Does she smile at him like she does me? Do they talk about the same things?
After the battle, I looked at her wondering whom it was she was gearing more toward. It was hard to tell, considering how it seemed she was a bit more of herself – compassionate, wanting to help and comfort and heal wherever it was needed.
“What just happened?” Ian asked the question that was most likely going through all of the warriors’ minds.
“I have no clue.” I shook my head at Ian before pulling out the stake on my shoulder, noticing how Anna winced on my behalf, knowing how painful it was. “I’m fine, Anna,” I assured her before looking around.
My breath hitched when I saw Ashley walking towards us. She was the only member of my clan, the only vampire I’d ever sired and that gave us a connection that made my heart go out to her. She looked so tired and distraught even as the wounds in her body were beginning to heal.
“Have you seen Sam?” she asked me the moment she was within earshot.
I shook my head. I was about to ask her if she was alright, but based on the tears streaming down her face, it was clear that she was not.
“Hey…” I tried to soothe her, reaching out both hands. She immediately fell to my embrace and sobbed on my chest as I brushed my fingers through her blonde hair.
“Everything’s destroyed…” she choked.
I gulped, knowing that the task of rebuilding The Shade was immense. I wanted to reassure her, but I couldn’t find the words to do so. I didn’t even know how to assure myself. So how was I going to offer it?
Question after question were running through my mind. What happened? What’s going to happen? What are we going to do now? I quickly scoped our surroundings and found familiar faces sorting through the rubble. Xavier took one look around, tightened his jaw, and clenched his fists, before rushing off to the direction of the Pavilion – most likely to check on Vivienne. Yuri was kissing Claudia and whispering words of reassurance into her ear. Cameron and Liana were staring at each other from a distance as they both just went through the lifeless bodies of vampires – from the enemy’s side and ours – and humans. On the far horizon, coming from the direction of The Sanctuary, I caught a glimpse of Sam rushing towards us.
“Hey, Ash…” I whispered to the girl who was the closest thing I had to family in The Shade, “It’s Sam. He’s coming.”
Ashley pulled away from me and turned her eyes to the direction I pointed to. Within minutes, she was in Sam’s arms. I then turned back to find Ian and Anna still standing behind me, looking at the chaos surrounding us.
“I wonder where Sofia is,” Ian muttered. “She would have an idea about what just went on.”
“She’s at The Sanctuary with Derek and Emilia,” Sam told us, before filling us in on what he knew. “Corrine doesn’t have her powers,” he finally concluded. “She can’t even get into The Sanctuary. Emilia has put some sort of force field around it. Vivienne is still asleep and Aiden has lost ground with the hunters. They’re gearing up for an attack.”
I swallowed hard, letting the implication of everything he just said sink in. The horrors of the first years I lived as a vampire before finally finding The Shade began to come back to me. Always running, always seeking out a shadow or a dark place that would keep out the sun… always at the threat of getting murdered or caught by hunters…
“What do you mean Corrine doesn’t have her powers?” Ashley voiced out. “What about the spell protecting the island?”
Sam shook his head. “Gone.”
“That means that the sun is going to rise…” I asked.
Sam shrugged. “Not unless Sofia and Derek find a way to talk Emilia into stopping all this chaos. Perhaps the retreat of the attackers has something to do with…”
Sofia emerged from the woods – coming from the direction of The Sanctuary. It was clear from the glistening in her eyes that she’d been crying. I feared the worst for her and Derek.
All eyes of those present began to turn toward her. We began to gather around her and patiently waited for her to speak up.
Sofia’s eyes were downcast as she spoke. She was clearly shaken based on the way her shoulders were trembling. “The protective spell upon The Shade is back up,” she announced. Murmurs echoed through the crowd gathering around her, especially amongst those who didn’t know that it was gone to begin with. “We are safe from further attack for the next week or so. Emilia has placed a force field around The Shade in order to keep us safe.”
“Why would she do that?” Yuri couldn’t keep himself from asking.
Sofia just gave him a weak smile before looking back down and reciting her speech. “Corrine is back in control of The Sanctuary. She has regained her powers.”
“Why are you the one telling us this?” a random voice among the crowd asked. “Where is Derek? Where is our king?”
At this, Sofia tried to hold back her tears, but she managed to compose herself like the queen we always believed she would eventually be. “Derek will not be on the island for a week. Emilia stopped the war, restored the spell, put up the force field, gave Corrine back her powers and once again awakened Vivienne in exchange for one week with Derek. He has to spend one week at the original vampire’s castle.”
“Why?” Cameron and Liana asked in unison, concern on their faces.
Sofia shrugged. “I don’t know.”
Before anyone else could ask a question, a scream came from the back of the crowd. “The sun! It’s rising!”
I spun around and sure enough, the sun was rising for the first time in hundreds of years in The Shade.
“I thought you said the protective spell was back up?!” someone cried out at Sofia, who was looking at the horizon with pure shock. She clearly had no idea what was going on.
Panic ensued before Cameron finally got a lead on everything and instructed us all to go to The Catacombs. I rushed toward Anna and Ian who both just coaxed me to rush off to The Catacombs before the rays of the sun could reach me.
I was about to do just that when I turned to find Sofia collapsing to the ground. I couldn’t understand what was happening, but I knew that the battle was far from over. Whoever Emilia was, she still seemed to have control over The Shade.
Chapter 24: Derek
The moment our deal was struck, all it took was a snap of Emilia’s fingers before I was no longer in The Shade and we were both inside what I assumed was her chambers.