Amarna: Nephilim Quest, #3

1

DESERT-BORN

Our son was born in the middle of the desert, under the stars. At the very moment Seth lifted him up into his arms, the moon rose to greet the son of the Moon Daughter.

He is so beautiful… Seth whispered, his voice filled with wonder at the perfection of a newborn. His loving touch examined the tiny limbs, toes and fingers.

I lay exhausted on the cloth that had served as my birthing bed. There were no birthing bricks here and I could not squat in the way a woman usually did. So I had laid down on a cloth on the ground, supporting myself on my elbows to push our new life into the world. The pain made me dizzy.

Seth was on his knees, having helped our son enter into life. He was gently drying him before wrapping him in a special cloth Mut-Bity had given us. When he was ready, he placed the baby on my stomach.

When I looked at our beautiful child, I felt my heart bursting with unimaginable joy as I saw the moonlight reflecting from his eyes. I couldn't tell whether he was pale like me, not by moonlight. Tears rose up – my love was too great to be contained. Gently I touched his cheek with my finger. I had never felt anything so soft and wonderful in my life.

Then came fear.

Do you see them?

Seth rose to his feet and looked across the desert.

No, I see no one.

They can't be far. They may have heard me…

I had tried to be silent but when the pain was at its worst, I hadn’t been able to help crying out.

Seth stood listening.

I hear no one. I see no one. I feel no one. I am sure the wind took your voice and carried it away so they could not hear it.

Quickly, use the knife! I felt panic rising. We need to go.

Seth knelt down and took an obsidian knife from a small bundle. He tied a linen string around the umbilical cord and cut it with the knife. Mut-Bity had explained how he should do it while she led us away from Mi-Wer, away from the Pale Man, the Nephilim lord who wanted us and all our kind… dead.

We have to wait for the afterbirth, Seth gently pushed me back when I tried to rise.

We can’t. We have to be far away before the sun rises! My voice was high-pitched with fear.

We have no choice – if we leave now, you're risking not only your life but also the life of our son. Mut-Bity explained it all to me.

The tiny baby moved and primeval instinct rose from within me. I would do nothing that would endanger our son. So I remained there, lying still.

Seth walked to the little donkey we had with us. The patient animal had carried me and my heavy belly until the pains of birth began. Now it stood quietly while Seth took a large cloth from one of the sacks hanging on both sides of the animal.

It was Mut-Bity’s tent. The old, worn tent she had used for years on her walks through the desert. With experienced movements, Seth raised it to shelter the baby and me. We were on the north side of a big stone boulder, hoping it would give us shade once the sun rose.

In time the afterbirth came, but then the sun had already risen. I could not move from under the canvas or the rays would have burned me. I was still so weak and the heaviness of my limbs kept me in place. Knowing we should be on the move, I cursed my feeble state, and just lay there enveloped in the heat of the day.

Seth kept guard, constantly watching the surroundings. The little donkey stayed in the shadow of the boulder as best it could. It had patiently walked for days and nights under the scorching sun and the cold stars that showed us our path westward towards the secret valley. The stars were a map written in the sky, Mut-Bity used to say. It was never written down in words or as a drawing, so the location of the valley of the good Nephilim could never be revealed by accident. Those who could read the night sky taught the way to anyone who needed to know it, during long trips to the desert.

The warmth of the day and giving birth not only made me tired, but filled me with concern about how our son would survive this blazing heat. I poured some water on a cloth from a leather flask and placed it over him while I tried to make him suckle my breast. I was worried when he didn't. He just lay there in my arms, eyes closed, but I could feel his breath on my skin like the touch of a butterfly’s wing.

And then, when the sun had already begun to descend towards the west, I felt them. My back began to buzz in the familiar way that told me our kind were near. I had sensed them during the days we had been walking through the hot desert, knowing they were hunting us, but they didn't seem to know where we were headed and soon circled away from us.

Seth… I whispered.

I feel it too, he said quietly from outside the tent. Stay as quiet as you can… I'll try to find out how close they are.

I had to force myself to breathe calmly. That was the only way I could hide myself from other Nephilim, to keep my force hidden from them. Strong emotions would make me hum, and they would feel it in their bodies and discover where I was.

So I concentrated on breathing deep from my belly, forcing down my anxiety for Seth and the baby and hoping our child would be silent. He lay there with his cheek against my skin and slept.

Seth was away for so long, I began to fear something terrible had happened to him. Then I heard steps. I grabbed the obsidian knife lying next to me. When Seth’s legs appeared, I started breathing again. Silently, he bent down and crawled into the tent, next to me. The tent was barely high enough for us to sit inside it, and was meant for one person only. Seth lay on his side and bent his knees so that his feet were inside the tent. I did the same.

Dark ones, Seth breathed into my ear, flying. Coming this way.

The sensation grew stronger by the moment. We lay still, waiting for the sign that would tell us our pursuers were close. And then someone spoke nearby.

See anything? It was a male voice, above us. Despite the fact he wasn't speaking in a loud voice, we heard him clearly. He would also hear any noise we made. That was the blessing and the curse of the Nephilim senses.

He must be standing on top of the boulder. Our little tent was under a thin ledge of the mushroom-shaped stone, in a depression underneath. Seth had thrown off stones to make the surface more level so we could make the best of whatever shelter was available. The mushroom shape of the boulder kept us out of view of our hunter.

But they might see us anytime. And what about the donkey!

No. I do not see them. But I can smell blood.

Seth and I looked at each other. The blood from giving birth! Seth had buried the afterbirth in the sand, but the wrapping I had worn on our journey, and had been lying on to give birth to our son, was soaked through.

I formed the word donkey with my lips but Seth could not answer. He just nodded and I had no idea what the nod meant.

Maybe an animal has died nearby. I have seen lions around here before, another voice said.

Maybe… but they can't have gone far! There was no scent of them in the mists. Also she was heavily pregnant, the lord said. So they will not be flying. If they have walked or have a donkey, this is about as far as they could go. Perhaps she has now given birth and it's her blood we can smell? the voice above said and my heart gave a heavy thump. Seth squeezed my arm. Sweat trickled down my face.

True. And that means they are somewhere nearby still… What can you see from up there?

Nothing…

So they still hadn't seen our little tent. Our only hope was that they would not come down to our side of the boulder.

Let’s circle around here for a while…

They would find us. They would kill us. Bile rose into my mouth. We should escape to the misty world…

No, Seth formed the word with his lips, guessing my thoughts.

Falling into the mists behind our world would be our only way to escape, but to do so I would have to use the power of my wings. And they would feel that, and would follow us there immediately. There would be no boulders in the mist to hide us.

What is that?

What?

Over there! Is that… a donkey?

Yes it is… It has to be them! They must be near!

I did not hear anything but knew they would now land on the desert floor and see us. Seth took the obsidian knife from me. I closed my eyes and cried silently, holding our child. This is how it would all end.

2

LORD OF VAMPIRES

Forcing his anger back, Daniel moved on, his senses sharpened by the urgency of the hunt. He flew quietly, like a ghost, feeling the dry mist against his skin telling him how fast he was moving, conscious of its absence whenever he stopped.

The vampire had Dana and Diana had said he intended to kill her.

Part of his mind warned him that Ambrogio was the most dangerous prey he had ever tracked and would be the hardest to catch. The First Vampire. The most lethal of all of Cain’s servants, the lord of all vampires. A hunter like no other, his immortality making him infinitely patient in his own pursuits.

Ambrogio had eternity on his side. Cain's personal hunting hound, sent to seek and destroy all Cain's enemies. Angel's private assassin. Cain’s daughter wanted Dana dead so she could have Daniel to herself; and Ambrogio was Angel’s right hand.

The thought brought anger flooding back so he had to fight it again. Now was not the time or place, going into the unknown. There had never been a vampire who could move into the buffer zone unaided, so there had to be another with him. Who – or what? Was it a shadow? Or – another Nephilim?

What mattered was that he had to stay as silent as possible. Rising anger would set the buffer zone humming with the power of his wings, warning whoever - or whatever - lay ahead of him.

It had to be Cain who had sent Ambrogio back in time to catch Dana. Why, then, hadn't he taken Dana back to his master? Was he following Angel’s orders instead of Cain’s? Or did he have his own agenda? An unknown agenda that threatened the life of Dana...

As if in response to his thought, as insubstantial yet compelling as an old memory, her faint scent came to him. Dana. His twin soul, his love. The reason he had fought his way back to health after the shadow attack on the Time Walker Centre. So many had died – but he had survived and he intended to make sure it was not in vain. He would save Dana even if meant death for himself.

Once he saw movement in the mist, something heading towards him, but it was only a fleeting glimpse that vanished immediately. He did not doubt he had seen it, though. He trusted his senses. Whatever it was, it had seen him and hidden itself immediately.

After what felt like an eternity of flight, Dana’s scent grew unmistakably more intense. She had to be near. He slowed down, preparing himself for the fight he was sure was approaching.

Someone was nearby in the mist. No, there were two of them, keeping completely still. Dana’s scent surrounded them - but Dana was not there.

Daniel stopped, protecting himself within the cocoon of his blue wings, and waited.

Welcome. The voice was soft and hoarse, unsurprised. They had known he was coming. Daniel did not move.

Who are you? he asked, trying to see who was standing before him.

I am the one you are chasing, the voice said matter-of-factly. I - am Ambrogio.

Rage threw Daniel forwards, uncontrollably, the strength of his force field enveloping the figures, forcing them backwards.

Wait! Ambrogio’s voice betrayed no emotion. Let me speak before -

Daniel saw the linen cloth he was holding. The scent of Dana surrounded him. Ambrogio’s eyes followed his gaze. He lifted the scarf.

Yes, I have her. And no, I am not giving her back.

Daniel stared into the face of the First Vampire. The first and only time he had revealed himself to Daniel. Any Time Walker who had encountered Ambrogio had not survived the confrontation.

He knew Ambrogio's reputation, and had even seen his hooded figure from a distance while fighting his soldiers. Now, here he was for the first time, fully visible without a hood concealing his features. The First Vampire whose word was law to all the others of his kind.

His odd golden-tinged skin was very much like the skin of the dark Nephilim. His eyes were unblinking. His black glossy hair fell down onto his shoulders. He was the image of a Mediterranean artist's antique figure, come to life in front of Daniel, ancient, burdened with knowledge.

You are wondering how I came to meet you here, and why I made your hunt too easy for you, Ambrogio said.

Daniel waited, his wings rumbling, saying nothing. That new emotion clawing at the back of his mind. Fear.

Not fear, not now. It was anger he needed, anger to make him able to function. He concentrated on all the anger this creature had ever caused him to feel. All those dead team members - friends he had known, people Ambrogio had killed, directly or indirectly. He thought of their deaths, lives that had ended before their time. The burials and grief he had witnessed, observing the hate and desperation growing in his own heart at his incapacity to prevent all these losses.

His heart obeyed his mind. Fear fell back into the darkness it had risen from, and anger took its place.

Ambrogio observed him silently while he fought his emotions, and the expression in the vampire’s eyes did not match the anger in Daniel’s. Daniel sensed weariness, infinite horizons of stale, deathless fatigue.

No matter if you have no desire to talk. I have tasted Dana’s blood and seen you there in her memories. So I know you are the one she loves.

Tasted her blood? What did he mean? Had he bitten her? Daniel’s hands rose instinctively, reaching for the cursed vampire.

No, I have not bitten her, Ambrogio looked at his hands. I drank her friend Diana dry. Well, almost. And so Dana gave her a blood transfusion to keep her alive. That blend of Diana’s blood, mingled with Dana’s, was enough to show me many of Dana's memories. The strongest ones were of you. And - ah, the taste… the exquisite, unique taste...

Ambrogio's voice was playing him, testing his reactions. Other than the rumbling of his wings, nothing revealed Daniel's anger now. His face was set, and he observed the vampire without apparent emotion.

You'll never escape me. Daniel's voice was controlled. I know your scent, now.

And I yours. So we are both capable of following each other's trail. Only you won’t follow mine.

I don't have to obey your orders. Daniel moved forward, forcing Ambrogio to take a step back. The vampire did not seem alarmed by this.

For the first time, Daniel looked at the other form standing next to Ambrogio. The Egyptian-looking man with the strange cloudy eyes.

Ah, yes, this is my servant. I sent him back to get Diana from the tomb, and he saw you and returned to warn me. That is how I knew to meet you here.

So - this servant was the fleeting form Daniel had seen earlier.

The eyes. Unusual, are they not? He used to be my shadow, but I gave him independent existence through a human form. He uses the man’s senses and body now, but cannot hide his true nature completely.

What was this creature saying? He had created a fresh horror?

Shadows can't have independent existence. Even as he said it, Daniel knew Ambrogio had not been lying.

Oh, but they can. I have found a way to make it possible, Ambrogio's voice held no emotion. "Now. Here are your instructions. You will not follow me. You see, my servant and I are the only ones who know where Dana is. If we don’t return to her, she will die. I have left her tightly bound and she has lost a lot of blood and is weak. If you attack me, I will fight you to the death. That will probably be my death, knowing your power. But I do not fear death. I would welcome it. Living forever - when you have witnessed the ages that I have, there are precious few things that make life worth living."

Ambrogio's voice kept its emotionless tone, yet Daniel sensed something there, something he could not fathom.

And once I am dead, you will never know where Dana is. I know Nephilim can live for centuries, longer even. But a Nephilim weakened with blood loss, without food or drink, will eventually die. My demise would bring about Dana’s death. And you will never find her on your own. She is well hidden in a place you cannot discover in time.

Daniel looked at the servant who stared back at him with those dark, cloudy eyes. They seemed to be of the same material that formed shadows. The human eyes were underneath, but the shadow-stuff swirled on the surface, sometimes hiding the pupils completely.

He obeys me unquestioningly. And should you kill him, his essence will simply disintegrate back into the mist he was formed from. If I die, he is to kill himself. And he will. Even shadows have no wish to disintegrate, though, so he is motivated to protect me. And - I can see your thought - you won't find him easy to destroy.

Daniel saw the glint of a blade in the shadow-man's hand. Whatever Ambrogio said, he was sure he could kill the physical form of this creature.

There was no fear in the shadow- man’s posture and expression. Daniel could see that Ambrogio had created a being who was loyal to the bone to his master. And that was hardly surprising - the first shadow ever to be given independent life in a physical body. For that, any shadow would be fiercely loyal forever to the one who had given solid form to his existence.

Kill the shadow - and lose Ambrogio? No, that he couldn't do. Ambrogio would drop out of the buffer zone and hide in the physical world. Daniel knew he needed to keep the First Vampire in sight as he racked his brains for a plan.

Why do you need Dana? he asked, playing for time.

A flicker of emotion crossed Ambrogio's face. His eyes darted briefly away from Daniel, as if he had not expected the question and was no longer fully in control. Daniel sensed an internal struggle. When Ambrogio finally spoke, his voice was hoarser than before.

You do not need to know that and I am not about to tell you. We are leaving, now. All of us, together. Back to the physical world where you will remain while my shadow and I return to the buffer zone. My shadow will return to make sure you have followed my instructions. If you have vanished when he comes back to you, I shall kill Dana immediately.

Daniel said nothing, but when the shadow-man took Ambrogio’s hand and began to descend through the mists, he followed.

They landed in a desert wadi. Daniel had no idea where it was – east or west of the Nile. The sun had set and all that was visible was the Milky Way stretching across the heavens between the dark mass of the craggy walls rising upwards on both sides. The wadi floor was scattered with heavy rocks, brought there by the deadly floods that filled these ravines unexpectedly when heavy rains fell far away.

Stay here and keep your wings open. My shadow will watch from a distance to make sure you are doing just that. They give enough light during the night to show where you are, so my shadow won’t need to come near you again. Knowing your reputation, that seems to me to be wise. When the sun rises, you may leave. I have no issue with you. Not anymore.

The last words were barely audible, and again there was that flicker of emotion in Ambrogio’s cold eyes when he looked into Daniel’s. For the briefest of moments Daniel felt a curious sensation as if he was looking into a mirror - the anger and longing matched what he was feeling.

With these cryptic words Ambrogio and the shadow-man fell back into the buffer zone. Daniel noticed the scarf on the ground and picked it up. He pressed the soft cloth to his face and breathed in deeply.

The fear he had held back burst out and clouded his mind. He knew enough about the horrors of vampirism and had witnessed the results too frequently himself. His fear showed him all the bloody, tortured forms he had ever seen, and placed those wounds on the image of Dana he carried in his heart. He fell onto his knees, barely able to breathe.

No. Fear only had power over him if he allowed it. No! Concentrate on a plan, that was what he must do. Dana was still alive. Ambrogio had told him that if Daniel didn't obey orders, he would kill Dana immediately. That meant he hadn't been planning on doing so - yet - and that meant there was still time.

If the vampire thought he wouldn't hunt him down, he was wrong. The only reason he had obeyed the vampire’s orders was to make sure Dana survived. He was going to find him and he would find Dana, alive. This was only a temporary setback.

Daniel thought deeply. Whatever Ambrogio needed Dana for depended on how soon she would recover from her blood loss. Nephilim healed quickly and time was what Daniel needed. Now his only hope was that Dana, who was already weak from being forced to time-time travel to the past before she had fully healed, might recuperate more slowly than usual. But the fear in his mind whispered that Dana was herself a healer. Her blood would restore her too - maybe even more quickly than would normally be expected.

Daniel forced himself to stand up. Ambrogio's shadow was not going to see him remain on his knees, beaten by desperation. Fear in his stomach tried to pull him back down, but he straightened his back with force and again concentrated on drawing on his reserves of anger.

It wasn't easy. The fear in him was so powerful. Only by forcing his attention through memories of episodes from the past could he do it. He concentrated on one name at a time, one face, one life story, one death. And then moved to the next. A string of faces floated to the front of his inner vision, rising from his memory, and slowly his anger, his hatred towards the servants of the enemy Nephilim built a wall that contained the fear.

His wings open, he stood in the night, listening for signs of life. When the sun finally rose above the craggy mountains, he concentrated his energies backwards into his spine and entered the buffer zone.

He recalled the vampire's odd dusty smell and the scent of the shadow-man's human form. He wouldn't forget them now. Staying in the place he had entered, he concentrated on finding them, but too much time had passed. There was nothing.

How? he challenged himself.

Not wanting to leave the place where Ambrogio had landed, he returned to the desert wadi and closed his wings. Kneeling down he touched the footprints Ambrogio had left, as if that would help. When he arose, his mind was still whirling, without any idea of the next step. The arid desert mountains were all around him – a vast area he could not search on his own.

In rage, he roared his anger to the air, fists clenched. He would never give up. He was going to search every inch of the desert for her. The whole world if need be. And if he found Dana too late…

Daniel stopped the thought before it took hold. He needed his anger now more than ever, but as a tool, not as a master, clouding his judgement. He would fetch Elijah and together they would find Ambrogio and Dana. There was still time

He turned around, imprinting the place onto his memory so he could return to the precise location. That was when he noticed the three men standing next to the rock wall of the wadi, staring at him.

3

CAPTIVE

Iwoke up with black dots swimming in my field of vision. The sides of my mouth hurt like hell and there was a bundle of cloth drawn tightly across it - a gag.

Memory came flooding back along with pain, unbelievable pain.

Ambrogio’s shadow had tied me to what felt like a long piece of driftwood. Its curving lumpy form pushed into my back and there was a stump of a branch scraping the floor of the cave close - too close - to my right eye. My brain began to work despite the pain - it immediately started puzzling over where on earth he had found a piece of wood, rare as it was. Perhaps we were close to the Nile. Or the sea. 

Then, the pain again. The shadow had forced my heels up to my buttocks and then yanked my hands back and tied my wrists to my ankles. After that he had fastened my elbows close together - it was the throbbing pain in my knees, ankles and arms that had brought me back to consciousness. It even felt as if my fingers were tied up tightly like bundles of sticks, making it impossible for me to move them. 

Tied like one of the enemies of Egypt, captive in front of the pharaoh. That's how they were depicted in ancient Egyptian art. Lying there in the dirt and dust of the cave, I experienced some of the pain and fear they must have felt, visualising them lying under the burning rays of the sun and the gaze of the king. The shadow had made use of the memories of the man whose body it now inhabited, and had tied me accordingly.

I felt as though I had been unconscious for a long time. Eyes closed, I breathed as slowly as I could, tasting sand and dust despite the gag, listening for any noises. This was survival mode. I almost hoped to hear the voices of Ambrogio and the shadow discussing me, giving some hint of where we were, any clue as to what was happening, the reason Ambrogio had brought me here. If he wanted to kill me, why wait? Why not do it right away?

After listening to the silence for a while and hearing nothing, I lifted my head to see better, even though the dry branch stuck into my cheek painfully, undoubtedly leaving a mark.

The cave was small and I was lying in the middle of it, staring at the entrance.  Through the opening, I could see rocks and the blinding light of day, but not a single living thing. On the ground in front of me, I could make out footprints - they'd kicked up the dust that was blocking my nose. I couldn't see behind me, but I could sense there was no one there. My ears were ringing in the absolute silence and knew I was alone. They had gone and I didn't know if they were ever coming back or had just left me here to die.

Fear for Diana’s safety made my heart beat more quickly. Ambrogio had forced me to leave with him - or, he said, he would hurt Diana. Nothing stopped him from doing it anyway - maybe that's where he had gone with his shadow now, to kill her. Ambrogio would drink her blood until there was nothing left. What the shadow in his physical form might do to her... I didn't want to think about it, pushed the thought away.

That strange musty taste lingering in my mouth. I tried my damndest to push away the next memory as well, but couldn't.

Ambrogio’s shadow had left us as soon as he had tied me and removed all the silver rings from my fingers and taken my silver necklace. These went straight into the pouch he carried on his waist, just before he disappeared from the cave into the buffer zone. After he left, Ambrogio sat still like a statue, observing me without a word. 

I tried not to look at him, but as he was right in front of my field of vision, it was impossible. I had seen him cutting the palms of his hands with a knife, ignoring the little pieces of flesh that fell on the cave floor with his blood. Through my nausea, I realised why he was doing that. He was cutting his connection to a Weaver, the one who had brought him back in time to find us. Someone under Cain’s command. And if Ambrogio had severed that connection, it meant he did not intend to return to the future with the Weaver. It could also mean he was no longer following Cain’s orders. 

For some reason, that thought made me even more scared than the idea of being taken back to the future, to Cain. But I had said nothing. I was petrified by despair and fear and couldn't see any way out. I hated that feeling of helplessness and I knew my voice would betray my fear to him. Yet I also knew he could sense my fear easily - like any vampire, any predator, he could smell it.

After Ambrogio and I had been observing each other for a while in silence, the shadow returned and Ambrogio turned his cold eyes away from me. It felt like pressure was released in my pancreas and I had to fight both fear and the urge to vomit that accompanied it. There was no way I was going to give him the satisfaction, the enjoyment of witnessing my emotions.

The shadow had spoken quietly to his master - so quietly that even my enhanced sense of hearing could not make out what he was saying.

Ambrogio had risen, holding the same knife he had used to cut his palms. Then he cut his left wrist with it as if he felt no pain at all. I had seen thick dark blood welling out of the slit. The blood was almost black and flowed like syrup. He’d yanked my head back with his right hand and placed the bleeding wrist against my lips. That was before the gag went on...

Drink.

I wouldn't. Like a child avoiding something it hated, I had closed my mouth tightly and shut my eyes, refusing him. I didn't have to breathe through my mouth or nose. I could breathe through my wings, even if they were inside my back, and so no need for oxygen would force me to drink a vampire’s blood. I had kept my lips closed, fighting nausea, feeling his cold blood making the skin around my mouth burn.

His response had been to drag my head back, pulling my hair harder until tears ran from my eyes. 

Drink. It won’t turn you into a vampire, not with your silver blood. Not when I have not bitten you to replace your blood with mine. It will only make you sleep. I need you to be unconscious so you won’t try to escape, Ambrogio said with cold logic.

I had looked into his dark unblinking eyes and said nothing. Thinking of my friends - and Daniel - gave me the courage to not drink even as I felt the cold blood dripping slowly down from my closed lips onto my chin, burning my skin as it trickled. The shadow man took a step forward, eagerness showing on his face, but one look from Ambrogio made him step back. The vampire then looked me directly in the eyes again.

His eyes - they were mesmerising. He didn't look evil. And the expression in them… there was the briefest hint of emotion there…

I need you alive and I need you to heal. I need you for a purpose. And so you will do exactly as I tell you. Your friend Diana will be kept alive as long as you do - is that clear? If you refuse me anything, I will kill her. I have not eaten in a long time, and she could satisfy my hunger. But - her blood told me how close you two are. And so, I will keep her alive - but only on the condition that you obey me. I trust I will not need to ask you again.

He had pressed his wrist against my mouth once more and I had opened my lips, almost sobbing, and drank his black blood. Darkness covered my mind like a cloak, pushing me below the surface of consciousness and I finally vomited from disgust. But by then the blood was already having the effect Ambrogio wanted. I fell into a sleep so deep it was like a coma. The last thing I had felt was someone wiping the vomit from my face.

Now I had woken up and no one was here. I could try to escape into the buffer zone… 

Stupid. What was I going to do when I got there? Lie there like a caterpillar, wrapped like a living mummy, waiting for them to come and drag me back? Not to mention Diana - he would kill her, I knew he would. If anything, I trusted Ambrogio to keep his word, as long as I did. I had never met a vampire face to face before - and I had never met anyone who was so… cold. So empty of feelings. I must have imagined the glimpse of emotion I had seen… sadness. Must have been all the romantic stories of vampires I had read before I knew they were real.  Gosh, how wrong those books were. If only people knew the truth, no one would have written such nonsense.

Something at the edge of my memory tried to show me something… I concentrated. This could be important.

All I could feel was - a sadness that wasn’t mine. Loss. And a… sudden sensation of… hope? 

I could not grasp the elusive emotion and it vanished. 

Kitty? Could I reach my dead friend somehow? So she could tell the Time Walker team where I was?

I screamed Kitty’s name through the gag, but to no avail. She did not appear.

Exhausted, I stopped. All I could do was to lie still and wait for Ambrogio, his shadow and Diana to return.

4

THE MIRACLE

Then, the miracle.

I could hear little stones crunching under the feet of the two Nephilim men as they approached. I closed my eyes tightly only to open them again. I did not want to see them, yet I had to know who they were. I would not wait for death with my eyes closed.

Seth rose to a sitting position next to me, quietly.

Someone moved past our tent. A pair of dark, tanned legs. Then another pair.

Stop! the voice of the Nephilim man said.

The pair of legs stopped and turned to face someone.

Greetings, a man’s voice said in an accent that was strange to me. What brings two such mighty lords this deep into the desert?

We are searching for two of our kind. A woman without colour, either heavily pregnant or having just given birth. And a man with red hair. Both are very tall. Have you seen them?

Seth and I stared at each other, not believing our ears. A figure walked right up to our tent and sat down in front of it, filling the opening. A woman. She did not look into the tent, but her dark skin and dusty clothing revealed what she was. A desert dweller, member of a tribe of nomads that had walked the deserts for innumerable generations, somehow managing to survive in the harsh conditions.

No, my lord, we have not seen them. We took shelter here by the rock when my wife gave birth. She will soon have recovered enough for us to continue our journey.

Now we saw the bundle in the woman’s arms. A little arm moved. A baby.

Is this your donkey?

Indeed it is. A good animal - the best! It doesn’t need much water, never runs away and is used to the desert.

The wind was getting stronger, and the woman's robe billowed about her, filling the opening to the tent. A cloud of sand blew inside and we had to cover our faces to be able to breathe. I pulled the cloth over our son’s face and forced myself not to cough.

A sandstorm seems to be rising, the man’s voice said. It might be wise to search for shelter.

I saw a pair of legs appear as shadows on the tent fabric. That was when our son began to cry. The woman began to rock the bundle in her arms right away, murmuring softly. I could not move, for fear that the Nephilim would hear there was someone inside the tent. I put my little finger in the baby’s mouth and he went silent.

For a while, the Nephilim man stood still, then he turned and walked away.

If you see the ones we are looking for, send us word. We live in the oasis far to the west and north. I see you are of the desert tribe and can easily walk to us if need be. Tell us where they are, or bring their severed heads to us, and you will be richly rewarded.

I shall remember, the man’s voice said, and will send word if I see them.

You do that.

And then the buzzing feeling in my spine stopped, They were gone.

The woman turned now, and we saw her dark eyes and almost black skin.

We reached you at the last moment, she said.

The man bent down to look into the tent.

Mut-Bity sent word to us right after you left. She said it was important to send a couple with a baby. You had half a day’s head start. You moved fast despite not being able to fly, so it took us this long to reach you. Then, looking directly at me, If you had not given birth, we might not have found you in time.

All I could do was to stare at them.

Who… who are you? Seth asked.

We are desert dwellers. We owe Mut-Bity many favours. She has helped us in the past, brought us food and honey. Mut-Bity knew our kind were near, at the edge of the desert near the king’s palace, and came to meet us after you had escaped. 'Find the Moon Daughter and take her and her family to safety. The winged ones are on their trail and must not catch them,’ she said.

And you know of… our kind? I asked.

Many in the desert know of the winged ones. And we know there are good and bad kinds. The ones after you were of the bad kind. They have killed our people in the past, bitten them, drunk their blood. We know them by their smell. They aren't necessarily aware of how much we watch them, though. They always try to do their killing when no one can see. But the desert has many eyes, the man said.

It is true a sandstorm is approaching, the woman now said. We will put up our tent next to yours and wait it out. Also - your donkey needs to be protected.

She put her baby down between Seth and me and arose. Seth hesitated a moment and then took the baby into his arms, earning a smile from the woman.

Quickly the couple erected their tent next to ours so that they touched one another to form one bigger tent. The man brought the donkey alongside the tents and pulled a coarsely woven sack over its head. The surprised animal shook its head but the sack was tied around its neck and would not fall off.

It will keep most of the sand out, the man explained, putting a heavy stone on the other end of the rope that went around the animal's neck. He pushed it up effortlessly despite his small frame, and dropped it over the rope, fastening it expertly at the top. And now the donkey won’t wander away from you either.

Then he crawled into the tent and the woman secured the tents to each other with coarse cords the man had been carrying. Now I understood why Mut-Bity’s tent had little holes carefully cut and strengthened with stitches. Probably they were meant for a cloth to close the entrance to the tent, but now they were used to keep us all secure and together in a single space.

Even inside, we covered our heads tightly against the sand that would inevitably get inside the tent.

They will keep on searching for you, the man said, his voice rising over the sound of the increasing storm. Mut-Bity told us how her bees destroyed all the winged ones that attacked you. All but the Pale one. He is their high lord, and he wants you dead. He will stop at nothing, Mut-Bity said. And so we'll take you through our secret ways back to the valley of the winged ones. We can only pray we make it. I have never seen so many of the evil winged ones flying around in bright daylight, not caring who sees them in the desert. Stories of winged gods are already spreading. This sandstorm is a blessing - it will wipe away the traces you left on the desert floor - the same ones we followed to find you - and will make it even harder for them, for they are not as good at following tracks as we are. They trust their sense of smell and keen eyes and ears, and their ability to observe from above. This disrespect for our ancient skills will work to your advantage now. They were searching for you all over the desert, flying high above the earth, ignoring the small traces of your steps; we followed the path directly to you. It was clear enough to us.

You speak eloquently, Seth said, I had always thought your tribe didn't talk much, or so well. And I mean no disrespect by saying that.

We have no need to let others know who we are. Just because we don’t read and write or live in houses doesn’t mean we are stupid or can't speak eloquently, as you put it, the woman said.

We are honoured to meet you, and will be forever in your debt for saving our lives, I replied warmly.

They both nodded solemnly, accepting the debt.

Has your baby fed yet? the woman asked.

No, not yet. I am worried, I said.

Don’t be. Once the sandstorm has finished, I will help you teach him how to suckle. Some newborn babies need to be shown how it is done. And I saw the baby accepting your finger in its mouth so I don’t think you will need to wait long, the woman said. Do you have a daughter or a son?

A son, Seth and I said at the same time and could not help smiling at each other.

You are blessed, the woman smiled back at us and then fell silent.

The wind was now howling so loudly it was pointless to try and speak. So we sat there, huddled together, waiting for the storm to pass.

5

DESERT HUNTERS

The three men looking at Daniel held spears in their hands, but they were carrying them loosely by their sides. Their stance was relaxed and not threatening in the least, but this could be deceptive; Daniel knew they could throw their spears instinctively and accurately in the blink of an eye at the first sign of a threat.

They wore very little clothing, were small and sinewy and their skin had been baked dark by the sun. Desert dwellers, nomads, at home and at ease in their natural environment.

Daniel acknowledged them with a nod of his head and they answered in kind. Their expressions revealed nothing as they took in his