A Shade of Vampire 88: An Isle of Mirrors Read online

  A Shade of Vampire 88: An Isle of Mirrors

  Bella Forrest

  Contents

  Problems reading?

  New Generation List

  Family tree

  1. Thayen

  2. Astra

  3. Tristan

  4. Tristan

  5. Thayen

  6. Astra

  7. Astra

  8. Thayen

  9. Tristan

  10. Thayen

  11. Astra

  12. Kelara

  13. Voss

  14. Tristan

  15. Tristan

  16. Tristan

  17. Thayen

  18. Astra

  19. Tristan

  20. Thayen

  21. Thayen

  22. Astra

  23. Kelara

  24. Kelara

  25. Thayen

  26. Astra

  27. Kelara

  28. Thayen

  29. Astra

  30. Tristan

  ASOV 89: A Sanctuary of Foes

  Read more by Bella Forrest

  Copyright © 2020

  Nightlight Press

  Cover design by Okay Creations LLC

  All rights reserved.

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  New Generation List

  Thayen - Adoptive son of Derek and Sofia

  Richard – Son of Jovi and Anjani (Wolf-Incubus Hybrid)

  Astra – Daughter of Phoenix and Viola (Daughter-Sentry Hybrid)

  Isabelle – Daughter of Serena and Draven (Sentry-Druid Hybrid)

  Jericho – Son of Caia and Blaze (Fae-Fire Dragon Hybrid)

  Voss – Son of Aida and Field (Wolf-Hawk Hybrid)

  Dafne – Daughter of Lethe and Elodie (Ice Dragon-Human Hybrid)

  Family tree

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

  Thayen

  Something was happening in our beloved Shade, and Astra was somehow smack in the middle of it. There were more questions than answers, and the few answers we did get were either puzzling or downright horrifying.

  The real Isabelle was missing. Serena and Draven were worried to the point of developing an ulcer, while the pristine copy of their daughter had once again been secured inside the hospital’s west wing. We’d been sitting outside her room for the better part of an hour, watching her as she stared back at us with a triumphant smirk. As though she’d somehow won.

  Kailani had locked this entire section down to keep both hallways clear for easy access to the clone’s room, if needed. The security staff numbers had been doubled in the meantime, and we saw them patrolling the entire wing every other hour, clad in their black leather uniforms and sporting GASP earpieces. It all made me feel like we were under siege. The Shade hadn’t seen this kind of security activity for decades, which was proof that whatever was happening here was literally hitting close to home.

  My stomach ached as I looked around at those present in the hallway. Rose and Caleb seemed on edge, which was understandable. They’d taken over from Derek and Sofia, and they’d made a promise to keep everybody safe. Lumi was constantly thinking about what had happened and how it could be resolved, keeping her share of wise words to a minimum. She remained baffled at this point, since none of the comprehensive tests they’d put Isabelle’s clone through had revealed even the slightest clue that she might be fake. On the contrary, the doppelganger had even fooled the Reapers with her faux soul.

  “We’ll do another sweep of the nearby woods soon,” Kailani said after a long period of heavy silence, and Hunter nodded his agreement.

  “If Richard’s clone plans to make a comeback, we’ll be ready for him,” he replied, straightening himself as he got up and took Kailani’s hand. “It’s going to be okay.”

  “That’s relatively easy for you to say,” Richard muttered, leaning back in his seat, arms crossed and a muscle ticking nervously in his sharp jaw. “You didn’t come face-to-face with literal copies of yourselves…”

  “But you survived. That’s what matters,” Astra told him.

  Phoenix and Viola flanked her, the three of them sitting across the hallway from me. On my side, Draven and Serena were quiet, staring through the large glass panel between the clone’s room and us. “Mom and Dad are organizing an emergency meeting in the Great Dome,” I said. “They’re reorganizing the sweep teams to cover the entire island again, but in different groups. Corrine, Ibrahim, and Arwen are bringing their magical A game to the table. Hopefully, they’ll be able to provide some detection methods for these portals. There’s still a lot we don’t know.”

  “What about Mona?” Phoenix asked, looking at Kailani. “I know she and Kiev were vacationing on Strava when this nightmare started, and we shut the portal down. Wouldn’t she be able to assist?”

  “Mom said she’ll speak to them, but it’s better to keep the portal completely shut for the time being, especially with these shimmering gashes popping up all over the place. Besides, Astra is the only one who was able to sense them,” Kailani added. “What could Grandma Corrine or Mona or anyone else possibly do at this point? Even Viola, a full Daughter, wasn’t able to help.”

  Viola sighed deeply. “Well, I have yet to finetune my powers into detecting portals before they open, but I’m sure I can figure something out. Besides, I can still try to help verify souls, as a Daughter.”

  “Maybe Corrine and the witches just don’t want to give up,” I suggested. “They’ll keep trying until they find something that sticks. I suppose this whole thing is pushing everybody to newer levels of performance in that respect. If we can’t get Mona involved, too, at least for the time being, it’s okay. I know our people’s safety is paramount, and leaving the island’s portal open might give dangerous opportunities to any clone that might enter the scene, going forward.”

  Draven sighed. “If this is really foreign magic—like nothing we’ve seen before—I’m not sure how we’ll be able to detect it. Astra has an uncanny natural ability, and even that is weak. I think we need to focus more on physical defenses. If they cloned Richard, chances are they’ll have cloned more of our people, too. We have to be on the lookout.”

  “That’s part of the agenda for the meeting,” I replied. “Supplying our agents with weapons and spells they can use to defend themselves and to capture incoming clones. Gah, I can’t believe this is really happening…”

  Kailani offered a shrug, her dark brown curls dancing over her shoulders. “Hey, let them come, if they wish. I’ve got the room warded up like crazy. Only Draven, Serena, me, Astra, Soul, Kelara and Thayen are allowed in. And thanks to Soul and Kelara, we’ve got additional death magic wards to ensure that only the originals can set foot inside. That was no easy feat.”

  “Unfortunately, we are all you’ve got in terms of Reaper assistance,” Soul said, joining the conversation as he and Kelara returned from outside. He didn’t look happy. Only the two of them remained, though the entire First Ten crew had been here less than an hour ago. “Our other siblings may be free, but they are still undertaking the occasional task for our maker. They were just summoned back by Death. An ur
gent matter, she called it, without any regard for what’s going on here. Then again, she did warn us not to get friendly with the living…”

  “A force of habit, I presume,” Kelara added. “Soul and I barely convinced her to let us stick around. She wouldn’t tell us what was so urgent, either. Anyway, we’ve reached out to other Reapers but have yet to receive answers. Time wasn’t too happy about being called back. He said I should keep a telepathic line open and reach out if there’s an emergency, and he’ll try to sneak away, repercussions for disobedience be damned. I tried to get Death to send us more people, but she’s not interested in your problems. Not for the time being, anyway. She did ask that I keep her posted.”

  “Typical.” I scoffed, leaving my seat and settling by the glass panel. I took a moment to watch Isabelle’s clone. Had Soul not confirmed that she was a fake, I would likely have been ready to accept that our beloved Isabelle had really gone off the deep end. It was a terrible feeling to have, and the guilt only amplified as I wondered where she was. They’d taken one of our own.

  The clone seemed calm, hands cuffed to the tabletop with charmed links and a plethora of death and Word spells, just to be sure. I had a vague sensation that this would somehow end up being bigger than all of us, but I couldn’t put my finger on how, exactly, or what the incoming shift entailed. But there was a huge change coming, and I doubted we were ready for it.

  “The reorganized patrols will have a redefined scope,” I continued, setting the topic of Death aside as I moved my focus to Rose and Caleb.

  “They’ll be combing for portals and any other anomalies. Basically, if there’s anything out of place, even if it’s a crooked blade of grass where there shouldn’t be any, they’ll look into it. Unfortunately, this is the best we can do right now,” Rose added.

  “I wish I could do more,” Astra said.

  “You’ll be ready when we have another clone to test,” Soul replied. “It’s only a matter of time. Richard’s doppelganger failed his mission, and I expect others will follow in his footsteps.”

  Something else bothered me. “Isabelle is missing, so I can assume it’s how whoever made the doppelgangers got her DNA and copied her. But Richard is here. How’d he get a clone?”

  “That’s a good question.” Concern darkened Kailani’s gaze. “The culprits must have infiltrated The Shade somehow. Either they’re invisible or shape-shifting, pretending to be one of us… I don’t know, but it’s making it even harder to trust our current reality, if you think about it. I mean, if we can’t see our enemy, if we don’t know who they are or what they can do and how… damn…”

  That was a frightening thought indeed. Looking around, the others’ expressions told me we were all on the same page as to what this meant. Maybe Isabelle and Richard were not the only ones who’d been doubled by whatever nefarious methods were used, and there was a chance we may deal with more of their kind, soon enough. Soul was right. If Richard’s copy had failed in his mission, others modeled after us might follow.

  Stan and Ollie, Soul and Kelara’s faithful service ghouls, moved slowly as they took up their guarding positions by the clone’s door. They were dark and quiet, even gloomier than usual. It made me curious. “What’s wrong with them?” I asked. “They seem out of sorts.”

  “They’re troubled by the clone issue,” Kelara said. “They’ve never seen anything like this, either, and I’m guessing they were hoping for more run-of-the-mill work after Visio. Think about it. Even after twenty years of relative quietness, Visio still haunts us all, the ghouls included. I would’ve liked another twenty years of the same relative quietness, too, to be honest, but… here we are. Dealing with something weird and frightening. Stan and Ollie are much more receptive emotionally speaking than most Reapers might assume.”

  Serena got up and came toward me so she could get a closer look at Isabelle’s clone. “I’ve been thinking,” she murmured. “Richard’s clone only attacked Astra to distract from helping her…” She nodded toward the girl, who was eyeing us with a mixture of contempt and concern. What I wouldn’t have given to be able to hear her thoughts. “We’ve got her secured, though, so our best chance at running into more clones will likely be here, in or around the hospital.”

  Kailani agreed. “Which is why Thayen and Astra have agreed to stick around for the time being, along with Richard. They’ve made a good team so far, and since Astra seems to be the main target, keeping her close to the clone will probably kill two birds with one stone.”

  “And they’re using the shimmering portals to go in and out of the island, but we don’t know where they lead,” Serena added, glancing at Astra. “But you were able to feel more from the one Richard’s doppelganger escaped through, right?”

  “Something significant, yes,” Astra replied. “The pressure was different in its vicinity. The air was thicker and heavier, like something huge was clamping down on me. There was a spark of electricity, too, but I would need to be around one of these portals for longer to fully examine its effects on my being.”

  “You’d need an open portal, ideally,” Serena concluded, and Astra offered a faint nod.

  “Which is why I’m also sticking around for now,” Kailani said. “If any of our agents come across an open portal, I can immediately zap Astra there.” She held back a weak chuckle. “She hasn’t figured out how to do that on her own yet.”

  “Give her time,” Viola replied, giving Astra a warm smile. “There are things a Daughter knows how to do at once, and there are things she must learn. On top of that, Astra is strongest in Eritopia. Out here in The Shade, her connection to our power is weakened. I think it’s amazing she was able to give us so much already, all things considered.”

  “I wholeheartedly agree,” Kailani said.

  I cursed under my breath, feeling helpless. “I can’t even use my glamoring to manipulate a clone. For all the fuss I’ve made about having this power, it’s proving pretty useless under these circumstances.”

  “Wait, hold on. Don’t knock it down yet,” Soul interjected. “The clones don’t have real souls, like I’ve already said, but the knockoffs they do have were good enough to fool a Reaper at first. Chances are the fakes function like the real souls, so I think it’s too early to say it wouldn’t work. Keep trying. The fake soul might respond to your glamoring, if you find the right buttons to push. It’s not a certainty, though it is absolutely worth a shot! You’re getting better at it with every attempt, anyway, but you have yet to discover the full extent of its power and reach. You need more time, more practice.”

  “Time isn’t exactly on our side,” I said, still frustrated.

  “Well, what else can you do?” Soul shot back, raising an eyebrow. “Mope in a corner?”

  I shook my head. “I don’t mope!”

  “Then you keep practicing. You spend every minute that you have pushing yourself.” Soul pointed at Isabelle’s clone. “You’ve got someone perfect for target practice right there. I’m sure Serena and Draven won’t mind, despite her similarity to their daughter.”

  Serena gently squeezed my shoulder. “Not at all. Please, Thayen. If you can help, if you can improve your ability… go ahead. Glamor this girl until you get somewhere.”

  Draven nodded his agreement.

  “Soul’s right. Practice makes perfect,” Astra replied. “You don’t know what your limits are. This is a good time to figure them out.”

  “Seeley and Nethissis promised to train me,” I said.

  “Death had them reassigned,” Soul grumbled. “But it’s fine. You’ve got Kelara and me, plus a whole family by your side, kid. You’ll get to where you need to be.”

  Deep down, I was nervous—not about the glamoring, really, but about the prospect of failure. I didn’t want to go into the clone’s interrogation room and walk back out empty handed. What if I simply wasn’t able to bend a fake soul? But there was something in Astra’s intensely dark eyes that made me relax, if only for a second. She’d taken after Phoenix wit
h the dark eye color, though they did turn pink when she used her Daughter abilities. I felt reassured by her faith in my power. Her confidence in my ability meant a lot.

  “Okay. I’ll give it as many shots as I can,” I said, bracing myself for what would come next. Placing my palm on the door, I waited for the spells to recognize me. I gave the hallway one last glance and found myself feeling safe and trusted. Rose and Caleb watched quietly as the door opened with a delicate click, and I went in.

  I took a moment to breathe. The air inside the doppelganger’s room was slightly adjusted—infused with a mixture of aerosol medication and therapeutic oil vapors to help keep her calm. It was one of Kailani’s many tricks to keep prisoners subdued. It seemed to be working, since the girl barely acknowledged me until I reached her table, the door automatically closing behind me.

  She raised her gaze, steely gray eyes drilling holes into my head. I didn’t see any hate in them, only a chilling determination to kill and get away with it. That had been her only goal from the very beginning, from what I could see. And now her target was right outside while she was trapped in here, secured with the heaviest spells our witches could devise.

  “Okay, Thayen. Now… remember what I told you,” Soul said, his voice echoing through a telepathic connection. “Focus on her soul. Well, on that exquisite forgery that’s passing as a soul. It can mimic emotions, and she was responsive to someone’s orders when it came to killing Astra. There’s a good chance you might be able to reach her with your glamoring.”