29
They landed at Ljubljana Airport around noon. The welcoming April sun guided them from the plane to the two identical black SUVs Helena had arranged.
Nyavolski was already moving the driver’s seat to adjust it to his large size, lips curled up into a displeased grimace.
From Amelia’s work with him, she knew that even if he appeared on edge, he never crossed the line, completing each task with precision and perfectionism.
Still, Nyavolski’s barrage of swear words and emotional outbursts progressively escalated as he went about this particular task.
Hearing him, Helena said she’d ride with Zacharia – but not before stowing her small medical kit in the trunk. She then popped her head through the open window of the car. “Amelia, come ride with me. I want to discuss something with you.”
Feeling a bit relieved to have an excuse to avoid another round of Nyavolski’s colourful swearing, Amelia settled into the back seat of Zacharia’s vehicle. Alex and Viktor Volk remained with the surgeon, and the two groups set off northwards towards Triglav.
The cars glided alongside green fields and tall trees speckled with vibrant flowers.
Occasionally, small villages with well-kept houses peeked through the branches.
Farther out in the fields, herds of animals grazed under the watchful eyes of shepherd dogs.
Spring was in full bloom, Amelia realised, and she hadn’t even noticed winter slipping away.
Zacharia’s large palms rested steadily on the wheel, now and then stroking it to keep the car aligned on the winding road.
In the passenger seat, Helena’s red hair fell like a veil over her face.
She tossed it back with a flick of her hand and focused on a crumpled geographical map with faded colours.
She glanced back towards Amelia. “What do you think? Will Korovin be out of Prokaliya soon? I mean… have you received any information from above?”
Amelia pursed her lips. “No, I haven’t.”
Bitterness rose in her throat. She’d joined this trip because of her medical background, but maybe Helena wanted her in the car only for her visions.
Was a clairvoyant all the others saw in her, as well?
Did they reduce her entire worth to her ability – or inability, as it were – of producing a vision?
Helena clicked her tongue. “Let’s hope he stays in there a bit longer. At least until we’ve proven there’s a genetic anomaly to explain our little trip to the temple. Otherwise, he’ll hunt us to the edge of the world and back.”
Her laughter rang through the car, while Amelia gazed out at the blossoming elms lining the road. A stab of guilt pierced through her.
Whatever lay behind the regeneration issues, genetics was the path to finding some answers, she reminded herself. If she could help, maybe she’d feel a bit… more justified when the time came to run off with Mikhail’s ring.
The thought sent an icy chill coursing through her. “Why is Mikhail against us obtaining genetic material from the temple?”
Helena grunted. “Because he’s so stuck in his ways, he can’t see beyond the ghosts of his past that he worships.”
Amelia stifled a huff. Mikhail worshipped no one. “You keep saying that desecrating the temple would unleash a curse. What curse, exactly?”
“Who knows? We’ll probably burn in Hell.
But even without desecrating any temples, I’ve racked up enough sins to guarantee myself a spot there.
So, I’m doing everything I can to stay on this earth as long as possible.
Which means finding the reason behind the problems with our regeneration, fixing it, and continuing my happy life! We’re getting close!”
She tapped a finger on the map. “We’ll enter Triglav near the town of Kranjska Gora, which is located in the mountains.
From there, we head towards the Varshik Passage, a crucial route through the terrain.
I haven’t been here in forever, but the road was reconstructed in the early twentieth century.
It should make things easier than they used to be…
” She traced her finger along the map. “Right… It should be the twenty-third bend on the road. We’ll start counting the bends after we pass the Devil.
The map indicates the location is further into the forest, so we will need to walk there. ”
“What’s ‘the Devil’?” Amelia asked.
“A marker in the cliffs.”
The car climbed up the winding mountain road, the asphalt twisting into tight hairpin turns that revealed the steep drop forming on their right.
“There it is!” Helena exclaimed a while later. “Stop at the lay-by. I want to be sure, so we don’t mess up the counting.”
Zacharia pulled the car into a small pebble-covered expansion at the bend. Moments later, their companions arrived in the other car. Helena jumped out, her eyes fixed on the cliffs towering over them from the opposite side of the road.
Amelia got out and followed Helena’s gaze.
The Devil stared back at them from the rock.
It resembled a human face, sculpted into the cliff by nature itself.
Two asymmetrical horns jutted out from its head – one long and reaching upward, the other shorter, broken and patched with the grass sprouting from the cracks in the rock.
“Nature’s creations are often more extraordinary than the agile hand of any sculptor,” Alex remarked, slipping past Amelia.
“I’ve read everything there is to know about the temple and this park.
Actually… everything about Slovenia. Want to hear something interesting?
The Devil is just a rock with a peculiar shape, but it’s also a key landmark for any creature trying to find the Temple of the Dead Immortals.
Yet, the Devil is located within the Triglav National Park, a popular destination for locals and tourists alike.
And there’s not a single human text, encyclopaedia, or travel guide that mentions it.
But he’s impossible to miss! Makes me wonder if it’s invisible to humans.
Someone would’ve mentioned it otherwise, right? ”
“It is invisible to humans.” Viktor studied the cliff.
Nyavolski muttered a curse under his breath. “I get the creeps from that dude! Let’s move.”
Amelia found herself meeting the gaze of the stone face. For her, he wasn’t a devil. He was a human figure, imprisoned in the rock.
She returned to the car, but before closing the door, she used the SUV’s height to peer down into the precipice beyond the guardrail. The depth seemed to pull at her, and she slammed the door harder than intended, retreating into her seat and curling up against the lingering chill of unease.
***
Amelia was trying to avoid counting the bends in the road with Helena, fearing it might trigger memories of her past panic attacks and compulsions.
That chapter of her life, which her shrink had labelled as post-traumatic stress disorder, seemed closed for now.
The urge to count had been gone for months, but the rising anxiety tightening in her stomach threatened to provoke it again.
“Five…” the nymph counted.
Five , Amelia’s mind echoed.
“Six…”
Six .
It felt like an eternity had passed before they reached twenty-three.
“We’re here,” Helena said.
Zacharia slowed down. They had just enough space on the roadside to fit the two cars.
Amelia stepped out of the SUV and glanced up at the slope across the road.
Beyond the next curve, the mountain appeared to retreat slightly.
About ten feet up, it jutted out at an odd angle before disappearing into the forest, concealed among the wide green treetops.
Clutching her medical kit in one hand, Helena crossed the road.
The others followed in silence. Even Nyavolski held his tongue, though he likely had at least one string of swear words ready to unleash.
Up close, what had seemed like a leaning cliff from the road, was another rock, positioned perpendicular to the cliff. A path formed between them, wide enough for a slender person to pass through.
Zacharia inspected the cliffs with a cool gaze, then raised his eyebrows. “Let me guess. This is the path to the bloody temple?”
Helena showed the others the map. “This”—she pointed to a spot—“is where we are now. The trail to the temple begins here. I guess we’ll have to squeeze through the cliffs.”
Nyavolski snatched the map from her fingers. “Lemme see!” His nose crumpled like a folded fan. “For heaven’s sake, woman! You know I’m claustrophobic!”
Alex approached them. “In theory, a vampire cannot suffer from claustrophobia, given that one of the fundamental characteristics of their animal spirit is inhabiting caves. Personally, I can’t think of anything more claustrophobic than a cave.”
“If you’re so afraid, why don’t you stay in the car?” Helena snapped.
Nyavolski pursed his lips. “And miss your show? No way, honey!”
The two locked eyes in a standoff. Alex raised a finger between them. “Speaking of psychology, a positive mindset is essential for accomplishing a task. Humans have an excellent idiom about the glass being half-empty or half-full—”
“Alex, shut up!” Viktor cut in. He’d been studying the surroundings, shifting his eyes from one detail to another.
With his distracted demeanour and ruffled black hair, he often resembled a modern-day mad scientist lost in his theorems and formulas.
Right now, however, his grey eyes were steel.
He shook his head. “This is an insanely bad idea. I have a feeling it’s a terrible idea… ”
“Fuck. Me, too. Let’s get out of here!” Nyavolski hopped from one foot to the other.
Helena shoved the map back in his face. “We didn’t come all this way just to leave empty-handed. We voted, for crying out loud!”
“I also want to go in. This is an incredible and interesting opportunity.” Alex’s words earned her a frown from Viktor.
He said, “I think it’s dangerous…”
“Mikhail didn’t approve, damn it! What are we gonna tell him when he gets out of that bloody hole?”
“That we found the reason behind the regeneration issues! That’s if he ever comes back…”
“And that we’ve enriched our scientific and spiritual knowledge…”
“I still don’t like it!”
“You don’t like anything !”
Amelia met Zacharia’s gaze, silently asking him to intervene. The hybrid shrugged.
She knelt by the rock and focused on the rhythmic babbling of a brook in the distance. The sunlight warmed her back. She recalled that moment with Mikhail when he’d spoken to her about sounds. Alas, the howling wind only brought back the memory of her failure in that endeavour.
She stood up. The others might not listen to her, but she’d suggest they retreat. After all, Mikhail had been against entering the temple, and she never should have agreed to it.
Then the wind carried a birdsong. She tilted her head back to locate the source, and her eyes settled on the rock above them.
It was there, once again – the Devil landmark. Below it, the rock was smooth. And this close up, the inscription carved into it was visible. Amelia had to study it a few times before she grasped the message.
Love is the brightest light, even where the sunrays do not reach. If you follow that light, you will find the right path.
Why did that sound familiar?
It hit her all at once – those were the words she’d spoken to Nyavolski and Helena during the first Council meeting she’d attended.
Words she’d received from the Creator, though she’d never understood their meaning.
She’d spent so many nights pondering them, searching for an anagram, a hidden message, anything…
“Love is the brightest light, even where the sunrays don’t reach!” she shouted. “If you follow that light, you will find the right path!”
“What…” Helena turned to her, confusion on her face. She followed Amelia’s gaze and her eyes widened. “It’s the message…”
Nyavolski also stared at the carvings. “That ugly mug’s back, damn him!”
“What do you think it means?” Amelia asked, her voice brimming with excitement.
Helena beamed. “It’s a sign to proceed.”
“It’s the message Amelia passed on to Helena and Nyavolski!” Alex inspected the cliff.
By her side, Viktor’s features darkened with concern. “Symbols in the immortal world rarely mean anything good.”
Nyavolski kept pacing back and forth. Helena grabbed his wrist, stopping him with a gentle tug. Then she whispered something in his ear. Whatever it was, it made him unclench his jaw.
“All right, Helena. All right, woman…” He sighed. “If you insist so much on the bloody temple, let’s go in. If the Oracle has said it, let’s do it. It’s clear the whole damn world is against me! Starting with that horned bastard staring at us from up there!”
Helena brushed her fingers against his chin and smiled. “I wouldn’t say the whole damn world…”
Amelia fought to suppress the thrill that the message stirred in her. Finally, something made sense! “I suggest we get going.”
Alex faced her. “I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I have an excellent memory, and I recall the words you told Helena and Nyavolski after these.”
Amelia remembered them, too. ‘Because where the most cherished lie, it is dangerous for others to approach.’
“Don’t get me wrong, I’m still all for going into the temple, but if one message is connected to it, the other might also be,” Alex said.
“Perhaps that’s exactly why it’s us who must enter, and no one else?” Helena suggested.
Viktor couldn’t take his eyes off the Devil’s face carved into the rock. “I still believe it’s a terrible idea.”
Helena pointed to the gap in the rock. “Let’s just go into the damn temple.”
“Your blasphemy will send us straight to Hell, woman!”
“Look who’s talking…”
“Can’t you see we’ve been warned not to enter the temple?”
Amelia’s blood boiled. The indecision that marked every part of her life threatened to tear her apart.
Enter the temple or not.
Amelia or the Oracle.
Mikhail or…
“Alex, give me your coin,” she said.
Alex pulled the coin out of her small crossbody purse.
Helena crossed her arms. “What are you going to do?”
“I’m settling this once and for all. Heads, we go in. Tails, we leave.”
“A penny can’t decide such important matters.” Viktor shook his head.
Amelia tossed the coin. All eyes were on her as the metal disc soared into the air, only to come back down and land perfectly in her open palm. She flipped it onto the back of her other hand. They all leaned in to see.
Helena smiled. “Heads…”
“I knew it!” Alex clapped her hands.