BOOK TWO
The sun was a little red ball on the horizon, shining between palm trunks at the right of the Villa. It had absolutely no power to harm David, it was dying for a night, it couldn't even make him sleepy. David turned from the setting star to the beach. The sand was yellow in this light, the sea a darkling blue. Orchid was glistening, in thigh high sea water, laughing boyishly, along with the tall winged creature on the beach, at the dolphins who surfaced and sprayed them as they came up for air.
David walked closer, kicking off his house sandals and walking carefully onto the wet sand. Orchid smiled on him. "Look, Murph," he said to the Triquatangel, "It's David."
"Hello, David," Morpheus said with a laugh.
Orchid was petting one of the dolphins. It was sleek and grey, a Bottlenose. "Do they look like the same ones?"
"Yes, I think it's the same pod," Morpheus said.
Orchid looked up to David. "Did you come out to tell me something?"
"Claudia's back in Poland."
"Oh," said Orchid as if he did not care.
"Are they all right?" Morpheus asked. Something silent passed between he and Orchid that David couldn't catch. "Well they were nearly caught in some attack in New Orleans. I heard it was the computers; the humans had known where they were by tracking their messages."
"I thought Claudia was all 'Hack the Planet!'," Orchid remarked. It was probably a reference to some old thing, because Morpheus laughed.
"She's fine," David said. "My father cloned his sister and the girl gave birth to Trip's daughter."
Orchid walked from the water, he was wearing trunks of course, because he knew reporters on boats passed as close to this beach as they were allowed with their telephoto lenses. "Seriously? He can do that? Made another Caroline?"
"They call her Mara, but anyway, that was why she wanted me to leave, I suppose. To help Trip."
"So...?"
David shrugged. "Trip and Mara and their daughter Sadian were in San Francisco with J.J.'s family when Claudia left them. Thierry was with them. Claudia says Mara orders him around, and he obeys. He cloned Cat too, but they left that boy in New Orleans with Theo and Angel as guardians."
"Theo and Angel, my Lord," Orchid said. He snapped his head forward then back again to dry his hair. "Theo and Angel...well Theo's responsible enough I suppose, and Angel's always wanted a child."
Morpheus rose from the sand. "David, Trip and Mara really have a daughter, is she like him?"
"Yes, same kind of birth, doesn't drink milk. But she doesn't seem to have the fear about her."
Morpheus looked to Orchid as if questioning, "We were all so sad for Trip because we thought he would always be the only one."
"I wonder which is worse," Orchid said, "being alone and feared or having to watch people fear your daughter."
"But Claudia said she doesn't have—"
"People always fear whatever is different. Look here for example: for all the fucking of boys that goes on people still cringe at the thought of two men living together as lovers and talk viciously about them when they are not there..."
Morpheus nodded and Orchid nodded back.
"And the people here are terrible about tribal feuds. Pakistan is in a terrible place now, because they border India, which isn't part of the Arab States. And they certainly have very old aversions to anyone who is just too light or just too dark. And Darkling! It's impossible for Darkling to keep homes and jobs for long, even in Karachi. I don't know what would happen to them if they couldn't all live here in the Village under protection of the Haven."
"But, you're gay and white and American and Darkling, and they don't really hate you," David said to Orchid.
"Well, certainly they don't show it. But they do fear me, they do wish I would go away."
"But he just won't," Morpheus said, smiling.
"I love this place too much," Orchid sighed. "It's got such potential. We've got to get Pakistan a governor who will make the people want to unite, all of them. But, Darling, my point is, even without the fear Sadian will be feared. Between she and Trip and whatever various others they might take up with they could populate the world with their kind. And they are stronger and less susceptible to disease than humans, and they are less dependant on blood for nourishment than Vampyres. And they might blend in with the humans more easily than Halfangels. Yes, if I were one of the ignorant human masses I would fear them the moment I suspected they were different. And you know when humans fear they channel it into hate. And after hate builds, well, they act."
David thought about Orchid's words. He walked back to his shoes as Orchid and Morpheus were walking toward the house. "I suppose, Orchid, it would be worse to watch your child hated."
"Yes, it's always worse watching it happen to people you love."
"But there is another kind of fear," David said as he caught up to them. "There is a fear I have of your power over me, and it does not inspire hate, it causes me to respect you, to honor that power."
Orchid took David under his arm. "Darling, you are not one of the ignorant masses, and I think you are blind to my faults, but you are correct, there is that sort of fear. The only difference is in where the fear is chanelled. And hating me would be unwise, David, it really would."
"Especially for anyone living here."
"Yes, I suppose many that have come to know me have seen it is unwise to hate me, and so they love me. Do you think I could sway an election?"
"Jinnah, Sialkot, or Affan?" Morpheus asked.
"Jinnah's running?" Orchid asked, "Victoria's husband?"
They came to the door of the Villa that led directly into a lower room, its floor was already dusted with sand. "I don't know anyone else who would refer to Ahmed Jinnah as Victoria's husband," Morpheus laughed.
"Well, we adore each other," Orchid said, "and she has got a crush on me, poor thing. Do you think if I design the perfect dress for her the people would be inspired to vote Jinnah to the governorship?"
"How do you know you want him to be governor?" David asked, "He might have positions you don't agree with."
"Darling," laughed Orchid, "I'm talking about swaying Jinnah as well. It would be easy, he's practically a next door neighbor, and his beautiful second wife already adores me. And if the rumours are true, he's got a weakness for pretty young men. All we need to do is stand a pretty boyish Darkling in his path, and gift Victoria with a dress...Affan's the incumbant, not interesting, and Sialkot's a woman, not likely."
"You're serious," David said.
Orchid laughed giddily. He screamed. "Oh, this is exciting. A Challenge. Murph, lets see if we can sway an election!"
"All right," said Morpheus, "I'm sure Miko and her fledgling would like to help, and everyone in the Village."
"Yes!" Orchid cried. "And it will all be completely legal, we'll make Jinnah the perfect candidate! And then we'll work to inspire all of Pakistan to forget their old feuds, and we'll erase so much hatred. It's times like these I'm so very happy I'm a Vampyre."
"I'll help," David offered.
"David, My Darling, My Treasure," Orchid said and David knew something unpleasant was to be asked of him, "If Jinnah does win, may I persuade him to appoint you to some nice position in the government? Having the name Jewel in his cabinet would look so good to the Arab states as a whole and to other countries that might make nice allies."
David groaned. "All right. But nothing too strenuous or long term."
"When are the elections, Murph, how long do we have?"
"A couple of months now, well, several."
Orchid headed for the stairs. "This is actually going to be fun, we've got an election to win, and lets not forget clubs to play!"
David went up the stairs after Morpheus. Quite recently Orchid and Morpheus had taken up as a hobby of sorts dressing up in strange disco clothes and playing dance music in tiny smoky clubs full of men. So far no one but those in the Village had figured out that the two disco divas were also the Darkling Haven keepers.
† † †
It was night. Morpheus went to the accordion style doors that led from Villa penthouse to the roof garden and pool. He liked to let the night in. Through a gauzy curtain, he could see Orchid standing in his bath. In obscured silhouette he reached and pulled the cord and cool clean water showered over him, washing the saltwater off his body and down the drain.
David hovered at the audio system, choosing the music they would live to for a time. Orchid came through the curtain, nude, and crossed the living room. Morpheus watched him go as some old Madonna song started playing. From the bedroom came Orchid's squeal of pleasure. David was snickering.
Morpheus stepped outside into the night sea air. Something crawled over his bare foot. Morpheus looked down and then bent to scoop up his small green lizard. "Have a nice dinner, River?" he asked the lizard as he set him on his shoulder.
The lizard's small pink tongue flickered across his teeth.
Morpheus felt a tingling. "Someone's coming," he whispered. He moved inside, went into the bedroom, then the dressing room.
Orchid was dressed only in a robe of thin, smooth, white silk; it looked like his skin. Morpheus pointed out the mirror. The room's reflection was darkening, changing. And then Morpheus saw his mother step from the mirror, behind her it showed the room in reverse, with exception of herself. "Hello, Opium," Orchid said as if very bored.
The amount of times she'd appeared uninvited into their private life might have been embarrassing, except Morpheus lacked human shame.
Opium held up a small computer memory device between two fingers. "New version of story of the Sidhe," she said.
Orchid looked pleased, the sort of pleased he got when given a birthday present or being told he was loved. "New version?" he asked. Orchid was known in this part of the world as something of Darkling activist, he was always pressing the government to teach Darkling history in the schooling system, always sending them computer programs so they wouldn't have the excuse that they didn't have the material available.
Opium looked up at Morpheus, a glance that told him everything she planned. "Some of us met," she said, and meant Sidhe. Morpheus hadn't been there, he felt left out. As her son, he was a member of this ancient tribe of Darkling.
"And?" Orchid asked. He took a box of cigarettes from a shelf where many Barbie dolls stood in supernormal smiles and fabulous gowns.
"The Sidhe have accepted Trepidation and his daughter to be members of the tribe."
"Do the Sidhe do that?" Orchid asked, "I thought the only way to be Sidhe anymore was to be the child of one."
"We had a meeting, I said."
Morpheus shrugged when Orchid looked at him. He also had thought the only way to be Sidhe was to be born to the tribe, the tribe were past the years when they adopted new members. Orchid exhaled in a ring. "Wish I could do R's," he said quickly.
"If not for David and Thierry there would be no Trepidation or Sadian," Opium said. She squinted at the bedroom and shortly David came through it into the dressing room. "Ah," Opium said, "Parasiel."
"Leanan," David said with a bow, these were the names the Sidhe knew them as, the tribe names that they allowed Orchid to overhear.
"Are you just going to keep us all in suspense?" Orchid asked.
Opium said, "laughter." She seemed to like toying with her son's lover. "Well, Thierry's mother Baobhan was one of our original tribe and as David's blood changed Trepidation, and Thierry created Mara and Sadian...well they are a kind now, and it didn't seem to me anyone else would be too keen to claim them. I've written in this updated version of them, all they need is a name, as the Pix or the Merrow or the Sidhe proper."
"A name," Morpheus whispered.
Opium was looking up at Orchid. "Someone's going to have to try to protect them, you know."
"I was thinking that," Orchid said seriously.
"I thought of Sidhe Vampires."
"How would you spell it?" asked Orchid and took a drag off his cigarette. "That's very important, you know. The Vampyres don't even all agree if you spell their name with an I or a Y. And well, apart from the Gaels themselves who but the Sidhe and a few scattered professors would know how to pronounce Sidhe from the way it's spelled."
"Well then, what do you suggest?"
"S-h-i, right? V-a-m-p-i-r-e-s."
"Why S-h-i?"
"It looks right," Orchid said.
"In the Bible they call Sumer Shinar," David said.
"Oh, that's right!" Orchid said. He snatched the device from Opium, "And in the previous version you go on quite a bit about the Halfangels of Sumer being effectively the first Sidhe. The old ones will be impressed."
Opium snatched the disc back. "I'll make the changes."
"Be my guest," said Orchid with a bow and a flourish toward the living room where the computer lay.
† † †
They had gone to Egypt and were living in a small house in Alexandria outside, but close to, the Haven proper. It was night, the last rays of the sun gone from the shutters and so the bedroom was dark but for the glow of a computer screen. Trip rolled in bed and saw Mara sitting before the glowing machine, Sadian sitting in her lap. Mara moved the cursor to a picture too distorted from Trip's view to be recognizable. "North America," she said.
"North America," said Sadian.
"South America."
"South America."
"What's this one?"
"Africa!"
"Yes, very good." Mara turned and looked right at Trip. She smiled warmly. She was beautiful.
"Come here, Nefer," he called softly. He'd hate for Thierry to be lurking near the door eavesdropping. He could be so annoying. But with luck, Thierry was asleep, or occupied with his latest inamorata.
Mara looked back to the computer. In a few seconds she had another program running, something brightly coloured and cute. She took some pillows from under the desk and sat Sadian upon them so she could reach the keys. Mara padded across the stone floor to the bed.
Trepidation lifted the covers and Mara climbed under them. She kissed him then lay down with him. Trip reached between their bodies and untied her robe and then moved his hands up her body and freed it from the robe. Her hungry fingers licked his ribs. Her fingers slid down his skin and stroked his penis. Trip moaned into Mara's mouth. She wanted him.
Trip sank down in their bed. He closed his eyes and looked into Mara. They moved slowly against each other. Every once in a while the computer would say something like, "Do you want to play again?" Or Sadian would laugh. Trip tuned them out.
Mara was making really great noises near Trip's ear. She felt wonderful. Trip's hands were in her hair, raking out the single thick braid till her hair was loose between his hands. One of her hands came up and took his, pulled it under, to her thigh. Soon, there'd be nothing.
There was a sound. Mara said, "not yet," as if pleading and her fingers burned into the small of Trepidation's back. Her other hand covered Trip's mouth, he took in air through the nose, felt the heel of her palm pressed to his teeth. That sound. Mara moved against him so deliciously, quickly. Trip sank into bliss, came as he felt the blood drop onto his tongue.
Mara made an angry sound, moved from him. Trip opened his eyes as he heard a ringing. Mara was getting up from the bed. Trip snapped his arm toward her, fast, grabbed her wrist. She looked down, almost frightened but not quite. "Mara, come back to bed," Trip said. He pulled her toward him and pressed a kiss to her belly.
She twisted her wrist from his grasp and picked up her robe. That ringing again. "It's OK, Trip," she said quietly, "Really, I'll be OK." She threw the robe about her and stormed to the door. "Thierry! Thierry! Why can't you answer the damned door?"
Mara disappeared into the hall. Trip sat up. There was...nearby there were presences, people that were not human. He hadn't felt them clearly before. He wiped himself down with the bedsheets, threw the comforter over them. Sadian was still playing her game. Trip had sat doing the same thing when he was a child, while Mother and David did other things. Only he thought Sadian did it less than he had, and that was good.
Trip found some clothes and threw them on. "Be back in a minute, Sadi," he said to his little girl.
She said nothing.
Mara was at the far end of the house, where the front door was. It was open a crack. She turned about when she sensed him there. "It's David," she said, "And he's brought two Halfangels here." Her hair was loose, she looked wonderful, and suspicious.
"Yeah, it's David, let him in."
Mara opened the door. David was there for sure, and Morpheus who Trip had seen on a few occasions, and Opium, who Trip knew because she had lived in New York. David was making this face, a Vampyre sort of face that said he could smell the sex and was miserable that he'd been dragged there. And he had been brought, for the reason that he knew Trip better than the others.
"Is it all right that we come in?" Opium asked.
Mara glanced back at Trip.
"We just got up, ya know. Why don't you go sit in the living room and make yourselves at home."
Opium bowed her head to them both in turn then moved to the living room. Mara came back to Trip's side. "She says they want to see Sadian," she whispered.
"It's all right," Trip said, "Lets just go get dressed now."
Mara moved further back into the house. She knocked on Thierry's door. "Thierry, get up. David's here!"
"I think he's awake, he's just being annoying," Trip said.
"I know he's awake," Mara said. She went into the bedroom. Trip looked in without following all the way. Mara was picking out clothes. "Mom and Dad are going to take a shower, Sadi, I'll leave the door open a crack."
"OK, Mom," Sadian said.
"Get my white outfit, will ya?" Trip asked from the door.
Mara opened one of the drawers of the dresser that was full of his things and brought out several pieces of white clothing.
They went across the hall into the bathroom. Mara started the shower. "Are you all right?" Trip asked as he stepped in after her. Mara was pulling up her hair and putting it under a cap.
She sighed with frustration. "I can just not deal with my hair right now."
"You could cut it," Trip said as he stepped under the water.
She laughed. "Come here," she said. Her arms were open and Trip stepped right into them. "I wanted to stay in bed with you, I just couldn't stand that ringing, and feeling them there. It's all right."
"It's just, you wanted to do it after such a long time."
"I know, Trip," she laughed, "We'll just have to start over."
"Yeah." He bit at her bottom lip.
Mara laughed and pushed him away. "Not now." She squeezed soap onto a shower puff and worked lather over her body. Trip shook his head, to make himself stop thinking of sex. He started washing. "You tempt me though."
"Yeah?"
She shook her head, it said silly boy, do you really need me to say it. "I look at you and you're so beautiful, and I think, 'he's mine.'"
They dressed in the bathroom. Mara left first, crossed the hall and entered their bedroom. Thierry was sitting on the edge of the bed talking to Sadian. Mara glared at him. "Sadian, what are you and Thierry talking about?"
"David is his son."
Mara went to the dresser for a comb and hair clip. "Well, why couldn't you answer the door then?" she asked.
"I was tied up," Thierry said with a smile.
Literally, Trip imagined.
Mara put her hair in a braid quickly then clipped the end of the braid up on top of her head. She picked up Sadian without saying a word to Thierry.
They went to the living room. Opium and Morpheus were riffling through Trip's music collection. David was sitting looking miserable on one of the small couches. And Monique was there, sitting with her legs crossed so that her pale blue skin showed to the thigh from under her dressing gown. She was Thierry's latest lover, daughter of two halfangels, and besides the blue skin she was also very thin, had glittering blue eyes, and had small feathered wings with something like tiny hands on the arch of each. And as if she weren't naturally freakish enough, Monique had many various tattoos and piercings. She was smiling wickedly at David.
Trip went to Opium. "Excuse me, we've brought Sadian."
She seemed to flicker and instantly she was standing up and facing him. "I bring news to you, Trepidation," she said.
He eyed her suspiciously. "What?"
She moved across the floor as Thierry came from the hall. "Follow a star?" he asked.
Trip turned, saw Mara regard Thierry with the same annoyance.
"Yes, something like that," Opium said as behind her Morpheus laughed quietly and stood. She looked at Sadian. "She is pretty," she said.
"Opium," Trip said.
She looked at him with such a nice smile. He remembered their meeting in New York, it had been one of the best days he'd had there. She'd shown him a vision, and it had made him feel less miserable, let him hope that he'd be loved, and now he was, and she was here. Trip shivered. If Opium was here for his firstborn child he just wouldn't let her have Sadi. But she wasn't. "Do you know the Sidhe?" she asked.
"I studied Darkling history," Trip said.
"Yes, well, I'm one of the Sidhe, David and Morpheus with me are also members of the tribe, and Thierry, and I think Monique might actually be Sidhe...your mother?"
"Yes, she was Sidhe, one of the pix," Monique said levelly.
"But Monique doesn't come to our meetings," Opium sang and threw up her hands in helpless gesture.
"You're digressing," Morpheus said helpfully.
Opium looked to Trip again. "Trepidation, The Sidhe offer to you and your daughter the acceptance of our tribe."
"I thought you had to be—"
"Yes, I know. But we're offering you that membership all the same."
"I accept," Trip said.
"Wait," said Mara, "What does that mean, I don't understand."
Trip put an arm around her. "The Sidhe are the oldest union of Darkling on the planet. They intermarried long ago and since have not adopted new members but only their children become Sidhe. They are saying that Sadian and I belong to the tribe, that we are Sidhe. It's an honor, Mara, not something you refuse."
"But why?"
"David and Thierry are Sidhe," Opium said. She turned to Morpheus and held out her hand. He placed a memory device in it. Opium gave it to Trip. "The name for your kind is Shi Vampires. It's all on here."
Trepidation made a bow to her. "Thank you."
"Leanan," she said, "it is my Sidhe name."
"Will I have one?"
"We don't all have two names. Trepidation is a fine name. We might call you that."
Again he made a bow. "That will be fine."
Opium leaned close to Mara then and kissed Sadian's brow. She stepped back. "We will leave now," she said.
"Oh, David, not staying?" Thierry taunted. Trip felt sorry for David, if Father treated Trip like that he would never have lived, he would have tried to kill himself.
"I'm going back to Karachi," David said.
"Oh, back to Orchid," said Thierry, "Yes, rush on back to him."
"Really, Tear," said Monique.
Morpheus shook his head as the father and son argued. He walked to Mara and made a small bow. He said to Trip then, "You are all welcome to visit us in Karachi any time, you may even bring Thierry, we'll give him a house to play in."
"Thank you," Mara said. She hugged Sadian close.
† † †
"Oh, the mountain," said Sadian. It was very big, so tall that the top reached thin cold air where snow never melted, though it was hot down here. Sadian strolled across the ranch yard to the main house following Momma. There was a big room just inside the house, a dim staircase, many doors. The double doors ahead had round windows in them, they looked like kitchen doors, kitchen doors in a funny show, that swung both ways and hit people. "Kitchen," Sadian laughed.
"No, that's the lab," Mom said.
Thierry was near those doors talking to a man.
"That's Aje," Mom said.
Sadian looked about the large room. Lots of big chairs made of wood. Dad came into the room from outside. He took off his slouchy black hat and wiped his brow. It was much too sunny for him. Sadian had not liked the sun very much. Dad flopped down in one of the big chairs and looked like he was sleeping. Mom went to him.
The doors were swinging. Aje was not there, and Thierry was not. Sadian walked to the doors and pushed one. It swung away from her, and she walked into the lab. It looked like a big clean kitchen. And Thierry was there. The thing he looked into looked like a refrigerator.
He looked down at Sadian, smiled the smile he always had for her. Sadian knew that she should not believe everything Thierry said, but that did not mean she could not listen. Sometimes Thierry said things that made good sense, or were very funny. He had a metal container. "Look at this," he said.
Sadian went close and he opened it. Steam that was cold rose up from it. "It's cold," Sadian marveled.
"Liquid nitrogen."
"That's not liquid."
"No, it's vapor, it does that when it hits the warm air."
"Like your breath on a cold day in San Francisco?"
"Yes, inversely, as your breath is warm," Thierry said. He pulled something small up from the container. "This is what I made you with," he said.
Sadian stared at the small tube, her green eyes growing wide. "People seeds!" Sadian already knew how people were grown.
Thierry smiled. He put the small tube into a different container, this one was smaller than the first. He kept smiling as he put it in his shirt, then he winked.
If Sadian made Dad happy, then more Shi Vampire people would make him more happy. That was logic.
Thierry pat Sadian's head. "Well, everything seems in order here. It will be all right to leave it a while longer."
"Good," said Sadian. They could go see Rozz and Valerie now. Sadian wanted to see them again, they were nice. And Tris too, he was nice.