Darklight 5: Darktide

by Forrest, Bella

  She glanced at the pilot, who shook his head. “Looks like the hill is too unstable. Where’s the rest of your crew? We sent agents down. You can never be too careful when we’re so close to a civilian area.”

  “I have two with me,” I said, deciding against mentioning Gate Maker in his snake form right now. “One of them is sort of a giant.”

  Bhandari raised one manicured brow but said nothing. Her eyes swept the ground as the chopper rose up to hover at the peak. I craned my neck to see three Bureau soldiers walking with Dorian and Inkarri, the latter snarling at them in a half daze as she staggered. Behind them followed a figure who looked vaguely familiar.

  Dorian jumped into the helicopter with ease. His face relaxed a fraction on board an ally vehicle. Gate Maker, wrapped around Dorian’s arm, watched the Bureau soldiers with wary lavender eyes. Bhandari stared at the snake, her eyes going wider when she saw Inkarri currently being restrained by two soldiers. She could walk, but not well.

  “She’s fighting,” a burly man complained. “This is a rescue.”

  Dorian glared at Inkarri. “You were going to cooperate,” he reminded her, with a low thrum of warning.

  She ripped her restrained hands away from the burly soldier with a withering scowl. “I can walk myself,” she growled. Her insistence was undercut somewhat by the fact that she was shaking with the strain to remain upright.

  It was such a shockingly deep sound that it startled the soldiers. Her blue skin and blue-green hair looked even stranger with humans surrounding her. The chopper’s ceiling was so low she had to stoop to enter. As the rest of the soldiers climbed in, I watched her drop to the floor, barely resisting as she was restrained in several sets of cuffs, and I saw her eyelids sag. The Mortal Plane was definitely affecting her system; she was fighting to stay conscious. Dorian stood beside me, and Gate Maker extended into the air, determined to transfer to my arm.

  Yep, he definitely has his favorites.

  Bhandari barked at the burly soldier to shut the door. It slammed shut, and someone cleared their throat just behind us. Gate Maker slipped into one of my pockets and promptly went to sleep, or at least pretended to.

  “Miss Sloane, Mr. Clave, it’s good to see you again,” Captain Ruiz from the California office said. She’d been the last figure to climb into the chopper. Her sharp black bob was tucked beneath a Bureau uniform helmet. “I got the message about your distress beacon at HQ and insisted on being here to personally greet you. Welcome back to the mortal plane.”

  Mortal danger trumped politeness. She needed to know everything.

  “Captain Ruiz, we’re all in grave danger,” I said. She lifted her eyebrows a fraction at the statement but allowed me to speak. My heart raced as I remembered the conversation I overheard from Sempre’s meeting. “Our allies in Moab need to be on high alert for mind-controlled vampires, monsters—anything. Like, now. Have there been reports of vampire attacks in Scotland? We need to call VAMPS camp.”

  Ruiz’s eyes sharpened. “So, it’s worse than I thought,” she said gravely. “I haven’t heard anything from Moab yet, but since last night the Bureau has been receiving reports of increased paranormal activity. It’s not just southwest near the tear, but across most of the United States. All night we’ve been deploying people to the locations. We show up, only to find that the signatures detected by the scanners are gone.”

  “Could it be a malfunction?” Dorian asked. “How fast do your scanners run?” Ruiz raised a questioning eyebrow and glanced at me. I shrugged. Although the Bureau had top-notch technology, it was hard for vampires to gauge the extent of our human tools.

  “Fast,” Ruiz said pointedly. “The presences moved so quickly, some of them were like a flash of light across our scanners. It’s… discomforting, to say the least.”

  Inkarri exhaled triumphantly despite the feverish sweat starting to drip down her face. I tossed her a sour look. Not now.

  Dorian dragged a hand across his face and turned away from her, lowering his voice. “That’ll be the revenants. The Immortal Plane has sent vampires under mind control. They’re currently overdosed on darkness.”

  A stitch of worry settled in between Ruiz’s brows. “Darkness?” Captain Ruiz was new to the board after the Bureau’s official government makeover.

  I quietly explained to her the essentials and added, “They were planning a big attack on the Mortal Plane, but it doesn’t sound like it’s happened yet. The rulers made it sound like it would be devastating. You’re sure that there was no big attack, either in Moab or Scotland?”

  Ruiz shook her head and said, “Not a word.” She turned to Bhandari who was frowning with concern. “Call ahead to HQ, Sergeant. Have them double their search for concentrations of supernatural presences if they have the resources.”

  The sergeant nodded and tapped her headset, stepping away to contact the Los Angeles office. Ruiz turned back to us. “We should get an answer soon enough. I’ll admit that I’ve been preoccupied, so I haven’t kept tabs on Moab after so many supernatural reports in California.”

  A knot formed in my stomach. The lack of a significant attack could be good news, but my dread grew. What if we were only at the beginning of the dark wave? My gaze switched to Inkarri. She glared in a half daze, breathing harder than usual. The human world was definitely affecting her.

  “I’m going to make some calls,” Ruiz said. She popped on a headset to dampen the helicopter noise and handed me two other pairs, along with a black brick phone. “Feel free to do the same. This is a satellite phone. It’s authorized for international calls, too.”

  I grabbed the headsets and passed one to Dorian, the movement jostling my ribs. Ruiz caught the grunt of pain.

  “We brought medics. I want them to check you over,” she said, in a voice not meant to be questioned. “Your news takes priority, of course. I expect a full briefing on all of this.” She glanced at Inkarri.

  “Los Angeles HQ isn’t far away,” Bhandari shouted from the cockpit. “I’m radioing ahead to make sure they’re ready for us.”

  A wiry soldier approached me, a telltale medical kit in hand. “Ribs,” he said laconically. “Where else?”

  Medics are tricky beasts. They always watch soldiers to make sure they’re not playing tough, and I’d been caught.

  “I burned my hand,” I said.

  The lanky guy sat beside me. “I can tell you’re dehydrated from twenty yards away.” He dropped his gaze to my torso. “You need an X-ray, judging from the way you move. We’ll have our main doctor fix you up better when we get back.”

  Under Ruiz’s watchful eye, I let the medic spike and prime the IV bag without making a fuss. The phone felt warm and powerful in my hands. Zach was only a phone call away… I hoped. I plugged the headset’s cellphone interface into my phone and dialed his number, bouncing my knee nervously. His was the only one whose number I knew by heart, besides our home number.

  “I need to check that gash,” another medic said warily to Dorian.

  His nostrils flared as he shot her a disbelieving glance. "I'm fine. I’m a vampire," he muttered to the poor woman, who nevertheless forged ahead when Ruiz glanced over. Nothing would escape her watch. She was an excellent choice for the board.

  The phone rang four times. I inhaled sharply, flooding with anticipation. Come on, come on… I pressed the headset to my ear as it rang a fifth time.

  He finally picked up. “Hello?” His voice echoed blissfully in my head, though it sounded weary.

  “Hi, Zach,” I said.

  He gasped and yelled, “Lyra?!”

  He was so loud I nearly ripped my headset off, but the roar of the helicopter’s blades would have been just as bad.

  “It’s me,” I confirmed. I grinned as Zach sputtered excitedly and called for someone in the background.

  “Bravi! For the love of God, someone grab Bravi. It’s Lyra and Dorian.” He pulled the phone close again. “Wait, Dorian’s there too, right?”

  “Yes,” I sai
d, but my smile waned. There was so much I needed to tell him. In my head, I did the math and realized it must be early evening in Scotland, as it was midmorning here in California.

  “Tell me everything,” he said hurriedly. “It’s so good to hear your voice.”

  The medic muttered an apology before he stuck me with an IV needle. I barely felt the prick because I was so wrapped up in Zach’s voice. There was a time I thought I’d never hear it again. “First, can you tell me how long we’ve been gone?”

  “Nearly three weeks,” Zach fired back. “After the second week, I started to worry you guys were dead.” He let out a shaky breath.

  “Not yet.” I grinned, but my eyes watered. He must have been tormenting himself. “But I need to warn you about the revenants, these dark vampires. They’re coming to—”

  Zach cut me off. “I know what you mean, but the term revenant is new to me. Dark vampires attacked our compound last night. One of them spoke in a weird voice, unlike anything we’ve heard from regular vampires. It was like someone was speaking through her. They taunted us, saying that you were never going to come back. He said you guys were dying in the Immortals’ prison. It shook everyone.” His voice wavered as he spoke. I imagined what that would have been like for him. It must have destroyed our friends and allies.

  “I’m alive, and so is Dorian. We escaped their stupid prison,” I said. The medic began to clean my blistered hand. I kept down a pained growl, and despite the sting, my body relaxed a little for the first time since stepping back into the Mortal Plane. The VAMPS compound was intact and relatively safe. Revenant vampires might be lurking about, but they hadn’t destroyed everything.

  There was a sudden scuffle, and Bravi’s voice rang through the line in an ear-shattering cry. “Dorian?”

  I’d dealt with these phones before, so I quickly keyed in Dorian’s headset number. The medic finished dressing my hand as Dorian connected to the call.

  “Hello?” Dorian asked, awkwardly tipping the small microphone to his mouth. Human technology was a rare strength among the vampires, except for our geeky Sike. He was still at the Hive along with Arlonne and Bryce.

  “Dorian,” Bravi breathed, and then a string of curses stabbed along the long-distance connection. Finally, she sighed, and it sounded like the first easy breath she’d taken since we left. “Are you okay?” Bravi’s voice sounded oddly distorted.

  Dorian grinned. “I’m talking, aren’t I? I’m not seriously injured, although the medic might disagree.”

  “Bravi… you’re holding it upside down,” Zach whispered with a laugh.

  Bravi growled, and the phone crackled as she flipped it. “Why don’t they label it, then? Listen, Dorian. I’m glad you’re both okay, but we’ve had some developments.” She inhaled sharply. “There was a surprise attack this morning from vampires, all of them rabid with darkness. Between the armed humans and the vampires, we managed to turn them back." Her voice lacked the tone of victory I expected from those words.

  There was an awkward pause, and I felt the beginnings of a headache gather behind my eyes. I could practically see Bravi pulling the phone away to give Zach an expectant look.

  "But?" Dorian asked evenly. I braced myself.

  Zach cleared his throat. "It was a distraction. Those revenants, as you call them, had others with them. They broke into the ammo shed." My heart sank. The board members we’d captured were held in that shed. "They rescued Alan and the others. We were too busy defending the front gate to stop them. We… we lost two of our own but managed to take down a lot of them. Morale isn't great, but the compound isn't destroyed."

  I processed the information, anger settling in my chest at the thought of the board members free in the world.

  "How many revenants were there?" I asked.

  "Twelve, give or take. That’s all Bravi managed to count, but there might have been more," Zach said. "It was a shock when they came in at first. The ones in the front were just… animals, Lyra. They were totally deranged. They attacked anything that moved, sometimes hurting themselves in the process. It was madness."

  "Did you capture any?" Dorian asked, his voice grave. Our eyes met. It was unlikely, but still something to hope for.

  "No. Bravi’s group managed to kill a few, and the guns certainly helped. Not all the revenants fought wildly, though. The first wave was obviously meant to distract us, but the second line was far more cunning. I'm talking heightened speed, strength, you name it, along with strategic fighting. They were terrifying."

  My tired brain moved sluggishly. It seemed likely that the attack on the VAMPS camp was the main aim of Sempre’s trial run with the revenants, which should have brought me more relief—except that Alan and his sociopathic allies had escaped, and we’d lost two people. That was two deaths too many for me.

  At that moment, the medic tapped my arm. “Hand,” he said.

  I looked down to see that I was gripping the armrest tight enough for a red stain to form on my new bandages from my raw palm. I relaxed my grip, forcing myself to calm.

  The Scottish camp was okay, for the most part. Dorian and I could take some time to discuss our next move. I took a deep breath, trying to recall what I’d heard of Sempre’s plans in the sanitarium. He’d said that the attack on Scotland had already begun, but what if this was just the beginning? With a jolt, I realized that neither Zach nor Bravi had mentioned Laini or Kreya yet.

  “Laini and Kreya were headed to the compound,” I said. “Did they make it?”

  “Kreya’s alive?” Bravi said softly.

  “She was when we last saw her,” Dorian said. “But she had severe injuries.”

  Zach paused. “We haven’t seen them, but we’re on high alert after the attack. We’ll let you know if they stumble in.”

  Gate Maker rustled slightly in his sleep in my pocket. Thanks to him, we had made it back much quicker than I ever expected, but Laini had had a significant head start on us. So, where was she?

  Dorian’s gaze met mine. If the others hadn’t been around, he might have reached out to place a reassuring hand on mine. His look was meant to remind me that Laini was capable and would no doubt turn up soon. Even riding an ash wraith, her route had likely been more complex than ours. She’d had to find a functioning stone circle, and who knew how long that would take.

  “Are you the only ones who made it back?” Bravi asked bluntly.

  I paused and glanced at Dorian. Perhaps that was a conversation best to have in person.

  “Just us and an… unexpected prisoner,” I said, quickly adding, “No one is dead as far as we know, but we had to separate in the Immortal Plane. Dorian and I can’t guarantee when, or even if, the others will return.”

  Bravi’s breath caught in her throat, but Ruiz’s voice abruptly cut into the line.

  “I’ve got news, and I need your attention.” She glanced back at us from her spot near Bhandari.

  My heart rate picked up as I nodded, clutching the phone tightly. “Guys, we have to go. I’ll tell you everything when I see you in person.”

  “Okay,” Bravi muttered, worry in her voice.

  “Call when you can.” Zach dropped to a near whisper. “We’ll come to you as soon as we sort things out here. Be safe.”

  My heart squeezed painfully. There was nothing more I wanted to do than run to them, but duty called.

  I hung up the phone. Dorian leaned forward in his seat, his elbows resting on his knees as he stared at Ruiz.

  Her face was tense. “It’s been hours since Runyard or Clemmins checked in at Moab, and we can’t reach them. We suspect that communications have been cut. We might have lost them.”

  Chapter Three

  Blissful white sheets and a fluffy comforter cocooned me. I sighed as I gave up on another attempt to fall asleep. My brain simply refused to allow it.

  The news from Moab kept me up. I pressed my hands over my eyes and sighed. While we were still on our way back to LA HQ, the Bureau had sent an emergency team from Flags
taff to investigate the area around the tear and came back with devastating news. Moab had been virtually obliterated. Phone and power lines were down, gas stations had exploded into heaps of smoldering rubble, and wounded soldiers were scattered everywhere. Ruiz listened intently as her agents relayed accounts of a wave of creatures coming through the tear. From the descriptions, both Dorian and I were able to identify the creatures as soul-scourgers and revenants. My stomach soured with grief. We had fought so hard to protect the city from the all-encompassing empty swarm, only for it to fall to another attack.

  After three briefings in total, the last dregs of energy had drained from my body completely… but my mind marched on. We’d been gone seventeen days, Ruiz and her team informed us. It was a long time to go without any communication. They were eager for news, and despite our exhaustion, Dorian and I had obliged, knowing how crucial the intel we carried was.

  I closed my eyes for a moment and took a deep breath as a painful tremor passed through me. The pain from my ribs would be a hindrance for at least a month, according to the doctor who’d looked me over in the LA HQ medical bay. She’d examined me before the briefing, and it was thanks to her that I’d managed to stay conscious and upright for the next few hours. Or at least, it was the painkillers, electrolytes, and pillows that kept me upright. The first two briefings allowed Dorian and me to pass on the information we’d gathered in the Immortal Plane. The final briefing was a somber one, focusing on news from Moab.

  An exhausted soldier gave testimony via a barely functional satellite phone to all those included in the briefing. “It wasn’t just a brutal strike by mindless creatures,” his crackling voice said over the line to the tense room. “The internal and long-distance comms, as well as the power, went down several minutes before the attack started. This was coordinated by someone familiar with our technology.”

  Ruiz frowned intensely as she listened to the soldier’s statement. That detail suggested that the fugitive board members we’d never been able to track down had been a part of this attack. The wave of darkness was real, and my home plane was unready to face this surreal reality. Our intel was too little, too late. Moab was lost, along with the lives of too many innocent people. Revenants ran loose in the world, and now it seemed very likely that they had a human support system to help them spread chaos and terror.