The Leviathan

Chapter Four

Maeve watched the flames flickering in the moonlight, licking away at the firewood. They'd camped out at beside a cave, and Maeve was thankful for the clear skies tonight. The cave's darkness hadn't been the most inviting.

Sage reappeared from the shadows, after securing the perimeter around.

He sat himself beside Maeve, leaning back on the rock with a sigh. "Place looks clear. Full moon's a good thing as well - elder vampires won't be a big problem tonight." Maeve nodded, as she handed the unmarked book to Sage. "Found it in while looking through her book collection. Girl loved to read, apparently."

Sage's eyes narrowed. Silence ensued, as Maeve watched him flipped through the book. His face was unreadable, showing nothing more then a few raised eyebrows.

Only when he flipped to the back, did he finally show some kind of reaction, letting out an audible what the fuck.

"That about sums up my reaction." Maeve said, as Sage stared at the illustration of himself. He took out the notebook he carried with him all the time, laying it out on the floor.

"Have a look here. The languages - they're the same. Same patterns. Same words. See this?" Sage pointed, his voice growing with enthusiasm. "And this man," Sage said as he flipped through again, to one of the illustrations, "He's the one I saw in my dreams. The one who spoke to me."

"The God man?" Maeve asked. She was suddenly very aware of how close she was to Sage. Part of her mind wondered elsewhere, but she quickly recomposed herself. Now was not the time for that.

"Yes. Look at all these people," Sage said as he slid the book across, involuntarily moving closer to Maeve, as the two huddled together, hunched over the book, "If I had to make a guess, I'd wager they're all Gods. All of them, just like him."

"Including you?"

"I suppose. Although I don't have any clue what any of these texts mean. Thank you, Maeve." His eyes gleamed as he flipped through the book. 

"I'm going to get some sleep." Maeve lay down, grateful for the soft patch of grass. "You should do the same."

Sage barely mumbled a reply.

---

Sage lay wide awake. His eyelids had felt heavy initially, but his mind was racing now. Even more questions had come up, as he tried to push them back to the back of his mind. He looked over - 

Maeve was already sound asleep, her chest slowly rising and falling. Finally, he gave up on trying to sleep, walking over to Maeve as he draped his overcoat over her sleeping form. The fire had gone out long ago, it was only a matter of time before the cold got to the city girl.

He sat against the stone, looking up at the night sky, his mind among the stars. He hadn't recognized a single face in the book, and yet to see his own face there, he felt a strange sense of familiarity. He wondered if these people were somehow alive, or better yet, in this world. Part of him wanted to just disappear from reality, to meet these people face to face.

He thumbed through the pages, flipping to the one of the man-beast from his dreams. His sleep since that night had been silent, free from visitors. He wondered if he could meet him at will. Perhaps tonight, when he eventually fell asleep.

Sage's mind flickered to the girl. What did she know? How did she have it in the first place? It could be assumed the book belonged to her, perhaps she would be able to read it. Was her face among the many illustrations in the back?