A Shade of Vampire 84 A Memory of Time - Bella Forrest Page 0,92
with the Reaper. An entity of his domain and talents, outdone by a resourceful Aeternae. Yeah, that had to sting.
“Meh, I would’ve figured you out, anyway. Spirit gave us accurate descriptions of each of his brothers and sisters. With that timepiece, you instantly stood out,” Petra replied.
“She used an altered expulsion spell by editing the wards I carved into the exterior walls of the room. As soon as she came in and uttered the subwords, I was thrown out,” Time said to me. “All this, just so she can get her own son killed. It’s despicable.”
“He’s my son, like everyone keeps reminding me, yes. But he’s also a traitor,” Petra said. “And I like living too much. I thought I’d already explained myself.”
“I need you to do it again, because I simply can’t fathom how a mother would do this to her own child! You gave birth to him! You raised him. He’s a part of you, and you’re going to get him killed!”
“He made his choice the moment he allowed you into his life,” Petra spat. She slipped the scythe into the dark cut, using her other hand to open it wide. Smiling, she put the scythe away and reached into the nothingness, feeling for something until she found it. Well, until she found him. Kalon. “There you are, honey…”
“Petra, if you do this, I swear I will kill you. No one will save you. I will cut your head off and ruin everything!”
Lumi clicked her teeth. “And I’ll watch with great delight. I swear I’m not a sadist, but she really deserves it.”
“Is there no way to get through?” Amane asked Time.
“No. She used words I never learned,” he replied, his crippling disappointment apparent.
“It doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try,” Amane said.
“I have tried! Every attempt to take this thing down results in electrocution, the kind that hurts both the living and the likes of me! It doesn’t work. I don’t know the words.”
“Wouldn’t Death know them?” I wondered, my gaze fixed on Petra as she slowly pulled Kalon’s crystalized form from the nothingness, my heart shrinking painfully in my chest.
“Sure. But she wouldn’t know what combination was used for this particular spell,” Time reminded me. “That has always been the trouble with the words she gave the Spirit Bender.”
Taking a deep breath, I looked at Petra again. “You’re making a big mistake. We could have protected you.”
“What, you think once the Unending was free, she’d grant me amnesty?” Petra chuckled, openly mocking me. “Don’t be ridiculous. I would be the first to be snuffed out if the undead bitch gets free. No, I like my Visio just the way it is, thank you. I’m a Darkling. I’ve always been a Darkling, ever since I was a little girl. This is the only way, and I was fortunate enough to learn this transfer spell. Kalon has caused me nothing but grief, so maybe it’ll feel less horrible when Danika tears his heart out and completes the Spirit Bender’s soul. Either way, our founder shall return, and there’s nothing you can do about it.”
“You won’t win. I promise you!” I snarled, but it only made her laugh harder.
She made me feel helpless. The pain in my chest expanded as she set Kalon’s figure on the floor. With the tip of her scythe’s blade, Petra cut open the crystalline coating in which Time had kept Kalon. I could see him now. He seemed so peaceful, immersed in a deep sleep. He didn’t deserve what Petra had planned for him. I couldn’t let her do this to him.
Soul and the other First Tenners joined us, all of them sullen and worried as they tried to get past the barrier. None succeeded, which only amused Petra even more. It wasn’t like we could break down the wall to get to her. The exterior wardings she’d modified protected the entire room. Therefore, the barrier didn’t solely apply to the doorway or the windows.
“Try all you want. I spent years learning my magic,” she said. “I’m going to make you all watch so that you learn this lesson once and for all. The Darklings are here to stay, and we will prevail. The Unending will continue her cycle, and you will all fail!”
“Technically, that’s not true,” Seeley said, coming up the stairs with Nethissis and Kelara by his side. “Death will be free eventually, and she will wipe you all out of existence. At best, you’ll buy yourselves a couple of centuries.”