The Unmaking (The Rayne Whitmore Series Book 1) (18 page)

            “Rayne. It is especially
good to see you this day,” Lawrence tells me, eying my legs for a few seconds
longer.

            “As it is to see you Lawrence,”
I smile as I respond with my own greeting.

            He claps his hands
together and waves me toward him. “Come, let us not delay. I have a gift that
is ready for you.”

            A gift? Sounds
interesting. I follow Lawrence into the workspace and immediately the scent of
something burning hits my nose. I frown. Hopefully, he didn’t cook for me.

            “Come, come, Rayne.” He
pulls me closer and points to the table.

            There, lying on the table
is a beautiful katana with a snake’s tail carved expertly from the tip of the blade,
seemingly wrapping itself around the entire katana until its deadly looking
fangs reach near the hilt causing it to look as if it’s coming out of the
snake’s mouth. The blade itself is white as snow reflecting back at me like a
mirror. White steel? The hilt itself is wrapped with purple cloth making the
diamond pattern that katana’s have. The curve of the blade is perfect, the
craftsmanship sharp. I gasp at the beauty of it, almost afraid to touch it. I
look at Lawrence who seems confident in my reaction and his work.

            “Go ahead and pick it up.
It is yours.”

            I run a couple fingers
lightly over this deadly tool before lifting it. It feels so much lighter than
I expected and I half wonder if it will even do any damage.

            Lawrence must have read my
mind because he says, “In our realm, we have a special metal that I use when I
forge my weapons. The metal is extremely light and incredibly strong. I also
spelled it which gave it its white blade. Blood will run off of it easily. The
katana isn’t indestructible, but it can slice through much more than you’ll
ever be able to with a weapon made on your plane.”

            I decide to test his
claim. I walk back out into the open. Then, I run full speed at the trees and
swing down my blade diagonally with as much power as I can muster. The katana
slices through four regular sized branches as if it were nothing more than warm
butter. I nod in approval and turn back toward Lawrence who is grinning from
ear to ear with his arms across his chest.

            “Thank you Lawrence.
You’ve been really good to me here. You found the demon that killed my family
and you’ve helped make me into something I’ve never even dreamed of being. In
the beginning, I wanted to kill you for all that you put me through. Now,
you’ve given me this weapon. I appreciate it all,” I say with a couple tears in
my eyes. Who would have thought that girly me would get choked up about a
weapon. I wonder what I’d look like with a sword strapped to my back and
designer heels. Damn, I couldn’t wait to wear some high boots.

            “It has been nothing short
of an adventure. I will not soon forget your strength and courage,” Lawrence
says honestly. We both smile, then, he’s back to business.

            “There are a couple things
you need to know about your sword as it is no ordinary object. Your sword must
have a name. It must feel as though it has a bond with you in order for it grow
in power as you grow. Your sword was not only forged from our steel, but Diana
herself put some magic inside the blade which materialized as the serpent that
now winds itself within the steel. The snake is the symbol of Immortality. It
also represents cunning, fierceness, and flexibility. Thus, with the katana and
a piece of our magic, you should be able to find victory in your battles. But
remember, the sword will only be as strong as its master,” Lawrence speaks like
an instructor who is just as excited to be teaching as the student is to learn.

            It doesn’t take me long to
come up with a name. Lawrence has already said it and it sounds fitting to me.
“Well, this is a katana and I want to honor the culture of the blade itself. Do
you know a Japanese name that means ‘victory’ Lawrence?” I ask.

            He thinks for a minute,
undoubtedly trying to recall all of the languages that he’s learned over the
years. Finally, he says, “Katsu. It roughly means, to win.”

            I say it in my head then
finally aloud. “Katsu. I like it. That’s my sword’s name. Katsu.” Just then,
the tattoo on my chest comes alive with a warm tingling and a glow. I look down
at the sword and realize that it’s responding to its name through my mark. I
smile and think that it must like its name. Naming things give them power in
the world of the awakened.

            “Good. The next thing you
need to know is that you can glamour your sword so that it remains unseen.
Since you have named your sword and it reacted through your bond, you should
simply be able to think what you want your sword to do, such as be invisible,
and it should. But know that it will only be hidden from normal humans and low
level awakeneds. Those that are probably going to be your opponents will be
aware of your blade’s presence.”

            I nod again in
understanding and once again look down at my sword as Lawrence hands me its
sheath. Very soon this beautiful blade will run red with blood. I’d have to
kill to get my justice, and I thought I was ready for that, but maybe I’m
really not.

            Oh hell, now is not the
time to be having second thoughts. I’ve killed before, so what is the issue,
why is this so real to me now? I almost have the urge to drop the sword and run,
suddenly feeling sick. Lawrence catches my expression and gently takes the
sword from my hands.

            “Are you ill young
warrior?” he asks.

            I shake my head, trying to
rid myself of the uncertainty I just felt and then I start to feel better. “No.
I’m okay. I just think reality has begun to set in about what I’m getting ready
to have to do,” I admit.

            “You have come so far in
this time. Your heart has a fighter’s rhythm. You will succeed in your quest as
long as you stay clear headed. Do not let the hatred consume you.”

            “I will do my best.”

            “Good. Now, I have one
last thing for you to do,” Lawrence begins, but I cut him off.

            “Wait. Before you tell me
what it is, I have to warn you that today, Selene said that I’m all hers, or
else.”

            Lawrence voice booms with
laughter. “That witch of yours is truly something else. Fine, fine. Still, you
will need your rest anyway, for tomorrow, you go hunting.”

            “For?” I ask, curious
about what could I possibly be going after.

            “You, young warrior, will
be hunting down a lamia.”

            “Uh, what the hell is
that?” I ask not remembering if I had learned about this.

            “A lamia is a type of
demon that devours children. They can take the form of an adult woman, but
their lower half is actually that of a serpent. They are also very cunning. It
will be a good challenge for you to prove if you are truly ready to hunt and
fight on your own. However, I do understand that you are more than eager to
track down the person responsible for the deaths of your kin. If you do not
think it is necessary to go on this hunt, then I certainly will not stop you or
object. Either way, tomorrow you will return home,” Lawrence explains.

            I think about my options
for a few seconds then ask, “Is this lamia on the hunt now? And if so, how many
deaths have been confirmed?”

            “Well, when I first was
hunting down your demon I learned about it and the death toll was at six. I
decided to ask a source about it and the last count was about twenty three.”

            “What?!” I exclaim. “So,
you knew about this thing killing many months ago? It has been killing children
and you didn’t even attempt to stop it?” I was incredulous.

            “Human affairs in your
world are not truly my concern Rayne. This is why we give you power; it is not
our job to fight your battles,” he says sternly.

            My anger fumes. “But you
were close. You could have saved about twenty children’s lives. Dammit Lawrence
does that even mean anything to you at all? Besides, I’m sure there hasn’t been
another like me in hundreds of years. There is no other but me. How many have
died because there was no one to fight for them!”

            Lawrence stares me deep in
my eyes and for a second I see a hatred in his own beautiful green depths.
“Humans kill and kill each other all the time, so what is the difference? There
is no other race, not one, that murders their own the way you humans do. You
who are short lived see no value in life at all. Yet, here you are with the
audacity to try to preach to me about what I should
have done!”

            “Have we not done enough
in our pledge to your kind? Have I not taken you in and given you the tools to
do more than anyone of you kind had ever thought possible? You are young, and
you are naïve, and I am not your enemy here today. You cannot and will not save
everyone. You will destroy yourself in the process of attempting to do so. Now,
you can take what I have given you and go on the hunt in the morning, or you
can accept that this lamia will kill again, that there are other things out
there that will kill again, and if you truly want to save your kind, then maybe
you should turn Katsu upon mankind itself.”

            His words are harsh and
the cut deep, leaving tiny stings within my heart.

            We stare down each other
for a few minutes, not speaking a word. My knuckles turn white from clinching
the hilt of my sword too strongly. Finally, I turn and storm away from
Lawrence, leaving him alone in the forest and calling after me.

            “Surely, I have raised a
fool!”

            I honestly don’t know how
I ended back at our room with the red I was seeing, but somehow, I managed.
Selene takes one look at my face, strides towards me, takes Katsu from my hand
and pulls me into a warm, comforting embrace. I allow her scent to wash over me
and then, I cry. After feeling the release of tears come to an end, I pull away
from Selene and she stays silent as she waits for me to tell her what’s going
on. I start from the beginning and then describe how I exploded on Lawrence
about the lamia.

            Selene whispers a calming
spell, and suddenly, I feel less tense. I smile my gratitude at her as she
touches my hand.

            “My Rayne. Don’t you
understand what’s going on?” Selene says, sounding a lot like my mother.

            “No, but I’m sure you’re
going to tell me. I haven’t cried in so long, but I was just so angry at him
for not saving those kids.”

            Selene smiles patiently at
me. “Exactly. You were thinking of Jazzy, babe. That thing is killing children.
You know what it felt like when you found your sister. You know the hurt, the
pain, and the fear. You became angry because you know other parents and
siblings had to go through that. You want it to stop, no more lost children.
You are still angry inside. Maybe you always will be, I don’t know.”

            I sit there, feeling more
helpless than I have in such a long time. When I get back, the first thing I’ll
do is visit my family and explain to them that they had to wait on their
justice, then, I’d keep other families from that pain. Lawrence is right, I can’t
save everyone, maybe I won’t even try, but in this case, I will not ignore
this.

            “Fine. I will accept
that,” I tell her. “So, let us enjoy this night, because tomorrow, I’m going
hunting.”

            “No, meu coração, we are
going hunting.”    

Chapter Sixteen

           
A
t dawn, Selene and I enter Diana’s chambers. Inside, it
smells of lavender and sex and I force myself to pretend not to notice that
Diana is naked in bed and one of her male lovers is standing before us in all
his naked glory as well. He nearly glows with masculinity and fulfillment, but
with my eyes betraying me out of curiosity, I notice that not all of him is
completely satisfied yet. I’m sure if I were into that kind of thing, penis to
be exact, then I’d be impressed at that package he was blessed with. Actually,
even if I was into having sex with men, if all Immortals were packed like him,
there’d be no way in hell I’d let him or any one of them put that beast inside
of me.

            Selene clears her throat
and I realize that I’ve been staring. I give her a horrified look of
embarrassment and she laughs. Great, there’s no telling what she’s thinking of
me now. I try to put my game face back on and hope that I’m succeeding. Yet,
the amusement on Diana’s face tells me that I’m not being very triumphant.

            “Leave us for a moment,
but do not go too far,” Diana commands to her man-horse.

            “May I wait outside the
door my lady?” he inquires.

            “You may.”

            He nods and then bows to
us before taking his leave not even bothering to cover himself up.

            “Well,” Diana begins as
she stands up and reaches for her robe which is so incredibly sheer, that she
might as well still be naked. “You are making quite a habit with interrupting
me during my pleasure-letting. Next time, one of you will make it up to me.”