A Shade of Vampire 77 A Fate of Time - Bella Forrest Page 0,28
my father truly felt about all this. I'd yet to address the issue of Phyla with my parents, though they'd been kind enough to let Amelia know that they respected my decision, whatever it may be.
"Oh, darling. You're worried, aren't you?" she asked.
A lump formed in my throat. I swallowed it back, focusing on the rippling tree crowns outside, visible through the large, square window at the end of the hallway that separated the laboratory from several storage chambers. "I think I'm entitled to that much. How are you holding up? How's Dad?"
"He's okay, Tae. He's more chipper than ever, actually, odd as that may seem."
"What about you?" I asked.
"I'm still here, aren't I?" she replied, and I could almost see her smiling.
"Mom, about Phyla. I know I was supposed to come straight back to The Shade, but—"
"Don't even think about it." My mother cut me off. "You made the right choice, Tae. We all think that, your father included."
I sighed deeply. "I guess. But I wanted, I really wanted to revive Dad with Phyla. I had every intention of doing that. The Phantom had limits. I…" My voice trailed off. I'd had the words ready in my head. I'd known how I was going to justify my decisions in a way that made sense, yet, as I spoke, my mind went blank, unable to retain a single coherent thought. "I'm exhausted," I added in conclusion.
A moment passed in silence as I waited for her to say something, anything to quell the desperate need I had for her approval. How ironic… I'd spent most of my life doing everything without looking over my shoulder and waiting for her opinion or encouragement. But faced with the end of the world tumbling toward me like a massive boulder, my self-confidence had been plummeting at a steady rate, and I hadn’t even been aware of it. I'd been too busy convincing myself that we had to do this. That there was no other way.
"Taeral," she started, then paused for a second. "Stopping the ritual is your priority, do you understand me?"
Her voice was so calm and soothing. My heart throbbed.
"I spoke with your father about this. He wouldn't have wanted you to come help him first," she added. "Not until the rest of the world is saved. You don't have to explain anything to me, or to your father. Am I making myself clear?"
A tear rolled down my cheek. I hadn’t even felt it in my eye. I knew all that. I'd been aware of all that. But my heart was just so twisted and crunched up about this, as if no reason would be good enough to deny my father's salvation.
"Yeah," I mumbled.
Behind me, steps echoed in the hallway. Turning around, I saw Eira coming out, joined by the rest of our crew. She motioned that it was time to go and gave me a warm and encouraging smile. Something swelled in my chest, beyond my control. It was as if my heart had decided to grow a few sizes. One look at Eira, and I could already feel my resolve in its triumphant return. One glimpse of her ocean-blue eyes, and everything made sense again. I knew once more where I was going, and why saving this world was so important to me.
"The only way is forward, darling," my mother said. "Kelara will find the Time Master, and you will find Death. Do you hear me? Nothing else matters. Not our decision to evacuate the GASP personnel. Not the Hermessi's growing power. Nothing. Nothing besides you winning this and showing those elementals what you're made of."
"I love you, Mom," I whispered, my gaze fixed on Eira. "I'll see you soon. I promise."
"Be careful, Taeral. Stay focused. Your father and I are with you, every step of the way," she replied, and I could feel her presence fading as the Telluris connection closed off.
It was time to get cracking. I had been blessed with some of the greatest friends and allies that I could've wished for. I had Eira by my side, ready to do whatever it took to save our planets and to finish this, once and for all.
As I walked back down and reunited with my crew, and as Lumi gave me a brief but wholeheartedly encouraging smile, the picture came into clear focus, indelible from the very fabric of my consciousness.
All we had left were our bodies and our hope. One way or another, we would prevail.