A Shade of Vampire 79: A Game of Death

by Forrest, Bella

  Acheron let a deep sigh out before he spoke. “I spoke to Valaine earlier this morning about the Black Fever’s return and the possibility of your support,” he said. “I was hoping I could ask for it, on behalf of Visio. We’re not prepared for another outbreak. It’s too early. We have quarantine measures to put in place, but… it’s not enough, and our population has yet to replenish after the last round. I’m afraid we’ll be decimated if the Black Fever spreads now. Our empire risks a total collapse.”

  As cruel as it might’ve made me sound, I didn’t find the prospect to be without a silver lining. The fall of the Aeternae empire would’ve meant the freedom of the Rimians and the Naloreans. Maybe it was time for a change. I didn’t like how the Aeternae exploited these other species, even though they marketed themselves as reasonable, yet strict. I had a hard time accepting that the Rimians and the Naloreans were perfectly okay with this. I knew, however, that if they were shown another way, they would all gladly welcome a future without the Aeternae’s supremacy.

  I said nothing, because this wasn’t my world. But they couldn’t stop me from having my own opinions about this.

  “We were expecting the request,” Derek said. “After all, we’ve talked about this before. It’s a shame that the Black Fever is coming back so quickly, but my colleagues and I have already discussed our involvement. If you need help, we’ll gladly assist.”

  “That being said, we cannot guarantee success,” Amal added, moving away from her microscope. “I’ll need to study those who’ve already been infected, first and foremost. I’ll need blood and tissue samples. I may have to request additional materials from my home planet, as well.”

  Acheron smiled, his shoulders dropping with a sense of relief. “Whatever you need,” he said. “You shall have it.”

  “I may need my sister here with me,” Amal replied, searching his face for a reaction. “We’re two halves of a whole, as I told you during our last dinner. I can move faster with her by my side.”

  Acheron and Petra looked at each other. The high priestess didn’t seem happy at all. “The Lady Supreme won’t like this,” she said.

  “Does the Lady Supreme want the Black Fever cured before or after it wipes out a few million Aeternae?” I asked, my tone clipped and my blood boiling. Their imposed limits annoyed the hell out of me, especially in these circumstances. I would’ve loved nothing more than to bring a whole army to Visio just to speed things up in Nethissis’s investigation, but I’d accepted, albeit begrudgingly, that it wasn’t an option. But they could at least let us bring Amane over, given that the twins could work faster and better to find a cure to save the Aeternae’s asses.

  Petra narrowed her eyes at me, as if she wanted to say something, but it was Acheron who spoke. “Danika and I feel the same way. The fewer outsiders, the better. However, given this unexpected issue with the Black Fever, I’m sure she’ll support me in my concession. You may bring your sister over,” he said to Amal. “But only your sister. No one else.”

  “It’ll be hard for Ridan to stay back,” Derek muttered. When Acheron and Petra gave him questioning looks, he exhaled sharply. “Her soulmate. They go everywhere together.”

  “Didn’t you say a few nights ago that absence makes the heart grow fonder?” Petra replied, smiling coldly. “Perhaps it’s time to test that expression.”

  “Only the sister,” Acheron insisted. “Danika will give me an earful anyway. I’d rather it be for just one person and not an entire fleet of outsiders.”

  “It’s not a fleet; it’s just Ridan,” Derek insisted.

  “No,” Acheron said, his eyes burning angry and green.

  “Why are you scared of us?” I asked, finding it difficult to stay quiet on this topic.

  Acheron looked at me, close to bursting into heavy laughter. “You think we’re afraid? Please. Do not insult us.”

  “The Aeternae have not given us a reason to doubt them,” Derek interjected, giving me a faint nod, quietly asking me to stand down. “They’ve been kind and hospitable, and despite what happened with Nethissis and last night’s Darkling incident, they’ve given us their full support and whatever resources we might need. We will make an effort and respect their request. Only Amane will come to Visio.”

  “Thank you,” Amal mumbled, watching Acheron and Petra with renewed interest. “I would like to get a head start and take some samples from your patients, if possible.”

  “Of course,” Petra replied. “I can escort you to the infirmary right now.”

  Amal looked at Derek and me, then got up, grabbed several swabs, vials, and sterile gloves, and joined Petra. They both walked out, leaving Acheron behind. Awkward silence settled over the room as the Lord Supreme stared at me.

  “You’re very brave, Sofia. Perhaps even a little reckless,” he said.

  “I did not mean to cause offense,” I replied, and he smiled.

  “I know you didn’t. We’ve already discussed the rules here. I promised your people would not be harmed, a promise which wasn’t meant as a condition for you to keep your troops away. That specific request stands on its own. I’m hoping you can still respect the boundaries, despite what happened, especially since we had absolutely nothing to do with Nethissis’s death. But let me be perfectly clear,” Acheron declared. “We’re not afraid. We have nothing to be afraid of.”

  He didn’t know us very well, then. I hoped, for his sake, that he’d never have to, either. GASP had grown over the years. We had enough power and supernaturals to take down an entire galaxy, if necessary. I didn’t want this journey to end in such a way.

  “We lost someone very dear to us,” Derek said. “I’m sure you understand why our patience might sometimes run thin.”

  “And you have my sympathy and full support in investigating the girl’s death, no matter where it leads,” Acheron replied. “Thank you for your assistance on the Black Fever issue, as well. Whatever you need, please, do not hesitate to ask, Derek. Sofia.”

  He bowed politely and left, closing the door behind him. I heard the guards move, this time, their boots on the marble, their armor jingling rhythmically as they walked away with their Lord Supreme. Something was still foul with this picture, but without any evidence, I had no one to blame. Just lots of questions.

  “Sofia, you should know… I think I’ve changed my mind, given recent events,” Derek said after a while. “I may have told Acheron and GASP that we would not bring the troops in to interfere with Vision in any way. But that can change. GASP could come in at full force if we have no other choice in our defense. And you know that, should anything happen to me, or you, or anyone else left in our team… should they attack or hurt us in any way, I will bring GASP down on Visio. All the fire and the fury and the magic necessary, if push comes to shove. I didn’t want things to get to this, but…”

  “Nethissis is dead,” I said, standing next to her body. Acheron and Petra hadn’t even looked at the poor girl the whole time they’d been in this room.

  “Yes… But for now, we have no culprit. Once we know who is responsible, we’ll discuss an appropriate course of action. I mentioned GASP in case they think of hurting the whole team. That being said, I don’t want anyone else dying here. My quest for the day-walking protein does not have to include you and the rest of the crew, my love. I’ve been thinking about this, too…”

  “I know you have. It’s written all over your face.” I sighed as I made my way back to him, wrapping my arms around his neck. “But what would you want us to do?”

  “Maybe it’s better if you take Esme and Tristan and Amal away from here. I’ve got enough material and knowledge to work on the protein by myself. At best, the Faulty twins can guide me from afar. We’ve got cameras and comms links.”

  “What? And leave you alone here?” I gasped.

  Derek nodded slowly. “The protein isn’t worth losing any more lives. But you understand how important it is to me… I want to bring this full circle. After all my struggles, after what happ
ened with Ta’Zan… I need to do this, Sofia, not for myself, but for every other vampire.”

  “We’ve lived most of our lives in the night,” I said. “We learned to appreciate what we have. I agree with you, Derek, that none of this is worth dying for. But that doesn’t mean I’m okay with skipping out and leaving you here on Visio to finish this alone.”

  I knew how he felt. We’d both found ourselves in the pits of darkness, fighting against our own vampiric conditions. The Shade had been a home and a sanctuary for so long, that most members of our species had grown accustomed to the eternal night. I also knew that others were longing for the sunlight again, especially since Derek’s daywalking ability had come to light. I absolutely understood why Derek wanted to do this.

  “I’m sorry. I’m on edge,” I added, peering into his blue eyes.

  “We all are. Which is why I think you and the others should get back to The Shade. Whatever this was with Nethissis, I don’t want it happening to anyone else.”

  “But we can’t let them outsmart us on this,” I said. “And we certainly can’t leave—not until we find out what happened to Nethissis, anyway. I get what you’re saying, my love, but I don’t see myself leaving you here to your own devices, and I have a feeling the others will feel the same way.”

  Derek thought about it for a moment, glancing to the side. There was grief in his eyes. I’d seen it before. There was guilt. But there was also determination. “Let’s get through with this investigation into Nethissis’s death first. Once we know exactly what happened, we can all sit down and have a serious talk.”

  I took a deep breath. “Okay. But Tristan and Esme should handle Nethissis’s murder. You know they’ll stop at nothing until they get the truth, and they’ll raise less suspicions from the Aeternae than us sneaking around. You and I will pretend to focus on the protein and the Black Fever… These people are keeping things from us, and I don’t like it.”

  Derek nodded slowly. “We all have to be careful. These are not Exiled Maras. Nor Perfects. They’re a different species altogether, with a different culture, and probably plenty of dirty aces up their sleeves. Let’s see where this takes us.”

  “Multitasking, huh?” I chuckled, though I couldn’t hide the bitterness in my voice.

  He smiled, and I felt a little better, if only for just a moment.

  “The Aeternae don’t know this,” he went on, “but I’ve already got GASP on standby and ready to go in case anything gets out of control here.” He paused, tucking a lock of hair behind my ear. “We’ll figure this out. One day at a time.”

  “Right…”

  I kissed his cheek, my lips soft on his skin. I prayed to all the forces of the universe for us to return home together, with no more loss of life, and with the answer to the daywalking puzzle. It was bad enough that we had to bury Nethissis. I didn’t want us to lose anyone else.

  Esme

  We reached the Blood Arena just minutes before it was Trev’s turn to fight. My nerves were tight. If he didn’t survive this final, we’d lose a potential lead—a chance to get answers about the Darklings, the Rimian faction, and Nethissis’s death. Kalon had not left my side since this morning, and he’d constantly uplifted me along the way.

  He wasn’t a man of many words, but everything he said had deeper meaning, making me think twice before I even considered putting him in the same pot as everyone else. If there was one thing Kalon had made perfectly clear to me, it was that he was fundamentally different from most Aeternae—even his mother.

  Despite his apparent arrogance, Kalon was a fascinating and surprising creature to be around. Every day that went by somehow brought me closer to him. I had even contemplated lowering some of my defenses, wondering if it might coax Kalon into showing me other hidden sides of him. He seemed to enjoy the whole tit-for-tat dynamic where I was concerned, more than anything.

  We found a couple of seats closer to the fighters’ boxes at the base of the arena. Thousands of people had come to the event, as it was quite rare for a non-Aeternae to make it this far into a tournament predominantly fought by Aeternae. Trev had already made his mark on society. I’d heard people mentioning him outside, as well, and in the streets. They were all wondering whether he had the chops to survive and win or not.

  Of course, this also drove ridiculous amounts of gold into bets, as the odds against Trev were high—almost dismal. One of the bookies made his way toward us, collecting gold and silver coins and giving back uniquely numbered flyers in return to each of those who’d made a bet.

  “Fifty to one on Trev Blayne!” he shouted. “Who else wants in?”

  The bookies were dressed in mustard-yellow linen tunics with dark red belts, making them easy to spot anywhere in the arena. From what I could tell, most people were betting against Trev—even Rimians and Naloreans. The younger ones were brave enough to put their money on him, nonetheless.

  Kalon took out a single gold coin as the bookie approached us. “What’s the pot, so far?”

  “Fifty thousand gold pieces, milord,” the skinny, dark-haired Aeternae teenager replied. “Odds are still fifty to one. Would you like to bet?”

  “Put this in for Trev Blayne,” Kalon said, dropping the coin in the basket. The bookie gave him a marker and bowed politely.

  “May fortune smile upon you, Lord Visentis.”

  The bookie moved along, collecting more bets on his way down to the fighters’ pits. I could see the main contenders from here—the illustrious Trev Blayne, who’d beaten many odds, and the mountain-sized Aeternae, whose shadow stretched all the way into the arena.

  “Who’s that?” I asked Kalon.

  “Fenyx Oak,” he replied. “Not a noble Aeternae, but part of the silver guard. I know he’s being groomed to join the gold guards, provided he survives today, that is.”

  His half-smile was impossible to ignore, almost infecting me, as well. “You don’t think he’ll hack it?”

  “He’s never fought Trev,” Kalon said. “Rimian or not, that boy can pack some death in his hits. As you’ve already noticed, I put my faith in him, along with a gold coin.”

  “How big will the pot get?” I wondered aloud.

  He nodded around the arena, showing me the dozen bookies still collecting coins from the public. “Most of these people are betting on Fenyx. If he wins, they’ll get a few pieces of gold and silver, at best. Those who put their coins, no matter how small, on the Rimian underdog… well, they stand to make a small fortune. With so many bookies taking bets, the pot will probably hit a hundred thousand gold coins before the fight starts.”

  “I take it that’s a lot.”

  “It’ll buy you a nice villa in the city center.” Kalon chuckled.

  We were soon left without words as the arena began its preparations for the tournament finale. Stewards and pit staff cleared the sanded area, using long-handled pitchforks with short teeth to comb the dirt and make the surface as smooth as possible.

  The referees were seated on their platform, behind the announcer, clad in expensive silks and boasting some of the biggest jewels I had ever seen. Unlike previous tournaments, the Lord and Lady Supreme were not in attendance, and neither were their closest officials—I couldn’t see Zoltan or Petra or Corbin anywhere. The recent events had definitely diminished their appetites for public spectacles of bloody violence. It made me wonder, too… where were they? What were they doing?

  “There’s a lot on your mind,” Kalon said, noticing my silence and, most importantly, my frown. The sun mask kept my nose and mouth hidden, but he could tell a lot from my eyes alone. I looked at him, feeling my nerves soften just a bit.

  “Can you blame me?” I asked.

  He shook his head. “Not at all. But what has already happened cannot be changed. The best you can do is keep moving forward. Seek retribution. Focus on justice.”

  “Even if said justice takes me to people who are close to you?” I replied.

  Kalon seemed to think about it for a moment. “This
isn’t about me, Esme. If anyone dear to me has anything to do with what happened to Nethissis, rest assured, I will assist you in exacting your revenge. I did not sanction any of this, and therefore it’s my duty to act as an extended hand of justice.”

  “Your speech is impressive. But I do wonder…”

  “You wonder what?” he asked, leaning closer ever so slightly, and so slowly that I barely noticed until I felt his breath gently brush against the slim and delicate fabric of my sun mask.

  “Do you mean it?” I asked. “I wouldn’t fault you if my investigation stirred some negative feelings.”

  My voice faded slowly as Kalon looked deep into my eyes. There wasn’t much sun breaching the reddish haze, and he’d pulled a large umbrella above us for some shade, but a ray of light still found its way across his face. I marveled at how it danced on his pale skin, making it shimmer discreetly.

  “Wherever the truth takes us, I’ll take it,” he replied after a long silence. I could feel him digging into my very soul, yet I couldn’t tear my gaze from him. My heart pounded, nervous and restless, but I welcomed the sensation. He made me feel alive in ways I hadn’t thought were even possible.

  “Ladies and gentlemen!” The announcer’s voice shot through the Blood Arena, finally breaking our moment. “Welcome to the grand finale of the forty-seventh mixed tournament!”

  We turned to face the impending show as Fenyx Oak and Trev Blayne came out of the fighters’ pits and walked to the center of the arena. The crowd roared and clapped as they stood in the middle, facing one another. I heard several Rimians calling out Trev’s name, and I wondered whether they’d dared to bet on him. The odds were against him, but that could also mean a spectacular prize if he defeated Fenyx.

  The contrast between fighters was stark. Trev was tall for his species, well-built but still wiry and agile, clad in dark blue armor with slim chainmail underneath and black leather straps keeping the metallic plates affixed to his calves, thighs, torso, and arms. His helmet was adorned with strange, long feathers that reached down to his waist, in shades of iridescent blue and gold. His weapon of choice was a single short sword—it looked sharp but also light, perfect for close combat, as it would allow him to easily move around his opponent.