A Shade of Vampire 75: A Blade of Thieron

by Forrest, Bella

  “How well did that work out for you?” The Widow Maker scoffed.

  “Brendel knows more about us than we think,” Pyrr said. “I did everything I could for Sherus to grow up feeling like a full fae. He had no idea. Maybe he does now, in spirit form. I’m not sure. But he never thought to push his abilities, to discover his true limits. I shadowed him whenever I could, making sure he’d never get the idea that he was different in any way.”

  Amelia raised a hand. “I’m sorry, just curious here. Weren’t you dormant after the Blackout? How did you conceive Sherus? The fae king can’t be four to five million years old.”

  “He isn’t. Little known fact, I’m afraid, but I wasn’t the Fire Star’s first Hermessi,” Pyrr explained. This meant that he was like Ramin and a few others, created after Death’s ritual-stopping pulse. His predecessor must’ve been a follower of Brendel, then, destroyed for his involvement in the previous ritual attempt. “I kept that to myself. I understood what the world was like, and I kept my head down. I did my best to protect this planet.”

  “Then why are you trying to destroy it now?” Taeral asked. “Are you truly willing to let us all burn, just so my father can live? I know it’s a difficult and heart-wrenching thing to do, sacrificing your own son for the good of the many, if it comes down to that, but come on.”

  “Brendel will destroy us both,” Pyrr said. “If I don’t do what she wants, she will have no qualms about ending me, then my son. And if you were thinking you might be able to ascend in his place as a Fire Hermessi, should that come to pass and given your Hermessi bloodline… you’d be wrong.”

  “How so?” Lumi replied. “Taeral is the grandson of a Hermessi, practically. Doesn’t the same power flow through him? Albeit dormant, perhaps?”

  That was a good question. We all knew that Taeral was an exquisite and powerful fire fae. His hybrid nature had made him special, but none of us had considered the involvement of Hermessi heritage in anything about him.

  “If Brendel kills Sherus before he ascends, Taeral will never be able to take his place. The activation of a Hermessi thread is done one generation at a time. First, I’d have to die. Second, Sherus would have to ascend. Only after he became the next Hermessi would all the power be transmitted into Taeral, who would then become a Hermessi child himself, and only then would he, in turn, be able to replace his father as the fire of this planet,” Pyrr elaborated.

  “So Taeral would have to be sort of activated by Sherus ascending in your place,” Lumi concluded, nodding slowly.

  “And even then, it’s doubtful that it would work.” Taeral sighed. “I’ve been marked as a future Reaper. I’d need to die first, and I don’t think that includes dying as a Hermessi.”

  “It doesn’t. You’d need your soul in its original form,” the Widow Maker confirmed. “Hermessi don’t have souls like yours or mine or any other living creatures. They’re entities, remember?”

  Taeral stepped forward, shaking his head. “Pyrr, if you and my father die, the whole planet freezes over. If there’s one thing I’ve learned about Brendel, it’s that she’s twisted and evil, but also limited. Brendel cannot afford to lose any planets.”

  I gasped, remembering previous discussions about this. Taeral was right. After all, Brendel and the other Hermessi hadn’t rushed to destroy Brann until they learned about Inalia. They could no longer kill Ramin because Harper had helped him strip Ledar of his Hermessi child powers. My father was still at risk—even more so after he and Inalia had helped us back on Cerix, but, if I were to lose my Hermessi bloodline like Ledar, Brendel would stop trying to kill him, too. Inalia wouldn’t be destroyed, either, since she didn’t have an heir.

  As threatening as Brendel might’ve sounded, she couldn’t afford to lose any of the planets under her control. She didn’t have Death’s power to create new Hermessi for the worlds that had lost theirs. She couldn’t bring forth a new Ramin to replace Inalia or a new Pyrr, here, for example. Without a Hermessi child to replace their parent, a planet was doomed to extinction far worse than what the ritual would cause.

  “What are you trying to say?” Pyrr asked, but I could hear the doubt in his voice, as the air seemed to thicken with crackling pressure.

  “Brendel lied to you,” Taeral replied. “She doesn’t want to lose the planets altogether. The ritual is meant to… cleanse them of all life forms. But a planet dying without a Hermessi is much worse, and you know that she can’t fix that. Once it’s done, it’s done. However, we are trying to stop the ritual altogether. If we stop it, and… I don’t know, worst-case scenario, you and my father still die, at least the people of this world will still have a shot. We can evacuate them, and they can start anew, never forgetting where they came from!”

  “But my planet would be gone,” Pyrr insisted.

  “And you’ll be too dead to care,” Raphael retorted. “You won’t be able to do anything about this rock!”

  “You can still do something about your people,” Taeral insisted. “All the fae of the Fire Star, they’re your people! You’re the dominant element here, and that will never change. If you let Brendel take that away from you, then it’s all pointless. Your existence, even my father’s… it’ll all be for nothing.”

  Taeral’s words seemed to finally get to Pyrr. The storm clouds above began to soften, swirling outward, ever so slowly, ready to give us a glimpse of the sky and the sun beyond. The winds softened, and the grass curling around our boots loosened, as if telling us that we were no longer in a hostile environment.

  I had to admit, I did not see this coming. By all accounts, I was justified in getting ready for yet another session of fighting and running for my life. It felt nice not to be hounded, for once, though I knew it probably wouldn’t last. Brendel was never far behind where we were concerned.

  “I am not the only one who is trying to stop you,” Pyrr said after a long moment of silence. “I may have control over the other Fire Star elements, but I cannot do anything against the others.”

  That was an interesting aspect, I thought. Pyrr was Fire, and the reigning elemental of this planet. The other three conformed to his commands and desires. It made me wonder if the dominant elements of Akvo, Zephyr, and the Emerald had a similar hierarchy—the Water Hermessi ruling the others on Akvo, the Air Hermessi superior to Fire, Water, and Earth on Zephyr, and the Earth Hermessi dominating on the Emerald. It made sense that they would.

  But the second part of his statement made my skin crawl. We wouldn’t be alone for much longer. Riza moved closer and put a hand on Taeral’s shoulder. “I think this is Pyrr’s way of telling us we should leave soon,” she said.

  “Even so, we won’t be out of danger. Look at how Eirexis is glowing. Zetos is sure to be close by,” Raphael replied.

  “The winged Perfect speaks the truth.” Pyrr sighed. “I can step aside if I decide it’s for the best, but… it’s too late, already.”

  As he said that, dozens of sonic booms thundered across the sky, echoing for hundreds of miles. I froze, looking up at flashes of light that flickered beyond the thinning cloud blanket. Soon enough, fireballs in different colors pierced through, like falling meteors.

  There were so many of them, burning green, blue, orange, and white. They came down at great speed, leaving holes in the clouds through which the sun extended its rays.

  “They’re coming,” Pyrr added, glancing up.

  None of us had asked the most important question. It dawned on me as I watched the fireballs hurling toward the ground, soon to crash around us. We moved in closer to Taeral, each of us likely trying to figure the best way out of here.

  “How did you find us?” I asked Pyrr. “Surely, you realized that there were GASP decoys made out to look like us, but what brought you all the way here?”

  “Eirexis. There isn’t enough Devil’s Weed to hide you from us if you’re carrying Eirexis. We sense its vibrations. The closer we get, the clearer it is,” the Fire Hermessi explained. It felt like a punch in the gu
t, knowing that the one thing that could facilitate our mission was also making us vulnerable to the very enemy we were trying to defeat.

  Herakles frowned as he looked at Eirexis, now safely strapped to Taeral’s thigh. “If this isn’t the epitome of irony, I don’t know what is.”

  “What will you do, then, Pyrr?” Taeral was determined to shift his allegiance. “Will you join them in attacking us, or will you give us a chance at stopping the ritual and saving as many people as we possibly can? Remember, Brendel has my father under the influence. If she wins, he still dies as part of the ritual.”

  Lumi pursed her lips. “That might just be an extra insurance policy against you, Tae, if she’s a Hermessi of her word. If Pyrr works for her, chances are she’ll let Sherus live.”

  “Frankly, I don’t think that’ll happen,” Nethissis hissed. “Brendel is a horrible being. She uses fear to intimidate. Nothing ever lasts if its foundations are made up of others’ worst nightmares.”

  “I agree with Nethi, here,” Taeral replied. “Brendel will kill anyone who stands in her way. She has no conscience, only a mission to complete.”

  These were all things that Pyrr hadn’t considered. He didn’t have a face for me to analyze, but I could tell a lot from the way his fire figure burned. I was able to identify certain reactions—after all, I’d studied most of our opponents since this war had first begun. Brann, Acquis, Leb, and Sebbi… Brendel and Kabbah… and Pyrr here. They all had ways of expressing themselves through the intensity of their energy manifestations.

  The bright burns were signs of anger. The dimmed flickers spoke of sadness and disappointment. Right now, Pyrr was conflicted. Taeral had definitely left his impression on him, but the Fire Hermessi had yet to make a decision. I worried it would be too late once he did. The other Hermessi landed, one after the other, crashing into the earth with raucous bangs. The ground shook violently, over and over, as Brendel and her allies joined us.

  I had no idea how this would end, but the sudden surge of energy within me told me one thing with crystal clarity: we’d come too far to let them defeat us. I would give it everything I had in order to complete Thieron and save my people. I would go beyond the limits of my power, if necessary, so I’d get a better chance at a future world with Taeral and all these incredible GASP creatures in it.

  Derek

  The number of affected fae was inching past four million. With no fae left in The Shade until the ritual was stopped, we were all on edge. My son, granddaughter, and great-granddaughters were among the fae that had fallen under the Hermessi’s influence, exiled to a sanctuary on Calliope. Sofia and I were broken up about it, but the prospect of saving them by making it harder for Brendel to succeed had managed to help the both of us in retaining our drive and sanity.

  With renewed energy and after consulting with Tebir, the Earth Hermessi of our planet, Sofia and I had managed to put together a team of one hundred GASP officers to take on the Yahwen mission. We were included in the crew, along with some of our closest friends and allies, part of the original founders’ crew.

  The first fae in the Calliope sanctuary had died, and his body had been removed from the building. We now had a Reaper who had revealed herself and was helping contain the Hermessi’s growing effect. It wasn’t enough, but it was better than nothing. Death and the Reapers had clear rules about interference, and we’d already understood that the universe functioned on them. Breaking one too many of these rules would probably result in a catastrophe greater than the ritual itself—or so Mona and Corrine had surmised. I was inclined to believe them.

  Otherwise, Death and her Reapers would’ve had a more significant involvement in this entire mess. We were mere pawns on the chess board for the cosmic entities to play with, I’d thought at times. With a deep sigh, I walked into the grand hall, holding Sofia’s hand.

  “The end feels closer than ever,” I said quietly, thankful that no one was here yet. I’d called a meeting of the one-hundred crew, to get ready to deploy to Yahwen. The mission was clear and simple: sneak onto Yahwen, steal the Hermessi children, and bring them back to The Shade. Our dimension was still somewhat protected, especially with all the fae out of it.

  “You mean the ritual?” Sofia asked, giving me a concerned look. I knew she didn’t like it when I talked like that, but I couldn’t always help myself. Everything weighed so heavily on my shoulders.

  “Not necessarily,” I replied, offering a soft, faint smile. “It could finish with a victory from our side, after all.”

  She raised an eyebrow at me, as if she’d caught me in a naughty lie. “You don’t sound so convinced.”

  “Nevertheless, we have no choice but to persist.” I chuckled bitterly.

  Sofia leaned into me and pressed her lips against mine. Her kisses were pure therapy in these dark times, and I never refused myself the opportunity of feeling her like this. My wife. My soulmate. My best friend, forever.

  I held her tight for a while, enjoying the shape of her perfectly fitting mine. “Derek… We’re warriors. We’ve fought long and hard to get to this point,” she said, her head resting on my chest. “There isn’t much we can do for Taeral. This time around, it’s clearly up to him to save us all. But you know that we can still piss Brendel off enough to spoil her day.”

  “You’re right,” I murmured, kissing the top of her head.

  “So, then, let’s go out there and do everything we can to mess with her,” Sofia replied.

  The sound of footsteps made us separate, and we turned around to face an incoming flux of seasoned GASP officers. My heart swelled at the sight of them smiling as they walked in and gathered around us. Mona and Kiev joined us, along with Corrine and Ibrahim, and Claudia and Yuri. The other council members were staying behind to manage GASP’s base operations. In times like these, Vivienne and Xavier were particularly helpful, as they supported Rose and Caleb in The Shade’s administration.

  Arwen, Shayla, and the other witches took turns caring for the fae in the sanctuaries, but Kailani had been kind enough to give us Kafei, Acantha’s sister and another of Lumi’s apprentices. We’d made our crew relatively small at one hundred, but powerful and effective.

  Kafei came in, accompanied by the others. We’d opted for a majority of witches, warlocks, and jinn, since the main ability required on this mission was teleportation. We would be dealing with a throng of deadly Hermessi in our efforts to extract the children from Yahwen. All-out force was not an option. Stealth and on-the-dot timing were key.

  “How are we looking?” Kiev asked, looking at Sofia and me. “Are we ready to go?”

  “Almost,” I said. “We just need to gear up and head over to Calliope.”

  Behind us, stacked against the western wall, were backpacks and pulverizer weapons. Most of us carried a blade or two at all times, but, given where we were going and what we were about to do, we’d all agreed that more significant firepower might come in handy. Amal and Amane had been quick to send us a hefty shipment of pulverizer pellets through the recently built portal from Strava, and they’d all been evenly distributed along with the weapons.

  “Listen up, everybody.” I raised my voice, demanding everyone’s attention. “Thank you all for doing this, first and foremost. I know it’s not easy, and I’m aware that some of you have close friends and loved ones among the affected fae. But we need to do this.”

  Ibrahim nodded. “We’re all on board, Derek, you know that.”

  “Thank you, Ibrahim, for helping us with the selection process, as well,” I replied, smiling. “The fewer people who know about what we’re doing, the better. We cleared visitors out of the Calliope sanctuary, and only a handful of agents know we’re going there. While The Shade is safe, for now, the same cannot be said about Calliope.”

  “Mind if I ask why we are going to the sanctuary?” Kafei asked. She reminded me of Acantha, sharing some of her Bajang features—the fierce look in her amber eyes, which had yet to gain their white form, the rich golden mane,
and her tall, athletic figure. She’d aced all her GASP training before joining Lumi as an apprentice, and I knew we could rely on her strength in combat, not just her developing swamp witch skills. I’d never seen her in feline form, but if she was anywhere near as fierce as her sister, I knew she’d be a fearsome sight to behold.

  “There’s a slight chance we won’t make it back,” Claudia replied bluntly. She didn’t sound too happy, but she was still ready to do this. “We have to take that into account. So, if we’re to go out there, some of us will want to bid our loved ones farewell. All the prep work for this mission has left us all with little to no personal time. If we don’t do it now, we may not get another chance. You know, worst-case scenario and whatnot.”

  “In Sofia’s and my case, some of our dearest are kept in crystal casings in the Calliope sanctuary,” I said. “We’d like to see our son, granddaughter, and great-granddaughters one last time.”

  “Just in case!” Mona reminded me. “Just in case, Derek. Do not make it a soppy farewell, I beg of you.”

  “I concur. The one thing I can’t stand is you in tears,” Claudia grumbled, crossing her arms. “It’s bad enough I saw Lucas cry once. I can never unsee that…”

  I stifled a chuckle. “Don’t worry, none of us are going in with the prospect of failure. On the contrary. We are all determined to give it our best.”

  “But, like Mona said. Just in case,” Sofia added, and pointed at the backpacks and weapons. “Everyone, grab your supplies and armaments, please. Our take-off point is on Luceria’s platform, after our brief stop in the sanctuary.”

  We were all equipped with what we’d dubbed “the classic field outfits,” one-piece leather suits with thermal padding and carbon fiber protections, a plethora of useful zippers and belt pouches, sword and knife straps, head and face covers, goggles, and gloves. We carried the GASP logo on our chests, beautifully engraved in a combination of gold and stainless steel, and our hearts were filled with equal amounts of hope and dread.