The Immortal Scrolls Read online

  The Immortal Scrolls

  Copyright © 2012 Kristin Secorsky

  All rights reserved.

  ISBN: 1478344172

  ISBN-13: 9781478344179

  eBook ISBN: 978-1-62345-753-2

  For my daughters,

  Iliana and Elisabeth

  A special thank you to my husband, Mauro, and my family, Alice, Brianne, Cody, and Jeff, for always believing in me.

  Thank you.

  Contents

  Prologue: Britannia, 78 AD

  Chapter One: Herculaneum, 2011

  Chapter Two: Naples, 2011

  Chapter Three: Rome, 79 AD

  Chapter Four: Naples, 2011

  Chapter Five: Naples, 2011

  Chapter Six: Rome, 79 AD

  Chapter Seven: Herculaneum, 79 AD, Summer

  Chapter Eight: Naples, 2011

  Chapter Nine: Naples, 2011

  Chapter Ten: Mediterranean Sea, 79 AD

  Chapter Eleven: Herculaneum, 79 AD

  Chapter Twelve: Britannia, 79 AD

  Chapter Thirteen: Britannia, 79 AD

  Chapter Fourteen: Naples, 2011

  Chapter Fifteen: Herculaneum, 2011

  Chapter Sixteen: Naples, 2011

  Glossary

  Locations

  Prologue

  BRITANNIA, 78 AD

  Amara stopped dead in her tracks and looked around the dense forest. The last of the daylight streamed through the trees, and she felt her power increasing by the minute. She sniffed the air excitedly and turned to her companion. He was tall, thin, and feminine with short blonde hair and green eyes.

  “Do you smell that?” she asked. Her lips turned up into a wicked smile, revealing a pair of sharp white fangs.

  “Yes. Romans,” her companion said. He smiled at his master. She was beautiful and powerful, with long, brown, curly hair hanging loose down her back, her brown eyes so dark they were almost black. “A small patrol, perhaps?”

  “I hope you are hungry,” she said, letting out a throaty chuckle.

  The lethal pair ran swiftly off in the direction of the Roman patrol. As they neared Amara stopped herself and her companion.

  “Wait. There are more coming,” she said, smelling the air.

  “Ugh, Britons,” whined her companion. “They just don’t taste as good as Romans.”

  Amara laughed at her progeny. “Watch. They are flanking them there and there,” she said as she pointed at the trees. She saw the small Roman patrol advancing. Two men, one a centurion, brought up the rear on horseback. The more powerful the man, the more satisfying his blood was to her. She licked her lips.

  “See something you like?” her companion asked her.

  “That one is mine,” she said hungrily.

  The centurion called for his men to halt. He had a worried look on his face and began to look around. He must sense them, she thought. The Britons flew out from the trees, yelling. Their faces and bodies were painted blue, and they carried axes, swords, and clubs.

  “Shields!” she heard the centurion shout at his men. The Romans drew into a tight circle, blocking the attackers with their shields. The two men on horseback fought off the Britons with their swords. Amara watched with desire as blood was being spilled all around.

  “Wait,” Amara hissed at her companion. He was squirming hungrily beside her. He was younger and harder to control. Amara ran her hand down his cheek to soothe him and felt other urges take over her body. Too bad he does not like women, she thought as she turned back to watch the fight.

  Just then a Briton leapt out from the trees and knocked the centurion off his horse, sending his helmet flying. Amara saw that he was extremely handsome. She felt even more drawn to him. He struck at his attacker from the ground with his sword. Another Briton came up with the sword of a fallen Roman and stabbed it into the calf of the centurion. She heard the man cry out as the attacker tried to pull out the sword, dragging it up the man’s leg instead, slicing through his flesh. The centurion managed to get the strength to swing his sword once more, neatly chopping off the leg of his attacker. The man fell screaming to the ground and passed out.

  The Romans were successfully fighting off the Britons. Amara watched the centurion crawl off to the trees. She nodded to her companion, and they ran at an unnoticeable speed to the side of the injured centurion. He had passed out from pain and blood loss. Her companion bent over the man, desperate with thirst.

  “No!” Amara shouted sharply. “I want this one.”

  Her companion pulled away, a bit jealous because he knew his master meant to turn the centurion. So far he had been her only companion these years. The man’s eyes flickered open and shut rapidly. Amara bit open the flesh at her wrist and started to trickle blood into the man’s mouth. Suddenly she caught a whiff of another smell. This one turned her stomach. She moved her wrist away.

  “Fae,” she hissed angrily as she smelled her enemies. Her companion looked around with fear. “The battle must have drawn them out. We must go. We are outnumbered.” Amara looked down at the man regretfully. “Too bad. At least he got enough blood to heal. I will find him again.” Her companion was tugging at her arm. They took off at a lightning pace and left the centurion to his fate.

  Chapter One

  HERCULANEUM, 2011

  Skye walked into the small gladiator cell. Ever since she’d accepted the job excavating the gladiator school, she’d felt drawn to this particular cell. On her breaks she found herself coming into the cell to sit and think. She’d just completed her doctorate in archaeology and thought she would be stuck teaching at the university for the summer. When the opportunity opened up at the excavation in Herculaneum, she’d applied but never dreamed her application would be accepted. The ludus was located on the outskirts of the ancient city and was considered a major discovery. It was a recent find, so most of the ludus was still buried under ash and volcanic debris from the 79 AD eruption of Mt. Vesuvius.

  Skye sat down on the smooth dirt floor and leaned up against the wall. Lights were wired through all the corridors and cells, but the small cell was still dim. The cell was empty, and she didn’t think the gladiator who had lived in there had much more than something to sleep on and maybe a table. There were no windows. She sat there with her eyes closed, contemplating the life of the gladiator who had lived in this cell, when suddenly the ground began to shake. Dust fell from the ceiling into her hair and eyes. Skye struggled to stand up and raced for the corridor. Earthquakes had always terrified her. The violent shaking threw her against the corridor wall, and she braced herself with her elbow to keep from falling down.

  “I’ve got you!” said Dr. Costa, the supervising archaeologist on the excavation, as he grabbed her by the waist and rushed her outside. The quake stopped as they stepped out of the barracks into what would have been the training courtyard. “Are you all right, Dr. Morgan?”

  “Yes,” said Skye, shaking the dust out of her hair. “What about you?”

  “I’m fine,” he said, looking around the courtyard as if he were conducting a head check. He brushed himself off and said, “Excuse me while I check on the team and assess the damage to the site. I think we will call it a day. We need to make sure it is safe first before we continue with the excavation.”

  “OK. I will spread the word,” said Skye.

  Skye made her way around the group, telling everyone to pack it up for the day. She was walking to the gate to leave when she heard a voice call after her.

  “Hey, Skye! Wait up,” said Marco, an Italian intern working on the excavation. Marco was absurdly attractive with bright green eyes, a slim but muscled build, thick, dark hair, and smooth, tan skin. Skye often thought he would make a better model than archaeologist. All t
he female interns, and the one male intern, had been chasing after him, except Skye. She had never been good with the whole flirting and dating thing.

  “Hey, Marco! How are you?” Skye asked, trying to sound casual though her heart was pounding anxiously in her chest. They had never really spoken alone before. Like everyone else, Skye found herself extremely sexually attracted to him. She had not been this attracted to someone in ages.

  “I’m good. You weren’t hurt during the quake?” he asked, concerned.

  “No, I’m fine,” she said.

  “That’s good,” he said, smiling. “Listen, I thought since we have the whole afternoon free you might want to have lunch with me and maybe go to a movie?”

  It took Skye a few seconds to register he was actually asking her out.

  “Um, yeah. Sure. I’d like to,” she said calmly, although inside she was cheering. She had not been on a date in forever, it seemed. Not since grad school. She had been too focused on her dissertation.

  They started to walk toward the gated exit that kept unwanted people out of the site.

  “Does it ever bother you working here knowing the town was incinerated?” he asked.

  Skye paused to think about the horrible way the people of Herculaneum had perished after the eruption. “Well, it does now!” she exclaimed.

  “Sorry. I just couldn’t help but think about it lately with all the seismic activity,” he said sheepishly.

  “Oh darn!” Skye exclaimed, causing Marco to look over at her in surprise. She realized she had left her bag down in the gladiator cell. She couldn’t leave without it. Not only did it have her tools, but her wallet, keys, and cell phone were all inside. “I forgot my bag down in one of the cells. Wait for me, OK? I’ll just go get it.”

  “Sure. Do you want me to go with you?” he asked.

  “No thanks. I’ll be right back,” she said, smiling at him apologetically. Skye walked quickly to the entrance to the barracks and found her way back to the cell. Luckily, the lights were still working. She entered the small cell and saw her bag lying under a layer of dust from the ceiling. Skye reached over, picked it up, and dusted it off with her hand. Something is different in here, she thought. On the wall a few feet away, a layer had fallen off, revealing a square the size of a mailbox slightly protruding. Skye crouched down to inspect it. She reached into her bag, grabbed a pick, and stuck it in the crack beneath the square. As she wiggled the pick, the square started to slide out. Is this a hidden compartment? she wondered. Then the square slid out like a drawer. Inside the hidden compartment were scrolls. Skye’s heart was racing with excitement. She had found something extraordinary. She slid the compartment back and went off to search for Dr. Costa. Safe or unsafe, there was no way she could go home now.

  Moments later she returned with Dr. Costa. “I noticed it when I went to get my bag. The earthquake must have knocked it loose. Look there.” Skye pointed to the wall.

  “What in the world?” said Dr. Costa.

  “I opened it, and there are scrolls inside,” she said as she bent over to slide the compartment open again.

  Dr. Costa peered inside the compartment and saw the scrolls. “Amazing! This is just the sort of thing we need to get that grant. We must be careful with them. They need to go to the lab right away,” he said.

  “Dr. Costa, I know I am a novice, but I would like to continue to work on the scrolls in the lab and write up the findings,” said Skye.

  “You did make the discovery,” said Dr. Costa hesitantly. “But I still need you here on the site.”

  “I’ll work extra hours. I can go to the lab in the late afternoon and evening,” she said.

  “I guess that would be OK,” said Dr. Costa. He admired her youth and passion for archaeology. She reminded him of himself when he was just starting out.

  “Thank you, Dr. Costa!” Skye exclaimed. “I won’t let you down.”

  “Skye, are you in here?” she heard Marco call out from the corridor. In her excitement she’d forgotten Marco was still waiting for her.

  “I’m in here, Marco,” Skye yelled. Dr. Costa was carefully studying the scrolls. He looked like he was dying to pick one up and open it.

  Marco found Skye and Dr. Costa.

  “You were gone a long time,” said Marco, waiting for an explanation.

  “I’m so sorry. When I came back to get my bag, I found this,” she said, gesturing to the compartment. Marco’s eyes grew wide in fascination. “So I went to get Dr. Costa right away.” Dr. Costa was now taking pictures of the wall and the compartment with the scrolls.

  “I guess this means you can’t go, right?” he said, smiling because he wouldn’t be going anywhere either.

  “No. I am going to take these to the lab in Naples and start analysis,” she said excitedly. She noticed his disappointment. “Some other time, though, OK?” Skye didn’t want him to feel bad.

  “That’s OK. You can make it up to me later,” he teased flirtatiously. Skye blushed. She saw Dr. Costa smile and roll his eyes as he was making a label. “Dr. Costa, would you like me to stay around and help with anything?”

  “Yeah, I suppose we could use an extra pair of hands,” said Dr. Costa.

  Marco smiled and winked at Skye as he bent over to have a closer look at the scrolls. Then he picked up the camera and pointed it at Skye as she handled the secret compartment. “Smile!” he said.

  She laughed, and he snapped a shot. They were interrupted by one of the guards, who came to inform them of the arrival of a reporter who wanted to discuss the earthquake and its impact on the excavation.

  Andy walked into his apartment and flipped on the switch. His phone started to ring, so he walked over to pick up the receiver.

  “Turn on the television,” said an ominous female voice.

  “Amara. How did you get this number?” the man asked angrily. His fangs protruded, and his body tensed defensively. He had been avoiding her for centuries.

  “You don’t think I always know where my progeny are?” she hissed menacingly. He growled at her in irritation. She chuckled and said, “Watch the news.”

  Andy held the receiver with his shoulder and reached for the remote control. He turned on his large flat screen television and entered the channel for the news. He turned up the volume to hear the female reporter speak. She was outside in the daytime, so he realized this news story was being repeated.

  “Earlier this morning, a 4.2 magnitude earthquake hit the small town Ercolano, better known as Herculaneum in the archaeological world.” said the reporter.

  Herculaneum, Andy thought as the receiver slipped out of his hand and fell to the floor. There was a heavy feeling in the pit of his stomach.

  “I am standing here with Dr. Costa, director of the excavation site of the newly discovered ludus, also known as a gladiator school where they trained to fight here in Ercolano. While the quake was strong enough to halt work for the afternoon, it was actually a blessing in disguise. Dr. Costa, why don’t you tell us what you uncovered?” the reporter said.

  “Today after the quake, a hidden compartment in one of the cell walls was discovered by Dr. Skye Morgan,” said Dr. Costa. “Inside were a number of scrolls. We have not opened them yet. This is a delicate procedure and will take some time. Dr. Morgan has transported them back to our laboratory in Naples to begin analysis on the scrolls. This is a monumental and most unexpected discovery.” Dr. Costa continued to talk, but Andy wasn’t listening to the TV anymore.

  So they found the scrolls, he thought. He was stupid to have written them in the first place and even more stupid for leaving them were they could be found. He had written them to defy her. He thought they would be lost forever after the eruption.

  “Are you there, Androcles?” He could hear her voice through the telephone with his super sensitive hearing. He bent down and picked it up.

  “Yes,” he replied coldly.

  “This has nothing to do with you, does it? You know what would happen if our secret was revealed
. I warned you,” she said menacingly.

  “I’ll take care of it,” he said. He didn’t want to think about the mess Amara would make if she went to Naples.

  “I miss you,” she said softly.

  “And I hate you,” he replied. He heard her laugh evilly, and then he hung up the phone.

  Andy dreaded returning to the place of his most painful memories, but he had to leave New York in the morning. He growled and threw the phone across the living room. He walked to his bedroom and turned on the light. He went to his closet to get his clothes. Then he caught sight of himself in the mirror. His white shirt had been splattered with blood when his prey had tried to struggle with him. New York was a largely populated city and full of all sorts of bad people he didn’t feel guilty about feeding on. He didn’t have to kill them. He had learned to feed without killing his prey. He unbuttoned his shirt and threw it in the trash.

  His heart was heavy with sadness. It had been centuries, and he could still see her face in his mind as if it had been yesterday. “Araceli,” he said mournfully. He thought about the horrible way she had died every day of his existence and always regretted not turning her when he had the chance.

  Andy walked back into his large closet and opened the false wall, revealing a safe. He spun the numbers and then pulled on the handle. The door made a clicking noise and then swung open. He reached in and opened another smaller compartment. Inside was a woman’s bracelet and a small picture frame with an ancient hand-painted portrait of a beautiful young woman. He picked up the portrait and held it gently as he stared at Araceli’s lovely face. Andy had never loved another in all his years. Sure, he had been with many women, but he had used them for brief moments of pleasure.

  He put Araceli’s portrait back into the safety of her container next to the bracelet. Then he removed the container and took it to his suitcase. It seemed fitting to take her with him back to Herculaneum. He rearranged some clothes to make room for the container and then zipped his suitcase shut.

  Andy walked over to his laptop and turned it on. He searched for a Dr. Costa in Naples. With a little memory manipulation, Dr. Costa would soon be seeing his “old friend” Andy de Luca, and Andy would have his cover in order to retrieve his scrolls. He was almost certain this could be resolved without any unnecessary bloodshed.