“And we couldn’t do this before because…” Aida asked sarcastically.
“Because you weren’t ready,” Draven snapped back. “The fumes of the herbs will help you. All that’s required is that you inhale them, and try to ease your mind into a meditative state.”
“Hang on a second,” Serena asked, interrupting, “these herbs—they’re not hallucinogens or anything like that, right?”
The Druid frowned. “No, of course not. The herbs actually produce their own energy. They’re called Taqa, and the plant they’re derived from is very rare and much sought-after. The energy will help focus your abilities, almost as if you are inhaling a botanical life force.”
I raised my eyebrows in surprise. If the herbs were that potent, no wonder they were heavily sought after. It was starting to look like I could learn a lot from Draven, and the idea pleased me. It would be good to learn while I was here—take some of the mysteries of the In-Between home with me, when the time came.
If it ever comes.
I shoved the bleak thought aside, and refocused on Draven and the herbs.
“Sit on the ground,” he informed us, “and inhale. Your bodies will do the rest.”
I did as I was asked, slowly moving into a cross-legged position and breathing in as much as I could of the steady wisp of smoke that emanated from the spheres. Instantly I started to feel drowsy, my mind foggy as if I was in a deep sleep—but, strangely, remaining fully conscious. I supposed the closest thing I could compare it to was having a particularly lucid dream.
I watched as Phoenix’s eyelids closed, and he dropped backward into the grass. It alarmed me slightly, but didn’t break the hold the herbs had over me, and soon I felt my own eyelids growing heavy. I submitted to the effects, and felt my body fall backwards in the same manner. It was strange. Where the ground was meant to hit my back, there was an absence of solidness, so I felt like I was falling backward through the earth, tumbling down, down, further into a dark void of nothing.
I landed on something hard, the back of my skull slamming against it, making my head ring. I immediately sat up and looked around. I was in exactly the same place as I was in my previous vision, the sky around me star-studded and endless, with its glowing cosmos. I looked behind me, seeing the Oracle in her sphere of water—her eyes wide with warning as they had been before. I quickly turned, looking ahead, just in time to see my friends running down the pathway, heading straight for the Oracle.
I stood up instinctively, waving my arms around for them to stop, before reminding myself that they couldn’t see me, and no matter how loud I screamed and yelled, it wouldn’t stop what would come next.
Sure enough, the Destroyers appeared over the edge of the cliff. Their horses’ wings beat furiously in the night’s sky, their black eyes fixed on the rescue party. The spear was thrown. I watched in slow motion as it soared straight through the air—smashing into Jovi and running through him till his body arched backward, impaled on its wooden shaft.
I turned my head away, cursing the vision for showing me this again. I didn’t want to see it—I’d never wanted to see it.
Screams erupted, and I looked up to see Serena and Aida both launching themselves toward Jovi. I felt like I was underwater, every sound muffled, every movement heavy and labored. I saw, with complete clarity, the pain, shock and surprise on my friends’ faces.
Then it all fell silent.
The vision froze. Another spear had been thrown, stopping in mid-air before reaching its target. The Destroyers glared at us all with cruel malice. I heard the shuffle of my own feet on the dew-soaked grass as I moved forward, reaching out to touch Jovi.
His face was barely recognizable in that moment, his mouth open as he cried out, his eyes wide and fearful. Not fear of the spear, or the Destroyers at the cliff edge, but as if he was recognizing his own death, staring it in the face as his body let him down, as if he’d never before realized that he was mortal.
Is this what death looks like?
Was it that frightening to face your own end? Like Jovi, like us all, I had never really considered my own death—not when we lived in the safest place on Earth. And most of us in The Shade were immortal anyway, or had such long lives it felt that way.
A voice, coming from the water-filled sphere, interrupted my morbid musings.
“Vita?”
I spun around, facing the Oracle. While everything else was still frozen, she alone seemed to be moving in her glass prison. Her hair wafted out gently behind her, and when she opened her mouth, bubbles rose to the surface.
“Vita, is that you?”
I nodded, my heart pounding in my chest as I took a step closer toward her. I froze completely as her body started to move…or not. It was confusing. The Oracle remained where she was, but a white, faded replica of her being stepped out from the glass constraints of the sphere. She looked like a ghost, and through her non-corporeal form I could see the ‘real’ Oracle still floating behind her. The ghost of the Oracle walked toward me, her eyes still unseeing, the runes moving rapidly over her body. Her hair was wet, leaving drips of water on the grass.
“Vita, answer me,” she pleaded, her voice barely above a whisper.
“I’m here,” I answered, my voice high-pitched and wavering.
She closed the space between us and stood inches in front of me. Her hands latched onto my arms. Her fingers were ice cold, so cold I felt like they almost burned marks onto my skin.
“Vita, listen to me. Time is running out. You need to find the Daughters, they will help, but you need to act fast. The Druid isn’t as safe as he thinks.”
She abruptly dropped my arms, looking up at the sky. I followed her gaze, but could see nothing. When I turned back to face her, the apparition was gone, and only the Oracle in the sphere remained.
“Wait!” I called out, running across the grass to reach the temple. I didn’t get very far before I started to feel nauseous, my head spinning. The vision was coming to an end.
Serena
Even out in the bright sunshine that seemed to give the illusion of safety—or at least it was more comforting than the surroundings of the basement—watching my brother, Vita and Aida slowly pass into an unconscious state was an uncomfortable moment. Draven told us to avoid the fumes ourselves, but even so I could feel myself growing slightly drowsy as the herbs’ aroma wafted my way with the breeze.
“How are they doing?” Bijarki asked, watching Vita.
“They’re fine,” Draven replied, his eyebrows raised in a warning as he saw where his friend’s attention was directed.
“They seem to be pretty out of it,” murmured Jovi. His gaze was directed at Draven, his brow furrowed in an expression of distrust.
“I’m sure it’s fine,” I said, soothing Jovi. He nodded with some reluctance and then took a step back to watch with Field, who hadn’t moved an inch or said a word from the moment our friends had gone under.
I could see all of their chests rising with steady, sleep-like breaths, and the repetition and calm of the motion started to relax me.
“Draven!” Bijarki barked as he moved swiftly over to my brother. I had been watching Vita, but I turned instantly to Phoenix, seeing his body twitching.
“What’s happening?” I asked, placing my hands on either side of his arms. His skin was ice cold beneath his shirt, but he was also sweating profusely.
Draven placed a palm across his forehead, muttering something under his breath.
“What?” I asked, panicked. It was no time for the Druid to be evasive. If there was something wrong with my brother, I wanted to know, now.
“Dammit!” the Druid swore, throwing the censers with the smoking herbs away from Phoenix’s body.
“Tell me what’s happening!” I tried to shake my brother, hoping that he would wake, but the Druid yelled at me to stop. Jovi grabbed me by both shoulders, moving me back and away from Phoenix.
“Get off,” I cried, twisting out of his grasp.
??
?It’s because he’s a syphon—I forgot.” The Druid let out another volley of curses.
“Syphon? You mean a sentry!”
“And your primary ability is to syphon,” he growled back at me. “He has taken in too much of the herb. I should have predicted this! It’s an energy herb—his body thinks it’s food.”
I realized what the Druid was saying. Phoenix had not only inhaled the herb like the others, his instincts must have kicked in as well, and so his body had started to syphon up the fumes, eager for the energy they would provide.
“So what’s happening?” I cried. “What do we do now?”
“It needs to get out of his system. Bijarki, Field, Jovi—move his body closer to the house and out of the direction of the breeze. He needs clean air.”
I staggered back up to my feet, following them as they heaved Phoenix’s frame over toward the greenhouse.
Phoenix’s body continued to twitch, moving more violently with every passing second.
“What can I do?” I turned to Draven, my eyes pleading. “Please, tell me what I can do!”
“The herbs are now at a level where they’re poisonous,” he replied, not looking me in the eye. “It’s going to be causing him great pain—which will make things much worse. His body is cramping up, when it needs to relax in order to expel the poison. Have you ever tried to syphon pain away?” he asked.
“What? No! It doesn’t work like that,” I retorted angrily.
“It can, I assure you. I have met other creatures with syphoning abilities, and it should work the same way. I just don’t think you’ve tried before.”
“Then show me how,” I replied swiftly, willing to try anything, no matter how ludicrous the idea seemed.
The Druid took my hands in his strangely rough ones. Together we knelt down on the floor, his eyes now fixed on mine, not flinching as he met my panicked gaze.
“You need to stay calm. Breathe for a moment.”
I did as he asked, my breath only hitching once, when my brother cried out—an undistinguishable guttural sound, indicating that his pain was worsening.
“I’m ready,” I replied firmly.
“Place your hands across his chest. Try to find the pain in his mind, and remove it—taking on part of it.”
I nodded, doing what he’d told me. Phoenix’s chest was as ice-cold as the rest of him, and my arms trembled as I touched him, so frightened that he wouldn’t make it. That I wouldn’t be able to help.
I closed my eyes, focusing solely on my brother and letting my surroundings blur and melt away. I could feel his mind—jagged, pained, my vision filled with red and black as my energy reached out toward his. But Draven was right. I could feel his pain. It was like a black poison in his mind, vicious and bitter. I started to syphon it off him, focusing only on the poison, so I wouldn’t sap his energy. Eventually I could feel it becoming my own—my head throbbing with his pain, my veins filling up with its acid poison.
Phoenix stopped twitching. I opened my eyes, watching as his face relaxed from its contortion, soon looking like he was back in a state of dream-filled sleep. I took the last of what my body could hold of his pain, and a moment later, while I was still reeling from its effect, his eyelids fluttered open.
It worked.
Serena
I felt sick. The sensation had been such an unpleasant one, and I couldn’t seem to get rid of the feelings that were circulating my body, leaving every limb feeling heavy and dead.
“What was that?” Phoenix asked groggily as he moved to sit up.
“Wait a bit,” Field replied, easing my brother back down onto the ground.
“I’m sorry,” Draven replied evenly. “I didn’t realize it would have that effect on you—you took too much of the herb in. It toxified your bloodstream. It will be out soon, there won’t be any permanent damage.”
“And you’re sure of that this time?” I couldn’t help but snap. The Druid had pushed me too far—endangering my brother’s life like that was unacceptable. He should have told us that the herb could be poisonous in large quantities so at least we could have been forewarned that it was dangerous.
“I am sorry,” Draven replied. “I should have thought more carefully.”
“Yeah, you should have,” I agreed.
“The others are fine,” Bijarki added, gesturing to Aida and Vita still sleeping peacefully in the grass. “It was an honest mistake.”
I shook my head, in no mood to hear the incubus defending his friend.
“Your methods are too dangerous.” Jovi joined in, glaring at both the Druid and Bijarki. “We all want answers, but you’re rushing them. They’re obviously not prepared for this yet! Vita had the first vision on her own, without your so-called ‘help’—why not just give them some time to work it out?”
The Druid shook his head.
“We don’t have time, Jovi,” he bit out. “We’re all in danger. I’m not just protecting my own interests, I’m protecting theirs as well! How many times do I have to tell you that?”
Jovi stayed silent, still glaring at Draven. He shook his head, leaving the rest of us as he made his way over to his sister and Vita.
“Let me help you up,” I said, turning to Phoenix. I couldn’t even look at Draven. My brother rose to his feet, and silently we walked toward Jovi, Field joining us, and leaving Draven and Bijarki behind.
“They’re waking!” Jovi called out, beckoning us over.
I hurried to his side, just in time to see Aida’s bright golden eyes open, staring up at the sky. A few seconds later, Vita joined her, sitting bolt upright, her chest heaving as if she’d been running.
“Are you okay?” I asked, crouching down next to her.
We were joined by Draven and Bijarki, both looking expectantly at my friends. I frowned at them both, wishing they’d give us some space.
“I saw the Oracle again,” Vita burst out, “it was the same vision as before.” She turned to the Druid, her face solemn. “We need to get to the Daughters. The Oracle says you’re not safe. We need to find them, they’ll help us.”
“Are you sure?” Draven asked, his expression perplexed—and worried.
“I’m sure. The Oracle spoke to me directly. I think it’s what she wanted to say that time in the bathroom…” Vita trailed off, realizing her mistake. We had kept that information from Draven, not sure whether or not we could trust him.
The Druid’s face darkened.
“What time in the bathroom?” he asked, looking around at us all. I sighed, irritated at myself for not telling him earlier. It was something that, on reflection, we probably shouldn’t have withheld. I told him briefly what had happened to Vita, and his face darkened further.
“Do you know how much magic she would have used to get in contact with you?” he growled. “More than you could possibly imagine. I would have known from that alone that whatever she was trying to tell you was a life-and-death matter. You fools.”
“Well, now we know,” I replied heatedly. “We didn’t know what she was trying to say before—there can’t be much harm done.”
“I agree with Vita,” Aida said, breaking the tension slightly. “We’re not safe. In my vision, I saw the Destroyers preparing to hunt. They were given orders from Azazel—he knows we’re in Eritopia, and he won’t stop searching till he finds us. I know you say this house is safe, but…I don’t know. It’s just a feeling I have that something’s going to go horribly wrong.”
Aida’s words chilled me to the bone.
“What about you, Phoenix?” I asked quietly. “Did you even have a vision?”
“What happened?” Aida asked, before my brother could reply. I glared at Draven, waiting to fill her in, but he just stared back at me with equal ferocity. I told the others what had happened, and was only slightly rewarded when both Vita and Aida shot Draven looks of disgust.
“It was an accident,” Phoenix replied, placing a hand on my arm. “He didn’t mean it. And yes, I did have a vision, another dud though
. This time I was underground, standing in a chamber of soil—I could even see earthworms moving about in it. It was pretty repulsive, actually. But in the middle of the chamber, there was a huge shell. Like a regular snail’s shell, except it looked like it was made of pearl, all pink and white. It glowed, I think.” Phoenix shook his head, “it was weird. But nothing else happened… That was all I saw.”
“I wonder why you saw her,” Draven breathed.
“Huh? Her? What do you mean?” my brother replied, looking bemused.
“You saw the last Daughter of Eritopia. The Daughter I am sworn to protect, in payment for the security of this house.” Draven replied slowly. His gray eyes seemed to dull, as if he was a million miles away, remembering another time.
“I don’t understand,” I replied, feeling utterly bewildered. So many questions crowded my mind that I was momentarily paralyzed as to which to ask first. “Phoenix said he saw a shell. What are you talking about—‘last Daughter’?”
“As I said,” Draven said, almost growling in impatience as he returned to the present, his eyes piercing mine. “There is much, much that you are still to learn about the In-Between and the species that inhabit it—especially the Eritopian galaxy.” He paused, drawing in a breath through his nose. “The Daughters are… almost like the harpy species you might have come across in your dimension, in that they are not birthed normally, but rather hatched. That shell Phoenix saw is in fact an egg.”
I exchanged a glance with Field at the mention of the word harpy, who was still looking just as confused as I felt. “So that egg is hidden somewhere in this house, and you’re protecting it?” I asked. “And the Daughters—they’re like some kind of bird creatures?”
“It is not of relevance to you where the egg is,” he replied, frowning. “And they do not resemble birds, but I can assure you they have the temperament of a harpy.”
I felt snubbed at his dismissal of my first question, but continued questioning, “Why do you say ‘last’ Daughter? Why wouldn’t there be more?”