Cursed Blood |Lesbian Story| - Chapter 51: Chapter 51

There's nothing else I wanted than to see all my friends safe again. We didn't waste any more time, so we got out of the place, leaving the burning warehouse behind. I looked over my shoulder, seeing black smoked went into the sky, giant flame lighted up the darkness.
Finally, it was over.
But we had to get out as fast as possible. Suddenly we heard the engines revving from the distance and the screeching tires. All of us had to shade our eyes from the blinding headlights. There were about five black SUV cars swooping down.
Then the car doors opened and several pairs of glowing golden eyes emerged from the dark. The men quickly stepped out of the cars and surrounded us.
"Which one of you is the half-blood?" one of them said. "Step out and turn yourself over."
I didn't recognize any of these guys. They had serious business-like faces.
"There's no half-blood here," Cammie said, shifting her feet, ready to take action. But I also noticed that her hands were trembling with tiredness now. Jacque and Alyssa were way off the limit. They looked like a zombie couple. Octavia came to stand beside me in a protective way, but she, too, was in no condition to fight. Then several other black cars rushed down the field. Another group of vampires got out. Then I saw Dimitri and his guards.
I gritted my teeth. I knew he was just like the others.
"Stop there!" Lord Dimitri cried and walked over, but he wasn't talking to us, and that surprised me. Instead of standing with the vampires, he came to stand with the humans. All his bodyguards went into the back, waiting for his order.
"You can't take them," he went on.
"My lord," the same vampire turned to him and bowed slightly, "We're just doing our job."
"I am the lord here," Dimitri said. "When I said you can't take them, you can't take them."
"We have an order," the vampire replied. "From the very top."
Maybe I was wrong about Dimitri again. He was trying to protect us, except whatever he was protecting us from seemed more powerful than he was. I looked at every face of my best friends. They were tired and almost lost their lives because of me. What kind of a friend would I be if I let horrible things happened to them again?
"Vivienne, don't worry," Dimitri said with a worried look on his face, "I can get you out of here. We're not outnumbered."
"Lord Dimitri, don't try to break any more rules," the vampire said, "If you hadn't interfered the law enforcement seventeen years ago, the half-blood wouldn't have fulfilled the prophecy."
"Dimitri," I said. "Thank you for trying to save us, but I'm tired of running now. Please, take care of my mom and my friends for me."
"Viv!" everyone protested at the same time.
"It's okay, guys," I told them. "They won't hurt me. I'll come back."
I know it was just a lie, but I had to lie to save their lives. I would never risk having everyone near death again. And if I went with these vampires, Octavia would be safe. No one knew she was another half-blood beside me.
"I'll go with you," I said, stepping out of my comfort cover. The vampires looked at me, an average-looking girl with no visible threat. Sure enough, they weren't expecting someone like me.
"Me too," Octavia said, coming to stand next to me.
"Octavia!" I hissed, giving her a burning stare, but she refused to look at me.
"Two half-bloods?" the vampire said in astonishment, "That's even worse."
They drove us in a car for an hour. Then we were shoved into a private jet and flew away for another five hours straight. During the flight, Octavia and I sat in silence. She wrapped her arms around me, and we only communicated through our eyes.
"They're going to kill us, you know," I whispered. "You shouldn't have come with me, Octavia."
"Viv, I don't care if I die today, as long as I'm with you, I'm happier than being alive," she said.
"Oh Octavia," I said and went into her arms. She kissed my head and rubbed my back gently.
When the plane finally landed, I didn't even know what country we were in. But before we had time to think, they escorted us to a car. And long ride later, we found ourselves in front of a massive fortress that looked like a church in the Vatican city.
Black-coated guards lined up at every entrance. The building had huge marble columns with gothic sculptures that looked quite ancient. After a long walk through the grand hallway, we got into the elevator and went underground.
Once the door opened, the vampires walked us out. As we were getting closer to our execution, I wonder what my father was thinking when they brought him here. He had chosen my mom and me instead of his own life. Tears welled up in my eyes as I thought about him. Octavia squeezed my shoulders to comfort me.
We reached the end of another long corridor. The guards pushed a massive golden double door open, revealing the same courtroom I'd seen in my dream.
A strong sense of déjà vu washed over me.
It was already crowded with middle-age pale-skinned people or to be exact: high-class vampires. Their fangs were too long for their lips to cover. Some dressed in modern suits and dresses. Others were too old to bother with the fashion trend. And the oldest one was already on the throne, waiting for us. His long red cloak flew to the floor by his feet.
We continued walking down the aisle. Every face turned to look at us, some of them gasped alarmingly, whispering to each other in surprise. I felt like a circus animal being displayed to the public. Guards stood at attention everywhere.
The guards gestured to us to kneel before the King, but nether Octavia and I did. We just stood there, looking straight back at whoever was in our sight.
"Half-human kids, kneel!" a guard hissed at us.
I stepped forward but Octavia stopped me. The guard recoiled back. The rest of the vampires gasped again.
Then I saw the Zakharin family along with other royal clans by the far right of the hall. The old man who must have been my grandfather looked at me with steady golden eyes. I guess he just didn't know what to feel about me. He looked quite old, with white hair and long white beard. Then he dropped his gaze and turned away. Probably he was ashamed to have me in his bloodline, but I could understand that.
Then a man came out from another side of the room and stood with his back to us. He looked just like when I saw him in my dream. His white serious face and perfect posture could have been intimidating.
"Your Majesty," Aldrac spoke up loud and clear, "You see before you, they are the half-blood vampires, children of the prophecy. The pair had brought us chaos and fear. We shall not keep them in our world. They're mysterious, unpredictable. It is best to terminate them before they could cause any more catastrophes."
The others also started murmuring around the court in favor of his speech.
Octavia and I stood in silence, listening to these vampires discussing our death.
"My King!" Dimitri appeared at the grand door. "We can't kill the half-bloods!"
He walked forward in a hurry. The crowd stared at him in confusion.
"Lord Dimitri Rozansky," Aldrac acknowledged his presence stiffly. "Do you know you're interrupting the court?"
But Dimitri's presence comforted me a little. At least, I could die knowing that there were still good vampires in this world.
"I'm well aware, Aldrac," Dimitri said. "But I have something to show everyone."
Then he waved his hand and a bunch of royal guards brought in the golden coffin. It was blackened by the fire and the edges of the cover were molten shut by the heat, leaving no cracks around the gold-encased coffin. Even the inscription and symbols that curved on the sides were slightly faded at some parts. I doubt that anyone could decipher the Vedic mantra on it anymore.
Everyone in the room sucked in the air as soon as they realized what it was. They almost looked paler if possible. The other guards were frightened at the sight of the sarcophagus. Even the king leaned back on his throne and crossed his bony fingers with a deep frown.
"This is the sarcophagus of Pisaca, the original creator of our vampire race, your Majesty," Dimitri said to the audience's surprise. "We can't kill the half-blood because the immortal had risen from her hibernation, but they were the ones to defeat her."
By the mention of the immortal, the crowd started murmuring frantically.
"My lord, what do you mean by that?" the King uttered.
"They're not the one who caused the prophecy to happen actually," Dimitri continued. "Prince Viktor did. He had been plotting to dethrone you, thus leading him to unearth one of the most deadly immortals and brought her back to life. Prince Viktor wanted to control not just the Underworld but also the human race. I was investigating his activities, but not until now that I've got my answer confirmed about his treachery."
Then there was a new round of mumbling in the court again. Noises started to rise from the spectator's seats. The Zakharin royalty also stirred with discomfort.
"Where is the prince now?" the king asked.
"He's dead," I said grimly for the first time.
"What?" my grandfather rose from his seat as he heard this.
"Viktor kidnapped me and used my blood to resurrect the immortal," I told them. "And once the immortal finally awoke, she killed him."
"No, no!" Grandfather cried, "My stupid son! Why did he do this?"
"He also killed his brother!" I yelled, feeling the anger in my stomach. "He was the one who killed my dad. He did not vote for him to live! That was Viktor all along."
Octavia held my hand as she sensed my mixed emotions rising. Grandfather dropped to his chair heavily as he took in the truth.
"Contain yourself, child," the King said, leaning from his throne. "The prince had always been ambitious, but I did not expect him to betray us. He caused death upon himself, and I will not discuss this further."
"Your Majesty, even the half-blood existence is forbidden, but it was they who had saved us from the immortal. I think we should reconsider the case..."
"Lord Dimitri, the previous half-blood child almost destroyed our people once," Aldric said. "If we allow these two to survive, they will eliminate us even before the immortals could."
"I'm not going to kill anyone!" I found myself yelling louder. "There are just the two of us and so many of you. My father was also one of you. How could I be your enemy when you don't even know me?"
"We can't trust you, half-blood," Aldrac snapped. "You're as dangerous as the immortals. Our lives are at stake. No one knows what you can do, and we certainly can't let you be alive."
"But what if someone else discovers another immortal and gets them back from death again?" Dimitri asked. "We won't be able to stop them from destroying our kind in revenge. We're not strong enough to fight the immortals, not like them."
"So what do you want us to do?" Aldric asked, sounding uncertain for the first time.
"Your Majesty, the hybrids are the first of our kind, especially her," he said, pointing at me. "If we keep them on our side, we can ensure peace. They are the bond between humans and vampires. Let the half-bloods be. They are strong but they're just innocent kids."
"What if they turn against the vampires just like the last one? Who will responsible for this?" Aldric challenged.
"I'm not like your people!" I said. "I have my human emotions. We're not monsters who walk around with blood in our minds. Our humanity is stronger than you can imagine!"
The court grew dead silent again. I could hear almost every beat of their hearts.
The King exhaled and then he leaned back, joining his fingertips together as he contemplated.
"I think I can't decide this alone," he finally said.
"Shall we vote again, your Majesty?" Aldric asked.
"No, the last time we voted, it regretted me so much," the King said and pointed directly at me. "I will send you to meet our elder."
Octavia and I looked at each other, not knowing what to say.
Then some of the royal guards came to escort me. Octavia didn't want them any closer, but I gave her a reassuring nod. Finally, they got to lead me down the aisle. And as I walked away, every face of the vampires stared after me.
A moment later, I was standing in front of another golden door. The guards opened it and gestured for me to go inside. I walked tensely forward and then the guards closed the door again, leaving me alone.
The room was huge and cold. My feet echoed on the marble floor, but no one was around. A burning hearth was set in the middle of the room, but I still felt my body shivering.
Then I saw a silhouette of someone sitting behind a thick red curtain. I froze in place.
"Is that you, Vladimir's daughter?" a golden voice floated into my ears. Then the person came out of the shadow.
I found my jaw dropped next to my feet as I stared at the vampire elder.
A young woman came out to stand by the fireplace and sat down. She picked up an iron stick and started poking the fire.
When I saw the immortal, I thought I had seen the most beautiful creature on the planet, but I was wrong. Sitting in front of me, was a real goddess.
"Y-yes...Mmm...Your Majesty?" I said and just to be on the safe side, I bowed to her in respect.
The young woman wore a long silk robe with tail dragging on the floor. Her glittering scarf covered her slender shoulders femininely. Her hair was as black as a raven feather, so black it almost looked purple in the firelight. I noticed her eyes were also reddish gold. They flickered against the flames.
"Sit down with me," the elder said. "I need to take a closer look at you."
I did as she said. I noticed her flawless skin was extremely smooth. It seemed as if the sun had never touched her in a very long time.
Under her scrutinizing stare, my stomached churned nervously, and the previous encounter with Pisaca still had a bad effect on me.
"You're a beautiful child indeed," the elder said, staring at me with radiant golden eyes.
"You're um...the Elder of the vampires, right?" I couldn't help asking. She smiled and nodded.
"But you are too young," I said again.
"My child, I am not," she said and gave me a musical laugh. "I was born in 3000 B.C.E. My name is Laksmi, the last Aryan vampire from India. I have lived over five thousand years now."
"Five thousand years?" I said, staring at the elder who was five thousand years younger. "Wow...I mean...I just couldn't imagine living this long."
Laksmi laughed again with her eyes dancing in delight.
"So I have heard that you just put one of my sisters back to sleep, is that correct?"
"Yes," I said with a nod. "She was found under a temple in Angkor City."
"I see," she nodded, "We Aryan-Indians immigrated there in 1 A.D. Some of us spread to the west, others kept their nomad lives. My sisters and brothers went separate ways around the world."
"And your siblings are what?"
"The immortal children of Daksa," Laksmi said. "People believed us to be divine beings. We helped them build their empires and make their civilizations flourish. Now all of my siblings were buried somewhere around the four corners of the earth. Even I could not remember where their coffins lie, so it's quite a surprise to me that one of my sisters was back."
When the flames started to die out, she waved her hand slightly and the fire roared back to life. I stared down the blazing hearth in awe.
"Look, I didn't mean to fulfill the prophecy or cause any downfall to your kind," I said. "And I got the immortal back to her hibernation, but now everyone hates me and wants me killed."
"My children fear you," the Elder said. "They are traumatized by their tragic past. They think you would choose to go against them."
"But I'm also scared!" I said honestly. "I've never thought of destroying anyone. I'm both human and vampire, why do I have to take sides? I just want to live a normal life. I'm only seventeen, but they act like I'm a plague!"
"You remind me of Vlad a lot," Laksmi sighed. "You make me miss him so much."
"And why didn't you step in when they wanted to execute him?" I asked, trying not to sound accusative, but I felt my eyes blurry with tears.
"I have already given up the power to my children long ago," she said. "I must let them exercise their free will."
"But their free will killed my father!" I said and burst into tears. I covered my face in my hands, crying until my whole body shook uncontrollably. Maybe I had just gone through a rough day and I couldn't help it.
Then a pair of gentle arms wrapped around my shoulders. Laksmi had come to sit next to me and pulled my body to hers. She hugged in her arms. My head resting on her shoulder as I sobbed. Laksmi smelled like rich orchards in the wild.
"I'm so sorry," she said, smoothing my hair just like the way my mother did. "It is your great loss as well as mine."
When we pulled away, she wiped the tears from my cheeks.
"You're my decedent too, you know that?" she said. "You and I are a family now."
Then she held my face in her hands and leaned forward to kiss me on the forehead. Her cold tender lips touched my skin, sending a shiver through my bones.
And just like that, I didn't remember anything else.