“Goblins!” Varga chuckled. “They’re slightly inferior to the trolls.”
“Okay, goblins it is. The humans will need the goblins to organize a diversion, preferably outside the dome and as far away in the northern part of the corridor into which the prison opens up,” Lucas replied, then began moving some of the bowls around. “Ideally, a diversion that wouldn’t be immediately linked to the group of humans escaping. Make it seem like the goblins are just tired of dealing with these terrible trolls. If we clear the double doors to the prison, the twelve humans can escape, most likely unnoticed.”
“Even so, there is still a chance that they’ll be caught,” Xavier said, moving more white bowls to block the two bottles from fleeing the imaginary space.
“In which case, I recommend that one of the groups of humans finds another way out,” Derek suggested, splitting the bottle duo up. He took one and positioned it farther away from the other. “If the trolls want to catch the humans while dealing with a diversion, they can get busy with the group, while the rogue individual finds another way out. By the time the trolls figure things out, one human will have made it, and can meet with the others. Of course, that should be our worst-case scenario.”
“What about trolls retaliating?” Vivienne asked.
“They need the humans alive. They won’t hurt them,” Lucas replied. “And they won’t immediately suspect the goblins of interfering. It’ll be an internal issue.”
“Even if it isn’t, the trolls need their goblins for menial tasks and services,” Corrine suggested. “I doubt they’d be in danger. Plus, once the goblins agree to help, they’ll also acknowledge the consequences, in case it goes bad. I kind of feel awful for saying this, but… sacrifices may be required for us to succeed. This isn’t just about the goblins or our wellbeing anymore. It’s about the entire universe.”
A few seconds passed in silence, as we all translated the entire conversation in terms of Perfects and Faulties.
“Then, who would the escaping humans be?” I murmured, looking around at our group.
Claudia put on a devilish grin. “Well, I can think of a human couple named Claudia and Yuri who would totally be on board with that,” she said.
“Hold on,” my father interjected, frowning. “Out of a sea of… humans trapped in that place, is it wise to let the founders, the leaders to get out, instead of sending a bunch of… I don’t know, underlings or lieutenants? The trolls would certainly notice the absence of the leaders, wouldn’t they?”
Derek shook his head. “Their purpose isn’t to hide their absence from the trolls. The underlings, as you call them, are equally important in terms of genetic material. It would make no difference for what the trolls want.”
“In addition, the underlings don’t know the surrounding terrain or the trolls’ moves as well as the leaders,” Ibrahim added. “Besides, where would the underlings go? For how long do you think they’d survive out there, with all these trolls hunting them, as opposed to the leaders, who have infinitely more experience and better knowledge of the enemy? It might seem counter-intuitive to most, even reckless to some, but I agree with Derek. The leaders would be of more use on the outside, organizing the rescue operation for the other prisoners in the hostile land, than the other way around.”
I nodded slowly, finding myself in agreement with Derek’s reasoning. Not everyone in GASP knew this place up-close and personal like we did. We’d toured some of the islands. We knew what creatures dwelled in the jungles. We remembered the depth of the ocean from our swimming sessions. Most importantly, our children were out there, looking for us. Not theirs. We had a bigger bone in this escape than anyone else.
Besides, we were all itching to piss Ta’Zan off a little, maybe even make him snap. An angry overlord was prone to making mistakes, as opposed to one in control of everything.
“Okay. So, then we’d have Claudia and Yuri, the hypothetical humans,” I murmured. “Who else?”
“I’m imagining a Corrine and Ibrahim, too,” Corrine chimed in. “They sound pretty cool.”
“Of course they do. And no rebel crew would be complete without a Derek and a Sofia,” my husband said, taking my hand in his. His touch alone was enough to make my heart sing and give me the courage to battle a thousand Perfects all by myself.
“That’s six, so far. Throw in a Lucas and a Marion, maybe we could make up a lame Xavier with a cool wife called Vivienne,” Lucas replied. It earned him a friendly punch in the shoulder from Xavier, which made Lucas laugh. “What?! It’s hypothetical. No lame Xavier exists!”
“They would need two more, one of whom can go off on his own, in case it goes wrong,” I said, looking around. Most of us were couples, though, and we didn’t find it easy to separate—not in this inhospitable world.
Varga gave Heath a nudge. “What do you say, Sparky? Shall we get a Varga and a Heath involved? The dragon would make a spectacular decoy.”
“Oh, the dragon is definitely dying to roast some Perf—argh!” Heath was cut off by a brief electric shock in his collar. He’d spoken literally, without hiding his thoughts from the collar. “Dammit!” He cursed under his breath.
Varga laughed lightly and gave Heath a pat on the back. “You’ll be fine, Sparky. Suck it up.”
Jax and Hansa, Jovi and Anjani and some of the witches and Druids present could take the lead over the prisoners in our absence. Truly, there was no use for us in here—especially where Corrine and Ibrahim were concerned. Their magical abilities could very well save our hinds, if we played our cards right.
Out of the hypothetical dozen, either Varga or Heath could take a different exit during our escape. If I were to listen to my instincts, I would’ve picked Varga. He could meet up with his sister and give her some intel. Given his sentry abilities, he could sneak through the jungles and dart from one island to another with more ease.
Heath was a phenomenal fighter and a fearsome dragon, but he wasn’t exactly the most discreet of our GASP agents. Varga, on the other hand, prided himself for being light on his feet and had True Sight that could help him avoid capture.
With a plan made, we only needed the collars off and the Faulties to help with a diversion. Our part was done, and it was easier than what came next.
I let a deep breath out. “What if the other humans start a fight in the prison, too, after the dozen get out? It’ll draw more trolls away from them, I think.”
“That sounds good,” Cameron replied. “I’m sure something can be arranged.”
My heart was thudding, as the prospect of getting out of this dome ceased to be a distant dream, but rather a concrete possibility. I couldn’t wait to breathe the fresh air of freedom again, and to find my children.
Our mission was more important than anything else, and with the inside knowledge we’d gathered so far, we could help our kids with a strategy against Ta’Zan and his Perfects. I had hope in my heart, bursting through me like a spring.
We’re getting out, one way or another.
Elonora
I watched in awe as Vesta used her earth fae abilities to open the crevice even wider, revealing rich serium deposits that glowed blue in the underground. Beneath the cover of the jungle trees, I didn’t need a head cover, but I still had to wear my goggles—the serium glow was so intense that it made me squint.
Nevis helped her by covering the crevice edges and upper walls in Dhaxanian frost, to keep them from crumbling. Vesta then proceeded to simply touch the serium crystal deposits. As soon as her skin came in contact with the mineral, however, she stilled, her eyes glimmering with the same shade as the serium.
“Vesta, are you okay?” Zeriel asked from the edge, where Raphael and I were also standing.
She gasped, then pulled her hand back, taking deep breaths. “That was… weird,” she croaked, looking up at me. The blue glow in her eyes vanished, and I could tell that she was tempted to try that again.
“What just happened?” I asked, worried about her.
“
It might be the serium,” Raphael said. “From what you’ve told me about fae, and especially where Vesta is concerned, she might have a natural connection to the serium.”
“Wait, what do you mean?” Zeriel replied, even more confused.
“Well, she clearly reacted to it,” Raphael said, then looked down at Vesta. “Did you feel a surge, by any chance?”
Vesta chuckled nervously, staring at the serium deposits. “Are you kidding me? I felt as though I’d just swallowed the sun!”
Raphael grinned. “Yup. Elemental stuff. I’m afraid Vesta can’t touch serium without lighting up like the moon. One of us will have to drill it.”
“What are you waiting for, then?” Nevis retorted, raising an eyebrow. “You’re the strongest one here.”
Raphael sighed. “I suppose. Ugh, I don’t like doing work in the morning.”
Nevertheless, he slipped into the crevice and reached Vesta, motioning for her to climb back out.
“Are you sure you don’t need my help?” she asked.
“If I want to watch you turn into a living lightbulb, sure. But otherwise, no, you’re useless down here,” Raphael replied, “and I need room to move. Thanks for splitting this open for me, though.”
Vesta shrugged, then climbed back to the surface.
Raphael exhaled, then started to punch the serium deposits, directly. The strength of each hit caused the stone to crack, each fissure spreading like a spiderweb. Within minutes, large chunks of serium were coming off.
He increased his speed to incredible levels, to the point where I could no longer see his arm, only a faint shape as it moved back and forth with every punch he delivered. Raphael was practically a drill, as serium crystals jumped out and gathered at his feet. Soon enough, he was up to his ankles in them.
“So, serium makes me buzz,” Vesta murmured, befuddled. “I didn’t know that.”
“You couldn’t have, since you’d never touched a crystal, directly,” Nevis replied.
“I wonder what that would do to my powers,” she said, then looked at me. “Do you think it would amplify my abilities, maybe? If I strap a crystal to my skin, for example. I don’t know, just spit-balling here.”
“It could work,” Raphael replied from below, reaching a hand out. I tossed him the two large leather bags we’d brought from the stronghold, which he proceeded to fill with serium crystals. “There’s going to be more than ten pounds here, so you could try it.”
Vesta looked at me. “You know, you could try syphoning energy from them, too. What if it works for you, as a sentry?”
I shrugged, but I was definitely curious and willing to try. “Worth a shot, I guess. But where did this deposit get its energy from?” I asked. “From what I know, serium only lights up like this if it stores energy.”
“Lightning, my darling,” Raphael replied. “It goes into the ground, and it keeps moving, looking for a way to… I don’t know, survive. I’ve often thought of electricity as a living, breathing entity that needs to move, to power something, to circulate in order to survive. But it gets jammed inside the serium crystals, and that’s it, until it’s plugged in again.”
Raphael returned to the top with two full bags. Zeriel took one, and Raphael kept the other, as we went back to the stronghold. The sun shone brightly beyond the tree crowns—I could see the top lit up in a crude lime green as its rays tried to pierce through, but couldn’t. This was a secluded part of the island, and no one could spot us from above.
I heard branches breaking in the distance and briefly glanced over my shoulder. Raphael kept his eyes on me, smiling.
“Scared that Abaddon will catch up with you?” he asked, slightly amused.
“It’s inevitable. He is an incredible tracker. I’ll give that psycho credit where it’s due,” I replied.
“Don’t worry, he won’t be dumb enough to attack us just yet. He’s scared of me. He’ll be looking for ways to separate me from your group,” Raphael replied. “Which won’t happen, anyway, because I’m smarter than he is.”
“You all have giant egos, don’t you?” Nevis remarked.
“Design error,” Raphael retorted. “Can’t help it.”
“Thank you for helping us, though. I truly appreciate it,” I said.
Raphael laughed. “Don’t worry, I’ll make you pay for it. Just make sure I come back to that magical Shade with you, and that you find me a vampire-sentry lady just like you. We’ll call it even then.”
“Elonora, you shouldn’t have made a promise you cannot keep,” Nevis interjected, walking coldly by my side.
“What do you mean? Raphael will be more than welcome in The Shade!” I replied.
“But there is no one else like you. You are quite unique. He will never find someone just like you,” Nevis said.
My heart fluttered. His aura was bright gold now, and, as our eyes met, it shone even brighter. I felt as though I was looking directly at the sun. I’d learned by now that gold was connected to various forms of affection—love of all kinds. But his was a particular shade, and I’d seen it somewhere before.
I held my breath for a moment, as I remembered where I’d seen it. Serena and Draven. Harper and Caspian. Phoenix and Viola… My parents! Hazel and Tejus. And everyone else who’d fallen in love. This… This was love. The kind that made the world go ‘round.
Is he in love with me?
What had led to this? How had he developed such feelings for me? Most importantly, did I feel the same way? Was there something between us, something that wasn’t there before, maybe?
I looked away, focusing on the narrow path ahead. This wasn’t the right place or the right time to focus on my feelings. Or Nevis’s, for that matter. But I looked forward to the next five minutes that I could spend on my own, to simply think about all this. If I was right in my assessment, if I’d identified the right feelings in Nevis, then something had definitely shifted in our relationship, and I had no idea how to cope with it.
I was head over heels with the guy—that much I could admit to myself. But I was also terrified of getting my heart broken again. Connor had left me with scars that would never go away. I’d been so comfortable in my shell over the past couple of years that I couldn’t even fathom getting out of it.
“There’s one thing you must all be aware of,” Raphael said, changing the subject. “Something you have to accept.”
“What’s that?” I asked.
“You might all die trying to take Ta’Zan down,” he replied. “It’s not going to be easy. And you’ll probably have to do some pretty nasty stuff to get by. My siblings can be terrible people, and they’re particularly adept at obeying orders. They’ll stop at nothing to take you all back to Ta’Zan. Except Abaddon. He’s an idiot and a psychopath. But the others… It’s not going to be easy.”
“Nothing has been easy about any of this,” I replied. “Frankly, I don’t care what I have to do, as long as we get to stop Ta’Zan from infecting the rest of this universe with his calculated malice and poison. I know, deep in my heart, that there’s still a way out of this mess for us all. And I’ll do whatever I can to make it happen. You all deserve a better life. Even Araquiel and the others. As much as I’d like to see them gone, I’m aware that they’re simply the result of their education. They don’t know any better.”
“That, they most certainly do not,” Raphael said, then gave me one of his devastatingly charming smiles. “I knew I had the hots for you for a reason.”
“And what would that be?” Nevis asked, his tone clipped.
“She’s a fighter,” Raphael said, giving Nevis a sideways glance, while Vesta and Zeriel quietly walked behind us. I could feel my cheeks burning already. We were heading into a rather awkward conversation here. “She’s got grit. And she’s relentless. I find that to be incredibly hot, and, judging by all the glances you steal at her when she’s not looking, I’m pretty sure you feel the same way, Frosty.”
The temperature dropped all of a sudden, prompting Vesta to g
asp. “Dude. Tone it down with the chills,” she snapped. “We’re actually enjoying the summer here.”
Nevis sighed, gradually regaining control of his Dhaxanian nature. “I must admit, your assertions about Elonora are correct. She will stop at nothing in order to save her family and friends. And the entire universe, for that matter.”
“But that’s valid for all of us,” Zeriel replied. “We’re all here for the same reason.”
“It’s cute. Admirable, even,” Raphael said. “I’ll help retrain Douma,” he added, just as we reached the stronghold.
Dmitri was waiting outside, sharpening a stick with one of his pocket knives. His expression brightened up when he saw us. “That didn’t take too long,” he said.
“That’s because I’m ridiculously efficient,” Raphael retorted. “Where’s my sister?”
“Downstairs. Learning how to speak,” Dmitri replied.
“How did you two get on?” Raphael asked, a grin slitting his handsome face.
Dmitri ran a hand through his dark, curly hair. “Um, not bad. I mean, she didn’t scream or run from me. I think that’s a good start.”
Raphael laughed, then handed him the serium bag. “My sister is a predator at the top of the universal food chain, half-wolf. You would never scare her.”
Dmitri frowned, ignoring the mild burn. “Hold on. You said you’ll help retrain Douma. Does that mean you’re on board? That you’ll work with us?”
Raphael put an arm around Dmitri and caught him in a friendly, albeit abrupt, headlock. “You make sure you hook me up with a vampire sentry like Elonora when I come back with you all to The Shade, and I’ll do whatever you want me to do,” he said.
“Ah. That’s going to be tough. Lenny is quite… unique,” Dmitri murmured.
“You say that like it’s a bad thing,” I replied, resting my hands on my hips.
“Oh, quite the opposite, actually.” Dmitri chuckled, then removed himself from Raphael’s headlock and shook his hand, instead. “But I’ll definitely introduce you to some of The Shade’s finest. I promise.”
A Shade of Vampire 64: A Camp of Savages Page 19
