A House of Mysteries

  “Again like harpies, their birth is unconventional—and something of a mystery. The legend goes that all the Daughters in existence today were from a single batch of eggs left on a mountain in a distant Eritopian star, many many dawns ago… Nobody I’ve ever come across knows what kind of creature laid the eggs, and apparently, neither do the Daughters themselves. There was a single egg that remained unhatched, however, and that is what the Daughters wish to protect in these turbulent times—they consider it… highly valuable, and the Daughters would not want Azazel getting a hold of it, in case he wished to use it for some kind of power play.”

  I stared, dumbstruck, beginning to understand why Draven was slowly drip-feeding us information about Eritopia and the In-Between … this place and its inhabitants truly were another world away from what GASP was used to dealing with. We were in utterly unchartered waters.

  “Why would the Daughters ask you to protect one of their own?” Phoenix asked, composing himself more quickly than the rest of us. “Aren’t they all-powerful or something?”

  The Druid shook his head.

  “Even they feared Azazel—they worried they would be unable to guard her themselves, since they are usually preoccupied with… other matters. They feared that if he knew about her, he would come hunting relentlessly, and nothing would stop him until he had her. They needed one safe, stable place to store the egg.”

  “But that’s putting you in a risky situation,” I said, finding my voice again. “Considering you were trying to protect the Oracles, I would have thought that alone would be enough to provide security for this place, regardless of whether or not the egg was here?”

  “In truth, the Daughters help no one,” Draven replied. “They do not get embroiled in taking sides, and live to guard the region as a whole. In short, they would not have given me this safe haven had they not wished to protect something of their own.”

  I nodded, slowly grasping the concept, but now worried that we were supposed to go and ask them for help. From the expression on his face, the Druid seemed to be thinking along the same lines as he turned to Vita, asking her more questions about her vision.

  “Did anything strike you as strange… different from your last vision?” he asked.

  “It was clearer, I suppose,” Vita replied, wrinkling her nose as she tried to recall it. “And at some point, everything went in slow motion, and the Oracle stepped out from the weird glass that she was encased in—like a ghost. That was different.”

  Draven nodded, listening to Vita carefully.

  “What are you thinking?” I asked.

  “I’m not entirely sure yet,” he replied. “But I’m hoping this isn’t a trick of Azazel’s. That he’s managed to manipulate your vision. It just seems so strange that the Oracle would ask us to go to the Daughters for help.”

  “Azazel can manipulate our visions?” Aida burst out, jumping to her feet as if she was readying herself for an imminent attack.

  “He has done it before,” he replied quietly.

  “When?” I demanded.

  Draven shook his head, and I huffed in frustration. Another vital question going unanswered.

  “It makes no difference right now,” he snapped. “You’re new to visions. Even a lifelong Oracle wouldn’t be able to tell if he had managed to worm his way into her mind. Just leave it for now, Serena.”

  I stayed silent, angry, but also realizing that the subject had hit a nerve.

  “Draven, please,” Vita announced. “We need to see the Daughters. I believe the Nevertide Oracle—and if you’d been there, you would too. You’re in danger. We all are.”

  Aida

  After everyone had calmed down, and both Phoenix and Serena had recovered from Phoenix syphoning more of the herbal incense than he should have, we disbanded. Vita and Serena returned inside the house with the Druid and Bijarki, trying to persuade them to visit the Daughters, while the rest of the boys went back upstairs to shower and grab some sleep.

  I wasn’t ready to return inside yet. I wanted the sun on my face for a bit longer. Maybe if I stayed out here long enough, I could bleach away the memories of my vision like an old photograph.

  The Destroyers in my vision had been even more repugnant than the one I’d seen torturing the poor Druid. If that was even possible. I guessed it was seeing them all en masse—the horses neighing with horrid screams, and their long, scaled tails wrapped around them, taking away their breath, as if they might crush their bones and organs at a moment’s notice. I had also been taken aback by the size of their army—it had been large, about one hundred of them, standing at attention as Azazel set out his commands to hunt us down.

  They’d roared viciously, honoring their leader, whom they were obviously devoted to. Their cries were bloodthirsty and cruel. Their spears had rattled together in the air, each wooden shaft carved into a pointed end, with a purple substance oozing off the tip.

  “Are you all right?” Field asked, interrupting me. I almost jumped out of my skin, since I hadn’t heard him approach. “You seemed a bit quiet earlier.”

  “It’s just the visions,” I replied, trying to sound more upbeat than I felt. “They’re not exactly pleasant. I kind of envy Phoenix seeing trees and eggs. It would be a lot easier to take.”

  Field nodded in understanding, his aquamarine eyes shaded by his hand as he peered down at me. I couldn’t help but notice that this was the second time Field had checked up on me after a vision—yesterday and now today. I didn’t want to read too much into it, but I couldn’t help but feel a bit flattered, and taken by surprise at the attention.

  “It worries me that the Oracle doesn’t think we’re safe here,” I said, wanting to continue the conversation—suddenly desperate not to be left alone with my thoughts.

  “Me too,” Field agreed. “But other than visiting the Daughters, I’m not sure we can do much about it. We’d be in more danger if we left.”

  “Are you still going to sleep outside?” I asked, wondering if he thought it would be too risky with the Destroyers on the warpath. In truth, I wanted very much to dissuade him from the idea.

  “Yeah, probably,” he replied with a boyish grin. “I hate sleeping indoors, and this place? Worse than most. I’ll stay on the roof.”

  I nodded, understanding why someone would want to avoid the house, but wishing he wouldn’t all the same.

  “We’re thinking of taking the attic,” I replied. “The three of us. It gets more light than the other rooms. I think it will help.”

  “I know the room you mean, with the skylights in the ceiling?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Nice.” He frowned for a brief moment, and then glanced up toward the roof of the house. “Want me to show you the view?”

  “What, up there?” I asked.

  “Yeah. It’s not like we can go anywhere else. Want to see?” he asked again, and I nodded, trying not to look too delighted.

  Act casual.

  He held out his arms, and I stepped toward him. I stood, awkwardly, so intimately close to him that I could see the skin at his throat and his Adam’s apple moving as he told me to hold on tight. His arms closed around me, making my skin tingle, every cell in my body feeling like it was coming alive. My head was pushed against the granite of his chest, and I could feel the steady thump of his heart in its chamber. I inhaled, closing my eyes briefly as his wild scent consumed me.

  Very quickly, he jumped up and I felt the weightlessness of us soaring up toward the top of the house. All too soon, my feet hit the rooftop and Field released me, taking a step back and looking around. We had landed on a small square, surrounded by chimney pots. The rest of the roof sloped downwards, but there were a few parts of the house that had either been built later than the original construction, or had been purposefully designed to make the house look grander, which made up a few different rooftops. Some were flat enough to allow us to climb across.

  “Nice view, huh?” he said, pointing off into the jungle and the mountain
range beyond it. It was beautiful.

  “Incredible,” I murmured, averting my eyes from Field.

  “And this is the attic over here.” He beckoned me to follow him as he made his way to the furthest end of the roof. I followed the pinnacle of two slopes, which had enough room for me to walk if I put one foot directly in front of the other.

  “Don’t worry, I won’t let you fall,” Field added as he turned to see my much slower progress to our destination.

  I nodded, not really hearing him as I focused on my footwork, and soon I was standing by his side, peering down into the attic. We had left the windows open this morning, and I realized that from the position on the roof I could see a lot more of the attic than I could from inside it.

  “Look at that,” I said, crouching down closer to the widow, reluctantly moving my palm across the dirty glass pane.

  “Where?” Field asked, coming beside me.

  I pointed to a painting at the back of the room, hidden behind an old chest of drawers. It was an image of a woman, and her face stared out at us, with very pale eyes. She looked solemnly at the artist, reclining on a chair with her hands placed demurely on her lap.

  “Do you think it’s the other Oracle, Elissa?” I asked.

  “I’m guessing so,” Field replied.

  She also had no breasts to speak of, though the shadows of runes that were typically associated with the Oracles were gone. Perhaps this was the artist, or even the subject’s desire, though. It didn’t mean she hadn’t had them.

  “I’ll ask Phoenix later if he recognizes her,” I decided. “But I wonder why it’s not hanging up somewhere? Phoenix said that Draven and Elissa were close…why would he hide this away?”

  Field shrugged, moving away from the window.

  “We still don’t know exactly what happened to her. It might have been painful for him to keep it up after she was gone.”

  Perhaps Field was right. I hadn’t actually asked Serena what she’d found in the diary since we last spoke to her. I hoped she was a little closer to uncovering the mystery of Elissa. I was relying on her to help us in some way—to learn how to regain our sight if we ever lost it.

  It was something I didn’t really want to think about, and I too turned away from the window, looking out across the jungle.

  “It will be all right,” Field murmured. I quickly glanced toward him, noticing that he was watching me. His expression was anxious, as I was sure mine was. I appreciated his reassurance, but I wasn’t sure that what he said was true. I wasn’t sure that things were going to be all right.

  Vita

  I followed Draven and Bijarki back indoors, with Serena hot on my heels.

  “Can you at least explain why we can’t see the Daughters?” Serena asked impatiently as we walked through the house. “Or at least tell us what you’re so afraid of? Even if they can’t help us, there’s no harm in asking, right?” She was insistent, and I knew from experience that my friend wasn’t going to let the matter drop.

  “There’s always a price to be paid, Serena,” the Druid snapped as we entered the stifling heat of his living room. He paced back and forth, while Bijarki stared into the fire, his expression hard to read. I thought he was angry, not frightened like Serena had suggested, but I didn’t understand why.

  “If the Oracle says we’re not safe, we’re not safe,” Serena pressed again. I could see she was growing more agitated by the second. It didn’t help that the Druid kept pacing, obviously mulling the matter over, but he kept us all shut out.

  I moved to stand by the door to the basement. The cold air from below whistled through the door, so it was the only place I could be in the room without fainting. Serena came and stood next to me, moving her cheek to the crack in the doorway while trying to fan herself.

  “And will you put the damn fire out already?” she said suddenly, losing her temper.

  The Druid stopped his pacing and looked at her in amusement. I didn’t know what he thought was so funny, but Serena’s outburst seemed to have done the job.

  “All right,” he replied with some reluctance. “I agree with you, we’re not safe here. We should probably speak to the Daughters.”

  “You don’t know what you’re asking,” Bijarki snapped, glaring at Serena. “None of you do.”

  “Silence,” Draven retorted, glaring at his friend.

  Bijarki shook his head in disgust, and turned his attention back to the fire. I didn’t understand his outburst—and so far, no matter how fraught the tension in the house had been, the incubus had kept his cool…why was this bothering him so much? Whatever it was, the consequences of paying a visit to the Daughters must be severe, and the thought made me uneasy. The comparison Draven had drawn between them and harpies wasn’t exactly comforting…

  “We just need to make sure we’re asking the right question,” the Druid asserted more to Bijarki than us, as if he was trying to placate his friend.

  “Then we should ask for more protection for the house?” Serena suggested, seemingly oblivious to the tension building between the friends—either that, or she didn’t care. “Or, even better, a way to get back to The Shade? I know that GASP would take you both in and offer protection if you wanted.”

  “How many times do I need to tell you that The Shade isn’t safe?” the Druid growled. “They will find you there, I promise you that.”

  “Well, I’m sorry,” Serena retorted, “but when you first told us about the protection of the house, you made it sound like the moment we stepped outside the borders of safety, the Destroyers would find us instantly. Well, we’ve all left the house, and they didn’t hunt us down straight away. Perhaps we can bide our time, build up a stronger protection around The Shade.”

  “They weren’t specifically hunting for you then,” the Druid countered, “they are now.”

  “Then what?” she asked. “What are we supposed to say when we see the Daughters?”

  “I don’t know,” sighed Draven, rubbing his temples in frustration. “But more protection is too vague. We need something concrete, and perhaps a bargaining chip. Something to tempt them.”

  “Like what?” I asked.

  “That I still don’t know.”

  We watched the Druid as he began to pace again, and I raised my eyebrows toward the doorway, hoping Serena would take the hint. We needed to leave the Druid to mull it over. Serena either didn’t see me or ignored me, because she interrupted him once again.

  “Why don’t we just tell them the truth?” she suggested. “Tell them that the Oracle spoke to one of us, and told us to come to them? Surely an Oracle using that much power to contact us is enough of a point of interest for them?”

  The Druid stopped his pacing, and looked over at Bijarki. The incubus shook his head at the Druid, and then returned to the fire.

  “Let me think about it,” Draven replied. “It might work…but I need some time.”

  “Come on, Serena,” I murmured, pulling at her sleeve. We needed to leave the Druid in peace. He obviously wasn’t going to tell us anything further, and we were just wasting our time continuing to argue with him.

  “Okay,” she sighed reluctantly, but followed me out of the room.

  “Wait,” called the Druid, just as we stepped out onto the hallway. “Vita, I need you to keep trying to get in touch with your visions as best that you can. The Oracle has only appeared to you so far, and I’m beginning to think it’s because of your fae blood—you are partly a creature of the In-Between. Try to call her out again, if you’re able.”

  Partly a creature of the In-Between. I had never really thought of myself in those terms before.

  I nodded, though I was doubtful I was going to be able to ‘call her out,’ as he’d put it. My fae traits weren’t exactly pronounced—I had thought it was just a coincidence that it had been me the Oracle had called, not because of any latent fae blood. I had actually thought it was odd that she’d contacted me first and not Aida, who so far seemed to be seeing the ‘present,?
?? rather than the past or future like Phoenix and me.

  “Okay,” I mumbled, “I’ll try my best.”

  Serena and I left the room.

  I took a lungful of air as soon as we stepped out into the hallway. I’d been so hot my head had started to spin, and I had to pause on the banisters until the black dots dancing in my vision slowly started to fade.

  “What is with the heat obsession?” I groaned.

  “No idea,” Serena replied. “It’s crazy. Maybe he doesn’t have good circulation or something? I guess he is centuries old, even if he doesn’t look it,” she added doubtfully.

  I stared at her in amazement.

  “That’s not it!” I replied, stifling a laugh. The Druid was one of the most virile males I’d ever seen, easily on the same level of physical fitness as any of the other members of GASP. Derek was even older than he was, and still showed no signs of slowing down. Though, of course, he was a vampire, and immortal. We didn’t know enough about the Druids yet to guess whether they too were immortal, or had extraordinarily long lives like the jinn.

  “Have you asked Draven about the Druids yet?” I asked, curious. “Like, what they actually are in detail – their traits and abilities?” Perhaps he and Serena had talked about it already.

  “No,” she replied with a frown. “He’s so evasive…and there’s been so much going on. I hadn’t even thought to ask. But he’s obviously aged, right? Phoenix saw him as a little kid.”

  I nodded, agreeing.

  “He must have been so lonely here,” I mused as we walked up the staircase. The house was so oppressive, so silent, even when it was full of people—like the junk and rotting walls sapped the noise and life out of everything.

  “I know,” she replied quietly. “It’s why I think he comes across as so stern and distant. I think he’s not used to people, and doesn’t exactly know what to do with us.”

  “I get that impression too. I mean, Bijarki must have spent time here before, but it’s not like the two of them exactly have an easy-going relationship. It’s more like commander and soldier.”