I started laughing hysterically.
“Seriously?” Dorian asked.
“Yes.” Gate Maker sighed. “You two, of all the creatures I’ve encountered in my time, have immense quantities of light energy. Using some of it will not affect you, since your souls create it naturally. Normally, this energy simply benefits you on a subtle level, and those around you as well. In this case, it’s the missing piece of what I need to complete my gate. Afterward, I’ll make a quick portal back to your battlefield.”
I stared at my hand, imagining light filling it up. The acidic irritation ebbed and flowed inside me, as if taunting me. Has the blood been affecting my light energy? Gate Maker had warned me about using Dorian’s blood. I’d worried so much about the blood’s effect on my emotions that I hadn’t considered what it might be doing to my body. Dorian had said he didn’t see darkness, but he’d noticed changes in me.
Dorian suddenly grabbed my hand, his warm touch sending a wave of reassurance through me. He smirked lightly at me, clearly feeling as hokey about this as I did. I looked into his glacial eyes and found myself smiling. I knew exactly what kind of happiness to picture. Dreams of happier times and future adventures with Dorian filled me. Zach’s smiling face and then Gina’s, during our younger years in training at the Bureau. Even Roxy’s trash talk made me laugh suddenly, and the way she would occasionally drop in a wild anecdote from her childhood to enjoy the resulting shocked faces. These memories were full of hugs and moments of love that could overcome any darkness.
My mind returned to Dorian as he squeezed my hands. I warmed beneath his intense gaze. Our night in the bath at Juneau’s came back to me, and my face warmed. His eyes laughed at me. I swear he knows what I’m thinking!
A warmth spread through my chest, pleasant and full of joy. I sighed at the sensation. I hadn’t realized how lost I’d been, walking around in the Immortal Plane. This was what I’d missed for far too long. With all the chaos and stress and lost hours of sleep, happiness had slipped away from me. It was back now.
I saw Gate Maker smile out of the corner of my eye. His unsettling grin nearly disrupted my private celebration, but I chalked it up to the pointy teeth. He placed his hands on our shoulders. The warmth in my chest faltered for a moment as I returned to the present. Would it hurt when he took our energy? I took a deep breath and braced myself.
“Thank you,” Gate Maker murmured. A shadow passed over his flat eyes. “Please try to understand.”
A chill slid straight into the center of my chest. Try to understand what?
Suddenly, a ray of light fell over my face. It was hot and cold at the same time. I looked up, astonished to see a silver, swirling beam of light appear above with no apparent source. Light pricked the bottom of my vision. This strange tunnel of moving light had formed above and below our group. The noise of the churning waterfalls fell away, and unnatural silence enveloped me. The landscape faded until it was nearly transparent, and then a silvery void swallowed me up.
The familiar pull of a portal came, just like the last one Gate Maker had dragged us through. I clutched Dorian’s hand for dear life. He squeezed back just as hard. His startled gaze fell away from me as Gate Maker began to change. His form twisted, liquifying and shaping itself into increasingly simple forms. He changed into a fractal pattern, a decahedron, a tower of red, and then a bright light that burned my eyes. Gate Maker floated before us as nothing more than a point of light.
My stomach clenched. This was not the plan. This was not what he’d said would happen. I tried to open my mouth to speak, but my tongue tripped over itself and nonsense spilled out. I turned to search for Dorian. His mouth moved fervently as he stared at me, pointing at Gate Maker. No sound came out. Seconds passed, or minutes. I couldn’t tell. I clutched my head, where the pressure increased until I screamed. Whatever this tunnel was, it was liquifying my brain. We were being consumed by a void of nothingness.
A gust of wind struck my face, and I dropped out of the tunnel onto weak legs. My knees buckled, and I slammed to the ground. It was as if my body wasn’t used to existing anymore. Dorian stumbled beside me, falling to his hands and knees. There was no Gate Maker anymore—only a reddish ball of light floating before us. My mind swam. Cognition was beyond me at the moment.
Gray seeped into my vision. I blinked and looked around. Gray, gray, gray. The silvery floor made me think I was dragging my hand across the surface of a shallow pond, but there was no liquid to cling to my fingers. I stared down at it, mesmerized by the shiny surface and half expecting to sink through it at any moment. A blurry reflection, like in the brushed metal elevators of a Bureau office, made me squint. Balls of light danced in the surface. I forced my gaze up.
All around us, balls of multicolored light clustered, bobbing in the air. One nearly brushed my head, while another floated far above the rest. The balls didn’t flicker like soul-light but looked dense, as if there was a solid core to them.
My skin pricked with goosebumps. It felt like they were… watching us. I shivered underneath their intense stares.
The spheres buzzed, a few growing larger and then exploding into a bright light. When my eyes adjusted. I saw three figures dressed in silvery robes that draped over their petite frames. They resembled Gate Maker’s humanoid form in their stretched proportions and bald, smooth heads. The closest one faced Gate Maker’s orb, lifting his chin and delivering a haughty gaze. His cheekbones shimmered. When I looked closer, it appeared that there were fish scales on his face.
Behind the trio, a larger form walked up to join the crowd of floating lights. I couldn’t tell whether the creature was female or male, but this body was much more elaborate than the rest. I guessed male. He was much taller than the others, but also wider. Blue robes with delicate silver designs fell over his large body. His humanoid face was framed by two small braids of white hair, which hung down to his chest. The rest of his hair flowed loose over his shoulders.
“Ruk, you have returned.” The voices came all at once, in a variety of tones, deep and high, gentle and raucous. The sounds seemed to vibrate from the air around the balls of light.
My heart slammed against my chest as the collective points buzzed closer to Dorian and me.
“Do you come to admit your transgressions and renounce your hubris?” the voices asked as one, the voices creating an eerie choir. “Or have you brought us something valuable enough to settle your debts?”
Ready for the next part of Lyra and Dorian’s journey?
Dear Reader,
Thank you for reading Darktide.
Book 6: Darkbirth, releases April 1st, 2020.
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Bella x
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Read more by Bella Forrest
DARKLIGHT
Darklight (Book 1)
Darkthirst (Book 2)
Darkworld (Book 3)
Darkblood (Book 4)
Darktide (Book 5)
Darkbirth (Book 6)
HARLEY MERLIN
Harley Merlin and the Secret Coven (Book 1)
Harley Merlin and the Mystery Twins (Book 2)
Harley Merlin and the Stolen Magicals (Book 3)
Harley Merlin and the First Ritual (Book 4)
Harley Merlin and the Broken Spell (Book 5)
Harley Merlin and the Cult of Eris (Book 6)
Harley Merlin and the De
tector Fix (Book 7)
Harley Merlin and the Challenge of Chaos (Book 8)
Harley Merlin and the Mortal Pact (Book 9)
Finch Merlin and the Fount of Youth (Book 10)
Finch Merlin and the Lost Map (Book 11)
Finch Merlin and the Djinn’s Curse (Book 12)
Finch Merlin and the Locked Gateway (Book 13)
Finch Merlin and the Forgotten Kingdom (Book 14)
Finch Merlin and the Everlasting Vow (Book 15)
Finch Merlin and the Blood Tie (Book 16)
THE GENDER GAME
(Action-adventure/romance. Completed series.)
The Gender Game (Book 1)
The Gender Secret (Book 2)
The Gender Lie (Book 3)
The Gender War (Book 4)
The Gender Fall (Book 5)
The Gender Plan (Book 6)
The Gender End (Book 7)
THE GIRL WHO DARED TO THINK
(Action-adventure/romance. Completed series.)
The Girl Who Dared to Think (Book 1)
The Girl Who Dared to Stand (Book 2)
The Girl Who Dared to Descend (Book 3)
The Girl Who Dared to Rise (Book 4)
The Girl Who Dared to Lead (Book 5)
The Girl Who Dared to Endure (Book 6)
The Girl Who Dared to Fight (Book 7)
THE CHILD THIEF
(Action-adventure/romance. Completed series.)
The Child Thief (Book 1)
Deep Shadows (Book 2)
Thin Lines (Book 3)
Little Lies (Book 4)
Ghost Towns (Book 5)
Zero Hour (Book 6)
HOTBLOODS
(Supernatural adventure/romance. Completed series.)
Hotbloods (Book 1)
Coldbloods (Book 2)
Renegades (Book 3)
Venturers (Book 4)
Traitors (Book 5)
Allies (Book 6)
Invaders (Book 7)
Stargazers (Book 8)
A SHADE OF VAMPIRE SERIES
(Supernatural romance/adventure)
Series 1: Derek & Sofia’s story
A Shade of Vampire (Book 1)
A Shade of Blood (Book 2)
A Castle of Sand (Book 3)
A Shadow of Light (Book 4)
A Blaze of Sun (Book 5)
A Gate of Night (Book 6)
A Break of Day (Book 7)
Series 2: Rose & Caleb’s story
A Shade of Novak (Book 8)
A Bond of Blood (Book 9)
A Spell of Time (Book 10)
A Chase of Prey (Book 11)
A Shade of Doubt (Book 12)
A Turn of Tides (Book 13)
A Dawn of Strength (Book 14)
A Fall of Secrets (Book 15)
An End of Night (Book 16)
Series 3: The Shade continues with a new hero…
A Wind of Change (Book 17)
A Trail of Echoes (Book 18)
A Soldier of Shadows (Book 19)
A Hero of Realms (Book 20)
A Vial of Life (Book 21)
A Fork of Paths (Book 22)
A Flight of Souls (Book 23)
A Bridge of Stars (Book 24)
Series 4: A Clan of Novaks
A Clan of Novaks (Book 25)
A World of New (Book 26)
A Web of Lies (Book 27)
A Touch of Truth (Book 28)
An Hour of Need (Book 29)
A Game of Risk (Book 30)
A Twist of Fates (Book 31)
A Day of Glory (Book 32)
Series 5: A Dawn of Guardians
A Dawn of Guardians (Book 33)
A Sword of Chance (Book 34)
A Race of Trials (Book 35)
A King of Shadow (Book 36)
An Empire of Stones (Book 37)
A Power of Old (Book 38)
A Rip of Realms (Book 39)
A Throne of Fire (Book 40)
A Tide of War (Book 41)
Series 6: A Gift of Three
A Gift of Three (Book 42)
A House of Mysteries (Book 43)
A Tangle of Hearts (Book 44)
A Meet of Tribes (Book 45)
A Ride of Peril (Book 46)
A Passage of Threats (Book 47)
A Tip of Balance (Book 48)
A Shield of Glass (Book 49)
A Clash of Storms (Book 50)
Series 7: A Call of Vampires
A Call of Vampires (Book 51)
A Valley of Darkness (Book 52)
A Hunt of Fiends (Book 53)
A Den of Tricks (Book 54)
A City of Lies (Book 55)
A League of Exiles (Book 56)
A Charge of Allies (Book 57)
A Snare of Vengeance (Book 58)
A Battle of Souls (Book 59)
Series 8: A Voyage of Founders
A Voyage of Founders (Book 60)
A Land of Perfects (Book 61)
A Citadel of Captives (Book 62)
A Jungle of Rogues (Book 63)
A Camp of Savages (Book 64)
A Plague of Deceit (Book 65)
An Edge of Malice (Book 66)
A Dome of Blood (Book 67)
A Purge of Nature (Book 68)
Season 9: A Birth of Fire
A Birth of Fire (Book 69)
A Breed of Elements (Book 70)
A Sacrifice of Flames (Book 71)
A Conspiracy of Realms (Book 72)
A Search for Death (Book 73)
A Piece of Scythe (Book 74)
A Blade of Thieron (Book 75)
A Phantom of Truth (Book 76)
A Fate of Time (Book 77)
Season 10: An Origin of Vampires
An Origin of Vampires (Book 78)
A Game of Death (Book 79)
A Veil of Dark (Book 80)
A Bringer of Night (Book 81)
A Circle of Nine (Book 82)
A Bender of Spirit (Book 83)
A Memory of Time (Book 84)
A Shard of Soul (Book 85)
A Break of Seals (Book 86)
A SHADE OF DRAGON TRILOGY
A Shade of Dragon 1
A Shade of Dragon 2
A Shade of Dragon 3
A SHADE OF KIEV TRILOGY
A Shade of Kiev 1
A Shade of Kiev 2
A Shade of Kiev 3
A LOVE THAT ENDURES TRILOGY
(Contemporary romance)
A Love that Endures
A Love that Endures 2
A Love that Endures 3
THE SECRET OF SPELLSHADOW MANOR
(Supernatural/Magic YA. Completed series)
The Secret of Spellshadow Manor (Book 1)
The Breaker (Book 2)
The Chain (Book 3)
The Keep (Book 4)
The Test (Book 5)
The Spell (Book 6)
BEAUTIFUL MONSTER DUOLOGY
(Supernatural romance)
Beautiful Monster 1
Beautiful Monster 2
DETECTIVE ERIN BOND
(Adult thriller/mystery)
Lights, Camera, GONE
Write, Edit, KILL
For an updated list of Bella’s books, please visit her website: www.bellaforrest.net
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