Page 28

28

DANTE

In a flash of magick that burns my retinas, Luke and Felix have hauled us all, Gaida included, back into Luke’s destroyed office. With a rough shove, Luke sends me through the magickal door that is somehow still hovering in the middle of the chaos, followed by Felix as we plummet into pitch darkness and then crash to the ground, what feels like a million miles under the earth.

Wheezing as I turn onto my back, I look up and groan. “Oh, for fuck’s sake. Are we in the underground chambers?”

“Looks like it,” Felix grumbles. “There was an easier access point than this.”

“Not the same,” Luke says, appearing by our sides and lighting up the tunnel. Gaida is floating unconscious next to him. He waves his hand, and she drifts over to an altar where he lays her down gently.

“How do we get that thing out of her?” I ask, getting to my feet and brushing dust off my already ruined clothes.

“I’m afraid we can’t. It is her.”

“That makes zero sense,” I snap.

“In a way, yes, but also no.”

“Then we find a way to enter Gaida’s consciousness and help her fight the Blood Queen in her mind.”

“Absolutely not,” Luke responds immediately. “The risks would be astronomical. You’d be exposing yourself directly to the Blood Queen’s influence.”

“Which matters why? I have no sire bond. I can’t be severed and used by her.”

Felix looks up sharply. “That’s significant. Your absence of a sire bond would provide protection against her influence.”

“Precisely.”

“It’s still an unknown,” Luke argues. “Even if you have some natural immunity, entering a consciousness battle between Gaida and the Blood Queen could destroy your mind completely.”

“I don’t care.” The simplicity of my response silences him. “She’s still in there, fighting. She needs help. I won’t leave her or let her down. Never.”

The ground trembles slightly, a reminder of the instability up above.

“Time is running out,” I continue. “This may be our only option, or we all die.”

Felix stares at me for a few moments but then nods. “I know a ritual. We could reach her consciousness directly, or rather, you could.”

Luke exhales sharply, clearly unhappy but seeing no alternatives. “What do you need for this ritual, Felix?”

Felix scans the chamber. The room is circular, its walls covered in ancient symbols that shift when viewed directly. At its centre lies the stone altar where Gaida rests, her body occasionally convulsing as the Blood Queen fights for complete control.

“This place was designed for containing Blood Queen energy,” Felix says, running his fingers along inscriptions carved into the altar. “The founders knew what they were dealing with.”

“Felix,” I snap, my patience wearing thin. “The ritual?”

“Right.” He refocuses. “We need to create a psychic bridge. A direct connection between your consciousness and Gaida’s. I’ll need blood from both of you, some of these symbols activated, and...” he glances at Luke, “power. A lot of it.”

“You have it,” Luke says.

Felix moves with vampire speed, examining the chamber’s contents. He retrieves a stone bowl from a niche in the wall, then uses his nail to slice his palm, letting blood drip into it. “Luke, I need yours, too. The more vampire blood, the stronger the connection.”

Luke doesn’t hesitate, adding his blood to the mixture. Felix then moves to Gaida, carefully taking blood from her as well.

“Now yours,” he says, handing me the bowl.

I slice my palm, watching my blood join the others. It swirls in the bowl, dark crimson against the stone.

“Now what?” I ask, trying to keep the desperation from my voice.

Felix takes the bowl and paints symbols on my forehead, chest, and palms with the mingled blood. “These will anchor you to your physical form while your consciousness travels.” His movements are precise, calm and rational even in this crisis. “When I finish the incantation, you’ll be pulled into Gaida’s mind. You won’t have much time…” he pauses and lets out a low growl. “…minutes at most before the strain becomes too great.”

“He needs more blood,” I point out to Luke.

Luke makes a gesture with his hand in my direction.

“Me?” I ask with a laugh, looking at Felix. “Up to you, mate.”

His growls become more fierce, and I offer him my wrist. He hisses and clamps down on it, drinking thirstily as I stare at a spot above his head.

He draws back and snaps his fangs back.

“Better?” I ask dryly.

“For now. I need Gaida’s.”

“Yeah, well, you will wait until she is conscious enough to consent. Got it?” I snarl.

“Why do you think I haven’t gone to her?” he snarls back, fangs and claws flashing.

I grimace at him and shove him back. He stumbles, his vampire strength no match for mine.

He growls again, and I roll my eyes.

“Shut up, will you, so we can do this.”

He takes a moment but stands down, drawing in a deep breath.

“How will I find her in there?” I ask.

“Follow her essence,” Felix says quietly. “The part that feels most like Gaida. Trust your connection to her.”

“And the Blood Queen?” I ask, my eyes fixed on Gaida’s face, unnaturally serene despite the battle that must be raging inside her.

“Avoid direct confrontation, if possible,” Luke warns. “Your goal is to reach Gaida, strengthen her resolve, and remind her who she is. She needs to expel the Blood Queen’s influence herself.”

“But if confrontation becomes unavoidable?”

Felix and Luke exchange glances. “Then fight,” Luke says grimly. “But remember, in the realm of consciousness, belief shapes reality. The Blood Queen has existed for millennia. Her will is formidable.”

“When it comes to Gaida, so is mine,” I reply.

Felix positions me beside Gaida, placing my hand over her heart. “Close your eyes. Focus on your connection to her. Feel it. Strengthen it.”

I close my eyes, focusing on the steady beat of Gaida’s heart beneath my palm. My connection to her has always been different from Luke’s or Felix’s. No sire bond, just pure choice. Pure love.

Felix chants in a language that sounds ancient, his voice resonating through the chamber as the symbols on the walls pulse in response. Luke’s power joins his, a current of energy that makes the air crackle.

The world falls away.

One moment I’m in the chamber, the next I’m falling through endless darkness.

I land hard on what feels like solid ground, though all around me is chaos. The landscape shifts constantly, buildings rising and crumbling, forests growing and withering in seconds. The sky above fractures like broken glass, showing glimpses of different worlds through the cracks.

This is Gaida’s mind, or what’s left of it, as the Blood Queen fights for control.

“Gaida!” I call, my voice echoing strangely. “Where are you?”