A Shade of Vampire 79: A Game of Death

by Forrest, Bella

  Zoltan grinned. “No, they don’t. If they did, they would be here, stomping their feet and acting all righteous. You shall not be entitled to the secrets of the Darklings, Trev. It was a nice try, I’ll give you that. But you should’ve stayed a Rimian. You should’ve settled for whatever years you had left. The life of an Aeternae is far too complicated for someone like you. We’re doing you a favor now.”

  “You people are insane,” Trev spat. “Traitors to your own species. To the empire. To all the nations of Visio and beyond.”

  “Oh, Trev, you poor ignorant soul. You don’t even know how many of us there are, or how deep the organization goes. It would blow your mind,” Zoltan replied. He gave the ginger a brief glance. “End him.”

  Before Trev could even blink, he was surrounded by Darklings. I couldn’t hang him out to dry, and I still had the invisibility advantage. I had to do something. They attacked, pouncing with their sharp claws.

  I ran around them, darting between bodies and slashing their sides with my own vampire claws. It was a difficult move, as I had to do my best not to get blood on me. I punctured flesh and organs, and some of the Darklings cried out in pain, while the others moved back, their eyes wide and filled with shock. They couldn’t understand what was going on.

  Trev had defended himself well, too, but he was still no match for all five of them. Zoltan, on the other hand, was scanning the room from top to bottom, his inquisitive gaze likely searching for me.

  “What is happening?” the ginger asked, holding her side.

  “There’s something off here,” another Darkling said, his face covered in his own blood, after Trev had nearly scalped him. My stomach turned, revulsion threatening to take over me.

  “I believe we’ve got an intruder,” Zoltan declared. He clutched something beneath his hood. I caught a glimpse of silver and his whitened knuckles. He whispered a string of foreign words… words which, much like the runes on the padlock, sounded awfully familiar.

  A pulse erupted from Zoltan, causing the air to ripple outward. As soon as the current hit me, I felt something snap inside my chest. Suddenly, they could all see me. My invisibility spell had been dismantled through some kind of magic.

  “Esme. No!” Trev said, genuinely concerned. “No.”

  Zoltan, however, was terrified—not by what I could do, but rather by my mere presence down here. He knew what it could mean for him and the Darklings, and he definitely couldn’t have me roaming around and still breathing after tonight.

  “You foolish little creature,” he grumbled, shaking his head. “You stupid, stupid girl!”

  The ginger had her sights set on me, sneering with murderous delight. “I’ll take her, Scholar.”

  “I’d love to see you try,” I shot back, laughing as I assumed an attack stance.

  “Esme, you shouldn’t have come here,” Trev said.

  “Clearly, that’s not true, since I now have to save your ass,” I replied.

  But who was I kidding? What were the odds that I would get out of here alive? I wanted to reach out to my brother via Telluris, but Ginger was already flying over the table, her fangs glistening, her claws aimed at my throat.

  Trev and I were screwed.

  Esme

  With my advantage gone, my options were limited. Two Darklings stood between us and the open door. Ginger missed me by inches as I dodged her lunge, but there were two more already gearing up for an attack. Trev and I were surrounded, and Zoltan watched with sinister satisfaction.

  “The more you struggle, the more it will hurt,” he said.

  “Screw you,” I retorted, as Ginger came at me again.

  She was fast and agile, but I refused to let myself get killed inside this creepy place. Trev fought back as hard as he could, while I dodged another attack and swung my claws out, slashing through Ginger’s stomach.

  Another Darkling tried to slit my throat, but I caught his arm and twisted it around so fast, I shattered his wrist. He cried out in pain, and I swerved to the left and clocked another Darkling right in the head with my steel-toed boot. I’d put on my GASP gear for this particular endeavor, and I did not regret that decision one bit!

  “Telluris, Tri—” A punch rammed into my head. A sharp and burning pain shot through my shoulder and chest, spreading like fire. Blood sprayed out from my torso.

  Glancing to the side, I spotted Ginger grinning, her hand red.

  Trev was knocked down, seconds away from getting his head ripped off. One Darkling had pinned him to the floor, while another was about to swoop down and finish the job.

  I ducked when Ginger tried to hit me again. My leg shot out, and I swept her off her feet. A second later, I was on top of her, my claws piercing through her stomach, widening the wound I’d inflicted less than a minute earlier. She screamed in agony, and one of the other Darklings yanked me back and tossed me over the table.

  Sliding along its length, I came a little too close to Zoltan, who took a couple of steps back, as if he feared me. I fed on that sensation, finding enough strength to bounce back up and go straight for his throat.

  “You killed Nethissis, didn’t you?” I hissed as I lunged at him.

  He whispered something and disappeared, reappearing several feet to my left, something metallic glistening in his hand. “She was in the wrong place at the wrong time. I’d thought you’d have learned a lesson from that with regards to snooping around the palace. Clearly, said lesson fell on deaf ears.”

  “You son of a—” Trev snarled and managed to kick one of the Darklings off him, narrowly escaping a most gruesome death.

  “Took the words right out of my mouth,” I said, panting and glowering at Zoltan. Whatever magic he was using, I couldn’t do much against it. Not when he could vanish like… Oh, you have got to be kidding me!

  As soon as the thought crossed my mind, I considered it madness. There was only one way to find out. Ginger was still on the floor, bleeding a puddle, but the other two Darklings I’d dealt with were already darting toward me. I had seconds left.

  I bolted toward Zoltan before he could whisper himself away again and slapped the leather hood to the side, revealing the scythe in his hand.

  “What the—” My thought remained incomplete, as I was tackled again and pushed against the wall with enough strength to shatter my right arm. I grunted from the searing pain, but I struggled, kicking and trying to use my left hand to set myself free. My eyes briefly caught sight of the scythe as Zoltan drove it through my thigh, and I screamed.

  The Reaper weapon hurt more than anything the Darklings could’ve used against me. My flesh felt like it was melting off my bones. My skin rippled and burned around the wound he’d just inflicted, and I could no longer fight the others piling up against me.

  A roar traveled through the room, followed by rapid footsteps and a brisk yelp of pain. Moments later, my opponents were gone, blood spurting all over from dismembered body parts, as they were scattered across the floor.

  The shadow moved quickly, tearing into the remaining Darklings that had gone after Trev. Zoltan was petrified, for he recognized the newcomer once he stopped hacking and slashing. Kalon, his eyes dark, with tiny black veins spidering around his eyelids. His fangs long and red, blood dripping from the sharp tips. His hands glazed in blood.

  For a moment, I remembered Valaine back in the square. This was eerily similar, and I wasn’t sure whether I should be relieved or petrified. Kalon had said that this full-on state of theirs was animalistic and difficult to control.

  Zoltan raised his scythe and chanted a spell—a death spell, I realized, now making the connection to the familiar words and runes. But Kalon sneered and basically flashed across the room. Zoltan vanished, and Kalon crashed into the wall. Parts of it crumbled, rubble falling onto the floor.

  Trev got up, injured but still able to stand, holding his shoulder.

  I slid down the wall, my knees giving out. I couldn’t even feel my leg anymore. Whatever that scythe had done, it was ser
ious. “Telluris…” My tongue got tangled, and I could no longer speak. Fear crippled me, heat seeping through my muscles and expanding into my throat. I looked up at Kalon.

  He breathed heavily, his chest rising with every intake of air, as he looked down at me. Trev leaned against the stone table, blood dripping from his shoulder wound and down his arm. “Kalon… Come back to us… Come on!” he encouraged him. “Control yourself. Deep breaths. You taught me that. Deep breaths… Esme needs you.”

  My gaze was getting blurry, but I could still see Kalon as he regained his composure.

  “How… How did you get here?” I asked, my voice barely audible, my head resting on the cold wall. I welcomed the chilling sensation, while the rest of me burned.

  “Did you really think I didn’t figure out your little invisibility trick?” Kalon replied, kneeling before me. “Esme, I caught your scent in the throne room the night of the attack on Valaine. It didn’t take long for me to figure out you had magic handy. I could recognize your scent and your heartbeat anywhere.”

  “Kalon,” Trev said. “Did you see that weapon on Zoltan? He hurt her with it. What the hell was that?”

  My mind was getting hazy, the shapes losing themselves, the colors blending into a dull gray before my very eyes. Was I really hearing this, or was my mind unraveling and scattering into tiny little bits and pieces?

  “You don’t want to know, trust me,” I thought I heard Kalon mutter.

  “They knew about me, too!” Trev replied.

  “I figured as much when I heard the ruckus in here. It took me a while to sneak past the guards after I saw you coming down here and knowing that Esme was following you. Dammit, she’s losing consciousness!”

  “What do we do?!” Trev asked.

  My eyes rolled back, my whole being weak and mushy. I welcomed the darkness, though the sounds lingered for a few more seconds.

  “You need to go into hiding. The Darklings are on to you,” he said to Trev. “And I need to take her to Amal and Amane. They might know how to save her. That scythe is one deadly toothpick, even for vampires and Aeternae.”

  “I’ll be in touch,” Trev replied. Silence again. He must’ve left.

  I couldn’t believe it. He knew? Was I imagining all this?

  Had Zoltan’s Reaper scythe caused me to hallucinate, perhaps? Nothing made sense anymore, and I was so tired. So, so tired. I wanted to sleep.

  “Have mercy,” a female voice croaked through my darkness. She sounded close. Was that the ginger Darkling?

  The zing of a blade sang through the air. The squishing sound of flesh and blood disturbed by steel. The silence of death. I felt a pair of strong arms scooping me off the damp floor.

  Sleep finally found me, my thoughts and memories jumbling into an unrecognizable mass, my mind exhausted and my body feeling like it was beyond repair. I surrendered to it. It was my time to rest…

  Tristan

  “We’re close to finding the protein,” Amane said, beaming with enthusiasm. “We’ve identified five proteins that are similar to what’s in Derek’s bloodstream.”

  “With the two of us on both microscopes, it’s been much easier,” Amal added. “We were able to compare notes and eliminate the unlikely elements.”

  Valaine had joined me in the study room to check up on the Faulty twins’ progress. Nethissis’s body had been moved next door, preserved with magic and encased in a crystal coffin, courtesy of the Lord and Lady Supreme, who’d had the empire’s foremost artisans to design and sculpt the piece. It was the least they could do, Danika and Acheron had said. I was inclined to disagree, but I was waiting for Esme to give me a sign before I could voice that thought.

  I hadn’t heard from her since she’d left, and that worried me. It was exactly like her to do this, especially on covert missions, but I could never get used to it. I’d never had my sister’s patience.

  Derek and Sofia were both excited, but tired. They hadn’t slept much over the past couple of days—the protein search, the Black Fever, the Darklings, and Nethissis’s death had all taken a toll, and it was beginning to show. Our leaders were worn out but had no intention of backing down. We’d come this far, after all.

  “I’m glad to hear that,” Valaine said. “What about the Black Fever? I don’t mean to add any pressure, but I know Petra and my father will ask tomorrow.”

  Amane sighed. Amal didn’t look too happy, either. Derek took the lead on this one, already knowing what they were going to say. “Progress is slow, I’m afraid. It’s a very complicated virus, from what I understand. It multiplies quickly in pretty much any conditions, so the first step is to figure out what environment isn’t favorable for its development.”

  “We’re running different tests,” Amal said, pointing at several white boxes. Inside, she’d placed glass dishes with virus strains, using magic to replicate various temperatures and physical conditions—hot and dry, hot and humid, cold and dry, extremely damp, freezing cold, and so on. “As soon as we figure out which of these boxes show the slowest evolution, we’ll work from there. Our primary objective is to slow the current outbreak down and to isolate emerging carriers.”

  “So far, we’ve identified one, thanks to my sister,” Amane continued. “We have yet to hear from Petra regarding the girl’s condition. We were promised she’d be safe but quarantined.”

  “Petra is a woman of her word,” Valaine replied. “She might seem cold and odd to most, but I assure you she has the best interest of the empire in mind. That includes the Rimians and the Naloreans, as well.”

  “I would like to see the girl tomorrow morning, if possible,” Amal murmured.

  “Oh, I’m sure we can arrange something—” Valaine froze when the study room door burst open, and Kalon stormed in, holding Esme in his arms.

  My heart stopped when I noticed the blood trickling from her wounded thigh, from her shoulder and side. She was unconscious and pale, and the frenzy threatened to crush my judgment altogether.

  “I need help!” Kalon gasped.

  Within seconds, my sister was laid on one of the tables, with Amal and Amane both at her side, checking her vitals and her wounds. Kalon was shaking, coated in a layer of sweat and anger.

  “What the hell happened?!” I snarled. Resting a hand on Esme’s forehead, I could feel her temperature. It was abnormally high. “She’s burning up. What happened to her, Kalon?!”

  “Our mission with Trev. It went sideways. The Darklings knew about his allegiance. They knew he’d met with us. They knew everything,” Kalon managed, unable to take his eyes off Esme. Amal and Amane proceeded to cut pieces of her combat suit in order to access the wounds.

  A big black gash crossed her thigh, and the sight of it made my stomach churn. It didn’t look natural, and both Faulty sisters were baffled and confused.

  “What’s that?” I asked, dread clutching my throat.

  “I… I’m not sure,” Amane replied. “I haven’t seen anything like this before.”

  “What weapon was used? Where did this happen?” Amal asked Kalon. Valaine moved close to his side, visibly concerned. There were a few black veins still visible around his eyes. He… He must’ve gone into full Aeternae mode, and that worried me even more. Nothing here made sense!

  “In the basement. There’s a whole network of tunnels and hallways and chambers,” Kalon said. “I think the Darklings have been using it for a long time. They’ve infiltrated everywhere.” He looked at Valaine, his eyes glassy and filled with fear. “There are still Darklings among the gold guards, too. Trev met one of the ringleaders. It… It was Zoltan.”

  We all went blank and silent for a split second, stopping everything as the name sank in, and the face associated with it came into focus.

  “Zoltan… Zoltan Shatal?” Valaine managed, completely blindsided. Kalon nodded once, staring at my sister. I could almost feel the guilt surging through him. He felt awful. I could see it in his eyes.

  Amane wiped the blood from her face and other woun
ds, meticulously cleaning and disinfecting them, while Derek cut his wrist and drained some of his blood into a glass vial. Amane looked at him. “I’m going to need more,” she said. “Esme has lost a lot of her own.”

  Sofia exhaled and gave some of hers, as well, filling several vials, which Amane then set into a steady drip, the needle piercing my sister’s wrist. I could barely hear her heart beating, and that just made everything worse. It became difficult for me to concentrate.

  “Yes, Zoltan Shatal. The chief councilor of Visio is a damn Darkling,” Kalon said, his voice trembling with rage. “Esme was following Trev, and I was following Esme… I worried, naturally. When the Darklings jumped them, I was still halfway through the corridors, sneaking through. There were so many hostiles down there, it was unbelievable… all clad in black leather or black armor… it didn’t make sense. By the time I got there, Esme was already injured; Trev was about to get killed. I lost it.”

  “You released your full strength,” Valaine concluded, her index finger brushing over a dark but fading vein under his right eye. He nodded again.

  “And Zoltan?” I asked, already itching to kill that two-faced son of a bitch.

  “He vanished,” Kalon said. “I started tearing into his people there, just to stop them from killing Trev and Esme. And he was gone.”

  “Did you see what weapon was used?” Amal insisted, swabbing the black gash on Esme’s thigh. Tiny black spots framed it, standing out on her pale, almost white skin. I had never seen her like this.

  “It was strange. Like a half-moon,” Kalon replied, frowning and crossing his arms, never looking away from Esme, who seemed to be asleep.

  “A half-moon,” Derek repeated after him, then pressed a button on his earpiece and walked away from the table. He was talking to someone, but I could not hear what he was saying, my attention shattered, most of it focused on Esme’s slow heartbeat. When he came back, Derek was livid, and I didn’t know what to make of it, except suspecting that there was more trouble ahead for my sister.