"Yes," said Kris with gravel to his voice, too. "Lucenzo's here, alright, but?" he trailed off.
"What?" asked Shane who also sounded husky.
"Something's wrong. I can smell him from here, and his scent has a touch of rot to it."
Starr said, "Let's go."
"Wait," said Shane. "Someone knows we're here. He's waiting for us."
"Who?" asked Starr.
"I don't know, but he doesn't seem like he wants to harm us. And I'd do anything to get out of the cold, even just for a bit."
"I second that," said Kris. "Are you sure he's not dangerous?"
"Yes, he says he's been waiting for us; for Starr."
They grabbed Shane's hands and flew over the wall. They landed on the grass, and walked up the entrance, past the same sculptures and over the same bridge from her dream.
She walked fast until they made it to the diagonal alley that led to the city center.
They stopped, for a moment, at a fork she didn't recognize.
"Left," said Shane.
"How do you know?" asked Starr.
"A true and powerful telepath can glean memories, even if you don't remember them," Kris answered for her.
They found themselves in the center city structure where they entered through the side door, just like in her visions.
Candles lit a long dark hall. There were no decorations, only plain stone floor, walls, and ceiling that went for a few hundred feet.
At the end of the hall was a thick wood door. Starr grabbed the latch in the middle, and pushed.
On the other side of the door was a hall of jail cells with bars made of gold.
"Plain metal is like plastic to a Primordial," said Kris.
They walked down the hall.
In the last cell on the end, they spotted Lucenzo's orange-red hair splayed out on a blood stained white furry pouf. His rib cage had been ripped open, and the top of his cranium had been broken open. Beside him, lay his heart and brain; both of which were half eaten.
Overcome with disappointment, she almost didn't notice the familiar face of a man who sat on Lucenzo's bed.
The man wore a royal blue suit and black horn rimmed glasses. Unlike most Primordials, he wore his hair short.
He stood up and said, "I've been waiting for you."
Too Old to Care
Chapter 4
Stelar seemed like a mild mannered man. He walked with grace that contradicted the strength and age of his flesh and bones.
"What happened?" asked Starr.
"Lyssa did this," he said.
"Where is she, now?"
"She's not here; otherwise, Vidar would have killed her on the spot. Lucenzo was the only son he ever really loved."
"Why doesn't he go after her? She's out of control," asked Kris.
"Vidar rarely leaves Valhol anymore. Besides, can you imagine a seven and a half foot man with wild eyes circling the Earth?"
"But you said Lucenzo was the only son he ever loved," said Shane.
"He's lost many sons and daughters over the millenniums; it's a part of life. He's upset, but not that upset."
"Lucenzo said Credenza has plans to try and take over the world," said Starr. "Doesn't that bother you?"
"Do you know how many people have, essentially, ruled the Earth? She'll just be another empress. Believe it or not, there's been many, though your history books don't recognize them all."
"So you're just gonna stay here on your lofty peak while the world is destroyed?"
"Overdramatic little thing, aren't you," he said, as if talking to a child. "And arrogant, too. The world won't be destroyed; it'll go on and on. Man conquers man, as it has always been and always will. Whether we interfere or not, tomorrow, there will just be another battle. We have a right to retire in peace."
"But you interfered that day on the road, when you apprehended Lucenzo," Starr reminded him.
"I," he stressed, "didn't do anything. Vidar arrested Lucenzo for violating the one rule we have: We don't interfere with the ways of man. Creating those nasty vampires was an abomination."
"Fine, but maybe you can answer a question for me: Lucenzo says I'm preventing Credenza from getting her soul. Do you know what that means?"
"I don't know. She never confided in us. For the third time, this is merely a resting place, now. We don't bother with people's business."
"I know she has living quarters here. May I see them?"
"No, you may not," he said angrily.
Starr was about to argue when Shane spoke into her mind.
Don't, she said. He won't change his mind. He wants to ask us to stay. We 'll sneak out later, tonight.
Just as Shane said this, Stelar asked, "Why don't you stay for the night? You look like you've had a rough journey. Some others would like to meet you."
They followed Stelar out of the jail, up several flights of stairs. On the fourth landing, he led Shane and Kris to a room, and then, finally, Starr.
Stelar walked in and leaned against the wall.
"You still don't recognize me, do you?" he asked.
"Should I?" she asked, as she walked to the window and looked out.
"The Royal Library, Denmark?"
She looked at him, and it came to her. She'd also seen him at the little pub, before that.
"Why have you been following me?"
He stood up and walked to the fireplace, where, suddenly, flames came to life. Heat shocked the room, making her skin tingle.
Stelar stared at her a moment. He opened his mouth to say something, but then froze.
"Yes," said Starr.
"Get some rest. A servant will come get you when dinner is ready."
"That's not what you were going to say."
But Stelar ignored her, and closed the door as he left.
Starr peeled off her heavier clothes, leaving on her underwear and a tee shirt, and climbed into the old bed. The frame was made of wood and layered with a large hand sewn, straw stuffed cushion. It was the itchiest thing she'd ever slept on.
Later that day, in the early evening, a woman knocked on the door.
"Yes?" called Starr.
The door opened. In walked a young girl, but Starr could tell by her eyes that she was very old.
She put a wash basin on the stone shelf.
"Cocktails will be served down in the lounge room."
After explaining how to get there, she left.
Starr splashed water on her face.
There was another knock at her door.
She pulled back the heavy creaking wood. Shane and Kris stood there.
"Want to walk down together?" she asked.
Down the stairs and a couple dark halls, they went.
In a large stone lounge stood Stelar and three other men whom Starr had only glimpsed once in the past. Like the rest of the castle, it was dark and chilly. In the corner stood ancient yellowed statues of gods while rich, but old, worn tapestries hung on the wall.
A large fire was ablaze in the fireplace.
One of the men who stood there with a glass in his hand was Vidar. He appeared on the side of the road, the night Lucenzo was taken into custody. Just like that night, he had strange orange colored irises that moved fluidly across its surface.
Stelar turned around and introduced them to the Primordials. The man whom Stelar called Arin looked at Starr with wide green eyes. "You look a lot like Lyssa," he said, looking her up and down.
"Who?" asked Shane.
"Louisa," replied the dark haired man, Eydis. "Names, like languages, change. In our day, she was known by the Greek name, Lyssa."
"And you're Kris," said Vidar with much interest in his voice. "I've heard much about you."
"Yes, I was at the boarding school with Lucenzo, before the Germans came."
"I know. I was very angry with him for going to America, rather than returning home."
"He had no choice," said Valdis who was almost as fair as Kris. "They attacked in the night. Would
you really see him fight alongside those filthy Germans?"
"I'd have rather he'd have come home."
"Friend," said Eydis, interrupting. "How did you come by eyes like that?"
"They're blue. They only look lavender because they're very light against the vessels in my eyes; it's an optical illusion."
A lady came in and announced that the table was ready.
The Primordials lead them into the dining hall.
At a long table, they sat. In the center, a heart and brain had been sliced and garnished.
"Do Primordials drink blood and eat raw flesh?" asked Shane.
"No," said Stelar. "We could, but we don't crave it or need it. These hearts and brains are for you. We understand you must eat and drink regularly, lest you should, what was the term? 'Vamp out?'"
"In my day, we called vamped out vampires wendigos," said Eydis. "They often had to be put down."
A man rolled a cart, with a large spitted lamb, into the room.
It really was an otherworldly sup, with a mixture of sweet and tangy fruits paired with the lamb. On their bread, honey and dates piled like vegetables.
"In our time, vegetables were hard to come by, in this climatic part of the world. We weren't as sophisticated as the Egyptians or the Romans when it came to farming, so fruit was commonly paired with meat," said Valdis, looking at Shane. "It was very warm here, back then. Not cold like it is now. Fruit trees and vines grew of their own accord, without interference from man."
"it's not so bad," she said, spearing a date with a piece of lamb and putting it in her mouth. "They seem to go together quite well."
"Can I have a fork, or spoon? And a knife?" asked Starr.
Eydis laughed, "Why? So we can eat like barbarians, shoveling food into our mouths?"
Starr noticed Vidar kept his eyes on her, though he spoke to others at the tables.
"What?" she asked, feeling annoyed.
"Sestin watched you for many months before you two met. I see his blood is in you, don't you, Stelar?"
"Yes, in fact, I can somewhat smell him on her."
"You, two," she said to Vidar, "were close. Aren't mad that I killed him?"
"No, it was his wish. We can't live forever, Starr; something you seem incapable of accepting," said Vidar.
"You'll learn what we mean, one day, maybe a thousand years from now," said Stelar. "Someday, you'll know what it means to be 'tired.'"
After a moment of silence, Starr asked, "What was Lyssa like, back in your day?"
"Lyssa was always the least liked," Stelar answered. "She was a strong willed child who didn't play well with others. We watched her grow - as we kept tabs on all our interbred children - in a rich palace. Her King and father gave her everything she could want, and she always wanted more."
"After she took initiation with us, she became obsessed with winning back her father's kingdom," said Arin.
"And she did it, too; beat back the Romans. Lyssa was a Queen greater than Cleopatra, for she had a real head for military affairs. Daius thought it shameful, remember?" Stelar laughed. "He thought we should vanquish her territory, bring her back here and bury her."
"Who's Daius?" asked Starr.
"An old cow gone to rest," he replied.
Thinking back to a story she'd been told, she asked, "Madam Balaji, an old vampire, told me a story of a Dacian Queen being dug up in Romania. This old queen betrayed her King, and was buried in shame, with an old scroll accusing the Queen of misdeeds. Lyssa wouldn't happen to be this same Queen, would she?"
They looked at her a minute, then Stelar answered, "We're not sure. Yes, Lyssa was Queen of Dacia, at one point, but we know nothing of this betrayal you speak of."
The table fell silent a moment before she spoke up again.
"Do you know a woman named Gwynna?"
"She was an initiate; Lyssa's only friend. They roomed together, here on Valhol. She was the last witch?. Well, one of the last. There may be more but she was pretty much alone when we took her in. We rescued her from some Romans who planned to crucify her," said Vidar.
The rest of the dinner was filled with small talk. Vidar, especially, was curious to know everything about Starr. He wouldn't stop looking at her with his fluidly dancing irises, like fire in his eyes.
In a weird way, she found him extremely attractive. His gaze reminded her of a feeling she'd gotten from a dream she used to have, repeatedly, as a child. In the dream, there was always a pale faced man with orange eyes who made her feel as she hadn't felt in a long time: it was a certain nostalgia and a feeling of being deeply in love, which was funny considering she'd never had a real relationship before. Also, she was just a child, yet this dream made her feel erotically alive.
A part of her kept wishing he'd stop looking at her, but, after a while, she didn't want him to stop. Not only was he handsome, but he was strong, powerful, and that was alluring to her.
That night, when everyone retired to their rooms, Starr waited an hour before stepping into the hall.
Wait for me, Shane said into her mind.
And me, Kris said.
A second later, they opened their doors and, together, they tip toed down the stairs, through the halls and out of the castle.
Starr led them down another alley she remembered from her dreams.
Like the vampire Bulgari taught her, she focused hard on a blank slate, so as to keep others from detecting her presence.
When they made it to the cobble street of Credenza's old quarters, she looked in all the buildings around her, making sure no one was awake.
Rather than bust in the door, like she'd normally do, she focused on melting the lock inside the door - a form of pyrokinesis.
Gently, she pushed on the door. When it swung back, Starr was struck with a certain nostalgia; almost like she'd been there before.
Inside was dark and still. Somehow, she knew there were candles on the wall, she commanded them to light.
The room was real plain, with only a desk, cabinet, and canopied bed. As she looked around, she got an eerie feeling.
"What's wrong?" asked Shane.
"I'm not sure."
As she walked up to the bed and looked down at the cushions, a feeling that she'd lain there before overcame her. Hair follicles stood on end, all up and down her arms as flashes of Vidar, naked and lying between those very sheets, played themselves in her mind.
"Have you been here before?" asked Shane, reading her mind.
"No, it must be a dream I shared with Lyssa."
"What should we be looking for?" asked Kris.
A foggy memory deep inside her nagging brain, told her to look in the petrified wood cabinet across the room.
"Uh.." she exhaled, walking across the room. "Notebooks, stones, charms, anything out of the ordinary."
She pulled back the heavy petrified wood door. Up that high, microbes were scarce, which was why the wood solidified in such a manner.
On the second to top shelf was a shiny orange and brown tiger eye pendant shaved into the shape of a tooth. Starr's jaw dropped; she was speechless. Once again, she was plagued by a distant memory trying to waken a part of her brain that slept.
Desperately, she tried hard to focus on calling forth the memory.
The tiger stones are abundant today, but in the old days, such a stone was rare. Picking it up, holding it and feeling its smoothness in her palm warmed her heart. She pressed the stone to her chest and closed her eyes, trying to think of Credenza and any visions she might be forgetting, but nothing came.
"Why stones and charms?" asked Shane.
"The visions I got while under the snow was of her searching for something, and someone: me. She already found one thing, a red talisman."
"I don't get it. Why does she need such things?"
"It's witchcraft," Kris replied.
"What?" both Starr and Shane asked.
Starr turned from the cabinet to watch him explain.
"You've never heard of
witches using amulets? Charms? While today, all these things are phony, in the old days, witches imbued great power in stones. It was said that when a witch died, or went to semi consciousness, they'd store their powers in precious stones, and bequeath them to loved ones."
"Witches are immortal, too?" asked Shane.
"Pureblooded witches, yes; interbred witches, sometimes."
"You speak of witches as though they're another race," Starr commented.
"That's because they are. Witches were abundant, in the dawn of the Primordials. The two groups were heavily opposed to each other, until they realized their species was dying out."
Starr turned back to the cabinet, considering Kris' words.
Below the shelf where the tiger eye pendant laid was a terribly familiar looking knife in an old worn leather scabbard. The scabbard was sewn into a worn leather harness of some sort. When she ran her finger along it, a shiver traveled up her spine.
"I never imagined that witches were real; that magic was real," said Shane.
"Well, of course. Some say that all myths and urban legends are rooted somewhat in truth," Kris replied.
Starr slipped the tiger eye pendant on the black leather string she got from the SoWa Market, in Boston, weeks ago. Then she tied the scabbard to her arm, and then unsheathed the knife and examined it closely.
She closed the cabinet door and turned.
Her eyes froze on the wood desk and matching cathedra on the other side of the bed. A vision of her sitting there, writing countless letters and memos to people - who she couldn't quite recall, flashed in her mind.
She walked up to the desk and ran her hands along its smooth and hard surface.
"I used to love this, when I was a young girl," she said aloud.
"What?" said Shane, looking at her with wide eyes.
"I have no idea why I just said that."
She scratched her head and looked up at Shane who, in turn, was looking at her with a concerned look on her face.
"Maybe we should go," she said.
"Why? Is someone coming?" Starr asked.
"No, because you seem strange," Shane replied.
"I'm fine."
She began opening all the drawers and flipping through the various notebooks.
Suddenly, Shane said, "Stelar's coming. He's going to arrest us."
"Why didn't you say anything before now?" asked Kris. "Let's get out of here!"
"Because he cloaked himself, so we couldn't detect him. Besides, it's too late.'"
Stelar, accompanied by half a dozen Primordials, appeared in the door way.