Immortal Beauty (35 page)

“Celine I beg of you to thinnk again of what you’re doing. You said it yourself tonight that is was because of them you have become immortal. They are responsible for your life today. We have got to reconsider.” Marcel was pleading with his wife and it was obvious that she was the one in control of their relationship. It was also obvious over dinner where her husband sat sheepishly by her side never uttering a word allowing her to carry on in her regal pretentious manner.

“They are also responsible for me bing locked in this cave for centuries!” Her voice carried venomous tones. “They must be punished for what they did to me. There’s no turning back Marel. We must do this together as we agreed.”

Rene listened more closely. So this was all a ruse to gain their trust? He knew it was too good to be true. He couldn’t wait to get back to his friends and warn them but he needed as much information as he could glean so he remained perfectly still.

“Celine! Now that we’ve met them you’ve got to feel differently about them. I know I do! They could be our friends and our family. Don’t you realize everyone we know is going to grow old and die over and over again? We could have a real family and be ourselves with no pretense. It could be glorious, it could be..” Celine cut him off sharply.

“Marcel you are living in a fantasy! They will turn on us eventually. They came here searching for the waters. Now that they found them don’t you think that they will want to control them? To control us? Don’t be so naïve Marcel it’s beneath you!” There was a long pause and finally Marcel spoke and Rene could hear the fear in his words.

“Celine, tell me the truth. Did you kill my family?” He could barely get the words out.

“Did I what?” She bellowed and the cavern echoed her anger. “Don’t be ridiculous! They ate poisoned mushrooms. You know that as well as I do. It could have happened to anyone. don’t change the subject and do not accuse me of such terrible things. I won’t stand for it. How could you even ask me such a thing? I gave you eternal life and this is how you repay me?” She was so furious that Rene thought she might attack her awestruck husband.

“You never gave me a choice.” Marcel said with an enormity of despondency. “You never asked me if I wanted this. You never told me what the waters would do to me.” His last sentence sounded more like a sigh.

“I can’t believe this. I give you what the rest of the world has been searching for since the beginning of time and you are complaining about it? Really Marcel what has gotten into you tonight?” Celine laughed at the absurdity of it all. “Perhaps we are just tired and are saying things we don’t mean. Of course I forgive you for your accusations and we shall never speak of it again. As for the others lets not do anything until we find the fourth. She’s got to be out there somewhere. Do you think it is a coincidence that three of them have come back at the same time? After all these lifetimes they are finally converging. Now they outnumber us and soon they will be stronger than the two of us and then what? Something is happening. I can feel it.” There was a long pause and Rene waited anxiously to hear more. After the longest of pauses Celine finally spoke in a faint whisper. “Marcel, someone is listening to us. I can sense it.” With that Rene took off running down the long hallway. He could hear the golden door being pushed open and saw a flicker of light from behind him. He prayed they couldn’t see him. He was almost back in the gallery with it’s beautiful windows and self indulgent furnishinhgs when he felt the air disappear from around him. He couldn’t breathe and he couldn’t move. Something was happenig to him and he felt Celine and Marcel move in behind him.

“You see? Already they are spying on us in our own home!” Celine was no longer whispering. “They haven’t even been here one day and they are plotting against us. I told you Marcel. This is the only way.” Celine moved around in front of him. She was bristling with anger and Rene could feel an invisible energy emanate from her body. He thought he saw the emeralds around her neck begin to glow with an unearthly light. “My dear Rene. How unfortunate for you that I can sense things unseen. A rat in the cellar is what I feel now.” Rene still couldn’t breathe and felt himself becoming faint. He watched as if from a distance as Celine raised her hands out toward him. There was no mistaking it. The jewels on her fingers were lit up like candles. She did not touch him but held her palms outward as her eyes raised up into her head revealing the eerie whiteness of the dead making her appear of some sort of demon. He could feel something else now. A vibration seemed to be coming out of the earth. He soon realized that the tremor was coming from him. His whole body startedt to convulse and Celine gasped as if she were exerting herself to the limits of her power. He heard Marcel shout.

“Celine no! Control yourself!” It was the last thing he ever heard. His body exploded outward into thousands of little bloody pieces covering Celine and the Count with blood and bits of bone and gore. Marcel fell to the ground crying and Celine regained her former composure.

“There is no time for tears Marcel! We’ve got to clean up this mess and come up with an explanation to the others why their friend decided to leave in the middle of the night. Honestly, sometimes I think you begave just like a little girl. Be a man for once and help me!” There was a note of irritation in her voice and nothing more. She felt no regret and no remorse over what she had just done so impulsively and so heartlessly. Human life meant nothing to her. Marcel knew in that moment it was Celine who killed his wife and children and that she would kill anyone who stood in her way. It was clear to him for the first time that the woman from the cave was stark raving mad. He realized in that frozen instant of horror what he had to do. First it was her own father and now her beloved husband began to formulate a plan on how to seal the monster back up in the cave underneath the sloping hill that his home was built upon. He would be the guardian of the pool of Locium now and for the first time in his newly eternal life he was not alone. He had friends and allies even if he needed them. It was up to him to warn Nyorin and Skyfire before it was too late. They would even help him banish her to her former prison. He knew it was the only solution and if he did not act quickly more innocent people were about to die.

OLD FRIENDS

Sasha walked into the study after being announced by Virginie. She saw that a man was seated at a black leather chair with his back to her. Her pulse raced at the thought of seeing him again. She remembered Marcel very well and had mixed feelings about all of this mess but she wanted to waste no more time. She coughed nervously and he stood up and faced her. He was exactly the same. Of course his hair and clothing were different but his face had not changed at all. He moved toward her timidly with a look of genuine pleasure on his handsome face.

“Sasha! I’m glad you’re up. How are you feeling?” He was talking to her as if nothing strange at all were happening. This was the most unreal moment of all to Sasha. In all this insanity he was pretending that it was business as usual. Maybe for him it was but for Sasha it was the most bizarre week of her entire life.

“So, what are you calling yourselves these days?” She remained stiff and unapproachable.

“You can call me Marcus. Everybody does.” Sasha looked at his eyes and remembered the kindness and softness that had always been there. No he had not changed one bit.

“Well Marcus. Thank you for scooping me up off the sidewalk like that. I am very thankful of course but these guys had just tried to kill me.” She tried to sound as nonchalant as he did but failed utterly. Her voice sounded like a nervous stranger to her.

“Yes. Celine must have sent them after you. She probably wanted you out of the way before you awakened. Please have a seat. Would you like tea or coffee?” He motioned to another chair that looked just as comfortable as his.

“No thank you. I had some upstairs.” She sat down at his request. She wasn’t sure how to proceed and at the moment all she could think about was Taylor. Looking around at the heavy masculine room filled with antiquities from all around the world she waited for him to speak.

“I can’t tell you how happy I am that you’re finally here. I was so afraid that Celine was going to get you before we could.” He seemed just as shy as she remembered. “I hope that your room is comfortable. If there is anything you want or need all you have to do is ask. This house belongs to you.” He relaxed back into the soft black leather without a sound.

“Belongs to me? How do you figure that Marcus?” I thought this was your home.” She couldn’t help but find herself a little more than curious. She looked around at all of the books in the shelves that lined every wall. It certainly was a warm and comfortable room. Like all of the house it sought to wrap one in it’s protective cocoon, shutting out all the noise and inconvenience of modern life.

“Oh this is one of my homes, but it has been yours before. Do you remember in the late seventeen hundreds when you were the mistress of this place? I remember that you were very happy here.”

“I was happy here because I didn’t remember a damn thing Marcus. I was who I was at that time and nobody else. I was happy here in Paris in the twenty first century until I remembered just who or what I am. Now I doubt I’ll ever know anything like happiness again knowing that Celine is going to kill us all again like she has so many times in the past. Taylor is probably dead as we speak.” The hard words came out before she could stop herself.

“Oh I doubt that Sasha. Taylor has awakened as well. He knows how dangerous Celine is. I don’t think she’ll be able to catch him off guard. You must remember how very clever he is.” Sasha still couldn’t get used to the idea that they were casually discussing past lives and people getting killed as if they were discussing the local scandal. It was no big deal and this bothered her more than she cared to admit.

“Listen Marcel..or Marcus or whoever the hell you are-” Marcus stopped her with a wave of his hand.

“You know who I am Sasha. We have always been allies in the war against Celine. There is no use quibbling now. We don’t have much time.”

“Time?” Sasha tried not to yell and found it very difficult. “That’s all we have Marcus! We have all the time in the world!” She laughed out loud at how absurd her entire life had just become. There was a knock at the door and Marcus called out:

Please come in!” He spoke very softly and very slowly. “Sasha, I’d like to re-ntroduce you to some old friends.” Frankie and Claire came into the study. Claire was dressed all in white in a simple dress that flowed straight down from her shoulders to her knees. The dress had a total flapper vibe from the 1920’s and suited her perfectly. With her light hair and colorless skin she almost looked like a beautiful ghost. She wore a string of pearls around her neck and the black bird was nowhere in sight. She looked at Sasha impassively.

“I’m sorry I sent the birds after you. It was the only way I could get away from you.” She smiled the falsest of smiles.

“Oh I’m sure there’s nothing to forgive. Just be thankful I didn’t remember how to kick your ass at that point.” Sasha stared at Claire savagely and had to control the urge to pop her one right in that beautiful China doll mouth.

“You two have met?” Marcus asked incredulously. Sahsa turned to him and said sarcastically. “Oh didn’t she tell you? She warned me that Taylor was in trouble and then sent a flock of birds after me like some God damned Alfred Hitchcock movie.” At this Frankie started laughing uncontrollably.

“God I’ve missed you! It’s been so dull around here with just these two for company. You must remember how boring Claire is and Marcus, well as nice as he is he simply is a dud.” He moved forward to embrace Sasha and she recoiled visibly.

“Look I don’t mean to be rude.” She said after realizing how mean she was being to these people who had been mostly nothing but kind to her. “This is all just a little too weird for me and the weirdest thing is everyone is acting like it’s so normal!” She tried to explain herself to the likable Frankie who was pouting like a spoiled child.

“Oh it’s normal for us darling. You’ll get used to it.” Frankie was all smiles again.

“Claire what did you mean confronting Sasha like that? I warned you about such a thing.” Marcus was furious. Claire simply looked at him with the same uninterested look she always gave him.

“Oh Marcus.” Claire sighed audibly. “Give it a rest. Her boyfriend was in trouble and she was the only one who could get to the lab. It all worked out well anyway. She got him out of there.” She turned her gaze to Sasha as if she were impressed by her recent deeds.

“Where is Taylor now? I’ve got to find him.” Sasha looked at all three of them imploringly. She tried not to sound too concerned. Nobody spoke for a long minute and then Marcus told her quietly.

“He went back to Orleans and broke into the lab. We haven’t seen or heard from him in two days. I’m sorry Sasha.” Marcus reached for a glass of water and Sasha suddenly found herself craving for something to drink. The thought of something cool and refreshing washed away all else. Water. She resisted the urge. She wanted to have nothing to do with this infernal water and all the suffering it had caused through the ages. She wanted only to save Taylor and once and for all get rid of Celine. Her thoughts danced round and round in her head trying to formulate an idea.

“Listen. I know I’m new at this, but I remember fighting Celine. I remember her deciving us and killing us more than once. We keep coming back right? Maybe the reason we keep coming back is to finally stop her. Maybe that’s why we keep returning because somehow we always fuck it up you know?” She looked around for an ounce of support.

“She’s got a point Marcus. You were always such a softie and each time you trusted Celine or let her go her own way suffering has always followed. Maybe Sasha is on to something. Maybe if we get rid of Celine we break this damn curse.” Frankie had sidled up to Sasha and she couldn’t stop herself from smiling at him.

“Well, she’s right about one thing. We have to stop her. She’s up to something big this time and this time it doesn’t just involve us. She’s tampering with the fate of humanity and it’s not hers to tamper with.” Marcus was completely grave. “She told me that she found a way to replicate the water. I think she is going to offer it as a cure to aging. I think she’s going to sell the water as a tonic against old age and death.” He sounded resigned as if he didn’t have the strength left to fight these battles anymore.