make and destroy, what would that accomplish?"

"That is something, I can not say, but that is not what I needed to confess either. Only something you should understand before I tell you the truth. After you ran away to the Americas, I had allowed you to leave. I chose not to follow you, because I didn't want to be ordered to destroy you. It was just better to allow you to live on without the elders watching your every move." He looked down at the stone floor, "However, I still felt obligated to help you, somehow. So, after you left I consoled Nathaniel for several years as his closest friend. Although, I asked to stay out of many of his other affairs and asked to keep our friendship quiet."

"You were friends with Nathaniel?"

He nodded, " Shortly after you left, I introduced myself. He was very depressed, and I felt I could help him."

She looked ashamed. "Why did he… why did he take his own life?"

"Things were starting to look up, your sister was sick but there was word from you from the Americas saying that you were returning. Nathaniel planned to throw you a party and beg you not to leave him ever again. He told me once, that his only desire in this world would be to know you. He said that you never let him in, and you seemed so distant from him."

She stared at Mathias, hanging on his every word.

His eyes shot down, "Kailin, there is something you don't know. Something that you are never to know, and if I tell you, you must take happiness in knowing it and never pursue anything to do with it. Understand?"

"Yes I understand."

He frowned, "I caught Nathaniel taking poison one night and when I asked him why, he told me he got a letter from you saying you did not love him and to never speak with you again. He also told me that it said you were never returning to England, and to just move on as you had."

"I never wrote such a thing!"

He nodded, "I know you didn't, I did."

"What?"

"By order of the Elders. He told me to watch over his body and when he was dead to go for help, I agreed. As he laid on the ground, I looked into the face of a man who just couldn't live without something he so deeply desired." Mathias swallowed, "I know how that feels to want something that you can never truly have, I felt pity. I couldn't watch him die."

Her eyes were fixed to his face unsure where he was going with this story.

"So, I turned him."

"What did you say?"

"I turned him into a vampire, then hung him so people would think he hung himself. Then he was buried."
Kailin's eyes told her shock there was no need to read her mind. "Are you telling me that Nathaniel is still alive?"

"I dug him up a couple days later, and took him to my home in Italy. There I trained him on how to block his mind from other vampires as well as how to stay alive, we chose a new name for him, so that no one would know I allowed his survival. He was meant to die, so you could complete your tasks. Had he been alive, you would of stayed with him."

"Who the hell decides my fate? Who the hell gave you or anyone the right to pick and choose who I am friends with or who I love? You tricked him into killing himself! How could you do such a thing?" She had thrown herself into a standing position.

"Remain calm, Kailin. I know what I did was wrong, but I had no other options. The elders ordered his death, and had I not done it they would of sent someone else to take his life much more violently." Mathias tried to grab her hands, but she yanked them away.

"Where is he now?"

"You know I can not tell you that. You could jeopardize his life and your own."

"But he is alive right?"

He nodded, "Yes, alive. He keeps close tabs on you and many times I had to fight him to not to speak with you, like the day on the street when you met Kristian."

"He was there? That day?"

Mathias gave a nod, "You walked right past us."

Kailin sat back down, "How could he have been that close and I couldn't see him?"

"You thought it was Kristian and paid no attention." He looked down again in shame, "I feel though I made a mistake in doing so. He often questions why I let him live, letting him see what he wants just out of reach. Nathaniel knows that he can never be apart of your life again, and so he hates me, but on the same token he is my friend still."

"So, he is in New York?"

"That day, yes. When things started to go sour around here, I decided it was best for him to leave. I knew you would soon be suffering and I didn't want him around, I can barely keep him at bay when you are content." He looked at Kailin's sad eyes, "Kailin, he died over two hundred years ago, just like you did. You have to remember that. His name has changed, his life has changed, but he still thinks he wants what his human life wanted. You can never approach him, and must forget that I even told you."

"I understand, though you shouldn't of told me."

Mathias looked at the cathedral door and then back to her. "Probably not, but all this time you thought he killed himself over you. Already you have too many burdens, and I wanted to take one away."

Kailin shook her head gently, "No, he did kill himself over me. You just told me that he doesn't exist anymore." Grabbing her head Kailin moaned in pain.

"Are you alright?"

"No." She took another moment as the sound of Marekio's voice echoed throughout her mind. "Why did they do this to me?" Kailin asked, sliding down onto the stone floor, tears could be heard in her voice.

"I wish I had an answer to that question, Kailin, I really do. You weren't meant to wipe out the Mephis until you were an elder, and there are some ancient scrolls that tell of shortening the process, but it takes a couple hundred years. Tzion and the other thought they were strong enough to control you, we weren't counting on Marekio."

"Who is Marekio?" She tried to cover her face from him, not wanting to show her pain.

He closed his eyes and rubbed his face in his hands, before he spoke again, "As you know when a vampire is created their human soul is tossed from the body awaiting its aura within the Higher Being. Since vampires are evil and the human soul could not possibly do what a vampire does, a demon soul must take the place of the human soul. The aura of that person stays and suppresses the demon soul, after a long time the aura learns the powers of the demon soul and can control the demon."

Mathias paused for a moment, "Marekio is your demon. He was once so power hungry that the Ultimate Evil began to fear him, and so he tossed his soul into the body of a human or as we now have come to know the body of a vampire. It questions our beliefs now, because maybe the Ultimate Evil planned his soul to be delivered to you all along in hopes that you would lead the Mephis, maybe he even knew of the foolishness that Tzion and the rest of us would involve you in."

He looked down at Kailin, but she remain silent, and so he continued. "Unfortunately, by giving you elder blood so quickly your aura had no time to grow. I was against it for so long and then the second night you were with Tzion, he convinced me. Somehow he managed to persuade my stubborn mind to give in."

She held back the urge to cry, "How long before my aura catches up in strength?"

His head shook slowly and his eyes showed of great sadness, "Another two hundred years at the least."

Dizzy, her head began to spin, and she felt sick. It had been a long time since she had felt this way. "Two hundred years." she mumbled.

He could hear the tears in her throat as she laid her head against his leg, "I have been alive more then two thousand years, it'll pass within the blink of an eye."

"For you maybe, it took me two hundred years to get where I am and now I have to spend another here in this room until my aura is ready. And it might, only might I say catch up in two hundred years it might take longer."

Sliding to the ground next to her, he wrapped his arm around her shoulder, "I will be your companion, I won't leave here until you can leave her."

Kailin looked up at him and he back down at her, "You would?"

"Not much of a shadow if I left you now."

Several tears fell down her cheeks, and Mathias held her tighter. She shoved her face into his shirt and began to cry, softly at first then it became louder. Mathias knew it had been far to long since she had last cried, his last memory was when she was a child. So, he held her quietly, just stroking her hair and allowing his shirt to soak up two hundred years of pain, confusion, and torment.

---***---

Walking through the mansion gates, Mathias headed towards the cathedral. He hadn't kept his promise like he wanted, but needed to return to his home to gather some items he would need. Many questions still lingered in his mind. He didn't know how he would be able to live in the same city for the next two hundred years without drawing attention to himself. Both Tzion and he would have to be especially careful and close themselves off from much of the world.

He sighed, this would of never of happened had Tzion controlled himself. He had been a fool to think it was possible to control an soul like Kailin's, one he was certain Tzion knew was fairly strong. It was too late to save her, after talking with Tzion he knew this. She had fed from them and it wasn't possible to remove the blood from her now, such a thing had to be done immediately after the transfer. All they could do now was wait, and make certain that the Mephis never knew she was not in control. They would certainly attack knowing their mother would not be able to stop them.

Several footsteps were heard ahead of him, and Mathias looked up to watch several peon vampires run from the mansion to the cathedral. Soon there after Tzion and Akela headed out towards the cathedral as well. Something was wrong, and he dropped his luggage and ran to Kailin.

The cathedral was surrounded by several mutilated bodies, and he could smell the burn of other vampires. There had been some candles placed near the alter, and it would have been easy to kill any Hallowed. He knew, Kailin wasn't here anymore. Walking inside he looked around, there had been a slaughter. Human minions were scattered in bloody messes around the room, and even some fresh vampires had been torn to shreds.

Mathias looked at Tzion who was standing with his back to him in the center of the cathedral. Akela had walked up to the alter and tried to find any survivors.

"We underestimated Marekio." Tzion said as Mathias came to stand behind him.

"It wasn't the first time." Mathias snapped, but tried to remain calm.

Tzion turned around his cloak flowing around him, "It was ordered that she should never be left alone, I blame you for this escape, Mathias."

He crossed his arms, "Me? These are your minions, your peons, and all around your fault!"

The loud thuds of Khaldun's footsteps were heard as he ran into the cathedral, he searched the room. "Is she…?"

Tzion gave a nod, "She has escaped."

Gabrielle was standing at the doorway, she had followed Khaldun out. Knowing she could not enter without a great deal of pain, she waited.

"We must find her, there is no telling what kind of destruction she would bring upon us or the humans." Tzion ordered.

"Find her and do what? I doubt Marekio would make the same mistake twice." Akela told him.

"If need be… kill her."

"You can't kill her!" Gabrielle yelled, but Mathias rose his hand to her ordering her to be quiet.

"If we kill her then there is no hope for humanity! She is the only one who can stop them." Mathias snapped.

Tzion shook his head, "It's not Kailin, it's her aura and soul. She will be reborn again, we will just have to keep her death a secret until the rebirth."

Mathias shook his head, "It would take centuries for her to be reborn, you can't keep something like that silent."
Tzion turned his eyes to Akela, "You are in charge, do not fail me."

She gave a nod, and watched Tzion leave the cathedral. Her eyes went to Khaldun and Mathias, "Let's try to bring her back safely."

"I didn't know you cared." Mathias said sarcastically.

She grinned, "Not for her, but I do have a preferred lifestyle and I would not like the Mephis to take that from me."

Mathias shook his head as Akela walked past him and out of the cathedral. His eyes then went to Khaldun who immediately looked down at the floor, still ashamed.

"I'm sorry, Mathias." Khaldun mumbled.

"It is no time to worry about the past, we have more important tasks at hand."

---***---

Walking through the sewer the sounds of dripping water and hollow air echoed throughout the area. Following his senses, Marekio had discovered the location of his precious gem. The scent of the undead beasts filled his nostrils, and he had hopes that they would be holding his item. He had to complete this mission quickly, the aura was growing stronger faster then he had anticipated. Only when she had fallen asleep had he been able to take control in the cathedral. The pain of leaving had almost made him give up the mind.

A bridge appeared ahead of him, his eyes went to the pipes above him. Several Mephis sat upon them staring down to the unknown figure. Either they knew that the body was that of their mother or feared the power that surrounded Marekio. Crossing the bridge, he was greeted by a Mephis that pointed down the left pipe.

His voice was raspy and could be barely understood, "He waits for you."

Marekio have a nod and headed down the pipe, and onto a grate. In the center of the room was two thrones, one sitting Anthony and the other with Samuel. Walking up to the thrones he stood several feet away, as he sensed the peons that were hiding in the shadows.

"I didn't expect your presence down here for some time, Kailin. I am surprised to see you have…" He grinned, "gathered yourself together so quickly."

"Give me what is mine." Marekio's demonic voice ordered.

Anthony laughed, "Oh forgive me, Marekio. I didn't expect you to make an appearance for some time either."

Marekio held out his hand.

"And for what is yours, we shall receive our desire?" Anthony asked holding the red amulet around his neck.

Marekio gave a nod, "I will have no need for this body, take all that you wish."

"We need the vampire to stay alive, without a soul it will be impossible to follow the prophecy."

"You will receive her alive with a new weaker soul., she shall be easier to control. Until the rebirth that is."

"Very well." he smiled, "One more thing before I hand over the amulet.."

Marekio stared at him.

Anthony smiled, "A new soul won't be the only thing that will help me control her. If the soul is weaker then…"

"It can not be taken, only hidden." Marekio replied.

"I understand."

"Now, my amulet." He held out his hand, and Anthony removed the gold charm from his neck and toss it at him.

Anthony grinned as the demon held up the amulet and spoke in his demonic tongue, a portal swirled of red and black began to appeared in the air in front of him. It continued to grow as Marekio spoke. Kailin's body began to lift off the ground, and the amulet was dropped to the floor. Her arms flailed backwards, and the blood stains on her shirt began to grow wet again. Eight long red fingers with black nails poked through her chest, and then opened her rib cage. The sound of bones breaking caused Samuel to flinch.

The head of a demon with long black horns and glowing red eyes came from her wound. The large body of the beast was given birth, and dropped to the ground below. His tail flipped around behind him and he continued to speak to the portal in his tongue. His form was huge nearly tripled Anthony's size. Marekio turned to look at Anthony, and the Mephis' eyes widened.

"I always keep my promises." Marekio told him.

With those words a man sized demon was sucked out of the portal. There was barely enough time to see the little gray demon before he was forced into Kailin's chest.

"The deed is done." Marekio told them, as Kailin's chest began to close.

Marekio turned to the portal and jumped through, and with his absence in the mortal plane, the portal shut as quickly as it had opened. Kailin fell to the ground with a thud, she remained unconscious.

Samuel stood and walked over to Kailin's body, keeping his deep frown. He shook her shoulder gently. She moaned slightly but did not awake.

"Alive?" Anthony asked, and Samuel gave a quick nod.

"Good, wouldn't want her to miss the birth."