A Shade of Vampire 88: An Isle of Mirrors by Forrest Bella

Author:Forrest, Bella
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Nightlight Press
Published: 2020-04-24T16:00:00+00:00

Tristan

“What is the extent of a soul fae’s abilities?” I asked. “I know they have the Spirit Bender’s powers, but—”

“Oh, no—they’re more than that,” Joy said. “The soul that was used as a matrix for him was one of the weakest. Frankly, I think Death also watered his formula down considerably. Remember, Spirit had to cut you with his scythe for his influence to work.”

She was right. We’d already noticed that particular aspect. Unending and I exchanged nervous glances while Loren and Sissa watched us with genuine curiosity. Everything we’d been discussing with Joy up to this point probably sounded like gibberish to them, since they’d lived in complete isolation, having met no other Reaper besides their guardian. And Joy kept her cards close to her chest.

“Sissa, tell them what you can do. Actually, no. Show them,” Joy told the young princess, who straightened her back and shifted so she could sit cross-legged. “Spare no boundary whatsoever.”

I held my breath for a moment as Sissa set her sights on me. “No holds barred?”

“None,” Joy insisted.

“Is it an overreaction on my part to admit I’m a little uneasy about this?” I asked, chuckling nervously. I had plenty to hide, and I didn’t want Sissa to dig around in my head. Unending wasn’t sure how much her mentally protective magic could push back without arousing suspicion from these creatures, since obviously we knew less about them than we’d originally thought.

“Deep breath, my love,” Unending said through our telepathic connection. “Don’t give them reason to poke around where they’re not supposed to.”

“I mean, not that I have anything to hide, but… I managed to elude the Spirit Bender’s manipulation. Losing control over myself honestly terrifies me,” I added aloud, making Loren laugh lightly.

“Worry not, young man,” he said. “Sissa would never be intrusive or disrespectful. It’s not our ethos.”

All I could do was hope for the best. Sissa’s eyes glimmered gold while looking at me, and I felt something tickling my skin. It covered my entire body, seeping through the flesh and deep into the bone. I couldn’t fight it. The force was too strong and dominant, unwilling to yield or soften its hold on me. My soul was in the palm of Sissa’s hand, and she started to squeeze—slowly, at first. Just enough to make me gasp as I realized I was no longer in charge of myself.

“Tell me your biggest fear,” she demanded, and I was unable to ignore this request. The compulsion was like a tidal wave crashing into me, dismantling each of my defenses. I noticed that giving in was much easier than resisting as far as the soul fae’s power was concerned. It hurt less.

“My biggest fear…” I managed. “Is that I’ll wake up one day, and Unending will be gone.” I was honest. Losing my beloved was what scared me the most. We’d become so close, so deeply bonded over the course of twenty years, that an existence without her seemed impossible. Unthinkable. A true hell on earth.

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