An Isle of Mirrors (A Shade of Vampire #88) - Bella Forrest Page 0,11

trees.

“It’s a living organism, comprised of many smaller ones,” Anunit replied, leading the way. “Don’t let the eyes scare you. It’s just how this place evolved.”

“What eyes?” I asked.

My answer came fairly quickly, as I spotted movement to my left. Turning my head slowly, I saw a pair peeling open on the trunk of a tree. I nearly screamed, covering my mouth as the eyes widened, settling on me. The bark lids crackled as they blinked. The irises were full and black, and they seemed to be peering right into my soul.

Unending gently gripped my elbow and pulled me away so we could continue our journey. “They’re just watchers,” she said. “I’ve seen them before in other worlds that are likely extinct by now. Truth be told, I’ve always believed them to be the result of lingering or stray magic of some kind.”

“Do… do they communicate with one another? The trees, I mean,” I managed.

“I’m certain they do,” Anunit replied. “But they don’t speak to anyone or anything else. I think what happens in these woods stays in these woods.”

At least the animals kept their distance. They had plenty of dark places to hide as we passed them by. The closer we got to the center of the jungle, the heavier my feet felt. This wasn’t exhaustion I was dealing with. We’d only been walking for a couple of hours, cautiously moving through this place to better understand it. Anunit had advised us to learn a little bit about the terrain in case things went south with Joy and we could no longer teleport away to safety. Her guidance made sense, and I could certainly see why we needed to know our way around this jungle.

The mossy floor was riddled with hidden ditches and holes. One wrong step, one careless move, and we could easily break an ankle or worse while fleeing for our lives. “This is as far as I can take you,” Anunit said as she stopped and turned around to face us. “I cannot risk exposing myself to Joy. Considering how badly Death wants me, I’m certain the Reaper might find a way to trap me without even leaving her precious warded area.”

Unending let out a weary breath. “It feels different here. Like the air is skimmed.”

“My legs are made of lead,” I added.

“It’s probably the death magic charms that Joy sprinkled all over the jungle, especially in the village’s vicinity,” Anunit explained. “The closer you get, the harder it’ll be to move, to fight. Regular Reapers like me feel the charms more than a First Tenner like you will.”

“I presume the living are also affected,” I said. “Based on the sensations I’m dealing with.”

“Absolutely. But it’s okay. Joy’s purpose isn’t to kill but rather to slow down a potential enemy,” Anunit replied. “Her orders are clear. No one is to come in contact with the soul fae. No one is to even see or hear them. To make sure said orders are followed, Joy spent a few years putting together some death magic charms and traps to keep the curious explorers away. So far, it’s worked well.”

Unending narrowed her eyes. “What can you tell us about your run-ins with her?”

“Only that I still regret it,” she said, shaking her head slowly. “I was pretty weak by the time I reached the warded area, but I thought I could pull it off. Desperation gave me quite the push, until I realized I was absolutely no match for Joy. She’s First Tenner level, Unending. You must be careful with her. She knows more than I do, and I don’t know how much Death has taught her, so I have no idea what her limits may be.”

“From what we’ve learned, Unending and Spirit were the only ones with near-complete knowledge of death magic,” I said. “I mean words, sub-words, sounds. Like ninety percent or more. But if Joy’s been around as long as Unending and Spirit… it would be reasonable to assume Death might’ve taught her almost as much, if not just as much, for the sake of keeping the soul fae safe.”

“I think so,” Unending replied. “I’d certainly teach Joy everything she needs to keep even the likes of us at bay. Especially after Spirit found out there were still some soul fae alive. I wonder if he ever confronted Death about it.”

Anunit shrugged. “I’m so used to Death keeping secrets and telling half-truths—if not outright lies—that nothing surprises me anymore. I reckon it’s part of why Spirit