Soul meaning, p.33
Soul Meaning, page 33
Two days ago, Victor called to say that the Crovir noble wished to meet with us urgently; Reznak apparently had some important information to impart and he wanted to do it in person.
‘Are you visiting for a while?’ Victor asked Reid presently.
Reid shook his head. ‘I leave tomorrow, I’m afraid. I have business to take care of in Boston. We’ve just taken on some new employees.’
The Hasley and Soul Agency had grown a fair bit in the last month. There were now three more detectives working full-time with Reid, two of them old friends from the police force. A larger office had become vacant in our building and we moved premises a week ago. We even had a new secretary; it was Mrs. Trelawney’s daughter, Izzie.
Although I still co-owned the business, I had opted out of working in the field for the time being. Most of my tasks were currently research-based and I performed them more than adequately from the new state-of-the-art study in our home.
We had also started constructing Anna’s new lab on the other side of the island.
‘I see your scar has almost faded.’ Victor indicated the mark under Reid’s left clavicle.
‘Yes, it has.’
Reid and I exchanged guarded glances.
Something else had started to become evident since before the final battle with Vellacrus’s army; from the time that he received Anna’s blood in Prague, Reid’s wounds had all healed at an alarmingly accelerated rate. Although it was not yet as fast as an immortal’s regenerative abilities, it was still greater than that of a human. Even more astounding was what was happening to the injuries he had sustained before the transfusion: his old scars were also slowly disappearing.
Anna assured us that such a thing had never happened on the rare occasions when a human had received immortal blood.
We had yet to tell Victor and Dimitri of this intriguing phenomenon.
I turned a questioning gaze on Reznak. ‘Victor said you had something you wanted to tell us?’
‘Indeed, I did, although I’m not quite sure where to start,’ Reznak admitted with a grimace. He looked to the clear waters beyond the veranda and the puppy playing on the beach before turning to me. ‘How much do you know of the history of the immortals?’
The question surprised me.
‘Not a lot,’ I said with a shrug. ‘As far as I recall, our races appeared in Europe some time around the mid-tenth century BC. They seem to have been at war pretty much since.’
Reznak leaned back in his chair and watched me with narrowed eyes. ‘What if I were to tell you that this was not always the case? And that we’ve been around since well before that time?’
‘What do you mean?’ I said after a short silence.
Reznak did not answer the question directly. ‘What do you know about the Book of Genesis?’
I glanced at Anna. She appeared as puzzled as I felt.
‘It’s the first book of the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Old Testament,’ I replied.
The Crovir nodded. ‘Good. Do you have any knowledge of the specifics of the third and fourth chapters?’ His eyes gleamed with a mysterious light.
‘You mean the accounts of how Adam and Eve were banished from the Garden of Eden and the subsequent stories of their descendants?’ said Anna with a faint frown.
Reznak smiled his approval. ‘Correct again. Of course, there’s more to it than that.’
Anna raised an eyebrow. ‘There is?’
‘Yes. You’re aware that most of the Dead Sea Scrolls are kept in the Shrine of the Book, in Jerusalem?’ said Reznak.
Anna nodded, green eyes shining with intellectual curiosity.
‘As far as mortals are concerned, they’re the oldest scriptures ever discovered that reflect the actual wordings of the Old Testament and the Bible,’ added the Crovir noble.
A stunned hush fell across the veranda. The puppy yipped in the distance.
‘What d’you mean, as far as “mortals” are concerned?’ said Reid.
‘It’s exactly as it sounds.’
Anna inhaled sharply. ‘Are you saying that immortals possess documents older than the Dead Sea Scrolls?’
Reznak did not reply immediately. Instead, he fixed me with a shrewd stare. ‘Do you recall where I was at the time Victor called me, after the compound in Virginia was attacked?’
I frowned. ‘Yes. You were in Egypt.’
Reznak stared blindly into his glass. ‘The origin of our immortal races is a subject that has always fascinated me, even as a child.’ A wry grimace flashed across his face. ‘Although I’ve been the Head of our Immortal Culture and History Section for several centuries, I’ve spent a considerable amount of my own fortune before and during those years trying to satisfy my personal obsession with discovering where we truly came from.’ He sighed. ‘Ironically, the breakthrough I had been yearning for took place just after I discovered the whole unpleasant affair with Vellacrus and her scheme of true immortality. My team of archaeologists found a cave in Egypt, in the mountains of the Eastern Desert. It was deep underground, which explains why the contents we discovered within were so well preserved. What with recent events and the need to reorganize the Crovir Councils, you can appreciate that I’ve been otherwise occupied of late. It’s only been in the last couple of weeks that I was able to start analyzing the materials we found.’
He met our gazes steadily. ‘The discovery is broadly made of two parts. The first is a series of scriptures that narrate the origins of the immortal races. They have been dated to approximately three thousand years BC.’
My eyes widened at his words. I felt my pulse start to race.
Reznak looked from Anna to me. ‘The second, and by far the most extraordinary finding, are the biological remains we found with the scriptures.’
‘That’s impossible,’ Anna stated flatly in the silence that followed.
Reznak shrugged. ‘The evidence doesn’t lie. Victor has seen the relics and can confirm my findings. We have of course moved the scriptures to a more secure location.’
The Bastian leader nodded at our questioning gazes.
‘What are these…“remains” you’ve alluded to?’ I said after a while.
Reznak’s eyes darkened. ‘Before I tell you about those, I must add that there were in fact two caves. The first one had unfortunately been ransacked when we discovered it. The second cave was located in a different rock formation.’
Lines creased Anna’s brow. ‘Have you found out who looted the first cave?’
Reznak shook his head. ‘No. But I’ve got my best agent on it.’
He gazed at us with a guarded expression. ‘The remains were a pair of hearts, embalmed in individual clay pots. I believe they belonged to the original Crovir and Bastian, although this is difficult to ascertain without the rest of their bodies. Crovir and Bastian were not just the names of our races. They were men born in the thirty-eighth century BC.’
He paused at our stares. ‘I know. I found it hard to believe myself at first. The genetic analysis we’ve carried out on the hearts shows that they were most likely brothers, a fact which is also supported by the translations of the scriptures. The texts tell most of their story and that of their father before them, a man named Romerus.’ He took a deep breath. ‘Now, this is where we all have to take a leap of faith.’
‘Really? I thought we did that a while ago,’ said Reid dully.
‘This one requires a lot more of it, I’m afraid,’ said Reznak. ‘According to the scriptures, Romerus was probably a descendant of Adam and Eve. We cannot confirm this, as part of the texts are missing.’ He frowned. ‘I suspect they were stolen from the first cave.’
The crash of the surf on the shoreline and the puppy’s playful barks were the only sounds that interrupted the heavy silence that followed.
An eerie premonition started to take shape at the back of my mind.
‘Adam’s descendants are said to have lived hundreds of years,’ said Anna. ‘Is that where the concept of immortality arose?’
‘Possibly,’ said Reznak. ‘But I believe that Crovir and Bastian were truly special beings, born with abilities that even their forefathers had not possessed. The clues, although we have yet to fully analyze the information, are in their genes.’ He shared a cautious glance with Victor before turning to Anna and me. ‘This is where the two of you come in.’
Anna’s eyes widened.
My presentiment grew stronger at his words. ‘What do you mean?’
‘I obtained a small sample of your blood before the research materials at the Crovir labs were destroyed,’ Reznak told Anna. His gaze shifted to me. ‘I asked Victor to do the same with yours. Don’t worry,’ he added hastily at our expressions, ‘there isn’t enough for anyone to attempt anything like what Vellacrus had planned. All I wanted was to study your genetic material.’
‘Why?’ I asked stiffly, although I had a suspicion what his answer was going to be.
‘To compare them with the samples we found in the cave,’ said Reznak. ‘Victor and I have both personally researched the extensive genealogy of the noble families of our two immortal societies. As far as we can establish, the Godards and the Thornes were true purebloods in every sense of the word—Bastians and Crovirs descended from pureblood Bastians and Crovirs all the way back as far as our scrolls go. As you’re probably aware, Bastians and Crovirs have successfully mated in the past, but—’
‘Never a pureblood with a pureblood,’ Anna said breathlessly, her eyes glazed with shock.
Reznak nodded. ‘And not just any purebloods. Your parents were direct descendants of Crovir and Bastian,’ he said solemnly. ‘The molecular studies we carried out on your samples and the tissues we found in the cave confirm that you both possess the same distinctive genetic variations as the two original immortals.’ He stared at me. ‘We also found the alpha and omega designs that make up your birthmark in the scriptures from the cave in Egypt.’
His words confirmed my gut feeling. I suddenly felt light-headed.
‘That’s—’ Anna started after a while.
‘The kind of news that requires several stiff drinks?’ Reid interrupted, his face pale.
Reznak’s expression grew inscrutable. ‘The two of you are unique,’ he said quietly. ‘As far as I’m aware, there are no other direct pureblood descendants of Crovir and Bastian alive today. Agatha Vellacrus, Felix Thorne, and Tomas Godard were the last ones left.’ He hesitated. ‘I suspect that Anna would also survive her seventeenth death. And I believe she shares your other ability.’
Anna and I gazed at each other for long seconds. Her hand moved under the table. My eyes followed her fingers to the folds of her dress while my heart thudded dully inside my chest.
The other incredible secret we had kept from Victor Dvorsky and Dimitri Reznak was that Anna was pregnant. It had only been a couple of days since we found out ourselves. Reid was the only other person who knew.
Both Anna and I found it a miracle that she had conceived so easily, after our very first night together. As the implications of the Crovir noble’s revelations sank in, I saw my own unease reflected in her green gaze; if we were this gifted because of our possible blood links with the fathers of our races, then what would our unborn child be capable of?
I frowned at Reznak. ‘What do you—’
‘Want from the two of you?’ the Crovir noble interjected. He smiled and shook his head. ‘Nothing, really. I thought you deserved to know about this discovery as it concerned you directly. Victor agreed with me on this matter.’
‘No one but the two of us know the details of what Reznak has told you today,’ said Victor. ‘The scientists working on the project had access to only part of the materials at any one time.’ He observed us from hooded eyes. ‘However, we did wonder what impact it would have on the immortal societies if we let the truth be known.’
‘About us?’ Anna’s fingers clenched convulsively on her lap. I grasped her hand and squeezed it gently.
Victor shook his head. ‘About the origin of our races.’ He hesitated. ‘And possibly about you.’ He shared another glance with Reznak. ‘Both of us think the Bastian and Crovir First Councils would benefit from having the two of you as members.’
I stared at Victor for a long time before rising from the table and stepping to the edge of the veranda. As I gazed out over the rippling surface of the ocean, a strange and unexpected feeling of calmness stole over me.
It was as if I could see everything clearly for the first time in my long and unnatural life.
I looked over my shoulder. ‘And if we were to say no?’
‘Then both Victor and I would respect your wishes unconditionally,’ Reznak replied. ‘Think it over. We’re not expecting you to give us an answer straight away.’
I turned and smiled at him drily. ‘I don’t think we’re likely to change our minds anytime soon.’
Anna looked relieved at my words.
‘If that proves to be your final decision, then so be it,’ Reznak said graciously.
The puppy bounded over from the beach and dropped a mouthful of wet seaweed at Reid’s feet. It sat on its haunches, cocked its head, and gazed at the former US Marine with an expectant expression on its canine face.
‘If you think we’re playing catch with this, you’ve got another thing coming,’ said Reid.
The puppy yipped.
Reid sighed. ‘I told you Peanut was a bad choice of name for a dog,’ he told Anna. ‘It’s made him stupid. Even the cat’s laughing at him.’
Cornelius was eyeing the dog haughtily.
‘No, he isn’t.’ Anna rose from the chair and petted the puppy on the head. Its tongue rolled out further and it whimpered in delight. ‘Let me guess, you would’ve preferred something like Butch or Bud.’
She lifted the tray of empty glasses from the table. Cornelius curled around her ankles as she headed for the patio doors.
‘What’s wrong with Bud and Butch? Or Bob, even?’ said Reid. ‘What?’ he added defensively in the face of our stares. ‘Bob’s a great name for a dog.’
‘I don’t think so,’ said Anna, her tone emphatic. ‘When you have a dog, you can call it Bob.’
Reid muttered something under his breath.
Anna rolled her eyes. ‘Tell you what, we’ll rethink Peanut.’
I smiled.
Reid brightened. ‘Oh. Good.’ A faint frown dawned on the former Marine’s face at Anna’s expression. ‘Wait. What’re you gonna call him in the meantime?’
‘Dog,’ Anna stated firmly.
Victor grinned. Reznak chuckled.
Reid’s eyes widened in horror. ‘D–Dog?! Why, you might as well just shoot the poor bastard!’ He stormed after her.
As the sun started to sink over the ocean, we followed them inside the house, the D-O-G included.
THE END
Author’s Note
Soul Meaning initially started life as a 5,000-word story which I wrote for the British Fantasy Society Short Story competition. By the time it made the shortlist the year it was submitted, I was already convinced it could be a longer piece of work. Even I wanted to know what happened to Lucas next.
Although I intended for Soul Meaning to be a trilogy, I realized that I had to finish Lucas’s tale in one novel because I wanted to write about the other intriguing characters I came across while I was creating the whole backstory to the world of the immortals. Thus, the idea for the series was born.
One of the great things about writing Seventeen has been the research aspect in terms of exploring the science and technology featured in the novels, as well as the various worldwide locations.
A lot of this research material is on my website, as “Extras” under the “Bonus” section. I also regularly feature the music that inspired and accompanied many of the scenes in the books under the “News” section.
Here are a few interesting facts behind this particular novel:
Miyamoto Musashi, the 17th century samurai who taught Lucas the art of Niten Ichi-ryu, did exist. He was the author of “The Book of Five Rings” and the founder of the Hyoho Niten Ichi-ryu, the “Two Heavens as One” or “Two Swords as One” style of swordsmanship. His grave still stands to this day in the Kumamoto Prefecture, on Kyushu Island, Japan.
The Center for Molecular Genetics of the Université Pierre et Marie Curie, where Professor Hubert Eric Strauss worked, exists and is located on the Gif-sur-Yvette campus outside Paris. The same goes for the Functional Genomics Center in Zurich and the Prague Institute of Molecular Genetics. The interior descriptions given of these three buildings are fictional.
Bar the war between the immortals, all the conflicts featured in the story are based on true historical events. Count Ernst Rudiger von Starhemberg successfully defended his city against the Ottoman invasion during the Battle of Vienna in 1683. Vienna does have a network of underground tunnels and crypts, parts of which were used by the Germans in the Second World War. The secret passage under the Hofburg Palace is fictional.
The cell cycle and the genetics behind cell reproduction and death form the basis of cancer research and the development of appropriate drugs to cure or control the disease. Hubert Strauss’s attempts to create an “off” switch to down-regulate cancer cell production is something that cancer research scientists have been trying to do for a number of years. I believe we will see this happen successfully for some cancers during my lifetime. The “on” switch is purely fictional.
The Black Death of the 14th century was a bubonic plague caused by the Yersinia Pestis bacteria. The fictional Red Death of the same century was a viral hemorrhagic disease similar to the ones caused by the Ebola, Lassa, and Marburg viruses. It was highly contagious and deadly, with a short incubation period of 24-48 hours, and left most survivors infertile. Reverse vaccinology, the technique that Anna Godard initially used to create a vaccine against the new strain of the Red Death, is factual.
Acknowledgments
To all my friends who helped make this possible. You know who you are.
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