An Isle of Mirrors (A Shade of Vampire #88) - Bella Forrest Page 0,41
change. And you and your undead cohorts need to stay out of our way, lest you learn to regret it. This right here? Consider it a courtesy. We could’ve done much worse.”
That was true. But there was no way we’d ever concede that point. Not after everything the clones had done. “What is your endgame here? How many of you are there?” I asked.
“We are many,” Serena’s clone declared proudly. “We are—”
“If you say, ‘We are unstoppable’ I will throw something at you,” I said, cutting her off. “We’ve heard that line before, and it’s nowhere near as impressive as you might think. Who sent you here? Who’s got a bone to pick with The Shade? Why do you want Astra dead in particular?”
“Come on, talk to us,” Soul said. “We might as well chat for a bit before I find my way out of this seal and rip your heads off. I’ll make it quick if you give us some intel. Pinky promise.”
It made the clones laugh, but I knew Soul was dead serious. He had a sparkling sense of humor and sarcasm galore. He was never the kind who’d take anything too seriously, either. But when the Soul Crusher made promises of death and torture, he always kept his word, with absolutely no exceptions.
“We just need you out of the way, that’s all.” Serena’s doppelganger sighed, rolling her eyes as if this was the last place she wanted to be.
“Where’d you get your death magic knowledge?” Soul asked.
“None of your business. Just sit here, the two of you, like good little corpses and wait it out. This will all be over soon,” Draven’s clone retorted, then motioned for his partner to join him. They turned and started walking away from us.
Soul was getting restless. “Don’t you dare walk away from me!”
He wasn’t used to losing his weapon. That scythe was the single most precious part of his existence. The source of his power and an extension of his soul, much like mine. But I had lost my weapon once or twice before. To Soul, this was the worst kind of defeat, and given his galactic pride, I knew he wasn’t taking it well.
“Come back!” he shouted. “Hey!”
“Where are the others?” I called out. “The people we were with!”
Serena’s clone laughed from afar. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”
“Hey!” Soul tried again, to no avail.
The doppelgangers didn’t listen. They put our weapons away, hidden in their backs, then vanished beyond the trees while I tried to understand what had happened. What could I do to get us out of here? We couldn’t be stuck here. Richard, Voss, and Chantal needed us. I only hoped they’d be okay until we could find them again.
“Kelara, we’re in serious trouble,” Soul said. “We’re bloody useless without our weapons.”
“I know, my love. But we can’t lose hope. We’ll figure something out.”
“Oh, we will?” he replied, raising an eyebrow at me.
There was no point in both of us being angry beyond control or succumbing to despair. I could hold my own. I could get us out of here. For that, however, I needed a clear mind, and Soul knew it. He took a deep breath and sat down, crossing his legs.
“Okay. But we need to figure it out fast,” he said, much calmer. I took it as proof of the trust he’d put in me. It made my heart grow a few sizes, and I would’ve liked nothing more than to hold him in my arms and kiss him. Unfortunately, this death magic kept us apart. “Those two freaks have plans. You heard them.”
“I heard them.”
Two clones had bested two First Tenners. They’d locked us in our own magic, and they’d taken our weapons. We were helpless and pissed off. Not to mention embarrassed. But Soul and I were stronger together, even without our scythes. I had zero useful ideas at this point, but something would come to me eventually. The wheels in my head were already turning.
I only hoped we’d untangle this hot mess before any of our living friends got hurt. The clones were enacting somebody’s agenda, for sure, and they considered us an issue. An issue big enough that they’d needed to deal with us. That was valuable intel in itself.
Voss
(Son of Aida and Field)
“Hey. Voss.”
Chantal’s voice sounded so far away. Somewhere at the end of a tunnel, but I couldn’t see light, just an endless darkness that had embraced me, refusing to let me go.