“Guys, I’ve got all kinds of news from back home,” Amelia said after she ended her last call. “Plus from the ground, here. Where shall I start?”
I heard her, but I didn’t immediately register the question. My gaze was locked on Inalia. She seemed so peaceful, as if she’d simply fallen asleep. The glow, as peculiar as it was, made her look even more beautiful, as if she’d been sculpted directly from a ray of sunshine.
I’d pegged her for a government drone, at first, though her enthusiasm to meet otherworldly creatures had stood out, from the moment we’d met. Her curiosity and determination were extraordinary, to say the least. I was in awe of her, wondering if I would’ve been as brave if the tables were turned—if I was the one with a direct line to the Hermessi behind a multitude of deadly attacks.
The task at hand was already titanic in proportions. I could only imagine how it felt for her, this one Cerixian from a world that had not had much contact with the rest of the In-Between. This planet was all she knew. This sky, the stars beyond, the lands and the rivers and the variety of cultures across the seven domains. Inalia had been thrown in the middle of our danger soup without so much as a warning. I owed it to her to keep her safe, and to make sure she survived. She was already giving us plenty. The least I could do was this.
“Tae. Did you hear me?” Amelia asked again, but, still, my mind was glued to Inalia.
I did hear her, but I was somehow hypnotized by Inalia. For a second there, I’d tuned out, focusing only on the memory of the tiny gold flakes in her chocolate-colored eyes, hidden beneath her closed eyelids. I remembered every detail of her doe-like irises. Oh, I definitely had a thing for this Cerixian girl, all right. And then some. The effect she had on me was starting to worry me—making me fearful of losing my focus at a critical point in our mission. I had to get a grip, dammit.
“Tae.” Amelia’s voice came through a third time.
I was just about to peel my eyes from Inalia and respond, when something smacked me over the back of my head. I wound up cursing under my breath. “What the—”
Looking to my left, I spotted Raphael grinning. “Sorry. Had to do it.”
“No, no, you didn’t,” I said, my cheeks flushing.
“As I was saying,” Amelia continued as she stifled a chuckle, “I’ve got some updates. Where do I start?”
One deep breath later, I replied, “Here. Start here. What’s Lumi up to?”
“Oh, quite a lot.” She giggled. “After she handed Nalyon’s ass to him, she went ahead and rattled the high chancellor, too. Turns out that Dellon Figgen knew a thing or two about the Hermessi children, as well. She’s headed for the emperor’s palace, next, and she’ll keep us posted.”
A tinge of relief tickled my nape. “Glad to hear that. At least we’re making headway in that aspect. The last thing we need is a supernatural intervention to protect Eira, Inalia, and others like her—if there are others. We’ve got our hands full already.”
“I thought the same. The fire fae back home are on edge,” Amelia replied. “Our closest friends and family. There have been some unexpected and never-before-seen anger outbursts. Grace had quite the episode. Ben is morose and staying away from everybody, River included. Vesta’s still irritable, too. There’s a growing fear that this is only the beginning. That tensions are about to get much worse.”
“What about the cultists they apprehended?” I asked.
“They will tell us, as soon as Jax’s Wards break through,” Amelia said. “The plan is to bring all the culprits under one roof, on Mount Zur, first, and have the Wards deal with them, with additional help from the Daughters this time.”
“Hopefully, that will yield some answers, because I feel like we’re advancing at a speed of three feet per day, while the unseen enemy is darting at light-speed ahead of us.” I sighed, running a hand through my hair.
“There are a lot of us involved,” Eva reminded me with an encouraging smile. “You know nothing stays hidden from us for too long.”
I wanted to nod in agreement, telling myself that she was absolutely right, and that we were more than equipped and experienced enough to handle this, but Eira’s eyes rolled into her head as she fell backward, and my brain just stopped functioning altogether.
“Whoa,” Herakles mumbled, his jaw dropping.
Eira convulsed, her fingers twitching as water trickled from her eyes, her nose, her ears, and her mouth. It was as if the ocean was desperate to pour out of her in its entirety. Eva moved to help her, but I motioned for her to stay back. Despite the knot in my chest, I knew what this was. We all did. We’d seen this before, not that long ago.
“The Water Hermessi is trying to make contact through Eira,” Amelia whispered, snatching the words straight out of my mouth.
I didn’t know whether to be worried or excited about this. It wasn’t often that one of these entities decided to step forward and help us or even tell us anything. At first, I’d thought Ramin, Neraka’s Fire Hermessi, had been a wonderful anomaly. Then, on Strava, I’d seen Aya, the planet’s Water Hermessi. So far, here, however, our interaction with the locals had been a bit of a mixed bag.
Before I could think of a way that this encounter could go wrong—the scenarios were plenty—Eira stilled, then sat up. The water stopped seeping out from her, like it had done with Vesta. This connection was noticeably different. Eira was glowing like a sapphire, from the inside, much in the way in which Inalia had lit up since she’d fallen into her trance. This had to be how the Hermessi children reacted when they fused with their parents.
Eira was calm, her eyes flashing white and sky-blue as she looked at me. “It’s not easy for me to do this, especially in the desert. I’m much weaker here,” she said, her voice sounding double-folded, as if a man and woman spoke at the same time. The feminine tone was hers—I recognized it. The male, however, felt different. As old as time.
“You’re the Water Hermessi of Cerix, aren’t you?” I asked.
The rest of my crew was tense and speechless. We’d been down similar roads before, and, given the past month’s developments, we were no longer inclined to easily trust a Hermessi when it decided to manifest. Our conservation instinct prevailed here. Even my hand was dully settled on my sword’s handle, though I knew a blade would do nothing against one of these entities. It was just my body reacting.
“That is correct,” Hermessi-Eira replied. “Acquis is my name.”
“And you’re Eira’s father,” I said. We’d already put that particular two-and-two together.
“I am.”
“You Hermessi folk sure got busy here on Cerix,” Herakles grumbled.
“We may not have beating hearts, like yourselves, but we are capable of affection,” Acquis replied. “Love transcends the physical plane, after all.”
Amelia’s eyebrow shot up. “Technically speaking, affection comes from a cocktail of chemicals produced by the brain. The increased heartbeats and the aching sensation are both just symptoms of those emotions. A way in which the body processes—I should stop, now,” she mumbled, finally noticing Acquis’s careless gaze. “Sorry. Yeah. I get what you’re trying to say.”
“What made you decide to come and say hello?” I asked, only half sarcastic.
“I had to. Like I said, I’m of no use here, with nothing but the water in your bodies and Eira’s flask, but I’m discerning enough to understand the urgency of your situation.”
“You mean Inalia’s dad going all cray-cray on our people?” I asked.
“It’s a bit more complicated than that, but, for the sake of speeding things along, let’s settle on yes,” Acquis said. “Brann is the one you’ve been looking for, but you’re not the only ones who want him. The other Hermessi are even more determined to find out who’s behind your fae explosions. They know it’s him, now. And they’re searching for him.”
I blinked several times, trying to wrap my head around this tidbit. “He’s obviously here, on Cerix, now. How come they haven’t found him yet?”
“Shouldn’t you be one of the Hermessi who are looking for Brann? I’m confused,” Riza murmured.
Acquis sighed. Eira’s shoulders dropped in the process. “I’m not searching for him, because I know him better than most. Others are looking for him, including our Cerixian siblings. As for the why-he-hasn’t-been-found-yet part, you should understand a very basic thing about us Hermessi, in general. We are one with the elements we generate and represent. If one wishes to summon us or touch us, one would have to get the whole of us concentrated in a single spot in space and time—as we manifest. Otherwise, it would be like trying to catch fire in your hand. And Brann, to his credit, has a few other tricks up his sleeve.”
“Inalia is talking to him right now,” I said, then waited for a reaction.
“I know. It’s why I’m here. To tell you that their conversation must end now, before the others find him.”
“But how would they find him? How did you?” Amelia asked. “I don’t get it.”
None of us got it, for that matter.
“When the Hermessi meets his child, he is vulnerable. He exposes himself to the other elements, because he manifests in a way that only his offspring would be able to perceive. He shines like a beacon beyond the existential planes, and the Hermessi can see him from afar,” Acquis explained.
“So, what if the other Hermessi do catch him?” I asked. “It would put an end to the attacks, wouldn’t it? They would fix our problem, easily.”
Acquis-Eira shook her head. “They’re only out to get Brann because they want to silence him. There’s more to him than meets the eye. You don’t know the full story. You don’t understand how or why he did what he did.”
“Then tell us,” Raphael shot back.
“It’s not my story to tell, and, like I said, I’m too vulnerable here. I can’t be caught talking to you,” Acquis replied.
“So, Brann made my people explode because he had a really good reason? Is that what you’re trying to say?” I asked, though my irritation was more than obvious at this point.
“Yes. And you and your crew here are about to get in the crossfire of some very angry and determined entities. You must stop your intrusion immediately. Wake Inalia up. I cannot do it myself, but one of you can, for sure,” Acquis said, as Eira’s eyes narrowed at me. “She’ll hear your voice wherever her astral projection might be, Taeral. You get her out of there, before it’s too late.”
A few seconds passed as we all looked at one another. Inalia lay still, beaming orange. Eira sat quietly, shining blue. To say that this was all a big bucket of weird didn’t even begin to cover it. The deeper we dug, the more questions I had.
“Why are you helping us?” I sighed. “You’re obviously holding out way more than you should. What’s your agenda?”
“I appreciate the way you’re trying to protect my child from the likes of Nalyon Martell,” Acquis replied. “I heard about his intentions. The whispers have reached me, along with Eira’s thoughts. It is the least I could do.”
“You’re connected to your children,” Amelia concluded.
“In a way, yes. We’re aware of them. We feel certain emotions, depending on their intensity. Sometimes, if I concentrate, I can even hear her thoughts,” Acquis explained.
“Are there more like Eira and Inalia on Cerix?” Varga asked.
Acquis-Eira shook her head. “Not many. Not like before. There were more, centuries ago, but they were mortal.”
“What about Eira and Inalia?” I replied. “Are they also mortal? Where are the others?”
Acquis-Eira shrugged. “I wouldn’t be able to tell you where they are. I can, however, say that we never really know for sure about our children’s longevity. Sometimes it knows no end. Sometimes it does. Hermessi children don’t occur often enough for us to identify any kind of pattern.”
“Yeah, speaking of, how’d this even become a thing in the first place?” Raphael asked. “You’re practically all-powerful entities, timeless and omnipotent in more than one way. And you made kids with the locals. How? Why?”
“I told you: love. You people don’t own it. We can feel it, too,” Acquis said. “Although, you should know, having children is, indeed, exceptionally rare and taboo among us, because they inherit a good chunk of our power. We pay dearly for our sentimental indiscretions.”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“It doesn’t matter. It doesn’t concern you. Listen, pay attention, Taeral. This issue of yours runs much deeper than you think,” Acquis warned me, glowing blue gaze fixed on me to the point where goosebumps burst all over me. “It goes beyond murderous cults and exploding fire fae. If you want answers, look at nature. Pay attention. Pay. Attention.”
I didn’t get to ask for more details. Before I even opened my mouth to reply, the light died out inside Eira, and she fell back on the sandy ground, out cold.
Amelia gasped. “Oh, damn… The other Hermessi were just waiting for Brann and Inalia to make contact, then.”
“They’re most likely converging on them as we speak,” Eva continued, looking down at Inalia with sheer horror. “We need to wake her up.”
Severing the connection suddenly became the single most important item on my to-do list. We’d worry about Acquis’s warnings later. I bent down and cupped Inalia’s face, feeling the heat emanating from her. It entered every fiber of my being, as if I’d just swallowed the sun. Even so, I couldn’t let go.
I had to get her back before the Hermessi found her and Brann. Whatever bone they had to pick with him, she was bound to end up as collateral damage. And the pain in my chest told me I just couldn’t let that happen.
Father and daughter had to be separated; otherwise, it would all go even more horribly wrong. And I’d had enough of the universe kicking me in the ass whenever I tried to take a step forward. We needed a win already.
Also, part of me was intriguingly eager to keep Inalia safe.
Inalia
I’d yet to understand why my father, Brann, the actual Fire Hermessi of Cerix, had gotten himself involved with those death cults. The anger it caused me was the first thing to hit the surface of my consciousness as I tried to come to terms with this new reality. I was standing face-to-face with the entity that had made my existence possible, in the first place.
Still, I didn’t want to push him away. I worried he might kick me out of this plane, somehow. It wasn’t like I knew everything about the Hermessi, about what they were like and what they could do. Even our legends and records weren’t entirely accurate. Most of the stuff in the now-charred library had been hearsay and word-of-mouth, penned by various scholars throughout the centuries.
“So, you’re my father,” I said dryly.
“I… Yes,” he replied. There was a tremor in his voice. It matched the flickers of his flaming figure, as he watched me. I could feel him, the way he probably felt me. I didn’t need a body for him to acknowledge me. Our connection transcended everything, and it was so weird and awkward and enlightening at the same time!
“Care to tell me how that happened?” I asked.
“I fell in love with your mother.”
I couldn’t help but roll my eyes. “Like that’ll cut it.”
“I have a weakness, Inalia. I feel things. I fall in love, sometimes. Your mother… She was different. I watched her from the candles she lit around her house. She enticed me from the moment I first saw her. Which, by the way, was just a wonderful coincidence. I just happened to pay attention at the right time. That was it. No greater science,” he said. “Eventually, I caved in. I spoke to her, through the flames, at first. Then, I found a body… The rest is, as you know, basic biology.”
At least now I knew where I’d gotten some of my sassy snark. He sounded just like me.
“If you could speak to her through the flames, why couldn’t you do the same with me? With us?” I asked.
“I wasn’t sure it was safe. My brethren have ways of monitoring me if I’m concentrated in one place
for too long. If I can listen to you through the flames, they can listen through the very air you breathe, or the water in a glass next to you, or through the stones or wood used to build the roof over your head, for example. Right now, there is no secure method of communication between us, Inalia. Especially this one. We’re in danger.”
“And that’s why you said I shouldn’t have come here?” I asked, remembering I was still angry with him.
“I’m being hunted, Inalia. And our connection, well… it shines through the fabric of time and space. We’re like two beacons, now, out there for everyone to see. It’s only a matter of minutes, maybe, before we’re found.”
A sense of urgency surged through me. I was inclined to protect him, somehow—though I couldn’t, for the life of me, understand why. Brann had done some terrible things. He’d killed Taeral’s people. His death cults were chasing us around, trying to kill us. I was determined not to leave here until I at least got some answers. Yet, my instincts… they bowed in his favor. Maybe if I was quick and smart in what questions I asked, I’d get all my info, and he’d be on his way before his fellow Hermessi tracked him down.
“What did you do?” I murmured. “Those fire fae… the death cults. I don’t get it. You seem so nice. I… Was that you at the temple?”
“Yes. I tried to reach out to you then, to warn you, but I couldn’t make a connection while you were conscious. I was willing to risk it all, just to talk to you, then. Now, it seems, you reached out to me, only you did it right, so… here we are,” he said. “Inalia, you must know, the death cults are not mine. They don’t serve me, specifically. They serve the Hermessi.”
“Whoa…”
Befuddling, to say the least.
“I am, however, responsible for blowing some of them up. I had no choice! When I saw what my brothers were doing, how they toyed with the minds of innocent creatures, seducing them into joining these cults and committing atrocious murders on their behalf… I couldn’t stand idly by!”
“Hold on… You mean the cults are instructed by the other Hermessi from across the universe and Cerix to hurt us, to hunt us down… to… what else, exactly? What’s the endgame here?” I asked.
A Shade of Vampire 70: A Breed of Elements Page 12
