A Shade of Vampire 85: A Shard of Soul

by Bella Forrest

  Once this whole affair with Visio was over, I planned on going away and never seeing her again. And if I’d needed any more proof that she wasn’t all that good to be around, this was it. Even now, Death was pulling the strings and watching the story unravel on her own terms, without letting the rest of us know the whole truth of her intentions.

  “You be careful,” I added. “Maybe you can knock some sense into her ancient head.”

  “I’ll try, I promise,” Taeral replied.

  I wasn’t sure he could pull it off, but I believed him. Shortly after he disappeared, my attention was quickly redirected back to the Kelara.

  “Have you ever seen a ghoul transform?” Corbin asked her.

  Darklings stood outside the green fire circle that surrounded the camp. They were quiet, and there was only a handful of them. I knew Corbin would need a solid message in order for him to understand that he wouldn’t be allowed to get away with this any longer.

  I revealed myself first, fury burning through me and making my skin tingle as I produced my weapon and eyed the nearest Darkling. Corbin saw me first and tried to warn them.

  “There’s another one!” he shouted, but it was too late. I’d already vanished and reappeared beside my first target. My blade took on its physical form and cut the Darkling’s head clean off. Blood gushed, and the body collapsed. I hated taking lives, despite the cruel image I’d crafted for myself. I enjoyed pissing people off and playing with their minds, sure… but death? Death was absolute and final. I hated it.

  Nevertheless, it was my only option. I dodged an energy pulse blasted from a second Darkling’s scythe. Within a split second, I stood in front of him. My fist rammed through his ribcage, and I tore his heart out. The life drained from his emerald eyes as he flopped on his side, resting forever in a puddle of his own blood.

  One by one, as Corbin watched with clear displeasure, I killed the rest of his underlings. Some put up more of a fight than the others, but in the end they were no match for my rage or capabilities. The Knight Ghouls that lingered around this place were smarter. They knew to keep their distance, despite their rune collars. This irked Corbin, whose lips moved as he uttered a spell. The runes lit up, making the ghouls suffer.

  They bawled and whimpered. In the end, they caved to his demand and lunged at me. I cut the air with my scythe and tore open a hole through which the creatures slipped. I closed it back up, leaving the ghouls trapped in my interdimensional pocket. I would deal with them later. Kelara was my priority right now.

  “If you so much as touch her, Corbin, I will hurt you in ways you’ve never imagined,” I said firmly, positioning myself closer to one of the green fires so he could see me clearly. So he could understand that I wasn’t playing.

  The Master of Darkness laughed lightly, as if my mere presence amused him. He didn’t seem at all intimidated, and that worried me. At least Petra had shown some fear, albeit slightly. Danika, too. The Whips seemed more concerned by what we could do, while Corbin didn’t have a care in the world as his boot pressed down harder on Kelara’s throat. She coughed and wheezed, but there wasn’t much she could do against him. I was still her best chance to get out of here.

  “Is that supposed to intimidate me?” he asked. “Do you have any idea how long I’ve wanted to meet one of Spirit’s equals?”

  “You’ve never even met Spirit. What makes you think he’s my equal in any sense?” I shot back, my hand gripping the scythe’s handle tightly. Only the three of us remained now. Whatever these green fires were, I was certain I could get past them eventually. Knocking them over obviously wouldn’t have worked, because Spirit would’ve never designed a spell so easy to break. For all his faults, a shoddy logic wasn’t one of them. I couldn’t even get too close without feeling my undead skin simmer and sizzle.

  “I learned everything from him. His teachings. His chronicles. His words forever echo in my head,” Corbin declared solemnly. “And I know about each of you in fine detail. You’re the Soul Crusher. And you’re just as he described you.”

  “Let Kelara go. She’s of no value to you.”

  “On the contrary. She’s clearly valuable, since she’s the one keeping you here,” he said. “Besides, no Reaper gets to walk through my land willy-nilly. Kelara will join the Knight Ghouls. That’s where you all belong.”

  It was my turn to laugh. “Do you really think you have the power to destabilize the universe just so you can keep your Darklings in existence? How small-minded are you, Corbin, to think you can destroy hundreds of Reapers, if not thousands, to retain your immortality and superiority on Visio?”

  “It’s worked so far.”

  “Only because you were under the radar,” Kelara grunted, trying to free herself from under his boot. But it wasn’t Corbin who was keeping her down. It was the green fire magic. I kicked the clay receptacle in which one of the flames burned. Nothing happened. The fire persisted. I broke the vessel, and a strange liquid spilled over the ground—the fuel for the green flames. I stomped it. Still, nothing happened.

  “Try all you want. It doesn’t work like that,” Corbin said flatly. As if I was behind on my death magic classes, and he was the one with all the answers. “Once cast, the spell remains until I undo it. The flames now serve no purpose, though I do admire their persistence. They mirror my species’ resilience, in a way.”

  “Resilience? You took Unending’s gift and perverted it. You conspired to keep her locked away and tormented. You prevented millions of innocent souls from moving on beyond death. Corbin, the crimes you’ve committed will come back to bite you in the ass. My presence here is proof of that,” I replied.

  My gaze wandered across the camp as I tried to figure out a way to get through. I had the option of opening an interdimensional pocket, since it wasn’t affected by the green fire spell. I could reach the camp, but Corbin would be waiting on the other side. I needed a good diversion, plus a couple of other backup plans, since he’d clearly done his homework on who I was and what I could do. Damn Spirit Bender.

  “Resilience, yes. Because even with you and your ilk around, I am still the Master of Darkness, and I will get to Valaine, one way or another,” Corbin said. “She won’t last much longer, you know. She’s been in so many reincarnations that her mind is an absolute mess. I’ve killed her before. More than once. I will do it again.”

  “She’s remembering,” I replied.

  “Let her remember. There are still three seals holding her down. And while you all scramble to set her free, Danika and the others will do what they must to revive the Spirit Bender. Our maker will return, and you will all tremble before him.”

  I scoffed. “Good grief, it’s obvious you’ve never met my brother. I have never trembled before the Spirit Bender, Corbin. Like you said, I’m the Soul Crusher. What part of that makes you think he can outfox me in any way? Remember, the only reason why he was able to get away with much of what he did was because I was on assignment, along with the Widow Maker and the Phantom. Spirit never would’ve gotten this far had we been around at the time. And look. I’m around now.”

  My words had the desired effect. A shadow of doubt lingered over his eyes, darkening his expression as he scowled at me. Deep down, Corbin knew and understood my point. The circumstances had changed. Yes, the Darklings had amassed plenty of power, and they had succeeded in shifting public opinion, as well—I’d read the messages that Trev had received from his scouts across the continent. The Aeternae were pretty much on board with the Darklings saving them from the developing outbreak of Black Fever. They were driven by their desire for survival. And yes, Danika and her fellow Whips were making progress in collecting Spirit’s soul shards, too.

  But Valaine wasn’t alone. Unending was coming back to us. The agents of GASP weren’t alone, either. They had the support of Senior Aeternae and the people of Orvis—not to mention Reapers and the ghouls they’d already set free. If Corbin thought he’d have a smooth ride going forward, well… he had another thing co
ming.

  “I take it you like this one,” Corbin ultimately said, glancing at Kelara. He reached down and grabbed her by her red tie, yanking her into an upright position. “I think I’ll enjoy watching her turn.”

  I tried to get through, but the protective shield cast by the green fires around the campsite made it impossible. It pushed me back, like an invisible membrane, in a similar fashion to what Petra had put together in the north tower during her final standoff. As long as Corbin was alive, the spell resisted. I had a way of getting to him, but not enough to guarantee success. If I were to save Kelara, I’d have to do this right.

  “Damning a Reaper to ghoulishness is something truly awful, Corbin. How do you even sleep at night?” I asked, while mentally connecting to Widow and briefly updating him on the situation at hand. I hadn’t felt heartache in ages but looking at Kelara now created a certain discomfort within me.

  “Like a baby, knowing I’ve got an eternity ahead of me,” Corbin replied. He revealed a rune collar between the folds of his cloak. He snapped it around Kelara’s neck and dropped her like a sack of potatoes.

  She landed with a thud, her arms and legs limp as she struggled to at least sit upright. I gave her a faint smile, wishing I could just snatch her out of there. She mirrored my expression and mouthed an “I’m sorry,” making me sigh and slowly shake my head.

  “It’s okay,” I told her. “You’re going to be okay.”

  I wasn’t sure my words would prove true, but I put all my hopes into that statement. I willed the universe into doing my bidding, though I doubted it would be easy. Moving my focus back to Corbin, I flashed him a cold grin.

  “I’ll get to you. I hope you realize that. I’ll get to you, and I’ll show you exactly why it’s such a terrible idea to mess with Reapers and death magic,” I said.

  “By all means, you’re welcome to join Kelara. I’ve never tamed one of Spirit’s ancient kind, but I’m sure the resulting ghoul will be my pride and glory,” he replied.

  Widow came back to me with a simple message. “Let me figure something out.” It was enough to give me a sense of confidence as I looked at Kelara once more. My odds weren’t the greatest, but they weren’t impossible. In my line of work, that was a regular occurrence. Walking smack into the line of fire. Challenging fate and laughing in its face. Doing the most predictable things in order to force the unpredictable to happen. That was what Kelara had endeavored to accomplish, and it was my job to finish what she’d started.

  The taste of her lips still lingered on mine, and I swore I’d feel her again. Soon. I swore I wouldn’t let her be turned or destroyed. Kelara was one hell of a fighter, and I planned to do her justice. She’d awakened something inside me, a fire so hot and devastating that only she could put it out.

  For that, however, I needed her free. And Corbin dead.

  Kailani

  The Word hummed inside me with something akin to anger as I stretched my arms out and released a flurry of fireballs at Fennel and his Darklings. The more energy I released, the more surged through me like an endless fountain of primordial power. Something had happened for the Word to react in such an intense fashion, but I welcomed it all, for it gave me a greater advantage in the field.

  Hunter shifted into his white wolf form, dashing left and right and tearing Darklings’ limbs off. Behind him, Widow bolted and swung his scythe, separating their heads from their bodies as they screamed in agony.

  Fennel had weaseled his way out of Night’s hold, somehow, but I’d been too busy fighting to see exactly how he’d done it. His underlings were vicious and relentless, and his Knight Ghouls were even worse. Ridan retained his dragon form and spat fire all over the oasis. The underbrush was alight, its waxy and colored leaves melting from the scorching temperatures. The water hole steamed, occasionally splattered with the blood of Aeternae Darklings.

  Amane stayed close to me, using her twin blades to fight off attackers. The problem was that the ghouls had learned to shift into their subtle forms before pouncing, which made it infinitely harder for her to spot their movements before it was too late. More than once, she was knocked down and nearly killed, but the Night Bringer was there to help her.

  The Darklings had also upped their game since our last encounter. They used their scythes and death magic to vanish and move like shadows, doing their best to steer clear of Ridan’s devastating dragon fire. Of course, not all of them survived, but Fennel Ferris was a sly bastard, and he was getting dangerously close to Amane and me.

  “We need to do something about that guy,” I said, indicating Fennel. “He’s coming for Marios and Silla’s soul shards.”

  “I remember the Word being more powerful than this,” Amane blurted, giving me an alarmed sideways glance. “You should be able to wipe these freaks off the face of this world, Kale!”

  “Yeah, I know!” I retorted. “I don’t understand it myself. It’s weird. I can feel its anger, and the power is certainly surging through me, but there’s something missing. I’m not sure what that is. I swear, I’m doing the best I can.”

  “The Word is a fickle thing,” Night muttered as he made his way toward an incoming Fennel, whose scythe was out as he excitedly eyed Amane and her pouch. The Faulty pointed her pulverizer weapon at him, but he vanished as soon as she fired a series of pellets in his direction. They flew past Night and obliterated another Darkling and a couple of trees.

  Ridan roared as he came down toward us, his amber eyes focused on Fennel, who’d reappeared to our right, but a swarm of Knight Ghouls pounced and climbed up his scaly back, scratching and biting. They were trying to get closer to his eyes—his weak spot—and I knew it was only a matter of time before one of them managed to inflict the right kind of damage. I kept unleashing my fire magic, combining it with energy pulses strong enough to break multiple bones with one blow.

  Fennel dodged most of them. He was still coming for Amane, who fired a couple more shots his way. The Night Bringer raised his scythe, and darkness swallowed the sky. The moon and the stars disappeared in the blink of an eye. The winds howled and raged as a sandstorm gathered around the oasis. Something was coming. Something I hadn’t summoned or asked for.

  I gave Amane a brief glance. “Stay close,” I shouted.

  Everything blackened around us, and the temperature plummeted. I shivered but stayed focused on my mission. Hunter and Widow made a pretty good team, but there were too many Darklings, most of them too fast and cautious to fall for our formula once more. Even Ridan was having trouble with the Knight Ghouls.

  “Duck! Get down!” I screamed. “Everybody, get down!”

  I felt the dread take over my soul around the same time as the sand tide crashed into the oasis. With devastating force, it leveled most of the trees and covered the water hole. I lost my footing and my senses. I caught a glimpse of Amane getting dragged off to the side. She screamed and tried to hold on to something, but all she had was sand. Blue sand. I reached out to try and get her back, but something smacked into me with such strength that I rolled off with the rest of the oasis.

  It had all fallen apart. Ridan was submerged in the sand, struggling to free himself. I couldn’t see Hunter or Widow anywhere. Some of the Darklings passed through, drowning in the sudden deluge. The Night Bringer was thrown back by the same force that had disabled me.

  “Hunter!” I shouted, my throat raspy as the sand scratched its way down. “Amane! Ridan!”

  There were no answers, only the roaring of the sandstorm, the shrieks of fallen Darklings and startled ghouls, and the moans of palm trees breaking under the extraordinary pressure of whatever this was that had taken over the oasis. I heard a cackle, not too far to my right. Looking out, I managed to make out a figure. A cold grin with flashing white fangs. He reached down and grabbed something.

  Amane’s hand poked out from the blue sand. “No!” I gasped. “No, no, no!”

  I forced myself back into an upright position, though the wind blew with powerful strength, enoug
h to make me lean forward to move against it. I managed to run toward Amane, but Fennel was already gone. Tears streamed down my cheeks, and I hadn’t even felt them coming.

  “Hunter!” I screamed again, but the winds and the sandstorm intensified. Nothing could be seen or heard anymore, and the more I lingered in the heart of this disaster, the angrier and the more helpless I felt.

  Closing my eyes for a moment, I reached deep down inside myself. The Word was there, waiting, pulsating like a distant star. Why wasn’t it doing more? I’d given myself to it completely. I had surrendered my life and service to its power, so why had it abandoned me when I’d needed it most? All these thoughts darted through my head, and layer upon layer of anger built up within me.

  Slowly but surely, it became so dense, so thick and large, that I could no longer contain it. The light inside me shone brighter, until I felt it seeping through my pores. I roared with this sudden burst of energy and opened my eyes, only to find my entire body shining as though my cells had been turned into pure light. This was it. Another threshold for me to pass. Another moment of absolute surrender in the face of adversity.

  I understood then what the Word had expected of me. I’d had to tap into it, into myself, in order to release it all at once. How strange this craft was. How uneven and unpredictable. How volatile and downright infuriating. I let it all out. The light, the rage, the fury at all the injustices that had crippled Visio and taken Nethissis away from us.

  I tilted my head back, and I heard my own scream. It tore through the night and the sandstorm. It broke the ravenous winds. It blew the sand dunes away like countless sticks of dynamite detonating at once. I released every bit of it, and the desert suffered under my wrath. The oasis was destroyed, vanishing under a layer of blue sand. The water hole was gone. Fennel Ferris was gone. Most of the Darklings were gone.

  “Hunter!” I cried out, falling to my knees as the last sliver of energy left me. I still couldn’t see him. Only Ridan’s scaly back poked out from below. I’d ended up at the top of a newly formed dune. Next to me, Amane’s hand still jerked as she tried to get back to the surface before suffocating.