I noticed Rewa’s head lower, and I lost sight of her face. But I could sense the fray in her nerves, the uneasiness with which she sat there, listening to us as we doubted her words. There was a whiff of frustration coming out of her, too, though that didn’t surprise me. I’d probably feel the same if I had to travel from one planet to another to ask for help, only to be met with snarls and skepticism.
“That is perfectly fine,” Derek replied. “You’re a seasoned fighter, an experienced ruler, and one of the best assets GASP has in Eritopia. The fact that you’re also a Mara will give you tremendous insight into Neraka and the Exiled Maras’ way of life. If anyone can confirm the validity of Rewa’s claims, it’s you.”
“Thank you, Derek,” Jax replied, then emptied his cup, licking the blood from his lips. His gaze darted to Hansa’s. She gave him a short and respectful nod. He looked away, then exhaled sharply. She mirrored his gesture, topping it with arms crossed over her chest. They still weren’t talking to each other, despite what Avril had told me about Hansa’s meltdown during the wedding party. I’d have thought Jax would take the opportunity to patch things up with her and remove that awful tension between them, but he clearly hadn’t. I could still cut the air between them with a knife.
“So, which agents will we select for Neraka, then?” Cameron prompted.
I instinctively straightened my back, as did Caia, Fiona, Avril, and Scarlett. Our sudden movement made our parents smile—they knew how much we wanted to be involved in missions, and, despite their natural concerns, they were ready to support us. By far the best example in my book was my mother, who raised her hand and captured everyone’s attention.
“I’d like to nominate Harper Hellswan,” she said, a glimmer of pride in her eyes. “She has the skills required for such a mission, along with the determination, stamina, and inquisitiveness that are crucial to a supernatural investigation.”
My heart swelled, and I gave her a warm smile before I turned to look at Great-Grandpa Derek. The senior officers looked at one another, then nodded.
“Fair enough,” Field replied, and winked at me. “Welcome to the Neraka Recon Team, Hellswan.”
“Thank you!” I beamed at him, then pushed the report folder across the table. It slipped in a straight line until it reached him. “Avril, Scarlett, Fiona, Caia, and I checked the Druid Archives last night for any pertinent information regarding the Exiled Maras and the Druid delegation that Rewa mentioned. That is the report we compiled for this mission. There are names, dates, and event logs that will help us profile the Exiled Maras. We didn’t find any mention of a crash-landing on Neraka, but we didn’t have much time left to dig deeper before this meeting.”
The girls grinned at me, gratefulness and appreciation pouring out of them and warming me up on the inside. Field, Derek, and Draven checked the report, flipping through its pages and exchanging a few glances. Derek then smiled at us.
“This is very well done, ladies,” he said. “Not only is it good research and a source of potential investigative leads, it is also proof of initiative and the desire to seek out the truth.”
“And that’s something we definitely want on this team,” Cameron added, grinning broadly. “I’d like to nominate Scarlett Novak and Avril Novak for Neraka, as well. They have enough skills and wit between them to untangle any mystery the universe puts forward.”
Lucas cast Cameron a glare, but kept his lips pursed.
Fiona and Caia were then put forward by their parents.
“Um, are we sure about this?” Sofia asked, raising a brow as she eyed us girls, her expression conflicted with grandmotherly affection. “Don’t get me wrong, I trust the girls’ abilities to keep themselves safe, but still… this is an excursion into the unknown.”
“This is the best chance they’ll get for some real field experience,” Cameron replied. “And they’ve been acing their training and exams for thirteen months straight, now. Trust me”—he winked—“I’ve been monitoring.”
“The team for Neraka needs to be diverse and strong,” Ben added, and we all looked at him. “Caia is a resourceful fire fae. Harper is a vampire sentry. Fiona, Scarlett, and Avril are also vampires with unique skillsets. Given our vampires’ immunity to the Maras’ mind-bending skills, I think these girls are perfect for Neraka.”
I would’ve jumped over the table to hug Uncle Benjamin, but I settled with beaming at him, while giving the girls a sideways glance. We were giddy and restless in our seats already, excitement lighting us up, but we had to play it cool and come across as mature, contained individuals. We could scream and cheer and jump around later.
“That’s a fair point, Ben,” Derek said, then peered around the table again. “Blaze.”
The fire dragon was busy examining Caia’s proud smirk without her knowledge, and didn’t hear Grandpa Derek.
“Blaze,” he called out again, this time loud enough for Blaze’s head to snap around and face him. “I nominate you, as well. Should things go sideways on Neraka, a full-grown fire dragon will certainly help. After all, fire and fury is what will rain down on those who seek to harm us, and you’d be the perfect guy to deliver such a message.” Derek’s lips curved in a smirk.
Heath’s chest swelled with pride, a grin blooming on his face. Blaze, on the other hand, looked wide-eyed and speechless.
“Th-Thank you, Derek,” he croaked, then glanced at his father, who gave him a firm nod.
“Do us proud,” Heath said, leaning into his chair.
Blaze sighed, then looked at us. Fiona, Avril, Scarlett, Caia, and I gave him a collective wink—something that came surprisingly natural and probably would’ve never worked out if we’d planned it beforehand. I had a feeling we were going to make one hell of a team with that synergy.
“I’d like to nominate Heron Dorchadas,” Jax added, prompting his brother to stretch his arms out with a satisfied grin. “He has the experience and knowledge needed to help with the investigation.”
“That’s an understatement, but thanks, bro!” Heron replied, then gave us a quick glance.
“Ben is right,” Draven interjected. “Diversity is key. Which is why you’ll need an experienced Druid with knowledge of swamp witch magic. I nominate Patrik Raymer for Neraka to serve that purpose.”
Patrik seemed surprised by his nomination but responded with a polite nod, then carefully checked each of us out, as if assessing us and drawing his own conclusions about us.
“Most importantly,” Field added, the corner of his mouth twitching, “you can’t go among so many Maras without some natural defenses.”
“What natural defenses?” Jax frowned, slightly confused.
“Incubus and succubus blood is highly toxic to Maras, isn’t it?” Field replied, raising an eyebrow.
“It is.”
“Then I’m pleased to nominate Hansa Gorria for the Neraka Recon Team,” he said. “Her blood might come in handy.”
Hansa hadn’t expected that—it was written all over her face. Her skin had a mild glow, and she cleared her throat and downed a glass of water.
“I’m not sure that’s a good—” Jax tried to object, but was swiftly interrupted by Hansa’s husky voice.
“Thank you, Field,” she said. “It will be an honor to serve GASP on this mission. Rest assured I will work hard to help our team deliver answers and results.”
Jax didn’t comment further, but I could tell he wasn’t happy with the decision. He may have been approved to lead the team, but he didn’t have the senior credentials to object to Hansa’s nomination. Looking at the bigger picture, it was probably great that she was coming along. Many of us were young and on our first field mission. Having some seasoned fighters with us could do no harm.
Besides, I’d seen Hansa in training. She was fierce and deadly. Why wouldn’t we want her with us on an unknown planet?
“Milords, I assure you our people will not lift a finger against GASP,” Rewa said slowly. “You’re coming to help us, and we’d be foo
ls to treat you with anything other than kindness and hospitality.”
“We do not doubt that,” Derek replied. “But we cannot verify any of your claims at this point, and your history on Eritopia does not speak in your favor. Nevertheless, we can’t abandon an entire civilization on Neraka based solely on our lack of trust, which is why we’ve agreed to send you back there with this recon team.”
Rewa nodded, then looked at us. Her gaze settled on Blaze, who gave her a sympathetic smile. I instinctively glanced at Caia, and sensed the angst bubbling inside her. This was going to be an interesting mission, to say the least.
“You’ll be on a short leash, though,” Field added, addressing each member of the newly formed team. “Your mission is to investigate and report back to us—not to interfere. Based on the information you provide us, if necessary we will then assemble a wider force to take action and help the Exiled Maras.”
“That sounds reasonable,” I said.
“How do we get there?” Caia asked.
“There’s a bit of a problem,” Viola replied, frowning. Her eyes glowed violet. “I cannot seem to contact the planet. I do not feel it the way I feel other worlds in the In-Between. Therefore, as a Daughter, I won’t be able to open a portal to connect Neraka and Calliope.”
“That’s strange,” Derek muttered, scratching his stubble. “Do you know why?”
Viola shook her head, then looked at Rewa.
“Perhaps you have an answer, Rewa?”
The Mara fidgeted in her chair with an apologetic expression on her face.
“It might have something to do with the asteroid belt orbiting our planet,” she said. “The Imen say the crystals in its composition have mystical properties that keep Neraka hidden to outsiders. It never bothered us, but we wouldn’t have been able to change its effect, either. It goes way beyond any of our capabilities.”
“It seems like Neraka is determined to keep its cards close to its chest,” Field said, staring intently at Rewa. “Which further fuels my curiosity. We could use the swamp witches’ interplanetary spell instead, right?”
“Yes.” Viola nodded. “I know how to do it. I just need an object of any kind that originates from Neraka, to help set the destination.”
“I believe one of these will do,” Rewa said, pulling a few small red beads from her dress pocket and showing them to her.
“If they’re from Neraka, yes,” the Daughter replied.
“They were crafted in Azure Heights, from red crystal mineral deposits that my people found when they carved the city into the mountain. I took them with me for the return spell.”
“Then they’re perfect.”
“Then how did the swamp witches send your people to Neraka the first time around,” I asked, “given that you had nothing from that planet to calibrate the spell?”
“I don’t know, milady.” Rewa shrugged.
“It was probably random,” Viola explained. “The interplanetary spell does work without an object from its destination, but then it takes you to a random place. Much like the Druids’ passage stones, come to think about it. The Exiled Maras didn’t choose Neraka, it sort of picked them.”
I wasn’t sure how I felt about traveling from one galaxy to another inside a bright sphere of light, but given that portals were out of the question, I had no other choice. Besides, Rewa had made it here in one piece; why wouldn’t we make it there the same?
“Thank you, milords,” Rewa said, choking up again. “Thank you for your assistance.”
“Don’t thank us yet,” Jax shot back, fists balled on the table.
“Members of the Neraka Recon Team,” Field stood, prompting us to shoot up from our chairs, “you’re all dismissed. Please go to your locker rooms on Mount Zur and prepare for the journey. You will be leaving in two hours. We’ll now move on to discuss Tenebris.”
“We’ll see you all back here in two hours, on the platform,” Draven added. “We’ll perform Telluris before we send you off.”
We nodded, then, one by one, left the meeting hall.
“My wards will take Rewa to her room,” Jax said.
Two of the Maras flanking Rewa stood up, then politely escorted her away from the table, moving toward us. I walked out, accompanied by Caia, Scarlett, Avril, and Fiona, while Blaze, Heron, Jax, Hansa, and Patrik followed. Rewa was the last to come out, accompanied by two wards.
As soon as we were left on our own, with Blaze and the others gone up the main stairs leading down to the stables, we stopped, then yelped and giggled and hugged each other, like the happy young warriors we were.
“Oh, man, this is going to be epic!” I grinned.
“Sure, we can’t intervene and whatever, but I cannot wait to go over there and find out what or who is taking all those Maras!” Fiona rubbed her hands together.
We headed toward the stairs at the other end of the hallway. We needed to get the flying horses, our fastest means of getting to Mount Zur within the allocated timeframe.
“I seriously can’t wait!” Caia chuckled.
“How long do you think we’ll be there?” Scarlett wondered.
“Well, given that we’ll probably have a lot of families to interview and a trail or two to follow, I’m guessing it could be anywhere between five and twelve days before we have enough data and leads to report back to GASP.” I made a rough estimate.
I was extremely curious about Azure Heights and the Exiled Maras’ way of life. If Rewa was telling the truth—and nothing other than her forefathers’ reputation suggested otherwise—it sounded like we were going to like Neraka a lot.
Hansa
I didn’t have much to pack for this journey from my Luceria room, so I took one of the flying horses from the stables and raided my locker in Mount Zur, as did the rest of my new team. Anjani and Jovi also came with me, to help make sure I didn’t leave anything important or potentially useful behind.
My quarters in the GASP base were the equivalent size of a master bedroom, complete with built-in dressers and en suite shower. I emptied the herb and poisons cabinets in the middle of the floor, leaving Anjani to pick out the most potent elements I’d need against any hostile creatures on Neraka, while I slipped into my favorite combat suit.
It was a beautifully tailored, tight one-piece bodysuit made entirely out of black leather, with soft cotton padding on the inside for my skin to breathe. It covered my arms and legs, and it came with small belts and underlying braces on which I mounted all the protection gear. Each nearly weightless diamond fiber plate was brushed with black crystal powder and protected my shins, calves, arms, forearms, upper back, and chest, with smaller ones for my shoulders, stomach, and lower back. It was a modular system that gave me full mobility without compromising my safety, and I’d spent a couple of nights with Anjani and Corrine to design it and get it produced for all of GASP’s members. I’d had five of these made, with a variety of materials in different colors, each designed for specific weather and terrain conditions. This black one was what I’d casually named “universal”.
I clasped a wide leather belt around my hips, its gold buckle clicking into place. It had eight small pouches sewn onto it, four at the front and four at the back, which I filled with explosive pellets made from concentrated dragon tears, several types of poison, and healing pills. Working with GASP and the Shadian witches had really helped us get the most out of our crystals, herbs, and powders, optimizing the production of powerful poisons and healing potions by mass producing them in pill form.
I mounted my beloved broadsword on the same belt, its bejeweled scabbard glistening under the ceiling lights. It was the one weapon I didn’t wish to change or ever leave behind. My blade had been my loyal companion for so many years. It had endured so many battles, and it had tasted the blood of thousands. We had history, and I loved it to bits. Most importantly, I liked having the prettiest weapon in all of GASP, as no one had thought of mounting priceless jewels on their swords or scabbards. My girl was flashy and deadly, and t
hat was how I wanted her.
“These are for the invisibility spell,” Anjani said, showing me a leather pouch before she placed it on the bench between us, next to my backpack. “Figured it might come in handy.”
“Absolutely! Thank you, Sister.” I smiled and took out two more bodysuits from my locker, folding them neatly and shoving them to the bottom of the same bag. Jovi had brought these backpacks over from Earth, and I was delighted by their durability and waterproof lining. I stuffed the leather pouch on top, along with a few other herbs, powders, and translated swamp witch scrolls for defensive spells.
“I must say, I’m worried, but I’m also confident you’ll pull through.” Anjani sighed, watching as I put several long knives in their leather sheaths inside before I closed the backpack.
“It’ll be fine,” I replied gently, then grinned. “At least we know for a fact that none of those exiled bloodsuckers will try to eat me.”
Jovi chuckled as he pulled a round, carbon fiber-plated shield from the weapons trunk.
“Yeah, I’d be more worried if I were the one trying to kill you, Hansa.” He grinned, handing me the shield. “Take it. Just in case. I don’t think it’ll be the Maras that you’ll need to worry about.”
“Fair enough.” I smirked, pulling my hair up in a ponytail. “I think Field picked me because he wants an extra adult on the team to keep the kids in line… and Jax’s loudmouth brother.”
“I’m guessing he wants you for Harper and Caia in particular, since they’re the least experienced,” Anjani mused.
“Yeah, I wouldn’t count on me being the best babysitter for those two.” I laughed. “They’re both stubborn, fierce, and nearly impossible to keep on a tight leash, anyway. They’re too much like me, in a way. I wouldn’t have the heart to squash that fire.”