Текст книги "Immortal"

Автор книги: Tina Bright

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To my relief, Eugene quickly left, and I plunged into reading. All the books, which the Guardian gave to me, were old, but not enough to describe the world's oldest civilization. As soon as I read them, I understood why they confused me. I thought that these were the textbooks for young Guardians. All the ancient information and descriptions were summarized in these textbooks, which were very similar to our own books on history. I snorted at the thought this so-called higher race was not much different from the human race. Perhaps, they even borrowed some of our "useless inventions", like writing textbooks. Most likely, it was true, because these materials were not available for people so we could not adopt this way of presenting information. Or could we? Tol told that some representatives of so-called higher races often lived among ordinary people. What if all the most famous inventors from the beginning of times were not ordinary people? It would be interesting to know whether I was right in my assumptions.

I was captured by the information that I perceived as myths of Ancient Greece. My mother often liked to read them to me as a child, but they were a little far from reality, judging by these books. However, some of the myths were true, which seriously shocked me.

I expected to read about the ancient Greek Gods in beautiful tunics. But they appeared to be naked on the pages of the books. Do they still live on Olympus like this, given that everyone is a brother, a father or a son to each other? Strange traditions…

I recalled the image that I could not get out of my mind.

"Darsy…" someone was shaking my shoulder, except it was reaching my mind from afar. "Darsy, wake up!"

I opened my eyes and blankly looked at Eugene. He pursed his lips sarcastically.

"WHAT? Like you never sleep!"

"If you haven't changed your mind about going home yet, it is high time now."

I nodded and we left the library. Once again we saw the passage that I did not want to enter. My stomach dropped at the thought of a recent trip.

"What are you waiting for? When I enter the portal it will be closed. Don't you want to go back?"

"I want. Is there another way?"

"There's no other way out of here."

I went inside with a dull moan and immediately felt like a sausage placed in a vacuum meter.

"What am I going to tell Jackson?" it was a rhetorical question, said almost in a whisper, but Eugene heard.

"Whoever it is, don't say anything about what's happened today and what's waiting for you in the future."

"I can't lie to him. We've known each other since we were kids. He was the first to know my secrets, and I knew his."

"Spare me the details," he waved. "But remember, as soon as you tell him, if he believes you, of course, this will put his life at risk."

"Will he be killed?"

"No. We have services that make sure that our world is hidden from you. They erase the memories that occasionally appear due to the carelessness of the Murky Shadows or other creatures. But some moments can't be replaced by confusing memories or erased, so the human must be removed. He can live but in a different form. Long-term comas, total memory loss, alcohol addiction and so on – all this is convincing for you and safe for us. Who would believe a homeless man with a sign of the end of the world or demons wandering down the street? Who would believe a drug addict who saw something unnatural? Sometimes the witnesses are simply erased like they never existed. One or two – it doesn't matter, even the mother wouldn't notice. So, I don't recommend telling anything!"

It was hardly a simple recommendation, rather a warning, which, as hard as it was for me, I would have to follow. I never hid anything from Jackson. As children, we were notorious conspirators, often against the entire world. He was always my closest friend. Even when my family moved, we found a way to see each other until he was transferred to my new school for his final year. How was I supposed to keep this secret?

"Why are you hiding? As far as I know, many thousands of years ago, the population worshipped the Gods, and the prayers of the people imbued them with power."

"It was a long time ago. A lot has changed since then. The faith of the people crushed, turned into a religion. Everyone who disagreed invented his own God and forced his loved ones to believe in those Gods. Over the years, different religions caused wars and pestilences. In a moment of fanaticism, people destroyed the temples of the Gods and the ancient reliquiae, making the irreparable damage to themselves and us. They stopped to believe but not to curse. It was therefore decided to bury the truth in oblivion and to cherish the illusion. Things have changed for us ever since. We stopped worrying that insatiability and hostility would destroy the remains of your civilization. The people themselves began to preserve the reliquiae as rarities, without which everything will die. Now, we make sure that things stay the way they are, and people protect what is so precious to us from themselves.

I hardly understood the true meaning of what was said and the motives of the Gods. But if they thought it was for the best, then it probably was so. I myself often noticed the prose of this world and was amazed. But Eugene was right: people carefully preserve all the archaeological findings behind bulletproof glass, fences, and thick walls. It was always never enough for us and, at the moment, Eugene's words seemed right to me – we were like parasites. We had too little faith and too much greed. We tried to get everything out of life, not thinking about the consequences, destroying everything that could prevent us from getting what we wanted.

That's how people destroyed not only civilizations, but also the Universe, prowling other planets in search of resources for their existence.

"What reliquiae do you mean?"

"If it's the will of the Gods, you'll find this out at the right time."

The portal opened near my front door. This time I managed not to fall down, though it was difficult. I was shaking and felt sick, but carefully hid it not to experience the disdainful look of these strange eyes once again.

"We're going hunting tonight!" said Eugene as the last word and disappeared in the portal.

I was so tired that I did not ask any questions. I wanted to get to the bed and sleep for twenty-four hours in a row.

It was almost dawn, so Jackson had not left for work and was still sleeping. When I got to the door and opened it, I found out that Jackson was at home but awake. He jumped up to me and hugged. I had to explain everything…

"What happened? I couldn't get why you ran away."

"I'm sorry. I just freaked out. It's probably nerves, and you're right: I'm so silly!"

"It's okay! I'm with you!" he was stroking my back in circular motions. It always calmed me down.

"How's your hand?"

"Everything's okay. It's good that I'm not allergic to bee venom."

"WHAT?

"Well, my hand didn't swell after the bee sting, and if something was wrong, we're lucky to be right next to the hospital. Why did you run away?"

"I was scared of the bee," I lied. "And then I got lost. I left my handbag in your car. I couldn't call you, so I had to go home on foot."

Jackson made a cup of tea and cooked dinner or breakfast already. And after that, we went to bed to get some sleep before work.

I fell asleep, curling up in the arms of my boyfriend, in the safest place in the world.

Chapter 4

The Guardians' Abode. The Commander's Office.

His footsteps were fast and silent as always. He was focused and determined. The Commander's office appeared around the corner. Eugene was running out of time, but at whatever cost he had to talk to Tol before hunting.

The Commander was not in the office. Eugene hesitated for a minute and decided to wait for him. He began to walk around the office in circles, expressing his impatience in this way.

Waiting took quite a long time, but Eugene decided that he could not postpone the conversation with the Commander. An hour later, Tol entered the office and raised his eyebrows. He did not tolerate strangers in his office without his presence. It was good that only Eugene allowed himself this privilege.

"Don't you have a mission? Haven't I explained to you the task?"

"I understood perfectly well, but Darsy wished to go home. She didn't even want to hear of staying here. People like to create their own problems. I decided not to interfere and see where their praised freedom of choice will lead."

"Eugene, if something happens while you're not around…" Tol began, but Eugene interrupted him.

"What could happen to her in bed? Or do you want me to watch her at night? Then I’m out of it. I'm not going to babysit two teenagers," Eugene screwed up his face. He involuntarily had a vague memory of those scenes that he had seen during his missions: lustful people, wandering around, making out at every corner, indulged in debauchery and other foul actions right on the deserted streets of cities.

"No, you certainly don't have to watch her by the bedside," Tol shook his head and collapsed into his chair. He had many things to do that were urgent and that he could not deal with so far.

"Why didn't you tell her the truth? Or why didn't you tell her the whole truth? Or maybe I don't know something? If my memory serves me right, the Oracle's vision said otherwise."

"What makes you think she didn't see anything else?"

"Tol, the Oracle said clearly that the young woman must participate in some upcoming battle, but you say that she is to pay the debt. She'll lose her powers as soon as it happens!"

"Eugene, you yourself brought her to me because you didn't know how to persuade a human to cooperate. And now you criticize me for me having managed to get her on our side, though hiding some part of the truth!"

"I don't criticize you at all. I want to understand why you didn't tell her about the role you'd prepared for her in all this!"

"Do you think she would eagerly agree to die in her young age because we've been unable to perform our duties as we should have? Although you're not a big fan of people, but the existence of all things depends on a completely unprepared, innocent young woman, who is not ready to hear the whole truth. She'll just be afraid of what she'll need to do. Besides, if you succeed in paying the debt, the disaster can be prevented."

"Is it what the Elders said or just your assumption?"

"Rather, the second one…"

"Though she is a human, she deserves to know the truth…"

"Enough! It's not my responsibility! If that's what you want, I give you permission to tell her everything. Go on! But if she refuses to help after that, we're doomed."

"She's just a kid!!! She will have to risk her life, most likely even die, and I think she has the right to know why and what price she will have to pay to save the Balance."

"I also feel sorry for her… This might sound weird, but she's just a victim of circumstances. But the greater good is more important. It's best not to say anything yet. Let her find out about it later, when she has no choice."

"She'll hate us…"

Tol half-arched his eyebrow as if in surprise.

"Does it bother you?"

"Sure! If she becomes powerful enough, she can make troubles. People live with emotions, especially emphasizing the revenge. Imagine what will happen if she absorbs too many powers and we are no longer able to stop her… Then, the Balance will be our lesser concern. Isn't that why Charon was locked up without a chance to leave his post?"

"Eugene, we'll tackle the issues as they arise."

"I don't really like people, but they have a good saying: 'For nothing is secret that shall not be made manifest!' And then don't say that I didn't warn you."

"We'll figure this out. Now we have bigger problems."

"Like what?"

"The gate was open for almost a day due to the escape of Charon. Several hundred souls, and maybe even more, broke free. The Source is still safe. I sent off almost all the Guardians for its protection, and others are at the gate. There's no one else to defend the positions and reliquiae. Even the Oracle is left unguarded. The High Priests are nervous. They try to find out a bit more about the upcoming war, but they have to fight the newly-converted ones now and then. I understand that you need to rest, but I would appreciate it if you could help them out. We need a new prophecy, because no one knows where from the danger is expected to come."

Eugene nodded and, briefly saying goodbye to the Commander, went to the Grotto of the Oracle.

During the years of his service as a Guardian, Eugene had a chance to participate in thousands of battles against the rebels: evil spirits kept gathering in chaotic groups, uniting in small troops and trying to storm the entrance to the Source; against the rebellious demigods, who were hungry for power or pass to the Olympus; as well as against the army of the Nefarious. But every time he would come out of fights the winner, almost unharmed. Eugene never flinched and was not afraid of the enemy. He liked the battle itself and the feeling of danger, which he desired in every fight. He agreed to the craziest missions and never felt fear, only excitement. But now he was shocked by the scene.

He saw a bloody battle unfolding between not fully transformed souls and High Priests, whose ranks were thinning out every second. They desperately fought the enemy in an attempt to protect the entrance to the sacred Grotto and defend their treasure – the Oracle, who was the only creature with all the answers to all the questions.

Eugene knew that no one could hurt the souls in this state unless they would transform into something terrible. But he hoped that his Sword would help buy time for the High Priests.

"Move aside! Go to the Grotto! Seal the entrance!" Eugene screamed, pulling out his blazing Sword.

The souls hissed and recoiled. Heavenly light burned them, but did not hurt.

The High Priests rushed inside for conducting a ritual only meant for cases of emergency. There have been only two times in the history of Existence when the Seal was put on the Grotto so that no one could enter or exit it. The Seal would fall off only after the Oracle died inside the closed Grotto. The communication with the outside world was held by the High Priest with the help of the Oracle who could penetrate into the consciousness of any living creature.

Being left alone with the souls, Eugene grinned.

"It looks like it’s going to be the most exciting fight!" he only said.

The next moment, he rushed into the battle, knowing well that he could not defeat the enemy.

The souls hovered around, wanting to destroy the enemy, but fearing the Sword hardened with Zeus's lightning, which the Guardian wielded skillfully and tirelessly. Eugene drew arcs in the air around him, not allowing the numerous enemies to get close.

He suddenly recalled the words of his Commander of several hundred souls that escaped and now understood how wrong the estimated number was. There were at least one thousand souls right at the entrance to the Grotto, not mentioning those who went to the Source.

Soon, the streets of the cities would be flooded with demons, Murky Shadows, and Nefarious, and people, nymphs, muses, demigods, and the Olympians would start dying.

Eugene could hardly hold back the attack of the souls. It was new for him to feel pain, but it seemed to him a pleasant reward for the Seal put on the Grotto. He felt its integrity and fought fiercely. But soon, the powers began to leave the Guardian, his hands weakened, and souls used every spot to strike.

The Guardian could not open the portal when hundreds of souls were flying beside him. He watched their transformation and wished for it to happen faster, so he would be able to dip his sword in the flesh that would take its last breath. Now he only had to fight back.

Suddenly, the crazy idea came across Eugene's mind that made him wince. This call would cost him too much. Otherwise, he would not be able to get through the thick circle of rebellious souls.

"Melinoia!!!" he cried.

Hearing this name, the souls began to squeak as if they were placed in the fire and then rushed to the Guardian in an organized stream. They were tired of playing with him because now they were in serious danger. Their rage was all-consuming as they had little time left.

"Melinoia!!!" the Guardian cried once again. "For Heaven's sake, come!"

Only a second remained to the clash between the army of souls and the Guardian. He was not sure he would survive it. Closing his eyes, Eugene prepared himself for the inevitable, but nothing happened.

"Why did you call me?" he remembered this arrogant voice well.

The souls stopped and began to run away. The goddess of spirits did not seem to notice her wards, curiously looking at Eugene.

"I'm asking for help!" Eugene barely muttered. His injuries were not so serious that the words were pronounced with such difficulty, but asking for help from this woman was too hard for him.

"Really? Are you asking me for help?" the goddess pulled out the golden lasso and grabbed the disappearing souls that twisted, rushed about, screamed, but could not escape. "What will I get in return?"

Eugene looked up at Melinoia. Despite the fact that she was the goddess of spirits and lived in the dark kingdom of Hades, doing the dirty work, looking after the restless dead, entertaining herself by scaring mortals at night, she was beautiful. Many years ago, he admired her gloomy beauty and reveled in the caresses of the goddess with a black soul, but now he was disgusted with her.

Eugene thought about the price he was ready to pay the former lover for his life and winced. Once the only thought of the subtle caresses of Melinoia excited him, but now he was ready to die to erase those memories.

"I'll give you anything you want!" he sighed fatefully.

Eugene would never say these words if it was not a matter of life or death, but the Balance, the preservation of the Source, and the great war were at stake. He could not fail the Commander, who entrusted him with the mission he had never dealt with before.

"Mmm… I've been long waiting for these words! You were my favorite toy of all the creatures!"

Not so long ago, these words could have hurt his ego, but not now, when he realized that the Gods were the creatures that he despised even more than people.

"Good!" the goddess nodded.

She pulled the lasso, snapped her fingers, and a cage appeared, into which she placed the souls. The cage burned them when they tried to break free, bouncing off with a piercing cry.

"They'll sit there until the new Carrier picks them up."

"What do you want as pay for your help?"

The goddess slowly came up to Eugene and ran her finger along his tattoo.

"No, my boy, I'll get it when I think it's right. And believe me, you won't be happy about it – that's for all the insults I had to hear from you and, of course, for treason! You know I don't forget anything and certainly don't forgive."

Eugene did not argue. When the goddess left, he jumped into the portal and went to the Commander. He had to tell what was really going on and how much worse the situation was, differing with what Tol had imagined. It was the first time when he saw so many restless rebellious souls.

Over the past few hundred years of history, there were only a few cases of escape, but such a number should not have been even given the fact that the entrance to the Transfer was unguarded for almost a day in a row.

Everything happened for a reason. Those were not ordinary circumstances. All this resembled rather a well-thought-out plan. And the faster the main idea would be determined, the better it would be for both worlds.

Chapter 5

Heavenly Palace. Olympus.

The room was filled with light. It seemed that it was made of sunlight, but it was not. The air was filled with the incomparable, fresh, sweet, and exquisite aroma. The spacious hall with white floor, carved columns and crystal sofas was a worthy abode of the Gods. There was a pedestal with a throne in the center, where a bearded, completely naked man was sitting. He was glowing; showing no interest to anything that was happening. He was barely listening to the dispute of a beautiful black-haired goddess, the patroness of marriage, and his offspring, the god of war and bloodshed.

"We need to intervene! We need to put everything into place before it's too late!" Ares insisted, wanting to quench his thirst for blood.

"We have no right to do this. The Source is well protected. The Balance is under the supervision of the Guardians, so we can't stick our beaks into their business. That's not our problem," Hera retorted, as the thought of descending from the cozy Olympus sickened her.

"We have been idle for thousands of years, allowing these creatures to do what they wanted. Look where it's gotten us! We're one step away from a terrible tragedy! I can awaken my army, and everything will be solved in a few minutes!"

"Your soldiers bring the Earth more devastation than all the restless souls together," Demeter said, worrying about her kingdom.

A languid sigh echoed through the spacious hall, creating a semblance of noise, similar to the rustle of leaves in a windy weather. This barely audible sound was more eloquent than any words. It meant that the Thunderer was tired, and when he was in such a mood, everyone around could get in trouble. The gods quieted down, cutting their dispute short.

"We'll intervene as soon as necessary. Until then, let them deal with the issue without us!" Zeus waved his hand, signaling that the discussion was over.

There was absolute silence, so characteristic to the Heavenly Palace. But suddenly the golden Gate swung open under the impact of hundreds of thousands of souls. They screamed, raged, hovered around confused and surprised Olympians.

I woke up suddenly, like from a nightmare. Actually, I did not know what was that dream. It seemed so real because I still felt the coolness of the Heavenly Palace on my skin and the smell in the air of the hall.

However, I was not in the Heavenly Palace but in my room… hovering in the air. I was lucky that Jackson was not in the room, and he did not see me soaring under the ceiling.

"How will I get down?" I asked myself. But the interesting thing was that it did not scare me, though I got into this world just a day ago. I was getting used to this life, but it was not clear whether it was good or bad.

Little by little, I was getting down to the floor, though it wasn't easy. Now, the gravity was different for me than for others. This was very unusual and fun, and I started enjoying this.

I heard voices in the kitchen. Hasn't Jackson gone to work? I hurried to the noise, but slowed down in the hallway. That was the last thing I needed. My friends came over. They surrounded my boyfriend and were laughing at his barely witty jokes. The sense of humor was not his strong suit. Everybody knew this, but my friends stubbornly pretended that he was devastatingly funny. Mickey and Rosy never change; they could not resist a handsome guy, even if he dated their best friend. The most important was that there was not even a slightest hint of sulking for ruined plans of last night. They probably did not remember anything, like every time they have a drink.

"Good morning!" I greeted, and only then they paid attention to me.

"Darsy, baby, you're up!" Jackson was glad to escape from the grip of those pushy ladies.

"Hi, girls! What are you doing here? And why aren't you at work?"

"It's Saturday, babe!" Jackson reminded me, trying to be considerate.

"And what are you doing here?" I repeated my question to my friends.

"What? Come on! Classes start on Monday. We have to throw a party and celebrate the start of the semester!" Mickey said.

"I even know where we'll go and what we'll wear!" Rosy echoed.

"Not a chance. After last night, I'd never go anywhere with you again! I thought I'd die after how much alcohol you poured into my booze. I don't know how long it'll take me to recover after that party…" I mumbled the last sentence to myself.

"Darsy, what are you talking about? We didn't!" Mickey pretended to pout. "And even if we did, we had a lot of fun. Come on, Darsy. Don't be stubborn. Let's go to the party. When will we have another chance to party? Later on we'll have classes, work, and everything else."

"No, don't even coax me into that! By the way, have you found some job?" I sat at the table and made a sip of hot coffee.

"Oh! Just thinking about work makes me feel tired!" my friend overacted with her comic grimace, put the back of her hand to the forehead, and closed her eyes. The only thing left to be done was to roll my eyes in affirmation of her poor acting. "And how was your interview?"

"I'm still waiting for the results. They promised to call next week. There's another interview today. I told you about it…"

"Is that the cashier's position at the supermarket?" Rosy asked.

"Yes," I nodded, putting pancakes into my mouth, a specialty of Jackson's. He prepared them every Saturday for six years in a row.

Mickey snorted. It was no surprise; she was from a very wealthy family and didn't have to work for life, and their maid always went for groceries for them. So she did not need to go to places where I was supposed to work. Once Mickey had to go to the supermarket herself… After this, she was visiting a psychoanalyst for three months because of the shock. The only shopping she did not faint from and even enjoyed was exploring the clothing boutiques. But even there she behaved like a real princess, ignoring and humiliating the sellers as if they were plague-stricken. Rosy was absolutely obsessed with Mickey. They were inseparable since the age of five, and even their houses were nearby. That's why they behaved almost the same way as if they were not friends but sisters.

We became friends five years ago when I joined the team of cheerleaders. In order to fit in at a prestigious college, I had to pretend to be another person for a long time, imitate all these glamorous ladies and act as if I was rolling in money when in fact I was not. In the end, everything was revealed, but Mickey and Rosy forgave me, and we continued to be friends, despite the fact that I was not from their circle. I admired these two daredevils like crazy, but oftentimes I was the one to get backfired by their tricks, just like it happened the last time.

I quickly finished the first cup of coffee, and I needed an extra one of the invigorating drink. Thank god there was enough coffee in the coffee maker for another cup. But before reaching it, all of a sudden the world froze again. I got surprised and dropped the cup. The image of a teenager emerged before my eyes and then I felt the lingering pain in my arm. The guy committed suicide, but the strange thing was that it was not the pain in his arm but in his heart. I felt it as if it was mine. He was betrayed. For a brief moment, I myself wanted to end the life.

It was not a mere betrayal of a girlfriend. His parents abandoned him because of one strange incident with the joint. It was not even his weed. They recklessly accused their son and left to serve the punishment instead of trying to figure things out and help him to get out of prison. The only thing they bothered to do was to pay the judge to keep it all a secret. His father was a well-known lawyer in Boston, and publicity could damage his reputation. His mother was comforted in the arms of a young lover. It was shocking how cynical people could be and how pure was the guy with his soul and spirits, even having such parents.

He was translucent. But this time I didn't get scared, nor I thought it was a joke of my friends. I knew it was a soul to be guided and that it would not rest until the Balance was restored and the Force was returned to the new Carrier.

Looking at the guy, who desperately was in need of peace, I realized how important this job was.

I used to think there was nothing after death. There was only emptiness. But it turned out that everything was just starting after death. The soul was eternal, as well as its suffering. Only Charon could stop the aimless wandering. This guy needed Charon this very moment, but, unfortunately, Charon did not bother much about this.

"Hi!" he spoke sadly. "I knew I'd be met. Are you taking me somewhere now?"

"I'm sorry, but I can't do that. I'd love to, though it's impossible any time soon. But as soon as there is a chance, I'll come back for you and take you to the other side. I promise!" I thought that a promise that would be kept was important to the guy right now.

"All right," he shrugged. "Do I have to wander the Earth until then?"

"Yes. I'll find you."

He smiled sadly and disappeared. Everything unfroze again. I heard the cheerful chatter of my friends and Jackson's witty answers. But all I could feel was bitterness and awkwardness. I was worried that I could not help every soul appearing in front of me. I had no answers and no suitable words because I knew nothing and could not convince them that soon everything would be fine and they would find peace. It was not my fault but only my duty, all other thoughts and desires were secondary. Perhaps, Eugene was wrong about my role. I did not feel myself the way I used to. I was changing, and it was faster than I expected. My priorities and feelings were changing. I felt the Force inside me better and better with every hour, as if it was becoming a part of me, not just a guest. This world was becoming less real than the one I was in just a few hours ago.

"Hey! Are you ok?" Jackson put his hand on my shoulder. I listened to my feelings and sighed with relief. His touch, as usually, seemed warm, dear, and delicate.

"Yeah! I'm still sleepy," I smiled and bent down to gather the shards of the broken cup. "Ow!" one of the fragments was too sharp and cut my palm until it bled. A few crimson drops fell on the tile.

"You need to wash it immediately!" Jackson began to fuss.

"It's okay! Leave it! It's just a little scratch!", but Jackson ignored me and stubbornly held my hand under the flowing water.