“Don’t worry, ladies.” Heron winked and called out to two GASP succubi to our left, who were quietly and worriedly watching him, “I’ll be back soon so we can finish what we started last night!”
I chuckled, unable to hold it in. I noticed the succubi glowing with embarrassment, while Avril rolled her eyes, feigning a face-palm and topping it off with a groan.
“You are incorrigible.” Jax scoffed, shaking his head slowly, while Heron glanced around, equal parts amused and confused.
“And you’re just jealous I at least get some action in this place,” he taunted his older brother before he was shushed by Hansa.
The bright light emanating from the mandala before us became more intense. Viola raised her arms to her sides and muttered the last part of the incantation. We instinctively moved closer to one another as the spell was activated and we were enveloped in pure white light.
I held my breath.
Harper
(Daughter of Hazel & Tejus)
I closed my eyes for a moment, the light too powerful to look at directly. I felt Caia, Scarlett, Avril, Fiona, Hansa, Heron, Blaze, Jax, and Patrik getting closer. The brightness dimmed, and I peeled my eyes open.
My breath hitched as I realized we could see through the sphere. Everyone else around us couldn’t see inside, but we could see them squinting or shielding their eyes from the light. The only one who looked straight at us, unaffected, was Viola.
Our gazes met, and she smiled.
The transparent sphere lifted us off the ground, and I lost my footing. We all immediately sat down as the orb shot through the sky. My heart stopped when the sunlight glazed over it, but we didn’t feel it, much like the faux roof spell on the platform. We were protected.
I looked down. Our families, friends, and allies cheered, whistled, and clapped their hands. They got smaller as we flew higher at an incredible speed. My pulse raced as I watched Antara, Calliope’s biggest continent and the home of our Eritopian GASP base, get smaller with every second.
Rivers became bluish lines. Mountains became jagged forms with snowy peaks and dark green spots of forest. Soon enough, we passed through a blanket of white clouds, and the sphere trembled and shed sparks as it broke through Calliope’s atmosphere.
I’d never experienced something so strange, so beautiful, and so awe-inspiring. We looked around as the sphere took us farther away. Blackness sprinkled with planets and stars surrounded us. I glanced over my shoulder and marveled at the giant sun, its flames licking at the void around it.
“This is so freakin’ cool!” Caia gasped, pointing at Eritopia’s planets.
All twenty of them moved lazily around the sun, thousands of miles away from one another, like giant marbles in a variety of colors, each with small moons and orbiting asteroids, and some even hosting gaseous rings.
“I’ve only seen them in illustrations.” Heron sighed, his jade eyes wide and bright with interest. He inched forward and put his hands out, and when he reached the transparent layer of the sphere, it seemed to act like glass, stopping him from getting out.
We could breathe and hear each other perfectly.
“You saw this on your way here, didn’t you?” I asked Rewa.
“Yes.” She nodded and smiled. “And it’s beautiful and breathtaking, all at once…”
“Makes you feel so small,” Jax mused, gazing at Calliope, which was now a gorgeous ball of blue oceans, green, dry lands, and wisps of white clouds, accompanied by a pearly moon.
“Look, that’s Purgaris.” Caia grinned and pointed at a smaller, red planet. “Azazel’s old home!”
“And that’s Persea,” I said, pointing at the seventh planet, all blue and white, much like the amulet that Serena had given me. “Land of the Druids…”
“I see Tenebris!” Fiona showed us the tenth planet, a large dark purple marble with yellowish streaks and two moons.
“I wonder who they’ll send over to deal with the rebel incubi,” Avril muttered, then nodded at a planet farther away. “That’s Jolessi.”
Jolessi was the fifteenth Kingdom of Eritopia, a colorful bead with lush jungles and turquoise oceans, a vibrant splash in the cosmic darkness.
We spent a few good minutes naming all the planets in Eritopia’s system, as the sphere took us farther away. We passed thousands of small stars, shapeless asteroids, and racing comets, piercing through pink and yellow gas clouds before we left the galaxy.
The more distance we put between us and Eritopia, the better we could see the full picture. The galaxy itself was huge, thousands of stars and the twenty planets spiraling around the massive sun. Our parents, our siblings, and our friends were down there, little specks of dust at the heart of the In-Between.
All I could think of was how tiny we were—and yet how powerful we could be. My sister, my cousins, and a handful of Eritopian rogues had managed to save an entire galaxy, that giant spiral of stars and planets and pink and yellow gas and dust clouds.
There was nothing we couldn’t do ourselves.
The universe may be big, but we can be bigger.
The sphere began to tremble and hum, then shot to supersonic speed. Everything darted by us in thin white lines against the black backdrop of the In-Between.
Harper
(Daughter of Hazel & Tejus)
We spent several hours like that, gawking at the universe around us as our sphere cut through it, passing through galaxies of all shapes and sizes, thick columns of rainbow-colored stardust, asteroids, and comet showers. I’d once visited a planetarium in Hawaii with my parents when I was just a kid, and I remembered looking up and feeling my jaw drop at the sight of so many stars, so many worlds out there just waiting to be discovered and explored.
“We’re here,” Rewa said gently, staring ahead.
Our light orb gradually reduced its speed, gliding through the void as yet another galaxy unraveled before us. This one, however, was peculiar, different from what we’d seen so far. We all moved closer to Rewa’s side, leaning into the spell’s transparent wall to get a better look at what lay ahead.
One giant sun, about three times the size of Eritopia’s, hovered in the middle. It was the heart of the galaxy, the engine whose massive gravity kept everything together. Two stars, each just one fifth of this sun, orbited it at a very close, but fixed distance of maybe fifteen or twenty million miles. It was weird because, the way they moved, they would never collide, and yet together they looked like three suns—one large, two smaller twins.
The seven planets followed, the nearest one a red dwarf reminding me of Mars, maybe thirty or forty million miles away. Others were gradually bigger. The farther they got from the suns, the larger their circumference and the darker, colder their colors.
The two farthest from the suns were huge, one teal and the last a bone-chilling blue with white strips and thick planetary rings. The fourth planet, however, seemed to be our destination. Rewa had mentioned three moons and this one had them.
“Those are the suns,” Rewa said, her eyes glimmering with the excitement of being back home. “The big one we call Kol. The other two we call Drul and Khai, named after Mara twins of legend.”
“No one could tell them apart, and it was how they deceived the enemy’s armies and released their people,” Jax muttered, remembering the Mara lore. “They were the Maras of old times... Ages long gone. Calliope was young, and the Daughters were still figuring out who they were.”
“Indeed.” Rewa nodded slowly, looking out. “We called them Drul and Khai because we couldn’t tell them apart, and because they reminded us of our history.”
“I can imagine it’s insanely hot with three suns,” Blaze remarked from the right side, gazing at the galaxy’s core as we got closer.
“It must be, on the neighboring planets.” Rewa smiled. “But on Neraka it’s fine. The first planet there, the small red one… That’s Trekh. It’s nothing but dust. No one could possibly live on it; its shell is probably scorched. The second one we called
Karak. Bigger, but just as hot.”
Karak had a uniform, matte amber hue. No relief forms had lasted the heat blasts from the suns. It was probably as barren as Trekh and the one after it.
“The gray one is Asmosi.” Rewa pointed at the third planet. “Our guess is that it’s all stone and nothing else. It’s far enough not to burn like the first two, but it’s still too hot to sustain life. The fourth one is my home, our beautiful Neraka…”
She smiled, gazing at the large planet. It was a pleasant and balanced mixture of blue and green, with several continents separated by smaller oceans than what we knew on Earth. White clouds gathered in clusters, stretching lazily over entire swatches of dry land. The three moons that orbited Neraka—one white, one pale orange, and one smooth amber— were equal in size and in constant motion.
“The moons are a peculiar thing,” Rewa muttered, “because they affect the tides worse than Calliope’s moon ever did. They don’t come out at once, either. The first to rise is Pell, the white moon. The second is always Xus, the orange, followed by Llaim, the amber marble. Only once every fifty years do they all come up at once, and the entire world goes crazy. The planet no longer holds us close, and we find ourselves floating for a few hours, before Pell moves ahead and breaks the alignment.”
“So you’re telling me that when all three moons rise at once and in perfect alignment, Neraka loses its gravity?” Caia frowned, cocking her head to one side.
“A little, yes.” Rewa nodded. “It’s a strange phenomenon, but we’ve learned to track it and make sure our people aren’t stranded somewhere in the sky when Pell breaks free. As soon as that happens, it all jolts back to normal and gravity can hurt.”
“That’s weird,” I murmured, then noticed the thin strip of dark purple rocks orbiting Neraka, just above its atmosphere. “But not as weird as that… How are they staying like that?”
“I don’t know.” Rewa shrugged. “It’s always been a mystery. The asteroid belt is far enough away to not collide with our moons. Sometimes rocks do diverge from the path. The ones that are big enough to not burn through the atmosphere completely make it onto the ground. We’ve collected some in a small natural museum in Azure Heights, but we don’t know whether they do anything or whether they’re just pretty purple crystals.”
“They must do something if the Daughters of Eritopia can’t open portals on Neraka,” Jax said, and I could sense the tension in his voice.
“I guess,” Rewa sighed, “but honestly, we are not scientists. We’re barely even scholars… We are artists and craftsmen; we don’t bother with aerial phenomena and the outside world. We’re happy on our little patch of land. Oh, look, that’s Satharia, the fifth planet.”
She pointed at a giant marble, slightly bigger than Neraka, glazed in shades of blue and dark green, with white cloud streaks toward the middle.
“And the teal one?” I asked, looking at the sixth planet.
“Oh, that’s Fashen… It’s said to be nothing but frozen oceans and snowstorms. But we’ve never been there. Not worth the risk. It’s enough that we see it through our telescopes.”
“The last one has rings,” Scarlett said, and I looked at it again.
We were much closer now, and I could get a better look at the rings’ composition. I’d paid enough attention in science class to know that they were most likely remnants of a destroyed moon orbiting it.
“That’s Jewellis.” Rewa nodded. “It’s nothing but ice and dust. But it’s beautiful, isn’t it?”
“Yes, it is,” I sighed. “It’s interesting to see how the destruction of a satellite could leave such a beautiful trace behind.”
“Yeah, gravity can be pretty cool when it’s not trying to kill you, huh?” Avril chuckled, making me grin.
We all stilled as the sphere jolted toward Neraka, humming. It slowed down again, passing through the dark purple asteroid belt. Several chunks knocked against our orb, but were gently pushed back as we moved farther down.
I looked around and couldn’t help but feel a little off. These were all indigo-colored crystals in different shapes and sizes, with multiple facets glistening in the sunlight. And yet, something tugged at my stomach, a quiet uneasiness that I had to push back so I could focus on the last part of our journey.
“We’ve never had the tools to further analyze these things,” Rewa said. “The swamp witches’ travel spell will only take us from point A to point B; it needs solid ground as a destination, unless we want to end up scorching on a sun or something, so we haven’t been able to get so close to the belt. But, like I said, we don’t really care much, either.”
She then looked around and noticed our concerned expressions as the orb pushed through Neraka’s atmosphere, billions of white and yellow sparks igniting in the process.
“Don’t worry, it sounds and looks worse than it is.” She smiled, then looked down at the thick layer of white clouds that we were bound to pass through. “I can’t wait to get back home to Azure Heights. You’ll love it, too… Trust me…”
I instinctively glanced over at Jax and Heron, who didn’t seem convinced yet. Their faces were hard, their jade eyes dark and their lips pressed tightly together, as the sphere broke through the clouds and the natural beauty of Neraka presented itself before us.
The oceans were huge, a deep and unsettling blue with foamy waves. The continent we were headed for was a crisp half-moon of rolling hills, slate-colored gorges, and sharp, tall mountains with deep forests and icy peaks.
There were seemingly endless plains in shades of emerald green, layers of colorful orchards, and crystal-clear lakes scattered across the land. It was truly a splendid world, with a perfect blue sky, calm winds, and a wide variety of terrains to work with. The Maras were truly lucky to have ended up here.
“My people will be so happy to see you,” Rewa added, pointing at a giant mountain resting on the edge of the continent, its western slopes vanishing into the deep ocean water. “You will be welcomed with arms wide open, and nothing but kindness and feasts.”
Jax stifled an eye roll, and we all stood up.
The sphere gently dropped closer to the mountain, where red brick rooftops and dark red awnings stretched over a network of brown cobblestone alleys and beautiful white buildings built on the entire eastern portion, from a couple hundred feet above ground level all the way to the top.
I breathed deeply as I watched it get bigger before me, its architecture unfolding in sharp lines and graceful curves, nothing like what I’d seen in the Maras’ White City, back on Calliope. This was truly something else, and it increased my interest in the creatures that had built it—Maras, still, but clearly different from their Eritopian counterparts.
Avril
(Daughter of Lucas & Marion)
Azure Heights was an interesting combination of sumptuous and rustic architecture, with flush white villas and houses and narrow streets. The red brick roofs and awnings provided enough shelter from the suns to allow any Mara or vampire to walk freely through the city, without worrying about burning to a crisp.
The dark brown cobblestone added another degree of warmth to the entire ensemble, while a myriad of steps and several lift systems carved into the stone wall of the mountain connected the multiple levels of the city. The broader levels held taller, two- to three-level buildings, and large squares with sculpted fountains. The upper levels were home to luxurious villas and lush flower gardens, thermal water pools and smaller, downright coquette town squares with blushing red flower arrangements and colorful storefronts.
The lower our sphere got, the more beautiful details I could take in, such as the dark red shutters on every window, the sculptural molding, and white marble statues mounted at the top and bottom of each set of stairs.
The fountains offered fresh water in glistening jets, their round bottoms decorated with a plethora of red, white, and black marbles, and home to a variety of small fish. The overhead shades were perfectly angled and moved gently as the suns’ movemen
t progressed through the sky, making sure that the common areas were always shielded.
It looked like an intricate Baroque landscape, and every vampire’s dream. It looked peaceful and quiet, beautiful and cultured.
“This is it,” I muttered, moving back as the orb descended toward the largest of the mountain city’s squares. It lowered itself to that level, then moved forward so as not to disturb the awnings, which made perfect sense. I noticed the dozens of Exiled Maras pouring in to greet us.
Males and females of all ages gathered in the main square, watching quietly as the light sphere landed on the dark brown cobblestone with a mild thud. They all looked good, well-dressed, with an impeccable sense of fashion. The overall sartorial picture made me think of what would happen if Earth’s nineteenth century had lost some of its more complicated and uncomfortable trends, trading them for the simplicity and minimalism of its twenty-first century.
They looked eerily familiar, physically speaking, mainly because of their predominantly dark hair, pale skin, and sharp features. The occasional blond or red hair popped out, but the majority had smooth, dark brown to ink-black hair, combed and braided in a variety of styles. Their eyes were a multitude of jade, crude green, amber, and sky blue gems, sparkling with interest.
The dresses were long, made mainly of silk, chiffon, and cotton, with lace, pearls, and tulle in various colors and combinations. The suits were simple and elegant, three-piece outfits with long trousers, tailcoats, and crisp, white shirts beneath velvet waistcoats. They seemed to pay a lot of attention to details and loved their accessories and jewels, from elegant pocket watches to necklaces, brooches, and earrings that perfectly complemented every ensemble.
It felt like I was standing in the middle of a fashion catalogue.