A Shade of Vampire 65: A Plague of Deceit

by Bella Forrest

  It seemed to go on forever, until I realized that the Perfects were no longer chasing us. Sure, we were being hurled around like sacks of potatoes, but our enemy had vanished, too. Dammit, Douma.

  We kept bumping into each other. I lost track of how many accidental elbows hit me in the ribs, until Nevis found me in the kerfuffle and refused to let go. He wrapped his arms around me, and I held on tight, as we tumbled upward together.

  The Hermessi had finally answered our call. I couldn’t believe it.

  My head was pretty beaten up at this point, but I still managed to wonder… Where were they taking us? What had become of the Perfects? Was this a one-time slip of the hand from the Hermessi, or was this the beginning of a partnership of some kind?

  Light glimmered above, as the earth opened up once more.

  We were nearing the surface, pushed by the Hermessi, the most mysterious elements or, better said, entities that we’d ever dealt with. Little was known about them, yet their powers were blatantly obvious now.

  They’d saved us.

  Rose

  More Perfects had found our camp just as we were preparing to leave.

  The Draenir fired their pulverizer weapons, letting a curse slip whenever one was shot—that was one less pellet that would serve us later, in more dire circumstances. Nobody liked wasting ammo, but we didn’t have much of a choice.

  The Perfects managed to destroy the camp, and took out some of the young Draenir, too, before they were obliterated and turned to ashes. We didn’t waste another second, and ran up north. Rakkhan knew of a winter island where aerial visibility wasn’t just reduced, but absent, making it impossible for anyone to find anything on the ground.

  Bogdana used her fae ability to carry us underwater through an air pouch, identical to the ones that Vesta and Ben had made for us. A couple of hours later, we’d settled in the shady space at the center of a cluster made of ice spikes that reached for the sky. It was cold, and snow fell constantly, but it was safe.

  The Draenir huddled together, and Bogdana made a fire for them.

  The computer tablets we’d brought with us had died. Bowie, my little tech sphere, was equally disabled. Whether the batteries had been drained, or the low temperature had finally gotten to them, it didn’t matter. I didn’t know our exact location, as we’d moved a lot underwater, and I was helpless without my maps.

  When Telluris hummed through me again, linking me to Ben’s soul once more, I couldn’t help but smile. Hesidi and Ansid stayed close to me, their body warmth keeping mine at a decent level. It was too cold out here, even for a vampire.

  I told Ben what I knew about our location and urged him to go north. When he mentioned the five hundred Perfects that had come for them, I nearly had a heart attack. Despite my last conversation with Bogdana, I urged her to help them, to try to summon the Hermessi again, to get them all out of there before it was too late.

  She’d settled on the ground, comfortable on a few feet of pristine snow, and proceeded to pray to the Hermessi. Her lips moved as she spoke to them, halfway sunk in a deep meditative state. Shortly before the entire island started to shake, Bogdana’s voice changed, as if more people were speaking through her.

  “Hermessi… Hear us out… We’re opening our hearts and souls to you. Please, help us!” she called out.

  Chills rumbled through me as I exchanged glances with Hesidi and Ansid, then with Rakkhan, Leah, and Samael. There wasn’t much that made sense to us where the Hermessi were involved, but we took what we got, as long as it helped us or saved us. It was better than nothing.

  The earth’s tremors grew in intensity, until the ground split open before us and spat a whole bunch of people out. The hole groaned and belched, pushing everyone to the surface. They fell and rolled through the snow, covered in bleeding scratches and sweat, but alive.

  I shot to my feet, recognizing most of them.

  “Lenny! Ben! Hunter!” I cried out, then rushed to hug each of the warriors on my team, failing to contain my tears of joy, which rolled and froze halfway down my cheeks.

  “Geez. What a bumpy ride,” Varga groaned, barely able to breathe as he rolled on his side.

  Kallisto and Raphael helped him up, brushing some of the snow off his white silken tunic. I couldn’t believe my eyes. Not only was he still alive, but he was here, with us! I hugged him, too, kissing his cheeks and repeatedly gripping his shoulders and arms, as if trying to make sure that he really was here.

  “How did you get here?” I asked him.

  “Via hole in the ground,” he replied, chuckling and coughing at the same time.

  “Oh, do we have a story to tell you!” Elonora said.

  There was something different about her and Nevis. He had his arm around her shoulders, holding her close, and she didn’t seem to object, in any way. I’d definitely missed out on a few developments here.

  “Why is it that just our personal Telluris works?” Ben asked me.

  “I don’t know, but, frankly, I can feel it coming and going. It’s not 100 percent there,” I replied.

  “And your comms pieces? They’re down?” he muttered, measuring me from head to toe, checking for injuries or anything out of place.

  I hugged him again, thankful to have him back. “Either the batteries or the cold did them in,” I said. “Did you take the towers down?”

  Elonora grinned. “And then some!” she declared. “We took out Ta’Zan’s starships, too.”

  My heart sang with joy. Our first win in ages. It felt good… extremely good, for that matter. We deserved this and much more, but I was okay with starting here and working our way up. I looked around, not recognizing the many new faces that had joined our resistance, but it didn’t come as a surprise.

  Our agents and allies were strong, resourceful, and highly capable people. They’d all accomplished their missions, from what I could tell. Elonora, Ben, and Draven brought us up to speed, while Kailani and Lumi handled the medical packs. Many of their crewmembers had been injured, either by Perfects or by the rough tumble through the entrails of Strava.

  Bogdana was astonished by Ben, Vesta, and Kailani’s account of their pleas to the Hermessi. When they repeated the words they used, prior to the earth splitting open, she gasped.

  “I said the same thing!”

  “And she sounded different, too,” I added.

  “They answered our call; that’s what matters.” Ben sighed. “If it weren’t for them, we’d either be dead or with Mom and Dad in that prison dome.”

  They told me about Cassiel and the support he gave them before coming after the entire crew with a small army of Perfects. We were dealing with an obvious upgrade in our enemy’s ranks, but with the Hermessi awakening and responding to our pleas, the comms temporarily back on, and Ta’Zan’s flight plans foiled, we had a better chance at surviving this.

  “Is your earpiece working?” I asked Ben. “Mine is dead.”

  He nodded and gave me his. I put it on and readied myself for the voices I’d been longing to hear for quite a while now. “Caleb? Are you there?” I called out.

  A gasp made it through, though it was scratchy. “Rose? Baby, is that you?”

  “Caleb!” I murmured, tearing up again. “I’m okay. I’m okay, Ben found us… We’re okay, we’re safe for now.”

  “That’s… That’s just so good to hear. We’re making progress here, too, my love. Arwen, Shayla, and the Daughters have basically reprogrammed the Perfects. They’re not violent anymore. We gave them access to everything we know, and they’re not like the ones who came at us, the ones you’re dealing with.”

  “Oh, I know, my love. We’ve made some experiments of our own on the topic,” I replied.

  “Rose, honey? Is that you?” My father’s voice broke me down altogether.

  “D-Dad? Daddy, you’ve got an earpiece!” I squealed.

  “Elonora sent us one via Isda, during her… visit here,” my father replied. “Here, there’s someone else who needs to talk to y
ou.” A few seconds later, my mother spoke to me for the first time since I’d sent her to Strava for a tropical vacation. It felt like such a long time ago.

  “Rose, darling? Are you okay?” she asked.

  I couldn’t take it anymore. I broke down, crying. Ben was quick to come around and hug me, while I caught up with my mom, and then my dad again.

  “You have no idea how good it is to hear you, Mom,” I whispered.

  “I know, honey… believe me. I’ve been dying to at least hear you and your brother, but I hope we’ll all see each other again, soon, and in better circumstances!” Mom said.

  “We will, I promise,” I managed.

  “We’ll be right here if you need us,” Mom said. “Stay strong, and do what you do best, honey. You and your brother, your team… you’re all this universe has left to defend it.”

  Her words hit me deep, because I knew exactly what she meant. If we couldn’t take Ta’Zan down here, on Strava, if he still made it out with millions of Perfects, then all hope was lost, and the world would never be the same again.

  Our team had gone through quite the ordeal, but we’d managed to gather allies. We’d made new friends. We’d lost some, too. But we knew this would happen.

  Dmitri was out cold for a while. He’d taken quite a blow to the head. Kailani did a quick count and came back to me, frowning.

  “We lost about fifteen people,” she said. “Douma included.”

  “What?!” Dmitri blurted, his eyes popping open. Within seconds, he was up on his feet, wobbling as he turned around multiple times, looking for Douma.

  Elonora caught his wrist to hold him still. “She didn’t make it down the hole,” she said. “Cassiel intercepted her, mid-flight.”

  Dmitri stilled, his expression pained to the point where it hurt me.

  Douma’s fate wasn’t a good one, given the circumstances. If she was brought back to the colosseum, then she’d be reset to her old, combative self. Amal and Ta’Zan would remove her serium blocker and implant her old memories, possibly after a decapitation, to wipe away her new beginning with us altogether.

  It tore Dmitri apart, but he said nothing. He lowered his head, then sat down and crossed his legs. When Hunter tried to pat him on the shoulder, Dmitri jerked himself back, growling at him. That was a clear sign not to disturb him. He was busy being furious and grieving.

  A few minutes later, as we continued to catch up and make sure we were all brought up to speed, he interjected with a cold voice.

  “I’m getting her back,” he said. “I don’t care what you think or what you say. I’m not letting her go this time.”

  “None of us said we’d do that,” Raphael replied, then noticed the sour look on Bogdana’s face. The old fae was still reeling from the harsh words I’d given her, after her mind-bent confession. “Who rained on your parade?”

  “There’s something you all need to know,” I said, raising my voice. Bogdana’s expression softened. She knew what was coming. She hated it, but she knew I wouldn’t have it any other way. I waited for everyone to pay attention, including Herakles and his band of merry Faulties. They all had to hear this. “Lumi and I agreed, prior to your departure for your missions, to get the whole truth out of Bogdana—specifically, the truth she’d been holding back.”

  “What are you talking about?” Draven asked, frowning.

  “Dammit. I knew it,” Taeral muttered, crossing his arms and scowling at Bogdana.

  Bijarki was the least surprised. “Hey, we all saw this coming. Let’s not pretend otherwise. What is it that Bogdana didn’t tell us, then?”

  I shot her a stern glance. “Will you tell them, or shall I just repeat your confession?”

  “Don’t make me do this. It hasn’t been easy on me,” she murmured.

  Hesidi stepped forward. “I can make her talk again. My brothers are all here, now. There’s no trick in her book to stop us all.”

  Bogdana shook her head, then got up and moved away from the fire. She took a few moments to find the right words, but, when she did, it came out rather simple and concise.

  “I knew Mudak,” she said. “On a deeper level than I initially stated. Yes, we were intimate, but I also helped him. Before he created Ta’Zan, Mudak had trouble developing the hybrid embryo in a Draenir female’s womb, as you know. So, I offered mine.”

  “Whoa…” Raphael breathed, his eyes almost popping out and his jaw practically down in the snow. “Don’t tell me you—”

  “I carried Ta’Zan to term,” Bogdana continued. “I gave birth to him. But I was not his mother. I never got to see him again afterward. I didn’t get a chance to raise him. Mudak pushed me away. He forced me to leave Strava. I knew too much about his work, about the Draenir females that had died, trying to carry his hybrids. The others didn’t know.”

  “Good grief,” Rakkhan mumbled. “Mudak was more of a monster than Ta’Zan, then.”

  “That’s quite a juicy piece of info you’ve been keeping from us, Bogdana,” Taeral said, his tone clipped. “I don’t think you understand how valuable that information will be, going forward.”

  “Why? What possible use could you have for it?” Bogdana retorted. “It is my shame and my burden to carry. My broken heart. My regret. Not yours! This helps you with nothing.”

  Lumi snorted. “You’re kidding, right? Even with your many years in this world, you fail to recognize an opportunity when you see it?” she asked. She didn’t let Bogdana answer, though. “Let me tell you something, Bogdana. I now understand why you insisted on coming with us. This wasn’t about the Hermessi, or the fact that you had inside knowledge. No. You wanted to come here so you could meet Ta’Zan, so you could meet the creature you carried in your womb… the monster you gave birth to.”

  “You’ll get your wish,” I intervened, suddenly seeing everything with crystal clarity. “You’ll meet Ta’Zan. And you’ll help us destroy him, whether you like it or not.”

  Bogdana blinked several times, then let a heavy sigh roll out from her chest.

  “I don’t have much of a choice, do I?” she mumbled.

  “None whatsoever. We’ve suffered enough; we’ve lost too much already. You’re not in any position to demand anything, right now,” I said.

  “I didn’t know what he’d turn into!” Bogdana replied, in an attempt to defend herself.

  “Screw that! You knew how many Draenir women Mudak had killed to have his embryo carried to term before you came along! You knew the kind of person you were leaving that baby with! Mudak was bad, and he taught Ta’Zan the same thing. He didn’t create a superior being. He simply copied himself into a slightly more capable vessel. And you helped him. So, no, Bogdana, the fact that you didn’t know what Ta’Zan would turn into won’t get you out of this mess. Not this time, and not with everything that’s at stake.”

  And so, there was another twist in our plot.

  We’d halted Ta’Zan’s flight plans. Communications were, more or less, back on, though we’d yet to understand why the connections didn’t work everywhere, including the Telluris links. Cassiel had nearly taken us all down, but the Hermessi had saved us. Bogdana had a very intimate connection to Ta’Zan, it seemed. It could work to our advantage, if we played our cards right. And we also had Ta’Zan’s Faulty engineers.

  Douma was gone. Draenir and Faulties had died along the way. Kailani didn’t have a good grip on her connection to the Word. We were treading a fine line between survival and destruction here.

  Functioning on the two-steps-forward-three-steps-back principle, I buckled up for the next stage in our mission to stop Ta’Zan from destroying the world. We had a live link to both the prison dome and Calliope, now, so we could coordinate accordingly.

  There was a lot more we could do now, than a week ago. We knew more about our enemy, too. We could move forward.

  Nothing would stop us from doing it all, either. We would at least die trying.

  Derek

  Rose filled us in on everything that h
ad happened, including the revelation regarding Bogdana’s unexpected connection to Ta’Zan and her success in stirring the Hermessi by the river on Merinos. Varga explained to her clearly that none of us here in the dome could talk about taking action against Ta’Zan. But we could listen and offer advice wherever possible, as long as the collars didn’t shock us.

  With a constant means of communicating with our children, our grandchildren, our great-grandchildren, and all our friends and allies, I felt as though I could breathe a little easier. Life in the diamond dome was as boring as ever, but hope was stronger this time.

  Most importantly, we had new information about Ta’Zan, the kind that could eventually crumble the empire he was trying to build. Then again, no world ever subsisted on lies and subversion, alone.

  Isda had told us about the explosion, too. It didn’t sit well with Ta’Zan.

  “I take it the big guy’s pretty pissed off, right about now, huh?” Lucas asked, grinning broadly.

  “I would be, too, if someone blew up my ships and jammed my comms network—oh, wait, that’s exactly what he did to us!” Xavier replied, sarcasm dripping from his voice.

  I couldn’t help but chuckle.

  “Yeah, he had it coming,” Claudia chimed in, equally satisfied.

  “They’re running around out there, trying to make sense of what happened. It’s pretty hilarious, if you ask me,” Lucas said.

  “It’s the minimum we deserve, just this drizzle of pure, unadulterated joy on the back of his misery,” Corrine replied. “He’s keeping us in here, locked and limited, promising us a life in captivity, like we’re animals at a zoo. There’s no way this ends well for him.”

  Sofia sighed. “Provided our kids pull through, that’s exactly how this will end for Ta’Zan.”

  The double doors opened, and Isda came in, looking downright terrified.

  “Isda, what’s wrong?” I asked.

  “Father is furious,” she murmured when she reached us. She kept looking over her shoulder, fearful that someone might see her. Isda had snuck in, further going against her creator’s wishes. This, on top of the help she’d given Elonora, was proof that there was still hope for her and the other Faulties, as far as another mutiny was concerned. The spirit of rebellion was burning bright inside them, already. “His communications blockers were destroyed. Dozens of his Perfects were permanently killed. His ships were obliterated, and most of the engineering team has vanished. He never expected any of this, I tell you.”