“No. It had to be done. Otherwise, Aura would have died. Anjani and Hansa have lost so many of their sisters already. It didn’t seem fair. After all, I was responding to an imbalance already caused by Azazel and his shameless use of my little sister. That still doesn’t make it okay,” she said.
“Then don’t think too much of it. What’s done is done,” I replied gently. “Maybe let’s focus on making sure you don’t do that again, instead.”
She looked at me and smiled again, melting me like an iceberg too close to the sun. My blood simmered, and I felt tension rising in my chest. Her effect on me was incredibly intense, and I couldn’t get enough of it.
“What do you have in mind?” she asked.
She’d yet to learn to use nuances in her tone, so it took a while to realize that she’d tried to be playful with that question. I found it endearing and sweet, but it also gave me some colorful thoughts that I looked forward to sharing with her.
I chuckled as I pulled her close and sealed her lips with a deep kiss, breathing her in as she parted her lips and welcomed me. Ribbons of bright pink intertwined with golden strands brushed against my core. Her emotions unfolded as I fed off her with delight. I took everything she had to give me.
Our tongues met and tangled as I deepened the kiss. She draped her arms around my neck, lifting herself and pressing her chest against mine, causing my breath to hitch.
“I have a few ideas to keep you distracted,” I whispered against her lips.
“I’m listening,” she breathed back.
My whole body tensed but I couldn’t part from her. On the contrary, I needed to get closer and deeper into her soul. I wanted to spend the rest of my life overdosing on her unlimited energy and turning into stardust under her touch.
We were in trouble. Nothing but death and grief lingered around us but, for a moment, we were so close to each other that nothing else mattered other than the feeling of unconditional love that resonated inside us.
Our primordial bond seemed to grow stronger with each minute we spent together. Every kiss and every touch we shared seemed to amplify everything. I felt overwhelmed but unable to stop.
Aida
I left Field resting in his room after we had breakfast. He’d been through enough in the span of just a few hours. I knew he needed to recharge his batteries after narrowly escaping death by Destroyer.
I couldn’t get my mind off Vita, anyway, so I locked myself in the attic, determined to attempt the direct connection to her, as per the Nevertide Oracle’s words.
I sat down with my legs crossed and tried to relax. I didn’t know where to start. I was afraid I’d slip into a vision, instead, and get myself trapped by Azazel again. Despite the possibility of his grip on me being limited, I still didn’t look forward to spending a single minute in his despicable company. I would’ve rather jumped into hot lava.
I focused on the Oracle connection, hoping that it would open a communication channel with Vita.
Several deep breaths later, a cold darkness enveloped me. I found myself standing on an eerily familiar black marble platform. My heart stopped.
“Oh no,” I mumbled to myself.
I was having a vision, exactly as I’d feared. I cursed under my breath, then immediately looked around, feeling a slight sense of relief when I didn’t see Azazel anywhere. At least he wasn’t nearby in this one.
The Nevertide Oracle floated in a glass sphere just a few feet away. Two others had been submerged in their bubbles, flanking her. They seemed to be deep under, their eyes closed and runes flitting across their bare arms and legs.
I took a few steps forward, glaring at the Nevertide Oracle. I couldn’t help but blame her for everything from the beginning, from our conception. I felt anger coursing through my veins. The constant weariness of bumping into Azazel made me look over my shoulder every other minute.
She opened her white eyes, parting her lips.
I heard her voice echo in my head.
“Aida…”
My blood was boiling, and at that moment I would’ve loved nothing more than to take her and her stupid bubble and toss her over the edge.
“Haven’t you done enough damage already?” I said, gritting my teeth, my hands balled at my sides.
“Aida, please…”
“Aida, please what? I don’t know how you did it, but Azazel managed to trap me in a vision thanks to you! What do you want?”
“I didn’t realize what he was up to until it was too late. I’ve been doing my best to keep you all from him. I’ve put up with a lot for this. You have to believe me,” she replied, her voice heavy with grief.
“He kept me there, in his chamber! I couldn’t wake up. I couldn’t warn anyone of what was coming! He took Vita because of you!” I nearly shouted.
I looked around again, breathing a sigh of relief. I was alone with the Oracles beneath a bright blue sky on top of Azazel’s castle. At least I had that.
“She’s okay, Aida,” the Nevertide Oracle said. “She’s alive, and she’s unharmed.”
“How do you know?” I squinted my eyes at her, forgetting that she was blind and thus unable to see my facial expressions.
“I had a vision of her. I saw her in her chamber down below,” she said. “She seems fine, just a bruise on the head. They put fae-restraining shackles on her so she can’t use her fire abilities, but Azazel is treating her well for the time being. He knows he must try to get her to cooperate first. If we do not comply, he locks us in these spheres. It allows him to use his dark magic on us, torture us and extract whatever visions he can instead of us telling him willingly. The chance of her cooperating is the only thing keeping him from dragging her up here to suffer the same fate as the rest of us.”
I paced around, taking in all this information. It turned out that Draven was right. Azazel was more interested in having a willing Oracle helping him than an unconscious prisoner.
“I’ve been trying to reach out to her,” I said. “If you are sorry and genuine in your intention to help us, tell me how to speak to Vita.”
“Is that why you’re here, now?”
“Yes, but I slipped into a vision instead.”
“That’s not good. Azazel is nearby, and he might sense you. If he was able to trap you in a vision before, he will most likely try again. Whatever magic he’s using for that, it must be related to sensing your presence during live visions. You can’t stay here for too long, Aida.”
“Fine. I’ll go, but tell me how to reach out to Vita directly, first!”
“You need to do it consciously, Aida,” the Nevertide Oracle replied, her voice echoing in my head. “Ignore reality, but stay awake. Focus on the sound of everything. Listen to the universe until you hear Vita’s heartbeat. Your Oracle nature will pick up on this if you concentrate on it. You’ll know it when you hear it. It will be your direct connection, safe from Azazel.”
I mulled over her words, and then I felt myself fading away.
“Just stop telling him about us!” I called to her, still angry but a little more hopeful about connecting with Vita. All I had to do was make it through the other incoming two visions before I could try what the Nevertide Oracle had instructed.
“Aida, be careful,” I heard her say as darkness took over again.
My second vision took me to the dungeons. I couldn’t seem to break away from these visions, so I had no choice but to let them roll out. My direct line to Vita would have to wait for another attempt. My stomach was tied up in knots. I still felt like I was too close to Azazel. I hated the feeling, but I had to proceed, nonetheless. Vita needed me, and so did the others. Any information I could gather was essential.
I walked between the black iron cages until I found Kyana. Tamara’s sister was slumped to one side, wiping tears from her eyes. She’d been crying for quite some time now, given how puffy they were.
I heard a shuffling sound and turned around, worried I’d see Azazel. My heart jumped at the sight of the snake tail, but I quickly regain
ed my composure when I recognized Patrik. His torso was bare, a thin net holding fig leaves and what looked like healing paste attached to a wound on his right side. I realized he’d been injured when he took Vita.
“You deserve this and more,” I muttered, seething.
He stopped in front of Kyana’s cage with a pained expression on his face. Her eyes lit up for a split-second before she sniffed and put on her tough look.
“I see you didn’t die,” she sighed.
“It was a close call, but it had to be done. Azazel’s order. I can’t fight it yet,” he mumbled, reminding me that his actions had been dictated by Azazel’s control spell and making my anger toward him slowly simmer down.
Silence fell heavily between them until Kyana sat up straight and brushed the matted platinum hair from her dirty face.
“What are you doing here, Patrik?”
“I wanted to see you.”
“Why? There’s nothing left to say. You’re his slave. You chose this.”
“I’m trying… I’m trying to fight it,” he replied, breathing heavily.
“Oh, please,” she scoffed and rolled her eyes. “Keep telling yourself that! Like there’s any way for you to resist Azazel’s grip on you when he’s already turned you into this abomination!”
“I did this for you, Kyana, and I will come back for you, too. You’ll see.”
I was angry with him, but I also felt compelled to understand that his will was no longer his own. The only reason why he’d taken Vita had been because of Azazel’s influence. He’d never asked for this. He’d only done it to keep Kyana alive. He was already paying a hefty price for her relative safety.
“You are doomed, Patrik,” she said. “There’s nothing you can do. Why don’t you just face it?”
He looked deep into her eyes, his lips trembling. He gripped the cage bars as he heaved and groaned, repeating a process I’d seen him do by himself in his chamber. He was fighting his Destroyer form, pushing back further this time.
His lower snake form cracked as if bones were breaking, and he gasped from what seemed like a tremendous amount of pain. His eyes flickered yellow and black until his original eye color returned, a soft green that reminded me of pine trees in the sun.
Kyana’s jaw dropped. Her interest peaked. She moved closer to Patrik, eyes wide open. Her hands gripped the iron bars tightly, her knuckles white.
Patrik was tortured, but he didn’t give in. The snake tail flailed as the scales rippled, attempting to split itself in two.
“Patrik,” she gasped.
He looked up at her before the pain got the best of him. His eyes flared green, then his body caved in and resumed its Destroyer form. He collapsed on the cold, damp floor with a thud. Kyana and I watched him quietly for a while until he found enough strength to pull himself back up.
I was genuinely impressed.
There may be hope for them, after all.
“Patrik,” Kyana’s voice was weak.
“I told you,” he said, breathing laboriously. “I told you. I won’t stop until I can break his spell and get you out of here. I told you.”
“I… I believe you,” she replied, her lower lip quivering as tears welled up in her eyes. “Patrik, how long have you been at this?”
His gaze softened at the sight of her, and he gave her a weak smile.
“From the moment they threw you in this cage, Kyana,” he confessed, “I’ve been at it every day, bit by bit.”
Kyana reached out to touch his face, and he welcomed it, leaning his face in the palm of her hand. Tears rolled down her cheeks, and she shuddered.
“It’s been years since I’ve felt your touch, Kyana. I can’t explain how much it soothes me,” he closed his eyes for a second, enjoying the feel of her skin on his.
“How can I help you?” she asked. “What can I do to get you out of his control?”
“There’s nothing you can do, my darling. This is a battle I must fight on my own.”
“There must be something,” she replied. “These shackles are preventing me from using magic and from turning into a snake. Otherwise, I would’ve been long gone, leaving Azazel with no leverage against you.”
“I know, my sweet, sweet Kyana.” He heaved a sigh as he leaned his forehead against the iron bars.
She pulled herself closer, gently cupping his face in her palms. There was enough space for her lips to reach through and touch his. They kissed, both trembling and crying as Patrik reached inside the cage, his hands gripping her waist.
“I wish I could find a way to get you out of here,” he sobbed. “You’re the only thing that has kept me from losing my sanity here and has stopped me from getting myself killed. I have enough will power back to do that, you know. I can do it.”
“Don’t, Patrik, please.”
“I won’t. You’re still trapped here. I can’t leave you here. I’ll find a way. Hold on for a little while longer, and I’ll find a way to get those shackles off you.”
She nodded and kissed him again. He took it all in. They struggled to feel as much of each other as possible with the thick iron bars between them.
“I can at least get you out of here if my attempts to return to my Druid form fail. I will set you free, Kyana.”
My vision faded out again, but not before I made a mental note of those shackles. Freeing Kyana could be the answer to getting Patrik closer to our side. All I had to do was reach out to Vita and tell her about it.
I was in Vita’s room.
My thoughts of her had finally brought me to her in a vision. She sat on the floor, her knees up to her chest while she slowly leaned back and forth in a rocking motion.
She was surrounded by black walls with gilded details and an incredible amount of opulence, but there were bars on the windows and shackles on her wrists. I recognized the runes carved on them. They were the same as Kyana’s, most likely preventing her from using her fae abilities.
I could tell she’d been crying. Her eyes were rimmed red. She stared absently in the distance, and my heart broke for her. At the same time, I breathed a sigh of relief. I could see with my own eyes that she was okay other than her shattered emotions and the bruise on her forehead.
“I can’t tell you how happy I am to see you,” I said. “It’s a shame you can’t hear me, so you know how much you are loved and the lengths we are all going to so we can get you out of here.”
I crouched to get a better look at her. Her turquoise eyes seemed brighter with all the redness around them. More tears came, but she quickly wiped them off with the back of her hand. I knew I had to reach out to her, somehow.
The door lock clanked, startling me into an upright position. I felt my pulse racing. I expected Azazel to walk in and sense my presence, prompting him to trap me again. I took a few steps back, ready to force myself to wake up if necessary.
I held my breath as an unfamiliar Destroyer walked in. Black scales scattered up his neck, contrasting with the snake-like yellow of his eyes. His handsome features were amplified by his long brown hair and leather tunic, but his corrupted nature spoiled everything.
He slithered into the room as he carried a food tray containing a few pieces of bread, a platter of grilled food, and a pitcher of water. He stopped in front of Vita, looking down at her with a frown.
“You should eat something,” he said slowly.
“You should throw yourself out of the window and rid the world of your filth,” Vita spat back.
Whoa, girl. I shouldn’t have let her silence and red eyes fool me. Vita was mad as hell, and all that fire inside of her was probably burning hot, unable to flame out because of the shackles.
“I would, but there are bars on all the windows,” he replied bluntly.
She looked up at him. Once their eyes met, his gaze softened a little. I had a feeling he had a weak spot for my fierce little Oracle fae, and that was something I was happy to exploit further if it meant getting Vita out of there.
She might not like it if
I suggest it, but it’s worth a shot.
“You really should eat,” he persisted gently.
“Why? Azazel can’t afford to lose me?”
“Precisely. You are precious to him, and he will do everything in his power to keep you alive, even if he must force feed you. I presume you don’t want him shoving food down your throat, do you?”
She thought about it, then shook her head in defeat.
The Destroyer lowered himself to place the tray next to her. He stilled as he looked at her bruise from up close.
“I can get you something for your head wound. Doesn’t it hurt?” he asked.
“I’m fine,” she shot back dryly.
She wasn’t in the mood for a conversation, and the Destroyer didn’t pick up on social cues.
“I can make it better,” he said.
“Just get away from me,” Vita’s reply was sharp and swift.
I realized that Vita, despite her capture, was in a good position from a strategic point of view. I hated myself for even thinking it, but after having seen Kyana and Patrik and this Destroyer’s behavior toward her, the pieces might fall into place if we played things right.
She could keep herself safe and comfortable if she pretended to help Azazel in return for some freedom to move around the castle. All she had to do was feed him some vague information, nothing that could impact our own operations against him.
She could try to befriend this Destroyer and use him to gain access to sensitive parts of the castle, like the dungeon, where she could be the one to break Kyana’s shackles and set her free. She could do a lot of damage to Azazel’s internal system before Bijarki could rescue her.
“Hold on, Vita,” I whispered. “I’ll see you soon enough.”
Phoenix
I relaxed against the magnolia tree with the Daughter still in my arms. She’d dozed off, and I could feel her chest move evenly with every breath she took. She was tired and for good reason.
I willed myself into a calm state of mind, enough to allow my Oracle nature to come forward and push me into a set of visions. Darkness soon replaced the view before me of the green grass and Destroyers lurking beyond the shield.