Passage to Queen Mesentia (6 page)

After walking in silence, except for the occasional mosquito slap, for half an hour, the arrow on the screen veered to the right. “It’s showing it should be this way,” Wade said, as he headed into the woods.

“In there?” he heard Lilly say.  “Are there snakes?”

“Probably,
Princess
. Why don’t you stay here? I’ll go find it.”

She looked embarrassed and a little annoyed at him calling her Princess, but she didn’t protest.

“I’ll come with you,” Ben said.

“Perfect,” Wade said through his teeth.

They walked through the leftover winter leaves, crunchy pine cones, and disoriented wild vines and brush. The sky was cloudless and the moon was high, but the dense trees shaded any light.

“We’re close,” Wade said after a couple of minutes. “It should be somewhere around here.” He circled the area with the light. “It’ll be camouflaged under leaves or something so that the average park visitor wouldn’t notice it. Even during the day, they’re not easy to find. My brother told me about this one time he and the other guy searched for like—”

“There it is,” Ben said.

“What?  Man, there’s no way. You don’t even have a flashlight.” He watched as Ben bent down and picked up a dark plastic tube. “Lucky... Here, let me see that.” He snatched it from Ben’s hands before he had a chance to protest. He unscrewed the lid. “Well, there’s only this piece of paper. It might not be the right cache. There could be a dozen or so of these puppies out here.” He unrolled the paper. “Dear Ben…” Wade cleared his throat as he glanced up at Ben, who probably expected him to give him the letter. No way. Wade read it to himself before he began to read it out loud, again. “Since—”

“Maybe,” Ben cut him off, “we should go back so Lillian can hear this, too.”

Wade nodded as he said, “Lillian,” mockingly under his breath, wishing he had suggested waiting on
Lilly
. He rolled the paper back up and stuffed it into his shirt pocket.

“I’ll take that.”

“Forget it,” Wade said to Ben but realized at the same time that the voice didn’t belong to Ben. He shone his flashlight on the two dark figures approaching from behind Ben. The light captured Lilly’s terrified face and the gun, which pointed toward her head.

“For her sake, I suggest you change your mind,” the gunman said.

Before Wade had a chance to flash the light on the man’s face, another person appeared from the shadows. Wade automatically changed the direction of the light. A man approached, his white hair faded into his pale skin and lips. He looked like a ghost, but Wade knew by the way his raw fear rose from his gut to heat his face that he was definitely the boogieman.

“I have no idea how you two found the information that lead you here,” the man said in a thick German accent. “We searched… thoroughly.” He pulled the paper out of Wade’s pocket, opened it and then nodded at his companion. “Finish up.” He walked away in the direction which he had come and vanished back into the night.

Before Wade had time to register what he had meant, Ben already stood behind the man who held Lilly at gunpoint.

In one swift move, Ben grabbed and dropped the gun to the ground. The moon, which had been lost in the trees, seemed to embrace and focus on Ben’s face as he opened his mouth wide, revealing long, sharp fangs that weren’t there before. Wade gasped as Ben sank his fangs into the gunman’s neck.

Lilly ran over to Wade, turning around in time to see the man fall to ground. “How did you do that?” Lilly asked Ben. “How’d you get there so fast?”

“That’s your question?” Wade shrieked.  “How did he get there so fast? Did you not see the,” he said and pointed to his mouth, “Aaar... teeth and blood and...”

“I’d better go.” Ben wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

“Yeah!” Wade panted. 

“Is he...” Lilly stepped toward Ben and the man on the ground.

Wade stopped her by grabbing her arm. “Yes, I’m sure of it! He’s dead. Ben here just ate him.”

Lilly’s eyes were wild and seemed full of the same fear Wade had running through his body. “What are you talking about?” Her voice quivered. 

“You didn’t see?”

Lilly looked from Wade to Ben to the man on the ground. Wade could feel her arm trembling as he pulled her closer to him. She didn’t resist and took the necessary step back to be at his side.

“I need to stop him,” Ben said.

“No, it’s too dangerous,” Lilly said.

“Yeah, for the other guy,” Wade said. “What’s wrong? Still hungry?”

“Why are you doing this now?” Lilly asked with frustration in her voice. “Ben saved our lives.”

“More like saved us for dessert! You have to listen to me. I just watched this guy—”

“Lillian,” Ben said in a low voice, yet it seemed to penetrate the darkness. “There is something I do need to explain to you. However, I must first retrieve the letter. Wait for me.” He turned and then disappeared into the trees.

“Did you not see that?” Wade screeched. “Like ta-da! That’s what happened a second ago. First he was standing right there. I swear I didn’t blink, and the next micro-second he was standing behind y’all.” He felt his hysterics grow as he used the flashlight for a replay, but as he swished it across Lilly, he noticed how she stood hugging herself. He took a couple of seconds to calm down before saying, “I’m sorry. Wow! Are you all right?”

She nodded, but drew in her face as if trying to hold in a burst of emotions, she released a hearty sob and dropped her head against his chest. She cried and he wrapped his arms around her.

Almost immediately, she pulled away wiping her eyes. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean…”

“No, it’s okay. It’s okay.”

Lilly turned toward the man on the ground. “I wonder if he’s the one who killed them.”

She inched closer to the dead man, and Wade thought about stopping her when he noticed the gun on the ground. He walked past Lilly, swooped up the gun without examining it, and tucked it in the waist of his jeans.

“What are you going to do with that?” Lilly asked.

“We need protection,” he replied. “And I’m not quite sure who all from.”   

Chapter 8

“I knew there was something funky about him.” Wade skimmed the perimeter of the small clearing in the trees with the light from the flashlight. “I told you, Lilly, and you wouldn’t listen to me.”

Lilly’s heart was still beating fast, but at least it wasn’t thumping madly like it had been a few seconds ago. After Wade and Ben had stepped into the woods, she’d been distracted and angry about Wade calling her Princess, remembering the last time he’d called her that, he had been in a drunken rage. That night, he had thrown her a birthday party. A surprise party and he’d invited all her friends. If he had asked her, she would have told him it was probably not a good idea. Not only were they all quite snobbish, they were all friends with her ex. Every opportunity they’d had that night, they tried to make Wade look ignorant. Even though Wade stayed on his toes and didn’t let them one-up him, he had been drinking all night and was fuming by time they all had left. He let her know he didn’t appreciate the way they’d tried to beat him down, and he’d managed to call her princess… three times. What had upset her the most about the whole ordeal, was after he had cooled down and apologized for his ranting, he had actually brought out the ring and asked her to marry him. What?

She had stood there, after the guys walked into the woods, getting so angry at the thought of him calling her princess, she hadn’t even noticed the man, who was now dead on the ground, walk up. It had taken her a second to realize that what she felt against her head was a gun. By that time, the man had covered her mouth, muffling her scream.

“He’s a blood-sucking vampire.” Wade knelt down beside the dead man.

“What? What are you talking about? I’m scared, Wade. I really wish you would stop.”

“Look, Lilly. Look at him.”

“Ben’s a big guy, he probably—” she hated to think about it, but… “He probably twisted the man’s neck.” Her jaw tightened, and her stomach turned, but she felt satisfied with her answer. “That’s what you saw.”

“No-no-no. What I saw was this.” Wade shone the light on the dead man’s neck. Dark, red blood streamed down the side of his throat from two small puncture wounds.

Lilly had the sensation of creepy-crawling things underneath her skin. When she turned away, Ben was there, staring down at her, a hint of humility and a touch of softness in his eyes. She couldn’t move. She tried to stay focused on what Wade had said; on the dead man on the ground. She really tried to stay on-guard, however, Ben captivated her…“Don’t be afraid,” he whispered.

“Get away from her!” Wade shouted. “I know what you are.
We
know what you are. Baby, get over here.”

The directness of Wade’s voice finally pulled Lilly’s attention away from Ben.

“Walk to me,” Wade said when she looked at him. He had dropped the flashlight at his feet and the light cast large, distorted shadows on the trees behind him. He held the newly acquired gun in front of him with both his hands.

“No, Wade!” Lilly cried. “Put it down.”

“The bullets will not harm me, but they could kill Lillian. So, please...”

Hot tears flooded Lilly’s eyes.
What did he say? Will not harm me?

“Please, come here,” Wade pleaded.

Lilly nodded her head, but before she took a step Ben said, “The only reason I hurt that man was because he was about to kill you. Schelsteder’s the threat, not me.”

“No,” Wade said. “Schelsteder is not a threat to us anymore. He got what he wanted. Lilly, he’ll leave you alone now. I say, let the two freaks fight it out.”

“Your parents gave their lives to keep the Pyramidion Statuette away from
him
. If Schelsteder finds it, that would mean they died for nothing.”

“Oh, come on,” Wade said. “Don’t fall for his shit.”

“I lost Schelsteder in the woods and was unable to retrieve the letter,” Ben said. “Wade read it, so maybe we can work together and figure out what it said.”

Wade said, “Too bad I don’t remember a word of it.”

If he read it, Lilly knew he’d remember what it said. He remembered everything. Maybe they had a chance of finding the statuette before Schelsteder.

“If not, at least allow me to explain who I am and why my journey is so important,” Ben said. “I don’t want you to think of me as a monster.”

Her resolve melted completely to the touch of his hand on her arm. “I don’t,” she heard herself whisper.

“Lilly,” Wade pleaded. “Can we please get out of here?” He had lowered the gun to his side.

Lilly’s heart sank knowing that the fear and worry on his face was for her, and she tried to ignore his sigh of relief as she walked toward him. She stood in front of him, the trees rustling in the soft wind, and found the courage to say the words that she knew he wouldn’t want to hear. “Let’s hear him out. I’m confused and tired and scared but nothing’s really changed. My parents died to keep that pyramidion out of that guy’s hands, and now he has the letter.”

Wade put his hand to his mouth and moved it down to rest on his throat. “What are you doing? I know what I saw. I know how crazy ridiculous I sound, but you heard him yourself. He said the bullets wouldn’t hurt him! He
is
a monster. I... I don’t even believe in this sort of supernatural stupid crap, but I have a really
really
bad feeling about this guy. Why can’t you trust me?”

“I know. I know. All I’m asking is for you to hear him out. Afterwards, if you still don’t trust him, you don’t have to tell him anything. I promise, I won’t ask anything else of you.” She did give it some thought before saying the words, but if ever she needed his desire to please her… “For me?” 

“What’s to stop him from doing that,” he pointed the gun at the dead guy on the ground, “to us?”

“Well, I think if he wanted to hurt us, he already would have. I really think he needs our help.”

“Whatever you want, Lilly,” Wade said no longer accepting her eye contact. “I give up. Can we at least get out of this dark, secluded park?”

***

Lilly scooted into the booth at the 24-hour diner. Wade immediately sat beside her, placing an apple and his pocketknife on the table. As Ben sat down across from them, Lilly couldn’t help but wonder if his face had always been so radiant; his eyes even seemed to sparkle. The thought that maybe it was because he had actually drunk that man’s blood made her drop her focus to the table.
I’m letting Wade’s imagination get to me.

“All right, Dracula,” Wade said as soon as they gave their drink order. “What’s the deal? Why should I tell you what was in that letter?”

“What I seek is not only important to me but to mankind.”

Wade gave a low laugh and put his arm on the back of the chair behind Lilly. “Stop with the drama already, or I’m out of here.”

“First,” Ben said to Lilly, “I want to tell you who I am and how I came to be. My birth name is Ballahiram. I was born a king and adored as a deity by my people. I ruled Gubla until 2360 BC—”

“Gubba? BC?” Wade turned to Lilly. “Can you believe this guy? He doesn’t really expect us to believe he’s what? 5,000 years old? And a king, no less.”

Lilly said, “You’re the one who’s been trying to convince me that he’s a vampire, remember. Vampires do live forever.”

“They don’t live,” Wade said shaking his hands up by his face. “They’re the undead.”

Lilly felt a flutter of eeriness run up her spine. Trying to ignore it, she looked at Ben and said, “So ancient Gubla, that’s now the city of Jbeil, right? On the Syrian coast?”

Wade grumbled something but then settled down with his arms crossed in front of him.

“Yes, and trade had been established with Egypt well before my birth. When I was 29, the Egyptian supply became increasingly short. I traveled south, crossing the great sea with my officers, to Egypt to discuss the matter. The king’s vizier met us, and we boarded a boat and sailed down the Nile toward Memphis, stopping in Saqqara to tour the place the Egyptian king would start his afterlife.

“Saqqara is now nothing but dirt and rubble, but back then, it was in its vibrant infancy. Inside the burial chamber, artists painted the gabled ceiling shades of the evening sky while others painted the alabaster lined walls with unfamiliar text that I would later learn depicted Unas’ nefarious spells.”