A Shade of Vampire 87: A Shade of Mystery

by Forrest, Bella

  * * *

  “The Spirit Bender is never coming back,” Unending said, reiterating Death’s statement from twenty years ago, and I believed her. “The only reason that shard exists is because Thayen’s heart continued to grow around it.”

  It had taken her less than an hour to get here. Either they’d been somewhere close by, like a GASP federation planet with a portal connected to The Shade, or Unending had spruced up her space-travel talents. She was the fastest among the First Tenners, so it wouldn’t have come as a surprise.

  “We know,” Derek replied, leaning back into his chair. “We’re just trying to make sure nothing has changed. Like, one hundred percent sure. Impossible to ever dispute sure.”

  Unending smiled. “I understand. But I assure you, what is left of the Spirit Bender is merely the essence of Death’s power. It’s her strength that fuels the shard, not Spirit himself.”

  Richard lit up like a Christmas tree. “So Thayen has this ability from Death. Right? If we ignore the middleman.”

  “That would be correct, yes,” Unending said. “I would like to point out that what exists inside that shard is enormous for a living creature’s body to withstand. It’s like a microcosm of power. I suppose it wasn’t activated until the ghoul incident, and he’s lucky he’s got his vampire nature to support such energy. Had this happened during his Trakkian days, Thayen would’ve likely died.”

  Thayen shook his head slowly as he paced around the council table. “Let me see if I got this straight. When Death made the Spirit Bender, she gave him some of her energy, right? Along with a specific power.”

  “Yes. Though that specific power matched him on a personal level, as well. Certain aspects of his character had to be… compatible, let’s say,” Unending replied. “The shard itself is an echo of Spirit, containing just a fraction of that power. For a simple human, it would be too much. They would not survive. The energy would just consume and obliterate them. You were an Aeternae child when Danika implanted the shard in your heart, so you were exposed to it from a very young age. Your body, your soul, they had time to adjust to its mere presence. Besides, like I said, it only activated when you felt like you were about to die at the hands of the ghoul. A fully mature vampire is able to sustain this power now.”

  Tristan gave Thayen a reassuring smile. “See? Nothing to worry about.”

  “I wouldn’t say that just yet, my love,” Unending murmured, then gave me a worried look. “We need more testing to be certain of what the shard can do, and to determine whether the ability he manifested back in Lubbock was permanent or fleeting.”

  Thayen took his seat back at the table, right beside Richard. These two were virtually inseparable, and it made me happy that he’d formed such a strong friendship with an impressive young wolf-incubus. They were fundamentally different in terms of physique and biology, yet they’d found important common ground in their characters. Seeley shrugged, crossing his arms as he glanced at Nethissis. “I’m down for some testing. I think recreating the conditions of the first manifestation is probably our best bet for triggering the reaction a second time.”

  “Thayen was pretty close to fainting at the time.” Richard chuckled. He earned a hard nudge from Thayen’s elbow, while the rest of us tried to keep a straight face.

  Unending got up from her seat and walked over to Thayen. “Seeley’s right. But first, let’s try it under normal circumstances, assuming that your Lubbock scare was just the initial trigger and not a required condition. One thing is clear, though, and I can use any Reaper’s experience as an example. The more you use this ability, the easier it will get, and the learning curve is rather steep.”

  I’d missed Unending. I hadn’t seen her and Tristan for almost a year, not since our last First Ten dinner. The peculiar lovebirds had been traveling all over the Earthly Dimension, beyond Visio’s galaxy. Tristan had expressed interest in studying the Thullians of Malmo, and Unending had been happy to join him. She hadn’t had a chance to see that planet before, either. They made a wonderful couple. Like matching pieces of a puzzle, they completed each other in every possible way, and it reminded me of my relationship with Derek. There was harmony and compromise between them, which would matter greatly in a long-term love like theirs.

  Esme had mentioned that Tristan and Unending had been wondering about the possibility of having children, but that they had no idea how they would even go about such a complex task. After all, Unending belonged to the realm of the Undead, while Tristan was very much alive and the only one capable of creating new life. He obviously couldn’t do it on his own. That would be classified as a miracle.

  “Richard, would you be so kind as to allow Thayen to spirit-bend you?” Unending asked, prompting him to straighten so abruptly that he almost fell out of his chair.

  “Wait, what?”

  “Are we sure that’s a good idea?” I asked, slightly worried for Richard’s wellbeing.

  Derek chuckled. “Well, he’s very closely supervised in here…”

  “Erm… I’m not sure how to even try to do it again,” Thayen admitted. “I mean, I have no idea how I did it the first time.”

  Unending appeared unfazed. “Go back to that moment and focus on how you felt. That ghoul was close to ripping your head off, wasn’t it?”

  “Way to make Mama Bear here feel better,” Seeley grumbled, sinking into his chair as I jokingly glared at him. Danger came with the territory for GASP agents. I was trying to make my peace with it.

  “Yeah, I was scared,” Thayen said, looking at Richard. He shrank down in his seat, pale as a sheet of paper. Thayen raised his hand slowly, trying to focus his energy in his friend’s direction. “My heart was racing. I felt like I had no other option…”

  Silence settled over the Great Dome as we all waited for something to happen. The air felt so thick, I could cut it with a knife. Minutes passed ever so slowly, but nothing happened. Richard seemed to relax once he realized Thayen wouldn’t be able to spirit-bend him.

  “Damn,” Thayen mumbled, looking almost disappointed. “I don’t think I can do it again.”

  “Ha, so it was just a fluke.” Richard laughed, not hiding his relief. “Thank the friggin’ stars, man. I like you more as a vampire. It’s bad enough you’re so hard to kill.”

  Unending appeared amused as she kept her focus on Thayen. “You look disappointed.”

  “I guess… I mean, I wouldn’t mind being able to glamor someone, you know?” he replied, hands slipping into his pockets.

  “Glamor?” Richard asked, raising an eyebrow.

  “Spirit-bending is too negative a term, considering whom it’s named after,” Thayen said, then frowned for a moment. “Or did the Spirit Bender get his name from his ability? Either way, same hot mess. I don’t like it because it’s so closely associated with one of our worst nightmares.”

  “So you’re going to call it glamoring? You couldn’t think of something… I don’t know, cooler?” Richard teased, holding back a chuckle.

  Seeley smiled. “Maybe I’m right, and we do need to recreate the Lubbock conditions, Thayen.”

  “How? It’s not like Rudolph scares me. And you wouldn’t let him hurt me, anyway,” Thayen replied, but Rudolph wasn’t the answer. I realized it as soon as I saw the subtle change in Seeley’s frame.

  Before anyone could stop him, he leapt across the long glass table, tackling Thayen. They landed hard, then wrestled on the floor as Seeley engaged him in physical combat. Instinctively, I shot up from my chair, but Unending motioned for me to stand back.

  “He needs this,” she said.

  “Are you crazy?!” Thayen cried out. He’d managed to get back to his feet, but Seeley rammed a fist into his stomach. Hard. “Ow… You son of a…” Thayen’s voice trailed off as he threw a punch back, missing Seeley by inches.

  The fight unraveled quickly, and I held my breath as I realized that the Reaper was escalating things to a whole new and much more dangerous level. The beating he gave Thayen was a
s real as it could get. Blood dripped from my son’s split lip, and I heard several bones crack from Seeley’s devastating blows. I hated having to see them like this, and I could tell that Derek was equally uncomfortable. Yet if Seeley managed to get Thayen back into that Lubbock mindset, maybe he could trigger the power again.

  But Thayen wasn’t ready to go down easily. He was one of the best fighters in his generation, and he wasn’t afraid to get rough with Seeley. Unfortunately, he apparently forgot that Seeley had chosen to use his physical form. The Reaper had a subtle form, too, and he suddenly vanished.

  A split second later, he had thrown Thayen against the wall with enough strength to cause cracks across that side of the dome. Seeley twisted the younger man’s arm behind his back and yanked upward as Thayen cried out in agony, unable to move or stop the imminent fracture. My heart ached to see him suffer, and I gripped Derek’s arm to stop myself from stepping in.

  Unending, Nethissis, Richard, and Rudolph watched with a mixture of concern and fascination as Seeley pushed Thayen even further. Thayen’s shoulder popped out of its socket, and he snarled, baring his fangs from the sharp pain. Seeley kept twisting. It was about to get much worse.

  “Stop!” Thayen hissed, and the Reaper suddenly froze. He’d reached his limit, I thought, until I realized what was happening.

  “Oh…” I noticed the strange glimmer in my son’s eyes. He was looking at Seeley over his dislocated shoulder. His ability had kicked in.

  “Step back!” Thayen shouted, and his voice echoed across the Great Dome, sending shivers down my spine. I was unable to look away as Seeley moved back with visible stiffness in his joints. He looked terrified. Thayen turned around, holding his shoulder. “Now stop.”

  Seeley stopped, staring at my son. “You’re doing it.”

  “It’s not out of fear,” Richard noted. “It’s anger. You pissed Thayen off.”

  “Hop on one foot,” Thayen ordered, still unconvinced. He grinned when Seeley obeyed and started hopping. “Punch yourself.”

  “No, don’t be a—” Seeley punched himself before he could finish his sentence. “Damn it!”

  Richard laughed at the sight.

  “That’s for snapping my shoulder,” Thayen said, breathing heavily. He glanced my way and exhaled deeply. “It’s working… I’m doing it, Mom.”

  “Now this is cool!” Richard said, still chuckling. “Seeley, drop and give me fifty!”

  “Screw you,” Seeley shot back, still hopping. “Thayen, you mind releasing me, dude?”

  “Sorry…” Thayen replied, closing his eyes for a moment. I could almost see the invisible strings being cut as Seeley was given back his spiritual freedom. That was the power of spirit-bending, or—as Thayen preferred to call it—glamoring. It manipulated the very soul inside a person, on a deeper level than any of the Maras’ natural ability. It took over the body and the brain’s command control and could only be stopped by the glamorer’s will. Unending had been right, it seemed. The more Thayen used his power, the better he’d get.

  “Are you okay?” Nethissis asked Seeley, who replied with a firm nod.

  “It only works if I give the command,” Thayen reminded Richard, who was obviously impressed by what he’d just witnessed. He wasn’t the only one, either.

  I’d lost my words entirely, and Derek’s jaw was inches from the floor. Tristan’s eyes were big and round, a grin stretching across his face. “That was unbelievable…”

  “It’s real,” Thayen whispered. “It’s really happening.”

  Yes, it was real, and yes, it was happening. I wasn’t sure how I felt about it, though. It was a dangerous power to have, even for a creature as wonderful as my son. What were the limits? What were the conditions in which it would work? Would it always be a last resort for Thayen, or would it ever get to a point where he couldn’t control it anymore?

  A lot of questions remained unanswered at this point, but Unending didn’t look worried. “I think you need consistent training,” she said. “Some actual Reaper training, because Reapers are the only ones who understand how Death’s energy might affect you. It’s something that any Reaper can teach you, considering the small amount of power you have in you. To be fair, I think you’ll be able to do a lot on your own, too, but fine-tuning this ability will require Reaper guidance.”

  “Granted, we don’t really have any experience with Death’s energy in living creatures, but yeah, we’re the closest thing to useful teachers, I guess,” Seeley replied. “You’re getting a good grip on it, though. You’ve already moved past the fright stage, since you were able to glamor me with just your anger. Soon enough, it’ll come with the snap of your fingers. It’s a natural progression.”

  Thayen seemed wary but willing. “Okay. Yeah. I guess we need to understand how it works, what its limits are…”

  I couldn’t take my eyes off him. What a wonderful man he had become. How much he had changed over the past twenty years. Thayen had come to us with a noble character, modeled mostly after his father, Acheron. But I knew there was a piece of Danika in him, as well—I mostly saw it in his drive, in his determination to do something. One thing I had to give that wretched mother of his credit for, was that she stopped at nothing to get stuff done. Her relentless drive had been scary, yet in Thayen it looked amazing because he used his talents for good.

  In the end, it would be up to him. He’d be the one to decide whether to use this newfound ability or not. I trusted his instincts, and I trusted that he would do the right thing. Derek and I had spent years trying to make that reality crystal clear to Thayen—no matter what, his actions had to have a positive impact. His decisions would impact people’s lives, and our son knew it.

  He looked at me. “I still think we should keep this under wraps. At least until I have a better handle on it.”

  “I’m glad to hear you say that,” I replied. “Take all the time you need. Whenever you feel ready, we’ll share the news with everybody else.”

  Even twenty years later, the mere mention of the Spirit Bender’s name was enough to make anyone tremble. We didn’t want to scare anyone or make them feel nervous, even for a moment. Unending agreed. “We will keep your secret, then,” she said. “But should you ever feel like it’s too much, like you need someone to help you or guide you in any way, do not hesitate to ask, Thayen. Carrying this kind of power can get scary sometimes.”

  “We won’t be around for the next couple of weeks,” Tristan added, “but you know you can reach me via the comms system.”

  “Worst-case scenario, Seeley or I will contact Unending if Thayen can’t get hold of you,” Nethissis replied. It felt like we had a more concrete plan now.

  Thayen had the ability to bend spirits, perhaps even in living bodies—that remained to be tested later, just to be sure. He was worried but also excited—that much I could tell from his expression and from the way he carried himself. He had our full support in whatever he decided to do with this power, too. It was the best that Derek and I could do, as his parents. I only hoped the others would view this with an open mind once they learned the truth.

  Tristan

  After dinner, I took Unending on a tour of the cells beneath the Port. It was one of the few places she hadn’t seen in the few times we’d returned to The Shade, and I felt it was important for her to explore this place, since it was a part of our vampiric history. As our distant maker, Unending agreed that she needed to see where humans had once been kept before being shipped off to the Black Heights.

  We walked together, hand in hand, making our way through the maze of stone and iron cells. In some respects, it reminded me of the lower levels of the imperial palace on Visio. It was dark and humid, and water trickled down the ancient, mossy walls.

  “Are you worried about Thayen?” I asked her, and she instantly shook her head and smiled.

  “Not at all. The ability he has is barely a fraction of Spirit’s,” she said. “I could tell from how hard it was for him to summon it in th
e beginning. For now, it’s mostly dependent on his emotions, and I don’t think that’s a bad thing. The shard responds to his perception of pain and danger at first, but it will quickly react faster, to his mind and desires, instead.”

  “I don’t think the others will look at him funny, either, once they find out about it,” I replied, determined to see the best in the people of The Shade. “It’s just an ability, after all, and not that different from the Maras’ mind-bending, if you think about it.”

  “It’s more than that, though,” Unending said. “And we don’t yet know how much power was preserved inside that shard. But I agree with your opinion regarding The Shade. Spirit left a bad taste in everybody’s mouths, but Thayen is a wonderful young man.” She warmed up whenever she talked about him. “He’s grown up so well…”

  “Sofia and Derek did a marvelous job with him.”

  She shook her head slowly. “They worked with what was already there. Even when he was eight, Thayen had a mind of his own. He was able to discern between right and wrong. He was even better at it than Acheron, if you think about it.”

  We walked down a long, narrow corridor. The cell doors were open here, and we could see inside. In some places, the humans who’d once occupied these rooms had left messages, scrawling their names across the walls using jagged rocks or even their fingernails. I could only imagine the torment they must’ve endured in those dark days of The Shade.

  “This place feels… sad,” Unending said. “There’s a heavy energy here.” She stilled in the doorway of one of the cells. “Hold on.”

  I waited beside her, watching quietly as she analyzed the cell. “What is it?” I asked.

  “There’s someone here,” she replied, looking at me. Switching her focus back to the stone wall ahead, she frowned slightly. “Come out. There is no need to be afraid.”