A Shade of Vampire 84 A Memory of Time - Bella Forrest Page 0,17
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