her voice trembling as she got up and stepped back. Tears rolled freely down her cheeks as the reality set in. “I did this. It’s not subsiding like it did with you and Tristan…”
“I don’t get it,” I replied, though deep down I understood. The reality was simply too much to bear at this point. I worried I might not have the strength to take it all in, to accept that unlike Tristan and me, Kalon had actually caught the Black Fever directly from Valaine, the very source of this curse. His Aeternae nature had worked against him somehow.
“We’re vampires,” Tristan said, staring at Kalon. “The Black Fever hasn’t managed to stick to us, though I don’t know why. Kalon is an Aeternae… and the Black Fever has been killing his kind for a long time.”
“You’re watered-down versions of the Aeternae,” Phantom interjected. “The Black Fever, being a curse aimed directly at them, doesn’t recognize you the same way it does those responsible for Unending’s suffering. Your genes are diluted, so the effects of the Black Fever are reduced.”
“Unless you’re exposed to it like I was earlier,” Tristan added. “I was certain I was going to die before the Time Master intervened.”
“But you’re healed now,” Phantom insisted. “Kalon isn’t. That’s your difference, right there. If held under control, the Black Fever wouldn’t kill you. Its only focus is on the Aeternae.”
“What do we do?” I asked, my eyes stinging.
Kalon gave me a weak smile. “We get me somewhere isolated, so others won’t get infected. The last thing I want is to get the Seniors sick,” he whispered.
I wanted to cry, but there was simply no time for it. My only option was to hold it all in and keep going until I could find a moment alone to let it all out. Time crouched in front of Kalon, pressing the scythe against his shoulder.
“I’ll put you to sleep and in a subtle form,” Time said. “It’ll slow down the curse’s progression, and it’ll keep you isolated from the living. You’ll be like one of us. Unseen, unfelt, but still here.”
“Amane and Amal have been working on a cure,” I murmured. “Maybe we can try something once we reach the western shore.”
“Don’t kid yourself, Esme.” Nightmare scoffed, gazing into the distant end of the tunnel, where the amber lights were starting to shrink and vanish as Sidyan, Soul, and Kelara teleported the people out of there. “It’s a curse. It’s not a disease. The best anyone can do is slow it down. Only the Unending knows how to stop it, and she’s not the easiest to get to.”
“Show some respect,” Dream reprimanded him. “Esme is obviously fond of this Aeternae, you tool.”
“I’m just being honest,” Nightmare grumbled.
“Yeah, there’s a lot of that going around your kind,” Tristan retorted, giving Phantom a nod. She must’ve irked him with something at some point.
“It’s me. It’s my fault. I got him sick.” Valaine sobbed. Kalon tried to touch her, but Tristan pulled her back and took her in his arms, while Time whispered a spell, his scythe glowing against Kalon’s shoulder.
“Don’t blame yourself,” Kalon said. “The only ones responsible are the Darklings.”
“And Spirit Bender. Let’s not forget about that a-hole,” I muttered.
“He’s going to disappear now, but he’ll still be here with us,” Time assured me, and I gave him a faint nod.
Kalon touched my face, and I couldn’t stop myself from smiling. “I’ll be back in a jiff,” he said, and I chuckled, knowing he’d definitely heard me earlier. He shimmered away, and Time lifted him off the ground. He threw him over his shoulder, then nodded at me.
“We’ll work something out. Let us leave quickly.” He sighed. “We must lose the Darklings.”
Valaine was a crying mess. My brother was still recovering from his near-death experience. Kalon was in a subtle form and unconscious, stricken with Black Fever. I had no idea what my condition was, except for the fact that I was still standing. Emotionally, I was crushed, but physically… I still had a few kicks left in me.
Time was right. We had to leave, and we had to be fast. Lumi and Sidyan needed to go after Derek, while the rest of us were tasked with finding a safe spot somewhere along the west coast for the people of Orvis to stay, and for our crew to regroup and draw up a new strategy. The Darklings had pulled one over on us, and we’d nearly lost everything.
My heart ached, but I