Chapter 39: The Colliseum

March 1999

She reached out her long slender hand, adorned with beautiful rings of gold and encrusted jewels. It seemed at least one ring or maybe two adorned each finger. Her hand was only an inch from mine when she stopped and then looking at me, we touched. We touched! Her hand was not cold, but cool. Smiling, she said, “Your hand is so warm, because your state of heightened senses makes it so. I miss the body heat so! It is difficult to stay warm in these caverns, is it not?”

I looked directly into her eyes. They were still fierce, shining from her regal face. “I do apologize for my insolence. Please forgive me. Can we still be friends?”

She took a firmer grip of my hand, rubbing her fingers across mine. She stared at my hand, studying it. “All is forgiven. Malcolm, there cannot be any physical intimacy in our relationship. I am a Queen, and a Queen must do those things that she deems necessary to ensure the survival of her people. Do you agree?”

“Why yes, I suppose I would have to,” I stated.

“Then know this that my human half is in love with you ... madly in love with you. As I lay down thinking my last thought, it is full of none other than you. You are not only in my head, but in my heart as well. I must tell you this now, for I may not get the chance to tell you in the future. I would steal you, but I cannot. I would bring you to the crossing over, but I cannot, and I will not. I cannot be your lover because it would jeopardize all that we are trying to accomplish. I know I will not be here much longer. Rascha’s assassins are closing in on us and will attack soon.” She continued to hold my hand. Her skin was soft and warming as we spoke.

Looking down at her hand, holding mine, she drew my hand to her face, and caressed it with her cheeks. I could hear her sigh, knowing she was taking great pleasure in being able to touch me. It was pleasurable.

“Come, let us leave. We have wasted enough time tonight.

Tonight, I take you to see something really special.”

“What about the messy business you mentioned before?” I asked. I was certain I was going to see something gross or gory.

“That will be part of it. The rest you need to just sit back and enjoy.” She started walking back to the passage. As we made our way inside the darkened corridor, Tayla’s torch began to burn brighter, illuminating the cave. I looked up, seeing a heightened ceiling. There were niches carved out of the side of the wall. These niches were footholds. She wanted me to climb up these footholds as if they were the rungs of a ladder. Therefore, I began to climb. Once I got close to the top, I realized that I was on a different level of caverns and passageways. Pulling myself to the top, I turned to look back down to see if Tayla was climbing behind me. However, I should have known better. She was already standing behind me, waiting with a torch.

We took off down the passageway, into a long dark tunnel. It was about three, maybe four hundred yards through this corridor, and then we came to a staircase. The staircase was steep and seemed to go on forever. I figured that even though I had climbed up to ascend to a level above the infirmary, we were no doubt far below it. At the base of the cavernous staircase, the corridor of stone resumed.

Soon, I could see some light at the end of the passageway. It was almost as if we were like coming out of a train tunnel and into the sunshine, but I knew that was not possible. We reached the edge of the corridor and stopped. “Keep in mind, my dear Malcolm, that we are well over a thousand feet in depth from the surface. Hence, the long ride in the elevator.” She turned and placed the torch in an empty sconce on the wall. Leading the way, she went out into the light. We were inside a huge arena, which was strangely reminiscent of the Coliseum of Rome. The lighting was coming from huge stadium lights, mounted way up above the arena floor. A thick bed of white sand covered the floor. The walls were of masonry and stone, and the stands were complete with chairs, upholstered, and gilded with gold plating. In the center of one of the stands, was the royal viewing box. This was where Tayla and her courtesans must sit at events, I thought. Tayla was in her real home, in her most comfortable place. She took off up into the air, like a bird, so swiftly and powerful. She was quick as a sparrow, and strong as an eagle. As she flew, she began to take on the appearance of a great bird. That made me nervous, as I have a phobia about birds. If I were to ever show fear, facing a bird of prey or vulture would surely kick off my fright light.

I stood upon sand flooring that must have reflected the light from the stadium lights above, because I had never seen illumination from artificial lighting so bright. I was distracted from the cold of the vast space of this underground cavern but my breath showing its vapor as I exhaled brought it back to my attention. Fortunately, I was still dressed for it.

There were others performing aerobatics as I watched Tayla doing her impression of the Thunderbirds. It looked as if they were all having fun with this wide-open space, feeling free to move about in the light and not fear it. Tayla began to return to the ground, coming in low, and her slipper-shod feet came forward, lightly touched the ground and started to walk upon the sand. There was no stumble, nor loss of balance. Only grace and finesse, perfected over many years of practice.

“Yes, I am most comfortable in this environment,” she said confidently. “This is my playground, my exercise room if you will. It is here we play out our games, our theater, our debates and deal out our punishments here. This is our coliseum. Have you ever been to the Coliseum in Rome?” she asked, running her hands and fingers through her auburn hair.

I was in awe that a room of such space could exist underground. It had always been my theory that when the great flood waters had receded, much of that water had gone back into the earth to fill up the great fountains that had helped to flood it.

Perhaps now I was in one of those former underground reservoirs. Its” height must have risen to three, maybe four hundred feet at its apex. Large pillars supported overhead stadium seating. Someone must have brought in the sand from somewhere, as it was as coarse and just as white as builder’s sand. The coliseum’s border walls consisted of granite and marble, carved with fancy scrollwork and calligraphy, no doubt extolling the virtues of their Queen. I was not sure what was written as it was a language I had not seen before. Still, a lot of love and pride went into the carved scenes of games of ancient times in bas-relief on these walls. It was the most dazzling display of stonework I had ever seen. The look of pride on Tayla’s face stated how proud she was of this place.

“No, Tayla, I have never been to the Coliseum. I have been to the one in Pompeii. It too is a marvel of architecture. I dare say it is smaller than this place. And not near as grand.” I knew it sounded as if I was patronizing her, but I was not. I like to give credit where credit is due.

“Yes, my dear Malcolm, it is grand, but that is because it is not near the age of either one of those places. My workers completed this coliseum a year ago. It cost a lot of money for all of this. Building it was a real feat. However, I must say that it was worth it. My children are extremely happy about it and we are the envy of our race. They have nothing to compare it with.”

“Tayla, I suspect some gloating on your part. Do the other clans know of this place?

“Oh yes. Last year, we had our annual gathering of the clans here. We invited all that could fit in here. That turned out to be quite a party. But now, that is impossible.”

“Why is that?” I asked.

“Because my dear Malcolm, they would all try to destroy you and me too, if they could. The alliance of the clans is beginning to break up. I told you before of my brother Rascha’s ambition and his constant scheming. I thought I would never see the day when a mortal such as the Dragon would influence a vampire but then I think of you, and your influence upon me. I needed someone who is the opposite of the Dragon. You represent that which is good and righteous. You are a man of faith, and you walk in the light. I cannot go there. The Dragon is all about that which is evil, dark and perverted. His heart is as dark as any vampire’s is. As the Dragon is your enemy as well as mine, so are you to my brother Rascha and the Dragon. They will stop at nothing to destroy you. Even, if it means destroying me. They see you as the biggest threat to the existence of the clans. As the Dragon is the negative, you are the positive. You and the Dragon are at odds with each other. The two of you provide polarity to this whole matter. If I cannot rule, then no one can rule. There must be no one else to rule! If this should happen, then chaos would swallow up your world. I, with my human half, am fighting with all my strength to keep that from happening. I want to leave this world with one good deed done. That is my quest. I have a plan that includes you.

You are the centerpiece of my strategy.”

I was not sure I wanted to know the details of her plan, but I knew the time was coming when I would not be able to avoid it. To be ignorant could be costly at this point, as I had already crossed the threshold of my involvement. It was best to cooperate with whatever she had planned for our enemies.

“Walk with me Malcolm!” she said, turning smartly. “You need to know everything.” Her voice was commanding. Therefore, we walked, and she proceeded to tell me to the last detail of her plan.

In a brief note, the gathering of the vampire clans was an annual event, usually hosted in turn by a different clan each year. At the gathering, vampires performed rituals, observed sacrificial rites, and performed the “crossing over” to selected initiates. There was much feasting upon victims, sexual orgies of the most depraved kind and plain, all out hell raising like you have never seen. I was getting nervous about the whole affair, knowing I was going to attend. I felt like bait. The clan members intended the sacrificial rites were as warnings to the human population. Tayla described it as “a display of intent.” Each year, and at certain other times, a victim is sacrificed in an execution style slaying, and the clan who is responsible tags the victim with a single strip of velvet from the clan’s ceremonial death shroud.

As soon as she told me this, I was awestruck! I remembered Francisco Cordero in the jail in Miami! The Black Clan members murdered Cordero exactly in the style Tayla had just stated to me, with the remnant of the Black Clan’s death shroud tagging his bloodied body. I was amazed, with my first thought being that I must contact Lou.

“No, Malcolm. You must not! Do not draw your friend into this quicksand of death. You would not be able to help him. He would not be able to help you. You serve him best by staying away from him. The cult from Colombia has members in Miami who watch Lou every single day. They are hoping he would hear from you. I know this because we watch them. They watch your family, and Lou. They monitor the phone calls that they get. And the mail, too,” she added.

“I have much to tell you tonight. I sense you have many questions about my plans for my brothers and sister. I need to tell you about their allies, for they are the most dangerous of mortals that you will ever face. The Blood Lust cult as you have been calling them is the Order of the Jackal. Only a few know of their existence. Those few are its members. Everyone else is a victim, or an ally. It is no mistake that they have pointed you out as an enemy to its existence. They fear you. That is a good thing; however, they will bring their full power to bear upon all of us here. That can get messy for everyone. This Order of the Jackal is extremely dangerous. It is a direct descendant of the ancient Egyptian order of high priests known as the Dragon of Set, who rebelled against the pharaohs of the early dynasties. These priests held the real power of Egypt in their grasp. They misused it, and the power went straight to their head, as well as their heart. The real skill to ruling is not letting your ego get in the way. Don’t ever forget that Malcolm.”

She patted my hand with hers. It seemed she had much to tell me indeed. I seemed to love her stories. They were so colorful. Nevertheless, as always, Tayla could read my mind.

“Malcolm, please pay attention, as you most assuredly need to know this. Please do not patronize me with half-paid attention. You have never done that before.”

She continued and spoke somewhat louder. “The pharaohs banned them from Egypt and sent them out, away from the kingdom. The ruling pharaoh forced the Dragons of Set to venture south and west across Africa and north into Phoenicia. Rogue priests who practiced the black arts possessed the secret that brought the dead back to life. My father’s wife, the one responsible for all this, was a member of this ancient order. As I told you before, the original vampires came out of Egypt. The maps of the world show Egypt geographically far away from the Eastern Europe of my day. The Order of the Dragons of Set had been banished from there long ago. My father’s wife did not have to travel. However, her actions have traveled through time. The spell of turning a living person into one of the living dead was the spell she cast upon my father. Only the greatest of wicked persons is worthy of such a ghastly spell. Only a few people in this world had ever committed sins so great, that this was a just and fitting punishment. My father was not that evil of a man and neither were my father’s children, at least not then.”

Tayla continued telling me of this cult, this Order of the Jackal. It turned out that this cult not only had gone off to the land of Phoenicia but also influenced Europe in a very profound way. This lust for living blood, so characteristic of the cult, had made its way all the way to the coliseum of Rome.

“The Order of the Dragons of Set eventually became the Order of the Jackal, for several reasons. Egypt’s rulers had already exterminated most of the cult in Egypt or exiled them across the world. As I said before, some went north, others went south, and some even went west. Those who went west eventually found their way to a city known as Carthage.

Recorded history tells us much of what happened in and around Carthage, particularly after the Roman Empire encountered it. History never mentions how The Order of the Jackal was deeply entrenched at this time in the city of Carthage and its religious system. Remember, this had happened long before Roman civilization.

Carthage had a long-standing quarrel with Rome. The Order had infected the governor there and thus had great influence over events taking place there. The Order won converts from the Roman diplomatic mission there. These converts took the twisted religion back to Rome. Thus, the lust for blood infected the Empire.

This lust for blood infected many generals, and eventually some senators who became familiars or the undead. Finally, it infected some Caesars, contributing to the end of the empire. Heavily influenced by this cult, Commodus and Caligula had a feverish lust for blood. They could have been vampires themselves, as they took enough blood for themselves to rival my tally of lives at that time. We know these men were mortal. However, they thought themselves gods, and that was their downfall.”

“Pride goeth before the fall,” I said matter-of-factly, but I was still listening intently as I thought this history lesson was priceless. “Therefore, its origins date back to ancient times. I see. The Dragons of Set sect found its way into the ancient Roman Empire. It is remarkable how eventually some of the followers became emperors. That would explain the outrageous behavior that the emperors displayed.”

“Caligula,” Tayla claimed, “Drank blood of victims brought before him. Commodus was also blood-crazed, and this drove him mad. The innocent blood of victims saturated with fear drove their lust, causing the death of thousands. So much so, that it would cause people to volunteer to become gladiators so that they might be able to partake in the bloodletting of such a grand scale. Thousands, fighting to the death, died. The Romans thought it glorious to die in such a fashion.”