Diaemus: Blood and Soul

By A.A. Mercer

Diaemus finds others of his kind and tells them about his life. He soon finds out they are not like him and a war is erupting. 

• Language: English
• Publisher: A.A. Mercer
• Release date: Jan 20, 2024
• ISBN: 9798224028498

A.A. Mercer

A. A. Mercer has written mystery, horror and thriller books. he likes to spend his time meeting fans and signing autographs in Tucson Arizona, 

Book preview

1.

Iremember the day the blood ritual was about to begin; the sacrifice was held atop the altar in the center of the city. The air was dry and I stood near Namacuix and Tlamacazui, I could see the entire village from where I stood, I wasn’t sure if he could see my tiny home and my parents who had allowed me to be the sacrifice to the gods of harvest and life.

Hands grabbed me and held me to the altar, blood and flesh were embedded in the stone from the last few sacrifices.

They had hoped this would be the last, rain hadn’t come to the land in days and Namacuix wasn’t sure what the gods wanted from them, did they want the village dead? How many more souls did the gods want before rain would come and crops would grow? I was nervous but didn’t know why, I guess in some way I thought I would disappoint the gods.

A priest held his blood-stained dagger up for the crowds below to see, his white hair hung from a long braid decorated with small animal bones and bright feathers he looked up into the cool night as he held the dagger, his cool brown eyes peered down into the chosen ones face with something akin to compassion.

I will end you quickly. He said in their language. The blade looked like a silver sliver in the darkness as the priest raised it up and the crowd below chanted to the gods.

I was ready. I ignored the sweaty hands holding me down, they didn’t realize I wanted to do this for the village.

The moon rose full behind the Aztec altar and all eyes were on the bare-chested man lying on the slab, strong arms held him down.

I wasn’t going to fight them; I had been chosen to be sacrificed and taken to the gods my eyes stared up at the night sky awaiting the gods to take me as they did the others.

I watched the blade held in the priest’s hand. He had just cleansed it and held it up for everyone in the crowd to see. The blade shone bright in the sun and I was ready.

I could smell the blood coming from the stone beneath him, he could hear the chanting below and knew the priest was giving his final blessing as he brought the knife down.

As I watched the night sky waiting to be taken to god he felt something beneath him, the ground began to tremble the trees shook and a confused look fell upon the faces of everyone. The stone slab move beneath him, his hands reached behind him to steady the slab as it moved, he didn’t know what to do as the priest suddenly disappeared from his view and the stone began to slide from the alter.

Screams filled the night as the altar began to break open. The sound of thunder filled the air as the screams continued.

I tried hanging on to the slab as best as he could but sweat was making him lose his grip and for a moment wondered if I had been killed and this was the tunnel to the afterlife. I had heard of such stories, a tunnel opened, and the dead would go through and meet their ancestors.

Pain in my fingers made me realize I wasn’t on my way to the afterlife and was still alive.

A crack opened in the altar and the stone opened.

I began to move from the altar as I felt something beneath me give- the stone fell away, and he began to fall. I fell into the darkness as the sounds of the people outside were muffled by the noises of the earthquake and the storm.

I thought he was falling forever.

Bits if rain fell into the fissure he was falling into, sharp rocks opened his flesh as he fell into the abyss/ darkness welcomed him.

The priest unnerved and confused stepped away from the hole in front of him when he fell back, the stone beneath him gave out and chanting suddenly became screams as the priest lost his footing and fell backwards striking his head with the stone steps behind him his last breath lost to the night, the chief watched as the priest fell to the stone steps, he tried to run but slipped on the blood beneath his feet and fell.

The sounds of the villagers filled the air as the sky darkened and a feeling of dread fell around the tribe. 

The temple began to shake sending bits of rock and loose stone down upon the city.

Screams of fear and confusion filled the night as an aftershock followed, meanwhile the moon stood out above the chaos like a silent god draped in red.

Diaemus felt something hard and sharp strike his head and arms as he fell, and the darkness swallowed him whole as his world disappeared.

When the earthquake was over the city was in ruin, bodies which were trapped beneath stone and rock were left behind when the leaders decided to leave the city.

A few hundred stayed behind. The drought continued and the sacrifice didn’t work.

The village began to split into two groups, one left the village and the other fought within until no one lived in the village anymore.

2.

The ground split the altar in half swallowing up Diaemus. I thought I was sent to the underworld where the blood god waited.

Diaemus found himself in the dark, sharp rock and bones beneath his body blood from dozens of punctures begun to stain the bones and rock beneath his body.

I opened his eyes and saw something in the darkness, it moved like a snake and in the shallow moonlight I could see something else, something human moving through the dim light. I cried out but the figure didn’t speak or move toward him.

The more I moved the more I was pierced, and more blood flowed, his voice cracked as I spoke. Is someone there, can you help me.

Por favor, Ayudame. His voice was weak, and I wondered if I was imagining someone in the cave with him. As I moved, I felt pain across his back and in his right arm.

I reached for a tall stone, his fingers clawed at it as I tried to move and free him.

Does anyone hear me? I heard a weak echo from the darkness, as I gripped the rock and pulled, his thin fingers slipped from the rock as pain tore through him.

Every attempt at movement caused stabbing pain and I could smell blood in the air, his eyes travelled up to the hole above him and I could see the light from the moon draped in blood.

Papa? I tried shouting, but his voice was weak, and I could feel something wet beneath him. His legs were in an odd angle and wondered if one of them were broken.

Am I dead? I asked, I had to be no one was looking into the hole where I fell. His pain felt real, the cave began to spin, and the darkness enveloped him as something in the shadows began to move.

I assumed it was bats, they were plentiful here. Why don’t they see me? I asked, Don’t let me die here.

Don’t fear little one. It was a voice from the dark. The voice was gentile and soft. A slight accent was heard, and I felt joy at knowing I would be rescued from the hole.

I am here, the voice answered from the dark.

I saw something move in the deep shadows it was large. I’m trapped, can you help me?

Deep green and red scales glinted from the light of the moon. It stayed in the darkness, watching me as I lay on a pile of old, animal, and human bones and jagged rock.

I tried to make out who was down in the hole with me, Who are you? I asked as I tried moving again, I had hoped to see ropes and my family helping the rescuers save me. I had decided not to die today.

I saw it, it coiled itself in a far corner making sure that I couldn’t tell what he was. But I could see it, the light was just enough to help me see scales as big as my head, I had seen snakes before, but this was bigger than I had ever seen. Each scale of this snake was overlapping the next and a pair of human arms were attached to what would have been shoulders if it had been human.

The flesh on the arms had narrow scales running down each arm leading to thin hands with thin claws. 

I am a god I am what your people have been worshiping for many moons. It said with a slight hiss to its voice, each word was from his language. It could see the concern in my face and attempted a reassuring tone.

I remember the face, his face, a narrow skull with deep-set green eyes which were surrounded by light scales instead of hair and flesh. It was like nothing I had ever seen and thought I would never see such a thing again.

You aren’t dead yet; I can save you. It said.

How? I asked the scaled creature.

I will taste your blood and you will be as a god.

I wanted to live but the pain was too much when I moved. I looked up into the deep dark sky and began to feel a chill. Bitter cold, I had never felt so cold. I thought I could see the sun if I squinted my eyes enough. Something wasn’t right. Weakness and cold slowly numbed me. I was dying and waited for my ancestors to come to be and lead me out of the tunnel, but instead.

I can save you, but you must decide now before it is too late, I cannot bring you back from death.

Okay. I want to live. I want to see my village again. I said. I couldn’t move and wondered if the rest of the village knew about this god in the temple?

A sudden movement from the dark scared me but the pain was too great to endure anymore. I closed my eyes and accepted whatever the god wanted to give, something strike out and hit me in the collarbone and his world vanished.

In a moment which stood still, I could feel the whole jungle, every tree, bush, every animal which moved in the deepest darkness.

I felt them all I could hear the jaguar moving in the trees stalking the rabbit. I could feel the ants crawling along the ground searching for materials for their hive.

I could hear the blood of hundreds above him running for shelter and praying to their god for salvation. They panicked, scared, and didn’t know what