Chapter 49 The Origin

Chapter 49 The Origin
Elias arrives at the mansion just after midnight with a stack of books older than most countries.
I haven’t seen him since the night of the dinner party, when I overheard him and Thad discussing secrets they didn’t want me to know. He’s one of Thad’s oldest allies. According to Rosalie, he’s been with the clan almost as long as Thad himself.
“I found something,” he announces as he sweeps into the war room where Thad, Dominique, and I have been waiting. He dumps the books onto the table, scattering the tactical maps Thad spent hours arranging. “Something that changes everything.”
Thad doesn’t complain about the mess. He just leans forward and examines the topmost book. The cover is bound in cracked leather, and the pages are so yellowed they look like they might crumble at a touch.
“What am I looking at?” he asks.
Elias opens the book to a page marked with a faded ribbon. “The Valdris bloodline. I’ve been researching it since you told me about Jonathan’s notes. The standard histories say the Valdris were guardians, humans who worked alongside the ancient clans before the wars. That’s true, as far as it goes.”
“But there’s more,” I guess.
Elias turns to look at me, and something in his eyes makes my stomach clench. It’s not fear exactly. It’s more like awe.
“The Valdris weren’t just guardians,” he explains. “They were descendants.”
Thad straightens in his seat and asks, “Descendants of what?”
“Of the Primigenii themselves.”
The room goes silent. I can hear my own heartbeat pounding in my ears.
“That’s impossible,” Dominique comments from her position near the door. “The Primigenii don’t have descendants. They’re the original vampires. They weren’t born. They were made.”
“Made from humans,” Elias corrects. “Humans who had families. Children. Lives before they were turned.” He flips to another page in the book and points at a passage written in a language I don’t recognize. “According to this text, some of those original humans left behind bloodlines that carried traces of the power that would later be used to create the Primigenii. The Valdris were one such bloodline.”
I sink into the nearest chair because my legs don’t feel stable enough to hold me. “You’re saying I’m related to the Primigenii?”
“Distantly. Very distantly. We’re talking thousands of years of dilution.” Elias pulls another book from the pile and opens it to a diagram that looks like a family tree designed by a madman. “But the connection is there. And according to these records, certain members of the Valdris line have manifested abilities that mirror those of the original vampires.”
“What kind of abilities?” Thad asks.
“Telekinesis. Energy manipulation. The power to influence other vampires on a fundamental level. We’re talking about the kind of abilities that no turned vampire should possess.”
I think about what happened in the training room. The wave of force that erupted from my chest and sent Dominique flying. The energy that felt both foreign and familiar, like something that had always been inside me just waiting to wake up.
“Thelma displayed something yesterday,” Thad tells Elias. “During training. She released a burst of energy that threw Dominique into a wall.”
Elias doesn’t look surprised. “That would be consistent with what I’ve found. The Valdris bloodline has been dormant for centuries, but turning one of them into a vampire could theoretically activate the latent abilities.”
“Theoretically?” I repeat.
“It’s never been documented before. You may be the first Valdris descendant to be turned in over four hundred years. Which explains why the Primigenii want you so badly.”
“They want to use her,” Dominique surmises.
“They want to study her, understand her, and yes, probably use her.” Elias looks at Thad. “If she can learn to control these abilities, she could be the most powerful vampire any of us have ever encountered. More powerful than the elders. Possibly more powerful than the Primigenii themselves.”
I want to laugh, because the idea of me being more powerful than anything is absurd. A month ago, I was a marketing manager who couldn’t even parallel park without three attempts.
Now I’m apparently some kind of ancient weapon waiting to be unleashed.
“How do I control it?” I ask. “The energy, or whatever it is. How do I learn to use it without accidentally killing everyone around me?”
Elias picks up another book and thumbs through its pages. “That’s the problem. There are no instructions or guides. The Valdris abilities were considered legendary even in their time. Most vampires believed they were myths.”
“But they’re not myths. I’m living proof of that.”
“You are. Which means we’re in uncharted territory.” He slaps the book closed and sets it aside. “You’ll have to learn through trial and error. Experimentation. And hope that you don’t destroy yourself in the process.”
That’s not exactly the reassurance I was looking for.
Thad moves to stand beside my chair. He rests his hand on my shoulder. “We’ll figure it out, Thelma. Whatever you’re capable of, we’ll face it as a clan.”
Elias clears his throat. “There’s one more thing.”
Of course there is. Because apparently one life-altering revelation per night isn’t enough.
“The texts mention a ritual,” he continues. “Something the Valdris used to unlock the full potential of their abilities. I haven’t been able to find the details yet, but if it exists, the Primigenii will know about it.”
“Which means they won’t just want to study her,” Dominique concludes. “They’ll want to perform the ritual themselves. Force her abilities to manifest completely so they can harness them.”
“And if the ritual goes wrong?” I ask.
Elias doesn’t answer. He doesn’t need to. The look on his face tells me everything.
If the ritual goes wrong, I won’t survive it.