Vampire's Key - Chapter Six
Vampire's Key
Chapter Six
Lilly wiped her eyes and pushed away the dreadful memories. It had been two days and she hadn’t heard from Carl since his first text. He and the American had been airlifted rather dramatically from the car park, leaving Lilly to be driven home by three men and one woman in a blacked out 4x4.She wasn’t interested in the men’s conversation about the latest football transfers. Nor was the lady seated beside her. The only thing she’d said, in a strong Scottish accent, was to remark that Lilly was in shock. She’d looked like a bodyguard. Dressed in a black suit with short, dark hair and military shoes. Very flat and practical. Lilly’s mind had drifted, wondering what the woman would look like if she went out clubbing. Would the plain clothes action-girl transform into a glamorous body-con clad queen, or would she still be a drab plodding woman of the law?
Lilly didn’t know how long it had taken them to drive her home. She was dazed and tired but nevertheless declined their intentions to stay with her. They didn’t put up much of a fight and disappeared as quickly as they’d arrived.
Lilly checked her phone again. Still nothing. She’d been so worried about him that she’d phoned his workplace. They’d confirmed he was in private medical care but didn’t have a number. After much searching, she’d found it herself and rang them only to be told she could leave a message, but he wasn’t able to come to the phone.
Confused, she’d hung up and felt that nagging doubt pushing against her chest again.
“Stakes have no place in our world, but you can come with us...” It was the European’s words she heard in her mind, tainted with a soft Eastern European accent. “You can come with us...” Katie,Lilly remembered, that was her name.
Another memory forced Lilly up from her chair and rushing to the coat hooks in the hallway. Fumbling beneath their long winter coats and the summer ones that should already have been neatly stored in the wardrobe, she located the bag. The name of The Grimoirewas printed in silver against the black plastic, its tagline instructing customers to Unlock Your Power at London’s Foremost Hidden Book Store.
She returned to the lounge, grabbed her phone, which she rechecked for any messages, then headed upstairs with the bag in one hand and her phone in the other.
“It turns normal druggies insane,” she remembered Carl had texted as she washed and changed for bed. She opted to put on her favourite nightshirt, a maroon PJ dress with the words, ‘WARNING! TOO HOT TO HANDLE’ in bold across the front, then slipped into bed.
She plumped the pillows, pulled back the thick duvet and slipped beneath the covers. She didn’t like being in bed without him, though she had grown accustomed to it over the years. After his promotion, he was regularly away on business for long periods of time. When he returned they would always have a nice time together. She smiled, remembering some of the pleasant surprises she’d enjoyed when he got home after a lengthy business trip. He was always horny on those days and so was she.
She pulled out the two books from the bag. Vampires, she thought, feeling silly that she had even bought them. Vampires belong in movies and romantic stories. Not in the real world where real people get hurt. Still, she thought, picking up the first book, I did buy them.
‘Annis, A Vampire Glossary’, was the larger of the two. The embossed gold lettering felt pleasantly smooth as she ran her fingers over the cover, though the design was rather plain. A single key, hanging from a necklace, was set against a black backdrop. She placed it on her lap and examined the second book. Entitled ‘Legends From the Shadows’, it was much thinner. Its cloth dust jacket seemed bland and uninteresting. There was no image to convey its contents, nor a blurb on the back to give an idea of the stories it might contain. Opening the book, Lilly flicked through to the index and scanned down the list of contents.
Legends From The Shadows
Contents
Introduction
Annis My Goddess of White
Blood and Beauty
Lords of the Blood
Cave of the Goddess
To Hold the Key
The Countess
Blood Cult
The Gate
From Mother to Daughter
Seven Sisters
The Book of Annis
Despite the intriguing titles, Lilly guessed they were little more than old folk tales formed from a combination of an overactive imagination, exaggeration and innuendo. She closed the book, opting to go with the glossary first.
Pulling her knees up under herself, she rested the thick book on her thighs and decided to start at the beginning. There was no introduction so she thumbed to the first page. Images of interlinked bones created thick borders that surrounded the text. Each corner contained the symbol of a fish. Lilly thought it looked like a symbol she’d seen on cars with the word JESUS in the middle. There was a strange otherworldliness to the background patterns. They pulled Lilly towards the page. She wasn’t quite sure what it was, but then, looking closer, she realised there was a woman’s face staring back at her. Dark, warm eyes gazed intensely, drawing her in. Lilly snapped herself out of it. She smiled to herself. I’m being silly, she thought. Vampires don’t exist. Besides, Carl said it was caused by a new drug.
Finally, she returned to the page. Annis was the entry that jumped out at her. The other entries: Aging, Apotropaics and Astral, amongst others, would have to wait. Lilly started to read.
Annis
‘Annis is the first. Annis is the last. She is the Matriarchof Matriarchs. The Goddess of Goddesses. She birthed the world. Mother of the first. She is the White Goddess who empowers her daughters with life beyond the grave. A Goddess of Death who grants us power over life and the ability to step between the worlds.’
So this isover imagination, Lilly thought, remembering why she’d never been interested in religion. Too much vague symbolism and personal interpretation, and way too many hypocritical leaders. The text continued:
‘Annis resides in the Chthonic Underworld, with her consort Cernunnos. There, deep below the earth, she resonates through caves in the earth to speak with her daughters.
Legends hold that in the English counties of Lincolnshire, Leicestershire and Derbyshire, she speaks to those with a heart open to her call. From the sacred places of the Great Mother, gates appear where doors may open or close.
These doors open the vampire to her powers, enabling the few to slip through the physical realm and into the world of life beyond. This is the Gift of Annis.’
Okay, Lilly thought, so Annis is their goddess. But it doesn’t really tell me much about her. She lives in a cave, was an old goddess and has a partner with a strange name.
She decided to move on, thumbing a thick band of pages which she released slowly until she reached the letter M where she scanned down the list.
‘M: Magic, Maiden, Mark, Matriarch, Meditation, Mirrors, Moon, Mother
Matriarch: The Matriarch is the eldest. She is the mother of clans, the grandmother of daughters. The firstborn of Annis, she is birthed in blood and power. From her arise the Sisters of Annis.
She is the heart. Her power seeps through her daughters. Blood bound, she calls them to do her blood bidding. No daughter may resist the power of her Matriarch. Few Stakes have the strength to remove her from the physical world.
Her power is drawn from the well of the Tree of Bone. Her hearts are seven. She sees through seven eyes and listens with seven ears. She holds the keys to the seven gates. When she opens them they shall return and blood shall be spilled once more. Her life spans generations of slaughter. She is the keyholder. She who can open and close the doors.
Beware men!
Of the Matriarch!
For She shall seep into your dreams
And steal your power!
With a lock and a key.
She will dance away with your soul!’
What is this all about, Lilly wondered? It’s like reading a strange verse from the Bible.She sighed and flicked through the pages until she found another topic of interest.
The vibrant image of a naked woman with seven coloured spheres drawn along her spine caused Lilly to pause. A small text box had been placed beside each centre, indicating the function of its energy.
Lilly scanned the list. Connectedness was the name given to the ball of violet light at the top of the figure. Psychic Viewing was located between the eyebrows and was indigo in colour, while Communication was the name for the blue-throat centre. Empathy matched the green sphere of the heart with Willpower located at the yellow ball drawn over the solar plexus. Below these, located at the belly button, was the orange sphere entitled Birth and Sexual Power, with the final centre coloured red and marked as Physical Power at her groin.
The accompanying text suggested that a vampire can empower herself through feeding energetically on the human at these points, though it did not explain exactly how.
Lilly rested the book on her lap. The thought of the old woman feeding on Carl returned to haunt her. She shivered at the memory as though a cold hand had reached into her and clasped her heart in its boney fingers. The creature had grinned after she’d finished her bloody feeding. The shiny blood of her boyfriend coated the monsters black mouth. Lilly took a deep breath and exhaled violently in an attempt to force the image away from her. Slowly, she calmed her breathing until she felt her composure return.
Another memory slipped into Lilly’s mind. “Stakes have no place in our world,” Katie had said.
“Stakes,” Lilly repeated, picking up the book again. She skimmed through the pages with renewed energy, stopping at the entry that was topped by the heading ‘Spirit’. Stakes took up the rest of the two page spread.
‘Stakes,’ Lilly read. ‘Patriarchs. Vampire hunters. Brothers of Lazarus. Brethren of murder and misogyny.
From the ashes of the Jerusalem rose the men of murder. Hunters and destroyers of the Sisters.
Through history they work their black deeds lurking behind the murderous misogyny of the Inquisition and the dark ages of the Witch Trials.
Impotent men who make up for their inadequacies by impaling the daughters of Annis with large wooden stakes.
Fed by the power of the human world, they slither from their apotropaic-bound hiding places to perform their murderous deeds.’
Lilly looked up from her book. So is Carl a Stake,she wondered? But, what about his job in the office? He was a manager of twenty or more accountants, wasn’t he? His job had him working all over the country, and sometimes abroad. Something was wrong. She swallowed, scared that she had stumbled into a secret she’d rather not know. She returned to the entry.
‘Led by Europe’s aristocracy, for centuries they have hunted the Sisters.
Weapons of fire and steel are matched with the power and technology of science and the unshakeable belief that they are doing their god’s work.
They break all rules of chivalry and accept only death. They are the enemy of the Sisters of Annis and of women in general.’
Lilly pushed the book aside and lay back into her pillows. Annis,Stakes, sisters and daughters of blood. Gates and energy centres. What was going on? Was I really attacked by vampires? And yet the things I saw... Or was it all just mad women on drugs as Carl had said?She closed her eyes and quickly fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.
Lilly jolted awake. The bedroom was quiet and still. Everything was neat and tidy, just as Carl liked it. A sliver of light slipped through a crack in the centre of the curtains, forming a narrow band across the bedroom floor. The rest of the furniture was lost to the shadows that kept them wrapped in darkness. ‘A Vampire Glossary’ lay beside her.
She heard the breathing first. A slow, nasally inhalation, followed by a pause, followed by an exasperated exhalation. That was Carl, she was certain. She froze. Was he okay? Was he a vampire? Don’t be silly,she thought. It wasn’t a good sign if he wasn’t speaking. “Carl?” she asked, holding back the fear as best she could. Still no answer. Oh god, what is going on?“Carl, is that you?” She wasn’t sure what was worse, Carl in a bad mood or a stranger. Either would be dreadful — though at least a stranger might attack and then leave, never to return again.
The man cleared his throat. She knew then that it was Carl. Her heart raced. “Carl!” she said, staring towards the chair in the corner. The shadows refused to surrender him. Another breath. Deeper this time. More like a sigh. A tired, what-did-I-tell-you sigh. The kind of sigh that she was familiar with. A sigh that ended in violence. “Carl, where’ve you been?” she asked. Her heart struck her rapidly from the inside. Her covers felt heavy. She thought about throwing them off, but favoured the sense of protection they offered.
Carl exhaled. An exasperated breath that shook her to the core.
“Carl, this isn’t funny.”
Still nothing.
“Carl for God’s sake speak to me.” Her stomach muscles tightened, almost cramping.
He sighed again, then said, “It’s me.”
“Oh my god, you scared me!” Lilly exclaimed.
Carl didn’t get up.
“I’ve been so worried,” she revealed, sitting up. “Where were you? I thought you’d call.”
“I was busy.”
“Busy?” Lilly frowned, then asked cautiously, “Doing what?”
The sudden burst of light from the lamp beside Carl’s chair caused her eyelids to spasm. Carl was seated beside it, his legs crossed, dressed in a black leather jacket and dark jeans. They looked new and expensive and suited him. She swallowed at the sight of the vampire book on his lap. His fingers returned to rest on its cover. “Yes, busy,” he repeated.
Lilly nodded, trying to remain enthusiastic and positive despite the sinking feeling that was slowly dragging her downwards. She forced herself to smile. “Well, you’re home now,” she began. “Shall I get you something to e—”
“What is this?” Carl asked, holding the book up.
“Nothing.” Lilly bit her lip. “I mean...” she smiled again, desperate to relieve the tension he was creating. “I bought it. I was interested.”
“In vampires?” He stared at her through sharp blue eyes, like a shark waiting for its prey to make a wrong move.
“I was just interested,” Lilly protested. “It’s all—”
“I told you it was drugs.”
“I know, I just—”
“What? You just what?”
Lilly swallowed again, watching Carl flip the book through his hands.
“I was just interested. I mean. Drugs? Carl, I saw you disappear. She called you a Stake. What is that?”
Carl’s voice was low and even. “I just told you it was drugs. So leave it.”
“What aren’t you telling me? Are you a Stake?”
His face tightened and he looked away. “Two fucking days,” he said. “I’ve been gone two fucking days and you come up with this bullshit.” He launched the book at her before she could react. It hit her squarely in the face, almost catching her left eye. Thankfully it was the thinner of the two.
“Carl! Calm down!”
“You’re reading about fucking vampires?” he spat, getting up from his chair. His voice was low, almost inaudible, but clear enough with malevolence to be unmistakable.
Lilly moved backwards in the bed. The pillow and headboard held her in place like an unwelcome associate of her abuser. She raised her arms as he reached for her. His right hand slapped the top of her head, right to left, then left hand mirroring.
“You fucking bitch! I’ve told you in the past not to go out. You fucking disobeyed me. I’ve been laid up in hospital. Unable to move. I was so worried, I asked my bosses if I could come and get you. I thought those bitches had infected you. I thought you’d been hurt, or worse. And yet here you are, fine and fucking dandy. Going out shopping. Making new fucking friends.”
“New friends?”
“Who’s Sophie?” he asked, showing Lilly her phone.
“I didn’t—”
Carl’s large frame loomed over her. “Don’t fucking lie to me you fucking bitch! I’ve seen your fucking phone. Who the fuck is Sophie? The girl that works at The fucking Grimoire?”
“Carl, I—I’m sorry,” Lilly stammered, holding the covers tightly over her. “I was scared. I’m sorry I didn’t wait. I didn’t know what to do. I was worried about you. I was scared. I needed you and I didn’t even know where you were. I told you, I rang everyone and everywhere. Where were you?”
“Liar!”
The next slap stung even harder and knocked Lilly back into the pillow. He grabbed her hair and pulled her forward then shoved her back again. Another slap followed. Then another. She hit back after that. As hard as she could, punching his chest. His large hand swamped hers and he lifted her upwards, ripping her nightshirt as he dragged her up from the bed. “Carl, stop!” Lilly cried out.
“What did you fucking say?” Carl asked.
“I said stop! You fucking bastard! What man beats his girlfriend all the time? What man treats her like shit and blames her for everything? You’re not a fucking man. You’re a fucking bully. I saw you,” Lilly challenged, her voice low and even as she ripped her hand from Carl’s grip. “I saw you. You were a scared little boy. They beat you. They fucking beat you. She could have killed you and I’d have been fucking glad if she had. You bastard!”
“Bastard? You fucking bitch!” Carl’s fury erupted. Fists pummelled into Lilly. He grabbed her hair again, ripping a chunk from her scalp, then punched her in the stomach. Again and again and again the blows rained into her. Winded, Lilly gasped for air. She tried to crawl away, but was thrown back on the bed, where he stripped her naked.
Something died in Lilly that night; a part of her fled, leaving a gaping emptiness in her soul. She knew then, lying beneath the monster, that she had only one choice now. She had to find the Sisters of Annis.
Vampire’s Key
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