I shot another barrier out, enough to push them back a few yards as we ran back toward the limestone wall, where the Dearghs stood still like statues.
“Help us!” I screamed at them as the Destroyers quickly gained on us again.
My barrier had been weak. I was losing energy.
The monsters hissed, lifting their swords as they charged us.
The stone behind us crackled, and, one by one, the Dearghs rose from the mountain, massive and with flames in their eyes. Zur stepped forward, grumbling like an avalanche as he moved in front of us.
One of the Destroyers cursed. They all stilled, their tails twitching and rattling.
“They’re still alive,” he shouted. “Fall back!”
It was too late for them. The Dearghs, as big and bulky as they were, moved quickly across the tall grass. As they engaged the Destroyers, they lit up from the inside, turning into massive fire creatures, blazing with rage.
There were five Dearghs against ten Destroyers, but judging by the horrified looks on their faces, the stone and fire giants had all the odds in their favor.
Draven pulled me back.
Hansa and Sverik joined us as we watched the fight unfold.
Each Deargh grabbed whichever Destroyer was closest, pulling them by the tails and setting them on fire before they snapped their necks. The Destroyers were big, but the Dearghs were three times bigger.
It was over fast, with just one monster managing to slither away, hissing and cursing as he vanished into the jungle below.
We stood there, our mouths gaping, our eyes wide open, as the lifeless bodies of Destroyers burned. Black smoke rose into the sky. I’d never imagined witnessing such a scene.
The Dearghs were such gentle creatures. I’d had a hard time imagining they’d be capable of such carnage. And yet they stood before us, flames blazing from within, looking down at the handful of monsters they’d so easily vanquished. I wondered why they hadn’t stood up sooner. Why had Azazel been allowed to do so much damage in the first place?
“That was surprisingly efficient,” Draven quipped, his tone dry.
The Dearghs dimmed their flames, returning to their original form. Zur looked down at us, giving us a gentle smile, his eyes still flickering. Charred Destroyers lay at his giant limestone feet.
“Fire kills everything, young Druid, even snakes.”
Serena
We made it to Mount Inon in one piece. We used the swamp witches’ spell again and struggled with Sverik as we flowed through the lava. He’d given in to the temptation to open his eyes during the transition.
It took us a while to calm him down after Zur pushed us to the surface and took us to one of the outer chambers of the volcano, where Inon waited with food and water.
A few minutes later, Sverik was down on all fours, heaving and gasping for air as the spell wore off. Sweat beads covered his face. His shimmering skin was paler than usual.
“I’m never doing this again,” he groaned. “Next time, just leave me in the cage!”
Hansa smirked as she ate, tearing the meat off the bone and washing it down with cool spring water. She kept an eye on Sverik as he recovered.
Draven and I sat next to each other.
“We told you not to open your eyes,” Hansa said dryly.
Inon watched us quietly, his eyes moving from one to the other with childlike interest.
“Yeah, well, that’s the one thing my brother and I always had in common. No means yes.” Sverik grinned.
A long minute passed before Inon spoke. We were far too hungry and thirsty to fill that time with chatter. I was just grateful to still be alive with Draven by my side. He occasionally leaned into me, giving me a sideways glance that was strangely reassuring. We’d made it this far.
“I’ve prepared four new horses for you and your friends,” Inon said.
“I must admit, I’m surprised by your faith in us, to have four of them ready,” Draven replied, smiling. “It means you knew for a fact we’d come back with Sverik.”
“Indeed, I have all the faith in the world in the son of Almus and Genevieve,” Inon nodded, prompting us all to look up at him in awe.
“You knew my parents?” Draven asked.
“Of course, I did. We all knew your parents. Two of the most noble and most powerful Druids to ever walk this world.”
“I thought the Dearghs kept mostly to themselves, hidden in their mountains away from the others,” Hansa said with a smirk.
“We do, but we make it our business to know who leads us. This planet once belonged to Draven’s mother, after all,” Inon replied.
I stilled, realizing what the Deargh had just said—something that Draven hadn’t mentioned when he’d told me about Genevieve. I knew she’d been in charge of one of these planets in Eritopia, but it didn’t occur to me that it was precisely the one we’d been brought to.
I couldn’t help but wonder what it must have been like with Genevieve ruling over this land. Based on what I knew from Draven, there must have been good times here with peace and progress.
“There is little time to comb through memories, I’m afraid,” Inon added, standing up.
“Trouble coming this way?” Hansa asked.
I kept a close eye on Sverik for no particular reason, watching as he ate in silence, his gaze occasionally darting up to the Deargh. I felt sorry for him, for the loss of his brother and the treachery of his father.
“Swarms of green fireflies have been buzzing around the mountain,” Inon replied. “You must ride back to the safety of your mansion before Destroyers come looking for you.”
Draven stood up, taking a deep breath.
“Azazel has seen me, so it’s only a matter of time before he sends out his troops to find me. My existence is a threat to his expansion, and he will stop at nothing to eliminate me sooner rather than later,” he said.
Inon took us outside, where we jumped on our horses and bid him farewell. We were to see each other again soon enough. The Dearghs were ready to fight by our side.
“I am sorry,” the Deargh said before we took off.
“Sorry about what?” Draven frowned.
“We should have risen sooner. We were comfortable in our mountains, confident that our brothers dying was Eritopia’s will. For that, I am sorry.” Inon sighed.
I was touched by his candor and felt a tremendous amount of affection for the gentle stone giant. I smiled at him, and his eyes lit up.
“Better late than never, we say where I come from,” I replied.
We rode out, thundering through the dark jungle, eager to return to the mansion.
Aida
I sat on the front steps of the mansion, waiting for either of our groups to return. A couple of days had passed, and I’d woken with a very peculiar feeling that morning, as if something was about to go horribly wrong.
I watched the outer layer of grass before the swamps. Shadows darted through the jungle here and there. My mind wandered, worried about Jovi and Serena. It inadvertently slipped back to Field and our mind-numbing kiss.
Wings flapped above, and I looked up. My heart skipped a beat. Field descended from the sky, bare chested and as handsome as ever. But this time, as opposed to the many other times back in The Shade, his eyes were on me and nothing else. It felt good.
He landed in front of me, wings lowering and something glimmering in his hands. I didn’t get a better look as he instantly bent forward and kissed me, jolting my heart into a quick race around the sun. He tasted like heaven, if heaven was a midsummer night with blooming jasmine and night-queen flowers beneath the window.
“Hey, you.” He gave me a beaming smile, further demolishing my cool girl defenses.
“Anything out there?” I asked, wondering what he’d seen beyond the shield.
“Destroyers are still flying around, but they’re not that close. Besides, we’re underneath the protective shield. Even if they pass over the mansion they won’t see us.”
I nodde
d, losing myself in his turquoise gaze.
“I also found these little buggers and thought you might like them.” He smiled, lifting a glass jar in front of me.
Five green fireflies buzzed around inside the glass receptacle, glimmering like emeralds. They were beautiful, making me wonder what the bedroom would look like with their gentle green light cast inside.
He’d caught them for me, and the thought made me giddy and giggly. I sprang to my feet and hugged him, giving him short kisses on both his cheeks, then his lips, thanking him repeatedly.
“Something tells me I should do this more often,” he grinned.
I nodded. “You definitely should!”
He laughed lightly and caught my mouth in a long, gentle kiss, his lips soft against mine, his tongue searching as my temperature spiked. The effect he had on me was undeniably powerful.
But the sound of horses galloping in the distance tore us apart. We looked toward the source. To my relief, we saw Jovi, Bijarki, and Anjani accompanied by two other females on horseback.
My heart seemed to relax, and I could breathe again. A smile drew itself on my face.
“They’re back!” I exclaimed.
“I knew they would be. I just can’t believe they managed to bring Jovi back as well. I would’ve lost him somewhere on the way,” Field said jokingly, prompting me to poke him with my elbow.
His hand slipped up my back. He laughed lightly.
Their horses trotted through the protective shield. The two females with them looked around, visibly confused, unable to see the mansion. Once they followed Jovi through the spell, however, it all became clear, and their eyebrows lifted with surprise.
I recognized the scales and yellow eyes identifying them as Lamias. Bijarki, Anjani, and my brother had been successful in reaching out to the Lamias. My vision of them being followed by the rogue incubi had kept me on edge for a while, until Field had managed to assure me that they were no match for my wolf-brother, a seasoned soldier, and a succubus warrior. Deep down, I knew he’d been right and was thankful once more to have him close in this world.
Jovi was the first to get off his horse and run straight to me, taking me up in his arms and laughing.
“There he is, my little trouble maker!” I laughed as he spun me around.
“I told you I’d be back!”
“I’m surprised they put up with you for that long.” I grinned.
“Trust me, we got very close to dumping him.” Anjani joined the joke, as she got off her horse with a playful smile on her face.
I noticed the change. Something had shifted between Jovi and Anjani. There was more there than before they’d left. I had a feeling they’d gotten closer. The looks they exchanged weren’t difficult to recognize.
“See?” Field said to me, chuckling. “I told you he’d be trouble.”
I shouted after Vita and Phoenix over my shoulder, positive they’d be as happy as I was to see half of our group back with what seemed like good news.
Bijarki stepped forward, his eyes darting around as if looking for someone. His expression brightened as he saw Vita emerge from the house to join us. He brought the two Lamias forward, introducing them to us.
“This is Tamara, Mother of the Lamias, and her Daughter, Eva,” Bijarki said.
I looked at the two creatures, both incredibly beautiful, clearly related yet quite different. Unlike her mother’s platinum hair and yellow-green scales, Eva’s rich locks flowed black on her shoulders, her skin pale and scales black. They both wore soft silk dresses in shades of white and pale green, complemented by emerald collars and bracelets.
“They’ve come to speak with Draven regarding our alliance against Azazel,” Bijarki added as we all gawked at them.
“It’s an honor to meet you. I’m Aida,” I said with a polite smile. “This is Vita and Field. Phoenix and the Daughter should be with us soon.”
Tamara looked us over, measuring Vita and me from head to toe before she gave us a warm and charming smile. There was something about snakes that made me wary, even when they were nice and smiling. I had a hard time trusting anything that slithered, and my previous experiences with their distant Destroyer relatives had not exactly helped.
“You must be the Oracles,” Tamara guessed with surprising accuracy. “And you, Field, you’re just as strange as Jovi, yet different. What are you?”
Field smirked, running a hand through his long black hair. I didn’t like Tamara much. She was far too confident in her own ability to seduce any living creature, and watching her set her sights on Field with her soft looks and sweet voice made me growl on the inside.
“It’s kind of a long story,” Field replied, giving me a sideways glance.
“Where’s Draven?” Bijarki intervened, cutting the awkward exchange short, to my relief.
“He’s not here yet,” I replied.
But before any of us could say anything else the sound of thundering hooves and neighing horses made us look out toward the bridge again. Hope blossomed in my heart that I would get to see Serena, Draven, and Hansa next.
Serena
We’d made it back with no major incident through the jungle. A few mindless shape-shifters had been brazen enough to try and jump at us, but Hansa swatted them away with a couple of poisoned arrows, leaving them writhing in the pain of death.
We darted through the woods, beckoning our horses to go as fast as they could, until we reached the protective shield.
“We’re here,” I gasped, as we passed through the barrier.
I nearly collapsed from my horse by the time we reached the front steps.
Vita, Aida, and Field waited with Jovi, Anjani, Bijarki, and two gorgeous creatures, briefly introduced as Tamara, Mother of the Lamias, and Eva, her daughter.
I sprang from the saddle right into Vita and Aida’s arms, overwhelmed with joy and relief to be with them again.
“You made it back in one piece, you devil!” Aida grinned, kissing my cheeks.
Draven stepped forward, followed by Hansa, Bijarki, and Sverik. Aida’s eyes glimmered with recognition at the sight of Kristos’s brother.
“It’s good to see you alive.” She smiled at him.
“You know me?” Sverik asked, confused.
“I saw you in my visions,” she replied.
“Ah, so you’re one of the Oracles then!” He beamed and shook her hand.
We introduced them to each other, and I shouted after Phoenix and the Daughter, eager to hug him. The intensity of everything I’d been through was suddenly starting to weigh on me. The adrenaline still pumped through me.
We caught up with one another briefly.
Tamara and Eva watched quietly with fascination. We were the foreign ones in their eyes, creatures they’d never seen before.
Phoenix emerged from the mansion, followed by the Daughter. He came down the stairs, and I jumped in his arms. He laughed and held me tight, and the world seemed right again.
“I told you I wasn’t going to accept any outcome other than you coming back to me in one piece,” he whispered in my ear. “The universe listened.”
The Daughter then jumped between us and hugged me, much to my surprise. I looked at Phoenix, and he shrugged, laughing lightly.
“I’m glad you’re back,” she said. “Phoenix has been worried sick about you!”
I loved seeing our group back together with a handful of new allies added to the mix. We’d had a successful mission, which gave me more hope. On top of that, after I’d launched that barrier at Azazel, I’d tapped into a previously undiscovered resource of courage. The initial gloom was slowly dissipating.
Draven cleared his throat and bowed before Tamara and Eva. Phoenix’s eyes grew large at the sight of them, giving me the impression that he knew them.
“It’s an honor to have you here, Tamara,” Draven said. “I was hoping we’d get to discuss the terms of an alliance against Azazel.”
“I’ve heard,” Tamara replied politely. “Bijarki told
me you’re in possession of three Oracles and the support of the Dearghs and that you are hoping to rally all remaining species against Azazel. That is a most noble but dangerous pursuit.”
Phoenix kept watching the exchange, frowning. I nudged him and gave him a questioning sideways glance, but he ignored me and kept watching Tamara. I could tell something was off, but Tamara’s responses quickly recaptured my attention.
“Does that mean you’ll join us?” Draven asked.
“It’s why I came to see you myself. Your plan shows promise, and the Lamias would be willing to fight for you. Under one condition,” she replied with an icy smile.
I had a feeling the conversation was about to turn bad fast. None of us said anything, waiting for Draven to respond.
“Tell me what the condition is, then, before I agree to anything,” he said.
She pushed Eva forward. The younger Lamia looked at us awkwardly. She hadn’t said anything yet, and I wondered what her role was in this alliance. Her expression didn’t give anything away either. She simply eyed Draven whenever she got a chance.
“You must mate with my daughter, Druid, and help her conceive a child,” came Tamara’s reply.
Serena
“Only then will you have our full support against Azazel,” Tamara added.
My jaw dropped, and I couldn’t hold back an outraged gasp. My expression was mirrored by everyone else in the group, with the exception of Tamara and Eva, who seemed to have thought this through already. In fact, Eva seemed quite pleased with the idea, judging by her self-confident smirk.
Draven looked baffled, his eyes flickering black as he blinked rapidly, trying to digest the Lamias’ request.
“You’ve got to be joking,” he replied, his voice dim.
“Draven, I know her,” Phoenix intervened with an alarmed expression. “I know Tamara. I’ve seen her in one of my visions of the past.”