A Shade of Vampire 80 A Veil of Dark - Bella Forrest Page 0,45

the inside. The closer she got, the happier I felt. What a masterpiece Death had created. Sheer bliss beneath pearlescent skin and delicate layers of organza, with hair made of gold and eyes made of stars. “It had to be you.”

“Okay. But why?”

“The seal that Spirit put on me required the strength of a stranger to set me free. My siblings could’ve destroyed nine elements, but the tenth belonged to a stranger, which is… you,” Morning explained. “Had you not been here, I would have lingered between the last element and freedom for an eternity.”

“Was that why the last Beta element glowed black?” I murmured.

Phantom shrugged. “We only saw the Vetruvian. Nothing odd about him. But we couldn’t move.”

“That was the last Beta’s power,” Morning said. “He held you, the familiar ones, back, and revealed himself to the stranger.”

Breathing slowly, I began to come to terms with what I had done. It made my heart ache, but I accepted the reality of it all. “I killed someone to set you free.” Standing up, I embraced the resolve that came with this simple slice of truth. “You had better not disappoint us.”

“I would never,” Morning replied. “You might not know me as well as my siblings, but I am free and eager to help, now.”

“Good. Because we need to get a move on,” I said.

Vetruvia felt empty and cold. It was only the effect of a thunderstorm approaching, the winds rising and the skies darkening and flashing, but it lacked Morning’s touch. As extreme as her power had been against the locals, it had also bathed this world in a sacred kind of light. The lush beauty I’d first observed upon our arrival here was gone. In its wake, sullen wilderness remained, along with a handful of white huts that would eventually erode and fade away.

Most importantly, I was eager to leave because our mission was not yet done. We’d barely completed one out of three tasks. If retrieving Morning had been so harsh and tedious, I didn’t even want to imagine what it would be like once we got to the Night Bringer or the Unending.

“I know where my brother is,” Morning said, smiling. “Upon my release from the seal, I remembered something that Spirit let slip while he was laughing in my face. I doubt he even realized he’d said it.”

“What did he say?” Phantom asked.

“‘The Night Bringer has made a home for himself under the Star of Lussian,’” Morning said, quoting Spirit. “My mind is clear now. I remember everything.”

“And that’s the kind of stuff I want to hear, going forward,” I replied, slightly—though bitterly—amused.

It would take a long time for me to truly get over the fact that I had killed someone. Yes, I’d accepted it, but that didn’t mean it sat well with me. On the contrary, the life I’d taken would forever linger inside me, like a ghost… a reminder of the lengths I would have to go to in order to restore the universal balance.

My silver lining was that Morning could lead us to her brother. “Where is the Star of Lussian?” I asked, looking at each of the First Tenners.

Soul was the one who answered, wearing a most devious grin.

“Oh, you’re gonna love this one.”

Tristan

A hundred miles in, and we were looking a lot better in terms of capture, though not as well in intelligence gathering. We’d managed to capture about ten Darklings from various settlements, but they had yet to tell us anything.

The prisoners were placed in one of the mobile cells we’d brought along, mounted on a wheeled cart drawn by four Vision horses. They were given blood for sustenance, their Black Fever capsules removed. They had no choice but to cooperate, yet they likely held on to the hope that they might make it out of here without betraying their Darkling brothers.

Night had settled over the Green Road, casting thick, black shadows over the woods on both sides. Valaine and I rode our Visions behind the prisoner cart, while Corbin kept his position at the front, leading the troops through the nocturnal darkness. The giant moon was partially visible through scattered clouds, shades of purple strewn across the sky.

We’d lost several gold and silver guards during previous raids, but we were still three thousand strong, which was more than enough to handle the Darklings.

“They’re being foolish,” Valaine said, staring at the prisoners. They were all huddled inside the cage, knees to their chests and lips pressed into small, thin lines.