Circle of Death (13 page)

She could see the relief in many of the faces around her. Without Kelene and the abilities she had inherited from the Nameless it would be impossible to contain him.

“We will bind him in a trap made of fire…” He started explaining.

The day passed in preparations. On the path the Nameless would have to take, across one of the flower fields, a large circle was drawn. Its outline was made of the strange fuel the Fae used, and they left it ready to be ignited. Those with the stronger imprisonment abilities were called, and then they waited.

At the first sign of the Nameless approach, they lit the fire and Kelene controlled it, keeping it weak and barely perceptible. Soon a man entered the field and stopped in front of the circle. The girl moved forward, passing over the weak flames and stopping in the middle of the marked area.

“Hello, father.” Her voice was strong, confident, and nothing of the whirlwind of emotions she felt after spending so long without seeing her father was visible.

“Kelene! You shouldn’t be here. What are you doing with those abominations?” His answer was cold, his eyes narrowing as he saw all the Fae spread among the trees.

She crossed her arms, disappointed with his answer but not really surprised. The girl held his gaze without flinching, with a strength no one that young should have.

“After being abandoned by my not very ‘normal’ father, I had to find someone else to teach me how to deal with my inheritance.”

A surprised expression crossed the Nameless’ face and he moved forward, the circle and the Fae forgotten for one second.

“Your inheritance?”

“Yes.” Kelene’s answer was followed by a smile, as he now was exactly where she needed him to be. “My inheritance.”

On her command, the fire rose, making a dome, the flames touching above their heads. The fire strengthened the Fae’s bindings, and now the Nameless was locked there, at least for as long as those who sustained the imprisonment were still standing.

“Why, Kelene? Why? All of this just because I needed to leave? Only this, and you joined my enemies?” The man’s voice had completely changed, and now he sounded like a loving father disappointed with his daughter.

“No. I became your enemy the day I found out my father is a destroyer and nothing else.” She stood strong, ignoring the voice in her conscience that reminded her that she was of his blood.

Kelene turned her back on him, making a wall of fire behind herself, while the flames parted to let her leave the circle. Out there, the village priestess invoked Death. The girl lost herself in the middle of all the Fae that were around the fire, she didn’t want to be forced to face her.

Soon a woman appeared, looking like a human peasant. But her eyes had a coldness that couldn’t be seen the living’s eyes and her voice, when she spoke, could freeze the soul.

“Lady, we have something that belongs to you.” The priestess spoke, bowing before she pointed to the dome of fire.

“Who controls the fire? I need to enter the circle to bind him properly.

Kelene trembled before that voice, but moved forward. Death started at her, as a strange staff made of bones appeared in her hand. Fighting a shiver, the girl looked away and repeated the same process the used to leave the circle to let Death inside it. Everyone heard the Nameless’ furious words, but no one understood them, and soon Death spoke again.

“You can lower the circle.”

The bindings were released and Kelene let the fire die. For a fleeting moment, everyone could see Death’s approving nod before she disappeared, taking the Nameless with her.

The celebration started right there and moved to the village. They had delivered the Nameless into Death’s hand, and she wouldn’t forget it. Kelene and those who worked to make it happen were greeted as heroes, but the girl didn’t stay long. She had been away from her village for too many hours, and even though her adoptive mother was used to her disappearances, she would start worrying.

On the next day, as soon as she was alone at home, Kelene received a visit from Death.

“You did a good job yesterday.” She said, appearing beside Kelene’s bed.

“Thank you.” The girl’s voice shook when she answered.

“I should take you too, as you are the Nameless’ daughter. But yesterday you proved he doesn’t have your loyalty. And so I wonder: who has it?”

“Me. I’m loyal to myself, to what I believe is true and right.”

“Then why did you act against your own father? Is this right, in you opinion?” It was a challenge, but not only that. The girl had spent enough time among the Fae to recognize a test.

“No. And yes. It wouldn’t be right if it was anyone else… But he destroyed all those cities, and would destroy even more! No one could stop him, and if I could do it I would be doing what was right, saving the lives of hundreds of people, maybe thousands, I don’t know!”

Death nodded in approval. The girl had what she was looking for.

“Do you know how Death’s work is done?”

“A little. The Fae told me.”

“My White Hand is weak. I will need someone stronger soon, and I see potential in you. Your spirit is strong; otherwise you wouldn’t have been able to control the fire. Would you go through a test? If you don’t have the power I think you do you will be only a Hand. But if you do…

“White Hand.” Kelene whispered, surprised, overcoming her fear now that she saw Death apparently approved her. “Yes. Yes, I’ll do the test and will become the White Hand.”

“Six months later I was the White Hand and the man who had that role before became a simple Hand.” Kelene shrugged, as if what she was telling me wasn’t any big surprise.

But it was. How could she had been born in the Middle Age? It still didn’t make sense. With effort, I swallowed my questions and nodded for her to continue. She hesitated before dropping her gaze and running her fingers over one of the scars in her arm.

“When one scar is crossed by another, it’s because it was paid. My first request was to have permission to visit my father. I already knew he had deceived Death and, if I was to serve her, I would rather know everything there was to be known. I didn’t understand the world I was joining, I was just a naïve village girl. It was because of that request I stopped being Death’s favorite, but I don’t regret it. The Nameless’ warnings were what saved me, later.” She took a deep breath and raised her head, meeting my gaze. “The Fae didn’t like it… But Avés said I had no option. Death would have taken me if I had refused her offer that day, and we all knew that having the White Hand as a friend could be useful for them. I visited my father many times… He tried to pretend I didn’t help imprison him there, and I think he wanted to trap me or convince me to help him.”

“That’s what he does best.” I muttered.

“Yes. Three years later I met Seth. I was a village girl pretending to be a noble, trying to find a way into the court… I had all the money and none of the bloodline, and it seemed like a good idea. He had connections enough that no one would challenge my presence by his side. He was supposed to be just my way in but… I already told you I fell in love with him. And, for a little while, I was happy.”

She held my gaze, and I tried to figure out when all that had happened. Seth had always liked to live among nobility, and I remembered how most of the time he didn’t even hide what he was.

And then it hit me.

“You said Avés always protected you.” And I remembered the sidhe approaching me, telling me there was a human he was sure I would like to meet. A human who happened to be Seth’s lover.

I didn’t remember the woman’s name, but she didn’t look anything like Kelene. The only similarity was the strength I could see in her eyes – the strength I had only seen once before, in a woman who died a long time ago. I narrowed my gaze, wondering if I was right, and she smiled.

“He protected me. He was the one who explained to me that all vampires were forced to obey Death. And my father told me that most Hands were turned before serving five years. I didn’t want that… I didn’t want to be subject to another’s will, be it a vampire Master or Death. That’s why I refused when Seth offered to turn me. He dropped it for a while, but then started talking about how I wasn’t safe, how all his enemies would come after me. I still refused. I had already met too many vampires to believe that, everyone feared him… With one exception.”

Her words seemed to echo around us, and I needed a moment to understand what she meant.
It was her
. The woman Avés had introduced me to and who had surprised and fascinated me with her strength. I remembered her delicate appearance, her bright copper hair and the confident way she walked. She had died during a ball, after I offered to help her flee from Seth, and I never knew what had really happened to her.

“You should have let me protect you.” I whispered.

“It wouldn’t have made any difference. Death would have found me.” She took a deep breath, still holding my gaze. “That night, on the ball, you warned me it was a trap. You told me you knew Seth would do something that left me no choice but accepting his offer. But I knew something like that was coming. I already knew something might happen. I just didn’t expect that Seth, someone I trusted and loved, was only playing with me. I was only a task he needed to complete.” Kelene sighed. “I used to wish I had met you before him. Things would have been different.”

They would, and we probably wouldn’t be sitting in her living room now.

“What happened?” I asked.

“He saw us together and used it as an excuse to drag me to my rooms. He said I was recklessly risking my life and his existence by refusing to be turned, that it was because of people like you that he was worried about me. I said I’d had enough, that it was all over, and told him to go. He didn’t. He said I was his woman, and I would do what he wanted… And then he tried to force me. But he didn’t know the Fae had taught me how to fight, and I dodged him. I banned him from my rooms, knowing that it would weaken him enough that I might have a chance. But I didn’t.”

She looked at her arms, rubbing the scars that covered her forearms. In silence, I waited.

“All Hands have one power that doesn’t depend on our own strength. It’s Death’s gift to us if our lives are at risk, a way of making sure she won’t lose us. I called upon that power and Death denied me. That’s when I realized Seth was following her orders. I knew what it meant, I would have no help and he wouldn’t stop until he turned me. But there is one of the powers of death that let us use our life force as we want. I knew what would be the price for using it to attack Seth, but I would rather die than be turned. I thought maybe I would have enough power to destroy him, but I was wrong.”

“You died.”

She nodded.

“People said there was an explosion, some said they were under attack... No one understood what happened that night. And Seth disappeared for months after that. When he came back, he was already covered with scars.”

“I was never really in the final death. Death kept me on the limbo, where she keeps the souls that may be useful to her again. Some time later she brought me back. She had problems. Her White Hand was using the deaths she owed to increase his own life. He was too powerful and none of the Hands could destroy him, and because of their deals Death couldn’t simply take him. She asked me to fix it. I would have another life, would kill this White Hand and take his place. In return I asked for some new powers and made sure she wouldn’t be able to send anyone else after me. And I also kept all the deaths she hadn’t paid me, double.” She showed her left forearm. “All the scars of my first life, I received again. And that’s how my spirit was released into another body, instead of a new soul. I got to keep my name, to Death’s chagrin, as it was my father who named me. And that’s all.”

I didn’t say anything. It was strange looking at Kelene, seeing a normal woman, and remembering the past, when we had met in the Middle Age. She had a good reason to hide all her secrets. The Nameless’ daughter. The White Hand. The Fae’s ally. The one who came closer to destroying Seth. It was hard to believe it all.

“Surprised?” She asked.

“Yes. I would have never guessed any of it.”

She smiled, while I was still unsure about what to say. No, I knew what to say.

“You’re unique, Kelene.”

This time, her reaction to my words was different, and her smile became one I considered breathtaking: sincere and with no reserve.

The moment for memories ended when another question crossed my mind and I remembered something Lucio had said earlier. I
had
already thought about it, but it didn’t seem as important as it did now. Seth had been a Keeper, along with Lucio, and then they had abandoned the Sanctuary.

“Lucio, is there another Keeper? Was someone trained after Seth abandoned the Sanctuary?”

“No.” He answered, following my line of thought. “It’s only me. And Seth didn’t only abandon the Sanctuary. He turned against Death. About a hundred years ago he still worked for her, but he isn’t a Keeper since the Intervention. In the last century, he even refused to negotiate with Death, and probably just made this deal because I made him furious.

It wasn’t by chance that the Sanctuary had two Keepers. That was the necessary number to keep the balance of power. With only one Keeper, the Sanctuary was vulnerable and the prison weakened. Besides, Death would never negotiate any power with someone who had broken a vow to her. Negotiate transformations and deaths, yes. But powers? Never.

“He is helping the Nameless. That’s how he got his new powers.” I told him.

“Can he still do it? I suspected but wasn’t sure.”

“The Nameless can do many things Death doesn’t even imagine. You and Seth are bound to him, and that means that anything he has can be shared with you. I guess Death is confident that the Intervention is invincible, but I can bet that the Nameless has already found a way to deflect it.”

Lucio stared at me, his surprise and confusion clearly visible.

“There is no way to defeat the Intervention. Believe me, I tried. We tried, for a long time.”