“But there are traces of him everywhere around Astoria,” Valaine replied, staying close to me. I inhaled deeply, basking in her scent and holding on to her presence to preserve my own sanity. It had been a long couple of days, and we’d seen a lot already. I had a feeling we were barely scratching the surface of all the awful things that Zoltan and the Darklings had done. “We know he was here, and that’s crucial, because it means we’ve been on the right track this whole time.”
What scared me the most was the Darklings’ ability to use ghouls like this. We had to reconsider our approach to the entire faction. We could all get killed before we even got a chance to take them down. That said, I wasn’t ready to give up yet. There had to be a way.
A Crimson guard came over, his eyes wide with excitement. “Milords, milady… We’ve found a faint trail up the coast, on the north side of the city.”
“That’s quite sloppy,” Corbin grumbled. “I would’ve expected more from a rat like Shatal. He might be a traitor, but he’s an intelligent traitor. He’s been able to cover his tracks remarkably well.”
“Not that well,” Valaine reminded him with a sly grin. “We made it here, didn’t we?”
“Besides, they left in a rush,” I added. “Something happened with the ghouls here. They attacked the Darklings and distracted them from our caravan. I think they would’ve left sooner and cleaner, had they had an opportunity to actually look west of this place.”
The plot obviously thickened, but there was an alarming number of pieces missing from this puzzle. Corbin stared at me for a while, before shifting his focus to Valaine. “You and Tristan go ahead. Take the Crimson guards with you,” he said. “The rest of us will catch up. Just follow the trail.”
“Might I suggest something?” I asked, and Corbin gave me a slight nod. “The captured Darklings. Maybe you can get more information out of them. We know about the Darkling spots along the Green Road, but we have close to nothing on any routes leading north of Astoria.”
“Tristan is right, Father,” Valaine chimed in. “If they left a faint trail up here, it won’t go on for much longer. With all the rush and panic, they’ll take additional measures, eventually. I don’t want us to take the Crimson guards into a dead end or, worse, on the wrong track.”
Corbin glanced over his shoulder, back to the western entrance into Astoria, where we’d left the prisoners’ carriage. “You make a good point,” he admitted. “I’ll try to get something out of them while the guards check the rest of the city. Perhaps amnesty will sound more appealing to those traitors than certain death.”
Valaine and I watched him head back to the carriage, while a Crimson guard went up north across the city to gather the other soldiers in his brigade. We had enough people with us to mount quite an operation against the Darklings, even without the gold and silver guards. We didn’t lack numbers. We did, however, lack certain resources. My people had dealt with ghouls before, though. I was confident we could tackle the issue if it arose. The death magic… I wasn’t so sure, not without some help from Death and Reapers. Taeral would have to try harder with Death. There was no other choice.
“What’s on your mind?” Valaine asked as we returned to our horses.
I wet my lips. “Your father and I just agreed on something. It feels nice to have his validation.”
My joke hit the right spot. She laughed lightly and climbed onto her Vision steed. “My father might be a difficult Aeternae, but he’s not unreasonable.”
“I just have this feeling that he probably holds all your suitors to a very high standard.” I chuckled, settling in my robust mare’s leather saddle.
Valaine shot me a most charming smile, though her voice wavered a little. Enough to tell me I’d touched a soft point. “Do you consider yourself a suitor, Tristan?”
I found myself staring, nearly lost in the black depths of her eyes. The words had left my mouth without me even realizing it. “I… I suppose.” And now I’d lost them all, it seemed. “Would that upset you?”
She clicked her teeth, making her Vision move. “I can’t think of a better way to start what certainly looks like a most auspicious day!”
I followed her, urging my horse to keep up.
“A most auspicious day?” I replied. We trotted across the center and northeastern part of Astoria before reaching the troops on the north side.
“We’ve found the most compelling evidence to date that we’re successfully following the Darklings. We even have a trail to follow. My father has yet to murder you in your sleep. And you’re considering yourself a suitor for me. Like I said, an excellent start to the day!” Valaine said, laughing with brilliant delight.
“Wait, your father has yet to do what?!” I yelped, my blood running cold.
“I’m kidding! Take the joke! We’re onto something good, Tristan!”
Oh, she was in a most wonderful mood. Perhaps the brightest I had ever seen her, since I’d first come to Visio. The idea of getting so close to catching the very people who were trying to kill her made Valaine into a whole different person. I certainly enjoyed the darker, more brooding side of her. But this version I was seeing now… she was taking my breath away.
She was also right. A lot had happened in Astoria, of which we knew very little. I couldn’t bring myself to spoil her brightness with my own concerns regarding death magic and ghouls. I’d save that for Derek and the rest of our crew, who would soon hear about it. But we were headed in the right direction, even with this new development. We had something to go on. Most importantly, we had each other, willing to face whatever odds that fate might throw at us.
Nethissis
We went through Astoria first, just to see what the Darklings had left behind. It was pretty hard to imagine that, less than two hours ago, all hell had broken loose in this place. It seemed so quiet, with gold and silver guards gradually gathering on the north side.
Tristan and Valaine had already taken the Crimson guards forward, having caught a trail for the Darklings. I trusted their judgment and determination, but I worried they didn’t have all the information they’d need, especially where Valaine was concerned.
The body parts had been piled up and set on fire. The blood would dry, the grass would grow, and soon enough, no one would even remember what had happened here. Astoria was a lost city, defeated by the Black Fever and by time itself. It would never truly recover, as the mark of death and devastation continued to linger over it.
I watched Corbin for a while as he consulted with some of the gold guard lieutenants. He seemed eager to catch up with Valaine, but he had to deal with the Darkling prisoners, as well. I’d learned a lot in the past fifteen minutes, just by eavesdropping.
“Milord, it’s better if you handle the questioning,” one of the lieutenants said, as they watched the carts being brought over from the west side, the Vision horses pulling each set of weights. They had blood and first aid supplies in two voluminous loads, along with a cage filled with captured Darklings. “Lady Crimson’s methods were too… much for this lot.”
Seeley stayed close to me, staying quiet, as did Rudolph. Lumi, Sidyan, and Maya weren’t too far away either, checking the engraved symbols on various monoliths and confirming to one another that the Darklings had access to some pretty powerful death magic—definitely the kind that only the Spirit Bender could’ve provided.
“I should’ve seen it coming,” Corbin muttered. “She’s very capable, but she has little control over her ability. It worked with one or two Darklings, but she’s quick to go overboard without even realizing it.”
“Do you think it’s why the Darklings want her dead? Because they fear her?” the lieutenant asked.
“No, it’s because they’re convinced she’s the source of the Black Fever,” I grumbled, crossing my arms and wishing we could break Death’s rule for a minute or two, just enough to at least tell Tristan about what I’d heard from Zoltan.
“You know they can’t hear you, right?” Seeley replied rheto
rically.
I shot him a cold glare. “Duh. We should really find a way to tell them,” I said. “They deserve to know.”
“I agree, but you know how Death can be. One way or another, she will find out if we break her rules.” Seeley sighed, holding his scythe up to his chest. He’d missed it, for sure, now unable to even put it away.
“What’s the worst she can do? It’s just a minor offense if we reach out to Tristan,” I insisted.
Sidyan joined us, along with Lumi, while Rudolph and Maya circled us, sniffing around and whispering to one another. “Death can get pretty creative, in terms of punishment,” he said. “She won’t have much to do to you, but for Seeley and me, well… we’d get the brunt of it.”
“This is so annoying. Ridiculous!” I snapped, anger swelling inside me like fire. “We have information, and Tristan needs it.”
“We’ll figure out a way to get it to him,” Lumi tried to assure me. “Just give it some time, while we follow them and stay close to the Darklings. Our main objective is to find their leader, and I am inclined to assume that Zoltan will lead us to that person. Then, we can pay him back in kind for what he did to you, as well.”
“Getting you back into the world of the living hinges on this, too,” Seeley reminded me.
“She didn’t promise us that,” Sidyan replied.
“Well, she’d better.” I scoffed. “After everything we’ve been through, and after everything we’re about to do, I damn well deserve it!”
Lumi gave me a faint smile, and I wished I could just hold her in my arms. Even with her so close to me, I suffered because I couldn’t touch her. I couldn’t find some comfort in her embrace. She’d been like a mother to me. Heck, she’d come all the way to Visio to seek retribution for what had happened to me.
“The better we do, the higher our chances for a reward,” Sidyan advised. “It’s the only thing that helps me function right now,” he added, lowering his voice as Maya and Rudolph came back to us. He continued to avoid using Death’s name, just to keep Maya close.
“Let’s go after Tristan and Valaine,” Seeley said. “I doubt Corbin will get anything useful out of those prisoners.”
I followed his gaze and noticed that half of the captured Darklings were in terrible shape, dried blood around their nostrils and under their eyes. They were pale, barely able to even sit up, let alone talk. The others were sullen and silent, staring at the cage’s steel floor. I could see what Seeley meant. Besides, judging by their clothes alone, these were all underlings, likely not as well informed as, say, Veliko.
Corbin needed higher-ranked members of the faction if he wanted better intel. The Darklings did a pretty good job of circulating information in a secure fashion. Unfortunately, Veliko was gone. Even the loss of a hand had not held him back—his survival instincts were clearly strong.
As much as I hated to admit it, our best bet was to go after the Darklings again and stay with Zoltan until he brought us to their leader.
Seeley took my hand in his, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. “Brighten up,” he whispered. “At least I’m free and no longer at risk of becoming a ghoul. I cannot thank you enough for everything you did, Nethissis.”
Warmth spread through me—the sweet kind, powerful enough to smother the anger that had previously taken over. “I promised I’d get you out.”
“And you kept your word. Now, let me give you mine. We will finish this, okay? We’ll catch them. We’ll find their leader. And when Death is free, it will all be over.”
I nodded slowly, temporarily numbed by his deep and dark gaze. I would never tire of his eyes, I realized. I could spend days and nights just counting the many stars reflected in them—snippets of the very universe that had made us, that had brought us together in such a peculiar way. Truth be told, our predicament was the better of the many ways in which this could’ve gone.
“At least we’re all together,” I mumbled, briefly nodding at Lumi, Sidyan, and the ghouls. “It’s infinitely better than just me, a helpless little spirit.”
“You’re not that helpless anymore, though, are you?” Seeley replied, grinning at the scythe in my hand. “I swear, you are the most capable and resourceful ghost I’ve ever come across.” His smile faded, his expression suddenly riddled with grief. “I’m just so… so sorry I couldn’t get to you in time.”
An ache settled in my chest. I knew he meant it. But I needed to give him some sense of relief, since he didn’t deserve to torture himself like this anymore.
“It was my choice to go down in that basement, Seeley,” I said. “My responsibility. My life to put on the line. You were tasked with following us, without interference.”
“Well, yes, but I would’ve—”
“You know, sometimes I think the universe just throws these challenges at us to see how we handle ourselves,” I said, cutting him off. “Maybe this is a test of sorts. Maybe we were meant to end up like this. At least I can touch you.”
He looked down at our hands. How neatly they fit together. How good his spirit felt touching mine. He nodded slowly. “I suppose it’s the most beautiful silver lining either of us could’ve hoped for.”
The moment I’d died, I’d quickly learned to accept every single good thing that I was handed. In this instance, still being here with Seeley, with Lumi and the others, forming this merry band of in-betweener misfits… it was a good thing. It was a wonderful thing. It was better than I could’ve hoped for, considering that I was dead.
Deep down, I didn’t want this to end. It wasn’t something I could voice, but I felt it. The end would bring about a conclusion, and, if Sidyan’s fears were to come true, that would mean I’d be reaped and carted off into the land of the dead. I’d never see Lumi or any of my friends, ever again. I wouldn’t have my shot at loving and living, like I’d always wanted. Of all these prospects, however, the absence of Seeley scared me the most.
Lumi
Now knowing that the Spirit Bender had likely meddled with Visio eons ago, I had a better understanding of the dangers that awaited us if we dug deeper into the Darklings. It scared me, because death magic was something that we had not truly dealt with until now—not on such a personal level. Taeral was the exception, of course, but the rest of us were still pretty new at this.
My poor Nethissis was dead, merely a ghost. I’d teach her how to conceal herself while carrying a scythe soon, but first we had to check what the Darklings had left behind.
I worried about her, but there was also a part of me that preferred optimism to despair. She was clearly special, given how much she’d accomplished despite being just a spirit. It further proved that my own judgment regarding her had been just and accurate.
I could only hope that she would emerge from this victorious, eventually. I certainly planned on having a few words with Death about this, as soon as I got the chance. Reality was against us, but hope had never failed to at least carry us forward.
“I’m starting to think that the Spirit Bender founded the Darklings,” Sidyan said as we walked out of Astoria, heading north up the coast. Maya and Rudolph ran ahead, while Seeley and Nethissis watched our backs. The ocean glistened with its tourmaline waves beneath a faded red sky, the sun descending into the afternoon somewhere beyond the red haze—the mazir spell Petra had cast upon the empire. “I mean, he obviously gave them the death magic and the knowledge, so I’m guessing they didn’t even exist before he got to them.”
“What makes you say that?” I asked.
The road tightened before us, tall shrubs rising, their long green leaves stretching outward. Here and there, a scarlet flower poked out from a delicate stem, butterfly-like creatures settling on its petals and drinking its golden nectar. For a moment, I forgot where we were, reveling in the simplest and most beautiful thing that nature had to offer wherever it had been allowed to evolve.
Echoes of the Word rippled through me, as I briefly remembered the spell I’d cast against the Darklings. For the first time
in days, I had felt my maker with me, coursing through me like a river of light, reminding me that it had never truly left my side.
“I’m basing my assumption on the complexity of the death magic wards I had to break around Astoria,” Sidyan said, bringing me back into the present. “That is not easy stuff to learn. Even someone like me would have trouble performing those kinds of spells. And the Darklings are living creatures. They shouldn’t even be able to fiddle with it.”
“So, they’ve been doing this for a very long time. Likely since their inception,” I concluded.
“It just feels that way,” Sidyan replied. “What really irks me is how they’re able to use the scythes. They can’t all be future Reapers.”
“I know. We’ve addressed this before, and we’ve yet to find a reasonable answer,” I said.
Sidyan exhaled sharply. “It’s why I keep going back to the Spirit Bender now. I think he did something that allows them to operate death magic.”
“Yet one more reason to get closer to them, to study them properly,” I said. “Not just hunt down their leader.”
“The two should come hand in hand,” Nethissis replied from behind. “Studying them and following them, that is. We should get as much as we can out of this whole mess, in order to understand. For our own peace of mind, if nothing else.”
“What I find encouraging is that they’re on the run,” Sidyan said. “I mean sure, they’ve practically taken over Visio in terms of Reaperhood and death magic, but the rest of the empire doesn’t seem to agree with them.”
“Many don’t even know they exist,” Seeley chimed in. “At least, that’s what we’ve understood from the many conversations we’ve been able to eavesdrop on.”
Somehow, that didn’t quite convince me. Visio, though beautiful, harbored many secrets. I knew, perhaps more than most, that if we dug deep enough, we’d unsettle some things. That we would unearth events and deeds that belonged in the darkness, not in the light. In fact, I was willing to bet that no one, at least in the upper echelon of Visio, was a saint or a true innocent.
A Shade of Vampire 80: A Veil of Dark Page 21
