“You’re telling me Azazel has Jovi’s blood? How did you get it from him?” I asked, gritting my teeth.
“You were all at the Marketplace that day, the three of you,” she replied, touching my pendant. “He got this for you. I gave it to him. And I snatched a drop of his blood in the process. He didn’t even realize what I’d done. After I passed it on to Azazel, I told him I couldn’t do this anymore. He sneered, and he threw me in here, promising to put me through a slow and torturous death. I’ve been experiencing it since I’ve been in this cage, but you saved me, and it’s only fair that you know the truth, that you understand the danger Jovi’s in.”
“Make yourself understood, old fae,” I growled. “What is that blood spell you’re talking about?”
“It’s meant to control creatures whose blood he has. But it gets worse. It can kill…”
My blood turned to ice. Jovi was up at the very top. I could feel him through Telluris. I had to get to him. I had to let him know. I broke into a cold sweat as I reached out to him in my mind.
“Telluris Jovi!” I cried out.
The old fae looked at me with confusion.
“You need to go to him,” she whispered.
“Telluris Jovi!” I ignored her, calling out to him.
But there was no answer.
I had to get to him, and I had to do it fast. I moved to leave, but the old fae grabbed my wrist, holding me back.
“Let me go, or I will punish you for what you did!” I snarled, fury burning in my temples.
“The pendant,” she said. “The pendant will save him!”
I looked down at my wolf’s head jewel, then at her, my brows pulled into a frown.
“What do you mean?”
“Make him swallow the stone.” She sighed. “I took his blood, but I gave him this pendant as a way out. I told you, I’m not an evil person. I couldn’t do it anymore.”
I had a long way up to go. I nodded briefly, then ran as fast as I could. I had to get to Jovi.
My heart started racing as heat spread through me. I ran up the service stairs, using a copy of the castle plans I’d tucked away in my boot to find the quickest way to the platform. There was no way I’d let Azazel hurt the man I loved. There was no way I’d allow any version of the future in which Jovi was killed come true.
No, Jovi, you’re staying with me, I thought furiously to myself as I passed each level. Hang in there. I’m coming…
Jovi
I had my crossbow aimed at Azazel, who stood tall and broad in the middle of the platform. My nerves were stretched to their limits, my muscles twitching, eager for a fight. My grip was firm, a finger clutching the trigger as the tip of the poisoned arrow pointed at his head. It wasn’t my call to attack, though. We’d made a plan and we were sticking to it, no matter what.
Vita was several feet behind him, holding up a torch, her knees trembling. She was ready to strike, while my sister and Phoenix were still, helplessly watching this unfold from inside their glass bubbles.
“Give it up, Azazel,” I said firmly. “There’s nothing you can do.”
He looked at me, a grin slitting his face in a way that sent shivers down my spine.
With slow movements, he brought a rectangular diamond up to his lips. It looked strange, with iridescent green veins flowing through its core. He whispered something into it.
“Tell you what,” he replied dryly. “How about you point that thing somewhere else, instead? Like at her, for example.”
He nodded at Hansa, who was standing a couple of feet to my left.
My body stiffened, a bizarre coldness rushing through me, and I felt my arms suddenly move without my consent. My torso turned, and I found myself pointing my crossbow at Hansa, my finger trembling on the trigger.
“What are you doing to me?” I managed to ask, my voice hoarse as I broke into a sweat.
My gaze darted around the platform, and I recognized the horror in my friends’ eyes. They were all staring at me, frozen, unable to react. Hansa was still pointing her crossbow at Azazel, but was giving me a fearful look.
“What are you doing, Jovi?” she growled.
“I can’t control it,” I gasped. “He’s doing something to me.”
I felt like a puppet. Azazel laughed.
“Shoot her,” he ordered.
Despite every bone in my body, every sliver of instinct, and every sense I had telling me to launch that arrow back at him, I couldn’t. Instead, I pulled the trigger.
“No!” I heard Serena scream.
The poisoned arrow hit Hansa hard, lodging between two of her ribs, and the shifter toxin spread quickly through her body. She grunted and fell to the floor, soon losing her natural shimmer. Silver blood oozed from her wound.
“Hansa!” I cried out.
She looked at me, her emerald-gold eyes flickering with pain, stunned by the poison. It wouldn’t kill Azazel because he was too strong, but it was definitely deadly enough for any one of us.
Hansa was dying. My senses caved in, my rage unable to manifest itself, as I was under Azazel’s physical control.
I saw the devastation on my friends’ faces. I saw Jax’s face turn white as he watched Hansa writhe in pain, the toxin gradually kicking in. I instinctively looked at the shifter. I’d seen it lick its own wounds to heal itself and figured a way out for Hansa through them.
“You!” I shouted at my faithful companion.
Azazel had control over my limbs, but not my mind. The creature glanced at me, its eyes glowing violet. Its thin lips parted, and it started drooling.
It rushed over to Hansa, but was immediately knocked back by a powerful pulse shot from Azazel’s hand. It fell hard against the floor, and then a second pulse came and swept it off the terrace.
My heart broke as I heard its panicked wails… followed by deathly silence. I glared at Azazel, who wore a satisfied grin drawn from ear to ear.
“Surprised?” Azazel asked, his tone laced with mockery. “You shouldn’t be. I told you, over and over, that I am always one step ahead of you.”
“What did you do?” Draven asked, his eyes set on the Prince of Destroyers.
“I did what I do best.” Azazel scoffed, as if insulted by the question. “Did you really think I wouldn’t have a backup plan if you nasty little bugs tried to come at me? You must be joking! I’ve been collecting blood samples from all over Calliope for years now, especially from foreigners! Did you really think my spies wouldn’t notice your wolf-boy down south at the market?”
I stilled then, my eyes opened wide. I remembered my encounter with the old fae in the Sarang Marketplace, the one who’d given me the wolf’s head pendant. I’d felt the prick on my neck. I’d seen the drop of blood, but I’d figured it had been an insect. I looked at Azazel, the realization crashing into me so hard and so fast that it knocked the air out of my lungs.
“The old fae,” I muttered. “She got the blood from me…”
“Of course she did!” Azazel’s voice boomed. “I have eyes and servants everywhere. What part of that didn’t you understand? This is a powerful blood spell, my boy! You and thousands of others are under my control, but I’m focusing all my energy on you right now. I’m enjoying this too much not to give you a taste of my full power!”
He grinned, watching me intently. My hand reached into the extra quiver I’d gotten from Serena and reloaded the crossbow. My whole body shook as I pulled the arrow into place, the string digging into my fingertips.
“Stop this,” I growled. “Serena, stop it! Shoot me!”
Dread came over me as I pointed the arrow at Jax next. The Lord of Maras turned slowly to face me, raising his hands in a defensive gesture. I needed this to be over. I needed someone to take me out before I did anyone more harm. I couldn’t control myself!
My heart broke, as I was suddenly faced with my own mortality.
My destiny.
One way or another, the future had shown me that my death was probable. Azazel’s control o
f my body was yet another confirmation. If I was going to die, I sure as hell wasn’t going to take anyone else with me.
“Shoot me, Serena!” I bellowed.
I heard Aida and Phoenix banging on the glass, their voices muffled as they protested and screamed at me.
“Jovi, no! Fight it! Jovi!” my sister cried, her eyes red.
“I… I can’t…”
“Jovi, I can’t shoot you.” Serena’s voice trembled. “Fight it! You have to fight it!”
“Jovi, his control is not absolute,” Patrik urged from the side. “I broke free. You can, too!”
“Jovi, look at me,” Jax said, surprisingly calm.
I listened, and our eyes met. His flickered gold as he used his mind-bending abilities on me. I could feel him poking through my head. I could hear the whispers urging me to put the crossbow down.
“You don’t want to do this,” Jax added.
“I don’t.” I shook my head, tears glazing my eyes. “I don’t want to hurt any of you…”
I glanced over at Hansa, who was lying on her side in the fetal position, trying to keep her breathing and pulse even as she fought the shifter toxin. I felt myself torn on the inside, the pain crippling my very soul.
“Just kill me…”
“Oh, just get it over with.” Azazel scoffed and snapped his fingers.
I felt myself starting to pull the trigger, but I struggled against it.
“No!” I shouted, my blood boiling and burning through me.
“Jovi, look at me!” Jax said, perfectly calm, his golden eyes drilling into me.
I felt his influence; I heard the whispers getting louder, shaping into voices. The image in front of me warped, and I couldn’t see anyone other than Azazel, big and dark and evil. I tried to force myself to move the crossbow away and aim it at him, but my body didn’t respond.
Fight it.
My muscles tensed. My inner-wolf roared and howled, desperate for freedom.
“Don’t be foolish, boy.” Azazel’s voice trickled into my ear. “You can’t stop it.”
Fight it, Jovi.
“Jovi, please… Fight it…” My sister’s voice echoed through.
It surged through me. Whatever Jax was doing to me, it wasn’t enough to help me, but Aida’s heartfelt plea seemed to give me the boost I needed. I roared as I pulled the crossbow away and aimed it at Azazel. The tip of the poisoned arrow pointed at his head, ready to go.
He sneered, then waved his arm, sending out an invisible pulse that hit me like a freight train. I felt my bones crack when it threw me back. I hit the floor hard, with a thud, landing on my back.
My muscles instantly relaxed, and I felt my head get light, a deaf pain throbbing in my temples.
I blacked out.
Serena
I watched helplessly as Hansa convulsed on the floor, the poison causing unbearable damage to her body. I couldn’t move to help her, my crossbow locked on Azazel. I couldn’t let him out of my sight. He didn’t seem to mind, watching us with amusement flickering in his yellow eyes. The corner of his mouth twitched.
I couldn’t take it anymore. I shot my arrow, but Azazel saw it coming. He flicked his wrist and the projectile vanished into a puff of smoke and ashes. I held my breath as I reloaded, Azazel’s chuckle stretching my nerves.
Jovi was unconscious, but at least he was still alive, his chest moving slightly with each breath. Jax slid on his knees over to Hansa, applying pressure to the wound in her side while his fingers wrapped around the arrow, preparing to slowly pull it out.
I looked over at Draven, who kept his eyes on Azazel the whole time, as did Patrik and Thadeus. We needed to catch him with his guard down if we wanted to get some arrows into him, that much had just become obvious.
“I don’t know what it will take for you people to understand that you can’t win,” Azazel said. “But I’m more than happy to prove it, repeatedly, until either you all die, or fall to your knees and acknowledge me as the supreme leader of Eritopia.”
“Keep dreaming, snake!” Hansa coughed from below, prompting him to laugh mockingly.
“Save your breath, darling. I can see the life slipping out of you already,” he shot back.
Jax started pulling the arrow out, making her groan and curse from the pain. She pushed him away, pointing at Azazel.
“Forget me! Kill him! Don’t falter, don’t hesitate—kill him!” she shouted.
A giant fireball hit Azazel from behind, hard enough to swallow him whole. My breath hitched as he struggled with it before the flames turned green and fizzled out in a puff of black smoke. His skin tone was darker, parts of his beard and hair still burning as he patted them down, cursing under his breath.
He glanced over his shoulder at Vita, who’d attacked him. She stood proudly with her chin up, holding a torch. Another fireball formed in her spare hand.
“Oh, please.” Azazel clicked his teeth and waved her away.
His hand gesture triggered another invisible pulse to shoot out. It knocked Vita off her feet, and she fell backwards with a squeal. He then brought the diamond up to his lips and whispered something into it. I realized too late what was happening—Vita was pulled to her feet, unable to control her own body.
She stared at us with horror, blinking rapidly as Azazel controlled her like a puppet. He’d managed to get some of her blood, too, which suddenly made sense to me. She’d been a prisoner here, after all.
“What… What’s happening? You… You took my blood!” She cried out as she was made to move around like a doll on strings.
“I must admit, I find myself continuously offended by your inability to acknowledge my greatness.” Azazel sighed theatrically as he moved his fingers in the air, watching as she obeyed his every command.
My heart shrank in my chest. I feared that the “fun” would soon stop and that Azazel would do something much worse to her. He was paying attention to every move around him, and as long as he was so focused, our poisoned arrows or Druid spells would fail. Most importantly, he had Jovi and Vita under his control. We couldn’t risk trying something else, yet.
“Let her go.” I gritted my teeth and aimed the arrow at his head.
“You try to shoot me again and I will kill her.” Azazel gave me a cool sideways glance.
“This stops now, Azazel.” Draven’s voice cut through the madness with crystal clarity.
Azazel flicked his hand, forcing Vita to fall flat on her face. She hit her head hard against the black stone slabs. Blood trickled from her temple, and she passed out, making me boil with rage. I couldn’t shoot him. I couldn’t do anything against him at this point, as he had both Vita and Jovi under his control, and I didn’t know the extent to which the blood spell worked.
I didn’t have time to think of any solutions or alternatives, either, because Azazel swiftly focused his attention on us, grinning. He muttered something, and a bright green light shot out all around him— it looked like it was going to hit us, until a golden light blocked it.
I glanced over to Draven and stilled, watching as he lit up like the sun, the energy pouring out of him opposing the green blaze that Azazel had pushed our way. The two force fields resisted one another, and Azazel blinked nervously, frowning at Draven.
“How did you… How are you doing this? This isn’t a job for a single Druid!” he barked.
“Did you think I’d come here alone?” Draven grinned.
One by one, the sources of his power emerged from below. They’d been waiting patiently by the staircase, waiting for Draven’s signal. Ori, Malachy, Mason, Flynn, Cassin, and Dain revealed themselves, their bodies incandescent with the same golden light as they fed Draven’s protective shield. They were feeding him with their energy, so he could amplify that force field.
“Druids,” Azazel muttered as anger lit his eyes in a ghastly green glow.
He pushed out more of his dark energy to amplify his offensive spell, but he was still struggling. He was enveloped in a bright green sphe
re of light, while Draven’s had an amber hue to it, held strong by the young Druids. Both spheres still opposed one another. Left without the little Daughter and the power from the volcanoes, Azazel had clearly lost his edge and was experiencing difficulties for the first time, up against seven Druids. Draven’s training in the sphere back at Stonewall had paid off nicely, and I dared to let hope blossom in my chest.
“I’m sure you had a lovely reunion party planned for this occasion.” Azazel grinned. “But I fear I have to once again reiterate that I am still, and always will be, one step ahead of you.”
“You’re done for, Azazel,” Draven replied. “I know it’s hard to come to terms with it, but you’re not getting out of here alive. The more you fight us, the easier it will be for us to kill you and spare you the honor of judgment before the Eritopians you’ve hurt.”
I caught sight of Jovi slowly getting up, clutching his crossbow and straightening his back. His muscles twitched and his knees shook as he fought Azazel’s control spell. I had a feeling Azazel wasn’t putting any energy into controlling Jovi at the moment, giving him the opening he needed to raise his weapon and point it straight at the back of Azazel’s head.
The snake pendant’s ruby eyes flashed a phosphorescent green as more emerald light emanated from Azazel’s body. My heart stopped when he threw Jovi a sideways glance, materialized a sharp sword from the energy oozing out of him, and hurled it at him.
“No!” I screamed.
But it was too late. The blade pierced Jovi’s stomach.
Aida screamed. The others gasped as Jovi fell backward, blood pooling beneath him. My heart was torn to shreds, my eyes burning, and I struggled to keep my head clear.
Azazel then looked at Draven and me, glowing all green as his energy continued to oppose the Druids’.
“I am always one step ahead.” He sneered, then hissed—this sounded different, a higher pitch that lasted a few seconds.
Destroyers soared up around the platform, armed with swords and spears and riding their pale flying horses. Time seemed to stop for a second. I looked around and felt the dread rushing through me and shattering my defenses.