A SHADE OF VAMPIRE 84: A

MEMORY OF TIME

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BELLA FORREST

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 CONTENTS

Also by Bella Forrest

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Family tree

1. Sofia
2. Esme
3. Derek
4. Tristan
5. Esme
6. Tristan
7. Esme
8. Tristan
9. Taeral
10. Taeral
11. Esme
12. Sofia
13. Esme
14. Esme
15. Derek
16. Esme
17. Nethissis
18. Nethissis
19. Tristan
20. Tristan
21. Tristan
22. Esme
23. Esme
24. Esme
25. Derek
26. Ridan
27. Esme
28. Derek
29. Kailani
30. Amane
31. Esme
32. Tristan

ASOV 85: A Shard of Soul

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 ALSO BY BELLA FORREST

DARKLIGHT
(NEW! Vampire romance)
Darklight (Book 1)
Darkthirst (Book 2)
Darkworld (Book 3)
Darkblood (Book 4)

HARLEY MERLIN
(Fantasy/romance/adventure)
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)

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 romance/adventure. 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 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 © 2019
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 FAMILY TREE

If you’d like to check out the Novaks’ family tree, visit: www.
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 SOFIA

“V alaine!” Corbin’s voice rumbled through the Nightmare

Forest, cold and demanding.
Esme groaned in frustration. “He won’t stop.”
For the past twenty minutes, we’d been staring at the considerable army
of Aeternae soldiers, Crimson guards, Darklings, and Knight Ghouls that
Corbin Crimson, Master of Darkness, had brought to the north gates of
Orvis. The Darklings had occupied Dieffen as a ploy to draw our people
there, so they could attack them and follow anyone who happened to
survive the unexpected insurgence. Fortunately, the entire crew had
returned alive, though Ridan was still nursing some of his Reaper scythe
wounds. Unfortunately, the Darklings had been able to track them, thus
reaching the protective shield that Lumi and Kailani had cast over Kalla’s
village.
At almost the very same moment, Derek had broken the green bead,
signaling he was ready for an extraction—whether that meant he was in
immediate danger, we didn’t know. But the Darklings had blocked the
entire area around Orvis with death magic, and our Reapers couldn’t
teleport themselves out of here. We had no way of reaching Derek until we
got out of the death magic’s range.
The protective shield itself was not capable of withstanding powerful
Reaper spells—of which the Darklings had plenty—for long, and neither
were any of us. Our only option was to evacuate, but even that was an
awfully tricky scenario.
“He’s hoping to bring down my defenses, brick by brick,” Valaine
murmured, unable to take her eyes off her father. The man she’d trusted her
whole life, her protector, had turned out to be the very man leading the
charge against her. In many ways, Valaine and Thayen shared a few crucial
things in common—the young prince’s mother was a Darkling Whip, a
sociopathic opportunist who was working hard to convince an entire empire
that hers was the right way, no matter how bloody.
“You’re not going out there,” Tristan reminded her.
“If I do, you’ll all be safe,” Valaine replied.
Kalla scoffed. “Don’t be ridiculous. Corbin will never let us walk out of
here alive. If there’s one thing I know about the Darkling leadership, it’s
that they’re all spiteful bastards. You know that, too. Your memories should
serve you well at this point.”
“I want to believe that my father isn’t beyond salvation.”
“But he is,” I said. “We can’t trust him. We can’t trust a single word that
comes out of his mouth. Right now his sole purpose is to kill you, Valaine,
so he can reset the cycle and keep this whole nightmare going for another
ten millennia.”
Kemi came back from a quick tour of the village’s border, joined by the
Soul Crusher and Kelara. “It’s not looking good,” the Senior Aeternae said.
“They have Darklings and Knight Ghouls positioned all around Orvis, and
they have canons ready to fire if we try to take the shuttles.”
“We can’t use the shuttles,” Kailani replied. “We’ve already established
that. Our only way out is through an underground tunnel. Lumi and I can
open one up, but we’ll need help holding the structure’s integrity to prevent
the whole thing from collapsing and burying us all.”
“The Seniors will gladly assist with that,” Mira said, keeping her voice
low. We were only about fifty yards from the northern entrance where
Corbin and some of his most trusted lieutenants stood, unable to see us. Not
sure how impervious the Aeternae’s ears were to swamp witch magic in this
case, we all assumed there was a possibility that they might still hear us. So
we did our best to keep out of earshot.
“We’ll get the villagers out first,” Seeley said quietly. “Kalla can lead
that group. The witches will stay at the front with some of the Seniors to
open the tunnel farther out. The rest of us will follow right behind the
people of Orvis.”
“Some of us should also take care of the village itself and the shuttles,”
Ridan added with a grunt, holding his side. Amane had an arm around his
waist, holding him close. “Once the Darklings break through the protective
shield, they’ll be looking for us.”
Lumi nodded. “One of the Reapers will seal the tunnel once we’re all a
safe distance away.”
“We’ll have to blow the shuttles up, too,” I said, though my heart felt
heavy at the thought of losing such precious magi-tech. We had no way of
getting the vessels out safely, since the Darklings had learned to look for air
ripples—a sign of movement beneath the invisibility spell. It was the one
fault of this kind of Word magic and not something we had the time or the
energy to fix. Not with the enemy basically breathing down our necks. “Get
everything we can carry out of the shuttles first, but everything else must be
destroyed. The last thing we need is a Darkling with our technology.”
“I say set fire to the village, as well.” Kalla sighed, then continued. “Let
them find nothing but flames and ashes in our wake.”
“We’ll do what we can to keep them off our tracks.” Lumi took my
hand. “As soon as we are safely away from Orvis, Sidyan and I will get
Derek. It’s killing me that we’re not able to go immediately.”
“The Darklings are a huge pain in our asses right now.” I heard my
voice tremble ever so slightly. “Derek has Maya with him. All I can do is
hope she’s able to keep him safe.”
The one other thing that gave me a semblance of comfort was the fact
that we weren’t alone anymore. It wasn’t just our GASP team. We had
Reapers and a few ghouls left. The Seniors and all the young fighters of
Orvis were on our side. We had Valaine and Kalon, Ansel, Tudyk, and
Moore. We even had Thayen, the brokenhearted crown prince I’d sworn to
keep safe and as far away from his depraved mother as possible. We had
Trev Blayne, too… and Word magic.
“One question remains,” Mira said, her gaze occasionally darting back
to a remarkably calm Corbin. “In which direction should the tunnel lead?”
“West,” Kalon interjected. “We head west, toward the rocky shores.”
Mira’s eyes lit up. “I think I know the perfect place. We’ll end up eight
hundred miles north of the imperial palace.”
“The Nightmare Forest stretches far west,” Kalla agreed. “We’ll have to
be quiet as we leave Orvis, but also as we move through the tunnel. We
cannot risk the Darklings tracking us by sound. Corbin will almost certainly
realize what we’re doing.” She paused, glancing back at her people—all of
them gathered around the dark tower, quivering and silently waiting for her
reassurance. There wasn’t much of that left, but I trusted Kalla to be able to
guide her people in the right direction. “I’ll get them organized.”
Lumi moved next to Kailani. “The two of us will head to the
westernmost point of the village. We’ll open the tunnel there.”
“And we will join you,” Mira declared. “I did not come all the way out
here after two million years on an isolated island to have to deal with
Corbin and his Darkling ilk. Our strength is of better use by your side,
helping to hold the tunnel up.”
“We have enough building experience from our time on the island,”
Kemi added with a proud smile. “Count on us.”
I watched them leave, unaware of how fast I was breathing. Every time
I heard Corbin calling out Valaine’s name, my anxiety peaked to new levels.
I knew he wasn’t just standing there waiting for his daughter, the Unending,
to come out. No, he had a plan, and his Darklings were probably already
implementing it. They’d figured out the protective shield’s limits and
dimensions. Whatever death magic they had, they could use it to bring the
swamp witch spell down. Time was definitely not on our side.
My stomach churned as I thought of Derek, and I prayed to all the
possible and impossible deities that he’d be okay. That Lumi and Sidyan
would get to him in time, once we were all safely removed from this
nebulous mess.
The villagers responded quickly to Kalla’s instructions. They scattered
to their homes and gathered their most precious belongings—only things
they could carry through the tunnel. Every single blood reserve was bottled
in wooden flasks and handed over to the Seniors, who would hold on to
them in order to ease the villagers’ passage to the west coast. We all needed
supplies, and we wouldn’t be able to risk returning to the surface along the
way.
“How long do you think we’ll be in the tunnels?” Thayen asked me.
“I’m not sure. A few hours at least.”
“Then why are we taking the food with us?” he replied.
Rose had an answer for that. “We don’t know what kind of conditions
we’ll find once we reach our destination. The less we have to travel for
sustenance, the better.” She looked at me, and I could see the concern
drawing a deep frown between her delicate eyebrows. “We’re going to get
through this,” she said, and I found her attempt to comfort me endearing. I
knew she was anxious and angry—just as I was—that we had no way of
reaching Derek anytime soon.
“And I’ll be coming with you,” Thayen sighed.
“You don’t want that?” I asked.
He nodded. “I do. I was worried you might leave me behind, since
you’ll be getting Derek back soon.”
Kneeling before him, I gripped his bony shoulders and smiled gently. I
had to make things as clear for the boy as I possibly could. “Thayen, I’m
not returning you to your mother unless it is truly what you want,” I told
him. “Not only because I am deeply fond of you, but also because I cannot
bear the thought of you becoming infected by Danika’s malice. She has
done enough harm already. I want you to stay with us if you’re willing… do
you understand me?”
“I do.” Thayen sighed, nodding slowly. “Thank you, Sofia.”
“Don’t thank me yet. We’re nowhere near the finish line.” I got back up
and took his hand in mine.
Rose shot me a grin. “You’re really good to him, Mom.”
“I’m instinctively very protective of him. He doesn’t deserve any of
this.”
“He’s safer with you,” Valaine said, tears gathering and glazing her dark
eyes. “We’re all safer with you.”
I felt the urge to hug her, to tell her that everything would be okay. But I
couldn’t make such a promise—not to Valaine, who needed to find a way to
shed her Aeternae shell and remember who she truly was. I worried about
her, just as I worried about Tristan. He’d fallen in love with her, with the
Unending, and I didn’t see it ending well… for either of them.
Esme and Kalon had troubles of their own. They’d grown closer. I could
tell. Both physically and emotionally. But Petra and the Darklings
threatened to destroy everything. Hell, Petra was dying to tear Esme’s head
off. And to think we’d come to Visio simply to find a day-walking cure.
Things had certainly evolved—they’d long since gone from slightly
complicated to an endless maze of intrigue and suffering and bloodshed.
We couldn’t walk away from this fight now. The day-walking cure had
become a peripheral concern. We had bigger problems now. As I watched
Lumi and Kailani make their way to the western edge of the village, I knew
we were in for one crazy ride.
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 ESME

I ’d awakened early this morning to find Kalon’s arms around

me, and now I was in the midst of deadly danger, surrounded by
the enemy’s forces.
The Darklings had Orvis surrounded, and they were determined to get
to us. To get to Valaine. We’d made incredible progress in helping her
remember who she truly was, but our work was nowhere near done. And
with Corbin quite literally at our doorstep, we needed to get her as far away
from here as possible.
Leaving the Visentis boys with Thayen and Sofia, I took Kalon with me
to help with the evacuation. On the western edge of the village, Lumi and
Kailani got to work. Their bodies lit up white as they summoned the Word’s
power and knowledge, the air vibrating and tickling my skin. The Seniors
were gathered around, waiting to assist, while Kalla’s hushed orders could
be heard somewhere behind us as she encouraged her people to hurry and
not load their satchels with more than they could carry.
I listened to the muffled cries of children—Rimian, Nalorean, and
Aeternae alike—as they stayed close to their mothers, preparing for a most
dangerous voyage. We’d have to be careful even once we were safely in the
tunnel due to the way the Darklings had a habit of foreseeing all sorts of
situations. It would only be a matter of time before they figured out what
we’d done and tried to track our path.
Lumi’s and Kailani’s lips moved, and the magic began to take physical
effect. The ground rumbled and mildly shook beneath our feet before it
gaped open approximately five yards ahead. I wondered how far the shake-
up spread. Looking towards the edge of the village, I didn’t see anyone on
the enemy side reacting to any tremors. Maybe we’d get away with this. As
I turned my attention back to the hole, I marveled at its dark mouth
stretching wider, the dirt pressing back to form rounded walls as the
opening descended deep into the ground.
A low whisper was exhaled from the bottom, dust rolling out. The
witches stood still and continued with their chanting, the tunnel opening
wider until we could all see it clearly. Ridan went in first, using his flaming
breath to light several torches before mounting them in the hard walls. So
far, so good.
“Our turn,” Mira mumbled as she made her way down, accompanied by
Arya, Kemi, and a couple dozen Seniors who’d borrowed tools from the
villagers. They moved fast, carrying wooden beams and arched pieces of
metal that they quickly fashioned into a relatively sturdy structure. The first
hundred feet soon looked safe enough for passage, and I breathed a sigh of
relief when the rest of the Seniors joined them.
Lumi and Kailani descended as well, opening the tunnel further. It
became a synchronized collective effort to build it up, and I couldn’t believe
how fast they were progressing. There was a rhythm to their movements—a
beat they were all following—and it paid off. We’d have the first mile of
tunnel ready before the hour’s end.
“They won’t stand there forever,” Kalon said, nervously eyeing the
Darklings who’d gathered along the protective shield. “Corbin will get tired
of yelling for Valaine.”
“I know. But it won’t be easy for them to break the spell,” I replied.
“They’ll be able to do it, but it won’t be instantaneous. The more we get
done below before that happens, the faster we’ll get everybody out of here.
And the more likely we are to avoid being followed.”
Some of the villagers had already gathered a few yards behind us, their
satchels packed and their children quiet, ready for a perilous journey. It was
either this or certain death, and I felt sorry for them. In a way, our people
had brought the danger of Darklings here—though, judging by what Corbin
had said earlier, Orvis wouldn’t have lasted much longer even without our
presence. The evil would’ve found its way through the Nightmare Forest
eventually, and every single villager would’ve been killed or enslaved for
rebelling and living outside the empire’s norms.
An Aeternae feeding on animals was unfathomable to a society that had
become dependent on Rimian and Nalorean blood. A whole village of
Aeternae, Rimians, and Naloreans living in harmony like they did in Orvis
was an abomination, and Corbin would be perfectly fine with killing them
all. Just one more reason why I couldn’t bring myself to leave this place
behind. I knew Kalon would’ve come with me, no hesitation, but I couldn’t
walk away from these people that way.
Sofia, Rose, and Caleb brought the kids over. To my surprise, Thayen
seemed to be leading the Visentis boys, who constantly stared at and
listened to him with great interest and fascination. If Thayen made it
through to the very end of this horrific tale, I envisioned a grand life ahead
for him. The boy had the makings of a true leader, and I was willing to bet
he’d learned it all from his father, Acheron. Danika was too far down the
rabbit hole to be anybody’s role model.
“How’s it going?” Sofia asked, glancing into the tunnel. Amber lights
flickered as Ridan continued with the illumination deeper underground.
Amane reached him quickly, refusing to let him out of her sight. He could
stand on his own now, the healing potions working their literal magic, but
even so, she didn’t want to be away from him.
Amal and Hunter were busy emptying the shuttles of everything
valuable that they could carry. Once all the supplies and portable tech were
cleared out and ready for transport, they would set up explosive charges on
both vessels, loaded with pulverizer pellets. It was the only way to keep the
magi-tech out of the Aeternae’s hands.
“Surprisingly fast,” I said to Sofia. “The Seniors are really good at this.”
“Yes, the subterranean structure is solid,” Kalon added. “Once the first
three miles are ready, we’ll be able to leave.”
“Can’t we evacuate sooner?” Sofia asked, her brow furrowed. “I worry
the Darklings will start their attack soon.”
“We need room down there,” Kalon said. “If we’re going to seal this
access point, that is.”
Seeley came over, joined by Rudolph and Nethissis. “The farther out we
dig, the better,” the Reaper chimed in. “We’re limited by the Darklings’
death magic. I estimate at least a couple of miles out before we can even
teleport.”
“Where are the other Reapers?” I asked, looking around.
“They’re helping the Aeternae boys with some fire spells,” Seeley said.
“Our own explosive charges, let’s call them, placed all through the village.
When the Darklings breach the protective shield, they’ll be in for a hot
surprise.”
Tristan and Valaine moved away from the northern gate, their footsteps
rushed and their faces paler than usual. “It’s starting!” Tristan hissed. They
ran toward us as a flash of light burst upward against the protective shield.
My heart jumped into my throat. This was it. The moment we’d all
hoped would fail to come. The Darklings had begun their offensive
maneuvers against Orvis, determined to get past the cloaking spell.
On our side of the village, they’d all raised their scythes, whispering
chants and slashing at the barrier. Every blow caused iridescent ripples to
spread out. Soon enough, the entire dome glowed, overwhelmed by the
flurry of death magic attacks. They couldn’t see through, so the chances of
them figuring out what we were doing were relatively small. It wasn’t a
guarantee, but it was the best we had in these circumstances. The tunnel
entrance would be sealed once we were all out, anyway.
“What do we do?” I asked.
Rose and Caleb brought the remaining villagers out of their homes and
grouped them with the others. Kalla spoke to them, trying to reassure them
as best as she could, but the Darklings’ attacks weren’t helping. They were
terrified.
“We hold them off,” Seeley said. He handed an extra scythe to
Nethissis. “We’ll cover the north gate. Sidyan will take the east with Kelara
and Soul—“ He paused, his ears twitching as he listened. The other Reapers
were communicating with him, I realized, mobilizing for the defense
strategy. “Night and Morning will handle the south, and Widow and
Phantom will join you here in the west.”
I nodded, watching Seeley, Nethissis, and Rudolph rush to the north.
They brushed past Valaine and Tristan, who finally reached us, almost
breathless.
Rose and Caleb flanked Sofia and the boys, their pulverizer weapons
locked and loaded, their backpacks filled with everything they’d been able
to get from the shuttles. Amal and Hunter came back, carrying several bags
loaded with more pulverizer ammo and swamp witch spell paraphernalia.
We took a few minutes to distribute the weight around, each of us with a
backpack or a satchel ready. Even Thayen and the Visentis boys were given
a load to carry.
 The more we did to prepare for what would come next, the more
anxious I became. The loud bangs erupting from the protective shield
startled me. I could see Corbin’s figure between the black stone houses as
he continued striking the barrier with one crippling blow after the next. The
tension was rising. The air crackled with an uncomfortable mixture of dread
and anxiety.
“How are we looking down there?” Sofia called out.
Kemi rushed up, his face and white silk garments covered in dirt. “Start
bringing the people down. We’re two miles in.”
Kalon and I stepped back. Kalla and the villagers were the first to
descend. About two hundred innocent lives depended on us, and I was
determined to make sure they all reached the west coast safely.
Reapers’ scythes glimmered white at all four cardinal points around the
village. They released flurries of pulses that burst outward and beyond the
protective shield. We all ducked as Phantom and Widow launched their
own. The defense worked—each shot threw the Darklings back and broke
several bones in the process. On our side, the Knight Ghouls snarled and
scratched at the barrier, desperate to get through.
Small fissures formed, gradually spidering across the surface, spreading
and deepening as they reached for the top of the dome.
“It’s not going to last much longer,” Sofia murmured, staring upward.
Her eyes filled with horror as she clutched Thayen closer.
“Mom, take the boys and go!” Rose said.
“What about you and Caleb?” she replied, suddenly alarmed.
“We’ll be right behind you,” Caleb assured her.
Though hesitant, Sofia did as she was told and nudged the boys down
into the tunnel. Their figures became black against the amber lighting
backdrop. Moments later, they were gone. The village of Orvis was now
empty except for some Vision horses and what remained of our troops.
With all the violence around us, I finally saw the tranquility of the
Nightmare Forest. In the absence of Darklings and evil, it was a beautiful
yet dangerous place. The sabre tigers and the poisonous vipers, the
creatures that lurked between the old trees with sprawling crowns seemed
harmless—mere creatures of wilderness struggling to survive and prosper.
The Nightmare Forest was not a welcoming place. Not at all. But it didn’t
deserve to be soiled by the Darklings’ presence. Heck, the entire planet
would be better off without them.
 Kalon looked at me, his cold blue eyes set on mine. “Are you ready?”
“As ready as I’ll ever be,” I said with a heavy sigh.
“We’re moving!” Caleb announced, taking Rose with him down into the
tunnel.
Amal and Hunter were next, with Kalon urging them along. The Faulty
gave me two small controls, each with a red switch and a wireless
transmitter antenna. “Once we’re all down there, flip them both,” she said.
“It’ll detonate the shuttles.”
Kalon and I held our ground and scanned the area around us. The
Reapers were hard at work, while the remaining ghouls darted through the
homesteads and scared the Vision horses out of their stables.
“What the hell are they doing?!” I croaked.
It soon became obvious, as the horses galloped toward us and into the
tunnel. I counted twenty, and they would come in handy later. The ghouls
chased after them, growling and snickering to one another. This was quite
the feat they’d accomplished, considering that Vision horses and pretty
much any other animal were a natural food source for the ghouls. They’d
been instructed to do this, though. I could see Trev Blayne smiling as he
watched the last of the former Reapers descend. He went after them,
whistling and guiding them deeper underground.
“The shield will come down soon,” Phantom said, looking at me from
the edge of the protective spell. “I’m calling our people back.”
“I’d love nothing more than to take all these bastards on!” Widow
scoffed. “But the Master of Darkness is not someone to trifle with. Not until
we figure out exactly how much death magic they know and what spells
they might have learned from the Spirit Bender. They keep surprising us,
and I’ve had enough of that.”
“No one is going to blame you if you run from the Darklings,” Kalon
said. “We’re all in this together.”
Widow shook his head. “It’s not something I would be proud of.”
“We can whimper about it later!” Phantom snapped and pushed him
away from the shield just as a piece of it came shattering down like broken
glass. Several Knight Ghouls snuck through.
“Fire at will!” I shouted.
Kalon and I unloaded several pulverizer pellets into the ghouls and the
Darklings who tried to follow them through. Seconds later, they were
reduced to puffs of silvery ashes, and Phantom managed to patch the broken
area with a death spell of her own.
“It’s not going to last!” Phantom said, grabbing Widow and joining us
by the tunnel opening. She slid to her knees and drew several symbols on
the ground with the tip of her scythe. “I’ll break these when we’re all down
there.”
Parts of the shield came down, more shards of glowing magic falling
from the dome. Light danced across its surface, now visible and
luminescent. The protective spell was failing, finally succumbing to the
Darklings’ attacks. Seeley and Nethissis returned, followed by Rudolph.
Soul, Kelara, and Sidyan reemerged, as well. Night and Morning appeared
last and were adamant that Tristan and Valaine go down into the tunnel
immediately.
“Come on!” Morning said. “Your turn, sister!”
“What about you?” Valaine asked.
Night smiled. “We’re coming with you, of course.”
“Esme…” Tristan said, breathing heavily. “Don’t linger for too long.
Please.”
“I’ll be fine,” I replied, nodding at Valaine. “Get her out of here.”
“The Darklings have breached the barrier,” Soul announced. “They’re
coming.”
The Reapers quickly took Nethissis, Valaine, and Tristan into the tunnel,
leaving only Kalon and me to handle the detonation. I took a moment to
look at everything one last time. The black stone walls. The looming tower.
The narrow and beaten paths. Orvis had been a good place to live, despite
the dangers surrounding it. Despite the Nightmare Forest breathing over it
with its rustling leaves and hungry growls. It had brought me closer to
Kalon, and it had forced me to face the very truth of this world. I would
miss it.
The Darklings ran between the houses. The gold and silver armor
glistened as the soldiers advanced through the village from all directions.
Corbin led the Crimson troops from the north side, as the last shards of the
protective spell came down crashing and splintering, each piece twinkling
before fading away.
“This is it,” I whispered, moving back.
“Let’s do this,” Kalon said, his finger on the red switch.
 I nodded, and we both flipped them at the same time. Two balls of
blinding white light expanded from the eastern edge of Orvis. They swelled
brighter, then burst, releasing a devastating wave of pulverizer mist. It
devoured everything in its path for a half-mile radius. Houses and stables
vanished, turned to silvery ashes.
It caught some of the Darklings and the Aeternae soldiers as well, their
figures fading into nothingness. I heard Corbin shouting, telling his people
to get as far away from it as possible. He couldn’t see us yet, so Kalon and I
descended into the tunnel as another round of explosions rocked the village,
this time from within.
The Reapers’ charges had gone off, reacting to the shuttles’ destruction.
The ground shook, and we slid across the mud of the tunnel floor. Phantom
stood at the bottom with her arms crossed. She’d been waiting. The rumbles
and moans of a village being destroyed echoed all around us. My skin
erupted in goosebumps, and chills rushed down my spine as I pictured the
chaos above us.
“Time to seal this off,” Phantom said.
Kalon grabbed my arm and pulled me up. Together, we started running,
following the torches and the hushed voices ahead. Behind, I heard
Phantom whispering. Briefly looking back, I watched her turn around and
bolt towards us. In mere seconds, she’d caught up and even gone past us,
moving like the wind. The tunnel entrance collapsed, chunks of dirt and
stone falling in.
No one would know it was even there, assuming there was anyone left
to look for us. The earthquakes continued, making the ground shake
beneath our boots. We kept running, no longer looking back.
“Corbin made it out,” Phantom said, as if reading my mind. “He wasn’t
the only one, either. Those who were fast enough joined him. We’re not
done with them yet.”
“It doesn’t matter,” I replied breathlessly. “We got out. We’ll lose them
eventually.”
All we had to do was keep running and make as little noise as possible.
It seemed almost too easy. Kalon and I caught up with Tristan and Valaine,
the rest of our crew visible ahead. But with everything that had happened,
with all the twists and turns that had nearly gotten us killed, I couldn’t help
but doubt the apparent simplicity of the task ahead.
 What were the odds that we’d make it through to the west coast
unharmed, or that we’d manage to elude the Darklings after months of them
staying one step ahead of us? I wasn’t sure I really wanted to know the
answer.

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 DEREK

A n hour had passed since I’d broken the green bead, and there was
still no sign of Lumi or Sidyan.
The longer I stayed in this place, the more danger my people
were in. I’d gathered enough intel, and there wasn’t much left for me to get
out of Danika or Petra or any of the other Whips—not to mention Corbin.
I was also horrified by everything I’d witnessed. Danika had tried to kill
Petra, getting her hands cut off in the process. Petra had fled and was
currently in the wind, most likely searching for her sons. Her absence
scared me the most, because she was now a threat to our crew. Petra was a
resourceful and cruel Aeternae, and I knew she’d stop at nothing in order to
accomplish her objectives.
I had no idea where Corbin was, but it couldn’t be anywhere good.
Since their creation, the Darklings had been keeping a copy of the Spirit
Bender’s soul. They’d stored it in crystal shards, each piece implanted in
the Whips. Twelve shards that were now needed to bring him back. After all
the trouble he’d put us through during the Hermessi wars, the very idea of
dealing with him again made my blood curdle.
Danika had already killed two of the Whips to get the shards before she
tried to do the same to Petra. The problem was that the high priestess had
taught the Lady Supreme a couple of tricks, one of which involved
transferring the shard to her next of kin. In Danika’s case, she’d chosen
Thayen. The poor boy was in mortal danger because his own mother was
ready to kill him in order to extract the shard, and Petra was about to
implant hers into one of the Visentis boys for the same reason. Though
enemies for now, Petra and Danika were working toward the same
sickening end—killing their children in order to bring the Spirit Bender
back. They were awful. Truly awful beings, and I looked forward to the day
I’d see their heads removed. They didn’t deserve mercy.
Maya paced the room, and I could tell she was nervous. Unable to get
past the rune-marked steel bars of my cell, she kept busy by sniffing the
ground on a regular basis, shuddering whenever she brushed her stumped
nose over the dried blood Danika had left behind. Two Darklings had
carried her out to an infirmary after the incident with Petra, and I’d been
alone ever since, stewing in my own juices. Listening. Waiting. Hoping this
would all be over soon. I did find some comfort in knowing Danika was
temporarily disabled and thus unable to spy on me. Since that traumatic
encounter, Maya had become much more alert. I wasn’t sure how good she
was at sniffing out an invisible Darkling, but she was certainly doing her
best.
“I don’t know what’s taking so long,” I grumbled, my gaze fixed on
Maya. “They should’ve been here by now.”
The little ghoul shrugged, continuing to move around. We were both
restless, eager to get out of here before things got any worse. I’d already
tested the Darklings’ limits here, and it was only a matter of time before
Danika changed her mind and decided to kill me.
“You know, I haven’t seen any of the other Whips around. I guess Petra
was right. They’ve been making themselves scarce, aware of what’s
coming. It’s incredible how selfish they are, considering how devoted they
claim to be to their cause.”
Danika had used a loophole to spare herself, and Petra was looking to
do the same. Fortunately, the other Whips had not gained access to that
knowledge; otherwise, they also would’ve murdered their offspring to save
themselves. This mindset was disgusting, but it also spoke volumes about
the Darklings. For a faction claiming to fight for the Aeternae’s survival and
protection, none of them seemed to shy away from killing Aeternae to
satisfy their own desires. For an organization founded by someone like the
Spirit Bender, however, it all made sense. A terrible leader cultivated
terrible people, and it showed.
Maya growled softly, settling close to my cell. She was getting agitated,
her big, beady eyes searching my face, but I had nothing reassuring to say.
“I don’t know where Lumi and Sidyan are.” I sighed. “They should’ve
been here by now, and I can’t get hold of them. The green bead was my
only option, since Danika broke my Telluris. Whatever Lumi might’ve
given me to communicate with her, Danika or the other Whips would’ve
found it. To their credit, they are fast learners.”
Every minute that passed made me more anxious. My cell had always
been small, but it was starting to crush me. The air compressed in my lungs,
making it harder for me to breathe or to ignore the chest pain caused by my
anxiety. Beads of sweat trickled down my temples as I leaned back against
the wall.
The silence was excruciating. I had no idea what was happening. I was
completely cut off from my people and the outside world. It made me feel
small and helpless, which I hadn’t experienced in a very long time. It was
something I’d hoped I would never have to deal with.
“We could try to find a way out of here,” I said, after some thinking.
“But that might backfire. I think the Darklings have this place rigged in
case I attempt an escape. It would also put you at risk, and I don’t think
Sidyan would forgive me if anything happened to you, Maya.”
She purred, blinking slowly as she looked up at me. Despite her
grotesque features, there was something intrinsically kind about Maya. In
contrast, the Aeternae were all beautiful, yet capable of such dark and awful
things. Things that made them look far uglier than a little ghoul.
“Besides, even if we did get out of here, Lumi and Sidyan might still
show up. The Darklings could get them. I mean, they’d already be riled up
by my escape, so the alert would be high,” I continued. “No, I can’t leave.”
I would stay, but for how much longer? What if Lumi and Sidyan could
no longer get to me? What if something terrible had happened? The thought
alone was enough to send my blood rushing, causing my skin to tingle.
An ache settled in my heart, so I closed my eyes and thought of Sofia. I
hoped she’d be okay. I prayed that she’d be safe, no matter what came next.
I had to be ready for a truly unpredictable future. My odds of survival in
this cell were limited, at best. I was at Danika’s mercy, with no guarantee
that Lumi and Sidyan would save me… and Danika was an evil woman.
The evilest I’d seen in a very long time.
“You could go out to find Sidyan,” I suggested to Maya, but she shook
her head. I knew what that meant. “You wouldn’t be able to find him, huh?”
She shook her head again. “Would he be able to find you?” She nodded this
time. There had to be a considerable distance between Maya and Sidyan for
that to be the case.
 Either way, we were pretty much stuck here, waiting for Sidyan and
Lumi’s return. Should the unimaginable happen, should I be forced to leave
this place before my friends came back for me, I knew I could count on
Maya. But it wasn’t a very comforting thought, because I’d be out but left
without a sense of direction.
I’d find my way back to Sofia eventually. I knew that. But time was of
the essence and finding Sofia and the others on my own would take
precious hours I simply did not have. In the end, I’d have to be ready for
anything while hoping for the best. It was a loathsome scenario, and I had
no control over its parameters. I’d been left at the mercy of fate.
And she was never a good companion.

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 TRISTAN

O nce we were outside the Darklings’ range, our positions shifted

within the tunnel. We were no longer running but rather walking.
About fifty miles ahead, Lumi and Kailani were leading the
charge, opening the tunnel further, while the Seniors aided with the
infrastructure. They’d already run out of iron and wood to use for the
support system, but the bowels of the earth were generous with large rocks,
which the Seniors used instead. This was an incredible feat we’d
accomplished in the span of mere hours, and I was astonished by the
grandeur of our collective effort, considering the circumstances. We were
opening and extending a tunnel that would’ve taken much longer to build in
less stressful conditions, but the Word’s power was coming through for us
on a whole new level—on top of that, we had two hundred highly skilled
and exceptionally strong Senior Aeternae helping. That clearly counted.
The farther west we got, the harder the ground and the easier the
Seniors’ job, since the tunnel was gradually becoming self-sustaining and
no longer at risk of collapsing over us. Ridan, Amane, and Amal stayed
with Kalla and her people while the rest of our GASP crew followed close
behind them.
Sofia kept Thayen close, flanked by Rose and Caleb. Hunter walked
behind them with Trev, Esme, Kalon, and the Visentis boys. Behind them,
Trev still herded the Vision horses.
The Soul Crusher, the Night Bringer, and Kelara helped teleport the
Orvisians across short distances, just so they’d remain at the front, where
they were better protected in case of a surprise attack. It was the best we
could do for them until we left the Darklings’ range completely. We’d
discovered early on that they’d used a different kind of teleportation
blocking spell.
Esme occasionally glanced back at me, and I could tell that she was
worried. We were all fleeing the worst kind of trouble—worried was our
natural state of mind at this point. Seeley, Rudolph, and Nethissis stayed
with Valaine and me, as did Morning and Phantom. The Reapers were able
to teleport across smaller distances now, a sign that we were moving away
from whatever death magic the Darklings had used to stop them in Orvis, so
Sidyan and the Widow Maker frequently visited the surface to make sure
we weren’t being followed. Sidyan couldn’t take Lumi out to get Derek
until we got all the people to safety. Fortunately, that wasn’t too far in the
near future, judging by the speed with which we were moving.
I found the blocking spell curious, nonetheless. It didn’t act like a circle
that we had to get past, but rather a beacon whose intensity dimmed the
farther we got from Orvis. Corbin must’ve considered the possibility of us
tunneling out of there, after all, so he’d opted for the beacon-type blocker to
make it as hard for us as possible to lose the Darklings. That meant we had
a little bit more speed-walking to do before the Reapers could teleport us all
into Roano.
“What are they doing up there?” I muttered, realizing they’d been gone
for more than ten minutes this time.
“Throwing any followers off our tracks,” Seeley said. “We might be
underground and quiet, but we all know the Darklings are resourceful. Until
we get far enough away to be able to teleport across a larger distance, a
little bit of death magic serves to distract the Knight Ghouls and counteracts
any tracking spells the Darklings might use.”
“Out of curiosity, why do the Darklings call them Knight Ghouls?” I
asked. “We’ve used the term quite a lot since you and Nethissis escaped
their clutches, but where is this term coming from?”
Seeley shrugged. “I’m not sure why they refer to them as Knight
Ghouls, but I assume it’s got something to do with the fact that they’re
trained and loyal to them, albeit by force. Frankly, I think it’s just a way to
make their whole operation sound nobler than it actually is.”
“There’s nothing noble about forcing Reapers to eat souls so they can
do your bidding,” I grumbled, unable to hide my disgust.
“Do you think we’re safe from my father now, Seeley?” Valaine replied.
 The Reaper exhaled sharply, making Nethissis smile. It wasn’t a warm
expression—it was loaded with bitterness. “I doubt we’ll ever be safe,”
Nethissis said in his place. “As long as the Darklings are out there,
operating in public and fully condoned by the empire’s upper echelon, we
won’t get to rest much. They’re determined to catch us.”
“To catch me in particular,” Valaine said, her tone serious.
“And all those who’ve helped you,” I reminded her. The Darklings’
cruelty extended far beyond their primary targets. “We’re all in danger, but
we’ve made it this far. I trust we’ll reach the west coast and buy ourselves
some time while we work on your memories.”
“We’re almost a hundred miles from Orvis already, which is incredible,
but the Seniors and the swamp witches are really coming through for us,”
Seeley said. It was meant as an encouragement, until he got to the
remaining distance. “We’ve got about three hundred left before we hit the
coast.”
“You make it sound so easy,” Phantom grumbled, walking behind us
with Morning by her side. “I’m not a fan of tight spaces.”
“Ah, right. You spent a long time locked inside Thieron’s Phyla, the
stone of life and death,” I said, drawing from my knowledge of the First
Tenners and their more recent whereabouts prior to the Hermessi wars.
“And that was as tight a space as you can imagine,” Phantom breathed,
reaching a hand behind her. The earth closed up, the tunnel coming down
with slow, rumbling rolls of dirt and minerals and stones. “I’m looking
forward to reaching the surface again.”
“We all are,” Nethissis replied. “Lumi can’t leave with Sidyan until we
get the people to safety. Kailani needs her for the tunnel. Meanwhile, Derek
is waiting. I can only imagine what’s going through his head right now.”
“At least our plan is working so far,” I said. “All we can do is keep
going.”
Valaine shivered, and I immediately wrapped my arm around her
shoulders, holding her close as we walked, listening to the plethora of
sounds slipping from the crowd ahead. They were all trying to be quiet, but
it couldn’t be helped. Someone was bound to whisper. Another was bound
to sneeze. A child had to cry. A Vision horse neighed. We were doing the
best we could, but we had no control over the people’s impulses, especially
since many of the villagers weren’t used to combat or recon situations.
 “You said my father escaped from the blast,” Valaine said to Phantom.
“Are you sure?”
The Reaper nodded. “I saw him just before I closed off the tunnel
entrance. Another minute, and he would’ve seen me and our escape route,
too.”
“What about the others?” Nethissis asked.
“The Darklings, you mean? Many perished, but there were enough of
them to survive, too. I’m afraid I can’t estimate what’s left. I do know
they’re all the more determined to take us down now. We, the Reapers,
would likely survive and get out, but the same can’t be said about
everybody else.”
“Is that why you’re all here with us?” Valaine asked. “Because you wish
to protect us?”
Phantom smirked. “I’m here to protect you, knowing you’ll do all sorts
of foolish things to keep as many people alive as possible. Please don’t
endow me with a moral compass. I don’t need one.”
“Well, your motivation is good enough for me,” I said quietly. “So
thank you.”
“Don’t thank me yet,” Phantom retorted. “I doubt you’ll like me or any
of my colleagues much once we bring the Unending back.”
I frowned. “What do you mean?”
“There’s no happily ever after in store for you and Valaine, Tristan. I
hope I’m not telling you something new here,” Phantom said, stealing a
glance at a pouting Morning. “What?”
“You’re being cruel,” Morning whispered, though I could definitely
hear her.
“I’m being honest,” Phantom insisted.
Valaine groaned, rolling her eyes. “It’s fine. I think we’re all aware it’s
just going to get harder. I can feel it.”
“I’m not sure what the future holds,” I said. “But I’m not leaving
Valaine or the Unending’s side. I made a promise, and I intend to keep it.”
Valaine gave me a long look, and I found warmth in the dark pits of her
black eyes. This was an odd sense of comfort I was getting, but I’d take it. I
needed her with me, and she needed me. There was no denying that.
Valaine’s journey was the hardest. The pain it caused her was excruciating,
and I knew she’d do anything for me, just as I was willing to do anything
for her. I felt my lips stretch into a smile. I pressed them against her temple
and froze.
Her skin felt cold. Perhaps too cold for an Aeternae, and certainly not
the way I’d felt her before. “Are you okay?” I asked.
“Why do you ask?” she replied. Her breathing was shallow.
“Your skin is like ice.”
Morning immediately reacted, almost shoving me out of the way as she
got between us and put her hand on Valaine’s forehead. “Oh crap,” the
Reaper murmured.
“What is it?” Phantom asked.
“It’s coming,” Morning said, giving me a startled look.
“I’m confused.”
Valaine grunted, wobbling on her feet. “No… oh no, not now…”
“What’s happening?” Nethissis managed as Seeley and Rudolph pulled
her away from us. Valaine, Phantom, Morning, and I were left behind, the
temperature dropping around us as though a blizzard were about to fill the
tunnel with ice and snow and death.
“Darkness… it’s coming out,” Valaine cried out, dropping to her knees.
Though terrified of the pain that it would bring upon my body and soul, I
knelt in front of her, clutching her hands. “No, Tristan… get away from
me.”
She tried to pull back, but I wouldn’t let her. “We’ll get through this,
Valaine.”
“You don’t understand.” Phantom gasped, her galaxy eyes wide with
what I could only describe as fear. Unimaginable fear. “If she unleashes it
now, she risks killing every single living creature within her reach. I’m not
saying she can kill you specifically, since you’ve already survived multiple
episodes, but she’ll release Black Fever. The Aeternae aren’t safe.”
“Plus, we don’t know what such concentrated darkness will do to the
Rimians and the Naloreans,” Morning added. “It’ll show above, as well.
The death that comes out of our sister’s suffering… it’ll give our position
away.”
As the Reapers spoke, I felt Valaine’s hands softening in mine. Her
shoulders slumped, and the corners of her mouth turned downward as she
looked at me. I saw the suffering in her eyes, and I felt it, too. She was
terrified of what she might release, of the damage she might inflict upon the
innocents we’d sworn to protect. They were all within her range, and the
tunnel had to act as a kind of conduit, making everything infinitely worse.
“Valaine, look at me,” I said, cupping her face and bringing her lips
closer to mine. “You’re going to get through this. Listen to my voice,
darling. Breathe in and out. Don’t leave me here, okay?”
She nodded, but she had trouble concentrating. Her eyelids were
drooping, and it was only a matter of time before she’d pass out and give in
to it all. The worst part was that I could feel it. The darkness. It was oddly
familiar. The kind of pain I’d felt before, deep within my bones. I wasn’t
ready to feel it again, but what could I do? Run? No, Valaine needed me.
If I could absorb even a fraction of what she was about to release, I
might be able to protect at least some of the people in the tunnel. My sister
and Kalon were the closest and in clear danger. I couldn’t let anything
happen to Esme.
The urgency of our situation amplified as Seeley and Rudolph took
Nethissis farther away, and Phantom and Morning got down on their knees,
joining us on the ground and gripping Valaine’s shoulders, as if preparing
for what would undoubtedly come next.
I looked to my left, seeing Esme and Kalon not far ahead of Seeley. The
Visentis boys were close to Kalon, so they also risked catching the Black
Fever. My stomach churned, an ache spreading through my torso as my lips
parted.
“Run, Esme! All of you! Run!” I shouted.
Despite our need for silence, I couldn’t keep quiet while the darkness
oozed out of Valaine and spread in every direction. My muscles hardened as
my chest was constricted by an invisible force. Black ink seemed to fill my
veins, visible through the pale skin. The fever was quick to follow, setting
my flesh on fire as I struggled to remain upright.
Valaine was as stiff as a board, the whites of her eyes black, dark veins
spidering around the eyelids. Her breathing was barely audible, the cold air
biting into my hot skin. This was it. The darkness. The result of millions of
years of suffering caused by the Spirit Bender. Valaine was consumed by it,
so much so that it was now looking to feed on someone else. No one was
safe. Not even me.
But as I held on to her, as I braced myself for the nothingness to
swallow me whole, I knew we had another shot at digging through her
memories. “Valaine, I need you to listen to me,” I whispered in her ear,
knowing she wouldn’t be able to respond anymore. Catatonia had already
taken over. “I need you to listen, Valaine,” I repeated. “I need you to follow
my voice, because we are not letting this… this suffering claim any more
lives.”
My confidence was impressive, considering how my body was already
succumbing to the Black Fever. I wrapped my arms around her and looked
at Morning and Phantom. Neither appeared reassured, so I had no certainty
about what would happen next. All I had was my faith in Valaine.
I hoped it would be enough. I hoped it would save us all.

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 ESME

I was told to run, but my feet had suddenly turned to lead.

Looking ahead, I saw Nethissis being dragged away by
Seeley and Rudolph. She didn’t want to go with them, but she
didn’t have much of a choice. Soul and Kelara were working hard to zap the
Orvisians farther through the tunnel with a clear sense of urgency. Behind
us, I could see Tristan and Valaine on their knees. My brother looked pale—
his face as white as a sheet of paper, black veins darting across his face.
Valaine seemed stiff, her eyes fully black with dark veins stretching around
them.
Morning and Phantom were there, too, but they were helpless. Horror
filled my soul, and my instincts flared as I understood what was happening.
“Esme, that doesn’t look right,” Kalon said.
“I don’t think we should be here,” Ansel added, holding Tudyk’s and
Moore’s hands. The rest of the crew kept moving through the tunnel. We
weren’t even halfway there, and I had a feeling our problems were about to
get worse.
“Ansel, take your brothers and run as fast as you can,” I said to the boy.
“Don’t look back. Keep running and tell everybody else to do the same.”
“What’s happening?” Moore asked, glancing back at Valaine.
“The darkness,” Kalon muttered, his voice low and raspy and dripping
with fear. “Ansel, do what Esme told you. Now! Run!”
The air grew heavy, supercharged with electrical particles that crackled
through my hair. The energy rippled over my skin, sending icy shivers
down my spine as I gripped Kalon’s shoulders.
“What about you?” Ansel asked Kalon.
 “He’s right. You need to go, too,” I said, my voice breaking. “Once the
darkness hits, you’ll be susceptible to Black Fever.”
“I’m not leaving you!” Kalon argued.
“You have to! Dammit, Kalon—I can’t let my brother stay behind alone,
and I’m a vampire. The Black Fever might not kill me.”
“We both know what’s coming out of Valaine might be a lot worse than
just the normal curse,” Kalon snapped. “I can’t go without you.” He paused
to look at his brothers. “Ansel, go!”
The boys didn’t want to leave, but they had no choice. Ansel started
running, dragging Moore and Tudyk away with him. Having Kalon with me
under these circumstances didn’t feel right, but I couldn’t stop him. My
heart thudded almost painfully in my chest as I looked over my shoulder.
Phantom and Morning were shouting something, but the sounds never
made it to us. Time seemed to slow down, the tunnel darkening as the
torches Ridan had left behind on the walls died out, one by one. With every
flame that died, I felt closer to the cold embrace of death, and I didn’t want
to be anywhere near it.
But I couldn’t leave. I needed to get to Tristan. The longer he held on to
Valaine, the worse he looked, and the harder it got for him to even keep his
head up. There was no way to describe the forces that came out of Valaine’s
Aeternae vessel. They thickened the air and drew layers of frost on the
tunnel walls. Steam rolled out with every exhalation.
“Tristan!”
He couldn’t hear me. He wrapped his arms around Valaine and held her
close. There were tree roots poking out through the tunnel walls, and they
began to blacken and rot before gradually drying and falling off like
gangrenous limbs. I remembered Tristan’s description of Valaine’s previous
bout of darkness, and the similarities were downright terrifying. I knew he
had to stop her, to help her get back to the surface of her consciousness, but
she was hurting him.
I couldn’t let that happen.
Kalon’s voice broke through. “Esme, don’t!” he shouted, though I was
already running toward Tristan. I reached my brother in a single short
breath, and the disease hit me like a physical blow. Hard and merciless,
right in my chest. I heaved, struggling to retain my senses as I grabbed
Tristan’s hand and tugged with all my strength.
There wasn’t much of it left, however. My arms were soft, like jelly.
 “Esme, get away!” I heard my brother say.
“No, I’m not leaving you!” I screamed.
“You’re getting sick,” Phantom murmured, her voice echoing in the
back of my head.
Valaine’s lips parted, her head tilting back. “What’s happening?” I
asked, nausea raising bile in my throat. Smoke… black smoke came out of
Valaine’s mouth. It smelled like smoldering tar, and it felt like the purest
form of suffering. It broke my heart to see her like this. The symptoms of
her Unending condition were getting worse with every one of these
episodes.
Tristan inhaled some of the black smoke, and his eyes rolled up into his
head, white as marbles. He froze, just like Valaine.
“What the hell is happening?!” I gripped his shoulders and shook him as
hard as I could. Morning swiped out a hand, releasing a flash of light that
briefly blinded me. I was thrown back, hitting the ground.
“Get away from him,” Morning said.
I scrambled to get myself back up, and I started running. Adrenalin
coursed through my veins, but I didn’t stop running. Looking over my
shoulder, I saw Tristan. There wasn’t anything I could do to get my brother
away from Valaine. She wasn’t listening. She couldn’t hear him. She’d lost
all control, and the darkness spreading out of her was killing everything in
its path, including the trees growing above. I could think of no better trail to
leave for the Darklings, no better proof that Valaine was dangerous.
Of course, I also understood that none of this was her fault and that
freeing her was absolutely imperative, but… this was my brother. Tristan
was falling apart, stricken by the Black Fever, and I wasn’t sure he’d
survive it, even though he was a vampire. This was a whole new level of
intensity for this disease-like curse, and I worried that none of us were safe.
Valaine’s suffering was lashing out against all forms of life now, not just
the Aeternae. I couldn’t be anywhere near her, so I bolted through the
tunnel, desperate to put more distance between us. I couldn’t let anyone else
get hurt like this. It killed me to leave my own brother behind, but I had no
choice.
My legs gradually softened, and panic struck me hard. I fell. My whole
body surrendered to the disease. Black ink filled my veins, dancing beneath
my white skin. The fever burned through me like the fires of an inferno, and
I understood there wasn’t much time left. Something dragged me farther
away, and I struggled to free myself. Glancing up, I caught a glimpse of
Kalon.
“Kalon! We need to go! Now!” I cried out.
“I know!”
We both glanced back to see what I’d left behind. Though smaller in the
distance, I could still see them. Tristan and Valaine were leaning on each
other, tendrils of black smoke stretching and swirling around them.
Phantom and Morning had pulled back, staring in disbelief as the smoke
swelled and swallowed my brother and Valaine.
I heard myself scream. It echoed through the tunnel. I froze. There was
a thud behind me. Moments passed in agonizing silence as I managed to
pull my gaze away from that lethal darkness. Coughing and heaving still, I
looked down and found Kalon on his side. Black blood trickled from the
corner of his mouth. He quivered, sweat dripping from every inch of his
skin. He looked awful. This was the Black Fever hitting him. It was
spreading faster through the tunnel than I’d originally anticipated. My
symptoms were getting worse, as well.
“Oh no,” I whispered, my mind switching gears.
Tristan was stuck with Valaine. I wanted to save him, but I couldn’t
touch him anymore. Kalon had already fallen under the Black Fever’s
influence, and unless I got him as far away from here as possible, I’d lose
him.
Grief threatened to tear me apart, but I found a sliver of strength
somewhere deep inside me, and I hooked my arms under Kalon’s shoulders.
Planting my boots firmly into the ground, I pulled him up and started
backing away, my leg muscles twitching and burning under our combined
weight.
Unable to take my eyes off Tristan completely, I witnessed everything
that happened as I struggled to get Kalon out of harm’s way. The black
smoke moved around my brother and Valaine, forming a strange ball, like a
revolving planet. Morning and Phantom stared at it, their scythes out and
glistening. Whatever this was, it was filled with rage and tears and
approximately five million years of misery. It wouldn’t be easy to
overcome.
“Kalon, hang in there,” I mumbled, my lips moving slowly.
I was growing sluggish. All the effort I’d put in was withering away,
leaving my body frail and unable to react. The Black Fever had taken a firm
hold over me, its symptoms settling in and sabotaging my attempt to at least
save Kalon.
“No, please… no, just a little while longer…” I sobbed, tears rolling
down my cheeks.
I landed on my back with Kalon’s upper body on top of mine, pinning
me down. Lifting my head, I watched the black smoke dissipate, revealing
my brother and Valaine. Tristan collapsed in front of her, his head resting in
her lap.
“Tristan …”
A peculiar kind of warmth enveloped me. It tasted bitter, like surrender.
My muscles softened. My bones gave out. My very soul broke as I
witnessed the end. It was coming for us all, dark and infinite, inconsolable
and wretched. Tristan loved Valaine too much to give up on her. Kalon
loved me too much to watch me die. I loved Kalon too much to watch him
die... The things we did for love were incredible and scary and baffling all
at once.
I passed out, clinging to a twinkling thread of hope that maybe, just
maybe, the universe might not give up on us. That it might reward us with
salvation because the sacrifices made in the name of love were the noblest
of all.
I fell into the darkness, feeling that hopeful thread as it slipped through
my fingers, leaving me with nothing. An absolute and empty nothing.

OceanofPDF.com
 TRISTAN

“I ’m so sorry, Tristan.”
Valaine’s melodious voice was crystal clear in the middle
of this vast nothingness. It wasn’t death. It wasn’t suffering,
either. It was a familiar kind of limbo. I was tempted to worry about the
physical world. I’d caught a glimpse of my sister crying and falling. Tree
roots rotting and blackening. The darkness that had taken over Valaine was
much stronger this time. It was different, too. More intense… weighing me
down in a way it hadn’t in the past. I wanted to get back to the surface, but I
understood that we were here for a particular reason.
Yes, she was having another episode, but this time it had taken us
deeper, somewhere we’d been before. She’d triggered a trance state, and I
didn’t have the time or the energy to wonder how she’d done it. All that
mattered was that we were here, and we had to make the most of it before
people on the outside died.
“Can you hear me?” I called out, though I had no sense of myself.
“Yes.”
“I can hear you,” I said. It was peaceful here, in the nothingness. I’d
missed this feeling.
“I don’t know how we got here,” Valaine replied. “But I can’t see you.”
“Neither can I. I mean, I can’t see you or myself… it’s like I left my
body out there in the real world.”
“That’s probably what happened.” Valaine sighed. “I’m hurting people,
Tristan. How do I make it stop?”
It was a difficult question, with an equally difficult answer. There
wasn’t a solution in sight—at least not one that might satisfy all our
requirements. It broke me to have to tell her this. “Valaine, I don’t think you
can make it stop. My guess is that we can only ride the wave and see where
it takes us.”
“But your sister, Kalon… all those innocents out there…”
“Let’s see where this darkness leads us, Valaine. We must be here for a
reason,” I said. “Maybe it’ll eventually lead us back to the surface, ideally
before it’s too late. How are you feeling now?”
She took a moment to answer. “I’m fine, actually. I feel fine. Calm. At
peace, even. There’s nothing here, and I can’t explain it.”
“It’s weird, yeah. It’s a peculiar place, but I think it serves as our
starting point just like it did before,” I replied. “We can’t do anything for
the outside world, but we can do something here. Do you think Phantom or
Morning are with us? Maybe they just can’t hear us.”
“No, I don’t feel them.”
“Then we’re alone. All the more reason for us to go through with this,
Valaine.”
Silence settled between us once more. I basked in it. I found peace in it,
just as she did. I wondered if death would be like this when my time came.
All things had to end at some point. We vampires only had the illusion of
immortality, not the true sense of it. I was more than happy to settle for that,
but I also had to wonder what lay beyond that last breath. Would it be like
this? Empty and quiet? Devoid of absolutely everything?
And how long before I’d lose my mind in it? We all craved a semblance
of such shadowed silence, but I doubted we could take much of it. Our
whole lives are spent in the midst of sounds—our voices, nature, traffic, the
wind and the foaming seas, the people we surrounded ourselves with,
gunshots and fireworks, music and laughter… how long before we’d go
crazy in the absence of it all?
“Do you see it, Tristan?” Valaine asked. I didn’t answer right away, my
mind still stuck on the whole insanity idea. “Tristan?”
“Yes, sorry. See what?” I was having trouble tearing myself away from
that odd train of thought. Then again, it didn’t need to be odd. After all my
brushes with death, it was only natural that I’d start asking myself such
things, especially since I was getting a taste of such intense and unrelenting
stillness.
“The golden thread.”
 Looking around, I finally noticed it. A slim little thing, barely a silken
string, almost invisible but for its golden reflexes. “It’s weak,” I said.
“It’s distant,” Valaine replied. “Let’s follow it…”
Reaching out, I felt the thread’s delicate texture tickling my skin, though
I could see no skin to speak of. I held on, moving in its direction, flowing
with it across the vast and empty sea. Soon the darkness dissolved into a
rich canvas of colors and shapes.
“Tristan, this is from a very long time ago,” she concluded, her breath
wavering. “I can feel it. Like a forgotten dream that’s finally coming back.”
I found myself in the middle of a narrow street paved with rounded
pieces of stone. It stretched and snaked up a coast, the ocean raging to my
left, its waves crashing and pummeling the tall and rocky shore. The salty
breeze was strong, and I could taste it on the tip of my tongue. Glancing
down, I realized I wasn’t really here. I was merely a viewer in someone
else’s memory. Valaine. There she was—walking up the street, her face
obscured by a dark green velvet hood, the cape flowing behind her.
This was a different version of the Unending. Young-looking, though
given the setting, she was close to ten thousand years, for sure. The fear in
her black eyes was all too familiar. She constantly glanced over her
shoulder, worried someone might be following her.
“Valaine, is that you?” I asked.
“Yes. You can see me?” Her voice persisted around me.
“It’s strange. I used to witness it all through your past eyes, but now I
seem to be on the outside,” I said.
“You’re getting it easy, then. I’m inside her. I have no choice but to go
where she leads me. Here’s the funny thing. I know her name. I know it in
my heart. I remember it!”
“Who is she?” I asked, staying close to the Aeternae woman in the dark
green cape as she made her way up the street. Ahead, a city rose with sturdy
rock towers and conical roofs. The clouds gathered overhead like puffs of
charcoal dust, and the wind intensified, making the woman’s cape dance
around her. The air felt cold. The salty taste lingered in my mouth.
“Eliana,” Valaine said, the woman’s lips moving as she spoke. I doubted
Eliana was even aware that we were here watching her. That Valaine was
inside her, using her to communicate with me. “Her name is Eliana.”
What an odd moment this was. I couldn’t look away.
“How do you know?” I wondered aloud.
 “I just do. I’m bound to her on a deeper level. Or maybe I’m just more
alert, more aware of everything this time around. Her name echoes inside
me. I’m Eliana.”
“Do you know where you’re going?”
“This is Roano,” Valaine replied. “I recognize it. Kalla described it to
me before. The westernmost city on the western coast.”
It was a big place. Imposing, too, with suspended bridges over large
houses and squares. Most of its buildings were tall, each yearning to reach
the heavens, all of them competing to get there first. There were four
watchtowers—magnificent things—robust columns with fires burning at the
top. They looked to the north, the south, the east, and the west.
As we entered the city of Roano, I realized this wasn’t a pleasant visit at
all. No, we were walking into a living hell, the city’s streets littered with
Black Fever infested bodies. Corpses had been piled up in the squares and
set ablaze, the meat melting off the bones as rolls of black smoke rose and
spread out. Screams of agony rippled from nearby. Mothers crying.
Husbands cursing their fate. Children begging for their parents to come
back… but there was no coming back from the Black Fever death.
Eliana kept moving, maintaining a low profile as she snuck through the
side streets. She knew where she was going. She’d been here before, but
never under such dire circumstances. The city of Roano was dying, its
Aeternae sickened and fading away with each minute that passed. The
stench of death persisted, replacing the breeze and filling my nostrils with a
sickening feeling. I stayed close to Eliana.
“She’s scared,” Valaine said through the Aeternae woman.
We rushed through the streets until we reached a higher level of the city.
Here, a rounded open space waited, its pavement glazed with dark red
blood. A battle was raging. I recognized the Seniors in their white silk
garments fighting… Darklings. Purity fought evil. White silk against black
velvet. Claws and fangs against claws and fangs. Part of the same species,
yet fundamentally different.
Kemi and Mira were leading the charge against the Darklings, moving
like shadows through the expanding brawl. Eliana stayed back, hidden
behind a stack of caskets, some of which had been broken. The blood had
already spilled from them, coagulating over the oakwood and turning
brown. Aeternae heads littered the entire area, Seniors and Darklings alike.
From what I could tell, the Seniors were winning, pushing back against the
Darklings, unwilling to let them take what they wanted.
“What is this?” I asked.
“I think I remember reading about this,” Valaine said. “It’s considered
forgotten history now. This was what led the Seniors into exile. The Battle
of Roano.”
“What do you know about it?”
“The Seniors fought the Darklings here. It was violent and bloody.
Innocent Aeternae were killed in the process, which is why the empire
agreed to have them retire on the island. Well, islands, as it turns out,”
Valaine replied.
“I wonder what made the Darklings come out into the open like this.
Roano is clearly affected by Black Fever,” I said.
“Today, the city dies. It’s why the Battle of Roano remains somewhat
obscure. The Black Fever hit it hard. On top of that, the Seniors fought the
Darklings here. The remaining Aeternae civilians didn’t stand a chance.
Roano has been abandoned ever since.”
“It doesn’t make sense,” I said quietly. Eliana moved away from the
battle and kept to the side streets, going farther north toward the
watchtower. “I can see the Seniors are trying to limit their violence to that
particular area. Where’s the collateral damage?”
“Maybe we’re still early in the story, so to speak. Maybe the worst has
yet to happen.”
Eliana took me away from the violence, but I looked back and saw Mira
and Kemi running toward us. They shouted her name, their faces contorted
with fear and horror as they tried to catch up.
“What are you doing here?!” Mira cried. “Eliana, no! Get away!”
“It’s not safe!” Kemi growled, picking up the pace.
But Eliana wasn’t having any of it. “I have to stop this!”
She raced up the stairs of the watchtower. The higher we got, the tighter
the walls around us. I got dizzy following her up the spiraling steps, but it
all took a turn for the worse when we reached the top. A fire burned here,
but it wasn’t what Eliana had come for. No, she’d come for the Master of
Darkness and the two Whips accompanying him. The Master smiled, while
Eliana tried to catch her breath.
“I’m here,” she said. “Be done with it already. My parents are coming.”
My heart sank as I put two and two together. “Mira and Kemi…”
 “I’m surprised you made it,” the Master said. He had sharp cheekbones,
his long blond hair making him look almost angelic. Beneath his
appearance, he was rotten to the core. “I’m surprised you decided to listen,
Eliana. Your stubbornness usually gets the better of you.”
“Too many people are dying. If I’m the cause, then stop me. I will die to
save them all,” Eliana declared.
“Oh no. You’re buying into their lies,” I whispered. There was nothing I
could do to prevent any of this from happening. This had already taken
place two million years ago. There was no way to change the past. All I
could do was witness it.
“Eliana, no!” Mira screamed from below. Feet thudded on the stone
steps as she tried to get to her daughter before it was too late.
“You are doing the Aeternae a grand favor, Eliana,” the Master said,
raising his scythe. “You shall be buried a heroine. Glory shall be yours in
death.”
The Whips sneered by his side, their eyes twinkling with excitement.
Outside, the city was dying. Blood drenched the streets of Roano. In here,
the Darklings were going ahead with their plan, maintaining the cycle that
the Spirit Bender had established long ago—an endless stream of lies and
suffering from which he had profited the most.
Eliana exhaled sharply, her eyes wet with tears as she stood tall and
proud. The scythe came down, and her head fell off with one swift blow. I
gasped, feeling my throat close up. I watched as Mira and Kemi made it to
the top and found her still form. The Whips vanished, using death magic to
teleport themselves away. The Master, however, stayed to rub it in.
“I told you she’d do it,” he said.
Mira was devastated. Instantly in tears, she knelt before Eliana’s body.
Her lips quivered as she struggled to make sense of it all. Kemi was livid,
his eyes wide with horror as his gaze bounced between his daughter’s head
and the Master.
“You… you killed our daughter,” he managed, shaking like a leaf. His
muscles twitched, and I could almost see the rage engulfing him, lava
flowing through his swollen veins as he took an attack stance. “You bastard!
We were helping her, Endymion! We were helping her remember!”
“She would’ve set us all free.” Mira sobbed, no longer able to stand.
“She would’ve ended this. You monster…”
 Endymion scoffed, unafraid and anything but repentant. “You don’t
understand. Most of us enjoy the idea of living forever. And you don’t get
to decide when it is all over. You don’t get to end it. The cycle must
continue. The Unending shall be reborn, and next time it’ll be someone
else’s child we have to kill. But the Aeternae will live on. Once again we’ve
stopped the Black Fever from destroying us all. It’s been a good day.”
“You killed our daughter,” Kemi repeated.
“And like I said, I’ll kill someone else’s son or daughter next time,”
Endymion replied. “I will do whatever it takes to maintain our glorious
empire, to preserve our species, to put eternity in our hands.”
“It’s not right. It was never right!” Mira croaked, her shoulders
slumping.
“You didn’t mind it for the first million years though, did you?”
Endymion shot back. “It was only when you got tired that this became an
inconvenience. Well, you know what, Mira? I’ll make sure you never die.
I’ll keep you all alive until you’re desperate to end it, and even then I will
deny you that release. Maybe then you’ll understand why the Darklings’
path is the righteous one, and yours is only based on this infantile delusion
that you can actually free the Unending. You can’t, Mira. No one can.”
“That’s a lie!” Kemi snarled. He lunged at Endymion, but the Master
slipped to the side, practically gliding across the floor. Kemi nearly threw
himself out the window by accident, but Mira was quick to grab him in
time. “The Spirit Bender locked her here. There has to be a way out for
her!”
Endymion laughed. “If there is, you won’t be the ones to find it. I’m
afraid your time in our society has come to an end.”
Mira and Kemi stilled, confused. “What are you talking about?” Mira
asked.
“Look outside. See what the Seniors have done,” Endymion said,
putting his scythe away and crossing his arms. He didn’t even feel
threatened by two of the oldest Aeternae in existence. “I may not have been
here when the Unending created our people, but I am certainly here to make
sure we live on. For that, I will do anything.”
Beyond the watchtower, carnage was unfolding. The Darklings—many
more than I’d originally estimated—flooded the lower streets of Roano,
killing everyone in their path. Fleeing Rimians and Naloreans, civilian
Aeternae, men, women, and children—no one was spared. The Black Fever
was already subsiding now that Eliana was dead. But in its wake, a different
kind of devastation came over the city. The Darklings were wiping
everyone out, as the Seniors, woefully outnumbered, struggled to stop them.
“What the hell are you doing?” Kemi breathed, unable to take his eyes
off the streets. Screams of pain and horror erupted, spreading outward and
drowning out the thunder of an approaching storm.
“Making sure you and your ilk stay out of our business for good,”
Endymion said with a chuckle.
Mira brought a hand to her chest as if to stop the ache that had settled
inside. The ache of losing her daughter who just happened to be the
Unending reborn. The ache of losing another chance at freeing the
Unending. The ache of losing her place within the very empire she had
helped build. All at the hands of Endymion and the Darklings.
“You’ve gone too far,” she murmured. “The Lord Supreme will never
allow you to operate in the light. We made sure of that long ago.”
“Maybe. But in time, the people will see that our way is the best.
Eventually, a leader who suits our needs will come to the throne. And until
then, you and all the Seniors will be gone, tucked away from civilization
with only yourselves for company. Rest assured, Mira, that I have other
ways to make you all miserable, and I’m just getting started.”
“The Lord Supreme will never believe we did that!” Kemi snarled,
pointing out the window.
Endymion threw his head back, laughing. I’d seen this sort of dramatic
demeanor before. “Endymion… sounds like a Visentis, if you ask me,” I
mumbled, mostly to myself.
“He is a Visentis. Petra’s distant uncle, to be precise,” Valaine said. She
was still here with me, though she’d lost Eliana’s vessel. I felt an inkling of
gratitude that I hadn’t been the only one to witness this. The truth about
what had happened in Roano.
“Something tells me he will,” Endymion replied. “I’ve made sure to get
the right messages through to him. In fact, I imagine there’s a convoy of
gold guards headed for Roano as we speak. It’s over, Kemi. It’s over. We’ve
won once again. We’ll keep on winning—and there is absolutely nothing
you can do about it.”
“You son of a bitch,” Kemi hissed, moving to attack Endymion again,
but Mira pulled him back and glared at the Master.
 “It’s no use, my love. He’s got Atlas’s scythe. You know what that thing
can do,” she said quietly. Endymion took a step forward, giving Eliana a
brief glance.
“She saved her people. She died with that thought in mind. I hope that
will give you both some much-needed comfort.”
“The only comfort I need is the one that will come after someone tears
your heart out,” Mira replied, baring her sharp fangs. “It’s not over,
Endymion. It will never be over. Not while I still have a breath in my body.
You just killed my daughter. Don’t think for one second that you’ll get
away with it. Do what you will, but I will find my way back to you, and I
will kill you. That eternity you long for… it will never be yours.”
Everything around us darkened. The colors faded. The stone bricks
turned to powder, blown off into the nothingness. I found myself at the
heart of a pitch-black void again—only this time I wasn’t alone. The city of
Roano was gone. The history had already unfolded. But there was someone
here with me.
She sat down, her legs crossed and her back turned. Her ink-black hair
flowed freely, white silk neatly wrapped around her body. Moving closer, I
began to recognize the creature that stood before me. I remembered the
graceful lines of her hips. Her delicate shoulders and long, slender arms.
It was Valaine, but not just Valaine. She looked at me, and I knew those
black eyes. I recognized the pain and the longing that shimmered in those
round irises. The full, red lips. The rosy cheeks. It was Valaine, but it was
also Eliana. The image of her shifted, and Eliana became someone else—an
Aeternae man whose face I’d seen reflected on a surface somewhere in our
past sessions. I’d found the core of Valaine, the sum of all the personas the
Unending had been born into.
Some of them I didn’t know, while others felt familiar. I caught a
glimpse of Valaine again, too. She kept changing, the images of her dancing
before me like a kaleidoscope of past lives. Each of them looked at me.
Each of them smiled and reached out. Each of them had been close to ten
thousand years when they’d met their end at the hands of Darklings.
“You’re the one who’s going to set me free,” a strange voice said, the
lips of the Unending’s past vessels moving all at once.
I was dazzled and speechless, trying to make sense of this vision. I had
no control over it. Heck, I couldn’t even focus, the people multiplying and
spreading before me like cards on a table. Eliana, Valaine, and everyone
else she’d been since the Spirit Bender had first locked her in. I could only
see it through.
“You’re the one who’s going to bring me back, Tristan. I can feel it,” the
voice added, making my whole being hum with a mixture of curiosity and
anxious worry.
It dawned on me then that it wasn’t Valaine saying this. Not anymore.
It was the Unending. She was finally making contact.
I’d found her.

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 ESME

I was in a dream, but it wasn’t the good kind.

It was a nightmare, and I was powerless to stop it. Darkness
surrounded me. It blinded me, but it didn’t deafen me. I could
hear everything. The screams of people fleeing from its path. The cries for
help. The low hum of death approaching, filling the tunnel.
The tunnel.
My eyes peeled open. I was in the tunnel. This wasn’t a dream at all. It
was reality, and it was catching up with me so fast, I had a hard time
coping. I’d been thrown over Kalon’s shoulder. He ran as fast as he could,
his breathing shallow as he carried me away from… “Oh God,” I managed,
with a clear view of what was coming for us.
I couldn’t see Tristan or Valaine anymore. Phantom. Morning.
Blackness had vanished them as well as it flooded the tunnel, spreading
toward us, ravenous and itching to get us.
“Kalon, you were sick,” I croaked. “The Black Fever…”
“I still am,” he said, interrupted by a violent cough. It made me shudder.
“But I came to, and here we are. How are you feeling?”
“Kalon, wait!” I tried to get down, but his arm held me firmly in place,
hoisted over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. I wiggled and squirmed,
but he refused to let go. “I can run on my own!”
“No, right now you need to sit tight and pray it doesn’t catch up with us
again,” he replied dryly, heaving as he struggled to reach the others.
I couldn’t see very well behind me, but I could hear everyone running,
their boots rumbling across the hard ground. Children screamed. Their
mothers were too busy fleeing for their lives to even comfort them.
 “Kalon, is that… is that Valaine?” I asked, the view before me jiggling.
The darkness was still coming, and it was horrifyingly fast.
“Yeah, it’s Valaine,” he replied. “She’s out of control. Everything is
dying around her. You were out cold, I could barely breathe, but the farther
we’re getting from her, the better I’m feeling. You?”
“The Black Fever. It’s coming out of her. Raw… untamed…”
“Exactly.”
“Tristan is still there with her, isn’t he?” I asked, though part of me
already knew the answer. Tears stung my eyes as I narrowed them,
struggling to see something through the gloom that was feverishly chasing
us.
“I’m sorry, Esme. We can’t get to him. He’s too close to her.”
I remembered now. “Kalon, I think I can run on my own. You’re putting
too much of a strain on yourself.”
“I’m okay. I just need to—” Kalon grunted in pain. He stumbled, and
we fell, rolling on the ground.
He managed to pull himself back up, terror imprinted on his face as he
looked at me. “It’s getting worse…” he managed.
The sickness was seeping into my bones and making it harder for me to
breathe. He was right, and I could feel it.
“It’s not fair,” I whispered as my vision grew hazy. I didn’t want to give
up. We could still make it, but my body was working against me. Sobbing, I
looked back at the encroaching darkness. It showed no mercy, gobbling up
everything in its path. Roots dropped from the tunnel’s ceiling, shriveled
and black. Everything disappeared. Soon, so would we.
My desire to save Tristan had already faded—much to my shame—as
my survival instincts kicked back in. I looked at Kalon and realized he was
the only one I could do something for, if only my legs would hold me.
Black blood trickled from his nose, but he refused to leave me.
“You know I love you, right?” I whispered. “We have to move, Kalon.
Either we both leave, or we both die in this place. There’s no in-between.”.
“It’s hard to move—” He doubled over with a violent cough, spraying
more black blood onto the ground. He couldn’t get back up. His body gave
out, and his knees buckled and bent. I lost him for a moment, but I pulled
him into a standing position. His head lolled back and forth, his blue eyes
rolling around with no ability to focus. It was definitely hitting him harder
and more intensely than before.
 I gathered what was left of my strength and threw him over my
shoulder. He’d taken great risks to protect me, and this was the least I could
do for him. My only hope was that my brother might survive, after all.
I looked back once more, unable to see anything except the dark energy
that was hurtling toward us. It was death in its purest form, and it wouldn’t
take any prisoners. I could feel it in my bones.
My options became clear. Either Kalon and I died here, or we tried to
survive this. My brother would want me to choose the latter. I knew that. I
wasn’t sure if Tristan was still alive somehow—by the grace of whatever
forces powered this universe—but I knew he would want me to fight, to
keep going, to relish every single breath of air I had left. He would want me
to leave him.
And so I ran, once more. With my soulmate bearing down on my
shoulder, I ran as though my heels were on fire. Mom and Dad came to
mind, for some reason. Perhaps they’d be my last thought before dying… I
could almost hear them cheering me on, telling me to keep going, to stop at
nothing. I could almost see Grandpa Kyle and Grandma Anna smiling at us,
though most of what I knew of them came from distant memories and
pictures from family albums. Despite that, they felt closer to me than ever
before.
As my legs moved and my muscles ached, I saw The Shade open up
ahead. With its redwood giants and evergreen canopy. With its night sky
and pearly moon. With its narrow paths and the colorful Vale. My home.
My haven. It had seemed so far until this moment, yet now it felt within my
reach. Maybe this was all part of the process, just before the last breath—
seeing everything I wanted, everything I’d been through, both good and
bad. A selection of the greatest hits, the moments I’d cherish long after I’d
be gone.
But I wasn’t ready to say goodbye to anyone. Not yet. I wasn’t done
living! I wasn’t done loving or fighting, either. The Shade dissolved like a
tiny drop of ink in a sea of clear water, and the tunnel opened ahead instead.
The Vision horses neighed frantically. I could see the others—Sofia,
Thayen, Trev… the Visentis boys… Rudolph, Seeley—so I kept running.
I kept running for our lives while the darkness chased us.
Up until now, we’d been the ones to chase darkness. This time, the
hunted was more powerful than anything we had to throw at it, so it hunted
us back. If only one of us could reach out to Valaine. If only one of us could
snap her out of her current state.
Maybe then we wouldn’t all have to die in this wretched tunnel.

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 TRISTAN

I kept staring at them. All of Valaine’s past lives were on display

from left to right, going on forever in both directions. They
stood before me, smiling, dressed in white silk, the void at their
feet and above their heads.
“Why me?” I asked. “Why does it have to be me?”
“Because you love with all your heart,” they said in unison. The strange
voice of the Unending didn’t come from just one entity. It came from all of
them at once, and I could barely keep myself together. I’d taken on this task
for the sake of truth and righteousness, but she was right. I was doing it out
of love, too. It was by far the most powerful of the feelings that had driven
me.
“How do I set you free?” I asked.
“I can’t remember. Not yet, anyway,” Unending replied. “It’s in here,
Tristan.”
The vessels brought their hands up, pointing fingers at their temples
with incredible synchronicity. I focused on Valaine in an attempt at
concentration, to make sense of what I was seeing and hearing. I’d become
so detached from myself while lingering in this nothingness that I could
barely think. My synapses were faltering, and the last thing I needed was a
slow mind.
“You’re lashing out,” I said. “You’re out of control.”
“I wish I could stop. I really do.”
“You have to help me, Valaine.”
“Say my name, Tristan.”
“Valaine.”
 “No, say my real name,” they replied.
I let out a deep sigh. I heard it, like a sullen whisper. “You have to help
me, Unending.”
Valaine smiled, as did the others. “It sounds so good rolling off your
tongue like that.”
“Can you help me?”
“I don’t know. I can try, but like you said, I’m out of control. I want it
all to stop.”
My patience abandoned me. I cursed under my breath and reached out,
pulling Valaine into my arms and hiding my face in her long, silky hair.
“You have to help me,” I told her. “You have to wake up and put an end to
all this. I will go with you to the end of the world, beyond all the realms,
known or unknown. I will do whatever it takes to set you free, but please…
please, Valaine, wake up.”
Seconds passed in gloomy silence, but I felt her softening in my
embrace. A smile tugged at the corner of my mouth as her heartbeats
matched mine. We were one, and nothing else mattered. The other versions
of the Unending vanished like mirages in a cooling desert. The night
wrapped itself around us, the chill rushing through my limbs. I hoped she’d
hear me.
Upon opening my eyes again, I found that we were surrounded by a
different kind of darkness. This one felt real and suffocating, like noxious
gas filling my lungs and shutting down every organ in my body. My blood
thickened, and a wave of pain crashed through me, making me whimper in
agony. Still I refused to let go of Valaine.
We were in the tunnel, in the heart of the very darkness she’d lost
control of. It swirled and raged around us and beyond, spreading far and
wide. Valaine was catatonic, kneeling only because I held her up. Her eyes
remained fully black, her head tilted back slightly. Eons of suffering rippled
out of her, feeding the frenzy, amplifying everything.
“Tristan,” Morning said, making me turn my head.
Phantom stood beside her. Soul, Widow, and Night had joined them.
Kelara must’ve stayed ahead to teleport the Orvisians farther away—I
figured she had better range, now. The Reapers’ brows were furrowed, and
sadness lingered in their galaxy eyes as they looked at us. I didn’t need to
hear their thoughts to know what they were thinking. I could smell the
defeat from a mile away. But I wasn’t ready to give up.
 “She’s going to kill everything and everyone,” Phantom said quietly.
“All our wards… nothing has helped. We’ve been trying.”
“How are you still alive?” Soul asked, looking astonished.
“She wants me to help her,” I replied. “She told me.”
“Valaine is out of it,” Night muttered, a single tear escaping from the
corner of his eye.
“No, Unending. Unending wants me to help her,” I said. It got their
attention. Night was the first to get closer, though he was clearly
uncomfortable. Whatever this energy coming out of Valaine was, it had
enough of an impact to affect the First Tenners. No wonder I’d seen Seeley
run away. It probably would’ve been worse for him—not to mention
Rudolph or Nethissis. Only I remained standing somehow, in the company
of Death’s first Reapers.
“You spoke to Unending?” Night asked, his head cocked to the side.
I nodded. “In the nothingness. Where we usually go to look for
memories. That’s where she is. I seem to have come back on my own this
time.”
“What did she say?” Morning asked, her eyes widening. Hope was a
fickle and dangerous thing, but she couldn’t really help herself. They all
wanted their sister back.
“She needs my help to remember. We need to keep digging into her
past,” I said.
“How? She’s about to kill the whole planet right now.” Soul scoffed.
“I’m not sure, but I know she wants to fight. She wants to be free.”
Tears filled my eyes. Love and grief took over, along with an excruciating
form of Black Fever. My skin burned, yet I refused to let go. I held Valaine
closely as the curse worked its way through me.
My insides liquefied. My heart slowed down.
“Tristan, she will kill you,” Phantom cried. She looked like a little girl,
a sister who was afraid to lose the people she cared about the most. The
Reaper was reduced to tears as she watched me succumb to the Black
Fever.
“I will die if that’s what it takes,” I managed, resting my head on
Valaine’s shoulder. “Though… to be fair, I’m not sure… how much
longer… I can last…”
My voice was breaking. Forming words had become a laborious
process. As much as I’d tried to fight it, the darkness was finally taking me
down, one cell at a time. Soon nothing would be left of me at all. Maybe
then I’d return to the void where I’d met the Unending. Where it was quiet
and peaceful. Maybe then I’d get to test my theory about how long it would
take for one’s spirit to go mad in the absence of everything that made this
life worth living.
“Death…” I whispered. My last resort had finally come to me. Facing
the end in the arms of my beloved had finally pushed me to do the one thing
I hadn’t even thought of before. I opened my heart and mind in prayer as I
sought Death beyond this realm. “Dear Death… Sacred Death, hear my
prayer,” I said, my voice getting stronger.
The wind howled around us. The darkness festered and ate away at me.
I was hanging by a thread, images flashing through my mind—Esme…
Mom… Dad… our childhood in The Shade… our numerous adventures in
all of Earth’s most hidden places… sharing fruit with the natives of
Amazonia… participating in the aboriginal rituals of southwestern Australia
—oh, I’d had a lot of fun throughout my short life. There was so much I
still wanted to do, but fate appeared to have other plans for me.
“Death, hear my prayer unto you,” I continued, yearning for my soul to
connect with the Lady of Reapers herself, wondering if she could hear me
even though we didn’t share a telepathic connection. “I need your help.
Your daughter, your beloved Unending needs your help. We’ve come far in
our quest, but we cannot go any further. Darkness and suffering surround
us. They eat away at us. I beg you, Death, to give me something, anything,
so I can save Unending. So I can love her forever.”
“What the hell is he doing?” Soul blurted.
“Praying,” Morning said. “He’s praying to Death.”
“Wow. When’s the last time that happened?” Widow asked. I heard the
question, but I couldn’t see them anymore. My eyes were closed as I held
Valaine tight and repeated my prayer over and over until my voice echoed
beyond the confines of space and time—or so I hoped.
“Billions of ages ago,” Night replied. “Back when the world was still
young. Back when Death had just made us. Proto-humanoids worshipped
her directly, remember? There were so many of them, too.”
“Ah, right. The early planets from the In-Between. Before the other
dimensions created their own life,” Morning said. “Millions prayed to
Death every night. She could hear them.”
 “Sometimes she would answer a prayer or two, as well.” Night
chuckled.
“Do you think she can hear Tristan now?” Widow asked.
“We can help him get the message across,” Soul said. A moment later,
his voice joined mine in prayer. “Death, hear my prayer unto you. I need
your help. Your daughter, your beloved Unending needs your help. We’ve
come far in our quest, but we cannot go any further. Darkness and suffering
surround us. They eat away at us. I beg you, Death, to give me something,
anything, so I can save Unending.”
Soon they were all chanting with me. Our prayers met in the ether,
melding into one single voice, one powerful message that hopefully
transcended the planes of existence.
“Death, hear my prayer unto you…”
“Your daughter…”
“Your beloved Unending needs your help…”
“Darkness and suffering…”
“I beg you, Death,” I said. “To give me something, anything, so I can
save Unending.”
This was the closest we had ever gotten to the truth. The closest the
Unending had gotten to finding her true self. Maybe the universe would
help us this time around. Maybe the Word or other forces in this cosmic
vastness would take pity on our suffering and help get our prayer across.
We were wading into uncharted territory, and we knew little to nothing
of what lay ahead. I didn’t know what to expect, except for my demise. My
body was gradually caving in. Breathing became impossible. Hot and cold
currents burst through me. Whatever was left of my heart was breaking, but
I continued praying.
I had come so far… I had come so close to touching her. The real her.
The Unending. It felt surreal—so beautiful, so potentially wonderful that
not even death by Black Fever scared me. I was moments away from
salvation or destruction. I prayed. We all prayed, raising our voices higher,
hoping that she, the wielder of the end, might hear us. That she, the bringer
of eternal night, might save us.
Hope would perish last.

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 TAERAL

D ue to the difficulties our people had on Visio and the complexity

of the Unending situation, I was compelled to visit Aledras
again. Here, Death sulked as the Time Master, the Nightmare,
and the Dream struggled to break another seal. Around five hundred
remained, and each subsequent seal was proving harder to crack than the
one before it.
A chain linked Death’s ankle to the bottom of the frozen lake. Sheer
whiteness spread as far as the eye could see, and snowy forests rose around
the edges. To the north, merely a glimmer on the horizon, stood a city with
white towers. The Aledrasians were likely still recovering from their
Hermessi trauma, and the weather was often severe this time of year, so few
had the courage to venture this far out.
The wind howled, snow pricking my face as I made my way across the
thick ice toward the center where Death sat, her long black hair half white
with frost. She didn’t feel the cold on her skin, but she didn’t look
comfortable, either. The Spirit Bender had mercilessly bound her to Aledras
with a thousand seals. I would’ve been glum about it, too. The Time Master
moved slowly around her, analyzing each of the black runes imprinted on
her body. Some had vanished—broken already—but half remained and
grew increasingly hard to break.
Dream and Nightmare sat on the edge of the ice hole with their bare feet
dipping in the water, while Death had her legs crossed, white silk dress
rippling in the wind. Her face lit up when she saw me. “Taeral… what
brings you here?”
 “You know very well why I’ve returned,” I said. “Our people need help.
Your help.”
“I heard about the Orvis situation,” Death replied. Time stopped, giving
me a sideways glance. A muscle ticked in his jaw. He seemed tense.
“Seeley told me through our telepathic connection. I asked him to keep me
informed.”
“I’m sorry, but that’s not enough anymore. Do you even understand
what’s going on there? The horrible things we’ve found…” I scoffed,
bringing out Thieron. “If you can’t trust me, why am I even bothering to
hold on to this?”
Death stilled, her expression shifting into something blank, almost
lifeless. “I trust you, Taeral. Don’t ever doubt that. I wouldn’t have asked
you to hold it for me if I didn’t.”
“Then trust me with whatever it is you’re still keeping from me!” I
snapped. “There is something more here. There is something about the
Spirit Bender that you’re not telling me. My friends are facing his followers
as we speak, and unless we know exactly what we’re dealing with, it will
likely kill them all!”
“I told you. I told you to keep your people out of this because my
Reapers were handling it,” Death replied. “It’s not my fault you mingled
with the undead despite my clear instructions.”
“Right, right! The living cannot have any contact with those beyond.
Yeah, we’ve all heard that crap before. But it was your people who reached
out. Seeley and the First Tenners were the ones who got in touch and helped
us. And now we’re working together, so instead of droning on about how
the rules were broken, how about you help us adapt and move forward?”
“What do you want me to do, Taeral? The Spirit Bender is gone. I
cannot do anything in my current state. The mission is still simple: get
Unending out of there and bring her to me, so she can break the rest of these
wretched seals! Then I can take Thieron back and put an end to whatever
the Darklings are doing. I told you, Taeral. I told you to keep your friends
away from the Darklings because I’m the only one who can handle them.
Everything that’s happening now, it’s because none of you listened! Not
you. Not my Reapers. None of you.”
“Forgive me, but you’re wrong.” Time’s interjection stunned Death.
He’d always been the quiet one, from what I could tell. He did her bidding
and rarely objected. The signs I’d noted earlier were true, then. The Time
Master was disagreeing with his maker, and that was a rare occurrence.
“Excuse me?” Death asked, turning to look at him. Dream and
Nightmare were speechless, frozen in place and exchanging nervous
glances.
“Even now, you’re not telling him or us everything,” Time said. “You’re
holding back. You have yet to explain exactly how much information you
gave the Spirit Bender. What you taught him. It’s clearly more than any of
us have learned from you. The Reapers are working with the living because
you refuse to admit the scale of this disaster. You are stubborn, thinking a
handful of First Tenners will be enough to resolve something that Spirit
took eons to put together. Taeral has every right to be angry, to demand
more from you.”
“I cannot believe you’re saying such things…” Death murmured.
“Am I not speaking the truth? Things would go a lot smoother if you
just met some of Taeral’s demands. More Reapers on the battleground in
Visio, for example, would tip the scales against the Darklings.”
“The Master of Darkness chased our people out of Orvis,” I said.
“They’re currently tunneling their way toward the west coast, and Valaine
keeps having trouble with her inner darkness. The millions of years that she
has spent in that world have taken their toll. Her suffering threatens to wipe
out the entire planet.”
“You’ve found her. That’s what matters,” Death replied.
“No, what matters is that we have to set her free, and we have no idea
how to do that before she wipes out the whole of Visio, my friends
included,” I shot back.
“Let them burn!” Death hissed. “After everything they did to her, it’s
the least they deserve!”
“Most of them are innocent,” I said. “They don’t even know their true
origins. The Darklings buried the truth. Besides, there are Rimians and
Naloreans living there, too. It’s bad enough the Aeternae have been feeding
on them for countless generations—now you want them to perish as
collateral damage, too? It’s not fair. No, I reject your premise, and I demand
that you come clean. There is something you’re not telling us.”
“Mind your tongue, Taeral! I will be here long after you’re dead.” Death
pointed an angry finger at me.
 “Oh, enough with the cryptic talk!” Dream shot to her feet, shaking.
“First of all, when Taeral dies, he’ll become a Reaper, so he’ll definitely be
around. Second, I’m with Time and Taeral on this. You haven’t told us
everything, and you must. You keep improvising, handing out orders as you
go along, because your ego is blinding you. At least admit that you screwed
up somewhere along the way. Honestly, it’s the only possible explanation as
to why you’re being so absurd and irrational.”
The air thickened as Death’s nerves tightened. We’d managed to piss
her off. I could only hope that the remaining five hundred seals would hold
her back, since I’d been told more than once that she could be quite
temperamental. And for a cosmic force like Death, that could result in
instant annihilation for the likes of me.
Before she could respond, Nightmare stood up, joining his twin. “She’s
right, Mother,” he said. “We’re toiling away here, working hard to set you
free. The Reapers and the living are fighting to bring Unending back to you,
to us. We’re all trying to mend the damage that the Spirit Bender has
inflicted upon this universe. The least you could do is tell us the truth. We
know you’re hiding something else. Just let it out. It’ll feel better, I
promise.”
“If you don’t tell us, I swear I’ll leave. You can destroy me when you
manage to free yourself. I don’t really care anymore,” Time added. “Seeley
nearly got turned into a ghoul. Rudolph and countless others weren’t so
lucky, and they are now forever doomed. Our sister has been suffering for
almost five million years, stuck in a cycle she can’t break free of. Nothing
you’ve done is as bad as what will happen if you keep withholding the truth
from us.”
Death sighed deeply, her shoulders slumping as she lowered her gaze
for a moment. It felt like forever from where I stood, gripping Thieron
tightly. My knuckles were white, skin stretched over bone. I found comfort
in knowing that the First Tenners experienced the same frustration I did.
Maybe this was the final push that Death needed to tell us everything. I’d
known for a while that she’d been holding back. Even during the Hermessi
wars, I’d had to drag every word out of her.
“For a long time after I set the First Tenners free, the Spirit Bender
stayed close to me,” Death finally said. “I didn’t tell anyone because I
cherished those moments more than anything else. He was kind and patient,
always by my side, keeping me company while I expanded the Reaper
network and watched them all go their own ways. A structure had already
developed, and the senior Reapers were very good at their jobs. There was
balance in my world, but I was lonely. Spirit understood that, so he kept me
company. Out of gratitude, I showed him lesser-known death magic spells.”
“Oh crap. I think I know where this is going,” Dream murmured, hiding
her face in her hands. Death shook her head slowly.
“I didn’t know. I think I’ve said this before. I didn’t know he’d turn
around and use it against me or any of you,” she said.
“You’ve already told us this. I mean, we’re aware Spirit learned most of
his death magic from you,” I replied.
“But you don’t know the extent of the knowledge I gave him. Only
Spirit and Unending were granted such access to the very depths of death
magic. Unending learned before Spirit… before I… before our argument,
followed by her departure. She learned before I even made her siblings,
during a time when I’d thought she and I would be enough for this realm.
Point is… I took them both back to the primordial layers of my power. I
taught them the core elements of my craft, and they were able to use them
to create other spells. New seals and rituals. Stuff even I hadn’t thought of.”
“Death magic is made up of building blocks,” Time explained for my
sake. “The top of the craft is what you’ve seen for yourself. A cast spell, a
seal, a circle to keep us bound, that sort of thing. It all stems from the
building blocks, a group of ten words and a hundred sub-words, as we call
them. As First Tenners, the closest we ever got to the very core of death
magic was in learning about twenty of the sub-words. Think of them as
ingredients. If you know them individually, you can mix them around,
either by following an established recipe or by forging new spells and seals.
The ten words are at the center of it all.”
“And I taught Unending and Spirit five of those words. Which is why
Spirit was able to trap me like this, not to mention what he did to his
siblings,” Death replied. “And why we’re having such a hard time freeing
ourselves from his spells. Spirit used words and sub-words, most of the
latter being familiar to the First Tenners, but the recipes are… different. So
breaking them is a bit of a guessing game, combined with a lot of strength.”
I gasped. “Hold on, let me see if I’ve got this straight. Death magic is
based on ten words and a hundred sub-words.”
“And thousands of sounds,” Time added. “A regular Reaper only knows
the sounds and, if he or she is lucky, a few sub-words. The words are
normally occult, hidden from our knowledge. Except for Unending and
Spirit, it seems.” He shot Death a reprimanding look.
“What exactly are the implications here?” I asked.
Time ran a hand through his curly hair, his galaxy eyes shimmering with
a mixture of anger and anxiety. “It means the possibilities are pretty much
endless as far as Spirit’s magic is concerned. And solving every seal he’s
cast would take longer than we have, considering the turmoil on Visio. We
need Unending to wake up and tell us what she knows. She might not be
able to free herself if Spirit went the extra mile on her seals, but she would
at least know what words and sub-words he used to bind her.”
A weight settled in my stomach as the whole picture came into focus.
Death had handed the nuclear codes to her most dangerous son, and he’d
gone ahead and done the worst with them. At least I understood what Death
had been holding back, and why her ego had prevented her from admitting
it before now. I tried to put myself in her position. Sadly, I had to accept
that I probably would’ve done the same thing, given the damage that Spirit
had done.
“Is there any connection between death magic and Word magic, since
you use these so-called words and sub-words and sounds?” I asked, the
connections falling into place in my mind.
“The Word, as you call it, functions on the same elements. Words, sub-
words, and sounds. A collection of spoken elements in a language known
only to its disciples, with the power to alter the fabric of time and space and
beyond,” Death said. “Death magic is dark. Not evil, but dark. Bound to the
shadows and the nothingness that exists outside existence. Word magic—or
as I prefer to call it, life magic—is light. Not necessarily good, but bound to
light and fire and energy, to existence itself. Various other forms of magic
stem from these two.”
My head was reeling as I tried to grasp this new information. “What
about the witches from the Sanctuary? The jinn? The Lamias and the
Druids and their magic?”
“Most of them are distant descendants of the Word. The Sanctuary’s
white witches and the jinn are born as such, but they’re bound to life and
connected to the Word, even if it never speaks to them,” Death said. “The
black witches—now extinct of course—were the same, but with threads
from death magic. The combination was dangerous, and it corrupted them
over the years. It transformed them. Druid magic also stems from the Word.
But like I said, their origins are deeply buried in the past, in a time that no
one remembers. My brother was generous with his powers. He handed them
out to the living. I only had reign over the dead, and I didn’t see the point of
magical ghosts, so I kept death magic to myself… at least until I made the
Reapers.”
“So all the witches from all over this cosmos, regardless of their type
and power… they’re all linked on an ancient level to the Word. Like the
swamp witches,” I said. “Consider my mind blown here.”
Time scoffed. “Death and the Word have been around since the
beginning of the universe.”
“Since before, actually,” Death corrected him. “But these are details.
Purely trivial and unimportant. What matters is that, in the end, there is
nothing I can do to help you against the Darklings, Taeral. I gave Spirit too
much knowledge, and I don’t know what he did with it.” She paused, the
corners of her mouth dropping. “I’m sorry.”
It was all too much for me. I felt the need to just crouch and take deep
breaths as the winter winds intensified, the cold biting my cheeks.
Groaning, I closed my eyes for a moment, trying to figure out what else
there was to do. My friends on Visio were in trouble, and they needed all
the help they could get. But what sort of assistance could I provide now that
Death had finally come clean and told us the whole truth about Spirit?
“They’ll have to find a way to set Unending free without killing
everybody else,” Death continued, her gaze fixed on the ice at her feet.
“Until I have my freedom and Thieron in my hand, I cannot fix anything.
And there is no number of Reapers that can help, either. I gave Spirit too
much power without considering the repercussions until it was far too late.”
Suddenly, Death started shaking as if lightning surged through her.
Gasping, she fell on her side, her whole body convulsing, her limbs
twitching. Dream and Nightmare rushed to help her, but they didn’t seem to
know how.
“What is going on?” Dream managed, her galaxy eyes wide with horror.
“Why is she… what is this?” Nightmare asked, looking at Time, then at
me. I offered a shrug in return, since I was the last person on Aledras who
might provide an answer.
Time, on the other hand, was smiling. “Do neither of you recognize
this?” he replied.
“What did I say about cryptic talk? Out with it!” Dream snarled.
 “Someone is praying to her,” Time said, hands slipping into his pockets.
“I haven’t seen this in a very long time. I’ll admit… it’s astonishing.”
Nightmare sucked in a breath. “Holy smokes, Time’s right.” He sat
back, watching Death’s convulsions with calmness and a childlike curiosity.
“Someone is praying to Death herself. Not some invented goddess from the
pits of a distant galaxy. No, Death. Our Death. The true Death.”
“I take it that’s not a regular occurrence?” I asked.
Time shook his head. “A long time ago, before the Reapers were made,
Death walked the worlds where there was life. She took it upon herself to
reap the souls of the earliest creatures, to send them into the beyond. Back
then, Death was young, almost playful, and she occasionally revealed
herself to those she considered special.”
“Special, like the people whose spirits she kept close in her palace on
Mortis?” I asked.
“Pretty much, yes. Some lived to tell the tale, though, and they
worshipped her. They established cults in her name. They prayed to her,
knowing who she really was. And whenever they did that, this happened,”
Nightmare said. “It looks bad, but it’s not.”
“She always said it felt amazing,” Dream said quietly as the convulsions
subsided, and Death appeared to sleep, her lips stretching into a satisfied
smile. “Despite the shaking and the passing out, she welcomed each prayer,
claiming it made her feel rejuvenated. It’s weird, I know.”
“Mind you, it’s been forever since she’s experienced an actual prayer,”
Time said. “I didn’t think there was anyone left in the world of the living to
worship Death directly.”
“I take it they all died out?” I said.
Dream sighed. “I don’t even think their planets exist anymore. All
things come to an end, remember?”
With a deep inhalation, Death opened her eyes, and I nearly got sucked
into the endless darkness that lay inside them, stretching infinitely beyond
everything known and unknown. She pulled herself up into a sitting
position, tucking a lock of silky black hair behind her ear. We all watched
her quietly, waiting for her response.
“I… I haven’t felt like this since… I can’t remember,” she whispered,
gradually returning to reality.
“You received a prayer, didn’t you?” Dream asked, and Death gave her
a faint nod. “Who from?”
 Death looked at me. “Tristan. It was amplified by Soul and the other
First Tenners. I could hear them, loud and clear, as though they were right
here with me.”
“What? Tristan? How?” I croaked, my heart leaping.
“I guess it was an act of desperation. Something is awfully wrong on
Visio, and they’re losing control of the Unending’s misery,” Death said. “I
should’ve seen this coming…”
“Dammit. What can I do? What can we do?” I asked. My feet were
already burning. I was itching to get out of here and head straight to Visio.
Death had wanted me to keep Thieron away from the Darklings, but I felt
like I’d be of better use there than anywhere else. Sometimes the benefit
outweighed the risk.
Death gave her Reapers a glance. “I’ll give you Time, Dream, and
Nightmare.”
“Yes!” Nightmare exclaimed, raising his fists to the sky as if he’d won
some kind of prize. His enthusiasm was adorable.
“They will be better than nothing,” Death said to me. “I’m sorry I
cannot do more. I will trust you with my first children, and I will trust you
with handling Thieron over there without getting any of us in deeper
trouble. Under no circumstances can you lose my weapon. Do you
understand me?”
“Taeral doesn’t even need to show himself unless he absolutely has to,”
Time replied. “His wielding of Thieron is nowhere near proficient. It’s
better not to risk it. But I can help my sister, Unending. Dream and
Nightmare, too. They’re more than happy to do what they can.”
Death nodded once, shifting her focus back to me. “Go to Visio. Be
careful.”
I didn’t dare to feel enthusiastic about any of this. There wasn’t much I
could make of the whole prayer incident either, except that Tristan and the
others were in a whole lot of trouble. Death had told Spirit too much. She’d
taught him things that were—from what I understood—too dangerous and
volatile, and Spirit had used this knowledge against her and against the
other Reapers.
But I wasn’t hopeless. At least we had a better understanding of the
trouble ahead. We knew more about what it was that we were about to walk
into.
OceanofPDF.com
 TAERAL

“I will grant you some authority to use Thieron beyond the

parlor tricks you’ve already learned,” Death said, settling on
the edge of the ice hole again. She looked awfully lonely like
this. I almost felt sorry for her. “Bring Thieron over here.”
I gave her the scythe, and she lovingly gazed at it for a few moments,
admiring its sculpted handle, its curved blade, and the slowly rotating
Phyla. There was a bond between Death and her weapon. Thieron was, after
all, an extension of her power. No matter who held this scythe, it would
always belong to her. It would always respond to her with its full might and
potential.
She pressed her lips against Zetos, the blade, and whispered something.
After having learned so much about death magic and Word magic, I was
inclined to assume she was using some of the basic words to make Thieron
obey me for stronger spells. Ironically, she didn’t have the precise recipe of
words and sub-words to break her own seals, but she could still program
Thieron to work for me. The entire weapon lit up for a moment, and she
gave it back to me.
“There are still limits on it,” she said. “I cannot remove those until I am
free. But I gave you everything I could under the circumstances. Time will
teach you some spells, should you need them. Only use it if you have no
other option. Please, Taeral, I cannot stress this enough—”
“Be careful.” I cut her off. “I get it. Like Time said, I don’t even have to
reveal myself. I’ll only use Thieron in the absence of any other option.
Believe me when I say that I really don’t want to risk losing this weapon.
Not after what we went through.”
 “Go to Unending.” Death looked at Time, Dream, and Nightmare. “She
needs you. All of you. You are of better use there helping her to freedom
than you are here, struggling with each of these damned runes.”
“And the Darklings? What protocols shall we follow?” Time asked.
She released a deep breath, biting her lower lip. “I’m not sure. It would
be unpleasant for you not to work with the rest of your brothers and sisters
in arms. Follow their lead. See what they tell you. I trust Seeley’s judgment,
despite his emotional attachment to Nethissis.”
“Whoa, the Lamia witch? Where’d you get that from?” Nightmare
chuckled.
“I know everything about you,” Death reminded him with a dry smile.
“Even the things you think you’re keeping from me. Therefore, I know
what’s in Seeley’s undead heart.”
“A feeling our kind seldom experiences,” Dream murmured. “I’m
impressed.”
“A Reaper fell in love with a living creature who then became a ghost,”
Nightmare replied. “That’s not impressive. That’s just weird.”
“Don’t be cruel,” Dream hissed. “It’s romantic. Star-crossed lovers, so
to speak.”
“And you’re all digressing,” Time said. “We’ll follow the current
protocols. Seeley is more or less in charge, and our First Tenner siblings
will fill us in on all the details once we get there.”
Death lay on her back with her calves submerged in the ice water. A
snowstorm was coming, painting the distant forests white until they
vanished from sight. The temperature continued its drop, my inner fire
dimming as I began to feel the cold. It seeped into my bones, stiffening my
muscles.
“I don’t know how this will all work out,” Death said. “In the end, one
way or another, sooner or later, I shall be free. I only wish to see you all still
living when that happens. Be wary of the Darklings. My instinct tells me
they have death magic they haven’t used before, words and sub-words
mingled into proprietary spells left behind by the Spirit Bender. Even in the
nothingness, he continues to haunt me.”
“What’s the nothingness, exactly?” I asked, as I’d heard this term before
—not only from Death, but also from Tristan’s account of his trances with
Valaine during their memory recovery sessions.
 “I think the word is pretty self-explanatory,” Death replied dryly. “It’s
the lack of life. The absence of light. The void, the true void where nothing
exists. That is where Spirit is now. That is where Thieron sent him.”
“So he didn’t move beyond, into the world of the dead,” I concluded.
“No,” Time replied. “That would’ve been a gift to the Spirit Bender,
since he would’ve taken his powers with him into that realm. Not a good
idea, and Thieron knew it.”
The scythe carried Death’s reasoning and intelligence, too, I realized.
“What’s the beyond like?” I asked. I’d wondered about it frequently after
I’d been introduced to this new and fascinating facet of the universe, but I’d
never dared voice such a question. With Death still trapped, I figured it was
worth a shot, at least. She’d already told me so much, it would be a pity not
to ask.
“You’ll find out when your time comes,” Death said, her tone clipped.
“It’s not for you or anyone else to know.”
“Technically speaking, I won’t, because I’m destined to be a Reaper,
remember?”
My response caught her off guard. She paused, blinking rapidly in a bid
to get her bearings. “It’s not for you to know, Taeral. The afterlife belongs
to those who cross beyond. Period.”
I didn’t like the answer, but I doubted I’d get more out of her. Time
didn’t seem satisfied, either. Dream and Nightmare were too creepy and
nonchalant to even care, judging by the absent looks on their faces. They
were probably dying to get to Visio.
“We don’t know, either.” Time glanced my way. “We only usher the
spirits beyond. But we never get to peek behind the curtain.” His brow
furrowed briefly, and I took it as a sign to stop pushing the boundaries here.
In Death’s presence, the Reapers couldn’t tell me much. I had plenty of
follow-up questions. Maybe Time would answer once we got away from
Death.
“Is there anything else you need to tell us before we leave?” I asked
Death.
She raised an eyebrow at me. “I’ve bared my soul to you already.”
“You don’t have a soul,” I replied. “But I get your point.”
“Stay in touch,” Death said to Time. “I will be here, waiting.”
“Should we send you some Reapers to at least keep you company while
we’re gone?” Nightmare asked, but Death waved him away.
 “Don’t worry about me. I’m fine here in the company of snow, silence,
and ice. Perhaps I’ll lure a wandering soul, if I get bored. I’ll listen to their
life story, should I find myself in need of entertainment.”
Time took my hand while Dream and Nightmare placed theirs on his
shoulders. Electricity crackled around us. Flashes of light danced at the
corner of my eye. My skin tickled and pricked here and there, my throat
burning as though I’d swallowed lightning. My heart raced, my pulse
throbbing as I tried to understand what was happening.
Dream giggled when she noticed the terrified look on my face. “Oh,
you’ve never traveled with Time like this before, huh?”
“Explain what this is,” I managed, my throat closing up.
“Transmutation,” Time replied. “We’re going to ride as pure energy.”
“Whoa. Okay. What’ll it do to me?” I asked, feeling myself torn apart,
limb by limb. He gripped me tightly and held me up, offering a faint but
reassuring smile.
“We’re all pure energy, deep down. I’m merely reverting us back to it,”
he said. “It will only hurt for a second.”
“Define hurt!” I shouted as the pain became unbearable.
Every atom in my body suffered. Every cell burned. My skin was torn
clean off the muscles. The muscles were stripped from the bones. The bones
were pulverized… and I was suddenly nothing and everything at once.
Death’s beautiful and timeless face dissolved into a black sea filled with
twinkling stars.
The universe itself warped around me. I heard the low hum of nearby
interstellar explosions. Of plasma bubbling along the edge of galaxies. I felt
the rush of the void against my whole being as we shot through space at an
incredible speed.
Panic would’ve taken over had it not been for the temporary absence of
a body. I’d been reduced to a darting mass of electrons, racing against the
light of the suns themselves as the Time Master took us to Visio. In the
midst of this cosmic insanity, I would’ve imagined myself smiling.
I was on the wildest ride of my life.

OceanofPDF.com
 ESME

F or a while, I was convinced I was running pretty fast, despite

the weight of Kalon on my shoulder. Desperation had
pumped me full of adrenaline, and my legs seemed to be
moving just fine. It was only an illusion, I soon realized. I was slowing
down.
Seeley, Nethissis, Rudolph—they were farther ahead, getting smaller in
the dimly lit distance. Sofia and the others were mere figures moving
against the narrow amber backdrop as the tunnel continued to forge its way
through to the west coast.
Behind me, the darkness swelled, rife with pain and misery. I could feel
it licking at my nape, eager to devour me. As much as I tried, we were
falling behind. The Black Fever symptoms were amplified, the fever boiling
through my veins, setting my skin on fire. I coughed dark blood. Kalon was
unconscious. I wasn’t sure we’d make it. My knees were weak once more.
“We have to…” I whispered. “We can’t let it take us.”
Time stood still. Everything paused along with my breath as a powerful
white light exploded behind me. It made no sound, but rather silenced
everything as it expanded, and I came to a sudden halt. I looked over my
shoulder to see the brightness filling the tunnel. There was nothing behind
us other than the pure white glow. Nothing and no one. I exhaled sharply.
For a couple of moments, I faltered, wondering whether I should run.
The Black Fever was fading inside me. My body was recovering. The fever
subsided, and my heart rate slowed down. I took a deep breath, smiling, as I
no longer felt any pain in my ribcage.
 “What is that?” I wondered aloud, watching the light begin its lazy,
gradual retreat—revealing the stones used to hold the tunnel up, the
blackened tree roots, the reddish dirt and multicolored pebbles that littered
the walls and the hard ground.
Setting Kalon down as gently as I could, I gave him a quick once-over.
He was still pale, a sheen of sweat covering his face, but the black veins
were disappearing. His breathing was shallow but even. He was definitely
better than when I’d first picked him up.
“I’ll be back in a jiff, I promise,” I told him, hoping he might hear me.
My mind was set on Tristan. Worry burrowed a sickening hole in my
gut. I wasn’t even sure he’d survived this round, since it was obviously
much more intense and dangerous than anything else he’d described, but I
had to find out. I ran back toward the shrinking white light, until familiar
figures emerged about a mile down. I’d thought we’d run farther than this,
but then again, both Kalon and I had been crippled by the Black Fever. It
must’ve significantly slowed us down.
Tristan was on his knees, eyes wide open. “Thank the stars!” I blurted,
relief washing over me in a soothing wave.
Valaine was on the ground, seemingly unconscious. A few too many
Reapers had their hands on her, each of them whispering something as the
black veins around her eyes faded. I saw Soul, Phantom, and Widow.
Kelara, too, along with Sidyan, Night, and Morning. But there were three
others I had yet to meet, and their presence startled me. Morning and
Phantom must’ve summoned their siblings through their telepathic
connection.
By the time I reached them, I was breathless and thrilled. I wrapped my
arms around my brother and held him tight for the longest minute. He
shuddered in my embrace as he hugged me back, hiding his face in my hair.
His dark and curly hair tickled my face, and I felt his tears on my cheek as I
moved my head to shower him with sisterly kisses.
“You scared me!” I managed, cupping his face.
“I’m sorry,” he replied. “I couldn’t leave her…”
“What’s going on? Was that Valaine’s darkness?” I asked, looking first
at Tristan, then at the Reapers. One of them took out a pocket watch, briefly
flipping it open. He frowned and put it away. Behind him, the last tendrils
of smoky darkness got sucked into what looked like an arched blade of pure
light. It, too, vanished shortly afterward, and I had a ton of questions. I took
a few slow breaths, trying to steady my ragged breathing.
“Guys? Gals? Anybody want to clear things up here?” I asked, making
no attempt at hiding my frustration.
Tristan couldn’t take his eyes off Valaine as the rest of the Reapers
pulled back. She seemed to be sound asleep and not suffering. It was an
eerie sight, but one I imagined I’d eventually get used to—at least until we
figured out a way to set the Unending free.
“Death sent us,” the timepiece Reaper said. “This is Dream, and this is
Nightmare,” he added, introducing the twins. I remembered their names
from Taeral’s adventures, but looking at them now, I could certainly see
why their names fit so well. Dream looked like someone I would’ve liked to
embrace upon falling asleep so I could take her sweetness with me—despite
knowing how deceptive that sweetness was. And Nightmare… well,
Nightmare looked like the epitome of the emo current. I had no trouble
imagining him doing his worst to my dreams.
But the timepiece fella, he was the one who commanded my attention
the most. By process of elimination and guided only by the weight of his
presence among us, I understood who he was.
“You’re the Time Master,” I said, and he nodded.
“I’m sorry it took us a while to get here,” he said with a sigh. “Things
have been complicated on Aledras.”
“When is she going to wake up?” Tristan asked, staring at Valaine. He
reached out a trembling hand to touch her face, but Dream clicked her teeth,
making him pause.
“You don’t want to do that. Let her come back on her own,” she said.
“It’s been a tough ride for her Aeternae vessel.”
I got up, giving Soul a wondering look and hoping he might have more
details to share. He grunted softly, hands on his narrow hips. “It was her
worst episode yet,” he said after a moment. “It’s not going to get better,
either.”
“The deeper she digs into her memories, the harder it’ll be,” Phantom
added.
“I found her, you know,” Tristan muttered, glancing up at me. “The
Unending. She’s in there, deep inside Valaine’s subconscious. I can get to
her again, but we need a more controlled environment. What happened here
was insane. None of us saw it coming. Not even Valaine.”
 “I know,” I said. “She would never have unleashed such horror in the
tunnel on purpose.”
“We need to keep moving,” Time replied. “Going forward, we have a
way of absorbing the Unending’s bouts of darkness, but we can’t stay here
another minute.”
“Hold on, what way?” I asked.
Time frowned. “I got a few tips from Death. I promise I will explain
everything once we reach your destination. Right now, time is of the
essence. Valaine left a trail of death in her wake, and the Darklings will spot
the signs aboveground. We cannot let them get to her ever again.”
My questions would have to wait. Shifting my attention back to Valaine,
I noticed her eyes peeling open ever so slowly. “She’s awake.” I gasped.
Tristan helped her up. “Are you okay?”
Valaine moaned softly, pressing her fingers against her temples. “My
head hurts. What happened?”
“Well, apparently we’ve got three more First Tenners on our side, and
they’ll fill us in once we reach the west coast,” I said, quickly summarizing
the whole encounter as best as I could. “For now, let’s be thankful we’re
still here and get moving.”
“How much farther do we have to go?” Valaine asked as Tristan pulled
her arm over his shoulders, helping her walk. We made our way back, my
heart jumping as I peered ahead, looking for Kalon. Now that the darkness
had dissipated, he’d be okay. I was feeling better already—proof that the
Unending’s episodes of Black Fever weren’t permanent when they
happened like this. It was a strange and inexplicable phenomenon, but I was
never the type to look a gift horse in the mouth.
“About two hundred miles,” Sidyan said. “But we can teleport
everybody directly to the coast. We’re outside the Darklings’ magical
range.”
Kelara nudged him and Soul. “Let’s go ahead and start zapping people
out of the tunnel.”
“By all means. After you,” Soul replied. A second later, he was gone,
along with Kelara, Sidyan, and Widow. They were able to transport
hundreds of Orvisians and Seniors almost effortlessly. The worst had
passed.
We walked quickly through the tunnel, as Valaine gradually regained
her full range of motion. The color returned to her cheeks, her hand tucked
inside Tristan’s. Heat spread through me as my body began to relax. I’d be
shaky for a little while longer, since the adrenaline was never quick to go
away, but at least I could breathe again.
“You three have a lot of explaining to do,” I said to Time, Dream, and
Nightmare. “Especially where your maker is concerned. Why is she so hard
to work with?”
Dream giggled. “Ah, that’s an even longer story than the one about us
coming here. Trust me, darling—”
“Esme, please,” I said, cutting her off.
“Trust me, Esme. You don’t want to know,” Dream continued.
Ahead, I could see Kalon with his back against the curved wall. He was
awake, but he didn’t look well. Something tightened in my chest. The closer
we got, the worse he looked. “This isn’t right,” I mumbled.
“Is that Kalon?” Valaine asked, her eyes widening at the sight of him
slumping like that.
I bolted away from the group and slid to my knees when I reached
Kalon. Placing my palm on his forehead, I felt a burst of nausea shoot
through me. “Oh no. His fever is still up!” I shouted. In an instant, Valaine
and Tristan were beside me, teleported by the Reapers and carefully
checking Kalon’s vitals.
His eyes opened, but they looked empty as they found mine. “Esme,” he
managed.
“Oh, babe, no… what’s wrong?” I murmured, resting my hands on his
chest.
“He still has the Black Fever,” Valaine said, her voice trembling as she
got up and stepped back. Tears rolled freely down her cheeks as the reality
set in. “I did this. It’s not subsiding like it did with you and Tristan…”
“I don’t get it,” I replied, though deep down I understood. The reality
was simply too much to bear at this point. I worried I might not have the
strength to take it all in, to accept that unlike Tristan and me, Kalon had
actually caught the Black Fever directly from Valaine, the very source of
this curse. His Aeternae nature had worked against him somehow.
“We’re vampires,” Tristan said, staring at Kalon. “The Black Fever
hasn’t managed to stick to us, though I don’t know why. Kalon is an
Aeternae… and the Black Fever has been killing his kind for a long time.”
“You’re watered-down versions of the Aeternae,” Phantom interjected.
“The Black Fever, being a curse aimed directly at them, doesn’t recognize
you the same way it does those responsible for Unending’s suffering. Your
genes are diluted, so the effects of the Black Fever are reduced.”
“Unless you’re exposed to it like I was earlier,” Tristan added. “I was
certain I was going to die before the Time Master intervened.”
“But you’re healed now,” Phantom insisted. “Kalon isn’t. That’s your
difference, right there. If held under control, the Black Fever wouldn’t kill
you. Its only focus is on the Aeternae.”
“What do we do?” I asked, my eyes stinging.
Kalon gave me a weak smile. “We get me somewhere isolated, so others
won’t get infected. The last thing I want is to get the Seniors sick,” he
whispered.
I wanted to cry, but there was simply no time for it. My only option was
to hold it all in and keep going until I could find a moment alone to let it all
out. Time crouched in front of Kalon, pressing the scythe against his
shoulder.
“I’ll put you to sleep and in a subtle form,” Time said. “It’ll slow down
the curse’s progression, and it’ll keep you isolated from the living. You’ll be
like one of us. Unseen, unfelt, but still here.”
“Amane and Amal have been working on a cure,” I murmured. “Maybe
we can try something once we reach the western shore.”
“Don’t kid yourself, Esme.” Nightmare scoffed, gazing into the distant
end of the tunnel, where the amber lights were starting to shrink and vanish
as Sidyan, Soul, and Kelara teleported the people out of there. “It’s a curse.
It’s not a disease. The best anyone can do is slow it down. Only the
Unending knows how to stop it, and she’s not the easiest to get to.”
“Show some respect,” Dream reprimanded him. “Esme is obviously
fond of this Aeternae, you tool.”
“I’m just being honest,” Nightmare grumbled.
“Yeah, there’s a lot of that going around your kind,” Tristan retorted,
giving Phantom a nod. She must’ve irked him with something at some
point.
“It’s me. It’s my fault. I got him sick.” Valaine sobbed. Kalon tried to
touch her, but Tristan pulled her back and took her in his arms, while Time
whispered a spell, his scythe glowing against Kalon’s shoulder.
“Don’t blame yourself,” Kalon said. “The only ones responsible are the
Darklings.”
“And Spirit Bender. Let’s not forget about that a-hole,” I muttered.
 “He’s going to disappear now, but he’ll still be here with us,” Time
assured me, and I gave him a faint nod.
Kalon touched my face, and I couldn’t stop myself from smiling. “I’ll
be back in a jiff,” he said, and I chuckled, knowing he’d definitely heard me
earlier. He shimmered away, and Time lifted him off the ground. He threw
him over his shoulder, then nodded at me.
“We’ll work something out. Let us leave quickly.” He sighed. “We must
lose the Darklings.”
Valaine was a crying mess. My brother was still recovering from his
near-death experience. Kalon was in a subtle form and unconscious,
stricken with Black Fever. I had no idea what my condition was, except for
the fact that I was still standing. Emotionally, I was crushed, but
physically… I still had a few kicks left in me.
Time was right. We had to leave, and we had to be fast. Lumi and
Sidyan needed to go after Derek, while the rest of us were tasked with
finding a safe spot somewhere along the west coast for the people of Orvis
to stay, and for our crew to regroup and draw up a new strategy. The
Darklings had pulled one over on us, and we’d nearly lost everything.
My heart ached, but I wasn’t ready to say goodbye to Kalon. Those few
kicks I still had in me… I planned to use them until my last breath.

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 SOFIA

W e appeared out of thin air on the very edge of the continent.

I took a deep breath, welcoming the cool ocean breeze
into my lungs. The tunnel’s damp closeness had been
suffocating. This felt like freedom, and I was filled with newfound energy.
Looking around, I tried to do a head count, but my mind was a mess.
Picking up on my angst, Rose was quick to ask the others to check among
themselves and make sure no one was missing. Some minutes later, I could
breathe with greater ease. The Orvisians were all here, alive and well, as
were the Seniors. Approximately four hundred present and accounted for.
Ridan was okay and stood flanked by Amal and Amane. Rose and Caleb
were with me, along with Thayen and the Visentis boys. Trev and the
ghouls had stuck together for some reason, along with the Vision horses.
Nethissis and Seeley were accompanied by Rudolph, Lumi and Kailani,
Hunter, Sidyan, Soul, and Kelara. Tristan also appeared, joined by Esme,
Widow, Morning, Night, Valaine… and three Reapers I couldn’t
immediately identify. There was something familiar about them, stemming
solely from their appearance. Taeral had described them to me with a level
of detail that made them almost recognizable.
“What just happened?” I asked, still catching my breath.
I’d seen the darkness of pure death and misery coming after us in the
tunnel. I’d guessed it had something to do with Valaine, but we’d all been
too busy running for our lives to communicate, let alone take a moment to
investigate. Now that we were topside, I needed answers. Everything had
happened so fast, my mind struggled to catch up as I pulled Thayen closer
to my side, determined not to let anything bad happen to him.
 “A number of unpleasant things,” Soul said, looking rather annoyed.
“Valaine let off some steam, though she had no intention of doing such a
thing.”
“That explains the darkness we’ve all been fleeing,” Mira said softly,
giving Valaine a concerned look. “You seem better now.”
“I am, thanks to them.” Valaine gave the three new Reapers a friendly
nod. “They figured out a way to contain these… episodes.”
“And who are you, exactly?” Mira asked the strange Reapers.
“The Time Master, Dream, and Nightmare,” Soul said, rubbing the back
of his neck. “Our siblings. The last of the First Ten.”
Time gave us a quick rundown of what happened in the tunnel with
Valaine, though he didn’t provide very many details about how he was able
to absorb her devastating darkness. We now knew Taeral had pushed Death
into sending Time, Dream, and Nightmare our way, and we had a better
understanding of the danger posed by Spirit’s legacy. We were also told
he’d stayed behind to keep Death company in the absence of the First
Tenners. Lumi, Kailani, and Nethissis were particularly fascinated by the
basic elements of death magic—the words, the sub-words, and the sounds.
Lumi was quick to make the connection between death magic and the
Word. Time confirmed that the two forms of magic were primordial and at
the source of every other power in existence, including the jinn and witches
from the Supernatural Dimension, and the Druids and Lamias from the In-
Between.
“We’re pretty much screwed then,” Kailani concluded. “The
possibilities are endless, given the number of words and sub-words in
combination with sounds, so we can’t pinpoint exactly what formulas the
Spirit Bender used for the Unending’s seals. We need the higher-ups among
the Darklings to tell us. Or Unending herself, provided Tristan gets to her
again.”
“Provided I also get Unending to remember,” Tristan said. “It’s
complicated.”
“Where’s Kalon?” Ansel asked, his brow furrowing as he looked up at
Esme. She shuddered, her eyes glistening as she tried to keep herself
together. Just seeing her like this felt like a kick in the gut.
“He’s ill,” Esme replied. “The Reapers are keeping him in a deep sleep
and subtle form to prevent him from infecting other Aeternae. We were too
close to the darkness when it hit. Tristan and I are vampires, and we seem to
have a better recovery rate. Kalon wasn’t as lucky.”
“No!” Tudyk gasped, horror gripping him and his brothers. “Not
Kalon…”
“I’m sorry,” Esme said. “I tried to get him away from it, but we both fell
under its influence. He pulled me back, then I pulled him back… I was
weak. Not fast enough.”
“I’m the one who should be sorry,” Valaine interjected. “It’s my fault.”
Tristan shook his head. “No. We’ve been over this already. Spirit is the
one to blame, along with his Darklings. This is all on them, and you’ve
done the best you could with what you had.”
Ansel held his brothers close, his lower lip trembling as he glanced at
the Reapers. “Can we see him?” he asked, but Time shook his head slowly.
“It’s not a good idea,” he replied. “Not now, anyway. If we release
Unending, we can save your brother and anyone else affected by the curse.
Unfortunately, we cannot resurrect those who’ve already died because of
the Black Fever, but I’m hoping Kalon will survive long enough. His deep
sleep and subtle form are slowing down the curse’s progression. Making
him visible to you has risks.”
Ansel lowered his gaze. He was clearly disappointed, but he understood
the situation. Thayen sighed, his hand nestled in mine. I gave the boy a faint
smile, hoping it might help reassure him that we were all going to be okay. I
wasn’t certain of it myself, but hope had yet to abandon me.
“Valaine’s crises will go differently from now on,” Time said. “We’ve
got it under control.”
“How?” I asked.
“That’s for us to know,” Time replied dryly. “The solution was provided
by Death herself. Let’s leave it at that.”
“Well, at least we finally know why Death hasn’t done more to help in
our fight against the Darklings,” Lumi grumbled, pursing her lips.
Kailani scoffed. “She gave Spirit way too much death magic
information, and he learned to use it against her. Are we sure there’s
nothing we can do to get ahead of an already destroyed Reaper?”
“Even if you were to try out unlimited possible formulas of death
magic, we cannot provide you with the actual words, sub-words, and
sounds needed, anyway,” Time said, shaking his head. “It’s bad enough
Spirit got them. The last thing we need is for the living to learn this stuff,
too.”
“Normally, I’d be offended by your statement, but in this case I actually
get it,” Lumi said. Pausing for a moment, she looked around, and I was
tempted to follow her gaze. “Sidyan and I need to leave right now. Derek is
expecting us. What will the rest of you do?”
I started to answer, but Tristan had a suggestion. “We can go to Roano.
It’s somewhere near here,” he replied, staring somewhere to the north. “I
recognize this coastline.”
“From my trance, yes,” Valaine murmured.
Mira and Kemi looked at each other, then back at Valaine. “Do you
remember Roano?”
“I do now,” Valaine replied, growing more emotional. “I remember you,
too.”
“What is she talking about?” I asked.
“One of Unending’s reincarnations was Mira and Kemi’s daughter,
Eliana,” Tristan said.
“Oh wow,” I breathed. The pain they must’ve felt upon losing her. No
wonder they were so restless and on the verge of tears.
“I’m not her,” Valaine managed.
“I know.” Mira sighed. “But she’s a part of you. A part of the
Unending.”
“Roano is a few miles north of here,” Kemi interjected, trying to focus
on the mission ahead. “It’s an abandoned city. It’s been empty since we
were last here. One of the dead places, as we called them—much like
Astoria and a few others—where the Black Fever and the Darklings did so
much damage that no one wished to live there anymore.”
“It’ll serve as a sanctuary,” Kailani said. “The Reapers and I will put up
defenses, along with a cloaking shield. Hopefully the Darklings will have
lost our trace from where we were teleported.”
“Mom!” Rose almost screamed, staring at me with big, round eyes. Her
hood cast a shadow over her face, but her astonishment was still easy to
read.
“What?” I asked, slightly confused.
“You’re not covered,” she croaked. “It’s daylight!”
For a moment, I froze, panic clutching my throat. Looking down,
however, I quickly realized that everything was okay. I didn’t feel any
different. In the rush to get out of the tunnel before the darkness destroyed
us, I’d forgotten to pull up my own hood prior to teleportation. I’d been
standing in the hazy daylight for several minutes now, and it had no effect
on me whatsoever.
Excitement and relief took over, filling me to the brim with a warm and
fuzzy feeling as I understood what was happening. The day-walking cure
had worked. Amane and Amal were still quiet and gawking at me, and I
finally saw why—they must’ve been stunned the moment we’d arrived
here, unable to utter a single word.
I laughed, spinning around with my arms stretched out as I welcomed
the filtered sunlight’s embrace. Once this fresh hell was over, I’d go back to
The Shade. I’d step onto Sun Beach, and I’d feel the full blast of summer on
my skin without burning up.
“It works. It friggin’ works!” Rose said, restless and giddy.
Caleb grinned. “Amal, Amane, you two are amazing. It’s time to expand
the test group. Hook Rose and me up, will ya?”
“As soon as we settle in Roano, we’ll prepare more doses,” Amal said
with a glance at me, unable to stop herself from smiling. “We’ll strengthen
the formula as well, so the cure can act faster. Now that we know it’s
working properly, we can intensify the treatment.”
I couldn’t help myself. I took the Faulty twins in my arms, hugging
them both with all the love and gratitude I could muster. Enough time had
passed since I’d gotten a dose, and it seemed to have worked beautifully. It
had bonded with my genes, and all I needed were a few more shots to make
sure the process was permanent and irreversible. My heart swelled with
pure, unadulterated joy, but it was short-lived.
Damn… every good moment we’d had on Visio had a crappy expiration
date. I turned to Lumi and Sidyan. “Please bring my Derek back to me,” I
said.
They both nodded, and Sidyan took Lumi’s hand, his scythe lighting up
white. A split second later, they were gone, and the rest of us turned our
attention to reaching Roano. We’d survived the Darklings’ attack. I was
pretty sure we’d lost them somewhere beneath the Nightmare Forest when
the Reapers teleported us out of there. We’d made the day-walking cure
happen, and we’d kept Thayen and the Visentis boys safe. It didn’t feel like
a clear triumph, but at the end of the day, it was a victory.
The war had yet to be decided, but this battle had been won.
 Shortly after Lumi and Sidyan’s departure, the Reapers took us to
Roano. There wasn’t much left of the old city except dusty foundations,
wall fragments, and four decrepit towers at the north, south, east, and
westernmost points. The ocean raged against the rocky shoreline beneath,
waves crashing and foaming over the jagged dark gray stones. Toward the
mainland, I could see the outskirts of the Nightmare Forest, its trees tall and
crooked and gnarly beneath the emerald canopy. Behind us, a cobbled road
snaked along the coast to vanish behind a cluster of vertical slabs of white
marble. Silence reigned supreme. The memory of the horrors this place had
seen still lingered, deeply embedded in every inch that remained standing.
Roano must’ve been a beautiful city in its day. The ghost of it had
retained some of its original elegance, and the towers sulked against the
hazy, reddish sky, as though waiting for someone to climb them again after
two million years.
“The Darklings committed a massacre here,” Tristan said. “Valaine and
I saw it.”
Kalla and Arya led their respective people through the city, helping
them find shelter and assisting with the settlement as best they could, while
Trev guided the horses to a naturally formed pond somewhere on the lower
east side near the fractured defense wall. Seeley left Rudolph in charge of
the ghouls, and the creatures ran off, eager to hunt in the nearby Nightmare
Forest.
“You had a vision in the tunnel?” I kept my voice low. “What exactly
did you see?”
“The Seniors were framed that day,” Valaine said. “Mira and Kemi and
their people were trying to save me, but the Master of Darkness at the time
—a Visentis by the name of Endymion—got to me first. Well, I got to him,
actually. I sacrificed myself, thinking it was the only way to save the
Aeternae.”
“Eliana was always stubborn.” Mira sighed. “Kemi and I did our best to
protect her once we realized who she truly was. Our mistake was that we
didn’t tell her the whole truth from the very beginning. Endymion poured
poison in her ear, and in the end, she believed him. We were too late.”
“By the time we got to her, Endymion had already killed Eliana,” Kemi
added, his voice low, his every word cutting through me like a hot knife.
Few understood his and Mira’s pain like I did. I’d lost Ben twice now, and I
would never forget the agony of his death. The emptiness it had left behind.
 “The Lord Supreme had sent us to Roano because it had been overrun
with Darklings. They’d become brazen back then,” Mira said. “Eliana had
come with us because we dared not leave her back home on her own—not
after we’d intercepted several messages addressed to her and signed by one
of the Whips, who’d beckoned her to meet with the Master.”
“It was all a ploy,” Kemi replied. “Many people died here because of
the Black Fever, and the Darklings slaughtered the rest of the survivors,
making it look like we were responsible. We were deemed too violent and
bloodthirsty and stood accused of causing too much collateral damage in
our fight to eradicate the Darklings. We took many of their people down in
that melee, but the odds were stacked against us.”
“It was with a heavy heart that the Lord Supreme, of the Crimson
dynasty, forced our retirement,” Mira added. “We were surrounded by too
many gold and silver guards. Back then, the Crimson guards were
practically an army on their own. We were outnumbered, and despite our
standing and experience, we were taken to the islands. It was there that we
realized our retirement had also been expertly orchestrated by the
Darklings. They’d infiltrated the government at the highest levels. Our only
link to the outside world was through Darklings. No one knew what they
had done to us. The death magic barriers, the suicide-prevention charms…
they kept us well fed, sure. They delivered construction materials and other
things when we needed them, but we were prisoners there.”
Kemi let out a deep breath, one he seemed to have been holding for a
long time. “Mira and I lost our daughter and freedom in the span of a single
week, along with our last chance to help the Unending before the Darklings
got to her. We outlived our children…”
“Didn’t you try to get Eliana to remember her past lives?” Tristan asked.
“The Darklings were circling too closely,” Mira replied. “I worked with
her on a couple of occasions, looking to coax her memory a bit, but she
struggled too much with the guilt of having caused the Black Fever. The
circumstances were different compared to what they are now. You found
Valaine relatively early compared to us, and that gave you an edge. Eliana’s
mental state was much too fragile, and Endymion was annoyingly
persuasive.”
“I know how horrible it is to lose a child,” I said to Mira and Kemi.
“And I know it’s not the kind of pain that you ever bounce back from. I was
fortunate to see our son come back to us, twice—I’m sorry you never got
that opportunity.”
“Valaine here is the closest we’ll ever get to Eliana again,” Mira
murmured, looking at Lady Crimson with a warm half-smile. “I’ll take
whatever fate tosses my way.”
Time cleared his throat. “Considering all the craziness that has
happened to this point—and even though I have a way of containing
Valaine’s darkness—I think we should isolate her from the rest of the group.
It’s safer for everyone, including Valaine.”
“The north tower,” Tristan suggested.
“Where Eliana died,” Valaine murmured. “Yes. It might help jog my
memory.”
“We’ll take Kalon up there for the same reason,” Time said to Esme. “If
I put him in one of Soul’s interdimensional pockets, he’ll be safe from
Unending’s darkness.”
“Yes, there are multiple rooms in the tower,” Mira replied. “It’s a good
idea.”
Esme didn’t have much to say about any of this. Ashen with worry and
barely able to formulate a full sentence, she just nodded her faint
agreement. We were close to either breaking through and releasing the
Unending or losing everything and everyone in a flurry of unknown death
magic.
There was no way of knowing what advanced tricks the Darklings had
learned from the Spirit Bender. There was only the hope that Valaine would
reach the Unending within her before the Darklings would find us in this
ruined city. Meanwhile, my husband was still in the lion’s den, and my
nerves stretched beyond their limits as I wondered if I would get him back.
I could walk in the daylight now, and I couldn’t even enjoy this
momentous breakthrough. There was no celebration. No music or dancing.
No laughter or relief. Only the fear that everything could come crashing
down around us at any moment.

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 ESME

K ailani came with me to the north tower. We needed her

magic to rebuild the top of the structure. Using nearby
chunks of stone in a breathtaking display of telekinesis and
a shapeshifting spell, Kailani took the rubble and raised it to the top, laying
it brick by brick until the tower glistened beneath the hazy sky.
“Thanks, Kale,” I said after she finished working her magic.
“Don’t mention it.” She gently squeezed my shoulder. “Hold tight,
Esme. We’re not done fighting yet.”
I must’ve looked like hell for her to feel the need to say such things.
Tearing up, I gave her a faint smile. “I know. It’s just that I’ve had Kalon by
my side until now. It feels empty without him. I’m not sure that makes
much sense…”
“Of course it does,” Kailani said. “I’d feel the same if someone or
something took Hunter from me. You fell in love, Esme, at the worst
possible time. For what it’s worth, you’re not the first or the last,” she added
with a chuckle. “The most powerful and most enduring kind of love
flourishes in the face of adversity, so all you can do is keep pushing until
you reach the end. We’re all headed in the same direction.”
“Soppy love tales aside, we need to get moving,” Time interjected. I’d
almost forgotten the First Tenners, Tristan, and Valaine had come along.
“I’ve got an idea.”
He led the way into the tower and up the spiraling staircase. Dream,
Nightmare, Phantom, Morning, and Soul followed. I was next, along with
Tristan and Valaine. Kailani took Widow back with her to help with the
protection wards around the city. Kelara and Seeley had already set up a
broad range of defensive circles, but more was needed to make sure Roano
lasted longer than Orvis had in case of a Darkling attack.
“What was your idea?” I asked as we reached the top.
Time stopped in the middle of the room, briefly gazing out the window.
“Soul and I can put together a chamber of sorts,” he said. “A time spell
inside an interdimensional pocket.”
“Ugh, like the one I put inside Zetos,” Soul muttered.
“Exactly. Tristan, Valaine, Morning, and Phantom can stay in it. Time
will slow down inside it, making days pass while hours unravel out here,”
Time replied. “They’ll be safe, and I will be around in case they need me.”
He paused and looked my way. “I can do the same for Kalon. Slowing time
in his interdimensional pocket will tamper with the curse’s progression. The
Black Fever will take longer to… you know, kill him. He’ll have hours in
there, and you’ll have days out here. By my calculation, this double shift
will increase your chances of awakening Unending before the Black Fever
offs Kalon.”
My stomach felt heavy, bile rising and burning my throat. As much as I
hated being away from Kalon, it was his best chance at survival.
“How far do your time manipulation powers extend?” Tristan asked as
Valaine settled by one of the windows, looking out at the ruined city below.
Glimmers of familiarity persisted in her black eyes. I could tell she was
remembering moments from her last trance.
“After she gave Unending the power of immortality, Death became
more reserved with the abilities she bestowed upon us,” Time replied. “I
cannot change the past, but I can look into it. I can go as far as it takes,
provided I have precise parameters to follow. It’s not an easy process.
Sometimes it takes days to find a single moment, for example. I can peek
into the near future, as well. I’m talking half a day, tops… but that’s a
trickier ability. Circumstances change. Once certain decisions are made, the
future changes. If I look into the future now, it’ll show me one thing. If I
look into the future five minutes from now, it’ll show me another. It’s a
volatile process, at best.”
“Isn’t that similar to what Seeley did? During the Thieron trials, he
admitted to analyzing the possibilities of survival for each of the GASP
agents involved. It’s how he decided to give Acantha the nudge to put
herself forward as the Eirexis sacrifice,” I said.
 “What Seeley has is more of an instinct, rather than an ability. He’s able
to analyze and determine odds based on the known facts,” Time explained.
“My power is closely tied to the flow of time and the events that may or
may not unfold.”
“And you can stop time,” I said. “That’s your main characteristic,
right?”
He nodded. “Within certain limitations. I can slow it down. I can speed
it up. I can stop it altogether. The longer I grasp the timeline, the longer I
manipulate it, the harder it gets. Eventually, exhaustion sets in, and my soul
wears out… I’m less functional afterward, so I’ve learned to work with a
handful of minutes in everything I do. That being said, I’ve developed some
spells that can target one or a few people at once, lasting beyond my natural
abilities, which is what I’ll be using in Soul’s interdimensional pockets.”
“Right, so slowing time down for Kalon, speeding time up for Tristan
and Valaine, those are such spells,” I said, drawing my conclusion and
hoping I’d gotten it right.
“Yes.”
“My brother and I will split our duties between the protection of Soul’s
pockets and the protection of the city,” Dream said, hooking an arm around
Nightmare’s. “Provided, of course, you don’t have any more stupidly
suicidal missions like Dieffen in mind. Because I’ll want to be there to
watch your asses get kicked again.”
Her snicker got on my nerves, but she was right. We needed to bring a
new game to the table where the Darklings were concerned. While Valaine
and Tristan worked on finding the Unending, the rest of us would have to
find another approach to our enemy. The Darklings were determined and
armed with unknown levels of death magic, which they would gladly use
against us the first chance they got.
I didn’t even realize there were tears in my eyes until Time revealed
Kalon, who was still sleeping soundly over his shoulder. “I’m going to slow
time down for him,” Time said, putting Kalon down for a moment. He
whispered a string of words into the blade of his scythe, which he then
pressed against Kalon’s temple.
Soul picked Kalon up and carried him downstairs. I heard a door open
and close, then Soul came back up with a flat smile. “It’s done. He’s tucked
away. All good.”
“You make it sound so easy,” I murmured.
 “It’s not. You will all have to watch my back going forward,” Soul
warned me. “If I get severely injured or knocked out by death magic or
another scythe, my hold on these interdimensional pockets will weaken. I
might even lose them altogether, and chances are I won’t be able to find
them again.”
“Wait, what?” I croaked, suddenly alarmed.
Soul shot me a cold grin. “The void between dimensions is fluid. The
pockets I open are like bubbles in water. They keep moving, but I’m
connected to them while conscious. If I lose the connection, they slip away.
And the void is endless.”
“You’re putting a lot of responsibility on our shoulders,” Tristan
muttered.
“It is what it is. As unstable as they might be in my absence, they’re still
the safest place to be for the likes of Kalon,” Soul insisted. “Which is why
protection from the outside is paramount, because that’s still a risk.”
“Ugh… how’s that a risk?” I asked, groaning with frustration. “Can a
Darkling get into the pockets?” It seemed to amuse Soul, yet it irked me
beyond any tolerance limit I had left.
“A skilled one? Sure,” Soul replied with a cold grin. He had a weird
way of coping with trouble, I realized. He didn’t take it in stride, but rather
laughed in its face. “Since we don’t know what type of spells the Darklings
learned from Spirit, I can’t exclude that possibility. Knowing my deceased
brother well, I imagine he’d have cooked up formulas to mess with all of us
First Tenners, not just Unending. A fact further evidenced by Time,
Morning, and Night’s capture.”
The Night Bringer scoffed. “Thanks for the reminder.”
At least Kalon was safe for now, and I’d do my best to make sure no
one got to him. Looking at Tristan, I noticed the concern embedded in his
expression as he stole glances at Valaine. “How are you two holding up?” I
asked.
“Eager to get moving with the whole remembrance thing,” Valaine said.
“I’m done watching the people closest to me suffer and die.”
Soul clapped his hands once. “Well, then—let’s go.”
“Where, exactly?” Tristan replied.
“Into an interdimensional pocket,” Soul shot back. “Wasn’t that part
clear already?”
“Yes, I got that. But where is it? I don’t see it,” Tristan said.
 The Soul Crusher smirked, wiggling his scythe as he drew an invisible
line in the space between them. A faint shimmer persisted in its wake, like a
suspended thread of silvery snowflakes trembling in the wind. “After you,”
Soul said, motioning for Valaine to go through it first.
Tristan followed, as did Phantom and Morning. They’d stuck with
Valaine until now, and they seemed determined to see this through to the
end. Time offered me his arm.
“Would you like to see it?” he asked, and I nodded slowly.
We entered the pocket, where darkness prevailed. Soul was still working
on the contents, I realized, as a room began to form around us. The wooden
floors. The plaster walls, the flowery tapestry. Flickering sconces and old
cherry wood furniture. It looked oddly familiar, but I couldn’t quite place it.
“I’ve been here before,” Tristan muttered, turning around in confusion,
trying to make sense of what he saw. “I’ve seen this somewhere…”
“It’s your old Shade house, the one that your grandparents, Anna and
Kyle, built,” Soul replied, glowing with satisfaction.
“How would you possibly know this stuff?” I asked, utterly befuddled.
Phantom sighed. Clearly, this wasn’t the first trick he’d pulled. “Don’t
go there, Esme. My brother has some exceptionally creepy methods.
Believe me when I tell you that you do not want to know the details of how
he got into your heads and latched on to one of your dearest memories. It’s
what Soul does.”
“You’d use this as psychological torture if you had the chance, huh?”
Tristan asked Soul, who offered an excited nod in return. “You’re crazy.”
“Nope. Merely a psychopath. There’s an important distinction,” Soul
replied. “That being said, your haven is ready.”
Time etched various runes into the walls, each of them briefly lighting
up once they were completed. When he was done, he turned around to face
me. “Time flows differently here now, so let us return. Mere fractions of a
second will have passed in the tower.”
I hugged my brother tightly. “You be careful in here, okay?”
“And you be careful out there,” Tristan said. “I’ll see you soon.”
Shifting my focus to Valaine, I gave her a hug, too. “Don’t give up,” I
whispered in her ear. “Keep digging until you find the Unending. Tristan
has seen her once. I know you’ll get her out, eventually.”
“Thank you, Esme.” Valaine gave me a weak smile. “And I’m sorry. I
never—”
 I cut her off. “Shush. Tristan’s right. Not your fault.”
Time took my hand in his, and we both stepped back at once.
Everything warped around us, and I found myself standing in the room at
the top of the northern tower. Soul appeared beside me and gave me a
playful nudge.
“Don’t be a downer,” he said. “You’ve got more allies these days,
vampire. Your odds are better than they were a week ago, for sure.”
“I’ll stop being a downer when Kalon is awake and healthy again.”
“That, I’m afraid, depends solely on Unending,” Time said quietly, and I
hated him for being right. We’d done everything we could. The rest of the
journey to find the Unending belonged to Tristan and Valaine.
Kalon’s life was in their hands, and I knew they would stop at nothing
to get him back. I had no idea where this would all lead, but I’d formed a
vision of the future, and it involved Kalon and me exploring countless
corners of this vast universe. It held adventures and precious moments of
love and peace. It offered smiles and light and everything that was sweet
and wonderful about this life.
I didn’t envision some kind of heaven with Kalon. There were monsters
ahead, too—and dangers and terrible risks. Evil wouldn’t leave this world.
Someone would always find ways to hurt the innocents. But all these
concerns were ephemeral because I wouldn’t face them alone. We’d face
them together. Provided, of course, that what we’d set in motion here on
Visio panned out before the Darklings got to us again.

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 ESME

I left the north tower with a heavy feeling in the pit of my

stomach. All our hopes hinged on Valaine’s ability to dig deep
into her memories and past lives until she found the Unending.
Kalon was in a deep sleep, stuck in a different time and tucked away
between dimensions. We’d found refuge in Roano, but this place wasn’t
entirely safe. We’d lost the Darklings for the time being, but I couldn’t be
sure how long it would take for them to find us again. Their level of
determination was terrifying, even to someone like me. The worst part was
that Death was unable to help us because she’d given the Spirit Bender way
too much knowledge of death magic long ago.
The pessimist in me insisted we were screwed six ways from Sunday.
The optimist looked to brighter days again, putting perhaps a little too much
faith in Valaine’s ability to overcome her current obstacles. The realist was
stuck somewhere in the middle—unwilling to surrender but terrified by the
thought of losing Kalon.
Ansel waited outside a structure that looked like it had once been a
house, though only the foundation and a short portion of a wall remained.
Tudyk and Moore had used sticks and some cloths from the Orvisians to put
together a makeshift shelter. Both were hard at work trying to figure out a
way to make the thing hold, since every gust of wind knocked the sticks
down.
“What are you up to?” I asked, noticing Ansel’s deep frown. “I think
your brothers need your help.”
“Nah, we’re okay,” Tudyk replied.
 Moore smiled, picking the sticks up and checking their lengths again.
“Ansel was never the builder in our family.”
“I’m better off sitting here, doing nothing,” Ansel grumbled.
“Where’s Kalon?” Tudyk asked. “Is he with the Reapers?”
I sighed, stopping in front of Ansel. “Yes. They put him under a time
spell. It’s supposed to slow the Black Fever down. While days go by out
here, hours go by in there where he’s sleeping.”
“What are his odds of survival?” Ansel asked. “Be honest, Esme.”
“High, if Valaine succeeds in her task,” I said, doing my best to tell the
truth without breaking their hearts. Mine was already in tatters. I couldn’t
let them suffer, too. “And I have faith in her.”
“What if the Darklings kill Valaine like they intended? Will that save
Kalon?” Ansel asked.
I shook my head. “No. It would be too late for Kalon if that were to
happen. I know what you’re thinking, and it’s not a good idea. The only one
who can stop the Black Fever forever—the only one who can undo what
has happened to Kalon—is the Unending. No one else.”
The boys exchanged fleeting glances. “Do you know if our mother is
still with the Master and the other Whips in the palace, where Lumi last saw
her?” Tudyk murmured, gripping a stick tightly in his hands. I wasn’t sure
what to make of his emotional state.
“No, I’m sorry.”
“I miss her.” Moore sighed, his shoulders dropping. “I mean… I know
what you mean. I get it. We all agree it’s the truth. But I miss her.”
“She’s your mom. Of course you miss her,” I replied. “But that doesn’t
change the fact that she’s harmful—to you and everyone else here. I don’t
think she’s been a good influence. Frankly, we don’t intend to let Petra
anywhere near you.” I frowned. “That might not be what you want to hear,
but it’s the truth. You belong here in Roano with your brother. Not out there
doing Petra’s dirty work for her. She’s messed you all up pretty badly, and I
won’t let her harm you anymore.””
Movement caught my eye somewhere to the right. Trev was walking
toward us accompanied by a ghoul. It was one of the survivors from
Dieffen, I realized, though the creature didn’t seem familiar. The look on
Trev’s face told me everything I needed to know. He was in the worst of
moods, and I had an idea why.
 “What’s the latest on Kalon?” he asked as he reached us. “Seeley
mentioned something about a sleeping spell, but I didn’t catch the details. I
need you to tell me, Esme.”
“Kalon is okay for the time being,” I said. “The Time Master put him in
one of the Soul Crusher’s interdimensional pockets. He slowed his
biological clock down, too. Days will go by out here, while only hours will
have passed in there. It’s the only thing we could do to slow down the Black
Fever’s evolution.”
My blood simmered whenever I mentioned Kalon’s condition. Part of
me wanted to curl up in a dark space so I could cry the rest of my days
away. Despair circled me like a hungry vulture, waiting for my surrender,
eager to tear me apart and shatter the last of my defenses. But looking at
Kalon’s brothers, I couldn’t bring myself to give up. We were spiraling into
a kind of madness, and I wasn’t sure how it would all turn out. I only knew
how I wanted it to turn out.
Love had blossomed in my soul, which had become bonded to Kalon’s
forever. What we had was unique and out of this world, and it made the
thought of losing Kalon so much worse. But he was still here. I had to
remember that. I hadn’t lied to the boys earlier. His survival depended on
Valaine, but I had faith in her. What worried me was that Valaine might not
have faith in herself… she’d been through so much and was frequently
oscillating between anger and sadness, determination and abandonment. I
wasn’t sure which one she’d pick in the end.
“Is he awake?” Trev replied after a moment’s thought, his gaze
wandering over to the boys.
“No. He’s in a state of deep sleep, which further contributes to keeping
the Black Fever from advancing,” I said.
“I suppose I can’t see him?”
“No. I’m sorry. He’s in isolation,” I answered quietly, knowing how bad
this must feel for Trev. He and Kalon had been best friends for years. Hell,
Kalon was the one who turned him into an Aeternae. They had a long
history together, and the inability to do something to help Kalon was clearly
eating away at Trev. I reached out and put a hand on his shoulder. “I can’t
promise you he’s going to be okay,” I added, my voice wavering, “but I can
promise you we’re all going to do everything in our power to save him.”
Trev gave me a weak smile, then shifted his focus to the boys. “You’re
not doing it right,” he told them. “You need more than a bunch of sticks to
put together a shelter.”
Tudyk and Moore stopped, staring up at Trev. “What do we do then?”
the youngest asked.
“Rocks. You need rocks,” Trev replied. “Come on, I’ll help you. Let’s
gather as many chunks of stone as we can. We’ll carry them back here, and
you’ll have cover by nightfall.”
Glancing up at the sky, I realized why they were so focused on building
shelters. Clouds gathered in lazy charcoal rolls overhead. Rain would be
upon us by nightfall. The reddish haze was painted over with an incoming
storm. As lightning flashed above, I watched Trev take Ansel, Moore, and
Tudyk with him to find rocks for a shelter. I found a sense of comfort in
knowing that the former Rimian was looking after them in Kalon’s absence.
While they were off to do their thing, I headed back to the city’s old
center, where ghouls had begun returning with prey from the Nightmare
Forest. We needed fresh blood for the Aeternae, and the creatures had
brought back everything they’d been able to gather after feeding
themselves. They’d returned with an impressive variety of large predators
and plenty of deer-like animals, so I got to work.
Filling a couple of satchels with fresh blood, I set them aside for the
Visentis boys and Trev. It was the least I could do, considering that Kalon
had basically gotten himself involved in this mess because he wanted to do
the right thing. Because he’d refused to leave me behind when Valaine’s
darkness came for us.

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 DEREK

I ’d spent the past half hour trying to jimmy the lock on my cell.
Naturally, it was warded with death magic, but that hadn’t
stopped me from trying. It was better than sitting around doing
nothing. Maya had recovered a nail from one of the corners of the room,
possibly from a former piece of furniture. It was long and hard enough to do
the trick. Hopefully.
I could hear the internal mechanism of the lock clicking as I wiggled the
nail in there, but I had no luck actually opening the damn thing. Sweat
dripped down my temples, and anxiety gnawed its way through my
stomach, spreading fire up my throat. I’d become claustrophobic, desperate
to get out of here. Hours had passed since I’d broken the green bead, and
still I’d seen no sign of Lumi and Sidyan.
I’d become convinced that something had happened, and that I might
have to leave this place on my own. That, in itself, offered a series of
challenges, since I knew there were at least two Darklings posted outside,
just beyond the iron door. The lock was charmed, and I was pretty sure
Danika had put other measures in place to stop me from leaving. Maya
could take me away, but she couldn’t get past the steel bars of my cell, each
one covered in warding runes.
“If only I could get past these,” I muttered, running my fingers down
one bar. I felt the power of each carving tickling the tips of my fingers.
Each carried a certain weight, a dark energy I could almost sense
somewhere in the depth of my being.
Maya growled, equally frustrated, her beady eyes glimmering as she
analyzed the runes. She bared her long white fangs for a moment, shaking
her head and stepping back, as if telling me she couldn’t do anything about
this, either.
“Well, I know they’ve warded this place to stop Reapers from taking me
away, but what are the odds that they might’ve overlooked something on
the physical side of things?” I asked a rhetorical question, knowing Maya
wouldn’t have the words to answer. I was only fooling myself. Danika was
a stickler for details, that much I knew for sure. She would never leave a
lock I might be able to break.
A single thud sounded outside. I stilled, and seconds later, I heard a
second thud. Two bodies had fallen—likely the Darklings guarding my cell
room. The iron door opened, and in walked Lumi and Sidyan.
The Reaper cast a delicate, shimmering spell across the room, and
narrowed his eyes as he analyzed every corner carefully. “This place is
clear, for now,” he muttered. The twinkling layer vanished, the dark stone
returning to its original sleek sheen. “We must be careful with what we say,
nonetheless. You never know.”
Relief washed over me with such a crippling intensity that I nearly lost
the strength in my knees. I’d been worried sick, with several hours’ worth
of time spent wondering what had been holding them back. All sorts of
scenarios had crossed my mind, most of them dark and bloody and
heartbreaking.
“Took you forever,” I muttered, unwilling to show my concern, since
both Sidyan and Lumi appeared to be okay.
“I’m sorry,” Lumi replied as Sidyan closed the door behind them. “We
couldn’t get to you sooner. We had to evacuate Orvis.”
“What?” I croaked, my blood running cold.
“Corbin showed up with a whole friggin’ army. They followed some of
our people from Dieffen. It’s a long story—I’ll fill you in once we get you
out of this place,” Lumi said.
“Right, speaking of… Danika plans to bring the Spirit Bender back,” I
replied. It didn’t bear waiting. I’d been dying to tell them about this from
the moment I’d first learned it myself. Sidyan froze, galaxy eyes wide as he
gawked at me. Maya purred by his side, pleased to see him intact.
Lumi was as pale as a sheet of paper. “I’m confused.”
“The Spirit Bender took precautions,” I explained. “He made a copy of
his soul and tucked it inside a crystal, which was fragmented into twelve
pieces. One fragment was then implanted in each of the twelve Whips. If
the pieces are reunited and his soul is extracted from the crystal, the Spirit
Bender will return with all the memories he had up to the point he made the
copy.”
“What in the ever-living—” Lumi was about to let out one hell of an
expletive, but she stopped herself with a deep breath.
“I know. It’s insane. The pieces are passed on from one Whip to the
next through some kind of ritual. But in order to bring the Spirit Bender
back, the Whips have to be sacrificed, since the pieces are embedded in
their hearts. The issue is that Danika and Petra found a loophole,” I added.
“The shards can also be transferred from the Whip to a close blood relative.
In Danika and Petra’s case, it’s their sons. Danika put hers in Thayen’s heart
when he was just a babe. Petra has run off, stating she’ll do the same to one
of her boys before Danika gets to her. I had to tell you this now before
anything else happens. It’s important.”
“You’re absolutely right, it’s important,” Sidyan blurted. “I thought
we’d gotten rid of that son of a…” His voice trailed off as he closed his
eyes for a moment, keeping them tightly shut. He breathed out before
looking my way again. “I’ve passed it on to the Reapers. They’ll
disseminate the information accordingly.”
“We have to leave,” Lumi reiterated. “I’m sure the Darklings are just
dying to get to us, and those guards outside couldn’t have been the only
ones keeping you here.”
“Well, the cell is warded, so I need Sidyan here to work his magic,” I
replied dryly.
The Reaper knelt before the lock and used the tip of his scythe to fiddle
with its interior mechanism. I figured a professional tool of death magic
would be infinitely more effective than the rusty old nail I’d been working
with.
Lumi kept an eye on the door, her ears twitching as she listened to every
sound.
“Is everybody okay?” I asked her while Sidyan kept working the lock,
his lips moving in the utterance of a spell to assist him.
“Yeah. We all made it out of there,” Lumi replied. “It was a collective
effort—we’ve got about two hundred Seniors on our side now. Esme and
Kalon came through for us, big time.”
“And Sofia? Rose?”
“We found a safe place,” Lumi said. “You’ll see.”
 A snicker broke the silence, making us all jump. We looked around,
trying to pinpoint its source, but I couldn’t see anything. “Damn, I was
hoping you’d tell him the location of that safe place,” a familiar voice said.
“Drezel,” I mumbled, fear tightening in my chest.
He finally appeared in front of the northern wall, scythe in his hand and
a grin slitting his face from ear to ear. “I watched you first, from another
room, using a little spying trick. My eyes were the wall,” he said. “I waited,
wondering what you hoped to achieve with that flimsy little nail of yours.
Of course, I knew someone was coming for you, and when I heard that your
people had escaped from Orvis, I figured some of them would come for
you, sooner or later. Lo and behold, I was right. So, I thought I’d make my
way down here and meet your friends. Have you had time to catch up yet?”
“Do you have any idea how skeevy it is to spy on people like this?” I
retorted, putting on a disgusted grimace. “We put your kind on official
records back home.”
Drezel had seen me, but he’d not heard me or our conversation prior to
his sneaking into the room—at least that was what I’d gathered from his
statement. Splitting this particular hair didn’t do much good, anyway. The
Darkling cat was out of the bag now.
Sidyan refused to even look at him and instead remained focused on the
lock. “I don’t have time for this garbage. You two need to handle him.”
“Easy for you to say.” Lumi scoffed, her hands glowing white as the
Word hummed from within her. She was ready for a fight—so was Maya,
for that matter—but I wasn’t sure they’d be enough. Drezel wasn’t bold
enough to fight us on his own.
“No one’s leaving,” he said, raising his scythe slowly. “The Master will
want to take his frustrations out on someone, and you three are the perfect
punching bags.”
A vicious fight broke out as Lumi unleashed all the wrath she could
summon. Blinding white pulses shot from her hands, each aimed directly at
Drezel’s head. He used his scythe to block most of the hits, while dodging
the others. I was helpless behind the warded bars, forced to watch my
friends battle evil without me.
Maya darted toward the Whip, her claws extended, but Drezel swerved
and cut her across the back. It was deep enough to make her fall and land on
her belly, screeching in agony. Lumi switched up her attacks with a mixture
of energy shots and fireballs, moving around the room to keep Drezel in
front of her at all times.
But the Whip kept trying to reach Sidyan, and Lumi on her own wasn’t
enough to keep him at bay for very long. I crouched before the Reaper,
adrenaline coursing through me. “How much longer?” I asked.
“I’m not sure,” he hissed. “It’s a layer of spells that I’m dealing with,
not just one.”
“Better make it quick. Drezel is coming for you,” I shot back.
Lumi was thrown against the wall by one of Drezel’s defense spells.
Maya struggled to get back up and take him on, but she could barely move.
The Whip sneered in Sidyan’s direction, and terror clutched my throat.
“Watch out!” I shouted, but it was too late.
A pulse escaped from Drezel’s scythe, but Sidyan dodged it. A second
pulse followed, and Sidyan dodged it again. The third came too fast,
however, and it caught Sidyan right as he swerved in for an attack. It hit the
Reaper right in the chest, knocking him unconscious.
“Dammit!” Lumi snarled, pulling herself up. Every inch of her glowed
white with the fury of the Word now, though I wasn’t sure it would be
enough against a seasoned Darkling Whip. She fought him with everything
she had, but he still had the upper hand.
Maya threw her head back and released a bloodcurdling scream. It
echoed through the room and beyond. Moments later, it was met with low
growls coming from beyond the iron door. Drezel frowned for a second but
kept his focus on dealing with Lumi. As Maya finally managed to stumble
toward Sidyan, four ghouls entered the room, coming straight through the
closed door.
They were massive creatures with translucent skin and taut muscles,
drool hanging from their fangs in viscous tendrils. At first, I thought they’d
come for us, until I noticed the absence of collars, the standard method of
keeping them under control. Drezel didn’t seem happy to see them.
“You have got to be kidding me,” he muttered and slapped a hand
against the wall. Energy rippled outward, causing the bricks to tremble as
dust fell off.
The ghouls had come to help Maya. They jumped Drezel, and he was
finally outnumbered. Maya shook Sidyan with considerable force in a bid to
wake him up, but it wasn’t Maya who got the Reaper’s eyes wide open
again—it was the squealing of the old iron door as it was pushed open.
 Drezel was no longer alone, and we were in deep trouble. The energy
ripple I’d seen… it must’ve served as a signal to call the others. Perhaps
he’d not expected such a quick reaction, as Danika walked in, wearing
metal prosthetic hands while she waited for her own to grow back. The
scythe had been fitted in one of them, its blade shining with thirst for blood
and life. She raised it defiantly, giving me a sideways glance and confident
smirk as she cast a spell against the Knight Ghouls.
They all fell to their knees, crying and growling in agony as Danika
whispered an incantation, further amplifying their suffering. “You don’t
walk away from the Darklings you were born to serve,” she said, and
brought her scythe down. The motion forced the creatures against the hard
floor with some kind of telekinetic power. They couldn’t move, and Lumi
was on her own again.
Things didn’t look good.
A click caught my attention, and I saw Sidyan in front of my lock again,
the cell door sliding open as Maya helped him up. He’d done it. I was free.
Without hesitation, I stepped out just as Danika let a curse slip.
“I was going to keep you alive, Derek, but you’re more nuisance than
pet at this point,” she added, pointing her weapon at me. Lumi attacked
Drezel again, while the ghouls were continuously tormented by Danika’s
spell. I had no intention of letting her win this one. I had a wife to get back
to. A daughter. Our friends. They were all counting on my return, and I sure
as hell wasn’t going to die in this festering nest of evil.
“Frankly, Danika, I’ve had enough of your crap,” I replied, my fangs
and claws extending. There was no death magic on my side, but I had my
will and my experience to back me up. Maybe it didn’t mean much to her,
but who I was had always been my salvation, and I had to trust it would get
me out of trouble this time around, too.
I bolted forward before she could react. Danika brought her scythe up as
a means of defense, but she wasn’t fast enough. I struck with my left hand
first, the claws slashing at her stomach. Blood sprayed out, and she gasped,
jumping back as I went in for a second hit. She quickly caught up, raising
her blade whenever I lashed out, but she didn’t have time to use her death
magic on me as long as I kept her busy with physical combat. If there was
one thing Danika had never learned about me, it was my speed.
After everything I’d survived, I’d learned that quickness could keep me
alive. This wasn’t my first time fighting for my life, and it showed. Danika
met my blows with a certain grace, but it wasn’t enough. Suddenly, she
stilled and cried out in pain. I looked down to see that Maya had sunk her
fangs deep into her leg. Blood poured from the wound as Danika reared
back to strike the ghoul. I knew one blow from her scythe would potentially
kill Maya.
I cut her across the chest, drawing more blood. Danika fell back, hitting
the wall. She brought an arm over her torso, the metal hand clanking as its
mechanical fingers moved. Drezel’s head rolled by her, and she gasped.
“No…”
Lumi darted to my side and pulled me away. Instinctively, I grabbed
Maya.
“Come on!” Sidyan shouted.
“I’m not done with you, maggots!” Danika snapped, her scythe
illuminated white as she cast more death magic at us. I didn’t even want to
know what this particular spell entailed. Judging by the pure hatred that
glowed in her eyes, it was a nasty one.
A bright blue orb of condensed energy formed between us and Danika,
swelling menacingly as she raised her voice during the incantation.
“Oh crap,” Sidyan managed as he leaned back against the cell bars.
Lumi, Maya, and I were pulling farther back—desperate to reach the
Reaper—when the orb came at us. It looked like a miniature blue sun, the
heat it released making my skin sizzle. It would burn us all to a crisp if it hit
us. Or something much worse.
One of the Knight Ghouls scrambled off the ground. Danika must’ve
released whatever hold she’d had on them in order to create the orb. Maya
whimpered, but the ghoul jumped and took the full brunt of the spell. The
blue light swallowed him whole, disintegrating him in the process. He was
gone in the blink of an eye, and the orb was still coming for us.
For a moment, I doubted I’d live another moment. But Sidyan’s grip on
my wrist changed everything. I heard Danika screaming. “No! Get back
here! No!”
A split second passed. The orb was inches away, burning so hot that I
cried out from the pain until… it vanished. It all vanished. The cell. The
room. The palace. Danika. Drezel’s head. The Knight Ghouls. The
thundering of Darkling boots in a nearby hallway.
We’d escaped. Slipping through the fabric of space, I allowed myself a
smile.
I’d live another moment after all.

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 ESME

I ’d just brought the blood satchels over to the boys’ shelter when
a flurry of voices erupted nearby. I turned just in time to see
Rose and Caleb rush up the main road toward the city center.
“He’s back!” Rose shouted.
“Derek,” I muttered under my breath, then ran after them.
Sofia and Thayen were making their way to the center from the western
part of the old city. Kalla, Kemi, Arya, and Mira weren’t far behind, while
Kailani and some of the Reapers came in from the north. I could see the
watchtower from here. A painful little pang throbbed inside my heart as I
thought of Kalon. He was up there, sound asleep, and I had no way of
helping him. This sense of helplessness had me constantly on edge, but my
only option was to accept that it was out of my hands.
Easier said than done.
As soon as I made it to the city center, I saw Derek in the middle with
Lumi, Sidyan, and a severely injured Maya. The Reaper knelt to check her
wounds while Lumi took a couple of deep breaths before Kailani jumped
and wrapped her arms around the swamp witch.
Sofia reached Derek in the blink of an eye, showering him with kisses.
He held her close for a while, letting her love him with everything she had.
I didn’t need to imagine what their separation must’ve been like. Thoughts
of Kalon sent another jolt of pain through my heart. He was still close by,
yet I missed him so much already.
“You’re alive,” Sofia managed, tearing up as she cupped Derek’s face,
fondly looking up at him. He smiled gently. “Thank goodness you’re alive,
baby.”
 “I’ve missed you,” he replied. “Sofia, you were the only thing that kept
me going in there. You have no idea how good it feels to see you, to hold
you again.”
Soul scoffed. “How much longer do we let the sugary stuff go on before
we get down to business? We’ve got a Spirit Bender issue to discuss,
apparently.”
“Shut up and give them a minute,” Kelara shot back, nudging him in the
ribs. Nethissis and Seeley looked particularly gloomy, as did the Night
Bringer. The Widow Maker’s mask prevented me from seeing his
expression, but I was pretty sure he was equally miffed—about what,
though?
“I know you’ve only been away for a matter of days,” Sofia told Derek.
“But it felt like a lifetime to me.”
“Hush, darling. I’m here now. That’s all that matters,” Derek whispered,
dropping several kisses on her pink cheek before he looked up at the rest of
us with a solemn expression. “Soul is right, I’m afraid. We have a lot to talk
about.”
“You mentioned the Spirit Bender,” I said to Soul. “What’s that about?”
Seeley gave me an apologetic smile. “We only just heard from Sidyan
ourselves. He communicated it to us while he was still in the palace.”
Derek exhaled sharply and gave us the full account as we gathered
silently around him with increasingly heavy hearts. The Spirit Bender had
taken a spectacular set of precautions, it seemed, making good use of the
words he’d learned from Death. No one had seen this coming, not even his
creator. And definitely not the Reapers, who were still reeling from the
shock.
That wasn’t even the worst part. Upon hearing what his mother had
done, Thayen burst into tears. Sofia held the boy close, but he was
impossible to console.
“My own mother…”
“I’m sorry,” Derek said to him. “I’m deeply sorry you were dragged
into this.”
“She wants to kill me…”
“We’re not going to let her get anywhere near you,” Sofia replied,
holding back tears of her own. “You’re safe with us, Thayen.”
“But… I don’t understand. Mothers are supposed to love their children
unconditionally,” Thayen said, sobbing uncontrollably.
 “Not all mothers are meant to be… mothers.” I sighed. “Case in point,
Petra Visentis. She’s looking to do the same to one of her sons. It’s
unconscionable… and frankly, I’m shocked. I thought she’d gladly die for
her children.”
“She talked a good game,” Nethissis interjected. “But to Petra, it was
always about the mission. About the Darklings. And given how things went
between you two, Esme, I think we all know which son she’s coming for.”
This wasn’t the first time I’d experienced this kind of crippling fear.
Falling in love with Kalon had made everything harder, more painful,
though I didn’t regret any of it. But knowing that Petra was now looking to
kill Kalon… I couldn’t stomach the thought.
“Neither Petra nor Danika will get what they want,” I said firmly. “I can
promise you that.”
“Mother wants to kill Kalon?” Moore’s voice silenced the group, and I
whirled around to find him standing a couple of feet behind me,
accompanied by an equally stunned Tudyk and Ansel. Trev’s gaze was dark
and full of hatred at the mention of Petra’s name due to her connection to
Luna’s death. Now the woman he loathed most was coming for his best
friend, too.
“Oh, Moore,” I uttered quietly, not sure how to explain any of this.
“Yes.” Trev intervened, squeezing the boy’s shoulder. “And you and
your brothers need to really examine your loyalties. I understand that you
love your mother despite all the wrongs she’s committed against you, but
this time she’s going to kill your brother. Will you stand by and let that
happen?”
“No!” Ansel shouted. “Never!”
Tudyk shook his head. “Absolutely not. Valaine is our only hope, and
we understand that. I will do whatever it takes to protect Kalon, just like he
did to protect us.”
“Moore?” Trevor asked, but the boy didn’t reply. He just stared at his
boots, tears falling and seeping into the dried dirt. It was a horrible question
to ask a kid, but we had no choice. He was still a fighter, and we couldn’t
afford any risks. We’d come too far to lose it all.
“I’ll deal with him,” Ansel muttered, leading his brothers away. “We’ll
be at the shelter. There are rocks that need our attention.”
“Go ahead,” Trev said. “I’ll catch up in a bit.”
 We gave the boys a minute to get out of earshot before resuming our
conversation. Derek was brought up to speed with everything that had
happened in his absence. Soul introduced him to Dream and Nightmare.
Moments later, Time joined us with assurances that both interdimensional
pockets were functioning perfectly, and that Kalon remained safe for now.
Tristan and Valaine were working hard and digging through memories with
Phantom and Morning by their side.
Mira was visibly disgusted. “I can’t believe the Darklings have gotten to
this point. Killing their own children to bring back an absolute monster...”
“They will do whatever it takes to bring back the Spirit Bender. If
anyone can destroy everything we’ve worked for, if anyone can tackle the
Unending and push her back, it’s him,” Time said. “And he’s got one hell of
an edge with his death magic knowledge.”
“Then we must do whatever we can to stop Danika from reuniting the
twelve shards,” Derek said, earning nods from the entire gathering.
“Well, we know she’s not touching Thayen.” Rose gave the boy a
reassuring smile. “Kalon is under our protection, too, and—”
“And I’m certainly not going to let Petra touch him,” I cut in, crossing
my arms. Blood boiled in my veins as I thought of the high priestess and the
many ways in which I could kill her. My hatred of her made me quite...
creative.
“So that’s one shard they’re not going to get to,” Derek said. “What of
the rest? We must stop this now. Lumi killed Drezel because she had no
choice, and we couldn’t stay even a second longer to get his body away
from Danika, I’m afraid. That means she has three pieces. What should we
do about the other Whips?”
Kalla let out an audible sigh, drawing our attention. “Based on the
Darklings’ movements and everything you’ve told us about the Whips’
state of mind regarding this sacrifice for the Spirit Bender, I’m pretty sure
we can put out some feelers and discover where they’re hiding before
Danika gets to them.”
“Right. Because they’re selfish bastards,” Trev replied. “That’s the only
thing working in our favor right now.”
“Might as well take advantage of it,” Derek said. “We’ll hunt the Whips
down first and take as many of them as we can. We have to make sure
Danika never finds them.”
 “I have one concern here,” Nethissis said, her brow furrowed. I’d yet to
get used to her slightly translucent figure, and I still wished there was
something we could do to bring her back. Alas, fate had thrown too many
obstacles at us, and we were struggling to keep the rest of our group alive.
“What if Danika has a way of tracking down the soul shards? I mean, say
all the Whips decide to run off and hide. Wouldn’t she have taken this
possibility into consideration already?”
“Most likely, yes,” Derek replied. “Which is why we must move
quickly.”
“We have to defend Roano,” Sofia concluded. “If Danika has a way of
tracking the shards, then she’ll be at what’s left of the gates eventually.”
“Why hasn’t she done that before now?” I wondered.
There was no immediate answer, but Kemi offered a theory. “Maybe she
didn’t think she’d have to do this… not until she and Corbin reached the
decision to resurrect the Spirit Bender.”
“It’s also possible that the tracking process isn’t all that easy,” Mira
surmised. “Otherwise we would’ve seen the bitch by now.”
Arya nodded. “She’ll likely go after the easier targets first. That’s the
pattern she established with the first two Whips she took down. Danika is
working her way up.”
A moment went by in absolute silence as we all looked at each other.
We were creatures of different worlds—some modern and others from
ancient times—and we represented varied cultures across three dimensions
of this vast and immutable universe, yet we’d joined forces, as mismatched
and as scared as we were, to make things right. To give the natural balance
a nudge. To restore what the Spirit Bender and his cohorts had destroyed.
Beyond the uncertainty of how this might end, the one thing that
persisted in my head, with crystal and undeniable clarity, was the thought
that none of us would go down without a fight. That we would swing and
kick and punch and claw our way through the evil and darkness until our
very last breaths.
“We’ll have to split up into teams for this,” Sofia said after a while.
And split up we would. The city of Roano needed defenses, and there
were a bunch of Darkling Whips out there who needed killing. In my mind,
I made Kalon a promise that I would rather die than break—I promised that
I would keep him safe, and that we would be together for as long as we
could. For as long as the fates allowed it.
Petra was not going to get her way. Not while I was still alive.

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 NETHISSIS

T here was so much to deal with, I’d almost forgotten about my

own demise.
Being dead had been less uncomfortable than I’d first
imagined, especially since Morning had been kind enough to cover me in
white silk. Dying completely naked had never been the plan, that was for
sure. Being able to wield a Reaper scythe and cast death magic hadn’t been
part of the agenda, either, but I took it as a win.
Small victories made the afterlife just a little bit sweeter.
I had no promise of ever returning to my life. Danika had burned my
body out of spite, which meant I had no flesh to go back to. My connection
to the Word had vanished the moment I died. My abilities were gone, and I
only had my ghostly form to rely on now.
Even so, I had to keep going. The Darklings weren’t going to stop until
the cycle was reset. I doubted any of us—except, perhaps, for the Reapers
—would survive such a defeat. The enemy was determined to destroy
everyone and everything in their path in order to secure the Unending’s
constant cycle of misery and forced rebirth. They’d already killed me, and I
wasn’t going to let them take any of my friends. No one else was dying. Not
on my watch.
We all had something to look forward to, no matter how small or how
complicated it might turn out to be. My situation was still fuzzy, since I was
temporarily stuck between the world of the living and the world of the dead,
but even I still had something to fight for: I did not want to become Knight
Ghoul chow.
“Some of us should focus on Roano’s defense,” Sofia said.
 “I’ll stay,” Seeley replied.
“Me too.” I sighed. “We’re better together.”
He gave me a gentle smile, and I knew there was so much more he
would’ve liked to tell me. Later, perhaps, when no one was watching. It had
been a while since Seeley and I had had a moment of peace with just the
two of us. It had been a manic rollercoaster ride through fire and storms and
evil and soul-crushing dangers for what felt like a very long time.
Time cleared his throat. “I will stay, as well, to look after the
interdimensional pockets. Phantom and Soul have relatively similar
abilities, so she can help with maintaining the integrity from within.
Morning will stay too, since she and Phantom are working with Tristan and
Valaine.”
“Which means I’m cleared for field ops, huh?” Soul chuckled, then
pointed a warning finger at Esme. “Don’t forget, sweetheart. I cannot get
knocked out; otherwise, you’re all screwed.”
“Is this your way of asking me to watch your six?” Esme retorted.
“I’ll watch his back,” Kelara muttered, giving him a most daring
sideways glance. Oh, there was definitely something brewing between
Kelara and Soul, and I couldn’t help but wonder what that would be like,
considering they were both preceptors of death and what lay beyond life,
with a potential eternity laid at their feet.
“I’m staying in Roano, as well,” Esme said. “Ansel, Moore, and Tudyk
need me. And I’m obviously not leaving Kalon alone. Not with his psycho
mother out there.”
“You have me and the whole of Orvis behind you,” Kalla declared, then
glanced at Thayen. “The same goes for you, young prince. You’re in our
care until this whole nightmare is over.”
“As long as we’re together, I’ll be okay,” Thayen murmured.
“Sofia and I will have to discuss our own involvement in Roano’s
protection,” Derek said. “We might have to join in on the Whip hunts, too.”
Kailani stepped forward. “Hold on. Let me suggest something. Ridan,
Amane, and Trev—you three can form a Whip hunting party. And you can
take some ghouls with you, since they all seem to like Trev a lot.”
“Sounds good. I’m getting stronger,” the dragon replied, one arm
stretching around Amane’s shoulders. “I will be more than happy to chomp
the head off a Whip or two, if you’ll let me.”
 “As long as I get to participate,” Amane said, putting on a playful
smirk.
“You two have a whole different kind of kink going on there, huh?”
Soul chuckled.
Amal raised a hand. “I’ll stay back. We need healers in Roano. Besides,
Sofia needs to continue her day-walking treatment. There are a couple of
shots left, and Rose wants to start the treatment, as well.”
Derek’s eyes widened. “Wait, what?”
“Oh! With everything that’s been happening, none of us even
remembered to tell you,” Sofia said with a gasp. “It’s working. The twins
finally got the formula right. I’m a day-walker now!”
By the time Derek had returned to Roano, the sun had already set,
hidden behind thick rain clouds. The air smelled of incoming rain, Esme
had said. I wished I could still sense such things myself. I would’ve loved
nothing more than to stand out here and feel the droplets of cold water on
my face.
“No way!” Derek exclaimed and hugged Sofia tightly. His eyes were
wet. “No friggin’ way!”
“Yes friggin’ way.” Sofia laughed. “It’s working. We finally got what
we came here for.”
“And yet here you are, in no way willing to leave,” Widow grumbled.
“Do you think we should all just skedaddle, then?” Rose replied dryly,
one eyebrow raised. Widow offered a shrug in return.
“It was meant in a more admiring way,” he said. “The absence of my
expression makes it difficult for you to pick up on the nuances in my tone.”
“You know what, screw your nuances,” Soul replied and vanished for
the briefest of moments. He reappeared behind Widow, taking him by
surprise. He moved so quickly, Widow didn’t stand a chance. Soul grabbed
his head cover and pulled it off to reveal Widow’s true face.
“By the stars,” I croaked, breathless.
Widow froze in the middle of our gathering, his galaxy eyes round and
filled with horror. I could only imagine how he felt, since he’d never taken
that thing off in public.
“Oh!” Kelara blurted, equally surprised. “You’re—”
“Gorgeous,” I filled in the blank, unable to look away.
Soul had likely expected some laughter at least, but he was left looking
foolish, still holding Widow’s gimp mask. Ridan and Trev stifled some
chuckles, but everybody was in genuine awe of the Widow Maker’s true
appearance.
His hair was short. Buzzcut short and dark. His face met the golden rule
of symmetry, his features almost artful in their design. With his high
cheekbones and a straight nose, plus slightly fuller lips and flawless skin,
the Widow Maker was an absolutely stunning man. He was pale, but with a
delicate, pearlescent sheen that reminded me of Death herself. A muscle
ticked in his jaw as he looked around, obviously horrified.
“I can’t believe you did that,” Widow said, his voice low with barely
contained emotion.
“For what it’s worth, I’m glad he did,” Esme replied. “Nethi’s right.
You’re as hot as mid-July. Why do you keep yourself hidden like that?”
“Because it’s how I want to exist. Unseen. Unknown. With no
connection to anyone or anything. The suit protects me,” Widow said.
“Nonsense. The suit is just death energy compressed into fabric,” Soul
shot back. “Take a chill pill, brother. I’ve always wanted to see what you
looked like, anyway.”
“Satisfied?” Widow retorted.
Soul shrugged. “Meh. I can’t say I’m knocked off my feet.”
“I am,” Kelara joked.
Widow shook his head slowly as Soul glared at Kelara. Their dynamic
provided at least half of the very little comic relief we had around here, and
I was grateful for every second of it. Taking advantage of Soul’s temporary
dismay, Widow snatched his gimp mask back and covered himself. At least
now I knew what he looked like underneath that thing. I wouldn’t forget.
“You’ve all ogled me enough,” he said. “Now back to business. Ridan,
Amane, and Trev. Sounds good. Soul and Kelara will join you. Ghouls
won’t be enough if you’re hunting Whips, trust me. I’ve seen what the
bastards are capable of.”
“Fine by me,” Kelara replied.
“Meanwhile, I will take Hunter, Widow, Dream, and Nightmare for
another hunting party,” Kailani said. “The more of us that go after the
Whips, the faster we’ll get things done. Time is not on our side.”
“Well…” The Time Master tried hard not to smile.
“I didn’t mean literally.” Kailani rolled her eyes—though she was
holding back at least a chuckle, judging by the redness in her round cheeks.
 “Then Derek and I will hold steady in Roano,” Sofia said. “We’ll
coordinate accordingly. There are many things to consider.”
Mira nodded. “The rest of us will remain here. The hunting parties
going after the Whips should be small and efficient. I feel we’re of better
use here, protecting the Visentis and Nasani children, along with the
Orvisians.”
“We can look after ourselves, you know,” Kalla interjected. “But your
assistance will be much appreciated. Let us hope it won’t be needed.”
“I’ve gathered considerable intel on the Whips,” Trev reminded us.
“During my clandestine trips over the past week or so, I’ve uncovered some
names of possible associates and potential locations. So at least we’ll have
somewhere to start our searches from. Visio is big, and we don’t want to
waste our time searching all the wrong places.”
“Agreed,” Kailani said. “Right, then it’s settled. We leave at dawn, and
we’ll spend the rest of the night preparing our weapons and supplies.
Hopefully, we’ll get some shuteye, too.”
Looking at Thayen, I could see fear swirling around in his azure eyes.
He’d seen too much for his age, and he’d suffered tremendously at the
hands of his own mother. But seeing Derek and Sofia by his side, I took
comfort in knowing they’d do anything to keep him safe. Kailani was right:
time wasn’t on our side, and Danika moved remarkably fast. It was
imperative for us to get to the Whips before she did.
At least it felt like we had a better sense of direction. We knew where
this was going, and we still had the energy to push through and fight. While
Valaine worked to remember herself as the Unending, the rest of us would
retaliate against the Darklings in a way that could make an actual impact.
With Petra on the loose, I would also have to mentally prepare myself
for a future encounter. She was coming for Kalon. My time in her captivity
had taught me a lot, but it didn’t stop the chills from running down my
spiritual spine whenever her name popped up. She was a true adversary, an
enemy to be reckoned with, and we would all have to be extremely careful.
Once Petra set her mind to something, she was almost unstoppable. Almost.

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 NETHISSIS

W ith the groups and missions established in painstaking detail,

I left the others to their own affairs and took my favorite
Reaper out for a walk. Seeley and I had to do our round of
the city, anyway. As we walked, nightfall approached, and the rain began an
incessant downpour. Rudolph stayed back with a gradually healing Maya
and the other ghouls, content with the day’s hunt. Trev was going to assign
defensive positions to some of them, as well.
Roano was big, and despite its Word and death magic protections, it still
needed physical defenses. We didn’t want a repeat of Orvis, though we had
a slight advantage this time around: the city had been built on higher
ground.
Most of the wall surrounding Roano had been eaten away by the
passage of time, so we could see much of what lay beyond. There was a
sense of calm coming from the Nightmare Forest in the east. It was nothing
more than a blanket of darkness at this hour. We couldn’t see much, but the
knowledge that it was there gave me a sense of comfort. The Darklings
could probably survive a trip through those woods, but it wouldn’t be easy,
and that made me feel better.
To the north, only jagged rocks and an abandoned road ruled along the
coast. The south worried me, since the road down there connected directly
to the imperial city. Granted, there were about eight hundred miles between
us and them, but it still made me feel uneasy. The west was the safest.
Nothing but water, a raging ocean with foaming waves and who knew what
swimming beneath the surface.
 “There’s a lot on your mind,” Seeley said as we strolled along the old
wall. Neither of us could feel the rain. Our feet didn’t sink into the softening
mud. The cold would never seep into our bones. We’d left the material
world behind to linger between life and death. At least Seeley had a sense
of purpose. I didn’t.
“You can tell?” I replied, half-smiling.
He took my hand in his, and I was thankful that I could feel his touch. It
was different than physical contact, however. Perhaps more intense. I
sensed his very soul every time. “You’ve got that look on your face,” he
said. “This might come as a surprise, but I know you pretty well by now.”
There was a note of pride in his voice. I couldn’t help but smile. “It
doesn’t surprise me at all, considering everything we’ve been through
together. These past couple of weeks have been... intense. I believe troubled
times are when we get to really know the people closest to us.”
“True friendships are forged in the fires of adversity, right?”
“Pretty much.” I chuckled. “I guess there’s a lot on my mind. It would
be hard for me to lay it all out for you.”
“I get it. You’ve got your own situation on top of all this,” Seeley said.
“And honestly, I’m still adjusting to everything we’ve learned. I have
always known death magic was more than just the sounds and sub-words I
was taught, but I never dared to ask. I only took what my superiors gave
me.”
“Spirit must’ve gotten really close to Death for her to trust him so
much,” I said.
“Meh. I think she felt lonely, thankful he’d stuck around. Remember,
we’re talking about millions of years here, not a decade or a century. That’s
a lot of time to spend in solitude, so I get where she was coming from with
her gratitude toward Spirit. And his patience was extraordinary. He’d been
harboring hatred toward her all that time.”
I sighed. “It doesn’t come as a shock, then, to see how detailed his plans
and contingencies have been. He thought of pretty much everything,
including the eventuality of his demise.”
“Our challenge is to figure out exactly how far he went with all this.
Spirit considered a number of possible scenarios, so we just have to analyze
each of these threads and adjust accordingly. Whatever we might consider a
measure against him, he’ll likely have thought of and implemented a
countermeasure. It’s certainly complicated.”
 We stopped near the crumbling base of the western tower. It was round
and covered in dust and reddish dirt, the bricks gnawed upon by the wind
and rain of two million years. The bad weather didn’t look like it would end
anytime soon, and I kept thinking about it, even though I could no longer
feel its effects. My whole life I’d looked to the sky and smelled the air to
determine what the days would be like. Now it didn’t matter anymore, yet I
was still wondering. Listening. Sniffing.
“Do we know what’s going to happen to me?” I asked after a while,
slowly leaning into him. “Death did mention keeping me around for a while
longer, but… do we know why?”
Seeley shook his head. “No. I won’t reap you anytime soon, that’s for
sure. The others know to leave you be, as well. Unfortunately, Death keeps
serving up limited amounts of information. I ask the questions, but she
often tells me to focus on the Darklings, on awakening the Unending, on
pretty much anything that doesn’t involve you. I’m frustrated but thankful
you’re still here.”
“The feeling is mutual,” I replied, giving him a warm smile. The way I
felt about Seeley was pretty much the only thing that kept me going these
days. There were moments when all I wanted to do was curl up in a dark
corner and do nothing. Feel nothing. But whenever I saw his handsome
face, with his debonair smile and his galaxy eyes, I’d come back to life, so
to speak. “Has she at least told you why I’m able to perform death magic?”
He shook his head again. “No. But the most obvious explanation is that
you’ve got Reaper potential. I reached out to one of my superiors who has
access to future records. Reapers are usually selected randomly upon death,
but given your condition and the fact that you’re already manifesting some
abilities, I’m thinking your name might have popped up somewhere. He has
yet to get back to me, but I’m patient.”
“You really think I’ll be a Reaper?”
“What other explanation is there?” he asked, shrugging and looking
perplexed. “Look at Taeral. He’s already predestined to become one. Why
wouldn’t you be like him, too? I’ve turned this over in my head countless
times. There’s nothing else that makes sense. But if you are a Reaper, you’ll
never cross over. Not until Death releases you from duty, and that could
literally take forever.”
I felt a smile coming on as I gazed into his starry eyes. “Would you like
me to become a Reaper?”
 Seeley put his arms around my waist, pulling me closer. Our spirits met,
energy flowing and tingling through me as it released a flurry of delightful
sensations everywhere. It was as if I’d been dropped in a tub of sparkling
water, the bubbles tickling my skin as they popped. His expression softened
as he leaned down to kiss me.
His lips were cool and soft. His breath was absent, but I could swear I
felt his heart beating, drumming against mine. Lights flashed between us,
the air crackling at every touch. He deepened the kiss, and I surrendered,
trying to understand the taste of him. Being undead changed everything,
including my sensory perception. Touching felt different. The taste wasn’t
really there, just the ghost of it. The idea of an aroma, of a fragrance. It
haunted and thrilled me at the same time.
I focused on what I could perceive, on what I truly felt, in a bid to
anchor myself into some form of reality, and I came to the simplest
conclusion. There was more than this spiritual attraction between us. There
was love. I could sense it glowing inside me like an infant star. Heat rippled
outward as his hand settled on the small of my back, our tongues playfully
meeting.
When he pulled back, I sucked in a phantom breath. “I would love
nothing more than for you to become a Reaper, Nethissis. Because it would
mean you’d stick around, and I wouldn’t be left on my own again.”
“I would hate to leave you,” I murmured against his lips, closing my
eyes for a moment.
“This thing between us, it’s complicated,” Seeley replied. “But I know
it’s real. Palpable, even. I love you, Nethissis. I’ve loved you for a long
time, and being able to feel you like this, it’s… it’s incredible.”
My eyes popped open at his words. My undead heart thundered as our
eyes met, and I knew, I knew in the depths of my being that Seeley was
being truthful, baring his soul for me.
“I love you. It’s not that I really like you, or that I’ve fallen in love with
you, because both terms feel… superficial and ephemeral. No, Nethissis. I
love you. It’s an irreversible condition, and I may never be able to get away
from it. You’re embedded in my soul, and I cannot fathom the rest of my
existence without you,” he continued.
I cupped his face and kissed him. I was soft and sweet, putting
everything I felt into this fleeting moment. A peculiar glow emerged
between us, and we both looked down. It came from the cores of our souls.
A warm light permeated our spiritual forms, a link that could never be
broken. This was true love, I thought, in its most naked variant, and it was
ours.
“I love you, Seeley.”
“I can see that,” he managed with a smile.
“How is it possible?”
“I’m not sure, but there’s no other way for me to describe it. It’s what I
feel from it, so why not consider it love?” he replied.
We stepped back for a few seconds, watching the glow subside. It was
still inside me. I felt it—a warm permanence that would never leave me, but
its illumination faded slowly. “This is so weird,” I said. “Wonderful, but
weird.”
“I’ve heard tales about Reapers falling in love, but this phenomenon
was never mentioned.”
“Maybe the First Tenners can tell us more,” I suggested.
He put an arm around my shoulders and beckoned me away from the
wall as we continued our walk around the city. I didn’t feel the rain or the
wind or the mud, but I could feel Seeley on the deepest level. “Let’s finish
this round first,” he said, and I didn’t object, glad for more time with him,
alone and away from everyone else.
Yes, I felt our love blossoming, growing stronger every minute. I wasn’t
sure what would become of me, since I only had a couple of possible
futures. With that in mind, I decided that I was better off living in the now,
cherishing every moment I had with him. For as long as the Reapers
allowed me to exist as a ghost, I would be happy.
I would be happy because I would be with Seeley.

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 TRISTAN

T he room had begun to shift, with Phantom’s help. It wasn’t

Kyle and Anna’s place anymore. We were somewhere else. It
was dimly lit by old sconces flickering on the walls, their soft
light dancing across the peeling wallpaper. A broken table occupied one
corner. Something heavy had fallen onto it, splintering the top board. The
legs were fractured, abandoned beneath thick spiderwebs. The chairs had
apparently been used as weapons at some point. Only pieces remained,
scattered on the squeaky floor.
“Where are we, exactly?” I asked.
Valaine sat in front of me with her legs crossed. She didn’t seem to have
an answer, and neither did Morning, who’d settled to my right. Phantom sat
to my left, the shadow of a smile testing her lips. I waited for her to tell me,
but it felt like forever before I got tired and allowed myself a bored groan.
“Come on,” I said. “You obviously know something.”
“It’s a memory,” Phantom replied dryly, looking at Valaine.
“What, one of mine?” she asked, surprised.
Phantom’s ability involved reaching deep into people’s minds and
building alternate realities, dreams that felt real. Taeral and his crew had
experienced the full force of her power about a year ago, during the last
stage of the Thieron challenge. She’d done something similar here, even
though the space provided belonged to Soul.
“Yes,” Phantom said.
“I don’t remember this place,” Valaine replied. “I’d know, trust me.”
“You’ve awakened lifetimes of memories into your subconscious. Every
time you delve into your Unending past, you unlock more doors. All I need
to do is stick my nose in there, look around, and pluck out a memory I can
work with,” Phantom explained. “This is yours, from your days as Eliana,
Mira and Kemi’s daughter.”
Valaine’s gaze moved from Phantom to Morning, and then to me. There
was grief in her dark eyes, the kind that might never fade away. There was
guilt, too. A smidge of sadness. All this was weighing on her, and despite
wanting to do the right thing, Valaine struggled to focus. All the running
around and the repeated loss of control over her darkness had taken their
toll. She had the best intentions, but her mind was the prime saboteur.
“You can see into my mind, my memories, even if I can’t?” Valaine
asked.
“Technically speaking, you can. There is a lot stored inside your head,
dear sister. It just takes focus, which you seem to be lacking,” Phantom
said, her slim brows furrowed. “How can we help?”
Valaine thought about it for a moment before offering a shrug in
response. “I have no idea. My mind keeps bouncing off these old walls.
What was this place? I get that it’s from Eliana’s lifetime, but what
happened here?”
“I see traces of violence,” I chimed in, and Phantom nodded once.
“This is where Eliana was first attacked by Darklings, upon Endymion’s
order. She was almost ten thousand years old, and she’d come to feed the
poor. It was a favorite pastime of hers. She’d go into the imperial city’s
market and fill up a cart with vegetables, grains and fresh milk in glass jugs,
and she’d push it all the way to the south side, where the poorest Rimians
and Naloreans lived, many of them children,” Phantom said. “This little
house belonged to a former palace servant, a disgraced Rimian who’d died
of a terrible infection. His children were left behind, starving and crying for
days on end. When she heard about their situation, Eliana came to help
them.”
The details began to form around us, materializing out of thin air.
Broken bottles of milk. Fruits and vegetables fallen from their sacks. Bread
and oil on a shelf above the splintered table. And blood, so much blood,
congealed across the wooden floorboards.
“Are you putting on a show here?” I asked Phantom, bile rising in my
throat as the bodies of dead Rimian children appeared in the corner. They’d
died violent deaths, and it pained me to see them. Valaine was even worse,
shuddering as tears gathered in her eyes.
 Phantom shook her head. “No. The more clearly Valaine remembers this
place, the easier it is for me to render it. I’m able to show you this because
of her.”
“Is that true?” I asked Valaine, and she gave me a faint nod.
“Okay, so we’re onto something,” Morning declared. “If you’re able to
visualize these past memories, it means we’re ready to dig into another,
more ancient life.”
Suddenly, Kalon appeared between us. He was asleep, on his back,
black veins drawn down his neck and around his eyes. Valaine gasped, no
longer able to control herself. She started to cry, and I moved to comfort
her, but Morning placed her hand over mine.
“Don’t. Leave her be. She needs to be able to clear her head without
your help,” Morning whispered. I hesitated but eventually accepted her
point. We were in here for a reason.
“She’s remembering Kalon,” I said.
“Yes. Her memories are blending,” Phantom replied.
Eliana appeared next, flown across the room. She hit the wall hard,
landing on her side. Coughing and wheezing, she forced herself back up
just as two Darklings passed through us, crossing the room, determined to
kill her. They’d already killed the children.
“Eliana was in the middle of feeding the Rimian boy and girl when two
Darklings stormed the house. They didn’t stand a chance, and Eliana wasn’t
fast enough. She’d never been taught to fight because her parents hadn’t yet
figured out who and what she really was. She’d been raised as a lady of the
court. She had her Aeternae reflexes and instincts, but they were useless
against trained Darklings,” Phantom continued.
I watched as Eliana tried to fight the Darklings off using her claws and
fangs. She was fast and agile, but she couldn’t foresee the attacks. More
than once, her opponents got the better of her, knocking her down.
Valaine looked only at me, tears streaming down her cheeks as Kalon’s
sleeping figure began to dissolve and disappear. “I remember,” she
murmured. “They beat me until the darkness took over, and the Unending
awakened…”
Eliana was on the floor. One of the Darklings was about to chop her
head off with an axe, but she caught it by the blade, blood trickling down
her forearm. Black veins burst around her eyes, followed by a smoky pulse.
Charcoal tendrils lingered in the air as it shot outward and cast the
Darklings away.
She got up for the last time, the air thickening and darkening around her,
as if her very being was gradually eating up all the light in the room. The
Darklings managed to stand and tried to attack her once more, but she
raised her hands and shot two balls of black smoke at them. Each of the
peculiar projectiles went right through the Darklings, and they collapsed,
bleeding black blood as their insides liquefied. They died in agony, writhing
on the floor as Eliana watched with a blank stare.
Chills ran down my spine when I realized she’d killed them with the
purest form of Black Fever—something I’d only caught glimpses of during
Valaine’s blackouts. A moment later, Eliana passed out, and the air cleared,
the sconces burning again. It was too late for the children, but at least she’d
survived.
“I don’t know how the Darklings knew I was the Unending,” Valaine
said after a while. “The Black Fever hadn’t begun to manifest yet. They had
little reason to suspect me.”
“They must’ve spotted a sign, a symptom. Perhaps you’d gotten too
angry once and didn’t even realize it, much like what happened here. The
older you got, the stronger your true nature became. You simply couldn’t
hold Unending’s power down for much longer,” I replied. “It’s good that
you remember, though. It gives us hope for the future. Just don’t let the
thought of Kalon haunt you. It won’t do you any good.”
She let out a deep breath, her shoulders low in defeat. “I know. I’m
trying.”
“We’re safe in here,” Phantom said. “I can do a lot more for you in this
place without influencing the outside world. If we can reproduce more
memories like this, then there’s a chance you’ll slip into another trance. You
just need to think about how far you wish to go. It’s up to you now. There’s
no risk of darkness spilling out and hurting people anymore.”
“It’s a controlled environment,” Morning added. “And we’re with you,
darling.”
Ignoring Morning’s earlier request, I leaned forward and took Valaine’s
hand in mine for a moment. Her skin felt warm, filling me to the brim with
newfound hope in the face of such great perils. As long as we were
together, we’d be okay.
“You’ve got this,” I told her. “And I’ve got you.”
 She gave me a soft smile. “It’s the only thing that gives me courage,”
Valaine replied. She closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths.
In and out. In and out.
It didn’t take long for her to slip into a trance. The room around us
disappeared, and the four of us sat in the nothingness, much like before.
This time, however, it was different. We were all present and conscious as
the world around us shifted, following the golden thread deeper into the
Unending’s past.
I could see it clearly, shimmering in the dark. Wanting us to reach its
end. The Unending’s beginning.

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 TRISTAN

I t felt like watching a movie projected all around us, three

dimensions of audiovisual stimulation that made my heart race.
We sat quietly in the middle of it as the scene came to life. The
nothingness was replaced with a sprawling hall. We were inside a palace, I
realized. It wasn’t that different from the imperial one, except it was much
bigger, judging by the size of this auditorium alone.
Its floor was covered in mirror tiles that reflected the dome-shaped
ceiling. Paintings of gracious Aeternae adorned every inch of it in soft
pastels. The scenes depicted gatherings before the Lord and Lady Supreme,
who resembled Mira and Kemi. This had to be part of the first imperial
palace, built and decorated under Mira and Kemi’s rule.
Enormous windows dominated the left wall, stretching from the top to
the bottom. Light flooded the hall, and I could tell the reddish haze had not
been cast around Visio just yet. This was pure sunlight, and I longed to feel
it on my skin again. The day-walking cure had proven successful so far, and
I was eager to try it soon. Until then, I had to make do with this foreign
memory.
Mira and Kemi’s portraits hung on the right wall, along with other
paintings and wall-mounted sculptures. At the far end, raised on a gilded
platform, were two thrones with ornate details and embroidered silk
tapestry, fit for a Lord and Lady Supreme. Gold guards stood at every
entrance, tall and quiet.
“Where are we?” I asked, having almost forgotten I was still conscious.
I could interact with Valaine and the Reapers in here.
 “The first imperial palace,” Valaine replied, keeping her eyes closed
while Phantom continued materializing the details of the distant memory
she’d tapped into. “Mira and Kemi have stepped down from the throne.
Their son, Thyme, rules as Lord Supreme. This is about twenty thousand
years before Eliana was born. We’ve made quite the jump here.”
I could see Thyme now, sitting in his throne. The Lady’s seat was
empty. Another young Aeternae man stood before him, clad in elegant
armor, a dark blue cape hanging from his left shoulder, on which I
recognized the Visentis brooch.
“I am Eldfenn Visentis,” Valaine continued, her lips barely moving.
“Master Commander of the Aeternae army.”
“And the Unending,” Phantom added, giving me a sideways glance.
Thyme and Eldfenn were talking, and they seemed like good friends.
There was a certain closeness between them. A kind of brotherly affection.
Thyme’s tunic was simple but elegant, his chest covered with gold buttons
and medals of distinction. A simple band of gold served as his crown,
settled atop his curly blond hair. His inquisitive blue eyes wandered around
the room with glimmering curiosity, while Eldfenn’s gaze was dark and
brooding, his hair long and black. The similarities between him and Valaine
were undeniable—not to mention the Unending.
All her reincarnations bore at least parts of her likeness.
“What do your parents think of Aelyn?” Eldfenn asked his friend.
Thyme wore a confident smile. “They like her. Well, my father
approves. My mother still needs some convincing, but neither protested
when I announced the engagement.”
“That is hardly an encouragement,” Eldfenn replied.
The image shifted around us. We were now sitting between the Lord
Supreme and the Master Commander. I watched their exchange as if it were
a tennis match, my head turning with every line. Valaine and the Reapers
didn’t move an inch.
“Aelyn is a beautiful and intelligent Aeternae. Her dynasty is noble and
just. After all, the Dratch dynasty has been by my parents’ side since the
empire’s inception,” Thyme said.
“Your parents must have trouble letting go of their precious baby boy.”
Eldfenn chuckled. “Although, to be fair, Aelyn hasn’t been properly vetted.
The Dratch dynasty may be an ally, but at least two of their younglings have
been arrested on suspicion of consorting with Darklings. They pose a risk.”
 Thyme rolled his eyes. The subject clearly bothered him. “Not Aelyn.
She’s good and pure. She would never—”
“Why won’t you let me check her out then?” Eldfenn replied. “I’ll be
discreet. You know me. She won’t even know I’m looking into her. Let us
get this risk off the table, Thyme, so we don’t have issues going forward.”
“You don’t like her either,” the Lord Supreme concluded. His lips were
pressed into a thin line. Anger circled him like a starving vulture, waiting
for him to give in.
“I cannot trust someone I haven’t vetted myself. Especially someone
who claims to love you. You are my closest and dearest friend, and I will
not apologize for my desire to defend you and keep you safe. It’s a central
part of my oath as well, if you remember.”
A side door opened, and in came a diaphanous creature. A young
Aeternae woman with long ruby-red hair and emerald eyes. Alchemist fires
burned in them, as if the mysteries of the universe had gathered inside her,
twinkling with every glance. She wore a long silk dress—layers of white
and deep green tailored to her delicate figure. Her gold-threaded shoes
clicked across the mirrored floor, the fabric bouncing around her as she
moved.
“Thyme, my darling!”
“Aelyn!” he exclaimed. “You’re early. I wasn’t expecting you back from
Astoria so soon.”
“I jumped out of my carriage and onto Lieutenant Farris’s Vision,”
Aelyn replied. “It was taking forever with the convoy, and I was dying to
see you again!”
Thyme leaped down from his throne and took Aelyn in his arms. They
kissed and whispered sweet words to each other, while Eldfenn averted his
eyes. For a moment, I thought he’d seen me—or at least that’s what it felt
like. We weren’t really there. Our eyes seemed to meet, before he turned his
head and offered Aelyn a polite bow.
“Milady, welcome back,” he said.
“It is good to be back,” Aelyn replied.
The memory faded, the colors melting and mixing as we were
transported somewhere else, to another time. We followed Eldfenn into
what looked like Thyme’s private office. The walls were covered in shelves
from top to bottom, thousands of books and scrolls having found their home
here. Thyme sat behind his desk reading a message written in black ink on
brown paper.
Eldfenn stood across from him, hands behind his back as he waited.
“You went ahead and investigated Aelyn, even though I asked you to
leave her alone,” the Lord Supreme said, his voice low and cold.
“I had to, Your Grace,” Eldfenn replied. “It is my duty to—”
“Enough!” Thyme shouted and sprang from his chair. “You did this
behind my back! Unsanctioned! I thought you were my friend!”
“I am your friend,” Eldfenn said, calm but somewhat tense. I could tell
from the muscle throbbing in his square jaw. “And I was sanctioned by your
mother, Lady Mira Nasani.”
Thyme scoffed, shaking his head as he looked at Eldfenn. “Aelyn sent
me this message,” he replied, pointing at the paper he’d just read. “She
knows you’ve been investigating her, and she’s deeply offended. Now I’m
the one left looking like a fool if I can’t explain your actions to her—
preferably in a way that doesn’t cause her to leave me!”
“Where was the message sent from?” Eldfenn asked, not really caring
about the offense that Thyme claimed to have endured. Some time had
passed since the previous memory. Tensions had risen. The dynamic had
shifted. Trust was a fickle thing between Eldfenn and Thyme, I realized,
and it all had to do with Aelyn.
“Why does that matter?”
“Please, Your Grace,” Eldfenn insisted. “I’m asking as the Master
Commander.”
“Astoria,” Thyme relented. “She’s on her way back now. The message
arrived this morning.”
Eldfenn cursed under his breath and left the room. The image drifted
away once more, dissolving into another place. We stood outside a derelict
house somewhere in the city. I wasn’t sure where we were until Valaine
spoke again.
“We’re in Baryon. A city east of the imperial capital. This is a Darkling
lair. As Eldfenn Visentis, I was very good at my job. With the Black Fever
erupting again, I became determined to protect my people. I didn’t know
who I really was.”
We watched Eldfenn go in through the rickety front door. Moments
later, it was blown open by a Darkling. Blood splattered the stone steps
leading up to the entrance as the Darkling’s head rolled away in the dark.
Sounds of violence erupted from inside. Eldfenn was fighting the
insurgents. I heard his roars of anger, bones breaking, the Darklings dying
in agony.
But we stayed outside this time, listening as silence gradually took over
the old house. A hooded figure emerged from the corner. She gasped at the
sight of the decapitated Darkling. “Markon, no…”
She rushed to the body, kneeling before it. Her hand settled on his chest,
fingers trembling as she sobbed. A rich lock of ruby-red hair slipped from
beneath the hood and dangled in the night’s darkness. Eldfenn came back
outside, blood dripping crimson from his clawed fingers.
“You’ll pay for this,” she hissed. Hatred burned green in her eyes. It was
Aelyn.
“That was your lover, right?” Eldfenn replied bluntly. “I knew you were
a conniving bitch, but I didn’t expect to find so much evidence just… lying
around.”
Aelyn stood, claws extended at her sides. “Thyme warned you not to
look into me. I told you not to waste your time. Yet you persisted.”
“Clearly, my time wasn’t wasted at all. Aelyn Dratch, you’re a
Darkling. Your lover was, until a minute ago, a Darkling. All while you’re
engaged to be married to Thyme Nasani, the Lord Supreme of Visio. Surely,
you understand why I cannot simply let this go.”
“No one will believe you.” Aelyn took a step forward.
“Thyme and I have known each other since we were children. He knows
I would never lie to him,” Eldfenn replied. “You’ve picked the wrong man
to play with, Aelyn. It’s going to get you killed.”
Aelyn laughed, but I could tell her nerves were stretched. She seemed
conflicted. Fighting was an option, but Eldfenn clearly had the upper hand.
His anger swelled with each moment that passed, the air thickening and
darkening around him.
“Oh no…” I whispered, realizing what would happen next. I had seen
this one too many times already.
“Eldfenn, my mission is sacred. It has always been to the benefit of the
Aeternae people,” Aelyn replied. “Thyme’s mother is a fool. I represent the
future. I shall save our empire!”
“You’re delusional.”
Aelyn’s demeanor changed as black veins appeared around Eldfenn’s
eyes. “This can’t be,” she murmured. “Out of all the people…”
 “I’m not letting you get away with this,” he shot back, his breathing
ragged. In the blink of an eye, he bolted toward her.
She dodged his attack, and he missed her by mere inches. I doubted
she’d be so lucky the second time around. Eldfenn glanced over his
shoulder, his rage radiating out of him like smoke, black plumes lingering
around his physical form. Aelyn took several steps back, her eyes wide in
horror.
“It’s you. You’re the source of the Black Fever!” she said.
Eldfenn dropped to his knees as though he’d been struck in the head, his
chest heaving as he gasped for air. Aelyn didn’t move but kept her distance.
She had some idea what she was dealing with. Judging by the horrified and
confused look on Eldfenn’s face, this was the first time his symptoms had
manifested like this. He seemed to understand what it meant, and the
realization was devastating him.
“No…” he managed.
“Look at you!” Aelyn said. “I can’t believe this. The Whip told me what
to look for. He told us all about the signs, but I didn’t think I’d ever be the
one to see it.”
“No!” Eldfenn shouted, pulling himself back up. The black veins were
gone, and he took deep breaths to regain his composure. “No, Aelyn.
You’re wrong. This is just my predator side. We all have it, remember?”
Aelyn smirked. “Not like you we don’t.”
“You’re under arrest,” he said. “Come willingly or don’t. It’s your
choice.”
Suddenly, she was compliant, putting her hands out. “By all means.
Let’s see whose story Thyme believes.”
Eldfenn didn’t hesitate to bind her hands with steel cuffs. He escorted
her away from the house, and I knew this wasn’t the end just yet. Morning
hummed slowly, and the sound helped me focus. Valaine kept her eyes
closed, digging deeper into her memories.
The world changed around us once more, and we were in the throne
room again. It was dark outside. Candles burned in the chandeliers and
across the walls. Only a handful of guards were present. Thyme sat in his
throne, but he looked furious.
Before him stood Eldfenn and Aelyn, the latter still in cuffs. The silence
was deafening as the Lord Supreme tried to take it all in. This wasn’t going
well.
 “He didn’t believe me,” Valaine said. “I delivered proof, but he didn’t
believe me. He couldn’t accept that the woman he so desperately loved was
a Darkling.”
“There are no markings on her. No sign of Darkling allegiance
whatsoever,” Thyme muttered, then gave Aelyn an apologetic nod, clearly
pained by her circumstances. “I am truly sorry, my love. It will all be
sorted, I promise.”
“She was outside the Darklings’ nest,” Eldfenn said. “One of them was
her lover. He was the first to die.”
“Your Grace, my darling, it’s not true,” Aelyn replied, paying no
attention to Eldfenn. “He lies! He’s jealous that you love me. He has no
proof whatsoever, only an unfortunate coincidence. I was feeding the poor,
Thyme. I’d just finished delivering bread and oil to one of the Rimians
living on the south bend of Baryon. You know I go there often for such
things!”
Thyme looked at Eldfenn. “I know. I sent Aelyn there myself several
times, with gold guards to keep her company. What actual proof do you
have that she’s a Darkling, Eldfenn?”
“My word is no longer enough?” He was visibly offended. “You’ve
never doubted me before.”
“You are trying to sentence the woman I love to death. Pardon me for
being thorough.”
“You’re being foolish, not thorough,” Eldfenn retorted. “I will get proof,
if you insist. But I will need a few days, and Aelyn must not be set free until
then. She cannot be trusted. I know what I saw. I know what she said. And I
understand your feelings for her, but the empire’s safety—your safety—
comes first.”
Thyme got up, his hands behind his back and his brow furrowed. “You
cannot arrest Aelyn without proof. We have had plenty of cases where
silver guards arrested innocent people without any evidence. We established
certain protocols to stop that from happening again, if you remember. In
fact, you were the one who sanctioned the changes in the law codex.”
“Dammit, Thyme, would you listen to me for once in your life?”
Eldfenn’s frustration was obvious, but the Lord Supreme refused to yield.
“No. Remove her cuffs. I will grant you time to return with proof. Until
then, Aelyn will not leave my sight. That is the best I can do without
causing offense to my beloved.”
 “You’ll regret this,” Eldfenn said and turned away, leaving Aelyn still
bound. He stormed out and slammed the door behind him. The sound
echoed through the throne room. I felt sorry for him. I’d seen the truth, and
I knew he was just trying to protect his friend.
Valaine sighed as the image changed again. We were on the palace stairs
beneath an endless starry sky. The full moon cast its milky light over the
building, causing shimmers across the white marble surfaces. “My desire to
save the ones I loved was my undoing,” she said.
A body materialized next to us as the memory developed further.
Eldfenn was on his back, a gaping hole in his chest. His blood puddled and
poured down the stone steps, dark and red and glistening under the
moonlight. A Darkling towered over him. He held Eldfenn’s heart in his
hand, watching as the Master Commander gave his last breath.
“Elias Dratch killed me. Aelyn’s father. All the Dratches were
Darklings,” Valaine said. “It was revealed on the night of the wedding when
Aelyn poisoned the blood at the celebration feast. Elias killed Thyme. It
devastated Mira and Kemi. They never spoke about Thyme again after that.
It was as if he never existed, because they couldn’t bear the pain or the
shame. They regretted not being more involved in their son’s life, especially
after Eldfenn’s warnings.”
“And after Thyme, they had Eliana, about twenty thousand years later,”
I replied. “They were not lucky at all.”
“They thought of it as the universe’s punishment for their aiding and
abetting of the Spirit Bender. They knew their sins in getting the Unending
trapped were not something that would be easily absolved,” Valaine
murmured.
In the end, Mira and Kemi suffered greatly at the hands of fate and the
Spirit Bender. They’d helped him keep the Unending bound. In return, their
first child was assassinated. I remembered they’d had other children after
Thyme who continued the Nasani dynasty, but they’d distanced themselves
from the empire’s official courts and assemblies. Later, they had Eliana, and
we all knew how that had turned out.
I could only imagine the pain of a parent losing their child. I couldn’t
even begin to imagine losing two children to the same relentless sort of evil.
No wonder they’d grown tired of living. No wonder they wanted to be
relieved of their immortality, to die of old age, to never feel such heartache
again. The Unending’s history was deeply complicated—her gold thread
wove throughout the fabric of Visio and its dynasties.
We’d managed to peel away some of the layers, but I couldn’t see her.
Not yet. I’d found her once, and I’d find her again. I had to. We had no
other choice.

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 TRISTAN

T his process was painful for Valaine, but it also got a little bit
easier with each death she remembered. It wasn’t a smooth
journey, as each memory brought back an incredible amount
of grief and tears. Every time, I had to watch her go through it all. I had to
witness every cycle of birth, life, and inevitable death. The fact that she had
to relive everything hurt me on a level I didn’t even know existed.
Her pain was my pain, yet she proceeded with grace and poise. Being
inside this interdimensional pocket had changed her demeanor. It had given
her strength and patience. My presence, along with Phantom and
Morning’s, played a part, as well. Valaine was calm and confident, despite
the suffering she endured with each memory.
“Where are we now?” I asked as the image continued to change around
us. The blackness had been replaced by another, earlier version of Visio.
The land looked different. Mountains rose where there had been plains.
Oceans pulled back, revealing new islands and broader, rocky shores. The
planet was everchanging, yet for the Aeternae time had stood still. They
didn’t age. They were destined to live forever, and they were loving it.
We’d come to a time when their species was relatively young, and the
Unending’s wounds still fresh.
“Nine hundred thousand years since the binding,” Valaine replied.
“Mira is Lady Supreme. Kemi is Lord Supreme. They do not have children
yet, as they’re still adjusting to their immortal lives. They feel guilt toward
me… well, toward the Unending. But they’re also enjoying the concept of
time never running out.”
“And who are you?” Phantom asked.
 We were taken to a small village on the southern shore. The houses
were made out of straw and red clay. They’d used rocks to create elevated
foundations. My guess was that they’d had enough experience with the
tides to fortify their homes as best as they could. Aeternae children played
by the water, the ocean lapping at their tanned feet.
Their parents watched from the edge of the beach, sitting by a crackling
fire. The sun was setting, a flaming red ball that turned the sky crimson and
orange as it descended into the dark waters. Peace reigned over this period,
but it felt forced. Unlike their children, the parents looked unhappy. They
wore iron cuffs around their ankles. Valaine noticed my attention being
drawn to them.
“They’re blood slaves,” she said. “Before the Aeternae discovered and
conquered Rimia and Nalore, they fed on their own. It’s a piece of Aeternae
history that they’ve hidden very well. Even the descendants of those who
served as ‘food’ don’t know about this. Tired of drinking animal blood, the
elites enslaved some of the people—stripped them of their lands, pushed
them into poverty. They basically forced them into slavery. There were
thousands of them, forced to live like this, with chains, waiting for the
empire’s soldiers to come and collect blood to feed the nation…”
The kids ran around and giggled and splashed water at each other. They
didn’t yet understand what their futures held, and I felt equal parts sorry and
relieved for them. The former because the day would come when they
would grasp their true reality, when they would see their blood taken from
them—whether they wanted to give it or not. The latter because they were
still innocent and laughing, enjoying the sun’s warmth on their faces and the
ocean’s cool embrace.
“I’m Jacinda Arneth,” Valaine continued, as an Aeternae woman
emerged from one of the red clay houses. She wore simple and modest linen
clothes, her hair black and braided down her back. Barefooted and smiling,
she joined the Aeternae who kept an eye on their children. “I’m a refugee of
sorts…”
They all seemed to like her, even though she didn’t wear iron cuffs.
They smiled when she was around. One of the women put an arm around
her shoulder as Jacinda settled in front of the fire.
“Where’s your uncle?” the woman asked.
“Inside, weaving a shirt,” Jacinda replied. “He made himself a new
spindle, and he’s eager to try it.”
 “Good. Galle can’t be without his craft for too long.” The woman
chuckled. “Idleness makes him stir-crazy.”
Valaine smiled. “My uncle Galle and I fled the city because we refused
to drink Aeternae slave blood, as was the new custom. The slaves
welcomed us into their village when the elite Aeternae shunned us. So we
became refugees. No one wanted us. Not our own bourgeoisie, anyway.”
“You seemed happy here,” I said.
“My joy and serenity were short-lived,” she replied, as Jacinda’s
conversation with the slaves continued in the background.
The image warped again, but only slightly this time. It was an early
morning, and the tide was gradually withdrawing. The foaming waters
revealed golden sands littered with oddly shaped seashells and turtle-like
creatures stumbling and struggling to get back into the ocean.
Vision horses neighed, their hooves thundering down the narrow,
battered road. There were dozens of them with silver guards on their backs.
They were led by a gold guard with a somber look on his face as they
stormed the village.
The Aeternae slaves ran from their path, the children hiding in the red
clay houses and peeking out from the windows. The gold guard—a
lieutenant, I suspected—stopped in the middle of the village and shouted so
everyone could hear him. “Galle and Jacinda Arneth! Come out, now!”
The silver guards dismounted their horses, hands resting on their
sheathed swords. They still carried weapons in this age. No one dared
object to their presence. How could they, when the slaves were visibly
traumatized and terrified of any Aeternae representing the empire?
“Galle and Jacinda Arneth!” the gold guard called out again. “You have
ten seconds to comply before we start killing people!”
A moment later, Jacinda ran out of one of the houses with her hands up
in a defensive gesture. “Please don’t! They’re innocent! They didn’t do
anything wrong!”
“There you are,” the gold guard said with a sneer. “Where’s your
uncle?”
“He’s not here, I swear! He’s out by the shore collecting seashells,”
Jacinda explained. She was shaking, as afraid of the guards as the slaves
were.
“They scared me,” Valaine mumbled. “They filled me with coldness and
dread. I’d chosen not to live at the expense of my fellow Aeternae, and they
resented and punished me for it. They were bullies.”
“You were accused of consorting with the blood slaves,” the gold guard
said, not hiding his disgust as he looked around. “I see the rumors are true.”
“I live here. Is that considered consorting?” Jacinda shot back.
“We feed off them. We don’t live with them,” he replied firmly. “Has
your exile taught you nothing, stupid girl?”
Jacinda’s expression shifted from fearful to angry. Her hands balled into
fists as she stared the gold guard down. “Is that why you’re here? To tell me
that I’m supposed to drink their blood?”
“It’s either that or we take you and your uncle to prison.”
“That’s ridiculous! You can’t force me to drink Aeternae blood!”
Jacinda shouted.
The gold guard slipped off his horse and reached her in less than a
breath. She didn’t see it coming. “I’m stronger and faster than you, stupid
girl. Want to bet I’ll make you drink? Of course, there is also a better
alternative that might teach you the right lesson. How about we slap some
iron cuffs on you and your uncle, too? If you refuse to drink from the blood
slaves, if you’re so fond of them, why not become blood slaves yourselves,
huh?”
“Let go of me!” Jacinda tried to free herself, but his grip was merciless,
his gloved fingers digging into her arm.
“Did you really think the empire would let you live this way?” The gold
guard laughed, mocking her as he watched her struggle. But his amusement
was premature, and I watched as black veins burst around Jacinda’s eyes.
The darkness erupted in a devastating pulse, and it threw him back. He
landed with a painful thud, his insides already liquefied as the Black Fever
took hold of him. Jacinda froze, unable to control herself. The Aeternae
slaves watched in horror as the silver guards tried to immobilize her.
They all died the moment they stepped toward her. She couldn’t hold
back.
“I didn’t understand what was happening, but I felt awful. I didn’t want
any of them dead. I’d only asked to be left alone,” Valaine said, her eyes
still closed. Her voice began to change, dropping to a low murmur that sent
chills rushing through my body. “I’d only asked to live the way I wanted.”
The worst part was that the slaves were getting sick as well, and fast.
Left on her own in the middle of a terrified and infected village, Jacinda
couldn’t cope with what she’d unwittingly done. She ran away up the coast,
her bare feet sinking into the wet sand. She tripped and fell a few times, but
she kept going, sobbing as she searched for her uncle.
The image moved until it found Galle, who was happily collecting a
shell the size of his head, covered in pink-and-green striations. “Oh, this
will make a fine instrument,” he muttered to himself.
“Uncle!” Jacinda cried out in the distance. “Uncle, I need help!”
Galle stilled, frowning as he watched her run toward him. “Jace…
what’s wrong?”
“They came for us!” She threw her arms around him. He held her tight,
pushing his worries back as he tried to calm her down. It took Galle a
couple of minutes to get her to breathe properly.
“That’s it, honey. In and out,” he said. “Now, tell me what happened.
Who came for us?”
“The silver guards. Someone from the slave villages farther inland
must’ve seen us here,” Jacinda explained. “They came for us. They were
going to force us to drink Aeternae blood. The people were scared. I was
scared. I didn’t know what to do. I… I lost control.”
“You need to tell me more. What do you mean you lost control?” he
asked.
Jacinda’s eyes were glazed with tears, and the black veins returned. My
stomach tightened as I realized what was about to happen. “No…” I
whispered. She was losing control again. The grief and the guilt were taking
a toll, much like the fear and the anger she’d felt earlier.
“I hurt him. Them. I hurt them all… I didn’t even realize it,” Valaine
said.
“Uncle, what… what’s happening to me?” Jacinda sobbed.
Galle couldn’t answer. Black blood dripped from his nose, and he fell to
his knees, no longer able to stand. The Black Fever took hold of him,
merciless and painful. Jacinda tried to help him back up, but he stopped
breathing. His skin darkened, covered in broken blood vessels. He gave his
last breath in her arms, and Jacinda was devastated.
“Uncle, no…”
“It was my fault,” Valaine continued, opening her eyes to look at me. I
felt her agony inside me, rippling and simmering and tearing me apart. “I
couldn’t explain it, but I knew I was to blame. It wasn’t something I could
live with. I refused to exist because I’d taken so many lives. Maybe the
guards had had it coming, but the others… no. My uncle was innocent, and
I killed him.”
The four of us watched as Jacinda wandered farther up the beach,
having left Galle behind. I lost track of time, unable to take my eyes off the
poor woman. She cried and walked until her legs could no longer hold her.
She’d been drinking animal blood for a long time, and her Aeternae body
was not as strong as the others in her species—much like the Orvisians.
Eventually, she reached a patrol. Two silver guards emerged from a
lighthouse, and she didn’t hesitate. Extending her claws, she attacked them,
but she didn’t really try to take the soldiers down. One of them cut off her
head, and that was the end of Jacinda Arneth.
Normally, the Unending inside her would’ve strived for survival. But
the girl had given up on living. Her body had already begun to shut down as
her soul withered. She’d killed someone she loved, and she couldn’t forgive
herself.
“I had to end myself,” Valaine said in multiple voices.
My breath got stuck in my throat. It wasn’t just Valaine talking
anymore. All her reincarnations had returned. This was the Unending,
awakened inside Valaine. I’d finally reached the first of the First Ten for a
second time.
This was the opportunity I’d been waiting for. It had come on the heels
of great suffering and death, but it had come, nonetheless. I sat in front of
Valaine, but I saw in the black depths of her eyes that she wasn’t alone.
They’d all come to the surface.
Phantom’s hand covered mine. “This is it. We’re getting closer.”
My heart had stopped beating.
Time had stopped flowing.
Unending was reaching out to me.

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 ESME

W ith two teams deployed to search for the remaining Whips,

my tasks were somewhat limited. Thayen stayed with the
Visentis boys—under Kalla and Mira’s close supervision—
so I didn’t have to worry about them for the time being. My brother was
busy with Valaine, Phantom, and Morning, and there was nothing I could do
to help them, either.
I went on several patrols around the city, occasionally bumping into
Nethissis and Seeley, but it was late at night, and there wasn’t a single soul
around Roano. It was as if the darkness chased everyone and everything
away from this place. Then again, the Nightmare Forest was very much
alive and full of danger just fifty or sixty miles to the east.
With every hour that passed, I became increasingly restless. Not bored
but definitely restless, until I figured out what had been bugging me all
along. It shouldn’t have come as a surprise, however—I missed Kalon. I
longed to see him, to touch him, to whisper in his ear and promise him that
everything would be all right. Most of all, I yearned to see him awake and
well, healthy and cheeky and playful as he’d always been.
Newfound energy flowed through me as I made my way up to the north
tower, wondering if I might be able to get a few minutes alone with Kalon.
Time had mentioned that it wouldn’t be a good idea to wake him up, but I
wanted to revisit that topic with him. The more selfish side of me ached for
a reunion. I just needed to see Kalon awake and remind myself of why I
was doing this.
I reveled in the tomblike silence as I climbed the stone steps. When I
reached the door leading into Kalon’s room, I knocked twice. Time came
out, squinting. He looked as though I’d just woken him up. “I thought
Reapers didn’t sleep,” I said.
“We don’t. It’s a habit I picked up from the living,” he admitted. “I
don’t really sleep. I just lie down and close my eyes and listen to the
nothingness within. It’s very relaxing.”
“Sorry if I disturbed you.”
“No trouble at all. These are tough times, and I’m not always
comfortable when left alone with my thoughts,” Time replied. “How can I
help you?”
I put on my most innocent smile. “Since you’re asking…”
“Oh, Esme.” His expression changed from serene to sullen. “You want
to wake him up.”
“Is it really that big of a problem?”
He shook his head. “Not really. But if we lose this fight, Kalon will die.
Seeing him now will only make things worse for you.”
“I appreciate your concern, but I can handle it,” I said. “I really want to
see him. He needs me, if only for a few moments.”
“There’s also the risk of him experiencing a surge in symptoms if he
stays awake for too long. I’ve slowed down his metabolism with my ability,
and once I bring him back to this normal time flow, the Black Fever might
try to catch up. Emphasis on might. It’s not like I’ve dealt with Black Fever
before coming here, so most of what I’m saying is theoretical, at best.”
“So he can’t be up for more than what, a few minutes?”
“At most,” Time replied. He stepped aside, allowing me to enter the
room. “I can give you a few minutes without putting his health in danger.
Sit there in the middle. I’ll bring him out.”
I did as I was told, crossing my legs and waiting patiently. Time closed
the door and walked toward me, presenting his scythe. Its blade glowed
white as he cut through the air with it, creating a slit in the fabric of space.
He had unfettered access to Soul’s interdimensional pocket. Reaching into
the blackness that lay beyond, he pulled something out—I didn’t
immediately understand what it was—a figure covered in layers of
translucent glass.
“Kalon,” I whispered.
He settled him on the floor in front of me and pressed three fingers into
the glass. It rippled and peeled away like tape until Kalon was revealed.
Time leaned closer and whispered something in his ear. Kalon’s eyes
popped open, and he sucked in a deep breath.
My heart skipped a beat as Kalon sat up, slightly confused from his
intense slumber. He saw Time before he noticed me, but when our eyes met,
a smile spread across his face.
“Esme!” he exclaimed, throwing his arm out and pulling me into a hug.
Time moved away and vanished, giving us some much-needed privacy.
I melted in his embrace, warmth filling my body to the brim like liquid
sunshine. His scent flooded my nostrils—a mixture of musk and leather that
made the rest of my senses flicker. And when his lips found mine, I tasted
heaven. We kissed as though we’d been apart for years rather than hours.
We kissed as though this was our last night in this world. Like every second
mattered more than anything.
“How long have I been under?” he asked, his breath tickling my skin.
“Just a few hours,” I said. “And we can’t keep you awake for more than
a few minutes right now. There’s a risk of the Black Fever symptoms
coming back twice as hard. You’re being kept in a form of suspended
animation. As soon as you’re out here, things might get rough.”
“Don’t worry about me,” he said, caressing my face and running his
hands through my hair. “How are you holding up?”
Dark veins had begun making their way up the side of his neck, a sign
that the Black Fever still had a grip on him, and that it would not let him go
that easily. “I’m okay… Can’t help but feel responsible for your situation.”
“Don’t,” he said, shaking his head. “You ran. You did your best,
considering that you were faced with an impossible choice. I would’ve
hesitated, too, if it had been one of my brothers in Tristan’s place. But you
pulled through. We just weren’t fast enough. Her darkness caught us.”
“I guess…”
“What’s the plan, going forward?” he asked.
“I’m just looking after the boys, keeping an eye on the city. We’ve sent
a couple of crews out to hunt down the Whips before Danika gets to them.”
He frowned, understandably confused. “I think I’ve got some catching
up to do.”
“You most certainly do.” I chuckled, then did my best to summarize
everything we had learned from Derek regarding Danika, the Whips, and
the Spirit Bender’s soul shards. The more I told him, the bigger and rounder
his eyes grew, horror gradually settling onto his features.
 “And my mother?” he managed, his voice barely audible.
“We don’t know where she is, but chances are she’s coming for one of
you,” I replied. “She’ll need to transfer her shard into a son in order to
survive Danika’s mission. We were all thinking that Petra might target you
—the eldest living son, the one who ruined everything for her.”
Kalon sighed, his gaze wandering to the side. “It’s me she’ll want to
kill, yes. Ansel, Tudyk, and Moore are still young. According to her logic,
their minds can still be shaped and molded to her will.”
“It’s unlikely she’ll find us here,” I said. “Roano is protected with twice
as much Word and death magic than Orvis was. Besides, we’re eight
hundred miles from the imperial city. Out of all the places on Visio, what
are the odds she’d come straight to us?”
“I wouldn’t underestimate her,” Kalon replied. “She’s a menace, and I
can’t let her anywhere near the boys. I need to be awake, Esme. You can’t
put me back to sleep. My mother is coming, and Danika will be needing
Thayen’s heart. I can’t let that happen.”
His heart rate was spiking. I could hear it drumming in my ears as he
grew restless and agitated. I put my hands on his shoulders, trying to hold
him down. “Kalon, you’re sick. You’ll get sicker if you stay awake, and
you’ll be of no use to anyone if you die.”
“At least I’ll die fighting,” he shot back, anger making the blue in his
eyes brighter.
“You will do no such thing!” I cried out. “I love you, and I’m not going
to lose you. Do you hear me?”
He shook his head, his pained expression breaking my heart. “Esme, it’s
not just about us anymore. She’s coming, and she won’t stop until she takes
my brothers back. I can’t let her poison their minds again. I just can’t.”
“Please, listen to me,” I said, hugging him tightly. “We’ve got this
covered. The city is safe for now, and I am keeping a close eye on the boys.
Petra is never going to take them away from you, I promise. But Ansel,
Tudyk, Moore… they need you. They need their big brother, and if you die
before we can save you—it’s not right, Kalon. It’s not fair.”
“Esme, my love, they’re my only family right now. I must protect
them.”
He pulled away from me, trying to get up. The Black Fever had begun
to weaken him, and he had a hard time pushing himself to his knees. I tried
to hold him down, but we were both struggling. Tears streamed down my
cheeks. I hated having to do this, but there wasn’t a better choice available.
As if summoned, Time reappeared in the corner, sullenly walking toward
us.
“Please, Kalon. Don’t make this any harder than it has to be,” I said, but
my beloved wouldn’t listen. “You’ll only make it worse for yourself, and
you’ll put your brothers at risk of infection, too!”
Kalon stilled, reason finally kicking in. Time reached him and placed a
hand on top of his head. Kalon’s eyes rolled back, and he collapsed into a
deep sleep. I cried hard for the better part of a minute as I stared at him,
wondering whether we’d actually manage to save him. With Petra actively
looking for Kalon and his brothers, the stakes were higher than ever. My
nerves were crumbling, and I wasn’t sure I’d last until the very end.
“I’m sorry, Esme. I did warn you.”
“Yes, you did. But I needed to see him,” I murmured. “I’m not sorry.”
“I have to take him back.”
Time scooped Kalon up in his arms as the protective spell wrapped
itself around his body like before, layer upon layer of translucent glass.
What little light there was in the room reflected across the surface, fractured
in thousands of colored flakes. Moments later, he was delivered back to the
darkness inside the interdimensional pocket, and I felt empty and alone
once more.
“There’s nothing more you can do for him,” Time said.
I got up, my knees weak. He gripped my shoulder, beckoning me to
look up at him. He smiled gently, and I found sympathy in his galaxy eyes.
Normally, one’s gaze spoke volumes, but it was much harder to read a
Reaper’s emotions. Time, however, seemed to have found a way—or so I
thought, anyway. Maybe I was imagining it. Maybe everything was finally
getting to me, and I’d begun to hallucinate, to see things that weren’t really
there.
“How long do you think he has?” I asked.
“I’m not sure,” Time replied. “It could be several weeks, provided he
stays under my temporal spell. In a natural environment—”
“Maybe less, considering the intensity of his exposure to Black Fever,”
I muttered. “I know the odds out here. I just wanted to know his odds in
there.”
“The more you think about it, the worse it’ll be.”
 I tried to keep myself together, but the longer Time looked at me, the
more I began to unravel. Unable to control the grief, I started crying again.
The Reaper sighed and took me in his arms while I let it all out. Hiding my
face in his coat, I sobbed and screamed and released all the angst, all the
pain that had plagued me from the moment I’d watched Kalon fall under the
Black Fever’s influence. My heart was broken a million times over, and I
could see no way out of this mess. Time held me tight, allowing me to
release every emotion I’d bottled up over the past couple of weeks.
It felt good. Peaceful even, until I noticed something odd. There was no
sound. Not a peep. Nestled in Time’s arms, it was eerily quiet, as if nothing
functioned anymore. As if the world had stopped spinning altogether. Time,
real time, stood still.
Sniffing, I pulled my head back to look at the Reaper. “What are you
doing?”
“Giving you an inkling of peace and quiet,” he replied. “I thought you
might appreciate it. I can let time flow again, if you wish.”
“That’s kind of you,” I said, wiping my tears and taking a couple of
steps back. “I’m better now. Thanks.”
The corner of his mouth twitched. “You’re welcome.”
He snapped his fingers, and something came alive within me. I could
feel the flow of time again. It was so strange to have been the only one
moving and breathing while everything else had stopped. What an
incredible power he had.
“I would advise you to reduce your visits here,” Time said. “At the risk
of repeating myself, it doesn’t do you any good to be around Kalon right
now.”
“I love him. I can’t just leave him here…”
“Esme, I knew love once, too. And while it is a wonderful thing that I
would do anything to experience again, I also remember how easily it can
cloud one’s judgment. I see you. I see what you are capable of. You
represent the highest tier of your species. This world and many others
beyond have high hopes for you. Victory requires dedication and
concentration. A clear mind. A clear heart. You have neither right now.”
I lowered my eyes, begrudgingly admitting to myself that he was right.
If I wanted even the slightest chance of walking out of here with Kalon
alive and healthy, I’d have to find my strength again.
 Sofia’s voice came through on the comms system, startling me. “Esme!
Esme, where are you?” she called out. I pressed the button on my earpiece.
“I’m in the north tower,” I said, glancing at Time. “What’s wrong?”
“You need to come to the south tower. Now!”
The urgency of her request made my pulse quicken. Without hesitation,
I headed straight for the door. Time came after me. “What is it?” he asked.
“I don’t know, but it can’t be good,” I replied.
It wasn’t like Sofia to just reach out like that without giving me any
details. Something was going on by the south tower, and I suspected I might
need my pulverizer weapon handy. It looked like fate still had a couple of
curve balls to throw at me.
I’d have to keep playing, then.

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 ESME

“Y ou have to be kidding me!” I’d reached the southern tower.

There wasn’t much left of it, except for its crumbling base. It
had been built on the edge of the city by the once-tall gates.
We could see everything down the road from here, including
Petra Visentis. Somehow, she’d made her way all the way here.
Here, of all places.
Time shushed me. “Keep your voice down. She can’t see past the
protective shield, but she can still hear you.”
“What is she doing here?!” I croaked, and Time brought an arm up to
hold me back.
“Mind your temper,” he hissed. “You can’t let her get to you like this,
Esme.”
I took a deep breath, standing in the middle of the cobbled road. Ahead,
Sofia and Derek were already watching Petra as she looked around, trying
to figure out what she might find beyond the spell. Kemi had joined them.
No one said anything. My blood ran cold. Our worst-case scenario had
already come true, and I had no idea how we were going to fix it.
“I’m good,” I told Time. “Let’s go.”
By the time we reached Sofia, Derek, and Kemi, Petra was trying to
touch the shield. It zapped her, and she jerked her hand back, cursing under
her breath. Her silver hair was pulled back beneath a black leather hood. I
caught glimpses of a dark blue velvet dress as she moved along the shield,
probably looking for a way through.
“She must’ve heard about Orvis,” Sofia whispered in my ear. “The
shield didn’t exactly surprise her.”
 “How is she here?” I whispered back.
Sofia didn’t have an answer. “I don’t know. She hasn’t said anything.
She’s been here for about ten minutes, trying to get in.”
Petra got zapped again. She licked the tip of her throbbing index finger,
her brows furrowed as she looked my way. I knew she couldn’t see me, but
it still felt like she was peering right into my soul. I shivered, both hands
gripping the pulverizer weapon.
“I could kill her right now.” I sighed. “Maybe I’ll turn the Spirit Bender
shard to ashes, too. What’s stopping me?”
“Absolutely nothing,” Derek replied, his voice low. “But I, like you, am
curious about how she came to Roano. If she can find this place after two
million years of abandonment, Corbin might do the same. There are only so
many lucky breaks we can get out of this world.”
“So, what? We engage her?” I asked, and Derek thought about it.
“I’m here,” Lumi said from behind us, gasping. “Oh dear.”
I didn’t even need to turn around to know the expression on her face. It
was a mixture of fear and bewilderment and anger, much like mine. Lumi
stepped forward until her shoulder was next to mine.
“Yeah, we’ve got a problem,” I grumbled.
“Has she said anything?” Lumi asked.
“Nope. She’s been checking the shield,” Sofia said.
Petra revealed her scythe, its blade glinting beneath the moonlight. She
pressed its tip into the shield’s membrane, and it shimmered in faint ripples
upon contact. Smiling, she tried to pierce through, but the entire protective
dome moaned as light flickered across, coming from all over and
concentrating into her scythe.
The resulting pulse threw her back with considerable force, the air
crackling with electricity around her as she struggled to get up.
“At least we know your latest magic works,” I whispered, giving Lumi
an amused sideways glance. “I take it you picked up a new spell from the
Word since Orvis?” I asked, knowing she’d have used it before, had she
known about it. This had to be a more recent gift from the patron, the Word.
It wasn’t even the first time that Lumi was picking up fresh spells along the
way.
Lumi nodded slowly. “It’s been a while since it last taught me
something new.”
 “I think we should talk to her.” Sofia eyed me carefully. “With our
pulverizers aimed straight at her, of course.”
Petra sniffed the air, her gaze wandering. I could almost hear the wheels
turning in her head before she called out, loud and clear, for all of us within
earshot.
“I know you’re in there, Derek. Sofia. Esme. I can smell you!”
“Of course,” I muttered.
“We need to talk,” Petra added. Her eyes narrowed, as though they were
smiling. “I have a lot to tell you.”
Derek shook his head. “We shouldn’t. As curious as I am to learn how
she got here, maybe we’re better off just killing her.”
“You’ll have to explain your decision to Ansel, Tudyk, and Moore,” I
said. “Not to mention Kalon. No, it’s not right.”
“We’ll still have to kill her to get the shard,” Lumi reminded me, even
though I’d just boasted of emptying my pulverizer weapon cartridges into
Petra. This was beyond confusing, mainly because none of us knew why
she was here. That was the most important question. “We’re better off doing
it now, rather than later.”
“Hold on,” Kemi said. “She’s alone here. There’s not a single hostile
scent within a mile radius, at least. I’m able to sense an Aeternae, even if
they’re cloaked with death magic. Trust me on this. She’s on her own.”
That was a good point he was making. Roano was guarded by two
hundred Seniors, a couple dozen ghouls, and at least a hundred or more
Orvisians who could put up a fight. On top of that, we had members of our
crew and some Reapers ready to go, as well. Petra had come alone, so
whatever she was planning, it couldn’t possibly succeed against so many of
us.
Looking around, I gave myself a moment to think things through. I
would’ve loved nothing more than to shoot her dead, right here, right now.
But like I’d said to Sofia and Derek, such a decision would’ve put me in a
difficult position with all the Visentis boys—Kalon included. Yes, they
knew Petra was evil, and the younglings were angry with her, as well as
deeply hurt, but that didn’t give me a carte blanche to just whack her. I
glanced back at the north tower, visible from where we stood, trying to
imagine what Kalon might say about this. It was a complicated situation,
and I was right in the middle of it, stuck between a conniving, murderous
mother and her innocent sons. She’d damaged them in so many ways. I
didn’t want to let her anywhere near them.
But she was still their mother. The decision about what to do with her
belonged to Kalon, Ansel, Tudyk, and Moore. The best I could do was try
to get a read on Petra. Hear her out. Filter her demands and figure out what
to do with her. Sofia and Derek were probably thinking the same thing,
judging by their silence and the looks on their faces. It wasn’t a pleasant
situation, but we had to choose whichever path led to the least number of
casualties.
My personal opinion of Petra could not influence the Visentis boys.
They’d already learned about the awful things she’d done. The lies she’d
told. I doubted they would ever accept her again, but I had to be fair and
reserved in my approach.
Should she try something stupid, I can just end her and call it self-
defense. With that thought in mind, I took Time’s wrist and pulled him
forward. “We’ll go talk to her,” I said. “Let’s see what she has to say when
the odds are clearly against her.”
“Esme, wait!” Sofia tried to stop me, but it was too late. The Reaper and
I had already gone beyond the protective shield, my pulverizer weapon
pointed at Petra.
“You’ve got five minutes to explain yourself before I blow you to bits
and… well, bits,” I said to Petra. “You’d better not waste my time.”
Petra grew still, her eyes wide at the sight of me. She looked at Time,
briefly confused, then back at me, and smiled. I wasn’t sure what to make
of her expression, but it couldn’t mean anything good. She’d come here
with a mission, and she wasn’t the type to back away from a challenge.
I needed to stand my ground and assert myself. I was done being chased
around by Petra Visentis, hated by her because I’d fallen in love with her
son. It was time to put an end to this threat, because too many people had
gotten hurt already. Her children were suffering, and they didn’t need any
more pain.

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 ESME

“W here are Derek and Sofia? If I remember correctly,

they’re the decision makers around here,” Petra said.
“They’ll hear you out. But first, convince me not to
kill you,” I shot back, my finger on the trigger and itching to pull it.
“Who’s this?” Petra asked, nodding at Time. “New friend?”
“I’m the Time Master, one of the First Ten and a loyal soldier of Death,”
he replied. “Anyone fighting against your kind is a friend of mine, because
you’re all abominations developed at the expense of my sister’s suffering.”
“Oh, I see you’re one of those serious types.” Petra chuckled.
I clicked the safety off my weapon. “Tick tock, High Priestess.”
“I’m here to be with my sons, you wench,” she said, visibly disgusted
by my aggressive persistence. Clearly, she was still unhappy with me. “I’ve
had enough of the Darkling garbage, and I have no intention of dying or
getting anyone else killed for the Spirit Bender to return, if that’s what
you’re worried about.”
“Last time you saw Derek, you were running away to find your sons so
you could implant your soul shard into one of them, solely for the purpose
of sacrifice and extraction without putting your own life on the line,” I
replied. “Am I supposed to believe you’ve had a change of heart?”
Petra smiled, but it wasn’t genuine. It was a tense, flat smile that spoke
of all the things she’d do to me if she could—and none of them were
pleasant. She put her scythe away and held out her hands. “Cuff me if you
wish. Just hear me out. Whatever I told Danika was merely to buy myself
some time so I could get out of there. The bitch was trying to kill me.”
“Why should I trust anything you say?”
 “Because I’m a mother first!” Petra snapped. “Something you couldn’t
possibly understand, which is why I’d much rather have this conversation
with Sofia and Derek. At least they’d get me.”
“I’m afraid that won’t happen unless you prove your intentions are as
honorable as you claim,” Time said. “Surrender your scythe. Surrender
yourself. Then, we’ll consider listening.”
Petra exhaled sharply, her shoulders slumping as she rolled her eyes in
frustration. “Fine. Take it.” She scoffed, tossing the scythe on the ground
between us. “I don’t want to die by Danika’s blade, okay? I just want to
take my sons and get them as far away from here, as far away from the
empire, as possible.”
“How did you find this place?” I asked.
“Finally, a pertinent question. The Seniors all had tiny magical trackers
implanted in them when they were shipped off to the island. They’re not
aware,” Petra said. “Only a few of us know about the implants. As a Whip,
it’s been my duty to occasionally keep an eye on them, so I’m able to find
them wherever they go.”
That added a new item to our collective to-do list—finding and
removing those trackers from the Seniors before other Darklings thought to
use them against us. My stomach churned at the thought of all the malice
that had gone into the Seniors’ punishment. All because they’d wanted to
return Visio to normal and release the Unending from her tortuous prison.
“Where are the implants?” I asked, hoping to get more details for Kemi
to immediately act upon. Either way, staying in Roano had just become
even riskier. Ironic, I thought, since we’d initially considered it safer than
most other places.
“They were ingested with blood and likely lodged somewhere in their
stomachs. They’re made of minuscule crystals that the Aeternae’s organism
doesn’t reject, hence why they’ve been unnoticed. It’s a proprietary spell
created by the Spirit Bender and detailed in his chronicles,” Petra said.
“Chronicles?” Time muttered, his gaze darkened.
“Oh, you didn’t know.” Petra giggled. “He left us a treasure trove of
documents. Spell instructions. Secrets to use against anyone among his
peers who might want to come after us. I will tell you all about it if you let
me see my sons.”
Derek’s voice cut through the brief silence. “Why should any of us trust
you, Petra? All you do is lie. You tried to kill us more than once.”
 He’d come out, joined by Sofia. I didn’t mind, since they were the ones
Petra wanted to talk to, and I could use the assistance in case she decided to
attack. I didn’t put anything past her.
“I swear, Derek, on my life—on my children’s lives—I was just playing
Danika back there,” she said, her eyes suddenly wet. “She’s insane. She put
the shard in her own son. She will kill her own son to bring the Spirit
Bender back, and that is something I simply cannot accept. I might
understand sacrifice for one’s cause, if necessary, but it must be personal.
Derek, Sofia… I would never kill my children. I’ve already lost a son and a
brother to this conflict, and my soul is forever broken. I cannot take losing
another child.”
“You’re a habitual liar, Petra,” Derek replied. “You make it hard for us
to believe you.”
“I was wrong. I was wrong to bring my boys into the Darkling circles.
They would’ve been better off not knowing, living blissful and carefree
lives as nobles.” Petra sighed. “That way, once they learned who I really am
and what I do… maybe they would’ve appreciated my decision to shield
them, to protect them from the foul things my peers and I have done to
preserve our species. I cannot go back to fix that, but I can do better in the
future.”
“Your sons would’ve been better off if you’d left them alone,” I said in
a low voice.
Petra gave me a cold stare. “I still don’t like you, Esme. Don’t expect
me to sugarcoat things simply because you’re pointing that weapon at me.
Your opinion of my parenting skills still means nothing. Just so you know.”
At least she wasn’t trying to play nice with me. I had to appreciate the
honest approach. It made her slightly more believable in my book. Her
hatred of me was so strong that Petra couldn’t even fake liking me to
improve her own position.
“We can’t just let you walk in,” Sofia said. “And we definitely can’t just
let you take your children out of here. The Visentis boys are under our
protection, and they will continue to be under our protection for as long as
we see fit.”
“Fine, Sofia. What do you want from me? What else do you need me to
do in order to prove myself? I’ve given you my scythe. I’ve come here all
alone. You’re free to kill me, if you wish. My life is yours,” Petra replied.
 “Information,” Derek retorted. “Tell us everything we need to know
about the Whips and where to find them.”
I glanced his way, surprised by his angle. This was war, and we had to
adjust or redraw our strategies where needed. The Senior implants changed
everything, so we would eventually have to prepare for a swift relocation
before anyone else thought of tracking them. Kemi was likely already with
his people, looking for ways to extract the bones from their stomachs and
toss them far into the sea, thus leaving Roano safer than it was at this point.
The uncertainty of this situation put me on edge, but I needed to focus
on the principal thread here: Petra and her intentions. I couldn’t bring
myself to trust her. For Kalon’s sake, however, I had to at least try to give
her a chance.
“I’ll help you find the Whips,” Petra said. A single tear rolled down her
cheek, her lower lip trembling. “I’ll help you, just so this can all end.”
“If you help us, we’ll win. The Unending will be free, and you’ll likely
lose your immortality,” Time replied. “Are you sure you want that?”
“As long as I get my family back, I don’t care. In hindsight, I should’ve
found more comfort in knowing that there is something beyond death,”
Petra declared. “Reapers, Death, ghouls, ghosts… they’re all proof of an
afterlife. We tend to fear dying because we don’t know what exists beyond
it. Or if there’s even anything there. Truth be told, it’s time I prepare myself
for this passage. If the Unending lets me die of old age, I’ll be fine. I just
want to see my boys grow up.”
Derek looked my way. “Esme, please cuff her.”
I didn’t hesitate, taking out a pair of wrist bands with Word magic
inscriptions. I approached Petra carefully as she put her hands out once
more, watching me like a hawk. My heart was beating faster than ever. I
hadn’t been this close to her since she’d tried to kill me back at the Visentis
mansion.
“Don’t flinch,” Petra whispered as I put one cuff on her left wrist. I
heard the metal click, with only a half-second left to see her right hand
coming up, claws long and sharp and eager to slice through my carotid.
“Esme!” Sofia shrieked.
I caught Petra’s loose hand and swerved around, twisting her arm in a
painful maneuver in the process. She cried out as I jerked her hand upward,
nearly dislocating her elbow. I reached for my pulverizer weapon and
pressed its nozzle into the back of her head. “Try that again, Petra. I dare
you.”
She giggled between agonized gasps. “Had to give it a shot, Esme. I
hate you too much for taking my sons away to let you off the hook that
easily.”
“Well, I’m the one with the power to kill you now. Don’t be stupid. You
said you wanted to see your sons, and that means surviving. How do you
plan to do that if you’re trying dumb stuff just to get to me, huh?”
“Okay, I yield!” Petra retorted, no longer able to take the pain.
I briefly released her and slapped the second cuff on, deciding she’d be
a safer bet with her hands bound behind her back. A chain formed between
her wrists. It appeared to be made of solidified light, glowing. I nearly
burned myself touching it, so I moved around to face Petra again and gave
her a warning look.
“Is that supposed to intimidate me?” she asked.
“No, it’s supposed to remind you that you’re on my turf now,” I replied
dryly and pushed her over to Derek. He took a firm hold of her upper arm,
while I lifted the scythe off the ground and handed it to Time. “Here. Best
to keep it away from her. I should check for other weapons.”
“Go ahead, you won’t find any,” Petra said.
Time came closer after putting her scythe away and measured the high
priestess from head to toe. “I think she’s clean.”
“You think?” I asked, raising an eyebrow. “I will strip this monster bare,
if I have to!”
“She’s clean. I don’t sense other weapons,” Time insisted. I took it as a
mild reassurance. It was the best we could get in these dark times.
The protective shield shimmered as we approached it, reacting to our
presence. Lumi’s hands came through as she pried it open. It looked like
she’d simply pulled back a pair of curtains, allowing access for outsiders
like Petra. Derek went in first with the high priestess still in his grip,
followed by Sofia, Time, and me.
As soon as she set foot in Roano, Petra stopped, gazing around in
fascination. “Wow, I haven’t been here in at least a couple of centuries. The
ocean and the winds are doing a real number on this place. In about a
thousand years or so, I doubt there will be anything left.”
“Your people caused this,” I reminded her.
 “The Black Fever caused this,” she replied, raising an eyebrow as if I
truly was the dumbest, most loathsome creature she’d ever had to deal with.
It irked me, but there were many things I’d do for love. Putting up with her
scheming ass was just one of them.
“The Darklings are responsible for the Black Fever through their pursuit
of keeping the Unending bound to Visio,” Time said. “You pride yourselves
on protecting and saving the Aeternae, but all you do is kill hundreds of
thousands every ten millennia. You’ve killed millions over the years, solely
to preserve immortality for those of you lucky enough to not get infected.
It’s a pathetic ploy, and the only reason it has worked so far is because
Death has been unaware of your activities. The Spirit Bender taught you
well.”
“That he most certainly did,” Petra said, sneering.
“It ends soon enough,” I said. “Those who die will have free souls.
They will be reaped and sent on their way, not fed to the ghouls. Those who
live will do so in harmony with the others. No one’s life should have more
value than anyone else’s. The Darklings will be destroyed. And the Spirit
Bender will never come back. The world is better off without him.”
“We might actually agree on that,” Petra mumbled. “Now, let us talk.
We have a lot of catching up to do.”
Derek obliged, while Sofia stayed back to talk to me. “Esme, we’re not
letting her see the boys yet,” she whispered.
“You can’t tell her about Kalon, either. There are two ways this could
go,” I told her. “If she’s being honest, learning about Kalon’s situation will
devastate her, and she might try to do something foolish to Valaine. I don’t
know. If she’s lying through her teeth, that would make Kalon the easiest
target. Remember, she’s a Whip, so she has additional knowledge we don’t
know about. That makes her extra dangerous, even to the First Tenners.”
“But Kalon and Valaine are in Soul’s interdimensional pockets. How
can she get to them?” Lumi asked, her brow furrowed.
“I’m not sure. But I wouldn’t put it past her to find a way,” I said.
“I’ll stay with Kalon, just in case,” Time replied. Moments later, he’d
vanished, and I felt a sense of relief washing over me at the thought of my
beloved being under his protection. With Petra lurking around, even in cuffs
and without her scythe, no one was really safe.
“Esme, honestly… what do you think of all this?” Sofia asked.
 Lumi and I exchanged glances, and I had a feeling we were both on the
same page. “I don’t trust Petra. I will never trust her. There’s always an
endgame with her, and more often than not, those closest to her are the ones
getting hurt,” I said.
“Even if she is being truthful, she’ll have stirred the wrath of Danika
and Corbin. By now, we’ve all learned how cruel and spiteful the Darklings
can be with the people they consider traitors or enemies,” Lumi replied.
“Remember what they did to one of the Unending’s reincarnations. They
killed her entire family for no reason at all. That alone should tell us
everything about what kind of retaliation we can expect from the
Darklings.”
I broke out in a cold sweat. “The boys will never be safe until we
destroy the Darklings completely.”
“Do you really think Petra would kill Kalon?” Sofia asked, her green
gaze fixed on me. That was a tough question. It certainly wasn’t impossible.
Danika was proof that a mother could kill her own child, and she and Petra
would be sharing the same motivation—sacrificing their sons to complete
the soul shard ritual and ensure their own survival. For that to happen,
however, Petra needed certain conditions.
Me out of her way was one of them. “Not while I’m still alive,” I said.
“I find it unimaginable.” Sofia sighed. “I still can’t believe Danika is
coldblooded enough to commit such an atrocity. One’s own child… no. Just
no.”
And yet, it was true and horrifyingly real. Danika was looking to kill
Thayen. Why wouldn’t Petra do the same? After all, immortality could
easily make people do crazy things. Selfish and awful things. For millennia,
Petra had been serving the same cause as Danika. Had she really turned
herself around this time? I’d have to find out. And in the meantime, I’d
keep her in my sight. I’d watch her closely. If she was going to try
something, I’d be there to stop her.
Ahead, Derek walked Petra up the main cobbled road. They were
headed toward the western tower, and I tried to ignore the knot forming in
my stomach. The western tower wasn’t much to look at, but Lumi had
assisted with building a few rooms from its foundation. It was one of the
more secluded parts of the city. Knowing Derek, he probably didn’t want
the others to see Petra here—not yet, anyway. We certainly didn’t want
Petra to be anywhere near Kalon, and the western tower did seem like a
safer bet, since it overlooked the raging ocean and limited her options in a
worst-case scenario.
I wondered what this would lead to. My instincts told me to be careful,
and I’d be a fool not to follow them. Petra Visentis was in town, and that
meant trouble no matter what. But she had information, and we needed it
more than anything.

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 DEREK

T he tower was only halfway up, thanks to Lumi’s swamp

witch magic. It reigned tall over the surrounding ruins of a
once majestic city, though—a quiet, slender stump that held
several rooms used for storage.
I could see the north tower from here. At the very top, Valaine was busy
tapping into her past lives with Tristan, Phantom, and Morning’s help. A
level below, Time kept Kalon in another spell where deep sleep and death
magic slowed down his metabolism in a bid to resist the Black Fever.
As Petra and I stood before the western tower, however, I knew I had to
make sure she didn’t go a single foot outside this place. There was a room
at the base of the tower that I planned to use for Petra. I needed to keep her
away from our people, as well.
“I thought this tower crumbled a long time ago,” Petra muttered, tilting
her head back to look up, hands cuffed behind her back.
“We rebuilt parts of it, as you can see,” I said. “It provides a better
vantage point at the top. We can see the enemy coming.”
“You fully rebuilt the north tower, as well,” she replied, gazing out into
the distance.
“We need that for tactical purposes,” I shot back, my tone clipped. “Is
this some kind of recon, Petra?”
Changing the subject worked. I didn’t want her making inquiries about
the north tower. She flashed a cold grin. “I’m just curious.”
Like I would believe that… Esme joined us, but I couldn’t see Time
anywhere. He must’ve gone back to watch over Kalon. For better or worse,
Valaine had backup inside that interdimensional pocket. Kalon was on his
own. The night was gradually fading, and a faint light slowly emerged on
the eastern horizon, spreading across the starry sky and sending the moon to
the other side of Visio.
“Where are my sons?” Petra asked.
“Sofia is talking to Ansel, Tudyk, and Moore right now,” I replied. “It is
up to them whether they wish to see you. If they decide against it, I will not
let you near them.”
Petra shot me a cold glare. “You won’t keep me away from my boys.”
“Your boys might reject you,” Esme retorted, giving her a nudge.
“Better get used to that thought. It’s what you get for killing and lying for
an evil cause.”
“What you call evil, we call survival,” Petra said. “You keep professing
your opinion about matters you have little to no knowledge of. I can’t see
what Kalon ever saw in you. Speaking of, where is my eldest son?”
I wasn’t sure what to tell her, but Esme was quick to answer. “He’s on a
mission with Trev and a few others in our group. But trust me, he definitely
doesn’t want to see you.”
Lying made sense. It also came easier to Esme, and I appreciated that
about her. Usually, the consensus was that good liars made excellent
villains, and that terrible liars were so adjusted to telling the truth that deceit
was basically impossible for them. But that wasn’t always true. Esme was
one of the kindest and most noble people I had ever met—she just had a
knack for making things up without getting caught.
She glanced my way and offered a faint nod, while Petra looked up
again.
“What are we doing here, Derek?”
“We’re going to keep you somewhere safe and away from our people,” I
told her. “I don’t trust you for a single second, and I’ll sleep better knowing
you’re here under lock and key. And constant supervision.”
“I’m one person against how many?” Petra scoffed. “Don’t be
ridiculous.”
“You should be flattered that I’m not underestimating you,” I replied,
motioning for her to go in. Time had the upper levels of the north tower
covered, and there were plenty of Seniors for Petra to fight off if she wanted
to get there from here, so I didn’t worry too much. Besides, I’d be with her
around the clock. Chances were, Esme wouldn’t let the Whip leave her
sight, either.
 Petra muttered under her breath but did as instructed and entered the
western tower. Once we were in the room, Esme linked a chain to the ring
connecting the cuffs, which she then attached to a curled spike in the wall.
I crossed my arms, watching as Petra scowled at Esme. “Are you going
to bring me a chair?” the high priestess asked.
“It’s all yours,” Esme replied, pointing at the floor. “One big chair.”
“Start talking,” I said to Petra. “Where are the other Whips?”
“I’d like to see my sons first.”
“I told you, that’s not up to us. Sofia is with them. Should they wish to
see you, they’ll come here. In the meantime, start talking.”
Petra let out a heavy sigh and settled on the floor. She looked
uncomfortable with her hands bound behind her back, but it was one of the
few things that gave me comfort. I couldn’t afford any compromises with
this Aeternae. None whatsoever.
Her cold blue gaze settled on me. “I know Trev Blayne gathered a
significant amount of intel when he was pretending to be a Darkling initiate.
Since he was ousted, however, the Whips have changed their movement
patterns and safe houses for their own security. You see, Derek, we’ve
become very good at anticipating the enemy’s movements. The moment
word of your escape reached my ears, I knew you’d tell your people
everything—including what you learned from Danika and me.”
“It wouldn’t take a genius to figure that one out. How did you hear
about my escape? You had already run off,” I said.
“That doesn’t mean I’m isolated from my empire. I have eyes and ears
everywhere. Death magic has made a lot of things easier for me.”
“Okay. Then what can you tell me about the Whips’ more recent
movements?”
Petra scrunched her nose, frowning slightly as she thought about my
question. I had a feeling she was doing some kind of math in her head.
“Let’s see… well, Drezel, Rodique, and Icklas are dead. Danika was very
effective on that front. That leaves us with Ramus Malfa, Fennel Ferris,
Marios and Silla Levantes, Lyriana Amos, Jolie Jasperstone, Rennert Gauss,
yours truly, and of course Thayen. Each of us listed carries a shard of the
Spirit Bender’s soul.”
“I’m not interested in you or Thayen. I asked about the Whips.”
“I know, Derek. But I felt you could use a small recap.” Petra chuckled.
 “The Whips, Petra. We only need the Whips,” Esme replied. “What can
you tell us about the remaining ones?”
“Ramus Malfas has a few properties he’s kept off the record. His dead
mother is still listed on the deeds, and he has yet to change them in the
imperial registry,” Petra grumbled. “Of these properties, there is one I think
he’ll consider safest now that Danika is after him.”
I remembered Ramus from when he’d first come into my cell along
with the other Whips. A handsome fellow with a dark, piercing gaze and an
affinity for fine silks and velvets. Of course, all the noble Aeternae shared
that affinity, but Ramus had an extra sartorial flair about it that made him
easier to remember.
“Where is this property?” I asked.
“North of here and deeper into the mainland,” Petra replied. “Fifty miles
past Azten, there’s a road that leads up to the snowy mountains. As you
follow the road deep into the woods, it splits into two paths. One will lead
you around the peak, down the other side of the mountain, and into the next
town, which is called Mayn. The other, however, will take you into the very
heart of the forest. Ramus’s father cleared that path when he first built his
house there. You can’t miss it. It’s the only one on the ridge, surrounded by
trees and jagged rocks.”
“And you say Ramus will be there,” I said, eyeing her carefully,
searching for signs of deception. Speaking of good liars, Petra was an
expert.
Her means and ends were equally nefarious, but I had to appreciate her
talent for deception. Perhaps it was part of the reason why she loathed Esme
with such passion. In certain ways, Petra and Esme were more alike than
they thought. They fought for different causes, but they both put their souls
into their work. They were devoted. They were excellent manipulators and
smooth talkers. They were beautiful and fierce. Maybe Petra didn’t want
someone who was so much like her to take her son’s heart. But if so, she
was wrong—Esme and Kalon were made for each other. I couldn’t imagine
building a better bridge between our civilizations.
Had Petra not been such a monster, I would have sought a friendship
with her. I knew there was plenty to learn from an Aeternae with her
knowledge and experience.
“Ramus will be there. I’m certain of it,” Petra declared.
 “And the other Whips?” Esme asked, unmoved by Petra’s deliberate
animosity toward her. I admired her courage. It took guts to stay so calm
around a powerful Aeternae with dangerous death magic skills who wanted
you dead. Granted, Petra was bound, but some risk remained.
“Fennel Ferris is probably back home in one of his district’s poorer
villages. If you have a map handy, I’ll point out the rest.”
“Which is Fennel’s district?” Esme asked. The more she spoke, the
more irritable Petra became. And the longer I spent in their presence, the
better I could feel the sheer hatred that the high priestess harbored toward
the vampire she blamed for stealing her son. It was equal parts interesting
and disturbing to watch. Little did Petra know that her demeanor toward
Esme told me more than anything she could possibly say about her.
“Bring me a map,” Petra hissed.
The door opened, and Sofia appeared in the doorway. Her brow
furrowed as she looked at Petra, then at me. “The boys are here.”
“Ah, finally!” Petra exclaimed, her face lighting up.
Sofia stepped aside, leaving room for Ansel, Tudyk, and Moore to pass.
The Visentis boys didn’t appear happy to see their mother. Anger flared in
their blue eyes. They were deeply hurt, and Petra’s presence wasn’t making
anything better. Nevertheless, Sofia had given them the option to come
here, and they’d all decided to take it.
Petra cried softly and tried to smile at her sons. “My darlings… I’ve
missed you so much.”
“Where have you been?” Ansel asked, scowling at her.
“It doesn’t matter anymore. I’m here now,” she replied.
Esme, Sofia, and I stood silently and watched the interaction unfold. Of
the three boys, Ansel was the least excited to see his mother. He was closer
to Kalon in that respect. Tudyk seemed to be somewhere in the middle—
torn between resentment and longing. Moore had it the worst. Tears welled
in his eyes, but he held back, staying close to his brothers. Petra tried to get
them to come closer.
“Won’t you give your mother a hug?” she murmured, her eyes twinkling
with a mixture of grief and affection. I doubted even Petra would fake those
emotions. Despite her many faults, she was a dedicated mother, though
even that had fallen under scrutiny lately. I’d heard her tell Danika she
would give her shard to one of the boys so he could die in her place. Petra
had insisted it was a lie from the beginning, but she was extremely
untrustworthy. Everything she said was to be taken with a grain of salt.
“Moore, my baby…”
“You lied to us,” the youngest boy said, unable to contain his emotions.
His hands were balled into small fists, and he was shaking, tormented by
the sight of her. “You lied to us, and now you want us to be happy to see
you?”
“I did what I had to do to make sure my family survived,” Petra replied,
swallowing back tears of her own. “I will never apologize for trying to
protect you.”
“By making us Darklings? That was your way of protecting us? With
lies and half-truths?” Ansel scoffed. “We know everything now, Mother. We
know the truth about the Unending and what our forefathers did to her.
What the Darklings are still doing to her.”
She sighed, lowering her head in a gesture of piety. “I always believed I
was doing the right thing. I stand by my actions on the matter, but what
Danika wants to do is… well, it’s too much. I had to draw a line.”
“She wants to bring back the Spirit Bender,” Tudyk said. “You don’t
want that?”
“Not at the expense of my life. I can’t bear to leave this world, not while
my children still need me. And I can do so much better,” Petra said. “If
you’d just give me the chance to explain…”
“You lied to us our whole lives,” Ansel insisted, and I felt a surge of
pride. He’d come a long way in a short amount of time. If Petra was seeking
forgiveness, she’d come to the wrong people for it. “You poisoned our
minds, just like Kalon said. You turned us into evil creatures. There’s no
coming back from that. The things we did to serve you and the Darklings—
Mother, it’s horrific.”
“I know. But remember, Ansel, I never said it would be easy. In fact, I
specifically remember telling you there would be tough choices to be made
along the road. That the mission required strength of character. Being a
Darkling means having no hesitation. If murder is required, you do it.
Period.”
I cleared my throat, drawing her attention for a moment. “You taught
your children—mere boys as young as six—that murder is okay. Petra,
you’re definitely not winning any parenting awards. Cultural differences
aside, killing other people should never be considered okay.”
 “You’ve never killed anyone?” Petra sneered. The boys watched me
with renewed interest. I had to choose my words carefully.
“I’ve killed plenty. But I never reveled in it. I still see their faces when I
go to sleep, and I will forever remember each and every one of them.
Taking a life is a wretched and awful thing to do, and while I admit it is
sometimes necessary, the Darklings take it far too lightly,” I said.
Petra rolled her eyes, clearly in no mood for my sermon. But Tudyk had
gotten my message. “He’s right, you know,” the boy said to his mother.
“You never talked to us about it. All we’ve ever been taught was that people
who got in the Darklings’ way had to die. Our mission was sacred, and
nothing else mattered. Well, it turns out our mission was a lie.”
“I, like my ancestors before me, made sure the Aeternae remained
immortal. We stopped the Black Fever from destroying us all!” Petra said.
“Yes, we had to kill people along the way, but in the end, we save more than
we lose.”
“There was always another way,” Ansel cut in. “You could’ve set the
Unending free and offered your heartfelt apologies. She gave us
immortality, and she could take it away. But don’t you think she’d forgive
us if we released her? If we stopped all these bloody games?”
Petra laughed as if Ansel had delivered the punchline to a clever joke.
“Oh, my dear, sweet Ansel. The Unending cursed us with the Black Fever,
remember? If she’s set free, she will wipe us all out. It’s not that she’ll take
our immortality away. No, she’ll do so much worse.”
“Valaine is our friend,” Ansel replied. “She would never—”
“Valaine is not the Unending. She’s merely a shadow of that great
power. A manifestation of the first Reaper,” Petra said. “Whatever Valaine
wants now, it will fade away when Unending takes back the mantle. And
trust me, after about five million years, there aren’t enough apologies in this
world to make up for what was done to her. Our only option has always
been to keep the cycle going for as long as the Aeternae breathe.”
Ansel shook his head. “That’s not right. It wasn’t right then, and it isn’t
right now.”
“As it turns out, the odds are more in your favor than mine. I’m merely
trying to make you understand what has driven the Darklings up to this
point,” Petra conceded with a shrug. “I’m not willing to get myself killed
for the Spirit Bender, so I’ve switched sides. I’m here with you now, and
I’m no longer a Darkling. You will bring the Unending back, and maybe
you’re right and she won’t kill us all. But she definitely won’t grant us
immortality anymore. We will die someday.”
“Better to live a short and meaningful life than an eternity at the
expense of others’ wellbeing and happiness,” Esme countered, drawing
nods from all three boys.
Petra narrowed her eyes. “My dear, sweet Esme, you continue to occupy
space in my vicinity. The least you could do is keep your mouth shut. Your
voice alone irks me.”
“Don’t be mean to her!” Tudyk snapped. “She’s looking after us. She’s
looking after Kalon, too. He’s—”
“Away with Trev, for now,” Esme interjected before the truth came out.
Again, I breathed a sigh of relief, thankful for her quick thinking.
Petra eyed each of us carefully—particularly her sons—until her gaze
settled on Moore. “Forgive me, my darlings,” she said. “There’s only so
much I can change about myself after this long life I’ve had. I love you
more than anything. That’s why I’m here.”
“Wait, did you say you disavowed the Darklings?” Moore asked,
slightly surprised.
“Derek can confirm I am no longer their friend,” she said, giving me a
sideways glance. Moore looked my way, and I was compelled to nod in
agreement, though I wasn’t at all comfortable with Petra’s full statement.
“From what I witnessed, Danika was determined to kill Petra for the
soul shard,” I admitted, noticing the high priestess’s relaxed expression. It
faded when I drove my point home. “That being said, according to her own
words, Petra then ran off to find you and transfer the shard to one of you, so
you’d—”
“Die in her stead,” Ansel murmured. He glared at his mother. “Yeah, we
heard that part. Loud and clear, before you got here.”
“It was a lie! How many times do I have to say it?” Petra groaned.
“Come on!”
“What do you want from us?” Ansel shot back.
“You. My children back. My family,” she said, her shoulders dropping.
No one dared say anything. Petra seemed genuine, but I still couldn’t
bring myself to believe a word that came out of her mouth. I kept myself on
edge, hyper vigilant and analyzing her every gesture, making sure I didn’t
miss anything.
 “For what it’s worth, Petra has agreed to help us,” Sofia chimed in. “I’m
not sure how useful her intel is, but I thought you boys would want to hear
it from us.”
“And I’ve allowed them to shackle me and hold me here,” Petra added.
“I’m really trying to do right by you this time.”
Ansel, Tudyk, and Moore took a moment to look at each other. They
were close enough to be able to communicate without words, reading
expressions and guessing thoughts. They’d grown up in a tightly knit
environment, and such ease in connecting with one another seemed natural.
Ansel, however, remained unconvinced.
“What do you expect from us going forward? Because I have a hard
time considering you my mother at this point.”
Petra gasped, deeply hurt by his remark. “That was needlessly cruel.”
“It’s the truth. You might as well get used to it,” Ansel replied.
“I don’t expect anything from you,” she said. “I only ask that you give
me another chance. And maybe a hug. It’s been a while since I’ve felt your
embrace. Please.”
Ansel shook his head, but Tudyk and Moore were more open to the
idea. Tudyk stepped forward hesitantly and placed his arms around Petra,
holding her tight. He closed his eyes as she planted a kiss on his cheek, her
face lighting in a smile as she breathed him in. I imagined a mother’s
longing to feel her son’s embrace, and the interaction between them felt like
the truth. Petra was genuinely thankful to receive his affection.
I doubted she’d really learned anything from her experiences, but she
did love her children. That much was obvious. Moore came closer, and
Tudyk stepped back, wiping tears with the back of his sleeve. Petra’s eyes
widened, their expression bright and loving as they settled on Moore.
“My baby boy…”
“Please listen to Derek and Sofia,” Moore said, wrapping his arms
around Petra’s neck. “Please, Mother. Enough with the lies and all the
killing and stuff. Please.”
She whispered in his ear. I couldn’t hear a thing, but at the end of it, the
boy nodded slowly and allowed her to kiss his cheek. He hugged her again,
this time around the waist, but it didn’t last long, as Esme pulled Moore
back rather aggressively. “What did you say to him?” she asked Petra.
“Oh, for… will you stop being such a pain in my ass?” The high
priestess scoffed. “I told my son I love him, that’s all.”
 “I’ll stop being a pain in your ass when you stop being such a conniving
bitch. You know full well why we don’t trust you,” Esme retorted, resting a
hand on Moore’s shoulder. The boy looked up at her.
“She’s telling the truth,” he mumbled. “She said she loved me more
than anything, and that she’ll do whatever it takes to get me back in her life.
That’s all.”
Esme nodded, then urged the boys to come with her outside. “We’ll talk
to Derek and Sofia about visitation rights later, but for now, we must leave,”
she replied. “Petra has a lot to tell us, and you have a shelter to finish,
kiddos.”
The boys said goodbye to their mother, and she watched them leave the
room. As soon as the door closed behind them, her expression shifted into
something much more tense, darker, her gaze finding me. “Bring me a map,
Derek.”
“I’m not letting you out of my sight for a single moment, but Sofia can
help.”
My wife nodded. “Frankly, I’m glad to see you’re so compliant, Petra.
There might be hope for you yet.”
I doubted it, but Sofia had a way of seeing the best in people. Maybe
she was right. Maybe Petra had lied to Danika about her intentions in a bid
to buy herself time and a chance to escape from the imperial palace. Maybe
she was remorseful with regard to her son. It wasn’t impossible to believe
her. It was hard, but not impossible.
While Sofia was fetching a map, silence settled over the room. Petra
and I stared at each other for a few minutes. There weren’t any words left
between us, only a sea of disdain and distrust. As long as we got something
useful out of this conversation, I’d be content. And if it didn’t come back to
bite us in the ass, I’d be downright happy.

OceanofPDF.com
 RIDAN

E quipped with new intel from Derek, our crew moved north. We
kept our distance from populated areas as Kelara helped us jump
across dozens of miles at once with her death magic. We’d agreed
to fragment the journey beyond Azten in order to assess the land and spot
any hostiles along the way. The last thing we needed was a repeat of
Dieffen.
We walked along the wide path leading up the snowcapped mountain.
The nights were cold out here, and the chill seeped into my bones, making
me shiver. My inner fire burst once in a while, sending heatwaves through
my body and relaxing my muscles. Amane stayed close, constantly looking
around, her orange gaze analyzing every single detail.
Trev walked behind us with Soul and Kelara. In about a hundred feet,
we’d jump again, since I could already see the fork in the road up ahead.
“Does this remind you of Strava in any way?” I asked Amane.
She gave me a puzzled look. “What do you mean?”
“Well, you’re back in the wild, constantly looking over your shoulder,
hunting, defending yourself, fighting for your life,” I replied. “Doesn’t it
bring back feelings of a bygone era?”
“Yeah, sort of. At least Strava was nice and hot. It’s absolutely freezing
here,” she grumbled, and I put an arm around her shoulders.
“Hang in there. We’re almost at the cabin.”
Soul chuckled. “Your optimism is adorable.”
“And your snark is overrated,” Kelara retorted, stifling a grin.
“Is any of Petra’s intel verifiable?” Trev asked. Ever since we’d heard
about Petra’s arrival, there had been an air of tension between us. It wasn’t
aimed at each other—it was just a generally unpleasant vibe. We were all
the way out here, while Petra had made it inside Roano. That fiend was up
to something, I could feel it. Knowing that Derek was keeping an eye on
her did take some of the edge off. “I can understand the Whips changing
their positions and safe houses because I know too much, but how can we
be sure that Petra is sending us in the right direction? What if we’re walking
into a trap?”
His concern was natural, and we all shared it. But at the end of the day,
risks had to be taken. In the absence of better information, we had to try to
find out whether Petra was telling the truth. Ancient fir-like trees rose
around us, their rich, dark green crowns loaded with snow. The bark was
thick, almost black, and various furry creatures had found shelter in its
nooks and crannies. I could feel their beady little eyes following us as we
moved.
Silence dominated the area. I figured it was too cold for us to worry
about any predators, until I spotted a large silhouette slumping somewhere
to our left. I stopped, forcing the others to come to a halt, as well. “What’s
that?” I whispered.
The creature raised its head from the base of a tree, its snout covered in
snow. It looked like a bear, but it was twice the size of an American grizzly,
and its claws were huge. It didn’t seem at all interested in us. Steam rolled
from its nostrils as it dug back in, sniffing and searching for something.
“Fascinated by the local wildlife, I see,” Soul muttered as we resumed
our walk up to the fork in the road.
“It’s a black barnum,” Trev said. “They usually dig for roots,
mushrooms, and other fruits of the earth. They eat fish and any small
animals they can catch, but they’re pretty slow. Their claws look
intimidating, but they usually keep to themselves.”
I didn’t want to give Soul any satisfaction, but I had definitely
developed a fascination for wildlife ever since Strava. From the moment I’d
first laid eyes on turquoise tigers, I’d been mesmerized by what nature
could design in different parts of the universe and under different
conditions. Earth’s fauna was just as fascinating, and I was convinced Visio
had treasures of its own in the animal kingdom. Because I was a dragon, a
connection to Mother Nature and the beasts she bore had always been there.
“Here it is,” Kelara said as we reached the fork.
 Splitting in opposite directions, the path gave us an option. If we took
the left turn and followed the snaking trail up the eastern slope, we’d
eventually reach the other side of the mountain and continue through other
populated areas. But our business was to the right, where the path vanished
between a rich underbrush of silvery and dark green ferns. The forest floor,
much like the trees and the bushes, was covered in a thick layer of snow.
There wasn’t a single footprint in sight.
In fact, the only thing that defined the trail toward Ramus’s cabin were
the jagged stone markers that poked out from the pristine white blanket.
This was an empty place except for the forest and the animals that
considered it home. No one had been here in a while.
“Kailani’s team is headed east, deeper into the central mainland,” I said
after getting a brief message from her via the comms system. “They’re
following up on Lyriana Amos, apparently. Petra gave them a location for
her, as well.”
“I just hope the high priestess is being truthful,” Trev replied, doubt
etched onto his features as he checked our surroundings. “If Ramus is
somewhere around here, shouldn’t there be a sign of some kind?”
“What, like footprints in the snow? I doubt it,” Amane said.
“Remember, they use death magic to move around.”
Kelara took my hand, and I held Amane’s. Once we were all linked, she
used her scythe to zap us farther up the snowy path and deeper into the
woods. Soul was taking it easy in terms of death magic, since he was
directly connected to the interdimensional pockets that held Valaine and the
others. We’d use him in case of emergency, but Kelara was happy to handle
the small stuff.
I’d never get used to traveling this way. The jump disintegrated me
entirely, then put me back together somewhere else. It felt strange to be
stripped down to atoms, only to be reassembled later, without a single hair
in the wrong place.
“The cabin,” Amane murmured, staring ahead.
We could all see it rising from the snow. It had been built from some
kind of dark wood. It looked sturdy, with a tall roof covered in gray
shingles. This must’ve once been a clearing, since the house seemed fully
integrated into its environment. Trees grew tall around it, and magnificently
large shrubs guarded the corners. A set of narrow wooden stairs led up to
the porch. The door was closed, and I didn’t spot any movement in the
windows.
Trev’s nose picked up something. “Someone’s in there,” he whispered.
“There’s an acrid stench of fear and adrenaline.”
“Maybe it’s Ramus, soiling his pants,” Soul quipped.
A thin thread of smoke rose from the chimney.
“Either way, we’re going in there,” Kelara said, making herself
invisible. Soul followed suit, while Trev, Amane, and I swallowed
invisibility pills and donned red garnet glasses. Moments later, we crossed
the small open area, our boots sinking into the snow. My muscles were a
little sore. I hadn’t done much winter hiking lately, and the mountain was
not the friendliest I’d come across, even for the short distances we’d
traveled on foot.
We reached the front door and spread out, checking each window as we
went. Someone was indeed inside. A figure sat huddled in front of a small
fire. Judging by the layers of velvet and fur he’d wrapped himself in, along
with the many gold rings and bracelets he wore, we were definitely dealing
with Ramus Malfas.
Soul revealed himself outside the door before nodding my way. “Care to
do the honors?”
“Thought you’d never ask,” I replied with a smirk, eager to make up for
my Dieffen fumble. Amane had repeatedly assured me there was nothing I
could’ve done to create a better outcome under the circumstances, but I’d
still gotten myself injured, and my ego required some satisfaction. Handing
Ramus’s ass to him sounded like the perfect antidote to my lingering
frustrations.
I kicked the door down, and it splintered into small pieces that flew
across the room. Ramus yelped and jumped to his feet, stumbling backward
to get as far away from us as possible.
“Morfuris,” I muttered, making myself visible. Trev and Amane
appeared on either side, flanking him with their pulverizer weapons, while
Kelara stood by the fire. Soul walked up next to me, smiling.
“I do like some good old-fashioned violence once in a while,” he said,
clearly amused.
“That was awesome,” Amane added, giving me a playful wink.
“Who the hell are you?” Ramus croaked, nervously eyeing the weapons.
Kelara sighed. “Give him a minute. He’ll catch on.”
 “Oh no.” His eyes bulged with horror. “You’re the outsiders.”
“There we go,” Kelara replied dryly.
“You’re coming with us,” I told Ramus, but he shook his head.
“No. You’re going to kill me, and I don’t want to die,” he said, sweat
dripping from his pale face. “I know three of us are dead already. Danika’s
coming for me. If you were able to find this place, then so will she. I have
to leave.”
“We can protect you,” I insisted, though my crew knew I was lying. We
had no intention of keeping him or any of the other Whips alive for much
longer. Spirit’s soul shards had to be retrieved, so the other First Tenners
could find a way to destroy them before anyone could use them for
nefarious purposes. The only shard that would survive was Thayen’s. The
boy deserved a better life than what he’d been forced into so far. “Come
with us, and Danika won’t be able to touch you.”
Ramus’s eyes turned to dark slits as he looked at me. “I heard about
your mistakes in Dieffen. How can I possibly trust you with my safety?
This whole thing has already gone far enough, and I refuse to die for the
Spirit Bender. I’m a devout Darkling, but… this is too much.”
“Then tell us how to stop Danika. She’s got three shards already,” Trev
said. “If you help us, we can help you.”
“Danika hasn’t caught us yet,” Amane added. “Dieffen didn’t go as
planned, but we survived it. We got out. Even now, your Master of
Darkness is looking for us. Trust me, we can hide you well.”
Ramus blinked rapidly as he tried to take it all in. He couldn’t stop
looking at the pulverizer weapons, and Trev caught on to his obvious
curiosity. “This will turn anything to ashes in an instant,” he said. “Ramus,
we have the means to keep you safe. Work with us, and we’ll find a way for
you to survive this war.”
“What… what do you want to know, exactly?” Ramus asked, though he
had yet to surrender. I wasn’t sure he’d be foolish enough to try attacking
us, but I wouldn’t put it past him, either. A cornered animal was
unpredictable and dangerous. I had to treat Ramus accordingly, so I took
several steps forward in a bid to assert myself.
“How do we stop Danika from resurrecting the Spirit Bender? Can the
soul shards be extracted or destroyed in any way? Do you know where the
other Whips are? And last, but certainly not least, we’ll need to know all the
death magic spells the Whips and the Master of Darkness have access to.
The more we learn about the enemy, the better prepared we’ll be,” I said.
“You want to go after my people,” Ramus retorted, suddenly alarmed.
“Your people are the ones who are trying to kill you, Ramus,” Kelara
interjected. “We’re only looking to help, provided you help us first. Doesn’t
that seem like a fair deal?”
He thought about it for a few moments, his gaze never still for longer
than a second. I didn’t like the extreme agitation he was displaying. The
sweat and the heavy breathing. For someone who’d been sitting quietly in
front of a crackling fire, Ramus looked as though he’d just run a marathon
up and down the mountain. Something was off.
“Yeah… I’ll tell you whatever you need to know, just don’t let Danika
get to me. I heard whispers about Danika having put her shard in someone
else, but I’m not sure how that’s done, and I don’t have any time left to
figure it out. She’s coming for my piece.”
“And you like living too much to get killed over this, right?” Soul
replied.
Ramus nodded, wiping some of the sweat from his face with a perfectly
folded handkerchief he kept in his velvet vest pocket. “We’re all still reeling
from what happened. I mean, we all knew this day might come, but we
never thought it would… you know, actually come. The Spirit Bender was
invincible.”
“Meh. Not really,” I muttered. “I’ll give credit where it’s due. He was
very good at his schemes, and he really hit the jackpot with Death and her
knowledge, but other than that, he was just a frustrated little wisp who liked
to cause pain for his own gratification. You people have been worshipping a
fraud for too long.”
“Mind your words! He gave us power! He helped us hold on to our
immortality!” Ramus gasped, looking as though I’d just insulted his
mother’s cooking.
“He taught you how to keep my sister in an endless cycle of suffering
because you were all too scared of dying and moving on,” Soul growled.
“You participate in a glorified form of torture against the Reaper who gave
you eternity.”
The Whip shuddered, shrinking under Soul’s burning gaze. “Forgive
me.”
 “Spare me your empty words and help me set things right. Everything
you and your people have done has been to the detriment of the universe
itself,” the First Tenner replied. “Maybe—and I’m making no promises here
—when all this is over and Unending is free, she’ll take pity on those who
assisted in her liberation. Because I am already feeling sorry for any fool
who thinks they’re going to keep getting away with this.”
“I will tell you everything you need to know,” Rasmus said. “Like I
said, just get me out of here. Please!”
Kelara cursed under her breath just as Soul walked toward the Whip.
“Crap. No, Soul, wait!” She grabbed him by the shoulder and yanked him
back. “Look by the fireplace!”
Soul frowned but followed her concerned gaze. We all did, and we all
saw it. A broken glass bauble, its shimmering pieces slowly melting onto
the wooden floor into a peculiar substance, inches from the fireplace. A
faint streak of smoke persisted in the air above it before it got sucked into
the fire. The iridescent liquid evaporated, leaving nothing behind.
“What was that?” I asked, immediately alarmed.
“A signal. Ramus must have broken it as soon as we crashed through
his door,” Soul said, lifting his smoldering gaze and focusing it on the
Whip. “You’ve been stalling this whole time. You son of a—” Words
couldn’t encompass all the nasty things Soul thought about this guy, but it
was too late for any form of retaliation. We were no longer on our own
inside the cabin.
One by one, a dozen Darklings appeared out of thin air. The thirteenth
was Danika, still wearing mechanical prosthetics for hands, her scythe
glimmering. Joining them were six Knight Ghouls, each one bigger and
scarier than the last, strings of drool hanging from their gaping jaws.
“Ramus, you idiot,” I growled, my blood running cold.
“What can I say? I’m loyal.” Ramus chuckled. “And a very good actor.”
“Not really. We were just too hopeful for a break,” I replied. “You’re a
sweating mess, and your desperation was over the top. I should’ve seen this
coming.”
“Well, you’re seeing it now,” Danika interjected with a flat smile. “Did
you really think I wouldn’t fool you a second time around? Come on…
whatever your name is.”
“You planted Ramus here,” Amane murmured, reality finally sinking in.
It came with troubling implications, since we’d gotten our intel from Petra
Visentis. “Petra, she… she sent us.”
Danika laughed. “Right. I’m aware.” She pointed her scythe at me.
“Merizio Furalis!”
I was already calling out to Derek via Telluris in my mind, knowing
Danika might hit me with death magic if she heard me. His voice was just
coming through, when a pulse left her scythe and hit me smack in the
middle of my forehead. I nearly fell backward, watching as the pulse
ricocheted into Amane’s head, then Trev’s, both of them wincing from the
pain. Silence followed, as we all realized she’d cut off our Telluris. “How’d
you know?” I asked, genuinely baffled. “I didn’t say a word.”
“I know how Telluris works. This felt like the right time to cut you off,
before you yammered on to Derek about our little rendezvous. Let’s keep
this just between us for now.” Danika giggled.
“Yeah, that’s not going to work on us,” Kelara replied, but she looked
worried, and the Lady Supreme was quick to catch up on it.
“What’s the matter, Reaper? Can’t reach your friends?” She laughed.
“The cabin and its entire surrounding area is warded now. We made sure of
it. So, like I said…”
“You traitorous piece of trash,” Soul hissed, eyeing Ramus. “We
could’ve saved you.”
Not really, but why reveal the truth now?
“I am loyal!” Ramus repeated himself. “I am loyal to the Spirit Bender.
My life means nothing if he isn’t alive to save us. I give myself willingly to
our cause!”
Kelara shook her head. “The Spirit Bender was never alive in the first
place. It takes dying to become a Reaper, you abominable tool.”
“Semantics!” Ramus snarled. “The truth remains! The Spirit Bender
shall come, and he shall save us all!”
“Except you.” Danika rammed her mechanical hand into his chest. He
froze, his eyes round and glassy, as blood spurted from the wound,
splattering on the wooden floor. No one moved. No one even breathed as
Danika pulled his heart out, her metal fingers glazed in a darker shade of
crimson. “This feels like progress.”
“Wow…” Kelara gasped.
Danika shrugged. “He kept trying to get under my skirt, since before I
even married Acheron. I can’t say I’m sorry to see him go.”
 She’d just retrieved the fourth shard, and I doubted we had any chance
of taking it from her. We were surrounded and outnumbered. Ramus was
dead, though still standing for another second or two. The thud that
followed made my stomach churn. He’d died a fool. And now Danika was
one step closer to resurrecting the Spirit Bender.
The potential horror this entailed made my skin prick, shivers rushing
down my spine as I looked at Amane. All we had were a couple of pissed
off Reapers and some pulverizer weapons. Well, and we also had my inner
dragon, which was now roaring… all fired up and eager to make some
noise.
Whether we’d survive this moment or not remained to be seen, but as
Amane gave me a confident half-smile, I remembered other terrifying
situations she and I had found ourselves in before. We’d nearly died, more
than once, yet we’d always managed to pull each other back to the surface.
We’d fought, tooth and nail, not only to live, but also to be together and
happy and free.
She was with me, and I was with her. It would have to be enough.

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 ESME

I left Petra with Derek for the rest of the interrogation. Not only
could I barely stand to be in the same room with her, but I also
felt I’d be more useful checking on her sons. They had to be
rattled by seeing their mother after the rift that she’d driven between them.
The northern tower loomed above me like a silent giant as I walked out.
Looking up, I wondered what Tristan and Valaine were up to and how far
they’d gotten with their work. Making my way through the city, I tried to
imagine what life here must’ve been like in Roano’s prime with the
cobblestone streets flowing up and down the low hill the city been built
atop. The white watchtowers and the buildings rising proudly all over.
Aeternae living and thriving here. Children laughing and playing.
As I walked through the streets, I could almost see them. To my right,
merchants opened their shops, displaying rivers of colorful silks and
twinkling jewels, elegant hats and fine leather shoes, glasswork and ceramic
objects, perfect for the most discerning homes. To my left, there had to be at
least one seller of Rimian and Nalorean blood. In a bid to make the
conquered people more comfortable with their new lives as blood suppliers,
the Aeternae might have opened up regular food stores next to theirs.
That way, the Rimians, the Naloreans, and the Aeternae would’ve
shopped for food in the same district. Sustenance would have been treated
equally, regardless of who required it. At least, that was what I’d noticed in
the imperial city, and it was what I would’ve done, too, as a conqueror. The
Aeternae had set up an interesting system with the Rimians and the
Naloreans being remunerated for the blood they surrendered. Granted, it
wasn’t a fair system, because they didn’t have any other option. They were
denied the right to refuse.
Farther down the road, I pictured neighborhoods with three- or four-
level houses and small front yards. They would’ve had flowering trees and
brightly colored shrubs. Perhaps some decorative statuettes and dainty little
fences. It must’ve been a beautiful place once, but no more. Death had been
here, merciless in its advance. The innocent and the guilty had all perished
with no discrimination until Roano had become… this.
All I imagined disappeared like a mirage in the middle of a scorching
desert, and only old stones and faint impressions of a road remained.
Ahead, I saw the boys. Ansel, Tudyk, and Moore sat cross-legged in front
of their makeshift shelter. Thayen was with them, and I could tell they were
in a foul mood.
Sofia and Kalla were nearby, giving the boys some privacy to talk
among themselves. I could only imagine the torment in their hearts. My
position on the matter was a difficult one, if I were to be honest with
myself. I was fond of the Visentis brothers because they were innocent
pawns in this affair and because they were Kalon’s siblings. I wanted only
good things for them, but I also hated Petra, and I would’ve liked nothing
more than to see her dead and gone.
Ansel was the first to spot me. He got up, his eyes bright and alert. “Are
you okay?” he asked, and I liked him even more for caring about me when
he was the one with the murderous mother locked in a nearby tower.
“You don’t need to worry about me,” I told him. “What about you?”
“I’m fine,” Ansel said. “As well as one could be under these
circumstances.”
I looked at Tudyk and Moore. “It couldn’t have been easy to see your
mother like that. I apologize for having to restrain her, but I’m sure you
understand why.”
“Of course,” Tudyk replied. “She is dangerous. Any one of us could tell
you that.”
“But how are you holding up?” I asked. “Tell me honestly.”
Moore sighed softly. “Why did we lie to her about Kalon?”
“Because if she knew, it might make her do something dangerous or
irrational,” I replied.
“But she’s cuffed and under Derek’s supervision,” Moore insisted.
 I shook my head. “That could change. We’re constantly on edge when
we’re around her. I’m afraid that won’t go away, because of who she is and
what we all know she’s capable of.”
“You’re worried she’ll go after Valaine or something,” Ansel muttered.
“She’d want retribution for getting her son sick.”
“And if Petra kills Valaine, it’ll ruin any chance of healing him by
awakening the Unending,” Thayen chimed in. “Maybe you should tell Petra
about Kalon. It might keep her in check with regard to Valaine.”
I hadn’t considered that. This kid was truly phenomenal. There was
definitely leader material in him. He didn’t speak often, and when he did, he
chose his words carefully. Thayen was by far one of the most valuable
Aeternae I’d ever come across, and he had been long before I learned about
the soul shard implanted in his heart.
Ansel nodded his agreement. “That’s a good point. If Mother is made
aware of this connection, she might be easier to work with.”
“I’ll consult with Derek and Sofia about this later. For now, I’m letting
the interrogation proceed without me. He’ll relay all the details to us when
he’s ready.”
“Esme, will you be keeping my mother in the western tower?” Moore
asked.
“Yes.”
“Wouldn’t it be better if you take her somewhere else?” he asked, and I
shook my head.
“It’s the safest place for her. Rest assured that she is well protected.
Time is in the north tower, but he’ll be able to intervene if she becomes a
danger. Though I doubt she’ll try anything. We have you, so she has to play
nice.”
Moore’s eyes turned suddenly white, and the blood froze in my veins.
“But do you have us?” His voice sounded different, infinitely colder.
“What’s going on?” I murmured, my senses overwhelmed and confused.
Before anyone could respond, Moore lunged at me. I’d forgotten how
fast and deadly this kid could be. Big mistake on my part, because even
though he was only six going on seven, he’d already fought in the Blood
Arena. I heard Tudyk shout, “Brother, no!”
Moore missed me by inches as I dashed sideways and swerved around
for his inevitable return. He came in for a second attack with his claws, and
I managed to push him off. It caused him to stumble and fall, but only for a
moment.
“Esme, be careful!” Ansel said, pale and sweaty as he analyzed his
youngest brother’s behavior. “There’s something wrong with him!”
“Yeah, I can see that!” I replied, my muscles hard and tense as I braced
myself.
Moore glided across the dried dirt, both sets of claws glinting in the
retreating moonlight. He slashed at me with his left, and I moved back a
couple of feet. He pursued me, slashing at me with his right, and I avoided
him again as I worked to find an opening or the right angle to approach
him.
“He’s not himself,” Tudyk said. He tried to pull the boy away from me,
but Moore hit back hard, and Tudyk fell tumbling backward, groaning from
pain.
Ansel did his best to take Moore down himself, but that also ended
badly. With one quick move, Moore gained the upper hand and stood over
Ansel, his boot pressed against his brother’s neck.
“It’s a spell,” Tudyk managed, pulling himself off the ground.
Sofia and Kalla rushed over, and Thayen stayed with them. They were
all stunned and confused. Tudyk and I carefully approached Moore as he
focused on Ansel. The teen Aeternae tried to fight back, but his kid brother
was merciless, nearly suffocating him.
“I recognize the death magic. It’s a sleeper spell. It’s probably been in
him for a long time and was activated somehow,” Tudyk added. We moved
around, gaining inches as we drew closer. “Someone must have used
specific words to trigger him.” He paused, his eyes round with horror. “Oh
no. Mother… he’s been active since he hugged her…”
My breathing grew ragged as I tried to find a solution that wouldn’t hurt
Moore. He was only a child. He had no idea what had been done to him or
why he was behaving this way. “How do we stop it?”
“We need to subdue him,” Tudyk replied. “I’ll tackle him, then you can
help me hold him down.”
“Are you sure?” I asked, and he gave me a slight nod.
He darted toward Moore and used his full body weight to knock the boy
down. As soon as they landed, I rushed over and caught Moore’s hands,
twisting them behind his back. He cried out, squirming like a restless and
ridiculously strong worm, but I managed to hold him down. Kalla brought
over a thread of steel, which we used to bind Moore’s hands.
“Why do you carry that around?” Tudyk asked Kalla, panting and
shivering.
“It’s one of the few things that work in holding an Aeternae, at least for
a while. Steel wire is made from the same material used for prison cells,
only it’s much lighter and easier to carry around.” Kalla looked at me. “We
brought a couple of rolls with us from Orvis, in case you need some.”
“Yeah… thanks,” I murmured, allowing myself to sit.
Moore’s eyes were still weird. His sharp fangs were supposed to appear
threatening, but all they did was make me feel sorry for him. I ran a hand
through my hair, trying to understand and accept what had just happened.
Ansel sat next to me, feeling his throat. There would be bruising, I was sure
of it. There were already red blotches blooming where Moore’s boot had
pinned him down.
“A sleeper spell, huh?” Sofia asked, unable to take her eyes off the kid.
Thayen nodded. “It’s still in him, isn’t it?”
“Yes. We need to find whoever cast it and either kill them or get them to
break the spell.” Tudyk sighed as he fought back tears. “I can’t believe
she’d do this.”
“Your mother,” I said.
“No one else could’ve gotten so close. And very few others have such
knowledge,” Tudyk replied.
“I wouldn’t be able to do this,” Ansel said, his voice raspy and broken.
“Kalon either. This has our mother’s signature written all over it. And I
think I know when she activated it.”
It didn’t take a genius to unravel this one. “When she whispered in his
ear earlier.” My tone sounded flat, but I didn’t care. I’d had enough of
Petra’s nonsense. Once again, she’d put one of her sons in harm’s way
while claiming her family mattered the most.
“She might have been telling the truth about what words she actually
said to Moore, but she definitely neglected to mention what those words
would do to him,” Tudyk said. “She’s a liar. She’s a filthy, manipulative liar.
This stunt could’ve gotten Moore killed if you hadn’t been here, Esme.”
“Even worse, he could’ve hurt us. Or killed us,” Ansel said quietly.
“Moore was gunning for me,” I said. “Petra’s had it in for me since the
day I laid eyes on Kalon. What irks me is that despite her claims of being a
good mother, she keeps hurting you. All of you.”
Sofia scoffed. “What the hell is she trying to prove with this?”
“Oh, we’ve got a problem,” I realized, my breath running short as the
whole picture came into focus. Moore watched me, growling and trying to
get out of his bindings, but he couldn’t. A grin slit his face—a devious,
hateful grin that mirrored his mother’s hatred of me. Poor kid. “Petra isn’t
here to make amends to us or to her sons. She has some kind of endgame,
and it doesn’t involve her staying a GASP prisoner for long. Moore’s
situation is proof of that, and I’m afraid it’s only the beginning.”
Kalla frowned. “Don’t tell me she’s—”
“She’s come to get the shard transferred to one of the boys. I’m certain
of it,” I said. “It’s the only reason why she’d try to mess with us like this.”
“Derek. Crap, he’s been pretty much alone with her in the western
tower,” Sofia said, gasping.
“I doubt he’ll be able to do much if she’s found a way to set herself free.
I think Moore did something else. I think he helped her, somehow. Look at
his face,” Ansel said, and we followed his startled gaze. Indeed, the
youngest Visentis boy was still grinning, but there was a glimmer in his
eyes. It told me he knew something we didn’t. “We should all go back to the
western tower,” Ansel added. “Whatever Mother is planning has already
begun.”
Kalla took hold of Moore, hoisting him up and over her shoulder. “I’ll
hold on to this little rascal. Tudyk, Ansel, you’d best stay with me, boys. I
hope you understand why we can no longer let you anywhere near your
mother.”
Neither objected—except Moore, who flailed like a miniature demon in
Kalla’s hold. Despite her being a Nalorean, she definitely seemed to have
what it took to keep him in check, at least while he remained bound.
Sofia and I looked at each other. “We need to head back to the tower,” I
said.
We both took off running. Moving as fast as our legs could hold us, we
glided breathlessly across the worn cobblestone. Overflowing with
adrenaline, my mind started working faster than ever, knowing that, in the
end, Kalon was still vulnerable, despite Time’s protection. Even if he stayed
inside that interdimensional pocket, it didn’t mean his mother couldn’t find
a way to get to him.
 I’d been foolish to think she’d actually care about her children. That the
prospect of her own death might’ve changed her mind. No. Petra had come
here with a plan, and so far, she’d succeeded in executing it. We had to stop
her before it was too late.

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 DEREK

“I ’m not buying your remorseful attitude,” I said, leaning with

my back against the wall.
Petra was still sitting cross-legged on the floor, hands
cuffed behind her back as she smiled up at me. “And I’m not buying your
sanctimonious attitude,” she shot back. “Your past is full of blood and
darkness. It’s written all over you.”
“I’ve grown,” I replied. “Unlike you. Hundreds of thousands of years,
and you still do nothing but harm to those around you.”
“Please don’t make me repeat myself. Everything I have done has been
for what I thought was the good of my people. I don’t have any regrets.”
I raised an eyebrow at her. “None whatsoever? Your sons despise you,
Petra. Your own children, alienated by your lies and machinations.”
“My sons will forgive me one day. When all this is over, they will
understand everything I did and why. You’ll be gone by then. You will be…
dust.”
I was missing something here. Petra’s statement was ominous, and I had
a feeling she was holding back. “If you know something, now’s your
chance to share. While your information about the Whips will be useful, we
can both agree there is more you can tell us.”
“Oh, there definitely is. But my question is, do you really think you’ll
live long enough for that information to help you?”
“What do you mean?”
She chuckled softly. “Derek, if you think you’re going to win this battle
against the Darklings, you’re in for a rude awakening.”
“I thought that’s why you came here. To help us.”
 “I came here to see my sons, and I gave you intel in return. I don’t want
Danika to kill me, sure, but what are the odds the rest of you will survive?
Let’s be honest here. You’ve all met her. You should know better.”
“Where are you going with this, Petra?”
She took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. “From what I remember,
you’re a man with a pretty big family, right? A daughter and a son.
Grandchildren. Great-grandchildren. Some great-great-grandchildren, too, if
I’m not mistaken. A brother, a sister, each with their own families and
equally stellar progenies.”
I didn’t answer. Instead, I watched her closely, waiting for the
punchline. There had to be one coming, sooner or later. I just didn’t
understand where it would all lead. In the darkness of the room, moonlight
pierced through the window, glazing the floor in an iridescent glow. Petra
glanced down, the shimmer reflected in her blue eyes.
“If you keep going with this so-called war against the Darklings, it
won’t be just you they’ll kill. Or Sofia. Or whoever else is here in this dead
city with you. No. Corbin will use all the death magic knowledge at his
disposal, along with all the Knight Ghouls, and he will head straight for
your home planet. And once he’s done with you, he’ll go for your brother
and your sister. Your children. Their children. He will burn your family tree
down to the root. And when it’s all done, he’ll set fire to your precious
Shade, as well. Derek, if you keep pushing against him, Earth will become
just another province of Visio. The humans will feed us, much like the
Rimians and the Naloreans.”
“If that is the future you foresee, Petra, why are you still here? We both
know you could escape if you really wanted to.” My spine tingled.
Everything she’d just described was entirely possible, and such an outcome
was simply unfathomable. Unbearable. Unacceptable.
“I told you, Derek. Have you not been listening? I’m here for my sons.”
“You’ll never get your sons back,” I said. “They’ll never go with you,
no matter where you take them. They’re smarter than you give them credit
for, Petra. And better, too.”
She exhaled sharply. “You know, we were all perfectly happy here in
our empire. The circle of life was simple. We’re born, we live forever if
possible, and we keep the Unending’s cycle going so she doesn’t wipe us all
out. Simple. Effective. Eternal. Then you came along and made everything
harder. As if we’d ever feel sorry for one Reaper. Don’t be ridiculous,
Derek. They’ll never let you set Unending free.”
“What do you know about setting the Unending free?” I asked.
Petra shook her head. “Finally, you’re asking the right questions. I know
plenty, but are you worth such revelations? My bet is you’ll be dead in a
day. Two, tops. Whatever knowledge I have, it won’t do you any good.”
“Why are you so certain I’ll die?” I asked. “You keep talking in riddles
and circles and vague notions, which makes me consider one of two
possibilities: either you know nothing, and you’re just wasting air because
you like the sound of your own voice, or you know plenty, and you’re
stalling. Buying time. Which makes your initial motive for being here
completely false.”
Esme came in with Sofia right behind her. They both looked scared,
their breathing ragged and fast. “I’m afraid it’s the latter,” Esme said. “She’s
not here to be with her sons. She’s here to transplant the soul shard into one
of them.”
Petra scowled. “What sort of nonsense is that?”
“She put a sleeper spell on Moore. It was activated when she whispered
in his ear. He just tried to kill us,” Esme replied, looking at me.
“I tried reaching you through the comms system,” Sofia said.
“Nothing came through,” I replied, suddenly confused.
“Ah, I’m afraid that was my fault.” Petra lifted her hands to reveal that
the cuffs were gone. A scythe emerged from between her fingers, its blade
curved and capturing fragments of moonlight along its sharp edge. “You
see, Derek, I’ve learned a trick or two from the Reapers I’ve turned over the
years, including this little bit about hiding a death magic weapon on one’s
person, beyond the physical realm. Using the Spirit’s teachings, I adapted
the spell so that not even Reapers could detect it. My little Moore has been
carrying it with him since he was born, and he had no idea until I activated
the… what did Esme call it? Ah, yes, the sleeper spell.”
“That hug he gave you. It was to pass the scythe back to you,” Esme
murmured.
Fear was quick to implant itself inside my chest as I grasped this new
reality. Petra had already set herself free, and she had a powerful weapon at
her disposal. Sofia’s gasp reached my ears, along with the clicking sound of
Esme’s pulverizer weapon as she removed its safety. A moment later, it was
pointed at Petra.
 “You lying, heartless bitch,” Esme muttered.
Petra was not at all intimidated by the weapon, though she knew what it
could do. Her lack of reaction worried me, and I suddenly doubted whether
we had what it would take to defeat her. We had superior numbers, but this
air of confidence she exuded… it felt wrong. Dangerous. Maybe even
deadly, if we weren’t careful.
“Finally, some bite with that bark,” Petra replied, raising her scythe.
“Now, here is what’s going to happen, and there is nothing you can do
about it. I’m going to find Kalon. You’ve lied. I know he’s here. He’s close
by—I can feel him. I can feel all my sons when I’m near them. It’s quite
literally the first spell I performed after each one was born.”
“Or I could pulverize you right here, right now. After what you just did
to Moore, I’m absolutely certain they’ll forgive me,” Esme said and fired
her weapon.
Petra slashed outward with her scythe in a diagonal motion, blocking
the pellet’s trajectory. It exploded into shimmering blue dust, but the blade
survived. Death magic objects didn’t belong to the physical realm, which
apparently rendered them immune to pulverizer pellets. The high priestess
sneered.
“Once I’ve located Kalon, I’m going to implant my soul shard into him.
If Danika wants a sacrifice, it’s high time she gets the one son of mine who
has been a constant disappointment. I’ve given him all the chances in the
world, but he prefers consorting with a vampire wench.”
Esme shot another pellet, and Petra destroyed it again.
“We need another angle,” Sofia said under her breath.
“Then, once that’s done, I will gather my surviving sons, and we’ll
move somewhere nice. Maybe a place down south, somewhere with a
beach. Or maybe up north, where there’s only snow and ice as far as the eye
can see. We’ll put it to a vote,” Petra continued. “Either way, you will lose,
and the Visentis bloodline will live on.”
I moved slowly to my right, occasionally exchanging glances with
Sofia, who carefully made her way to the left. We were going to come at
Petra from both sides, giving Esme the opening she needed to take Petra
down. The high priestess couldn’t take us all on at once.
But before we could do that, it was my turn to buy us a few more
seconds. “So that was your plan all along. Get in here, pretend to be a
captive, mess with Moore, then… this?” I asked.
 “I knew you wouldn’t trust me completely,” Petra said. “But I needed
some time in here for you to attempt to verify the intel I gave you. I just
needed Moore close enough for me to do my thing. Fortunately, none of
you could resist the idea of holding me prisoner. Predictable creatures, all of
you.”
“And what will you do next? Give our location to Danika? You can’t
really still be friends after she tried to kill you,” I replied.
“We share a common goal. And we both wish to live in order to fulfill
it,” Petra said. “Now, enough of the chitchat. Which one of you wants to die
first?”
Sofia smirked. “You still underestimate us, even after all this time.”
Petra didn’t get to deliver a snarky reply this time, as my wife and I
launched our attacks. Esme gave us a second before she pointed her weapon
at the high priestess again. Using my claws and speed, I took Petra on with
all my might, each blow designed to rip her apart. Sofia did the same, and
Petra had no choice but to defend herself using the scythe.
Esme released a third pellet. It almost hit Petra, but she ducked, leaving
Sofia and me to stare blankly at each other for the briefest of moments. For
every action there was a reaction, and I feared it was our turn to receive the
latter, whether we liked it or not.
Petra muttered something under her breath and kissed the blade of her
scythe. The gesture released a wave of peculiar and startling energy. It hit
Sofia, Esme, and me right in the solar plexus, knocking us back and
smacking us against the floor. It felt odd, as though my bones had suddenly
vanished. They were still in me, but I could no longer feel them. I had
nothing left to move with.
My body was now my enemy, as Petra stood over me and laughed, a
satisfied grin extending from ear to ear. She looked down at me, unable to
resist having the last word. “I won’t kill you, Derek. Our Master of
Darkness wants that pleasure, and I wouldn’t dare deny him such a rare joy
in this long and complicated life. You will all stay down here for a while,
and I shall get on with my business. I’ve got a son to sacrifice. Not an easy
thing to do as a mother, but a necessary evil in this case.”
“Don’t… Petra. Don’t... do it!” Esme managed, pinned to the floor and
struggling to move, as her bones were paralyzed like mine.
Petra walked over to her, kneeling and pressing the blade against her
cheek. “I’d love nothing more than to slice you into little pieces. You’ve
been nothing but a pain in my ass from the day you set foot on Visio. Kalon
is going to die, and it’ll be your fault. I want you to remember that. In fact, I
think I’ll ask the Master to keep you alive, so I can torment you with that
fact for an eternity. Danika’s not interested in that sort of punishment
anymore, even though she’d been quite keen to try it on Derek, but I do see
the appeal in spending forever to make you suffer.”
“No… please don’t!” Esme mumbled, her speech slurring. “Don’t... hurt
him!”
Whatever this spell was, it wasn’t affecting just our bones. It had
quickly spread, disabling other important functions. I found myself staring
at Petra, unable to formulate a single thought, a single word that might stop
her. I was helpless and limp, a sack of meat and blood that was absolutely
useless.
Petra got up, giving Sofia one last look. “I’m going to enjoy watching
you die. But remember that I’m not doing this just for my own pleasure. It
is necessary for the survival of our species. It’s nothing personal, as far as
I’m concerned, but I can’t speak for the Master. You’ve really pissed him
off, kids. And he’s the kind who holds onto a grudge forever.”
“Please…” I whispered, my lips barely moving.
“What’s that, Derek? I’m sorry, I can’t hear you over the sound of your
own failure,” Petra retorted. The room was spinning, and it became
increasingly hard to concentrate, to keep my gaze on a single object. I was
losing my focus, and my eyes were starting to close against my will.
Petra’s heels clicked across the stone floor, fading somewhere in the
distance. I couldn’t see anything. Darkness had taken over, wrapping me in
its cold embrace, forcing me to surrender.
The blackout followed quickly, and I was but a blade of grass in the
wind, bending to the will of the universe. Helpless. Damned and useless.

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 KAILANI

T he marshes were a sight to behold. About five hundred miles

southeast of the imperial city, nature’s various forces had
clashed, creating a peculiar but absolutely stunning
environment. It reminded me of Florida’s Everglades back on Earth—just
water and swirling mangroves and evergreen swamps—only bigger, wider,
and brighter.
Visio’s mangroves were enormous, like wood-sculpted snakes that
twisted and bent in and out of the perfectly still and brackish water, creating
a strange and mesmerizing pattern of dark shadows between millions of
massive shrubs. A species of lime-green moss spread across the surface,
dotted with the occasional spiky yellow blossom. Cicada-type sounds
emerged from beneath the mangrove forest, chirping in a steady, clicking
rhythm.
Here and there, colossal trees reached for the reddish sky with perfectly
straight trunks as wide as our Shade’s redwoods. At the top, their crowns
spread out, heavy branches loaded with emerald and amber foliage
stretching and bending under their own weight. Below, in the few spots of
clear water that we could see, brightly colored fish and scaly lizard-type
creatures moved, foraging for food around the mangrove roots.
Out here, the world was something else. There was barely a soul around
except for the animals. According to Petra’s intel, some of the Aeternae had
chosen to settle here, building small villages deep within the mangrove
forest. The nearest city was Tusla, about fifty miles north into the mainland,
easiest to reach by boat, following the river upstream.
 Widow stood on the edge of the last piece of muddy land before the
mangroves, his reflection calm in the still, greenish waters. “Lyriana Amos
lives here?” he asked, the tone of his voice revealing his incredulity.
“Beyond the water, over there,” Hunter clarified, pointing to a cluster of
small islands. They were bordered by shrubs, and the giant trees rose in the
middle of each. Every patch of land had been cultivated, as nature had done
her best to create a beautiful and unique ecosystem here. “Between those
trees, see?”
Nightmare joined his masked brother, squinting into the distance. “Ah,
yes… I see them. Houses. Who would want to live in this place? It’s damp
and soggy all the time.”
“I wouldn’t mind it,” Dream mused, gazing through the water at a
school of red-and-blue fish that swam between the swollen, gnarly roots.
“It’s quiet. The marshes keep most people away. If I wanted privacy, this is
where I’d come.”
“Personally, I’d go to a desert. The scorching heat and sudden
temperature drops at night are enough to deter anyone from trying to find
me,” Night said. “Everything smells or bites here.”
“What do you care? It’s not like you have to actually smell or sense a
bite anyway. Only if you allow it,” Widow muttered.
“I’m just trying to put myself in the head of an Aeternae, that’s all,”
Night replied.
“Well, either way, we need to move. Ridan’s team hasn’t checked in on
the comms system yet, and I’m not liking that one bit. Let’s get Lyriana out
of here and head back. Something tells me we’ll be needed, especially with
Petra still in Roano,” I said.
We knew Lyriana had a shelter in one of the small villages deep within
the mangrove forest. We also knew that she wouldn’t be alone, since she
always traveled with personal guards, uniformed Aeternae trained to kill
anyone who tried to touch her. By that logic, we didn’t expect this
encounter to be easy, but I was confident with three Reapers and my white
werewolf by my side. Something had to give.
Making our way up the wetland’s coast, we inched closer to the forest to
get a better view. I could see the lights flickering across the wooden cabins,
and the silhouettes of people moving around. A slender system of bridges
connected homes above the water, and a couple more served as paths into
other villages. This was not a friendly environment. Everything had been
built to keep strangers out.
“Time to zap on over there,” Widow announced, reaching out to me.
I was about to take his hand so the Reaper might help us get closer to
the village when several boats left the small islands. They were headed
toward us, and I wasn’t sure what to make of that.
“Kale, what are they doing?” Hunter asked, his brow furrowed as he
watched them. “I’m counting twenty.”
“Five per boat,” Widow added. “My guess is they spotted us.”
“From there? They must’ve been watching, then,” I said. “They must’ve
known we were coming.”
“How could they have known? We were careful on the way here,”
Dream replied. “Nah, something else is going on here.”
“Well, if they were Darklings, surely they would’ve used death magic to
get here faster. The boats don’t make much sense,” Nightmare said.
As they drew closer, the boats gave me a strange feeling—an uneasiness
that latched on and refused to let go. Chills traveled down my spine, ice
crystalizing in my veins as I realized none of the Aeternae on the boats
were moving. They were less than a hundred yards away now, and I had no
idea what made the boats move, since none of their occupants were rowing.
I didn’t hear any type of engine, either.
“What is going on here?” I mumbled, trying to find an answer before it
might be too late. The uneasiness built up inside me, pressing down my
stomach as beads of sweat covered my temples. “Something feels off.”
Hunter gripped my hand firmly, and I was compelled to look at him.
“We’ve got this,” he whispered. It prompted a scoff from Nightmare.
“Do you, though?”
The boats reached us, and they were even stranger from up close.
Carved from a bluish type of wood, they were long and slim, their bottom
curves dipping into the water. The twenty Aeternae in them were dead, their
hearts torn out through gaping wounds in their chests. They hadn’t died that
long ago—the blood had yet to congeal. Their clothes were drenched in
crimson.
“Oh dear,” Dream murmured, her galaxy eyes widening.
“What the hell is this?” Widow croaked.
The Aeternae had been bound to spikes mounted in the boats, giving the
impression of standing, living people for those watching from afar. That
wasn’t even the worst part. The water rippled behind the boats, so I looked
closer until I spotted a Knight Ghoul. There were four of them, one for each
boat.
“Ghouls pushed the boats over,” I said with a gasp, terror nearly
suffocating me.
The fiends hurriedly swam away, leaving their cargo at our feet. Upon a
second, more detailed inspection, I spotted the boxes at the Aeternae’s feet.
Fifteen wooden boxes, each carved and painted with familiar-looking runes.
“Death magic,” Nightmare said. “Not the good kind, either.”
Suddenly, the runes began to light up red. I had a feeling something
would happen once they were all activated, and that it wouldn’t end well for
us. Without warning, Dream grabbed me and threw me back.
I tried to scream in protest, but the loud, eardrum-crushing bang that
followed rendered me speechless. I landed on my back with enough force to
knock the air out of my lungs. For a moment, it was nearly impossible to
breathe. The explosion covered most of my field of vision with blinding
flashes of red and yellow and white. The sound of wood cracking and
splintering. Water splashing. Flesh tearing and falling everywhere.
“Hunter!” I cried out.
Once the bang subsided, an eerie silence took over. Even the Visio
cicadas had been rendered mute. I heard a grunt and Dream cursing to my
right. Nightmare groaned to my left. And Widow’s footsteps crunched in
the tall grass as he walked over and pulled me upright with one swift
movement.
The whole world shifted around me as I tried to regain my balance.
“Hunter!” I shouted again. His voice came through, and relief washed over
me like a hot, steaming bath that made every muscle in my body soft and
tender.
“I’m okay, honey,” he said. I turned my head and saw him, partly
hidden beneath Dream. She’d made quite the leap to get to him in time, but
she’d managed to protect him. The forcefield she’d generated had a
plethora of sharp nails and black crystal shards embedded in its translucent
surface. None had gone through.
“What just happened?” I asked, holding on to Widow for balance. My
knees were too weak to hold my weight for the moment.
“A death magic bomb,” Nightmare said, getting up with slow and
pained movements. Unlike Dream, he hadn’t protected himself from the
blast. There were hundreds of projectiles lodged in his back, each glowing
red as they pierced his—for lack of a better word—undead flesh. Widow
seemed okay, from what I could tell. “It was directed at us.”
“Oh, really? I’d thought they were aiming for the Reapers we left
behind in Roano,” Dream shot back, anger sharpening her voice until she
got up and saw his injuries. “Brother!”
Hunter reached me in a single breath and took me in his arms. For a
moment, all I could experience was gratitude. We’d survived another
incident, though I wasn’t sure how many such free passes we had left,
considering the kind of enemy we were dealing with.
“Are you okay?” he asked, his voice low as he cupped my face and
pressed his lips against mine for the briefest, sweetest moment.
“Mm-hm. Dream pulled me and threw me out of harm’s way,” I said.
“You?”
“She did the same with me, only the blast projected us both into the
ground. She’s heavier than she looks, let me tell you,” he added with a
chuckle.
“I heard that!” Dream snapped while she checked Nightmare’s wounds,
plucking some of the projectiles from his back. Every extraction made the
Reaper whimper and curse under his breath. “Hold still, and it’ll hurt less.”
“A death magic bomb?” I asked. “Seriously? You guys make such
contraptions?”
Widow nodded as he surveyed the still waters. There was no sign of the
ghouls who’d delivered the cargo or anyone else, so this whole episode
didn’t make any sense to me. Had they been sent by Lyriana, in a bid to
keep us away from her hideout?
“They’re not easy to manufacture. The boxes are filled with whatever
sharp objects one has on hand. The runes on each box help convert them
into projectiles that can cross beyond the physical space and cause damage
to entities like us,” he said.
“And the dead Aeternae?” I asked. “Their hearts were missing.”
“The hearts were inside the boxes. They’re sacrifices, meant as the
actual explosive,” Widow explained. “Think of each heart as a stick of
dynamite. In combination with the shrapnel and the runes, they can do a
nasty number on Reapers. Given what it takes to build such contraptions,
surely you understand why this knowledge is dangerous.”
“Do you know how to build one?” Hunter asked.
 Widow shook his head. “I know of them. I know how they work, but I
don’t have the words and sub-words to put one together myself. None of the
First Tenners do—except, of course, for Spirit. This is definitely within his
wretched realm.”
“Then it had to be Lyriana,” I concluded. “She probably knows we’re
after her. This bomb took time and planning. I don’t suppose you can just
whip one up in a matter of minutes?”
Widow shook his head again.
“Okay. What now?” Nightmare asked. He hissed from pain as his sister
extracted the last of the crystal shards and carefully analyzed it.
“This is obsidian. Volcanic material. Odd to come across it in these
parts,” she said. “If this is Lyriana, she probably has more of this stuff.”
“Which means she could’ve built other bombs, right?” I asked.
“I shudder at the thought of taking another hit like this,” Nightmare
grumbled.
Hunter checked the explosion site. Not much was left of the boats.
Charred pieces of wood and bloodied chunks of Aeternae flesh floated in
the green water, but he did manage to fish out a metal tube the size of his
palm. Frowning, he checked it from top to bottom until he discovered a lid.
“What’s that?” I inquired, reaching him quickly.
“It opens,” he said, unscrewing the lid with careful movements of his
fingers. Inside, there was a scroll. He plucked it out and handed it to me.
My hands were still shaking, but I managed to unravel it.
Words had been scrawled in blood. At the bottom, a signature with
swirly letters and a wax seal. It was a skull framed by a scythe blade. “This
has to be the Darklings’ seal. It’s a little too on the nose, in my opinion, but
it’s definitely them,” I replied.
“Is there a message? That thing must have been on the boat, protected
by its metal tube,” Widow said, joining us.
I read the text aloud. It wasn’t much, only a couple of paragraphs, but
each word drilled holes into my soul as I understood their weight and
significance.
“‘Dear Whoever, if you have survived the explosion, congratulations. I
doubt you’ll fare so well in the future, however, for I have made more than
one Death Boom. Rest assured, all were designed specifically for you and
your Reaper friends. Sooner or later, one of them will get the job done.
Consider this message not a warning, but rather a promise. You will not kill
me. You will not capture me. You will never outsmart me. I left the swamp
a while ago, but if you still wish to search for me, by all means go right
ahead. I doubt you’ll find much except for more Death Booms.’” I paused,
scrunching my nose. “Okay, first of all, who calls a bomb ‘Death Boom’?
What, is she in kindergarten or something? Second, holy crap, she rigged
the entire mangrove village with bombs.”
“Keep reading,” Widow urged me.
“‘But if you do wish to find me, do not worry. I will find you first. I am
Lyriana Amos, not the first nor the last of my dynasty to loyally serve the
Darklings. And if it will be my turn to give my heart to the Spirit Bender
before I can kill you all, I shall pass that sacred duty on to my other brothers
and sisters in arms. They will gladly finish the job for me. If you think you
have any chance of stopping the Spirit Bender’s return, think again. We’ve
survived for millions of years. We shall prevail, and we shall dance on your
graves. Yours truly, Lyriana.’”
“Ah, good to know that if Danika gets to her before she gets to us, she’ll
send her sons to kill us.” Nightmare scoffed. “What a bunch of
psychopaths!”
“Devoted psychopaths, and therein lies the problem,” I said. “Someone
told her we were coming. The bomb wasn’t designed for just anyone who
came to this shore, and Lyriana obviously expects Danika to get to her via
other means; otherwise, this letter would’ve been worded differently.”
Hunter sighed. “Petra. She must’ve given Lyriana a heads-up,
somehow.”
“If that’s the case, then Ridan’s team might be in danger,” I breathed,
dread taking over once more. “We have to get to them… now!”
Dream pointed a thumb over her shoulder, toward the mangrove forest.
“What about the bomb or bombs Lyriana hid in there?”
“We don’t have time to clean up after her,” Widow said. “Kailani is
right. Ridan’s crew has yet to check in, and if Petra warned Ramus too, they
might be in serious trouble.”
Nightmare gave Widow a perky smile. “Would you do the honors then,
dear brother? I’d love to do a long-distance jump myself, but I’m slightly
incapacitated at the moment. It’ll take a few hours for these injuries to heal,
I’m afraid.”
“Take my hand,” Widow said.
 Once we were all physically linked, the world warped around us and
disappeared into a glimpse of utter darkness. As we drifted through the
vacuum of nothingness, I felt my heart skipping beats in anticipation of
what we might find on the other side. If Petra had been playing us from the
very beginning, then she couldn’t be allowed to stay in Roano for another
second.
I hadn’t trusted her from the very moment she’d reached the ancient city
and offered to help in exchange for her sons, but this was a whole new level
of devious, even for her. The Darklings were sacrificing their own people—
those they claimed to protect—to build death magic bombs against us. They
had to be stopped.

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 AMANE

A ll hell broke loose in the blink of an eye.

Ridan and I emptied our pulverizer clips first. We missed a
couple of times, destroying parts of a wall and some of the
furniture, but we managed to take out several of the Darklings who’d
surrounded us.
Trev went straight for Danika’s head. Despite her metal hands, the Lady
Supreme was still fast and agile, moving like a shadow as she avoided his
attacks. He lost the pulverizer weapon the moment he aimed it at her, so he
only had his claws and fangs left. Danika was not the type to accept
physical offense, and she was swift in her retaliation.
I tried to reload, but two Darklings came at me, so I took out my twin
blades and started cutting left and right, drawing blood wherever I could.
They were faster than I was, but I could at least slow them down before
going for their heads. My time spent in the jungle wilderness of Cerix had
taught me a thing or two.
Kelara and Soul fought back to back against the rest of the Darklings,
but the cabin was getting crowded fast. The ghouls circled each of the
skirmishes, their beady eyes wide, their fangs ready to snap and chomp at
whatever crossed their paths. One by one, the Darklings fell, heads rolling
across the floor.
Danika set Ramus’s heart aside, and I kept my eyes on it as I fought off
a Knight Ghoul. It was a big creature that hungered for my flesh, but I
hadn’t come to Visio to die in this forsaken cabin in the middle of some
snowy woods. I’d come here to protect my sister and my friends, and to
make sure that no one took advantage of death magic ever again. The
Darklings had plunged this world into chaos, and its natural balance had to
be restored. Too many people were in danger, including those I loved and
respected.
“If you think you’re walking out of here alive, you’ve got another thing
coming,” Danika hissed, casting a spell against Trev. He tried to dodge it,
but the shimmering pulse hit him in the abdomen. He was thrown into the
wall, and I could hear his bones breaking as he collapsed.
She sauntered toward him, eager to finish the job, but I couldn’t let that
happen. I swerved past the ghoul and directed my blades at Danika. She
saw me from the corner of her eye and pointed the scythe at me, metal
hands firmly gripping its handle. The ghoul hurled itself at me from behind,
so I ducked. The pulse from Danika’s scythe shot over my head and hit the
creature. Danika cursed under her breath before going for another attack,
but I brought one of my blades up. Metal hit metal, and sparks flew. I didn’t
do much damage to the hand, but I managed to shove it to the side,
releasing the third pulse into the floor, which blasted into bits and pieces to
reveal the cellar.
Before I could react, Danika sneered and kicked me in the stomach. I
fell into the room below, landing on my back. Every bone in my body hurt,
and I stilled on the cold stone and tried to catch my breath. I listened to the
sounds above. Roars and growls, whispered spells, and glass breaking. Trev
snarled. Shadows moved in the limited view I had from my prone position.
“Amane!” Ridan shouted. Fire roared, and its blue light flooded the
cellar. Several Darklings screamed in agony. Their bodies rolled on the
floor above, thumping and squirming, desperate to shake off the strange,
azure flames. That had to be Reaper mojo, since Ridan’s fire was natural,
and it only came from his dragon form. He’d yet to make such a move, but I
doubted he’d hold out as a human for much longer.
“I’m okay!” I yelled.
Moments later, I managed to get myself back up. A ruptured structure
beam was within my reach. My long knives were nearby, so I grabbed and
sheathed them. I climbed back up, my joints aching as I struggled to grip
the floor above to leverage my way out of the cellar because it was coated
with blood and hellishly slippery. The fight was getting worse.
Trev could barely move. Two of the ghouls had fallen, along with a
dozen Darklings. But Danika was dangerously close to taking Soul down,
and we had to stop her before it was too late. I pulled out one of my knives
and threw it at her. Danika heard the whistling of metal in flight and stepped
back. My knife got stuck in a wooden pillar, and she set her sights on me
once again.
“Amane, get the heart!” Ridan said, veins throbbing in his neck.
“Oh snap,” I managed, realizing what was about to happen. “Kelara!
Soul! Trev! Duck!”
Danika gave me a confused look while I listened for a familiar sound of
bones snapping and clothes tearing. I’d called it. Ridan went full dragon,
and I hit the floor as he expanded into a massive beast with thick dark
scales and an amber underbelly. The cabin exploded from within, wood and
iron beams and glass and chunks of furniture flying in every direction.
“Holy moly!” I heard Soul exclaim, laughing with delight at what was
probably an awe-inducing sight.
Ridan was huge in his dragon form, and he couldn’t exactly control who
he stepped on with his massive claws. Several Darklings were crushed, their
entrails splattered and spread across the broken floors. The cold air from a
suddenly open space seeped into my bones, kicking my blood into motion.
Danika had fallen in the snow, dazed by the sudden appearance of a
dragon. She hadn’t seen this coming, and the thought gave me tremendous
satisfaction. I scrambled back to my feet and searched for Ramus’s heart in
the last place I’d seen it. A place that no longer existed, unfortunately.
Ridan couldn’t have anticipated this particular hitch.
“Where the hell is it?” I muttered.
My gaze wandered around, trying to make out the heart in the rest of the
debris that littered the thick blanket of snow in this small clearing. Soul and
Kelara went after the remaining Darklings. Trev was unconscious and
bleeding. His condition wasn’t fatal, but we had to get him out of here as
quickly as possible.
Ridan’s spine-tingling roars echoed through the woods, making the trees
tremble and shed their snow. The ghouls were foolish enough to take him
on in physical form. Ridan spat fire at them—a thick and unforgiving
stream that set them alight. He then snapped his jaws around them, tearing
limbs and heads off like it was a twisted game. I could almost see the
excitement and pleasure in his big, amber-colored reptilian eyes.
But the heart… I couldn’t find it. Meanwhile, Danika was in the process
of getting up. I only had seconds to get this done, and my pulse was racing.
Eventually, I spotted the lonesome organ under a broken ledge. I made my
way through the snow to grab it, but a sudden burst of cold air smacked into
me, and I fell.
“Na-ah-ah! That one’s mine, silly,” Danika said, scythe glowing white
as she walked toward me. Her smirking satisfaction was short-lived,
however, as fire swallowed her whole. The screams tearing from her throat
made me quiver.
Ridan had gotten her good. I managed to retrieve Ramus’s heart, then
rushed over to Trev’s side and put his arm over my shoulder. Planting my
feet firmly into the frozen ground, I helped him up just as Ridan finished
scorching the daylight out of Danika.
“We need to go!” Soul cried out. “Something’s happened in Roano!”
Danika screeched as she ran toward a mound of snow, flames dancing
on her reddening, melting skin. She screamed from the bottom of her lungs
as she struggled to put the fires out, but Ridan gave her another round of
dragon breath. Even in such agony, she didn’t let go of the scythe, and I
knew that had to be the only thing that kept her from dying.
“Ridan! Retreat! We’ve got the heart!” I shouted, and the dragon turned
his attention to me, huffing and puffing as he moved away from Danika.
The rest of the Darklings and the ghouls were dead, and we’d gotten what
we’d come here for—albeit the hard way.
“Ah. And I thought you might be in need of assistance,” Widow
muttered, suddenly appearing to my left. Kailani, Hunter, Nightmare, and
Dream were with him, and they looked startled and worried, partially
covered in soot and minor scratches.
“What happened to you?” I asked, out of breath.
“It really is a story worth telling another time,” Nightmare said. “Let’s
go. Now!”
Before Danika’s fire was completely out, Ridan shifted back into his
humanoid form, prompting the Reapers to squirm and moan in protest.
“Good grief, man!” Widow turned away.
“You perv!” Soul mumbled, looking away.
“Sorry!” Ridan shot back. “Shifting doesn’t include clothes.”
I slipped Ramus’s heart into my satchel, and we all linked hands. Trev
leaned into me, and that was all the physical contact he needed. A few more
minutes without any healing packs, and he’d pass out again.
Danika looked terrible, black-and-red crusts covering her whole body.
That long blonde hair was gone. Her clothes, too. The prosthetics had
melted, and I could see some of her bones through the charred flesh. As
long as she had the scythe on her, she wouldn’t burn completely. Now the
fire was out, but she was far too weak and in too much pain to even try to
move.
“I’ll kill you!” she bawled. “I’ll kill you all!”
“What’s with the fried chicken?” Hunter asked Ridan, pointing a thumb
at Danika. “New recipe?”
I couldn’t hold back, bursting into laughter as Kelara teleported us away
from this snow-laden clearing. We’d left death and destruction in our wake,
but we’d managed to retrieve Ramus’s heart. Danika still only had three
shards of Spirit’s soul, and the damage she’d taken would take a while to
heal. Even with death magic protection, dragon fire had managed to do
quite a number on her.

As soon as we reappeared in Roano, however, more trouble waited for us.

Seniors were rushing toward the north tower. Dozens of them, their fangs
and claws out, aggression radiating from them. There was a general air of
danger in the city, and it hung heavy and thick, like smoke.
“Ridan, here,” I murmured, pulling a simple one-piece set of overalls
from my satchel. I always carried one just in case he needed it. The perks of
dating a dragon…
“Something’s wrong,” Widow muttered.
“We don’t have Telluris to reach out to Derek anymore, either,” I said.
“Danika burned our comms, too, with that pulse.”
We made our way up the cobbled road, looking around carefully as we
went. The Orvisians stayed back, giving each other confused and worried
looks. There was no sign of the other Reapers in this part of Roano. I didn’t
see Esme or Sofia anywhere. Or Kalla. Only more Seniors running, eager to
take someone or something on.
Finally, I spotted Arya farther ahead. “Arya!” I shouted. “What’s
happening?”
She stopped and turned around, surprised to see us all here. I put Trev
down and handed him a healing pack filled with nutrients and swamp witch
potions designed to speed up his recovery. He’d already been trained on
what this stuff did, so he just tore off the top and chugged the whole thing
down.
 Arya walked over. “Petra did something,” she said. “One of the Visentis
boys told us.”
“What did she do?” I asked, once again feeling the cold grip of fear, its
icy fingers tightening around my throat, squeezing and cutting off my air
supply.
“She had Moore attack Esme. Then Esme rushed back to the western
tower, saying Petra wasn’t here to help us at all,” Arya explained. “That’s
all the boys could tell me, but they were worried about Esme, so I
mobilized the Seniors at once. A couple of them confirmed suspicious
activity in the north tower, and they had also spotted Derek, Sofia and Esme
running in there. Petra must’ve set herself loose, somehow, and found
Kalon.”
The Reapers and I looked at one another. Less than a second later, we
were all running with Arya, the north tower rapidly rising ahead. By the
time we reached its main entrance, the first signs of trouble emerged. Derek
and Sofia held the Seniors back, urging everyone to keep their distance.
“We don’t know what she’s capable of, and we—as living creatures—
can’t do anything against her,” Derek said. “Lumi and Esme and Time are
up there. Hopefully, they’ll be able to get her out.”
“Get her out from where?” I asked.
“Kalon’s room,” he replied, his voice strained. “She got to him.”
“Let us help!” Mira insisted.
“You can’t,” Sofia replied. “I wish you could, but you can’t. Petra is
capable of killing any of you. We can’t lose any more people. Besides, she’s
sealed herself in the room with Kalon’s interdimensional pocket. No one
has been able to get through so far, not even Time.”
“What the hell happened?!” Kailani blurted. She quickly checked
Sofia’s healing bruises, then Derek’s. “You two look like crap.”
“Petra. Petra happened,” Derek said, and gave us a brief rundown of the
events leading up to this moment, including a more detailed description of
the sleeper spell the high priestess had activated inside her own son and the
scythe he’d carried his whole life without even knowing it.
The more he spoke, the more my nausea intensified. I swallowed back
bile as I looked up at the tower. “When we came to, Esme was already
running up towards the north tower to catch her, but it was too late,” Sofia
continued. “Petra blocked access to Kalon’s room.”
 “We should’ve seen this coming,” Hunter muttered. “We should’ve
checked her more carefully for hidden weapons.”
“You wouldn’t have found anything,” Soul said. “Judging by what
Derek just told us, Petra mastered the art of Concealment, which is how we
hide our scythes from sight by manipulating the laws of space and matter.
She used it to hide a weapon on her youngest son, an inconspicuous carrier.
So, when Time checked her, he didn’t see anything.”
My heart beat erratically, and I couldn’t sit still for another moment. I
couldn’t let Esme stay up there alone. “Where’s Amal?” I asked, hoping my
sister wasn’t involved in any of this.
“She’s safe in the eastern tower, working on the day-walking cure,”
Mira said. “I was visiting her when Arya called us all out.”
“And the Visentis boys?” Ridan replied.
“With Kalla. They’re also safe,” Sofia said.
“I have to see this for myself.” I dashed around her, heading for the
tower.
“Amane, wait!” Sofia shouted, but it was too late. I was already running
up the stone stairs, spiraling upward until Esme and Lumi came into view.
They stood in front of an open doorway. Time sat on the floor next to it with
his back against the wall.
“She’s been playing us,” I said. “Petra’s been playing us.”
Esme whirled around, exhaling deeply when she saw me. “You’re okay.
And the others?”
“Trev took a hit, but he’ll live,” I replied with a nod. “You?”
She frowned, a muscle ticking in her jaw. “She’s trying to get to him.”
“And she will succeed,” Time said quietly, his gaze lowered. “Petra has
the power to reach into Soul’s interdimensional pockets.”
I moved closer, standing next to Esme and Lumi. I could see Petra from
here, the air glimmering in the doorway. She’d put some kind of shield up
to hold us all back. She gave us a sideways glance and smiled.
“Oh good. An audience,” she said.
Her scythe lit up a strange blue color unlike anything I’d seen before. It
had a faint violet glow, and it felt… ominous. She moved the scythe slowly,
the blade’s tip leaving a dark trace in the air as her lips moved. Petra was
whispering a spell.
“She’s opening the pocket,” I croaked.
OceanofPDF.com
 ESME

A s soon as I’d come to, I’d run up here, knowing Petra would find
Kalon. Indeed, she had. Not only that, but she’d somehow
managed to outsmart the Time Master. She’d kicked him out of
the room and placed a powerful shield against the door and the walls,
effectively prohibiting anyone from entering.
And now she was cutting through Soul’s interdimensional pocket while
we watched. Terror froze the blood in my veins while rage lit fires in the pit
of my stomach. I was a miserable mess of hot and cold, shattered by the
speed with which everything had gone awry. We couldn’t have spotted that
second scythe. We’d been fooled. It wasn’t the first time, but it was
definitely the last. I’d make sure of it.
One way or another, Petra was not walking out of here alive. The only
problem was that she was moments away from reaching Kalon, and that
would further put him in harm’s way.
“Why would you do this?” I asked. When she didn’t answer, I slammed
my fist against the defensive spell. It pushed me back like a surge of
electricity, making my skin buzz. I shook it off. “Petra, he’s your son!”
Amane put a hand on my shoulder in a bid to comfort me, but nothing
could help. Nothing, except Kalon’s safety. Lumi continued analyzing the
shield, using one glowing index finger to slowly touch the glimmering
membrane as she tried to understand what it did and how it could be
broken.
Time was disillusioned and self-deprecating because Petra had thrown
him out of his own space. “How did she do that?” I asked, trying to wrap
my head around this fuzzy concept.
 “It was in the Spirit Bender’s chronicles. Instructions on how to outfox
each of his First Tenner brothers,” Time said. “She knows who I am
because I told her.” That had to hurt. I certainly sympathized with the
Reaper. An entity of his domain and talents, outdone by a resourceful
Aeternae. Yeah, that had to sting.
“Meh, I would’ve figured you out, anyway. Spirit gave us accurate
descriptions of each of his brothers and sisters. With that timepiece, you
instantly stood out,” Petra replied.
“She used an altered expulsion spell by editing the wards I carved into
the exterior walls of the room. As soon as she came in and uttered the
subwords, I was thrown out,” Time said to me. “All this, just so she can get
her own son killed. It’s despicable.”
“He’s my son, like everyone keeps reminding me, yes. But he’s also a
traitor,” Petra said. “And I like living too much. I thought I’d already
explained myself.”
“I need you to do it again, because I simply can’t fathom how a mother
would do this to her own child! You gave birth to him! You raised him. He’s
a part of you, and you’re going to get him killed!”
“He made his choice the moment he allowed you into his life,” Petra
spat. She slipped the scythe into the dark cut, using her other hand to open it
wide. Smiling, she put the scythe away and reached into the nothingness,
feeling for something until she found it. Well, until she found him. Kalon.
“There you are, honey…”
“Petra, if you do this, I swear I will kill you. No one will save you. I
will cut your head off and ruin everything!”
Lumi clicked her teeth. “And I’ll watch with great delight. I swear I’m
not a sadist, but she really deserves it.”
“Is there no way to get through?” Amane asked Time.
“No. She used words I never learned,” he replied, his crippling
disappointment apparent.
“It doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try,” Amane said.
“I have tried! Every attempt to take this thing down results in
electrocution, the kind that hurts both the living and the likes of me! It
doesn’t work. I don’t know the words.”
“Wouldn’t Death know them?” I wondered, my gaze fixed on Petra as
she slowly pulled Kalon’s crystalized form from the nothingness, my heart
shrinking painfully in my chest.
 “Sure. But she wouldn’t know what combination was used for this
particular spell,” Time reminded me. “That has always been the trouble
with the words she gave the Spirit Bender.”
Taking a deep breath, I looked at Petra again. “You’re making a big
mistake. We could have protected you.”
“What, you think once the Unending was free, she’d grant me
amnesty?” Petra chuckled, openly mocking me. “Don’t be ridiculous. I
would be the first to be snuffed out if the undead bitch gets free. No, I like
my Visio just the way it is, thank you. I’m a Darkling. I’ve always been a
Darkling, ever since I was a little girl. This is the only way, and I was
fortunate enough to learn this transfer spell. Kalon has caused me nothing
but grief, so maybe it’ll feel less horrible when Danika tears his heart out
and completes the Spirit Bender’s soul. Either way, our founder shall return,
and there’s nothing you can do about it.”
“You won’t win. I promise you!” I snarled, but it only made her laugh
harder.
She made me feel helpless. The pain in my chest expanded as she set
Kalon’s figure on the floor. With the tip of her scythe’s blade, Petra cut
open the crystalline coating in which Time had kept Kalon. I could see him
now. He seemed so peaceful, immersed in a deep sleep. He didn’t deserve
what Petra had planned for him. I couldn’t let her do this to him.
Soul and the other First Tenners joined us, all of them sullen and
worried as they tried to get past the barrier. None succeeded, which only
amused Petra even more. It wasn’t like we could break down the wall to get
to her. The exterior wardings she’d modified protected the entire room.
Therefore, the barrier didn’t solely apply to the doorway or the windows.
“Try all you want. I spent years learning my magic,” she said. “I’m
going to make you all watch so that you learn this lesson once and for all.
The Darklings are here to stay, and we will prevail. The Unending will
continue her cycle, and you will all fail!”
“Technically, that’s not true,” Seeley said, coming up the stairs with
Nethissis and Kelara by his side. “Death will be free eventually, and she
will wipe you all out of existence. At best, you’ll buy yourselves a couple
of centuries.”
“Not if we bring the Spirit Bender back,” Petra retorted, straightening
her back as she looked at Seeley. “From what I’ve learned, the Spirit
Bender was the one who sealed Death in the first place. If we restore his
presence, our empire will survive and thrive forever.”
Widow leaned into Lumi. “Any luck yet?”
“With Word magic? No. I was hoping you might have something,” she
replied.
“If Time—who’s better versed in this than we are—couldn’t hack it, I
doubt we could.” Widow sighed, revealing his scythe. “But maybe some
good old-fashioned violence will at least put a dent in the damn thing.”
He rammed the enormous blade into the defense spell. It blew back in a
spectacular fashion, tossing him against the wall. His scythe dropped and
fell down the stairs, clanging incessantly until it reached the ground floor.
“Dammit,” Widow muttered and went down to retrieve it. By the time
he was back, we’d definitely learned something.
“Yeah, so good old-fashioned violence won’t help either,” Dream
replied dryly, then pursed her lips as she scowled at Petra. “You’re going
down for this, I promise you.”
“Mm-hm. Yes. Plenty of threats in the face of the inevitable. You’re all
pathetic,” Petra said, unbuttoning Kalon’s shirt. She knelt beside him and
cut a small incision into his chest.
“Don’t!” I screamed. “Dammit, Petra, don’t do this!”
Amane held me back, as I was about to kick and punch the crap out of
the defense spell, even though I knew it would shake me to the core, and
not in a good way. I struggled to free myself, but she didn’t let go even as I
cried and called out Kalon’s name over and over, hoping he might hear me.
Hoping he might wake up and stop Petra before it was too late.
“Kalon! Kalon! Open your eyes! Kalon!”
Petra snickered, opening the top part of her dress to reveal the smooth,
pale skin of her chest. She cut herself the same way she’d cut Kalon, then
pressed the tip of the blade into his incision. Almost instantly, a golden
thread appeared, connecting the cuts. The blood became incandescent as
Petra inhaled deeply and proceeded with an incantation.
“I thought the transfer would take weeks!” I said, alarmed by the speed
with which everything was happening.
“Oh, honey, I know more words and subwords than Danika. There is
more than one way to transfer a shard. I’ve had thousands of years to work
my way up to this moment. Did you really think I’ve come unprepared?”
she replied, wincing from pain. “Granted, it’s less comfortable than the old-
fashioned method Danika used, but it does the job much faster.”
The more she spoke, the more horrified I became, unable to do anything
to stop this madness. All I could do was scream and shout and hope my
beloved might hear me before it was too late. “Kalon! Please! Wake up!”
“It’s no use,” Soul said, hands balled into fists. “We’re going to have to
find another way to stop her.”
“How?” I asked, tears blurring my vision. I felt them running down my
cheeks, and it just made me feel all the more useless, as I stood crying while
my beloved’s fate was sealed. What were the odds I’d succeed in protecting
Kalon from Danika once Petra transferred Spirit’s soul shard into his heart?
As per Derek’s account from his prison cell conversations with the Lady
Supreme, she was the one who had to extract the shards, since she’d started
the process. She was the one who’d be coming for Kalon, and there was no
stopping that maniac.
“I don’t know yet,” Soul replied. “But we did get Ramus’s heart away
from Danika. Plus, she’s burned to a crisp right now, so I’m not sure how
long it will be before she’s healthy enough to track us down again.”
“What do we do with the shard we got, then?” I asked. “Do we destroy
it?”
“I’m not sure we can do that,” Soul said. “I’ve already tried. And it
burn. Breaking the shard would only produce smaller pieces, still usable for
a soul reunification, so that’s out of the question. Crushing it would produce
the same result, though it would certainly lead to more tedious repair work,
I suppose. Fire was our only option, and the pieces seem to be impervious
to it. I’m worried Spirit might’ve foreseen this, too. He’s the type of
overthinker to take precautions for pretty much anything.”
“That doesn’t mean we won’t find a way to destroy it,” Amane said,
looking at him for some kind of confirmation.
“Absolutely,” Soul replied. “We’ll figure something out.”
Hope was a dangerous feeling. It circled me like a starving vulture,
waiting to swoop down and consume me. I feared it almost as much as I
feared losing Kalon, because hope in the face of such adversity was a
double-edged blade. And in this case, a single cut could mean the death of
the one I loved.
Petra seemed to relax as the golden thread swelled between her and
Kalon. The transfer had begun, and my very soul was breaking into pieces.
She produced a small glass bauble filled with dark smoke.
“Oh, come on!” Kelara snapped, genuinely annoyed. “Seriously?”
Soul groaned, his frustration obvious. “Ugh, not again.”
“What… what is that?” I asked, my voice trembling.
“This? This is a delightful trinket. Not easy to make or to come by…
ouch!” Petra paused, clearly uncomfortable. Her relaxation had only lasted
a couple of seconds. The whole transfer process was clearly taking a toll on
her body, as she twitched from various physical aches. “But it will let
Danika know where I am as soon as I break it,” she continued, getting over
her discomfort. “You see, once the shard enters Kalon’s heart, I’ll bring her
over. If you thought your Dieffen and Orvis mishaps were bad, wait until
the Master comes to Roano’s gates with the wrath of all Darklings by his
side. You will regret the day you set your sights on Visio.”
“Whatever happens, Petra, you will not live to see it. We will settle this
score,” I replied, shaking in Amane’s firm embrace. “You will not live to
see what you’ve been promised.”
“Not even the First Ten can handle what’s coming,” Petra declared.
“I’ve come too far to lose it all to a worm like you. You’re insignificant,
Esme. I thought you would have learned that by now. You’ve brought this
upon yourself, and now you will have to stay there and watch for hours and
days on end until Kalon’s heart is Danika’s for the taking.”
I still struggled to fully grasp how a mother could do this to her own
son, but there was nothing I could do to stop the transfer. As the minutes
ticked by, and we all watched the inevitable unfold before our eyes, a new
situation arose. Kalon would have Spirit’s shard. And I would have to
protect him at all costs. Kalon would be like Thayen, and that hurt me
beyond words.
We’d only just fallen in love. We’d only just bound our souls to one
another.
As much as Petra was enjoying herself in this moment, I couldn’t bring
myself to grant her this victory. I wasn’t alone up here. I had Reapers—
some ancient, some younger. I had my brother, currently holed up in
Valaine’s memories, determined to bring the Unending back to the surface. I
had Derek and Sofia, Rose and Caleb, Lumi, Kailani… I had friends up
here and waiting down below, too. Seniors and Orvisians. A handful of
ghouls and Kalon’s brothers. Trev. A dragon.
 No, Petra had not won this battle yet. This battle would only end with
Petra’s last breath. Everything else? We’d handle it, one way or another.
Kalon and I would survive this. I had made him that promise, and I
intended to keep it.

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 TRISTAN

T he next past life that Valaine and I visited wasn’t like all the
others.
It felt different. This time, I could see the world of Visio
through the eyes of a little Aeternae girl. I took comfort in knowing we
wouldn’t witness her death, this time around, since her reincarnation was
much too young at this point. It was early in the morning, and the sun was
pouring through the large windows of a massive hallway. Outside—beyond
the elegant frames and smooth glass—the east wing of a mansion rose
proudly, featuring turrets and a reddish brick façade. Below was an interior
court with lavish gardens and water fountains. Gardeners worked on the
hedges, trimming and cleaning them.
The little girl was at home here, and it felt good to see all this. She
looked forward to the first blossoms of spring. Opening one of the large
windows, she felt a chill run through her limbs. Mornings were still cold
this time of the year, but it would gradually warm up during the day. The
land was gradually thawing, and she’d had enough of the snowy winter.
One of the gardeners looked up and saw her. He smiled and waved, and
the girl waved back. Her father had taught her to always be respectful
toward other people, no matter who they were or where they hailed from.
There were no Rimians or Naloreans in sight among the service staff, so I
assumed that we’d made it back to a time when the Aeternae empire was
still growing.
The little girl, however, couldn’t care less. She didn’t even know there
were such creatures as the Rimians and the Naloreans. In her mind, only the
Aeternae existed, and they were beautiful and graceful, violent and
everlasting. The combination startled and fascinated her at the same time,
but she would soon grow up and accept these various facets of her species.
She closed the window and continued with her promenade through the
sun-kissed hallway. The walls were painted a delicate shade of cream with
white baseboards and crown molding, together creating a tasteful contrast to
the dark hardwood floors. She wondered why her parents hadn’t used
marble like she’d seen in other mansions, until she remembered her father
once said that the wood would help keep this place warm during the winter.
She was glad, because she loved walking barefoot.
White stone statuettes adorned the hallway, mounted on bronze
pedestals. They were portraits of the girl’s mother, father, grandparents and
great-grandparents. Each carried the features and grace of the Razelyon
dynasty, with small noses and cupid’s bow lips, oval faces and round,
peach-like cheeks. There was glory in their name, for they’d stood tall and
proud alongside the Nasani and the Visentis bloodlines from the very
beginning. She had been taught to cherish her legacy.
Looking up, the ceiling was painted, covered in scenes of the Aeternae’s
birth. She recognized some of the key figures that were there that day,
including her uncle Kemi and her aunt Mira, the Aeternae Lord and Lady
Supreme of Visio, succeeding the Unending herself. The Razelyon and the
Nasani dynasties shared a common gene from before they were all made
Aeternae, and that made them closer to one another than to any other noble
family. Her grandparents were up there, as well, heralding the arrival of the
Unending. They had studied the skies for years, and they had seen the
bright light coming to Visio.
At the time, they’d been worried that the light might destroy the planet,
but as it approached Visio, it had begun to slow down. In the middle of the
scenes, the Unending was depicted wearing a white dress and black gloves
and featuring long black hair and ruby-red lips, her skin like porcelain, her
eyes filled with stars. Endless rays of white light beamed out from her form
to spread all across the ceiling, granting immortality to the Aeternae. Of
course, the Visio people were not known as Aeternae at that time. Not yet.
“We were Trakkians,” the little girl murmured. Creatures of habit and
invention, of comfort and progress, of boundless curiosity and dreams of a
brighter future. They’d lived to be a hundred years old and considered
themselves lucky. Now, however, they were Aeternae, looking forward to
forever. She wondered what it must’ve been like for her grandparents to say
goodbye to their mortality.
At the end of the hallway, there were two rooms across from one
another. On the right was her parents’ bedroom. Their voices could be heard
through the closed door. They were engaged in a heated argument, and it
made her feel queasy. She hated when they argued, though it seldom
happened. On the left was the girl’s bedroom. She stopped near their door
for a while, listening to the exchange.
“We cannot let anyone suspect her,” the mother said.
“She has a hard time controlling her instincts, my love. She’s stronger
than her previous incarnation. It will be revealed sooner than later, I’m
afraid. The Darklings are paying attention, even though the last Black Fever
cycle ended less than a decade ago,” the father replied. “I’m confident some
of them were present at her birthday celebration.”
“Do you suspect anyone in particular?” the mother asked.
“Perhaps among the Shatal or Amos families,” the father said.
They were talking about the little girl. She’d been having strange
moments lately, and hearing them discuss this so feverishly made her feel
bad. She liked seeing them happy, always smiling and looking forward to
their days together. But lately they’d been spending more time together
behind closed doors, arguing over their concerns about her.
“We must tell the Lady Supreme, at least,” the mother insisted. “You
know Mira would gladly help. If our daughter is the Unending, she will
want to help set her free. We have a small advantage now, because the new
cycle has only just begun.”
The little girl had a hard time reconciling this suspicion of theirs with
who she was. She didn’t feel like the Unending, and she wasn’t sure how
that even worked. There were times when she lost herself, when she didn’t
remember what she’d done and where she’d been. Could that be what had
them so worried?
“You’re right,” the father said. “But we’ll need to seek a personal
audience with her, which is difficult these days, especially with the
Darkling resurgence. We’re nowhere near another Black Fever outbreak for
now, but if Maira begins manifesting more of that darkness, someone will
certainly fall ill. If anyone puts two and two together and starts suspecting
Maira…”
 The little girl’s name was Maira. Maira Razelyon. Her parents were Issa
and Georgios Razelyon. By blood, they were Mira and Kemi’s second
cousins, and their families’ close relations had led to the little girl being
given a name inspired by the Lady Supreme’s own.
Walking away from the door, she went into her room and stopped in
front of the mirror. She might have been named in honor of Mira Nasani,
but she was nothing like her. Her hair was long and curly, the color of black
ink. Her skin was pale, and her eyes were a blue so dark, they appeared
almost black. At moments like these, she felt as though she looked more
like the Unending.
She wondered how much truth there was in her parents’ suspicions. She
remembered moments when she’d felt the sudden cold darkness rush
through her, as if she’d just dipped her toes in ice water. At night, she was
never really alone. As soon as she put her head down on the pillow, she’d
sense the embrace of someone or something filling her with yearning and a
sense of familiarity, as if she’d spent her short life missing out on certain
parts of herself. It was difficult for her to understand her own nature, but
she tried not to give it too much thought.
Her mother had taught her that there was more to life. That she should
enjoy the sunlight and the wind, the perfume of flowers and the color of the
sky. She should feel the rain on her face, the ocean lapping at her feet, the
snow melting in her hands. There were wonderful things, and there were
curious things—scary and sad things, too, and they all came with life. Her
lessons were why she didn’t keep her mind occupied with her strangeness
for long.
She looked at her own reflection for a while. Her nanny had chosen a
champagne-colored dress with gold thread embroidery and tulle sleeves.
She’d put ribbons in the girl’s hair and a gold pendant on a delicate chain
around her neck. For a moment, she didn’t feel like herself anymore. I
didn’t feel like myself, either. It felt strange, but there was the faint
anticipation of something else coming...
Deep down, I felt sorry for her. She was going to die someday—maybe
soon or maybe in ten thousand years or so, like the others. The cycle would
be reset. It had already happened. Maira just didn’t know it. Gradually, her
image started to change. She grew taller. Older. She wasn’t Maira in the
mirror anymore.
 The fabric of her dress shifted, losing its color and sparkle. It became
white, the purest white I had ever seen, tightly sewn around her bosom and
flowing freely down to the floor in translucent layers. Her hourglass figure
was faintly visible beneath. Her hair had grown long and straight, each
thread made of luscious black silk. Her face… oh, her face was beyond
beautiful. Her eyes pierced my soul, hiding countless galaxies and solar
systems within them, each twinkling in a myriad of colors. Her lips were
blood red and full, capturing a drop of sunlight with a mesmerizing glint.
This wasn’t Maira anymore. It was her. The Unending, and Maira was
suddenly terrified and confused. She didn’t understand what was
happening, but she didn’t move away from the mirror, either. The woman in
the reflection was the Unending, and she held out her hands. Black leather
covered her slim and delicate fingers. Each movement was graceful, almost
an impression rather than a physical act.
“Maira… you must remember,” the Unending said.
The girl stood frozen in place, staring at her strange reflection.
“You must remember who you are. They’ve done us harm. They’ve
trapped and tortured us. If you don’t remember, they will do it again, and
each time you wake up, it will become harder to remember.”
“Unending,” Maira murmured. “You’re the Unending.”
“I am you, my darling child. And you are me. Please, remember!”
I felt her agony. Her desperation. I felt it all as though it were mine. But
there were other feelings growing inside me, of different intensities.
Curiosity. Hopefulness. Love. So much love, I realized, at the sight of this
incredible entity. Finally, I was seeing the Unending for who she really was.
Her true face, with snow-white skin and cherry lips and dark hair and
troubling eyes…
I had fallen in love with Valaine, yes. But I had also fallen in love with
the Unending, long before I’d ever set eyes on her. She stood before me
now, her reflection rippling in the mirror as she implored the little girl to
remember, and I made myself a promise.
A promise that I would stop at nothing until she came back. Until she
was free.
“You must remember,” Unending said.
“I’ll help you remember,” I told her, though I wasn’t sure she heard me.
After all, I wasn’t really there. This moment had already happened, millions
of years ago. This was the past, and it couldn’t be changed.
 But then Unending smiled softly. “Tristan, my love…”
My heart stopped. She’d definitely heard me. The Unending had heard
me.
“Help me remember,” she said. “Stay with me. Take my hand and help
me remember.”
She reached out, her fingers pressing on the other side of the mirror. I
touched the cold surface through Maira’s little hand. I wasn’t sure what
would happen. Suddenly, everything shifted. The room vanished, Maira
included, and all that was left in the middle of the nothingness was the
Unending and me, touching each other’s hands.
Power surged through me. Power unlike anything I’d felt before.
“We finally meet face-to-face,” I whispered, my heart swelling.
Unending gave me a faint nod. “I thought this day might never come…”
Her voice echoed through me. I’d made it. I’d found her, and she had
found me. Outside, the world was falling apart. The Darklings had caused
enough death and suffering to earn themselves eternal damnation. Innocent
people had been dying. Reapers had been tortured and forced into forsaking
themselves. The universe as we knew it had come to an end a couple of
times already.
But in here, it was quiet and peaceful. Just me and the Unending.
I’d made a promise, and I intended to keep it. The next time I went back
to the surface, back to the real world, I would do it holding the Unending’s
hand. It was time for her to return.
The universe needed her.

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 ASOV 85: A SHARD OF SOUL

Dear Shaddict,
Thank you for reading A Memory of Time!
ASOV 85: A Shard of Soul releases February 3rd, 2020.
Pre-order your copy now and get it delivered automatically on release
day:
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 See you there.
Love,
Bella x
P.S. Join my VIP email list and you’ll be the first to know when I have a
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 READ MORE BY BELLA FORREST

DARKLIGHT
(NEW! Vampire romance)
Darklight (Book 1)
Darkthirst (Book 2)
Darkworld (Book 3)
Darkblood (Book 4)

HARLEY MERLIN
(Fantasy/romance/adventure)
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)

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 romance/adventure. 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 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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