A Shade of Vampire 84 A Memory of Time - Bella Forrest Page 0,55

scoffed, shaking his head as he looked at Eldfenn. “Aelyn sent me this message,” he replied, pointing at the paper he’d just read. “She knows you’ve been investigating her, and she’s deeply offended. Now I’m the one left looking like a fool if I can’t explain your actions to her—preferably in a way that doesn’t cause her to leave me!”

“Where was the message sent from?” Eldfenn asked, not really caring about the offense that Thyme claimed to have endured. Some time had passed since the previous memory. Tensions had risen. The dynamic had shifted. Trust was a fickle thing between Eldfenn and Thyme, I realized, and it all had to do with Aelyn.

“Why does that matter?”

“Please, Your Grace,” Eldfenn insisted. “I’m asking as the Master Commander.”

“Astoria,” Thyme relented. “She’s on her way back now. The message arrived this morning.”

Eldfenn cursed under his breath and left the room. The image drifted away once more, dissolving into another place. We stood outside a derelict house somewhere in the city. I wasn’t sure where we were until Valaine spoke again.

“We’re in Baryon. A city east of the imperial capital. This is a Darkling lair. As Eldfenn Visentis, I was very good at my job. With the Black Fever erupting again, I became determined to protect my people. I didn’t know who I really was.”

We watched Eldfenn go in through the rickety front door. Moments later, it was blown open by a Darkling. Blood splattered the stone steps leading up to the entrance as the Darkling’s head rolled away in the dark. Sounds of violence erupted from inside. Eldfenn was fighting the insurgents. I heard his roars of anger, bones breaking, the Darklings dying in agony.

But we stayed outside this time, listening as silence gradually took over the old house. A hooded figure emerged from the corner. She gasped at the sight of the decapitated Darkling. “Markon, no…”

She rushed to the body, kneeling before it. Her hand settled on his chest, fingers trembling as she sobbed. A rich lock of ruby-red hair slipped from beneath the hood and dangled in the night’s darkness. Eldfenn came back outside, blood dripping crimson from his clawed fingers.

“You’ll pay for this,” she hissed. Hatred burned green in her eyes. It was Aelyn.

“That was your lover, right?” Eldfenn replied bluntly. “I knew you were a conniving bitch, but I didn’t expect to find so much evidence just… lying around.”

Aelyn stood, claws extended at her sides. “Thyme warned you not to look into me. I told you not to waste your time. Yet you persisted.”

“Clearly, my time wasn’t wasted at all. Aelyn Dratch, you’re a Darkling. Your lover was, until a minute ago, a Darkling. All while you’re engaged to be married to Thyme Nasani, the Lord Supreme of Visio. Surely, you understand why I cannot simply let this go.”

“No one will believe you.” Aelyn took a step forward.

“Thyme and I have known each other since we were children. He knows I would never lie to him,” Eldfenn replied. “You’ve picked the wrong man to play with, Aelyn. It’s going to get you killed.”

Aelyn laughed, but I could tell her nerves were stretched. She seemed conflicted. Fighting was an option, but Eldfenn clearly had the upper hand. His anger swelled with each moment that passed, the air thickening and darkening around him.

“Oh no…” I whispered, realizing what would happen next. I had seen this one too many times already.

“Eldfenn, my mission is sacred. It has always been to the benefit of the Aeternae people,” Aelyn replied. “Thyme’s mother is a fool. I represent the future. I shall save our empire!”

“You’re delusional.”

Aelyn’s demeanor changed as black veins appeared around Eldfenn’s eyes. “This can’t be,” she murmured. “Out of all the people…”

“I’m not letting you get away with this,” he shot back, his breathing ragged. In the blink of an eye, he bolted toward her.

She dodged his attack, and he missed her by mere inches. I doubted she’d be so lucky the second time around. Eldfenn glanced over his shoulder, his rage radiating out of him like smoke, black plumes lingering around his physical form. Aelyn took several steps back, her eyes wide in horror.

“It’s you. You’re the source of the Black Fever!” she said.

Eldfenn dropped to his knees as though he’d been struck in the head, his chest heaving as he gasped for air. Aelyn didn’t move but kept her distance. She had some idea what she was dealing with. Judging by the horrified and confused look on Eldfenn’s face, this