I Am Eve Read online

  It was easy enough for Smith to rally huge numbers of people and get them to buy his promises. When things went bad, it was human nature to find someone to blame. Smith pointed at nonbelievers first. There were mass executions that were nothing more than huge lynch mobs. They went after the witches and mages along with all those who denied God. Next, they took down the believers, those who held beliefs deemed Satanic or magical.

  Many of the believers saw the attacks coming and fled to hideaways in the mountains or in the wildernesses around the world. Darius was one of the lucky ones who managed to escape, though he never told me how he escaped. His backstory was thin, but I figured that was for a reason. He was clearly hurt by everything that happened, so I didn’t pry.

  “The world has gone to hell, huh?” I asked in a quiet tone.

  “Sure seems that way,” Darius said. “Evil men are seducing the population and killing anyone who gets in their way. Bandits and warlords run the outlands. Now a greater evil is returning. After waiting thousands of years, the vampires and werewolves are coming back to claim their place on Earth.”

  I shook my head. “We can’t stop all that. You now that, right?”

  “Numbers are nothing but a figment of the reality we have created. All can be overcome with the power of belief. It simply has to be honed.”

  “You say simply, but it doesn’t feel simple.”

  “When the time is right, all will be made clear to you, Eve.”

  “When will that be?”

  Darius looked out across the meadow. His face was somber as he peered out beyond the forest, down to the valley and plains below. “The war is almost here, Eve. Nothing can stop that now. You can hide here on the mountaintop for only so long. Eventually, evil will find its way here to destroy you. Whether it’s men or monsters, sooner or later they will find you. The question is; will you fight back or not?”

  7

  I lifted the lid off the pot and stirred the beans inside. They’d been cooking for most of the afternoon and were finally ready. The cornbread was already cooled off and sitting on the counter nearby.

  Cornbread and beans were pretty much a staple in my cabin since it was easy to keep them for extended periods of time without having to worry about spoilage.

  I’d grown tired of the meal over the last few years, but adding in some veggies or fruit when they were in season kept me from going crazy from culinary boredom.

  I scooped some beans onto a plate and added a piece of cornbread then set it on the modest table in front of Darius.

  “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  I fixed my plate and sat down across from him as he bowed his head and whispered a blessing.

  “Does that do anything?” I asked after he was done.

  “Saying a blessing? Absolutely.”

  “Let me guess, at a subatomic level?”

  He didn’t say anything. He didn’t have to. His smile said it all.

  He shoveled a spoonful of beans into his mouth and nodded. “Good job, as usual.”

  Darius always told me that. It wasn’t like I was cooking filet mignon, but that’s how he acted every time he ate with me. I’d learned he was practicing active appreciation. He said it kept him in a constant state of gratitude, which helped hone his abilities to shape reality.

  I ate my food quickly, only taking half the time it took him. I ate for fuel. Darius, it seemed, ate for pleasure. He savored every bite until his plate was completely clean and then asked for another piece of cornbread.

  “I think you’re ready for an introduction to my friend in the city,” he said out of the blue as I handed him another piece of bread.

  My heart skipped a beat. “Seriously?”

  “Yep,” he said with a nod. “You now know everything I could possibly teach you.”

  It sounded too good to be true. “But I haven’t tapped into the power you seem to wield so easily. I thought you’d tell me to wait to find my parents until I’ve mastered that.”

  “My dear, mastery of something comes with time and practice. It took me a long time to get to where I am now, and I still have much to learn.”

  I had my doubts. How was I supposed to take on zealots, bandits, and monsters if I couldn’t even move a spoon? Sure, I had my sword, but from what Darius was saying before, it sounded like I was going to run into a whole army. If that was the case, I’d need more than just a blade of steel.

  “Don’t be afraid, Eve,” he said, as if sensing my thoughts. “There is no destination. Only the journey. On that journey, you will continue to learn even when you believe you have arrived.”

  I didn’t say anything. There was no need. Instead, I took our plates over to the sink to rinse them off. I flipped the handle to turn on the water, but as the liquid began to run I heard a low rumble. I looked over at Darius, who seemed to be unaware of the noise.

  I switched on the water again, but this time there were no other odd sounds. Must have been something with the pump, I thought. I’ll check it tomorrow morning.

  I cleaned off the plates and set them on the drying rack next to the sink. Out the kitchen window, the sun had gone down in the west, and darkness was creeping ever closer. The forest had already surrendered to the coming night, the trees and shrubs surrounded by blackness.

  Then I heard the rumble again. This time, it was more prominent, like an approaching thunderstorm bearing down on us.

  I turned and looked at Darius. His face no longer wore his usual calming grin. Now his expression was of grave concern.

  “What was that?” I asked.

  He stood up and walked over to the front window. It almost looked like he was floating, so soft were his steps.

  He stopped short and pulled back the curtain on the right. He craned his neck to the side and peered through the glass. Another booming rumble shook the ground underneath us. The glasses and bowls in the cabinet above the sink rattled.

  “I thought we had more time,” he said. Deep regret resonated in his voice.

  “More time for what?”

  “Kaio was just the first. I knew there would be more coming, but I didn’t think they’d come this soon. This is a bold move by their leader.”

  “Leader?”

  “Of the Eliri. The vampire king is wasting no time. He sees humanity is weak and knows now is the opportune moment to strike. Otherwise the Setiri will do it for them and they’ll lose ground.”

  “Why are they coming here again?” I asked. “There are lots of other places to attack out there in the world.”

  Darius twisted his head and gazed at me. “Once the one who brings us true hope is dead, the rest of the realm will fall easily.”

  “Chosen one? I don’t want to be a chosen one. Chosen for what?” I could feel my voice trembling as I spoke.

  “We’ve discussed this, Eve. You know for what. And this isn’t the kind of thing you get to pick and choose. You’re either it, or you’re not.”

  “And if I’m not?”

  He rolled his shoulders and cocked his head to the side. “Well, then I was wrong—and we’ll both probably die.”

  That answer didn’t exactly instill a great deal of confidence, but there was something in Darius’s tone that made me think he might be right. I don’t know why. Maybe my hope sprang from naïveté. There was something, though, deep down that felt like it was trying to get out.

  The rumble outside grew louder and steadier. It was like a freight train growling down the tracks. The house continued to tremble. A plate I’d left sitting on the counter slid off and shattered on the floor. I spun around at the sudden noise and saw the white pieces of ceramic scattered all over the place.

  I turned back to Darius with a heightened sense of urgency. “You said they can’t get to us in here, right? I mean, there’s a blessing of protection.”

  “That is correct,” he said. “Any vampire that tries to get in will be consumed by white fire.”

  “So, we hole up here for a while,
and we’ll be okay.”

  “Except there are a few problems with that.”

  “Problems?” I raised a concerned eyebrow.

  “If we stay here, they’ll simply set up a siege perimeter and starve us out. Then, in our weakened states, we’ll go outside and have to fight anyway.”

  “The other problem?”

  “From the looks of things, they don’t want to starve us out.”

  “That’s not a problem. That’s a good thing. Right?”

  I looked outside and saw flickering orange lights approaching from the forest. Then I realized what the second issue was.

  “They’re going to burn us out,” I said in a despondent tone.

  Darius rushed over to the other side of the room and grabbed his sword and mine. He tossed me my weapon, and I snatched it out of the air, staring at him with questions flinging from my eyes.

  “So, we’re going to fight them off? How? From the looks of it, there are so many.”

  “I will hold them off as long as I can. You take your horse and get to the city. Find a man who goes by the name of Diggs.”

  “Diggs?” I wondered what kind of name that was.

  “It’s a nickname. I have no idea why it stuck. You can find him in the northwest sector near the old baseball stadium. Once you get there, it won’t be hard to find him.”

  “The old stadium?” I asked. “That’s not inside the city. That’s on the edge of the outlands.”

  “And the good news is you have to go through the outlands to get there.”

  “I’m well aware,” I said with panic in my voice. “There will be bandits. How am I supposed to get through them?”

  “Stick to the woods,” he said, stuffing a few pieces of cornbread into a rucksack on the table. He shoved two metal water bottles into the bag and then zipped it up. He handed me the bag and nodded.

  “You have to go, Eve. You’re the only one that can save the people of the realm and of Earth.”

  Everything was happening so suddenly. I knew my swordsmanship was solid, but the magic—or whatever Darius called it—I was nowhere close to mastering that. How could I go on such a dangerous quest without him?

  “I…I can’t, Darius. I can’t do it alone.”

  He smiled kindly. “You’ll never be alone, Eve. I promise.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  He rushed to the door and unlocked it. He turned back to me and gave a nod. “Run as fast as you can to the barn, and get your horse. I’ll fend them off as long as possible. Ride like the wind, Eve. Don’t look back. Do you understand me?”

  A tear formed in the corner of my right eye. I shook my head. “No. I can’t leave you.”

  “It’ll be okay. I promise.”

  He flung the door open and charged outside with his sword held at the ready. I stood in the middle of the foyer, wondering what to do. I looked down at the sword in my hand like it was a stranger I’d never met before.

  The bag on the table was sitting there waiting, stuffed with enough supplies to last at least a few days. What should I do?

  “Eve! Go!” Darius shouted back through the open doorway.

  I swallowed hard, grabbed the bag, and flung it over my shoulder. There was no sense in staying here. If I did, they’d burn us both out of the cabin. I may as well go down fighting, I thought.

  I fixed the sword on my belt and rushed out the door. Darius was standing at the foot of the steps with his sword held out, ready to fight. His left hand was extended toward the woods to the left.

  The orange flames of torches flickered in the depths of the forest shadows, each drawing closer with every approaching step the enemy took.

  “Ignore the sounds,” Darius said. “It’s just an intimidation trick they use. Go to the barn. Now!”

  I shook my head for a second, suddenly uncertain if I should go alone.

  “It will be all right, Eve. Please, go,” he insisted.

  I hesitated for another second, and an arrow whizzed by my head and stuck in one of the porch’s support beams.

  That was all I needed. I churned my legs hard, heading toward the little brown barn about a hundred yards from the cabin. With the danger lurking in the darkness and ready to pounce, the distance seemed more like ten miles.

  The flames in the forest started moving faster, drawing ever nearer, closing in on the cabin. I didn’t look back, but out of the corner of my eye I saw a pale face illuminated by the torch in the vampire’s hand. He was beautiful in a sickly, undead kind of way, much like the one we killed a few weeks before.

  Darius yelled something I didn’t understand, and a bright white light seared through the darkness, casting its painful glow across the top of the mountain.

  The barn lit up like lightning had struck nearby, and just as quickly as it struck, everything fell into darkness once more. I looked back to the side where I’d seen the vampire, and he was covering his face with one hand.

  Darius had bought me some time.

  I skidded around the corner and into the open barn door where my horse waited in his stall. He was jumping around and kicking his front hooves. Animals were always aware of danger, supernatural or otherwise.

  “Easy, Billy,” I called him by name. “Easy. I’m here.” I reached out and stroked his neck, doing my best to sound soothing.

  He calmed down enough for me to grab some reins and fix them to his bit. No time for a saddle. I stepped up on a nearby stool and flung my leg over his back. “Okay, boy, nice and easy.”

  The horse stepped out into the meadow and reared up, startled by all the torches closing in on the cabin.

  I risked a look back and saw the first of the attackers charging at Darius. The vampire was fast, much faster than a human. He raised a sword high, ready to strike down the older man with one deadly blow, but Darius was ready. He deftly moved to the side and whipped the edge of his blade around through the vampire’s gut.

  The sword came out through the attacker’s back, and he fell over, cut in half. His torch fell to the dirt right in front of my cabin and cast an eerie, yellowish glow on Darius’s face.

  He looked across the span at me and gave a curt nod just as another vampire rushed him. The attack was met with a block from Darius’s blade and then a counterstab with the tip. The sharp point of the sword went up through the vampire’s chin and out the top of his skull. Darius yanked the blade back down and spun around, ready for another assault.

  I nudged Billy gently in the ribs and gave the quietest yaw I could.

  And just a touch was all it took. Billy reared up again and took off, sprinting across the meadow toward the narrow path that led to the old road into the city.

  “I have to find Diggs. I have to find my parents,” I said to myself to make sure I kept going.

  I glanced back over my shoulder and saw multiple vampires closing in on Darius now. Another flash of blinding light streaked from his left hand and caused the two attackers in front of him to shrink back, covering their faces.

  Three others were coming at him from behind, though, and they were ready for the little light trick. They shielded their eyes just in time, and when the light faded they charged ahead.

  Darius spun around, meeting them with his blade. He deflected a blow from the first vampire, knocked him back, and then parried a second strike from the one in the middle. As the third moved in for the kill, Darius cast another spell; this one formed a blue fireball in midair. I cocked my head to the side even as the horse beneath me jostled toward the top of the meadow.

  The fireball shot out from Darius’s hand and struck the vampire in a violent explosion of blue fire. The creature screamed, and his voice echoed through the forest and across the mountaintops as he was consumed by the flame.

  I turned my attention back to the trail ahead, thinking Darius might be able to handle himself.

  Suddenly, a pale figure in dark leather armor appeared in front of me just twenty yards ahead. He raised a long sword, giving me only a split
second to reach for my own weapon.

  Billy veered to the left, doing his best to steer clear of the danger.

  I felt the hilt of my weapon and pulled it out just as the vampire rushed back into our path. He was so fast, his movement was almost a blur.

  He reached his weapon back, ready to swing. Fear coursed through my veins as we bore down on the killer’s position. I could see his cold, lifeless eyes staring at me as I rode through the night. There was no emotion in them, no feelings, no love. Simply death.

  He swung the sword around to strike me off my mount with one blow, but I flipped my katana up and deflected his attack harmlessly over me. In the same movement, I followed through with a backhand, snapping the edge of my sword through the back of his neck before he could turn around and resume the assault.

  He staggered for a second, and then his head toppled from the body and fell to the grass. A second later, the body followed and collapsed nearby.

  “Go, Billy. As fast as you can!”

  We were over the other side of the hill, and I couldn’t see the cabin any longer. Another flash of bright blue came just seconds before a second miserable howl. One more vampire had met his end at the hands of Darius.

  “I have to keep going,” I said to myself. “I must find my parents.”

  My horse galloped down the slope and into the woods. My mind filled with worry about Darius, and I had to force myself to think of other things.

  That wasn’t too difficult considering the narrow path was fraught with its own dangers. One misstep by my mount, and I’d go flying through the air, probably into the trunk of a tree.

  I focused on every twist and turn, pushing the other concerns out of my mind, at least for now. Soon I would be on the road to the old city, where I would search out this Diggs character and get him to lead me to my parents.

  8

  The sounds of the night never really bothered me much when I was at the cabin. I felt safe there, like nothing could hurt me.

  Maybe it was because of the blessing that protected the house. Who knew?

  Now that I was outside my property and alone on a dark road heading down the mountain, I didn’t feel as safe. The sense of someone watching was almost overwhelming even though I couldn’t see anything or anyone along the road. I knew stories about the bandits who roamed these woods, but they tended to keep to the lower regions of the outlands, just a few miles outside the city.