9. A STRANGE KIND OF DEJA VU

A STRANGE KIND OF DEJA VU

C aemorn stared up at the Kaly Palace as he held the Harrows' soul gems in his right hand and slowly rotated them around his palm like he was a magician about to play a trick. The skeletal bear was curled by his feet. It would remain there when he went inside of the palace, awaiting his return like a faithful dog.

The palace reminded him of ten gothic cathedrals connected to one another. Some were stacked on top of the other. Others were attached to the sides until it formed a jagged half moon. It bristled with narrow, pointed towers, steep arched doorways and closely packed columns like soldiers on parade.

There were statues in niches on every level. Some appeared to be angelic with delicate stone wings and beatific expressions, but there were also creatures from the Ever Dark in all their ferocious glory. If there was a Medusa-like Vampire gift that would turn beings to stone he would have suspected it had been used here. The statues were frighteningly lifelike.

Or just done by the hand of a master. We don't encourage our people to display their art openly. The ability of one with centuries to perfect their craft is too… apparent.

He realized now that Vampires were revealed to the world that did not need to be a rule any longer. They could become the rockstars and actors so many of them wanted, because the need to hide from the sunlight wouldn't be an impediment any longer. He was sure there were to be meta-movies: Vampires playing Vampires. There would be stories about Daemon and the other Immortals. The War was sure to be immortalized on the silver screen as well. He wondered if Balthazar would insist on playing himself…

Caemorn shook himself. They needed to stop the humans from attacking them first before they took lead roles in action moves. Fictional action movies. He was supposed to be claiming the best rooms here before the other Kaly Vampires arrived. He was tempted to go in and simply ward the whole place. He could then let in only one Kaly Vampire at a time if they proved to be useful to Daemon's empire and didn't offend him too much.

But he found himself hesitating outside. He had told Balthazar that he was not afraid of any darkness in this place. That he needed to see it, know it, use it for his own. And he wasn't afraid. Not exactly. But there was a feeling .

It was so amorphous that he couldn't even feel the edges of this emotion. He plucked at it. But it would not reveal itself to him. It was like a shadow that covered everything and yet was seemingly made of nothing. For a moment, he considered turning on his heel and simply heading to the Eyros Palace. Balthazar had promised him accommodations--excellent accommodations--so, after a bit of ribbing, he was certain he would be welcome there.

Welcome there…

Balthazar would simply think Caemorn did not wish to stay at the creepy Kaly Palace, and instead wanted company. He imagined settling down there, hearing Balthazar and Christian look around the place, hearing the other Eyros Vampires exclaim excitedly about their new home in the Ever Dark. There would be fires and wine and blood. He wouldn't have to speak if he did not wish to.

Christian would insist he be a part of things even if he claimed to wish to be alone. And he would stay with them, amused despite himself, by Balthazar's antics and the gentle ribbing between him and Arcius. Christian's parents would be floating about, looking at everything and speaking in low tones as scholars do. He might even allow Christian's father to speak with him as he so clearly wished to do.

So why--other than pride --did he not do just that? Turn around and go to where there was light and life? Balthazar would tease him, but it would not be the sharp, weaponized verbal sparring that would hurt. He rather felt Balthazar would be pleased to have him. Stay with the Eyros. Leave the Kaly behind. Be Christian's teacher and Balthazar's friend and…

But he could not. He had things he had to do. He could not run away even to a home that was actually a home to him. He stared at the Kaly Palace.

The whole palace would have appeared like a weapon--a bunch of swords tied together, thrusting into the sky as if disemboweling an enemy--but then there were the stained glass windows that made it seem more like an offering of beauty to the sky.

Centered directly above that arching doorway were three huge round stained glass windows. The central window had a crowned skull with roses threaded through the empty eye sockets. The stained glass window to the left had a depiction of a human being going through all the stages of life from birth to death and decay. The stained glass window to the right showed a soul gem bursting with light as if what it contained was precious, even though it was used as fuel .

Caemorn moved the soul gems in his hand, his fingers sliding over the smooth facets, inspecting the pointed cuts, exploring the edges. They were warm. He felt the lives inside of them.

Life equaled power.

But not in this case. He would need power from somewhere else to create the bodies that would house the Harrows and then to transfer them from cold stone to warm flesh. He had a feeling that he would find that power here.

He hesitated at the base of a set of broad steps--each set at a gracious, easily climbable height--that led to the palace's front doors. They were so precisely cut with not a nick or scratch on them that it was hard, on the one hand, to think they were anything other than brand new. Yet the feel of this place was ancient. Not old. Eternal. As if it had always stood and always would stand.

I've been here before , he thought.

Caemorn blinked. He did not know where that unbidden thought had come from. It was, of course, wrong. He had never been here. He wasn't even born when Nightvallen was locked away.

But as he studied the facade of the palace, he felt he knew it. And it was more than that. For example, he knew that there would be nine columns on the second story of the third tower before he looked to confirm he was right. And he was correct.

Caemorn's frown deepened. Precognition was not a Kaly gift. That was squarely in Seeyr's corner. But, then again, this was the past he was seeing, not the present. It was a memory not a premonition.

I could not have a memory of this place, he repeated. Unless a spirit could be communicating to me.

But truly, only a Speaker to the Dead could fully communicate with spirits in any case. For the most part when a Kaly Vampire took control of them, they became almost zombie- like. Their own selves were locked away and, if there was any special knowledge they had from being dead, that was locked away too. He and Christian really would have to perform some experiments on this…

Caemorn shook himself. By thinking of Christian again, he was avoiding the fact that he was experiencing deja vu. An extreme form of it. It was almost sickeningly dizzying. He curled his fingers against his palms, digging his fingernails into his flesh to anchor himself.

Test… I must create a test to see if this is just deja vu or if I really do know this place.

Caemorn looked up at the doors. He pulled out his phone. It was useless, of course, for making calls or receiving texts or searching the internet.

We should really consider setting up a cell or satellite network here! I must discuss this with Daemon as not all of us can read minds!

But that, too, like his thoughts of Christian and the experiments they should run were pushed to the side. The phone was fine to simply make brief notes.

And so he typed: There will be a rectangular atrium. The floor will be made of this perfect white stone. However, there will be the Kaly symbol of the skull with the crown inlaid into the floor in black stone.

Now, with his belief written down, his mind could not pretend the moment he saw the floor that it matched a memory from the past. The skull would either be there or not. He would be right or he would be wrong. He would have electronic proof that he knew what was on the floor before he saw it or he would have proof that he was having a breakdown of some sort. He saved the note and walked up the steps.

Before he had a chance to touch the doors, they opened and silvery light spilled out all around him. Caemorn blinked as his eyes adjusted. There was a rectangular foyer. There was the Kaly crowned skull in black in the center of the floor. Caemorn stared at it without blinking for a long time. He checked the electronic note. It matched. His mind was not playing tricks, but that didn't mean he was right that he had been there before.

The building is reminiscent of a cathedral, Caemorn told himself. Therefore, it would be logical to expect a rectangular atrium. Further, this is the Kaly Palace. That the Kaly symbol should be displayed prominently in such a space is not surprising. I should not take this as proof.

His gaze swept upwards to the light source. It was a crystal chandelier, except the crystals were soul gems and the light did not come from candles or bulbs, but from the illumination of souls alone. Caemorn was struck by several things at that moment.

To have such powerful souls used as mere illumination showed the power of the Kaly Vampires in the past. It seemed to suggest that filled soul gems were no more valuable than lightbulbs or candles.

That no Kaly Vampire had stolen from such a horde meant that they were either terrified of Kaly themselves or, again, that filled soul gems were so plentiful that no one would bother. He wasn't sure which he believed.

And, finally, he realized this would have to be taken down. Balthazar, Christian and Julian would be horrified by this display and… He cared about what they thought. Of Kaly. Of him. The soul gems were beautiful and horrifying. They were the basis of a Kaly Vampire's power. But had they spent the souls of people as cheaply as a light source?

Bodies were one thing. They were made to die for most beings. But souls? Souls were supposed to be eternal. And they didn't know what happened when they spent all the energy within them. But they kept doing it anyway. He found himself walking.

Like in a cathedral, there was a nave. A long central corridor of another rectangular room with a ceiling soaring three stories above his head. There were pews on either side of him, places where the Kaly Vampires would worship their Immortal. He could almost hear their voices whisper in prayer. His steps faltered for a moment.

The sounds of their voices, their murmurs, their worshipful tones rising and falling around him like waves. A sussurant sound that was calming and yet had the hair rising on the back of his neck at the same time. Out of the corner of his eye, he thought he saw the whisperers but when he looked directly at them, there was no one there.

Ghosts. No, no. Memories...

He wrenched his gaze away and started walking again. He hadn't realized that he had stopped.

There was a bema at the end of the nave a few steps up and where an altar would be was a throne made of bones. Not just human bones. There were werewolf bones, hag bones, and who knew what else. Skulls of creatures with long snouts and razor-sharp teeth adorned the throne, but two human skulls took pride of place on the top of the throne. They looked more proto-human than truly human. Their eye sockets burned with the light of the huge, brilliant and filled soul gems.

There's a secret passage underneath the throne, his mind whispered. Step forward and you will see.

"What will I see?" Caemorn asked.

His voice echoed throughout the sepulchral silence.

"I was human before I was made a Vampire," Caemorn said to the silence.

His voice echoed back at him, repeating the world "Vampire" endlessly.

"I cannot know this place," Caemorn continued insistently despite not having anyone argue with him.

Step forward.

You will see.

Caemorn shut his eyes. He had finally come to find peace in his existence. He had a student. Christian. A brilliant student. He might even have friends . The faces of Julian followed by, of all people, Balthazar flashed before his mind's eye. And finally, he realized he might even have a purpose . It was Daemon's face that appeared then. A slight smile on his lips as he looked indulgently at Caemorn as if just waiting for him to do the right thing. As if Caemorn would know what that was and be able to do it without any problem.

"I don't want to lose what I have," he whispered without opening his eyes. "I do not wish to be insane."

Step forward.

"Damn you," Caemorn snarled and opened his eyes.

There was another stained glass window behind the throne. There must have been a courtyard behind it because the moonlight poured through the glass. The image was Daemon, standing in the center of the window, beneficent, benevolent, loving, with a skeleton kneeling before him.

Death bowing before the Vampire King.

There is nothing to fear.

Daemon is here.

Even though Daemon was in his palace--not too far away--he was also here. In every stone, every ounce of wood, every piece of gilt. Caemorn could smell him everywhere. Was this why Kaly had never come back here? To a place filled with power, because it was also filled with Daemon? He drew in a deep scent of this place. Where Kaly had found unease, he would find peace.

There is nothing to fear.

Daemon is here.

Caemorn slowly stepped up one step then the next and finally he stepped in front of the throne. There was the softest grinding sound and the throne rolled back to reveal a set of stairs. Soul gems illuminated the entire way down. Caemorn tilted his head to the side.

I know this place. That is clear. But how?

And there were other questions to ask as well. Caemorn didn't think that this secret passage could have been secret long if just anyone could trigger the throne to roll back and reveal the stairway.

"So this is opening for me. Is someone here?" Caemorn asked aloud.

He slowly turned in a circle and allowed his vampiric senses to roll out around him. Dust--far less than there should be–decaying corpses still here and fresh all these years?--old blood--seeped into every stone. The soft creaks and groans of stone settling. Nothing to see though. Not even in the deepest shadows. There were too many filled soul gems to sense the presence of a ghost reaching towards him. But he didn't really think there was a spirit behind all of this in any case.

"No one here but me."

He walked to the top of the secret stairwell and stared down at them. The stairwell curled in a spiral so it disappeared from sight down a graceful curve. The silvery light given off from the soul gems was unwavering. It appeared perfectly safe. Caemorn licked his lips.

Appeared was the operative word.

But a Kaly Vampire would never use physical traps in any case. No, it would be something else entirely. So the stairs probably were physically safe.

Caemorn started down the stairs. He liked how first and finely cut they were. He trailed a hand along the curving wall. The stone was silky under his fingertips. Pleasant. He imagined– no, he remembered– doing this before. Feeling this before. Trailing his fingers along the curve of this wall and then there was a doorway at the bottom. The light would become blue instead of the silvery light as there were eternal flames that burned there on either side of…

Caemorn stopped as soon as he saw the blue light illuminating the doorway down below. He drew in a soft, steadying breath. The idea of madness did not make sense to him. If he was going mad, his thoughts would not be so ordered. He would not know things--objectively, know things--before he saw them himself. So it was only logical that he was not mad, but, in fact, was remembering this place.

I have been here before.

The concept of reincarnation had been floated before though before the Immortals, like Balthazar and Fiona, there had been no proof. Could it be possible that humans reincarnated? They thought that at the Well of All Souls the spirits had a choice to go on or to return. But no one really knew . But he must be proof of this unless…

Eyros returned as Balthazar.

Wyvern returned as Fiona.

But Kaly is still here… still in this world so how could I be a reincarnation of them?

Caemorn advanced down the stairs to the very bottom. It was a single, rectangular room approximately twenty-five feet wide by fifty-feet long. There were torches burning with blue flames along the walls. The room looked like a crypt.

There were skeletons in niches lining the walls, their arms crossed over their bony chests. There were four sarcophagi, equidistant from one another filling the room, rather like what was beneath Ravenscroft Manor. They were smooth and white and pure. He imagined that statues of the inhabitants would be placed upon the top. But there were no bones inside. That's not what they were for. Not to bury the dead but…

To create life...

On the far wall, beneath one of the blue-burning torches was a message carved into the once pristine stone walls. It was carved in order to ensure that it lasted the ages as paper would not. The language was not English. It was an ancient tongue. The tongue of the Immortals.

But Caemorn could read it.

Welcome home.

I know it will be you… the true me… who will find this spot. The others would never come back here willingly. But you… I… will. And it will likely be the first modicum of peace I feel the moment I step through these doors in a very long time. And I should feel that, for it means I have returned and will repair my mistake.

My mistakes…

But the prince will explain all to you about that. What I need you to know now is simply this: the promise you made to our king, you can keep. Here, there is enough stored energy to do it. I have prepared. You have prepared.

You will be able to do what I cannot because you took the journey and came back.

Again, welcome home. May we never be parted from it again.

The skull with the crown was the signature. Caemorn drew shaking fingers over the familiar symbol that now had such a different meeting for him.

I am an Immortal reborn. I am Kaly.