The Darkness is more than an oily blob of undulating shadow hiding in the dirt. It’s a network in the earth. A highway, of sorts. A medium of transport for those with access to the purple. I’m the one who discovered this highway and how to travel on it. The purple is mine and everyone who has access to it is under my control. Including Josep.
This is another part of his anxiety. He won’t go outside. The world could be ending—we could be in the middle of Armageddon itself—and Josep would just watch it happen from a window. Or pretend it wasn’t happening at all and stay down in his bunker.
So he must travel in the Dark dirt if he wants to go anywhere.
He’s got a system of tunnels connected to his bunker. They are like subway stations, linking different places. A direct route to the Darkness, of course. Here. Other places too, I’m sure. But in order to use Paul’s Purple Line, he must walk my purple dream.
He must be under my control.
He doesn’t like that.
He wants to go home far,farmore than he wants to stay and make sure I follow the plan.
Which wasmyplan to begin with. Why wouldn’t I follow it?
Josep gives me one last nod and then walks over to the earthen wall of the tunnel. It’s been a long time since I’ve watched him travel through the dirt and for a moment, when his body takes on the appearance of a gossamer curtain and the Darkness that exists in all things underground looks more like the curling, serpentine tendrils of an evil demon than an oily vein of blackness, I am captivated by the process.
The way he flickers, like he’s not there. The way the tentacles encircle his body from foot to head. And that one, last look over his shoulder as the purple mist begins at his feet and travels up,while at the same time the Darkness begins to pull him back into the earth where he belongs.
It’s over in a matter of seconds. I was holding my breath as I watched, so I let it out. Forcing myself to be calm.
I’m going to betray him now and it’s a big decision. One I’ve been mulling over since the very day Ryet was born. Trying—desperatelytrying—to figure out a way to have my cake and eat it too.
Is anyone surprised? I am the vampire Paul. If there’s a way to get everything I want and not settle for less, then why wouldn’t I?
First things first, though.
I need to talk to Syrsee and Ryet. And isn’t it convenient that I’m already in the world between worlds and so are they?
One purple, one gold.
One vampire, one witch.
There are many things that set the two realms apart, but there are an equal number of ways to make them cross.
It’s almost like it was planned this way.
I take a deep breath, hold it, let it out, and then focus myself into one of the three worlds I mentally reside in.
The purple is the first and the one closest to reality because it is mine. The gold world is the second, which isn’t mine, but belongs to Syrsee. She has no idea how to control it—barely even knows it exists at this point—so the gold world is porous and can leak over into the other realms on either side of it.
The third is one I do not have access to. Yet. But it’s close now. So, so,soclose.
It doesn’t take much to hop into the gold and as soon as I’m there, a reality begins to form. A library—of course. I should’ve known. With Ryet and Syrsee standing in the middle of a stack, hugging fiercely. As if they are about to say goodbye.
Theywouldbe saying goodbye, if it wasn’t for my plan. “Am I interrupting?”
They break apart. Syrsee lets out a surprised gasp, but says nothing.
Ryet directs those constantly-angry eyes in my direction, then pushes Syrsee behind him. “What the hell are you doing here?”
It’s an honorable gesture. Of course he wants to protect her. He loves her.
Not as much as I love him, but he’ll get there with time.
Unfortunately, time isn’t a luxury.
But it could be.
