“Yeah, that aside, we need to talk, Vikkal. I’m here on behalf of GASP and the crown prince, Taeral,” I said. “The consensus is that you’ve been holding out on us.”
I wasn’t a diplomat by nature, and, even after I’d joined Zeriel in the lagoon, I’d been quite specific that there were things I’d never change about myself. My rough edges were mine to keep. Zeriel, ever the loving, perfect Tritone, had been and still was perfectly okay with that.
Vikkal, on the other hand, didn’t seem to appreciate my bluntness. His slim brows furrowed, distorting his forehead tattoo for a moment. “What… What do you mean?”
“The death cult that’s been wreaking havoc in our worlds. It doesn’t serve a rogue Hermessi. It serves a startling majority of Hermessi,” I said firmly. “The attacks are sanctioned by the natural elements. And the symbols that these cultists carve into their own skin—they’re not for protection, like you told us.”
Vikkal blinked several times, then sucked in a breath. “Where did you hear that?”
“From a Hermessi,” I replied. “They’re orchestrating targeted attacks, according to some ancient formula, to perform a ritual.”
“What ritual?” he asked.
“I was hoping you could tell us.”
He shook his head. “I have no idea.”
“You reek of deception,” Zeriel hissed, narrowing his eyes at the tattooed fire templar.
“I have to say, I agree with the Tritone king here,” I added, and pointed a finger at Vikkal. “You’ve been lying to us. I have it on good authority that the rogue Hermessi has been trying to stop these cults, hence the premature detonations. You’re going to tell us the truth, this time.”
Vikkal’s eyes bulged as the realization dawned on him. He was quick to figure it out.
“You spoke to him,” he mumbled. “Brann.”
“Ah, so you knew there was a rogue Hermessi, going off script. You even knew his name!” I said, feeling my blood boil. A howling wind rose outside, its echoes trickling into the temple.
And, just like that, Vikkal’s expression changed from meek and soft to sneering and chillingly vicious. “You’re in over your heads.”
“There he is! The real Vikkal!” I replied.
“You’re one of them,” Nuriya murmured. I could almost see the horror setting in. “You’ve been lying this whole time. You’re not here to worship the Hermessi; you’re here to recruit cult members and send them out on suicide missions.”
“It didn’t start out like that,” Vikkal said. “Do go away, now. I told you, you’re not equipped to deal with what’s coming.”
“I’m not leaving until you tell me everything I need to know!” I growled.
Zeriel’s hand found my wrist. I felt his grip, as he tried to hold me back. He had good reasons to do that, because I was seconds away from cracking Vikkal’s skull open like a watermelon.
Vikkal, however, didn’t seem intimidated. But it was a little refreshing to see this real version of him. I wasn’t a fan of flimsy façades, anyway. “Nothing I tell you will change what’s coming. Try all you want, but you cannot stop the future.”
“That’s for me to decide. Now, tell me. When and why did the Hermessi come to you for assistance? They clearly need the support of a certain number of fae to do something. What’s the ritual about?” I replied.
Vikkal opened the palm of his hand. A bright orange flame blossomed in it. “I thought I told you to go away.”
“Nope.”
Before he could throw the fireball at me, I summoned all my rage and channeled it into one of the rocky slabs at his feet. As if working with invisible strings, I pulled one up with surprising speed. The stone shot upward and smacked him in the chin.
The impact was so sudden and violent, it threw him backward, a trail of smoke left behind by the fizzled fireball he’d planned for me.
Zeriel stood back, this time, but took his sword out, just in case. Nuriya had her eyes on us, as well. They both knew that this bald, lying sack of garbage was mine.
I stalked toward Vikkal. He lay on the ground, groaning from the pain. Blood trickled from his mouth. I’d broken a few teeth, it seemed. My arms were raised to my sides. I flicked the wrists, channeling the swelling winds from outside. They burst in, like invisible whips, and lashed at Vikkal’s body.
He got thrown backward, repeatedly, his arms and legs flailing as if he were a tattered rag doll. The final gust launched him into a wall. I heard a bone break, along with his whimpers.
“By the time I’m done with you, Vikkal, you’ll tell me everything I need to know,” I whispered, before snapping my fingers and producing a fiery whip. I wasn’t done lashing at the bastard—I only wanted to change the medium. “And since you mentioned I’m a Complete Fae, might as well show you what that translates into, for your consideration.”
I launched the flaming whip at him, as he sat limply at the base of the wall. The fire licked at his hip and spread over his red-and-golden garments. He shrieked with horror and pain as he realized that my fire could actually burn him. His skin turned red.
“Make it stop! I beg you! Make it stop!” he cried out.
“Vesta, that’s enough!” I heard Nuriya say.
I wanted to do more to him, though. “The blood of so many innocents is on your hands,” I grumbled. I pulled water from one of the carafes on the altar and sprayed it over Vikkal. “You’re getting off easy, trust me.”
The smell of burnt flesh made my stomach churn. Vikkal was going to forever remember this encounter—there would be scars, for sure. I’d done plenty of damage, from what I could tell, and I didn’t feel sorry at all.
“I’ll talk… I’ll talk, I… Just don’t hurt me anymore,” he managed.
“You should’ve just talked from the moment we walked in, you tool!” Zeriel snapped. He was uneasy with this ruffled and burnt sight of Vikkal, but he also knew he’d had it coming.
“What… What do you want to know?” Vikkal replied, panting and whimpering.
“I told you. Everything,” I said. “Start with the symbols. I know you lied about them, and since the fae in question cut themselves in order to wear them, I’m inclined to believe they’re important.”
I towered over him. He nodded, tilting his head so he could look me in the eyes.
“They’re locks. They seal the Hermessi’s power, or the Hermessi themselves, if need be, in the body,” he replied. “I know you’ve had your fair share of possessions, Vesta. But yours were temporary. Without the symbols, a Hermessi cannot stay for too long, and can’t use you as a conduit for too long.”
“So, the cultists wear the symbols to lock the Hermessi power in. To increase their abilities. Their fire, their water, their everything,” I concluded.
“Yes. A Hermessi can possess a person for much longer, in many different ways. They can pour all of themselves into one body, too, but that would eventually overload the flesh. The seals would break. The conduits would explode. But, with the Hermessi cults, we’ve managed to modify how the Hermessi’s influence spreads.”
“Wait, what?” Zeriel croaked.
I was already speechless. I could feel the dread creeping up and freezing my spine.
Vikkal smirked, his mouth bloodied, gaps in his teeth. “We adapted a seal to lock the Hermessi power in and spread it like a disease. Once the host opens up to the Hermessi’s influence, the modified symbol is carved into the skin, and that’s it. The effects vary from one fae to another. From fever and bad moods to complete and selfless servitude.”
“Oh, crap. That’s how the cults are spreading, then,” Zeriel breathed. “They reach out to the fae via their temples. They weasel into their souls, get them into a state of mental vulnerability, the Hermessi slip in and… infect them, and then, the symbols literally seal the deal.”
“You see… that’s why I said… resistance is futile,” Vikkal muttered, his gaze creepily fixed on me.
I couldn’t help but roll my eyes at him. “You p
eople are playing some stupid and dangerous games.”
“It’s not like we had much of a choice!” he spat. “The moment they were activated in the Blackout, they came to us. They already had their plan. They knew what they were doing! And we were promised immortality and glory in return. Why say no? We’ve learned so much from them since. So, so much!”
I crouched in front of him and offered a cold smile. “And now, you’re going to teach us, too.”
He mirrored my expression, and that instantly set off the alarm bells in my head. I spotted his glowing left hand a second too late. The fire burst out and toppled me. I heard Zeriel say something, but I couldn’t make out the words.
Footsteps skittered across the stone. The flames roared brighter.
I was on my back, unable to move. Panic set in, as I saw Vikkal staring down at me. I felt the cut on my skin. He whispered something, and the strangest heat spread through me. It all went black for a moment.
Vikkal had not run out of tricks yet.
As I opened my eyes, I saw myself. I lay on the floor, my eyes closed and my skin shimmering amber-orange. Vikkal leaned closer. He kept whispering in my ear. What the hell was he doing? And why was I watching it from afar?
Zeriel
Nuriya was quick to react. In a second, she appeared behind Vikkal and pulled him back. She caught him in a headlock so tight, it was impossible for him to move without fainting. I rushed over to Vesta’s side, horror gripping my throat and threatening to suffocate me.
She was unconscious, and the small cut Vikkal had made on her shoulder glimmered orange. This wasn’t supposed to happen. I held her close, pressing my lips against her forehead. She was burning up.
“Is she okay?” Nuriya asked, while Vikkal cackled maniacally.
“I don’t know,” I said, then looked down at my soulmate. “Vesta… Babe, talk to me. Say something…”
She didn’t. Her eyes were closed. A sheen of sweat glistened on her beautiful face. She seemed to be asleep, but her temperature told me something else entirely. I shook her, then gently patted her cheeks, hoping to get some kind of reaction out of her, but nothing worked.
Soon enough, my terror turned into rage, and I scowled at Vikkal. “What the hell did you do, you son of a bitch?!”
He laughed, and my left hand was reaching for one of the long knives I always carried around with me. Nuriya shook her head at me, her brow furrowed.
“Don’t do something stupid,” she warned me. “This fiend has information.”
“I just managed to give the Hermessi a most powerful fae body,” Vikkal said. His grin made my stomach turn inside out. “You can do whatever you want to me. My lords will protect me.”
For a moment, I was blank. My mind processed his words carefully. He’d just given us an extremely precious morsel, and I had to get the rest out of him before he clammed up and said nothing. I knew I’d get one of the Wards involved to bend his mind until he got a brain hemorrhage from telling the truth—but that took a little bit of time, and my fiancée was unconscious, in my arms, showing no signs of coming back to me anytime soon.
“What did you do?” I asked again, hearing the tremor in my strained voice.
Every instinct I had begged me to rush ahead and snap Vikkal in two, but Nuriya was the much-needed voice and force of reason, as she continued to keep him out of my reach. I’d never seen her so fierce and determined. Then again, I’d only met Nuriya the queen of the Fire Star, not the warrior jinni that simmered beneath the surface.
“You said you gave a powerful fae to the Hermessi. What did you mean by that?” Nuriya demanded, tightening the grip around his neck.
He held on to her forearm but couldn’t do anything to relieve the pressure. His eyes occasionally rolled, signaling an impending blackout. He stilled, finally understanding his predicament.
“It’s an ancient spell. Not swamp witch magic, not Druid magic, not anything you’ve ever come across,” Vikkal hissed. “It’s elemental magic, proprietary to the Hermessi. They taught me. The first day after the Blackout, they came to me… they offered me a deal I couldn’t refuse… they showed me some of their most precious secrets. And this! This is one of them! Cut the body, whisper the chant, and the Hermessi will lock on to the flesh. Sooner or later, whether she likes it or not, Vesta’s body will belong to an elemental!”
“Hold on. Wait… Let me get something straight here,” I replied, trying so hard to focus with Vesta limp and quiet in my arms. “Is that how the cult actually spreads? You make the cut, and the Hermessi come in?”
“For most of those who resist, yes,” Vikkal replied. “Those who welcome the Hermessi willingly and with open arms don’t need the cut!”
“And what happens if Vesta refuses this kind of possession?” Nuriya asked.
“She’s locked out of her body. There’s only so much she can do before the Hermessi break the connection to her soul and take over the flesh. And, by the stars, when that happens, you’ll all be in heaps of trouble!” Vikkal laughed.
“So, once they take over, you lock them in with the carved symbols, right?” I replied, as I wrapped my head around the whole process. Vikkal was gloating, and this particular brand of moron’s pride had proven to be exceptionally useful, as we now had valuable insights into how the Hermessi and their cults operated.
“Yes. You see? I told you. No matter what you do, the Hermessi cannot be outsmarted. They have so many spells, so many strategies, so many ways to cause colossal levels of destruction. You’re all better off serving them, like me!”
“From the first day after the Blackout, you’ve been working with the Hermessi. You’ve been planning this. Developing the cults. Spreading the disease. Infecting their minds and their souls in order to… what, exactly?” Nuriya asked.
“Wouldn’t you like to know?” He sneered.
“So not everyone in your stupid cults was eager to join, huh? You cut whoever was on the fence about this, whispered your little spell, and they wound up like Vesta?” I asked.
“Well, it’s not easy to sell doomsday to people! Most didn’t realize what they were getting themselves into until it was too late. I worked hard to get to this point, Tritone King. The glory is mine!”
“Doomsday?” Nuriya breathed, her eyes wide. “What do you mean by ‘doomsday’?”
Vikkal opened his mouth to answer, but his skin lit up red. He burned so hot, it singed Nuriya and forced her to let go of him. She cursed under her breath and backed away. A millisecond later, Vikkal burst into flames so bright, so powerful and so intense, that he was almost immediately reduced to ashes.
Shock ensued, and Nuriya and I stared at one another for what felt like a few minutes.
“Did the Hermessi just kill a witness?” she managed, then checked her palms. Her olive skin bore red marks where she’d held Vikkal. Only mild burns, thankfully. She’d let go just in time.
I nodded slowly. “I think so. Big mouth, I guess. But what about Vesta? What do we do? How do I…” My voice broke, forcing me to take a deep breath and clear my throat. “How do I get her back?”
Nuriya kneeled by her side, a pained expression drawing shadows across her face. “I don’t know, Zeriel. If Vikkal is right, then there’s a Hermessi’s influence festering inside her.”
“She’s burning up.”
“She will continue to manifest such symptoms until the Hermessi’s influence takes over, completely, and Vesta’s soul is… lost,” Nuriya mumbled, staring at her. “I don’t know how to cure her, Zeriel, but if Vikkal could do this to her, and if his cult members are looking to expand the Hermessi’s reach, then chances are they’ll try and do the same to other fae.”
“They’ll cut them and spread it around like a disease,” I croaked. “Oh damn.”
I sat there, helpless and mindless, holding the love of my life in my arms and wondering if I would ever get her back. I’d suspected from the very beginning that there was more to these cults than met the eye, but I’d set such tho
ughts aside, worried that my innate paranoia might end up clouding my judgment.
In the end, my gut feeling had been right all along.
The Hermessi used their cults as a means to spread their influence and take over fae bodies. I figured it was their way of increasing their power and doing some real damage. But, until we figured out why, and how we could stop them, there’s wasn’t much we could do.
Vesta was out, and all I could do, with this impending danger of annihilation, was think of ways to get her back. However, I had to pull myself together and stay strong. My fiancée wasn’t the only one targeted. If only I could reach out to her.
Vesta
I could hear everything that Zeriel and Nuriya said to each other. I’d witnessed the entire exchange, and I’d seen a lot more than they had where Vikkal’s destruction was concerned. They didn’t see the fiery strings stretching across the floor, slithering around as they made their way toward Vikkal. Just as he’d been about to spill more beans, the flames had worked their way up and through his flesh, making him burn from the inside out.
My spirit was separated from my body. I could see myself in Zeriel’s arms, and I’d spent the past few minutes trying to figure out what the heck was going on.
Now knowing that Vikkal had facilitated my expulsion from my own “home,” I looked around, frantically, looking for a solution. Only then did I notice the chain around my ethereal ankle. The metal glistened in shades of gold, and it linked me to my body.
“Hold on, babe, I’ll come back to you,” I murmured, then kneeled and tried to tug at the chain, wondering if it would react in any way.
Zeriel was broken up and downright terrified, and I felt the same way. Nuriya was by our side, trying to console him. However, I had a feeling that this was my battle from now on, not theirs. At least as far as my autonomy was concerned.
“Ouch!” I yelped. The chain was burning hot. Oddly, it didn’t hurt my ankle. It only reacted to my tug. That was a clue. To what? I wasn’t sure. I’d never had such an out-of-body experience before.
A Shade of Vampire 70: A Breed of Elements Page 17