A Ride of Peril

by Bella Forrest

  It then dawned on me why Phoenix had been so on edge over the last couple of minutes.

  “You know me, Oracle?” Tamara looked at him curiously.

  “Yes. You were a servant of Genevieve. You studied under Draven’s mother,” Phoenix replied. “You and Azazel got together, but you were revealed as a Lamia and ran off, pregnant with his child.”

  Silence fell between us, as all the pieces fit together neatly in a wider puzzle. My stomach churned. My heart sank. And Tamara smiled, further rattling my senses.

  “You’re Azazel’s daughter,” Draven murmured, looking at Eva.

  The young Lamia seemed ashamed of that association but nodded in response, then proceeded to measure him from head to toe, as if sizing up a good steak. My blood simmered.

  “And you’re Genevieve’s son,” Tamara replied, a warm twinkle in her yellow eyes.

  “Indeed I am. I’m just wondering how you managed to deceive her, pretending to be a Druid,” he shot back, his face hardened.

  “I never lied to Genevieve. She knew exactly what I was and accepted me. She kept my secret and helped me learn the way of the Druids. She understood that Lamias had the same abilities, the same potential as the Druids, and that our taste for incubus flesh should not have locked us out of the mystical circle. We deserve knowledge, and she agreed to teach me. Genevieve was the best thing to ever happen to me, Draven. Azazel was the worst, but then I had Eva, and my life gained new meaning. If it hadn’t been for your mother, my child and I would have never survived in this world.”

  “Azazel looked for you,” Phoenix said, his gaze fixed on Tamara. “He tormented an Oracle to tell him where you were. He never found you, did he?”

  Tamara shook her head, her brow furrowing.

  “That was Raelle you saw. She was a good Oracle, and an even better being,” she sighed. “I tried to get her out of there as soon as Azazel brought her in, but I was no match for him and his Destroyers. He beat me to a pulp, not knowing I was with child at the time. I nearly lost Eva, which was why I ran away. I’d witnessed his descent into madness, and I could no longer be a part of it. I never forgave him, and I never will.”

  “Why should we trust you?” Phoenix insisted, gritting his teeth.

  “My kind is on the brink of extinction thanks to that monster!” Tamara burst out, overcome by anger. “I want to see him burn! We’ve been reduced to negotiating Draven’s seed for my daughter just to help our species. Can you not see that?”

  A moment passed before either of us could say anything. The gravity of the situation began to sink in. I looked at Draven, whose gaze moved between Tamara and Eva.

  “You want me to give Eva a child,” he repeated.

  Tamara nodded. “You are the last Druid, Draven. It’s you or nothing, as the nineteenth kingdom has fallen recently. You must help us produce offspring. Perhaps she will live long enough to find another way for our species to continue. Otherwise we’ll all eventually die out.”

  “And you think me giving her a child will solve the problem?” he asked.

  I was suddenly taken aback by the fact that he was actually considering the option. My head spun. But I fought with myself for control, keeping my cool in front of a fragile alliance. I had to think of the bigger picture, no matter how furious it made me. A whole galaxy was at stake.

  “It will delay the inevitable, at least,” she replied.

  Draven looked at me, his eyes flickering black. I stepped forward, closing the distance between us. No matter what happened, I had to support him. This wasn’t about us anymore, and Tamara didn’t seem like the kind of creature to soften at the sight of us suffering over this. She had the survival of her species in mind.

  “Draven,” I breathed.

  “It’s… It’s not what I had in mind when she said she had a condition,” he said hoarsely.

  “I know, and I hate it. I’d love nothing more than to punch her in the face right now.”

  “I can hear you,” Tamara smirked.

  “I’m well aware, so listen carefully as we decide your fate, then!” I shot back with a hiss, prompting her to take a step back.

  “What are you thinking?” Draven whispered.

  My heart twisted at the sight of his tortured expression, and I closed my eyes, squeezing them tightly shut and breathing deeply.

  “Neither of us is comfortable with this, obviously,” I managed, almost whispering, “but I…I understand what’s at stake here. If we could get the Lamias’ support, then…”

  I could barely finish my sentence. It hurt so bad just saying all of this. At the same time, as agonizing as this was, I couldn’t let selfishness dictate the fate of billions of Eritopians. There was a universe far greater than myself out there. And for all we knew, the Lamias’ alliance could make or break its future.

  I inhaled. “Her Lamias and inherent magic would help level the playing field against Azazel,” I said. “And that’s what we need the most right now.”

  Draven looked at me, his gaze heart-wrenching as he gently brushed my cheek with his fingers.

  “We need to talk about it,” he managed, then looked at Tamara, his jaw clenched. “We can discuss this later.”

  Tamara nodded, then glanced at Eva, who rolled her eyes at me. The young Lamia continued giving Draven the same raunchy look.

  I hated her.

  “Well, this is awkward.” Aida watched us with eyes wide and lips stretched into a thin line.

  Draven sighed, then stilled, his eyes fixed on Aida’s hand.

  “What are those?” His voice was suddenly low and sharp.

  “What, these? Fireflies.” She lifted the jar she’d been holding with five green fireflies buzzing around in it.

  My blood froze, and my breath hitched as a realization crashed into me. Those weren’t regular fireflies. Draven snatched the jar from Aida’s hand and muttered something under his breath before he smashed it into the ground. It burst into red flames, destroying the little bugs.

  “What did you do that for?” Aida was shocked, as was Field. Both looked down at the broken jar.

  “Where’d you get it from?” Draven asked through his teeth.

  I felt the ground move beneath me. A million possibilities ran through my head, including the one in which Azazel had seen us through his fireflies.

  “Th-they were flying around the mansion,” Field said, his voice shaky.

  “You shouldn’t have brought them in,” Draven snapped, running his fingers through his hair, then looking at me.

  “I don’t understand. What's going on here?” Aida asked, obviously confused.

  She couldn’t have known and neither could Field. They had no idea.

  We were in so much trouble.

  Field

  “These green fireflies are part of Azazel’s spying spell! He sees and hears everything through them. They fly wherever he sends them,” Serena explained briefly, her face pale.

  My stomach dropped, as I realized the gravity of my mistake. I had unknowingly brought Azazel’s spies beyond the protective shield, revealing not just our location but our identities. My intentions had been pure, but the outcome was devastating.

  My knees weakened. I crouched and groaned and hid my face in my palms. Shame and anger crashed into me, and I broke into a sweat. I’d just exposed my family, the people I loved most in the world, to Azazel.

  “I’m so sorry,” I managed. “I only wanted to show them to Aida. I thought they looked cool. I’m sorry. I was so stupid.”

  Aida and Serena crouched in front of me, and I felt Aida’s hand on my shoulder. It seemed to relieve some of the pressure that had started building up in my muscles. I had never felt so bad. I’d become a liability when I was supposed to be protecting them.

  “You couldn’t have known, Field,” Serena said to me, her voice soft. “I didn’t know until Draven told me.”

  “Besides, they did look pretty cool,” Aida mumbled.

  “The only way Azazel’s spell is able to
get through the protective shield is if you were carrying the fireflies. You had some sort of contact,” Draven explained. “It’s like walking through the shield holding Azazel’s hand.”

  I groaned again. The comparison knocked the air out of my lungs. The gravity of my mistake continued to sink in like an anvil in water.

  “You’re not helping!” Aida snapped at him.

  “He’s right. I’ve basically brought Azazel in here,” I said.

  “Don’t beat yourself up,” Draven said to me. “The worst part is that Azazel now knows our location, but the Oracles are beneath the protective shield, so he can’t feel them. Technically speaking, he shouldn’t know they’re here, unless the Nevertide Oracle told him.”

  “But the fireflies were in here. They’ve seen us all,” Serena frowned.

  “True, but our Oracles don’t look like regular Oracles, and, besides, the spies were in a jar. I don’t think any sounds went through. I’m thinking that even if Azazel has seen our faces, he wouldn’t be able to spot an Oracle without having heard something specific,” Draven replied.

  A moment passed before he spoke again.

  “We should expect company soon, nonetheless.”

  “Draven, I’ve seen swarms of these green fireflies a couple of miles north of here,” I said. “That’s where I snatched the ones I brought in. They sort of tagged along.”

  He nodded slowly, then looked up. His eyes widened, prompting me to follow his gaze.

  Soon enough, we were all staring at the same thing. A thick swarm of green fireflies hovered above the mansion, trying and failing to pass through the protective shield, which glimmered outward in ripples each time a little spy touched the Daughters’ spell.

  The Druid had been right. The fireflies I’d brought in had come with me. The swarm, on the other hand, could not get through the shield.

  “They found us,” Draven breathed.

  Vita

  My heart froze in my chest, my stomach reducing itself to the size of a walnut. Cold shivers ran down my spine. I stared up, watching thousands of green fireflies buzzing around, trying to get past the protective shield.

  Bijarki stood next to me, the back of his hand brushing against mine. Our eyes met, and he seemed to understand the fear I exuded. Azazel’s spies had found our safe space.

  “I suggest going inside, away from this sight, to think things through. The Destroyers can’t get past the protective shield and can’t see inside either, so at least that gives us an advantage, still,” Draven said.

  I then remembered my vision of Bijarki and me in the upstairs bedroom and Destroyers crashing through the window. I’d kept it to myself at first, having considered it a bad dream, but the vision had been clear the second time around. The monsters were going to invade the mansion. It was a fact.

  “I need to tell you something,” I said to Draven, my voice trembling. “I had a few visions while you were away, and one, in particular, will be of concern.”

  He looked at me, his eyebrows drawn into a frown.

  “I was in the upstairs bedroom, and Destroyers crashed through the windows, capturing me and dragging me away,” I omitted the part about Bijarki in bed with me. I felt like I could keep that to myself for a little while longer.

  “Destroyers will come in here at some point,” I added. “I don’t know how or when exactly, but they will.”

  Everyone looked at me in disbelief. I hated giving such horrible news, especially when our safety, our lives, were directly affected. But I had no other choice now. The only thing I could do was find a way to stop that from happening. If I could at least find out how the Destroyers would manage to get past the protective shield, we’d be able to take action and prevent it.

  Hissing echoed through the sky from beyond the jungle.

  We froze, our eyes up, watching as dozens of Destroyers emerged from all directions, riding their black-winged horses. They started circling the mansion, slowly descending. One tried to get through the protective shield, but the spell flickered and threw the monster back. It cursed and tried again but failed.

  I gasped, my whole body trembling. Bijarki’s arm reached around me, pulling me closer, enough to give me a small sense of security and prevent me from spiraling into a full-blown panic attack. Our mansion was surrounded by Destroyers.

  Our worst nightmare was coming true.

  We were all petrified, but none of us could speak.

  Draven’s eyes flickered black as he watched the Destroyers fly around.

  The Mother of Lamias hissed, her tongue flitting in the air as she held her daughter’s hand.

  “You’ve exposed us to death, Druid! This wasn’t part of the deal!” she snapped.

  “There is no point in arguing now, Tamara.” Draven was quick to politely dismiss her. “It’s not like you’ve been great at negotiating an alliance anyway, so let’s save our critique and alliance conditions for later. For now let’s focus on the dozens of Destroyers circling the mansion.”

  My blood ran cold. Sweat beads dripped from my temples—I could feel them slipping down my skin. Bijarki’s grip on me tightened, his eyes scanning the Destroyers’ movements. We were all out of words.

  “What do we do?” Serena asked, her voice faded.

  “There isn’t much we can do right now,” Draven replied. “They can’t see us, and they can’t get in.”

  One by one, the winged horses landed around the mansion. The monsters slithered off and began circling the protective shield, occasionally slashing at it with their swords and generating shimmering ripples. They were stuck on the outside, indeed, but they had already figured out the size of our perimeter.

  A Destroyer moved along the shield, looking in but unable to see anything. The tip of his sword scratched at the spell, leaving a trail of glimmering sparks behind. He was massive and stacked with muscles. His neck was thick, and his eyes were cold, while his smirk seemed to accurately describe how excited he was at the prospect of getting in and killing everyone in sight.

  “I know him,” Aida gasped. “Oh no, I’ve seen him.”

  Field took her in his arms and held her as we all watched the Destroyer slither along the shield.

  “That’s Goren, one of Azazel’s top lieutenants,” she added. “He’s the one who led the charge against Hansa and Anjani’s tribe!”

  I saw the succubi’s faces change, from frowns to smooth stillness, much like the tiger that has just identified its prey. Their skin glowed, and their emerald eyes darkened as they followed Goren around.

  The Destroyer looked at no one in particular when he revealed his sharp fangs in a blood-curling grin. His forked tongue slipped out to get a whiff of whatever hid beneath the protective shield.

  “You have nowhere to go, little mice!” he cackled.

  Serena

  A few minutes passed as we all stood there, motionless, watching green fireflies swarm above and Destroyers circle the protective shield, unable to breach it. A thousand scenarios went through my head. I could think of multiple ways in which this could get worse and no ways to get us out of here. We were stuck.

  “What do we do, Draven? What options do we have?” I asked, my voice trembling.

  “They know there’s something here, but they obviously don’t know who’s inside,” Draven muttered, his eyes fixed on Goren, who kept sneering at us, though unable to see us.

  “We’re trapped in here,” Hansa replied. “My passage stone went missing in the attack, but no one can use it unless they know exactly where Draven’s stone is. I don’t see anyone on their side willing to risk wandering from my stone to who knows where. The same goes for us, if we want to use Draven’s stone to leave. Without knowing exactly where we’re going, we’re risking a full submersion in lava or water or who knows what else. We could pop out in the middle of a swarm of Destroyers. There’s only so much we can avoid through what spells we have.”

  Sverik was paler than the rest of us, downright livid. His greenish eyes were wide, and hi
s lips were nearly purple. His gaze was fixated on Goren. I could see the terror in him, as he unraveled and dropped to his knees, his breath erratic.

  “This can’t be happening,” he gasped. “Out of one cage and stuck in another. This isn’t fair.”

  Bijarki removed himself from Vita’s side for a moment, crouched next to Sverik, and patted him gently on the back in an attempt to soothe him in the midst of his full-blown panic attack. “Tell you what, Sverik, look on the bright side. At least the food’s much better here,” he said.

  As my mind raced through possible solutions, I found myself turning to the Daughter, who’d glued herself to Phoenix, her arms around his waist as her violet eyes watched the monsters outside. Fear was imprinted on her every feature, making me doubt whether she’d be able to help. She’d yet to recover her primordial knowledge, all that untapped power lying dormant and potentially deadly to all.

  “Do you think you can help us?” I asked her gently.

  She looked at me, her lips pursed and tears glazing her eyes. She shook her head. Her gaze darted from the Destroyers to me.

  “I don’t know. I don’t think so.” She sighed. “I’m not sure.”

  “Our predicament is pretty obvious.” Draven’s voice made me turn my head. “We’re stuck here beneath the protective shield. If we go outside, we will most likely die. However, the Destroyers can’t get in. Our only chance of getting out is taking a gamble with the passage stone.”

  “Go wherever it takes us?” Bijarki frowned.

  “I don’t see any other choice, my friend. We need to reach out for help and start rallying the troops. We can’t do anything from here.”

  “There’s a remote incubi outpost on the western coast, five hundred miles from Mount Agrith,” Sverik said, standing up. “They’ve yet to swear fealty to Azazel. They don’t want to, either. If they know I’m alive, if I get a chance to speak to them, I can earn their support, and they can help spread the word and rally more rogues.”