“Which floor? Because that palace is huge,” Hansa muttered.
“The second floor. They’re both on the second floor, so at least we have that working for us.” I sighed. “There was no sign of Blaze and Caia anywhere else. My instinct tells me they are where I cannot see them.”
“And what’s that thick dot you drilled in the middle of the south wing?” Jax asked.
“Well, since we have no means of communicating with each other,” I explained, “I figured we could use this as our meeting spot. It’s a huge, floor-to-ceiling totem, made entirely out of gold. Its figures have large, gemstone eyes. You cannot miss it.”
“How long do you think this will take us?” Caspian replied.
A couple of moments went by as I waited for Jax or Hansa to give us some estimates, simply wondering if their figures matched mine. I wanted to keep it under an hour, a basic in-and-out operation.
“It could be anything between thirty minutes and four hours,” Jax said. “It depends on how smoothly it all goes in there. If we get in with no hurdles, and we get to the meranium boxes, we have to assume that there will be guards inside, along with some sturdy swamp witch magic to deal with, before we can get Blaze and Caia out.”
“To be honest,” Hansa chimed in, “I would like for us to take some time, at least half an hour to forty-five minutes, to survey the interior of that palace and make some mental notes as to what goes on in there. The more information we can gather on our enemies, while we are in there, the better and easier it will be for us to organize future strikes against Shaytan and his people.”
“You make a fair point,” I conceded. “As eager as I am to rescue Blaze and Caia, I agree that we should move slowly. Not just for the purpose of observation, but also to be cautious. There are plenty of red lenses in that palace, waiting to nab us.”
“Speaking of which,” Jax said, “we should definitely get our hands on some of those lenses going forward. We’ll have better opportunities for that. We are invisible, and perfectly capable of lifting them off the daemons without physically engaging them.”
“Sure thing, Jax. Just don’t tell the others that you turned us into pickpockets,” I quipped.
Some of the tension around us had already started to dissipate. We had a plan, and we had a clear map of the palace interior. There were plenty of enemies to avoid along the way, but we had what felt like an accurate idea of where our friends were being kept.
It was part of our nature, as GASP agents, to not let any situation bring us down to the point where we couldn’t make light of it. As long as we could joke about it, our mindset was positively calibrated for success. The moment I allowed darkness to eat away at me and my resolve was the moment of absolute failure.
And there is no room for failure in this wretched city.
Jax
Harper wiped the map away, leaving no trace of our presence there. Then we split up into pairs again and snuck out of the red tower. We darted across the main square, keeping away from the soldiers, then rushed up the palace stairs and into the enormous obsidian structure.
From the outside, the palace looked huge, stretching for at least a mile on each side. But from the inside, it looked even bigger, with shiny, perfectly polished floors and walls over twenty feet in height. Decorative molding brushed with gold dust framed the ceiling and the bottom part of the walls.
Ghastly sculptures of what I assumed were legendary daemons and various underground creatures, including pit wolves and death claws, lined every corridor with imposing dimensions. They’d been carved out of the same fine obsidian crystal, and the amber lights of torches and overhead chandeliers cast their reflections against their multifaceted surfaces.
As we made our way into the east wing, I caught glimpses of adjacent banquet halls. Their walls were embedded with precious gemstones and gold inlays laid out in intricate works of art. Heavy furnishings made of black wood filled every room. Rich, beige leather drapes covered the tall, floor-to-ceiling windows. In some of the chambers, they’d replaced leather with red velvet. The ceilings were all painted with ample scenes of what looked like daemon lore, in vivid colors with dramatic contrasts.
Sturdy columns with beautifully sculpted crowns held up the high ceiling, like ancient giants looking down on us from both sides, as we moved to the spacious hallway. Harper was right—there were plenty of hiding spots for us, as well as dozens of daemon soldiers patrolling this part of the palace.
Hansa and I had to get out of sight a couple of times when guards carrying red lenses passed by. We took our time advancing through the east wing, as I analyzed the daemons’ weapons and movements. Each of them carried two broad rapiers, along with round shields on their backs and additional knives mounted on leather belts strapped to their thighs. Not all of the soldiers carried red lenses, but on average, one out of three patrolling this part of the palace had one.
“Stay here,” Hansa whispered, and I felt her leave my side.
We’d hidden behind a giant death claw statue, its lowered wings shielding us from a passing trio of daemon soldiers. I saw the air ripple where she moved, as she snuck behind the grunts and proceeded to lift the red lens off the one in the middle.
I held my breath, watching quietly as the round red garnet disk hovered in the air for a brief second, before it disappeared. One of the daemons made a sudden movement and bumped into her with his elbow. I froze as the daemon frowned and realized that someone was there.
Cursing under my breath, I ran out from our hiding spot and drove my sword through that daemon, while the other two jumped back, trying to figure out what was going on. The soldier in the middle patted his chest, looking for the red lens.
“Looking for something?” Hansa’s low voice made them growl, and they moved to attack.
They followed the air ripples, taking their swords out in the process. I pulled mine from the collapsed daemon and proceeded to attack the soldier on the left, while Hansa handled the former owner of the red lens. While we had caught the first one by surprise, the other two were better prepared and much faster than the ones we’d encountered before.
I had a little bit of trouble killing my opponent, but after dodging three of his hits, I managed to thrust my blade through his head from below, careful to move away and not get any blood on me. Hansa grunted, and I watched the third daemon drop to his knees. A wide gash blossomed at the center of his chest as he gave out his last breath and fell flat on his face.
We immediately dragged their bodies away, stuffing them behind the death claw statue against the wall. The blood on the floor was hard to notice at a glance—I took comfort in that as I found Hansa’s hand and pulled her away and farther down the hallway.
“It won’t take long before someone sees the blood and finds the bodies,” I muttered.
“I swear, I tried to be as discreet as possible,” Hansa replied, “but the guy moved out of nowhere. Thanks for the help, though. At least we have a red lens now.”
“That’s good, now we just need to get as far away from that hotspot as possible.”
According to our current position, the meranium box was somewhere ahead, about 200 yards away. We kept to the side, sneaking behind statues and decorative curtains, doing our best to stay away from the central part of the hallway, as more daemons patrolled these parts.
The tension that had been brewing between Hansa and me for the past three months had dissipated from the moment we’d kissed in that dirty old basement. As soon as I accepted my fate, and understood that my life was worthless without her, I could see everything clearly again.
Even as we walked through enemy territory, my resolve was stronger than ever. After all my misfortunes in terms of soulmates, I’d actually found hope that it wouldn’t end in tragedy this time around. The synergy between us was undeniable. Hansa was a terrific fighter, and she made me better, too, just by being there with me.
We’d been made for each other, and I couldn’t deny that any longer. Of course, I??
?d already promised myself to address this… whatever this was between us, once we got out of this city. I didn’t know where it was going, but I didn’t want to lose the newfound harmony between us—it helped us work better together, as if we read each other’s minds and knew exactly what we were going to do.
There would come a point when I’d have to sit down and talk to her. There was so much about me that she didn’t know, that she had to understand so that she would not hate me for having been such a coward over the past few months. The thought of losing her still haunted me, but the thought of her alive and not in my arms was far worse.
The coast was clear ahead. I took advantage of that sliver of peace and temporary safety, due to our invisibility, to stop behind another statue and pull her close to me. I wrapped my arms around her and lowered my head so I could breathe in her scent—the ashes we’d rubbed on ourselves had failed to mask her spicy scent of leather and wild roses.
“Jax, as much as I’d love to, I’m not sure this is the right time to—”
“I just need a second with you, that’s all,” I murmured, my lips brushing against her smooth cheek. “There’s so much about me that you should know, and I plan to make it out of here alive so I can tell you everything.”
“If this is about whatever emotional baggage you’ve been carrying around and using as an excuse to keep me away, then yeah, I look forward to hearing about it,” she replied softly.
“Okay, but for the time being, can you just promise me that you will stay by my side and not do anything too crazy, that you will at least talk to me before you pull a Hansa on me?”
“Define ‘pulling a Hansa’,” she said, gently nuzzling my neck.
She felt so hot in my arms, so soft and perfect. I’d spent a long lifetime feeling incomplete, and the universe had finally rewarded me. The problems, however, did not escape me. I could never perform Pyrope with her, and I had to admit that, deep down, it did make me a little bit sad. Nevertheless, there were plenty of other ways in which I could make her understand exactly how crazy I was about her.
“Running off, charging a horde of daemons like the warrior succubus you are, only for me to jump in and stop at least one of them from decapitating you?” I grinned, my lips looking for hers.
“Keep it up, and you will have more than daemons to worry about.” She slowly lifted her head, responding to my search.
“Don’t get me wrong, I do enjoy rescuing you,” I replied, trying to keep myself steady on my feet. She was reining her succubus nature in, but her effect on me was still close to devastating. “It makes me feel a little less… useless when I’m around you.”
“Darling, you are anything but useless to me.”
Movement twenty feet away from us made me freeze. We stilled, barely breathing, and watched as two more soldiers passed us by. I held her tight, feeding off her strength while trying to keep a clear head—her body so close to mine left me dazed, barely functional. I exhaled as soon as the soldiers got farther away.
“I look forward to continuing this conversation later,” Hansa whispered, then took my hand. We moved farther west toward the meranium box.
I’d stared death and destruction in the face a few too many times over the years. I’d learned to take advantage of every second, of every moment when I could simply stop and enjoy the smallest, most beautiful things in life—and holding Hansa in my arms, feeling her skin on mine, and inhaling her dazzling scent had definitely been worth it.
But it was time to get our “kids” out of here. Just as I’d gotten my chance to show Hansa how I truly felt, Blaze and Caia deserved the same. However, if Blaze didn’t take his relationship with Caia to the next level once we got them out, I figured I’d have to smack him over the head in order for him to see what he was missing out on.
Nothing bloomed more beautifully or more powerfully than love at the core of adversity.
Harper
(Daughter of Hazel & Tejus)
Our journey through the west wing was uneventful for the first hundred yards, as we snuck through the main hallway and got a good feel for our surroundings. The architecture, the predominance of black stone and obsidian, contrasting with the glamorous array of gold and gemstones and the warm light coming down from torches mounted on the walls and heavy gold chandeliers above, created a very imposing setting.
The daemon soldiers patrolled the wing in groups of two to three, with one always carrying a red lens. We stayed on the side, moving behind statues and soft leather curtains, occasionally stopping to allow the daemons to pass. We couldn’t risk them even hearing us move.
“Two hundred yards ahead,” I whispered.
“The coast looks clear,” Caspian breathed, then took my hand as we walked another twenty feet or so, before more soldiers emerged from a nearby hall.
“There are more of them here than what I saw earlier from the red tower,” I muttered. Caspian pulled me close to him, behind a statue of a large pit wolf. I could feel his heart beating against my chest, nervously thudding as we waited for the soldiers to go by.
If it weren’t for Blaze and Caia stuck somewhere in this palace, I would’ve gladly stayed here in his arms for much longer—daemons be damned. The red glimmer of a lens caught my eye, and I gently pushed myself away from him.
“Don’t move,” Caspian whispered.
“We need a lens,” I replied, my voice barely audible.
I didn’t give him time to protest or hold me back. Light on my feet, I dashed behind the soldiers and discreetly reached out and lifted the red lens off the daemon in the middle. He didn’t feel it, not even when I used my index finger and thumb to unclasp the little metal ring holding the chain attached to his belt.
They kept walking, and I moved along with them, until I retrieved the red lens and came to a halt. I watched them go farther down, clearly unaware of my presence. Resisting the urge to pat myself on the back, I turned around to go back to Caspian, but I froze. My heart skipped a beat, plummeting into my stomach. My blood ran cold.
Only thirty yards away from me was Shaytan, accompanied by the two counselors I’d seen earlier. What the hell were they doing in the west wing? I’d figured they’d still be in the east wing, specifically in his throne room, as far away from me as possible.
They were walking toward me, but they had yet to see me, or even notice the air rippling from any movement on my part. I glanced to my right, where I caught a glimpse of Caspian’s jade eyes. I could only imagine the look on his face, since I couldn’t see it. Although I was pretty sure my face wasn’t exactly the textbook definition of “serene” either, at this point.
I shifted slowly to the side, holding my breath as Shaytan and his counselors got closer. The king was visibly aggravated, adding weight to his every word as he barked orders at the two noble daemons.
“You cannot possibly tell me that in the city of daemons, where we sniff out everything and everyone, where we have red garnet and plenty of other artifices, you can’t find those wretched outsiders,” Shaytan hissed. “I want them found. Yesterday, not today, and not tomorrow.”
“My lord, we are doing our best,” said one of the counselors, his voice trembling. He wore the same gold thread on his horns, but its woven pattern was simpler, and it didn’t cover their full length. He clearly wasn’t a prince, but the abundance of jewels around his neck identified him as part of the nobility. “But these outsiders seem to be a lot smarter and more resourceful than we originally thought.”
I managed to hide behind another statue, just as the king and his counselors passed by.
“That is not an excuse. You know they’ll be coming for their friends,” Shaytan replied bluntly. “Make the necessary arrangements. Instruct your guards to keep the red lens on at all times and to look out for any… unexpected visitors. I want them captured, and I want them captured alive.”
“Yes… Yes, my lord,” the other counselor replied.
Caspian reached me, placing his hand on my shoulder to let me
know he was there. Neither of us moved as we continued to eavesdrop on the king, who was walking away.
“It is imperative that we keep them in the city,” Shaytan said. “Under no circumstances can they be allowed to return to the surface. We did not make it this far for these little mice to ruin our plans, did we?”
“No, my lord,” the first counselor agreed. “You are right, we must mobilize our forces and be extra vigilant until we capture the entire GASP team. I will make sure that the palace guards are aware.”
“Good, because I am losing my patience,” Shaytan grumbled. “I ache to taste their souls… Their species are all far more powerful and intense than our poor little Imen.”
“Speaking of which, my lord, why haven’t you tried the ones we already have?” the second counselor asked.
“Soon enough, Rozell, soon enough. Before I get there, I have other plans for them. They’ll be staying with us for a while, whether they like it or not,” the king replied.
“Father.” A fourth voice shot across the hallway from the opposite end. It prompted Shaytan and his counselors to come to a halt and turn around.
This was one of the princes on the council, judging by his gold threaded garb, but I hadn’t seen him earlier, during the assembly. By process of elimination, I realized that I was looking at Zane, as he sauntered toward his father. His confident stride was matched by his imposing figure. His leather pants, which hugged his muscular thighs, were tucked into his calf-high boots. His chest was bare, ropes of muscle drawing shadows on his abdomen, and he wore a heavy leather cape on one shoulder, fastened with a solid gold buckle. His long black hair was braided down his back, the ends packed with gold beads, and his horns were adorned with gold thread, just like his brothers’.