A Shade of Vampire 88: An Isle of Mirrors

by Forrest, Bella

  “Speaking of sticking together, why were you all gathered here?” Soph asked, trying to steer the conversation away from Viola’s unknown whereabouts. Mom had already suggested that she was out there, much like Hazel and Tejus, trying to figure out where to go next. The clones had done a marvelous job of breaking them up, but they hadn’t defeated us yet.

  “We were trying to ascertain whether it’s time to enable the covert ops,” Dad said. “Given these trying times, I figured Hansa and Jax could get the protocol going.”

  “Wait, covert ops?” I replied. “What covert ops are you talking about?”

  “A long time ago, after we destroyed Ta’Zan, Sofia, Hansa, Jax, and I sat down and put together a task force,” Dad explained. “It was kept secret over the years, with only a few aware of its existence. The agents remain dormant until needed. Once the protocol is activated, they will begin implementing secret defense measures throughout The Shade. We designed the program in case of an invasion. We didn’t want another Ta’Zan to come along and think he can destroy us.”

  Corrine smiled. “It’s actually brilliant because maybe ten people know about it, all of us elders. Not even Ben or Rose were ever made aware of its presence.”

  “Not for a lack of trust, mind you,” Mom interjected. “We just felt it was safer to have it classified. Given what we’re dealing with now, I’m sure you see the benefit of such secrecy.”

  “I most certainly do,” I replied. “But with our comms down, how will you be able to get the protocol going? How are the agents activated? And who are they?”

  “And what does the whole operation actually entail?” Astra added.

  Dad took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “The lack of comms isn’t an issue. It’s a visual signal, and it will be launched by Corrine. It will be visible for an entire day from any part of The Shade. As soon as the sleeper agents see it, they will be activated. It’s a complex work of magic, courtesy of Corrine and Ibrahim here…” He paused to look at Astra. “Once they’re activated, the agents are to report here to the Great Dome for further instructions. Hopefully, by then we’ll have another Reaper or two coming in to help us. You’ll be overwhelmed otherwise. The operation itself was never fully defined, since there were so many possible scenarios to consider. In this case, verifying originals is paramount, so that’s what we’ll focus on.”

  “It’s really a defense protocol,” Mom added. “It’s the best we can offer to counter the current threat.”

  The more I thought about it, the more concerned I became. Yes, it was the best we could do, but it wasn’t enough. The clones were highly prepared and ridiculously well organized. They had weapons and devices unknown to us, capable of shattering our defenses and reducing many of us to bumbling messes. “We’re not prepared for something of this level or amplitude,” I said. “I mean, who could see it coming, right? Without additional testing capabilities, how will the Shadians differentiate between originals and clones? This will inadvertently impact the civilians.”

  “I’ll launch the covert ops signal. That way we’ll have forces headed this way. Maybe the clones don’t know about this protocol,” Dad replied. “Meanwhile, you need to go out and catch or destroy as many of these clones as you can. You need to keep verifying Shadians with Astra and sending them over here. If we form a defense cluster around the Great Dome, it’ll keep the clones away. I doubt they’d be foolish enough to attack us where we’re strongest.”

  “That sounds reasonable,” Liana said, hooking an arm through Cameron’s. “Meanwhile, my man and I will go find Lumi. Hopefully, we’ll get the original and not a doppelganger who tries to pulverize us both. Lumi has a way of reaching out to Nethissis. More Reapers are needed, and I see no other way of getting the word out to them.”

  I agreed. “I’ll keep the team as it is, if they’re willing.” Glancing around, I noticed Jericho, Dafne, and Soph were grinning like devils. They weren’t just willing. They were eager to join me in what came next. I looked to Astra. “We need you. Can you do this?”

  “Yes. Derek is right. We have to verify more people and increase the defense circle here. We’ll have something safe to come back to this way.” She took Phoenix’s hands in hers. “You have to stay here. When Soul and the others come back, use them. Maybe get Kelara to stick around and send Soul with another small team to gather additional originals. And if we find Mom, I’ll make sure she stays with us, okay?”

  Phoenix took her in his arms, hugging her tightly as he hid his face in her bright pink hair. “I will, honey. And you take care of yourself out there. Come back to me. You and your mother…”

  Time wasn’t our friend, but at least we hadn’t run out of options. Bracing ourselves for the worst, we bid our elders farewell and headed out, determined to restore the balance in The Shade. Behind us, a thick pillar of orange smoke rose, billowing toward the moon. It glowed from within, like a magical beacon that would easily be spotted from anywhere on the island.

  “The beacon,” I muttered, taking a second to admire it.

  “It’s starting,” Astra said. “The war we never thought we’d have to fight.”

  “Well, I’m the kind who gets bored easily,” Jericho replied. “At least I’ll have plenty of entertainment along the way.”

  Dafne chuckled. “You really have found a positive side in all this.”

  “You’re a silver lining, too,” Jericho shot back with a wink. It made the ice dragon blush as she looked away, and we left the Great Dome behind.

  I had no idea how this would end. But I had one hell of a team to work with, and everything to lose. The clones were up to something. My glamoring would come in handy, provided we managed to take one or more of these fiends alive. As we headed north, back to where Phoenix said his group had fought with doppelgangers, I hoped we’d find Viola, Hazel, and Tejus soon. I hoped we’d get more intel and understand what the enemy wanted. I hoped we’d all survive.

  But Astra was right. This was a war we were walking into, and we were blind. I dreaded what would happen once the conflict spilled into the civilian areas. The panic. The suspicions that would lead to tragic accidents. We had to move fast in a thickening darkness over which we had no control.

  Astra

  (Daughter of Phoenix and Viola)

  Dad knew I would stop at nothing to find Mom. I was scared, but I also knew she wouldn’t be easily defeated. A Daughter had some weight in this world, and deep down I doubted the clones would be stupid enough to take her. What truly horrified me was that they might push to kill her instead—but at least I knew that hadn’t happened yet. I would’ve felt our spiritual connection become severed. No, Mom was alive somewhere. I’d find her.

  The redwood forest seemed quiet, perhaps eerily so. My senses were going haywire, proof that more shimmering portals had opened in this area. Everything was wrong. It was as if each particle in the air had turned into a needle, pricking my skin.

  “Thayen…” I managed, breaking into a cold sweat as we continued to head for the northern edge of the redwoods. “Thayen, there were portals open here.”

  “Portals? Plural?” he asked, giving me a concerned look. Our trek came to a halt as the others gathered around me. I had trouble breathing, overwhelmed not only by the sensory supercharge but also by my own emotions. My dad had barely made it out of an encounter with clones. My mom was missing. My grandparents, too. Damn it, the more I thought about it, the more it sank in, wreaking havoc in my soul. “Astra, come on. Take a deep breath.” Thayen encouraged me as he placed his hands on my shoulders. “In and out. In, count to three, then out, count to three.”

  I followed his advice, inhaling until my lungs could bear no more. I held it in for one, two… three seconds, then slowly let it out. One… two… three. A few more rounds of this, and the sharp pain in the back of my neck vanished. My skin no longer felt as though it had been set ablaze. I was coming back to something more stable, and I had Thayen to thank for it.

  “Yes, portals.”
I resumed my earlier statement under Dafne, Jericho, Soph, and Thayen’s watchful eyes. “Multiple. I think we’re looking at way more clones than our worst-case scenarios so far.”

  Jericho frowned. “They’re probably spreading out. And I doubt they’re all looking to attack the Shadians; otherwise, we would’ve heard plenty of commotion already.”

  “Sparky’s right,” Dafne said, drawing a raised eyebrow from the dragon-fae. “I think they have specific targets and missions for this invasion, and not all of them are about a weaponized offense.”

  “We should stick to our to-do list, then,” Soph said.

  “Yes. It’s still our best way forward,” Thayen replied. “And since we are heading north, we should certainly check the Vale. It’s mostly human, and I wonder if the clones have any interest in it. To this point, they’ve attacked the hospital because of Isabelle’s clone, the terrace alley where some of our GASP officers were gathered, and the Great Dome where the GASP founders were meeting. I’m not sure about other places yet, but I can definitely see a pattern.”

  Resuming our fast walk through the redwood forest, I began to see what Thayen was conveying. “They’re attacking GASP objectives, right?”

  “We’re the primary armed force here. The defenders. If they want to attack The Shade, they take out the military spots first,” Thayen said.

  There were only theories and spoken fears for us to contend with, and we had these for company on our way to the Vale. Naturally, we were tense and on edge by the time we got there. It looked peaceful. Quiet. Too quiet, much like the woods. As if The Shade itself had caught on that something awful had happened, and something worse would soon come.

  The humans were mostly out and about, clustered closer toward the town center. The streetlamps flickered in the darkness, their amber light cast over the cobblestone streets. Houses rose ahead, lining the sidewalks with manicured gardens and open windows. It was nice and warm outside, like every other summer evening. The cafés were open around the central plaza. Beyond, I could see the schools and the administrative buildings silhouetted against the dimly lit starry sky.

  If this were any normal day, I would’ve liked nothing more than to stop by the ice cream shop and spend forty-five minutes simply trying to decide which flavors to get. Simpler times were long behind us, however, and nothing our eyes registered could truly be trusted.

  “It seems okay,” Dafne said quietly. “Though I don’t know as much about the humans’ social life as I probably should.”

  “Since you’re half human yourself?” Jericho chuckled.

  She shrugged. “Yeah. I spend most of my time in the Black Heights. My parents are there. My whole ice dragon clan is there.”

  “Just because it seems okay doesn’t mean it actually is,” Soph warned. “They could all be clones just waiting to pounce on us.”

  At first look, no one was paying attention. People were just walking up and down the street, stopping by shops, laughing, exchanging greetings, and forming groups to head into town for the night. But Soph had a point. It could be an act. Or maybe the paranoia had finally gotten to us. There was no way for me to tell without checking each of the humans, and that involved way too much contact for my safety.

  “We should definitely head to the armory behind the training halls sooner rather than later, and grab some pulverizer weapons,” Soph said, eyeing the passersby. “I know we never used them on the island, but clearly times are changing. How many do you keep in the armory?”

  “About a dozen. But if the covert ops have instructions to use pulverizer weapons in case of an invasion, there might be more stored elsewhere. Listen, let’s do a tour of the Vale and see what it’s like, first,” Thayen suggested. “We’ll pay attention to every single gesture. Anything that’s out of place, we check it out.”

  “And if they seem normal?” I asked, wondering if it would come down to me to verify everybody from the Vale. I was already tired, and I didn’t even want to know what toll such an operation would take on my rapidly depleting energy levels.

  “We select a group of humans and bring them into the loop so they can keep an eye on things around here, then head for the armory and grab the weapons. Soph’s right about them,” Thayen replied. “If crap hits the fan here, at least a handful of the humans will know what to expect, and they’ll head straight for the Great Dome to join the central defense circle.”

  That made plenty of sense. We took the main street leading to the town plaza, where a gushing water fountain marked the very center of the Vale. Spending some time in the area, we paid attention to the smallest details, like Thayen had advised. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. If anything, I was beginning to feel as though this was the last place the clones would think of hijacking.

  Recognizable figures emerged from one of the side streets as we walked toward the northern edge of the town. Voss, Chantal, and Richard spotted us, their eyes widening with surprise. My heart skipped a beat, thrilled to see some familiar faces again. Soph was just as excited, but Thayen stopped her before she could raise a hand to wave at them.

  “Careful,” he whispered. “Safety protocols first.”

  “Right. You’re absolutely right,” Soph replied.

  Thayen put on a smile, and we mirrored his expression as we looked to Voss, Chantal, and Richard. I felt terrible playing this part, but it had to be done. We’d learned enough about the clones to know that they were most adept at blitz attacks.

  “We were just on our way to the Great Dome!” Voss said as they reached us. He tried to shake Thayen’s hand, but the vampire stepped back.

  “Safe word,” he demanded.

  “Dude, we picked Richard up along the way,” Voss replied, seemingly in no mood. He was angry. “We lost Soul and Kelara. We got separated in a clone attack. Don’t you want to hear how that went?”

  “Safe word, then we can talk,” Thayen shot back, his claws already extending.

  Voss shook his head slowly. “Fine. Have it your way.” A split second later, his wings burst wide, each feather replaced with stainless steel blades. We were dealing with clones, and the war had just spilled into the Vale.

  “Did you hear him?” Chantal’s copy sneered, mimicking Thayen in a derogatory mumble. “Safe word. Safe word. Like that’ll do you any good.”

  The fires of Eritopia burned through me, insatiably pink and furious, as my skin began to glow. There wasn’t much left in me, but I was willing to put it all into this battle. I took a step forward, which was enough to make the three clones flinch slightly. “Remember what Derek said,” I told Thayen. “We should try to take out as many of them as possible.”

  Richard’s clone bared his fangs at us, growling.

  “We’ll need one alive so I can push my glamoring further,” Thayen said.

  “Fine by me,” Jericho muttered, fireballs bursting in the palms of his hands as he assumed an attack position.

  Around us, the humans of the Vale realized that something bad was about to go down. Some were quick and wise enough to move back and slip through the adjacent alleys in a bid to distance themselves from the impending brawl. Others gathered on the edge of the sidewalk, foolishly curious.

  I waved my hand and released a wide barrier, enough to push them back and send them a message. A few of them stumbled and nearly fell over, but soon they all understood that this was the worst place for them to be.

  And as Richard’s double pounced, I unleashed my Daughter powers. I’d had enough of these clones. I’d had enough of the madness and the mindless violence.

  Tristan

  Adrenaline coursed through my body, making me unable to sit still for more than a second at a time. Unending and I had left Joy unconscious and under a death magic sleeping spell that was bound to wear off at some point. Anunit had pushed us into a conflict with the extremely volatile guardian Reaper, and while we’d yet to understand why she’d chosen to show up in the first place, we knew she was waiting beyond the shield. We had to deliver what we�
��d promised.

  In order to do that, however, we needed Loren or Sissa to take us to the Mixer. It was inside the village somewhere. “I feel so guilty right now,” I muttered as we cautiously headed back to the riverbank. The campfire was roaring, and the soul fae were still gathered in their familial clusters, laughing and eating and drinking. Loren threw his head back at something his daughter had just said, and his face lit up when he saw us.

  “Tristan, Unending!” he exclaimed. “Welcome back!”

  “We’ll be okay,” my wife replied before she gave Loren the broadest smile she could muster. “You seem to be having a good time. Forgive us for stepping away. We just had some private matters to discuss.”

  Loren waved her fabricated concern away. “Worry not, please. Have a seat. Sissa was telling me about her cousins’ attempt to leave the village yesterday. I had no idea they’d even tried it.”

  We sat down beside the king and his daughter. I was already restless—squirming and constantly looking around—until Unending nudged me in the ribs, reminding me of how important it was that we play it cool. It wasn’t in my nature to deceive or to lie, particularly to seemingly good people like Loren and Sissa. But we’d made a promise, and we intended to follow through no matter what.

  “How did that happen?” Unending asked, doing a remarkable job of sounding calm and casual. I was terrified of even opening my mouth.

  “Well, they were curious. We all are, up to a point,” Sissa replied, the shadow of a smile dancing across her face. It was quickly followed by a resigned sadness. “But we grow out of it. My cousins are still young and somewhat foolish. Despite the warnings, they insisted on seeing what’s beyond the shield.”

  “What did Joy have to say about that?” Unending asked. The mention of the Reaper’s name made me shiver. Any minute now, she could be headed back here, and I didn’t want us to stick around much longer. If we had convinced her that Anunit had been foolish and that the mission was still focused on taking the Mixer, we might get away with it. But Joy had simply lost it upon hearing of Spirit’s double demise—whether it was news to her or not, it didn’t really matter. She was falling apart at the seams and looking for people to take it out on. The soul fae would bend her into submission. Unending and I were just punching bags, at this point. My wife had a plan, though, and she was a smooth talker, so I trusted her to lead this conversation in a more favorable direction.