Blood Legacy Origin of Species (32 page)

Petrus glanced back. It seemed that for the moment they were safe. If they could get back to the underground passages with which he was so familiar, they could easily outdistance anyone less familiar with the terrain. They should probably bypass the local airport now, but he was confident they were once again en route to their destination.

CHAPTER 24

THE UNDERGROUND CHAMBER was immense, dwarfing even the expanses of the Grand Council Chambers, and Ryan had the impression that the facility itself went for miles in every direction. It was clear this place was for full-time habitation, not mere temporary residence. And the number of people present was far greater than any assembly ever called by the Council, including her coronation. There was a constant thrum of noise punctuated by an occasional, inarticulate shout.

Susan glanced around her as they made their way through the vast subterranean hall. The mass of mutations and deformities blurred together into one giant sea of strangeness, teeming limbs and gaping orifices, tumors, excess appendages, odd-angled joints, undersized and oversized body parts. And the mass of humanity pressed in on them in palpable anger, the beauty and perfection in their midst reviled and despised. Ryan limped along, still supported by Susan in her weakness, looking neither to the right or left but simply moving forward to the gigantic raised dais they were approaching. She sighed at the large number of stairs that greeted her. She had negotiated but a few when Petrus took her other arm.

“We don’t have all fucking day,” he muttered under his breath, and Ryan was grateful for the assistance.

After what seemed an interminable amount of time, they reached the top and were immediately stopped by two mammoth guards with protruding mandibles that gave them a canine appearance. The two appeared to be twins and reminded Ryan of the Egyptian god Anubis. The sharpened incisors they bared in warning added to the image.

The hum of the crowd died down and it became deathly silent in the gigantic hall. Petrus shifted nervously and a flatulent, squeaky noise emitted from somewhere on his person. Both guards turned a disapproving eye toward him and Ryan glanced down with a raised eyebrow.

“I really can’t take you anywhere,” she said, and Petrus cleared his throat.

The grinding sound of stone on stone silenced everyone. The raised centerpiece began to rotate and the elaborate alter slowly disappeared, replaced by an even more elaborate throne. The craftsmanship and detail of the piece was extraordinary, the twists and turns of the demonic relief both magnificent and frightening. It was a piece of art imbued with the dark essence of the artist’s soul. But it was not the magnificent and horrible throne that attracted Ryan’s attention, but rather the magnificent and horrible woman that sat upon it.

Ryan stared at her in wonder. She had two great horns curling from the sides of her head like a demon goddess. Her skin was a greenish-brown that changed color chameleon-like in the shifting light. The skin itself seemed leathery, or perhaps even reptilian in nature, with a pattern that seemed scale-like. She was not wearing clothing, the skin seeming to serve that purpose for her, and she had rather impressive proportions

“Wow,” Ryan said under her breath. Petrus turned to her with a look, half disbelief and half indignation.

“Oh-my-god,” he said, stressing each word. “You have got to be kidding me.”

Ryan brushed him off. This woman seemed to be very angry at her. Furthermore, something was clawing at the back of her consciousness, some memory that was dying to get out. Ryan flinched as the connection was made. A series of images, conversations, thoughts, emotions, and memories rushed upon her, and now she stared at the woman with even more wonder.

“You are Lia,” Ryan said.

The woman’s nostrils flared and she turned with a look of fury upon Petrus who had strategically put some distance between himself and Ryan. Petrus shook his head wildly, raising his hands in denial. He had said nothing, as had been his instruction.

Lia turned her attention back to her prisoner. When she spoke, her voice was low, her tone malevolent.

“And how is it that you know me, Ryan Alexander?”

“I have your Memories,” Ryan said slowly, “but I don’t know how.”

This comment seemed to stoke the woman’s fury even more, causing her to sit upright, almost like the quick uncoiling of a snake. “How dare you presume to know anything about me,” she said, her tone dripping venom. She seemed to catch herself, settling back in a sinewy movement that again reminded Ryan of a snake. “And what is it that you think you know?”

Ryan sorted through the images, trying to make sense of the history that had been thrust upon her.

“You were a mother,” Ryan said, her eyes focused on a very distant point, “you lived in a small village. You were married and had three children, two girls and a boy.”

“And—?” Lia said sarcastically. These were all banal facts a charlatan psychic could make up.

“And then the sky grew black.”

Outwardly, Lia remained calm but her tension increased.

“It was not a storm,” Ryan continued, “but an enormous flock of birds, scavengers. Then the soldiers returned, but they were sick.”

Lia’s tension was now outwardly visible.

“Your husband had been out hunting, and he, too returned sick. Your children were hiding under the table and you were relieved when Simon came home.”

Lia flinched at the name.

“But Simon was too sick. He attacked you, and then he killed and ate your children in front of you.”

“Enough!” Lia screamed. The word echoed about the vast chamber, stunning all within. She uncoiled again, rising to a fearsome height. But Ryan could not stop; she was caught up in the dream that had been hiding within her mind, struggling to get out.

“You wanted to die,” she continued, “but you could not. And then they came and took you.”

Lia’s breath was coming in harsh gasps.

“They experimented on you, tortured you, caused you immense pain, changed you into what you are now. And then one man set you free.”

“Why,” Lia demanded, “why was I taken?”

“They were seeking companions for Victor,” Ryan responded.

“And who is Victor?” Lia said, biting off every word but especially the last.

“Victor is my father.”

A murmur swept through the crowd. Although the hated one was well known, many did not know this specific motivation for the hatred.

This admission seemed to temporarily calm Lia and she coiled back into a seated position on her throne.

“Do you know how many years I have watched you?” Lia hissed. It was clearly a rhetorical question and therefore Ryan did not respond.

“I watched your father for hundreds of years, hating him. Hating him for his perfection, for his beauty, for the gifts bestowed on all of your Kind. I watched as you slaughtered one another in your passion, mindlessly discarding that which any of my kind would sacrifice anything for.”

“And then in the ultimate inequity, he had you.”

Ryan understood. “You cannot reproduce.”

“No,” Lia said, biting off the word. “We, like your Kind, cannot sexually reproduce. We can effect a transformation through our bite, but frankly, there are not many humans lining up to become one of us.”

Ryan remained silent in the face of the indictment.

“We do not kill our young the way you do, but the suicide rate amongst our young is very high. Although some mutations are minor, others are catastrophic and the pain is omnipresent. Like you, we pass into a phase in which we essentially become immortal.”

This seemed to cause Lia some private, hellish amusement, which she explained. “We have a sub-population known as the Suffering.”

“And who are the Suffering?” Ryan asked.

“They are those who did not have the courage to take their lives when it was possible and now live on, doomed to an eternity of pain and regret.”

“And you blame me for this.”

Lia leaned forward in a serpentine movement. “Of course I blame you. It is clear that all of this,” she waved, indicating the mass of spectators, “was done to get to you.”

As much as she wished to deny this, Ryan had seen into the mind of Ravlen and knew it to be true.

“So then what do you intend to do?” Ryan asked.

“I have you for twenty-four hours,” Lia said. “I am not allowed, and in fact do not believe that I can kill you, But I can make you wish for death. I intend to inflict as much suffering upon you as I can, to impress upon you the hell you have thrust upon us. And then when I am done, I will send you and your little companion back to those who so desperately seek you. And I am quite certain that they can kill you.”

Ryan sighed in resignation. She turned to Petrus, who seemed unsurprised yet unhappy at this turn of events. He was not proud of his role in this escapade. The two Anubis guards took Ryan from Susan’s arm, and she addressed the creature who had betrayed her.

“Please take care of Dr. Ryerson,” Ryan said to him, not the slightest bit of condemnation in her voice.

He nodded, and as the two guards took her away, he finally admitted to himself that Ryan Alexander was not what he had expected at all.

CHAPTER 25

PETRUS AND SUSAN SAT IN THE ANTEROOM. Neither had spoken a word in hours. Petrus continued his nervous habit of looking at his watch. Susan, for her part, felt both pity and disgust for the little man, and because neither was winning out, she simply ignored him.

Finally, Ryan was brought out from the Lia’s chambers and although Petrus had anticipated the worst, it was worse than he anticipated. Susan gasped aloud at the condition of her friend.

Ryan’s entire body was battered and bruised. She had whip marks, bite marks, blunt trauma injuries, several obvious broken bones, a knife that was still impaled just above her kidney, and a dislocated shoulder that was hanging. The two Anubis guards dragged her by her arms, then dropped her brutally in front of Susan. She rolled over groaning as the impact drove the knife further into her side.

“Do you think you could get that?” she said through gritted teeth.

Susan grasped the hilt of the knife and yanked it. Normally she never would have done such a thing. Standard medical procedure would have been to stabilize the impaled object in place until it could be removed in surgery. But Ryan’s healing abilities were such that getting the offending object out was the first priority. The removal was met with a moan, then a gasp of relief from the victim.

Ryan sat up, moving gingerly. “And do you think you could get that back in place?” she said, nodding at her shoulder. Susan was less certain about this maneuver, so Ryan directed her. “Just hit it there, no, a little lower. And hit it hard.”

Susan followed her instructions and fortunately her physical strength was such now that the maneuver was semi-successful. Ryan again sighed with relief. She was still, however, in incredible pain.

Petrus looked at the damage that had been done. He could not imagine what the last hours had been like for Ryan.

A look of chagrin passed over Susan’s features and Ryan correctly interpreted the inevitable reaction to the sight of her blood.

“I hardly think now is the time,” she said with black humor. She was still struggling with weakness, and the injuries only added to her effort. “I don’t suppose you can tell me when this phase will end?” she said, addressing Petrus.

He shifted uncomfortably. “You still have a while.”

“Long enough to deliver your cargo, hmm?” Ryan said. With monumental effort, she stood on her own.

“Then let’s get going,” she said, “no sense in delaying this any longer.”

CHAPTER 26

RYAN LAPSED IN AND OUT OF CONSCIOUSNESS for most of their journey. She had the impression of traveling via several modes of transportation: train, plane, then finally automobile. When they arrived at the base of a great mountain, she looked up, despondent.

“Don’t tell me we’re going by pack mule.”

A large rectangular opening appeared in front of them and the doors slid open.

“I thought we would take the elevator,” Petrus responded.

Several soldiers stepped out, as well as a silver-haired man who seemed quite different from the others. Ryan searched her memory, or rather the memories she had acquired from Madelyn and Ravlen. He was a higher caste, physically more powerful than the soldiers and far more intelligent. His uniform identified him as a biological combat engineer, an expert in biochemical and genetic warfare.

The silver-haired man examined her as well, hiding his surprise. Although she was badly beaten, she was absolutely stunning. By far the most powerful of these creatures, she was registering fluctuating strength levels that far exceeded what was expected from this species. He was going to enjoy studying and experimenting on this one.

Perhaps it was the offensive way the man was looking at her, but something triggered the memories of Aeron and Lia. Painful images flashed through her mind and she now recognized the man personally. She turned to Petrus.

“Did you know that this one was in charge of the experiment that altered Lia? That he is responsible for unleashing the agent that altered all of your people?”