“Thank you, boy,” I said, scratching his ear as I pulled my feet out from beneath the corpse. I wiped the blood from my hands on the grass and walked over to Derek.
“Good job,” he said, a hint of amusement creeping over his face. “I still haven’t gotten used to you being a vampire.”
“Well, start getting used to it.” The idea of finding a cure for myself still seemed far off.
We walked back toward the humans and spotted Ibrahim emerging from the woods, several witches by his side. They dispersed into the crowd and started attending to the sick. Wiping the sweat from his brow, Derek looked at them with gratitude. We walked over to Ibrahim and Derek asked, “Why are you doing this? What has helping us got to do with your council’s orders?”
“Not a lot, I’m afraid,” Ibrahim sighed. “But not all of us agree with the Ageless and the council’s way of doing things any more. And besides, we’re following all their major orders. They’re not here to see us helping the weak and elderly, so why not use our skills to do something good for a change?”
Derek seemed speechless. “So you’re going against your council’s orders by offering medical assistance?”
“Let’s just say that it wasn’t specified in the job description.”
“So you’re not all as heartless as I thought.”
“I’m not completely devoid of self-interest. I… I’m not sure that Corrine would ever forgive me if I didn’t do all within my power to help you in this hour of need… and I very much seek her approval of me.” Ibrahim blushed slightly.
“Well”—Derek cleared his throat—“whatever your motivation, thank you for your assistance.”
“I’m sure you’d agree it’s the least we can do,” Ibrahim replied.
“But now, tell me what’s the deal. You’ve helped wipe out the gates to Cruor and Aviary. The Elders and Hawks are no longer in this realm.” Derek looked him dead in the eye. “I’ve been kept in the dark long enough. What was the witch talking about? What concession? And what does your kind have in store for us next?”
Ibrahim put an arm around Derek’s shoulder and started speaking in a quieter tone of voice. “See, that’s the thing, Derek,” he said. “We haven’t ruined all the gates yet.”
My gut clenched.
“What? Oh, no. You’re saying that the Elders and Hawks have more than three gates each?”
“No,” Ibrahim said. “That’s not what I’m saying. I’m saying that one of the six gates hasn’t been obliterated yet. A gate still exists in Headquarters.”
Chapter 33: Derek
“What? No, Ibrahim. You don’t know what you’re talking about. I saw the Ageless…” I stuttered.
“Ah, but did you see?” Ibrahim interrupted. “Because it looked to me like you walked out of that chamber before you actually saw the Ageless eliminate the gate.”
“Huh?”
“I witnessed the scene back at Headquarters, Derek. I arrived shortly after the Elder was expelled from Sofia’s body. You just didn’t notice me watching from the shadows. But I saw it all… the despair in your eyes when you begged the Ageless for a chance to search for your son.”
His words knocked the wind right out of me. My mouth opened and closed. Sofia grasped my arm, a similar expression on her pale face.
“I know how much family means to you,” Ibrahim continued. “Hell, I hope to have my own family one day. I knew what you must have been feeling when the witch refused to allow you enough time to pursue the only clue you have about your baby’s whereabouts. Also… your little Rose… I’ll admit that she’s grown on me during the time I’ve spent watching over her. I’d hate to see her grow up without her brother.”
“So you…”
“Yes,” Ibrahim said. “Before the Ageless could finish her spell and seal the gate forever, I persuaded her to reconsider her stance. We are blood relations and my words mean something to her, even despite the influence the council has on her. I told her that if she wanted my continued cooperation, something she does place value in, then she would strike a deal with me: keep the last gate open until you helped me destroy the final gate to Cruor, and then allow you a maximum of twelve hours to go through and search for your family. I arranged for five witches to stand by the gate to make sure no Hawks come back through into this realm in the meantime.”
“And now…”
“Despite what I have said, it is imperative that you understand the risks, Derek. Don’t let your emotions cloud your judgment. The odds of you being successful, or even surviving the visit, are very, very slim. Neither I nor any of the witches can accompany you; our powers are futile in Aviary. The same goes for your fire. You will have no power once you are there. There’s only a very rare kind of witch whose powers work in Aviary, and we don’t have access to any such person. So you will be all alone.” Ibrahim’s eyes bored into mine. “I want Rose’s brother back, but I also don’t want her to lose her father. Consider your next move wisely. I’ll give you an hour to make your decision. If you decide to take up the risk, we’ll leave for Headquarters together. But if, however, you decide to forego the risk, I’ll return to Headquarters alone and destroy the gate. The patience of the Ageless wears thin.”
With that, Ibrahim turned on his heels and made his way back toward the direction of the witch’s temple.
Sofia and I stared blankly at each other for several minutes. Eventually it was Sofia who broke the silence.
“Derek,” she croaked, “what confuses me is that we keep imagining our son being in Aviary, but it makes no sense. How on earth would he have gotten there? We seem to be forgetting that it was Kiev who kidnapped him. Not one of the Hawks. Our hunt for him there could turn out to be some wild goose chase.”
“I know. I know. But it’s all we have. Also we do know that your father is there, along with Ian, Anna and Kyle.”
“Barely a moment has passed that I don’t think of them. But if we’re considering this—undertaking this gargantuan task within the span of twelve hours—we need to be laser-focused on who our actual target is. We may not have time to look for everyone…” Her voice broke off.
“I know. I know.” I rubbed my fingers over my eyes, wondering if I was mad to even consider doing this. “I don’t know why you keep saying ‘we’, Sofia. There will be no ‘we’. Only myself. We can’t run the risk of Rose losing both of her parents in one fell swoop.”
“No.” Sofia started shaking. “I can’t let you do this alone. You will have no powers there. No chance of surviving even a minor attack. At least I’ll have my fangs and claws. If you decide to do this, I’m coming with you.”
“But Rose! We can’t…”
“And I can’t let you go alone. The chances of you surviving on your own are probably half of what they would be if I accompanied you. You going alone risks your life and that of our son… if we really think he’s there somewhere. Rose is safe with Corrine and Ibrahim.”
My mind was so jumbled I didn’t know what to think anymore. I leaned against a rock and slid down to the floor, placing my head against my knees. Sofia slid down next to me.
I was aware of the minutes passing by. Our hour would soon be up.
“I don’t know that I could stand living such a life of regret. If we let the gate disappear… knowing it could have been in my power to save my father or son…” Sofia murmured. “The thought of risking Rose growing up without us slices my heart in two. But I know Corrine and Ibrahim would be good parents to her. Corrine’s already become more of a mother to her than I am.”
I wrapped my arms around Sofia and pulled her close to me, staring intensely into her green eyes that were several shades more vibrant now that she was a vampire. Do we really want to take this risk, Sofia? What if only one of us survived? What if I lost you? I’d already experienced losing Sofia more than my fair share of times and it was an experience I had no desire to repeat.
Suddenly her face lit up. “What if Ibrahim put a spell on us before we went through the ga
te? What if he gave us the appearance of Hawks? Surely that would lessen our risk?”
“What if the spell wore off the moment we entered Aviary? He already said his powers aren’t effective there.”
Sofia caught hold of my hand and pulled me up. She tugged on me to start following her away from the clearing and back through the woods. We didn’t stop until we’d reached the temple where Ibrahim sat alone in the moonlight by the fountain.
“If you put a spell on us before we entered the gate and made us look like Hawks, would it last once we reached Aviary?”
Ibrahim raised his eyebrows, and then frowned. “If we cast the spell before you entered the gate, then in theory our magic should remain intact at least for a few hours. I say in theory because we’ve never tried such an experiment. Worst-case scenario, you’d risk your disguise rubbing off before you managed to complete your mission.”
Sofia looked up at me, eyes blazing. “Well, we’d be better off with that. We could better hide ourselves and even be stronger, and we’d have the advantage of flight…”
“No, you wouldn’t,” Ibrahim said. “We can give you the appearance of a Hawk. But we’re not skilled enough to give you the strength and powers of a Hawk. Our spell would be useful for disguise purposes only.”
“Well, we’d still be better off. If the spell lasted long enough, nobody would know we weren’t Hawks.”
A silence followed for at least several more minutes as we considered Sofia’s proposal.
“Are you sure about this? You’ve considered that we may…” I said.
“Yes. I’ve considered all sides of this situation. I won’t be able to live with myself if we don’t at least try. At least the risks aren’t as high if Ibrahim puts this camouflage spell on us.”
Ibrahim raised his eyebrow again at this last assumption of Sofia’s, but he remained silent, allowing us to come to our final decision without his influence.
“We could give ourselves four hours,” she continued, “four hours to get at least a hint of where our son or Aiden or Ian, Anna and Kyle could be situated. If we’ve had not even the faintest hint where to even start looking after four hours, we’ll consider returning back through the gate. I-I just can’t sit here and not at least try to do something, Derek!”
I looked across the courtyard, now completely cleared of bodies. There was no sign of Ashley or what had become of her. Vivienne lurked around the entrance of the temple. Her shoulders sagged as she looked around. To my dismay, she caught my eye and cocked her head in question. I didn’t want her knowing what we were about to do. She had enough troubles to bear as it was. Knowing that she might be about to lose the last close member of her family, her twin brother, was too much for me to inflict on her.
So I just gazed back at her silently, trying to keep my expression blank. Although as my twin, she could probably feel my anguish bubbling up within her own stomach. She would know something was wrong, just not what.
“All right,” I muttered beneath my breath. “Let’s try.”
The moment I said the words and Sofia nodded her head in agreement, Ibrahim’s hand clamped on my shoulder. Then Vivienne’s form along with the rest of The Shade vanished into a blur of colors.
Chapter 34: Sofia
Back in the circular chamber at Headquarters, Ibrahim and three other witches stood around Derek and I. The others had agreed to join in on a spell in an attempt to make our camouflage last longer.
“Close your eyes,” Ibrahim said.
We did as we were told and Derek’s hand clasped mine. And then their chant started. Softly at first, but gradually growing louder and louder, words I could not recognize, but that sounded precise and sharp nonetheless, some powerful ancient tongue.
I expected pain as my physical features transformed. But I felt nothing. And when the ritual came to an end, I wondered if they’d failed.
But then I let go of Derek’s hand and placed both hands on my face. Sure enough, where my nose and mouth had been was a sharp bump. The shape of a beak. Tough leathery wings had sprouted just beneath my shoulder blades. I turned to look at Derek and despite the situation almost laughed. He too had transformed into an overgrown bird.
We cast our eyes down into the starry abyss, the pale blue whirling substance forming the walls of the tunnel.
“So now we just… jump?” Derek asked.
“Yes. This will lead you directly to Aviary. You’d better hope no Hawks are watching this gate at the other end. If there are, I suggest you jump right back through again.”
Derek and I exchanged nervous glances.
“And remember… I can’t promise you I’ll be able to keep this open more than twelve hours. I will do my best, but if the Ageless enforces her will, there’s not much I can do. Just make sure you’re back within plenty of time.”
Derek took a deep breath and jumped first. His body shot downward through the tunnel and disappeared from sight. Fastening my hair in a bun, I took the leap myself.
As soon as I fell, the suction swallowed me down. I was travelling at such a speed that everything was a haze. I could barely breathe and my heartbeat tripled its pace.
Just as it felt like I was about to pass out, the tunnel came to an abrupt end and I was thrown upward, landing on a bed of leaves. Rubbing my head, I dared to open my eyes. The sweltering heat settled over my skin. The sticky, humid atmosphere did nothing to help me catch my breath. I’d landed a few feet away from Derek. We didn’t have much time to gather our wits about us. Our first priority was to make sure that we were alone.
Derek crept through the undergrowth and ducked down next to me. We were sitting in some kind of jungle. Brightly colored insects the size of bats buzzed around us. The chattering and cawing of exotic birds filled the atmosphere. The air smelled of rich pollen. And it was strangely dark. I looked up to see a dense canopy of sharp-edged leaves.
Beads of sweat were already breaking out on my forehead.
“What is this place?” I breathed out.
Derek was still looking around us. “We’re alone.” He lifted himself up from our hiding place, standing on his tiptoes. “Too bad these wings are useless,” he said. “I have no idea which direction we should even start heading for. And we can’t afford to waste any time.”
I joined him in standing up and looked around. We could barely see twenty meters; the jungle vegetation was dense and the patches of fog didn’t help either.
“Well, let’s first get away from this gate. It’s not a good idea to hang around here. I’m shocked it wasn’t guarded in the first place,” I muttered. “Let’s try climbing to the top of a tree to see if we can get a better idea of where we should be headed.”
Derek caught my hand and we began walking toward a tree with low-hanging branches. He grabbed hold of one and hauled himself up, then extended his hand. I refused his help. I had enough strength to do my own climbing.
As we ascended one close-knit layer of leaves at a time, careful not to lose our footing on the moist bark, it was becoming lighter and lighter. The air also felt more oxygenated; I was beginning to breathe more freely.
Then a moss-covered tree branch began moving. It was a colossal snake, heavier than any I’d ever seen in my life. I nearly screamed as it lifted its head and began hissing at me. Derek, who had already climbed up to a branch just above me, reached down and yanked me up. We quickened our climbing, hoping the snake wouldn’t follow us. I tried to ignore the spiders twice the width of my hand that scuttled along the branches inches away from my feet, and the shiny foot-long centipedes. It was starting to feel like we’d never reach the top when I heard voices overhead.
Derek and I froze.
A figure dropped down through the layer of leaves above us and balanced himself on the same long branch we were perched on. A male Hawk.
His beak opened in surprise, then he squinted his eyes at us. “What are you doing down here in the Lower Layers? Didn’t you hear that orders are for all able Hawks in this quarter to ga
ther in the Battalion for briefings?”
“Briefings…” I said, as though I had any clue what he was talking about. “Yes, of course we heard. How could we not? We’re on our way. We were just…” My mind worked furiously trying to concoct some excuse a Hawk might come up with.
Luckily the Hawk was too impatient to hear me out, thus saving me from myself.
“Spare me your excuses and just get a move on!” he growled.
Then he took a leap further downward and disappeared through the canopy of leaves beneath us. Derek breathed out in relief and we continued our climb upward.
Sounds of a civilization started trickling down through the leaves: the distant chattering of hundreds of people all at once, ropes creaking, feet thudding against wood, doors slamming, water splashing. The sounds were getting closer and closer until eventually we poked our heads through a final layer of leaves.
My breath hitched and Derek also inhaled sharply as we gazed around.
“Whoa,” I whispered.
By the looks of it, we had climbed up only about a third of the tree. The giant leaves had been stripped away from the trees to create an open space, open enough to build wooden constructions around the tree trunks, interconnected by bridges and walkways. The trunks were now bare from the point we were standing for about three hundred feet upward, where the leaves began again, creating an enclosed area for this wondrous city and forming a ceiling that protected it from the direct heat of the sun.
As for the width of this place, I couldn’t begin to estimate. The clusters of magnificent architecture—tree houses small and large, round and square—stretched out for as far as I could see.
A true city in the trees. The Shade has nothing on this.
Dozens of humans walked along various bridges and walkways. But I was struck by the lack of Hawks.
I was about to hoist myself up onto the bridge about five feet above us, but Derek held me back.