A Shade of Vampire 72: A Conspiracy of Realms Read online

  A Shade of Vampire 72: A Conspiracy of Realms

  Bella Forrest

  Contents

  Also by Bella Forrest

  Problems reading?

  Main Cast List

  Family tree

  1. Taeral

  2. Riza

  3. Lumi

  4. Eva

  5. Jax

  6. Varga

  7. Vesta

  8. Ben

  9. Harper

  10. Taeral

  11. Amelia

  12. Raphael

  13. Taeral

  14. Jax

  15. Varga

  16. Eva

  17. Harper

  18. Harper

  19. Harper

  20. Taeral

  21. Amelia

  22. Vesta

  23. Harper

  24. Varga

  25. Amelia

  26. Phoenix

  27. Jax

  28. Vesta

  29. Taeral

  30. Lumi

  31. Varga

  32. Amelia

  33. Caspian

  34. Harper

  35. Vesta

  Read more by Bella Forrest

  Also by Bella Forrest

  HARLEY MERLIN

  (New fantasy/romance/adventure series!)

  Harley Merlin and the Secret Coven (Book 1)

  Harley Merlin and the Mystery Twins (Book 2)

  Harley Merlin and the Stolen Magicals (Book 3)

  Harley Merlin and the First Ritual (Book 4)

  Harley Merlin and the Broken Spell (Book 5)

  Harley Merlin and the Cult of Eris (Book 6)

  HOTBLOODS

  (Supernatural romance. Completed series.)

  Hotbloods (Book 1)

  Coldbloods (Book 2)

  Renegades (Book 3)

  Venturers (Book 4)

  Traitors (Book 5)

  Allies (Book 6)

  Invaders (Book 7)

  Stargazers (Book 8)

  THE CHILD THIEF

  (Action-adventure/romance.)

  The Child Thief (Book 1)

  Deep Shadows (Book 2)

  Thin Lines (Book 3)

  Little Lies (Book 4)

  Ghost Towns (Book 5)

  Zero Hour (Book 6)

  THE GENDER GAME

  (Action-adventure/romance. Completed series.)

  The Gender Game (Book 1)

  The Gender Secret (Book 2)

  The Gender Lie (Book 3)

  The Gender War (Book 4)

  The Gender Fall (Book 5)

  The Gender Plan (Book 6)

  The Gender End (Book 7)

  THE GIRL WHO DARED TO THINK

  (Action-adventure/romance. Completed series.)

  The Girl Who Dared to Think (Book 1)

  The Girl Who Dared to Stand (Book 2)

  The Girl Who Dared to Descend (Book 3)

  The Girl Who Dared to Rise (Book 4)

  The Girl Who Dared to Lead (Book 5)

  The Girl Who Dared to Endure (Book 6)

  The Girl Who Dared to Fight (Book 7)

  A SHADE OF VAMPIRE SERIES

  (Supernatural romance)

  Season 1: Derek & Sofia’s story

  A Shade of Vampire (Book 1)

  A Shade of Blood (Book 2)

  A Castle of Sand (Book 3)

  A Shadow of Light (Book 4)

  A Blaze of Sun (Book 5)

  A Gate of Night (Book 6)

  A Break of Day (Book 7)

  Season 2: Rose & Caleb’s story

  A Shade of Novak (Book 8)

  A Bond of Blood (Book 9)

  A Spell of Time (Book 10)

  A Chase of Prey (Book 11)

  A Shade of Doubt (Book 12)

  A Turn of Tides (Book 13)

  A Dawn of Strength (Book 14)

  A Fall of Secrets (Book 15)

  An End of Night (Book 16)

  Season 3: The Shade continues with a new hero…

  A Wind of Change (Book 17)

  A Trail of Echoes (Book 18)

  A Soldier of Shadows (Book 19)

  A Hero of Realms (Book 20)

  A Vial of Life (Book 21)

  A Fork of Paths (Book 22)

  A Flight of Souls (Book 23)

  A Bridge of Stars (Book 24)

  Season 4: A Clan of Novaks

  A Clan of Novaks (Book 25)

  A World of New (Book 26)

  A Web of Lies (Book 27)

  A Touch of Truth (Book 28)

  An Hour of Need (Book 29)

  A Game of Risk (Book 30)

  A Twist of Fates (Book 31)

  A Day of Glory (Book 32)

  Season 5: A Dawn of Guardians

  A Dawn of Guardians (Book 33)

  A Sword of Chance (Book 34)

  A Race of Trials (Book 35)

  A King of Shadow (Book 36)

  An Empire of Stones (Book 37)

  A Power of Old (Book 38)

  A Rip of Realms (Book 39)

  A Throne of Fire (Book 40)

  A Tide of War (Book 41)

  Season 6: A Gift of Three

  A Gift of Three (Book 42)

  A House of Mysteries (Book 43)

  A Tangle of Hearts (Book 44)

  A Meet of Tribes (Book 45)

  A Ride of Peril (Book 46)

  A Passage of Threats (Book 47)

  A Tip of Balance (Book 48)

  A Shield of Glass (Book 49)

  A Clash of Storms (Book 50)

  Season 7: A Call of Vampires

  A Call of Vampires (Book 51)

  A Valley of Darkness (Book 52)

  A Hunt of Fiends (Book 53)

  A Den of Tricks (Book 54)

  A City of Lies (Book 55)

  A League of Exiles (Book 56)

  A Charge of Allies (Book 57)

  A Snare of Vengeance (Book 58)

  A Battle of Souls (Book 59)

  Season 8: A Voyage of Founders

  A Voyage of Founders (Book 60)

  A Land of Perfects (Book 61)

  A Citadel of Captives (Book 62)

  A Jungle of Rogues (Book 63)

  A Camp of Savages (Book 64)

  A Plague of Deceit (Book 65)

  An Edge of Malice (Book 66)

  A Dome of Blood (Book 67)

  A Purge of Nature (Book 68)

  Season 9: A Birth of Fire

  A Birth of Fire (Book 69)

  A Breed of Elements (Book 70)

  A Sacrifice of Flames (Book 71)

  A Conspiracy of Realms (Book 72)

  A SHADE OF DRAGON TRILOGY

  A Shade of Dragon 1

  A Shade of Dragon 2

  A Shade of Dragon 3

  A SHADE OF KIEV TRILOGY

  A Shade of Kiev 1

  A Shade of Kiev 2

  A Shade of Kiev 3

  THE SECRET OF SPELLSHADOW MANOR

  (Supernatural/Magic YA. Completed series)

  The Secret of Spellshadow Manor (Book 1)

  The Breaker (Book 2)

  The Chain (Book 3)

  The Keep (Book 4)

  The Test (Book 5)

  The Spell (Book 6)

  BEAUTIFUL MONSTER DUOLOGY

  (Supernatural romance)

  Beautiful Monster 1

  Beautiful Monster 2

  DETECTIVE ERIN BOND

  (Adult thriller/mystery)

  Lights, Camera, GONE

  Write, Edit, KILL

  For an updated list of Bella’s books, please visit her website: www.bellaforrest.net

  Join Bella’s VIP email list and she’ll send you an email reminder as soon as her next book is out. Tap here to sign up: www.forrestbooks.com

  Copyright © 2019

  Nightlight Press

  Cover design inspired by Sarah Hansen, Okay Creations LLC

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

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  Main Cast List

  Amelia (daughter of Erik and Abby Novalik – vampire)

  Eva (daughter of Azazel and Tamara – druid/lamia/vampire)

  Herakles (creation of Ta’Zan – Faulty)

  Raphael (creation of Ta’Zan – Perfect)

  Riza (daughter of Horatio and Aisha Drizan– jinni)

  Taeral (son of Sherus and Nuriya – fae-jinni)

  Varga (son of Ashbik and Ruby Goode – vampire-sentry)

  Family tree

  If you’d like to check out the Novaks’ family tree, visit: www.forrestbooks.com/tree

  Taeral

  Three days had passed since our turbulent return to Calliope. Three days since we’d avoided death-by-Hermessi and since we’d learned to keep Devil’s Weed sprigs hidden in the lining of our clothes at all times, like Inalia had advised us shortly before our escape. We’d lost Inalia on Cerix, though she was still around—as a Fire Hermessi, one of the very elements that were determined to destroy us all.

  I carried a lot of grief and anguish
in my soul. Inalia had been a good friend and ally, even though we’d spent only a few days together. I had a feeling there could’ve been more between us, had she not abandoned her body to save her planet. Her sacrifice would never be forgotten.

  In the meantime, we had a world of trouble to deal with. The Hermessi’s influence was growing, despite GASP’s multiple efforts to stop the cults’ activities. Somehow, they kept sneaking around, cutting fae and whispering an ancient Hermessi spell that allowed them to kick the souls out of the fae’s bodies so the elements could take over once they hit five million. We were at 2.5 million fae now, and the number would continue to rise. The best we could do was try to keep the other fae safe while caring for the affected ones, each of whom were kept in charmed crystal casings—the witches, the warlocks, and the Daughters of Eritopia helped with that.

  The rest of GASP continued its efforts on two fronts. Countless teams were dispatched across the In-Between and the Supernatural Dimension to hunt down as many cult members as possible and bring them in for questioning, while my crew, along with Phoenix, continued to work toward the next step in our mission: finding Death. Friggin’ Death.

  We didn’t know where to go or where to find her. Our best bet, after hours of debating the topic, was to find one of the ancient Hermessi that had been around four million years ago and get answers from them. However, that also came with problems of its own. From what Harper had gathered during her encounter with Ramin and the rebel Hermessi, the ancient ones were most likely all in favor of the ritual and therefore had zero reason to assist us—except Firr, the Fire Hermessi of Calliope, who’d secretly sided with the rebels. All roads led us back to the cult members we kept locked on Mount Zur, while Field, Aida, and the rest of the Calliope GASP unit dug deeper into our notes from the Lemnos Woods Library, hoping they’d find something we might’ve missed.

  “Do you think these cult members know something about the ancient Hermessi?” Eira asked as we walked down one of the GASP base corridors of Mount Zur.

  Raphael and Amelia had joined us. Jax had told us that they’d begun to make some progress in the interrogation of Hermessi cult members, using a combination of mind-bending and magic.

  “They’ve got four individuals who seem like they’re about to crack,” I said, stopping in front of the main interrogation room. Five chambers had been set up for this, and GASP agents worked round the clock with new methods, constantly pushing and prodding the three dozen cultists that had been brought in. The main room belonged to Jax and Heron, reserved for four individuals who had finally begun to break down.

  “It’s worth a shot,” Raphael said. “If they’re able to point us to some inside knowledge about the ancient Hermessi, we might at least get a lead. It’s been three days of nothing so far. We’re stagnating, while they’re gaining ground.”

  Eira nodded, expressing her agreement. In Inalia’s absence, she’d proven herself to be a fascinating and equally competent… surrogate. I’d learned a few more things about her recently, and about her thought processes. Eira was strong and valiant, noble and ambitious, smart as a whip and rough around the edges—unlike Inalia, who’d been a skilled and sensible diplomat. However, I welcomed what Eira brought to the table. The time for subtleties had passed, anyway.

  “I, for one, am grateful we’re at least doing something,” Amelia replied. “I was getting bored holed up in Luceria. Don’t get me wrong, the castle is superb and all, but if I can’t do anything to stop it from becoming a mass grave along with the rest of Calliope and the In-Between, I can’t really enjoy it.”

  “It’s a good thing Shayla’s ‘truth serum’ is working, then,” I said. “Now let’s see if it’s getting us what we need.”

  I pushed open the doors to find Jax and Heron already inside, accompanied by Hansa, Avril, and Shayla. One of the cultists was already strapped into a chair, his hands covered in the same crystal casing that had been used to keep the affected fae safe and under control. The charmed mineral was designed to stop them from using their elemental abilities, and it had been fitted on all the cultists’ hands.

  Heron turned his head and frowned at us. “Where’s the rest of your jolly crew?”

  “They’re trying to get an action plan together,” I replied. “Covering all possible scenarios and so on. We’re a bit lost here, since we don’t know where to start looking for Death. Hence why we’re here.”

  Lumi, Riza, Herakles, Eva, and Varga had taken over one of the council rooms in Luceria for this, poring over stellar maps of the In-Between and copies of their library notes—what they’d gathered from both Silvergate and Lemnos Woods.

  “I’d hoped Lumi would get some insights from the Word,” Avril grumbled, her arms crossed. Her father, Lucas, was in a crystal casing back in the Shade sanctuary, along with the rest of the Novak fae—Ben, Grace, Caia, and Vita. Their clan had suffered the most, and valuable members of GASP were now comatose. Avril had every reason to want to get things moving here. Her father’s life depended on it.

  I shook my head. “Lumi has been trying. She’s sought the Word’s help, but it’s like it doesn’t want to get involved, or something. Personally, I find it strange and disheartening. It’s not the end of the road, though. We’re here for a reason, aren’t we?”

  “You think he’ll talk?” Jax asked, raising an eyebrow as he nodded at the captured fae in his secured chair.

  “We should give it our best,” Safira said as she walked in and joined us. My stomach hurt a little in her presence. I hadn’t been able to look at the Daughters of Eritopia the same way after I’d learned they’d been created from the same primordial pink waters that spawned the Shills… those wretched monsters. The Daughters were the product of Wei, Calliope’s Earth Hermessi, and they were fundamentally good people. Nevertheless, I held on to the sliver of doubt in my soul where they were concerned, mainly because no Hermessi’s allegiance was set in stone. I worried Wei might turn on us eventually, and force the Daughters to do his bidding. They’d said they would oppose it, but they’d never had to deal with his coercion before, so I couldn’t be sure. Until that day, however, the Daughters were still our allies, so I offered a polite nod to welcome her.

  “It’s what we’re hoping for as well,” I said.

  “Now Fez, get ready,” Shayla said to the fae as Safira handed her a delicate glass syringe with a long and sharp tip. The end was fitted with a crystal cylinder that was used to push the glowing violet liquid into Fez’s neck. He squirmed as the tip pierced his skin. “We’ve been perfecting the serum, changing it based on the results so far. I think this version will help us more. I’ve increased the dosage of some of the ingredients.”

  My mom was back on the Fire Star, where she personally watched over my dad. It was only a matter of time before someone slipped past security and hurt him, too. I was anxious, while mentally preparing myself for that particular call from my mom. In the meantime, I had to be here and do everything in my power to stop the Hermessi’s ritual. I was terrified for myself too, but I couldn’t stop. All I could do was keep my guard up at all times—thankfully, my crew was there to watch my back, in case someone might try to cut-and-spell me. I’d made it my mission to keep going for as long as I could, knowing that I was one of the 1001 fae who had helped with the Blackout and, therefore, I was also a target for the cults.

  We waited for a few minutes while the serum worked its magic on Fez. Avril turned on the video camera, while Hansa locked the doors behind us. The room needed to be secured and the interview recorded, as per GASP protocol.

  “Where was he captured?” Raphael asked, looking at Heron and Jax.

  “On the Emerald,” Heron replied. “He’s part of the cult chapter there.”