A Shade of Vampire 90: A Ruler of Clones - Bella Forrest Page 0,6
held?”
The Valkyrie dropped to one knee and pointed the tip of her sword at the northern quadrant of the alt-Shade’s extension. “In this house, here. This is the holding room sector, where the new clones are held. That much I’ve learned from observing the place for a while.”
“The central area is comprised of labs and storage units,” Brandon added. “The southern quadrant is mostly security and observation rooms. There are eyes almost everywhere on this island, and all the screens are in this place.”
Astra nodded slowly. “And HQ?”
“You’ll need a small team to infiltrate,” Myst told me. I was at the center of her attention once again, and I felt all the blood rushing to my head. And once again, my reactions to her were strange. It wasn’t anything magical, exactly, but rather the effect of her presence, the intensity of her blue stare, and the depth of her honeyed voice. I didn’t dare allow myself to trust Myst, but I appreciated her insights. At least the Valkyrie wasn’t working for HQ in any way.
Brandon bothered me in that sense. Could he be trusted? Truth be told, the Berserker had useful traits, but I knew we weren’t his top priority here. Not by a long shot. He’d already made that clear. I missed the days of theoretical studies back in our Shade, when good was good, bad was bad, allies were friendly, and enemies were evil. All that had gone to hell out here. The Valkyrie didn’t know enough to really help us, and she didn’t come across as fully reliable, either—yet my pulse rushed whenever she was near. On the other hand, the Berserker was overconfident and sarcastic, his allegiance shady at best, but he’d helped save our asses, too. If only Purgatory’s creatures had been simpler… easier to understand. I would’ve known exactly what to expect of them.
“Define ‘small team,’” I said. “Each of us is essential in one way or another.”
“But she’s right,” Soph replied. “We can’t all go. Richard isn’t back on his feet, and we can’t leave him here alone. Nowhere is really safe on this island.”
Viola nodded slowly. “I can teleport the crew in and out of HQ. And there is enough invisibility magic to keep us all hidden while we operate.”
“Astra is the best at testing spirits,” I said. “She can verify whether the Isabelle, Voss, and Chantal we find are the real ones.”
Myst exhaled sharply. “There will be Berserkers on site. I saw at least five.”
“There are over a dozen currently working with HQ,” Brandon replied. “You’ll need sources of light for your power. That’s your fae dragon and the two Daughters.”
“Okay, so Jericho’s in,” I concluded. “What about you, Brandon? Will you help us, or will you sit this one out?” There was an underlying meaning to my question, and it was meant to make him uncomfortable. Regardless of his loyalty, I needed to ensure our survival.
The Berserker gave me a wry smile. “My brothers will eat you alive if I let you go in there on your own. Should your invisibility magic work, great—less work for me in the end. But if you’re discovered, the clones and the Berserkers will stop at nothing to tear you all apart. Remember that they’re gunning for Pinkie the most.”
“So, you’re necessary, and therefore you should tag along,” Astra scoffed. Brandon nodded once. “I accept the premise, but I will be keeping an eye on you.”
“Good. I perform better under scrutiny.”
Richard raised a hand. “I have a question.” He paused, as if waiting for us to give him our full attention. “Do you know why the clones and HQ and whoever else are so hell-bent on killing Astra in particular? I notice they didn’t rush to kill Viola. Sure, they planned to use her as bait, but still… she was never the initial target. Astra was, since Isabelle’s clone attacked her back home.”
Suddenly, every eye in the cave had shifted to Brandon. He cleared his throat, giving Astra a brief but meaningful glance, the fires in his gaze turning white for a second. “She has power. I don’t know the details, but I believe it has something to do with her hybrid nature.”
“She can identify clones where other tools and methods fail,” Viola said. “It wasn’t until Astra explained her experience upon touching Isabelle’s clone’s soul that our Reaper friends were finally able to discover the issue.”
Myst’s expression shifted to one of pure wonder. As if Astra was unlike anyone she’d ever met before.