“As I explained earlier, they would see that coming. We don’t really trust one another here, not when we’re meant to die while everyone else gets to live. We become selfish. Our survival instincts kick in, and we become foolish and desperate. Petra, in particular. That bitch will be the hardest to kill,” she replied, her tone matter-of-fact, as if she were describing a plan to rid a house of mold or pests.
“I thought they’d be happy to die for the greater cause.”
“Well, they said that when they ascended as Whips, when the shards were implanted in their hearts.” Danika sighed. “They didn’t think this day would ever come.”
“But it did,” I muttered.
Danika smirked. “It did. And now I must do what most of them don’t have the courage to do themselves. The shards are not stable. If their hosts become scared, their hearts will beat faster. There’s a risk of breaking the shards, and that’ll make the recovery and rebuilding process all the more difficult. The smaller the pieces of Spirit’s soul, the harder it’ll be to put him back together. The last thing we need is a glitching Reaper with enough power to wipe us all out. It would defeat the very purpose of what I’m doing. Don’t you think?”
So the process wasn’t seamless or easy. There was room for error. Maybe we could use that against them. Most importantly, the Darklings were clearly not as united as we’d originally thought. They seemed to have a history of backstabbing and betrayal. Danika and Petra, whom I’d considered close allies, were anything but.
“Why do you think Petra will be the hardest to kill?” I asked.
She pointed her scythe at me. “You’d better not be dumb enough to tell her about any of this. If you’re thinking of using my words against me, I can guarantee an even more painful existence for you, far beyond what I have already promised, Derek. Don’t be stupid.”
“I’m sincerely asking,” I insisted, keeping a straight face.
“Petra knows too much. She knows about Corbin and me, and about a few other things I should never have shared with her. It was a moment of weakness on my part, but I figured she had enough sons. She could sacrifice one in order to survive, precisely for a situation like this.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Nothing,” Danika said, her expression suddenly blank. “We can talk about this another time. I have work to do. More Whips to kill.”
“What will you tell the others about Iklas? How long before they figure out what’s happening?” I was trying to stall her, to get her to tell me more.
Danika came closer to my cell, her breath steaming the steel bars. “Rest assured, I am a very competent liar.”
“Oh, I don’t doubt that for a second. You certainly had me and my people fooled from the get-go,” I grumbled, crossing my arms.
“Don’t hold a grudge, Derek. It’s unhealthy. Everything, absolutely everything I do is for the sake of my people and for the sweet promise of glory. If lying is a part of the portfolio required to get the job done, then so be it.”
“I feel sorry for your son. He deserves a better mother.”
“Well, I’m the one he’s got. And I’ll bring him back, too. Whatever you and Sofia had planned, it won’t work.”
It was my turn to smile. “You sound awfully sure of yourself. The sad thing is you actually think you’re worthy of being Thayen’s mother. You killed his father. You’re having an affair with the Master of Darkness. I cannot explain how disgusting all this is.”
“To be fair, I’m not that excited about Corbin, either. But he’s my gateway to that aforementioned sweet glory. A means to my end.” Danika’s gaze wandered to the side. I noticed the air rippling in a far corner. Maya. My only hope was that Danika would not spot her there.
“You’re using Corbin?”
“He’s using me, too, don’t worry. Let’s call it a mutually beneficial relationship. Someday, he’ll have to appoint a new Master of Darkness. I plan to be there when that happens.”
My breath hitched. Something didn’t fit into the puzzle she’d just helped me build. “Hold on. You’re going to sacrifice yourself to bring the Spirit Bender back. You have one of the twelve shards in your heart. How will you ever become Master of Darkness if you’re fated to die?”
Danika chuckled, walking away from my cell. She slipped the leather pouches into her dress pockets and gave me one last smile, lazily, over her shoulder as she opened the iron door.
“Oh, Derek. I thought you’d have already figured a few things out by yourself. But you continue to underestimate me. I guess you’ll get a surprise later.”
She walked out, and I didn’t have an answer—only more burning questions. Did Danika have a plan of her own, perhaps? A way to survive the shard’s extraction? If so, why was she killing the other Whips? I was definitely missing important details, so I had to prolong my stay here for a while longer.
Fortunately, Danika seemed open and willing to tell me things. Unfortunately, I wasn’t sure how much longer I could keep this up. The more I learned, the more I wanted to get out of this place, but it also became even more important for me to stick around.
“What the hell is she up to?” I whispered.
Maya showed herself again and gave me a faint shrug, purring softly. She didn’t know, either, but she had to be curious. I had a feeling we’d find out soon. My only concern was that it not be too late for me to do something to stop the Darklings from resurrecting Spirit.
Nethissis
I was constantly surprised by my inability to fall apart. At first, I’d thought losing my body would break me, yet I was relatively okay. I was learning to live with the grief. I doubted it would ever go away, but maybe once I passed over everything would feel different. I’d expected hopelessness, too, but… all I had was anger.
And I needed an outlet for it.
At daybreak, our team compositions were reevaluated and ultimately approved by Sofia, our commanding officer. Seeley and I were joined by Night, Soul, Widow, and Kelara for the raid on Dieffen, along with Kailani and Hunter, Ridan, and Rose and Caleb.
I had one of the many scythes that had been collected along the way from Astoria and Laramis—now stored in the inn’s basement for safekeeping—while the living members of our team had swamp witch magic and pulverizer weapons. They rationed the ammunition for the latter, since we expected Dieffen to go down relatively easily. Without innocents to watch out for, our core mission was to simply obliterate the town. Kill on sight.
In terms of morale, most of our people were doing well. Valaine was on the dark side of the spectrum, but I couldn’t really blame her. She’d already been through so much, yet her ordeal was only just beginning. It would be worse before it got better.
“I’ll stay here with Amal and Amane,” Sofia said. We’d gathered outside the black watchtower for one last briefing before we all left on our missions. Staying close to Seeley, I took a moment to analyze each of the expressions around us—there was a mixture of hopefulness and determination alongside a desire to beat the living crap out of Darklings, to pulverize them into oblivion. In that regard, we were all on the same page.
Unfortunately, we had to be careful and calculated, since we didn’t yet know the full extent of their power and knowledge. They still had dangerous death magic tricks up their sleeves, and we all intended to get out of this skirmish in one piece. Well, except me. I’d already died.
“Someone needs to watch over the Visentis boys and Thayen,” Esme replied.
“Ansel will stay with Moore and Tudyk,” Sofia said. “Thayen will be with me at all times. Given his name and title, along with the fact that Danika still has Derek, it’s best if I keep an eye on the kid myself.”
“I’m staying, as well,” Lumi interjected. “Sidyan, too. Orvis needs a swamp witch to hold up the magical defenses, just in case. I’d like you to stay, as well,” she added, looking at me.
I shook my head. “I can’t. I need to take my mind off all of… this…”
“She’l
l be safe with us,” Seeley replied. “Besides, she can wield a scythe, and we need her ability in the field.”
They didn’t. Not really. I had barely a fragment of their power, but I knew Seeley was saying these things to keep me motivated, to give me purpose. He understood that the last thing I wanted to do was sit in a corner and sulk. At this point, any of the Reapers could help me move on, but Seeley said he was waiting for Death’s decision regarding my reaping. I figured he was stalling so I’d be around for a while longer. Heck, I didn’t mind it one bit. I planned on making the most out of the time I had left in this world and raiding Dieffen was certainly my preferred way of spending my last sort-of-living days, aside from keeping company with Seeley. He was, by far, the most important aspect of my strange existence.
“Just be careful,” Lumi said. “Come back to me, Nethi. I’m not ready to say goodbye to you.” Her voice trembled, and it broke my heart. I knew how painful this was for her.
“After what I survived with these numb-nuts? Worry not, Lumi. I’ll be okay.” I giggled. It earned me a quasi-friendly nudge from the Widow Maker. “I’m kidding,” I said to him, still laughing. At least he could touch me. I couldn’t even hug Lumi.
“We’ve got a pretty good strategy for Dieffen,” Trev said. “I’ll be leading the attack, but I trust the Reapers will do their own thing once we take the streets. Either way, we’ll probably be back by sunrise at the latest, if everything runs smoothly.”
“Keep your comms open,” Sofia advised, then looked at Kalon and Esme. “You too. You’ve got a new and functional earpiece. Call us if you need anything.”
Esme nodded once. “Absolutely. But if everything we’ve been told about the Seniors is true, chances are we’ll manage to get through to them before they whip out those killer claws.”
“You’ll have to be careful,” Kalla warned us. “The Seniors have lived and killed for millions of years. If you think a seasoned Aeternae like Corbin or Petra is deadly, know that the Seniors are infinitely faster and have sharper reflexes. Oh, and watch your six at all times. They’ve been known to sneak up on people.”
“We won’t reveal ourselves until it’s safe,” Kalon replied.
“I am dying to hear how the day-walking cure progresses,” Rose said, glancing at Sofia. “How are you feeling, Mom?”
“I’m okay. I don’t think there’s anything different,” Sofia murmured.
Amal gently squeezed her wrist. “We’ll check your vitals in a bit.”
“What about Dad?” Rose asked, focusing on Lumi next.
“He hasn’t broken the green bead, so I assume he’s still gathering intel.” Lumi sighed, shaking her head slowly. “Maya’s with him, and I trust she’ll help if needed.”
“I don’t like him still being there,” Sofia confessed, concern darkening her green gaze. “I know it’s in our best interest, but… ugh, it’s just the thought of him being so close to Danika. Petra. Corbin. They’re awful creatures. He’s just not safe.”
“Neither are we,” Rose reminded her. “We’re all taking risks here. Orvis won’t be a haven forever. Sooner or later, it’ll be discovered.”
“Derek will be fine, I’m sure of it,” Caleb interjected. “He’s got enough common sense in him to know when to back down and abandon ship.”
“I have faith in him,” Sofia said. “It’s Danika I don’t trust.”
“Remember, you have Thayen. She might know you won’t harm the kid, but she’s got to be aware that she’ll never see him again if she hurts Derek,” I replied.
“Valaine and I will head into the woods,” Tristan said, finally speaking up. “Given the side effects of these memory exercises, we’ve agreed it’s safer if we continue the rest of the journey farther away from Orvis.”
Phantom and Morning nodded in agreement, while Valaine exhaled sharply. “Yeah, I’m quite the menace, and I can’t even control it,” she mumbled.
“It’s tricky until you get yourself back,” Night tried to reassure her. “It will be easier once you have a firmer grip on your full consciousness. You’re working with bits of the Unending now, so you’re bound to be unstable.”
“Hopefully, by the time we see each other again, we’ll all have made significant progress, and Visio will be closer to its natural state,” Kalla said, giving each of us an encouraging smile.
I tried to imagine her as a younger Nalorean woman, all starry-eyed and yearning for immortality. That had been the key motivation to join the Darklings, and I could certainly see it. One of the reasons I’d chosen to become a swamp witch was the prolonged lifespan. As a Lamia, I’d have had hundreds of years, at most. But as a servant of the Word, I could easily reach ten millennia, much like Lumi. How about an eternity?
No one really wanted to die. We took it as a necessary aspect of life, an inevitable outcome. Without knowing what existed beyond that silent threshold, however, we clung to anything that might give us more years. In that sense, I sympathized with the Aeternae. The Unending had granted them a form of immortality, and it certainly wasn’t something they were willing to lose. But they had taken advantage of the suffering that Spirit had inflicted upon the Unending in the process.
And that was why they didn’t deserve her gift. Kalla had gone from wanting to be an Aeternae to working toward returning the whole of Visio back to its mortal status. How many of the Aeternae would want the same, if we were to tell them the true cost of their eternal lives? How many would be willing to sacrifice their immortality in order for the Unending to walk free?
We would eventually get an answer, and I doubted it would be an encouraging figure. Either way, we were going to succeed. The Unending deserved freedom. She’d suffered enough for the Aeternae’s gift of living forever. As for me, I had no idea what awaited me on the other side. My only hope was that it would be devoid of suffering—even if that meant an endless sleep.
Esme
I flew the shuttle, its invisibility shield activated, while Kalon kept an eye on the skies around us. Below, a dark blue ocean seemed to stretch forever. We’d left the mainland behind hours ago, and all there was—as far as we could see—were the rippling waters.
The occasional whale-like animal jumped and splashed around, causing foamy white waves to spread outward. The shuttle’s bio-detector pulled up images on one of the screens whenever it detected movement in the water, and we often saw huge silhouettes swimming just beneath the surface.
“What are those?” I asked, drawing Kalon’s attention to the display.
He narrowed his eyes as he studied the creature’s movement before it descended into the depths of the ocean. “They’re called Senn-fish. Enormous predators with four rows of razor-sharp fangs,” he said. “Their senses are insanely sharp, and they love to chomp on larger prey. The only ocean-dwellers they don’t dare hunt are the blue titans.”
“You mean the whales jumping around earlier?”
He nodded, somewhat amused. “That’s what you call them? Whales?”
“Well, I have to adjust the nomenclature,” I replied. “I admit, I can’t ask or remember the name of every unearthly animal I come across. Fortunately, many of the species I’ve encountered so far have been quite easy to compare to what exists back home. Nature seems to follow a similar pattern everywhere. A circle of life, if you will, from the smallest herbivore to the largest predator.”
“I used to go sailing, centuries ago, though never this far south,” Kalon mused, his gaze fixed on the blue horizon ahead. “To the west, there’s a land mass we call Scotsia. It’s mostly highlands and lakes, an annex of the empire. The people there are different. An even mixture of Aeternae, Rimians, and Naloreans, most of them prosperous landowners, not just servants or shopkeepers. A significant amount of gold for Visio’s coffers comes from Scotsia. I used to come back from there with barrels filled with spices for our Rimian and Nalorean blood supplies. Some of that would be sold to kitchens across the imperial city, as well.”
“And what’s to the east
of the continent?”
“Clusters of islands. Massive patches rich in gemstone mines. Most of the jewels you’ve seen in the city—and on my mother—couldn’t have been made without the precious crystals from the Malfian Islands,” Kalon replied. “And it’s not just gemstones that we get from them. Gold, silver, copper… the underground is uniform and enormous, spreading beneath the ocean.”
“So the islands are basically the peaks of underwater mountains?”
“Yes, a chain that goes on for thousands of miles, from north to south.”
I would’ve liked to see them someday, provided we survived everything we’d set out to do here on Visio. “What’s your favorite place on Visio? Your secret little nook, where no one can find you or bother you?” I asked.
Kalon’s lips stretched into a playful smile. “There’s an island at the far north of the Malfian cluster. It’s small and mostly covered in ice and snow. It’s got a hilltop in the middle, covered in thick, evergreen woods. Someone used to live there. They left a cabin behind. It’s been uninhabited for over a century, but I restored the house a couple of decades ago. I love it. The air is clean, the only sound you hear is from the snow wolves on a full moon, and it snows a lot.”
“Funny. I’d have pegged you for a tropical island type of guy.” I chuckled.
“I’ll never say no to a sandy beach and lazy waves, but I love the crisp whiteness of winter more than anything. The lake house my brother built… the one we stopped by,” he said, his tone breaking for a moment. “It has seen some beautiful winters, as well. Especially when the entire lake freezes. But my little island is even colder—it gets so cold sometimes that the ocean itself crystallizes around its black sand beach. It looks amazing…”
There was a dreamy look in his eyes. He was already pining for that place. But the glimmer faded quickly as he glanced my way.
“If we make it out of here alive, I’ll take you there. We’ll burn wood logs in the fireplace. I’ve got a stash of Scotsian spices ready to sprinkle over a cup of warm blood… you’ll love it,” he said. “And the wolves are friendly if you give them food.”
A Shade of Vampire 83: A Bender of Spirit Page 12