Our crew was as ready as it could be. That didn’t guarantee a win, but we had to give it our best shot. I had confidence, however, and most of it stemmed from Valaine. I certainly wasn’t going to let the Darklings hurt her. No, they’d had plenty of chances. It was our turn.
Esme
I had quite the task ahead of me: reconciling my feelings for Kalon with the fact that he had lied to me. These weren’t little white lies, either. These were major issues that directly contradicted his otherwise helpful and protective nature, especially where I was concerned. Kalon had gone to great lengths to keep me safe. He’d even gotten himself injured while fighting Darklings and Red Threads. The shock of seeing his brother as a member of the Darklings had seemed genuine, too.
But as the conversation I’d overheard between him and Ansel had unfolded, it revealed a suspicious pattern. Kalon had lied about his knowledge regarding the Darklings. They’d been grooming him. He’d refused to be a part of their operations, but he certainly wasn’t the innocent Aeternae I’d thought him to be. I also remembered the missing pieces from that night with Zoltan. I knew that Kalon had killed that ginger Darkling, and the only plausible motive was to keep her silent. To stop her from telling us more about the Darklings.
After hours spent on the road back to the imperial city, I realized that I was deeply conflicted about Kalon. His kisses lingered on my lips, making my skin tingle whenever the memory of those sweet moments resurfaced. But I couldn’t trust him anymore. He seemed to be treading a dangerous line between protecting the Darklings and protecting me.
I’d thought about confronting him, but I’d decided to keep all this to myself until I figured out what his endgame was. Maybe he didn’t have an endgame. Maybe he was just winging it, two worlds colliding in front of him—mine, and his. My heart ached, but it also longed. It sucked hanging in limbo like this, but I simply couldn’t bring myself to turn against him. Not yet. The evidence didn’t make sense.
“What’s on your mind?” Kalon asked.
I was riding Midnight, while he and Ansel were carried by the powerful Lightning. His younger brother was essentially dead weight, his legs and hands bound, his mouth gagged. Ansel had been thrown over Lightning’s back like a sack of potatoes. He’d gotten off easy, though. He could’ve been tortured or killed. Kalon was trying to save him. He was trying to get Ansel to cooperate and tell us everything he’d learned from the Darklings, in exchange for leniency—yet more proof that Kalon was trying to do the right thing. It irked me that he’d killed the ginger and that he’d lied about how much he knew.
I gave him a weak smile. “The past few days have been rather… intense. I guess I’m just trying to wrap my head around it all.”
Hours had passed since we’d left his lakeside cabin. We took a less-traveled road back to the imperial city, steering clear of the more densely populated areas. The fewer people who knew about Ansel’s affiliation the better, according to Kalon. I couldn’t fault him for wanting discretion. The honor of the Visentis dynasty was at stake here, with one of their own consorting with the Darklings. Visio was infinitely more complicated than I’d thought. There were so many shades of gray here, it made my head hurt.
“How are you feeling?” Kalon eyed me intently.
Deep woods sprawled along both sides of the narrow beaten path. Birds cawed from the thick crowns of foliage. The winds brushed through and made everything rattle once in a while, sending shivers down my spine. We were alone, but it didn’t feel it to me. There wasn’t anyone following us, yet I couldn’t shake the feeling that there were eyes on us. It was as if the forest itself was sentient and aware of our presence.
“Much better, thank you,” I said. “The leg wound will trouble me for a while longer, but the rest of my wounds are healing rather nicely. There’s less pain, too.”
“Good. I’m glad to hear that.” Kalon sighed. He sounded genuinely concerned. His gaze softened whenever it found me, making it increasingly difficult for me to stay mad at him. Perhaps I could talk to him about all this, but my courage left me whenever I tried to speak up. I wasn’t yet sure how all this would turn out. “So, a Reaper blade does this kind of damage, huh?”
We’d talked about Reapers and Death and ghouls before, since the nature of my injuries had demanded some explanations. He understood how the system worked, and why death and life were kept separate. Once in a while, Kalon showed curiosity regarding Reapers and death magic. Considering the Darklings’ own knowledge of the stuff, I wondered whether he was trying to gauge how much I knew about them, or whether he really didn’t know.
“A Reaper’s blade is very special,” I said. “I’m not sure why, but I assume it has to do with it being forged from death magic itself. From our brief encounters with Reapers, we haven’t been able to get many details on the topic. All we’ve been able to come up with are theories as to what they’re like, how they make their weapons, and what makes their blades so different.”
“What theories have you come up with, given your expertise on different cultures and worlds?” Kalon asked. He didn’t take his eyes off me, and it made my blood rush.
“Well, first and foremost, we cannot consider Reapers and their weapons part of the living realm. They’ve died. They haven’t moved forward, so, technically speaking, they’re suspended between life and death. I assume that’s what makes their weapons so different. Death magic is complicated and powerful, a combination of all the magic we’ve come across, with something else on top.”
“Something else?”
I shrugged. “Yes. Death. I don’t know, Kalon, there’s a lot about them I don’t understand, though I certainly wish I could. Until we get to sit down with a Reaper and talk, there’s only so much theorizing we can do. Bottom line is, a Reaper’s weapon affects us all equally. Our rapid healing is no longer an advantage. Wounds that would take minutes or hours to heal will take days. I should’ve been in tip-top shape by now. Of course, I could also be a lot worse, so I’m thankful that I’m able to move and even fight, if needed.”
“It’s one of the reasons why I chose this lesser-known road,” Kalon replied. “I wanted you to take it easy.”
“What is this route, exactly?” I asked, looking around. “Don’t get me wrong, I like it. But why do so few people know about it?”
Kalon smiled. “It goes through the Nightmare Forest.”
“Whoa, the name alone is enough to creep me out,” I muttered. It did make sense, however. This place was creepy. Quiet and beautiful, but definitely creepy. “I certainly wouldn’t want to go through here at night.”
“Neither would I,” Kalon replied. “It’s one of the most dangerous places on Visio. And because it’s so big, it didn’t make sense to build roads through it. People prefer to avoid it… afraid the night might find them here.”
Ansel rolled his eyes. I figured he knew more, but I decided to ask Kalon instead. “What is it about the Nightmare Forest that makes it so dangerous?”
“It’s pure wilderness. There are species here that have retained their domain,” Kalon explained, sounding slightly amused. “We pride ourselves on being at the top of the food chain, but there are predators in these woods that have learned to adjust. If you’re not careful, you might end up losing your head. The sabre tigers, in particular, are quite adept at pouncing and tearing one’s noggin off almost effortlessly.”
I chuckled softly. “You’re kidding.”
Looking at Ansel, who shook his head at me, I realized Kalon wasn’t kidding at all. He was dead serious. I suddenly saw the forest in a different light. It certainly explained the shivers down my spine and the feeling that eyes were watching us.
“Oh, wow,” I murmured.
“The Aeternae respect nature. We only take as much as we need, so it was decided a long time ago that these natural habitats would not be disturbed. There are thousands of acres like this, all over Visio. Virgin sanctuaries where some of the most diverse and most dangerous creatures exist. The sabre tig
ers, the oakwood bears, the red-tailed vipers—it’s why few people dare to take these paths.”
“That being said, are you sure we’ll make it back in one piece?” I shot him a grin.
“The creatures don’t hunt outside the woods,” Kalon said. “And between the two of us, I trust our instincts to keep us safe. Ansel is obviously temporarily out of commission, so we cannot count on him. Most predators come out at night, anyway, and fire keeps them away. It will be fine, Esme.”
“He said, driving us deeper into the Nightmare Forest,” I grumbled, rolling my eyes like Ansel had done just minutes earlier. I could certainly see where the little brother’s snark was coming from. “So, no one lives in these parts, huh?”
“I haven’t been down this road in about five thousand years, Esme,” Kalon replied. “The Rimians and the Naloreans will definitely steer clear of it, but I can see the occasional cabin rising here and there, for the braver among the Aeternae, perhaps. But no, I doubt we’ll see any settlements. It’s just too dangerous to stick around this area for long. The predators have a tendency to… adapt.”
The thought made my skin crawl. And to think we were taking this less-traveled path solely for the purpose of protecting the Visentis family honor. It seemed petty, but then again, my subconscious was still looking for excuses to look down on Kalon, to maybe even sever our emotional connection. I was failing miserably. The more time I spent with him, the more attached I became, dammit.
My brother and Valaine were trailing the Darklings, and I looked forward to joining them. In the meantime, I had to figure out what I was going to do about Kalon. Without trust, we had nothing…
“We still have about six hours of daylight left,” Kalon said after a long silence. “I reckon we’ll reach one of the Pearl Clearings by then.”
“Pearl Clearings?” I asked, raising my eyebrows at him.
“Spots of open pasture sprinkled throughout the woods. A couple coincide with this path, and they can serve as refuge points,” Kalon explained. “Freshwater streams cut through them, and there are stone towers we can climb into for safety. None of the predators are able to reach the top. They make good shelters at night.”
“Stone towers. Built, or natural freak happenings?” I replied.
“I think both,” Kalon said. “They seem to have a distinct shape, but their build looks random. I’m inclined to believe that they were built by nomads hundreds of thousands of years ago. They’re made of steel stone, the hardest material we could extract from Visio. It will take a few more million years to erode them. Until then, the towers serve as shelters.”
It was interesting to learn about these lesser-known parts of Visio. It was good to be out of the city, too. If I were to be honest, I wasn’t at all looking forward to going back there. The woods were splendid, despite their dangers. The rivers, the lakes, the hills and the waterfalls… they were all beautiful and unlike anything I had seen before. The green on Visio was different—a particular hue that I had yet to identify. The reds and oranges were slightly different, too. It was as if the whole of Visio had been handcrafted out of someone’s fantasy, a cosmic fairytale that had been turned into reality.
The cities had a certain gothic appeal, the reddish skies casting their peculiar glow over the rooftops. But the wilderness… oh, the wilderness was mysterious and perilous and stupendous. I couldn’t get enough of it.
Kalon frowned, looking ahead. “I didn’t expect to see a Pearl Clearing so soon.” I followed his gaze and lost my breath for a few moments.
The path opened up about a hundred yards ahead. The trees moved back, forming a broad circle of about three or four square miles. It was enormous, and it wasn’t an empty pasture at all. Instinctively, I pulled Midnight’s rein, and Kalon stopped Lightning. We both took a moment to properly analyze everything we were seeing.
In the middle of the pasture, a tall black tower rose. Fire burned at the top. I spotted movement—likely people fanning the flames, making sure it never died out. Stone steps wound in a spiral up the tower. There were dozens of houses made of the same type of black stone, with solid metal shutters and spiked fences. I could see animals in different enclosures. Children running and squealing and laughing. Some moved like shadows, likely Aeternae. Others were darker-skinned and bony, probably Rimians. The Naloreans were stocky and clad in layers of leather and fur. For some reason, it all seemed very odd. Something felt out of place.
“What is this?” I asked.
Kalon didn’t reply. He just stared. Even Ansel craned his neck to get a better look, his eyes widening in awe at the sight before us.
“Kalon?” I asked again.
He looked at me, his eyes bright and filled with wonder. “I… I don’t know. It seems like a mixed settlement of sorts, mostly made out of steel stone… but I’ve never seen it before. It’s hundreds of miles away from any main road or village, smack in the middle of this wilderness. I confess, I find it extremely strange.”
Could I believe him? Or had he led us here on purpose? My ears twitched as I tried to listen to his heartbeat. It seldom lied.
“You’re telling me it wasn’t here five thousand years ago?” I replied.
He shook his head. “No. It shouldn’t even be here now. This area is rife with sabre tigers and red-tailed vipers. The snakes’ venom is enough to kill an adult Rimian or Nalorean. It’ll temporarily cripple an Aeternae. I don’t know why these people have chosen to live in such a dangerous place.”
Taking a deep breath, I looked at the village again. It seemed quiet. No one even noticed us up the road. I heard people talking. Some laughing. The neighing of Vision horses. The scuffling of various domesticated animals. The clucking of chicken-like birds from multiple yards. There was nothing off about this place, except for its mere existence.
“Why don’t we check it out?” I asked. “They’ve got a watchtower. And houses and animals. Children. Clearly, they’ve made it work here.”
Kalon frowned and took out one of his maps, checking it carefully. “It’s not marked anywhere. This map was drawn two thousand years ago, and it’s not here. This entire clearing isn’t on the map, let alone the village.”
“So, they must’ve come here sometime after the map was drawn. Right?” I replied.
He shrugged. “Maybe. I doubt any of the official mapmakers have been this deep in the woods. Ever.”
“That means this village could’ve been here for longer, since the mapmakers wouldn’t have come this far to see it for themselves,” I said.
“And no one’s even heard of it,” Kalon murmured, increasingly intrigued. “Yes, Esme, you’re right. Let’s see what this whole place is about.”
He seemed as curious as I felt, and that gave me strange comfort. Everything Kalon did and said had an amplified effect on my senses as I tried to figure him out—all of him, including the parts he’d been hiding from me. We nudged our horses on and made our way toward the village.
“Whatever happens, you must remain calm,” I advised, tapping into my cultural studies and anthropological experiences.
“Is there something you know and I don’t?” he replied.
“No. It’s just that these people are clearly living in isolation. We don’t know what they’ll make of strangers. No one moves here because they enjoy visitors.”
“Right.”
I agreed with this initial assessment, but I was also worried. What exactly were we walking into?
Esme
As soon as we reached the edge of the clearing, voices rang through the sky.
“Strangers!” they shouted. “Strangers are coming!”
A bell rang—an old thing, made of iron and hung somewhere high inside that tower, just beneath the fire. I could see parts of it dangling as it howled through the carved windows. Aeternae men rushed down the spiral steps, nervously looking our way.
The children I’d noticed laughing earlier were now still, motionless as they eyed us. Their expressions spoke of fear and uneasiness.
Their mothers called out to them, urgently motioning for them to get back inside.
“Come, Alisia,” one of the Rimian women said. “Now!”
“Fender, get away from there,” a young Nalorean mother barked.
The children did as they were told, albeit reluctantly. They cleared the main path into the village, hiding behind their parents. There were hundreds of Aeternae, Rimians, and Naloreans living here. Families with children and households, crops, and homesteads. The settlement was pretty big and well developed, considering its location.
Two Aeternae headed toward us. I’d seen them earlier as they’d come down from the tower. They were young, and they carried bows and arrows on their backs. Reliance on weaponry was not a key characteristic of their species, so I couldn’t help but wonder why they needed them.
“Hold still,” Kalon said, holding Lightning back.
“You should speak to them first. I’m not a local,” I replied. Midnight followed the Vision steed’s lead, and I stroked her muscular neck. “Good girl,” I whispered, watching as the Aeternae men reached us, their brows furrowed.
“We mean no harm,” Kalon announced, raising his voice. It brought back memories of our brief village visits just before we captured Ansel.
“Who are you?” one of the Aeternae asked, his tone clipped and his frame noticeably stiff. “What are you doing here?”
“We’re merely passing through,” I replied. “We didn’t know anyone lived here.”
“Barely anyone does.” The second Aeternae man narrowed his eyes at me. “This isn’t a popular path. Hell, I’ve barely seen a handful of people come through here, myself.”
So Kalon had been right in that respect. The Nightmare Forest had not become safer or more welcoming to travelers. How had this village thrived, then, in a region so hostile and dangerous?
A Shade of Vampire 81: A Bringer of Night Page 3