A couple of minutes went by before Rebel walked out of the grand hall, heading toward the living quarters.
“I’ll go get the cubs ready,” she said over her shoulder. “And get some shut eye.”
“We can’t just stay here and wait for the Druids,” Field grumbled. “We should get ready for tomorrow.”
The Hawk was right. I could replenish my energy from anyone willing to “donate” in Stonewall, and Field and Jovi just seemed too restless to sit still.
“We could train a little,” I suggested.
“Read my mind,” Jovi replied. “Anjani, Hansa, and the others will want to join in.”
“Do you want to go get them? They’re still outside,” I said. “Field and I can bring some more weapons from the armory, and there’s plenty of room here for sparring.”
Jovi nodded and closed his eyes for a moment.
“Telluris Anjani!” he called out. “We’re about to do some training here in the grand hall. Do you want to join us? Okay, cool, and get anyone else who’s feeling up to it. We need to be ready for tomorrow.”
He smirked, probably in response to whatever Anjani had told him, then exhaled.
“Really, Jovi? Telluris, when they’re literally outside on the front steps of the citadel?” I raised an eyebrow at him.
“I’m trying to preserve my energy.” He shrugged, an innocent expression on his face, making me smile.
I took a deep breath and mentally prepared myself for what was coming next. I’d attempt Telluris later in the evening—hopefully either Aida or Phoenix would be conscious and able to respond. But until then, I had to train. I had to get ready. The fight of our lives was tomorrow, and we had a demented overlord commanding an army of bloodthirsty Destroyers to obliterate.
Jovi
We spent a couple of hours training, but the energy I’d had left after the Druid’s spell was beginning to leave me. My punches got slower; my kicks no longer reached the height needed for maximum impact. I was getting sloppy and frustrated.
I decided it was time for a break, but I didn’t want to be on my own. The thought of Aida, Phoenix, and Vita in Azazel’s clutches was messing with my head, and the more time I spent dwelling on it, the worse it felt.
I had my own mission to deal with tomorrow. I was going to take two shifters and extract the little Daughter from Azazel’s castle. It only occurred to me around dusk to actually check this with the shape-shifters myself. So many things had happened since this morning, I’d completely forgotten that the creatures might not be able or willing to help. Sure, they’d been extraordinarily supportive so far, but they were still mostly a mystery to me.
I found all four of the creatures crouching on the edge of the front steps outside the citadel, quietly licking their healing wounds and watching the embers glowing in the pile of ashes left from the funeral pyre below. The smell of burnt flesh had dissipated, but the smoke lingered, marring the pure orange sky.
They turned their heads to look at me with glowing violet eyes. Whatever was in their saliva was toxic to their prey—I’d seen it clearly during battle—but it seemed to do them good, rapidly speeding up the healing process and turning gashes to fine white lines on their pale skin.
“I’m really not sure you understand what I’m saying,” I spoke up. “But thank you all. My sister and friends would be dead if it weren’t for you.”
I didn’t expect them to say anything, but I was surprised when they didn’t even react to my words. They just stared at the stone slabs beneath them, breathing heavily. I wasn’t ready to give up, though.
“I need your help,” I continued. “I need two of you to come with me to Luceria. One of you can shift into a flying horse and the other into a Destroyer. I’ll teach you how to act if we run into actual Destroyers. I’ll pretend to be your prisoner.”
They stared at me, expressionless and still. At least they weren’t looking at the stone slabs anymore, which I thought meant progress.
“We have to get a Daughter out of Azazel’s castle. He’s holding her hostage and draining her energy for his dark magic. If we’re going to destroy him and save Aida, Phoenix, and Vita, we need to cut off his power supplies, and that Daughter is one of them. You’re excellent shifters—I’ve seen you morph into Destroyers and flying horses before. We could totally get away with it.”
Still nothing, just my levels of frustration spiking.
“Two of your own are probably in Luceria already. I’m thinking you could help us rescue your friends… And mine, too, including my sister.”
A minute went by, but none responded in any way. I was beginning to think it would be too difficult to include shifters in my extraction plan. They’d morphed into Destroyers and flying horses when they were under attack, but we’d never tried something pre-planned with them before. Maybe they didn’t understand what we said after all. Maybe they just reacted to their environment, their circumstances, all for the sake of keeping us safe, as that was how they’d been rewired by Viola.
That’s probably the most likely explanation… Feeling pretty dumb for even trying to talk to them in the first place, I turned and walked toward the courtyard. I’d have to find another way into Luceria.
The sound of hooves, followed by neighing and hissing, stopped me in my tracks. I looked over my shoulder, and stilled. There were no longer shifters on the steps, but two pairs of Destroyers and flying horses, waiting patiently for me to choose. The Destroyers were large in size, significantly taller than me, with thick black serpent tails for lower bodies and long brown hair loosely combed down the back. They looked slightly different from each other and reminded me of two of the beasts we’d taken down when we rescued Aida and the others.
I couldn’t help but chuckle lightly. “You guys never cease to amaze me, you know that?”
I moved closer, pointed at one Destroyer, and patted the stallion next to him on the neck. I had no criteria for my selection whatsoever. The flying horse shuddered under my touch, then nuzzled my face, while the Destroyer nodded, its violet eyes fixed on me… The creatures still had Viola’s glow in their eyes, and I feared that might be a giveaway if the real Destroyers got too close.
“Think you can dim the light show?” I asked, pointing at their eyes.
They both nodded, blinking rapidly and shaking their heads until the glow was gone, and a dull shade of purple remained.
“And to think a few weeks back I looked at your kind and saw nothing but death,” I said, then looked at the other two. “You two should go feed in the meantime. There are plenty of creatures in the woods for you. We need you at full strength tomorrow.”
The two shifters that hadn’t made the cut reverted to their original form and rushed down the stone steps, visibly excited and eager to hunt, while the other two gazed longingly after them. I patted the flying horse on the neck again.
“Bring something for your mates, too!” I shouted after the shifters heading into the trees.
“Bring something for your mates, too!”
I heard my own voice echo back from the shifters below. It sounded creepy as heck. I couldn’t be sure whether they were mimicking my words to tell me they’d understood, or whether they were just repeating phrases like parrots.
“Okay then, let’s go inside,” I told my new teammates. “We’ve got some rehearsals to do…”
We had a long night ahead, although I had faith the shifters would be able to pull it off now. I just needed to make sure they had the right expressions in their vocabulary in order for us to seem inconspicuous and not arouse any suspicion once we reached the castle.
As long as I was a convincing captive, and they knew how to act, they could get me into Luceria. All we needed was an accurate location, which I hoped we could get from Aida once she was awake and able to respond via Telluris. My stomach tightened as we crossed the courtyard and the thought of my sister once more bit into my soul.
Aida
I felt cold and wet. My eyes peeled open—and t
he panic immediately hit me, like a giant hammer. I was submerged in water. The fear of drowning instantly set in, but it only lasted for a few seconds, until I realized I was breathing.
How the hell am I still breathing?
This wasn’t just any water. It felt like liquid air, and my body seemed to have adjusted to it, somehow. I turned back and saw Abrille in a glass bubble behind me, unconscious and floating, as runes flickered across her skin.
I reached out and felt the glass of my own prison capsule. I looked to my right and saw Vita in her bubble, her hands splayed against the transparent surface as she stared at me with a pained expression. Phoenix was in a separate sphere on my left, rubbing his face and frowning as the reality of our situation kicked in. Obsidian cuffs had been mounted on his wrists, most likely to stop him from using his sentry abilities.
Dread took over, freezing my blood as I remembered what had happened—the Sluaghs’ siege on Stonewall and the Destroyers plucking Phoenix and me from the middle of the fight, Field trying to come after me, two of our mutated shifters following us. Had they made it all the way here?
“Aida, can you hear me?” Vita’s voice wafted over, muffled but still audible enough for me to make out her words.
I nodded, fighting back tears as I understood where we were at this stage in our war against Azazel—at his mercy, suspended in weird waters and unable to get out.
“How did they get you?” Vita asked, her lower lip trembling.
“How’d they get me? How’d they get you?! You and Bijarki were the ones with the invisibility spell! What happened?” I burst out, anger quickly replacing my fear. It was easier to manage, given the circumstances.
“Azazel found the invisible spell pouch that Draven and Serena lost during their first mission here,” Vita replied, looking away. “He was able to track us using our body heat. He saw Bijarki coming in. We only made it to Nova’s room before they caught us…”
“And Bijarki? Where is he now?” Phoenix asked while punching the glass, to no effect.
“I don’t know,” Vita cried, her tears dissolving into the water. “I blacked out…”
“How do we get out of here?” I growled, kicking at the glass as I allowed the rage to take over.
“You don’t.” Azazel’s voice thundered from across the black marble platform.
We all stilled. My eyes bulged at the sight of him. It was one thing to see him in a vision, and something else entirely to be so close to him physically. He was menacingly tall, his broad frame flooding my field of vision, his yellow eyes wide and his long black hair flowing down his back. His beard was trimmed to a fade on both sides, contrasting with his red silk shirt and wide leather belt, fitted with a gold buckle. His presence horrified me as I moved away, my back against the glass.
He slithered toward us, accompanied by Damion and Thadeus.
My heart hammered in my chest as he closed the distance between us. He stopped in front of me, wearing a most satisfied grin.
“The spheres are magically sealed, little Oracles,” he hissed. “You’re all mine now, and there is nothing you can do about it. That liquid lets you breathe because I allow it. One snap of my fingers, and you will drown.”
“Where’s Bijarki?!” Vita pounded her fists against the glass.
The fury I saw in her was impressive. She’d always been the one with the powerful self-control, yet Azazel had managed to bring out the most primal reactions in her. He glanced at her and smirked.
“Your incubus is downstairs, my darling,” he replied. “Getting a personalized introduction to dungeon life. He’ll soon answer for his crimes against my empire. I’ll deliver his punishment myself, just for you to get it through your thick little head that there’s no double-crossing me without paying a hefty price. But I’m a little busy at the moment, getting my troops ready for that alliance of yours. You’d be surprised how fast word travels; I hear they want to come knocking on my castle gates, so to speak.”
“This alliance will be the end of you,” I shot back, baring my teeth.
My wolf instincts were rising to the surface, and every inch of me wanted to tear his head off and rip him to shreds.
“No, it won’t, and I won’t even bother to explain why. You’re too young and inexperienced to understand the magnitude of my power.” He raised an eyebrow at me. “I must say, it is an absolute pleasure to meet you in the flesh, Aida. I trust you’ll all be more cooperative once you’ve spent some time in the bubbles. Or you can insist on being stupid and spend the rest of your lives up here. Your pick.”
“Where’s Nova?” I growled.
He frowned for a second before he scoffed and moved closer to Phoenix.
“Ah yes, I forgot. You know about her,” he muttered. “She’s fine, worry not. I take good care of my most prized possessions. When they let me!”
He put more weight on those last four words as he shot Vita a furious glare.
“I mean, what were you thinking? Did you really believe you could get the upper hand over me? Over me?!” He laughed mockingly.
“The higher they fly, the harder they fall,” Phoenix replied, bringing his face closer as Azazel tapped a finger on the glass.
“Yes, yes, keep telling yourselves that, naïve little Oracles,” Azazel snickered. “But the truth is, you’re all mine, and there isn’t a single thing your friends can do to stop me.”
He straightened his back and moved away, turning to face all three of us.
“I hold magic older than all those rebels put together. Older than some of the Dearghs, even,” he said, his fingers lovingly holding the snake pendant. “And, whether you like it or not, you’re my permanent guests here. You will serve me accordingly.”
“Yeah, keep telling yourself that,” I shot back. “If you actually think we’ll tell you anything from our visions, you’re dumber than I thought.”
A moment passed in silence, during which Azazel glared at me.
“That liquid you’re in is infused with powerful herbs that facilitate visions,” he said, choosing to ignore me. “Every few hours or so, you’ll find yourselves unable to resist as it enters your bloodstream. You will experience visions, and you will tell me all about them. Unless, of course, you’d like to see me string up your incubus friend and slowly peel the skin off his flesh.”
My blood ran cold. I gave Vita a sideways glance. Horror was imprinted on her delicate features, her turquoise eyes wide and fearful. We didn’t have much time, and we didn’t have much of a choice, either. I didn’t see myself sacrificing Bijarki so early in the game, and, judging by the look on Phoenix’s face, neither did he.
“So, ultimately, you three have a decision to make,” Azazel continued. “You obey, and tell me what the present and the future hold, or I pluck it out of you with every inch of skin I fillet off your friend Bijarki. I’ll give you a few hours to decide.”
“There were two more Oracles here,” Vita asked. “Where are they?”
Azazel put on a sad face, but we all knew he didn’t care. His cheap theatricals were only meant to mess with our heads.
“Unfortunately, they didn’t make it,” he replied. “They refused to comply, over and over, so I had no choice but to snap my fingers.”
He turned his back on us and slithered away, with Damion and Thadeus by his side. As Azazel vanished below, Damion glanced over his shoulder and frowned at Vita before following him downstairs. He clearly wasn’t happy to see her there, despite their love-hate relationship, but couldn’t do anything about it.
I took a deep breath, my lungs chilling in the process, and tried to keep myself calm. I knew the alliance would soon begin its siege on the castle; I only feared that we’d be forced to share our visions beforehand just to keep Bijarki alive and in one piece. Otherwise it would destroy Vita, and, most importantly, Bijarki had already risked his life for us more than once. We couldn’t betray him.
Phoenix
I watched Azazel as he vanished below the platform, followed by
his two slithering lapdogs. I couldn’t do anything to stop them from inside this sphere, but I did have the Telluris blood oath on my side. I needed a few moments to regain my calm, as rage had made me see red in Azazel’s presence.
I took deep breaths. The liquid filled my lungs without drowning me—a peculiar sensation to say the least, but at least I was conscious for now.
“Telluris Serena,” I muttered, gritting my teeth and looking at Aida and Vita.
Aida briefly explained to Vita what the spell was about, while I began to hear Serena’s hopeful voice in my head.
“Phoenix?”
“Hey, Sis,” I said. “I’m alive. So is Aida. We’re on the platform, bubbled up with Vita.”
“Oh, God,” I heard her gasp. “Are you okay?”
“We’re okay, mostly. Azazel has us locked in these glass spheres like the other Oracles. The liquid lets us breathe. It’s pretty weird. He said it can also drown us if he chooses. He’s holding that over our heads in case we don’t comply.”
“What happened to Vita and Bijarki?” she asked.
I filled her in on how they had gotten caught by Azazel, before Vita interjected, “But we did manage to warn Nova about Azazel’s intentions!”
“Vita says the little Daughter knows about Azazel’s intentions,” I repeated to Serena. “Chances are she’s not that willing to stay anymore.”
I looked at Vita, and she nodded her confirmation.
“He probably has to sedate her or something, and he won’t be keeping her in the same room again, either,” Vita added.
I relayed Vita’s message to Serena.
“How about you? How are you guys holding up? What about Bijarki? Do you remember what happened?” My sister bombarded me with questions, as was expected.
“Well, we definitely remember what happened, and we’re stuck here. We can’t get out,” I explained briefly. “Azazel’s holding Bijarki in the dungeons, has promised to punish him, and is threatening to torture him to death unless we tell him what our visions show. And I’m pretty sure two of our shifters followed us here, but I don’t know where they are right now. Not sure how they could help us, either. The spheres have been sealed by Azazel.”