* * *
We both settle into the living room, satisfied, as our predicament somehow seems to be more manageable. Quilici is patiently waiting with a piping hot cup of java resting next to him on an end table constructed from deer antlers. I shift from the table to him and see a proud smile, as he must play the part of hunter and artist, which explains his bohemian style. His long beard is a thin rope tied by four thick strategically placed black hair bands that have been robbed of all femininity and are complimented by a dreadlocked ponytail to match. I’ve never been a fan of the male ponytail, but he pulls it off without being pompously irritating. It’s probably due to his body-builder frame that dares you to laugh, as it wants desperately to break free from a tight button-down polo stretched to the max.
He says, “I hope you found the accommodations satisfactory?”
I cringe in embarrassment, but Percy stands tall. “More than you can imagine.”
He loses the smile as he lost the victory of wit. “Have a seat, please.”
I choose the other recliner and Percy eases into the large couch, wiggling until all is well and comfortable. I always like to see people when I speak to them and have an issue of personal space, so being on the same couch while talking is a bit too much for me to handle. I’m glad that she understands. I look at Quilici, really look at him with his sharp cornered jaw and high cheek bones that rest below eyes expressing ferality, but deeper beneath is wisdom. He is definitely more animal than most humans, with large teeth, thick skin, and hair-like fur. Yet, somehow he’s actually attractive in a masculine mountain man way.
He catches my thoughts and says, “‘Never judge a book by its cover.’ An old saying that has had many forms through the years, but has survived due to its truth. We are savage during battle, relentless in a hunt, passionate with lovers, extremely loyal, kind to our young ones, and compassionate to our families. We are like you, like humans, and even like the vampires, as most of us are decent beings, but there are those who crave power and all that it entails. Thank you for seeing beyond your vision.”
I nod my head. “You aren’t the only kind who has been misunderstood. Are others like you, though? Are they sophisticated, drinking coffee and listening to classical music?”
He laughs. “Not even close. There are some, though, and we do have music, but usually it is very aggressive, as you found earlier this evening. As for coffee and tea, I enjoy the taste, but as you are painfully aware, the effects are not recognizable.”
Percy says, “Are we safe here? Caedmon seems to have orchestrated a coup with planning and thought and it would not surprise me if he scouted this location.”
Quilici retorts, “We are safe. This has been my dwelling for a hundred years, even before Frederick was chosen as the tribe and pack central location. No one, not even my past lovers, knows of this place; it is mine and mine alone. Well, up until this night. Yet, you are correct concerning Caedmon; he has been planting seeds for decades, anticipating a potential situation that was provided this evening. It does worry me, but we will have to carry on because our journey is more important than my status as pack leader or his betrayal.”
I let slip, “He smells like Africa.”
He immediately responds, “What did you say?” With a quizzical look, I repeat it and he rubs his massive chin and says, “Explain it for me.”
“It’s kind of stupid.”
“I doubt it. Please go on; we will not mock you.”
“Well, there are some people or waers or vamps that leave a strong scent that surfaces memories for me. For instance, when I smelled Caedmon, he reminded me of the time I spent in Mogadishu, Africa. It’s extremely hot with arid conditions throughout the year, but when the rain comes, it pours. It’s more like taking a bath than a shower, because the waterfall of rain is so dense that you can’t feel the individual drops when they batter your skin. There was one day in particular that I was walking on the sand when one of those storms blasted in. It lasted five or so minutes, but the sand was so dry that it absorbed the water with unquenchable thirst and when the storm moved on, there was no evidence that it had ever happened. Nothing would satisfy the dry earth and it would take all nature could give and want more. That is what Caedmon is to me; he is unquenchably ambitious and no matter how much he accumulates, it will never be enough.”
He turns to Percy. “Percy, as I understand, your kind you have an acute sense of smell, but it is not as complex as ours. Is that correct?” She considers and nods yes, so he goes on. “Our ancestors all had senses that were equal to a waer’s and we kept them due to our need. The vampires required less of these senses because they relied more on camouflage and deception.”
Percy interjects. “So, we once had your abilities?”
“Yes, but Adriel still does. For a waer, when a scent is powerful, we
see
the scent in memories, connected insightfully to their hidden character, and never forget its peculiarities, no matter how faint. He has simultaneously evolved, possessing the benefits developed over time, yet retains our original mutation.”
I reach from something just beyond my grasp. “Part of this picture is eluding me. There is something about his scent that’s familiar and I just can’t place it.”
“You will,” he says with confidence.
Percy questions me with curiosity. “Who has recently elicited these memories?”
I think back and reply, “Cassius is the icy death from Russia. Franz is my spelunking cave in VA; you are a katana. Bryn is the mountain breeze in Germany, and Seth is a god.”
Percy says, “You’ll have to explain that one.”
“As a child, my memories of most gods were deities who seemed ambivalent to humanity until provoked, when they would wipe out entire cultures with systematic precision. Seth is a god among humans.”
“There is much truth in that,” she says.
I move forward, resting my elbows on my knees, and rub my drowsy eyes, saying, “I don’t understand why you aren’t a memory as well.”
Quilici receives the statement with a hesitant breath. “A powerful scent has very little association with a smell, as you would think of it.”
I interrupt. “Sure, a scent is actually a detection of molecules that we all exude…”
He volleys. “And within those tiny molecules is the DNA that makes each of us unique. Very good. For the most powerful of our species, and for humans, there seems to be a genetic marker or a warning signal buried in the complexities of DNA that we are sensitive to through smell.”
I interrupt. “So somewhere throughout our evolutionary history, it became an advantage to recognize these special creatures, which could potentially ensure survival either through avoidance, friendship, or mating. Does that sound about right?”
“Yes, you are correct.”
“Have we found the actual gene that creates this scent?”
“I’m afraid not. The Human Genome Project mapped out the human genes years ago and there are rumors that the vampires have emulated that with our DNA as well, but it is extremely sophisticated and locating the genetic variance would be like finding the proverbial needle in a haystack.”
“That leads me back to the original statement. Why are you not a memory for me?”
He breathes through his oversized nose with sadness. “I do not possess the variant DNA. That is why Caedmon challenges me after only a century or so of my position as Alpha. One becomes an Alpha by challenge or by appointment by the existing Alpha. Our previous pack leader chose me as his successor because of my knowledge of the events, which are unraveling now. He commanded that the story I am going to weave for you be kept confidential until such a time as this.”
Percy interjects. “Before you begin, I think it is important that you are aware that there is more to Adriel than what was seen this evening. He is changing rapidly, as we witnessed earlier with the electricity, but also last night he seemed to control the wind.”
I say, “I didn’t know you saw that.”
“Were it not for that diversion, Abram would have killed me.” She turns back to Quilici. “Can you explain what is happening to him? Then we will need to discuss what is happening to me as well.” She runs her fingers through her white streak of hair.
“I have pondered that for a couple of hours, but before we begin to speculate, because that is all we can do, I think I need to fill in the gaps, as they say, for both of you.” He shifts his eyes to me. “Adriel, what did Cassius share with you? No details please, just an overview.”
“Anu was the first of our kind due to the assimilation of blood-water and humans. There was a Blood War and two groups survived, then separated; one relocated into the forests, becoming what you are, and the other remained in the caves, evolving into what Percy is.”
Quilici continues the story. “All that he said was truth, although only a portion of it. Please allow me to go back a few years to 1353 AD in Rome, Italy. The Black Death had been killing its way through Europe for six years, reducing the world’s population by about 100 million humans. It was due in large part to the plague that we were able to feed without detection for so long because of the mass graves and low life expectancy. In spite of that, our food source was plentiful, so there was very little competition, as the population of humans was still abundant. The Black Death coupled with their ceaseless wars ironically created a more peaceful atmosphere between the waers and vampires. It was well timed. Our kind had been at war for millennia over territory disputes or feeding grounds, which, in turn, led to casualties, diminishing our species to a very small number. So the leader of the vampires, a particularly beautiful and intelligent female called Lucretia, began to formulate a strategy to ensure both of our kinds, not just survived, but prospered. It was difficult overcoming thousands of years of compounding distrust, but she was a very willful vampire and forced it to work. In fact, I understand that she may have been even more willful than you, Adriel.” He and Percy snicker at my expense. “Our pack leader and my mentor, Felix, had several meetings and negotiations with Lucretia, which resulted in a treaty that, until recently, had been honored. Cassius was on the council at that point and actually helped negotiate some of the more problematic subjects. For the sake of time, I will leave the particulars of the treaty and concentrate on Cassius and his role, which resulted in the greatest discovery since our kind began.
“Cassius was already well known throughout the world for his ambition and that he accumulated secrets on all current and future council members. He would have been comparable to your American Joseph McCarthy, who held confidential information on everyone, using it to his advantage by leveraging and blackmail. He was also quite the scholar, as you most likely know, collecting rare books and learning all there was to know about humans and our kind as well. He was quite aware that information was powerful and that it would provide him the avenue to attain his position as leader and then sustain it.
“It was during that time in Rome when the treaty was drafted and accepted that Cassius could roam free without fearing the waers on his private quest to locate obscure books or information. One evening in Venice, he was perusing one of the local church libraries and stumbled upon a book that mentioned Anu, the Sumerian god, but this book was different from the typical mythology handed down from generations of oral traditions and semi-literate writers. It spoke of a diary of sorts, a book of Knosis written by the mythological god himself. The church had apparently discovered this book in the 2
nd
century AD, and with no regard for history or tolerance of different opinion, promptly misplaced it somewhere in a church on the outskirts of Rome.”
I interrupt like an excited school kid. “He had that book in his office.”
“Yes, he always keeps that one accessible to others for study, if needed. That particular church was within the agreed upon feeding boundary of the waers, so Cassius had to meet with Lucretia and convince her, through his vast collection of her indiscretions, I’m sure, that it was in their best interest to find the Knosis. She, in turn, struck a deal with Felix that was neither simple, nor expeditious, but after months of anticipation, he was rewarded with an understanding that allowed for Cassius to be accompanied by one vampire while the waers would have two as well to make certain there was no alternate plan.”
I say, “Alternate plan, ya think?”
He relents. “Your remark is noted. There was a treaty, but that did not eliminate our innate suspicions of each other. The temporary easement was granted. Cassius chose Gisella as his partner.” He settles back into the recliner with a deep sigh, hands clasped behind his neck, and goes on, “Such a beautiful name for a ruthless killer. She was deadly perfection and terrorized our kind for nearly a thousand years until the burn took her from us.”
Percy, inquiring, says, “Was there more to that story?”
His smile dissipates slightly into a regretful frown. “She was the most beautiful creature I had ever seen, and for a young one as I was, she left an indelible mark. We were lovers fueled by the fires of passion and mystery, but as you know, those torrid affairs blaze with such intensity that all are consumed.” He rolls his head forward in painful memories, stalling for a moment, then lifts his gaze to meet me. My eyes are darting back and forth in deep thought and he interjects. “Adriel, I see where you are going and I believe that I have inadvertently jumped several pages of the story. There is no doubt that you have a shared lineage, but we do not have those answers.”
I stop the search and lock on him. “Were you able to have children or young ones, as you call them?”
Percy lets out a muffled gasp, as she can’t hide her surprise, and he answers, “To put it simply, no. There has never been a cross species between waer and vampire due to some natural rejection. We are not really that different from a genetic perspective, but our chromosomes will not mingle.” Percy and I are on the edge of our seats and he says, “Please, allow me to continue. I promise we will address your questions.” Both of us let out a breath that neither of us was aware we were holding and marginally relax, but still tenuously cling to anticipation. “The Knosis was hidden in the Church of Giovanni a Mare in Gaeta, which was a sea town south of Rome, but north of Naples. Humans at that time were very superstitious, readily assigning satanic labels or supernatural attributes to anyone who presented themselves out of the ordinary, so we thought it best to meet on the beach of the Gulf of Gaeta, hinging near the town borders. It was several hours after sunset when we arrived, and without electricity, the town drifted quietly into sleep early in the night, allowing us the time to investigate the church undisturbed.