Seeley looked at me. “Have you seen him?”
“Mm-hm. He’s in a bad mood, for sure, cussing and shoving his underlings,” I said, taking a hint of pleasure in knowing Zoltan had a ton of trouble because of our GASP people. It felt like a tiny serving of revenge, and I enjoyed every inch of it.
I paused for a moment, then went on. “You know, something has been irking me. Why can’t they see me? I mean, every single Aeternae with a scythe in this place should be able to see me. Everything has been happening so fast, going wrong in so many ways, I’ve not even had a chance to think about this.”
He frowned, his gaze wandering around the place. “That’s a good question. But I’m afraid I don’t have an answer.”
“Back on Mortis, we could all see souls whenever we held Yamani’s scythe,” I reminded him.
Seeley nodded. “Yes, and that would be a normal occurrence. And yet here—”
“They can’t see me.”
“I’m certain they can wield death magic and reveal you if they get a sense of your presence, but for the time being, let’s just be thankful they can’t. We’ll figure out the ‘why’ part later,” he replied.
A good few minutes passed in silence, as we both analyzed our surroundings. Every detail counted in captivity.
“It’s a lot better here than in those dungeons, though,” Seeley murmured finally. “At least it’s warm and dry, compared to our previous accommodation.”
“And much brighter,” I replied, sitting next to him, wishing I could feel the cold stone against my back. I brought my knees up to my chest, wrapping my arms around my legs and allowing my long hair to fall around me like a curtain, covering plenty. I let a deep breath loose. “It’s still a mess. You’re not free.”
“We’ll get there,” Seeley said, his eyes searching my face. “You brought us this far, Nethissis. I have faith in you.”
“I just don’t want what happened to Rudolph and the other Reapers to happen to you,” I said, the mere thought making me quiver as though I’d been dropped in a barrel of ice water.
Zoltan had been capturing Reapers for a very long time, somehow forcing them to eat souls and become ghouls, whom he then trained into his service. He’d put together about five or six hundred of them, held in different cells, each with a rune iron collar to keep them in check. His black guards were all Darklings, his servants and members of a murderous faction that had its grubby fingers in many pies across the empire.
I had yet to figure out the details of their operations, but I’d learned that the empire was on to them, mainly because of Tristan and Esme’s investigative efforts, which had resulted in one hell of a showdown back in the palace basement. I’d heard the guards mention Kalon and Trev being present, too, and the Darklings’ determination to hunt the latter down, but I knew I’d have to spend more time around the black guards to get a fuller picture. Since they couldn’t see me, for whatever the reason, I figured I could use this advantage for as long as I had it.
Seeley and I didn’t know how Zoltan had come upon death magic. But it was the basis of his power, the core around which the Darklings had been built. A thought had persistently gnawed its way through my brain since I’d first learned about his scythe.
“Seeley, I don’t think Zoltan was the first to wield Reaper magic,” I said after a while. “He must’ve inherited this entire operation from his predecessors. The Darklings and the Reaper abductions have been going on for a very long time. I heard one black guard saying they’d been at this for at least three million years, or more.”
Seeley nodded slowly, gazing at the soldiers as they carried chains over to the area where the ghouls had been settled. “I see. It makes sense, since Zoltan is definitely not three million years old. The Darklings are an ancient faction, that much we’re both able to gather. Naturally, the leadership positions would be passed down to the new guard, especially since this planet is plagued by the Black Fever every ten thousand years. The old guard dies out one way or another, and the young ones step in.”
“But still. How did the Darklings find and wield Reaper magic to begin with?”
Neither of us had the answer, but the question still needed to be voiced, if only to remind us of the peril we were both facing—not to mention the rest of my crew and every other innocent creature on Visio.
“I’ll eavesdrop around.” I sighed. “Maybe these bastards can tell us something more.”
“What about your plan with Rudolph?” Seeley asked. “I have to get out of these chains before Zoltan shoves a soul down my throat… or whatever it is he does to turn Reapers into freaking ghouls.”
“I know. He listens to me, so we’ve got that going for us,” I said. “The plan is to make him super obedient toward Zoltan and the black guards as quickly as possible. It’s the only way we’ll get him on a leash, instead of in chains with his peers.”
“Like the elder ghouls I’ve seen Zoltan with.”
“Like the one he set on Rudolph and his team,” I added, feeling a bout of rage blistering through me. Oh, the despicable soul that wretched Aeternae had, to have done such awful things.
It wasn’t just about what Zoltan had done to me or other living creatures. It infuriated me that he and the other Darklings had gotten away with all these ghoul shenanigans for so long. Forcing Reapers to eat souls. Pushing their degraded forms into submission and using them to hurt other Reapers, other agents of Death… it was just awful. A clear disruption of the natural balance between life and death, something so important, so deeply embedded into my own philosophy as a practitioner of the Word.
There was a certain synergy in the universe. A healthy, unstoppable flow of energy that gave and took life, that nurtured and destroyed. It was the foundation of all existence, and messing with it the way the Darklings did… it was just unacceptable.
Since we’d reached Astoria, I’d come to the conclusion that my death paled in comparison to all the other atrocities that these people had committed, and someone needed to put an end to it. Seeley was the only one with enough power and strength—since Death didn’t seem to want to get more involved. I figured we might’ve seen a sign from her, had that been the case.
“I’ll be back,” I said to Seeley, and got up. He was right. It was time to get cracking on our plan. We’d had enough time to adjust to this change of scenery. I had to get him out of here before Zoltan destroyed him like he had Rudolph and the others.
I felt Seeley’s eyes on me as I walked away, something hot and ticklish swelling inside me. A sensation that I couldn’t fully understand, but a sensation I found myself enjoying, nonetheless. It was the effect of his attention on me, and I had missed it since our mission against the Hermessi. He’d stolen glances at me before, some more intense than others. There was something between us, for sure, a peculiar dynamic, and it was one of the main reasons why I didn’t want to move on into the world of the dead. It would’ve meant leaving him, leaving us behind.
Moving past the black guards and a few other civilian-looking Darklings, I made my way between the marble ruins until I reached the ghoul enclosure, now marked with pebbles arranged in the form of a massive rectangle. It was their space, enchanted with death magic, and they couldn’t leave it without a Darkling’s permission.
Most of the creatures were asleep, basking in the hazy daylight. I could see the veins and muscle fibers through their translucent skin. Some were awake, their big, beady black eyes darting around, as if taking this whole new thing in. It was a new environment for them, too, and they didn’t seem like they knew what to make of it.
Most ghouls lost their conscience upon turning, but I could swear that I could still see it sometimes—a faint glimmer as they stared at the black guards and noticed the Reaper scythes hanging from their leather belts. It all boiled down to those blades, once their tools, extensions of their beings. I had a feeling they could still remember, sometimes, if only for a second, that they used to be more than these feral monsters.
&nb
sp; Rudolph was seated on the edge of the enclosure, his gaze dark as he reached out and touched the invisible membrane surrounding them. It sent a shock through his body, much like lightning. He growled, unhappy with his conditions, but his mood quickly became chipper when he saw me.
“Shh,” I whispered, moving slowly so as not to rile up the others.
It was no use, though. One of his mates snarled and bared his ridiculously long fangs at me. Soon enough, the others joined in, too, hissing and drooling and looking at me as if I were a prime rib steak, all theirs for the taking, and yet out of their reach.
Nearby black guards looked our way, but they couldn’t see me.
“I wonder what’s got their panties in a twist,” one of them said.
The other shrugged. “Who knows? Once in a while, a soul still makes it well past death. Maybe it’s that snake witch lady,” he added with a dry chuckle.
“She’d be aching to get herself eaten. Suicide by ghoul.” The first one laughed.
“A-holes,” I muttered, shifting my focus back to Rudolph, who stayed put, unlike the other ghouls. I ignored them, keeping my eyes on my strange friend. “Hey… I promised I’d come back to check on you.”
Rudolph let a low purr escape his throat, not moving an inch as he looked up at me.
“We’re settled here for now, so it’s time to move to phase two,” I continued. “I need you to get super friendly with the guards. With Zoltan, in particular. The quicker they put you on just a collar and let you out of the enclosure, the better. We need a scythe, remember?”
He nodded once, briefly glancing over his shoulder. It prompted several ghouls to go quiet. Maybe they understood me. Maybe they were aware that I planned to stick it to their Aeternae maker. Maybe that wasn’t a bad thing at all, as far as the ghouls were concerned. They obeyed Zoltan and the Darklings, sure, but that didn’t mean they took any pleasure in it.
“Do you think you can communicate with the other ghouls? Maybe get them to cooperate a little bit? We need all the help we can get,” I said. Rudolph seemed to think about it before he offered a soft nod in return. All I could do now was to leave this with him and hope for the best.
I wondered what the process of making a ghoul entailed, considering the amount of time and persuasion one would’ve normally needed to convince a Reaper to eat a soul, in the first place. Whatever Zoltan was doing here, it was well beyond the familiar norms. He had some tricks up his sleeve.
“You know I’m not able to be around you for too long,” I said, pointing at the other, still snarling ghouls. “The ruckus they make draws too much attention our way. But I’ll come see you again later, just like before, Rudolph. Just stay focused. Get friendly. Make them rub your belly or whatever.”
He crinkled his crooked nose, exhibiting sheer disgust.
“I know. It sucks. But it’s the only way you’ll get close enough to snatch a scythe. I have faith in you, Rudolph,” I added, remembering Seeley’s words when referring to me. The Reaper believed in me, and I believed in the ghoul. What a bizarre circle of non-life we had here!
Walking back to the center of Astoria, I prayed to the Word and to the universe itself to not let this be in vain. We all deserved better—even the ghouls who’d fallen prey to the Darklings here on Visio.
I found Zoltan in a small gathering with more mature-looking Aeternae, some quite familiar. I’d seen them in the palace before, but I couldn’t remember where. Chances were they belonged to other dynasties or the royal staff. Either way, they were Darklings and deserved to die in unending agony.
“What about Valaine?” one of them asked, frowning as he eyed Zoltan. “She still needs to die, Scholar.”
“Don’t you think I know that?!” Zoltan snapped. He paced back and forth, gaze fixed on his black leather boots. “That bastard Trev Blayne. That idiot Kalon Visentis. That nosy little bitch… what’s her face? The vampire.”
“Esme, Scholar,” the Darkling replied.
“Esme, right. They’re all to blame for this. Had it not been for their persistence, Valaine would likely be dead by now. The Black Fever averted before it unraveled. Son of a…”
“Scholar, if I may,” a second Darkling interjected with a timid smile. “Are we sure it’s Valaine Crimson that we’re supposed to kill, this time around?”
My throat closed up. This was chilling, to say the least.
What the hell were these freaks planning?!
“What sort of question is that?!” Zoltan replied, scowling at the second Darkling.
“I am simply wondering, Scholar,” she murmured. “We’ve been mistaken before. We all remember Luna Visentis, I hope.”
“It’s her. It’s Valaine Crimson,” Zoltan said. “I’m sure of it, this time. The signs are there. I’ve tested her, repeatedly. It’s her.”
“So, how do we kill her now?” the first Darkling asked. “We’re all the way across the continent from her, and the whole army of Visio is looking for us.”
A third Darkling scoffed. “The master commander knows about the black-and-white thread. He’s likely combing through his troops as we speak. He’s bound to catch one of us who’s not fast or brave enough to break the capsule and die for our cause.”
“We won’t be staying in Astoria long,” Zoltan replied. “Just long enough for me to get my bearings and figure out what we’re going to do. Valaine’s situation will simply have to wait for a few more days, until we stand on firmer ground. I did not expect this disruption.”
“Our people have an order to kill her on sight,” the second Darkling said. “It might do us a favor, in the end.”
Zoltan shook his head. “I wouldn’t count on it. You’ve all seen how resilient that creature is. I’ll have to get personally involved to get the job done, and that’s not going to happen while we’re forced to hide in the shadows.”
He got up, checking the sky with a curious look in his eyes.
“Scholar, what if more Reapers come to Visio?” a fourth Darkling asked him.
“We do our jobs. As always,” Zoltan replied. “I’ve got more warding to put in place. The rest of you make sure the ghouls are secured and well fed. It’s a new habitat for them, and I’m not comfortable with letting the collared ones hunt on their own. The last thing we need is carnage in nearby villages to draw attention to us.”
The Darklings nodded and scattered away, each with a clear task to accomplish. I decided to stay close to Zoltan for a little while longer, though I kept a reasonable and safe distance. Given my spirit form, I was vulnerable to anything he might try against me if he were to realize I was there—according to Seeley’s reasonable theory. As long as he didn’t sense my presence, however, I still had a shot.
I hoped he’d let more slip about why they were trying to kill Valaine, and what that had to do with the Black Fever. Nothing that Zoltan did seemed senseless or unplanned. There was a method behind this madness.
Kelara
This was quite the conundrum we’d stumbled into.
Sure, we’d found the Morning Star, but her condition was many degrees below “desirable.” Worst of all, her mere presence here was testament to the enormous damage that the Spirit Bender had inflicted upon the universe, damage that we were barely aware of. It got me thinking… What else had Spirit done? What other nuggets of trouble and danger had he left behind?
Even beyond death, he seemed to be haunting us, messing with us, making our existence miserable, and, most notably, getting revenge against his maker.
“Gah, they are so freaking weird,” the Soul Crusher groaned, unable to take his eyes off the people Morning had taken over. She’d transformed them into a hive mind of sorts, imbuing herself into their collective consciousness, speaking and moving through them.
“I am sorry,” Morning said, the locals uttering the words for her in creepy unison.
This world was beautiful, a miraculous work of nature with peaceful creatures and a most generous sun—only, Morning had taken it to a painful extre
me, forcing the planet into permanent daylight, keeping the people awake to avoid unimaginable pain. Whatever Spirit had done to her, it had pushed Morning toward desperate measures, and the locals were dying of exhaustion and sleep deprivation.
Since we’d arrived here, five had fallen, lifeless and pale, their bodies unable to sustain them anymore.
“You’re killing them off,” I declared, anger making me feel like I could easily burst at the seams. “You’re wearing them out.”
“I try to draw this daylight energy I need from the elders,” Morning replied, the multitude of flat voices making me quiver. “I leave the young ones alone, especially the babies. In their fifteenth year, I take over. I’ve separated them for that purpose. The couples who conceive are sent away, temporarily released from my hold until the children are born. The parents come back to places like this one, where they live to serve me, and their offspring are raised far from here. It’s a shaky and faulty system, but it’s the best I can do to stop Spirit’s curse from tearing me into mindless shreds. I will spend an eternity atoning for what I’ve had to do here, if you free me.”
“What do you remember about this curse that Spirit put on you?” the Widow Maker asked.
We settled in the middle of the village, where large square rocks had been placed in a wide circle. The locals must’ve used them for gatherings, before. While I didn’t really feel physically tired, I did welcome the opportunity for a brief rest while we put our heads together and tried to figure out how we could set Morning free. Death had urged us to find a way, since she needed all the remaining First Tenners to help break the rest of the seals she’d been under.
“Not much. I’m not even sure whether it’s a curse or a seal. I often get the two confused,” Morning said.
“Death said it’s an ancient seal,” I replied.
“It probably is. I don’t know.”
“She also said we need to find your body,” I added.
“I doubt that is doable. I don’t have a body anymore,” Morning said. “It’s been like this since I lost my individual form. Everything is hazy. Little makes sense. All I can do is force myself to stay awake, because if I fall asleep again, the pain… oh, the pain… it’s like I’m forced into a cauldron filled with boiling, melted gold. It’s bright and almost mesmerizing, but the burn goes through, and… forgive me, I’m rambling again.”
A Shade of Vampire 80: A Veil of Dark Page 5
