A Shade of Vampire 77: A Fate of Time

by Forrest, Bella

  “That’s good,” I replied. “Your telepathic connection clearly comes in handy.”

  “Where’s Brendel?” the Soul Crusher interjected, glancing at Kabbah.

  "She's headed for Mortis," Kabbah said. I'd yet to get used to thinking of him as Kabbah, Nevertide's ancient Earth Hermessi, since he was still wearing Fallon. "I can sense her. She'll be here within the hour."

  "What did GASP advise us to do?" Riza asked, staying close to Herakles.

  We were all still recovering from the dream world in which Phantom had plunged us for the Phyla challenge. There were snippets of that life woven into reality, and there were moments where I was tempted to believe that Eira and I were a pair, that Eva and Varga were engaged… Phantom had certainly done a number on us.

  But reality was much worse. In hindsight, I would've been inclined to stay in the dream world. It would've been better than out here, despite its intricate weirdness. My instinct never would've allowed it, though. The call of my people was too strong. Our desire for survival too powerful, impossible to ignore, regardless of how enticing Phantom's dream might've seemed.

  "Derek said we must figure out a way to find Death," Amelia replied. "I'll be honest, he gave me a sense of defeat. He's having a hard time moving forward, and so is Sofia. I don't even know how the others are feeling, but I’d guess they're in the same ballpark. They're relying on us, Tae."

  "Figure out a way to find Death," I said, repeating after her. "How does he expect us to do that?"

  "The same way you've managed until now," Soul cut in, glowering at me as if I'd disappointed him somehow. "Your girlfriend is right. It's not over yet."

  "She's not my…" I stopped, my voice trailing off. If there was one thing that had fueled me until now, it had been the prospect of a future where I could get to know Eira better. Maybe we could even make the better parts of our shared dream come true. I gave her a sideways glance and found her smiling at me, filling me with the kind of warmth I'd been yearning for. It was her quiet way of encouraging me. After all, Eira was still here, by my side, with the rest of the team, ready to do whatever it took to get Thieron back to Death. "Okay. Cool. Figure out a way to find Death. Okay. Any ideas? Reapers go first, since she's your mommy."

  The four Reapers looked at one another, but none came forward. I had a feeling I was barking up the wrong tree on this one. Behind me, the palace doors felt cold and unwelcoming.

  "We can’t peek inside," I said, shifting my focus to Varga. "Right?"

  He frowned. "Still blocked, much like the first time we were here."

  "We should still go in," Amelia said. "Maybe she left some clues in there? I don't know."

  "I agree," Seeley replied.

  Phantom nodded. "This is unlike Death. We should investigate."

  "Fine. We'll investigate. We've only got minutes on the clock, but heck, we made it this far, right?" I blurted, then looked at Kabbah. "I trust you'll let us know if you feel Brendel getting closer."

  "She's on her way, bucko. That hasn't changed," he replied.

  "We'll need a place to go," Eva suggested. "We obviously can't stay on Mortis."

  "True, but let's see what's inside first," I said. "If Amelia is right, and we find something that'll lead us to Death, at least we'll have a destination."

  "Allow us," Widow replied, motioning for me to get out of the way.

  Joined by Soul and Phantom, he took my place in front of the double doors. They took out their scythes and scratched a series of symbols in a circular pattern, whispering in unison. When they were done, they stepped back and clinked the blades together. The brief contact released a flash of light, which coincided with a small, controlled explosion between the doors, smack in the middle of the circle.

  The doors swung back, revealing the long, seemingly endless hallway with paper walls and screen doors on the sides. It was dark, for the most part, with small flames still flickering in the wall-mounted lamps.

  A chill ran down my spine as we went inside. "Hello?" I called out.

  My voice echoed through the building, but no answer came.

  We advanced through the hallway, glancing left and right occasionally. The rooms were all empty. The souls that had once resided here were long gone. "Remember the four Hermessi guarding her throne room?" Eira asked me, and I nodded in response. "I think they're coming…"

  "They most certainly are," Kabbah said from behind. "I will stand guard outside and hold them back. Devil's Weed won't help you here. They all know you're looking for Death, and this is your first stop."

  Glancing over my shoulder, I watched him head back, and I prayed we'd be done with this place before the Hermessi of Mortis got here.

  "I wonder if they're still serving Death," Eira said. "They leaked our movements to Brendel the first time around."

  "Exactly," Lumi replied. "So put no faith in them. They serve the ritual and nothing else."

  "I’m still creeped out by the fact that she had spirits in these rooms," I said as we kept moving. "Purely for company."

  Seeley sighed. "She gets lonely. In her defense, I can see why she'd keep souls of the living around. You're all fascinating creatures."

  "You were alive, too, a long time ago," Varga retorted.

  "I sometimes forget," Seeley replied. "It was more than a thousand years ago."

  "There's the throne room," I said, pointing ahead.

  It didn't feel like it had before. The weight of her presence was gone. The silence was understandably creepy, but I didn't experience the curious dread I'd first faced upon walking down this hallway.

  "Not too shabby, if you ask me," Soul said. "Then again, she had plenty of time to spruce this place up after she lost Thieron."

  "She didn't lose it. It was stolen from her," Phantom corrected him.

  "Speaking of, I still can't wrap my head around how that happened, in the first place," Eva said, cautiously looking around as we reached the throne room doors.

  "I only know what she told me," I replied. "After she stopped the previous ritual, she was weakened, tired. Brendel stayed close enough so as not to get burned by the pulse, then swooped in and snatched Thieron. Death didn't have the strength to go after her."

  Soul chuckled. "Brendel was never an idiot. A fanatic, maybe, sure. But she always had the smarts it took to eventually pull off this insane ritual. Believe in something for long enough, and you'll make anything happen."

  He glanced at me as he spoke, and I caught the hidden meaning of his words. He'd felt me losing faith in this endeavor, and he was ready to stop me from making a full descent into madness and despair. For that, I would be forever thankful. I gave him a faint nod, just for him to notice.

  The throne room doors were open, we realized, as Soul, Widow, and Phantom pulled them to the side.

  "Oh, dear," Raphael muttered.

  We froze in the doorframe, gawking at the silent horror lying before our very eyes. The throne room's painted paper walls were torn down, and darkness reigned beyond. The wind howled through, fluttering across the dead Reapers that had been left behind.

  "Holy crap!" Amelia croaked, pointing at three familiar figures. "Theoth, Wrik, and Baethal! The snarky triplets!"

  They were all dead, just desiccated corpses whose more familiar features we could all still recognize. Their scythes were on the ground, shimmering in the faint light coming down from above. Looking up, I could see the flames dwindling in the chandeliers. Soon, this entire place would be swallowed in the same kind of darkness that surrounded the torn walls.

  "Their throats were slit," Seeley said as he did a brief survey of the room.

  There were dozens of Reapers here, with black-and-white uniforms of different styles, but Baethal, Wrik, and Theoth were still easy to identify. They were closest to the throne, on their backs. Their eye sockets were empty, as if the galaxies that had twinkled in them had vanished upon their assassination.

  "Only Death or one of the First Ten can kill Reapers like this," Phantom sai
d. There was genuine concern in her voice, and that worried me the most. This scene worried her as much as it did us. "It's called True Death."

  Indeed, this was eerily different from the last Reaper death I'd seen. When Seeley had killed Yamani, he'd turned to ashes in an instant. "How does this happen?"

  "It's a cruel way to kill a Reaper," Phantom replied. "The soul is bound to the Reaper's form, forever stuck, unable to move on, unable to do anything. The form itself withers, as you can very well see. It's like staring into eternity as it flows past you, and you… you can't escape."

  "The irony being that it's called True Death, when, in fact, it's infinitely worse than a usual Reaper death," Seeley mumbled, his brows furrowed as he stood next to the throne.

  "Why would anyone do this?" I asked, my blood running cold. "How evil would you have to be to do this to these Reapers?"

  "Whoever is responsible, they wanted them to suffer," Widow said. "This is the one fate I hope I never encounter."

  "You said only Death or one of the First Ten can do this," Amelia replied. "Do you think she's responsible? That she killed them all and fled?"

  Soul gasped. "Why would she do that, when Thieron was so close to coming back to her?! No, it doesn't make sense!"

  "Then one of you did it," Raphael said. "Well, not one of you three, here. One of the other seven First Tenners?"

  Soul, Widow, and Phantom stared at each other for a while. They probably had a hard time even imagining the culprit as one of their own. But Seeley didn't seem all that surprised. "What's your theory on this?" I asked him.

  He whispered into his blade and pointed it at the throne. The scythe lit up white, as if reacting to something—my guess was Death's trace. "She was here until not that long ago," he said, looking at the three First Tenners. "The slivers of energy she left behind are fading. I'd say she's been gone for a day or so, tops."

  Soul walked over to the throne and whispered into his scythe, repeating Seeley's motions around the regal seat. His blade hummed and shone white, as well, prompting him to nod in agreement. "One of our brothers or sisters was here, as well."

  Phantom and Widow joined in their own study of the throne, using similar spells, while the rest of us stilled, watching in silence as the Reapers investigated this otherworldly crime scene.

  "Do you know which of your siblings was here?" Lumi asked.

  They all shook their heads. Seeley moved away from the others, holstering his weapon. "I know Kelara was investigating the First Ten."

  "Ah, right. The sharp one." Soul chuckled.

  "You knew about this and you didn't tell us?!" I replied, suddenly blindsided. I remembered Kelara as the Reaper representative in the Calliope sanctuary, but that was pretty much all I knew about her. That she was investigating anything regarding the First Ten was new information—at least to me.

  "There was no point in telling you anything until Kelara came back with something concrete. Which she has yet to do," Seeley said, his tone firm, as if I'd offended him.

  "Has she said anything since we last spoke?" Soul asked him.

  Phantom seemed as confused as the rest of us. "What is this about?"

  "While we were outside the glass bell, waiting for you to release Phyla, Kelara got in touch," Seeley explained. "She was following a lead, persistent in her theory that a First Tenner had been helping Brendel. Chances are, if she's right—which, by the way, I think she is—then that First Tenner has been supporting Brendel's ritual mission for a long time. Likely since before she stole Thieron."

  "It makes sense, if you think about it," Widow said to Phantom. "How else would Brendel have known when to strike?"

  Phantom nodded slowly, looking at Seeley. "Any word from this Kelara?"

  "Not yet," he replied. "I tried reaching out to her the moment we got here, but she hasn't responded."

  Amelia sucked in a breath. "So, it's no longer a theory, huh? I mean, we've all sort of thought about this since we got Zetos. That someone super powerful must've helped Brendel. We just didn't know Kelara was also on this."

  "You couldn't have. You were busy between the silken sheets of Phantom's dream," Soul shot back, grinning ear to ear. “Phantom told us all about it. We have a telepathic connection, remember?” It was enough to make me shudder.

  The skies boomed outside, bringing the entire conversation to a sudden halt. We all glanced at the doorway. My pulse started its race through my body, setting me up for an adrenaline rush. My survival instincts were kicking in, demanding that I leave the premises immediately.

  "I think they're coming," Nethissis spoke, nervously glancing around.

  Footsteps down the hallway made me stiffen, until a figure hurriedly emerged from the semi-darkness. The wall sconces had begun to die out along the way. It was Kabbah.

  "I figured I'd be better off if you just teleport us all out of here," he said to me. "The four Mortis Hermessi are circling the palace. I doubt it will still stand after they're done with it. They didn't look friendly."

  "Of course they're not friendly. They're serving that maniac," Herakles replied dryly.

  It was time to go. Teleporting everyone to the pink water cave wasn't going to be a problem. However, as the ground beneath us began to vigorously shake, I found myself annoyed by the fact that we had yet to establish our next destination.

  We could jump into the pink water, sure… but where would we go?

  Amelia

  Taeral zapped us across the bamboo forests and straight inside the pink water cave through which we'd first come to Mortis. That particular episode seemed so long ago…

  We stood around the pink water hole for a good minute, none of us speaking. Herakles and Riza proceeded to gather all the Devil's Weed they could find from the edges. It would keep us safe only for limited periods of time, since Brendel and the Hermessi were bound to figure out we'd come here after checking the palace.

  "Do you think she had a hand in it?" I asked Taeral.

  He seemed confused. "Who?"

  "Brendel. Death's disappearance. Doesn't it seem a little too convenient for that flaming bitch?" I replied.

  Soul smiled. "I had a good reason to call you the brightest among your peers."

  "Go suck on a rock," I replied. "I've yet to forgive you for breaking my friggin' legs."

  "That aside," Raphael chuckled, "you're on to something." I shot him a cold glare. He'd already forgotten how awful he'd felt, how desperate he'd been to get me out of that puzzle hole. In an instant, however, he remembered, giving me an apologetic smile. "But you're right. Soul is still the prime a-hole of the century."

  "Thanks. Now, when you're done blaming me for your own choices in my puzzle, might I suggest a few locations for us to visit?" Soul said.

  "Oh, good! Because I was wondering whether we'd die here of old age," Riza retorted, stuffing Devil's Weed in her backpack.

  "My brother, despite his abrasiveness, has a point. Death has visited many places over the eons. Mortis is not her only favorite spot in this big universe," Phantom said. "If she left Mortis of her own accord, we might find traces of her in those worlds. She's a creature of habit, in her strange ways."

  "It'll at least buy us some time," Seeley added. "At least until we formulate a more coherent plan."

  “It doesn’t make sense, though,” I said. “Surely if Death switched places she’d have mentioned it to you, at least? You know, since she’s expecting Thieron back?”

  I got a faint nod from Seeley before the entire planet began to hum, the cave walls vibrating around us. Kabbah shook his head, looking up at the small patch of night sky we could still see from below. "I think Brendel is already here. I can't say I blame her. I'd be in a rush, too, if the plan I'd been working on for millions of years was at risk."

  "Let's go to Strava," Phantom suggested. "Death used to love hanging out there, long before the Draenir even evolved."

  I couldn't help but smile. "You're joking, right? It's where we awakened the Hermessi in the first pla
ce."

  "I am well aware. But none of the elementals will expect us to go there. Right now, they won't know where we're headed, because we don't have a plan," Phantom said. “And I would like to figure out what happened to my maker, since I have a feeling you’re right in your assessment regarding her departure.”

  As much as I hated to admit it, she was right. It was the one silver lining to our general aimlessness. It made us unpredictable, even to Brendel. Looking at Taeral, I felt sorry for him. I could only imagine how he was feeling, after everything we'd been through. He'd worked so hard to get Phyla and to save his father. He'd made the right decision in the end by coming here, though we all would've supported him had he chosen to go help Sherus first. I couldn't let him despair, and staying in one place for too long while we had Thieron and no Death to hand it to was exactly what would make Taeral break down.

  "Phantom is right," he said, his voice low. "Let's go to Strava while there is still time. We'll regroup there."

  "Lead the way," Varga replied with a faint smile.

  We took out our breathing devices, readying ourselves for a deep swim. The last time we'd gone through these waters, we'd had trouble. I could only hope that whatever came next would not be as awful as what we'd dealt with before now.

  Raphael took my hand in his, staring me down with his intense blue and green eyes. "No matter what happens, we're together. Got that?"

  My cheeks burned, the memory of our dreamy lovemaking still tampering with my senses. How could I not love this creature, when he could still find the strength to encourage me, despite the hot mess we'd gotten ourselves in?

  "We're together," I whispered.

  "And don't you forget that," he replied, and kissed me briefly, his lips tickling mine and sending billions of electric jolts through my body. What we'd experienced in the dream had felt remarkably real, but I was still dying to make it to the real thing—and that involved surviving this ritual. I didn't lack motivation, that much was obvious.

  I put on my breathing device, giving the Reapers one last glance. "I take it we'll see you on the other side? I mean, you guys can bounce between worlds like it's a literal walk in the park."