Judging by the look on his face, Dmitri knew it, too.
Rose
After miles and miles of searching along the southern border of Ta’Zan’s occupied archipelagos, we finally came across a perfectly round island with a tall mountain rising from its very center. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it, but there was something about this island that felt perfect for what we needed to do.
The winter-summer cluster was far too hostile and not close enough to where we needed to be, given the complexity of our operations. This place, however, simply seemed right.
We reached its wide beach long after midnight. The sky was made up of black and blue strips sprinkled with trillions of bright stars. The moon rose to its highest point, and the tide was high. The sound of waves splashing against the shore had a soothing effect on my nerves. I was still waiting for Elonora’s team to reach out after their colosseum infiltration.
It was supposed to be an in-and-out operation, but we all knew it would always be more complicated than that. They were dangerously deep in enemy territory, and we had to be close enough to provide support if they needed it.
“There’s no one around,” Rakkhan, the Draenir Elder, said as the rest of our group got off the boats.
The Draenir and Herakles’s Faulties had worked tirelessly to recover all the boats and rafts that Rakkhan had had stashed around Merinos. That had been our first pitstop, since all our fae and witches were out in the field. There were about five dozen of us left, in total, including Avril, Heron, and the nine wards. Six longboats and two rafts were enough, most of them recovered from the northern shore of Merinos.
Given that we’d already left that island, there was no reason for any Perfects to linger in that area. They never would’ve expected us to be crazy enough to go back. That was the benefit of our collective experiences—we’d all been through the most insane trials and tribulations, and we knew how to be unpredictable enough to fool hundreds of week-old Perfects.
“It’s as quiet as the entire trip here,” Herakles muttered, looking around with a furrowed brow. “Doesn’t anyone find that the least bit suspicious?”
Leah shrugged. “Not necessarily. This is the southern swatch. The Perfects are expanding mostly east and west, taking over the tropics first. The south and the north are a little too cold for their taste.”
“The temperatures are, indeed, lower here,” Avril said. “I can feel it.”
“That won’t last long, though,” I replied. “They’ll come here, too, within weeks, given the speed with which they’re expanding.”
“Until then, this might work as a base camp,” Samael chimed in, pointing at the mountain. “I’m willing to bet that’ll be a good spot.”
Surrounded by thick woods, the mountain did, indeed, look pretty good. Based on the width of its base, along with the numerous little holes I could see farther up, I was tempted to assume we’d find a cavern or two in there.
Herakles and I led the way through the jungle after we hid the boats beneath the shoreline shrubs, their wide and waxy leaves big enough to cover them. There was nothing but darkness, along with the chirps and jingles of various nocturnal birds and insects that roamed these woods.
There wasn’t a certain path we could follow. No one had stepped through these parts of Strava in a long time. I could feel the eyes of small animals watching us from the trees, but, whenever I looked, I only caught glimmers and shadows darting around. Still, we managed to advance toward the mountain base, then worked our way up the stony ridge.
“I don’t think this was ever inhabited,” Heron said.
“Look up there,” Leah replied, pointing up ahead.
There was an opening, a large, gaping hole smack in the middle of the stone wall, staring back at us. “That might work,” I muttered.
“We need a good cover,” Herakles said. “That could do the trick.”
“Unless there’s some big-ass beast waiting to have us for dinner in there,” Heron replied.
“Babe, we’ve dealt with Death Claws and Pit Wolves, remember?” Avril chuckled. “Whatever is in there can’t possibly be worse.”
I couldn’t help but smile, as we continued to climb up the ridge. Once we reached the cave opening, we realized how big it really was. The mountain was sculpted into a wide platform on this side, allowing us all to gather in front of the cave before going in.
We turned on some of our long-distance flashlights—one of many small gadgets we’d brought with us from Calliope, in case we needed them. Some of us had excellent eyesight, but the same couldn’t be said for the Draenir. In many ways, despite their diaphanous appearance, they reminded me of the humans of Earth and the Imen of Neraka.
“Okay. Let’s see what this place is about,” I murmured, then went in.
The cold air hit me straightaway.
“Ooh, chilly,” Herakles grumbled as he joined me, followed by Avril, Heron, the wards, Leah, and Samael. Rakkhan and the rest of the Draenir and Faulties stayed back, waiting for us to explore the cave first before we decided to settle here.
The cave itself was shaped like a deformed bubble, its ceiling covered in black stalactites, each reaching down to ten, maybe twelve feet in length. The walls were a luscious black, a mineral of some kind that shimmered whenever the lamp lights hit it.
Straight ahead, there was a tunnel opening.
“It’s getting colder,” Avril remarked as we went through the tunnel. “Dhaxanian mountain colder.”
Indeed, the temperatures were dropping at an alarming rate. The tunnel was relatively wide and cylindrical, with multiple holes on both sides. I stopped to sneak a light into one of them, then found my jaw on the floor.
“This is a network,” I said. “There is another chamber at the end of it.”
“Yeah, here, too,” Herakles replied, pointing at another tunnel opening.
We took some time exploring some of the chambers, and noticed that they were all interconnected somehow, through various tunnels. The temperature didn’t drop to an uncomfortable level—at least not anywhere near the harsh winter levels we’d experienced back in the summer-winter cluster near Merinos.
The air felt clean and fresh, and the humidity levels were acceptable. We went around, from one chamber to the next, and checked each from top to bottom. There weren’t any wild animals living here, and there was a stream of sweet water running through the cave floor, before it vanished through a hole on the other side of the mountain.
The cave structure spanned at least two miles, occupying the entire width of the mountain. Once we got back to the plateau, we were able to tell our people that it was safe to live here, at least for a while.
“This will definitely work as a command center,” I said. “The tunnel maze is intricate and big enough to throw invaders for a loop, should we deal with such a scenario. There are multiple escape routes, as well, some masked by trees and shrubs on the other side.”
“I can send a message out to the other rogue Faulties from here,” Herakles added. “I could bring them here. There’s enough room for all of us, right?”
I nodded. “We’ll use the main cave chamber for all the tech we’ve got, as well as what we’ve gathered from the strongholds.”
“Dmitri and Rakkhan could easily help us connect our gear to the Draenir magi-tech,” Avril replied. “I’m sure they could find a way to make it work.”
“Magi-tech is quite friendly, once you understand the Draenir symbols,” Rakkhan said.
“User-friendly, huh?” Avril chuckled.
I looked at the platform, taking in its smooth stone floor. “This could also be a landing spot for the fae,” I added. “Provided we find a safe way to get them on the planet, without the Perfects shooting them down.”
“Let’s wait for the Hermessi’s response,” Heron said. “You heard Ben. Unless the elements help us, bringing the fae here would be pointless.”
“If they need the fae as conduits to amplify their powers, wouldn’t the Hermessi
want to scrounge up a storm or do something powerful enough to confuse the Perfects while we bring our elemental conduits over?” Avril asked.
“I have no idea. We’ll have to talk to them, once they agree to help us,” I said. “Either way, we must keep a diversion in mind. Not a storm, but something GASP-made, enough to keep the enemy busy.”
“Listen, let’s all settle in, first,” Herakles suggested. “Let’s unpack and do whatever needs to be done while we wait for the others to get back.”
I was totally okay with that, so I took my bag and claimed one of the chambers closest to the main cave. I emptied the bag on the floor, quietly doing an inventory of what I had left, as I thought about everything we’d been through, and everything before that.
Long before Strava, Neraka, and Eritopia, I’d had my own challenges to deal with. I’d lost my brother and, on more than one occasion, I’d nearly lost Caleb. My mom and dad had dodged a bullet more than once, too, not to mention the rest of our extended family and our closest friends.
Everyone’s experiences, on top of mine, had brought me to a point in life I’d never thought possible. I’d grown a lot, because, had this whole Stravian mess happened years ago, I never would’ve had the patience to wait for Elonora to get back in touch while infiltrating the colosseum.
I was worried about her. More than an hour had passed since I’d last heard from her, and I had a feeling that their mission wasn’t going as smoothly as we’d hoped. Years ago, I would’ve been the first to drop everything and go after them.
However, now, everything was different. I was able to look past the concern and the dread, and I could focus on what we could do, while our agents and allies were out there in the field, risking their lives for Strava’s liberation. I sat on the cold floor, quietly contemplating the choices that had brought me up to this point.
Surprisingly, I didn’t regret a single thing. Not the mistakes I’d made, and not the things I’d failed to do. No, there was a soft balance in my heart, and my head was clear. Every single thing that I’d said and done had brought me here, to Strava, in this beautiful but heartbreaking paradise. As much as I hated it, I belonged here, in this moment. I was meant to be here, to help my people, to save my parents and the entire universe, and to give the Perfects, the Faulties, and the Draenir a good world to live in, without anyone needing to invade mine.
Leah came to me about an hour later, smiling.
“What’s up?” I asked, pleased to see her in a good mood.
Morale was essential to our survival, given the size and skill of our enemy. A happy Faulty was a valuable ally, and Leah’s enthusiasm had a way of rubbing off on the others. She didn’t have many words, in general, but her expression was often enough to cure anyone’s depression. She didn’t dwell on the deaths of those close to her, either—that, too, helped.
“Araquiel is training with Samael,” she said. “You should see them. Araquiel is quite a sight to behold.”
“I think we saw enough of his fighting skills while he was hunting us down,” I replied, offering a bitter smile on top.
“I know, but it’s different. He’s laughing; he’s enjoying himself. You were right. You were all right, even though, at one point, I refused to believe it. There is good in these Perfects, and lots of it.”
I nodded. “Yes. No one is truly born evil, Leah. We are the result of our circumstances, our environments, and our choices. If you remove all that and delete everything we’ve learned, we start from zero, and, with the right influences, we change,” I said. “So, yes, I have all the faith in Araquiel. He’ll make a good ally.”
Leah’s smile faded, suddenly replaced by gut-wrenching grief. “What about Douma? Will we ever get her back? I actually liked her.”
“I know. We all like her, and we all want her with us, Leah. It’s why Dmitri went out there with Lenny and the others, to get her back. She’ll return, one way or another,” I replied.
“Have you heard from them?”
“Not yet,” I said, shaking my head. “Thing is, if they’re infiltrating the colosseum, I can’t really bother them. They’ll reach out when they’re ready. I can’t risk distracting them, in any way.”
“I get it. Okay. I’ll go stay with Araquiel and Samael. I’m telling you, they’re fun to watch while we wait for the others to get back. There isn’t much else we can do, at this point,” Leah said.
I smiled. “It’s cool. I’ll be out there in a bit. I just need to clear my head for a little while longer.”
Leah mirrored my expression, then left. Once again, I was alone in my small, dark chamber. I didn’t need a light in there, since I could easily handle the darkness. Looking around, I was tempted to slide back down memory lane. I missed Caleb to the point where I could barely breathe sometimes, so I wanted to just close my eyes and think back on the moment we’d first met. I hoped it would soothe me, even a little bit.
But a crevice I hadn’t seen before caught my eye. It was about six feet tall and just four feet wide—big enough for me to go through, if I wanted to. I got up and moved closer, feeling the chilly air brush against my cheeks. There was a draft coming from the crevice. There was something in there, for sure.
I slipped through and found myself inside a hidden and extremely narrow corridor. It swirled downward, like a naturally carved staircase, all black mineral stone with jagged edges on every step. Only, it didn’t strike me as a natural event. The steps were too even. No, someone had made this.
Curiosity took me all the way down to the bottom, where the air was cool and dry. The pressure gave me a mild headache, but nothing I couldn’t handle. The bottom, however, was not the end. A hole opened up, from which a bluish light flickered. I stood there, on its edge, for a while, listening to the murmurs of flowing water. The sound of pressure jets made my heart jump.
I poked my head through, first, just to be sure. I stilled at the sight below.
A huge underground pool stretched beneath, in a chamber the shape of a dome, with the same black mineral stone walls. The water was insanely deep, but light was reflected from somewhere, somehow. It glimmered like the pool of a luxury hotel, the kind with spotlights underwater.
Despite the lighting mystery, I was thrilled to be able to see so well, since I had a full view of the sources of the pressure jets I’d just heard. This pool wasn’t empty. Several large, whale-like creatures swam through it, reaching the surface and releasing jets of water through the multiple holes on their backs.
“Pashmiri,” I murmured, recognizing the creatures we’d seen in the ocean during our many underwater trips between the Stravian islands.
They rumbled around, twisting and wiggling as if they were playful dolphins, with their bellies up, before they turned over and released more water through their back-holes. I found myself smiling and lying on my belly, as I peered down and admired the pashmiri.
Despite the violence on the surface, these animals had found solace in here. Maybe we could, too.
Rose
I’d never seen them so close before.
The pashmiri were truly majestic animals, with long and slender bodies, like a mix between dolphins and humpback whales. Their skin was thick and in strips of turquoise, white, and dark blue, allowing them to blend in, whenever they needed to break through a bank of unsuspecting fish.
Their heads were oval, their eyes bright blue, and their fangs small, but sharp. Most noticeably, their song was as mesmerizing as Kallisto had described it. It was a melodious moan, but I was becoming more and more convinced that it was extremely complex.
My heart beat louder, the pulse echoing in my ears and joining the pashmiri song. It was as if my body was responding to them in ways I wouldn’t have thought possible. Needless to say, I loved it.
But something happened. I didn’t even realize it until I lost complete control over my body and slipped through the hole. I fell smack in the middle of the pool, and everything turned white. Time and space warped around me. I was hurled through t
he pristine nothingness, then broke through the water and held my breath for a moment.
I wasn’t in the cave anymore. The pool was gone.
An endless, turquoise ocean replaced it, sprinkled with thousands of islands. This was Strava, but I wasn’t looking at it through my eyes. The image was distorted, significantly sharper and brighter, as if my body was used to darkness underwater. Then again, this wasn’t my body.
I went back under and swam for a few miles, and I, too, sang the pashmiri song. There were dozens like me, swirling through the water, as we headed toward the biggest island ahead. I could see its root, wide and loaded with coral reefs… It was the upper half of an underwater mountain.
Once my head broke through the surface again, I nearly froze, recognizing the colosseum rising in the middle, surrounded by lush jungles and Perfects flashing above like comets. This was Ta’Zan’s island, and, for some reason, I’d been brought here in the form of a pashmiri. I didn’t know why, nor could I explain what had happened to my body, but, for the time being, I was here, watching.
The pashmiri-me swam closer to the southern shore, where a massive pier had been built. Perfects and Faulties were there, doing the most horrible thing. The Perfects threw out huge metallic spears—the projectiles went into the backs of my fellow pashmiri, who were swimming out in the deep waters. The Perfects were skilled and strong enough to hunt from the shore, effortlessly.
Blood spread through the water, and I caught its scent. It broke my heart, and I wanted to cry. But something much worse followed, as the Perfects then flew out and caught the injured pashmiri, dragging them back to dry land. Once their giant bodies flopped into the white sand, the Faulties and the Perfects proceeded to cut them open and harvest everything they needed.
From dozens of pashmiri, they collected tubs of blood, countless chunks of meat and fat, dozens of square feet of skin and sawed-off bones. It was an organized process. They’d done this before, more than once. Their skills in slicing, cutting, and dicing were obvious. They moved like ants, functioning at a higher speed as they dismembered the pashmiri and carried them, in pieces, back to the colosseum.
A Shade of Vampire 66: An Edge of Malice Page 16