A Passage of Threats

  “Phoenix, Aida, Vita,” Draven addressed the Oracles while tying up his satchel straps. “I need you to keep digging through your visions while we’re away. Focus on anything that could help us going forward, particularly any weaknesses in Azazel’s den. Write everything down, and have someone record the runes that appear during each session.”

  My brother and two best friends nodded solemnly. They followed us outside, along with Jovi, Anjani, the Daughter, and Field. The two Lamias stayed behind, not feeling too chatty after our biting back-and-forth from earlier. To be honest, I wasn’t too keen on seeing them either. If I was to die, I didn’t want their smug and self-satisfied smirks to be the last thing I saw.

  Draven was the first to go down the stairs into the grotto. I went in second, followed by Hansa and Sverik. The others waved goodbye as we descended.

  Once we reached the massive black passage stone, Draven looked at me, then at Hansa and Sverik.

  “Are you all ready?” he asked.

  “Ready as we’ll ever be.” I gave him a weak smile.

  My heart shrank inside my chest as I inadvertently obsessed over all possible scenarios of our destination. I took a deep breath, letting my anxiety out in controlled slow-motion.

  “I’m nowhere near as prepared as I should be, but I’ve been through worse. I mean, what’s the worst that could happen, right?” Sverik chuckled nervously behind me.

  “We could die,” Hansa’s reply was blunt and merciless.

  I stifled a grin as I looked over my shoulder and saw the incubus’s expression fade into something akin to despair. Then I remembered something from our first alternative travel experience back at the Red Tribe.

  “Hansa drew your blood the first time we used the passage stone in her tent,” I said to Draven. “Doesn’t it need blood?”

  “It needs the blood of someone who’s seen the other stone,” he replied, his gaze fixed on the smooth obsidian surface. “In this case, the only stone we’ve seen is the one most likely now in Azazel’s private chamber. And that is the last place we want to visit today,” He looked at Sverik. “However, you are right. It does need blood. Sverik, have you ever seen a passage stone before?”

  “Not that I can remember, no. We prefer horses.” He smirked.

  “Good. Give me your hand.”

  “Why?”

  “Stop asking stupid questions, and give the Druid your hand,” Hansa snapped and gave him a nudge.

  Sverik grumbled and extended his right hand as Draven took out a small pocket knife and nicked the palm. The incubus cursed under his breath as silver blood bloomed from the cut.

  “Put your hand on the stone,” Draven instructed him. “Because you’ve never seen one before, your lack of knowledge will take us to a random stone. If you had seen one before, it would most likely take us to that specific stone, because it’s attuned to your memory.”

  We all knew the drill. I took Sverik’s hand, and Draven took mine and Hansa's. The path, despite being short, was bound to be pitch black. We couldn’t risk losing each other.

  The obsidian surface began its familiar ripple outward in thin, vibrant rings.

  The incubus walked through it first. I took a deep breath and followed, feeling the cold embrace of the stone and Draven’s firm grip on my hand.

  Serena

  The darkness cleared like mist as I walked into the warm sunlight waiting on the other side of the passage stone. My relief was short-lived, as I saw Sverik right in front of me, gasping before he disappeared from my line of sight.

  I took another step to see where he had vanished, then felt the solid ground disappear from under my feet. I fell from a great height. A turquoise blue mass of water waited beneath. My instincts kicked in, and I braced myself for the impact, realizing what had happened.

  I hit the water hard, wishing I’d practiced my barrier skills more so I could break my fall. The air whooshed from my lungs. I sank like lead. I opened my eyes and saw Sverik swimming back to the surface and strange movement farther away in the water. The bottom was clean and sandy. I made my way back up, ignoring the pain in my bones, particularly on my right side. Two more bodies joined us in the water. Draven and Hansa had also fallen in.

  My head pushed through the surface, and I took a deep breath, taking in the stunning view around us. The obsidian stone was perched on a sharp black cliff, and we’d fallen into what looked like a blue lagoon. Thick purple and yellow trees lined the water, and white sand formed a thin strip of beach all around. The sky above us was a watercolor array of oranges and pinks, riddled with puffs of white clouds.

  “Are you okay?” Draven made it to the surface and swam toward me.

  “Yeah, still here!” I replied, then looked at Hansa and Sverik.

  We’d made it. In one piece, too. Despite the initial shock of the fall, I felt relief once again washing over me. I was thankful that I would live to fight another day. We smiled at each other, most likely thinking the same thing.

  I caught shadows out of the corner of my eye, moving swiftly beneath the water.

  “Good to see we made it,” Sverik exclaimed.

  “Wait,” I managed to say. “There’s something—”

  Before I could finish, Draven disappeared underwater. Sverik followed three seconds later. I screamed while Hansa cursed, and the next thing I knew, slippery fingers were wrapping around my ankles. I was suddenly submerged. I struggled to make my way back up to the surface.

  My survival instinct went into overdrive quickly. I pushed out a mental barrier at whatever was attacking us, and it released me. I opened my eyes in the clear water and was stunned.

  Dozens of creatures swam around us, poking, prodding, and pulling. I stilled, recognizing the half-humanoid, half-fish forms. These were some type of merfolk, from what I could tell, making our predicament far more dangerous than I’d initially thought. But they looked so very different from the merfolk I was used to. They didn’t appear to be vicious animals with fangs and a horrifying appetite for human flesh. These all had long hair in light shades of blond and long colorful tails, varying from one creature to another. Their features were beautiful, with large eyes and bright smiles. They didn’t seem vicious at all, but evasive and, for lack of a better word, playful.

  I watched Draven, Sverik, and Hansa as they struggled against the creatures’ antics. Then another one of them came at me, swimming faster than I could react.

  It pushed me, then swam away. It was a male, with a long tail in bright shades of orange and white, resembling that of a Koi fish. He had a large translucent fin running the length of his spine and a pleasing frame. There were muscles beneath his smooth skin, but they were not big enough to disrupt the overall fluidity of his body. His features were surprising. I was looking at a young man, probably in his early twenties, with pale blue eyes and long pale blonde hair.

  He came at me again, but this time I was ready as I focused on him and reached out to control his mind. I felt myself touching his mind, but nothing happened. He still swam to me and smiled with pearly white teeth. No fangs. He reached out with what appeared to be perfectly normal hands, pushed me again, and swam away.

  The others continued to annoy Draven, Sverik, and Hansa, but less so than before. We all managed to swim back to the surface, gasping for air with the creatures bumping into us underwater.

  “Don’t hurt them!” I spluttered to the others. “I don’t think they want to harm us!”

  I’d barely spoken the words before I got pulled back under, and I heard Draven’s muffled voice shouting after me from above. The young merman who had pushed me earlier was the same one gripping my hand and keeping me submerged. I tried to pull back, but he tightened his grip and smiled again, a glimmer in his eyes challenging me to fight back.

  Two can play that game. I gave him a grin before I pushed out a barrier. It took him by surprise, knocking him back a few feet. I returned to the surface. The others struggled against their own merfolk, who tugged at and pulled them un
der the surface.

  “These are merfolk,” I managed to say to Draven once he made it back up. “But they don’t look or behave like the ones I’ve seen.”

  “That’s because they’re not merfolk,” Draven replied dryly, his tone decidedly annoyed by now.

  He muttered something under his breath, closed his eyes, and a bright light expanded from his body beneath the water. The creatures stilled and one by one bobbed up to the surface, leaving Sverik and Hansa alone as well.

  The young male I’d tackled popped out right in front of me, his blue eyes scanning me inquisitively. I looked around at the myriad of azure eyes now watching us. I was able to get a better look at them now that they were above water. Their skin was pale. The males were adorned with the same large, semi-transparent back fin, while the females had smaller, more delicate ones protruding from their wrists. They all wore a mixture of shells and gemstones around their necks and no other garments.

  “Greetings,” the young male said to me, as serene as a summer morning.

  “They’re Tritones,” Draven finally replied.

  It took me a second to register the information. I couldn't take my eyes off the creature in front of me. He cocked his head and smiled once more.

  “Tritones,” I repeated. The name reminded me of ancient Greek legends and Triton, King of the Seas. I wondered if there was a connection.

  “Tritones,” the young one mimicked me.

  I smiled back at him uncertainly, finding myself fascinated but still unnerved by his species. My heart continued to rattle beneath my ribs. Were we really safe, or were these just a beautiful kind of merfolk who happened to like playing with their food?

  Aida

  Soon after Serena and Draven went through the passage stone, Field and I escaped to the roof. He flew, and I held on. I needed to talk with him and make sure he was okay. I knew him well enough to understand that the whole green firefly incident affected him more than he let on and that he could use some company.

  We sat at the very edge, watching Destroyers and fireflies roaming around, as if watching a movie at the IMAX. Some time passed before either of us spoke. But I was comfortable with that. We didn’t always need words to fill the space. Being close to each other was more than enough.

  “I’ve been thinking,” he said slowly, “about ways to get out of here, in case everything goes south, or in case we simply have to leave.”

  “Vita’s vision, right?” I figured it was one of the reasons why he’d been thinking of possible ways out.

  He nodded. “We have to think of every possible option, considering what’s lurking outside and the clear possibility that they could get in somehow.”

  “There’s the passage stone,” I mused.

  “We can simply walk out, as well.”

  “With Destroyers waiting outside, eager to tear us apart?”

  “We need to start considering alternatives, a way to perhaps distract them and get us a clear path out of here,” he replied, looking out.

  I leaned against him and rested my head on his shoulder. I could feel the tension in his muscles dissipate.

  “The plants for the invisibility spell are running low,” I said. “And it will take months before we can grow more ingredients in the greenhouse.”

  “You know, Azazel’s taken a lot of interest in this shield, given the number of Destroyers and fireflies he’s stationed here. Sooner or later, he might find a way in. I don’t think he’ll give up so easily.”

  He had a point. Azazel was not one to quit until he got what he wanted. And we didn’t know the Daughters well enough to have a guarantee that they’d be able to permanently keep him out.

  “What if we try to reach out to the Daughters?” I asked.

  Field shrugged. “Worth a shot, but how can we do that without the Druid?”

  “Maybe Anjani knows more about that prayer dust? I mean, the succubi did it and got an answer.” I thought out loud, remembering my vision.

  I looked out, watching Goren as he barked more orders at his Destroyers. I used my heightened wolf senses to get a better look and sniff out any of the chemicals that they were letting off. I could sense fear and a permanent feeling of displeasure, like they were miserable in their skins. They didn’t make eye contact with Goren but nodded every time he said something.

  It reminded me of the conversation I’d overheard between Goren and Patrik about Azazel’s influence and how it poisoned the bodies and souls to the point where they had no other choice but obey him. The scent of frustration coming off them must be the result of their struggle with their situation.

  “No matter what happens, Aida,” Field said, his voice low, “I won’t let anything happen to you.”

  I gazed up at him, and something flickered in his turquoise eyes, a flash of sorts that ignited something in my soul.

  “I know you won’t,” I whispered.

  He sighed. “It’s just that this whole mess with the fireflies, I know it’s stupid but it still bugs me.” He allowed himself a tiny, albeit pained, smile. “Pun not intended. I wanted to do something nice, show you something cool. I’m aware that there was no way I could’ve known what they were, but I can’t help but feel like such a dunce.”

  I couldn’t bear to see him like this. He was still chastising himself over those stupid green bugs, and I just wanted to take those negative emotions and throw them as far away from him as possible.

  “Let’s not dwell on the past,” I said. “Everything that happened, happened, Field. Let’s focus on what’s ahead. As twisted as it may sound, with all the dangers lurking around us, I actually like where this is going.” I pointed at him and me.

  Then I took a deep breath, my mind wandering back to my brother.

  “I just can’t shake this whole Jovi dying thing off,” I said. “I can’t accept it. I don’t know what I’d do without him, he’s like a part of me. I keep trying to think of ways to stop that vision from coming true.”

  “Aida, you have my word that no matter what happens, I will make sure that Jovi stays alive and irritating like he is. There’s no way anyone in our Shade family is dying on my watch. Not even the loud-mouth wolf-boy.” Field smiled and wrapped his arm around me, pulling me closer to him. I relaxed against him, my hand resting on his chest. I could feel his heart beneath my palm, beating faster. His lips pressed against my forehead, soft and hot, searing through my core.

  “I will look after you, Aida. I’ll keep you safe, and we’ll all make it back to The Shade in one piece,” he whispered.

  I closed my eyes for a moment, imagining that scenario—me and him walking among the redwoods, our parents waiting for us on the forest path with arms wide open, smiling and happy. The mere idea stretched my lips into a smile.

  I raised my eyes to meet his gaze and touched his face, letting my fingers slide gently down the ridge of his cheek. My heart was full of wonderful things, each fueled by the way he looked at me, the sound of his voice, the feel of his lips on mine, and the way we were together—better, stronger, and more complete.

  “I’ll do the same for you, Field. I promise,” I replied. “We’ve only just found each other, Hawk. There’s no way I’m losing you.”

  His gaze softened, and another faint smile passed over his face. He kissed me, and our souls fused once more.

  Vita

  As the sun set in deep shades of pink and red, I went outside. I brought a candle with me, playing with its flame as I walked around the garden. Watching the monsters hissing and prowling outside made me want to reinforce my own ability to protect myself against potential attacks, especially after what the future had shown me.

  I’d developed enough of a skill to burn a few of them down if I wanted to and, for a minute, I was tempted, too. But Draven had already advised against it. Nobody was supposed to know we were in here. So, we couldn’t give ourselves or our abilities away. It would’ve just brought more of them in, and increased Azazel’s interest in what lay within the shield.

/>   My heart wavered every time my mind wandered toward Bijarki. I couldn’t help but worry—about him, about me, about all of us. My fingers trembled above the flame causing it to flicker and grow. I beckoned it to follow my lead and swirled it up in a spiral, moving my hand upward and bringing along tendrils of flame.

  An uncontrollable sadness descended on me. The fire dimmed and then died out. I was having a hard time focusing. I took a deep breath and looked up.

  Bijarki sat at the base of a magnolia tree, his back leaning against the trunk. He gazed out, watching the Destroyers as they set up camp beyond the shield. Something glistened in his hand. His elbow rested on his knee—it looked like a delicate silver chain with a pendant dangling at the end.

  I took a step forward, and a twig broke under my foot.

  The sound made Bijarki turn his head. His gaze found mine. His eyes widened, and his skin suddenly glowed as he clutched the pendant and shoved it in his pocket. He then gave me a weak smile and patted the grass next to him.

  I smiled back and sat down, leaning gently against him. He gestured to the candle in my hands and looked at me inquisitively. I wanted to ask Bijarki about the pendant. I opened my mouth, but he was swift in steering the conversation away.

  “Practicing?” he asked.

  I nodded. “I figured it wouldn’t hurt to get a better grip on fire.”

  “As you should. According to the Dearghs, fire burns everything, even snakes.”

  We both watched the Destroyers for a while. I was learning to adjust to the hollow feeling in the pit of my stomach that persisted whenever I got close to the monsters waiting outside. They weren’t going anywhere any time soon. I had to get used to them being around. I couldn’t allow their presence to cloud my judgment or diminish my capacity to defend myself or the ones I loved.