“What the hell!” I growled, frustrated. No matter what I did, it didn’t seem to work.
The creature suddenly vanished to the side, pushed off by a dark shadow.
“Go for the eyes whenever you see them!” I heard a very low, husky male voice pierce through the darkness.
The other two invisible creatures came at me, and I did as instructed, releasing a flurry of sword hits aimed at their red eyes whenever they flashed them—it seemed to be a recurring action on their part, more or less. The blades vibrated upon impact. I’d finally hit them. I was on to something.
I kept attacking them, always aiming my strikes at their eyes, the only elements I could see in these masses of blackness that wanted to kill me. I glanced to my left and saw someone obscured by a black cloak. Whoever or whatever that was, it moved fast, dodging the ninth entity’s attacks.
A sword glistened under a sliver of moonlight before I saw the blade get rammed between the creature’s eyes. It growled, something so ragged, so guttural and dirty, that it was downright terrifying, chilling me to the bone.
My savior glanced at me, but I couldn’t see his eyes or face.
It was all my two other attackers needed to knock me back down. The air was pushed out of my lungs as I slashed them with my swords. Unlike my previous time on my back, now I went straight for their eyes. One of them was pushed off by my savior, and I knocked the other one back with a barrier.
I moved to stand but was violently pushed back down.
“Stay the hell down and don’t move! They’re obviously too much for you to handle!” my savior barked. He took on both shadows with quick movements and flashes of his sword.
He’d been the one to tell me about the eyes. And then he’d been the one to tell me I was in over my head? My blood boiled. My shoulder burned from the pain, but I rolled onto my side and quickly checked on my teammates. Scarlett was fighting one of the invisible creatures and losing. Patrik was throwing another blue flame out, when he got knocked down by his attackers. Hansa and Jax were fending off attacks from four other entities.
“Hit them in the eyes!” I shouted after them, then sprang to my feet.
The moment my teammates heard me, they nodded and changed their defense and attack moves. Their swords focused solely on reaching the beaming red eyes whenever they flashed, and it worked, forcing the beasts back a few steps.
My savior disabled the last two creatures that had come at me, then darted over to Hansa and the others, moving too fast for me to see much. His blade was out, slashing away at our invisible attackers, pushing them farther back.
“Get the girl and go!” he shouted at us.
I ran over to Scarlett’s side first and launched a series of double sword hits at her hostile’s face. I saw its glowing red eyes. I jumped then, taking advantage of the momentum, and shoved my blades into its eyes. They sizzled, and I smelled burning flesh as the creature let out that brain-scratching roar. I used my boots to push myself away.
The beast fell backwards, landing with a thud.
Scarlett ran off to help Patrik, while I put my swords away and scooped the Iman into my arms. She barely weighed anything, and her clothes were cut through and soaked with blood. The horses had scampered off to the side, farther up ahead.
I ran after them, fast enough to reach one and whistle. It stopped and neighed in protest. I used my own mind-control ability to send out an order to the other horses, and forced them to come back. I loaded the girl onto the back of my stallion, then glanced at my team.
Scarlett had managed to successfully push Patrik’s attackers away, and they were both coming toward me. Patrik had his arm around her, as his leg had also been cut deep. I looked at one of the horses I’d commanded to return, and reached into its mind.
“Go help them!” I barked, and the mare listened.
It galloped back to Scarlett, who helped Patrik up first, then joined him, settling on the saddle in front of him. He wrapped his arms around her waist and slumped over her. He was significantly taller and bigger than she was, and also weak from blood loss, but Scarlett held her own, her back straight as she spurred the horse and joined us.
I climbed onto my horse, with the unconscious Iman girl in front of me, her head and chest resting on the back of the animal’s neck, her arms hanging to the sides.
Hansa and Jax were the last to run off, while my mysterious savior stayed behind and kept the invisible fiends busy, the night air trembling in front of him.
None of the remaining attackers could get past him. Hansa and Jax reached us in a handful of seconds, and jumped onto the horses. We kicked off then, and went as fast as the rough and narrow terrain allowed us to go.
“The opening!” Scarlett said, pointing ahead to the left.
Indeed, the gorge split open on that side, and we took a tight turn to pass through it as we left my savior and the murderous creatures behind. We went through the crevice and reached the neighboring gorge, through which a river flowed, its steep banks dressed in tall greenery.
“Where the hell is Darius?” Hansa growled, looking around.
She’d been wounded, silver blood seeping from parts of her torn leather suit. Those shadows had some serious claws to be able to cut through that reinforced fabric like that. Only then did I feel a painful warmth in my side. I touched it and noticed blood on my hand. I’d taken a hit, too.
We galloped back toward the field, jumping over river rocks and tree roots. The terrain was difficult, but I forced our horses into it. We had to get out of there fast. Branches broke behind us. Something was still after us.
I glanced over my shoulder and identified the source of that noise. Darius was riding his horse after us.
“Where the hell have you been?” I shouted at him.
“I was here! Keep moving!” he shot back, his expression dark and firm, his mouth pressed into a small, thin line.
“What do you mean, you were here?” I replied. “While we were getting attacked back there?”
“I made it down here and waited for a couple of minutes. I thought I’d see you shortly. Just as I moved to come back for you, you all popped out, and here we are!”
I didn’t buy it. He’d most likely flaked, but it wasn’t the time or the place to call him out on it, not with our wounds and our desperate need to get out of that gorge.
We reached the field, and I could finally breathe again as we moved across the tall grass toward the dusty country road. More screams emerged from the gorge behind us, and I heard Hansa groan.
“No way I’m doing that again right now!” she said.
The Iman girl shuddered and coughed, and I saw blood pouring out of her mouth, trickling through my horse’s mane. I snaked my arm around her and gently pulled her against me. Her head fell back on my shoulder. She was limp, barely keeping her eyes open, and I felt the blood, warm and sticky, coming out of her stomach wounds. She’d been savagely slashed by those creatures.
“What the hell are those things?” Jax growled at Darius as we kept riding up the country road, with just one mile left to Azure Heights. The mountain stood tall and proud before us, with lights flickering from its buildings.
“I don’t know! None of us do!” Darius replied. “This was the first time I ever got so close to one of them, and I couldn’t even see what it looked like!”
“None of us could,” Hansa said. “They’re weirdly cloaked, almost invisible, but you can make out a form, sort of… And the eyes… Damn, those eyes are creepy!”
“Patrik, are you okay?” I asked, tense as I looked over my shoulder.
“Yeah, mostly,” he croaked, but I could see his pale skin and blue lips.
“He’s losing blood fast, and so is the Iman girl,” I said, nudging my horse to go faster. The creature obeyed, its hooves thundering over the country road.
I sensed motion and heard another horse to our left. I turned my head and saw my savior, covered in his black coat, riding an indigo stallion. He went ahead, faster th
an our slightly more regular horses.
“He saved us,” Hansa muttered, watching him go. “Who is he?”
“I don’t know, but he told me about hitting the eyes,” I replied, then glanced at Darius. “You have indigo horses in Azure Heights?” I double-checked.
He didn’t answer immediately, his jade eyes fixed on our distant savior.
“Not that many,” he mumbled.
“Whoever he is, we owe him our gratitude,” Hansa said. “For now, however, we need to hurry. Patrik’s losing blood fast, and I don’t even know how the Iman girl is doing.”
“Not good,” I replied, looking at her pale profile.
“We need her alive. She might have answers.” Jax moved to my right side, looking at the Iman girl as he beckoned his horse to run closer to mine. “Look at me.”
The girl didn’t react, but I heard her moan.
“Look at me,” he said to her, louder. He inched closer to us. The girl peeled open her eyes and glanced at him. It was enough for him to lock onto her, his eyes glimmering gold. “You’ll be okay. Stay strong. You’ll survive. You’re not dying, you’re just hurt. Hold on!”
The girl sighed, then nodded and focused her gaze on the road again. Jax had managed to mind-bend her into thinking she’d be okay.
“Why’d you do that?” I asked.
“Because if her mind fights against the reality of her wounds, she might last long enough for us to give her proper treatment and maybe save her life,” he replied.
The mind was capable of extraordinary things, after all.
I glanced ahead, but there was no sign of my savior anymore. Whoever he was, he’d come from Azure Heights and had an indigo horse. I’d have to look into it as soon as I got the chance. He seemed to know a lot more than the other Exiled Maras.
He’d clearly fought those entities before. Most importantly, he’d most likely followed us from the city into the Valley of Screams.
Fiona
(Daughter of Benedict & Yelena)
I didn’t get lucky with any of the notebooks that Sienna had left in the gazebo’s drawers. Just doodles and dreams of summer, mostly. Some notes about a mystery lover drew my attention, but Vincent shrugged them off, saying Sienna had a habit of falling in love on an almost weekly basis, but that she’d yet to find her soulmate.
He called the gentlemen callers “fleeting crushes”, and said that Sienna would have confided in him, had there been someone in her life with whom she’d gotten serious in any way.
I stood on the edge of the gazebo, watching five Imen servants from the Roho household as they came down the stairs of the back porch and stopped in the middle of the flower garden, a couple of yards away from me.
“Please be so kind as to answer all of Fiona’s questions,” Vincent told the four males and one young female. “She’s here to help us find Sienna.”
The Imen nodded, then glanced at me, curiosity and willingness twinkling in their eyes.
“When was the last time any of you saw Sienna?” I asked, noticing the girl looking away, her gaze darting all over the garden in an attempt to avoid me. My instincts flared then.
“I saw her in the kitchen at noon, five days ago,” one of the servants replied.
“As did I,” another nodded.
“We saw her in the garden. Here, by the gazebo, at sundown, five days ago,” a third said, while the fourth sighed his agreement.
“What about you?” I asked the girl, but she refused to look at me, her lips pressed tight together.
“Arrah, please answer Fiona’s question,” Vincent said slowly. I analyzed his tone carefully, but there was nothing but softness in it.
Arrah looked at me and shrugged, but the fear in her eyes was unmistakable, though not obvious. She knew something, and she wasn’t telling me.
“In the garden, milady, at sunset,” came her automatic response. Her pupils dilated and her nostrils flared a little, enough for me to know that she was lying.
I nodded, then gave her a reassuring smile.
“Did she seem upset? Was she with anyone? Did she have any visitors during the day?” I asked, but only got one muttered “no” and five heads shaking.
I sighed, then looked at Vincent.
“I don’t think they’re able to help much, but I’m hoping Avril might have caught Sienna’s scent by now,” I said.
“I understand,” he replied, looking somewhat disappointed. “Would you like to go back inside?”
“Yes, I would, thank you.”
Vincent led the way up the stairs, and I followed, while the servants waited quietly for us to leave before I assumed they would retire to their rooms. I got another glimpse of Arrah, and that worried look on her face did not go away.
She knew something, but she didn’t want to speak in front of the others, and certainly not in front of Vincent. I had a feeling that Sienna had been keeping secrets from her family.
We reached the grand salon, with red velvet sofas and decorative glass cabinets filled with porcelain figurines depicting dancers and various animals. Avril and Heron were both there, quietly waiting for us, their eyes fixed on me. I knew Avril well enough to understand what the look in her hazel eyes meant. They had info.
“Will that be all for today?” Vincent asked politely, smiling at us.
“Yes.” I smiled back, then moved to Avril’s side.
“Good, well, thank you all for coming here and for trying to help us find my sister,” he replied, then bowed. “I’m sorry we couldn’t assist more. It’s just that… The day of her disappearance was a day like any other. Nothing out of the ordinary. Nothing wrong. She just… vanished.”
“That’s okay,” I said. “Maybe Avril caught her scent. We’ll investigate this further tomorrow, anyway.”
“I haven’t caught her scent yet. It’s like she was never here,” Avril muttered, then frowned.
“Oh, wow, really?” I took a deep breath, then decided it was best to continue our conversation outside and away from Vincent. Things were getting weirder with every minute we spent inside the Roho mansion. “Okay, we’ll be going now, and we’ll see you tomorrow, once we decide what our next course of action will be.”
I gave him a curt nod, then headed toward the exit, with Avril and Heron by my side.
“Fiona?” Vincent’s voice stopped me in my tracks.
I turned to face him. He looked nervous, his jade eyes twinkling and restless.
“We’re having our annual Spring Ball tomorrow evening,” he said slowly, a slight tremor in his voice. “I was wondering if you’d like to join me. I mean, if you’d all like to join us. It’s an annual celebration of the Nerakian spring. It’s held in the Kifo mansion. Their ballroom is absolutely stunning. We serve special floral-infused blood cocktails on this occasion. I think you’ll like them very much.”
A few seconds passed before I could formulate an answer, with no help from Avril or Heron.
“I don’t… I don’t have a dress. None of us brought dresses,” I muttered. “We didn’t come for parties here.”
“Yeah, I didn’t bring one either,” came Heron’s acid remark.
“Our tailors will be more than happy to assist.” Vincent smiled, pleased to have solved the problem so quickly. “They’ve served the Lords and Ladies of Azure Heights for each of these occasions, and they’ve also helped their personal guests look the part, as well.”
I wanted to say no, but Avril’s finger digging discreetly between two of my ribs made me squirm and confirm.
“Ugh, yes, okay, yes,” I managed to say before I briefly gave her my deadliest glare.
Vincent lit up like the sun at that point, his beautiful face beaming with a radiant smile.
“Excellent! Thank you,” he replied. “You’ll love it! I will send our tailors over to the Broken Bow Inn first thing in the morning to assist you!”
“Thank you, Vincent.” I smiled, then walked out, followed by Avril and Heron, who bade farewell as two Imen servants closed
the double doors after us.
We reached the fountain outside and proceeded to walk down to the inn, taking a series of narrow stairs and alleys. I mentally stored all the information and clues I’d gathered so far, most of which didn’t make much sense.
“Okay, so we all need to agree that Vincent has the absolute hots for you.” Avril was the first to talk, her voice laced with humor.
“To be fair, he is sweet on the eyes,” I replied. “Like marshmallows dipped in chocolate.”
“So how do you expect me to be serious when she goes and says something like this?” Heron looked at Avril with feigned outrage, prompting us both to burst into laughter.
“But, on a serious note,” I said, catching my breath, “there’s definitely something off about the Imen.”
“Yeah, we tried talking to one earlier,” Avril replied. “He was literally brainwashed.”
“I think all of them are,” Heron mused.
“There is one who seemed alert.” I sighed as we went down another set of stairs. The alleys were almost deserted, with just the occasional Iman walking beneath the street lamps, completely oblivious to our presence. “A young girl, Arrah. She didn’t want to say much, but not because she was mind-bent. At least, I don’t think she was.”
“You think she knows more than she’s saying?” Avril asked.
“I’m sure of it. I think she was just afraid of speaking out in front of Vincent or the others,” I replied. “She might know something about Sienna that no one else does.”
“What, like a dirty little secret?” Heron grinned, and I nodded in response. “Well then, it’s a good thing we’re doing the Spring Ball tomorrow night!”
Both Avril and I looked at him, our confusion obvious.
“Fiona, since Vincent is so sweet on you, you could keep him busy during the ball,” Heron explained, “while Avril and I can go check out the Roho mansion again, and even talk to Arrah. My mind-bending works on the Imen. One of them could lead us to her. Maybe she’ll be more forthcoming if Vincent and the other servants aren’t around.”