A Shade of Vampire 81 A Bringer of Night - Bella Forrest Page 0,4

it be enough? Would we be better off if we waited for my father and the rest of the troops to reach us before we attack?”

“That’s an option, I suppose. It really depends on how quickly they’re moving and how many of them are wounded. Judging by the severe blood loss we’ve spotted on the ground in Astoria, I’m pretty sure at least some of them are critical.”

“The problem is we don’t know how many of them there are.” Valaine sighed. “Based on the footprints alone, the gold guards have said somewhere between two and three hundred.”

Taking a deep breath, I looked back down the coastal road. It was empty and quiet, but I couldn’t quite shake the feeling that we weren’t alone. More than once, I’d put on a red garnet lens, unsure whether it would be able to reveal anything except anyone using an invisibility spell. The odds of seeing anyone in particular were low, considering my sister was still on the west coast, but I’d still worn the red garnet, just in case. The hairs on the back of my neck tingled. I expected to see the air ripple here and there, but nothing moved.

My instincts remained sharp, but there was no immediate threat. Just this feeling… this strange feeling that we were being followed. Maybe the paranoia of these past few days was finally getting to me.

“I would advise caution, regardless,” I said to Valaine. “These are dangerous foes. The death magic is way above my paygrade, too, not just yours. Among my people, only a few individuals have any idea what it’s like and what it can do.”

Valaine’s eyes twinkled. Our horses finally reached us, and we got back in the saddle. The soldiers were riding again, as well, slowly regrouping in the middle of the road.

“So, you’ve met your share of Reapers?” she asked. “What are they like? What do you know of the afterlife? Is Death… I don’t know, have you met her?”

I laughed lightly. “I knew these questions were coming, but I must admit, you’ve held back for quite a while. I admire your restraint, Valaine.”

“You can’t blame me! I mean, this is cosmic stuff! I thought mazir was the epitome of one’s existence, but clearly I’m barely scratching the surface here!” She chuckled.

“That’s true. Unfortunately, I haven’t met Death, myself. Only a few of us have… Nethissis was part of that team,” I said, my voice fading slowly. I could tell it saddened Valaine to see me like this, but she didn’t say anything. “I haven’t met any Reapers, either. Again, that honor befell others. But I know they’re agents of Death, and they obey her to the letter because they believe in the natural order of things and do their best to enforce it. Unfortunately, what’s happening here on Visio is anything but natural, so I’m hoping they will eventually intervene.”

“Why haven’t they already?” Valaine asked. We guided our horses up the road, trotting casually behind the convoy of golden-armored guards. The precious metal captured a rosy hue as the sky darkened to a soft red. Within hours, the black clouds from the east would spread over the coast.

“I don’t know. From what I’m told, Death has been quite adamant about keeping Reapers out of here. My guess is she’s already got someone here, investigating, unbeknownst to any of us. Considering the Darklings’ use of death magic, I’m inclined to assume she wants to tread carefully before sending in the cavalry. Either way, we cannot rely on her assistance in this endeavor. Derek and Sofia have already made it clear: the classic rules apply. The dead and the living do not work together. We must do what we can.”

“I agree,” Valaine replied. “Besides, someone needs to bring Zoltan Shatal to justice. I won’t expect strangers to help, living or otherwise.”

“For you, I suppose it’s also deeply personal, since the Darklings seem hell-bent on killing you,” I muttered. It frustrated me that she was a target. Out of all the Aeternae, they’d picked her, and we had no idea why. We didn’t even know what their endgame was. What scared me the most was that the Aeternae society had gone millions of years without figuring this out.

Valaine thought about it for a moment. She let a deep sigh leave her chest. “It is personal. Not just because of me, but also because of the lives they’ve destroyed so far. I mean, look at Ansel. Merely a teenager, and he’s fallen under