A Gift of Three (A Shade of Vampire #42)(54)

Oh.

“Okay,” I muttered, turning to face the door, feeling uncomfortable and exposed without him in my line of sight. I heard him rise off the bed and pull on clothing. A few seconds later, he was by my side, his broad frame brushing up against me as he leaned forward to push open the door.

“You’re not going to like it,” he muttered, leading me down the hallway.





Serena





[Hazel and Tejus’s daughter]




I followed the Druid down to the basement with a certain amount of trepidation. The house was so silent and felt even stranger at night-time than it did in the day. The lamp I had picked up again once we left his room threw shadows everywhere, making me feel like I was being watched—like something was about to jump out at me at any moment. I kept close to the Druid, not wanting to be left behind as he strode rapidly across the basement floor and over to the opposite wall.

To my eyes, it was completely bare, but he placed his hand on a set of bricks, pushing against them. I heard a click, followed by a mechanical whir, and the wall started to part, opening up into another room.

My eyes widened in amazement as I observed its contents. It was windowless, but lights hung from the walls, making it slightly brighter than anywhere else in the house. It appeared to be some kind of laboratory; copper tables were laid out, covered with beakers and old-fashioned scientific instruments. There were quite a few potted plants and jars of herbs and other unidentifiable objects lined up against the sides of the room. In the center was a pile of ordinary-looking rocks, with a single, high flame blazing out of them steadily. I couldn’t see how the flame was being maintained; it didn’t look like there was anything to burn, but the flame didn’t even flicker, remaining perfectly constant as if it had an unlimited supply of fuel.

“The moment you crossed into Eritopia, the protective mists that surround this galaxy caused you to cease to exist anywhere but here.”

I turned to the Druid, confused by his statement. It was the first time he’d spoken since we left his room.

“I don’t understand,” I replied. “What mists? What do you mean we ceased to exist?”

“This land, all of the stars and planets within the region of Eritopia, are guarded by the Daughters – a group of creatures born for the sole purpose of protecting the way of life here. It is they who create the illusion—or magic, whatever you wish to call it,” he replied. “It was once used to protect us all, to ensure that Eritopia remained hidden from others. Now it is used to protect others, to ensure they do not come seeking this land and the evil it holds.”

“But what do you mean we don’t exist anywhere else?” I asked, furrowing my brow and wondering which one of us was being dense. “Obviously we don’t exist anywhere else…we’re here.”

“Let me show you,” he replied.

He reached out his hand and waved it across the center of the flame. He didn’t wince as the fire engulfed his skin, and after a few moments he removed it, unharmed. The flame started to widen, and dark shapes danced about in its center. I peered more closely, watching the shapes take form.

“It’s the fire star,” I breathed, recognizing the scene that the flame had produced. I saw the front of Sherus’s palace, the neat lawns and stone sculptures that decorated the entrance to the fae’s home. It was daylight. The debris of the party had been removed completely, and only some of the floral arrangements I dimly remembered from that night remained.

There were four figures standing on the terrace in front of the main door. I recognized Sherus, Nuriya—who was holding their baby boy—and Grace and Lawrence. Nuriya passed the child to Grace, who held it gingerly in her hands, her face lighting up as she peered down at the baby, murmuring soft coos at him and then laughing as the child grabbed her finger. Grace turned to Lawrence, and I could hear their voices as clearly as if they were standing in the room next to us.

“I can’t wait to have one of our own,” Grace said, smiling at her husband.

“Then let’s not wait,” Lawrence replied, his eyes serious and tender as he looked at his wife.

They were interrupted by Bastien and Victoria coming out of the palace, both carrying their overnight bags. They stopped to talk to the others, but I could hardly hear a word they were saying. It felt like my blood was rushing around my head so fast I’d almost gone deaf to everything apart from the panicked voice in my head that finally understood what the Druid had been trying to say.

We don’t exist.

I watched as all four of them were waved off by Sherus and Nuriya, moving toward Corrine and Ibrahim, who were waiting for them, presumably to take them back to The Shade. Not one of them had mentioned us, or even stopped for a moment to look around. The Hawk brothers messed around, all looking a bit worse for wear after their night of indulgence…but they all happily strolled toward the witch and warlock, with no mention of Field.

The vision vanished, leaving only the flame, still burning brightly in the middle of the room.

“What have you done?” I gasped, turning to the Druid in horror.

“What I needed to do to keep your brother and friends safe.”

I shook my head, not wanting to believe what I’d just seen. Maybe it was all a trick. Why would I trust some magic flame to show me the truth? The Druid could have manipulated the images and the voices, couldn’t he? He’d mentioned illusions before…maybe this was a trick he was playing to keep us subservient so that we didn’t go running off into the jungle and spoil his master plan.