I breathed a secret sigh of relief as I came up to where Dorian sat, patting himself down. His clothes smoldered, the arms of his cloak falling apart into cinders, but he was alive and in one piece, although his hair was singed and all his exposed skin was beginning to redden and blister in places. His bravery hadn’t gotten him killed… this time.
It was looking like laundry day would be killer for everyone.
Dorian caught his breath, looking up at me. I offered him a hand to pull himself up, anticipating a twinge of acid reflux, but it was mercifully small, almost unnoticeable. Dorian took my hand, though I doubted he really needed the help, probably knowing it was my way of telling him I was glad he was okay. He stood and released my grip; his eyes were distant, his skin sallow and shadowless, unsurprising considering the damage.
Bravi stood a little way off, staring at the space where the monster had been. Rhome mirrored her, dread on his face. The monster had left only a large ring singed into the earth—nearly twenty feet across, a perfect circle of ash. Nothing that had been growing there had survived. A tense silence fell over the clearing for a moment.
“What was that?” Gina finally managed to ask.
“Not a freaking redbill.” Zach shook his head in disbelief next to her, staring at the smoldering ring on the ground.
“A creature from the Immortal Plane,” Rhome said darkly.
That much was obvious, but hearing it spoken out loud made my heart beat faster as the conclusion I’d come to was confirmed by somebody who knew what they were talking about. “It followed us back to the base.”
“It chased us through the sky,” Bravi added. “We couldn’t lose it on our way back. We hoped we would be able to fight it with reinforcements, but there was no time to call for backup, and we didn’t want to lead it into the tunnels.”
I bit my lip in stunned silence. That thing chased the vampires from the Immortal Plane. Were there more of them somewhere? What if that mist monster had come across a civilian area? We hadn’t even seen what it might do to human skin.
“There are more creatures from the Immortal Plane coming through the tear,” Gina breathed.
I hadn’t been able to share with her and Zach the news about strange attacks in the Canyonlands, but it looked like the news had come to us.
“Redbills were bad enough,” Zach said. “Now, there are more supernatural animals entering the world?”
That was worse, but the question I really wanted to be answered was how these creatures were getting through.
“How did it happen?” I asked.
Dorian frowned, the gears of his mind clearly turning as he reflected on something. Whatever had struck him, from the stormy expression on his face, it looked much worse than this mist monster. A troubling thought.
“We should gather everyone, tell them the news,” he said. A few limp, tired shadows bunched slowly beneath his glacial eyes. I doubted he wanted the scouting team to have to repeat whatever they had to say several times. The blood drained from my face at the implications of his grave expression. What could be worse than new creatures discovering the tear in the barrier?
We made our way back to the hideout. Zach slung an arm over Gina’s shoulder. His leg was clearly still paining him. I bit the inside of my cheek, watching the group move ahead of me as I fell back behind my brother. Don’t let your worry distract you now. I had wanted to speak to him alone, to make sure he was okay. And maybe to try to convince him not to go out on more missions until he had healed more. He couldn’t just keep jumping into danger, even if he was tough. Everybody had limits.
This was something I was beginning to realize about Dorian as well. A week ago, he had seemed virtually invincible to me. Now, a Bureau weapon and a monster from the Immortal Plane had shown us there were powerful threats out in the world, even for vampires. Humans, too, but I had always known that.
The burnt edges of Dorian’s clothes sent an icy stab of worry through me.
Everyone had gathered in the main cavern by the time I entered, called together by Bravi. I heard someone sniff the air, smelling the remnants of the fiery tussle.
“What’s going on?” Oleah asked in a tight voice. She threw a withering glance toward the human side of the group, assuming we’d messed something up. Lady, my teammates weren’t the ones to bring a giant mist monster near the hideout.
Dorian lifted his hand to stop the hushed whispers that broke out.
Colin twisted his hands nervously. Louise stared forward, her eyes looking clearer. The two of them, at least, seemed better than when I’d seen them this morning. Grayson stood beside Louise, more color in his face than before. I hated that their recoveries involved hearing bad news on a daily basis. They must’ve heard the explosion. Did they think it was the Bureau? They were trained soldiers, sure, but they were also human. After what they’d been through, I could imagine the possibility was still haunting.
Dorian delivering his news, I knew, would not make things better. I steeled myself as he walked to the center of the room, every pair of eyes on him. His step was steady, but recent events had clearly sent him to the edge. His look was tough.
Half-burnt on the inside and out.
“The scouting team has news from their expedition today,” Dorian announced. He stepped aside, giving the floor to Rhome.
Rhome’s face looked closed off and defeated. “I’m afraid the tear to the Immortal Plane is growing,” he said without preamble. A smattering of gasps rang out. “Different types of creatures are getting through. We counted at least half a dozen in just the short time we were observing.”
So this was what was worse than the appearance of the mist. Not just one or two new creatures, many more. And the continued fraying of the barrier that kept our planes apart, though I didn’t even fully understand what that could mean.
Laini covered her mouth with her hand. Her eyes widened in fear.
Myndra cocked her head to the side, interest more than fear flickering on her face. It sent a chill down my spine. Her sister didn’t look much better. Sabal tapped her chin with a curious expression. Behind them, Vonn’s sharp gaze followed Rhome closely. His face was unreadable, but his mouth was curled curiously. My stomach twisted nervously.
Were they excited about the prospect of the tear getting bigger? Alan had tried to sell me on a story that the vampires caused the tear themselves. The vampires I knew best would never purposefully do that; the tear had wiped out most of their kin. And yet, seeing expressions like that kept me conscious that not all vampires were as honest as Dorian and his close-knit circle.
I focused on the facts and pushed Alan’s conspiracy theory away. Whoever had caused it, I believed Rhome’s story, but it was hard to comprehend. I could see from the faces around the room, and the few tense mutters, that nobody wanted to believe it.
Dorian cleared his throat, obviously seeing the same doubt. “Rhome and the rest of the scouts saw it themselves. And I believe… the tear has existed for half a decade without exhibiting changes like this. There must be an explanation. Something must be tearing it open. In the beginning, it was the Bureau who caused the rip, and maybe they’re somehow also behind this. Whatever it is, there has to be a force exerting itself on the tear.”
The silence in the mine deepened as Dorian pronounced his words. “Something is deliberately weakening the veil between our two planes.”
Chapter Seventeen
Uncomfortable seconds ticked by. Nobody spoke. I exchanged a worried look with Bryce. We had to tell them about our little interaction in town. I wanted to relay the incident about the news report, too.
“Unfortunately, our mission didn’t go well either,” I said unhappily. “Someone alerted the police to our presence when Roxy, Bryce, and I attempted to use a woman’s phone. They said there were warrants out for us. We’ve been accused of murder.”
“Do you think this was orchestrated by the Bureau?” Dorian asked, his gaze sharpening. His skin, still red and raw from his encounter
with the mist monster, only served to make his eyes look brighter and more intense.
“Definitely. Who else could it be?”
“Murder,” Colin muttered. He shook his head in disbelief.
Louise dropped her gaze to her lap and stared blankly. A week ago, Colin and Louise had been loyal to the Bureau, rising stars of the region. And now the Bureau had accused them of the worst crime possible to cover their own transgressions. It was disgusting. How could the Bureau lie this boldly?
“We escaped them in the forest,” Bryce explained. “But they’ll be on the lookout for us. We’ll need to make sure we don’t wear these clothes out in public again.” He gestured to his hat, which sat on his head in ridiculous contrast to the seriousness of our situation.
What I would give to laugh without feeling like doomsday was pressing against the back of our necks…
“That’s not all, is it?” Dorian guessed, searching my face with his sharp eyes.
I admired his sense of clarity despite the recent chaos. His strategic mind must be working beneath that pensive face.
“Roxy and I saw a TV report talking about some disturbing occurrences. Reports are coming in of increased redbill sightings and blackouts in areas surrounding the Canyonlands,” I explained. “I’d be willing to guess it’s the other creatures you saw escaping the tear.”
Roxy nodded in confirmation, more for the onlooking vampires than for Dorian. The tension in the cavern grew. Oleah and Hart whispered between themselves. Grayson folded his arms tightly over his chest, watching them warily. Myndra’s creepy smile sent a shiver down my spine. Is she happy about this?
Dorian’s jaw tightened with worry.
“That supports our theory that the tear is growing,” Rhome said. “And what I saw while we were scouting.”
“The descriptions of the other creatures were vague,” Roxy said. “And brief. We weren’t able to stay and listen for long.” Her eyes turned thoughtful. “I bet it was the guy in the wheelchair who snitched on us.”
“Redbills are already bad enough,” Grayson lamented from his place on the couch. His bruises looked about the same as yesterday. He and the others needed more time to rest. We couldn’t move again. I prayed the police from the town wouldn’t think to check around the abandoned ski resort.
An uncomfortable silence fell over the room again. Caught up in my own thoughts, it took me a moment to notice the panic rising in many of the vampires’ faces. Laini wrung her hands nervously. Were they that worried about the tear?
“What?” I asked nervously.
“If the tear isn’t corrected, and it’s progressing as rapidly as we fear, then it could open up entirely over the Mortal Plane,” Dorian warned. “It could merge our worlds. If the news report was true—if the tear opens wider—it will change everything.”
“It would mean a complete shift for both humans and vampires,” Laini added in a horrified whisper. I’d known the tear growing larger was a problem, but it had felt distant, far off in the future. I clenched my hands into fists.
The Immortal Plane merged with Earth forever. If that happened, humanity would have to deal with increasing threats from supernatural monsters. Not only that, but we’d have to live with them day to day. I remembered the ominous noise of what had sounded like a hunting horn echoing across the wastelands from my first and only time in the Immortal Plane. If Dorian’s home had been destroyed partially because of the tear, could the tear continuing to enlarge do even more damage? That damage could also occur on Earth—after all, the tear was connected to a barrier that touched both planes. The vast ruins of the city Dorian had once called home came to mind. I couldn’t imagine the power it had taken to cause such devastation. Earth could be next.
Dorian’s cryptic warning of evil consuming the world came back to me like a slap in the face.
I pushed down a barrage of visions of redbills and mist monsters. No. We couldn’t, wouldn’t let that happen to Earth. For all our sakes. I stared at the group gathered around the chamber. Sike dragged his hand down his face, rubbing his cheek wearily. Rhome stared at the ground with his eyes glazed over in thought. The vampire mother held her baby to her chest, rocking it with a gentle movement. They were worried.
Except for a few. I fought a scowl of instinctive disgust when I saw the glint of curiosity in a few vampires’ faces. The twins smiled dreamily at the news of the Immortal Plane potentially being ripped open. Vonn, the sleazy vampire, rubbed his chin as he reflected on the news as if listening to someone discuss an interesting new business deal that might be profitable.
Suspicious. Why wouldn’t this news horrify them after watching what the tear had done to their homeland? Their own families had likely suffered a similar fate to Dorian’s clan, yet they appeared curious about a future where the Immortal Plane fully merged with Earth.
Dorian interrupted my thoughts. “We will have to monitor this situation closely. If the tear continues to open, I’m afraid it might let far worse things through the tear than a soul-scourger.”
“Soul-scourger?” Louise echoed in a suddenly clear voice, looking to Bryce for an explanation.
“Black mist that burns your skin on contact. It was awful. That thing moved as fast as lightning,” Bryce said. “Fortunately, Arlonne had the brilliant idea of using fire. She blew it sky-high.”
I almost raised my brows in surprise at Bryce’s overt compliment but controlled the reaction. Arlonne nodded in acknowledgement. She couldn’t know such praise from Bryce was rare. I’d thought of the idea at about the same time she had, but I wasn’t petty enough to insist on my share of the compliment. Hopefully, this would be good for the team dynamic.
“Soul-scourgers dwell deep within shadowy pockets of the Immortal Plane. If they’ve made it here, then it might mean worse creatures are on the way,” Dorian said to the room at large. Did he know of more dangerous monsters for certain?
I also wanted to ask about how the tear had destroyed his home, but I was afraid it might be too sensitive to mention in front of a large and difficult-to-control group of vampires. I wished we had a moment alone where we could talk, if only so I could gauge and react to his feelings without prying eyes and the complication of getting everyone’s—sometimes hostile—opinions at once. Our few one-on-one discussions had always helped to clarify my thoughts on strategic matters… even if they did distract me in other ways.
I snapped my brain back to the present matter. The Bureau is one step ahead of us, and so is the Immortal Plane. We would have to rethink our strategy.
“Well, our CIA plan has officially stalled,” I said with a heavy sigh. “There’s no guarantee Bryce’s contact will even be willing to speak with us. Especially now that we know there are warrants out on us.”
“There is someone else,” Bryce said abruptly.
I turned to him. He’d surprised me twice in less than thirty seconds. “Someone you trust in a situation like this?” I pressed.
Bryce clicked his tongue against his teeth. “I’ve been saving it for an absolute emergency, but… Jim. The federal police agent you and Dorian met. He’s ex-Occult Bureau, but he was open to a mutually beneficial arrangement with vampires.” He addressed the room, as not everyone had known about our adventures during the trial period. “I know where he lives,” he added. “I didn’t want to drag him into this unless I had to, and in case the house was under surveillance, but I’d say we’re well into a full-on emergency. Jim will help us, no questions asked.”
I crossed my arms, weighing the idea he’d presented against my reluctance to bring in anyone connected to the Bureau. Bryce wasn’t technically our captain anymore, not since we’d defected, yet we still often found ourselves deferring to him. And with good reason. Besides being the most experienced of the humans here by far, Bryce was a wily and effective strategist, and he hadn’t tried to control us. He was respectful of everybody’s opinions. If anything, I respected him more now than I had when he was my captain and separated from me by rank. If
he trusted Jim, then so could I.
Besides, Jim was one of the few people who’d appreciated the idea of letting vampires help our human cause. If anyone had avoided corruption from the Bureau’s influence, it might be him.
“I’m willing,” I said finally. “He seems like our only option right now. If the Immortal Plane is opening up on the horizon, then we need all the help we can get. We need the authorities to listen to us.” Now more than ever.
“I’m in,” Roxy agreed. “Anything to feel like we’re taking some action against the Bureau.” She sounded bitter, and I couldn’t blame her.
“I won’t be able to go,” Dorian announced with a torn expression. “I’m… still on the mend.” He looked ruefully at his reddened hands. “In fact, I’m arguably in a worse state than this morning.”
I shivered when I caught his gaze, picking up on some of the stress he’d been under—both physical and mental—and feeling for him. His eyes seemed haunted. He was right to stay behind, but I still wished he could somehow come with us.
“I’ll go,” Bravi said firmly, throwing herself into the ring. “You should take a few of us with you.” She left unspoken the implication that we needed the extra fighting power now that we had warrants to dodge. And it was always possible the Bureau would anticipate our next move, in which case we could be met by teams of soldiers. I admired her—less than an hour after facing down that mist creature, she was ready to walk into another battle.
“I’m down,” Grayson said.
Colin nodded enthusiastically beside him.
“I can go too,” Louise offered.
I shifted uneasily on my feet. You’re only barely better. “I’m not sure that’s a good idea, Louise,” I said gently. Out of all my teammates, I’d been most worried by the effect the interrogation techniques had had on Louise. Her spaciness and sudden inclination to succumb to influence concerned me.
Darklight 2: Darkthirst Page 20