A Ride of Peril

by Bella Forrest

  “You’ve got quite the mouth on you, you know that? Maybe you should serve Goren for a while. You seem to be doing too well under Patrik,” the Destroyer replied with a snarl.

  He came dangerously close, his face barely a few inches from mine. I couldn’t move even if I wanted to. My blood froze, and I held my breath, praying to all possible deities, including the Daughters, to not let this beast discover our presence there.

  The creature eventually scoffed and followed his mates down the stairs.

  “Come on. We need to fetch those two loyalists of Mermid for Azazel,” the third one barked. “You know he likes them early in the morning!”

  “I’ll never understand why he enjoys tormenting the incubi he captures from the other districts. He just starves them in their cages, and when he gets bored, he starts slicing away at them just for kicks,” the curious Destroyer grumbled.

  “Does he ever get any information out of them?”

  “I don’t think so,” he replied. “I think he does it mostly for the fun.”

  “You call that fun?”

  “I don’t! He does!”

  “He finds more pleasure in torturing and tormenting the creatures he keeps in his cages than he does in ruling Eritopia with the iron fist he’s always boasted about,” another Destroyer chimed in.

  Their voices dimmed as they reached the bottom level and advanced through the basement.

  “All flash, no bang,” the curious Destroyer chuckled as they disappeared from my field of vision.

  I was able to breathe again. A wave of relief washed over me as I heard Draven scramble to his feet.

  “Are you okay, Serena? Hansa?” he whispered.

  We both hissed thrice. I used my True Sight to find his shimmering silhouette and took his hand. There was no time for me to digest the horror I’d experienced thinking of all the worst-case scenarios in which the Destroyers discovered our invisible presence there. I was grateful to have Draven in one piece next to me.

  Serena

  As soon as we reached the bottom of the stairs we stopped, swallowing back the urge to scream with frustration. There were twelve corridors opening from where we stood, each leading in a different direction, and each riddled with danger and green fires.

  Draven pulled me to the side, out of sight and reach of anyone who might pass by, and quickly retrieved the notes from my pack and glanced over them again before he shoved them into his pocket.

  “If I’m not mistaken, three of these corridors will lead north, where Sverik is most likely to be held captive, based on what Aida saw during her vision,” he whispered.

  “Which one do we pick?” Hansa whispered from behind us.

  “Might as well try the first one,” he replied. “If not, we come back and go through another.”

  “I’m not sure there’s enough time for this. The spell might wear off,” I said.

  “I made enough to have a second dose just in case.” He ended the conversation there, and we followed him through the first corridor.

  A few yards into the green-lit tunnel, we stepped into a basement chamber, an enormous hall with wet, black walls and a heavy dampness in the air. Hundreds of iron cages were stacked, two by two, one on top of the other with enough walking space between them to make the entire space look like a massive animal shelter—except everybody was doomed to die in here.

  All kinds of creatures lay limp behind bars, most of them shackled, the black metal biting into their wrists and ankles. My stomach churned at the sight of so much misery, blood, and pain. They were literally sitting in there waiting to die.

  We went straight ahead, walking slowly between the rows, hoping to recognize Sverik. A few minutes in, I heard Hansa gasp and looked over to my right. My heart leapt at the sight of a succubus lying on her side, badly bruised and severely injured with eyes half-open. I got closer to get a better look. Her leather garments and traces of blue war paint made me think she belonged to a tribe similar to Hansa’s.

  “Can you hear me?” Hansa whispered to her.

  The young succubus was far too weak to even lift her head. She moaned softly and moved her eyes around, unable to see us. My heart broke for her, but deep down I knew we could do nothing for her in that moment. Our mission was clear—retrieve Sverik and run out of here as fast as we could.

  “I’ll get you out of here, sister. I promise.” Hansa’s voice trembled.

  “I’m sorry, Hansa, but we don’t have time for this,” Draven hissed. “The spell might wear off, and dawn is near. We need to find Sverik, and this is just one of the many chambers where they might be keeping him.”

  I looked around and stilled. Heat ran through my body, followed by a peculiar coolness. The spell was already wearing off. Draven and Hansa first emerged as shimmering figures, then their full selves. I looked down and saw my own body and trembling hands.

  “Oh, dear,” I murmured.

  “Well, that didn’t last too long,” Hansa groaned.

  Draven looked at me, his gray eyes flickering black.

  “I don’t mean to make this moment any less grave, but it’s good to see you again,” he said to me, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

  I couldn’t help smiling back. Hansa punched him in the shoulder, visibly aggravated. “There isn’t any time for this sweet stuff, Druid! Whip out the rest of that spell before someone sees us!” she whispered, gritting her teeth.

  Draven searched his satchel, then his pockets and then his satchel again. Shadows passed over his face before he looked at both Hansa and me with a stunned expression. A moment passed before his low voice broke through the silence.

  “I think I lost the pouch with the rest of that paste,” he said.

  His words crashed into me, and the back of my neck caught fire. We were suddenly visible and very much vulnerable to Destroyer attacks from any possible angle. My instincts kicked in so fast, I didn’t have time to consider panic. Judging by the way Hansa and Draven’s eyes moved around, neither did they.

  “It must have fallen off me earlier on the stairs with those Destroyers,” he added with a frown.

  One by one, the caged creatures caught glimpses of us in their half-sleeping states. One by one, they sat up, their bony fingers clutching the iron bars, begging us to release them. Incubi, succubi, Lamias, and many other species held down by shackles and locks—they all pleaded and offered us their services, their lands, and their fortunes if we could get them out.

  One by one, we were forced to let them down, to lie to them and promise we’d come back for them. And yet, they persisted, their voices getting louder as more of them asked for help.

  “Please, let us out.”

  “I beg of you, my children are out there. I need to find them…”

  “Please, send a message to my father…”

  “Please, I won’t last much longer. Help me!”

  It went on and on while we advanced through the chamber, shushing them and asking them to not give away our position. Some listened, keeping quiet while glimmers of hope bloomed in their eyes. My heart twisted in pain. How many of them would still be alive by the time we could return for them?

  “Can’t we do anything to help these people?” I asked Draven, who walked ahead of me.

  “Not unless you want a horde of Destroyers to descend upon us and make us join them. I’m sorry, Serena. We can’t risk it. We need to find Sverik.”

  I sighed as a fae caught my eye. She was beautiful, even beneath the layers of dried blood and dirt. Her once platinum hair was matted. Her eyes were the color of lilacs, and her lower lip was swollen and bruised. She must have been here when Azazel overthrew the government and forcibly took control of this planet.

  “Excuse me,” I asked her with a trembling voice. “You’re a fae, aren’t you?”

  She looked at me and nodded, a frown pulling her eyebrows closer, informing me that she was leery of strangers. But she was sharp enough to recognize that I was as out of this world as she was.

/>   “Do you know if there’s an incubus named Sverik around here?”

  “You’re not from around here, are you?” she replied, her tone flat and dry.

  I shook my head.

  “Figures. If you were, you would’ve known not to walk into this miserable hellhole.” She grimaced, bitterness lifting her upper lip.

  “We need to find Sverik,” I insisted, certain that she would be willing to help if I gave her good reasons. “He’s the one who will help us free everyone from these cages, including you.”

  “I don’t know of any Sverik. And there is no way out of here. But it’s refreshing to see all that hope coming from you. I’m sorry, but you will lose it all. We all do in the end.”

  She’d succumbed to her captivity, hopeless and lightless. The shackles around her wrists had symbols engraved on them. Judging by how sad she seemed every time she looked down at them, I figured they were the reason why she couldn’t use her fae powers to get herself out of there.

  “Let’s go, Serena,” Draven whispered.

  I looked at him, then at the fae.

  “I’m sorry,” I told her. “I wish I could set you free.”

  “I’m sorrier for you than you are for me. You will never make it out of here alive. But there’s a spare cage behind me. We might become neighbors,” she replied dryly.

  A husky voice caught our attention. “Are you looking for Sverik?”

  We turned our heads and found an incubus locked in a cage on the other side. He looked young and had fewer injuries compared to the other captives. His military tunic was coated with dried mud, and a deep cut had formed a dark gray crust on his left cheek, but his bright green eyes were alert, beaming with the will to survive and fight his way out of there.

  “Indeed, we are,” Draven replied, stepping toward the incubus. “Do you know him?”

  “I know where he is.” He said, hope straining his voice. “But you have to let me out of here. They will kill me soon.”

  “You will slow us down,” Hansa shot back. “We cannot fail on this mission. All our lives depend on it, not just yours.”

  “I won’t! I promise! I’m not injured. I am strong. I can help you! I’ve only been here for two days! They captured me near Mount Agrith. I’d left my garrison when they were forced to join Azazel’s troops! I couldn’t! I can’t die in here! I will take you to Sverik. I know where they’re keeping him!”

  Draven thought about it, but my nerves were too stretched for me to be patient. Our time was running out. Destroyers lurked. We could be discovered at any moment, especially with all the prisoners still moaning and begging us for help.

  I made the decision. I looked around and found a heavy chunk of black stone discarded on the wet, dirty floor. I picked it up and smashed the lock that held the incubus’s cage shut. It took a couple of hits for the metal to break free.

  The incubus jumped out of the cage and stretched, beaming with relief and sheer joy. I noticed Draven’s frown aimed specifically at me and shrugged.

  “Executive decision.” I smiled, then looked at the incubus. “What’s your name?”

  “Grindel,” the young soldier replied.

  “Grindel, you’re free now. Take us to Sverik, please. Keep your end of the bargain,” I told him.

  He nodded enthusiastically and swiftly ran down the narrow lane between cages. Hansa, Draven, and I followed. We took several turns before we found Sverik. He was tucked away between two other incubi by the wall. Sverik was as handsome as Aida had described him, with beautiful features and light blond hair. His crude green eyes moved around, constantly scanning his surroundings, until they settled on our approaching figures and widened with surprise.

  He sat up from his slumped position, gripping the bars and measuring us from head to toe. The bruises on his cheeks and temples were nearly black, as were the circles around his eyes. He’d been there for a while, stuck in darkness and misery. Our presence seemed to bring him back to life.

  “Sverik?” Draven asked as he reached his cage first.

  “Indeed. Who’s asking?” he replied bluntly.

  “I am Draven, and these are my associates,” he nodded toward Hansa and me. “We’re here to help you.”

  “You’re a Druid,” Sverik squinted, pursing his lips. “Thought your kind was extinct, fully degraded into those snake-tailed abominations.”

  “As you can see, I’m still here. You can consider us critically endangered but not gone yet. We need your help, Sverik.”

  “How could I possibly help you? You might have noticed I’m in a cage.”

  “Bijarki and Kristos were allies of mine. We have a plan to defeat Azazel, but with Kristos gone, we need your help to rally the remaining troops left on Calliope against the Destroyers,” Draven replied.

  “So, you’re the one responsible for my brother’s death, then, along with that bastard Bijarki?” Sverik muttered with disgust.

  “Kristos chose his own path. He rebelled. He couldn’t swear fealty to a monster who only wishes to burn everything down, and you know it. Help us. Avenge him.”

  A moment passed before Sverik spoke again, giving me enough time to look around and make sure there weren’t any Destroyers coming. We were clear for the moment.

  He sighed. “What do you need from me?”

  “Your presence. Your voice. You can help us gather the rogue incubi left hiding in the jungles. We’ve formed an alliance with the Dearghs, we’ve reached out to the Lamias and other succubi, and there are plenty of us out there who can fight and bring this bastard down,” Draven replied. “We need to come together.”

  “Fine. Just get me out of here. My father betrayed me, allowing Azazel to throw me in this cage. I owe that old fool nothing. He wouldn’t listen anyway.”

  Draven nodded then muttered something under his breath, his finger on the lock. Sparks flew from the keyhole, and the mechanism clicked. He pulled the lock apart, throwing it on the floor, and opened Sverik’s cage.

  The incubus climbed out and stretched, his bones cracking. Grindel saluted him, and Sverik smiled, shaking his hand. He then looked at the Druid, Hansa, and me.

  “It’s strange enough to see a Druid still standing, and of succubi and incubi I’ve seen enough, but you, my dear, you are something else entirely.” He gave me a lascivious smile, unleashing his incubus nature over me.

  My spine tingled, and my head felt light. I was unable to resist his naturally twisted charms. My body betrayed me, while my mind screamed and pounded against my skull. I felt horrible stuck in between and gripped Draven’s hand in response.

  “Stop it, or I will leave you here to rot,” Draven spat, gritting his teeth.

  Sverik paled, and I immediately regained my senses. He bowed and put on an innocent face, complete with puppy dog eyes.

  “My apologies. I didn’t realize,” he said sheepishly. “I’ve been in here for too long.”

  Draven ignored his apology. “Where do we go from here?”

  Sverik nodded, putting on his more serious face. He reminded me of Bijarki just a little, just as playful and nonchalant, despite the grim circumstances. Before he opened his mouth to give us an answer, a swish startled me.

  Three spears shot past us, missing my shoulder by inches. They all pierced Grindel’s chest. The incubus yelped and fell backward, writhing in pain and foaming at the mouth.

  My blood froze, and my inner-sentry was instantly turned on. Our fight for survival and escape had just begun. We all ducked, looking around to find the source of those spears. My stomach shrank into a tiny ball as I saw three Destroyers hissing and slithering toward us, swords in their hands.

  They were massive and bloodthirsty, but nevertheless I stood up and channeled the energy I’d previously syphoned from Draven to push out the strongest barrier I’d ever been able to conjure.

  The pulse shot outward, knocking them on their backs. It gave Draven and Hansa enough seconds to pull out their crossbows, load them, and shoot poisoned arrows at the monste
rs. They hit their shoulders and chests.

  The creatures groaned and seemed to be in pain, but it wasn’t enough to kill them. Instead, they continued their advance, closing the distance between us.

  I took another step forward and latched on to one of the beasts’ minds, taking a deep breath and pushing for control. The golden fire coursing through my veins gave me surprising strength as I subdued the Destroyer and forced him to his knees. He dropped his sword on the floor with a loud clang.

  Draven muttered something under his breath again, presumably one of his spells, putting his palms forward and launching spheres of blue fire at another Destroyer. The flames bit into its thick skin, sizzling through the flesh. It was enough to bring it down but not enough to kill it.

  Hansa pulled her sword out and charged the third one, eager to exact some of the revenge she’d been planning against the Destroyers for what they had done to her sisters.

  His sword cut through the air.

  She dodged his hits and moved swiftly around him, slashing at the monster. With a lunge, she jumped up with a twist and beheaded him.

  The Destroyer’s head rolled on the floor.

  She landed on her feet, breathing heavily. A smirk stretched her lips. Dark splatters of blood smeared across her face and chest.

  My Destroyer was slowly inching toward me, despite my strong mind control.

  “Wow. You do not give up, do you?” I snarled, incredibly frustrated as I channeled more of my energy into my grip on his movements.

  I caught a glimpse of Sverik from the corner of my eye as he snatched Draven’s sword from his belt. The incubus launched himself at my Destroyer and cut off its head with one swift move.

  Draven shot out another series of blue flames that engulfed the remaining Destroyer just as it stood up to charge us.

  It hissed and wailed in agony, giving Sverik the opening he needed to behead it. The head tumbled onto the floor, engulfed in blue flames.

  Sverik then looked at us and smiled.

  “You can play with your Druid spells all you want. I’m keeping the sword for now,” Sverik said.