A Shade of Vampire 84: A Memory of Time

by Forrest, Bella

  “It’s you. You’re the source of the Black Fever!” she said.

  Eldfenn dropped to his knees as though he’d been struck in the head, his chest heaving as he gasped for air. Aelyn didn’t move but kept her distance. She had some idea what she was dealing with. Judging by the horrified and confused look on Eldfenn’s face, this was the first time his symptoms had manifested like this. He seemed to understand what it meant, and the realization was devastating him.

  “No…” he managed.

  “Look at you!” Aelyn said. “I can’t believe this. The Whip told me what to look for. He told us all about the signs, but I didn’t think I’d ever be the one to see it.”

  “No!” Eldfenn shouted, pulling himself back up. The black veins were gone, and he took deep breaths to regain his composure. “No, Aelyn. You’re wrong. This is just my predator side. We all have it, remember?”

  Aelyn smirked. “Not like you we don’t.”

  “You’re under arrest,” he said. “Come willingly or don’t. It’s your choice.”

  Suddenly, she was compliant, putting her hands out. “By all means. Let’s see whose story Thyme believes.”

  Eldfenn didn’t hesitate to bind her hands with steel cuffs. He escorted her away from the house, and I knew this wasn’t the end just yet. Morning hummed slowly, and the sound helped me focus. Valaine kept her eyes closed, digging deeper into her memories.

  The world changed around us once more, and we were in the throne room again. It was dark outside. Candles burned in the chandeliers and across the walls. Only a handful of guards were present. Thyme sat in his throne, but he looked furious.

  Before him stood Eldfenn and Aelyn, the latter still in cuffs. The silence was deafening as the Lord Supreme tried to take it all in. This wasn’t going well.

  “He didn’t believe me,” Valaine said. “I delivered proof, but he didn’t believe me. He couldn’t accept that the woman he so desperately loved was a Darkling.”

  “There are no markings on her. No sign of Darkling allegiance whatsoever,” Thyme muttered, then gave Aelyn an apologetic nod, clearly pained by her circumstances. “I am truly sorry, my love. It will all be sorted, I promise.”

  “She was outside the Darklings’ nest,” Eldfenn said. “One of them was her lover. He was the first to die.”

  “Your Grace, my darling, it’s not true,” Aelyn replied, paying no attention to Eldfenn. “He lies! He’s jealous that you love me. He has no proof whatsoever, only an unfortunate coincidence. I was feeding the poor, Thyme. I’d just finished delivering bread and oil to one of the Rimians living on the south bend of Baryon. You know I go there often for such things!”

  Thyme looked at Eldfenn. “I know. I sent Aelyn there myself several times, with gold guards to keep her company. What actual proof do you have that she’s a Darkling, Eldfenn?”

  “My word is no longer enough?” He was visibly offended. “You’ve never doubted me before.”

  “You are trying to sentence the woman I love to death. Pardon me for being thorough.”

  “You’re being foolish, not thorough,” Eldfenn retorted. “I will get proof, if you insist. But I will need a few days, and Aelyn must not be set free until then. She cannot be trusted. I know what I saw. I know what she said. And I understand your feelings for her, but the empire’s safety—your safety—comes first.”

  Thyme got up, his hands behind his back and his brow furrowed. “You cannot arrest Aelyn without proof. We have had plenty of cases where silver guards arrested innocent people without any evidence. We established certain protocols to stop that from happening again, if you remember. In fact, you were the one who sanctioned the changes in the law codex.”

  “Dammit, Thyme, would you listen to me for once in your life?” Eldfenn’s frustration was obvious, but the Lord Supreme refused to yield.

  “No. Remove her cuffs. I will grant you time to return with proof. Until then, Aelyn will not leave my sight. That is the best I can do without causing offense to my beloved.”

  “You’ll regret this,” Eldfenn said and turned away, leaving Aelyn still bound. He stormed out and slammed the door behind him. The sound echoed through the throne room. I felt sorry for him. I’d seen the truth, and I knew he was just trying to protect his friend.

  Valaine sighed as the image changed again. We were on the palace stairs beneath an endless starry sky. The full moon cast its milky light over the building, causing shimmers across the white marble surfaces. “My desire to save the ones I loved was my undoing,” she said.

  A body materialized next to us as the memory developed further. Eldfenn was on his back, a gaping hole in his chest. His blood puddled and poured down the stone steps, dark and red and glistening under the moonlight. A Darkling towered over him. He held Eldfenn’s heart in his hand, watching as the Master Commander gave his last breath.

  “Elias Dratch killed me. Aelyn’s father. All the Dratches were Darklings,” Valaine said. “It was revealed on the night of the wedding when Aelyn poisoned the blood at the celebration feast. Elias killed Thyme. It devastated Mira and Kemi. They never spoke about Thyme again after that. It was as if he never existed, because they couldn’t bear the pain or the shame. They regretted not being more involved in their son’s life, especially after Eldfenn’s warnings.”

  “And after Thyme, they had Eliana, about twenty thousand years later,” I replied. “They were not lucky at all.”

  “They thought of it as the universe’s punishment for their aiding and abetting of the Spirit Bender. They knew their sins in getting the Unending trapped were not something that would be easily absolved,” Valaine murmured.

  In the end, Mira and Kemi suffered greatly at the hands of fate and the Spirit Bender. They’d helped him keep the Unending bound. In return, their first child was assassinated. I remembered they’d had other children after Thyme who continued the Nasani dynasty, but they’d distanced themselves from the empire’s official courts and assemblies. Later, they had Eliana, and we all knew how that had turned out.

  I could only imagine the pain of a parent losing their child. I couldn’t even begin to imagine losing two children to the same relentless sort of evil. No wonder they’d grown tired of living. No wonder they wanted to be relieved of their immortality, to die of old age, to never feel such heartache again. The Unending’s history was deeply complicated—her gold thread wove throughout the fabric of Visio and its dynasties.

  We’d managed to peel away some of the layers, but I couldn’t see her. Not yet. I’d found her once, and I’d find her again. I had to. We had no other choice.

  Tristan

  This process was painful for Valaine, but it also got a little bit easier with each death she remembered. It wasn’t a smooth journey, as each memory brought back an incredible amount of grief and tears. Every time, I had to watch her go through it all. I had to witness every cycle of birth, life, and inevitable death. The fact that she had to relive everything hurt me on a level I didn’t even know existed.

  Her pain was my pain, yet she proceeded with grace and poise. Being inside this interdimensional pocket had changed her demeanor. It had given her strength and patience. My presence, along with Phantom and Morning’s, played a part, as well. Valaine was calm and confident, despite the suffering she endured with each memory.

  “Where are we now?” I asked as the image continued to change around us. The blackness had been replaced by another, earlier version of Visio.

  The land looked different. Mountains rose where there had been plains. Oceans pulled back, revealing new islands and broader, rocky shores. The planet was everchanging, yet for the Aeternae time had stood still. They didn’t age. They were destined to live forever, and they were loving it. We’d come to a time when their species was relatively young, and the Unending’s wounds still fresh.

  “Nine hundred thousand years since the binding,” Valaine replied. “Mira is Lady Supreme. Kemi is Lord Supreme. They do not have children yet, as they’re still adjusting
to their immortal lives. They feel guilt toward me… well, toward the Unending. But they’re also enjoying the concept of time never running out.”

  “And who are you?” Phantom asked.

  We were taken to a small village on the southern shore. The houses were made out of straw and red clay. They’d used rocks to create elevated foundations. My guess was that they’d had enough experience with the tides to fortify their homes as best as they could. Aeternae children played by the water, the ocean lapping at their tanned feet.

  Their parents watched from the edge of the beach, sitting by a crackling fire. The sun was setting, a flaming red ball that turned the sky crimson and orange as it descended into the dark waters. Peace reigned over this period, but it felt forced. Unlike their children, the parents looked unhappy. They wore iron cuffs around their ankles. Valaine noticed my attention being drawn to them.

  “They’re blood slaves,” she said. “Before the Aeternae discovered and conquered Rimia and Nalore, they fed on their own. It’s a piece of Aeternae history that they’ve hidden very well. Even the descendants of those who served as ‘food’ don’t know about this. Tired of drinking animal blood, the elites enslaved some of the people—stripped them of their lands, pushed them into poverty. They basically forced them into slavery. There were thousands of them, forced to live like this, with chains, waiting for the empire’s soldiers to come and collect blood to feed the nation…”

  The kids ran around and giggled and splashed water at each other. They didn’t yet understand what their futures held, and I felt equal parts sorry and relieved for them. The former because the day would come when they would grasp their true reality, when they would see their blood taken from them—whether they wanted to give it or not. The latter because they were still innocent and laughing, enjoying the sun’s warmth on their faces and the ocean’s cool embrace.

  “I’m Jacinda Arneth,” Valaine continued, as an Aeternae woman emerged from one of the red clay houses. She wore simple and modest linen clothes, her hair black and braided down her back. Barefooted and smiling, she joined the Aeternae who kept an eye on their children. “I’m a refugee of sorts…”

  They all seemed to like her, even though she didn’t wear iron cuffs. They smiled when she was around. One of the women put an arm around her shoulder as Jacinda settled in front of the fire.

  “Where’s your uncle?” the woman asked.

  “Inside, weaving a shirt,” Jacinda replied. “He made himself a new spindle, and he’s eager to try it.”

  “Good. Galle can’t be without his craft for too long.” The woman chuckled. “Idleness makes him stir-crazy.”

  Valaine smiled. “My uncle Galle and I fled the city because we refused to drink Aeternae slave blood, as was the new custom. The slaves welcomed us into their village when the elite Aeternae shunned us. So we became refugees. No one wanted us. Not our own bourgeoisie, anyway.”

  “You seemed happy here,” I said.

  “My joy and serenity were short-lived,” she replied, as Jacinda’s conversation with the slaves continued in the background.

  The image warped again, but only slightly this time. It was an early morning, and the tide was gradually withdrawing. The foaming waters revealed golden sands littered with oddly shaped seashells and turtle-like creatures stumbling and struggling to get back into the ocean.

  Vision horses neighed, their hooves thundering down the narrow, battered road. There were dozens of them with silver guards on their backs. They were led by a gold guard with a somber look on his face as they stormed the village.

  The Aeternae slaves ran from their path, the children hiding in the red clay houses and peeking out from the windows. The gold guard—a lieutenant, I suspected—stopped in the middle of the village and shouted so everyone could hear him. “Galle and Jacinda Arneth! Come out, now!”

  The silver guards dismounted their horses, hands resting on their sheathed swords. They still carried weapons in this age. No one dared object to their presence. How could they, when the slaves were visibly traumatized and terrified of any Aeternae representing the empire?

  “Galle and Jacinda Arneth!” the gold guard called out again. “You have ten seconds to comply before we start killing people!”

  A moment later, Jacinda ran out of one of the houses with her hands up in a defensive gesture. “Please don’t! They’re innocent! They didn’t do anything wrong!”

  “There you are,” the gold guard said with a sneer. “Where’s your uncle?”

  “He’s not here, I swear! He’s out by the shore collecting seashells,” Jacinda explained. She was shaking, as afraid of the guards as the slaves were.

  “They scared me,” Valaine mumbled. “They filled me with coldness and dread. I’d chosen not to live at the expense of my fellow Aeternae, and they resented and punished me for it. They were bullies.”

  “You were accused of consorting with the blood slaves,” the gold guard said, not hiding his disgust as he looked around. “I see the rumors are true.”

  “I live here. Is that considered consorting?” Jacinda shot back.

  “We feed off them. We don’t live with them,” he replied firmly. “Has your exile taught you nothing, stupid girl?”

  Jacinda’s expression shifted from fearful to angry. Her hands balled into fists as she stared the gold guard down. “Is that why you’re here? To tell me that I’m supposed to drink their blood?”

  “It’s either that or we take you and your uncle to prison.”

  “That’s ridiculous! You can’t force me to drink Aeternae blood!” Jacinda shouted.

  The gold guard slipped off his horse and reached her in less than a breath. She didn’t see it coming. “I’m stronger and faster than you, stupid girl. Want to bet I’ll make you drink? Of course, there is also a better alternative that might teach you the right lesson. How about we slap some iron cuffs on you and your uncle, too? If you refuse to drink from the blood slaves, if you’re so fond of them, why not become blood slaves yourselves, huh?”

  “Let go of me!” Jacinda tried to free herself, but his grip was merciless, his gloved fingers digging into her arm.

  “Did you really think the empire would let you live this way?” The gold guard laughed, mocking her as he watched her struggle. But his amusement was premature, and I watched as black veins burst around Jacinda’s eyes.

  The darkness erupted in a devastating pulse, and it threw him back. He landed with a painful thud, his insides already liquefied as the Black Fever took hold of him. Jacinda froze, unable to control herself. The Aeternae slaves watched in horror as the silver guards tried to immobilize her.

  They all died the moment they stepped toward her. She couldn’t hold back.

  “I didn’t understand what was happening, but I felt awful. I didn’t want any of them dead. I’d only asked to be left alone,” Valaine said, her eyes still closed. Her voice began to change, dropping to a low murmur that sent chills rushing through my body. “I’d only asked to live the way I wanted.”

  The worst part was that the slaves were getting sick as well, and fast. Left on her own in the middle of a terrified and infected village, Jacinda couldn’t cope with what she’d unwittingly done. She ran away up the coast, her bare feet sinking into the wet sand. She tripped and fell a few times, but she kept going, sobbing as she searched for her uncle.

  The image moved until it found Galle, who was happily collecting a shell the size of his head, covered in pink-and-green striations. “Oh, this will make a fine instrument,” he muttered to himself.

  “Uncle!” Jacinda cried out in the distance. “Uncle, I need help!”

  Galle stilled, frowning as he watched her run toward him. “Jace… what’s wrong?”

  “They came for us!” She threw her arms around him. He held her tight, pushing his worries back as he tried to calm her down. It took Galle a couple of minutes to get her to breathe properly.

  “That’s it, honey. In and out,” he said. “Now, tell me what happen
ed. Who came for us?”

  “The silver guards. Someone from the slave villages farther inland must’ve seen us here,” Jacinda explained. “They came for us. They were going to force us to drink Aeternae blood. The people were scared. I was scared. I didn’t know what to do. I… I lost control.”

  “You need to tell me more. What do you mean you lost control?” he asked.

  Jacinda’s eyes were glazed with tears, and the black veins returned. My stomach tightened as I realized what was about to happen. “No…” I whispered. She was losing control again. The grief and the guilt were taking a toll, much like the fear and the anger she’d felt earlier.

  “I hurt him. Them. I hurt them all… I didn’t even realize it,” Valaine said.

  “Uncle, what… what’s happening to me?” Jacinda sobbed.

  Galle couldn’t answer. Black blood dripped from his nose, and he fell to his knees, no longer able to stand. The Black Fever took hold of him, merciless and painful. Jacinda tried to help him back up, but he stopped breathing. His skin darkened, covered in broken blood vessels. He gave his last breath in her arms, and Jacinda was devastated.

  “Uncle, no…”

  “It was my fault,” Valaine continued, opening her eyes to look at me. I felt her agony inside me, rippling and simmering and tearing me apart. “I couldn’t explain it, but I knew I was to blame. It wasn’t something I could live with. I refused to exist because I’d taken so many lives. Maybe the guards had had it coming, but the others… no. My uncle was innocent, and I killed him.”

  The four of us watched as Jacinda wandered farther up the beach, having left Galle behind. I lost track of time, unable to take my eyes off the poor woman. She cried and walked until her legs could no longer hold her. She’d been drinking animal blood for a long time, and her Aeternae body was not as strong as the others in her species—much like the Orvisians.

  Eventually, she reached a patrol. Two silver guards emerged from a lighthouse, and she didn’t hesitate. Extending her claws, she attacked them, but she didn’t really try to take the soldiers down. One of them cut off her head, and that was the end of Jacinda Arneth.