I knew we had GASP airships coming soon, but I also knew they might not be enough to stop this conflict before it got too bloody. Spirit had convinced the entire empire that his way was the only way, and that Valaine had to die, no matter what.
“Are you ready?” Unending asked as we reached the gate. Mere yards away, Spirit stood proudly in defiance, still waiting. I had a feeling he knew we’d come out eventually.
“To lose you? Never,” I replied.
She dropped a sweet kiss on my cheek, and I closed my eyes for a second, wishing we could go back inside her mind, where the real world could never reach us. Sadly, we’d already taken the plunge. The only way was forward now, and that came with heartbreaking sacrifices. “It’ll be okay,” she whispered. “You’ll make it…”
“I wish I didn’t have to do this,” I said.
“You’re the only one I trust to do this,” she replied, the shadow of a smile dancing across her beautiful face. The universe settled in her black eyes, galaxies bursting and swirling in sparkling shades of pink and orange. I would’ve given everything to simply lose myself in that vast space forever. It hurt me deeply that Valaine’s life had to be sacrificed for this.
“Come on. We’ve got a Master of Darkness to screw over,” I said with newfound determination as we walked the rest of the distance to the protective shield. We stopped right before the invisible membrane through which the enemy could not see us, and I took a moment to look at the kid. “You’ve got this. I trust you, Thayen.”
He shot me a grin. “I was born to do this.”
Unending allowed Valaine to take over for a moment because her mannerisms would be easily recognized by Corbin. We needed him and Spirit in the dark until the very last second. She stepped through the shield, and we followed.
“Whoa there.” Spirit gasped, raising a hand in the air. All the attacks stopped, and the Aeternae and the Knight Ghouls turned to face us, their eyes wide and twinkling with hunger and curiosity. “Look who decided to show up!” He was practically beaming. I wanted to throw up.
Corbin stilled, then backed away from the protective shield, resuming his position by Spirit’s side. The dark look on his face sent shivers down my spine. “Valaine…”
“Father, I’m here,” she said, raising her chin defiantly. “This is what you wanted.”
“Fantastic!” Spirit barked, clapping his hands once. “Now, time for you and Thayen to die.”
Thayen kept his expression under control, though I could hear his heart thundering. The boy was terrified, yet he’d still chosen to do this. I had nothing but respect for such a strong young spirit. Corbin moved toward him, but I stepped between them. “Hold on,” I said. “There are conditions.”
“Why, yes. I promised you all a quick death in return for Valaine and Thayen. I’m a Reaper of my word,” Spirit replied dryly, narrowing his galaxy eyes at me.
“Hm. That’s not going to cut it,” I shot back. “I want free passage for myself and my GASP people. The Seniors and the Orvisians are to be left alone, too.”
Spirit cocked his head to the side, slightly amused. “What’s your angle here, Tristan?”
He knew my name. Corbin must’ve told him everything, which shouldn’t have come as a surprise. The Master of Darkness had informed Spirit on absolutely every aspect of this dangerous mess. “I don’t understand the question,” I said.
“Thayen and I will give our lives willingly so that you may complete your scheme,” Unending cut in. “In return, Tristan, GASP, the Orvisians, and the Seniors will be granted safety and freedom. Visio’s dirty little secret is all out in the open now, anyway. The Aeternae have made their bed, and they’ll have to sleep in it. There’s nothing more we can do, and I accept that. Not with an easy heart, but still… I accept that.”
The nearby Aeternae averted their eyes whenever we looked their way. Shame reigned supreme, but their anger and desperation were still prominent. Just like Valaine had said, they’d made their choice, and they would have to live with themselves once all this was over. Disgust didn’t even begin to cover how I felt about them.
Spirit didn’t seem convinced. “I don’t know. I’m having a hard time buying this story,” he muttered, giving Corbin a sideways glance. “I thought you said Tristan had the hots for your daughter.”
“He’s in love with her, yes,” Corbin replied, glowering at me.
“Then why would he surrender the woman he loves, only to see her die?” Spirit sighed, feigning an almost childish confusion. The more time I spent around him, the dirtier I felt. Not even boiling water would clean the filth of his presence.
“Why do you think it took us so long to come out here?” I said. “This wasn’t an easy decision. But these are my friends. My sister. My family. So many innocent lives about to be wasted. Besides, both Valaine and Thayen insisted. This is their choice, not mine.”
“I have no way of fighting you, Spirit,” Valaine added. “I don’t have the knowledge or the strength, and Kalon is dying from Black Fever. If my death puts an end to all this suffering, then so be it. Kalon will still die, as will the others infected, but without my fully awakened form, the Black Fever will become dormant again. It won’t spread. Like always…”
Spirit scoffed. I’d hoped we’d have an easier time pitching this. “So, you mean to tell me the other First Tenners and Reapers you’ve got on your side actually let you do this? Seriously? Is Time okay with your surrender?”
“It wasn’t his decision to make. They’re helpless because you possess all the death magic knowledge that they lack. And you’ve done such a good number on Unending that there’s no way to get to her in time,” Valaine insisted. “I take comfort in knowing she’ll be reborn. It’s better than nothing.”
“And you, Thayen? You’re okay with dying?” Spirit chuckled.
“I’ll do whatever it takes for my empire. My father taught me that sacrificing oneself for one’s homeland is the single most powerful thing anyone can do. I intend to honor that legacy, and if this means dying, then so be it.”
Spirit laughed incredulously, frequently checking with Corbin just to make sure they were on the same page. The Master of Darkness wasn’t entirely convinced, either. “Where are the other Reapers?” he asked.
“Inside,” I said, pointing a thumb over my shoulder. “Ready to defend Roano if they have to.”
“Instead of being out here, defending their precious sister. Hm…” Spirit replied. “Why is this so difficult for me to believe?”
Valaine smirked. “Because this version of you is from five million years ago. This whole time, your brethren have had to put up with Death and her stubborn whims. I guess they’ve had enough, too.”
“Therefore, Time’s whole speech from earlier was what—his hail Mary, so to speak?” Spirit asked, both hands gripping his double-bladed scythe. I could see my reflection in the metal. All I had to do was make sure he didn’t touch me with it; otherwise, I’d lose control over my soul.
“You could say that,” Valaine said. “I’m here. You can believe it and do what you have to do, or you can refuse our offer, and we’ll go back in. But if we leave you now, I promise you will never get your soul’s last shard, and I will find a way to survive this until the Black Fever has eaten everyone alive!” she added, raising her voice so that everyone could hear her.
Spirit gave Corbin a brief nod. The Master of Darkness accepted the unspoken order and took his first step toward us. I stood my ground, pulse racing and ringing in my ears as I waited for Spirit’s verbal confirmation. The Reaper groaned, throwing his head back. “Fine. Okay. You and your friends get to live. Let’s get on with this. I need my full mojo.”
As soon as I moved to the side and Corbin reached the kid, I knew we’d bet on the right horse. Spirit was an absolute bastard. But he didn’t want the blood of a child on his hands, so he made Corbin be the one to kill him. That was also because Spirit wanted the pleasure of taking Valaine’s life himself—not out of any kind of me
rcy for her father, but rather to see himself in her eyes as she gave her last breath. The Spirit Bender was a sadistic monster, and his behavior so far had been predictable.
Corbin drew his weird pentagram in the dirt with his own blood, then put the kid in the middle, whispering the words and sub-words of the spell that would help him extract the shard from the boy’s heart. In the meantime, Spirit inched closer to Valaine, a smug grin settling on his face. I boiled on the inside but took deep breaths to keep myself looking normal. The next few seconds were absolutely crucial to the success of our mission.
“I don’t really know what’s going on here. I mean, I’m not sure,” Spirit said, “but I don’t mind taking the easy win, considering I got myself killed before. This… this feels fair.” He raised his scythe slowly, almost mirroring Corbin’s movements.
The Master gripped the kid by the throat, ready to drive Unending’s blade into his chest.
“Oh, one last thing,” Valaine said. It stopped Spirit for a split second. “I almost forgot to mention—I’m not Valaine.”
It took him and Corbin another second to catch on. “And I’m not Thayen,” the kid said. “Personata faix,” he added in the Word’s language. It was the chant that canceled his shapeshifting spell. His skin rippled as he reverted back to his form. Moore shot Corbin a devious grin, a thin blade slipping from his sleeve. Before the Master could react, Moore cut off his hand. Corbin howled in agony as Unending’s scythe hit the ground and the kid jumped back, still clutching the Master’s ring hand.
Spirit snarled and tried to attack Unending with his scythe, eager to take control over her soul, but she brought her palms together and whispered, “Alona Talle.” A bright pulse exploded and smashed into Spirit, throwing him back several yards. He landed on his back and cried out in pain, suddenly stiffened by the death magic stunning spell.
Corbin was on his knees, blood gushing from the stump of his left forearm, but his suffering was quickly replaced by adrenaline and anger. He shot back to his feet and lunged at Moore. I bolted forward and rammed into the Master, forcing him into the ground. The Aeternae, the ghouls, and the Darklings tried to come at us, growling and hissing and baring their fangs, but Unending cast a powerful wave of energy by using another cryptic death magic spell she now remembered—this was the kind of stuff that not even Time or Night had access to, and it was insanely effective. Finally, the playing field between us and the Spirit Bender had been leveled.
“Get the scythe!” Valaine shouted. I scrambled to get off Corbin, but he didn’t want to let me go without a fight. We threw punches and rolled over the ground a couple of times. We struggled ferociously while Moore tried to find another attack angle to drive Corbin away from me.
The Master kneed me in the ribs, and the air was knocked from my lungs. Unending kept firing pulses to keep the simmering crowd back. The more death magic she released, the harder it got for her—the physical body was a problem, as it was easily drained of its life force by casting such powerful spells.
The clock was ticking.
I wriggled under Corbin until I found an opening and drove my claws into his neck. I punctured his jugular, causing blood to spray out like a crimson fountain. It wasn’t enough to kill him, of course, but it dazed him for a few precious seconds. I pushed him aside and reached for Unending’s scythe. As soon as I wrapped my fingers around its sculpted handle, I felt the cool rush of death energy flowing through me like an icy breeze.
“Got it!” I exclaimed, but my triumph was short-lived, as Corbin managed to get himself back up. Spirit was recovering from his stunning spell, too, which meant our time here had come to an end. “The hand!” I told Moore, and he tossed it over to me. I caught it and removed the ring that Spirit had crafted into a seal.
“No! No, don’t!” Corbin managed, stumbling toward me. He reached out to catch me, but I threw his own hand back into his face. I had the ring and the scythe, and my heart swelled ferociously. But Moore was still in the line of fire, so I slipped the ring onto my finger, then grabbed the kid by his shirt and yanked him back with enough strength to make him fly all the way back beyond the protective shield.
“It’s time!” Unending said, briefly glancing over her shoulder. Her face lit up when she saw me, but it quickly faded as she screamed. “Tristan, watch out!”
I heard the blade whistle through the air and ducked just in time. The knife missed my head by a couple of inches, and it was enough to distract me. Corbin roared as he launched another attack, and I braced myself for the full impact of his massive frame.
But the blow never came.
Something swished past me, and time seemed to stand still for a single breath. By the time it was over, I’d barely registered the movements. The real Thayen had joined us, and he’d caught Corbin unprepared. The Master’s head was on the ground, eyes wide and glassy as blood spurted from his throat. The body collapsed, and the Aeternae screamed and shouted profanities as they attempted another approach.
Unending had to choose between subduing Spirit again or casting another pulse to keep the others at bay. “Dammit!” she snapped and went for the latter, quickly moving away from Spirit.
Thayen reached me in a second, blood still dripping from his short sword. “Are you okay?”
“Oh, you’ve really done it now!” Spirit yelled, his face red with primal fury. He was back on his feet with his scythe already raised, the glowing blade milliseconds away from firing some kind of devastating spell at us.
“Yeah, I don’t have any time left for your crap, Spirit,” Unending breathed as she threw her arms around Thayen and me. I heard her whisper something before everything blurred. All the sounds of war vanished.
Silence.
Then darkness. I felt weightless. My only sense of reality was the feeling of Unending’s body against mine and Thayen’s grip on my hand. Oh, and the ring. It was cold and evil. I could sense its eons of wretchedness booming in the back of my head.
Spirit’s voice echoed somewhere in the distance.
I couldn’t believe we’d actually pulled it off. Like clockwork, we’d pulled the hood over the enemy’s eyes long enough to get what we needed. We’d played our parts—Kalon had been right. We’d done it, and we’d managed to get away from the Spirit Bender, too. For how long, I wasn’t sure.
But we’d made it. There was a whole other challenge waiting, as we’d have to break the seals and kill Valaine… but we’d made it.
Esme
“Holy crap!” I heard myself say.
We’d been on the edge of our seats from the moment Unending and Tristan had stepped outside the protective shield with Moore disguised as Thayen. This had been the plan all along, and it had seemed crazy. Dangerous, with a slim chance of success. And yet every single part of it had worked. I couldn’t believe it.
Unending had Tristan and Thayen under her protection and away from Spirit, along with her scythe and the ring. Corbin Crimson, the Master of Darkness, lay dead in a congealed pool of his own blood. Strangely enough, the skies above began to clear, the reddish mist slowly fading away. On the ground level, it was silent. Shock had rendered everyone mute—particularly the Darklings and the Knight Ghouls. The rest of the Aeternae were equally stunned but also baffled, since they hadn’t been told everything about how death magic worked or how capable Unending would be once she remembered herself, despite her physical limitations.
I breathed a sigh of relief, but I knew this feeling wouldn’t last. After all, Unending was gone for now, and the war was only just beginning. The Spirit Bender took a moment to just stare at Corbin’s head. I didn’t even want to imagine what was going through his mind. In only a few minutes, we’d managed to relieve him of everything he’d come here for. Sure, Unending’s escape was only temporary, since Spirit was bound to go after her at any second, but still… damn, this felt good.
“Well, I’m glad that’s out of the way,” Kalon muttered, his gaze fixed on Spirit. Moore was back by his side, panting and grinn
ing like the devil. “You were amazing out there, little brother.”
“And to think you didn’t want me to do it,” the kid replied.
“Frankly, I didn’t want you to do it, either,” I said. “You’re the one who convinced us.”
“He made a solid case for himself.” Tudyk chuckled, hugging his little brother.
Ansel looked proud, his cool blue eyes shining whenever he looked at Moore. “You exceeded my expectations, Moore. Consider me impressed.”
We’d all agreed that sending Thayen out there with Unending and Tristan would be too risky for the young prince, considering we had both Spirit and Corbin to deal with. So, when Moore had asked Lumi if there was any Word magic we could use to make him look and sound like Thayen, my heart had jumped ever so slightly, then crumbled at the thought of putting Moore in harm’s way. I had already begun envisioning a scenario in which the Darklings caught on and Moore got his head cut off for pissing them off. Fortunately, and for the first time in quite a while, the whole operation had gone over without a single hitch.
“Thayen is certainly safer with Unending for now,” Sofia chimed in, giving Moore a warm smile. “Thank you for putting yourself on the line like this.”
“I really wanted to prove that there was more to our Visentis dynasty than being Darklings. I couldn’t think of a better way to do that,” Moore said. “Besides, I’m faster than Thayen. I wasn’t sure he could handle the cutting off of Corbin’s hand, anyway. I was obviously proven wrong since he killed the bastard, but hey, that was a lucky shot.”
A Shade of Vampire 86: A Break of Seals Page 5
