A Shade of Vampire 77 A Fate of Time - Bella Forrest Page 0,2
better than out here, despite its intricate weirdness. My instinct never would've allowed it, though. The call of my people was too strong. Our desire for survival too powerful, impossible to ignore, regardless of how enticing Phantom's dream might've seemed.
"Derek said we must figure out a way to find Death," Amelia replied. "I'll be honest, he gave me a sense of defeat. He's having a hard time moving forward, and so is Sofia. I don't even know how the others are feeling, but I’d guess they're in the same ballpark. They're relying on us, Tae."
"Figure out a way to find Death," I said, repeating after her. "How does he expect us to do that?"
"The same way you've managed until now," Soul cut in, glowering at me as if I'd disappointed him somehow. "Your girlfriend is right. It's not over yet."
"She's not my…" I stopped, my voice trailing off. If there was one thing that had fueled me until now, it had been the prospect of a future where I could get to know Eira better. Maybe we could even make the better parts of our shared dream come true. I gave her a sideways glance and found her smiling at me, filling me with the kind of warmth I'd been yearning for. It was her quiet way of encouraging me. After all, Eira was still here, by my side, with the rest of the team, ready to do whatever it took to get Thieron back to Death. "Okay. Cool. Figure out a way to find Death. Okay. Any ideas? Reapers go first, since she's your mommy."
The four Reapers looked at one another, but none came forward. I had a feeling I was barking up the wrong tree on this one. Behind me, the palace doors felt cold and unwelcoming.
"We can’t peek inside," I said, shifting my focus to Varga. "Right?"
He frowned. "Still blocked, much like the first time we were here."
"We should still go in," Amelia said. "Maybe she left some clues in there? I don't know."
"I agree," Seeley replied.
Phantom nodded. "This is unlike Death. We should investigate."
"Fine. We'll investigate. We've only got minutes on the clock, but heck, we made it this far, right?" I blurted, then looked at Kabbah. "I trust you'll let us know if you feel Brendel getting closer."
"She's on her way, bucko. That hasn't changed," he replied.
"We'll need a place to go," Eva suggested. "We obviously can't stay on Mortis."
"True, but let's see what's inside first," I said. "If Amelia is right, and we find something that'll lead us to Death, at least we'll have a destination."
"Allow us," Widow replied, motioning for me to get out of the way.
Joined by Soul and Phantom, he took my place in front of the double doors. They took out their scythes and scratched a series of symbols in a circular pattern, whispering in unison. When they were done, they stepped back and clinked the blades together. The brief contact released a flash of light, which coincided with a small, controlled explosion between the doors, smack in the middle of the circle.
The doors swung back, revealing the long, seemingly endless hallway with paper walls and screen doors on the sides. It was dark, for the most part, with small flames still flickering in the wall-mounted lamps.
A chill ran down my spine as we went inside. "Hello?" I called out.
My voice echoed through the building, but no answer came.
We advanced through the hallway, glancing left and right occasionally. The rooms were all empty. The souls that had once resided here were long gone. "Remember the four Hermessi guarding her throne room?" Eira asked me, and I nodded in response. "I think they're coming…"
"They most certainly are," Kabbah said from behind. "I will stand guard outside and hold them back. Devil's Weed won't help you here. They all know you're looking for Death, and this is your first stop."
Glancing over my shoulder, I watched him head back, and I prayed we'd be done with this place before the Hermessi of Mortis got here.
"I wonder if they're still serving Death," Eira said. "They leaked our movements to Brendel the first time around."
"Exactly," Lumi replied. "So put no faith in them. They serve the ritual and nothing else."
"I’m still creeped out by the fact that she had spirits in these rooms," I said as we kept moving. "Purely for company."
Seeley sighed. "She gets lonely. In her defense, I can see why she'd keep souls of the living around. You're all fascinating creatures."