Chapter 9 Aurora #3
“Even if intact corpses are rare,” he stated, “this remains a battlefield where the dead lie uncollected. The sun means little when millions have fallen.” He made a dismissive gesture with one hand as if the mere statement amused him.
He often did that, smile against a world he thought full of fools.
“Halfbloods carry immortal blood, diluted as it may be. Black Sheep who consume them develop more slowly than those who feed on purebloods, but they’ll, too, peak in their evolution one day soon.”
A spike in the pulses gathered around the table made my own rocket to the point of making my head spin. I barely caught Radu’s question through the noise.
“What happens when they reach our level of intelligence?”
“We call them Shepherds,” Terraknight took over without leaving Selena’s side.
He used his fingers to soothe the throbbing vein on the side of her neck.
“While standard Souleaters operate on basic instinct and command, Shepherds provide direction. They coordinate the Black Sheep with real tactical awareness. We’ve encountered them a few times.
” His jaw clenched and unclenched. “The legions under a Shepherd’s command fight with a strategy that makes conventional Souleaters seem like mindless beasts in comparison. ”
“You’re telling me these monsters exist? They aren’t hypothetical?” I shouted, panic clawing up my throat. Derzelas, it was already too late to save us. The room spun, taking me with it. “Harbinger, can you hear—?”
“Yes.” He nodded. “I distinguish them by their voices. Shepherds speak with remarkable clarity, even within a horde. We’ve eliminated dozens across various fronts,” a darkness seeped into his luminous eyes as he set his full lips in a straight line, “but there’s one left, here in the Tenth Ward, and it’s the most advanced of them all. ”
Terror slammed into me, and I felt myself slipping into a trancelike state, unwilling to face up to what I’d learned today. It had been one straw too many. My brain was in danger of overloading. I did mental calisthenics after mental calisthenics, trying to process the revelation.
Our first battle together flashed through my mind. Radu shouting in harsh Russkayan across the battlefield, challenging someone―the Shepherd, I now realized―to come and get him.
“It’s your brother,” I whispered. “The Shepherd took your brother’s consciousness. That’s why you keep fighting. You want to destroy it and free Conin yourself.”
The shadows shifted across Harbinger’s face as he gave a single, sharp nod. For a moment, the flickering candlelight seemed to play tricks on my eyes, his skin fading to ash-gray. Strange golden lines that might have been cracks or markings flickered along his neck and arms.
I blinked hard, and everything looked normal again. Just Radu’s bronze skin, unmarked and solid. My exhausted mind was clearly playing games with me.
I dragged in a ragged breath, held it until my lungs burned, then exhaled slowly.
Stress gnawed at me, but one thing was clear.
Harbinger and the Black Guild represented our best chance against the Shepherd.
If they succeeded, everyone won. Conin could finally rest, the Stalkers would lose their advantage, and the Republic would gain time.
The Voices tormenting Harbinger would be silenced.
If I could help them, maybe…
Raising my chin, I met the center of the storm brewing in Radu’s eyes. “Would having a Creator’s magic fighting alongside you improve your chances against this Shepherd? Could it buy the Republic time to prepare?”
His brows arched in surprise. “It would, yes.”
“What are you plotting, A?” Selena’s voice was sharp with suspicion.
“If we eliminate it, we delay their advance. Black Sheep need time to evolve into new Shepherds.” The more I thought about it, the more convinced I became of my plan. I held her stare, knowing she would understand what I intended to do. “I need to return. Dracula needs to know what’s happening.”
Fear pooled in her eyes. She knew what that would mean. Her mouth opened to argue, but Gale cut her off.
“You can’t go back there!” Gale shot up from her perch by the window. “That bastard prince won’t let you leave if he catches you. He’ll force himself on you again, he’ll—”
The unwelcome image of Lev Wurdulak backing me against a wall—fangs bared, that vile bloodlust flaring in his eyes—tore through my mind. A shiver crawled up my spine in response and raised every hair at my nape.
I crushed the thought as quickly as it came. Next time, if there was a next time, I’d be ready. I’d snap his damned neck if he tried to touch me again. And if need be, I would kill him without a moment’s hesitation.
“I’ll handle Lev,” I retorted through clenched teeth.
The memory of his fangs at my throat, of being powerless against his strength, sent rage flooding through me.
“He puts his hands on me again, it will be the last thing he does, I promise you that.” I let my gaze sweep the room, softening slightly at their concerned faces.
“You need reinforcements. You’ve been operating at barely a third of your capacity for months, pushing yourselves without rest between missions.
Dark Father’s mercy, you haven’t even had proper time to mourn Ditoa!
” My voice cracked, and I paused, forcing myself to stave off the burning tears.
I was so strung up that it would take a slight breeze to make me lose control.
Raking fingers through my hair, I began pacing, quick strides to burn off the nervous energy sending both my mind and heart into overdrive.
“I’ll convince them to send support,” I said.
“I’ll make them commit the moment I return.
This can’t continue.” I gestured to their diminished numbers. “This is beyond unacceptable!”
“Projector,” Radu said quietly, but his call brushed past me.
“I’ll petition the Commander directly and have him back our request. And if that fails, I’ll do whatever it takes to—”
“Projector Tepes.” His voice hardened just enough to slice through my rambling.
I fell silent, suddenly aware of the absolute stillness that had descended over the room.
Harbinger pulled away from the table and turned to face his guildmates. “We’re all in agreement?” he asked them.
They nodded with hapless expressions, but it was Terraknight who voiced their consensus. “Yeah.”
A suffocating weight pressed against my shoulders at the dimming resolve in their eyes.
“What are you talking about?” I murmured.
He turned back to me, his face a work of stone. Crimson-flecked eyes studied mine for one long breath. “You can stop now, Projector. No matter what you do, it’s meaningless at this point.”
The defeated note in his voice weakened my knees. “What are you saying, Harbinger?” I pressed, fisting my hands.
“Reinforcements won’t come,” he said, matter-of-fact. “Not anymore.”
My frantic heartbeat swallowed his next words, but I read them on his lips, regardless. “We’ll all die here. This ward, this guild is our last stop. It’s our execution ground.”