Only the models were all drinkers of blood and wore red, branded marks on their necks.
Fiona
(Daughter of Benedict & Yelena)
The Exiled Maras couldn’t see through the light sphere, but we had a couple of minutes to take the whole crowd in before the orb dissipated into the fresh mountain air. We were sheltered from the sun and could breathe the cool afternoon breeze.
Judging by the blossoming trees around the citadel, it was spring in Azure Heights. Tiny white and pink petals scattered with every sudden gust of wind. The Exiled Maras’ eyes grew wide as the orb vanished and revealed us, along with Rewa.
Five of them stepped forward, their expressions showing a variety of emotions, from curiosity to relief and even excitement. They looked like the top of the food chain, nobles and aristocrats of the highest order. The two females wore elegant evening dresses made of black and dark blue chiffon, with sloping shoulders and full skirts. The males were dressed in a similar fashion, in black, dark blue, and dark green tailcoats with matching pants, white shirts, and grayish vests.
Rewa stepped forward and gave them a short bow, then turned slightly so she could see us and the five Exiled Maras who were quietly looking us over from head to toe.
“These are the Five Lords of Azure Heights,” Rewa said, motioning at the Maras in a specific order. “Milord Emilian, of House Obara. Milord Darius, of House Xunn, and my honorable father. Milord Caspian, of House Kifo. Milady Farrah, of House Mabaya. And Milady Rowan, of House Roho.”
I made a quick mental note of each of the Five Lords, memorizing as many of their features as possible at a single glance. Emilian seemed older than the others. I could tell not so much by his youthful appearance, but by his blue eyes. They were filled with interest, but also looked somewhat jaded—if he were a human, I would’ve placed him in his fifties, which probably meant he was at least ten thousand, if not more, in Mara years. He wore the black suit, his salt-and-pepper hair kept short and wavy, neatly combed on both sides and matched by a trimmed ducktail beard.
Darius seemed more like a thirty-year-old, with green eyes, his hair a chestnut shade of brown caught in a low ponytail. He had an extended goatee sprinkled with ginger and blond hairs. He wore the dark green suit, and leaned on a mahogany cane with a gold lion’s head handle. Caspian was the youngest of the bunch, reminding me of a twenty-something-year-old with short black hair and a military fade on both sides of his head, piercing jade eyes, and a subtle five o’clock shadow that worked... very well with his tall, broad frame and dark blue suit.
The ladies were also a beautiful sight to behold. Farrah’s hair was a dark blond, combed into an elegant Victorian style with shiny curls, pearl-and-lace pins holding most of it at the back in a loose bun. It provided a diaphanous contrast in combination with her gray eyes and pale skin against the black chiffon dress. Rowan, on the other hand, was a fiery redhead with pale green eyes, her long and curly hair pulled into a thick braid over one shoulder, with white and dark blue silk ribbons woven along its length. The dark blue dress with tight corset and pagoda sleeves worked well with her hourglass figure.
I glanced over at my teammates and noticed they were all doing the same, taking everyone’s measure—not just the Five Lords, but also the Exiled Maras gathered behind them. There was an overall feeling of wariness and concern. I didn’t think it had much to do with us, as strangers from Eritopia, but more to do with the problem that had been pressing them for the past couple of years. The disappearances had clearly taken their toll on some of these creatures, as sadness was impossible to ignore on certain faces.
“My Lords, my Ladies.” Rewa continued the introductions, waving at each of us. “These are members of GASP, creatures from Eritopia who have been gracious and kind enough to come back here with me and assist us with our troubles.”
“I’m Jaxxon Dorchadas.” Jax stepped forward, not waiting for Rewa to continue the introduction. Others would have considered him rude, but the Five Lords seemed intrigued and even more interested by his initiative. “Lord of Maras on Calliope. This is my brother, Heron, also of House Dorchadas.”
Heron joined his brother, his back straight and chin high. I had to admit, they both looked particularly hot in their leather suits, a proprietary design that Jax had put together many years ago, complete with stainless steel plates and a mesh under-layer that could stop most projectiles and weapons from piercing the flesh. They were both tall, but Jax had more muscle mass to work with. Heron, on the other hand, was lean and toned to perfection, his shoulders broad and his waistline heat-inducing.
I briefly shook my head, switching my focus back to the Five Lords and mentally chastising myself for getting so easily distracted.
“House Dorchadas.” Emilian nodded with a faint smile. “It sounds eerily familiar. I’m part of the first generation of Exiled Maras, but that was well over ten thousand years ago, so you must forgive me if my memory fails me… I remember a Shadow Dorchadas. Is he familiar to you?”
“Our grandfather,” Jax replied politely. “Founder of White City on Calliope, after the Exile.”
“An extraordinary Mara,” Emilian sighed, “and a great leader. We owe him our lives. We are here in part thanks to him. You are welcome among us, Jaxxon and Heron of House Dorchadas. It is truly an honor to have you here.”
“Thank you, milord.”
“Please, please, call me Emilian.” He raised his hands in a friendly gesture. “You are not our subjects, you are our guests, and you should call us by our names.”
A couple of seconds passed as Jax’s rough gaze stayed firm on Emilian’s soft one.
“Thank you, Emilian.” Jax nodded, then motioned toward the rest of us. “These are our team members, our partners and allies. This is Hansa Gorria, former Chief of the Red Tribe and Senior Officer.”
“And a succubus.” Darius smirked. “Were you perhaps fearful of our nature?”
“Not at all.” Jax cocked his head to one side, the corner of his mouth twitching and his voice riddled with sharp knives. “But you should all be fearful of her, because she is not to be played with and doesn’t need to use her blood to end any Exiled Mara who poses a threat to her or our team.”
I held my breath, my gaze darting between us and the Five Lords, who seemed even more impressed. Emilian and Rowan stifled their grins and sent short, appreciative nods toward Hansa. The succubus glowed for a brief moment, her hand settled on the sculpted handle of her bejeweled broadsword. I would’ve been terrified of her, if I were a Mara.
“This is Patrik Raymer, a Druid of Eritopia,” Jax continued with blatant nonchalance, as if having made his point. In all fairness, none of the Five Lords had objected to his statement about Hansa. Two had even quietly approved. “Harper Hellswan, a vampire.”
Jax was smart not to mention her sentry abilities, I thought to myself. Those were of better use as secrets, given how little we knew about the dangers threatening the Exiled Maras.
“A vampire?” Emilian raised an inquisitive eyebrow, staring at Harper with genuine fascination.
“Much like us, Emilian,” Jax explained briefly, “the vampires drink blood and cannot be in the sun. Unlike us, vampires are made, never born. They belong to The Shade, another world that somehow wound up coming to Eritopia’s aid when we needed them the most. We’ve been allies ever since.”
“I understand,” Emilian replied, and gave Harper a gentle smile, then shifted his gaze to me.
“This is Avril Novak,” Jax continued, “also a vampire, as are Scarlett Novak and Fiona Achilles. This is Caia Conway, a fire fae. And this is Blaze Lume, a fire dragon.”
At the sound of Blaze’s species nomination, the Exiled Maras behind the Five Lords began to mutter and whisper among themselves, some even taking a couple of steps back, with fearful looks on their faces.
“There is no need to fear Blaze,” Jax announced with an obvious tone of satisfaction. “He isn’t here to harm anyone, but he will not hesitate to burn to
a crisp anyone who threatens him or us.”
“I notice the name ‘Novak’ cropped up twice.” Rowan gave us a half-smile. “Are many of you related?”
“We are, yes. And we’re all part of GASP’s Eritopia unit. We’re a specialized recon team,” Harper replied.
“And what is GASP?” Rowan asked.
“It is the Global Agency for Supernatural Protection,” Harper explained. “The Novaks founded GASP and have forged alliances across three dimensions so far, and we’re not looking to stop anytime soon. For as long as there are supernaturals out there who need our help, we will be there to protect and empower those who are innocent, and punish those who harm others.”
I had to give my cousin credit: she was a fast learner, knowing what strings to pull and what words to say to support Jax’s polite, but sharp and stern, statements. Caspian didn’t seem to like her much, choosing to look away and say nothing, while Emilian nodded again and gave us all another warm smile in return.
“Please, rest assured that no one here means any harm,” he said gently. “On the contrary, we are grateful and honored to have you here and to receive your assistance in getting to the bottom of what is taking our people away from us. We cannot do it on our own.”
“Most importantly,” Farrah added, “we aren’t the monsters you might think we are. The reasons that brought us to Neraka no longer define our kind. We’ve learned from our horrible mistakes, and we’ve adapted to a new way of life, as I’m sure Rewa has already explained. So, please, let us welcome you into our world, and show you the beauty, the artistry, and the joy of life that animates us, to help you understand why every Mara who has gone missing over the past two years is a dagger piercing our collective heart.”
Harper
(Daughter of Hazel & Tejus)
Personally, I wasn’t a fan of Darius. He’d been too quick to spot Hansa’s potential purpose as a Mara deterrent. It made me think he’d considered our worst-case scenario and need to defend ourselves. But it was too early to pass any judgment.
They all looked like decent people who liked pretty things and fancy titles. Nothing wrong with that, as far as I was concerned. They seemed a little too picture perfect for my taste, but, then again, I’d never met an entire civilization dedicated to sensible clothing, shiny jewels, and idyllic architecture. Who was I to judge?
But the one thing that bothered me wasn’t Emilian or Farrah’s statements—they both made a good case for their people and backed all of Rewa’s accounts of the Exiled Maras. Their calm demeanor and soft voices seemed to even have an effect on Jax and Heron, who were both now slightly less tense and no longer on edge.
The thing that bothered me was Caspian’s glare.
There was so much fire in those deep jade eyes, it made it hard for me to breathe, and it sent chills down my spine. He didn’t seem at all happy to see us. On the contrary, if we were to change our minds and go back to Calliope, he probably would’ve been the first to see us off, with a “So long and see you never!”. There was a strange darkness oozing out of him, a shadow drawn between his eyebrows that served as a warning sign, sort of telling me to keep my distance but also not let him out of my sight.
He was also drop-dead gorgeous, his high cheekbones and dark stubble making his gaze cut deep into me. His shoulders could hold a mountain, and his long legs were packed with muscles beneath the midnight blue fabric of his pants. But there was something off about him. Something that triggered alarms in the back of my head, sensors I didn’t even know I had.
“How do you intend to assist us, specifically?” Emilian asked. “And how can we help you?”
“We’ve been sent here to investigate,” Jax replied. “First, we need to verify the validity of your claims. Interview the victims’ families and establish a coherent timeline. We also need to draw a map of where the victims were last seen. It will help us get a better idea of the threat’s reach on your land. We will then have to check the areas of high risk, where most abductees were last seen.”
“That makes perfect sense.” Emilian nodded. “And whatever you need, we will happily provide. We are not trained, or skilled as you are for this. What we have been able to do is ask some questions, make sure our people only travel in groups, and impose a curfew. None of these measures have helped, however, and those we’ve sent outside of Azure Heights to investigate did not return.”
“I understand,” Jax muttered, scratching his stubble. “Before we proceed, I need to ask you: how did you know to reach out to Calliope?”
Rowan gave him a faint smile, one that echoed sadness and longing more than anything else. I couldn’t read the Exiled Maras’ emotions, but I could at least pay attention to every detail in their expressions.
“We never forgot where we came from, Jaxxon of House Dorchadas,” she said slowly. “We saw what world we left behind, and we took small pieces of it with us. It turns out they came in handy when we needed to reach out to Calliope.”
She took out a dark red mineral from a secret pocket in her skirt, holding it up with two fingers.
“As long as you have a physical item from your destination, the swamp witches’ spell will take you there,” Jax remembered.
“We didn’t know that at the time,” Rowan explained. “We just took little pieces of Calliope with us, chunks of its earth, tiny crystals such as this to remember it later… Memorabilia, if you will. When the Druid delegation crash-landed here and the swamp witch was kind enough to repay us for our hospitality, we knew we had the option to come back home whenever we wanted.”
“But we stayed here,” Emilian added. “This was our new home. Eritopia no longer knew or wanted us, and we were understanding of that.”
“Why didn’t you come to us sooner?” Jax asked.
“Frankly, your presence here isn’t actually necessary,” Caspian interjected suddenly, his low, husky voice igniting fires in my stomach. “Chances are that this is just a case of people gone to live elsewhere, perhaps people unhappy with our way of life. Worst-case scenario, something is out there in the Valley of Screams, where most of our folk went missing. We didn’t want to reach out to you in the first place but, as the Five Lords, we put the matter to a vote, and the majority chose to contact Calliope.”
“That is enough, Caspian.” Darius cut him off with a heavy tone and a frown, then gave us a polite smile. “Please forgive him. Caspian is convinced that we can solve this on our own, when clearly we can’t.”
He applied pressure on those last two words, ending the sentence with a quick glare. The other Lords were equally displeased with Caspian, which further fueled my distrust of him.
“Caspian is more of a… traditionalist, shall we say,” Emilian explained, bringing his tone a pitch higher to smooth the conversation back to our purpose there. “He, like some others among us, does not like outside help. But the matter was put to a vote in the end, and Rewa was chosen to reach out to you. What matters now is that you are here, willing to help us.”
“What’s the Valley of Screams?” I asked, crossing my arms over my chest as soon as my eyes met Caspian’s again.
“It is a cluster of tall and dark gorges, where most of the Exiled Maras have disappeared,” Emilian replied. “It’s two miles east of here. You can see it from the higher terraces of the city quite well. We’ve mapped most of it and used to explore it frequently, before the disappearances started.”
“We’ll need the full cooperation of Azure Heights on this,” Jax said. “We cannot help if you’re not honest and open with us. We will not help if we feel you’re hiding something, or deny us access to any parts of the city or its archives, for that matter. We need complete access to whatever we require.”
A few seconds passed, during which time Emilian and Jax exchanged more glances, while I deliberately avoided Caspian’s.
“Clearly, there is a lot of trust to build between us,” Emilian replied. “Before anything else, how about we get you all settled in, have an early dinner together at
the Broken Bow Inn, and discuss the investigation further over a nice glass of blood?”
Only then did I notice what I assumed were the Imen, shorter creatures that reminded me of Earth’s humans. They were slightly shorter than the average Mara, with fair skin, brownish or black hair, and dull, deep-set eyes. They wore simple black-and-white uniforms. There were plenty of them scattered through the crowd of Maras, each seemingly attached to a noble or an entire household. They seemed quiet and gentle, reverent and a bit too slow.
“We’ve made preparations to host you at the Broken Bow Inn. They have splendid rooms on the top floor in the Red Square above.” Farrah smiled. “It’s a prime location, and it gives you access to all of Azure Heights’ main routes, both up and down the mountain.”
“Thank you.” Jax gave her a curt bow. “It is much appreciated.”
“Our faithful servants will escort you to your accommodation,” Farrah replied as two young Imen, one male and one female, came forward and motioned for us to follow them. The crowd behind them parted, leaving room for us to pass through. “And we shall see you in the dinner hall at the Inn in, say, two hours?”
Jax nodded, then picked his travel bag up off the ground.
“That’s fine,” he said, then walked after the two Imen.
One by one, we took our bags and the shields we’d brought with us from Calliope, and followed Jax. I glanced over my shoulder and noticed the Five Lords moving slowly after us, as the crowd of Exiled Maras closed behind them. I couldn’t shake the chills that Caspian’s glare sent through my limbs, so I hastened my steps and joined Jax and Heron at the front, putting as much distance between the Lords and me as possible.
We followed the Imen through an alley, then up a narrow staircase leading farther up the mountain. I gave Jax a subtle nudge and a raised eyebrow.
“Should we ask them something?” I whispered.
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