A Tide of War

by Bella Forrest

  “You are a pain!” I yelled up at her.

  “I don’t care. I’m not leaving.” She crossed her arms, her face set in a furious expression.

  “You know you can’t stay here, right? That you do actually have parents who are probably out of their minds with worry?”

  “No, they’re not.”

  I sighed. She was impossible. We’d already had this argument a million times—even the Hawk boys had gotten involved, again, after our last night in Nevertide. You’d think, as they’d been orphans, they would have been able to talk some sense into her, but apparently not.

  “You can come back and visit, I already told you that,” I called up, pulling out my trump card.

  “I don’t want to visit. I want to live here. I like it here! I like the witches, the Hawks, the vampires, the werewolves, everyone. Zerus gets to stay, and the Oracle hasn’t gone anywhere, why do I have to be the one who leaves?”

  “All the other kids have gone!” I exploded. “Why can’t you be excited like they were? They couldn’t wait to go home—you’re the only one who’s being weird about it!”

  “Just let me stay!”

  I leaned against the tree. I was hungry and thirsty and irritated. I’d never met anyone so difficult. I didn’t understand what her deal was. The whole time we were in Nevertide she’d been up for anything—I mean, she’d always been annoying, but she’d been generally happy to follow the ill-fated ‘Hell Rakers’ and me while I was possessed…but suddenly returning home was completely beyond her?

  Realizing I was getting nowhere, I started to climb the tree. After more scrapes, and a bruise on my shin that hurt like hell, I arrived on her branch and came to sit down next to her. She didn’t look in my direction.

  From here, I could see that her face was tear-streaked and her eyes were as red as Claudia’s had been.

  “What’s really the matter?” I muttered.

  She took a deep breath, then swung her legs in agitation. “Like I said—”

  “No. What’s going on?” I asked again. “Just tell me the truth. I can’t read your mind, you know.”

  “I… I’m worried that I’ll forget,” she replied in a small voice. “That I’ll just think this was all make-believe—none of it really happened, and that The Shade doesn’t exist. I’ll go to boarding school, and I’ll grow up. I’ll become boring like my parents, and only care about paying the mortgage and how much fuel’s in the tank. I’ll forget you, and Julian and the others. I’ll forget how awesome it was.”

  “You don’t need to forget.” I rummaged around in my pocket. “Here, take these. They’re my treasures. I took them from Nevertide…like mementos. But you can have them, if you like.”

  I held out my hand, showing her the Viking coin I’d taken from one of the chests by the cove, and the broken ghoul stone. I also had a chip of emerald crystal I’d found when we went back to visit Hellswan after it was destroyed.

  She smiled.

  “Really?” she asked softly.

  “Yeah. Keep them. They can remind you when you forget.”

  I swallowed, suddenly feeling very uncomfortable with the way Yelena was looking at me, with her massive blue eyes and rosy pink cheeks.

  I cleared my throat. “I’ll come looking for you when I’m a vampire anyways,” I said gruffly, “so you’d better watch out… Don’t go down any dark alleyways.”

  She beamed.

  “Thanks, Benedict,” she said, her eyes twinkling.

  I shrugged. I didn’t know why she had to make such a big deal out of it.

  “No worries.”

  Derek

  I wandered atop the Black Heights, enjoying a rare hour of solitude and the early-autumn breeze—barely discernible down below, but up here on the mountains it whipped at my hair and shirt.

  Gazing down over our magnificent island, I smiled to myself. Our family was growing. My eyes drank in the scene below: the still beaches where the ocean gently lapped at the shore, the lighthouse on the coast—Sofia’s and my sacred space, its proud structure still weathering every storm—the Vale, safe and humming with its human residents, the meadows and fields that provided us with ample agricultural land, and the redwoods that scattered the island, their mighty branches gently swaying in the wind.

  We had worked hard to make The Shade what it was today: a safe haven for all, regardless of species.

  A movement caught my eye, disrupting my reverie. I turned toward a low rockery, part concealed on the north-facing mountain range.

  “Who goes there?” I questioned.

  I received no reply, but a few moments later, a figure with a cascade of white-blond hair stepped into view. It was the Oracle. She clambered up to where I stood, and I waited patiently for her to explain what she was doing up here – while admiring her ability to maneuver herself across the rocks when she lacked ‘normal’ vision.

  “Forgive me for the intrusion.” She sighed. “I’ve been coming up here to think. It’s become a habit, I suppose.”

  I nodded. Having spent her entire life on the mountain range by the Dauoa forest, it didn’t surprise me that this was where she would feel most at home.

  “You’re not bothering anyone,” I replied simply. I had grown to respect the Oracle, despite her awkward ways—we had one thing in common at least: a desire to walk and brood.

  “I’m glad I found you here,” she continued, her voice lilting and soft. “There are some things I wish to discuss with you… things I’m not quite sure I understand myself.”

  I nodded. “About your past?”

  The Oracle had been vague on the matter of her childhood, and what her life had been like before she’d been sent to Nevertide. There were things she could remember of the jinni clan that her father hailed from, like the making of the stones, but other parts remained hazy. At first I had assumed it was her own desire to remain secretive, but as time had gone on, I started to believe that she’d had certain parts of her memory wiped, perhaps by her parents. Still, that was a far-fetched hypothesis. To wipe part of the memory of an Oracle would have taken a great power indeed.

  She nodded slowly, turning in the direction of the island. “I have been having strange dreams. Recalling the faces of my parents. Places that in the past I may have been, but I do not recall them, and I do not know where they are.”

  She looked sad, wistful, almost. As if she wished that those dreams were real.

  “Do you think the dreams are trying to tell you something?” I prompted; the Oracle had a habit of beginning to say something and then drifting off somewhere else—perhaps seeing things that were to come, or had been.

  “There is one warning in the dreams. That I must never leave Nevertide. They, my parents, never say why… they just keep repeating the same warning, over and over again.”

  “Do you wish to return?” I asked.

  She looked down, closing her eyes for a moment. The shadows that flickered across her skin became darker and more insistent, their rapid movements suggesting her inner turmoil at such a question.

  “I don’t know!” she burst out suddenly. “I don’t think I do. As much as my parents warn me of danger, another world calls to me—the world that contains the places in my dreams. Some are beautiful; magical lands that I wish to see, places I have never before witnessed in my visions of the future. I am tired of being so alone.” She hesitated, her thin hand fluttering over her collarbone. “It is hard being someone who sees, but doesn’t see. I witness all the great things that the worlds have to offer, and yet I can never take part in them myself… I hope that those who come after me won’t suffer the same fate.”

  “Those who come after you?” I questioned.

  She waved her hand dismissively.

  “Not for a long time,” she added.

  I understood her plight. I knew what it was like to feel cut off from the world. If I hadn’t met Sofia, I would be no different—still trying to chase what was human in me, what connected me to others, but getting nowh
ere. Forever lost in the dark.

  “Your parents left you in Nevertide a long time ago,” I said. “Perhaps they were afraid their families would try to destroy you. But it has been many, many years. The Ancients are no longer; the dangers may well have passed. If you do wish to explore the other dimensions—Earth, the In-Between or the rest of the supernatural world—know that you have a place of safety here.”

  She turned to me, her white-blue eyes flickering to mine for a brief moment before she started to look through me—that uncomfortable habit she had of making everyone feel like a ghost.

  “Thank you, Derek of The Shade. I will remember that, and all your other kindnesses. I just wish I could see my own future… It is so dark and contorted. Since the moment I arrived here it has been unclear.”

  “Perhaps, when you settle on a decision, it may help.”

  She smiled softly, nodding.

  “I think you are right. I will let you know what I plan. In the meantime”—she inhaled a gust of fresh air, her blonde hair whipping up behind her like freshly fallen snow—“I shall leave you in peace… There is much to come.”

  She vanished before I could ask her what she meant. I became irritated for a moment, before starting to laugh at myself.

  Of course there was much to come. We were talking about GASP and the residents of The Shade. There was always some twist of fate or surprise waiting around the corner. I didn’t need an Oracle to tell me that.

  My musings were over. I wanted to go hunt down Sofia and kidnap her to the lighthouse for at least an hour, and then join the rest of our family for the evening.

  Talking to the Oracle made me appreciate once again how fortunate I was to be surrounded by those I loved—children, grandchildren, and I supposed soon great-grandchildren. These were the blessings of an extraordinary life, and if I had learned anything in my time on this immortal coil, it was that the strange twists and turns of our lives would always surprise me, always catch me unawares.

  For that, I was grateful… As a member of the undead, it was what made me feel truly alive.

  IS THIS THE END OF THE SHADE?

  NO, IT ISN’T!

  There will be a Season 6!

  *Woo!*

  Dearest Shaddict,

  Thank you for joining me on the epic journey that has been Season 5! This book, A Tide of War, concluded Season 5’s story arc, however, I am excited to announce that I’ve decided to continue the Shade books for another season!

  Book 42, A Gift of Three, will mark the beginning of Season 6, where you will return to The Shade and reunite with your favorite characters (and meet some awesome new ones) in a brand new pulse-pounding adventure!

  Fresh romances, nail-biting suspense, and a mystery waiting to be unraveled…

  Your Shade family awaits you in A Gift of Three, which releases April 10th, 2017. Not long to wait!

  Pre-order your copy now and have it delivered automatically to your reading device on release day:

  If you’re in the USA: Tap here

  UK: Tap here

  Australia: Tap here

  Any other country: Tap here

  Check out the cover!:

  I will see you again very soon, back in The Shade…

  ALSO - at the end of this ebook I have included a free sneak peek of the first five chapters of my latest non-Shade fantasy novel — The Secret of Spellshadow Manor. Keep turning the pages for the free preview! Enjoy :)

  Love,

  Bella xxx

  P.S. Join my VIP email list and I’ll send you a personal reminder as soon as I have a new book out. Visit here to sign up: www.forrestbooks.com

  (Your email will be kept 100% private and you can unsubscribe at any time.)

  P.P.S. Follow The Shade on Instagram and check out some of the beautiful graphics: @ashadeofvampire

  You can also come say hi on Facebook: www.facebook.com/AShadeOfVampire

  And Twitter: @ashadeofvampire

  Keep turning…

  BONUS SNEAK PEEK!: The Secret of Spellshadow Manor

  A spine-tingling new fantasy, perfect for adults or teens who enjoyed Harry Potter...

  What would you do if you spotted a man following a young woman, but no-one else could see him?

  Like most sane people, student Alex Webber thought he was hallucinating - perhaps he'd consumed something bad at the party he'd been attending that night, or he was severely overtired. But when he sees the mysterious man following Natalie again the very next day, he can no longer disbelieve his eyes.

  Although Natalie denies the man's existence, Alex sees her walking with him down a road in his neighborhood he's never seen before - and can't help but follow. After a bizarre, but strangely short journey, he finds himself standing before a towering iron gate wreathed in gray ivy, behind which looms a decrepit old house named Spellshadow Manor.

  Spellshadow, with its beautiful yet sinisterly decorated hallways, ever-changing outdoor scenery and very unusual residents... Alex will quickly learn it is a place that is as wondrous as it is deadly.

  Especially for a normal person like him.

  What if you found yourself recruited to an institute of magic, only to discover you really couldn't do magic?

  What if your enrollment there was all one big, terrible mistake?

  If you were at Spellshadow, you'd keep it a secret. A deep, dark, deadly secret...

  Because Spellshadow's elusive Head is hiding a secret of his own, one that Alex soon realizes he and Natalie must uncover at all costs if either of them wishes to leave the Manor alive - and before it's too late.

  Mystery, suspense, and plenty of twists and turns; an unforgettable experience awaits you in Spellshadow Manor... Welcome in.

  Keep turning…

  Bonus Chapter 1

  A hard knot formed in Alex’s stomach as he stared at his laptop screen. He’d hoped this would be the month he finally earned enough to provide a meaningful contribution toward his mother’s bills—that all the sleep he’d sacrificed to hone his coding skills would pay off and he’d begin earning a real income.

  Scrolling through his latest earnings report, disappointment swelled in him. He was on track to earn less this month than the last. Barely three hundred dollars. Most seventeen-year-olds in the sleepy town of Middledale, Iowa, would have been happy with that kind of side income, but most seventeen-year-olds in Middledale didn’t have a mother with a serious heart ailment.

  Alex ran a hand over his face, tracing the lines in his furrowed brow. Then he dimmed the screen and pushed back in his chair. He was being unreasonable. He’d started looking for a way to earn money from home only five months ago, after his mother had returned from a two-week stay in the hospital barely able to walk. Coding websites had seemed like a natural fit for him because of its linear and analytical nature, but he needed to get a lot better at monetizing them. Still, five months wasn’t long in the grand scheme of things. He just had to keep working at it.

  His eyes travelled to the clock on his bedroom wall which had just struck 2 a.m., then to the pile of neglected homework on the right side of his desk. He was glad that it was Friday—or Saturday, now. He’d make time to get through his school assignments over the weekend.

  “Alex?” his mother’s voice called softly from her room across the hallway. “I hope you’re not still awake?”

  He whispered a curse as he realized he’d forgotten to line the crack of his bedroom door with his jacket, to stifle the light from escaping under it. He’d promised his mom he’d stop staying up so late and get more sleep. She hated that he felt pressured to earn money, and worried he didn’t live enough—go out and act like other boys his age. That would have been easier for Alex if his father hadn’t left them before he was born. His mother’s health had been deteriorating for the past three years, and he didn’t like to leave her alone whenever he could help it.

  He rose from his chair and moved to the door, opening it with a sigh. “No, I’m asleep,” he said wryly, making his way to
her room. He pushed her door, which was always left slightly ajar, fully open and stepped inside. She was sitting up in bed against a pillow, her dark hair in a braid, the TV playing on mute in the background.

  Her blue eyes looked rheumy against the flashes of the TV—as they usually did when she was in pain—and became tinged with disapproval as she took him in.

  “It’s Friday night, I’ll sleep in,” he reassured her quickly, moving to the bed. Noticing that the bottle of medicine closest to her on her bedside table was pain medication, he felt a stab of worry. “Are you okay?”

  She caught his hand and pulled him down to kiss his cheek. “I’m okay. Just a headache.” She cupped his face in her hands and narrowed her eyes. “But you look like death warmed over.”

  Alex smirked, knowing it wasn’t much of an exaggeration. He felt exhausted. Catching his reflection in the mirror above the bed’s headboard, his eyelids looked heavy, his dark brown hair mussed, and the premature lines in his forehead deeper than usual. He’d always looked unusually old for his age—now closer to a man in his mid-twenties than late teens—which his mother worried was from stress, but tiredness made it more pronounced.

  “Goodnight to you too, Mom,” he said, stooping to kiss her cheek before heading for the door.

  “Goodnight, honey.”

  As he left, he caught her mumbling, “Good thing Natalie’s getting a taxi here after all.”

  Alex stopped in the bathroom doorway. Natalie Chevalier. He’d almost forgotten about their guest tomorrow morning. It had been his mother’s idea to volunteer as host for the French student who was supposed to be staying with his classmate Garth’s family. Garth’s parents had dropped out of the arrangement at the last minute due to a “family emergency”, leaving Natalie with tickets booked but no place to stay.

  Alex had a sneaking suspicion that the bit of extra money they’d earn from hosting her wasn’t his mother’s only reason for volunteering. Certainly the idea of having someone his age hanging around the house for two weeks wouldn’t have slipped her mind—and a girl, at that…