A Shade of Vampire 86: A Break of Seals
Bella Forrest
Contents
Also by Bella Forrest
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Family tree
1. Esme
2. Tristan
3. Esme
4. Nethissis
5. Tristan
6. Esme
7. Tristan
8. Amane
9. Nethissis
10. Tristan
11. Taeral
12. Sofia
13. Esme
14. Kelara
15. Tristan
16. Esme
17. Esme
18. Tristan
19. Taeral
20. Taeral
21. Tristan
22. Tristan
23. Tristan
24. Unending
25. Esme
26. Sofia
27. Tristan
28. Esme
29. Derek
30. Sofia
31. Thayen
ASOV 87: A Shade of Mystery
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Read more by Bella Forrest
Also by Bella Forrest
DARKLIGHT
(NEW! Vampire romance)
Darklight (Book 1)
Darkthirst (Book 2)
Darkworld (Book 3)
Darkblood (Book 4)
Darktide (Book 5)
Darkbirth (Book 6)
HARLEY MERLIN
Harley Merlin and the Secret Coven (Book 1)
Harley Merlin and the Mystery Twins (Book 2)
Harley Merlin and the Stolen Magicals (Book 3)
Harley Merlin and the First Ritual (Book 4)
Harley Merlin and the Broken Spell (Book 5)
Harley Merlin and the Cult of Eris (Book 6)
Harley Merlin and the Detector Fix (Book 7)
Harley Merlin and the Challenge of Chaos (Book 8)
Harley Merlin and the Mortal Pact (Book 9)
Finch Merlin and the Fount of Youth (Book 10)
Finch Merlin and the Lost Map (Book 11)
Finch Merlin and the Djinn’s Curse (Book 12)
Finch Merlin and the Locked Gateway (Book 13)
Finch Merlin and the Forgotten Kingdom (Book 14)
Finch Merlin and the Everlasting Vow (Book 15)
Finch Merlin and the Blood Tie (Book 16)
Finch Merlin and the Legend of the Luminary (Book 17)
THE GENDER GAME
(Action-adventure/romance. Completed series.)
The Gender Game (Book 1)
The Gender Secret (Book 2)
The Gender Lie (Book 3)
The Gender War (Book 4)
The Gender Fall (Book 5)
The Gender Plan (Book 6)
The Gender End (Book 7)
THE GIRL WHO DARED TO THINK
(Action-adventure/romance. Completed series.)
The Girl Who Dared to Think (Book 1)
The Girl Who Dared to Stand (Book 2)
The Girl Who Dared to Descend (Book 3)
The Girl Who Dared to Rise (Book 4)
The Girl Who Dared to Lead (Book 5)
The Girl Who Dared to Endure (Book 6)
The Girl Who Dared to Fight (Book 7)
THE CHILD THIEF
(Action-adventure/romance. Completed series.)
The Child Thief (Book 1)
Deep Shadows (Book 2)
Thin Lines (Book 3)
Little Lies (Book 4)
Ghost Towns (Book 5)
Zero Hour (Book 6)
HOTBLOODS
(Supernatural adventure/romance. Completed series.)
Hotbloods (Book 1)
Coldbloods (Book 2)
Renegades (Book 3)
Venturers (Book 4)
Traitors (Book 5)
Allies (Book 6)
Invaders (Book 7)
Stargazers (Book 8)
A SHADE OF VAMPIRE SERIES
(Supernatural romance/adventure)
Series 1: Derek & Sofia’s story
A Shade of Vampire (Book 1)
A Shade of Blood (Book 2)
A Castle of Sand (Book 3)
A Shadow of Light (Book 4)
A Blaze of Sun (Book 5)
A Gate of Night (Book 6)
A Break of Day (Book 7)
Series 2: Rose & Caleb’s story
A Shade of Novak (Book 8)
A Bond of Blood (Book 9)
A Spell of Time (Book 10)
A Chase of Prey (Book 11)
A Shade of Doubt (Book 12)
A Turn of Tides (Book 13)
A Dawn of Strength (Book 14)
A Fall of Secrets (Book 15)
An End of Night (Book 16)
Series 3: The Shade continues with a new hero…
A Wind of Change (Book 17)
A Trail of Echoes (Book 18)
A Soldier of Shadows (Book 19)
A Hero of Realms (Book 20)
A Vial of Life (Book 21)
A Fork of Paths (Book 22)
A Flight of Souls (Book 23)
A Bridge of Stars (Book 24)
Series 4: A Clan of Novaks
A Clan of Novaks (Book 25)
A World of New (Book 26)
A Web of Lies (Book 27)
A Touch of Truth (Book 28)
An Hour of Need (Book 29)
A Game of Risk (Book 30)
A Twist of Fates (Book 31)
A Day of Glory (Book 32)
Series 5: A Dawn of Guardians
A Dawn of Guardians (Book 33)
A Sword of Chance (Book 34)
A Race of Trials (Book 35)
A King of Shadow (Book 36)
An Empire of Stones (Book 37)
A Power of Old (Book 38)
A Rip of Realms (Book 39)
A Throne of Fire (Book 40)
A Tide of War (Book 41)
Series 6: A Gift of Three
A Gift of Three (Book 42)
A House of Mysteries (Book 43)
A Tangle of Hearts (Book 44)
A Meet of Tribes (Book 45)
A Ride of Peril (Book 46)
A Passage of Threats (Book 47)
A Tip of Balance (Book 48)
A Shield of Glass (Book 49)
A Clash of Storms (Book 50)
Series 7: A Call of Vampires
A Call of Vampires (Book 51)
A Valley of Darkness (Book 52)
A Hunt of Fiends (Book 53)
A Den of Tricks (Book 54)
A City of Lies (Book 55)
A League of Exiles (Book 56)
A Charge of Allies (Book 57)
A Snare of Vengeance (Book 58)
A Battle of Souls (Book 59)
Series 8: A Voyage of Founders
A Voyage of Founders (Book 60)
A Land of Perfects (Book 61)
A Citadel of Captives (Book 62)
A Jungle of Rogues (Book 63)
A Camp of Savages (Book 64)
A Plague of Deceit (Book 65)
An Edge of Malice (Book 66)
A Dome of Blood (Book 67)
A Purge of Nature (Book 68)
Season 9: A Birth of Fire
A Birth of Fire (Book 69)
A Breed of Elements (Book 70)
A Sacrifice of Flames (Book 71)
A Conspiracy of Realms (Book 72)
A Search for Death (Book 73)
A Piece of Scythe (Book 74)
A Blade of Thieron (Book 75)
A Phantom of Truth (Book 76)
A Fate of Time (Book 77)
Season 10: An Origin of Vampires
An Origin of Vampires (Book 78)
A Game of Death (Book 79)
A Veil of Dark (Book 80)
A Bringer of Night (Book 81)
A Circle of Nine (Book 82)
A Bender of Spirit (Book 83)
A Memory of Time (Book 84)
A Shard of Soul (Book 85)
A Break of Seals (Book 86)
Season 11: A Shade of Mystery
A Shade of Mystery (Book 87)
A SHADE OF DRAGON TRILOGY
A Shade of Dragon 1
A Shade of Dragon 2
A Shade of Dragon 3
A SHADE OF KIEV TRILOGY
A Shade of Kiev 1
A Shade of Kiev 2
A Shade of Kiev 3
A LOVE THAT ENDURES TRILOGY
(Contemporary romance)
A Love that Endures
A Love that Endures 2
A Love that Endures 3
THE SECRET OF SPELLSHADOW MANOR
(Supernatural/Magic YA. Completed series)
The Secret of Spellshadow Manor (Book 1)
The Breaker (Book 2)
The Chain (Book 3)
The Keep (Book 4)
The Test (Book 5)
The Spell (Book 6)
BEAUTIFUL MONSTER DUOLOGY
(Supernatural romance)
Beautiful Monster 1
Beautiful Monster 2
DETECTIVE ERIN BOND
(Adult thriller/mystery)
Lights, Camera, GONE
Write, Edit, KILL
For an updated list of Bella’s books, please visit her website: www.bellaforrest.net
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Copyright © 2020
Nightlight Press
Cover design by Okay Creations LLC
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
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Family tree
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Esme
Maybe I should have seen this coming. As we all stood mere yards from the southern gates of Roano watching the Spirit Bender, Corbin Crimson, and a disturbingly large army of Darklings and other Aeternae nearing their boiling point, I had to wonder whether this had been our destination point from the very beginning.
Were we always destined to reach this moment, to end up staring the very core of our enemy in the face with little chance of escape and even less chance of actually winning this fight? Yes, we had most of the First Tenners on our side, but the strength of the Aeternae had been thrown behind one of the most dangerous of the First Tenners. Innocent lives hung in the balance, and their survival now depended on how we played this next hand.
“He’s summoned them all. Silver and gold guards, civilians, Crimson soldiers—he has stacked the deck against us,” Derek said as he surveyed the swelling crowd just beyond the transparent layer of magic that separated us from them. That kept us safe from them, at least for now. “It’s not just Darklings anymore. He’s turned this into an Aeternae-wide cause.”
“They will do whatever it takes to save themselves,” Unending added, her galaxy eyes reminding me that I wasn’t looking at Valaine anymore, even though this was still her body, and she was still in there. The Unending was the sum of all the lives she’d lived throughout the seals’ cruel cycle. She was also the very first among the First Tenners—the first Reaper Death ever made. “Spirit and Corbin have convinced them that killing me and destroying you all will be their salvation. Their only means of survival.”
Phantom crossed her arms. She resembled Unending now more than ever. The pale skin, the long black hair, the blood-red lips—from what Taeral had told us, these were defining features of Death’s appearance, as well. “You know we can’t escape again. There’s no way we can pull another Orvis here,” Phantom muttered.
“They want Thayen and Valaine,” Unending said. “They don’t know that I’m awake.”
Her statement made my heart beat a little faster. There was purpose in how she’d crafted her words. “Do you have a plan?” I asked her, and she gave me a sideways glance.
“The flicker of an idea, at best. But Spirit not knowing I’m back is definitely a plus, and it’s not just about my death magic skills. Spirit not knowing I’m the Unending again means he’ll treat me like I’m Valaine. He’ll be cocky and arrogant like he usually is when he thinks he’s got everything under control.”
Sofia kept her hands on Thayen’s shoulders. “Either way, they’re not getting Thayen. There’s no way we’re letting that happen.”
“I agree.” Unending sighed, then turned her focus on the other Reapers. “How long do you think the protective shield will last with all the death magic reinforcements?” She gave Lumi and Kailani a quick look, as well, including them in her question.
Lumi exhaled sharply, her gaze slowly dropping. “A few hours, at most. I’m not sure what impact thousands of Aeternae alongside the Darklings will have. We haven’t dealt with this large of a crowd before.”
“Make that tens of thousands.” Taeral appeared out of nowhere. He’d been gone for a few minutes in order to get a better look at what was happening beyond the protective shield. His feedback made my blood run cold.
“What?” I managed, my voice barely a whisper.
“You can’t see them from in here, but there are literally tens of thousands of Aeternae coming to Roano, gathering around the city from different directions,” Taeral replied, his brow furrowed. “From the north and the south, and even from villages and cities beyond the Nightmare Forest. It will take a while before they all get here, but I don’t see this ending well.”
Murmurs erupted across our smaller group. The Orvisians were understandably terrified. Even the Seniors looked worried. Regardless of their skills and experience, they were still at a disadvantage, since Spirit and Corbin had brought support in these alarming numbers.
But even so, I couldn’t bring myself to consider defeat. Not that it was too early, but I simply could not concede. The unfathomable had occurred. Somehow, Corbin had managed to bring the Spirit Bender back with just eleven of the twelve shards from his soul copy. The disgraced yet relentless Reaper now wanted Thayen to complete himself, and much like Sofia and Derek, I had no intention of letting Spirit take the kid and kill him.
The Darklings’ leadership had been crippled with Danika and Petra and all the other Whips gone. But Corbin was still standing, and he held the key to Unending’s freedom. He had her scythe and the ring that Spirit had crafted as part of the three-seal curse through which he’d bound her to Visio, stripped her of her physical form, and forced her into an endless cycle of suffering and rebirth.
“Most of those headed for Roano likely have loved ones suffering from Black Fever,” Taeral added. “The Darklings have them convinced that this is their only solution to stop the curse from spreading. An all-out assault on Roano to kill Valaine and reset the cycle.”
“They will kill her to save themselves from falling ill with Black Fever,” Kelara said, her voice breaking. She looked unwell, her galaxy eyes surrounded by tiny reddish veins. Her breathing was ragged, and her gaze darted all over the place. She had a hard time focusing, and the rune collar that Soul had put around her neck to keep her ghoulish hunger at bay was a very temporary solution. It was only a matter of time before she broke out of this one, too. She’d gotten out of Corbin
’s collar in order to save Thayen, but even though she was wearing this one voluntarily, she was also losing control over herself. “Their moral compass is unlike ours. They might have little to no care for… Unending’s plight. Oh wow, this hurts,” she cried out, hugging herself as she struggled to stay upright.
Soul put an arm around her shoulders. “Don’t force yourself to talk,” he whispered. “Deep breaths. You can resist this.”
“How are we going to save her?” Thayen asked, genuinely worried for Kelara. “She saved my life. She deserves better than this.”
“Kill the spellcaster is the usual solution,” the Unending said. “That’s Corbin. But first, we need to get my scythe and my ring back without getting jumped by Darklings, Knight Ghouls, and desperate Aeternae.”
“This is quite the mess we’ve gotten ourselves into,” Trev grumbled, looking over his shoulder at Kalla’s funeral pyre. The flames were finally dying down, leaving only embers and ashes and charred chunks of wood in their wake. “Her wisdom would’ve helped right about now.”
“There’s a lot we’ve overlooked,” Mira said, unable to meet his eyes. I could tell she was still blaming herself for what Arya had done, but none of the Seniors were in any way responsible. Arya had deceived everyone for almost five million years. The ruse had taken an insane amount of talent and patience to pull off, but she’d done it. No one could have foreseen that she’d turn out to be a key ally of Spirit’s, a spy planted in the middle of the Seniors’ community to squash all hope or attempts at rebellion against the Darklings’ evil machinations. Arya had been the first Master of Darkness, after all. Not some run-of-the-mill Darkling agent, but the big kahuna herself. “This is our last chance to make this right,” Mira added. “Our final move.”
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