“Okay, we’ve made it this far,” I said, suddenly energized. “Now what?”
“We get Aida and Phoenix in here,” he replied, the corner of his mouth twitching.
I nodded and went to fetch Aida and Phoenix. My brother was half asleep when I barged into his room. I pulled him out of bed despite his protests.
“I’ve been trying to fall asleep for a few hours now, and you’re not helping!” he groaned as his feet touched the floor.
“We found a spell to conceal you from Azazel,” I replied, and his face lit up.
He followed me as we went into Aida’s room. She was sleeping in Field’s arms, on top of the covers. The Hawk peeled his eyes open to find us gawking at them from the doorway.
“Okay, awkward,” I muttered. “But no time. We found a concealment spell for Aida and Phoenix. Come on!”
Field sat up with a deep breath and pulled Aida, who was still very much asleep, with him. It took him about a minute to get her to open her eyes. I felt sorry to do this to her, but her safety was paramount.
“She had visions, and then she went right into a state of deep sleep,” Field explained briefly as she finally opened her eyes, blinking several times before she could figure out where she was or what was happening.
“What’s going on?” she grumbled, close to falling asleep again.
“They found a way to hide you from Azazel,” Field told her gently, and I couldn’t help but sense the love for her pouring out of him. We were going to giggle about it later, between us girls, but until then, I needed her safe.
Her eyes popped wide open as she jumped out of bed, suddenly fresh and full of life.
“Hide me from Azazel? Yes, ma’am, thank you very much. Let’s do this!” she quipped, and came up to Phoenix and me.
We all went back into the archive hall, where Draven waited by the large table, the wooden bowl containing the concealment spell in his hands. The corners of his mouth were turned down, and a frown cast shadows over his eyes. I had a feeling something was off.
“Oh no,” I said. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing per se,” Draven replied, his voice lower than usual. “You won’t like the application method, that’s all.”
We stopped in front of him, quietly staring and waiting for him to elaborate.
“I need to apply this to your faces,” Draven said to the Oracles. “And then set it on fire.”
“Wait, what?!” Aida was the first to react. She gaped at him, then turned to me. “Please tell me you didn’t get me out of bed so you can burn me alive. I thought we were friends…”
The sarcasm wasn’t lost on me. I took a deep breath and raised my eyebrows at Draven.
“What do you mean, set them on fire?” I asked.
“That’s what the instructions say.” He shrugged. “It won’t burn through the skin; it’s just for the crystal powders to vaporize and seep through. It’s perfectly harmless.”
“How do you know? You’ve never done it before,” Field shot back.
“No, but my father did something similar to me when I was a child,” Draven replied. “I’d seen this formula before, only I couldn’t remember it because it was such a long time ago. When I was a little boy, my father worried about me going beyond the protective shield. He feared that Azazel had activated tracking spells to find the remaining Druids and bring them into the fold, and he didn’t want me to get caught if I ever got out. I was so little, I didn’t even remember this spell existed until now, upon reading the final instructions. He actually did it to me, and I had no idea at the time. He just asked me to stay still while he applied the paste to my face, then set it on fire. I was scared at first, but he held my arms and told me to stay calm. And he was right—it didn’t hurt me. It felt warm, but then it died out quickly, and he smiled, telling me everything would be okay.”
We didn’t say anything, just glanced at one another for a moment. Draven waited patiently with an innocent expression on his face.
“I was afraid you wouldn’t like it, but it’s the truth,” he added. “I’m just grateful to have remembered my own experience. Otherwise we’d be back to square one, because I wouldn’t have the heart to burn your faces off for the sake of protecting you. It’s not what Druid magic is supposed to be about. I assume this formula was modified after the spell was removed from the Seventieth Circle books…”
“You know what, if it keeps me hidden and Azazel can’t find me, I think I’m okay without a face.” Aida raised an eyebrow and pursed her lips. “That’s how bad it’s gotten for us…”
“Do it,” Phoenix muttered, his gaze fixed on the bowl.
“Are you sure?” I asked, still worried about potential side effects. While I had all the faith in Draven, the same could not be said for the Druids’ dark magic.
“Just do it,” he insisted, a muscle twitching in his jaw.
He was on edge. I could feel him, but I couldn’t do anything about it. Draven nodded, then applied the paste to Aida and Phoenix’s faces, spreading it evenly in a thick layer. He set the bowl aside, then held a long thin wooden stick in the flame of an oil lamp on the table.
He brought the burning tip to Phoenix’s face first, his eyes flickering black while he kept a steady hand.
“Obscurin Geller,” he muttered under his breath as the flame touched the mask.
It caught fire, and I held my brother’s hand as he gasped, my heart stuck in my throat.
“Are you okay?” I asked, watching as the fire spread on his face. He kept his eyes closed and nodded nervously.
“Yeah,” he replied. “Druid’s right. It’s warm, doesn’t hurt.”
The fire dimmed as the paste turned into a clear liquid and was instantly absorbed by his skin. His face grew clear, and his cheeks reddened. He blinked several times, then looked at us.
“That was it?” Phoenix seemed surprised. “I didn’t feel anything other than warmth.”
“I think it worked,” Draven replied, then repeated the process with Aida.
She squealed as the fire covered her face. It also died down, melting the mask into a clear liquid that vanished beneath her skin. She gasped, then beamed at me, her hand still clutching Field’s.
“This might work as a spa treatment,” Aida quipped. “I swear I could feel my pores opening up!”
I couldn’t help but chuckle as I hugged her and Phoenix. I heard Draven whisper an “I’m sorry” in my ear, but I brushed it aside and gave him a warm smile instead. I knew he hadn’t wanted to get all dark and gloomy earlier, regarding the Soul Fusion outcome. I felt his pain. There was nothing to be sorry about.
“I think we’re good now.” Draven smiled for the first time in hours, warming me inside.
“How do we know it worked?” Field was cautious as always.
“I could get in touch with Vita.” Aida touched her face gently, as if double-checking she still had one. “Since she’s there, she could find out if Azazel can still feel us.”
“Sounds like a plan.” I nodded.
“Thank you,” Phoenix said to Draven and me. “Thank you both.”
“Nah, it’s okay.” I blushed. “Told you I’d find a way to keep you safe.”
He brushed his knuckles against my cheek in an affectionate gesture before taking me in his arms for another hug. His soul still felt raw and was brimming with pain, but I knew, deep down, he was going to be okay. He was a Shadian, after all. And Shadians didn’t let pain bring them to their knees.
“Since we’re here,” Aida said, breaking my train of thought, “and I’m no longer worried about getting my face broiled off, it’s time to tell you about my latest visions.”
She had my full, undivided attention, as well as Draven’s, who straightened his back and crossed his arms over his chest in response.
“I saw the young Druids,” she continued. “They’re still alive, on Marton, where Phoenix last saw them. I think they settled there. There are six left.”
There was a collective sigh of
relief at that point.
“We can go look for them after the alliance meeting.” I beamed at Draven, who only gave me a weak smile in return. I took it, as it was better than his previous justified but foul mood.
“Azazel trapped me in the third vision again,” Aida said. “But he can’t do anything more than that. He’s just taunting me, like a predator playing with his food, trying to get me tangled in his mind games. But that’s not even the highlight of the day! Hold onto your hats, ladies and gentlemen, because in my second vision, I wound up following Kyana in snake form. We found a hidden settlement in the jungles somewhere south of Luceria – I think it’s south, since Kyana had no business going up north, when the River Pyros is south. The succubi of the White Tribe live there—you know, the tribe that was thought to have vanished without a trace?”
I nodded, remembering the earlier accounts from Anjani and Wren.
“They’re concealed by a swamp witch cloaking spell,” she added. “And you’ll never guess who leads them.”
Neither of us said anything, and Aida seemed to get a kick out of keeping us on edge.
“Jasmine.”
I blanked out for a minute. I looked at Draven, and his expression told me everything I needed to know—he was just as shocked as I was. His eyes were wide open, his breath halted.
“Jasmine as in—”
“Jasmine as in Draven’s aunt,” Aida interrupted me. “Yes. She’s alive and well, apparently. And that still isn’t the culminating point of my vision.”
She turned her gaze on Draven.
“She knows about you. She’s been keeping an eye on you,” she said.
That revelation brought on a whole new load of questions to which we’d yet to get answers. There was another Druid out there, still alive. On top of that, she knew about Draven—and from what Aida later told us, she didn’t just know about Draven, but us too. She’d been watching his and our movements outside the shield for quite some time.
I only wondered why she’d never revealed herself.
Serena
The next day and a half passed rather uneventfully, and I was thankful for it. We spent our time digging deeper into the Druid archives, searching for as much information as we could uncover about Jasmine, about navigating the eastern ocean, and about combat spells that Draven and the young Druids could learn for their fight against Azazel.
Aida briefed us on her visions in full detail and regularly checked in on Vita, who kept a low profile and waited for Bijarki’s arrival, while playing the role of the model prisoner. We even found out that the concealment spell had worked, as Patrik told Vita that Azazel was furious, casting all kinds of tracking spells because he couldn’t feel Aida and Phoenix anymore. The Prince of Destroyers had already had trouble tracking them because they were constantly moving, managing only to get five-mile radius approximations until they fell off the radar again. Patrik had also advised Azazel not to take his anger out on Vita, the only fully functional Oracle he had. Surprisingly, Azazel heeded his advice and kept his distance, as he was focused on securing his throne and looking for us.
Phoenix kept his mind busy by subjecting his body to hard training sessions with Jovi and Field. Rebel and Thorn occasionally jumped in, as did Jax, Hansa, and Anjani, while Draven, Aida, Zeriel, and I spent most of the daylight available in the archive hall.
Wren and her succubi were hard at work in the harbor, mending one of the four ships left so they could sail it to Marton. They were close to getting it ready, and Draven and I agreed to accompany the expectant mothers to the desert continent, as we needed to find the young Druids and bring them into the alliance.
Draven barely said anything during this time, keeping his focus on the Druid spell books and avoiding any conversations about the future. Zeriel, as Jax had previously stated, did not always pick up on social cues and was perfectly comfortable talking about Draven potentially wiping us all out, without noticing how uncomfortable it made the Druid.
I couldn’t blame Zeriel either: he was only looking to find a solution, a way to stop Vita’s visions from coming true. But the very notion of betraying those close to him pushed Draven back over the edge and into a sullen state that was hard to come back from.
Nevertheless, I persisted, summoning every ounce of patience I had in me, and talked Draven back into focus—the day of the alliance meeting was finally upon us, and we had a lot of work to do.
I used the telepathy spell ingredients to reach out to Tamara and Bijarki. The Lamia was the first to respond.
“Serena, nice to hear you’re still alive,” she said, with no feeling in her voice. “I’m close to Stonewall now. I should be there shortly. A trail was left for Kyana as well, so she knows where to find us.”
“That’s good to hear,” I replied. “Good to hear you didn’t get stomped by a horse.”
I heard her laugh lightly in my head. She’d caught the gist and seemed to appreciate the dark humor.
“Clearly, you give as good as you get.” She snickered. “You will make a fine leader one day.”
Tamara was like that, I realized. With one hand she patted your back and encouraged you, while she used the other to slap you hard before comforting you again. There was a strategy behind her demeanor, but I’d yet to figure out its purpose. All I could do was appreciate her compliments and brace myself for the day Draven would tell her there was no way in hell he’d mate with Eva. Our group had already kept Eva safe despite dozens of Destroyers chasing them, and Vita had set her sister free. The balance had moved slowly in our favor.
“Bijarki, are you there?” I called out to the incubus.
“Here,” came his raspy reply. “I’m on my way to Luceria. Got side-tracked by former soldiers who thought they could cash in on the reward on my head. I had to put on the invisibility spell to keep others from doing the same. I’ll reach the castle by sunrise.”
“Please be safe,” I told him. “Vita is counting on you…”
“She’s the only reason I’m still topside, Serena,” Bijarki said, breathing heavily. He was most likely running through the jungle. “Do you have an exact location for her?”
“Yes,” I said. “Aida has been checking in with her every few hours, just so you know. She’s on the seventh level, east wing, the summer suite just below the throne room.”
“Thank you, Serena.”
“Bring her back, please,” I mumbled, a claw gripping my heart. I missed my little fire fae so much.
“I promise,” came his solemn reply.
All I could do was wait and hope that everything would be okay, that I would see Vita soon enough. Bijarki had the invisibility spell to his advantage, making this a relatively simple extraction mission. Given our twisted track record, however, I couldn’t help but worry that something might still go awfully wrong.
I took comfort in words my mother had once said: “If you think the worst will happen, you’re nudging the universe in that direction.” I took a deep breath and followed her advice, focusing on the positive possibilities. I missed my parents. I missed The Shade.
Someday soon, this would all be over and we’d see our families again. I’d feel The Shade’s warm, fragrant breeze against my face, and our beloved island’s beauty would ease the ache in my heart.
I could only be grateful that at least back home they didn’t know we existed. They didn’t suffer in our absence like we quietly did in theirs.
Vita
I hadn’t seen Azazel or Damion for well over a day, and it had made my involuntary stay slightly more bearable. I spent most of my time thinking of ways in which we could prevent the future I’d last envisioned. I went over all possible scenarios, but, since I didn’t know everything about Azazel’s true capabilities, I wasn’t sure how many of my ideas might actually work.
Nevertheless, I focused on a solution and hoped Patrik would be able to uncover something about Azazel’s snake pendant. From what Aida had told me during our private sessions, the pendant held Asherak??
?s curse and could not be destroyed. The only question that lingered in my mind was: What if it could be destroyed?
No one had asked the Daughters about it. What if they could destroy it?
The doors to my room opened, and I stilled on the bed, watching Damion as he slithered in with a breakfast tray. He looked sullen but calm, but my dislike of him didn’t falter. It was all still there, I realized, as the urge to smack him came burning back up. I tightened my hands into fists and measured my breaths, instead.
“Where’s Patrik?” I asked.
“He’s busy, and I’ve been reassigned to the upper levels,” came his dry reply.
“You sound upset,” I said, stifling a smirk as he put the tray on the chest of drawers by the window and turned to face me.
“What did you expect? I got sent to hard labor in the kitchens because of you!” he hissed.
“You tried to strangle me!” I shot back.
“You’ve been getting me into trouble with Azazel from the moment you arrived! Your little trick with the Lamia nearly cost me my life.”
I weighed my response carefully. I didn’t need a hostile guard around, not with Bijarki so close to Luceria. I swallowed my pride and went down the amiable route.
“I’m sorry, Damion,” I said, struggling to sound sincere. “I didn’t take your position into consideration. I was selfish.”
My apology took him by surprise, as he’d probably expected me to be even more belligerent and defensive. He nodded briefly, then looked me over from head to toe.
“You should worry less about other creatures and more about yourself,” he muttered. “That Lamia has already forgotten about you, while you’re stuck here with a chain on your leg.”
“Speaking of which,” I replied, pointing at the shackle. “When does this come off? I’ve been a model prisoner these past couple of days.”
“I wouldn’t hold my breath if I were you,” he said. “Azazel is increasingly aggravated about your last visions and is currently mobilizing troops to search for your friends. He can’t sense the Oracles anymore, and he is in a foul mood.”