The Tormented Goddess (10 page)

“The mortal is presently awaiting her in the very room you bit her.” declared the Pluto.

Dracula suddenly looked up and raced back to his castle, Pluto laughed in relief believing Edward almost dead. He thought it an adequate revenge to Venus for contradicting him. Vlad rushed towards the towering room were his greatest regret took place. Edward hearing the
footsteps
stepped back from the door, hopping that the cupboard could hold his fear, but
Vlad
pushed
the door open with ease.
Edwards’s
heart raced as he came face to face with Dracula. He thought himself already dead when all the sudden Vlad grabbed his arm and dragged him to Venus. Edward rushed over to Venus afraid of the worst crying in vain he held her close to his heart and miserably wept. Vlad watched in pain the love Edward had for her, though blinded by jealousy he could not imagine her lost for ever and stood there helplessly incapable of achieving anything. He
k
new that
somehow
a mortal was the key to restoring her and waited hoping for what seemed impossible.

Seconds seemed like minutes, minutes a
s hours and hours as days. The
moment all was to be concluded as hopeless a spark of life could be seen in her clear golden eyes. A heart beat started, she was revived. Edward noticed that her cold hands were beginning to warm up, not long after she was conscious again. Though severely imbalanced she smiled and looked up at Edward. Edward got off her side as Dracula approached her. He kissed her forehead so tenderly that
Edwards’s
jealousy resonated wildly from his heart, but to see her alive kept him delighted.
After parting his lips from Venus's forehead Vlad gave her a small chest and then disappeared out of the room.

C
hapter Twelve

Together Edward and Venus awaited the rising sun to run rapidly back to the town. Their enduring effort of escaping reddened their faces. Once arrived in the town square and after stumbling several times in the snow they halted their race to catch their breath. Safe within the city wall Venus began to laugh as brushing the snow off
Edward
’s
hat.
“We should probably consider of getting another horse, if we want to get anywhere. At this rate we'll be back in Paris in a year.”
s
uggested Edward.

“You mortals are in such a hurry it's sickening, but I'm tired of you trying to outrun me, so I'll agree, we need a new horse.”
r
eplied Venus with charisma.

Walking down the little village they saw it come to life in broad day light, where they finally found someone to buy a horse from. This time it was from a pure white Arabian breed, quite unusual for such a remote area. A beauty to match the white coated landscape in exchange to the ruby bracelet Venus wore on her wrist. Trotting away back to civilisation Venus rested her head on Edwards back as he geared the horse.

When she fell asleep a smile formed on Edwards lips, to have her so close, so near emerged his conscience in another world. Hasn't one ever wondered about the beauty of a burning candle, the warmth and angelic charm it propels as it enlightens its surrounding? The Burning mortal heart of Edward shone beyond imagination, as it drummed in torment within his chest. The yearn he had for his love was so unspeakably rare, an event still not yet understood by the
world’s
greatest scholars. But who can fully comprehend the divine sentiment of a boy in love.

Once arrived Edward lifted Venus into the inn, delicately placing her into her bed as a porcelain doll. He slept beside her on the ground dreaming of a world where loving her would be humanly possible. Edward awoke discovering a thick blanket covering his back. On Venus's empty bed he spotted a note indicating that she was awaiting him in the café. Venus was having
a generous cup of a strong black coffee as examining the content of the little chest she was given by her former lover. She realised as unfolding a papyrus map onto of Mr. Dubois maps the locating of her life's conquest: Atlantis...

A hidden Island in the Mediterranean sea, far off the coast of Cyprus off of Episkopi bay, was where laid her destiny. As folding the map she realised that there was a secret compartment in the little box. In it was a beautiful pendant holding a diamond cut ruby. As the morning light shined threw the stone it shaded a message onto the white table nap. “
For my eternal love
:
Venus, yours Dracula.
” A little note accompanied the pendent stating:

Dear Venus,

Heartless have I been to ever have let you leave, but my enduring love for you is stronger
than
any other existing force I
possess
. I have discovered where the manuscripts lay, a mile off the coast of Atlantis. Under the sea sleeps your
mother
s
’
ship, off the eastern side of the island. Venus I have always loved you, you are wright to leave me for I do not deserve your humble purity. Forgive me for what I have done, for my end will most certainly come one day or the other, and I must know before I meet my fate that someone still sees me as who I am than the degrading monster that I have become. Never will I forget; your
sweet smell, your divine beauty. Y
ou are truly a goddess in my eyes.

P.S. The one who wears this pendant shall be spared, but please keep it close to your heart for as long as you are with us.

Yours truly,

Count Dracula.

Tears where falling from her cheeks, the moment she spotted Edward she hid Vlad's letter back into its secret compartment and roughly wiped her tears as forcing a smile for Edward's kindness. Noticing her humid
face Edward asked
“Your eyes are red, have you been...” but he was interrupted by Venus.

“I found Atlantis.” She declared.

“
Atlantis
sounds fun!” Told Edward hoping he could still accompany her.

“You cannot...” s
tarted Venus.

“So
you’re
leaving me.” Edward concluded as interrupting her from her cold response.

“Edward you must understand.” Venus helplessly attempted to reason him.

“What, that you prefer to let me die in agony then let me by your side? Venus I am madly in love of you.” He declared.

“Edward...”

“Marry me!”

“For
heaven’s
sake Edward, don't you understand, I am dead, you on the other side are full of life and cannot deny that you are aging before my very eyes. While only when I met you were a boy, but now you have grown into a man and deserve to live. You ...” Incapable to retain her Venus ran outside of the café.

Edward still sitting in astonishment from her refusal saw Venus from the window running into the cold. He immediately got up to chase her, following her into an empty chapel where she clasped into tears drenching her face. Edward sat by her side and handed over to her his tissue. Out of
nowhere
she asked him “Are you religious?”

Puzzled by the question he obviously answered that he was. “Most certainly I am.”

“Why?”

“First of all I would never question faith
there
is always a force on the other side of the balance to restore humanity and secondly aren't you proof yourself.” He Thought.

“What you lived with me wasn't the grace of god, it was pure evil, you must save yourself. Think of me mad if you wish but within all this chaos I still believe, believe in hope and mercy, in good. Being immor
tal is not a gift it is a curse, o
ne which creates fear.
”

“What do you
fear?
”

“I fear for what is to become of me when my life ceases, I fear I have fallen in love of you! It torments me to even imagine dragging you miserably till you death.” Venus stood up and walked slowly back outside towards a frozen fountain. Edward followed her, she exclaimed “Merry late Christmas.”

“You are going to catch a cold, let's head back.” Placing his scarf over her shoulders he took her arm and brought her back to their inn. Together when her sanity was restored they concluded to travel south towards Cyprus the next morning.

C
hapter Thirteen

After the galloping stallions where the thundering trains, followed by the steaming speedy vessel heading to the vast island of Cyprus. They arrived at Limassol, to visit the ruins of the temple of Apollo. Venus approached her hand towards a fallen pillar and touched it gently feeling the warmth of its sun baked stone. Edward still holding the leached to the mules asked
“Have you already been here?”

“Yes, did you know that Cyprus is the birthplace of Aphrodite the Greek goddess of beauty?” 

“No, why did you ask?” He pondered firmly.

“Only testing yo
ur meager acquired knowledge.” s
he replied happily.

The mules suddenly out of
nowhere
began howling. Edward tightly held onto the leaches but the animals pulled so stubbornly that they eventually liberated themselves, running madly into the distance. “We should take
cover beneath those pillars.” e
xclaimed Venus.

“Shouldn't we just hurry back?” He contested.

“Mules Edward do not
just go nuts.” Letting go from the pillar warmth she rapidly made her way to shelter.

Edward
called
out saying “It's not even raining.” But once he finished his phrase a deluge fell upon him, soaking him entirely. Venus removed his hat as mocking his deliberate lack of judgement. Attempting to dry his face wiping off the rain water with her cotton embroidered tissue enlightened him. Looking down at her he took a perilous risk and kissed her lips, he had finally succeeded. She passionately held onto his nuke with her hand running through his hair as the lightning met the earth.

The following morning Edward was awakened by the shining sun, with Venus's head resting on his chest. After seeing at her he smiled towards the blazing morning. Venus awoke with Edward wrapping his arm around her. She began to speak to him.
“No force on earth is stronger
than
love. Edward you may demise hurrying to continue my quest but it is of the utmost importance that I complete it before the next full moon.” Nodding in agreement they both made their way
hand in hand to the bay.

Bargaining with the locals to get them to sell them a ship was quite a challenge, all they managed to scramble was a small wooden sky
blue
boat. The fisherman insisted on knowing where they were off to, once Venus told the man he wanted to cancel the bargain, but what was done was done. Episkopi bay chanted the fisherman was a filed with lethal sea creatures. Legends of big hard backed monsters who destroyed every ship in its path. The
man’s
ranting got Edward so terrified that as he tried to speak up all that came out of his mouth was an enormous gulp.

“Huge hard back ship breaking fish is the least of our worries Edward.”
l
aughed Venus. She dragged Edward on the boat as they set sail for a quieter destination to modify the little boat. As they left the p
ort Venus cheerfully waved good
by
e
to the Fisherman.

As they reached Episkopi bay Venus set out to repair the rotting vessel and restore
it to its former glory. Edward
n
ot
aware of what she was up to thought that a little fishing might calm down his rumbling stomach, so he walked on the shores of the bay hoping to find his next meal. Venus adjusted the sail to facilitate the crossing and incorporated a compass to the interior shell of the boat. When she finished her numerous adjustments she sought out to find where Edward was. To her surprise he was plotting to catch the silver fish he followed all afternoon.

Venus called out “So you can't fish either.” But right when she arrived to his side he finally caught the fish.

“No I can fish.” He declared contradicting her accusation.

Roasting the prey on the fire they feasted their midday meal eagerly wondering what awaited them. “We shall set sail at sun down.” Started Venus “... Atlantis has a blue dime star lighting our safe passage which only reveals itself with in the
night.”