Astra
(Daughter of Phoenix and Viola)
Our jaws were on the forest floor.
We were all struggling to process what’d we’d just seen, and the now indisputable truth of Thayen’s earlier theories about a connection between the shimmering gash and Isabelle’s behavior. I’d had my doubts initially, but these strange elements were definitely connected.
We’d just seen an incredibly accurate copy of Richard go right through that luminescent slit—the same copy who’d tried to kill me just hours earlier. Isabelle had been running toward this same point, but thankfully we’d managed to capture and restrain her before she escaped. We’d all seen it, though. We’d all witnessed the same strange phenomenon.
Serena was shaking. She sat on the ground and wiped tears from her eyes while Draven took his turn holding Isabelle’s head in his lap. She hadn’t regained consciousness yet. At least she looked peaceful and harmless in her sleep. It pained me to see them like this, but I was glad we’d finally made some real progress. Some of the pieces were falling into place, and an earlier suspicion was beginning to sound more and more probable than I’d thought.
Kailani had summoned Lumi and Corrine immediately, and the witches had appeared out of the blue. They weren’t alone. Shayla and Arwen had joined them, along with three of Lumi’s Word disciples—Esmara, a succubus swamp witch; Matilda, a human swamp witch from the Vale; and Tamzin, a fire fae swamp witch from Purgaris, Eritopia’s hottest planet. They needed all hands on deck here, since I’d sensed something they hadn’t around the second shimmering gash’s location—and I could also feel it here, at even greater intensity since it was more recent.
Sofia and Derek were already calling off the search missions. Richard’s doppelganger had disappeared into what we’d temporarily agreed to call a portal, so there was no point in wasting physical resources on a manhunt that would lead nowhere. Instead, they asked Ibrahim to organize witches and warlocks from the Sanctuary into scanning groups that would comb the redwood forest to look for more portals. This was clearly a recurring pattern, and we needed to get ahead of the game if we wanted to get to the truth before anyone else tried to kill me.
Mom stayed by my side as I circled the third portal’s exact location. Lumi and the other witches were sifting through the grass and pebbles and leaves around it, focusing on the area within a ten-yard radius. Their hands glowed as they used searching spells to pick up anything strange. I had a feeling in the pit of my stomach that they weren’t going to find anything, but I didn’t want them to stop their quest for answers. We all needed something to do at this point.
“What are you sensing?” Mom asked.
Dad was sitting next to Serena, one arm firmly holding her close as she tried to regain her composure. I doubted she would recover quickly after what she’d just been through with her own daughter. It was too much.
“The same as before, but it’s so difficult to describe,” I said, genuinely irritated that I was the only one who could sense it. I’d hoped my mother, a full Daughter, might be able to shed more light. Instead, I was on my own, though she was trying her best to help me navigate this weird situation.
Thayen came back from the bushes with Richard, Jovi, and Hunter. “There are no other traces anywhere,” the vampire said. “We followed the doppelganger’s tracks back to the hospital, but that was it. It looks like he was here for a while before he made a run for the portal.”
“Do you think maybe he was waiting for Isabelle?” Kailani asked.
“It’s possible. But then we’d have to ask why,” Thayen replied.
“We need more help,” Derek concluded, clearly disappointed by how little information we’d gathered on our own—and not for lack of trying. “This is way above our paygrade. I think we need to ask the First Tenners for assistance. Not just Soul and Kelara, but the whole crew.”
Kailani nodded, reaching into her pocket for an amulet Nethissis had given her some years back. It was a perfectly round onyx stone wrapped in swirling threads of silver, each microscopically etched with death magic. Kailani could use it as a signal for the Reapers. All she had to do was whisper the name of the Reaper she wished to call out to, followed by the spell words, and her message would reach them across any and all dimensions in no time.
She reached out to Soul, Kelara, Widow, Phantom, Night, Morning, Dream, Nightmare, and Time. They all answered the call and appeared in the redwood forest around us in a matter of minutes, impressing me with their devotion to us. Dad had been right when he’d said that the Visio war with the Darklings had changed everything about our rapport with the Reapers and their world. Unending didn’t respond, but Kailani was content with the First Tenners she’d managed to bring over. Nine were better than two.
“I could try talking to Tristan,” Sofia suggested, but Soul interjected.
“Don’t bother. If Unending doesn’t want to be found, neither does Tristan,” he said. “Don’t hold it against them. I’ve got a feeling they’re dealing with some things of their own right now. Besides, you’ve got us. Push comes to shove, I’ll send Unending a message and make sure she understands the urgency, but let’s see what we’ve got here first.”
Derek and Sofia took a moment to explain everything that had happened since Soul and Kelara had last seen us. This included the hospital incident with Richard’s doppelganger and the chase through the woods that had ended here, in this exact spot. Gazing around, I found myself fascinated by how neutral the forest seemed. It had witnessed worse in its earlier days. If only the trees themselves could talk, what stories would they tell us? Maybe they’d seen more portals. More doppelgangers.
“Oh, no,” I murmured, turning back to face the Reapers and my mom. The thought of more killer copies out here made my skin crawl, especially since I knew they’d all be coming for my head. I was definitely the target, and I had never dealt with such murderous hostility before. I’d been trained to face it and cope with it, but the shift from practice to reality was rough. Plus, I hadn’t expected it to happen in my own backyard.
Once Derek and Sofia finished providing the First Tenners with the full account of recent events, the looks on the Reapers’ faces both worried and amused me at the same time. They were baffled, but they were also viewing Isabelle in a new light—Soul and Kelara in particular, since they’d dealt with her just yesterday.
Richard was still angry. “The worst part is that an imposter posing as me tried to kill Astra.” He sighed deeply, nodding in my direction, which was where the third shimmering gash had been. “And if that’s not bad enough, he vanished in there…”
“And you’d like nothing more than to whip his ass,” Widow chuckled.
“She’s a curious one, then,” Soul muttered as he got closer to Isabelle. Draven cradled the girl in his arms, but she was waking up. Seconds later and right as Soul reached to touch her face, she opened her eyes and screamed as if she’d just come out of the worst possible nightmare. It startled Serena, who immediately rushed to check on her.
Soul motioned for Serena to stay back. “Don’t. I need her alone right now,” he said, then gave Draven a stern look. “Let go of her, please.”
But the Druid was hesitant. Dad was the one to step in and help him. “Draven, come on. It’s for her own good,” he murmured. “We need the Reapers to help us.”
“What will happen to Isabelle?” Serena asked as she stopped a few feet back, soon joined by her husband and my dad, who moved them farther away from my cousin and gave Soul the room he needed.
“She’s going to be okay,” Soul replied. “I just don’t want her touching anybody. There are a few more tests I’ve been thinking about since yesterday, and I’d like to try them. Isabelle having physical contact with anyone else while I do that would taint the results. That’s all.”
Knowing the Soul Crusher and how devious he could be, I had a feeling he was lying—not to be unkind or cruel, but rather because he wanted Serena and Draven to stay calm. He couldn’t have them interferi
ng with whatever he was about to do next. I had no idea what his plan might be, but I was aware of his nature and my instincts flared like crazy whenever I looked at him. My gut had yet to be wrong.
“And you’re sensing things the other witches and Daughters cannot,” the Time Master said as he approached me. I nodded slowly. “Okay. That’s curious, but not impossible. Hybrids sometimes awaken genes that are dormant in their parents. I’ve seen it in many realms over the years.”
“Will it tell us something of use?” I asked, reaching the edge of my patience. I’d been at the center of this whole thing since yesterday, and I really wanted answers.
“It tells us you’re sensitive to things that not even your witches or your mother were able to pick up on,” Time said. “I assume no one connected this portal phenomenon to Isabelle from the very beginning, otherwise I’m sure Kelara or Soul would have investigated the issue from a different angle sooner.”
“We had no reason to consider a connection,” Corrine replied. “Hell, until a few minutes ago, we didn’t even know the slits were portals.”
Thayen sighed. “Richard and I were the only ones who’d seen them, so it was hard for anybody to draw conclusions based solely upon our accounts.”
“Well, that’s fine,” Morning chimed in with a bright smile. I found her optimism to be annoyingly infectious, because I wanted to get mad. I was more efficient when I was angry. “We’re here now, and we’re going to get to the truth.”
“Don’t promise anything you can’t make happen,” the Night Bringer warned her. “We don’t know what’s going on here yet.”
Taking a deep breath, I decided to bring up my previously undisclosed suspicion. “There is something else I haven’t told you,” I said, drawing everyone’s attention. “About Isabelle. Earlier, when she attacked me in the hospital room… it didn’t feel like her. It didn’t feel like the real Isabelle.”
Corrine cursed under her breath, hands settled on her hips. “Damn it. But we tested her. DNA and all. It’s Isabelle. It’s a hundred percent Isabelle.”
“We performed magical tests, too,” Lumi agreed. “Both white magic and Word magic. Nothing came out. Nothing suspicious or untrue. By all possible parameters, this is Isabelle Hellswan.”
“Kelara and I worked on her as well, but we clearly missed something that Astra was able to pick up,” Soul said. “Let’s not dwell on what we’ve already done. We should focus on what we can do now that so many top-level Reapers have just answered your call for help.”
Derek stepped forward. “And we thank you so much for being here. I’m sure you all had better things to do or other places to be, at least.”
“Oh, I want to be here, Derek. Trust me,” the Widow Maker replied. “Whatever is going on here, consider all of us intrigued.”
Soul’s expression suddenly changed as he looked at me. “Hold on. Astra, you said you had a feeling that Isabelle isn’t really Isabelle. When did that happen, exactly?”
I looked at my cousin, who was once again calm and dying to kill me, judging by the cold smirk on her face as she sat on the ground, hands cuffed in her lap. “We were fighting,” I said. “And I think I was trying to get into her head, or she was trying to get into mine. Everything happened so fast, I forgot she had regained her sentry abilities in that moment. I figured I’d been the one looking in, and not the other way around…”
“Would you say you had contact with her spirit, perhaps? I know Daughters to be receptive to this kind of thing,” Soul replied.
“Wait, what?” Mom blurted, clearly out of the loop.
“Oh, you don’t know,” Nightmare said. “We tried to keep it in our circle from the moment we first met you and your sisters, Viola. You’re creations of the Hermessi. Creatures of a higher plane. You can tap into realms beyond your existence. The connection is there. You just need to find it.”
“And I think Astra here has found it by accident,” Soul replied. “Personally, I am baffled, since I or my brethren should have been able to sense this first, but the wonder girl here is more receptive to the stuff than the rest of her kind—she’s probably more receptive than me and the rest of mine, too. Under normal circumstances, I’d be embarrassed.”
“Hold on. I’m confused. Are you saying Daughters can tap into a person’s soul?” Thayen asked. “Like me? Manipulate their whole being?”
“No, no, that’s your own proprietary blend,” Soul chuckled. “But they can touch it. The Daughters can literally put their hands through someone’s body and feel the soul.”
Viola scoffed, shaking her head in disbelief. “How could you possibly know this?”
“Because you’re not made of the usual living particles that make up Derek and Sofia and every other living creature in the universe. You’re made of pure elemental energy,” Soul said. “We can all do that. I didn’t with Isabelle because it’s an extremely painful procedure. It could leave her scarred for life. Hell, it’s virtually forbidden unless there’s a reasonable suspicion involved. But in this case, I think it’s time I give it a try, since everything else has failed. Here, let me show you…”
He kneeled in front of Isabelle, and she stiffened at his proximity, back straight and brow furrowed. He gave me a quick glance before setting his sights on her.
“Astra, how did it feel in that precise second when you thought it wasn’t really Isabelle?” he asked, and I tried to remember that flicker in time. Looking back now, it all seemed different. Much slower than when it had actually happened. Details I hadn’t noticed then came to the surface, and the full picture was infinitely more complex than what I’d lived through.
“It felt empty,” I said. “She felt empty.”
“Crap. I should’ve tried this sooner.” Soul pursed his lips. “I need somebody to hold Isabelle down. Don’t let go, no matter what happens.”
“What are you doing?” Serena asked, clearly worried and alarmed.
“You’ll know once it’s done,” Soul said, his tone firm. “A little help here!”
Thayen and Richard moved to assist him, but Serena waved them out of the way, swiftly joined by Draven. “No. If anybody is going to hold Isabelle down, it’s us. We’re her parents. She’s our responsibility. So I need to be close, and I need to see and hear everything that happens from here on out. I need to know the truth about what’s happening to her.”
Silence settled over the clearing for a few seconds. No one had any objections. Derek and Sofia stood to the side, close to Jovi, Hunter, Kailani, and the others. To my right, Mom and Dad stuck together, along with Thayen and Richard. The Reapers were scattered among us, solemn figures that brought back bittersweet memories in the minds of those who’d fought beside them on Visio. That much I was able to pick up as a half-sentry.
“Fair enough,” Soul replied. “But I really need you to not let go or interfere, okay? No matter what. No exceptions. No protesting. Nothing. Am I clear?”
Serena and Draven both nodded, then joined him on the ground, getting down on their knees to help pin Isabelle down. Serena handled her torso, forcibly pushing her into a horizontal position. Draven caught her legs as she began to struggle.
“No!” Isabelle shouted. “No! Let go, you creeps!”
“Don’t let her get to you,” Soul warned them, noticing Serena’s brief hesitation.
Whatever was about to happen, it was already making my heart skip entire pages of beats. My breath had been cut short, and my skin felt too tight for the entirety of my body. It was difficult to explain the dark shade of anticipation in these circumstances, but deep down I had a clue. Based on what Soul had just revealed about Daughters being capable of touching spirits, I knew where we were going with this.
And it worried me, because no one had ever prepared me for this kind of crisis.
The more Isabelle struggled, the harder Serena and Draven fought to keep her down. “Grab her shoulders,” Soul advised, and Serena did as he asked. In the blink of an eye, he rammed his hand right into Isabell
e’s chest, and her screams pierced through the redwood crowns.
Tears welled in my eyes as her cries echoed across the entire island.
Thayen
“No! What are you doing?!” Serena cried out, though she didn’t let go of Isabelle. “Stop it! You’re hurting her!”
“Quiet!” Soul snapped, his hand deep inside Isabelle’s chest. He seemed to be looking for something, rummaging around as though her chest was an unlit pantry. “Damn, I knew it! I knew I should’ve tried this sooner!” he snarled and pulled his hand back.
An iridescent sheen persisted on his skin. I couldn’t quite understand what was happening, but I had no words to speak in order to ask. The other Reapers, however, were not as shocked as the rest of us, and it made me wonder.
“What is going on here?! What did you do to her?” Draven asked, his voice barely a whisper as Isabelle calmed down, closing her eyes as she mellowed into a semi-conscious state. Whatever Soul had done to her, it had drained every drop of energy she’d had left.
The Soul Crusher got up and looked at his siblings. “I never thought I’d come across something like this,” he said.
“What… what is he talking about?” Serena sobbed, resting her head atop Isabelle’s sweaty forehead. We were all shaken up. Phoenix was barely keeping it together, and Astra had tears streaming down her cheeks as Viola held her close.
The witches were baffled, eyes wide as they took everything in. The wolves in our family were sullen and growling, unable to look away from Soul, who was still droning on about how he’d missed this, about how he should’ve known better.
“You don’t have to beat yourself up like this, you know,” Widow replied dryly.
“It’s not like we deal with this sort of thing on a regular basis,” Phantom reminded Soul. “When’s the last time we had a shell on our hands?”
“Shortly before we were put inside Thieron,” Soul grumbled, crossing his arms as he shifted his weight from one leg to the other. “But this is different.”
A Shade of Vampire 87: A Shade of Mystery Page 20
