Damion had visited us the night before, informing us that Azazel would come see us first thing in the morning to inquire about any visions we’d had. I sure as hell wasn’t going to tell him anything, and neither were Phoenix and Vita. The only things coming out of our mouths would be lies, and he couldn’t prove otherwise anyway.
Azazel had been right about one thing, though. Sooner or later, the liquid in our spheres was going to push us into visions. In fact, I could feel its effect on my senses, as my limbs softened and my breathing slowed.
“Guys, I’m starting to slip.” I gasped as I realized that I was drifting into a vision.
Phoenix and Vita had fallen asleep in the early hours of the morning, but instantly opened their eyes at the sound of my muffled voice. They both moved closer and watched me as I went under.
“I’ll be back in a jiff,” I mumbled as the darkness enveloped me.
I found myself somewhere inside Azazel’s castle, judging by the black marble flooring and walls. It was a residential room, fully furnished with ebony tables and dressers, golden satin curtains and bedding, and decorated with massive gold-framed paintings and intricately molded brass candelabras. My first instinct was to look out the tall windows, and when I did I noticed the gaping distance to the ground—I was somewhere on the top floor, or at least very close to the top, from what I could tell from this angle.
I turned around and saw Nova, the little Daughter, emerging from the en-suite bathroom. She looked so fragile and weak in her black velvet dress, it broke my heart. Her skin was pale, and dark circles had settled around her violet eyes. Her reddish pink hair had been fashioned into a tight bun, and the little ruby pendant still hung around her neck.
She looked down at it, then rubbed her face and scoffed before she took it off and tossed it on the floor. Her legs gave out, and she collapsed by the side of the bed, whimpering as she swallowed back tears.
“Oh, darling, if you take that off, you’ll be even weaker.” Azazel’s voice poured in from the doorway, freezing the blood in my veins.
I instinctively took a step back, wondering if he was still using that cheat spell to detect my presence during visions. He didn’t have a reason to do that anymore, though, as I was already here. He didn’t acknowledge me, just picked at an imaginary piece of lint from his shoulder. He’d switched to a black velvet shirt this morning, with a thick golden, bejeweled belt complementing the snake pendant that continued moving in its eight-loop.
Nova looked up at him and frowned, pulling herself up on the side of the bed.
“I hate you,” she muttered. “What have you done to me?”
“What, I’m not ‘Daddy’ anymore?” Azazel replied with a fake gasp, clearly mocking her.
“You were never my daddy. I know the truth now!” she spat. “You’re just using me!”
“Of course I’m just using you. Don’t be ridiculous.” He shook his head and rolled his eyes, as if he couldn’t muster enough patience to deal with her.
“What did you do to me?!” she cried out, leaning against the bed, unable to stand on her own.
Azazel slithered across the room and scooped her up in his arms, then immediately planted her on the bed. He then picked the ruby pendant off the floor and put it around her neck. She groaned and moved to take it off again, but Azazel’s hand gently settled over hers, and he sat next to her.
“If you take it off, you’ll feel a lot worse, darling.”
“What did you do to me?” she asked again, her voice weak, her breathing ragged. Her eyelids dropped slowly.
“It’s just a little counter-effect. The pendant draws your energy, and it now comes with an added failsafe spell to make sure you’re not too quick to take it off,” he replied, a little too sweetly for the content of his statement, making me squirm. “A little proprietary magic to keep you in line.”
Anger made me simmer on the inside—the sneer on his face was an open invitation for me to grab the nearest blunt object and ram it down his throat. I took a deep breath instead, reminding myself that I had no power over this situation.
Nova couldn’t hold back her tears anymore. Azazel wore a theatrical pout as he wiped one off her cheek, then stood and moved toward the door.
“I’m only trying to look out for you,” he said. “Obviously I’m using your power, because why not? But believe me when I say that I’m the closest thing to family you’ll ever have. Whatever the little fae told you is a lie, Nova, and your sisters can’t even be bothered to get to you, anyway.”
“You’re the one who’s lying!” she shot back, fury glistening in her eyes. “I see my sisters in my dreams every night. They’re always trying to reach out to me, but they can’t! Vita said it’s because you forced me to hatch too soon. You’re a bad, bad person!”
Azazel scoffed and opened the door.
“Whatever you say, dear.” He grinned. “It doesn’t change the fact that you’re mine, whether you like it or not.” He slammed the door behind him.
Nova caved in and hid her face in one of the embroidered pillows. My stomach churned at the sight of Azazel’s despicable behavior, but I found some comfort in the thought that Jovi was on his way to get Nova. For that, however, he needed a precise location.
I ran to the door and passed through it like the ghost I was, to check the hallway and figure out which room she was in. I shuffled around until I knew exactly where Jovi would find her in the east wing, memorizing as many details as possible to pass on to him later.
It was good timing, too, because as soon as I’d made a mental note of her room’s position in the castle, the darkness swallowed me and I was carried off to another vision.
“How much longer will you live like this?” Thadeus’s voice boomed as I became aware of the blackness dissipating around me.
“Shut up! Just shut up! You’ll get us both in trouble!” Damion hissed.
I was in the kitchens below, which were mostly abandoned, except for a few incubi scrubbing the floors at the far end and the two Destroyers arguing in front of an open pantry filled with jars of herbs and food. They looked like they were trying to keep it down, so the incubi wouldn’t hear them.
“Aren’t you tired? Patrik broke free, so why can’t we do the same?” Thadeus insisted, this time at a lower volume.
“Are you hearing yourself? Do you not feel the pain whenever you think of going against him? Or do you take pleasure in tormenting yourself, you masochist?!”
“Yeah, I feel the pain,” Thadeus replied with a frown, a muscle in his jaw twitching. “But that doesn’t stop me from conditioning myself to withstand more and more of it until I break free. I’ll put up with any amount of pain if it leads me to freedom.”
“Good for you!” Damion shot back. “Now get out of my way. I have a breakfast to prepare!”
Thadeus stepped aside, allowing Damion to gather some cereal jars from the pantry. He watched quietly as the former Druid spilled their contents into a bowl, and poured fresh milk out of a jug on top.
“What happened to you, Damion?” Thadeus asked, his voice raw and trembling. “You were once the most determined to put Azazel’s head on a spike. How did you get to this point?”
“Oh, please, spare me the sermon! You were just the same, if not worse, until you heard about Patrik. Like shifting back to your Druid form will save your ass when Azazel burns this whole planet down! Get over yourself!”
“Are you telling me that, if given the chance, you’d rather remain a Destroyer under his spell than regain your independence?”
“Azazel has control over Eritopia,” Damion muttered. “I’m just trying to survive, that’s all.”
“This isn’t survival,” Thadeus hissed. “It’s cowardice.”
“Fine, then. I’ll be the coward. You go on. Keep torturing yourself; see what that gets you besides a poisoned spear through your chest.”
Thadeus exhaled sharply, his shoulders dropping, and shook his head.
“If only Cayron could see you
now,” he said.
“Don’t mention his name!” Damion growled, his gaze fixed on the breakfast tray. “And get out. Nova needs to eat.”
Thadeus scoffed and slithered out of the kitchen, leaving Damion on his own. I watched quietly as Damion placed his fists on the table, leaning on his knuckles, and mulled over his heated conversation with Thadeus. His head clearly hurt, judging by his grimace.
He exhaled, beads of sweat blooming on his forehead. He wiped them off with the back of his hand, took a deep breath, and then carried the tray to what looked like service stairs.
It was interesting and encouraging to see that at least one Destroyer was already contemplating rebellion after word of Patrik’s achievement had spread through the castle. Damion was obviously too scared to rebel outright, but even he seemed to be flirting with the idea, despite his protests. Thadeus was quickly slipping toward freedom, and I had a feeling that Patrik would be able to help him break Azazel’s control spell.
As fate would have it, I ended up following Thadeus through the dark corridors in my third vision. I walked behind him as he turned left, then right, into a staircase leading up to a higher level. Once he reached the top of the stairs, he was grabbed and pulled to the side, into a corner.
I rushed up after him to see who it was, and stilled when I recognized Patrik, naked, with his arms around Thadeus’s neck in a tight chokehold. The Destroyer’s tail flailed as the Druid dragged him into one of the rooms and slammed the door behind them.
I passed through just as Patrik was urging Thadeus to stay calm.
“I don’t wish to hurt you, Thadeus,” he whispered. “I just want to talk.”
“I should kill you on sight!” Thadeus hissed.
“But will you?”
Thadeus stopped fighting Patrik’s hold and slowly raised his hands in the air, breathing heavily. Patrik seemed to take it as a sign of peace and let go, putting a few feet of distance between them. The young Destroyer brought his fingers up to his temples, massaging with circular motions.
“I know it’s painful to go against Azazel,” Patrick said. “But I can see you’ve made some progress on your own. Your choice to not capture or kill me should have you writhing in pain right now, since I’m an enemy of Azazel.”
“It hasn’t been easy… How did you manage to break free?”
“I had a little help.” Patrik smirked. “Which is why I’m here. You need a friend, Thadeus, now more than ever. Do you want to be free? Do you want to be a Druid again?”
Thadeus sighed, flinching every other second.
“More than anything,” he replied.
“It will hurt. A lot.”
“I didn’t think I had the strength until I heard you made it. The Destroyers below have been talking, you know. You’ve given some of us hope…”
“Good. Azazel’s time is coming to an end, Thadeus.” Patrik nodded. “An alliance is rising. They will strike today. I’m giving you a chance to join us.”
“But he’s powerful! I mean, don’t get me wrong, I’d rather fight and die than spend an eternity as his slave, but still, I’m not sure we stand much of a chance.”
“He’s not as powerful as you might think. Not when we know what his power sources are and how we can shut them down.” The Druid grinned.
As soon as the information sank in, Thadeus took a deep breath, his face lighting up.
“Nova,” he puffed out.
“And the volcanoes, too.” Patrik winked. “The Dearghs are with us, my friend.”
Thadeus straightened, a look of determination accentuating his sharp features.
“Where do I start?” he asked.
“Where you always do. Just fight it. I’ll be with you every step of the way.”
I then watched as Thadeus tapped into his willpower, currently buried under Azazel’s spell. He heaved and groaned and coughed as the pain got worse. He doubled over, then dropped to the ground in the fetal position. All the while, Patrik encouraged him to fight and get his freedom back.
The Druid muttered something under his breath and touched the Destroyer’s forehead.
“What… What are you doing?” Thadeus grunted.
“Helping you. Soothing your pain,” Patrik replied. His fingers lit up and dispersed a soft white light into Thadeus’s temples.
Thadeus struggled for a good few minutes, his muscles jerking and his bones crackling violently in his snake tail. He turned livid, a sheet of sweat covering his bare chest and arms, while the Druid continued muttering under his breath and helping him ride it all out.
The Destroyer snarled and looked up, his eyes flickering green, his whole body shuddering.
“Come on, you can do it!” Patrik gritted his teeth. “Fight it! Your fellow Druids from Marton are on their way here, Thadeus. They’re coming to fight! That’s it, Thadeus! Fight it!”
At the mention of his Grand Temple friends, Thadeus groaned, then stilled. A bright green light burned out of his body, and he appeared to lose consciousness as his tail split in two and resumed the form of legs. As the green glow died out, Thadeus’s eyes blinked open.
He breathed in and out several times, not moving. The sweat dripped off his forehead and onto the cold, black marble floor. Patrik watched him quietly, crouching next to him. A minute went by. Thadeus finally came back to his senses, looking up at Patrik and then down at his body.
I turned away at that point, my cheeks flushing as I realized I was now standing in the presence of two naked Druids. If only they could find a better way to morph between serpent and Druid, to include clothes…
“I-I can’t believe it,” Thadeus gasped, sitting up.
“You did it.” Patrik smiled.
“I can’t believe it,” the young Druid repeated, as if still adjusting to his new reality. “Thank you, Patrik. It’s been years… I’d nearly lost hope.”
“Azazel may be powerful, but the will of Druids is much older than he is. He might be able to put us on a leash, but he cannot keep us down forever.”
Thadeus stood up, his knees wobbling as he reacquainted himself with life on two legs. I could see parts of them in the mirror on the wall in front of me—just their heads and shoulders, little enough to not feel guilt for spending this much time in one room with two naked dudes.
My heart swelled with joy. Thadeus had regained his freedom and his Druid form. We now had two Druids on the inside, ready to help us dismantle Azazel’s house of cards—because tyranny and destruction would never last in a world where the people had been genetically engineered for freedom and a deep respect of nature.
I listened quietly as Patrik brought Thadeus up to speed with what the alliance had been up to and what was going to happen next, based on what we’d already told him about Jovi and his extraction mission. Soon enough, however, my vision faded away, and I was pulled back inside the glass sphere, where cold reality awaited.
My eyes popped open, and I breathed in, my lungs tickled by the cool liquid. Vita and Phoenix watched me in silence, expressions of concern drawing shadows on both their faces. I slowly shook my head.
“I didn’t get out of the castle,” I said. “But I know where he’s keeping Nova, and I just watched Patrik help Thadeus regain his Druid form. We’re off to a decent start, I think.”
Phoenix frowned and nodded, while Vita sighed and looked out onto the terrace.
“Do you think they’ll be here soon?” she asked, her voice muffled.
“Let’s find out,” I replied, then closed my eyes for a moment. “Telluris Serena!”
Less than a minute later, I could hear Serena’s voice, crystal clear, inside my head. It gave me unspeakable relief to listen to her as if she were standing right next to me.
“Aida! Are you okay?” she asked.
“I’m good. We’re good. Still here!” I sighed, then proceeded to update her on Nova’s location and Thadeus’s return.
“We’re just a few miles away now,” she said. “Hold on tight, and tell Jovi about
Nova’s location. I’ll see you soon!”
The energy in her tone traveled the many miles between us and filled me up like liquid sunshine. I nodded, tears coming to my eyes. I found it increasingly difficult to control my emotions in this state. The bubble made me feel claustrophobic, showing me the entire world without letting me touch it.
I couldn’t wait to get out of here, to feel the ground beneath my feet and the wind in my hair and Field’s lips on mine. I could only imagine what he was going through in this moment, given my current condition. I wanted to reach out to him, but I knew he was out flying, surrounded by hostiles while waiting to give the signal. I was afraid I’d distract him, and I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if something happened to him because of me.
“Telluris Jovi!” I called out next, my heart skipping a bit at the sound of his voice.
“Hey, Sis!” I heard him gasping.
“Are you okay?” I stilled, holding my breath.
“Yeah, just lying on my belly on top of a faux flying horse ridden by an equally faux Destroyer, playing the damsel… I mean, the gentleman in distress,” he shot back sarcastically.
He was on his way to Luceria. That brilliant brother of mine was either going to save the day or get himself killed.
“Of course you are,” I muttered. “Listen, Bro, I have Nova’s location. East wing, seventh floor. It’s a master bedroom, the fifth on the left-hand side from the main hallway, toward the end of the corridor. The door’s different from the others, with gold embellishments around the handle, and there’s a potted miniature purple tree right next to it. Patrik and Thadeus will wait for you on the fifth floor, and then take you to Nova. I hope!”
“Whoa, whoa, Sis! Thadeus?”
“Yeah, long story short, Patrik helped him back to his Druid form.”
“Ah, good stuff!” he exclaimed. “Thanks, Sis! I’ll see you soon!”
“Be careful, Jovi!”