“You… you were here,” Kalon breathed, his eyes widening.
Kemi smiled. “I was here, too. Though I was only a child at the time. I’d only just turned five when Eternity gave us immortality. Later, Mira and I became inseparable, but it took me centuries to fully understand the events of that era.”
“No wonder the Darklings wanted you out of the way,” I said. “You’ve probably got a lot of dirt on them. It seems like they would’ve been better off killing you, though.”
“Sure. But we of the first generation led the charge against the Darklings. We’re the ones who decreed their illegal status. We’re the ones who drove them into the shadows,” Mira replied. “Killing us would mean putting us out of our misery, and the Darklings are bitter and spiteful sons of…” Her voice trailed off, and she exhaled sharply, regaining her composure. “Anyway. Let’s just say the Darklings take their revenge and murder very seriously. They go all the way and beyond.”
“Eternity never gave you her true name,” Kalon said. Mira and Kemi shook their heads. “She’s known as the Unending. The first Reaper Death ever made. Do you know how to stop the Darklings?” he asked, abruptly changing the subject.
“If I did, we wouldn’t be here,” Kemi shot back. “The Unending. What a fitting name…”
“What Kemi is trying to say is that we were never Darklings ourselves. We thought we were victorious for a while after we forced them out. I was the first Lady Supreme after the Unending. The first Aeternae to take her leadership role,” Mira said. “You see, we welcomed immortality, but not all of us agreed with what the Spirit Bender did to her. When he bound her to Visio, I knew we’d get in trouble eventually. Lo and behold, she cursed us all with the Black Fever.”
“You saw it manifest for the first time,” I replied.
Mira nodded slowly. “I lost one of my two sons that day. It almost obliterated the Nasani dynasty before it even began. But even so, I couldn’t blame our maker for it. The more Spirit tried to hold her down, the harder she fought. When she was forced into her cycle, I tried to find a way to get her out of it. She almost regained her true self once, but Spirit stopped her again. That’s when she cursed us with blood-drinking. Even then, I couldn’t hold a single drop of grudge against her. The Spirit Bender founded the Darklings around that time and left them in charge of her captivity. I wanted no part in it.”
“Mira actually tried to set the Unending free more than once, even after the blood curse,” Kemi added, giving her a warm smile. Pride glimmered in his eyes. The air between them sizzled with a mixture of love and affection—the kind two souls developed over millions of years. I couldn’t help but wonder whether Kalon and I might ever get that far. “But the Darklings were better organized.” Grief quickly replaced the warm glow in their eyes, as they seemed to remember something painful. “They found her again…”
“Not to mention that they were also better equipped. The Spirit Bender gave them knowledge we could never access ourselves, so we made their faction illegal. Eventually, they snuck back in and took over important positions in the government. Two million years ago, all the Seniors were forced onto this island,” Mira said. “And that was it. The end of our fight. They spread too far and wide, while the Aeternae continued to embrace their nature and necessities. Even before we were brought here, our kind had adjusted and made the most of our species. We had conquered Rimia and Nalore, signed treaties for their blood. We just didn’t fight hard enough against the Darklings and for Unending’s release because, in the end, we were comfortable and immortal.”
“We kept going,” Kemi muttered in a faint bid to comfort her. “Our families needed us.”
“Meanwhile, the Darklings did the dirty work and refreshed the Unending’s third seal,” I said. Mira’s eyes widened as she looked at me.
“You know about the seals. All three of them?”
“Yes. The first one bound her to Visio. The second destroyed her physical form and infused her into Visio. The third caused the cycle of rebirth as an Aeternae,” I said, smiling. “We’ve done our homework.”
I took a few minutes to tell Mira and Kemi about how my people and I had first come to Visio. As all the details were laid out, the Seniors smiled more. They even seemed a little impressed.
“You’ve accomplished more in a few weeks than we did in millions of years,” Mira murmured. “I suppose you had nothing to lose here on Visio. The Darklings held nothing over your heads.”
“I think it has something to do with our collective experience, as well,” I said. “GASP has dealt with some enormous problems in the world. About a year ago, we were at war with the natural elements. We even fought the Spirit Bender and defeated him.”
Both Mira and Kemi were rendered speechless, and Kalon allowed a tinge of pride to taint his satisfied smirk.
“The Spirit Bender is gone?” Mira gasped.
I nodded once. “I’d say dead as a doornail, but he was already dead by default. You know what I mean, anyway.”
“Then congratulations are in order. You’ve cleansed the world of great darkness,” Kemi said. “Unfortunately, it’s not enough to stop the Darklings, is it? You wouldn’t be here if you’d managed to take them all out.”
“We’re struggling,” I replied. “Valaine Crimson is the Unending’s latest reincarnation. Her father, Corbin, is the Master of Darkness. The Darklings are trying to emerge as legal and official enforcers, and popular opinion seems to be shifting in their favor. We have Valaine, but she’s got a lot of work ahead of her in order to break free. We were hoping you might have some knowledge on the matter.”
Mira’s smile faded. “I’m afraid not. All we did was struggle to make her remember who she was. Back then, she’d only been reborn once. I can only imagine the amount of digging she must do now in order to remember.”
“The Darklings will know how to break the three seals,” Kemi said. “The Whips and the Master, in particular. They’re the only ones privy to such information. It’s passed down across generations.”
I emptied my glass. Despite all the progress we’d just made, it didn’t feel like we’d moved ahead much. We’d found the Seniors, and they seemed open and willing to talk to us, but we still had no clue regarding the Unending’s seals. We didn’t know how to set her free, and time wasn’t on our side.
Beyond this island, the Darklings were advancing, taking more towns and stepping further into the light as bastions of hope for Visio. Corbin was looking for Valaine, determined to kill her—his own daughter. Hope was nowhere to be seen, no matter how much I wanted to believe otherwise. The Darklings held all the best cards, and I doubted we’d find a way to get any of them to tell us what we needed to know.
As if sensing my dismay, Kalon touched my hand, gripping it gently on the armrest. I looked at him and found reassuring warmth in his blue eyes. Wordlessly, Kalon reminded me that this was only the beginning. I knew it was true, but it felt nice to see it coming from him. We were only just getting started, and we’d just made friends with the very first Aeternae of Visio. Our pure ancestors.
From here on in, the only way was up.
Esme
We spent hours talking to Mira and Kemi about the Darklings and the Seniors’ lives before they were forced to “retire” here on this island. The feasting and music continued in the background, as the rest of the ancient Aeternae lived through another day of drinking, laughing, and dancing in a peculiar but enticing atmosphere. The sun set beneath the reddish haze, and darkness swept over the trembling ocean.
The leaves whispered and rustled as night fell beneath a starry sky, the mazir spell that enveloped Visio gradually subsiding, leaving room for the moon and other celestial bodies to shine their milky light upon the land.
“Is this what you do all day?” I asked as Kemi returned with a pitcher of fresh blood for us. “Do you just drink and sleep and party?”
“We also grow gardens. We swim. We harvest rare flower crossbreeds. Dabble in the occasional craf
ts and pottery,” Mira replied with a faint smile. “There isn’t much left for us to do in such isolation, so we’ve all agreed to not let a day go by that might give the Darklings any satisfaction. Our true and most miserable death will happen the moment we allow ourselves to live like prisoners here.”
“Some of us write and paint. We have a few architects who help us revamp our homes once in a while. The layout you see now will change in a few years, once we’re bored with it,” Kemi added. “I think we’ve terraformed this island about a hundred times already.”
“Aren’t you tired of living here like this?” Kalon asked.
Mira nodded slowly. “Of course. But the Darklings have managed to keep us here for a very long time. I’d love nothing more than to go out and see how the empire has evolved, to understand how our culture is growing. I remember the days before we were immortal—though the memories are rather fuzzy now. I always enjoyed looking back and comparing our past to our present.”
“In fairness, our evolution has not been the most ethical. We’ve had to make do with what we were given,” Kemi said. “We could’ve settled for animal blood, but all it took was one taste of a Rimian—taken in a moment of weakness—and everything changed.”
“Would you revert back to animal blood if you could?” I asked. “There’s a village in the middle of the Nightmare Forest called Orvis. They’ve been living like that for a long time. The Aeternae there are not allowed to feed on their Rimian and Nalorean neighbors, not even if the blood is given willingly. They set a firm boundary, and it seems to be working.”
Kemi and Mira exchanged glances. They seemed to agree. “I think it’s possible, yes,” Mira said. “We wouldn’t be as strong as we are now, but it’s doable. The only reason why we’re still feeding on the Rimian and Nalorean blood that they send us is because we want to have our full abilities if escape becomes possible.”
I flashed her a devious grin. “So you’d be fine with a jailbreak, if you had the opportunity.”
“We all would!” Mira replied. “The Darklings would then round us all up and throw us back here, however.”
“Not if we stop them,” I said. “It’s what we’re pushing for. We’ve made a promise to Visio, and we intend to keep that promise. Kalon and I can get you all off the island, but I hope you’ll help us, going forward. I doubt we can do it all on our own.”
Kemi got up, taking a moment to gaze out into the distance. Lights flickered through the bushes and along the swirling stone paths. His figure looked dark against the luminous backdrop, his broad shoulders and narrow hips making him seem as though he’d been carved from the finest marble. Mira’s eyes glowed with love as she watched him, waiting for him to respond. I doubted this was his decision to make, but if the two were a solid pair who functioned on the basis of an equal partnership, then Mira probably wanted his input before she could give us an answer.
“There are two thousand of us living here,” Kemi said. “And it’s not the only island of Seniors, either. I know of at least five more scattered across this vast ocean.”
My temperature spiked. “How many of you are there in total? Do you know?”
“I’m not sure. I’d estimate around fifty thousand. By the next century, there will be a hundred thousand Seniors as the continental population continues to age,” Kemi said. “The last ones left standing who still remember a time when the Darklings were evil and illegal. That is why we’re stuck here, after all. Because we refused to give them the power they wanted, the authority they desired. These newer generations don’t understand the world the way we do. They don’t see the filth that forms the basis of our empire.”
“They’re being taught that their species is superior. That the Rimians and the Naloreans only live to serve us, and they’ve gotten a pretty good deal through selling their blood to their oppressors. Hell, the Rimians and the Naloreans don’t even know they’re being oppressed,” Mira muttered, contempt tainting her soft voice. “They think all of this is okay, that it’s supposed to be like this.”
“But you were a part of the conquering force, weren’t you?” I asked, and Mira let a heavy sigh roll out of her chest.
“Yes. And not a day goes by that I don’t regret pushing those campaigns.”
“I would get off this island if I could,” Kemi said, changing the subject and going back to my initial proposal. “I would fight the Darklings with my dying breath, if only it might lead to the Unending’s liberation. We are tired, Esme. We are tired and dull. The gardens, the architecture, the parties—they no longer spark joy in our souls.”
Mira teared up as she looked at him. “Right now, all we want is to grow old together. To understand the finality of things and to see where it all leads. We’ve had enough of this life. If we succeed, if we release the Unending and she takes our immortality away, I know many of us will be happy to simply jump into some ships and explore as much of the universe as we can before we die. You see, we’ve been on Visio for five million years. We know Rimia and Nalore, too. Every inch of them. My heart sings when I think about what else I might see before I close my eyes for good.”
Mine sang at the thought of getting the Seniors on our side. I hadn’t yet grown tired of the concept of immortality, but Mira and her people certainly had. I could use this against the Darklings, who took more pleasure in tormenting the Seniors than in killing them. Their sadism would end up biting them in the ass.
“Then come with us,” I said. “There’s enough room on our shuttle for at least a few hundred of your people. We’ve got a second shuttle we can use to retrieve the rest of them.”
Kemi scoffed. “The Darklings won’t let us go.”
“But they can’t see us. They can’t hear us. Our shuttle has an invisible shield. Remember, it’s how we got here in the first place,” I replied.
Mira’s face lit up, and hope glistened in her eyes for the first time. Defiance straightened her back as she stood tall, pushing her chair to the side. Kemi came closer, slipping an arm around her waist and smiling. “What do you say, Mira? Shall we get the hell out of here?”
“We’ll talk to the others, but I doubt we’ll get many refusals. Most of us want freedom.” She looked at me. “Give us tonight, Esme. Give us tonight so we can discuss this with our people. You can stay here in this house. There’s enough blood to keep you sated. You can run yourselves a bath and light up the fireplace. Make yourselves at home, and I shall see you tomorrow in the plaza, by the fountain where we met.”
I would’ve loved nothing more than to hug her. “Okay. Thank you for your hospitality.”
“The bedroom upstairs has fresh linens,” Mira added, her gaze bouncing between Kalon and me. “Let us hope we meet again tomorrow with good news.”
“Do you think the Seniors will say no?” I asked, doubt poking me in the ribs.
Mira shook her head. “I don’t think so. But we’ll take whoever will come with us, whether it’s ten or a hundred or five hundred Seniors. Kemi and I are definitely in. You can count on us.”
Kalon and I watched the couple leave through the house while we stayed back on the open terrace. The ocean breeze brushed through my hair, tickling my cheeks and making me smile. Once I heard the front door close, I let out a deep breath, leaning back into my chair. This was a little slice of paradise, and I planned to enjoy as much of it as I could before we left.
Silence hovered around us, and with it came a sense of… satisfaction.
“I think we can chalk this one up as a win,” Kalon said.
Only then did I realize the impact of the Seniors’ presence. Mira and Kemi had been enough to make me feel small, almost insignificant. In their absence, I sensed myself returning to my full strength. It wasn’t their fault—it was my perception playing tricks on me. The Seniors were larger-than-life creatures. They’d been around for so damn long. They had amassed enough knowledge and exhaustion to last them an eternity—and they were tired.
Kalon got up and took my hand in his, beckoni
ng me to join him on the edge of the terrace. A wrought-iron fence stood between us and the steep slope below, which was covered in green foliage and waxy blossoms as big as my head. Their fragrance relaxed me, and I leaned into him as we stared into the night.
“This is definitely a win,” I finally replied, my head resting on his shoulder. “Even if only Mira and Kemi decide to come back with us, it’ll be two more allies instead of none.”
“The rest will follow.” Kalon sighed. “Everything they said to us mirrors the collective emotions of their peers. They’re all itching to get out of here. I know I certainly would be after being stuck on this island for so long.”
“I still can’t believe they’re so… open. I think I gave too much credence to the rumors that brought us here.”
“So did I. It’s normal. Esme, I grew up only hearing about them in folktales. I never thought I would ever meet them,” Kalon said. “But now we know the truth. We even know there are more of their kind out there on other islands, and I’m certain they’ll all be happy to return to the mainland, even if they don’t join us in the fight.”
My brother’s voice echoed in my ear. “Esme. Are you there, sister?”
I stilled, giving Kalon an alarmed look as I pressed a button on my earpiece. “I’m here, Tristan.”
“We have some troubling news,” Tristan said, and I felt my throat close up. With all the good things we’d managed to accomplish today, it shouldn’t have come as a surprise that the universe might try to balance it out.
As soon as Tristan told me about the botched raid on Dieffen and Valaine’s escape into the woods, I realized Visio was not done fighting us. The Darklings were determined to retain their power and influence, and they’d just proved that they had plenty of tricks left up their sleeves to screw us over.
But we weren’t done, either. I told Tristan about our progress, as well. The Seniors were eager for revenge against the Darklings. I refused to let our failures break me. As I relayed everything to Kalon, he hugged me tight and reminded me that he wasn’t ready to stand down. He still had a lot of fight left in him, and so did I.
A Shade of Vampire 83: A Bender of Spirit Page 17