CHAPTER 10

 FOR OVER THREE thousand years, Ramus had wandered the continents bringing death and destruction to those who were unfortunate enough to cross his path. Some called him immortal; most who knew of him called him monster. He didn’t care. He was what he was— Gebian. His people were solitary except when coupled with another of their kind.

At one time, Ramus had loved, but it was long ago. The feeling was lost in the memories of time. Now he felt only the need to satisfy the hunger. The insatiable desire for warm, rich blood and the sadistic pleasure of feeling his victims dying was addictive. The power he felt from killing was exciting, but the dying was the real high. The bloodlust sustained him; death appeased the craving.

In ancient times, he had traveled from village to village, country to country, feeding his habit. There was a time when it didn’t matter whether it was man, woman, or child, as long as the blood was hot and pure and his victims suffered. Depending on the size of the village, his stay could vary from a day to a few weeks. Rarely did he remain in one place longer. Attracting too much attention jeopardized his safety.

Only once had he actually been “asked” to leave but not by a local villager. Ramus remembered the incident well. He was finishing a late night meal when Elil appeared at his side, his disgust evident.

“Ramus, you continue to defy our laws,” Elil accused coldly.

“Ah, the great Elil comes to preach to the damned.” Ramus smiled cynically as he wiped the blood from his lips. “Or are you here to join me in the feast?”

“You disgust me!”

“Why? Because I choose to enjoy my meals thoroughly or because you wish you had the courage to indulge in the experience yourself? To throw away the rules and enjoy life as it was meant to be enjoyed?” Ramus laughed loudly. “You and the rest of our people treat these humans as equals instead of the animals they are. We are their masters. They’re nothing more than a source of nourishment and entertainment for us, just as pigs and chickens are to them.”

Elil ignored the crude humor. “We don’t kill, Ramus. That’s the law. You endanger everyone with your continued defiance.”

“I endanger no one. They can’t harm us and you know it. You and Inanna are the real threat. Your lack of leadership will be our destruction. These decrees were created eons ago when our race thrived. Now look at us. We barely exceed a thousand. Why do you continue this farce when they are so inferior to us?”

“You’re a fool,” Elil hissed. “You think us superior to everything. Look at you, standing there. You think you are a god or something more. We’ll all be destroyed if you continue this path.”

“It’s you who are the fool. Humans are afraid of everything. They tell stories about us to scare their young. We are their boogeymen, their demons. Were they to discover we really existed, they would prostrate themselves before us and pray for their nonexistent god to save them,” Ramus scoffed.

“I fear one day you’ll discover there’s more to this nonexistent god than you think. The humans and our people have much in common when it comes to our ancestry.”

Ramus laughed. “You insult me and our people. They are spawn of the ocean. Their kind didn’t evolve until millions of years after they crawled from the seas. We are of the Earth. They were our nourishment long before they evolved an intelligence.”

“That may be so, but once they did, the rules changed. We have wisely followed those rules and will continue to follow them. If you can’t, it’s time you moved on... and feel lucky they exist or I would kill you myself. Those same rules are what stops me now.”

“Bah! I’m not afraid of you nor that whore you bed. I’ll leave when I choose to. Be warned, though. Don’t you, Inanna, or that brat of yours ever cross my path. You may not be willing to kill, but as you can see...” Ramus kicked the body at his feet and chuckled. “I’m not in the least reluctant, human or otherwise.”

Without another word, the Ramus turned and walked away, his laughter penetrating the blackness as he disappeared into the shadowy night.

*  *  *

Inwardly, Ramus seethed. Older than Elil, he should have been the queen’s chosen. Instead, Inanna had taken Elil as her consort. As the descendent of Isis, her bloodlines could be traced back thousands of years. Her consort would become the “Chosen One” of their people, giving Elil sovereignty over everyone except Inanna.

Ramus felt cheated of both the crown and the beautiful woman he had lusted after for centuries. Spurning his advances was bad enough. Being “asked” to leave by Elil was the ultimate humiliation. Aware that he lacked the courage or the strength to defeat Elil and Inanna, he decided to bide his time until the right moment for revenge presented itself. Its sweetness would be worth the wait.