Darklight 5: Darktide Read online

  “How did you end up in Canada?” Dorian asked.

  “The first portal Juneau and I tried was under heavy guard,” Laini relayed. “We had to go much farther north and find another stone circle. Thankfully, the ash wraith made the journey easier, but… Kreya spent hours deliriously asking about the children, who she was, where we were. She asks about Rhome and repeats his name under her breath. Something tells me she doesn’t understand that they fought. Well, she doesn’t understand much of anything. She forgets every one of my answers no matter how many times I repeat myself.”

  Poor Kreya.

  “The medic will see you,” Captain Ruiz said to Laini as we reached the edge of the airstrip. “Your friend will be housed in the medical wing, and we’ll work on bringing in vampire doctors from Scotland.”

  We watched helplessly as the soldiers took Kreya away. A medic sidled up to Laini, a man with short curly hair and skin the same soft brown as the surrounding hills.

  He drew level with Laini. “Are you—”

  “I’m fine,” Laini insisted shortly, but then managed a smile. “I assure you, my injuries will heal quickly on their own.”

  In the evening light, Laini struck me as different. She was slightly withdrawn, but a warmth had returned to her that had been absent since the Gray Ravine.

  Chapter Eight

  We had barely stepped off the airstrip when a nearby soldier called for his comrades on the tarmac.

  “There’s a huge group of humans and vampires from Scotland in the lobby,” he called out. “They’ve all come from the airfield at once. We need a base for them.”

  The VAMPS crew had arrived? Without another thought, I bolted for the main building, followed by Dorian and Laini. Some of the wreckage from the earlier riot had been cleared from the lobby, but the scene was a chaotic mess of energetic people talking among themselves. I saw Gomez attempting to speak up for order over the excitement, but it was hopeless.

  “Lyra!”

  Tears immediately filled my eyes when I heard my brother’s voice. Zach bulldozed through the crowd and threw his arms out to hug me. I whipped my hands up to shout, “Ribs. Broken.”

  Only Dorian’s hasty support saved us as he stepped in. Zach settled for a light toss of his arm around my shoulders. I laughed, giddy through my tears, and fiercely squeezed him from the side as much as my injury allowed. I’d never forget the fear I felt in the sanitarium, that I would never get to do this again.

  “Dorian,” Bravi cried, and ran up to greet him.

  My face hurt from smiling as Zach released me, his eyes also damp. Gina appeared, copying Zach’s gentle embrace. I gratefully returned it, then pulled back in shock when I spotted her livid black eye.

  “I’ll explain later,” Gina promised.

  She wasn’t the only one worse for wear. I saw various bruises and cuts scattered throughout the VAMPS group. Dark circles under Zach’s eyes made him look older, but his smile stayed young.

  “We have so much to tell you.” He looked me over. “God, I can’t believe you’re here!”

  “Oh, destroying a prison in another dimension as we escaped was a cake walk,” I fired back playfully. Although our situation was an interplanar emergency, joking around with my brother brought back a sense of ease that almost made me think we could handle it. After all, we’d already done so much.

  The group calmed and thinned out as Gomez and several soldiers steered us to a space large enough for the crowd. My eyes went first to the vampires, appreciating the original Canyonlands faces with the newer additions. Bravi sat next to Neo, who stood and ran a hand along the sides of his partially shaved head. Harlowe had her arm casually thrown around Rayne’s shoulders. Their blonde and brown heads of hair leaned together. Drinn yawned next to a healed Castral, who looked dashing in his refurbished rust-colored leather jacket.

  Behind Neo, Halla and Sabal hovered near one another at the back of the group along with Riven. Why had they come? My stomach sank as I considered Sabal. We had to tell her about Myndra… Halla would learn about Kane being left behind in the Immortal Plane too.

  Zach and Gina were joined by Colin and Louise. Honestly, I was surprised to see Louise here, considering she’d been shot recently. She caught my gaze and smiled, but there was something fearful in her eyes as she looked around. Was she looking for Sike? The humans were rounded out by three Scottish guards. One was the rosy-cheeked MacGregor whom I often greeted after my runs. The other two I knew less well. Fraser, with his mass of black curls, and Sargant Melrose, a thirty-something woman who had joined the Scottish military after she’d moved to the country from South Africa. I spotted a few other vampires from Kane’s original group of fighters lurking in the shadows.

  “Where’s Kane?” Halla demanded. “Why isn’t he here?”

  Dorian opened his mouth to reply, and her eyes flashed as she assumed the worst.

  “Kane, Roxy, and Rhome are still in the Immortal Plane,” Dorian said in a calm voice. “They stayed behind to rescue Carwin and Detra. They were all right the last time we saw them.”

  Halla’s lips twisted in worry, but there was pride in her voice. “I’d expect nothing less from Kane. He never hesitates to risk himself for others.”

  Behind Halla, I saw Sabal. She looked down at her feet but suddenly shifted and fixed me with an unnervingly direct stare, as if she knew I had valuable information. I let Dorian handle the conversation with Halla and Bravi, the latter two expressing their surprise and delight that Rhome and Kreya were alive, and I approached the young vampire.

  “I’d like to speak to you,” I said, gesturing with my eyes to the doorway of the room. Sabal said nothing but followed me. The hall was empty. I gently shut the door behind me.

  “Bad news?” she guessed stonily. Her voice was much softer than I remembered.

  My throat tightened. Sabal held it together by being tough, but I suspected her sister’s disappearance was pushing her to the edge. Although I found it hard to bond with her and Myndra, they didn’t deserve to be separated from each other. Myndra deserved more than being a puppet for the Immortal Council.

  “I saw Myndra at the sanitarium in Itzarriol. I’m so sorry… she’s a revenant. She phased out from Itzarriol, and we don’t know where she arrived in the Mortal Plane.” The news was painful to deliver; I didn’t want to think how painful it must be to hear.

  Sabal’s icy exterior melted into a blank stare, looking at something far beyond herself. “Thank you for telling me,” she said distantly. I wrestled over the idea of following her, but she walked past me. She disappeared down the hall.

  Not every reunion carried good news.

  Making a mental note to send someone to check on her later, I tried to focus on the joy of finally being reunited with my friends and family. We’d been sent into a large communal gym in the accommodation building. Zach and Gina sat on a bench press, while Laini perched on a stationary bike. Bravi leaned against the weight rack. Dorian had taken up a position beside a shelf of yoga mats.

  “Find a seat wherever you can,” he said.

  That was optimistic of him. At this point, it was standing room only, so I leaned against the door. I wasn’t ready to explain our temporary cure for the curse to a curious audience. Louise sat cross-legged on the ground next to Neo and Castral. Everyone else squirmed to lean against the wall or maneuvered themselves onto exercise equipment. Laini pedaled the bike she sat on slowly.

  “Who can catch us up on the VAMPS situation?” Dorian asked.

  Bravi took a step into the circle and gestured for Zach to join her. I was glad to see that they had developed a good partnership while we’d been gone.

  “In terms of injuries, we got off lightly,” Zach announced. “Gina fought like hell and sustained that injury, but she was determined to come back to the US.”

  “I’m not about to let both Sloane siblings leave me behind in Scotland,” Gina said wryly. There was a roar of appreciation and laughter as she showed off her black eye. Be
neath the joking, a spark of determination flashed on her face as she stared at me. That’s what I’m talking about! Gina’s excitement brought new energy into me.

  “Not everyone was so lucky,” Bravi broke in. “Gavril went down defending the front gate from revenants. Unfortunately, he wasn’t the only casualty. We discovered the body of a human guard by the holding cells, suggesting that the attack was a distraction to rescue the three board members. Those two were warriors who went down in battle. But Tahn…” She trailed off, and the grief in the room was palpable.

  Not Tahn? The lovely grandfatherly vampire who wore soft, fuzzy sweaters? Sadness gripped me. The last time I had a good look at him was during that terrible press conference. He exuded such elegance and wisdom. His loss would be felt among the VAMPS community.

  “Was he targeted?” Dorian asked.

  Bravi sighed. “I don’t think so. It seemed to be wrong place, wrong time. We think he took an evening walk near the prison at the same time as the attack. He’d suffered brutal blows to the head.”

  “Were he and Gavril buried in Scotland?” I asked, unsure whether they’d risk taking the bodies back to the Immortal Plane to be laid to rest.

  “Cremation is customary for vampires,” Halla said sharply. “They were given an honorable funeral.”

  “I’d expect nothing less, even in time of war,” Dorian said softly. “How’s Major Morag holding up?”

  “Stressed about Bryce.” Zach crossed his arms. “She received a report of your debriefing, so she knows he was safe when you guys left him, but she’s been… unraveling in her own way. Her productivity has increased, but she’s almost manic as she throws herself into work to cope.”

  I hated to think of someone as reliable as Morag losing herself, but who could blame her? “Is she okay to run VAMPS by herself? I’m worried about her not having enough support.”

  Neo cleared his throat. “She’s still focused on the task at hand. She arranged for VAMPS to get scanners from the Bureau, and we found traces of revenants and their rampages before we left. It wasn’t just Scotland, but the whole UK.”

  “We kept up to date with human news, too,” Bravi announced. “There are riots, lootings, and killings everywhere, many seemingly sparked by vampires but not directly involving them. The revenants disappear before authorities can arrive.”

  “Just like here.” Dorian’s brow furrowed in thought. A buzz of conversation broke out in the brief pause. He lifted his hand to stop the talking. It immediately faded.

  I kept my gaze on Dorian, knowing full well what he was about to say.

  “Ruiz and the rest of the board have authorized another mission to the Immortal Plane. I believe our best chance of stopping the revenants is finding their controllers. While the Bureau and the various international militaries try to head off the revenants in respective affected areas, a team of humans and vampires will go to Moab, leaving a team to assess the situation and support the front line for the city. The best soldiers and warriors, if you volunteer for the mission, will join us in our return to the Immortal Plane. We can make a decisive strike against our biggest enemies.”

  A hush filled the room. Dorian studied everyone as if testing them for their readiness.

  “This isn’t a stealthy intel mission,” he said gravely. “We need to go on the offensive. Our goal is to unbalance the Immortal Council and their plans as quickly as possible. We must capitalize on the fall of the sanitarium, especially the loss of some high-ranking rulers.”

  “Do we have any allies there?” Bravi asked, brain already whirring in thought.

  “A place called the Hive, but I’m not sure we’ll receive a warm welcome,” I said, sticking to honesty. “We might be able to safely plan an attack there, but we have no physical support.” I didn’t know what had happened to Bryce and Arlonne in the time since we’d left them, but if they’d been at the Hive all this time, they might be able to help us persuade the elders to hear us out. “Time is of the essence. We will leave as soon as we can.”

  Nobody argued that we’d just returned. Our situation was too dire to take the time to linger in the Mortal Plane. I scanned expressions, finding disappointment written across a few. Several in our ranks would be unable to make the journey. Riven’s willowy face twisted with discontent. Louise averted her eyes. Halla stared into space, likely thinking of Kane.

  “Count me in,” Zach said, lifting his hand. Gina shot her hand up with a smile.

  Bravi smirked and did the same. Soon, a chain reaction happened across the group. Every able-bodied individual raised their hand to volunteer.

  I grinned at our group of gathered warriors. “Excellent. We’re going to need all the help we can get.”

  Chapter Nine

  I sighed with relief under the hot shower, the water slowly working to ease my lingering headache. It was the morning of our fourth day back in the Mortal Plane, but we were already in the process of gathering our supplies to return to the Immortal Plane.

  Yesterday, following our meeting in the gym, Dorian had announced his intentions to return to the Immortal Plane to Captain Ruiz, somber but certain. My own feelings were a bit more complicated. I believed in Dorian’s reasons for returning … but I dreaded going back. This time, our mission would be even more perilous, declaring all-out war against Irrikus and the Immortal Council. I sagged, wishing life would throw me a break. It had been so long since I’d had the chance to slow down and truly process anything that we’d dealt with in the past few months. Our reward for everything we’d barely survived so far? Leading a freaking interdimensional rebellion.

  Still, determination stirred under the fatigue. I threw some conditioner into my hair, raking my nails over my scalp to wake myself up. The temporary fix for the cure had kept me close to Dorian, which was enough to keep me going. But even after our feeding the night before, I’d woken this morning to the sensation of heartburn starting to creep back in. I’d left Dorian sleeping a few minutes before.

  Did we need to increase the amount? Or perhaps Dorian needed to drink from me as well? For a moment, the unsettling reality of the curse’s “cure” sank in, and I rested my head against the wall, letting my mind go fuzzy until I felt capable of leaving the shower.

  The HQ doctor had told me to change the bandages on my hand and come back if I needed more. I had peeled them off before my shower and laid out the new ones in their sterile wrapping. As I dried myself, I scanned my body in the mirror. The cuts were healing far faster than I would have expected, and the bruising and redness around my cracked ribs was already nearly gone. I licked my lips, almost able to still taste Dorian’s blood. There was no doubt in my mind that this rapid healing had something to do with ingesting vampire blood, just like my heightened strength and senses in the Immortal Plane. I eventually redressed my hand, which was still sensitive. Maybe our experiment would prove helpful for more than just our curse.

  Dorian was sitting on the bed waiting for me; Gate Maker, in tiny lizard form, rested on a small pillow at the opposite end of the bed. No love lost there.

  “Are you ready?” Dorian asked.

  I sighed. “For today or the Immortal Plane? I know we need to go, but it feels like we’re moving so fast.”

  “I know.” He clasped his hands together thoughtfully. “But we’ll be together.”

  And we need to do this. What kind of a leader would I be if I argued against doing what it took to save the world?

  “Let’s go.” I offered my jacket pocket, Gate Maker clambered in, and then Dorian and I went in search of food and to begin our tasks for the day.

  As we tried to find Captain Ruiz, Dorian gave me a sideways look.

  “So we’re going back into the Immortal Plane. Tomorrow.”

  “Mm-hmm.” I took a swig of my coffee, relishing the taste while I still could. “Going back to raise a rebellion.”

  He frowned slightly, skirting around a huddle of Bureau soldiers piling medical supplies that were being shipped out to Moab. “
I’m aware that I didn’t ask you about it before I announced the mission. And I don’t want you to think I’m barging through decisions without considering you—”

  “Dorian.” I stopped and put a hand on his arm. “I want to take on this mission with you. Of course I’m nervous about going back, since we barely made it out with our lives last time, but I’m not sitting this out. Some things are more important than my personal fears.”

  He gave my free hand a squeeze. “There’s no one I’d rather have by my side to raise a rebellion.”

  We found Captain Ruiz—who was assisting us in assembling our resources for the mission—and met with her for a quick briefing. She handed over a list of weapons that had been approved and updated us on the Bureau personnel joining us in the Immortal Plane. She pointed out that they’d been able to source non-electric wind-up watches for the mission to help keep track of time while we were there. After the difficulty we’d had keeping track of time before, I’d argued that it was important we were able to do so during this more complex mission, since radios and comms wouldn’t work in the Immortal Plane.

  From there, Dorian and I immediately went to brief the humans who were joining us on the mission on the specific issues I’d experienced in the Immortal Plane.

  The recruits Ruiz had brought in were three LA operatives, among them the medic who had tried to help Laini upon her arrival, who was named Sylas. The other two were familiar faces: Hank and Lily from the vampire trial facility, from before the Bureau betrayed us. Colin, Zach, and Gina were also there, along with the three Scottish guards from the VAMPS compound, MacGregor, Fraser, and Melrose. Some fidgeted when I advised them to be careful about trusting their senses, practically sacrilegious advice for soldiers.