Chapter Eighteen
The trek to the far side of the earth forced Cain and his family to move passed mountainous regions that left little room even for a temporary lair. During this period, it was discovered that very few humans migrated this far north, as the terrain proved to be barely habitable for most of the human populations. The icy winds sliced through them and for the first few nights of the journey, they were forced to feed on whatever animals they could find.
And still no Eliana.
Nunka had been unsuccessful in locating her. Her death had not registered in his senses. She had simply decided to not be found. Cain presumed that she could be anywhere on the planet and he wondered if she knew that Aklia and her minions had taken out the twins, Tati and Tayre. The thought of their loss reminded him of the vengeance that he would unleash onto the planet. But instead of moving with the speed of an asteroid set on a collision course to earth, destroying any and everything in its path, he would infect the earth with darkness bit by bit, human by human until every nook and cranny of this cursed planet quivered beneath his feet.
“How much farther are we to travel?” Nunka asked as he walked side by side with Cain. The females had fallen only slightly behind, with Luluwa being required to rest more. Selene’s cries had lessened a few miles ago, and for that Cain was thankful. Out of all of his children, Selene had been the most demanding. Aggression coursed through the infant’s veins, and despite her now being a few days old, she grew now resembling that of a six- month old human. Her green eyes were always aware, indicating a strong predatory nature. Cain could only imagine what she would be like when she reached full maturity.
“We still have quite a few moons son,” Cain said. “But I am certain that the mountains cannot go on forever.”
“I could go on ahead of us,” Nunka offered. “It would be faster to travel by air rather than foot.”
“It would be. But, we have both heavenly and earthly enemies. Your mother is still not a full strength and your sister is still young. You are needed here.”
“Well allow me to capture a couple of humans for us to consume,” Nunka volunteered.
Cain considered his offer. With Luluwa needing to feed from his veins frequently frmom having to feed Selene from her own veins now, the blood of animals did not provide the strength his body needed. Human food was scarce in this region which left him without options. “Once we set up camp for the day, take Naima with you and bring back a couple of humans. Warriors preferably being that their blood is strong.”
Nunka nodded and the two marched on.
The tundra, a region of dry lands and hard ice during the winter months proved to be the greatest challenge. Nunka and Naima managed to capture at least two humans each night and bring them back alive for all of them to feed on. Here, there screams of terror could not be heard. And here it was where Cain learned of an innate ability to invade the human mind, bend its will, allowing them to feed in silence. Within days, the tundra became a graveyard of nightmarish reminders of their stay.
It was not long before they had finally left those harsh lands and joined the untapped human ranks, hundreds of miles away from the Serpent River and the original grounds that both Cain and Adam walked. Glorious opportunity awaited. Here is where they will plan their strike. Here is where Luluwa and Selene will be kept safe.
And here is where Cain will then create his army.
Lush greenery and the low- lying river that trickled south of where they stood welcomed them underneath the moonlight. Off in the distance, the powerful cries of large dogs haunted the air. A small fire burned with the scent of roasting meat. A collective of human voices joined together in a mixed harmony of highs and lows in a joyful song. Cain listened, absorbing the beauty of this unknown side of humanity that branched off from Adam centuries ago. Here they had remained safe from Cain and his curse.
Until now.
“Tomorrow we will strike a bargain with the humans,” Cain announced to his family.
“What?” Nunka hissed. “Why would we do that when we can take-“
“We are more than just night feeders Nunka,” Cain began. “We are the true gods of the earth and it is time that we act like it. We have remained hidden in the shadows of darkness for too long. And I want word to spread to my sister. I want her to taste the fear from the messages she receives of my rule. And once she does, her end and the end of her descendants will come.”
“What will we do until then?”
Cain turned to look at his hot -headed son. Dark eyes stared back at him with curiosity. “Our destinies begin tomorrow son. Just watch.”
***
Aklia watched her nieces and nephews spar with growing concern. Yam clutched the spear and with lightening speed knocked his twelve -year old nephew on his back. The boy released a hard groan before he hit the ground. Yam hovered over him before offering his hand. Aklia released a hard sigh.
“Get up Amir,” she barked, snatching the spear from Yam’s hand. “Again.”
Amir glanced at his uncle with uncertainty. His dark eyes filled with unshed tears as he reluctantly accepted his uncle’s hand and stood on shakey knees to brace himself. His great aunt, Aklia shook her head with frustration. The last thing she wanted was for any of her children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews to have to continue the fight against Cain and his blood drinkers. She believed that the Curse would end by her sword, the same sword that Archangel Michael had given to her so that her children would not have to bear the burden of this legacy. Adam believed in her too and before his soul transitioned to the next world, he looked at her with pride and hope in his eyes, with faith that she would slay the demon son that plagued his family.
Meanwhile, her mother Eve, despite remaining silent, sent out a plea through her eyes for Aklia to show mercy on her brother and sister. At one point, Aklia might have been inclined to do so. But Cain had already taken away so much from all of them, that mercy was a thing that no longer existed. Cain’s existence needed to be wiped away from the earth’s memory.
“Again Amir,” she commanded after a long pause.
This time, when Yam lunged forward, Amir dodged the sudden move with precision, flipping out of the way just as Aklia had taught him. Aklia watched as the two went back and forth with the sparring for a few minutes before walking away to be alone with her thoughts.
She could sense Cain somewhere off in the far distance, destroying whatever part of the world he trekked to. But she knew it would not be long before he would resurface and when that arrived…
She would be ready.
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