Page 152 of Kingdom of Chaos
I glance around, taking it all in. The crumpled body of Kerrim lying motionless nearby, the shattered remnants of Shadow Striker lying in the grass, gleaming faintly in the moonlight, and the strange, skeletal figure still slumped on the ground, barely breathing.
“I . . . I think so,” I say, my voice raw.
Becks follows my gaze to the prone figure. “Who is that?” he asks.
I swallow hard, the memory of the black smoke pouring out of Shadow Striker flashing in my mind.
“After Kerrim died the blade cracked, then shattered. There was an explosion of black smoke and, it felt wrong. Like it had been trapped in the blade,” I say, feeling a little silly voicing something so out there. “And then he appeared.” I nod toward the figure. “I don’t know who he is.”
Imogen’s eyes narrow, her posture tense as she takes a step closer, scrutinizing the gaunt, pale figure. “That’s no ordinary creature.” Her gaze sharpens, a glint of realization flashing in her eyes. “If I had to guess, that’s the Vampire King. The first one. Shadow Striker’s first wielder.”
A stunned silence settles over the group, broken only by the distant shouts of the retreating Order forces.
“Is that even possible?” I ask. “He would be over two thousand years old.”
Kade looks thoughtful. “No one ever knew what happened to the first Vampire King. He was never seen after his lovesacrificed herself. The assumption was that he went off on his own in his grief, but what if he’s been somehow trapped in that blade ever since then?”
The thought of that sends a cold chill through me. To have been trapped for that long . . . a mind would break under those conditions. Even the strongest one.
“Tonight’s been long enough. We can take him back to headquarters and get answers later,” Kade says.
There’s a round of nods of agreement. Kade asks Becks to help him get the figure upright, but before they even reach him, Talon staggers beside me, a low groan tearing from his throat. His grip on my arm slips and I spin toward him in alarm. The silver and gold threads flare back to life, weaving through the air between us, and a sharp, gut-wrenching ache twists in my chest.
“Talon!” I cry, catching him as he collapses to his knees. His skin is pale, almost ashen; his breath comes in ragged gasps.
The threads shimmer and pulse, and I know in my gut what’s happening.
“No. No, no, no,” I whisper, panic surging as I drop to my knees beside him.
My hands shake as I reach for him, but I don’t know how to stop it. It’s starting all over again, just like the first time the dagger bonded to me, just like I feared when I was being healed. I’m stealing his life away.
The others rush forward, but I barely hear them over the roar of blood in my ears. All I can see is Talon slipping away right in front of me.
“Quick!” Imogen snaps. “Find all the pieces of the dagger.”
“What? Why?” I ask, my head snapping toward her as she digs through the grass, searching for Shadow Striker’s shards.
Becks and Kade join her without asking why, and together they start gathering the sharp pieces. Even Ensley helps Titus to the ground and starts looking.
“We need to use it to create a portal and get you back to the creature world,” she says without looking up.
Talon shudders in my arms, a low groan escaping him. When I look down, his skin has gone gray and clammy. His breathing is ragged, his body trembling so hard I can barely hold him.
“I knew this would happen,” Imogen snaps. “Itoldhim.”
“Told him what?” I yell back, terrified as I feel Talon slipping away in my arms.
She pauses, glancing at me with a gaze full of fury. “You’re still tethered from when you first bonded with the blade. Separating Talon from the blade is what saved his life before, but there was always a risk that coming here, with you, would reopen that connection. It’s been killing him slowly since the moment he arrived in this world. Saving your life sped it up and may have just sealed his fate.”
I shake my head in denial. No. That can’t be true. I don’t want to believe it.
“But the blade is destroyed,” I say, still not understanding.
“But the connection between you twoisn’t. The magic is still trying to complete the transfer. Every time your magic connected, it was a risk to his life. The only way to stop it is to sever the connection between you.”
“How are we going to do that?” I ask, desperate.
“Shadow Striker created a portal here. You’re going to use what’s left of it to open a portal home. And then you’re going to go there, and Talon is going to stay here.”
