A Shade of Vampire 77 A Fate of Time - Bella Forrest Page 0,85
“I based everything in that dream on reality. On what you were all feeling toward each other. The love was already there, between you and Amelia, between Varga and Eva, between Riza and Herakles, and, most importantly, between Taeral and Eira. Most of you just didn’t realize how deep your emotions went until I made you live them. Hell, even Brendel’s royalty ambitions were real. She wanted to lead. She wanted to rule, and the ritual was her best chance at establishing a new reign, where she was the leading entity.”
“That was a spectacular delusion, at best,” Soul interjected.
“Not necessarily,” Death replied. “Had Brendel succeeded, had the ritual gone ahead all the way to the very end… she would’ve become as powerful as the Word or me. No one knew that, of course, except Brendel. Well, and me.”
“We were told the end of the ritual was the death of five million fae, followed swiftly by a wave of destruction,” Taeral said, raising an eyebrow. “You mean to tell us you lied?”
Death shrugged. “Not exactly. I withheld a small detail. When the last life form in the ritual’s path died, the Hermessi’s powers would have tripled. Imagine what Brendel would’ve been like, then. She wouldn’t have needed the Spirit Bender’s help. I chose to focus on stopping the five million fae from dying, rather than leaving it all to the last minute.”
I nodded slowly. “That makes sense. What matters is that it’s over. Brendel is dead. The ritual is gone forever. And the Hermessi are back in their seats.”
“Thank you all for that,” Death replied. “Each and every one of you has been crucial to this moment. I will never forget it.”
Widow shook his head, his arms still crossed. Death looked at him.
“Is there something you wish to tell me?” she asked him.
“You keep doing this stuff with a mortal creature holding your most prized possession, Thieron, yet you won’t explain why. I am sorry, but I need more than that, after everything we did for you. I don’t care about the ritual or the Hermessi or any of that garbage. I just want to understand why Taeral is so special to you.”
“Also, I’d like to know what message you left us on that pebble? We had a hard time deciphering it,” Soul added meekly, like a student raising a hand in class, unsure of his question.
The shadow of a smile fluttered across Death’s face. “My darling Widow. I told you, Taeral is a future Reaper and a Hermessi heir. His bloodline makes him unique,” she said, then glanced at Soul. “As for the pebble, I’ll let you decipher and figure it out. You’re rusty, dear. A First Tenner should never be rusty.”
It sounded like a reprimand, and Soul seemed rather concerned by her response. He brought the pebble up for a moment to look at it. He scoffed and threw it far away, until it vanished beyond the horizon.
“What the hell did you do that for?” Phantom blurted.
“I’ve had enough of your games and secrecy,” Soul said to Death. “I am forever loyal and bound to you, even though you gave me and my siblings freedom. For that, I deserve a little bit of respect. Therefore, I don’t give two craps about the pebble message. I just wanted you to tell me, yourself.”
Death sighed deeply. “It said… Come to where it begins. It’s in a language we’ve not used in a long time. I’d thought one of you must’ve cracked it.”
Soul shook his head. “No. We found you, though. And thanks for telling me something clearly, for once… I appreciate it.”
“I’m still not fully on board with what’s going on here regarding Thieron and Taeral,” Widow grumbled. “Since you’ve become more open with Soul, can you elaborate this for me, as well?”
Death chuckled. “You’re really enjoying my captivity, aren’t you?”
Widow shrugged. “As long as it gets us answers.” His reply made her smile.
“The Hermessi are life-givers, thanks to the existence of pink water. Death is… well, death. Taeral is both life and death, in a certain sense. He has privileges because the universe has willed it. We cannot question that. We can only accept it,” she said.
A moment passed slowly as the concept sank in.
“Any one of us could hold on to Thieron while we work to set you free,” the Time Master said. “Why does it have to be him?” He glanced at Taeral. “No offense.”
“None taken,” Taeral replied. “I’m curious, as well.”