Kane held Lyra in her swoon long after she had come. His eyes remained locked on hers, and though he was communicating, Lyra was unable to make the words out; it was as if they were muffled and not meant for her. The words continued and a dark mist shrouded them. The mist grew heavier, forming a dense smog. Unsure as to what was happening, Lyra clung to his shoulders, willing him to keep her safe. She trusted him, just as he had trusted her, and even though she had not said the words that would convey her full emotional sentiment, she sensed that he knew and would protect her at all costs.
As the smog cleared, Lyra sensed a shift; a preternatural movement. Her hands still dug into Kane’s shoulders, but she was dressed, wearing a white shift. Her feet stood on warm, grainy sand, and she could hear the lapping of a sea tide. Kane gently released her fingers from his shoulder. They were no longer by the lake; instead they stood in the midst of palm trees, under the moonlight; both fully dressed, and Kane masked.
How? Lyra wondered.
Only a part of you exists here, Kane projected.
But I can feel, the sensations confused Lyra. I can feel you, the sand, I can smell the sea! Kane placed a hand on her face,
I want to complete you. Lyra sensed movement, a presence. Kane stepped out of her eyeline, and behind him, leaning against one of the palm trees, was the most beautiful woman Lyra had ever beheld; a woman who delighted in exhibiting her curves through a figure-hugging ivory gown, her neck draped with jewels and her long, black hair hanging down to her hips.
‘I have been expecting you,’ the woman said with a thick accent that Lyra could not place. ‘Come,’ she invited, beckoning with her bejewelled forefinger, ‘Follow.’ Dumbfounded, Lyra remained on the spot until Kane took her arm and led her through the trees to a splendid villa decorated with the finest stone. The French windows sat wide open and Lyra stepped into a plush lounge. ‘Sit,’ the woman motioned, and Lyra took a seat on the chaise-longue, still perplexed. ‘Would you like a drink?’ the stranger asked. Lyra nodded and the woman clapped her hands. ‘Bijou,’ she called. A large, black woman dressed in bright colours waddled into the room with three glasses, each containing a scarlet fluid. ‘Thank you, Bijou,’ the woman nodded, taking her glass. Kane and Lyra each took their respective drinks. Lyra recognised the metallic taste immediately and tried not to gulp it down as greedily as she had from Kane’s blade.
‘I am Lilith,’ the woman stated, ‘Apologies, I should have introduced myself sooner.’
‘Harlon mentioned you,’ Lyra muttered. Kane snapped his head at her as if she were talking out of turn.
‘Harlon,’ Lilith repeated, ‘How is the old ghoul?’
‘Fine,’ Lyra replied, still adjusting to the bizarre route that her life seemed to be taking. Lilith cast her eyes over Lyra,
‘A fine choice, Kane.’ Swiftly and elegantly she drifted towards Lyra and lifted the girl’s chin so that she could look into her mind. ‘An empath too,’ Lilith observed wisely, before tilting her head to the side. ‘Twice fed from,’ she observed. Lyra glanced at Kane, but he remained still and upright. Lilith brushed a hand through Lyra’s hair, ‘Do you understand what is being asked of you?’
‘I don’t know,’ Lyra replied honestly, ‘I mean, yes, sort of.’
‘Do you understand the consequences of your choice?’ Lyra thought of debating further about the notion of choice, but sensed that Kane did not approve of that line of questioning.
‘That I would need to drink blood?’ Lilith sighed,
‘Blood, yes. That, child, is the least of the matter. Being immortal means a life in hiding, a life tied to other immortals and apart from the humans.’ Lilith took a sip of her drink, ‘Humans have never liked small differences; my son, for example, they did not approve of his differences.’
‘Did you lose him?’ Lyra asked sympathetically.
‘No, child, I will never lose him. He is as you will be, but many years ago he exhibited differences that were not well received.’ Lilith took another sip, and Lyra did the same, gulping down more fluid than she had anticipated. Lilith smiled at her earnest desire for the life fluid. She was young. ‘You cannot embroil yourself with man; they age and die. You would only suffer loss after loss; you need to detach yourself as a farmer does from his livestock.’ Lyra nodded, understanding the implication fully.
‘There are some humans who are aware of our existence,’ Lilith continued, ‘You may place those humans into two categories; followers and destroyers. Followers support the Immortalis, either through a crude form of worship or through service. Some of those we offer immortality to, but of a different nature.’
‘Like Harlon?’ Lyra interrupted again. Kane turned his head to her and sent a clear message,
Do not speak, listen! Lilith smiled at Kane,
‘Let her speak, how can she understand otherwise?’ She then turned her attention back to the girl, ‘Yes, like Harlon. He will never regain his youth, and he feeds, but he does not kill. It is complicated. The destroyers are humans who have existed for almost as long as I have. They arose in the priests of Amun during the reign of the heretic king.’ Lyra thought back to her liberal studies at college,
‘Akhenaten?’ she interjected, ‘That would make you…’
‘Older than Ramesses, rest his soul!’
‘Who are you?’ Lyra asked in awe of Lilith.
‘Some say I am the first human’s original wife; others would cast me as a vampire, and more as a witch.’ Lilith finished her drink. ‘I am the first Immortalis; cursed by the heavens, and gifted with life, and the ability to pass on the gift of life.’ Lyra’s eyes flitted to Kane; Harlon had stated that Lilith made Kane immortal. How could he choose her over this goddess? ‘He is one of the most powerful beings because I provided him with blood directly from my own veins and arteries. It is a rare gift that I bestow.’
‘Did you?’ Lyra began.
‘No, there was no physical contact. I provided Harlon with the elixir and he fed and trained Kane. Kane was never one for physical contact until he met you. The night he first placed his eyes on you, I sensed a change in him.’ Lyra smiled meekly; her insides warmed with the thought of his affection for her.
‘Was Harlon already the way he is?’
‘For many years; he does not call himself ‘Old Harlon’ without good reason.’ Lilith clapped her hands again, ‘Bijou, thank you,’ she called, and the glasses were quickly refilled.
‘Harlon was ghoul to another Immortalis; Nicolas. Unfortunately, Nicolas was relocated, and Harlon left quite by himself until he pulled Kane from the lake. The boy was an outsider, unwanted by the world, but Harlon cared for him. As he grew in strength he asked for my assistance. Harlon had served me well and taken on Nicolas at my behest; he did not ask for the gift for himself but quite altruistically offered it to another. Such is the purity of his mind.’ Lilith paused and motioned for Lyra to drink. The girl drank obediently. ‘Kane was young, and he adjusted to his new situation quickly. The mind is quite adept at dealing with change when open to it.’ Lilith placed her fingers on Lyra’s temples, ‘Your mind is open because you have only ever known loneliness; you heard too many voices at once, I think, and shut yourself away from the noise. I do not believe that your finding him is a coincidence; I believe that there was a connection that you sensed.’ Lilith moved away from the chaise-longue and perched on a soft chair facing Lyra and partook of her drink.
‘Human empaths seldom hone their abilities; instead they refer to instinct or some such ideology.’ Lyra thought over Lilith’s words; she had deliberately isolated herself until meeting with Kane, and she had adjusted to a terrifying and surreal situation with a strange ease. ‘Harlon will train you to be a hunter, like Kane. The reason, child, is twofold. Firstly, you must be able to kill. You are, of course, aware of that.’ Lilith waited as Lyra absorbed her words. She had been aware but had not thought about the matter, primarily because Kane had been actively killing,
‘Harlon said that the ritual would not be complete until I had made and fed from my first kill,’ Lyra mumbled as she processed the information further.
‘But you have not really accepted that, have you?’ Lilith observed. Lyra shook her head truthfully,
‘No,’ she replied, rubbing her fingers between her eyes thoughtfully.
‘The first time is the most difficult, but you must understand that this is your means of survival, the life being in the blood.’
‘And the second reason?’ Lyra asked, diverting her thoughts away from the kill.
‘The destroyers,’ Lilith replied, ‘Fortunately there are fewer today than one would expect. The world of man is such a hostile place, at war with itself, that traditions and legends have been lost to money and technology.’ She signalled to Lyra to finish her glass, and the girl acquiesced. ‘But they do exist, and they will come,’ Lilith continued, ‘The traditions have been passed on across generations; some have no interest, others break tradition, but there is still a small hard-core element that may pose a threat.’ She clapped her hands, calling for another drink, ‘You have the upper hand as these beings are mere mortals, well-trained and learned in our traditions, but still mortals none the less.’ Bijou furnished Lyra with another glass and Lilith continued, ‘And for that reason you must be prepared and able to defend your territory, as Kane has done for years.’
‘Against trespassers?’ Lyra argued.
‘Yes, against trespassers, but also against the destroyers. One can be easily mistaken for another. We are fair, we warn intruders. We inhabit areas of low population and in such small populations it is easy to facilitate rumour and threat. The people will protect your privacy in order to protect their own safety.’
Lyra thought of the Penroses; they had broken the unwritten rules knowingly, and Kane had executed them accordingly.
‘Harlon said every Immortalis is different?’ Lyra questioned.
‘Every species of animal forms its own range of breeds, and we are no different,’ Lilith confirmed, ‘Each Immortalis develops their own methods and ways, and Immortalis manifests differently in everyone. This is why legends of immortality have both similarities and differences across all cultures.’ Lilith nodded towards Lyra’s glass, and Lyra noted that only her glass had been filled on this serving, before hungrily feeding from it.
‘The final matter is your personal sacrifice.’ Lyra raised an eyebrow curiously.
You are mine, Kane’s mind instructed.
‘He is quite correct; you were chosen by Kane to become his Immortalis. You chose to sacrifice your life to him; therefore, your life is his by the nature of your choice.’
‘Does that mean his life is yours?’ Lyra asked abruptly, trying not to sound jealous. Lilith laughed,
‘No, Kane received Immortalis as a gift, as I told you. There are various methods for passing on the gift; all involve the exchange or consumption of blood, but the rituals vary just as the rituals of worship vary.’ Lilith paused to allow Lyra to finish her drink, ‘Take my worshippers here in Haiti; they attribute my existence to a form of Voodoo as that is their understanding of Immortalis. There are many different cults, each worshipping in their own way, and there are many different rituals according to the nature of the Immortalis carrying out the ritual.’
‘How am I here?’ Lyra asked, ‘How can I be there and here?’
‘In Voodoo they say that the soul has two aspects, the grosbonage and the tibonage, in humans. You are not human. Most matter is empty space, including the light and energy of the soul, but the power of the mind creates a manifestation that you would understand as solid.’ Lyra rubbed her head again. ‘Simply put, the Immortalis can manifest part of the soul away from the body if the will is strong in more than one Immortalis. The more powerful of us can manifest in what appears to be a solid form.’
‘But I am not Immortalis,’ Lyra began.
‘You are changing, but you were summoned according to Kane’s will and mine and your connection to him.’ Lilith watched as the girl rubbed harder. ‘It is a lot to understand; understand that I am eternal and have knowledge that the short life-span of man is unable to comprehend. Call it a spell if you will.’ Lilith smiled, and turned to Kane,
‘Complete the ritual!’ she instructed. ‘She has been well provisioned.’ Lyra furrowed her brow,
‘What do you mean?’
‘You have taken three glasses from my own blood vessels. It will give you strength.’ Lilith again turned to Kane, ‘She is ready.’ Kane rose and paced to Lyra, taking hold of her and locking his eyes on hers. A smog grew about them, exerting a great fatigue on Lyra. Her eyes closed and she sank into darkness.
