“Derek, good friend,” she said, her tone flat as she shut the door behind her. “How are they treating you here?”
“I think your people like me too much. They won’t let me leave,” I replied dryly.
She chuckled, stopping in front of my cell. “I’ve finally caught wind of my sons. There are whispers about something happening in the Nightmare Forest,” Petra continued. “Rumors about Kalon and Ansel and two other boys… I’m getting closer to reuniting what’s left of my family, Derek. Your friends won’t keep us apart forever.”
“Your children deserve a better life,” I said. “You’ve poisoned their minds. You put them in the crossfire, Petra. You’re not fit to be their mother.”
“Spare me the sanctimonious garbage. Everything I’ve done has been for the sake and happiness of my sons. I would’ve eventually brought Kalon into the loop as well, had it not been for that little bitch, Esme.”
I scoffed, unable to hide my disgust. “Keep telling yourself that. Why are you here, Petra? It can’t be solely for the purpose of taunting me. I thought I told you it won’t work.”
“Oh, no—I’m here to ask you a few things,” she replied. “I’ve seen Danika come in a few times. More than I’d have expected. Would you like to tell me what that’s all about?”
What were the odds I could start a fire among the Darklings? One bright and hot enough that they would never be able to put it out. Danika had promised all kinds of awful things if I didn’t keep my mouth shut about the Spirit Bender’s soul shards. What if I went ahead and did exactly that? After all, I could push the limits here until it was time to break the green bead and vamoose.
As she waited for my reply, Petra’s gaze wandered around the room. It stopped cold on a patch of dried blood on the floor, inches from her boots. “What’s that?” she asked. The more intensely she looked at me, the more appealing telling the truth became. Maybe if I told her what I knew, I’d get her to give me more intel about the Darklings. All I had to do was get Petra riled up enough to open her mouth.
“Danika is plotting to kill you all,” I said coldly. “She’s already taken out two of the Whips.”
Petra laughed lightly. “If you thought I’d be surprised by this, you’ve got another thing coming. I know three Whips she’ll have trouble finding now that they can’t get a hold of Rodique. Sent on a mission, my ass.”
“Then why are you still here, Petra?” I asked. “If you know Danika is out for your heart?”
“Because she doesn’t scare me. I know her better than she knows herself, Derek. None of us saw this day coming, but given the change in circumstances, I will simply have to adjust. That being said, I’d like to thank you for your honesty,” she said. “You’ll find a better ally in me than in Danika. She’s a cold-blooded sociopath. She has no respect for friendship or family values, and she certainly has no intention of keeping any promise she might’ve made you.”
“What will you do?”
Petra shrugged. “I guess I’ll wait and see how far she’s willing to take things. I’ll know when she comes for me. I taught her everything she knows, so I hope she’s not stupid enough to try to pull one over on me.”
“Your confidence is troubling,” I said. “I don’t know the Lady Supreme as well as you do, but I know one thing for sure. She’s dangerous and unpredictable. Whatever you think she’s doing, it’ll be the opposite.”
“I appreciate your concern, but—”
“There’s no concern. Don’t kid yourself. Frankly, Danika could rip your heart out for all I care,” I shot back. “It’s your sons I worry about. They’re better off with a mother in prison than a mother that’s six feet under. Kalon doesn’t deserve this, not to mention Ansel and the boys. You’ve harmed them enough, and if you get yourself killed in this mess, you will only hurt them more.”
“At the end of this story, Derek, I will walk out with my sons by my side.”
“Keep telling yourself that,” I replied. “But we both know that the lies you fed to your sons won’t stick for much longer. Ansel was already doubting the Darklings before he got captured. Kalon never bought into it in the first place. Moore and Tudyk are still young, but they have time to come around, to ask the right questions, and to figure things out on their own. As far as Simmon was concerned, I suppose he only wanted to please you. His life must’ve been empty. You must’ve made him solely dependent on you emotionally for him to grow up so stupidly loyal. That’s what got Simmon killed. That’s what got Aganon killed, as well. Your radicalization. Your intellectual poison. The sooner you realize that, the better off you’ll be.”
Petra raised her scythe at me, hand trembling as she gripped the sculpted handle. I’d made her mad. Good. I needed her to get emotional. I needed her to stop thinking clearly. Her indoctrination would soon become faulty, and Petra wasn’t used to having her ideology challenged.
“You’d do well to remember that you are still behind bars, Derek, and that your survival is optional, not mandatory,” Petra hissed. “You and your people have done enough damage to my family. I will not allow you to hurt us anymore.”
“Funny how you’re the one playing the victim card,” I muttered as the scythe’s blade glistened, thirsting for my blood. She scared me, but I couldn’t let her see that. I couldn’t surrender my soul to her. My hand fumbled through my pocket until it found the green bead. Maybe this was my moment to leave. All I had to do was break it, and Maya would know what she needed to do. Maybe the intel I’d already gathered was all I’d be able to bring back to my people after all. My stay here may have run its course.
“Where is my son?” Petra asked, her voice low and cold. “I’ve had enough of this nonsense. Tell me, and I will let you live.”
“I don’t think that’s up to you.” Danika’s voice came from somewhere behind her.
Petra whirled around with a gasp as Danika appeared out of thin air. I froze, quickly realizing why the Lady Supreme had chosen to reveal herself this way. “You came for her,” I whispered.
“I saw her come in,” Danika said. “Figured I might as well hear what she had to say.”
“Don’t be foolish,” Petra replied. “You don’t want to do this.”
Danika smirked. “Well, it’s a little late for that. I’m already here.”
I moved away from the steel bars, my pulse quickening. They had been friends and partners in crime, but the Darklings’ mission to bring the Spirit Bender back had become their priority. It superseded any relationship they might’ve had, and now Petra’s life was at stake. I didn’t exactly feel sorry for her, but I didn’t want her to die, either—it would only bring Danika closer to completing her goal.
“I just need some time, Danika. That’s all,” Petra said. “The outsiders are not that big of a threat. Not for now, anyway.”
“They have Valaine, and it’s only a matter of time before she remembers everything. Time is of the essence here,” Danika replied. “It’s not my fault you didn’t do the transfer sooner.”
“You know damn well that’s not an easy choice to make. It means sacrificing one of my sons!”
Danika chuckled. “And this is where you and I diverge, good friend. I didn’t hesitate.”
I wasn’t sure what they were talking about, but this was leading somewhere. I took my hand out, leaving the green bead in my pocket. “I’m missing something here,” I interjected. Danika shot me a quick glance.
“Stay out of this, Derek. Be thankful you’re still alive,” she replied dryly, presenting her own scythe so Petra could see it. “This ends here.”
“Not while I still have my breath,” Petra said.
“Give me a minute, and I’ll take care of that.” Danika lunged forward with a growl.
Petra slipped to the side, clearing the path for Danika to stumble and almost fall. But the Lady Supreme had plenty of tricks up her sleeve, whispering a spell as she straightened her back. A pulse shot from her blade, but Petra raised hers to block the attack. The pulse
scattered, the air rippling throughout the room in response.
I felt its pressure seeping through my bones. Whatever energy that was, it didn’t exactly dissipate. It only spread out and affected everything in its path, living or otherwise. I could only imagine what the full concentrated shot would’ve done.
Petra didn’t hesitate. She pressed her index and middle finger against the blade of her scythe, her lips moving as she performed an incantation. Danika came at her again—unwilling to let Petra finish her spell—but the high priestess had other plans. She kicked Danika in the stomach. A moment later, she stood over the Lady Supreme, who tried to launch another death magic attack.
“I taught you everything you know.” Petra snarled and swung her scythe downward. The movement was unexpected. It caught Danika off guard as she tried to defend herself, but the blade cut through her left wrist. The hand fell, blood gushing from the crimson stump.
Danika screamed in agony, but Petra wasn’t done.
“And this is how you repay me, you treacherous bitch?!” She cut off Danika’s other hand, and the Lady Supreme was left howling on the floor in a pool of her own blood. “I told you to give me some time! I stood by you when no one else would! You deserve much worse than this.”
“You’ll pay for this!” Danika sobbed, her face contorted from raw pain.
Petra stepped back, a grin stretching from ear to ear. “From where I stand, I’m the one who gets to walk out of here. I’ll see you again soon, Danika. Hopefully, the next time we meet, I’ll have transferred my shard.”
My stomach dropped, my ears twitching. “What… what are you talking about?” I asked, almost out of breath.
“You don’t need to worry about it, Derek,” Petra replied, then shifted her focus back to Danika. “Do what you have to do, old friend. But I’ll come to you when I’m ready.”
This was becoming even more confusing. They were still friends? Or partners? Had Danika jumped the gun? What the hell was going on here?
Petra waved goodbye and walked out the door, but not before leaving me with a dire warning. “I don’t see you living past the end of the week, Derek. We will prevail eventually. And I’ll get my sons back, too. You don’t get to win this.”
Petra was like an impossible puzzle. One minute she was almost friendly, but the next she’d be rooting for my head to come off. I had a feeling that Petra was somewhat conflicted, but she remained loyal to the core mission of bringing the Spirit Bender back. The iron door shut loudly behind her, and I was left with a quivering Danika, who still couldn’t pick herself up from the cold floor.
“What just happened?” I asked as she sat up, blood still dripping from her stumps. She pressed them into the ruffles of her dress, crimson spreading through the fabric as she tried to stop the bleeding.
“I underestimated her, that’s what happened,” Danika spat. “It just makes me want to kill her more.”
“Do you need help?” I asked.
She narrowed her eyes at me. “Not from you. I’ll be fine. It hurts… but I’ll be fine.”
“Those wounds will take a long time to heal,” I said. “She used a Reaper blade. You’ll be like this for a while.”
“Don’t underestimate my ability to circumvent the laws of death magic. Petra knows she’s only got a couple of days on me, at most. I’ll get her, and I will end her.”
“She said she just needed time. What was that all about?”
Sweat trickled down her face as she tried to adjust to her new condition. Danika’s hands would take a long time to grow back, but the bleeding would stop soon. Her Aeternae nature couldn’t allow for too much blood loss. Chills traveled down my spine as I stared at her hands, pale and abandoned on the floor. I had no sympathy for Danika, but I still couldn’t find any pleasure in her misery.
“The soul shards can be transferred,” she managed, carefully measuring each breath she took in order to focus on something other than the pain. “The other Whips don’t know about it. Petra was the only one who figured it out, years ago. She told me in confidence.”
“Wait, so you don’t have to kill them to get the shards?” I asked, my skin crawling.
“I still have to kill someone to get each shard,” Danika replied with a groan. “The pieces of Spirit’s soul must always be preserved inside a living creature when they’re apart. The longest a single shard has gone without a living host was mere days… I’ve got two of them now, so they can stay together until I add the others, and they won’t degrade.”
“But if you split them apart—”
“They’ll lose their integrity very quickly, yes,” Danika said. “It’s how the Spirit Bender thought he’d keep us loyal and dedicated. And it’s why the Whips were entrusted with the pieces.”
“That’s what Petra is trying to do, right? Transfer her shard to someone else?”
“Yes. It will take time, however, and I don’t think we have that. Besides, what’s the point? She was entrusted with the shard. She knew this day might come. She’s just chickening out, and that alone is enough of a reason for me to kill her. Add this into the mix, and I’m sold,” she said, nodding at her stumps.
I frowned. “You already did the transfer.”
“I did. It took me weeks, but I got rid of it,” Danika replied.
“That’s why you weren’t worried about completing this task. You knew you’d survive the process,” I mumbled, suddenly facing an even more concerning question. “But… if you don’t have the shard anymore, who’d you give it to?”
“The transfer can only be made to a blood relative,” Danika said, a faint smile testing the corner of her mouth. “Yet another condition put in place by the Spirit Bender. I suppose he was a bit of a sadist.”
“What… Danika, what do you mean?”
“Why do you think Petra has had such a hard time picking her replacement? Why do you think I want Thayen back so badly? It can’t be because I’m such a good mother, Derek. Come on, use your head.”
My throat closed up as the full picture finally became clear. “You put a shard of the Spirit Bender’s soul inside your own son. You want him back because you need him. Because you’re planning to kill him.”
She sighed deeply, and I could tell there was a sliver of regret in her. “The mission comes first. I will have another child someday. But you and your people have caused so much damage here that I must sacrifice Thayen in order to defeat you.”
“This is insane! Danika, you can’t do this!”
She pulled herself up, hiding her stumps behind her back. She had trouble looking me in the eye. I caught a whiff of hesitation, and I needed to make the most of it. What Danika was planning wasn’t simply wrong, it was beyond evil. It was awful and unforgivable.
“I will do what it takes to preserve my species. We all know the Unending will not be merciful if she’s set free,” Danika said. “I will get my son back sooner or later. I’ll kill Petra, too. I’ll kill all those you love, and I will spend an eternity tormenting you, just because I want to. Because no one gets to tell me I can’t. I’ve always had my way, and no one can stop me. Not even the Master himself, and he knows it.”
There was bitterness in her voice. It signaled a rift between Danika and Corbin. I could easily suspect she might try to upend him at some point and take his place as Master of Darkness. She was already Lady Supreme, so what was there to stop her from ruling over all the Darklings, as well? The prospect of killing her own son didn’t seem to faze her, so I couldn’t put anything past her. Not anymore. My choices had become extremely limited, and now I had to find my way back to Sofia quickly. Danika had unwittingly given me all the information I needed for my people.
I’d thought Corbin and Petra were pure malice, but Danika… she took the cake.
Esme
Kalon held me close as we hid beneath the covers. Daylight had yet to filter in through the thick, dark drapes. We’d made love for hours, weaving our souls tighter together through the rest of the night. I was too
happy to feel tired. He planted kisses all over my face, our bodies tangled, skin on skin.
“I could stay like this forever,” Kalon said, his lips tickling mine.
Kissing him softly, I smiled. “Mm, but let’s get rid of the Darklings first. Besides, I think we’d get bored pretty easily if all we did was… this.”
“Speak for yourself, missy,” he replied, raising an eyebrow at me. “I doubt you realize how addictive you are.”
I giggled, nestled in his arms and thankful to have lived long enough to experience this blissful moment. Remembering the first time we’d met, I looked at Kalon and realized that this was who he really was. He’d always been this rare combination of elegant masculinity and brutal violence. His sense of right and wrong was what elevated him above the others—specifically, above his mother. For years, she’d tried to draw him to the dark side, and he’d turned her down every time.
That spoke of a consistent character. A man of principles. An Aeternae I’d be comfortable living with for the rest of my life, whether that meant a few more days or as close to eternity as we could get. I loved Kalon, and he loved me. What we had was powerful and intense, different from anything I’d ever felt before. We were partners. We fought together, and now… we shared a bed, as well.
“I’d have a hard time parting from you,” I whispered, caressing his face. “But you know we have to keep moving. It’s not our moment yet.”
“This right here is our moment,” Kalon replied, rolling us over until he ended up on top of me. “There’s a war out there waiting to eat us alive, Esme, so give me what’s left of this night so I can make the most of it.”
I touched his lower lip, and he swooped in for a kiss. His passion consumed me as though we’d been thrown inside a belching volcano, dissolving into its liquid flames. How could I refuse him this flicker in time when all we had was trouble ahead?
“I’m yours, Kalon. You have everything I can give you, including what’s left of this night,” I said as his hands traveled down my sides, his fingers digging into my flesh.
A Shade of Vampire 83: A Bender of Spirit Page 20