“Wouldn’t be the first time,” Soul mumbled, staring at his bare feet, his toes wiggling through the soft green grass.
“We need you to focus,” Phantom said, her gaze wandering from one local to another. They shuffled around us, unable to focus on anything for too long. They were the closest I’d seen anyone get to a zombie. “Look back on what it was like when you first found yourself in this form. Think, Morning. There has to be a way for us to break this magic. Otherwise, we will spend an eternity trying to save you.”
“I must admit, I do feel a little better knowing that you’re here,” Morning replied.
“So, the Spirit Bender lured you here, right?” I asked, trying to get her back on track. The longer we stayed here, the longer it would take to free Death, and I needed her at full capacity so she would fix whatever the hell was happening on Visio. Seeley was in the wind, not to mention Rudolph and his crew. Nothing seemed right anymore, and it made me more anxious than ever.
“He did, yes. I remember him whispering something in my ear,” Morning said. “But he vanished for a few minutes before that, while I called out to my brother, the Night Bringer, thinking he was here. I couldn’t feel him, but I did capture traces of him. Dark little threads, enough to get my hopes up. I didn’t even realize Spirit was gone until he came back.”
Silence settled over the village, while Soul, Phantom, Widow, and I looked at each other, waiting for her to continue.
“Then what happened?” Soul spoke, and the locals straightened their backs, as if suddenly alert again. It was a subtle reaction from Morning, I realized. Her fractured mind had wandered off once more.
“He whispered something,” she said. “I recognized some of the words. It was death magic, for sure, but nothing I’d ever heard of before. I remember wondering what it was that he was trying to do, when I started to dissolve, quite literally. Everything changed around me. It shifted. It didn’t hurt until I blacked out. Then, it was sheer agony. By the time I woke up, I was… everywhere. I could see this entire world, through every blade of grass and every little pebble.”
“So, when you sleep, the pain comes,” I concluded.
“Yes. And if I let myself sleep, if I go into deep sleep, specifically, I can’t wake up until I’m fully rested. During that time, I’m forced to endure the worst.”
“Was Spirit still here when you first woke in this condition… you know, being everywhere?” Phantom asked, her brow slightly furrowed. She looked like a sullen teenage girl, though the large black bow on her white nightgown made her seem even younger. Her expression, however, complete with cherry-red lips and galaxy eyes, reminded me of Death.
“Yes.” Morning sighed, and another local dropped dead somewhere to our left. “I’m sorry. Usually I am less active, mentally speaking. The more I speak, the more I try to remember, the greater the toll on these poor people.”
“Quit saying you’re sorry. It’s getting annoying,” Soul snapped. “And it’s not your fault, sister. You did the best you could, given the circumstances. Now, tell us. What did Spirit say when you woke up?”
“He admitted that he’d tricked me into coming here, because this world is far away and isolated enough for him to keep me trapped for as long as he needs,” Morning replied. “He mentioned the Beta elements… Oh dear, the Beta elements, yes! I remember something!”
I frowned. “The Beta elements?”
“Ten pieces of the seal. Right. It’s a seal, not a curse!” Morning gasped. “My, oh my… I do like how your presence stimulates my frazzled mind. So, yes. The Beta elements. Ten parts of a seal which forced my natural form to dissolve and scatter. I’m atoms, spread everywhere… It’s why I can possess these people and speak and move through them. Yes…”
Following this particular stream of consciousness, she didn’t sound as incoherent anymore. Morning was onto something, and it was beginning to make sense for the rest of us, too.
“Spirit called them Beta elements,” I said. “Did he say anything specific about them?”
“No need,” Soul interjected, looking at me. “Some heavy seals use Beta elements, though not as many as ten. I’ve used some myself.”
“What are they?” I asked.
“Pieces of a seal. Like pieces of a puzzle, if you will. While they’re all intact, they hold the spell together. You break or destroy one, and the spell falters. You take them all out, and the spell is undone,” Soul explained.
“Yes, but what are they, exactly? Objects? Symbols? What do they look like?” I replied.
Soul bit his lower lip, as if realizing something, his eyes widening with some kind of disappointment. “Oh… Crap. They could be anything. Pebbles. Leaves. Any surface on which a Reaper can imprint a symbol of the Beta element, really.”
Widow scoffed. “We’re screwed. That’s like searching for a needle in a haystack.”
“Not necessarily,” Morning said. “Spirit said he likes his seals to be living and breathing. It’s how he makes a creature live forever. I admit, it sounds strange even as I say that now, but… I think it was a pleasure of his. Finding loopholes to prolong life.”
It certainly sounded strange, and it made me wonder, but it was too early in the game to even generate theories. I set that thought aside and focused on the task at hand. “So, we’d be looking for ten creatures that have been living for an unnaturally long period of time?” I asked, glancing at the locals, wondering which of them might hold the key to Morning’s freedom.
“It’s a good starting point, for sure,” she said.
“Even so, the pool is still huge,” Widow replied. “Spirit could’ve used small animals or something. How do we find creatures that have been alive for so many years? We could comb the entire planet, but jeez, that’ll take a few lifetimes, at least.”
“Spirit would’ve used the people,” Phantom murmured.
Goosebumps pricked my skin. I knew exactly what she meant, considering that she knew her deceased brother as well as she did, and having seen how twisted Spirit had been with my own eyes. “He wouldn’t have wasted such life-giving seal pieces on animals. He would’ve used humanoids, for sure.”
“Well, Spirit was always a big-league player, I’ll give him that.” Soul sighed and got up. “Okay. So, we’ve got ten potentially immortal… what’s this place called again?”
“Vetruvia,” Morning said through the people.
“Okay, so. Ten potentially immortal Vetruvians,” Soul continued. “We have to find them. They will probably have the symbol on them, right?”
“Most likely, yes,” Phantom replied. “How many Vetruvians live here?”
“Oh, about five million, I think,” Morning said.
“That’s a lot of hay to search through,” I managed, my stomach growling from pure anxiety. “There has to be a faster, more efficient way, right? Morning? A little help, please? You’ve made them into a hive mind. You have access to their consciousness.”
Phantom threw me a broad smile. “I see why Death wanted you with us. Good idea!”
The Vetruvians stopped moving altogether, their eyelids moving as if they’d just gotten stuck somewhere between being awake and asleep, as if they were glitching. Widow cleared his throat, gradually inching closer to Phantom, Soul, and me and farther away from the people. I couldn’t fault him for feeling creeped out.
“I think she’s doing something to them,” he whispered.
“Kelara is right,” Morning said through the frozen Vetruvians. “I have access to their minds. I can search for the eldest, for those who still live despite my constant feeding on them.”
A few hours passed in the heaviest silence, while we waited. Not a single Vetruvian moved during that time, making me feel as though we’d gotten stranded inside a massive wax museum—this being the Nature Lovers’ exhibit…
I tried reaching out to Seeley and Rudolph again, but I got nothing except a pitying look from the First Tenners. They knew I wouldn’t hear from my friends, but they no longer tried t
o talk me out of attempting further communications.
“Ah!” the Vetruvians cried out, moving again. Some picked flowers; others cut wood or tended to their homes—all daily chores they executed while under Morning’s influence. “I found one! I can’t believe it! I found one!”
“A Beta element,” Soul said, as if to confirm. He didn’t seem to trust this version of his sister, not that I found that to be unreasonable in any way. Morning’s mind clearly wasn’t what it had once been.
“Yes. He’s coming your way. You’ll know him when you see him,” she replied.
“How did you find him, exactly?” I asked, curious about the process.
“I dug through their memories. I am still searching for the others, but this one’s the first I’ve come across to remember things from the first day Spirit and I got to Vetruvia.”
When the Vetruvian man came to the village from deep in the woods, we all realized that it wasn’t going to be as easy as we might’ve hoped. We had all overlooked something very basic, and yet incredibly complicated.
As Soul took the man’s hand and brought him closer to us, I noticed the symbol tattooed on the side of his neck, along with the fact that he looked like he was still in his early twenties, even though he was probably millions of years old, at this point.
“We need to break the Beta elements,” Soul said, eyeing me intently.
“No…” I mumbled, understanding exactly what he meant. “No… No, it’s not right.”
“We don’t kill the living!” Phantom cut in, agreeing with me. The look on her face told me everything I needed to know. She was just as uncomfortable with all of this, as I was, if not more.
“There is no other choice,” Widow replied. “Check with Death. She will confirm.”
“No, it’s not that. I trust your knowledge on the topic, but… is there really no other way?” I asked, pinching the bridge of my nose as I looked away from the seemingly immortal Vetruvian.
“The Beta elements must be destroyed.” Morning spoke only through him this time. It felt a little less odd than an entire village talking at once.
Exhaling sharply, I walked over to the Vetruvian and used the tip of my scythe to cut through the tattoo of the Beta element. His skin was soft, and it broke easily, blood trickling down his chest. He winced from the pain, but he didn’t move.
“Technically speaking, the symbol is defective now, right?” I asked, looking at the other Reapers. “Wouldn’t this be enough? Morning, do you feel any different, perhaps?”
“No.”
That was blunt. “Dammit,” I hissed.
“The Beta element has to be destroyed,” Soul repeated. “The symbol is just that. A symbol. A marker. The object or creature it occupies, that’s the true Beta element, Kelara. We have to kill him.”
“I will hold him in place,” Morning replied. “I can feel his consciousness flaring. He’s squirming and struggling to get loose.”
“Hold on!” I shouted, my whole body shaking. “Hold on…”
We were Reapers. We were bound by the laws of life and death to never kill a living creature. The only killings that had occurred—of which there were few enough to be counted on the fingers of one hand—had been sanctioned by Death and were considered extremely special cases.
I knew Death would allow us to go ahead with this one, too, as well as the other nine that would follow, but still… I simply couldn’t embrace the concept. I needed a few minutes, a bit of time to process and to accept that what we were about to do was important, and that Morning’s freedom would not be achieved any other way.
How bitter the irony, that we were about to willingly break one of our most sacred rules to save an ancient Reaper. Then again, she, too, had been reduced to this form because of illegalities committed by one of her own. The Spirit Bender had left one hell of a mess behind, and we were tasked with cleaning it up. I worried about how low we’d have to go in order to do that…
Esme
By the time we were out of the imperial city, I was already feeling better, the energy I’d been building up through my convalescence bursting through me. I was once again riding Midnight’s Dream, alongside Kalon on Lightning, and the wind in my hair was all I needed to soar and smile and be thankful that I’d survived Zoltan’s attack.
We’d left the city hours ago, now trotting down a snaking country road. Forests rose on both sides, with giant trees and green crowns that stretched on for what seemed like forever. Wildflowers thrived in these parts, splashes of red, yellow, orange, and white covering most of the ground. It felt like walking through the universe’s own garden.
The temperature was perfect, and the air was dry. I loved it, and I could feel the smile widening on my face as we made our way ahead. Midnight was a pleasure to ride, too. She was gentle but remarkably fast when needed, much like Lightning.
“You look splendid,” Kalon said, disrupting my thoughts.
I turned my head and found him smiling as he rode Lightning closer to Midnight and me. “Thank you, I guess. It just feels nice to be out of that study room. I’m not cut out for a life spent indoors.”
“It was only two days.” He chuckled. “But I understand. I’m glad I decided to bring you with me, then.”
We had blood and healing magic supplies in satchels tied to our Visions’ saddles. I kept a flask of water, too, just in case we might need it, along with several invisibility pellets and red garnet glasses. Most of our journey here had been uneventful, with only a few instances of Kalon stopping to ask local villagers about several settlements and any activity they might have considered suspicious. They’d all walked away from him, unwilling to answer his questions—visibly fearful, even.
It made me wonder, but it frustrated Kalon more than anything, as he was trying to figure out whether the Darklings or at least Trev Blayne had been spotted around. But no one wanted to cooperate.
“What’s the next town we’re supposed to check?” I asked.
He took out a map, leaving Lightning to carry him without the need of reins, and unfolded the piece of paper. “Tromb,” he said. “Then Pygmal and Droob.” Putting the map away, he looked at me. “They’re all small towns. Tromb is more of a village, if you ask me. I haven’t been there in a long time, but I doubt it’s grown too much. The forests around here are pretty dangerous for the Rimians and the Naloreans. They prefer bigger cities.”
“And the Aeternae?”
“They, too, prefer bigger cities, though for different reasons. There’s a certain appeal to elegance and numerous facilities,” Kalon said.
“I’d love a little house in a countryside somewhere, someday,” I replied, gazing ahead. “Or a lake house, with deep woods and a little jetty. I’d make myself a boat, too.”
“Strange. You don’t strike me as a country girl,” Kalon shot back, flashing his debonair grin.
“Let’s just say I’ve traveled a lot, and I’ve realized I like privacy and nature more than pretty architecture and super-crowded spaces,” I said. “It gets tiring after a while. The noise, the hustle and the bustle… I don’t know. Lake house sounds pretty sweet.”
“I have a lake house, actually.”
“Of course you do.” I sighed, stifling a giggle. The more time I spent with Kalon, the more I found myself drawn to him. After everything that had happened, it felt good to know he was by my side. It also made me wonder if the chemistry between us was merely a product of my imagination, or if he felt it, too. I figured a trip like this might shed some light on things. I also hoped it might jog my memory with regard to that night in the palace basement.
“I could take you there, someday,” Kalon said. I felt his eyes on me, and I couldn’t help but look his way. My skin tingled as I nearly sank, overwhelmed by the depth of his blue gaze. Kalon sure knew how to command my full attention. “You know, if you’re not too busy.”
“After we destroy the Darklings and vanquish the Black Fever and get our day-walking protein?” I asked. The trees reached
above us, forming a long, green tunnel that blocked out most of the hazy sunlight. Breathing out, I took my hood off, eager to enjoy as much of the day as possible before having to cover myself up again.
“Yes. Hopefully, all three tasks will be accomplished successfully.”
He sounded serious. This wasn’t a joke. Kalon had a lake house, and he was inviting me over once all this madness was finished. Giddy on the inside, I shifted slightly in my saddle, making Midnight huff and shake her tail.
“You mean it,” I said. “Sorry, I’m just baffled.”
“Why? Is it not obvious that something is working rather well between us?”
It wasn’t like him to be this upfront on such a personal level. Kalon liked keeping cards like these close to his chest, so I couldn’t help but wonder… Was this a byproduct of me nearly getting killed during the Zoltan incident? Or was Kalon just being friendly, while I was reading too much into it? Either way, I wasn’t sure I wanted to answer his question.
Looking ahead in a bid to gather my thoughts and formulate a proper response, I noticed small houses popping up on both sides of the road. The greenery tunnel unraveled, and I put my hood back on. “This is Tromb, right?” I asked, changing the subject and taking in every little detail.
It had a homey feel about it. Everybody knew everybody here, for sure. Narrow alleys split from the main path as the forest pulled back. I estimated about two hundred people living here—mostly Rimians, at first sight. Children were playing on the edge of the woods, tossing wooden balls in the air and rushing to catch and collect them in red or green woven baskets.
The women carried laundry outside or tended to their tiny garden patches. The men were coming in from the forest, with sacks hanging over their shoulders. They’d been out hunting and were now returning. It seemed so nice and peaceful. Life in the countryside, a pleasant but distant dream for someone like me. I’d been on the road for so long, living for short periods in so many places, it was hard to even visualize what my life would look like if I managed to settle down.
A Shade of Vampire 80: A Veil of Dark Page 6