A Shade of Vampire 77 A Fate of Time - Bella Forrest Page 0,23
we could do for the Fire Star. Derek and Sofia had also been fair in their assessment: either we got all the civilians off the planets marked for the Hermessi's wipeout, or we got none of them. It was rough, but as honest a judgment as we could pass in these troubled times.
Sherus was also right. The odds weren't all in Brendel's favor. Not anymore. She'd kickstarted the ritual thinking she'd get little to no resistance from us. She hadn’t expected us to investigate, especially after Brann's rebellion and desperate attempt to bring the issue to our attention. Brendel had thought she could crush us before we could put up a fight, but we'd proved her wrong, rather consistently, all the way up to the Yahwen mission.
Stripping her of the Hermessi children had significantly set her back. Even with a First Tenner's help, I knew Brendel's victory would not come easy. We still had a shot at this.
"You know, Derek and Sofia have already assigned an evacuation mission for the Hermessi children," I said after a long pause.
Sherus's spirit form lit up with delight. "Really? That's great! The farther we get them from Earth, the better our chances to keep them out of Brendel's reach."
"Yeah. Victoria, Bastien, Liana, Cameron, and several of The Shade's White Witches are coordinating for this. The plan is to send a shuttle with the children into one of the neighboring galaxies. There are several Earth-like planets where they can be stationed temporarily. I mean, we've used magi-tech combinations to travel through the Supernatural Dimension and the In-Between quite frequently. We can use them out here, too."
"Of course, these are all worst-case scenarios," Sherus reminded me. "Evacuating GASP officers, dispatching the Hermessi children from Earth… The worst has not yet come to pass."
"It's just around the corner." I sighed. "Only a matter of time now."
"Frankly, and despite my current condition, I find it difficult to give up hope," he said. "I love you and our son too much to let you go. Most importantly, I believe in Taeral more than anything and anyone else."
I chuckled softly. "He's relentless, isn't he? Who'd have thought he'd turn out like this?"
"With a mother like you? I certainly did."
My cheeks felt warm. "You give me too much credit."
"I don't give you enough, my love," Sherus said, a flicker of anguish clouding his gaze. "But I trust Taeral on this. He will leave no stone unturned. He will go to the ends of the world to find Death."
"Heavens, it nearly killed him to take Phyla and the rest of Thieron straight to Mortis," I mumbled, leaning back into the chair. Outside the glass house, I caught glimpses of Amelia's parents, Abby and Eric, coming from the extension's far end, where we held the Hermessi children. GASP seniors had been taking turns watching over them and trying to talk the loyal ones out of serving Brendel. It wasn't an easy feat. Brendel might've been a mindless fanatic herself, but she sure knew how to radicalize these creatures and get them to work toward her agenda. "He feels terrible for leaving you here like this."
"He did the right thing," Sherus replied. "Not that I'm in any way eager to leave this world, but if I have to die for him to succeed and save everyone else, I figure it's a fair price to pay. Don't you think?"
Tears welled up in my eyes. "You're asking me a very difficult question. I don't want you to go anywhere. But yeah, I get it. I suppose becoming parents sort of killed our selfishness, didn't it?"
He smiled. "For the most part. I admit, there's a reason why I'm not too bummed out about dying, and it's rather selfish, given the many lives that are at stake besides mine."
"What are you talking about?"
"The deal our son made with Death. He's essentially immortal until Thieron returns to Death. He can't die. Neither can Eira or Lumi. I think it was some kind of safety feature Death inserted into the pact, just to make sure this ends her way, sooner or later," Sherus replied.
"If the Hermessi win, it won't end her way because she might not be able to kill them afterward," I said. "They'll be too powerful. However, I do understand your point. It is good that Taeral cannot die. Frankly, this whole Death and Reapers thing is still something I'm struggling to wrap my head around."
"It's rather complex," my husband agreed. "Can I be honest, though?"