I heard branches breaking behind us as we got closer to one another. Hooves soon thundered along the trail we left behind, the neighing of flying horses chilling me to the bone.
Whatever happened, I had to make sure the others were safe. My heart thudded as I shortened the distance between Aida and me. I needed her safe; otherwise I would cease to function altogether.
“We’re right on track,” Aida called out, still at least twenty feet away from me. “The white rock was marked on Serena’s map to Stonewall.”
I briefly remembered their account of the journey to the east, and the creatures they’d met along the way. If I wasn’t mistaken, we’d entered a forest patch that had been claimed by succubi of the Green Tribe.
Aida
I’d yet to reach the point of exhaustion in my run toward the white rock. The adrenaline rushed through me, and seeing Field alive and well to my left gave me even more energy. The mutated shifters were incredible, and I couldn’t understand why the Daughters of Eritopia had been so against them.
Granted, they were literal freaks of nature in these parts, but they kept us alive and were unbelievably useful in battle. If anything, I only wished Viola had affected more of these creatures. The thought of her instinctively made me look to my right, watching Phoenix as he jumped over tree stumps, followed closely by his shifter. Grief was imprinted in his eyes, hidden beneath a frown as he moved. His gaze softened slightly every time he looked at the creature keeping him company, as if it were a reminder of Viola.
I kept my breathing under control as I increased my speed through the woods. I could hear Destroyers still after us, and I kept my sword and shield ready for a final round with whatever was left of that pack of slithering monsters.
I glanced over my shoulder and counted eight atop their horses, wings gathered to their sides as they galloped toward us.
The white rock was only a few feet ahead, and I hoped we’d made enough noise to capture the Green Tribe’s attention. I knew they were somewhere nearby, and I prayed to all the forces of the universe to see them come out and help us get rid of our chasers. The more energy we preserved, the better our chances of making it till morning with all our body parts intact.
“Just ahead,” I shouted as we reached the clearing that held the white rock.
Phoenix and Field arrived just after us, followed by Anjani. Our shifters stopped on the edge, their pale muscles twitching—presumably aching for another fight. Aura and Almandine were already waiting by the large slab of snow marble, their long knives drawn and ready to attack. Eva gripped a sword in her hands, her yellow eyes wide and fangs bared. I’d never seen her like this before, and even I had to admit that, as beautiful as she was, she looked downright fearsome in that moment.
Anjani and Phoenix brought out their crossbows, aiming for the Destroyers’ heads as they landed with heavy thuds. The shifters charged them, some going for the horses’ throats while the others bit into the Destroyers’ arms and legs, dragging them to the ground.
I heard a whistle as I got ready to take on one of the remaining beasts. I looked back and saw a shower of arrows soar over our heads before piercing the Destroyers. They caused the monsters terrible pain, temporarily incapacitating them. It gave us the opening we needed, and Phoenix, Anjani, Field, and I launched our attacks and beheaded the last four Destroyers.
The Destroyers’ heads rolled through the tall grass as the shifters returned to our sides, wiping the blood off their mouths and resting on their knuckles. They’d sustained several injuries, but none seemed fatal. Their eyes flared violet as they watched dozens of succubi with green war paint emerge from the trees beyond the white rock. They immediately shifted into copies of us which, despite its creep factor, seemed like the sensible thing to do since they were outnumbered by succubi with arrows designed to kill them.
The succubi approached us with their bows stretched and arrows ready to kill us.
We stilled, leaving our weapons on the ground and slowly raising our hands into the air. Only then did I feel my heart pounding in my chest, my body heat pulsing outward, and beads of sweat trickling down my face.
“We mean you no harm,” I called out to the succubi, who took several steps toward us.
One of them came closer, her pale blue gaze carefully analyzing each of us. She seemed surprised by our “twins” with violet eyes, as she lifted an eyebrow. I glanced at the others in my group and saw Phoenix’s jaw tense, his eyes flickering gold as his fingers twitched. Knowing him, he was ready to send out a barrier to keep the succubi at bay.
“Who are you?” the blue-eyed succubus growled, unyielding in her stance.
She was getting a little too close to Phoenix at this point, her arrow aimed at his head.
“Put that arrow away before you hurt someone with it,” he said, his teeth gritted.
“Or what?” she sneered, and took another step forward.
“Phoenix, don’t!” I managed to say before he released a mild barrier, enough to push her back a couple of feet.
She staggered as she looked down, then glared at him.
“I’ve met one of you before!” she said.
“Serena?” I asked, while I watched the other succubi frown slightly. Some seemed to relax their grip on their weapons.
“Yes,” she said, looking Phoenix over from head to toe, then running a hand through her long black hair. “You’re part of her group?”
“Yes!” I replied, my hands still up. “We’re on our way to Stonewall. We’re being followed by Destroyers, and we had to seek cover in these woods.”
The succubus sighed, then put her bow and arrow away. Phoenix instantly relaxed from his fighting stance, fists balled at his sides. The shifters growled, keeping themselves close to us. The succubi pointed their arrows at them, recognizing what they were based on their distinctive, sharp sounds, but I stepped forward, enough to shield one of the shifters from a potential hit.
“No, please, don’t hurt them. They’re with us!” I pleaded.
“Shifters aren’t with anyone but themselves, and even that’s debatable!” the succubus leader scoffed, then waved at the others. “Kill them!”
“No, don’t!” Field came forward, as did the rest of our group, moving in front of our mutated shifters with our hands up in defensive gestures.
“You must be Wren, right?” I asked the succubus, trying to engage in conversation and draw focus away from our shifters, who waited quietly behind us, their glowing violet eyes darting from one succubus to another.
“Indeed,” she nodded firmly. “Why are you protecting these beasts?”
“They’re… different.” I couldn’t think of a better word to describe the anomaly. “They protect us. They killed many Destroyers to keep us safe. They’re with us. It’s not easy to explain, but they were… modified to safeguard us.”
Wren cocked her head to one side, staring at the shifters in disbelief.
“They even keep other shifters away,” Field added. “We’d be dead right now if it weren’t for them.”
“Fine,” Wren said after a long moment, then motioned for her succubi to put their weapons down. She placed her hands on her hips and pursed her lips at me, as if we were the least desired visitors they’d had in years. “It’s not enough you brought these Destroyer abominations into our forest, but you keep shifters as companions. You people are something else entirely!”
I took a deep breath, recognizing her grouchy mood as a mild defense mechanism. After all, they’d claimed this patch, and we were basically trespassing, but we didn’t have any other choice. The shifters let out a collective sigh of relief and returned to their original form, keeping their heads down but their eyes on the succubi.
“Thank you for helping us,” I said. “I know we’re not welcome here, but we are grateful nevertheless.”
“Nothing to be grateful for, wolf-girl,” Wren shot back, having caught my scent after sniffing the air. “More Destroyers will come after you, and now we’re
open to attacks, too. We were doing fine here, keeping a low profile, until you showed up.”
“Well, sorry, but it’s not like Calliope’s been all nice and peaceful lately, has it?” Phoenix replied, his voice low.
Wren looked at us for a while, then exhaled sharply.
“We’re not safe here anymore,” she muttered, glancing at the succubi behind her. “I can’t put what’s left of the Green Tribe at risk by keeping us here. This little patch of woods was our last option on Antara. Now we have to leave it and head for Marton.”
She then saw the red paint on Anjani, Aura, and Almandine, and raised an eyebrow.
“Are you what’s left of the Red Tribe?” she asked Anjani, who shook her head in response.
“No. Some of our sisters are out there, gathering fighters for our alliance with the Druid, while you hide here in the woods to protect your mothers-to-be. Like it or not, this world has no mercy on the weak.”
Anjani’s remark didn’t sit well with Wren.
“At least there are more of us alive than any other tribe,” she scoffed. “Yours was practically obliterated from what I heard. The White Tribe vanished altogether decades ago, and no one knows what happened to them. The others are scattered across the continent or caged in Azazel’s dungeons. We’re actually replenishing our numbers and growing stronger every day.”
“Until Azazel decides it’s time to squash the rogues, after he’s done with the last citadel. You can’t tell me you’re not aware that your so-called safety is not permanent,” I replied. “And what’s up with the color names, anyway? How many tribes were there?”
“Red, Green, Blue, Purple, Black, White, Amber, Gold, and Silver,” Wren said, looking away as grief cast shadows under her eyes. “The free nations of the succubi were formed when we separated ourselves from the incubi and chose freedom in the wild over subservience in their cities. We never sought to expand. The lands we claimed were our home, our haven. We had no quarrel with anyone. We only wanted freedom.”
“I’m sorry, but it’s tough luck,” I replied. “Times have changed. Azazel is coming, whether you like it or not.”
“Well, we were hoping for a few more days here in peace. Until you came along!” Wren snarled, then moved back and nodded toward her succubi. “We’ll come with you to Stonewall. We can repair one of the ships in the harbor and take our mothers-to-be to Marton, where they can safely give birth.”
I’d figured she’d want to blame us for having to move the Green Tribe. We were the perfect excuse, if I thought about it. We’d brought Destroyers into their forest—there was no better reason than these slithering abominations to get her succubi to consider Stonewall. She didn’t seem that upset about it, either, despite her aggravated tone. If anything, she looked toward the east with bright eyes.
“If you’re serious about sailing to Marton, some of our group already in Stonewall may be interested in joining you and helping you along the way. We know of some young Druids, the last of the Grand Temple, living somewhere by Onyx River, and we need to reach out to them. Why don’t we help each other on this one?” I asked, thinking I might be able to convince her to leave some of her fighters with us and not send the entire tribe to Marton.
We needed as many of them as we could get, because the alliance required numbers for the assault on Luceria to work.
“How about we all get to Stonewall in one piece first, then hash out the details?” Wren replied, then pointed at the Destroyers lying dead in the grass. “These aren’t the last you’ll see of Azazel’s forces. More will come, in greater numbers. And soon.”
She whistled, and the succubi spread out, moving east. I watched as they vanished between the trees, while our shifters nervously looked around, one of them licking its wounded shoulder. Four had taken some hits, bearing deep scratches and cuts on their sides and legs.
“We need to move,” I said to Field. “Some of the shifters are wounded, and I’m not sure how many more hits they can withstand if there’s another wave of Destroyers coming.”
“There’s a stream several miles from here,” Wren said. “We can stop there to replenish our water reserves, and you can wash the blood off. From there we’ll have about a day’s journey to Stonewall.”
I looked down as soon as she mentioned the blood and saw it sprayed and smeared all over my body, darkened to a metallic copper shade. The sight of it made me slightly queasy, but nothing compared to the thought of becoming Azazel’s prisoner.
Field reached out and wiped some of the Destroyer blood off my cheek with the back of his hand, the corner of his mouth pulling toward a half-smile.
“You were quite the badass back there,” he said slowly. “I thought I couldn’t be more impressed, but you had to go and prove me wrong.”
“Good to see I can still surprise you,” I replied, feeling my cheeks burn under his warm gaze until Wren’s groan broke our moment.
“Time to go,” she said, with very little patience left.
“Okay, okay, we’re coming.” I walked past her, followed by Field, Phoenix, Anjani, and our shifters, while the others went ahead.
Soon enough, we began to run so we could maintain a safe distance from any other Destroyers, which were bound to follow from the mansion. Wren and a couple of her succubi kept their distance behind us, covering our backs as we darted through the forest.
Our shifters soon fanned out, and I could hear them growling and snapping their jaws at other wildlings eager to come at us. Only a couple of hours were left until dawn, and I could feel my body gradually slowing down.
I shook the thought away, taking a few deep breaths as I increased my speed, my new shield on my arm and my sword dangling from my belt as I put another mile between us and the Destroyers that would come after the ones we’d left dead by the white rock. There was no room for tiredness or fear. For now, there was only the rampant need to survive.
This time we had gotten incredibly lucky. The mutated shifters watched over us, and we had several dozen succubi running with us. At least the odds seemed more in our favor than they had a few hours back, when we’d watched the protective shield crumble in golden sparks around us.
Vita
As soon as the moon was out and bright at midnight, I took the tweezers I’d dug out of a beauty box to try to pick the lock on the double doors. I’d been lucky to find them, as Azazel had clearly removed all possible weapons and tools from my chamber. Leave it to the males to underestimate our ability to make do with the unlikeliest of vanity objects. I hadn’t seen Damion in a while, and there was silence outside my room, so it felt like the perfect time for me to sneak into the dungeons and set Kyana free.
I struggled with the inner mechanism of the lock until my fingers got sweaty and slipped off the tweezers. They fell to the floor with a high-pitched clang. I wiped my hands against my linen dress, picked them up, and tried again.
Bijarki was out there, coming to get me, and the others were doing their part in taking the war to Azazel. I was done being a prisoner anyway. I had to do something, and seeing Kyana downstairs had given me enough motivation to stop looking at risks and focus on a solution. At this point, getting the Lamia out of her cage meant giving Patrik the peace of mind he needed to break away from Azazel’s spell.
I continued fiddling with the lock, cursing under my breath when I lost my grip on the tweezers again. I took a deep breath, got down on my knees to get a better look, and tried again. Finally, I heard a click, at which point I turned the tweezers inside the hole and pushed until the much-needed clang tickled my ears.
I did it, I thought to myself as I turned the knob and opened the door. Add that to your skillset, Vita. You’ll be a secret intelligence asset in no time.
I grabbed the bedcover on my way out, a thin black sheet of fabric with which I covered myself. It would keep me obscured in shaded areas of the castle, and keep my face hidden from any green flames along the way.
I took the service stairs that Damion had shown me, as I’d
only seen normal torches lining the narrow spiral staircase. I rushed down through the levels until I reached the ground floor. I waited in a corner, hidden behind a large and grotesque obsidian statue depicting something akin to a gargoyle, while several incubi passed through the large hallway linking the kitchen to their living quarters.
A couple of Destroyers patrolled that section of the castle, but I easily eluded them, as they were enticed by the smell of raw meat coming from the mess hall adjacent to the kitchen.
“Someone brought fresh game in,” one of them said as they slithered away from my hiding place.
My heart beat frantically as I made my way into another service corridor, which lead me farther down into the basement. I recognized this part of Luceria, as I’d only just seen it a few hours earlier. I retraced the path I’d taken with Damion until I found Kyana in her cage in one of the dungeon halls.
The air was cool and damp, while darkness reigned over the black iron prison.
She was asleep, lying on one side with her knees brought up to her chest. I reached into the cage and gently nudged her leg. Her eyes opened wide and yellow as she sat up and stared at me with sheer amazement.
“You actually came back,” she gasped, eyebrows raised.
“I do my best to keep my word.” I gave her a confident smirk, even though my whole body trembled. “What now?”
“Heggel’s around here somewhere,” she said slowly, pointing somewhere to my right. “There’s another chamber next door. It’s where he usually dozes off during his shift, after he makes sure we’re all quiet and miserable.”
I looked over my shoulder, then took a deep breath.
“Okay, what am I looking for?” I asked.
“There’s a bunch of keys on a ring. He wears them on his belt. We need those. The only key that can open these cuffs is there. It’s small and made of gold, very different from the others. You can’t miss it,” she replied, her eyes darting around behind me. “Be quiet and move quickly. His sleep is heavy, but others might be around.”