Prologue
The room was silent. It intensified the madness of the situation. He took one careful step inside the room as if knowing that someone was going to break the silence, like glass. But as he shut the door behind him nothing changed. The dark room in its stillness remained the same. He had never been in this room before, everything was new to him. Each step was carefully placed to avoid walking into a random object. Any loud noise could and would put an end to everything. He pulled a small flashlight from his pocket to illuminate the walls, caging around him.
Naturally they were pink. He shook his head in disgust. A color which represented sweetness and innocence didn’t belong in a place like this. This room, this fortress, this world, was literally a living hell. He walked to the cradle in front of a large window. The baby seemed as childlike as any he’d seen before but he knew that in a few years time she’d be just like the rest, an undead demon walking amongst men. He tried to hold on to those thoughts of hatred as he pushed the skirt of her tiny cream nightgown away from her leg.
The syringe he’d been carrying in his pocket all evening suddenly looked very large next to the chubby fat of her leg. He pulled the cap off and gently pushed the needle into the skin. The babies eyes flew open and her small hand reached out to him gripping one of his fingers. She didn’t cry but stared into his face with delicate innocence, as if she knew every feeling within him. Her eyes were an intense color of green, one that definitely didn’t belong to the small face of any infant. As her body fully absorbed the drug, her lids fluttered until they closed completely in deep slumber.
He lifted the small light around the room until it fell on the only other person. The nurse maid was passed out cold in front of a wooden rocking chair. He had no idea what had been done to her. He’d been told she’d be taken care of before he got there and he didn’t really care how it was done, just that it was. He hated the idea of touching its body but if this was going to work he couldn’t make it look so obvious. He stepped behind her and tucked his arms under hers and heaved her upward into the empty chair. Trying to maneuver her head to seem as if she were dozing was more difficult than he would have thought. She acted dead not asleep but he knew that wasn’t the case. An immortal didn’t just die from any random thing.
When he was sure every phase had been taken care of he wrapped the child tightly in a nearby blanket and tucked her into a rickety straw satchel. He then grabbed a nearby garbage can and strewed old tissue paper and wipes over the top, frosting every part of her. The straw satchel, which many servants carried, would allow air to flow freely in and out. He took one last look around and cracked the door carefully trying to remain as normal as possible. Although he was not one of the servants of this household, there were so many no one would ever suspect he was anything different.
It was all too easy. The dark car had been parked in a woody part of the property that was shaded by tall unkempt pine trees and thick bushes. He cringed as he placed the satchel in the trunk. Was he actually getting soft? He undressed quickly and then reached for the Tux that was now sitting next to the babies make shift sleeping place. He pulled each layer on before fastening the last black buttons on the jacket. He tucked his servant’s frock around the satchel as best he could to prevent it from being tossed around and then climbed in the driver’s seat.
As he followed the path he’d been directed to take the large metal gates came into few. Other cars were passing through without hesitation. He glanced at the dark limo tint on the windows and sighed as he drove past an attendant into the free world beyond.
The airport was two hours from the house. When he saw the bright lights of the planes in the distant sky he felt a slight relief wash threw him. But it wasn’t over yet, not by a long shot. He found a parking spot far from anything and anyone. The back seat in the car folded down from the inside and he used it to his advantage. There were too many cameras around the parking lot to open the trunk from the outside. First, he pulled a black leather briefcase from the left side. The latches snapped back and he carefully cracked it open to reveal stacks of crisp bills and a wide manila envelope. He ran his fingers gently over the green paper. It had been a century sense he’d had money in his possession. But there was no time to celebrate. He opened the envelope and let the plastic ID slide carefully into his waiting grasp. He tucked everything back into the briefcase and set it down before reaching back into the trunk for the baby. He pulled the satchel open and removed the garbage on top, tossing it loosely into the trunk. She was still deeply asleep and he wrapped the blanket around her tightly to protect her from the cool night air. His instructor would pick the car up later. With the keys in the ignition, the baby in one arm, and the briefcase in the other, he headed for a nearby rent a car.
There were many open even at this late hour and he placed the plastic card down on the counter in front of one women. “I need a car, please.” He said speaking for the first time. The woman smiled politely and began to type on a keyboard in front of her.
“Your baby is beautiful.” The woman said glancing at the little girl. “What’s her name?”
He wrinkled his brow in contemplation and then looked down at the little face. She was breathing in and out very carefully and her little hands were resting on his shoulder. It had been so many years sense he’d held someone to him. He’d forgotten what the warmth of another’s body was like, so calming and supportive. No matter how much he wanted to hate her, he just couldn’t find the feelings.
“Amelia.” The word slipped from his mouth as easily as if he’d been saying it all his life. “Her name is Amelia.”
***
Even though the garden was populated with many other guests taking a final midnight stroll before the solstice celebration came to a close, Ethan was alone. The night air was just the right temperature and he could smell the fresh cut grass around him. It had been a very busy evening and even though the last dance was coming to a close and many a woman had eyed him upon his exit he couldn’t bare another second closed off in the blistering ballroom.
He sat on a nearby bench and listened to soft fall breeze rustling the leaves and the tinkle of a wind chime in a tree above him. He was so caught up in the moment that he hadn’t noticed the woman walk up beside him.
“You know if you’re going to lead the elite someday you’ll have to try not to be so preoccupied.” She tucked her soft red skirt underneath her as she sat on the stone. “You always seem to be lost in thoughts.” Her long dark hair blew in the breeze brushing up against his arm. She smelled so… gentle. Like the first calming breath of a summer rose combined with the touch of each velvet petal.
“I was lost in the moment my lady. I wasn’t thinking here nor there, simply being in the now.” She wrapped her hand around his just like she’d done so many times when he was a boy, walking him around this very garden. That had been so long ago it could hardly be real.
“I too am lost in the now this evening.”
“And what is it that has you lost?” She instantly released his hand and reached for a soft pouch she’d been carrying. He hadn’t even noticed it. Her fingers reached in and pulled out something small and delicate but she kept it out of sight. With much care she placed a large ruby ring in his hand and then smiled softly. Ethan knew what the ring was, he’d heard about it many times in his life, however he’d never seen it and even though suspicion had crossed his mind he wasn’t expecting it on this night.
“My lady I cannot accept this. I am unworthy for such a token.”
Her smile was the kind a mother would give a child who had said something sweet and funny at the same time.
“Ethan you are the most worthy. Is there more worth than a mother’s approval?” She shook her head. “You are my choice. I know you will not let me down. You will protect and honor her as you have me. And I am sure when the time comes she will choose you.”
“But my lady it will not be my choice, nor yours. Perhaps she will want another.” She stood and squooze his hand tightly.
“She will love you very much Ethan. I’m sure of it. It is in her blood. Everything that Persaeus loves will shadow in comparison to you. And as far as it not being my decision, in your lifetime have you not come to learn that a mother’s hand can change the world?” She kissed his cheek before disappearing into the darkness.
He looked down at the ring with pride and hesitation. How could he feel so many emotions about one piece of jewelry? Some men would jump at a twenty year sentence to remain single. He stared down at the ruby set deeply in gold. He did love the child and he’d never doubted they’d be close. However, the idea that he was now saving his marriage rights for someone who hadn’t even learned to talk seemed morbid.
How could one person have changed the path of his life so easily? He slipped the thick ring on his right hand. It is an honor not a prison. There’d been so many women who’d tried to tie him down into a union. Sometimes at large gatherings, such as this one, he’d look out at the crowd at all of them and wonder which one if any would be the one he’d give his heart to. It had been so many years alone but he hadn’t found her yet. He was beginning to think it would never happen and the idea was fine with him. Now his choice was made and not even by his own doing.
“Persaeus.” He said allowed so quietly that it disappeared on the breeze before the sound was even lifted to his own ears. “Her name is Persaeus.”
