Caitlin and Caleb flew together in the clear, blue desert sky, heading north over the land of Israel, towards the sea. Below them the land was spread out, and Caitlin watched the landscape change as they went. There were huge swaths of desert, vast stretches of sunbaked dirt, littered with rocks, boulders, mountains and caves. There were hardly any people, except for the occasional shepherd, dressed from head to toe in white, a hood covering his head to protect from the sun, his flock trailing not too far behind.But as they flew further and further north, the terrain began to change. Desert gave way to rolling hills, and the color began to change, too, from a dry, dusty brown, to a vibrant green. Olive groves and vineyards dotted the landscape. But still, there were few people to be found.Caitlin thought back to her discovery in Nazareth. Inside that well, she had been shocked to find a single, precious object, which she now clutched in her hand: a golden star of David, the size of
Scarlet roamed the narrow streets of Jerusalem with Ruth, feeling unlike she ever had. She felt as if something inside her had been unleashed, something she didn’t understand, and couldn’t contain. She felt more animal than human. She was roving, looking for her next kill, and she didn’t even trust herself.The taste and smell of blood filled Scarlet’s every pore. Her first kill had been indescribable, something beyond what she could have ever imagined. The feel of that man’s blood filling her veins did something to her, something she couldn’t explain: she felt filled with power and strength at the same time. Reborn.Yet it also whet her appetite. It turned on a switch inside, made her realize how good it could feel—and it demanded more. She now roamed the streets wildly, watching people’s throats, zooming in on the pulsing of their heartbeat. She felt an itch inside her veins, a thirst for more victims.She also felt a fresh sense of rage, of entitlement, that she never had before.
As the sun set, Sam walked with Samantha in a desolate part of the streets of Jerusalem, far from anyone. They had been walking for hours, Samantha silently leading him, and he had followed without a word. There was something about her—there had always been something about her—that made Sam want to be with her, want to follow her, without even asking why.Sam thought back to the very first time he’d met her, in the Hudson Valley, when she was living alone in that house. It was the first time he’d ever been smitten, and the first time he’d fallen in love.As they walked for hours, Samantha leading him through obscure parts of the city, memories of their relationship came flooding back. Sam recalled their drive together that day in the Hudson Valley, their going to that trailer park, discovering that man who pretended to be his father was just an impostor, a creep. Sam remembered when he saw Samantha kill him—the first time he’d ever seen a vampire kill anyone. He remembered being tran
As Caitlin and Caleb flew over the Israeli countryside, the sun beginning to set and the temperature finally cooling, Caitlin ran over in her head the inscription on the wall.It had read: Where the graves rise, the olive tree has many branches.She’d had no idea what that meant. Caleb explained that he thought it was a reference, a clue that they needed to go to the ancient Mount of Olives, the legendary mountain that sat on the outskirts of Jerusalem. It was a mystical place, he said, part cemetery and part olive grove, and had been one of the most important places of vampire power for millennia. It was rumored, he said, to be home to the most powerful vampire coven of all.They hadn’t stopped flying since, racing towards the Mount, towards Jerusalem. The entire time, Caitlin couldn’t stop wondering if she would find her Dad there. Or the Shield. Or, she dared to hope, Scarlet. She couldn’t get there fast enough.The Israeli countryside below her was breathtaking. As they headed
Scarlet felt herself being pushed and prodded down the dark stone corridor of the prison, as they descended lower and lower into the earth. Her hands were clasped tightly behind her back with silver shackles, while Ruth was led beside her, a muzzle over her mouth. Scarlet was terrified as they went, hearing the distant shouts of prisoners, getting ever closer. They sounded like vicious people, and she felt as if she were being led into the depths of hell, towards an insane asylum.As she was shoved again, hard in the back, Scarlet caught a glimpse of her warder: he was a huge man, with a big fat belly, unshaven, with missing teeth. She could smell his awful breath even from here.“Keep moving, you little brat!” he said.He then wound up and kicked Ruth hard in her back, sending her flying forward, and banging her head into a stone wall. Ruth yelped. There was nothing she could do, though, with the muzzle securely over her face.Their warder laughed. Scarlet felt her rage well up, b
Caitlin and Caleb followed Aiden as he walked down the steep slope of the Mount of Olives, turning amidst hidden paths in the trees. They walked in silence, Aiden several feet ahead.Caitlin was burning with so many questions for him, as always. How long had he been here? How had he known she was coming? And most of all, why did all the clues lead to him? Was he her father?They continued in silence, trailing behind, until they reached a plateau at the base of the mountain, well-hidden by the trees. She watched as he walked right into what seemed like a grove of trees. He disappeared amidst the foliage. After exchanging a look, Caitlin and Caleb followed.As they did, she was amazed at what lay just beyond: nestled amidst a thick grove of olive trees sat a large villa, long and wide. Surrounded by columns on all sides, with wide-open arches, it looked like an ancient monastery, with its clean, simple lines and empty space. Inside was a broad, limestone interior, with a simple courty
As the convicts crowded in around Scarlet, one of them stepped forward, the largest of the bunch. He towered over the others, and he looked to Scarlet liked he was seven feet tall. He was bald, with a huge scar across his nose, and bulging with muscles. He was clearly the leader in here.He turned and faced the others.“She’s mine,” he announced. “My plaything. Mine to torture as I wish. Any of you have a problem with that?”The dozens of faces stopped, and Scarlet could see their fear. No one was willing to challenge him. Clearly, this creep was king of the hill in here. The others slowly slinked away, disappointed but resigned.The creep turned and reached down and grabbed Scarlet with one hand by the back of her shirt. He picked her up high in the air with a single hand, and inspected her as if she were an insect. He was so powerful, he held her as if he were carrying a fly.Scarlet wiggled and squirmed, struggling to break free as she was hoisted in the air and as he walked wi
Sam marched beside Rexius, Samantha and Judas down the cobblestone entranceway to Pontius Pilate’s palace. Followed by a dozen members of Rexius’ coven, they marched like a small army, dressed in all black, right down the center of the stone plaza. It was dark out, late into the night, the walkway was lit by flaming torches on either side of them. They came to a big arched gate, in front of which stood a dozen Roman soldiers.To Sam’s surprise, several of these soldiers had the temerity to step forward and form a wall to block their approach.But the vampires kept marching, never even pausing, and as they did, Rexius merely smiled and held up a single hand before his face. Sam watched as the soldiers suddenly collapsed, slumping to the ground.Sam marched with the others right over their bodies, and he could feel their soft corpses beneath his feet. They continued marching, across the big circular stone plaza, past the Roman fountains, past the perfectly trimmed cypress trees. They