The Vampire and the Orphan

Chapter Seventeen

Lettie and Jael walked behind the two faeries and Prue until they finally reached a large wall; it was built mostly with stone but had a log door that swung open when Jael whistled.

Why would he need a wall and a gate?

"Take her down to the cellar." Jael directed the two men, and Lettie watched as they opened a latch near the gate, then shoved Prue down there with them. They were rough on her, but she was a vampire; she'd be all right. Truthfully, Lettie was still a little upset with Prue; she just didn't need to let Jael in on that.

As they walked inside the gate, Lettie found several little huts, a large garden, and a big fire pit and was confronted by the many eyes of various faeries, staring at her with burning curiosity. Most were peeking out from the door to a hut or hiding behind something. She could sense the fear they all had of Jael but could also feel their anguish. They were hurting, and she found herself longing to help.

"The longer we are away from the earth, the more we weaken." Jael led her further inside. "You have the power to fix all of this."

"You're right, and I can. I can bring them all back with me."

Jael let out a chilling laugh, "lead them to their slaughter? The vampires that litter the earth will destroy everyone."

"We can protect them."

"No, you cannot, not in their weakened state; there are far more vampires than you know of. Lilith is a cunning woman; she will slaughter every last faery."

"So, then we'll defeat her," Lettie said stubbornly. "There is always a way."

"There is a way, you insolent girl," Jael spat out. "It's through there."

He turned and motioned to the gate they'd just walked through.

"What is?"

"The realm you need to open first. You must have heard the humming."

"The fireflies."

"The fireflies represent the souls of the recently deceased Faeries. No. The humming came from the veil between. The demons and monsters are locked up next to us."

The story Ben told about the angels opening a realm and throwing all the demons and monsters in it to save the earth, was true! Lettie looked at Jael with wide eyes as she took this in.

"Demons are powerful, every so often, one gets through the veil into this realm, the entire veil has been weakened from years of your mother coming and going."

"She stays in there with the demons?" Lettie asked in a horrified voice.

"Not anymore, but that used to be the way she'd travel back to earth until she made her own little realm and started using that."

"So that's why you built a wall," Lettie guessed. "In case a demon came or a monster slipped out."

"It is and I'm telling you this because it no longer matters; you are here now and can do what your rotten mother refused to do."

"Which would be?" Lettie asked carefully.

"Let them out."

"Let them out? The monsters and demons? What? Why?"

"So, you can send them back down to earth, they'll be vengeful. They'll destroy everyone and everything, and then with nothing left to kill, they'll go back to hell. We can then finally come home and reclaim the earth."

Lettie two several steps back as she shook her head furiously.

"I will not kill every living thing on earth!"