“She’s okay,” Draven sighed, smiling as he ran his fingers through her hair.
Corrine took a moment to hug, kiss, then smack each of us on the back of the head. “That’ll teach you to go through shimmering portals without knowing where they’ll take you,” she barked, scowling at me before giving me one of her tonic potions. It felt amazing, pure energy spreading from my stomach and through my whole body, my limbs tingling with joy.
“I’ve missed you,” I said, chuckling softly.
Voss and Chantal were still sleeping, but their parents were just relieved to see they were okay. Field and Aida were calm, choosing to remember the many times Voss had fallen and broken something during the early years of his hawk wings. The man had seen much worse—I’d seen a lot of that myself. Yeah, he’d be okay. Vita was shaking as she hugged Chantal, but Bijarki was an absolute mess, tearing up and sniffing, the hard-edged fighter completely gone as he’d been reduced to a relieved, worried-sick dad. That was the trouble with love, I realized. It brought out the best in us, but losing someone you loved was truly a nightmare. I couldn’t imagine what it might be like for a father to fear for his daughter’s life.
Soph’s parents were still on Neraka, thus spared of this madness. It didn’t make her feel much better, but she found hope in knowing that they hadn’t been dragged into this insanity as well. Richard was smushed between Jovi and Anjani, both nearly drowning their son with love and affection—both just thankful that their troublemaker was alive and well.
It took us a while, but we did plenty of catching up and managed to bring everybody up to speed. Upon realizing that the entire population of the real Shade had been transferred into the fake one, Astra and I had agreed to ease our people into this madness. There was still a lot we didn’t know, but the few things that were glaringly obvious were easy to slap onto a list of “crazy.” The seniors, along with my parents, listened patiently as we told them about our journey and our strange encounters. The Reapers lit up like kids at a mega-mall when we mentioned Purgatory, Order, Berserkers, and Valkyries. Obviously, they had questions, but I had to drown them out with the rest of the intel we’d picked up before bringing our new friends out.
“Let me see if I’ve got this straight,” Phoenix said, arms wrapped around his wife and daughter. I doubted he’d ever let them out of his sight again. “There’s another realm beyond that of Reapers.”
“You kind of knew that already,” Nethissis replied, but he playfully shushed her. His mood was light despite having found himself here in this fake Shade; he had his family back, that was all that mattered.
“I did, but still. Let me go at it old school. So! There’s the realm of Reapers, who take our souls and send them beyond, but you fellas aren’t quite sure what the beyond really is,” Phoenix said, eyeing the Reapers, who nodded in agreement. “Okay. Now, we know Purgatory is what’s beyond, where Valkyries and Berserkers enforce the laws of Order, much like Reapers enforce the laws of Death. Correct?”
I smiled. “Correct.”
“And Valkyries are creatures of light and glory and justice, while the Berserkers are creatures of darkness and wrath and punishment. Am I on the right track here?” Phoenix replied.
“You are,” Myst said, appearing out of thin air. She’d apparently grown tired of waiting. The crowd offered a collective gasp at the sight of her. This was followed by a second gasp when Regine joined her, then a third when Brandon and Haldor materialized beside them.
The Shadians were mesmerized by the sight of them. Myst alone was stunning, a work of art with flowing gold hair and incandescent blue eyes. Her gold and steel armor captured every bit of light around. Regine was the smaller version, a petite creature but just as fierce. Her sword was almost as tall as she was, a splendid piece that drew infinitely more gasps when she took it out and had Astra touch the blade for a quick demonstration of how the sword worked.
I couldn’t take my eyes off Myst. The way our paths had crossed in the midst of chaos—it had to mean something. I knew it. I’d have to figure out what, eventually.
Brandon explained his role in the entire operation, along with Haldor’s. Naturally, that drew some frowns. A few of the Shadians weren’t at all in a forgiving mood, considering where they’d been brought by magical force. “You’re a danger to us,” one of the vampires said.
“We’re a danger to evildoers, and now, my friend, we are free,” Brandon replied serenely, motioning around us. “Hrista and the clones. They’re gone. Our fellow Berserkers, too. I can’t feel any of them anymore.”
“The replacement is complete,” Haldor announced sadly, lowering his gaze.
The more I looked at him, the less intimidated I felt. He was nothing like the nightmarish creature we’d repeatedly fought in the woods. He was surprisingly gentle and noble in nature, yet he’d played his part well as the antagonist. His shadow hounds were close by, but he kept them at bay and out of sight, knowing the psychological effect they would have on our people. We’d dealt with them before, but the Shadians needed a little bit of calm after this peculiar storm.
“How do we undo it?” Phoenix asked. Like father, like daughter, I thought to myself.
Mom and Dad flanked me on both sides. It felt nice to have my family back despite our situation. Rose and Caleb. Ben and River. My many nephews and nieces, cousins and friends. We were in this together, and that gave me the kind of strength I’d thought lost not too long ago.
“I think the better question to ask is where did Hrista and the clones go?” the Time Master said, his service ghoul huddled by his right leg.
Haldor sighed. “Isn’t that obvious? To your island. They took over.”
“That’s insane!” Dad exclaimed. “It’ll never fly. It’s not just The Shade anymore. It’s the entire GASP federation they’ll have to deal with. Hrista will never get away with this.”
“You don’t know what she’s capable of,” Myst interjected politely. “I say this respectfully, sir. You’re of the living. You have limits that would never even cross our minds. Meanwhile, my sister has proved that she, as an entity of Purgatory, has mastered not only both light and darkness, but we now know she has also excelled at death magic.”
“Death magic?” the Soul Crusher replied, genuinely alarmed. “How?”
“The Spirit Bender,” I said. “Remember the mention he made about peeking behind the curtain? About ‘her,’ from that realm? I think he was talking about Hrista.”
As the new reality settled, we understood the complexity of our problem. We did not yet have a solution, since the shimmering portals had vanished long before we’d opened our eyes again. The enemy had spilled into the real Shade, and while Dad expressed valid doubts regarding Hrista’s odds of success, I had also seen how insanely resourceful and determined she was.
“Logic dictates that she will move to replace as many of GASP’s originals as possible,” Brandon concluded after a lengthy discussion on the topic of Hrista. “It will be a lengthy and careful process. She has learned from this place. From this experience.”
“Then we need to find a way out of here and back home,” Dad replied. “We have to stop her.”
The entire Shade was in agreement there. There was no way around it. Hrista had done something insane and incredible, and we were stuck in this fake Shade while she traipsed around in the real one, further pushing her agenda. We hadn’t figured out the ultimate endgame yet, but she’d already beaten us to the next spot on the game map. It was our duty, our solemn duty, to catch up.
“Technically speaking, I’m your way out of here,” Astra said. That was true. We were only stuck in this fake Shade until she could harness her ability to open shimmering portals, and the half-Daughter explained this to everybody. “It’s why Hrista wanted me dead.”
“You’ll figure it out,” I told her. “I’ve got faith in you.”
Phoenix smiled, hugging his daughter again. “We all have faith in you, honey.”
Myst gave me a long lo
ok while the others talked and shared their thoughts on the matter. Calmly and casually, I stepped away from my mom and dad, wishing to get closer to the Valkyrie again. It felt like a good moment, since Regine was busy butting heads with Haldor, Phoenix, and the Soul Crusher over ways of getting out of here.
“How are you holding up?” Myst asked, keeping her voice low.
I noticed my mom briefly watching us before shifting her attention back to Regine and the others’ discussion. “I’m just glad we’re all here, believe it or not. While I’d prefer to be back in The Shade, we’re stronger together. It doesn’t really matter where you put us.”
“I can see that,” Myst replied. “You look happier.”
“For what it’s worth, I’m sorry it turned out this way for you and Regine. I can’t imagine.”
“It’s fine. I’ll move on. I’m an agent of Purgatory,” she said, visibly struggling to keep a straight face as she spoke. This whole incident had impacted her on a deep level, and Myst had trouble acknowledging that. Hrista had hurt her beyond repair, and I didn’t like how it felt to see her suffering.
Sure, she was a Valkyrie, a beacon of light and glory… but it turned out she had vulnerabilities, too. I took her hand in mine and squeezed gently. I didn’t say a word, letting her look at me in silence as she tried to understand the significance of my gesture. It took her mind off Hrista for a moment. It was the best I could do, and it was better than nothing.
Hrista’s machinations had thrown us into the same simmering pot. It didn’t mean we couldn’t make the most of it and emerge victorious. I had no intention of letting Hrista win this fight. Neither did Myst. She responded to my hand squeeze with a soft smile. “You’re right,” she muttered. “We are stronger together.”
It felt like an important truth in the face of this insanity. We were on the same page. It mattered.
Astra
There was so much to think about, so much to understand about what had happened and about what we could do to make it better. Hrista had really pulled one over on us, and she’d gotten away with it. Meanwhile, we were stuck here, unable to go anywhere, our entire world in peril because of a rogue Valkyrie and an army of deadly clones.
I had found comfort in seeing my dad and the rest of the Shadians again. Draven and Serena had been given a semblance of peace too. The world made some sense once more.
I stepped away from the Great Dome and gave myself a few minutes of peace and quiet. The enemy was gone, but the troubles had only just begun. For the first time, I had the clarity and the state of mind to truly observe my surroundings. Yes, this was a slightly altered copy of our island, but it was beautiful in its own way despite sucking the energy out of us and reducing supernaturals to a human twenty-four-hour day cycle.
The air was fresh. The redwoods were sullen giants with lush and heavy canopies. As strange and as unexpected as it was, there was life in this world: the ill-colored greenery, the insects and the birds, the deer, and every other creature that still inhabited the island. “It kind of grows on you after a while, doesn’t it?” Brandon’s voice behind me nearly made me jump.
“Oh. It’s you,” I mumbled, turning to face him.
He was tall and a few inches too close to me. Something warm began to unfurl in the pit of my stomach. “I see the color has returned to your cheeks,” Brandon said. “I take it the family reunion made you happy.”
“Our fight is just getting started,” I replied, trying to focus on the complicated journey still ahead of us, but he took another step and brought his hand up, knuckles gently brushing my cheek.
“Put that out of your head, if only for a minute,” he said, a smile stretching his lips. Wisps of darkness danced off his broad shoulders. The black of his hair was almost hypnotizing. Would a minute do any harm?
A minute spent solely in Brandon’s company didn’t sound like the worst of ideas. He’d proven himself to us. He’d fought for us. He’d gotten himself and his Aesir in trouble for us. For me… He’d mentioned his soft spot for pink-haired girls. My cheeks burned from the memory.
Brandon wasn’t the oversharing type. On the contrary. He was full of mysteries I was dying to unravel, yet whenever he looked my way, he seemed so warm and strangely open. Like a book. All mine to flip through and savor. “Astra, I’m sorry things didn’t work out better for you and your people, and that you’re stuck here. For what it’s worth, I’m stuck here with you. Whatever travel privileges Haldor and I had were canceled the moment Hrista left.”
“I’m sorry you don’t get to go back to Purgatory anytime soon,” I replied, though I wasn’t sure I meant it. Brandon going back to Purgatory was the last thing I wanted. It would mean I’d never see him again, and the thought didn’t sit well with me.
“Well, I’m sure I’ll make some new friends here. Your dad seemed pretty fun,” he chuckled, and I softened a little bit more under his gaze. For the first time since we’d met, we were completely alone—and no one was trying to kill me.
A low growl emerged from the underbrush. I turned around to see flaming blue dots peering into my very soul. Ice clotted my veins as the beast emerged from the bushes. “Holy crap,” I heard myself whimper.
It was a wolf. An enormous beast, black as the night, with a thick back and long legs. It reminded me of the ancient direwolf, taller than a man and definitely deadly, judging by the sheer length of its fangs. For a moment, I lost my breath and completely forgot about Brandon and everything else around me. I could only see the beast with its flaming blue eyes.
“Hammer!” Brandon exclaimed, taking the words right out of my mouth.
He bolted from my side just as the wolf leapt in the air, throwing up a cloud of dirt and pebbles in his haste. The Berserker and the Aesir met each other halfway, jumping into a tackle that turned into a growling hug as the two rolled around on the ground. Hammer was overjoyed to see Brandon again. He ended up on top of the Berserker, lovingly licking every inch of his face. And the look on Brandon’s face…
That was pure happiness, and it made my heart swell. In this dark madness, he had found a silver lining worth holding on to. Yeah, we were stranded in the fake Shade with every real Shadian, at least until I figured out how to open a shimmering portal. Yeah, Hrista had kicked us out of our home and probably had all kinds of sick plans. And yeah, we had no idea how to stop her.
But this moment I wanted to enjoy.
Unending
Sleeping was truly something wonderful.
I was molten butter, spreading and thinning in the land of dreams, where every single memory of mine hung from an endless ceiling in tear-shaped crystal bottles. I only had to uncork them, and I’d get to remember what I had done five hundred or five thousand or five million years ago. In the land of dreams, I was the master of my being and I knew exactly who I was and what I had done, just like Anunit had said.
But as lovely as this was, I needed to get back to the real world.
Oh, a conscious dream. Odd.
Anunit had given me a body of my own, yes. I felt warm. Someone was holding me. Suddenly, I became aware of my surroundings. The heavy silence, with the exception of the occasional wind whispering. The heat on my face… I’ve never felt it like this before. The hardness beneath me. It’s the ground. I’m on the ground.
My eyes opened slowly, and the dimensional aspect of everything hit me. I could see like a living being. I could smell the powdery dust in the air, tickling the back of my throat. Tristan held me close, and his smile made my whole world shine with pure joy and a renewed sense of love.
“I love you so much,” I said.
“I was looking forward to hearing you say that,” he replied, and our lips met.
Our first true kiss. It felt incredible, like… petals pressed against one another. He tasted of sweetness and blood, and it lingered on the tip of my tongue. My senses were incredibly amplified. As a Reaper, I had felt everything with my spirit, and that was the deepest way to experience anything. But as a livin
g being, I was feeling everything with my body, with the nerve receptors that came with my flesh and bones and skin. It was so beautiful, it brought tears to my eyes. “Oh, Tristan. Can you believe it?” I laughed, my cheeks already wet.
We stayed like that for a while, kissing and hugging and whispering sweet words in each other’s ears. I couldn’t get enough of him. I couldn’t get enough of this body either, of experiencing life like I never had before. This was what I had been missing, and there was plenty left for me to discover.
“Where is she?” I asked after a while.
Tristan sighed. “She got away. Anunit knew we were plotting to catch her. I didn’t stand a chance.”
“Are you okay?” I asked, slowly getting up. He helped me, and I measured him from head to toe, just to make sure. This was the man I had married. The man I loved with all my heart. The man with whom I had spent the last twenty years of my existence. Oddly enough, I only remember the last twenty years.
“Yeah. She roughed me up a little, just to teach me a lesson, but that’s it. Out of respect for you and the help you’ve given her,” he replied. “That’s what she said. ‘Out of respect for Unending and the help she’s given me, I’ll let you live so that she can enjoy a life with her husband. A real life.’”
“Damn. Death is going to be so mad.”
“Do you care?” Tristan replied, holding back a chuckle. I offered a shrug and tried not to laugh. Yes, I felt worried, but the truth was that I had earned this moment for myself and for Tristan. “The fate of the world does not rest on your shoulders. It is not entirely up to you to fix everything that’s wrong with it,” he added. My death magic spell still protected him from the sun’s light, which meant that all the spells I had cast before were unharmed—that was good. I still felt my connection to Death’s last seal, which meant my leverage against her remained valid. Thank the universe. Anunit had absolutely kept up her side of the deal, and then some. I had respect for that. She was a renegade, but she’d done right by me in the end.
A Shade of Vampire 90: A Ruler of Clones Page 23
