A Shade of Vampire 41: A Tide of War(48)

My only concern now was how long the witch could hold her elemental control.

“Dad!” Arwen cried out, as the warlock appeared in the emergency boat next to her. She didn’t break her hold over the water, but grinned broadly as her father looked up at the whirlpool in amazement and gave her a nod of approval.

“I need to take you to the In-Between,” Ibrahim called out. “The rest are already there. We found Jenus.”

Finally.

We jumped boats, moving closer to the warlock.

“Are you going to be okay on your own?” I asked Arwen, worried about leaving the young witch in control.

“Yeah, it’s fine. I’ve got the sentries as well,” she added, glancing up to the bridge.

“Okay,” I replied, squeezing the girl’s arm in gratitude.

I turned to Ibrahim.

“We’re ready.”





Sherus





It was good to be home. The moment we exited the swirling portal walls and stepped out into the peaceful expanse of the In-Between, my heart leapt. The great void of stars and eternal night was just as it should have been—I could see the planets of the fae glowing brightly in the distance, and the red hue of my own home beckoning to me. As much as I feared what might be following us—or might have already arrived—I couldn’t help but feel a certain amount of pride to be welcoming Queen Nuriya to my home. I wanted her to witness the splendor of the fae—the beauty of my planet with its red rivers, its glowing stones that matched the colors of her eyes.

“Not long now, brother.” Lidera smiled at me as we transported the rest of the team toward the fire planet. The sentries muttered at the back of the line, all fearful of the wide expanse of space, but they had enough sense not to break the chain. I had to admit, the deafening silence still took some getting used to.

I sped up our passage, and a few moments later we were standing in the courtyard of my palace, the ice fires dancing merrily from their fountains and a few soldiers and guards going about their business as usual. As they saw us, each and every one of them bent low in greeting.

“I think we might’ve pre-empted the arrival of the shadow,” Ben murmured to me as I ushered my subjects to rise. I agreed—certainly there didn’t seem to be anything amiss here.

“Let’s not be too hasty,” Queen Nuriya added. “Something doesn’t feel right—it’s too quiet.”

She was right. It felt like the kingdom had taken a collective inhale of breath—that the entire planet was in mid-motion, paused as it waited for something to happen.

The danger came so quietly and calmly, we were in the thick of it before I had time to realize what had actually happened.

One moment I was looking around, trying to put my finger on the source of the disease, the next Jenus ambled toward us from the doors of the palace, a smile across his face, his posture relaxed and open, as if he were greeting old friends.

“Stand back!” Ben ordered.

We froze, waiting to see what Jenus would do next. For once the wretched creature was clean, and elaborately dressed in fae clothing. He must have been here for a while, making himself at home in my chambers. Why had no one stopped him? Guards were ambling about everywhere, but they almost seemed completely oblivious to him.

“What have you done to them?” I growled.

Nothing, king of fae. I informed them we were old friends—I can be very persuasive, you know.

I felt sickened. He’d obviously manipulated my men into letting him in the palace. I couldn’t imagine what kind of devastation he would have left in his wake within the walls of my home.

“Airos is in there,” Lidera gasped, referring to her favored man-servant. She went to move forward but I held her back. She struggled in my arms, tears pouring down her face. I didn’t let go. I could practically smell death leaking out of the doors behind Jenus.

Jenus watched us struggle, smiling to himself.

“Ibrahim, you know what to do,” Ben murmured to the warlock. A moment later the man vanished—on his way to fetch the others. I hoped that he would return in time. Jenus was like a cobra, his deadly calm evidence of the vicious strike that would shortly follow.

“Why here?” I asked, unable to help myself. “Why are you so bent on destroying the land of the fae? What is it to you?”

It was this aspect of the entity that puzzled me most. A creature who had resided in Nevertide since the dawn of time, fixated on the In-Between—it was strange. How had the two dimensions ever collided? I had never heard of Nevertide until recently, and its distance from our lands made it seem illogical that the entity would choose this as the location to wreak its revenge.