Sons of navarus box set.., p.25
Sons of Navarus Box Set #2, page 25
“A baby’s a very interesting symbol in dreams. Did he mention if pregnancy or the actual birth was involved?” she asked as she ran her finger down the side of a page.
“No, just a baby,” Thane said as he sank down in his usual seat at the table.
“Well, some think there’s nothing but wish fulfillment at work in dreams, especially baby dreams. I disagree, though.” Tapping her finger on the page, she looked up. “For example, the birth of a child can symbolize a new beginning.”
“He said it was a male child, if that makes any difference,” Thane added.
Kali appeared to think about this for a moment. “Well, male babies usually symbolize new achievements. You know, the masculine thing.”
For some reason, she was looking in Ramiel’s direction now and the confusion he felt must have been obvious because she explained even further. “Males are more about achievement and conquering, whereas females are associated with feelings and relationships. If we’re to believe that the child in his dreams is symbolic, then maybe it refers to you two having success on your trip.”
“I’ll stick with that interpretation,” Ramiel mumbled. At least it didn’t add any more hassles to his life.
“But let’s not be hasty here,” she warned.
Fuck. Here come the hassles.
Kali was nice and had definitely helped them, but her tenacity with research had an irritating side to it in times like now when he didn’t want any more bullshit heaped on his head. She moved toward the table to the papers Thane had just returned. Pushing the stack toward him, she ordered, “Find the passage we were working on the other day. I’m curious about something.”
While Thane did what she wanted, Ramiel watched with a growing sense of uneasiness as Kali scanned one of the oldest scrolls they had in their possession. He recognized it as the one that had helped them figure out the reference to a born vampire in the prophecy.
“Here it is. A gift from two, parallel lines to one. He reigns over Selene and the warmth of all will be his.”
Kali looked first to Thane and his stack of papers and then to Ramiel. “You don’t see it?”
“See what?” Ramiel no longer even tried to pretend he knew what to do with the prophecy. More obvious lines than these had stymied him. “You aren’t actually saying this has to do with Terek and his dreams, are you?”
“I guess I can understand not seeing parts of it,” she conceded.
“Parts of it? I have no idea what any of it means.”
Kali gave him a look that appeared almost apologetic. “Let me explain. The words gift from two are a clue that point to a child being born.”
Ramiel looked over at Thane, who shrugged his shoulders and smiled. Turning back toward Kali, he said, “Really? Why couldn’t it just mean two of us give someone a gift? Why does it have to mean a child?”
Her expression changed to show she didn’t understand why he couldn’t see the things she did. Of the three of them, Ramiel saw one thing clearly. Whoever had chosen him to be one of the four responsible for solving the prophecy had made a mistake.
“You always want to fight this, Ramiel,” she said with a laugh. “If you’d only open your mind, you’d find this would come naturally. You were chosen by the Order for a reason. This is what you’re meant to be.”
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Thane nodding. “I told you. It’s your destiny.”
Part of him wanted to fight them, to tell them they were fucking crazy and to go fuck themselves and this goddamn prophecy. But another part just didn’t want to fight anymore. He’d been fighting forever, and he couldn’t do it another night. He was alone, without the only vampire of his he’d kept for so long, and about to leave vampires he’d grown to actually like. No, for once in all his miserable life, he didn’t want to fight.
Slumping down in a chair, he exhaled heavily and closed his eyes. “Destiny.”
“I think it’s possible Terek’s dreams are prophetic.”
Kali’s words made him open his eyes. “Because he had them before and then a child was born?”
Thane grinned a sheepish smile. “I didn’t get to tell her that yet.”
Nodding her head excitedly, Kali added, “You’re forgetting where you come from, gentlemen. Idolas is your ancestor, a seer who got that gift from his father, Apollo. It seems perfectly right that one or more of you would have the same gift.”
Thane seemed to think it over and in his usual optimistic tone agreed. “I’d never thought about it, but she’s right. Too bad neither one of us has it.”
“So we take Terek’s dreams seriously? Then a baby is in our future?”
Damn. There will definitely be diapers then.
Thane shuffled papers in front of him. “That passage…was there any indication who the parents would be?”
“No, but I don’t think it’s a coincidence you’re about to meet a born vampire.”
“A five-year-old born vampire, Kali,” Thane corrected her. “I don’t expect she’ll be part of that.”
“No, but the parents of a five-year-old are likely to be able to have another. I’d say your born vampire’s parents could be very important.”
Ramiel worked to get his head around what they were getting at. “So someone’s going to have a baby? What does this mean to defeating the Archons or finding the key?”
Kali sifted through her notes until she found one with symbols and what looked like a flowchart. “Not sure yet, but here’s what I got from the lines around that line. It’s all very rough, though.”
“Do you think the reference to Selene means the moon?” Thane asked.
A broad smile spread across Kali’s face. “Thane, you’re getting great at this. You two get the key and when you come back, I predict we’re going to crack this prophecy wide open. Yes, Selene most likely refers to the moon, or even more, the night.”
“Oh,” Thane mumbled in a dejected voice. “I thought that was more clever than it actually was.”
“Don’t feel bad. When we first started this, you probably wouldn’t have thought of that.”
Ramiel silently admitted to himself that Thane did seem to be getting a better handle on the references Kali seemed to understand so easily. He, on the other hand, still felt like he was reading Greek, even after she translated.
“It’s the reference to warmth that isn’t clear. But even more confusing are the words two, which is written here in ancient Greek and the word for father, mentioned in the next line and two lines after that. I wish I understood what all this means, but I’m not there yet.”
“Kali, please tell me you’re not talking about two kids. I swear to Hades himself I’ll lose it if you tell me these born vampires are going to make us take a pair of brats with us.”
Somehow, she considered his concern amusing. Chuckling, she shook her head. “I don’t think so, Ramiel. Nico said only one child, so I think you might have lucked out this time.”
Thane stood from his chair and nodded. “Then I guess it’s time. Wish us luck and don’t miss us too much while we’re gone.”
“You two take care of yourselves. I won’t stop my work, and if I figure out anything I think can help, I’ll make sure to let you know.”
She hugged Thane and then turned to Ramiel. As she wrapped her arms around him, she said, “No matter what you believe, this is your destiny.”
There was that word again. Destiny. What thrilled Thane and Kali made him uneasy. Maybe if he’d ever found any happiness in any destiny he’d had forced upon him he might not feel dread at meeting yet another.
*
Thane sat on the bed in the room he’d called his own for months. In truth, little of this place had felt welcoming in all the time he’d been here. While the other Sons tended to spend time with one another, he and Ramiel were often alone. For Ramiel, it seemed to be a state he preferred. Thane just never had felt a closeness to anyone in the monastery.
Except Sasa.
On the bed next to him were the flannel pajama bottoms she’d given him after he’d complained about the dampness of the old building. He squeezed the soft fabric in his hand, smiling at the kindness she’d shown him. Of all the souls at the monastery, she alone had made his time there a happy one.
He’d tried to find her alone for hours, haunting the stony halls to get one last chance to convince her to leave this place and come with them. But she was always next to that sire of hers.
Once more. He had to try just once more to show her she could leave.
Thane walked slowly past the rooms near his, listening for her soft voice. He passed door after door, but heard nothing. He took the stairs to the first floor, walking past the study where he heard the deep voices of his fellow Sons, and headed toward the kitchen. As he’d hoped, she sat alone at the table.
“Sasa, I want to talk to you.”
Startled, she flinched and quickly stood from her seat. “No. We can’t talk anymore.”
She made a move to walk past him, and he grabbed her forearm to stop her. “I only ask for a few moments. Just two friends saying goodbye.”
Her warm brown eyes stared up at him, and he knew she was working to sense what he was feeling. Hesitating, she finally agreed. “Okay, but not here. Follow me.”
She led him out a side door to the garden and turned to face him. In the moonlight, her beautiful face seemed almost angelic.
“I can’t stay long.”
“Sasa, I want you to leave here. Come with me. I can’t promise things will be perfect, but I promise you’ll be happy.”
Shaking her head, she said quietly, “How can you continue to ask me to leave with you? You know I can’t. I love Vasilije. And he loves me.”
Thane gently held her shoulders and forced her to face him. “I don’t believe that.”
“Why? Because you think you know better? You don’t really know me. You don’t.”
“I know you’re too good for him. You’re sweet and kind and too trusting.”
Thane saw that his words had hit home. Her eyes filled with a look of pain.
“What do you know? Why are you saying these things? Tell me. Do you know something?”
“Like what? What do you think I could know about this man who so loves you, Sasa?”
She pushed him away and turned her back to him. “Why are you doing this? If you truly care for me, even as a mere friend of only a few months, you’ll leave me alone.”
“No. Before I go, you need to know what I’ve been keeping inside for far too long.”
She shook her head violently. “No, I don’t want to hear this. I can’t. I can’t listen to this.”
“I love you. I love how gentle you are and how you care for even those who don’t deserve it. I love the feel of your lips on my wrist as you take my blood. You say I don’t know you, but I do. Part of me is inside you. And I feel you inside me, even though I haven’t taken your blood into me.”
“Don’t say this. None of this matters. It can’t be.”
He moved close behind her and gently cupped her shoulders. “It can be. All you have to do is come with me tonight. I pledge to never make you doubt me. Never will you wonder if my heart is only for you. Leave all this behind and let me give you everything you deserve.”
Sasa hung her head and remained silent. Slowly, he realized she was crying.
“Why are you crying? Because you love him or because you want to be with me?”
“We’re friends. That’s all. You know that.”
Thane spun her around, and she turned her face away from him. “Don’t look away! Look at me and at least be honest with yourself. Can you truly say you haven’t found happiness in your time with me?”
Sasa continued to avoid his gaze, refusing to answer. Cradling her face in his hands, he gently turned her head toward him. “I can make you happy. You know this.”
“I know.”
“Then why do you stay with him?”
“What kind of woman would I be if I left him for you? I pledged my love to him. My loyalty as his vampire. I meant those things. They weren’t just words to me.”
“And what do you think they were to him?”
Sasa closed her eyes, and Thane repeated his question. “What did his pledges of love and loyalty mean to him?”
“As much as mine did.”
“You can’t even look me in the eyes when you say that. You know deep in your heart what he’s done.”
Slowly, she opened her eyes and the sadness he saw in them tore at his heart. He didn’t want to hurt her. He just couldn’t stand to see her blindly follow Vasilije.
“Please don’t do this. Why do you insist on doing this? Why won’t you just let me be?”
“Because you deserve to be happy.”
“I am happy.”
Thane shook his head in disbelief. “Who do you think you’re talking to? I’m the one who’s spent hours listening to you as your heart broke when he left you alone. When he brought other women here. When he…”
Tears welled in her eyes. “When he what? What do you know?”
The torment in her voice made his resolve fade. Maybe it was better if he just left her alone.
“I’m sorry, Sasa. I’ll leave you in peace.”
Thane stepped back away from her, his heart feeling like it was being ripped from his chest. She was never going to leave Vasilije, even if all he could offer her was neglect and pain.
“Take care. And if you ever need me, just find me. Whatever it is, find me.”
He filled his eyes with the vision of her standing there gorgeous in the moonlight. She stared back at him and all he wanted to do was take her in his arms and never let her go.
“Thane?”
For a moment, his heart skipped a beat. “Yes?”
Sasa closed the distance between them and wrapped her arms around him. With her head resting on his chest, she whispered, “Promise me you’ll stay safe.”
He held her close, reveling in the feel of her next to him, and stroked her back. Her soft hair was like silk against his rough palms. Dipping his mouth to touch the top of her head, he brushed his lips against her hair and breathed in deep to take in the sweet scent of her shampoo. He’d never smell the scent of fresh peaches again without thinking of her.
“I promise. And you promise me something.”
Silently, she nodded. One last time he’d try to convince her. “Promise me you’ll remember you deserve to have all the love you give. If you promise me that and you never come to me, at least I’ll be able to believe he realized what he could lose and was treating you the way he should.”
Her voice merely a whisper against his chest, she said, “I will.”
Thane tilted her head back to face him. Looking into her eyes, he leaned down and kissed her forehead, wanting more than anything to press his lips against hers in a kiss neither of them would ever be able to forget. “Sasa…”
He left his sentence unfinished.
Six
In minutes, Thane and Ramiel were away from the mountains of Romania and in the warm fields of Sicily, definitely a change for the better, as far as Ramiel was concerned. The vibrant oranges that had lit up the Italian sunset had faded until just a hint of the day’s color still peaked out from the horizon.
Ramiel inhaled deeply and closed his eyes, reliving for a moment a summer day over a millennia in the past. He’d been a boy then, the slave and adopted son of the Pulla family, treated to a week in the hills of Tuscany with Amita and her daughters. As the memories of those sweet, sunkissed days paraded through his mind, they were pushed out by the disapproving face of Sextus Pulla reprimanding his wife for spoiling a slave.
Opening his eyes, he shook the tainted memory from his head. Thane stood surveying where they’d arrived, and he turned to face him. “I think Nico’s GPS might be off. Something tells me we’re nowhere near Carlentini.”
“Thanks, Nico,” Ramiel mumbled as he began walking out of the field toward the road.
Thane followed, and they walked in silence, Ramiel irritated at Nico’s mistake. Once or twice he saw out of the corner of his eye a tiny grin on his partner’s face. Why was he never bothered by what happened to them? Finally, after walking past two more fields, Ramiel had to talk, if only to keep his mind from returning to that life in Italy he’d been sure he’d left so long ago.
“What about this mess makes you smile? I can accept the destiny thing, but Nico’s screw up makes me want to go to Greece and yank him right out of his cushy office.”
Thane continued to walk, but now kicked the dirt and rocks in front of him. “I just don’t get upset about things like you do. Why get angry about having to walk a little on a gorgeous night like this? After all those nights holed up in the monastery’s cellar, this is like heaven.”
“A real glass half-full kind of guy, huh? Something told me you liked being at the monastery.”
Thane ignored his thinly veiled reference to his spending time with Sasa. “You think being positive is odd or worse, naive, don’t you?”
Ramiel had to admit he’d always thought of Thane as odd. On the few occasions he’d been around him before this whole thing with the Archons began, he’d always appeared to be privileged, as if life had treated him with kid gloves. He knew little about Thane’s history other than that he’d been made a vampire in Tudor England and was a Son like him.
“We’re just different, Thane.”
They walked on in silence until he said, “The idea that we were destined to become Sons makes more sense than believing we were chosen to solve this by our sires.”
Ramiel looked up at the stars and laughed. “Nothing about this makes any fucking sense. We’re as different as night and day, and I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but we’re pretty lame at figuring out this prophecy. Hell, if it weren’t for Kali, we’d still be stuck on the first goddamn line.”
“I guess, but I think everything happens for a reason. We just haven’t figured out what it is yet.”
