A Shade of Vampire 90: A Ruler of Clones - Bella Forrest
Astra
I felt a lot better than the first time I’d set foot in this place. Perhaps it was the sense of progress we had made. After all, we’d managed to save my mother and Richard from the clones’ clutches. We’d also survived multiple encounters with a Berserker named Haldor, whose shadow hounds still haunted me.
Strangely enough, we’d made a couple of friends, too—though “friends” was maybe too strong a word. Myst was a Valkyrie, and Brandon was a Berserker like Haldor. They all belonged to the realm beyond death, a plane of existence that we weren’t even supposed to know about. Thankfully, we’d found relative safety in the Black Heights because most of the clones spent their time down below in the more populated areas, rather than up here.
“I hate being sleepy all the time,” Thayen said. We’d been sitting outside, guarding the cave where Mom, Richard, Jericho, Dafne, and Soph had been sleeping. “This place is doing quite the number on us.”
“It’s how HQ keeps the clones in check,” Brandon replied, sliding down a stony black ridge. He had a stag over his shoulder, its eyes closed and its antlers poking him in the chest. I couldn’t help but frown, though my hastened breathing made it hard for me to deliver a proper reprimand. Regardless of where we stood—as friendly enemies or wary allies—my instinctual responses were pretty clear. It seemed like I had a soft spot for this guy.
“What did you do?” I asked. My tone was harsh. It surprised me, not to mention Brandon. He didn’t show it for more than a second, however.
“You all need to eat.”
I shot him a glare. He’d done us a favor, yet I felt the need to be angry with him. His allegiance was murky, at best, and I couldn’t let my feelings get in the way. HQ, the so-called rulers of this place, had taken his Aesir. I had yet to fully understand what an Aesir was, but I did understand that the creature meant everything to Brandon.
“If I’m being honest here, I’d rather save my blood reserves for when there is nothing else, so the fresh blood is a good idea,” Thayen admitted.
As much as I hated to admit it, Thayen had a point, and I had bigger things to worry about than finding reasons to be mad at Brandon.
“Thank you, Brandon,” Thayen added, offering an appreciative nod.
Brandon seemed pleased, smiling broadly as he set the stag on the ground and sat down next to us. He paused to look around. “Myst isn’t back yet, huh?”
She’d left us with the promise that she would return with Isabelle, Voss, and Chantal’s new location. Our troublesome stint at the Port dungeons had pushed the clones into moving our friends to a different hiding place, which would bring a whole new set of troubles with it, but I decided not to despair. We’d made it this far. We’d manage the next steps somehow.
“No. While we wait, I’d like to ask you about something else. You spoke before about this place sucking the life out of us,” Thayen replied, tension stretching his tone ever so slightly. “We’ve felt this way from the beginning. It wears us out. I tire more easily, get sleepy more often. It’s the same for all of us.”
Brandon had first come to me as a dark figure pointing us toward safety. First, he’d directed us to the cave where we’d hidden after escaping the Vale clones. Then, he’d guided us toward the little cabin in the woods that shouldn’t have been there but provided temporary shelter for us. He’d told us about the Port dungeons, which was good. But then he’d set Field and Aida’s clones on us, which was bad. And then he’d extracted my mother from that place. Ultimately, Brandon had proved an inconsistent ally, which made it hard to fully trust him. My brain wanted to trust this mysterious Berserker, but something in my gut was tugging in a different direction. As I sat beside him, I couldn’t help but wonder—would he keep helping us, or would this somehow end up blowing up in our faces?
“HQ made this place as a self-sustaining ecosystem,” he said. I raised a hand to pause him, since I had another question that I considered more pressing than the flora and fauna of this place.
“Who is HQ, exactly?”
“I told you before, I’m not sure. As I was saying, a self-sustaining ecosystem,” Brandon replied, keeping his focus on Thayen. His disregard irked me