An Isle of Mirrors (A Shade of Vampire #88) - Bella Forrest Page 0,2
usual. It made me curious. “What’s wrong with them?” I asked. “They seem out of sorts.”
“They’re troubled by the clone issue,” Kelara said. “They’ve never seen anything like this, either, and I’m guessing they were hoping for more run-of-the-mill work after Visio. Think about it. Even after twenty years of relative quietness, Visio still haunts us all, the ghouls included. I would’ve liked another twenty years of the same relative quietness, too, to be honest, but… here we are. Dealing with something weird and frightening. Stan and Ollie are much more receptive emotionally speaking than most Reapers might assume.”
Serena got up and came toward me so she could get a closer look at Isabelle’s clone. “I’ve been thinking,” she murmured. “Richard’s clone only attacked Astra to distract from helping her…” She nodded toward the girl, who was eyeing us with a mixture of contempt and concern. What I wouldn’t have given to be able to hear her thoughts. “We’ve got her secured, though, so our best chance at running into more clones will likely be here, in or around the hospital.”
Kailani agreed. “Which is why Thayen and Astra have agreed to stick around for the time being, along with Richard. They’ve made a good team so far, and since Astra seems to be the main target, keeping her close to the clone will probably kill two birds with one stone.”
“And they’re using the shimmering portals to go in and out of the island, but we don’t know where they lead,” Serena added, glancing at Astra. “But you were able to feel more from the one Richard’s doppelganger escaped through, right?”
“Something significant, yes,” Astra replied. “The pressure was different in its vicinity. The air was thicker and heavier, like something huge was clamping down on me. There was a spark of electricity, too, but I would need to be around one of these portals for longer to fully examine its effects on my being.”
“You’d need an open portal, ideally,” Serena concluded, and Astra offered a faint nod.
“Which is why I’m also sticking around for now,” Kailani said. “If any of our agents come across an open portal, I can immediately zap Astra there.” She held back a weak chuckle. “She hasn’t figured out how to do that on her own yet.”
“Give her time,” Viola replied, giving Astra a warm smile. “There are things a Daughter knows how to do at once, and there are things she must learn. On top of that, Astra is strongest in Eritopia. Out here in The Shade, her connection to our power is weakened. I think it’s amazing she was able to give us so much already, all things considered.”
“I wholeheartedly agree,” Kailani said.
I cursed under my breath, feeling helpless. “I can’t even use my glamoring to manipulate a clone. For all the fuss I’ve made about having this power, it’s proving pretty useless under these circumstances.”
“Wait, hold on. Don’t knock it down yet,” Soul interjected. “The clones don’t have real souls, like I’ve already said, but the knockoffs they do have were good enough to fool a Reaper at first. Chances are the fakes function like the real souls, so I think it’s too early to say it wouldn’t work. Keep trying. The fake soul might respond to your glamoring, if you find the right buttons to push. It’s not a certainty, though it is absolutely worth a shot! You’re getting better at it with every attempt, anyway, but you have yet to discover the full extent of its power and reach. You need more time, more practice.”
“Time isn’t exactly on our side,” I said, still frustrated.
“Well, what else can you do?” Soul shot back, raising an eyebrow. “Mope in a corner?”
I shook my head. “I don’t mope!”
“Then you keep practicing. You spend every minute that you have pushing yourself.” Soul pointed at Isabelle’s clone. “You’ve got someone perfect for target practice right there. I’m sure Serena and Draven won’t mind, despite her similarity to their daughter.”
Serena gently squeezed my shoulder. “Not at all. Please, Thayen. If you can help, if you can improve your ability… go ahead. Glamor this girl until you get somewhere.”
Draven nodded his agreement.
“Soul’s right. Practice makes perfect,” Astra replied. “You don’t know what your limits are. This is a good time to figure them out.”
“Seeley and Nethissis promised to train me,” I said.
“Death had them reassigned,” Soul grumbled. “But it’s fine. You’ve got Kelara and me, plus a whole family by your side, kid. You’ll get to where you need