House of Comarré Omnibus, page 171
part #0.50 of House of Comarré Series
“Fine.” She narrowed her red eyes at them. “But you better not be lying.”
“Go now, Lilith,” Mal said. “Or we won’t call you at all.”
“Hmph.” But she crossed her arms and disappeared.
Chapter Thirty-eight
Sand and rocks covered the earth in every direction except the one directly in front of Chrysabelle. Before her stood a set of gold filigree gates unlike any she’d ever seen. They soared over her, the tops of them disappearing into the clouds scuttling across the blue sky. The wall they were attached to was made of trees; trunks and branches and swathes of leaves all woven into an impenetrable barrier.
The sweet aroma that had wafted through to the other side of the portal was nothing compared to the air now. It was like she could taste the sweetness of the fruit and flowers perfuming the breeze. She closed her eyes and inhaled.
“Beautiful, isn’t it?”
With a jerk, she opened them again. A being with four wings stood in front of her. A drape of the deepest blue covered him and a soft glow surrounded his body. He had a kind but strong face.
“Who are you?”
“I am Eae, the cherubim who guards this gate.” He held his hand out to his side and a flaming sword appeared in it. The blade twisted of its own accord, spinning slowly.
“You’re not going to let me pass, are you?”
He smiled with the ferocity of a lion. “Your blood decides that, not me.” He stepped to the side and the gates began to open. “And yes, you may pass. Just know that you may not remove anything from the Garden and you bear the consequences of anything you eat.”
She nodded, shocked that he wasn’t trying to stop her. “I understand. Thank you.” She hesitated. “There are others coming. Vampires. Two females and a male.”
His face shifted into something fiercer, almost hawklike. “Nobles?”
“Yes.”
He scowled.
“Will they be able to pass?”
More scowling. “Yes.”
She glanced at the sun shining in the sky. How was Mal going to know when it was night here? “This sun will affect them just like the sun anywhere else, right?”
“Yes,” Eae said. “But they will never see it. The Garden is whatever its inhabitants need it to be. For them, it will be night.”
“And for me?”
“As you may abide either, you will see it as night when they arrive.”
She sighed with relief. She’d know exactly when Mal got here. “So you know, the male is on my side. But the females with him can’t know I’m here. Please don’t say anything to them about me, but if you can somehow let the male know I’ve arrived, that would be okay with me.”
He nodded. “I will do what I can.”
“One more thing?” She prayed she wasn’t overstepping her bounds. “The portal I came through…” She glanced behind her. It shimmered on the ground, a brilliant red circle undeniably out of place. “Is there any way to hide it from those coming?”
“Sand.”
“Sand?” She picked up a handful and sprinkled it on one side of the portal and the edge disappeared. “Okay, sand.” She quickly covered the rest of it.
A quick thank-you and she hurried into the Garden, unsure how much longer the gates would stay open.
Once past them, the world around her was unbelievable. Not a single cloud obscured the sky on this side of the wall and the brilliant sunlight picked out every color of the flowers and trees and wildlife, making her feel like she was walking through a kaleidoscope. Mist drifted through an abundance of lush, tropical trees and plants in every imaginable shade of green. Beneath her feet, a mossy path wound into the distance. She reached down to touch the grass. The tiny springy blades were silky soft.
Here and there, enormous chunky-barked trees arched over the path, shading the way with dinner-plate-sized leaves in deep bluish-green. Where the mist cleared, sunlight filtered through in a dappled pattern and lit up an array of unusual fruits hanging from vines. Electric bright flowers bloomed everywhere and the scent wrapped around Chrysabelle like welcoming arms.
Birdsong, light and more musical than any she’d heard before, floated around her. The subtle buzz of busy insects hummed along in harmony. There was no sense of anything being afraid of her. She passed rabbits sitting near the path, but they just blinked up at her without running away.
A shadowy length of spotted skin rippled behind some of the foliage. A leopard emerged from a clump of tall spiked red flowers and sat, looking at her with a vaguely curious expression. Chrysabelle froze. This was no varcolai.
But it was the Garden of Eden. Wasn’t it supposed to be peaceful here? Everything in accord? “Nice leopard,” she whispered, keeping her hands very still at her sides.
The beast made a snuffling sound, then got up and came toward her. She held her breath. It brushed along her hip, pushing its big head into her hand, then kept going, disappearing back into the thick. She exhaled, relief sweeping through her.
Glancing back the way she’d come, she saw the gates were closed. She took one more long look around, trying to take in the unfettered majesty of the place, and then she pulled out the map that would guide her to the Tree of Life.
Making note of a few landmarks, she started forward again. From where she was, there was no sign of the tree wall that she’d encountered at the entrance, which gave her the sense that the Garden was much bigger than she’d imagined. And every turn of the path brought more beautiful sights. A waterfall threw a rainbow into the air a few yards from the walkway. Some sort of tiny antelope drank from the pond below it. There were blooms the size of basketballs. Dragonflies that could have carried housecats. Trees that sported too many kinds of fruit to count.
She walked for a while, until she came to a crystal-clear pool of water surrounded by a few tall rock formations. Near one edge, water bubbled up, evidence of the spring at its source. The shape of the pool matched the one on the map, so she turned, walking around it. A trio of scarlet and emerald hummingbirds jetted past.
As she came around one of the rock outcroppings, the vegetation cleared in a circular area, almost like a natural arena. Long tendrils of ivy and flowering vines softened the edges of the surrounding rocks and a cloud of yellow butterflies fluttered through the space. At the center stood a grand tree, perfect in every way, from the thickness of its smooth, golden trunk to the deep, brilliant green of its heart-shaped leaves.
Small, apple-like fruit hung at even intervals, their skin so dark red they almost looked black and so shiny they seemed made of glass. She approached cautiously, unsure what to expect, but nothing impeded her progress. She reached out and touched one of the fruit. It was as cool and smooth as the glass it looked like.
The desire to eat one was overwhelming. Perhaps that was the nature of the tree? She took a few steps back. She didn’t have time to question anything. Mal could be here with Tatiana and Lilith at any moment. She needed a place to hide and watch, a place from which she could strike quickly in case either of them didn’t eat the fruit.
This beautiful, peaceful garden would be the final battleground and as much as she hated the thought of marring this perfect landscape, if it meant safety for her child, she would do it gladly.
She stared up at the tree. The leaves and fruit were so thick that beyond the first few branches, nothing else of the tree was visible. She smiled, nodding. The element of surprise often turned a battle early. With that thought propelling her, she grabbed the nearest branch and began to climb.
“You’re sure?” Tatiana asked. She kneeled on the floor of the sitting room where they’d rolled up the carpet to reveal bare wood. The scroll sat next to her, unfurled.
“Yes,” Mal said. “Turn part of your metal hand into a fountain pen, then use your blood to draw the portal. I’ve seen the comarré do it. I know it’s the way.”
Tatiana sniffed. “I hate that she was such a part of your life. You did kill her, didn’t you?”
“I’m here, aren’t I? Stop wasting time and get on with it.” Every moment with Tatiana was like a year away from Chrysabelle. All he wanted was to be with her again and have this nightmare behind them. Then he wanted to press his hands to her belly and feel his child within her.
“Why are you smiling?”
Damn it. He was. “I was thinking about how nice it will be when this is over with.”
Tatiana smiled back, tipping her head coyly. “Won’t it?” She lifted her metal hand and a fountain pen formed between her fingers, and then she lifted her wrist to her mouth and bit down. With a soft curse, she dipped the nib into the blood spilling from her vein.
“Make a circle large enough to step through,” Mal said.
“I know.” Tension edged her voice.
He let her continue without speaking again. She drew the runes into the center of the circle, stopping twice to reopen the vein in her wrist as it healed.
Finally, she sat back. “I don’t see how this is going to—bloody hell, look at that.”
The blood began to spread, filling in the empty spaces as it expanded. Mal nodded. “You did it.” Amazing, considering how little she liked following directions.
She got to her feet as the pen in her hand became fingers again. “Now what?”
“Wait…” Mal studied the portal. The blood touched the sides of the circle and a flash of gold gleamed across the surface. “There. It’s open.”
Her lids fluttered and her mouth opened. “Do you smell that? Like watermelon and fresh-cut grass and flowers.”
“And sunlight,” he added. The perfume flowing through the portal dug into his brain and picked out his few remaining memories of summer, a smell so rich and so rare it almost buckled his knees.
Beside him, Tatiana wept a single tear. She swiped at it. “I haven’t smelled that since… I don’t know when.”
He turned away, ignoring the wrenching longing that had come alive in his chest. Chrysabelle is already there, waiting for you, he told himself. “Call Lilith. The sooner this is over, the better.”
She opened her mouth.
“Wait.” A thought struck him. “How do you know it’s going to be night when we go through? It doesn’t smell like night to me.”
“It’s okay,” she answered. “The ancient one reassured me that the Garden becomes whatever you need it to be. I assume when we step through, it will change to night if it’s not already.”
“I hope you’re right.” Because if she was, the shift would alert Chrysabelle that they’d arrived and she’d be able to take cover until the right time. “Go ahead, call the little monster.”
“Mal.” Tatiana glared a warning at him, then put on a mask of happiness. “Lilith, my darling, come to me. We’re ready for our trip.”
Without hesitation, a sliver of shadow invaded the room and turned into Lilith. “I’m here.” Her eyes were round with excitement and Mal wondered how the Castus hadn’t realized that feeding their blood to a child would end up creating such a mad, twisted being. In a way, he felt sorry for Lilith. Her true family, her childhood, and her slim chance at some kind of normal life had been ripped away from her. He knew what that loss felt like from a father’s point of view, but did she? Did she remember anything of her life before she’d become a pawn in this horrific game?
Perhaps death would be a welcome end for her. “Thank you for obeying so quickly,” he told her. “Tatiana, why don’t you go first, then Lilith, then I’ll follow.”
“No,” Lilith barked. “I’m going first. It’s my present.”
Tatiana stepped back in surrender. “You go first, then.”
Mal pointed at the portal. He couldn’t have been more over this whole thing if he tried. At least Lilith going first was a great way to test if the sun was still up. “There. Go.”
With a flounce, Lilith tossed her head and stepped into the circle. She disappeared. Tatiana looked at him. “Maybe we could just erase the portal and be done with her that way?”
Mal raised one brow. “She can travel in and out of the ancients’ realm without effort. What would keep her from leaving the Garden that way?” Again, he pointed to the portal. “Hurry up, before she kills something on the other side.”
Sighing, Tatiana followed after her. As soon as she disappeared, he stepped through.
And found them waiting for him in the middle of a desert. At night.
“There’s nothing here,” Lilith grumped. She stuck her hands on her hips as she turned to look at him. “What kind of—” Her mouth rounded into a circle. “Look!” She pointed and he and Tatiana turned.
A set of gates to rival any he’d ever seen rose up from the sand and vanished into the evening sky. Walls made of trees joined the sides and rounded out of sight. The air in front of the ornately filigreed gates shimmered like a heat mirage and a soldier appeared. Not a soldier exactly. He’d never seen a soldier with wings.
The creature came toward them. Lilith hissed. The creature opened his mouth and roared at her, blowing them all back a few steps. Then he pointed a wicked, flaming sword at her. It spun on its hilt, the flames flowing out like hungry tongues. “Demon spawn,” he said. “Do not urge me to battle.”
Mal yanked Lilith behind him. “Quiet, you.” He bent his head slightly, trying to show respect. “We only wish entrance to the Garden. Will you let us in?”
The creature stared at Mal, losing some of the animosity he’d directed at Lilith. “Your blood decides that, not me.” Behind him the gates began to open. He gestured to Tatiana and Lilith with the sword. “You may pass. You will not be permitted to remove anything from the Garden and you bear the consequences of anything you eat.”
Tatiana grabbed Lilith’s hand and dragged her forward. Mal hesitated. The creature hadn’t indicated he could go through.
The soldier watched Tatiana and Lilith slip through the gates, then turned to Mal and lowered his sword. “You are not the first to enter these gates.” His voice was soft. “Do you understand?”
Mal nodded, happiness replacing the frustration in his belly. “The comarré,” he whispered.
The creature gave a single, short nod and held his hand out toward the gates.
Mal raced forward, catching up with Lilith and Tatiana, hopefully before they realized he’d lagged behind.
“Magnificent, isn’t it?” Tatiana turned in a slow circle, a look of wonderment shining on her face.
“Glorious.” But Mal’s attention was on Lilith, who’d already strayed from the mossy path underfoot and was reaching for something in a tree. “Lilith,” he called. She ignored him. “Lilith.” She didn’t even glance in his direction. He strode over to where she was.
And realized she was pulling a bright blue snake out of the tree. “Son of a priest, leave that alone.”
She whipped around to face him, her hands still locked on the serpent, her eyes going full red. “You said I could have a pet.”
“And you can, but we’ve only just entered. Don’t you want to see what else there is?”
As his logic sank in, the whites returned to her eyes. She let go of the snake. “I guess.”
He made himself smile at her. “That’s a good girl. Come on, now, let’s see the rest of this place.”
He put his hand on her shoulder and herded her back to the path and Tatiana, who was still ogling the landscape. He pointed, showing Lilith a large purple lizard hugging a tree branch farther up the path. She raced off to look at it up close, giving him a moment to pull Tatiana back to reality. “Could you join me here? How far until we get to the tree?”
“What? Oh.” She sighed and took the map out. “We follow this path for a while, then leave it after we come to a large spring.”
“Then let’s go before someone gets distracted again and we have to drag her by her hair.”
Tatiana nodded and with her help, they soon made it to the spring. He’d only had to forcibly herd Lilith three more times.
They turned off the path, Lilith straggling behind to pull the heads off flowers and throw them into the water. “Lilith, look.” Tatiana pointed into the clearing ahead where a tree sat dead center.
Even without the map and the foreknowledge that it was the Tree of Life, Mal would have known it was something special. It was too perfect, too cleanly shaped to be something ordinary. The fruit hanging off it gleamed like black glass, looking more deadly than life-giving, but then, that was why they were here. Why he was here. To finally rid himself of the woman who’d wanted nothing but the worst for him for many, many years.
He surreptitiously scoped the area for Chrysabelle. It was impossible to pick out her scent with the garden’s heavy perfume, but he knew she was here, just not where. Behind one of the monolithic rock formations or clusters of trees skirting the clearing? Ivy and flowering vines curled up the trunks, joining some and distorting others to the point where it was difficult to see the separation between the trees. She could be anywhere. His gaze landed on the tree again and as he stared at it, he realized there was a faint glow emanating from it.
Chrysabelle was in the branches. He hoped Tatiana just chalked it up to being part of the tree’s supernatural specialness. Or maybe she’d be too distracted to even notice.
Fortunately, that distraction chose that moment to run past them. Lilith went straight to the tree’s lower branches and the fruit hanging there. “What are these? I want one.”
Mal leaned over to Tatiana. “Take yours now. Hurry.” Then he approached Lilith to divert her for a moment. “They’re some kind of fruit, but they don’t look ripe.”
Her bottom lip poked out right on cue. “But I want one.”
At the sound of crunching, he and Lilith turned. Tatiana stood just a few feet away, one of the black apples cradled in her metal hand, the snowy white flesh revealed by the bite she’d taken.
“Delicious,” she purred, eyes closed. Juice dripped down her chin.
“I want one,” Lilith screeched, reaching toward the nearest fruit.
Tatiana’s eyes opened, fear silvering them until they glowed. “Lilith, I don’t think you should have one of these.”
