“It’s always been like this,” Dream replied, staring at the water in the ice hole. There was a tinge of jealousy in her voice. I figured they were more like siblings, after all. They all yearned for their mother’s full and undivided attention. “I often resented Unending for it. She was the coldest to Death, yet she’s the one Death loves most.”
“I love you all,” Death said, looking somewhat guilty, even pained to have to defend herself like this. I kind of felt sorry for her.
“No need to go there,” Nightmare replied, smiling. “It’s okay. We didn’t like it at first, but we got used to it. We love you nonetheless, and we’ll never hold it against you.”
Dream mirrored her brother’s expression. “To be fair, I miss that stuck-up bitch, too.”
“Lots of love in this family,” Seeley replied, heavily amused.
“Yeah, they’re complicated,” I said, rubbing my face.
“I’m being gratuitously mean, and I don’t regret it,” Dream confessed. “Unending is a lot like us, but there’s also a goodness inside her. Something none of us ever had.”
“I doubt it had anything to do with how Death made us,” Nightmare mused.
Dream shook her head. “No. It was strictly character. Thing is, Unending’s powers made it difficult for her to settle anywhere after we were released from our duties. It made her often sullen.”
“Yeah, she had her dark days,” Nightmare replied.
“What powers are we talking about?” I asked, drawing scowls from the nightmarish twins.
“Trust me, you don’t want to know,” Dream retorted. It wasn’t an answer, but I doubted I’d get more out of them, anytime soon.
Love glimmered in the cosmic darkness of Death’s eyes as her lips stretched into a warm smile. “Yes. She is gifted, and she is powerful. She knows more than most of the Reapers put together, including her siblings.” Her demeanor turned back to business mode as she resumed her focus on Seeley. “Anyway… Don’t forget, Seeley. I need all the details you can spare about Visio. What kind of people live there, what they’re like. Everything.”
Seeley nodded once. “I’ll tell you everything I see and learn there. But keep in mind that I expect more information from you the next time we speak.”
“Hold on,” I said, frowning at Death. “How come you don’t already know anything about Visio and its people?”
“Last time I was out there, humanoid-like creatures inhabited that world. This was more than five million years ago. Not sure you remember, but Thieron’s absence sort of messed with my omniscience.” Death’s tone was dry.
My cheeks were hot. I’d learned a lot since I’d been around Death—about her quirks and limitations. About the entire hierarchy of the Reaper circles, particularly the First Tenners. But I was still eager to learn more about their respective powers, and how they all fit into the grand plan of creation and existence, across its many planes and dimensions.
For now, however, it seemed like it was back to work. I would’ve loved to get out there with Seeley for a change of scenery. But I also looked forward to freeing Death from these seals. She looked so weak, so not herself. I wanted her free, back at full strength, wielding Thieron once more and restoring the order which Spirit and Brendel had so recklessly disturbed.
Derek
The shuttle was just about ready to leave, with Dmitri doing one last sweep and check of its systems and our supplies. I appreciated his thoroughness. He and Douma had wanted to come along, but they’d understood that we wanted to keep this mission small and effective.
I could not contain my smile anymore. This was an adventure we were embarking on, and however it would turn out, it would be a step farther away from our Hermessi horror. And that, I found exciting.
It was a little before noon, though we could only tell by our watches and not by the sky. The moon shone beautifully over The Shade, the wind rushing through the tree crowns. The scent of acacias blooming traveled toward the beach, filling my lungs with delicate sweetness. Even if we did find a day-walking cure for all vampires, I was sure we’d all feel conflicted about doing away with The Shade’s night. It was such an integral part of the place, threaded through the very heart of its history and our memories. Maybe we’d keep half of the island permanently in shade, just for nostalgia.
Either way, first things first.Don’t count your chickens, and all…
Esme and Tristan carried their backpacks inside the shuttle, then came back out and hugged their parents. Amal spent a few more minutes with Amane and Ridan. I could tell that Amane was on edge about this. Sisterly love was a wonderful thing to witness. Vivienne and Xavier had visited us the night before, and Vivienne had given me plenty of hugs and words of wisdom—not that I’d needed any, in particular, but what kind of brother would I have been, had I not let her tell me what was on her mind or in her heart?
“Will you two promise not to get into trouble?” Rose asked.
I could feel her and Ben’s eyes on us, even when we weren’t looking. I grinned. “That’s the whole purpose of this mission. We keep our heads low, and we focus on the day-walking protein. Nothing more, nothing less,” I said.
“I’ve had enough wars to last me a lifetime,” Sofia grumbled.
Nethissis hugged Lumi and Kailani one last time, then made her way toward the shuttle, her knee-high boots sinking into the golden sand. She carried a satchel over her shoulder and an additional bag with what I assumed would be extra spell paraphernalia. Out of the entire group, Nethissis had the responsibility of keeping us healthy and safe if we couldn’t do it ourselves. I admired her greatly for her involvement in the Death Squad, and I trusted her to have our backs during this mission.
“It’s going to be okay,” I reiterated to Ben and Rose. “We’ll check in every twenty-four hours. If we come upon something we cannot handle by ourselves, we’ll let you know. I just want you both to keep a tight rein on things while we’re gone.”
“Don’t worry about GASP, Dad,” Ben replied. “It’s grown so big and sturdy, it’s pretty much running itself these days…”
The ocean lapped at our shore, white foam glistening as the tide withdrew lazily. Beyond, the starry night sky stretched on forever, the celestial bodies twinkling across the rippling water. It was quiet and cool, and the breeze sent delicate shivers down my spine. Many thoughts crossed my mind, though I did my best to steer them away from any worst-case scenario. There was no reason to invite the universe to spoil a potentially great thing.
“You know what’s been on my mind lately?” Ben said after a while, prompting us to look at him, as Amal carried her bags into the shuttle and settled inside. “Death. I wonder what she’s been up to. I know Taeral hasn’t had any contact with the Reapers, but I’m still curious about her, about her world, about what’s there beyond our last breath.”
“The Reapers did often mention the world of the living and that of the dead,” Rose replied, nodding slowly. “It does make you wonder, huh? What’s next, after we die? Not that it’s the first time we’ve asked the question, but it’s definitely the first time we have some sort of clue as to what exists beyond our realm.”
“Vampirism brings immortality.” I sighed. “It’s part of the reason why I love my nature so much. The uncertainty of what awaits after we die is not something I wish to explore. I’m too keen on living, perhaps.”
Rose grinned. “But you’ve never thought about it?”
“Of course I have. More than once. I just have no intention of dying anytime soon. Therefore, I’d rather not give it much thought.”
“Well, me neither, but I’m still curious,” Sofia said. “I mean, who wouldn’t be? It’s the one thing we have no answers for. The closest we ever got to whatever exists after death were the ghostly forms of Sherus, Ben, Lucas, and Kailyn. That’s it.”
Ben shrugged. “And that technically qualifies as between the realms. So, not enough, if you ask me.”
“Unfortunately, we don’t have any Reapers to talk to about this,” I replied, feeling the tension gathering between my shoulder blades. I didn’t like talking about death. It reminded me of losing our son. Our family. My brother. It was too painful. I’d gone to great efforts to heal after the Hermessi incident. Digging it all back up was not how I planned to spend my last minutes with Ben and Rose before takeoff.
“Yeah, they’ve really held onto their no-contact policy,” Sofia muttered, looking downright disappointed.
Our brush with the ritual had broken her, too, in ways we’d never thought possible, but she’d retained this fearlessness that allowed her to question things, to wonder about death even after she watched half of her family die. I had to admit, I did not have her strength, and for that, I admired Sofia even more.
She wanted to learn everything she could about the Reapers, about Death, about the spirits and the ghouls. Most importantly, I knew she wanted to know what the world of the dead truly entailed, and what it was like. Alas, our knowledge remained flimsy.
I chose to focus on the day-walking protein instead. That was now within our reach. Palpable. Achievable. Something we could all strive toward. I wanted to make it happen, so I could see Sofia smiling in the sunlight again. So every vampire on Earth and beyond could live in the day as well as they did in the night.
Esme
Tristan and I hugged our parents one last time, as Lumi and Kailani prepared the last details for the interplanetary spell. It had been set up with Derek’s day-walking protein for tracking, so it would take us straight to Trexus-2. Our parents tightened their grip, seeking to pour all the love they had for us into one embrace.
“You two had better be on your best behavior while we’re gone,” I said, grinning at our parents. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”
Dad chuckled reluctantly. “The second part of your request directly contradicts the first. You’re aware of that, right?”
“I so am.”
Giving them a goodbye wink, I turned around and headed straight for the shuttle. Tristan was right behind me, occasionally glancing back to smile at Mom and Dad. He did it more for them than for himself. My brother was as independent as me, and just as eager to go on this trip.
Derek and Sofia joined us, having bid their own share of farewells to the rest of their family, and Nethissis greeted us by the boarding ramp, beaming like the Northern Star.
