I looked at Draven and Serena. "I'm sorry it's working out this way. You've both been so good to Calliope and Eritopia."
"Yeah, and look at us now, useless as we watch our world disappear," Serena murmured. Glancing around, I noticed one couple was missing, though I would've expected to see them here.
"Where are Phoenix and Viola?" I asked.
Draven lowered his gaze, holding Serena's hand in his and squeezing it a little bit tighter. "They're with the other Daughters, forging shelters for the refugees across Eritopia. Phoenix and Viola are in charge of Calliope, and they're waiting for Jovi and the others to reach them with our people. Safira and her sisters are handling the other planets in our system."
"It's our last attempt to keep them all safe," Serena added. "Though I doubt it'll do much if the ritual is completed."
That had been a certainty in my mind for days now. It wouldn't do a thing. Once the ritual was completed, the amount of power unleashed from it would wipe out every living creature on every planet in its path, whether or not its Hermessi were against it. Their affiliation would no longer matter. Neraka, Calliope, Strava, and every other planet in the In-Between and in the Supernatural Dimension would be destroyed, stripped of all life forms. Then, once the silence settled over all that death, the Hermessi would take to the pink waters to rebuild everything from scratch. What cruel creatures…
But at least the Daughters and everyone else in GASP were trying to do something, anything to save as many people as they could.
"What shall we do, then?" Kailani asked. "What of our officers?"
"I'm not sure I understand the question," Lawrence replied, his gaze dark. He had an inkling, but he just didn't want to be the first to say it out loud. I'd thought about it, too.
"Do we stay here and die with everyone else?" Kailani asked. "I'm sorry, but I have to ask. The Shade is still safe."
"It's our last line of defense," I mumbled. "If the ritual is completed, the Hermessi will have enough power to slip through the Earthly Dimension, but I'm not sure how far they'll be able to go."
"Earth will be in their crosshairs, for sure," Serena said, quickly picking up on what Kailani—and, to some extent, even I—was trying to suggest. "With the In-Between and the Supernatural Dimension already under their full control, ours will be next."
Bijarki shook his head. "You can't possibly suggest that we leave Vita and all the others behind."
"That is exactly what Kailani is suggesting, and I happen to agree," I said. "As much as it pains me."
"You're kidding." The incubus was downright astonished. While I sympathized and absolutely understood his turmoil, I had to fall back on my GASP training and personal experiences for this.
"I'm not. Ben wouldn't want me dying here with him. And Vita wouldn't want that for you, either. Your child is already in The Shade. She'll need you, if we survive in the Earthly Dimension, by some force or miracle. We don't know how strong the Hermessi will be out there, after the ritual. We've already learned how deceptive they can be. They might've even overplayed the amount of power the ritual would give them."
"That's just wishful thinking," Blaze said. "We don't know anything for sure."
"But we can hope," Hunter replied. "It's better than giving up and dying out here."
Silence fell heavily over Luceria's platform. The evening breeze rustled through the woods below. I breathed deeply, my lungs swelling, and exhaled slowly to allow clarity to set in. A decision had to be made, as unpopular as it may have been.
I wanted to be up there, in the sanctuary, with my husband and the rest of my family, but, if the worst were to happen, I had to make sure that I'd done everything I could to save as many people as possible.
"We need to take all our GASP members out of Eritopia and into The Shade," I said after a while, prompting Lawrence and Bijarki to gawk at me as if I'd just insulted them. "If the ritual is completed, they will be of no use here. We'll have to focus what resources we have on protecting Earth. Our planet's Hermessi alone won't be enough to stop these fiends if they come through."
The blood drained from Lawrence's face as he realized the implications. "Oh. I didn't think of that."
"None of us did," Bijarki muttered, his shoulders dropping. "Just because the ritual strengthens them here and in the Supernatural Dimension, it doesn't necessarily mean they'll be undefeatable against Earth."
"The odds won't be in our favor, but at least we'll have a chance to fight them on a more advantageous ground. Tebir and the other Hermessi of Earth will put everything they have into the defense," I said. "If… If we lose this war here… The Shade will be all that's left."
Shadows fluttered across Draven's face. His dilemma was the worst, as ruler of Calliope and a GASP officer. He was stuck between worlds. "What will I do?"
"Whatever you decide, I'll be with you the whole way," Serena replied, her voice breaking as she, too, began to contemplate her options. Eritopia had become her home the moment she'd married Draven and chosen to stay here and rule. Abandoning those whom she now called "her people" would be frowned upon. Leaders did not leave their folk behind, but what choices were left?
"I agree with Serena," I said to Draven. "Regardless of your decision, we will respect it. If you choose to stay here, and Serena joins you, I… Neither I nor Derek and Sofia, or Rose and Caleb, even, will be able to stop you. But if you come with us to The Shade… We could use a couple of fighters like you, should the worst come to happen."
Judging by the expressions around me, I knew I'd hit the nail on the head so hard, it hurt them all. But this was war, and difficult decisions had to be made. I didn't like it any better than anyone else. My husband, my family were out there. It pained me beyond anything else to leave them behind like this.
However, our worst-case scenario was beginning to look more and more like an impending reality. If we succumbed to our emotions, we'd all be dead by tomorrow night.
Harper
Despair reigned supreme on Neraka, as the evacuation procedures had already begun. All of the civilians had been moved far away from the fae sanctuary—the general assumption still was that, whatever end-of-days method the Hermessi would use against us, it would start from up there. Otherwise, what was the point of that whole display?
River's suggestion to have all GASP officers evacuate into The Shade had spread quickly after she'd first voiced it. Less than an hour after her voice had come through the comms line and Derek and Sofia had approved, most of our Neraka-based officers were already moving back into The Shade.
It broke me into little pieces to have to do this, but both Caspian and I had agreed that Earth needed our protection in case the ritual was completed. There was nothing left for us to do here, other than wait for our own demise. I'd almost begged Pheng-Pheng to come with us, but she'd chosen to stay with her mother and Manticore siblings. "If Neraka dies tomorrow, we'll die with it. I doubt the Earth will stand a better chance," she'd said, bitterness tinting her voice.
I understood her. The decision made sense, though I loathed the mere thought of losing her and every other Nerakian to the Hermessi. Yet we were here, saying goodbye to our GASP base, as the last of our lieutenants made their way to the portal.
Zane and Fiona were present, with little Sophia cradled in her mother's arms, sleeping soundly, as if everything was fine and peachy in the world. For a moment, I wished I was a kid again—my world as tiny and as precious as hers, with no fear for my safety, thanks to my parents.
"You haven't packed anything," I said, noticing that, unlike most of Neraka's GASP officers, Zane and Fiona had come along with nothing but the clothes on their backs. My stomach churned, likely because somewhere, deep in my mind, I already knew what they were going to say.
"We're not coming," Zane replied, his red eyes darkened to the shade of sour cherries. "I'm staying here, with my people. I've led them until now. I cannot bring myself to leave. But maybe you can convince my beloved wife here not to join me, for the sake o
f her and our daughter."
I was surprised I hadn't noticed it before, but Fiona's eyes were all puffy. I'd been so busy overseeing the evacuation procedures that I'd paid little to no attention to everything else around me. Fiona had been crying.
"Fi… are you serious?" I asked, my voice barely audible.
"What about Sophia?" Caspian added, genuinely alarmed.
"Please, Fiona, for the millionth time, I beg you: go with them," Zane said to her.
She wouldn't budge, shaking her head with all the stubbornness she'd inherited from multiple generations of absolute fighters. Fiona wasn't famous for changing her mind. My heart was bleeding already.
"I can't," she replied, looking at Zane with glassy eyes. "I can't leave you. I'm sorry. No matter how many times we talk about it, you won't convince me to leave you. No one can."
"Fi… Please…" I managed, and she shot me a desperate glare in return.
"Harper, I can't. My soul is bound to Zane's. I love him. We fought through the worst together. Our marriage was forged in fire… I've tried. Don't think I haven't tried to pull myself away from this. I… I can't."
"Zane, you can both come with us," Caspian said in an attempt to bring them along, part of him unable to cope with the fact that we were losing two of our dearest friends to this blasted ritual. "The Shade and Earth will need all the help they can get. Maybe Taeral will find Death in the meantime and stop this. When he does, you can come back like nothing happened."
Zane chuckled softly. "I'm fond of you, too, Caspian. But you know I would never abandon my people, not even in their darkest hour. I freed them from my father's delusional and hellish reign. I can't."
I'd heard "I can't" too many times, already. Whenever Fiona or Zane said it, something cut through my very soul, making it difficult to even stand, let alone focus. I did understand why Fiona couldn't bring herself to leave Zane here on his own. Love was a powerful thing—and Caspian and I were both more aware of that than anyone else. But Fiona still had baby Sophia. Her daughter.
"What about her?" I asked, looking at the dormant little angel swaddled in delicate white linens, her round cheeks flushed with tiny roses.
Fiona's gaze found me, and there was so much grief, I had to grip Caspian's arm to keep myself upright, without even registering the two people who'd just come through the portal. "I've made arrangements," Fiona said. Glancing to her left, I saw Scarlett and Patrik joining us, both of them looking about as torn apart as I was, if not more so.
"Fi… No…" I murmured, tears stinging my eyes.
"I knew you wouldn't do it. You'd use Sophia to get me to come with you, and I love you so much for that. I love her more than words can ever express. But I belong with Zane in what's left of our future. You will all take care of our baby if the worst comes to happen here tomorrow night," Fiona said, in between gut-wrenching sobs. "I suppose I'm not a great mother for doing this, but I trust you will all make sure Sophia understands how much Zane and I loved her… and why we're staying here with… with our people."
More than once, I'd heard Fiona refer to the Nerakians as "her people." She'd married into the daemon kingship, but she'd quickly become devoted to the daemons and their world. In a way, Fiona was more Nerakian than she was Shadian. Her decision was difficult, to say the least, and I was certain she hadn't reached it quickly. No mother gave her child away with ease.
I couldn't even begin to imagine what this was like for her, but I had to find the strength to trust her and accept her choice, as tough as it was.
"Sophia has a better chance to survive in The Shade," Fiona continued, while Zane stared at his daughter. His aura burned red, like Fiona's, sprinkled with flashes of gold—his love for Fiona and little Sophia. "If the Hermessi succeed in destroying us here, our baby will have another shot in The Shade. I know you will all take good care of her."
Her voice faltered as she kissed her baby's forehead, then handed her over to Scarlett and Patrik. "I promise you, we'll do everything we can to keep her safe," Scarlett mumbled. Looking at me, she exhaled sharply. "I'm sorry we didn't tell you. I swear, I've spent the better part of today begging her not to do this."
"Once Fiona sets her mind to something…" Zane sighed and walked over to Scarlett, who was now holding Sophia. He brushed a finger along the side of the baby's face, the corner of his mouth twitching. He kissed the top of her head and moved away, swallowing back a deluge of emotion. He caught Fiona's hand in his and pulled her close, as she unraveled in his embrace. "Just go," he said. "All of you… Go. We'll be fine here."
"Will you, though?" Caspian replied. "This doesn't make sense!"
"One day, you'll have your own people to rule, I'm sure of it," Zane said. "You're a marvelous ruler. I know you'll exercise that skill at some point in what I hope is going to be a long life. Only then will you realize why I'm doing this. When you surround yourself with people who will give their lives for you, giving yours for them won't seem like that much trouble anymore."
Zane loved his kingdom too much to leave it behind, and Fiona loved Zane too much to abandon him. As wrong as that might've sounded to most of us, especially since they still had a child who needed her parents more than anything, I had to let go. I had to accept their decision and respect it.
If they wanted us to take Sophia to The Shade and do our damnedest to make sure she'd be safe, then that was what we would do. Regardless of the pain that it caused me, I needed to be a good friend till the very end.
Wiping the tears with the back of my sleeve, I hugged Fiona and Zane as tight as I could, then moved back and tried to focus on something else, while Sophia continued her slumber in Scarlett’s arms.
"What will you do now?" I asked them.
"We're going to use the daemon tunnels," Zane said. "Most of my people are already down there, and I've invited Pheng-Pheng's people and the Imen to join us."
"The tunnels are the fastest route to the other side of the planet," Patrik reminded us. "Straight passageways that are smooth and devoid of natural obstacles."
"Please, forgive me," Fiona said, her wet eyes fixed on mine. "This isn't how I wanted us to part ways."
I smiled, though it took a considerable amount of effort. "We've been through a lot, you and I. There is nothing to forgive. But, if by some miracle Taeral finds a way to save us, I hope we can all agree to never speak of this moment ever again."
Zane nodded. "You have been the greatest friends a daemon like me could ever wish for. I hope to see you on the other side."
Saying goodbye was the single most difficult thing I'd ever had to do. I had always known it to be a hard moment in one's life, but I'd never thought I'd deal with it myself. At least I still had Caspian by my side, to hold me up and keep me going.
From this point onward, our fates depended on Taeral. I trusted him to stop at nothing until he found Death, so I found comfort in hoping that this wouldn't end in tragedy, that the Fire Star prince would find a way to defeat the Hermessi before it was too late.
I wasn't ready to say goodbye to my friends yet. I could nod and pretend, but that was it.
Sofia
"I feel horrible for doing this," I said.
"There isn't enough room on Earth for everyone, you know that," Derek replied, his voice low and calm as we both stood by The Shade's portal, waiting for more GASP agents to come through from Neraka.
Gazing beyond the portal's stone frame, I found a sense of relief in the presence of Tebir and the other Hermessi of Earth. They'd manifested as colorful, fiery figures, offering to protect the portal from unwanted elementals while we transferred all the willing GASP agents back to The Shade. I knew not all of them would choose this path. Some would've rather stayed back on their home planets, with the people they'd known their whole lives, until the very last minute of their existence, and it was a decision we had to respect.
But even so, I hated having to organize such a protocol to begin with. I wished we could've just brought everyone out of the Supernatur
al Dimension and the In-Between, and into The Shade. Alas, our haven—not to mention the entire planet—was too small for such an ambitious endeavor, and time wasn't on our side.
"If we take some people off a planet, it will be unfair to the many others left behind," Corrine chimed in. She'd joined us earlier, along with Ibrahim, Vivienne and Xavier, and Rose and Caleb. I’d left Mona and Kiev as additional support for the Hermessi children. We’d needed seniors there as well. "And we certainly can't do that, as far as the civilians are concerned. Our agents, on the other hand, we can pull them back and use them for The Shade's defenses. Chances are we’ll need them."
"Choosing who to save will always be a tough one," Ibrahim added. "You either save everyone on a planet, or no one. At least, that's how I see things. Sacrificing the commoners to rescue the elite or the scientists or the more brilliant minds of a civilization is rather cruel. It's like saying the others don't matter."
"The best we can do is bring our GASP people back, for the time being," Derek said. "With a little bit of luck, we'll only have to formulate an apology to the civilians we left behind, later—"
"Oh, rest assured, they'll understand," Xavier replied. "If this whole ritual insanity happened here, and In-Betweeners and Supernaturals had to take their soldiers out of here and leave us behind… well, it would be a hard pill to swallow, but I wouldn't hold it against them. The odds are stacked against every civilian in the Hermessi's radius, I'm afraid. And they know it."
"This is the best we can do, I know," I murmured. "It still sucks."
"It will never stop being terrible, Mom," Rose said. "But in times like these…"
A Shade of Vampire 77: A Fate of Time Page 5