A Shade of Vampire 84 A Memory of Time - Bella Forrest Page 0,3
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