A Shade of Vampire 82 A Circle of Nine - Bella Forrest Page 0,37

for this.”

Rudolph whispered in his ghoulish language, and we could all understand him. “Atlas… Feelings… Don’t die…”

“Aw, look at you, learning to communicate!” Soul replied, as if fawning over a most adorable puppy. It didn’t make Rudolph feel any better. He still feared the First Tenners, and—given his condition—that feeling wasn’t going to dissipate quickly. A ghoul’s instincts trumped reason almost every time.

“Actually, Rudy here has a point,” Kelara said. “What are the odds Atlas is still attached to Morning somehow? If anyone can tell us about a ghoul’s nature, it’s Rudolph. He’s just been turned, and he’s the most capable of analyzing his own emotions.”

Rudolph hissed slowly. “We… don’t forget.”

“You probably just set those feelings aside, the hunger being too powerful to keep you focused. To keep you, well, yourselves, right?” Morning asked, hope lighting her face.

Rudolph gave her a faint nod. Soon enough, he would completely lose his ability to communicate in something other than the ghoulish whispers. It was a miracle he’d retain this level of coherence. Rudolph was more of a fighter than I’d thought. I could only hope the rest of us would resist the transformation, if ever we found ourselves in his shoes.

“I wonder how Atlas really feels. It must’ve been millions of years since he was forced to transform,” Widow muttered. “Judging by the way he looks, that is. It seems he’s been in this state for a very long time. Cross-checking that with the Aeternae’s history and development, I’d venture he’s had about three or four million years, at least, since he was transformed.”

“We’ll find out if he’s still attached to me,” Morning replied. “It’s worth a shot. Especially if what Rudolph said is valid even for a creature like Atlas.”

Soul ran a hand through his long, almost white hair, shadows settling beneath his slim eyebrows. “What none of us has had a chance to look into is how the Darklings are turning our people into ghouls to begin with,” he said, then glanced at Rudolph. “Our friend here is too fresh to be able to explain it in his newfound language.”

“Do you know anything about it, Seeley? You were with the Darklings as a prisoner for quite a while,” Kelara asked. “Soul has a point. We should figure out how they’re doing it, so we can find a way to stop it before they hurt other Reapers.”

I stuck my hands in my pockets and paused briefly before answering. I didn’t have much to offer them in terms of information. “I’m afraid I spent most of my captivity in relative isolation. I never saw what Zoltan did to Rudolph or his team, and he certainly didn’t bother to tell me how he was doing it. I did ask, but all I got were scoffs.”

“It’s got to be some advanced death magic,” Widow replied. “The kind we know, anyway.”

“Or, more specifically, the kind Spirit knew,” Phantom said. “Think about it. This wouldn’t be the first time he’s tapped into previously unknown death magic territory. I mean, look at what he did to Death. How he facilitated things for the Hermessi.”

Kelara gasped, her eyes widening as she reached a clearly startling conclusion. “I think they’re using something that’s specific to the Spirit Bender. Think about it! Aside from the occasional anomalies that choose to become ghouls, none of our brethren would willingly abandon themselves like this. They must’ve been coerced, somehow. Their spirits… bent.”

Suddenly, the whole thing made sense. I felt as though I’d been hit with a giant sledgehammer, the world finally coming back into focus as I made all the right connections. I wasn’t alone in my enlightenment, either. Kelara was equally stunned. Rudolph, on the other hand, stared at the ground, his head low in acceptance of her premise.

“They must’ve used one of his signature spells,” Morning said. “To convince the Reapers—to force them to eat a soul and break themselves down.”

“There’s got to be something else on top of that, though,” I replied. “The degradation process from Reaper to ghoul happened almost overnight. The process usually takes a bit longer. The Reaper form decays gradually, though the change is immediately noticeable.”

Rudolph nodded slowly. “Death… magic…”

“Stating the obvious there, buddy,” Soul grumbled. “For what it’s worth, I’m sorry you had to go through all that. I’m sorry you and many others were forced into this ordeal. It isn’t fair. It isn’t natural.”

Night cursed under his breath. “We can’t turn back the clock. What’s done is done. All we can do is