“There’s no use in dwelling over these emotions,” Time said as he stopped in the wide doorway. The moonlight shone around him, its milky light fractured as it flooded the Great Dome and stretched his shadow across the marbled floor. “They only waste energy that is better used in any other activity. Your people are missing, but we’ll figure out a way to get them back. I have never dealt with anything like this before. Of this magnitude, anyway. But if there’s one thing I have learned from my long existence and wide range of experiences, it’s that a solution exists for every problem in every world. Whether we will like the solution we find for this particular problem, that remains to be seen. One way or another, however, we will get to the bottom of this.”
“Your optimism is somewhat refreshing,” Rose replied with a smile.
“More like experienced realism,” Time shot back. “I shall see you soon.”
We watched him check for a soul and apply the tattoo spell to every single Shadian currently working around the Great Dome, Shayla included, before he vanished into the redwoods. There was a certain sense of peace coming from the knowledge that we now had this surefire way of identifying ourselves. It certainly gave us a better edge in the upcoming battle.
Our biggest problem was that we weren’t sure what said battle would entail, or when it would take place. As Safira and the other Daughters appeared beside Sidyan in the middle of the room, however, I knew we could only prepare for the worst while continuing to hope for the best. I actually liked the absence of a certain doom and gloom I’d seen covering The Shade in previous conflicts. Even Draven and Serena were upbeat, if not a little optimistic. Then again, they had a good reason—surely the clones would’ve made sure we found the bodies of those they’d taken from us. It meant Isabelle and the others were likely still alive.
“I’m sorry we have to meet again in such unpleasant circumstances,” Safira said as she took my hands in hers and squeezed gently. I glanced at her sisters, noticing that Nova hadn’t come with them.
“Me too, but at least we’re meeting again,” I replied with a dry chuckle. “Where’s the little one?”
“There must always be a Daughter in Eritopia,” Chana said. “Nova is too young to deal with this issue you’re having—well, this issue we’re all having, since our sister and niece are also missing.”
Rubia smiled. “Nova will do an excellent job of looking after Eritopia. She may be small and not fully developed, but she’s the fastest teleporter among us. If anyone can get close to omnipotence, it’s our darling Nova.”
“It’s an honor to have you here,” Derek said as we both got up and hugged each of the Daughters. Their embraces felt warm and full of kindness, and I had yet to fully adjust to their almost violent beauty. They hadn’t abandoned their signature style—Nova and Viola were the only pale ones. Rubia, Ruelle, Safira, Effissa, Chana, Amassa and Nibel had gold skin and bright purplish-violet eyes behind long, curled black lashes. Their hairdos were works of art, sculptural buns and braids adorned with precious gemstones that matched the jewels covering their slender necks and wrists. They’d given up on the gold masks, but they hadn’t been able to surrender the fine silks that draped their goddess bodies. The seven of them were magnificent, and I always felt small in their presence.
They’d come a long way, character-wise. They’d changed since Viola and Phoenix had married. Nova’s firecracker nature had played a part, since the Daughters had never had to actually raise one of their own. And when Astra came long, their entire world expanded because they weren’t the only ones anymore. Astra was proof that Daughters could create life of their own, though none had yet to consider similar steps. Looking after Eritopia took too much of their time, Chana had once said.
“I believe we can be of assistance with the shimmering portals,” Nibel said once we finished greeting one another.
Sidyan nodded. “You have our full support.”
“Astra was able to sense the portals better just before and while they were opened,” I said. “Viola was still working on her ability, but there was hope.”
“And we can also help verify souls across The Shade,” Chana added.
Derek pointed toward the exit. “The Time Master is currently marking every original in The Shade. If one or more of you join him, it could help move things along. You wonderful ladies can verify the souls. He’ll show you how it’s done, since I’m told you weren’t even aware you had this ability. And Time can just apply the marks.”
“Sounds like an excellent plan,” Safira said. She glanced over her shoulder at Effissa and Amassa. “You can help Time. The rest of us will work on a technique to quickly detect the location of these shimmering portals as they open. Perhaps we’ll have more luck than the witches thus far.” She turned to look at me. “I cannot promise any success. Astra may very well be unique in this aspect, perhaps a result of her genetic combination.”
We had considered that possibility. If true, that would be unfortunate, since Astra was in the clone realm. But as I listened to the Daughters and the plan laid out before us, I had a feeling the Time Master would be proven right.
To every problem there was a solution. A long time ago, Derek had taught me that in order for a solution to truly work, one had to break it down into manageable pieces. We had the pieces now, and the will to push through. All we had to do was put it all together. With my husband beside me, with our children and our Shade family, with our friends and allies, I had enough faith to keep me going. Thayen was out there doing the same.
What kind of parents would we be if we didn’t rise to this challenge?
Tristan
Anunit took us away from Rothko. She didn’t want to be there for another second. Her job was done, and she’d gotten what she’d wanted for so long. Unending and I were complicit, but with Death’s approval. But there was a lot we still didn’t know, so we were cautious about everything Anunit told us.
She brought us to a different realm, another world far from the Earthly Dimension. There were plenty of civilizations beyond our galaxy besides Visio, some of which GASP had discovered. But this wasn’t one of them. This was a foreign land with an interesting geography, comprised mostly of barren mountain ranges with massive snowcaps and lush, deep valleys split by wide rivers. The sky was a soft pink, and there was a distant reddish sun barely glinting in the East.
“What is this place?” Unending asked.
Her tone was wrought with tension. We were convinced Anunit had lied about her interference with our retrieval mission in the soul fae village. Her presence had triggered Joy’s wrath, forcing us to leave one hell of a mess behind. I wasn’t too concerned with what Death thought about our way of handling things—she’d lied about so many things, including the soul fae and Joy’s existence. It actually made me wonder what other secrets she might have been keeping.
“It’s called Dain. The people here named it after Da, the force of nature that made them,” Anunit said. “They have an interesting mythology, and their cities are beautiful. I haven’t seen buildings like theirs before. They only build along the rivers. Few Dainians venture beyond the valleys. Apparently, there are legends about frightening monsters that turned the mountains dry and cold. They actually believe in this stuff, so they keep their distance. I haven’t had the time to properly study the ridges, but—”