A Shade of Vampire 90: A Ruler of Clones - Bella Forrest Page 0,27
ask…” Phoenix began, leaving his cube with Kailani. “Can I join your team when that happens? Assuming a shimmering portal opens nearby, and you’re the first responders, of course.”
“Yeah. I’m sure both Viola and Astra would be happy to see you,” Derek said, a dark expression in his eyes. We hadn’t had a moment alone in the past few hours, but I knew he was troubled over Thayen, too. The uncertainty was the worst, but we had to move past it. The Shade still needed us. The parents of those who had gone missing needed us.
Phoenix and Kailani took one silvery cube each, gently touching each side as they tried to feel for anything out of the ordinary. A particular groove, perhaps, or a hidden latch. Anything that might help them open the damn things and figure out what purpose they served.
I sat down next to my husband, while Serena and Draven went out for some air. I couldn’t blame them. These were hard times, and their situation was by far the most concerning, given how long it had been since Isabelle’s abduction. The idea that a clone had expertly filled in for her was particularly disturbing. We were marked now—and hopefully easy to detect thanks to the Reapers—but I couldn’t help but wonder how many times I’d unwittingly crossed paths with clones in The Shade.
How many times had I hugged or kissed them, thinking they were my children or grandchildren or beloved nephews or nieces? I shuddered as Derek put his arm around me and pulled me close. Ben and Rose were watching the screens with renewed interest, as new messages came pouring in from different parts of the GASP federation.
“The Daughters are still working on a way to reverse-engineer a shimmering portal,” Rose said. “I think we’re better off staying here for now. There isn’t much else we can do.”
“I agree,” Ben replied. “River will come by with fresh blood and food at some point. Caleb is currently supervising all the dispatch teams.”
“We’re in limbo,” I sighed, resting my head on Derek’s shoulder.
Ben turned to face me. “We’ll get him back, Mom. Thayen is one hell of a fighter.”
“I know. I have all the faith in the world that we’ll get Thayen back,” I said. “Truth be told, I’m dying to figure out what this whole thing is about. Ugh, I don’t know, it feels like we should know more at this point, at least about the enemy. They serve a purpose we don’t understand. We don’t know what we have to do or how to do it.”
“We’ve responded well so far,” Derek replied in a bid to comfort me. “Especially considering all the unknowns we’re dealing with. Besides, from what I remember, every new enemy we’ve encountered baffled us in the beginning. Hopefully, this time, Kale and Phoenix here will be able to get something out of those cube thingies and get us some new information.”
Rose frowned. “I’m curious. Phoenix, you said you heard voices inside.” He nodded once. “What if they’re recordings? I’m just spit-balling here, but if this is some kind of foreign magi-tech, what would the purpose of voices inside be? My money’s on recordings. Footage, maybe.”
That actually made a lot of sense. “Isabelle’s clone had them here for a reason. She could clearly travel to and from her dimension through the shimmering portals, so why did she leave the box behind?” I wondered aloud.
“Maybe she didn’t have enough to send back,” Rose suggested with a shrug. “And she was still trying to gather enough intel when she got caught?”
“They already have all the intel they need,” Ben replied. “Considering they’re perfectly capable of mimicking us and infiltrating The Shade.”
“There was something in the tiny cube that Claudia’s clone recovered from Isabelle’s double, too. Or something about it that made it so important. Either way, it’s gone, they have it,” I reminded them. Without knowing what purpose each object served, it was easy to get confused.
Rose thought about it for a moment, and her shoulders dropped. Phoenix noticed her disappointment and set the cube on the table with the others. “We’ll find out,” he told her. “It’ll take some patience, but we will get to the bottom of this, one way or another.”
I believed that. I really did. It just bothered me that there were so many gaps still left to fill for the bigger picture to become clear. Rose’s theory about the cubes containing recordings did make sense, though. I only wondered what