“What’s the next step?” I asked, hearing the dread in my own voice.
Unending caught it, too. “You’re upset.”
“How can I not be? We’re going to kill you!” I snapped.
“You knew that already. It’s not exactly news, is it?”
“Still… I don’t know. I said I would do it, and I know I gave my word and all. But now that we’re inching closer to it, I admit—it’s hard,” I said. Unending touched my face, and billions of tiny electrical currents rushed through me, making my heart beat infinitely faster. Good grief, I’d fallen so deeply in love with her, with every side of her, that killing Valaine felt impossible, even though I knew she wouldn’t really be gone.
“Tristan, she’s a part of me.”
“I know…”
“Then you also know that she’s not going to die, per se. Only her body. I need my own form back; otherwise, all of this will have been for nothing,” Unending said, and I agreed with her. Much like Thayen’s issue regarding Corbin, I’d have to learn to live with the consequences of my actions. Knowing that Valaine would stick around, if only spiritually, would have to do. “I love you, Tristan, and you love me. We will never be together unless we do this.”
That was the selling point, and I took it. It was my lifeline in the midst of all this bloody, dark chaos. I nodded once, then looked at the blade. “What do I do?” I asked, and she smiled softly.
“Raise the scythe up to your lips, and say the following: Rasiel, Eryel, Ka-el-Saniel. Eternii fauda fanii.”
“What does that do?” Thayen asked. Behind him, the ocean whispered as it layered its waves along the sandy beach. Seashells emerged whenever the waters retreated, like gifts from the blue expanse itself.
“It’s an incantation. Three words, Rasiel, Eryel, and Saniel. Three sub-words, Eternii, fauda, fanii. And two sounds, Ka and el,” Unending briefly explained. “It allows the speaker to take possession of the death weapon he is holding. This will break the first seal.” She looked me in the eyes, and I could feel her peering right into my soul, her determination beating in rhythm with my heart like a war drum. “Are you ready?”
I nodded again and brought the blade up to my lips. It was cold, but there was a faint sense of eagerness coming off it. A long time had passed since its true owner had held it. A little while longer would pass before the weapon would be returned to Unending. Until then, it was mine.
“Rasiel, Eryel, Ka-el-Saniel. Eternii fauda fanii,” I whispered.
Seconds passed in heavy silence, my eyes meeting Unending’s. I heard Thayen’s excited breathing. The ocean murmuring. The bird relentlessly singing from its shrub. And nothing else. I frowned, wondering if this was the way it was supposed to work.
The idea of failure encroached on my initial resolve, and panic swiftly threatened to paralyze me, until something occurred. At first, it was just a thought. A thought that wasn’t mine but that had ended up in my mind somehow. I held my breath as I felt it expand into a frosty sensation that spread and made my fingers and toes tingle.
“Look!” Thayen exclaimed, eagerly pointing at the blade.
Its metallic sheen intensified, light brimming from the inside. Unending gasped, clutching her chest. She dropped to her knees and immediately raised a hand to stop me from coming to her aid. “No, stay there, hold on… it’s the seal. It’s breaking.”
The light intensified until I couldn’t look at it without squinting. It blinded us as it burst outward. It was as if we’d gotten caught while staring into the sun. My brain hurt. My skin burned. I cried out, but Unending’s voice came through.
“Don’t let go, Tristan. It’s almost done.”
Seconds withered away. Or maybe minutes. I wasn’t sure anymore. Peeling one eye open, I gave myself a moment to adjust to the incredible brightness that had taken over the entire island. Every grain of sand, every blade of grass, every waxed petal and thread of wood—everything was reacting to the scythe granting me its possession. The energy radiated from the weapon straight into me.
Maybe my body wasn’t enough to hold it all, so it poured out and into the world around us. It was amazing to watch. My heart was singing, swelling and threatening to crush my ribcage from the inside out. Chills swiftly followed, making me tremble. A plethora of sensations rushed through me until I saw Unending appear before me again.
Her smile was brighter than the light I’d just unleashed, but it didn’t hurt me. Nothing of what I’d just done hurt me. It enhanced me. I felt… no, I was different. Unending’s scythe was mine. My soul was bound to it now. I experienced its current state, its emotions. “Holy crap, I can feel your scythe…”
“That’s what happens when you take official possession of a Reaper’s weapon. The scythe is an extension of me and imbued with the purest form of death magic. It’s now yours on a subatomic level,” she said.
“It has feelings?” I asked, confused. Thayen, the poor kid, was absolutely speechless, his eyes sparkling with a mixture of wonder and curiosity.
“It has your feelings. And it acts upon them, if you ask it to,” Unending replied.
Only then did it hit me. “Wait. Earlier, outside Roano, you cast death magic without your scythe. How was that even possible?”
“It’s one word I know that Spirit never learned how to use,” she said, amused. “I was the voracious scholar, Tristan. He was the greedy hedonist who couldn’t take no for an answer. The word is Amiel. I whisper it before I prepare the death spell in my mind, and it turns my body into a conduit, which is why I’m so tired now. My Reaper body can take more. This one… not so much.”
“Which seal did we break?” Thayen asked.
“Yeah, good question,” I said, my voice low as I gazed back at Unending.
“I’m no longer bound to my Aeternae life cycle,” Unending said. “This is my last reincarnation.”
I had a hard time finding any words, unable to look away from her. The red lips, the pearlescent skin. The long, silky black hair. The delicate curves of her hips. The graceful way she moved. This was the last time she’d be like this. I found comfort in remembering what Unending really looked like—which wasn’t a distant version of this at all. If I closed my eyes for a moment, I’d even be able to juxtapose the images of Unending and Valaine, and there would be few… design differences between them, too few to really matter.
“What if you die now?” Thayen replied, a crease forming between his eyebrows.
“I cannot be allowed to die before Tristan destroys the ring. My soul will be lost in a permanent limbo.” Unending sighed. “Which is why we can’t stay here. Spirit will be coming after us any second now.”
As if summoned, the Spirit Bender’s voice cut through the dimming light around the island. “Damn it. You just had to go and do this, didn’t you?”
I froze, but the fear couldn’t hold me down anymore. The scythe gave me strength I’d never thought I had. In an instant, I whirled around and pointed Unending’s blade toward him. Spirit scoffed, hands in his pockets as he walked up the beach toward us.
“That was quick,” Unending murmured.
She and Thayen were in mortal peril again. I only had myself to rely on. Well, Taeral was around, too, but I didn’t want him to get involved. Spirit would gladly jump at the opportunity to hurt him due to Taeral’s possession of Thieron. I was limited in my knowledge of death magic, however—I only knew the spell I’d just used to take possession of the scythe.
“It’s too late,” Thayen said defiantly. “The first seal has been broken.”
“Meh. It’s not too late to pull the plug. It’s not like I actually care about what happens to the Aeternae. They’re responsible for letting things get to this point after all my efforts to support them,” Spirit replied dryly.
Taeral was limited in his knowledge of death magic, too, though he certainly had more under his belt than I did. Unending was limited by her physical body. Thayen was too young and definitely nowhere near capable of taking on the S
pirit Bender.
“So you’ll just kill Unending and let her wander on Visio, formless? That’s the plan?” I asked, trying to stall for as long as I could while I figured out an exit strategy.
The scythe hummed in my hand. It was dying to pay him back for all the suffering he’d caused Unending, all the people its blade had been forced to cut down over the eons since the beginning of the Aeternae. The Spirit Bender had taken so much from people over the years: freedoms, souls, lives. He’d stolen happiness and glee, and he’d caused nothing but pain and misery. It needed to stop.
“I’ll do what it takes to make sure I get what I want,” Spirit said. “I have little to no regard for everything else, and you’d do well to remember that before I go ahead and rip your heart out.”
His threat was serious and heartfelt. His hatred of us was real. We’d foiled his plans, and he was out for revenge. Spirit still had a chance to ruin everything for us, but Unending’s promise of a life together was a powerful motivator. I stood my ground and raised my chin. There was no way I’d let this bastard spoil it for us.
“Go ahead. Give it a try,” I replied, unyielding, then whispered to Unending, “Now’s a good time to start teaching me some attack spells.”
Unending’s gaze fortified my resolve. “I’ve got you.”
Amane
Roano was turning into a war zone.
Adrenaline flowed through me like quicksilver as I watched the protective shield tremble and shimmer in different shades of blue, gold, and red whenever it was hit—either by a death magic spell, by a blade, or by the claws of an Aeternae or a ghoul. Our enemy was working around the clock to take down our principal defense, and by the looks of it, they were doing a damn good job.
Ridan remained in dragon form, growling as he watched the Knight Ghouls’ incessant attacks on the shield. The Reapers had all positioned themselves along the invisible membrane, pressing their scythes against it and whispering different spells to further fuel the magic. The longer we kept it up, the better our chances of survival.
With Unending, Tristan, Thayen, and Taeral out there somewhere, likely running from Spirit while working on the seals, our sole responsibility was the defense of Roano. Ben and River had sent ships to Visio, and with the red haze gone, they’d have an easier time finding us and avoiding the Aeternae’s air vessels. Sofia and Derek stayed close, as did Rose, Caleb, and the rest of our GASP crew, while the Seniors and battle-ready Orvisians were stationed around the city, ready for a fight. Each cluster had several ghouls on their side, along with enough swamp witch smoke bombs to hopefully make a difference in the impending confrontation.
My sister had Trev by her side, making sure the equipment, potions, and medications she’d developed so far were under at least a minimal amount of protection. Rudolph and Nethissis stayed with them, just in case. We were all pitching in, one way or another, but it was only a matter of time before true hell would break loose.
“It won’t last much longer,” Hunter said, looking up at the shield. It was hard to focus with all the grunting, roaring, clanging, scratching, and growling echoing around the city. At least the skies were blue and clear. It looked like a pretty day for war.
“Yeah, the Knight Ghouls are the most likely to breach first,” Rose replied, both hands clutching a pulverizer weapon. I had about twenty reloads left. I’d have to use them wisely. It had been a while since I’d found myself in such brutal conditions, but my survival instincts were strong. Without faith in myself, in my sister, and in Ridan’s ability to torch these bastards into oblivion, I’d have nothing. “They’re undead and thus have a stronger impact on the shield’s integrity.”
I could see where his assessment was coming from. Over by the southern gate, where most of the enemy’s forces were concentrated, a dozen Knight Ghouls were viciously and relentlessly clawing at the translucent membrane. Each blow caused colors to burst and spread out until cracks began to emerge.
“It’s getting harder to keep this thing up!” Soul shouted, his gaze darkened with what I could only describe as a mixture of fear and anger. Although he likely would’ve preferred to stay by Kelara’s side, he was needed on the front lines.
Maya was with her, watching her closely. Kelara was increasingly agitated, forcing the little ghoul to growl occasionally, purely to remind her that she couldn’t move or go anywhere. The runes on the Reaper’s collar glowed red, a sign that the ghoulish hunger was expanding. Kelara’s gaze darted all over the place, though it kept returning to Nethissis. Soul had every reason to be worried. It was a cruel occurrence that the ghoulish curse could survive the one who’d cast it. I had a feeling that Spirit had made it so on purpose. His hatred of Reapers and his own realm ran deep, it seemed.
The Darklings’ scythes glowed in a myriad of blues and reds, launching pulse after pulse into the protective shield. Each blow rippled across the surface, causing more cracks to appear. Slowly but surely, the dome was beginning to look as though it had been made of glass—it was breaking. Even with Spirit gone and Corbin dead, the Darklings were relentless. They were so desperate to retain their immortality and way of life that nothing else mattered. They’d allowed Spirit to lead them, and he’d done worse by exercising his control over them. The Unending had slipped through Spirit’s hands, and he was out there, chasing after her, but the Aeternae’s offensive against Roano showed no signs of stopping. There was no hint of a physical exhaustion, likely due to Spirit’s bending.
“Everybody, get ready!” Sidyan said, raising his voice. “They’re about to breach!”
Sofia gave me a tense look. “Hang in there. We’ll get through this somehow.”
“Stand your ground!” Derek said, raising his pulverizer weapon. “We proceed according to plan. Eliminate the Knight Ghouls while the Reapers try to fix the tears!”
I heard the spine-tingling crack followed by something akin to glass breaking. We weren’t dealing with just fissures in the shield anymore! The first enemy ghoul had broken through, and he was snarling and charging toward us. Only one thing gave me comfort in this moment—the elderly and the children had been moved to the center of Roano and were surrounded by a couple dozen armed Orvisians and Seniors. They wouldn’t even see what came next.
The ghoul lunged at Derek, and he fired his pulverizer weapon. The other two that had slipped through switched to their subtle forms, making my blood run cold. We could only see faint air ripples here and there, and it wasn’t enough to protect ourselves. Sidyan and Dream were already working on repairing the crack while Darklings and more Knight Ghouls were trying to come in. Lumi was there to fire blue flames at them, which was enough to daze and push them back.
“Amal, watch out!” I heard Trev shout.
I whirled around just in time to see the air trembling behind her. Without hesitation, I threw a knife at it, knowing the pulverizer pellet wouldn’t work beyond the ghoul’s physical form. The blade didn’t do much other than distract the creature, but that was all I needed. Rudolph had already slipped into his subtle form, tackling the beast onto the ground.
“That was fast!” I mumbled. Nethissis brought her scythe down, her lips moving as the blade lit up white. Moments later, silvery ashes rose in the air. Another Knight Ghoul had been destroyed. “Where’s the third one?” I asked, looking around nervously. Rudolph emerged a couple of yards to our right, growling as he jumped and landed atop an invisible mass. It caught the Knight Ghoul by surprise. Angered by Rudolph’s impunity, the monster revealed himself and brought down his claws, aiming to tear our ghoul friend to pieces.
“Rudolph, move back!” I warned, and he listened, instantly scrambling backward. I fired my pulverizer weapon and obliterated the third intruder. A sigh of relief would’ve been nice, but there was no time.
We all heard Time curse as another slew of Knight Ghouls broke through a second tear in the protective shield. They were quickly joined by Darklings. Before we knew it, multiple entries had been made, and we needed the Reapers back on
our side. Lumi and Kailani pressed their hands against the membrane, lighting up white from head to toe—the Word resonated from within, giving them more power to at least hold the dome for a little while longer.
“Hold them back!” Derek shouted.
I fired my pulverizer weapon at the Darklings first. Rudolph and a few other ghouls from our side descended on the incoming Knight Ghouls. Ridan was ordered to stand back for now, since his flames would work better on a large-scale attack. There were too many of us in his vicinity for the time being. It didn’t stop him from using his tail to lash out at some of the Darklings that were brave enough to try taking him on.
I kept an eye on Amal at all times. She had sharp reflexes and could certainly handle herself with a weapon or two, but my sister wasn’t really a fighter. She was a scientist above all else, and I respected that about her. I’d always been the feistier one, ever since Ta’Zan had sprung us from those artificial wombs.
“The first seal has broken!” the Night Bringer shouted from somewhere nearby. “I felt it!”
Dream was ecstatic. “Me too!”
“I think we all felt it. All right, let’s make these suckers cry!” Widow snarled as he and the other Reapers pulled away from the shield and switched into attack mode. Their movements were calculated and controlled, however, since the living couldn’t be touched. They had to focus their attacks on specific individuals, which made it harder for the likes of Morning and Night to unleash the full brunt of their natural abilities.
Nevertheless, I tried not to let despair or fear get the better of me, considering the reduced number of enemies coming through. The shield was still holding, thanks to the swamp witches, and that gave our Reapers a chance to really settle into their battle shoes. And, according to the Reapers, Tristan had broken the first seal on Unending. All was not lost.
A Shade of Vampire 86: A Break of Seals Page 7