A Shade of Vampire 82 A Circle of Nine - Bella Forrest Page 0,82
for the Black Fever.
“You people are insane,” I said, shaking my head. “Killing innocent Aeternae based on a… on a superstition!”
“It isn’t a superstition,” Petra growled. “It has been our truth for many generations. Just because you cannot accept it, it doesn’t make it any less real.”
“This has been your whole game then, huh?” I retorted. “You hide in the shadows. You kill people. You convince others that your mission is somehow sacred, and that the only way to stop the Black Fever from spreading is to murder an innocent Aeternae. Let’s say, for argument’s sake, that I believe this crazy-ass rhetoric of yours… have you never considered that you could spend the ten thousand years between outbreaks to find a way to stop the bloody curse once and for all? Or are you all just fine with murdering your own children, if you have to?”
Corbin came closer to my cell, the air thickening around us. “I will not have my decisions or my people judged by the likes of you, Derek. You should have minded your own business. In the courtroom, you should have backed away and let us handle Valaine. If you had, all this would’ve been over by now. Instead, we’re dealing with the effects of a growing outbreak. This was the earliest we’ve ever been able to identify the source, but that information is useless as long as Valaine eludes us.”
“Besides, there is no way to ever really end the Black Fever,” Danika said, visibly displeased. “Don’t think we haven’t tried. It’s the bane of our existence. A cycle we must go through. The most we can do is try to minimize the damage.”
I still couldn’t believe it. I was missing something about Valaine and the Black Fever, but I had a feeling these monsters wouldn’t tell me more. Not for the time being, at least. Not while my friends and my wife were probably working to get me out of here. I knew Sofia, and I knew she wouldn’t let me linger here for much longer.
All I could do was stall my execution. “So, Acheron’s death. He was assassinated by Darklings. Which one of you greenlit that atrocity?” I asked, fists balled tightly at my sides. I cried on the inside for the Aeternae man I’d dared consider my friend, wondering if he’d been in on all this. Nothing gave him away, even in death. Then again, Corbin had been an absolute shock…
“Oh, that was me,” Danika replied nonchalantly. “It wasn’t an easy decision, but it had to be done. Acheron was digging too deep. Going against my wishes. He was getting close to figuring a few things out, and he was too much of a self-righteous bastard to accept who I am, who we all are.”
“He didn’t know your affiliation with the Darklings,” I said.
She shook her head. “It might come as a surprise to you, but I’ve been perfectly capable of leading a double life for millennia. Until you showed up, that is. Until your stupid witch got dragged into Zoltan’s risky operations and ended up dead.”
“It’s all been an act, then. Your grief. Your suffering…”
“No, I genuinely felt sorry to lose him,” Danika replied. “Like I said, difficult choice.”
“Does Thayen know?” I asked.
Corbin sighed. “He’s far too young to understand any of this and accept it. Which is why I disagreed when Petra brought Moore and Tudyk into the fold. I told her they were too young, but Petra is—”
“Stubborn,” Danika finished his sentence for him. She then scowled at me. “Rest assured, I will get my son back from your bitch wife. I’ve burned Nethissis’s body. I’ve sent a clear message to Sofia. I’m expecting Thayen to return anytime now.”
This was all news to me, but I refused to let her see my surprise. I refused to show any kind of weakness in front of three of the most dangerous Aeternae. They had lied. They’d kept secrets. They had manipulated the minds of the people. They had killed so many innocents. I couldn’t let them snuff out my dignity, too.
“What if Sofia doesn’t bring Thayen back?” I wondered, leaning back against the hard wall.
Danika pointed a finger at me. “Then I shall string you from the palace walls and leave your entrails hanging. I shall put your head on a spike for all to see. Maybe then Sofia will understand that I am not to be messed with. Either way, I will get my son back.”