“What do you think we’ll find when we do reach the Darklings?”
Maya came over, stopping in front of Sidyan and licking his hand. “Ah. She’s found another Reaper trace,” Sidyan said as he followed her. She led him a few yards ahead, to a jagged rock. Using his scythe, Sidyan tried to locate the Reaper energy sliver she’d signaled by licking his hand. I had to give the ghoul credit—she was exceptionally well trained. It gave me hope for other ghouls. Maybe there was a way to give them purpose again, instead of letting them loose to hurt innocents or destroying them altogether. After all, Herbert and his cohort had more than proven themselves during the Hermessi apocalypse. “Here it is,” Sidyan said, his blade lighting up white for a moment.
I followed his gaze and saw the luminescent thread tucked between the jagged rock and the hard ground. He picked it up with the tip of his scythe, closing his eyes for a moment. I had a full view of his profile against the black backdrop of the tunnel. His nose was perfectly straight, his lips full and neatly contoured. His brows furrowed over his dark, starry eyes, and he always looked as though he was thinking about something truly profound.
Sometimes, I found myself wondering what went through his head. What did a Reaper even think about? Did Reapers ever sleep or dream? I doubted it, since they were practically dead. But their energy levels were still somewhat limited. Surely, some rest would be required now and then. I’d asked Sidyan about it, and he’d told me to mind my own business. He definitely wasn’t the sharing kind.
“It’s Seeley,” Sidyan said, opening his eyes. “He’s leaving these traces deliberately.”
“Probably hoping another Reaper will come through and find them,” I added, trying not to get too excited. It was an easy trap to fall into.
“Something tells me everything that’s wrong with Visio is connected to the Darklings,” Sidyan replied, looking at me. “Including the absence of ghosts and Reapers.”
“The Darklings are taking them all?” I asked, pursing my lips as I tried to wrap my head around the concept.
We kept walking, side by side. Maya went ahead. My little magic light orb hovered above, lighting a path for us.
“Think about it. The Darklings have ghouls and death magic. They’ve certainly got Seeley, and Rudolph’s team. They’ve probably kidnapped other Reapers, too,” Sidyan explained. “What if they let the ghouls free so they can eat the souls of people who die here on Visio?”
“To what end?” I wondered.
“To keep them well fed? Maybe even obedient.”
That, of course, just brought on more questions, but none would be answered here, in this dark tunnel. Sidyan glanced up, and I could almost hear the wheels in his head turning, thoughts brewing.
“Do you hear that?” he asked. I shook my head. He sighed and whistled, drawing Maya back. “Stay with Lumi,” he said to her. “I’ll be right back.”
Without another word, he vanished, and Maya and I were left on our own, both of us wondering where he’d gone. I gave her a soft smile, her big, beady black eyes fixed on me.
“I haven’t said this aloud, but I am sorry for what happened to you,” I said. “You were just a kid. Too young to be given the responsibility of a Reaper. I understand why Sidyan is so protective of you. He feels guilty.”
Maya purred, lowering her head.
“For what it’s worth, I think I would’ve done the same, if I’d been in his place. I would’ve found you souls to eat,” I added. Her interest was piqued, her gaze finding mine again. “That being said, chances are we’re going to bump into ghouls when we do find the Darklings. I really hope we can count on you, honey.”
She let a low growl out from her throat, sitting upright and cocking her head to the side.
“I’m going to take that as a yes,” I said.
Sidyan reappeared between us, and I gasped, certainly not used to such sudden movements. His grin, however, quickly caught my attention. “What is it?”
“You both need to see this,” Sidyan replied, and took my hand, as well as Maya’s.
A split second later, we were on the surface, smack in the middle of a road. Trees rose on both sides, a forest so tall and thick that I couldn’t see much other than the night sky above. Ahead, however, there were twinkling lights. The neighs of horses made my ears twitch.
Focusing, I managed to see better as my eyes adjusted to the darkness. A caravan of Aeternae soldiers, many of them on horseback. A cage packed with prisoners and a couple of carts, each pulled by sturdy Visions.
I couldn’t make out much past that point, but I spotted Tristan, a familiar figure, and my heart started jumping with excitement. “Is that…” I murmured, my voice fading.
“Tristan Vaughn and Valaine Crimson,” Sidyan said. “This is their caravan. We’re on the Green Road, Lumi. We’ve been on the Green Road since we left the palace basement. The tunnel goes right underneath, following the same path.”
“They’re headed to Astoria,” I replied, remembering the little bits of intel I’d picked up from Taeral. The Visio GASP crew regularly communicated their routes and findings back to GASP base, and Taeral had been kind enough to keep me in the loop about it. “On the east coast. I know they’re looking for Zoltan and the Darklings.”
“They’re onto something, for sure. As are we,” Sidyan said. “I eavesdropped on the soldiers for a hot minute. They’ve got Darkling prisoners. They’ve been raiding the settlements along the Green Road.”
“Then we’re going the same way!” I exclaimed.
“They can’t know that,” Sidyan replied, his gaze darkening. “We can follow them. Maya can keep tracking the tunnel underground, and the two of us can stay close to your friend. But they cannot know we’re here.”
I scoffed. “Obviously. I know that.”
For the first time, Sidyan didn’t roll his eyes at me, nor did he have a snarky comeback. Instead, he shifted focus to Maya. “You take the tunnel, Maya. If you see any ghouls or Darklings or Reapers, you know what you have to do, okay?”
The ghoul nodded briefly as she shimmered away. A moment passed, and she was gone, probably sniffing through the tunnel, right beneath us.
“We’ll find the Darklings, Lumi,” Sidyan reassured me.
“What bugs me is that Death isn’t doing more about this place.”
“I’ve tuned into Reaper radio, so to speak. She hasn’t sent anyone else. I can’t speak to Kelara about this, or any other Reapers, given my situation with Maya,” Sidyan replied. “But I know, I know as surely as I know that the sun rises in the east… I know Death has a plan for Visio. Whatever it may be, we will learn about it, too. Until then, the best we can do is investigate.”
“I hope you’re right.”
“She’s under the seals now. Looking for the other First Tenners to help her get free faster,” Sidyan said. “I’m positive she’ll come to Visio herself, when she can.”
“But we don’t know how long that will take.”
Sidyan shook his head. “That doesn’t mean we can’t at least do something to help Seeley and the others. Maybe even get revenge on Zoltan for what he did to your witch friend.”
This was his peculiar way of comforting me. I wanted to thank him, but reality reared its ugly head, leaving me with no choice but to exhale sharply, embittered by frustration. “I can’t kill him. He’s got information. Whatever the Darklings are doing, they must be stopped. Zoltan might be an important tool in that endeavor.”
“Fair enough. But a little torture wouldn’t hurt,” Sidyan said. “Well, it wouldn’t hurt you. It would definitely hurt him.”
I chuckled. “What’s up with you? All of a sudden, you’re Mr. Sunshine, optimistic about the torture of Zoltan Shatal. I have to say, it seems out of character for you.”
Sidyan smiled. “It’s been a couple of days with nothing but faint traces of Reapers and ghouls. I feel like we’re onto something much better now. I suppose it gives me a little kick in the heels. Besides, if Zoltan had killed Maya
, I would’ve wanted to make him pay, too. It might not look like it, but I do sympathize, Lumi.”
As we walked behind Tristan and Valaine’s caravan, I realized I really enjoyed hearing the sound of my name coming from Sidyan’s lips. There was a particular depth in his voice. It reminded me of the Word itself, my soul humming whenever the Reaper looked at me. I was forming some kind of attachment to this guy, but I wasn’t sure what to make of it.
Was this a sign from the Word? Was I supposed to interpret this dynamic of ours in a certain way? Was the universe trying to tell me that I was on the right track? I did not have the answer to any of these questions, but I hoped it would turn out to be a resounding yes.
I’d had enough of death and loss and heartache. Still reeling from the Hermessi debacle, I desired peace and tranquility, above all. I knew I wouldn’t find that until we figured out what was happening on Visio—Darklings, ghouls, and Reapers. There was something here. Something dark and deeply troubling.
Fortunately, I had Sidyan and Maya on my side. The Aeternae’s secrets would not stay hidden for much longer.
Sofia
As the night took over the empire, we decided to spend more time with Acheron, Danika, and their son, Thayen. Given the events that had occurred during the day with Esme and Tristan, Derek and I decided to skip past the pleasantries and cultural exchange topics. After everything that the Vaughn siblings had reported from their travels so far, I had to admit, I was growing increasingly worried. Amal and Amane were pursuing both the day-walking protein and a cure for the Black Fever, but I had a feeling we’d have more problems on our plate by the time we were ready to leave Visio behind.
I didn’t share the Ansel Visentis revelation with the Lord and Lady Supreme—not only because Esme didn’t want the Lord and Lady Supreme to know about it yet, but also because Kalon preferred some discretion on the matter, at least until he was able to get some information out of his Darkling brother.
Thayen settled by one of the windows of the grand salon, reading a comprehensive history of the Rimian nation pre-conquest. He didn’t seem like he had much interest in our conversation, but I knew he was listening.
We were out on the terrace, the doors wide open and the wind making the organza drapes seem fluid. At night, this place was stupendous. I wondered what it would feel like to go out there in the daylight and get a full view of the dark blue ocean. Provided we get our protein, I might have a chance to experience such things again.
Derek and I occupied one of the sofas with gilded armrests, while Danika and Acheron sat in matching, elegant chairs. Between us, fresh blood was served in a crystal pitcher and glasses on an oval, glass coffee table.
“How are your Faulty scientists coming along?” Danika asked. It had become a regular question whenever we met. I knew it was pure curiosity that drove her to inquire, but I couldn’t help but wonder if she was asking in order to get a better idea as to when we might be on our way.
The more time we spent here, the more uncomfortable she seemed to get. That had become a predominant feeling since Nethissis’s death had been ruled foul play, and since Zoltan Shatal had been revealed as her murderer.
“We’re almost there,” Derek said. “I’m unable to reproduce Amal and Amane’s explanations in a way that makes sense, since it involves molecules and genomes and splicing and other equally complicated scientific terms, but I’m told we might have some results by the end of the week.”
“With a little bit of luck, we’ll be testing a synthesized serum in a few days,” I added. Eagerness barely scratched the surface of how I was feeling with regard to this matter. We’d all agreed to stay and finish the job on Visio despite what had happened with Nethissis, mainly because we understood how important this was to Derek.
He’d tried to send us away, of course, but I couldn’t bring myself to leave him out here on his own in pursuit of the vampire’s day-walking dream. None of us could. We had GASP troops on standby, in case we needed them, though I hoped such a scenario would not come to pass. On top of that, we had promised to help them with the Black Fever. It wasn’t in our nature to go back on our word.
From what I could tell, the Lord and Lady Supreme were aware of the Darklings and their assassinations, but they didn’t grasp their agenda and the faction’s reach. I wondered how long they would’ve been this ignorant, had it not been for us. Our crew had a knack for digging dirt up, it seemed. No wonder the Aeternae didn’t like us all that much, at this point.
“Who will be trying the serum out?” Acheron asked, occasionally glancing at his son.
“It’ll probably be me,” I said. “Derek and I have talked about this, more than once. We’re in this together. It all sort of started with us, back in The Shade, so we might as well become the point of origin for the day-walking protein cure, as well.”
“Together until the very end, or even eternity, right?” Danika replied, smiling softly as she looked at Derek and me.
My cheeks warmed when he took my hand in his, then pressed his lips against my knuckles. “We’ve overcome some truly horrible things,” he said. “Finding a cure for our sensitivity to daylight is more of a… walk in the park.”
“But we did not think it would come with any loss of life.” I sighed.
“Again, I cannot stress how deeply sorry we are,” Danika said with a pained expression. “We should’ve believed you from the very beginning, but we just couldn’t even conceive the idea that one of our own might have done something so heinous to one of yours.”
Acheron nodded slowly. “I believe we’ll be receiving some news from Corbin this morning. They should be getting close to Astoria soon.”
“Yes, well hopefully they’ll come back with Zoltan’s head,” Danika muttered. She was angry, and she didn’t hide it. This whole development had displeased her to the point where she cringed whenever Zoltan Shatal’s name popped up—a “stain on our beautiful empire,” she’d called him.
“Speaking of Darklings, Esme and Kalon stopped a village raid last night,” I said, without mentioning Ansel’s name. “The Darklings have been attacking Rimian and Nalorean settlements, taking the young ones and selling them as blood slaves.”
Danika and Acheron both paused, staring at us with a mixture of irritation and consternation. They weren’t necessarily shocked about this practice, but rather surprised that we’d come to learn about it, as well.
“We’d heard rumors before about upper-echelon Aeternae keeping blood slaves in their homes, feeding on them on a regular basis,” I added. “It’s not right, is it?”
The Lord and Lady Supreme exchanged nervous glances before shifting their focus back to us. Danika exhaled sharply, putting on a stiff smile. “To be honest, most of the dynasties do this. It’s not forbidden. Granted, it’s not exactly condoned, either, but… the blood slaves are treated well. None have died in these circumstances.”
“But they’re slaves. With no freedom or control over their bodies. No autonomy whatsoever,” I replied.
“That’s what occupation entails,” Danika reminded me, her gaze fixed on me. “Surely, you’re not attempting to interfere in the empire’s sovereignty or affairs.”
“Not at all,” Derek interjected. “But it should worry you that the Darklings are the main purveyors of blood slaves. I’m sure most of your elites would be upset to hear that they’re funding this violent faction through their feeding habits.”
Acheron scoffed. “Yes, I admit, that’s not a pleasant thought. But there isn’t much we can do about it. I cannot pass laws that forbid blood slaves. It would make too many members of the elite angry, and our dynasty needs their support in order to lead this empire.”
“Visio has only seen peace and prosperity when a Nasani occupied the throne,” Danika explained. “Showing any kind of weakness before the noble bloodlines would put us at risk.”
“So, you’ll let the Darklings continue to make a profit from these operations?” Derek asked. “Is that what you want your s
on to do, too, later down the line?”
Acheron shook his head. “Don’t bring Thayen into this.”
“I’m afraid I must. What sort of example will you set for him, if you allow the Darklings to mock you so openly? They’re raiding these villages because they’ve been enabled,” Derek insisted. “Whether it was with Zoltan’s help and others like him, it doesn’t matter. It’s happened under your sovereign watch, Your Grace. You have to do something about it, now that you know the facts.”
“Otherwise, the Darklings will consider you weak. They’ll become even more brazen, and Corbin’s recent purge of the gold and silver guards in the imperial city will mean nothing,” I continued, trying to drive our point home. “It’s not too late to take action against the Darklings.”
“That might end the blood slave trade, as well,” Danika said. “That will upset the elites we need on our side.”
“If they want blood slaves, they’re free to go out there and get some,” I grumbled, crossing my arms. “Since it’s not illegal here. But they should certainly not be funding the Darklings just so they can get a living midnight snack every now and then.”
I noticed Thayen watching us, his eyes wide and filled with curiosity and… admiration. I was pretty certain we were saying things he’d already considered, as well, despite his young age. Danika followed my gaze and smiled at her son. “What do you think, darling?”
Thayen blinked several times. “What… me?”
“Of course, dear boy,” Acheron replied. “We would appreciate your input, since it’s clearly two of us against two of them on this topic.” He chuckled, relieving some of the tension that had been underlying this exchange.
Thayen was old enough to make up his own mind on certain things. In this instance, I was confident we’d given all the information and arguments necessary for him to form an opinion. He struck me as an intelligent young Aeternae, with great potential and a hungry mind. Surely, that would someday translate into an exceptional leader.
A Shade of Vampire 80: A Veil of Dark Page 14