Dark Requiem (The Darkling Trilogy, Book 3) (12 page)

These people were
celebrating because they believed the earthly incarnation of the
goddess of the moon, a deity the Enwa people believed would save
them from the destruction that had been foretold in a prophecy, had
been found.

His mouth curled in anger.
Many years ago the goddess of the moon had revealed herself to him.
Akan did not know what he would find in that temple, but he was
sure it was not the goddess.

He entered into the large
space that had been a source of peace for him since he gave up the
life of a warrior some years ago. There were no windows in the
temple and although torches were lit along the walls, gloom had
collected within the large, open space. Imposing wooden carvings of
the sky gods stood along the walls, almost as high as the ceiling,
adorned with gold. Doors behind the effigies led to smaller rooms
within the temple. A large, gold-plated altar dominated its back
wall. In front of the altar was a raised, gold-plated platform that
sat roughly half a metre off the ground. Numerous attendants stood
in silence beneath the carved effigies. The temple elders, or ruler
priests, sat on the floor in rows on either side of the altar with
various other prominent members of the community. Akan had no real
interest in being one of the ruling elite, but the numerous battles
he had won for the village had elevated him to that position, and
so meetings like this had become a requirement.

Mutata, the chief elder,
stood before the ruling elite, blocking something upon the raised
platform behind him. His oily, black hair hung to his upper back,
he had a pinched nose, cruel lips and beady eyes set in a meaty
face. Of all the ruling elders, he was the only one who insisted on
performing the monthly sacrifices himself.

Akan moved toward the
group of men only to come to a stop when Mutata stepped aside, and
he saw what sat on the raised platform before the altar. The snake
venom that had already flooded his chest began to boil his blood. A
vein pulsed at his temple when his gaze once more returned to
Mutata.

Mutata had returned from a
short journey a week ago claiming to have found the earthly
incarnation of the goddess of the moon. Akan had known immediately
it was a deception. What he had not expected was that the one he
chose, who now sat cross legged on the gold platform, would be so
young.

She was a mere child with
soft golden brown skin that had seen too few warm seasons. Her
features were like that of a bird’s, her jet black hair pulled into
a bun atop her head and adorned with crimson flowers. She was
dwarfed by the golden altar behind her and sat fidgeting, weighed
down by a heavy tangle of gold jewellery about her neck which
reached her stomach. Her slender wrists were also weighed down by
more jewellery. Clearly not used to sitting still for such long
periods of time, her eyes were glazed over as she listened to
Mutata talk.

Akan did not know where
Mutata found this child, but she was probably used to much poverty
and hardship, judging by the way her eyes widened in awe whenever
one of the attendants brought in yet another tray of food. A smile
of wonder crossed her lips as she gazed at the meats and various
sweet things, her tongue darting out of her mouth to lick her lips
ravenously. Whenever she was addressed by one of the temple elders,
she tensed, her eyes darting to Mutata.

Of course, he answered for
her.

For a moment Akan’s anger
melted away and an icy chill descended on him. This child was the
perfect pawn for Mutata to use to rule unchallenged.

“
Akan.” It was Mutata who
noticed him. “Finally you have come to pay your respects to the
goddess, our divine mother, and to have the privilege of kneeling
before her earthly incarnation.”

Akan moved toward the
child almost as if in a trance. She tore her gaze away from the
food and glanced at him with an indulgent smile, that of a child to
a pet dog when it returns with the stick you have thrown. That was
when he saw her eyes—her irises—which were orbs of charcoal
surrounded by a topaz blue ring. Her smile disappeared when she saw
his expression and the fury burning in his eyes. Towering over all
of the villagers and with his body covered with numerous scars,
Akan was a fearsome sight for most men to behold without the rage
that currently lit his eyes. Fear passed over the child’s features,
the fear of a child, pure and absolute. A tense silence surrounded
those gathered in the temple as he stood before the child, trying
to decide whether he should kneel before the imposter or take out
the knife at his waist and slit her throat.

It would surely earn him a
slow, painful death, but at least the village would be spared
Mutata’s rule—for as long as he controlled the false goddess, the
village would be defenceless against him.

After what seemed an age,
Akan got to his knees and lay prostrate before the child. When he
arose, he saw there was still fear in her eyes and her hands were
tightly clasped in her lap. He moved to seat himself keeping his
gaze lowered, the snake venom still heating his blood.

I awoke to utter darkness,
my heart a painful thump against my chest. Akan, the walled
village, the little girl before the gold altar. It had all been so
real and for a moment I stared around me, unsure of where I was or
what I was seeing

Then I remembered I was at
the mansion, in Avery’s room. For some reason anxiety reverberated
within when I found myself alone in the bed, Avery gone.

I scrambled out of the
bed.

“
Avery? Avery!”

He was in the room a
moment later. His eyes were wide with fright and he was pale. When
he saw there appeared to be nothing seriously wrong, some of the
colour returned to his face although he was still tense.

“
What is it,
Dallas?”

I couldn’t answer, only
stare at him, unable to understand why I had felt such anxiety at
waking to find him gone. After a few moments I moved to him and
threw my arms around him. At first he just stood there, then he
held me tightly to him.

“
It’s all right, Dallas.
Mallory wasn’t seriously hurt. She’s fine now.”

I buried myself against
his chest. “I...I just can’t believe I almost killed
her.”

He continued to hold me.
When I glanced up at him he was looking off into the distance and I
thought I saw hopelessness in the downward turn of his lips and his
eyes shuttered by eyelids heavy with thick dark lashes. After a few
moments he released me.

“
Go and get dressed. I
need to take you somewhere.”

“
Where are—?”

He cupped my face in both
his hands and tried to smile reassuringly. When he spoke his voice
was gentle.

“
Go on, Dallas. I’ll be
waiting by the car.”

He turned away, anxiety in
the set of his shoulders and the way his gaze moved uneasily away
from mine. The air around him shimmered and he vanished. I was left
alone once more, trying not to think of the dream, of the child
goddess and the fear in her eyes as she gazed up at
Akan.

***

We drove for about an hour
away from the mansion, mainly in silence, until we came to a rural
road with empty open land on either side. I could see trees huddled
against the night in the distance. The moon hung proud but desolate
above us in a starless obsidian sky. We drove to the end of the
road and came to a stop. Avery parked the car and we left it
behind, entering the sparse smattering of trees. He didn’t object
when I took his hand, probably didn’t even realise just how tight
he held onto it.

As we walked, I stole
glances at him, still in awe of how beautiful he was. He wore
shorts with a T-shirt and runners. His hair, as always, was combed
back from his face. Anyone who looked at him would see what
appeared to be a young, handsome, wealthy male who didn’t have a
care in the world. They could never have guessed how long he had
been on this Earth, how much he had seen over the centuries. Or of
how unhappy and lonely he had been for so long. I wished
desperately I could take away all his pain, remove the burden he
carried—inject joy into his world. But as he had said the night I
came to the mansion, I was a poor substitute for Luna and in my
heart I was beginning to believe it.

We eventually came to a
large pond that was almost hidden by trees. A fallen tree lay
forlorn in water turned a dark moss green by the dark. He came to a
stop and we waited.

“
What are we doing here,
Avery?”

He didn’t answer, his eyes
hooded as he stared into the trees to his left. It was a moment
before I heard the sound of feet pressing carefully through the
undergrowth. She came into view a few minutes later. She had a
rosewood complexion and long dreads swept into a bun atop her head.
I felt a pang when I recalled that my aunt sometimes wore her hair
that way. The girl’s lean, delicate face was placid, her eyes dim
as she came to a stop before us, completely under Avery’s command.
Her scent filled my nostrils, bringing on that feverish yearning
which made my body shiver in response. Fear touched me and I
remembered the waking dream and the yearning for blood that could
never be assuaged. And although my stomach twisted in dread, I
couldn’t deny the longing the girl’s scent awakened in
me.

“
Her name is Jessica,”
Avery said. “She’s twenty-one and has a young child. Both her
parents died in a car crash a few years ago and her—”

“
This is so pretty,” I
said sadly, my thoughts on my aunt as I reached for the girl’s
wrist so I could peer at a bracelet she wore.

It was made out of blue
and white beads.

“
Dallas, please focus.
This is important. You will have to drink from a human being today.
You’re already quite weak and you’ll keep getting weaker. Think
about what happened with Mallory—”

“
Avery, I have to talk to
you about that. It was as if something—”

“
I know. I’ve given this a
lot of thought. Whatever happened to make you attack her, it will
be easier to control if you’re not constantly warring within,
trying to fight the hunger. You have to start drinking human blood.
So take this seriously.”

“
I am taking this
seriously, Ave. I was just admiring her bracelet, that’s
all.”

“
Well, look into her mind.
She made it herself. She’s very creative. You have to drink her
blood, Dallas, but you won’t drink more than you need. Like Luna,
you’re stronger than I am so I won’t be able to overpower you if
need be.” He smiled then and squeezed my hand, his gaze growing
tender. “You can do this, Dallas.”

He took her arm and
brought her wrist to my face, the wrist with the blue and white
bracelet.

“
Ready?”

I stared at the girl, my
thirst a dry, painful ache. I didn’t want to do this, especially
since I couldn’t stop thinking of my aunt. I knew it was a mistake,
but I could sense Avery’s desperate need for me to control my
bloodlust enough to drink from someone and not kill them. So
reluctantly I nodded, took her wrist in my trembling hand and bit
into it.

Blood flooded my mouth and
I was caught instantly in a crimson funnel dragging me mercilessly
into its depths, sending me hurtling along a vortex of raw
bliss.

The girl, Avery, the pond,
disappeared.

Too late, I felt a
warning, that truck bearing down on me, but the blood. The blood
consumed me and I tumbled into darkness.

***

I was wrenched out of the
darkness to find myself standing elsewhere beneath an old, gnarled
tree that appeared to be almost as ancient as the moon.

“
Dallas,
Dallas
!”

It was Avery shouting my
name. He sounded so far away.

“
Avery?” My voice sounded
small and my head tingled.

He materialised in
mid-stride a few metres from me and came to a stop, fear marking
his handsome face along with something else, something I couldn’t
quite identify as he stared at me, his body tensed as if ready to
launch into an attack.

“
What happened?” I asked,
taking a step back to look around me. “Why—?”

I stopped for I had almost
tripped over something. I looked down to see the girl lying on the
ground, her eyes open in a blind stare, blood oozing from the bite
mark on her wrist. The pretty bracelet I had been admiring was
splattered with it. Her head lay in what would have been an
excruciating angle had she still been alive.

I screamed.

“
Jessica!” I sank to my
knees and shook her. “Jessica! Avery, do something. Help
her!”

I looked up to see him
staring at the dead girl, his face devoid of emotion. I brought my
hand to my mouth, felt blood on my lips and gasped in
horror.

I remembered what happened
now.

By the pond beneath the
bleak light of the moon, I disappeared into the crimson vortex and
that cold malice seized control. Whilst my consciousness looked on
helplessly as if from a distant place, my body drank from the girl
only to pull away, keeping hold of her wrist. I peered at Avery to
see pleasure and relief breaking across his face.