CHAPTER 39 Mary
Vampires are not particularly fond of fire, but they do need a little light, so they left the two humans, Catherine and Andra, on the sofa before the fireplace along with Alex who'd suddenly developed an aversion to it but would brave the heat to be near Andra, and they formed a circle behind it in the center of the room where the soft glow of coals lit their pale cheeks. Jaklin and Mikhail sat on the back of the sofa close to Alex. Some sat off in the dark in chairs, such as were available, some on their knees, and others stood behind them, occasionally shifting for those farther back to see as Cosmina, who sat on a cushion in the center, wove her tattered tale. Vampires are always aware of their surroundings, and although they were indoors, each could feel the mountains and forest close about the Cottage and the presence of the dozen or so Silent Scythe in the woods and dark shadows close by.
"A small, young vampire founded Silent Scythe," began Cosmina. "She never matured past fifteen for some reason. Yet she has been undead for two millennia. She was at the Crucifixion. When Alu tasted the blood of Christ and inherited all his pain and suffering, he went into a fit of rage. He fell upon many of Christ's disciples and sucked them dry. He turned none of them, except one. Her name was Mary, not Jesus' mother or Mary Magdalen — so many were named Mary at that time — but the prostitute who the Church claimed was Mary Magdalen, but in fact wasn't. This Mary was the first Alu killed after tasting Christ's blood. She was standing there watching Alu perform the sacrilegious act and was the first he saw when he look up from tasting Christ's blood and realized what he'd done — that he had in fact acquired all Christ's suffering. He still had some on his lips. Along with the pain, a rage came upon him, and Alu sucked Mary dry and left her for dead.
But Mary had a little life left. She also became distempered and bit him back for molesting her. Thus, unwittingly, she became a vampire. Alu hadn't wanted to turn Mary and tried to stake her afterward, but she eluded him. Eluded but followed him, and he hated her for it. She became a great irritation and shadowed him for hundreds of years."
"But Silent Scythe are different from other vampires. How did we come to be different?"
"Ah, yes. Thank you, Katsumi. That essential element is easy to overlook. Mary found that she had a gift that she could bestow upon those Alu turned, provided Mary found them worthy. During the years following Alu's fateful encounter with Christ's blood, he was particularly hard on Christians. Mary kept him from preying on the Apostles, whom she warned of Alu's presence. She was ever a thorn in his side. So pure at heart was this girl, even after her turning, that she never lost faith in the Savior, although she realized that she could never be in Heaven with him. When Alu turned one of Christ's followers, Mary made an assessment, and if she deemed them worthy, she gave them her gift, which came to her through Christ's blood that Alu still had on his lips when he bit her. She had them bite her, and they became enlightened. They remained vampires, yes, but they were enlightened and set apart somewhat from the rest of the race of vampires. These enlightened ones have been the great philosophers among us through the centuries. However, many have died because of various encounters with the ways that we can be undone, and only a few remain undead."
Katsumi interrupted. "Any vampire who bites Mary becomes enlightened? Even today? Are all Silent Scythe enlightened?"
"Regrettably, no, as demonstrated by some of our actions this evening." She looked pointedly at Katsumi. "Let me finish my story. You need to hear it at this depth to realize the philosophical significance and indelible imprint becoming a Silent Scythe has on a vampire. Mary lost this gift as the years came and went, so we have heard, but she came to realize that she had a similar one that concerned vampire psychic space."
"Our initiations are different from that of normal vampires," said Katsumi.
"That's right, but secretly so. I won't go into the details that make it unique. It's voluntary but only revealed during initiation while in vampire psychic space, and then only if initiated by Silent Scythe. Silent Scythe comes between Alu and his unwilling victims. And this is what is so disturbing about the current situation with the Ichor Dome. We've been derelict in our duties. In the first centuries following the Crucifixion, Alu was even more violent and degenerate. Silent Scythe staked many of the vampires he turned. Not only did they correct some of Alu's worst mistakes, the vampires they redirected had an influence on Alu although he never recognized that this influence came from Silent Scythe. Alu mellowed. The stigmata, he was particularly upset about. He'd been a vampire for over a thousand years and had become used to the Curse of Cheiron, but what he inherited from Christ was new and particularly painful, and he cursed these new afflictions. Gradually, Alu calmed down about the stigmata too, and Silent Scythe nudged him in better directions. He came to appreciate their influence, but they never made peace with him. They always eluded him, stayed at a distance, formed their own community and tried to work good in the world. In that way, we've failed with the Ichor Dome."
"I've not seen this Mary," said Katsumi. "Where is she? Why doesn't she show herself? Is she still alive?"
"We've all seen her on the battlefield, although most of us probably didn't know. Mary rarely comes amongst the Undead anymore. Generally, she's out amongst the people of the world, doing good where she can, practicing Christ's teachings, but never feeding off her human friends who do not guess that she is a vampire. They only see her at night. She is totally ignored by the Divine World. They don't even know she exists, since her soul is on Millennium Road and no longer tethered to Heaven. This bothered her greatly at first, but she is so good at heart that she doesn't care if her works are never recognized. It's enough to know that she is making a difference, that Christ's word is of value and his disciples are protected. The act is the reward."
"How would I ever meet her?" asked Alex. "If I'm to tell my story, I would want her to hear it."
Cosmina thought a moment. "You won't have to tell her. She already knows." She rose and went to the door. The eyes of the many members of Silent Scythe that had gathered inside Alex's home followed her and whispers spread throughout the group. Were they to finally meet their founder? Cosmina went on outside, closed the door behind her, and was gone so long they began to wonder if she'd return at all. Then they heard muffled voices. The door opened, and a murmur passed from outside to inside, and the vampires inside the house parted with many hurried whispers and great excitement, and then a young girl, almost a child, stepped out of the darkness into the dimly lit room.
The girl entered just ahead of Cosmina. Two vampires fainted, crumpled to the floor like unstrung marionettes. This thorn in the side of Alu was unbelievably young appearing and unassuming, the essence of purity. She walked slowly and a light seemed to follow her. The glowing coals from the fireplace glistened off her cheeks and seemed to make light from her fill the room. Although dressed in camosilk darker than that of the others, she seemed to glow, yet it was a dark glow, a shadow of light, as if light had a shadow, and she had captured it. Alex felt both Jaklin's and Mikhail's hands clasp hers, realizing that they were in the presence of greatness.
Mary was a bit of a teenage girl at first, giggling when stopping to acknowledge friends she hadn't seen in a while. Alex was taken aback. Something familiar about this girl worried her. She stepped to the side to try to recover a memory. When Mary came to Mikhail, she was more somber and paid enough attention to him to make Jaklin jealous. "I thought she didn't like men," she said, but when Jaklin spoke, Mary turned to her, gave her a hug, thanked her for wanting to become a vampire, and told her that she had quite a future if she wished to be a member of Silent Scythe. Jaklin was breathless, and Alex was jealous.
Mary turned toward Alex, and she got to see her face full-on for the first time, which immediately turned from a warm smile to somber, a little sad. Alex was intimidated at Mary's beauty, but she still couldn't understand why this girl looked so familiar. Alex took both her hands. They were small, like a child's hands, and trembling. The truth be kn
own, Mary also felt she was in the presence of greatness.
Mary spoke. "Yes, it's me, dear child. Your little Ariel."
And then Alex finally recognized her. Tears welled up, and she got a lump in her throat. It was her mysterious childhood playmate she'd seen so many times in the woods outback of her grandmother's home. Mary had tears in her eyes also.
"I must first apologize, for we had been protecting you all those years, and your first night back in Sinaia this last time, we failed you." She brought Alex's hands close, folded them in hers, and held them to her bosom. "We couldn't protect you from the vampire that bit you because we cannot enter the gazebo. Even in its proximity, we suffer greatly."
"You were nearby? I thought I was alone in the world."
"You have never been alone, dear girl. But we were not the only ones there that night. Alu intended to turn you as soon as he could get his hands on you. We had been on guard against him, but he eluded us. Luck it was, if one can describe a travesty by such a term, that Velinar got to you first. She fed but didn't turn you. You died, and Alu stepped in to seize the opportunity. He tried, but something scared him off. Could have been just the pain of being so close to the gazebo that made him leave. It seems you were a hot commodity that night because something strange and marvelous happened. Someone else came. Something we've never seen before. It finished your conversion with methods unknown to any of us."
"But Catalin said I wasn't a vampire. He said that I'd have to kill someone to become one."
"I don't know this Catalin, but your case is different from anyone who has ever become a vampire. I don't believe anyone, from this or the Divine World, fully understands who or what you are."
Alex remembered the dark figure of her dream as she laid outside the gazebo, undoubtedly Alu, and then the benevolent light that brought a feeling of love. "You saw it? I thought I remembered someone besides Alu. Can you tell me about it?"
"I don't even know if it was male or female. Some genderless spirit, I assume. Even to gaze upon it was a great agony for any vampire. We don't know what it did to you. Afterward, we continued to look out for you and would have protected you from the rapist, but you were wearing your cross. We lost track of you, and you fell into his clutches. We couldn't get to you. From then on, you were immortal and on your own, since you always carried the cross, something the rest of us can't tolerate. We didn't know what to think of you, and left you to your own devices."
"But the priest took it from me."
"Which rendered you defenseless, and you reentered the Cathedral. We knew you'd be in good hands with Cosmina. Just know this," said Mary. "You've never left my thoughts for an instant."
"I never wanted to be a part of such a violent world."
"Nor did any of us in Silent Scythe. But you are now a part of the vampire world, and it is a violent one. From what we've witnessed, you've learned to deal with it."
"I always relied on my cross for psychic protection. It seemed to suppress bad dreams in the beginning. Since I retrieved it, I've not been so dependent on it."
"That would be because of your initiation," said Mary. It seemed she wanted to say something else but was a little embarrassed. Finally, she released Alex's hands and stepped back from her. She swallowed and then spoke again. "You've not said anything about it, but even now you carry a cross. Actually, all three of you do."
"Sorry," said Alex. "We were invaded, or perhaps we'd have been more insensitive."
"The presence of a cross even without it being visible is an irritant, but we don't wish you to remove them. It's a comfort for me to know that such a vampire, three now, exists for I do love the cross."
"I wish I could show it to you. I've been told that the wood has a lineage back to Christ's cross and even to the Tree of Life."
Mary's eyes welled up. "That would certainly be a sight to behold because I was at the Crucifixion. Alas! It can never be. Just be aware that we are sensitive to them and ensure that they stayed hidden. I for one am thrilled just to know that I am in the presence of yours."
Alex wondered what it must be like to have a memory that goes back two thousand years. Her own childhood seemed such a distant thing, and she was only nineteen. She'd have to talk to Mary about the ramifications of longevity, but this certainly wasn't the time.
Cosmina, who'd been lurking in the background, stepped forward. "I hate to break up your little reunion, but we have business to take care of."
"Of course," said Mary. "And unpleasant business it is. We must hear from Catherine." She turned to pick her out of the crowd.
Catherine came forward carrying Andra wrapped in a blanket.
"Is this your child?" asked Mary.
"My little Andra," said Alex.
"The only born of a vampire. And the father?"
"I've been told I became pregnant by way of parthenogenesis."
"A virgin birth. Oh dear! A miracle child! When did you conceive?"
"I'm not sure. Could have been the night Velinar bit me."
"It could have been that divine being who turned you. Wouldn't be the first time it's happened. Not only that, they take their pleasure with anyone they wish and don't leave a trace of what they've done."
Alex went quiet. Had she been ravished by a divine being while unconscious? Could this be the answer to the paternity puzzle? Another assault from the Divine World? Or even more curious, could Andra be a divine child?
"Enough now," said Cosmina. "To the business of war."
"I keep getting distracted," said Mary.
"Alex has seen the Ichor Dome, and Catherine has spent some time there as well," said Cosmina. "Tell what you saw, Alex. What is Alu up to?"
Alex quickly recovered from the shock of having to reassess Andra's origins. "I got only a glimpse of it from a distance, but it was a horror. Humans chained in makeshift cages, and a great hoard of feral vampires feeding on them. I can't give an account with any great detail. Catherine has seen more."
Catherine returned Andra to the bassinet, came around to the back of the sofa, and sat on it beside Alex, Jaklin and Mikhail. "Not as much as I now wish," she said. "And Alu didn't intend for me to see any of it. I was never supposed to return to Sinaia but did against his order to visit my daughter's grave. He caught me and kept me under guard all the time. 'Alu, let me see your special project,' I'd ask, but he would say, 'Not until you commit.' I wouldn't."
"I don't blame you," said Mary.
"I eluded his security. He thought I'd left the cavern, but I had heard him arguing with one of his ferals and thought it must be about his special project, so one night I followed him by car into the mountains just after Shadowrise. I discovered his secret entrance to the Ichor Dome. There I witnessed his little project without his knowledge. I kept on the outskirts of Ichor Village, and he has more than one but very close together, trying to see what was going on. I became trapped there and was afraid he would find me and realize that I'd learned his secret. I made my way around it so as to know its extent. I was horrified. I was afraid of him after that, but I didn't know how to get back to the Cathedral. The entrance I came in by was being watched. Then I saw Alex, just a fleeting glimpse of her peering down from the ledge above the Ichor Dome. Somehow, it was the sight of her that gave me courage to escape. She saved me."
"Is the Ichor Dome really as bad as all that?" asked Katsumi.
"Worse than you can imagine. I've only known Alu for ninety years, but I wouldn't have expected this of him. I've not seen or heard anything like it. Humans chained in cages where vampires can feed at will. They go from person to person sampling blood. Men, women and children crying out for help. When it was quiet, it was eerily quiet, but at times, the captives would start screaming, and the entire cavern would erupt in a cacophony of misery. He and his ferals were oblivious of it. It's like a wine tasting room and animal research center combined, except that the specimens, and that's what he calls them, are human."
"He's turning not only vampires but also humans
feral?" asked Katsumi.
"Yes, but I viewed another chamber farther down where he has an even more secret project brewing, something called Ichor Haven. This I didn't get to see in its entirety, but I could tell that he was creating a superior form of feral there, or perhaps they aren't even ferals, but surely some supervamp. With these, I believe he was sharing his blood or doing something else. I heard a lot about a magic potion. Really strange stuff. Normally he only bites one to create a feral. But these, he allows to taste him. He sleeps with them too. Might have something to do with Millennium Road. This helps clean up their act, evidently. But it would seem just a Band-Aid fix to a colossal catastrophe."
"When I fought Alu at Shadowrise two days ago," said Alex, "he told me that the ferals were just the mistakes. He is definitely creating another form of vampire. But the sharing-his-blood thing bothers me. After Velinar bit me and then abandoned me for dead, he tried to turn me by opening a vein and filling my mouth. Yet, I'm not feral, and I'm on Millennium Road."
Alex didn't say it, but now she did have a further concern. She had a raging temper. She remembered how she turned on the rapist and attacked Radu Cuza shortly thereafter. And then there was the conniption she threw when she saw Father Zosimos trying to uncover her grandmother's grave. Was she a little feral herself?
Mary spoke up. "Perhaps you would have been feral, Alex, if the divine being hadn't stepped in and finished turning you. No telling what he did to and for you."
Catherine continued. "But here's the crucial thing that has been unknown until recently. Alu told me that he didn't just open a vein. He placed his wrist over your mouth, made contact with your lips, and what is more important, you drooled, and he absorbed your saliva. Now we all realize what saliva from a vampire does to a human, but the contact of your saliva with his own bloodstream did something strange to the first vampire. If Velinar's blood had given him a new talent that allowed him to create feral vampires, this new talent brought by your saliva, Alex, provided a jolt to his system that pleased him more than anything that's happened since he became a vampire over three thousand years ago. He won't tell what it is, but he now has plans more ambitious than anything he has attempted. He wants to take vampirism mainstream. We believe that he has the capability to create feral vampires that don't fear the cross and have no aversion to sunlight. If this is true, the entire planet is at risk."
"We believe Alu has lost his soul," said Alex. "He's no longer on Millennium Road. He's soulless and totally ruthless. And, Catherine now tells us, without a conscience."
"I tried to get farther in to see what was going on at Ichor Haven," said Catherine. "But that chamber was more heavily guarded, and someone saw me. I eluded capture, but it wouldn't have been for long. Just as I was about to give myself up, I saw Alex standing on the cliff overlooking the Ichor Dome. I knew she'd been seen and decided to make my escape with her since she obviously had a light and knew where she was going. I didn't realize it, but the cavern where the Ichor Dome resides is a part of the same system that contains the Cathedral, just much farther down. Alex made her way back to Xanadu, where I caught up with her, just as she went into labor. I hid her while she had the child, and then we escaped."
"That is enough," said Cosmina. "Let's question the feral. Perhaps he knows what Alu is up to."
"She's right," said Mary. "We can wait no longer."