A Rip of Realms (A Shade of Vampire #39)(53)

“Are we ready?” my father asked, glancing around him one last time at the members of GASP who were assembled. It was a huge operation: Caleb and I, my mom, Ashley and Landis, Claudia and Yuri all standing closest to the portal, with the witches, jinn, fae, werewolves and other vampires closely behind. The dragons hovered above the portal, waiting for my father to give the signal to go down. We all nodded.

My father went first, followed by my mother, Mona, Kiev and then Caleb and I.

The blue mists spun around us, fast, blocking the light that I had seen emanating from the dimension we were traveling to. The portal started to get darker—the blue mists turned a dark navy, and then a charcoal black…

“What’s happening?” I called out, hoping Mona could hear me.

I started to hear the sound of ragged breathing. At first I thought it was coming from me, that I was starting to get frightened, but then I realized it seemed to be coming from inside my head, then all around me, till I was hardly aware of anything apart from the deep, laborious sounds of breath.

What is that?

The walls of the portal started to shake. I felt Caleb’s hand grab mine. Something was horribly wrong.

In the next moment, I heard a voice. As clear as day, as if, like the breathing, it was coming from inside my own head.

Welcome, the voice whispered, cloying and soft. I have waited an eternity for this day to arrive. That you will be here to witness my rise, foolish fae king, means more to me than you could possibly know…

I tried to spin around in the weightless mist, seeking Sherus out, but he was nowhere to be seen—there were too many of us hurtling down the portal. What I did understand, from the flickers of the shocked faces of GASP, was that the voice had not just been in my own head…everyone else had heard it too.

Fool king, you have brought your own visions to life. Soon my imprisoned children will be released, in this dimension, in your dimension, and on Earth. We will reign with terror you don’t yet comprehend, with the ruthlessness of the darkest souls, the glory of what is most corrupt. Prepare for anarchy, for bloodshed, for the tears of your children, your children’s children and every generation of the fae until your species is eradicated from the annals of time.

The voice faded away; the portal lightened back to the bluish swirls and stopped shaking. I looked around me wildly, this time searching for my father. His hand was clasped tightly to my mother’s, and when our eyes met, his flashed in a silent warning. He was unnerved—but it wasn’t going to stop him reaching the other side of the portal. He wouldn’t turn back. Novaks never did.





Hazel





As the earthquake continued to rip and shudder through Nevertide, we stood against the wall of the cliff, all eyes on Tejus as we waited for his command.

“They’re opening the portal using the children—we need to break the focus of the Acolytes. Ragnhild, take the guards and attack them from behind. Do whatever you deem necessary to break their trance.”

Ragnhild nodded solemnly, removing his broadsword from its sheath. Tejus turned to the ministers, who were staring wide-eyed at the children slowly circling the ocean.

“Catch the children when they fall—they’ve been drained completely, if they fall into the water they won’t come out alive.”

“We risk being seen by Queen Trina,” one of them mumbled, and I frowned briefly at the typical lack of ministerial courage, or willingness to take any kind of action that might endanger themselves. Obviously, the queen was dangerous, but the whole of Nevertide was at stake here!

“Leave Queen Trina to me,” Tejus replied curtly.

“Shouldn’t we wait for the rest of the army?” the minister asked again, then quailed under both Tejus’s and Ash’s glares.

“We don’t have time,” Tejus snapped. “The rest of you, guard the periphery of the cove; I don’t want any of the Acolytes escaping.”

I glanced over at Ruby, taking a deep breath. Her blue eyes calmly met mine, reminding me of the day I had seen her in the trial arena, when I’d thought she was already safe at home. Maybe today we’d get that chance again. We were ready.

She took Benedict’s hand, and we fanned out slowly, careful not to make a sound, surrounding the cove. I prepared myself mentally for my own task, one that Tejus wouldn’t be pleased with, but I would do anyway. If any of the Acolytes managed to escape, I wanted to be ready to throw out a protective barrier toward Ruby and Benedict, stopping them from coming to any harm. They were my priority. Julian would be arriving with the second wave of the army, and I was grateful—he’d be in less danger that way.

I turned my attention to Tejus. He and Ash stood at the front of an arrow-shaped formation of guards and ministers, ready to attack. Tejus was crouched low, waiting to hurl himself forward when the time was right. He reminded me of a black panther, coiled before leaping to attack its prey. His face was set in a snarl, his gaunt, rugged looks making him appear dark and deadly—once again reminding me of a creature more animal than man.

Ash and Tejus lunged forward, running toward the chanting Acolytes, leading their men. Tejus drew a sword from his back, lifting it up in the air and then bringing it down with a single, elegant swipe. It sliced through the neck of the nearest Acolyte, sending his head flying in an arc through the gray sky.

The fight had begun.