A Shade of Vampire 80 A Veil of Dark - Bella Forrest Page 0,7

not stand for this insult. I quit!”

Valaine whispered a spell and put her hands out. A powerful pulse burst from her palms, the air rippling as the mazir magic expanded like a glass bubble around the crowd. By the time the offended soldier reached the edge, he bumped into an unbreakable barrier, difficult to observe but definitely there.

The other gold guards cursed and grumbled. Most stayed where they were, but many of those I was already suspecting of being Darklings went into a panic and tried to get away. They all failed, realizing that they were trapped by Valaine’s mazir.

“Those of you with nothing to hide have nothing to fear,” Corbin declared. “Those of you who possess this braid… well, let’s just say the future is not going to be kind.” He glanced at his personal guards. “Search them. You know what to do with the traitors.”

“Father, we must keep some of them alive. They could have information,” Valaine reminded him, her eyes still fixed on the crowd.

“You heard her,” Corbin said to his guards. “Spare a few.”

As we had anticipated, many of the gold armor soldiers were calm, allowing the Crimson guards to check their satchels and pockets. One of them reached the earlier protester, who pushed the guard away. The Crimson Aeternae didn’t have time to waste, though. He punched the living daylights out of the gold guard, who fell backward like a rag doll. He searched the guy’s pockets and produced a black-and-white braid.

Soon afterward, more Darkling braids were discovered. Valaine, Corbin, and I watched it all unravel, slowly at first, before it descended into bloody madness. I didn’t move, though every muscle in my body wanted me involved.

The Crimson guards were merciless, ripping the heads off many of the discovered Darklings. The survivors tried to fight them off, but the other gold armor soldiers helped take them down. Blood sprayed in different directions. Hearts were torn from Aeternae chests. Heads rolled. My stomach churned, but I could not look away.

By the time the Crimson guards were done, 1,450 gold soldiers remained standing, all checked for black-and-white braids. All proven innocent and loyal to the empire.

Only five Darklings were kept alive, most of them senior officers in the gold guard. The Crimson soldiers had been careful to spare the more experienced Aeternae—likely Darklings with a heavier standing within the organization.

“The young ones were probably just pawns,” Valaine said, as if reading my mind. She wiggled her fingers, and the air shimmered around the soldiers before the mazir barrier dissipated. Exhaling sharply, she nearly collapsed, but I caught her and held her up, my arms tight around her waist. “Sorry,” she whispered. “Mazir… It takes a toll on me.”

“It’s why I always ask that it be used as rarely as possible,” Corbin replied, eyeing his daughter with dark and genuine concern.

“I’ll be fine,” Valaine said, regaining her senses. She leaned into me, though, and I welcomed her presence so close to me. It felt soothing, in a way, to have her here, guiding me through this madness.

“So, that’s it.” I sighed, glancing back at the five Darklings, now kneeling at the bottom of the palace stairs. “The gold guard shakedown is complete.”

“We’ll do the same to the silver guards,” Corbin reminded me. “But any we find there will likely be mere grunts. These are the ones we want to talk to. These five, right here.”

He scowled at the Darklings, who, in turn, stared at him in sheer defiance, their hands uncomfortably tied behind their backs. The Crimson guards motioned for the other gold soldiers to go back to their posts, assigning ten of them to handle the cleanup. Blood tainted the dark gray cobblestone. Corpses had to be removed.

Valaine gasped. “Wait. There’s something wrong.”

She rushed down the stairs, and I felt compelled to follow. By the time we reached the captured Darklings, two of them had already collapsed, convulsing and foaming at the mouth. The Crimson guards were baffled. Valaine must’ve sensed something… somehow.

“What’s happening?!” one of them croaked, utterly shocked.

Corbin joined us in a flash, grabbing a third Darkling as his eyes rolled into his head. He shoved his hand into the Darkling’s mouth and cursed under his breath, retrieving it bloody. Small pieces of glass had jammed themselves into his fingers.

“Father, no!” Valaine cried out. “It’s poison!”

He went pale, realizing that his attempt to stop the Darklings from killing themselves could easily result in his own death.

I pointed at the remaining two Darklings, whose mandibles were