My instincts kicked in, and I wrapped my hands around her wrist. Planting my feet as firmly as I could into the soft sand, I pulled her up, and she wheezed so loudly that I cried. I cried tears of joy to see her alive. We hugged tightly, comforting one another as we listened for any other sounds of life.
“He took them,” Amane murmured. “The Levantes shards. Fennel took them both.”
“I saw. I tried to get to you, but I don’t know what happened. I don’t understand,” I said.
She moved back and wiped her own tears, streaking through the blue dust that had settled on her tanned face. “Something evil. Death magic, for sure.”
“Hunter!” I screamed again, turning my head to look for him.
Finally, the white wolf emerged from the sand, blood clotting in his fur coat as he padded toward me. I cried out as he reached me, nuzzling my face with his nose. I hugged him, thankful that he’d come back to me in one piece. After a quick check, I confirmed that most of the blood wasn’t his.
“You scared the crap out of me!” I snarled, and Hunter whimpered softly, licking my nose. He’d lost his clothes somewhere along the way, so I was quick to produce a pair of pants I always kept in my backpack for him.
“What the hell happened?” he asked once he was back in his human form and wearing the pants. I shrugged, dusting some of the sand off my own clothes.
“I have no idea.”
“Ridan!” Amane shouted, stumbling as she descended the dune and ran toward the dragon. He growled and moved slowly, sand coming off him with blue shimmers. I looked up and saw the sky had cleared. All around us, there was nothing left, only a broken palm tree poking out here and there.
Ridan shifted back, his shoulders and back covered in scratches, where his wings had been. Unlike regular foes, the ghouls had been able to cut through some of his dragon scales with their undead claws, and they’d managed to hurt his wings, which were slightly vulnerable by design. He’d heal quickly, but he was in a foul mood except for being happy that Amane was okay.
“Where’s Widow?” I asked, scanning our surroundings again.
He appeared at the bottom of the dune, disheveled and confused. His mask had fallen off somehow, and his gorgeous face was marred with a deep frown. “I don’t understand…” he muttered.
“The Night Bringer was trying to do something,” Amane said, looking my way. “Could he have been the one to—”
“No,” Night finally replied, appearing next to me. “Whatever this was, it wasn’t my doing. Fennel Ferris is gone, though the same cannot be said for most of his associates,” he added, looking around. “Their spirits are here.”
Widow proceeded to capture one, revealing him to us. “Where did he go?” the Reaper demanded. “What did Fennel do?”
“Well, he took Marios and Silla’s soul shards for starters,” Amane grumbled, crossing her arms. Ridan helped himself to a pair of pants from her backpack—the burden of every shifter’s girlfriend, apparently.
“Speak!” Widow snapped at the terrified ghost.
“I… I don’t know!” the spirit replied, whimpering. “I… I just did what I was told. I don’t know what that was…”
Widow cursed under his breath and reaped him with one swift move, his blade glimmering as the ghost was reduced to a wisp of silvery sparks before vanishing altogether. “It was death magic,” the Reaper said. “No doubt about it.”
Night nodded. “They had a contingency plan in place. They came for the Levantes brothers, and they had no intention of leaving here without their soul shards. They must’ve had another Whip or high-ranking Darkling nearby, waiting to do whatever that was.”
“So the sandstorm wasn’t a fluke, then, huh?” I said. “Fennel had that weapon locked and loaded, knowing full well that we’d have enough power to take him down. Am I getting that right?”
“Yes. I was about to obliterate him when the storm hit. It wasn’t a regular storm, either, because even in my physical form, I’m not affected by weather. Not like this, anyway. It was death magic. The kind we all know the Darklings should never be allowed to touch,” the Night Bringer said. He exhaled sharply, lowering his gaze, while Widow put his gimp mask back on.
“We’ll mark this down as a loss,” he said. “Once again, they’ve bested us.”
“Hey, we kicked their asses, too,” Hunter shot back. “Fennel was the only one to walk out of here.”
“And the ghouls,” Ridan added, visibly displeased as he and Amane climbed back up the dune to join us. All around us, a deafening silence settled. The spirits were all gone. The night was clear and quiet. “They fled as soon as the wave hit.”
“Better reflexes than their living and breathing overlords,” Amane added.
“Either way, we’re pretty much screwed,” I said. “If I’m getting this right, Danika doesn’t necessarily have to be the one to collect the soul shards in order to complete the ritual, like she initially implied. Any one of her cohorts can lay the groundwork, and all she has to do is put the pieces together. That makes our quest even more difficult.”
“But not impossible,” Night said.
“He’s right,” Widow interjected. “We still have some soul shards, and there are other Whips left out there. As long as Danika doesn’t get them all, it’s not over.”
My whole body ached. My soul felt empty. Something had happened earlier, and I didn’t like the Word’s reaction to this situation. I saw the looks that Hunter gave me. He was probably thinking the same thing, but Night’s words still bothered me—the Word was definitely a fickle thing. I just needed to figure out why it had been so glitchy.
Most importantly, we needed to figure out what had happened here. What type of death magic had been used to render us all so completely useless? Even Widow and Night had struggled. None of this was right, and it was simply one more reason to destroy the Darklings once and for all. They were cunning and deceitful fiends. They had tricks and spells up their sleeves. They had backup plans and a plethora of words and sub-words with which they’d put together new kinds of death magic.
They scared me. But they also made me even more determined to beat them at their own game. For now, however, we’d lost—and the taste was bitter, persisting on the tip of my tongue. I lingered in Hunter’s arms for a few minutes, grateful that at least we’d all survived. Our faces spoke volumes, though.
We’d lost this battle, and the Darklings were one step closer to winning the war.
Sofia
The news pouring in from Esme, Soul, and Kailani was discouraging, to say the least. Disturbing, even. Devastating. We’d all hoped there would be some victories coming our way, and we’d done our best to prevent any issues that might arise down the road. Unfortunately, the Darklings were somehow managing to retain their edge, constantly throwing us back.
Tristan was hard at work inside Soul’s interdimensional pocket in the north tower, dealing with Unending’s memories. According to the Time Master, we were close to breaking through on that front, but it wasn’t anywhere near enough to soothe my anxieties. Derek and I sat on a stone ledge outside the tower, going over everything that had happened to our people in the field to see if we had any way of helping them push through.
Mira, Kemi, and Lumi were with us, while the rest of our enhanced crew was busy fortifying the city’s defenses and planting more false tracks around Roano. I wasn’t sure that would help in the long run. The bone implants had been removed from all the Seniors, so the Darklings couldn’t track any of them back here, but still… I felt wary.
“Danika is nowhere to be found,” Derek said. “Trev and Esme sent us a brief message saying they were surrounded by enemy forces, and I haven’t heard from them since.” He ran a hand through his thick black hair, a permanent frown on his face.
“And Kale lost the Levantes shards,” I added. “Fennel Ferris played his cards right.”
“At least they’re okay,” Lumi tried to reassure me. “We still have Ramus and Petra’s shards,
plus Thayen on our side. And even if Danika doesn’t necessarily have to be the one to complete the ritual, the Darklings are still three pieces short. I imagine we would’ve gotten a visit from the Lady Supreme by now, if she knew where to find us.”
“Soul lost Kelara,” Derek replied. “She’s Corbin’s prisoner, and he plans to turn her into a ghoul. Forgive me, but I’m not feeling entirely optimistic right now.”
“Neither am I. However, I refuse to concede,” Lumi said, briefly gazing into the distance. The night covered everything in obscurity, while only a massive moon overlooked the land and cast its soft light over the Nightmare Forest. Somewhere in there, Kelara and Soul were struggling. I could almost see Corbin grinning, satisfied with his most recent accomplishment. “I doubt Soul will let anything happen to Kelara.”
“He’s on his own and up against the Master of Darkness. That’s the guy with all of Spirit’s knowledge and tricks,” I replied. “I doubt it’ll be easy to pull one over on him.”
“But not impossible,” Mira interjected. “He’s still a living creature. Even with Spirit’s death magic, Corbin is at a slight disadvantage. Soul is still a Reaper, and one of the first ever made. There is power in him, power that someone like Corbin will never be able to summon.”
“There’s also determination,” Seeley said, appearing out of thin air. Nethissis was by his side, looking miserable. I couldn’t exactly fault her for it, since she and Kelara had grown close lately. All the Reapers were our friends and allies. Losing even one of them was a crippling and painful blow to us as a whole, not just as individuals. “Soul and Kelara have a… special rapport, let’s say. It’s not something I thought I’d ever see coming from an ancient entity like a First Tenner, but I have faith in him. He’s driven to keep her safe.”
“A special rapport?” I asked, feeling my eyebrows arching upward.
Nethissis smirked. “They’ve got a thing. Though neither of them is capable of admitting it.”
“Oh, romantically speaking,” I realized with a gasp.
“I’m not sure how much romance the Soul Crusher is truly capable of, but yeah, let’s stick with that term.” Seeley chuckled softly, then gave Nethissis a tender look. It warmed me up to see them like this, though it also confused me a little—what would become of the Lamia swamp witch once our adventure was finally over? If she and Seeley were also intertwined, emotionally speaking, what odds did they have as a couple?
Kemi cleared his throat, demanding our attention. “The Darklings have had between four and five million years, approximately, to prepare for this moment. They cannot be underestimated, especially when the blade is so close to the bone for them. Everything rides on their ability to resurrect the Spirit Bender, and the fact that we can’t find Danika anywhere just proves that there is more going on. Just because we haven’t seen her so far doesn’t mean she’s not coming for us.”
“What are you trying to say, my love?” Mira asked, concern darkening her blue gaze.
“Arya and the others are out there trying to throw the Darklings off our scent,” he said. “I’m hoping it’ll be enough, but I doubt it. They’ve been able to catch up with us every time. Pardon my lack of optimism, but I feel the need to express my concerns. I’m not sure we all have what it takes to defeat them.”
“Our hope lies with the Unending,” I reminded him. “The only reason we’re all here is to keep her safe while she works to remember the seals. Everything else is a distraction, side quests we have to complete in order to keep our focus on the grand prize. And that’s breaking the seals. Once the Unending is free, her power will be enough to release Death. Then, and only then, will our victory be guaranteed. Even if Spirit is somehow brought back…” My voice broke. Spirit’s return was dependent on Thayen’s death—an outcome I didn’t even want to consider. It made my heart heavy and caused an ache in my chest.
“We’re in a hot mess here, that much is certain,” Seeley grumbled. “I’d hoped our First Tenner friends would be enough to push us past the threshold, but I see now that it was all just wishful thinking. The chronicles of death magic that Spirit left the Darklings with are proving to be quite the nuisance.”
“Even so, you know full well it’s not in our nature to give up,” Nethissis replied, gently squeezing his hand. “We’ve made it this far, haven’t we?”
Lumi gave her a warm and loving, though equally sad, smile. “Even in death, you glow with hope and pride like no one else.”
“I have faith in all of us. We’ve all brought something big to the table. Knowledge or skills or the determination to push through,” Nethissis said. “We’ve beaten the odds before. I’m certain we can do it again. The way Sofia put it, our situation is simple—even if it’s somewhat bleak right now. The sooner Tristan awakens the Unending to her full potential, the faster we’ll know what the three seals are and how to break them.”
“Let’s remember it was the Spirit Bender who made those seals.” Mira sighed. “They might be hard to break. Maybe even impossible.”
“Don’t be a downer,” Nethissis replied dryly, crossing her arms. “We thought defeating the elements was impossible, yet here we are, our worlds more or less intact and definitely not destroyed by nature itself.”
“Ah, the Hermessi, right,” Kemi mumbled, nodding slowly.
“All I’m trying to say is that it’s not over,” Nethissis reiterated. “Yes, we’ve hit some terrible bumps along the way, but as long as Tristan and Valaine are still working on their task, we still have hope.”
Derek slowly shook his head. “Should we send assistance to Esme and Trev?”
“I’ll go, if necessary,” Seeley said.
“You’ll be putting yourself at risk of capture,” Nethissis warned him. “You’re a valuable commodity to them. It’s why Esme and Trev went on their own to begin with, remember? Because the Darklings won’t be expecting living creatures to come after them. They’re expecting Reapers.”
“And you’d be ripe for the picking,” I added.
“Okay. Let’s wait for Esme or Trev to reach out. They have ghouls with them, at least,” Derek concluded. “I wish I could just bring the whole force of GASP down on these people.”
“It would be bloody and messy. Too many innocents would die, even if many of them are foolish enough to support the Darklings’ initiative,” I said. “A war still isn’t an option here. Besides, everything the Darklings have thrown at us in terms of death magic has been complex and potentially deadly. I’d hate to see what they would do in response to a GASP invasion.”
“What about armies of Reapers? Are they still off the table?” Nethissis asked Seeley.
He nodded once. “Death won’t send any more of our people here. They’re all at risk of seals and capture as soon as they set foot on Visio. We’ve evaded the Darklings until now, but the same cannot be guaranteed for the others.”
“What about enlisting the help of the Rimians and the Naloreans?” Lumi wondered aloud. “I mean, the promise of absolute freedom from the Aeternae’s dominion might entice them to cooperate. What do you think, Mira?”
The former Lady Supreme gave it a moment’s thought, but her response was not at all encouraging. “I’m not sure. They’re all used to being part of the empire. Certain perks come with selling their blood to us, even if they don’t have another choice. While there are rebel factions among them, I’m not sure they’re well-coordinated enough to make a noticeable difference.”
“Still, we shouldn’t exclude the possibility. Whatever we can use against the Darklings and even the Aeternae as a whole, at least until Death is set free… it’s worth it,” I insisted.
Derek took my hand in his. “Let’s see how Esme and Trev fare first. They’ve got pulverizer weapons and two ghouls by their side. Maybe they’ll find a lead on Danika once they take down the Darklings at the villa.”
I wanted to hope for the best. I wanted to gaze upon the twinkling horizon and look forward to what tomorrow might bring. The univers
e wasn’t exactly our friend during these trying times, however, and I was running low on optimism. Even if we got all our people back somehow, Kelara included, I wasn’t sure we had enough strength to keep the Darklings at bay for much longer.
No matter where we might run, they would still find us eventually. It was merely a question of whether they’d find us before or after we set the Unending free.
Esme
I emptied the pulverizer clips in mere seconds. Trev and I slaughtered the Darklings without a shred of mercy or compassion. There was no patience left to even try to empathize with these people. I’d forgiven Ansel, Tudyk, and Moore because they were children and didn’t have a full understanding of what they’d gotten themselves into. These Darklings were a whole different breed.
They were vicious and evil, sneering as they tried to kill us. Fortunately, they didn’t have much working knowledge about our weapons. The first Darkling had laughed at seeing mine pointed his way. The others stopped giggling once they saw him disappear in a puff of silvery ashes.
They didn’t stand a chance.
By the time Trev and I were done, their scythes clanged on the floor and their ashes shimmered in the pale moonlight that poured through the bedroom windows. And to think I’d been worried about the outcome of this particular encounter when I’d first heard their boots thudding up the stairs.
“I swear, these pulverizer pellets are a gift from the gods,” I muttered, hanging the weapon back on my shoulder. I took a moment to look around and analyze the room carefully.
“There aren’t any Darklings left outside,” Trev said, looking out the window. His eyes narrowed as he checked the backyard. “The Knight Ghouls are still there, but they seem lost. Aimless.”
A Shade of Vampire 85: A Shard of Soul Page 18
