A Shield of Glass

by Bella Forrest

  I looked over at Jax, who nodded, as if having guessed what I was about to suggest. He’d seen the group too. He’d figured it out. He brought two fingers to his mouth and whistled sharply, prompting his wards to increase their speed and ride toward the Destroyers in an arc.

  They were using their mind-bending abilities, I realized, as I watched the Destroyers shaking their heads and their horses getting out of control.

  “My wards can’t do too much damage with all the motion, but if they come together like this, they can confuse the enemy long enough to bring a few seconds to our tactical advantage,” Jax shouted from a couple of yards away as he went in after them, firing his crossbow at the Destroyers.

  Hansa and I followed, taking aim and shooting as many arrows as we could reload over the course of twenty to thirty feet, enough to temporarily draw the monsters’ attention from Aida and the others. The Destroyers hissed at us, pulling arrows from their sizzling wounds—the poison wasn’t going to kill them, but it slowed them down.

  Aida, Phoenix, and Anjani caught the opening they needed to jump onto the backs of three shifters that had already morphed into flying horses. I had to give the beasts credit—they were very observant and quick in their thinking, despite their primitive and animalistic behavior.

  I focused my arrows on the Destroyers that had landed and gotten off their flying horses, going after Eva, Aura, and Almandine, before I put my crossbow away and drew my sword. My horse seemed to understand what I wanted to do next, so it ran faster. The beasts turned their attention to me once they realized I was the source of the arrows stuck in their torsos, hissing as they charged me.

  Hansa yelled as her horse went ahead, her broadsword out as she jumped off, twisting in mid-air and coming down on the first Destroyer, severing his head in the process. I raced toward a second beast as he came at me. I brought my sword to the side, ready to hit, but the Destroyer dodged and brought his own blade out. I ducked and felt the cool metal rush over my back, missing me by less than an inch.

  I went back for a second hit, determined to take him down this time. He grinned as he slithered toward me. Several arrows flew from somewhere behind me, piercing the Destroyer’s chest. He growled furiously, but was weakened enough for me to cut his head off with one clean strike.

  I turned around and saw dozens of succubi coming out of the woods, their bows out as they shot at every Destroyer, both above and on the ground. Their aim was exceptional, hitting the beasts in painful spots that left them open to more deadly attacks.

  Hansa fought a Destroyer on her own. She missed a hit, and his massive tail swept her feet from under her, throwing her backward. Jax intervened, moving like a shadow with both swords out. They teamed up, and I couldn’t help but admire their synergy. While Hansa drew Destroyer blood, Jax finished the job by beheading the creature. He then used his mind-bending ability to temporarily distract another Destroyer as Hansa’s broadsword came down with a zing, removing the head from his body.

  I focused on getting Eva, Aura, and Almandine out of there, as more Destroyers came down after them. The younglings held their ground, long knives out as they slashed at their attackers. Eva held up a sword, blocking every hit aimed at her.

  “Hey!” I shouted, drawing a Destroyer’s attention from her as I jumped off my horse and ran toward him.

  He sneered and came forward to get me. I figured it would give Eva the window she needed to escape and get to Stonewall behind us, wondering why she hadn’t turned into a snake yet. Instead, she raised a hand and muttered something under her breath. Her palm lit up in an incandescent blue as she shot a flame at the Destroyer. The azure fire spread fast and swallowed him whole, and he lost his mind, wailing and screaming in agony as I cut off his head.

  I looked at Eva, who was staring at her hands in utter shock.

  “I can’t believe I did it,” she muttered. “I finally did it! On my own!”

  “How’d you do that?” I managed to ask before another Destroyer came at us.

  Having gotten a grip on how to throw those flames out, Eva proceeded to launch another blue fireball at the beast before I brought my sword up in a sharp diagonal hit and decapitated him.

  “Lamias can perform Druid magic,” she said. “I’ve been learning for a few years, but just the small stuff. This is a fifth circle spell. I didn’t think I had it in me!”

  “Turns out you do!” I smirked as we teamed up and took out two more Destroyers before they could stick their poisoned spears into Aura and Almandine.

  I looked up for a brief moment and watched Phoenix, Aida, and Anjani ride their shifters as they expertly fought with and defeated one Destroyer after another, while Field flew circles around them and used a hatchet to maim the remaining beasts before they were beheaded.

  The succubi from the Green Tribe had helped clear the ground of the other Destroyers, breaking up into groups of four per beast—three to distract and wound, and the fourth to finish the job with a sword.

  I looked at Eva and the younglings and pointed toward Stonewall.

  “Go, now! We’ve got this!” I said.

  Eva nodded and ran off, followed by Aura and Almandine, while Hansa, Jax, and I got busy with three more Destroyers before we eliminated the threat on our side. I understood then that practice was everything. Though at first, I’d been horrified by these creatures, I’d since learned to treat them as just larger opponents—especially after the night they invaded the mansion.

  We weren’t as massive as they were, but we were quicker and able to work in teams to take them down. Hansa moved over to help me for a while, as Jax was able to hold his own and I was getting a little more on my plate. I was pleased to see how finely attuned we were to each other’s moves, taking turns wounding and decapitating the remaining Destroyers.

  One of them fell from the sky, his head removed from his body. He landed next to me with a thud, and I looked up to see Anjani. Our eyes met, and she put on a defiant smirk, but I could see the twinkle in her gold-emerald gaze. I breathed out with relief as I realized we’d secured the ground and there were only a few beasts left flying and hissing.

  She went back to assist Aida and Phoenix in killing the three remaining Destroyers still flying. Their bodies floundered and their heads disappeared in the tall grass as we all cheered.

  It was over. We’d done it.

  The succubi took their wounded sisters and headed toward Stonewall. Jax and his wards escorted them to the citadel atop their horses, carrying those who couldn’t walk. Phoenix, Anjani, and Aida gradually descended, putting their swords away. As soon as their feet touched the ground, their shifters returned to their original form, sniffing the air and calling out to their ”brothers” with low growls. Three more emerged from beneath the dead bodies of Destroyers, shaking their heads and licking their wounds.

  I wanted to hold Anjani in my arms, hug my sister and Phoenix, but before I could take a step I saw Field flying toward me. I stilled as I noticed he wasn’t slowing down while closing the distance between us at a low altitude.

  “Field, what are you—“ I managed to croak before he rammed into me, taking me in a bear hug and laughing as I struggled to keep my feet on the ground.

  I failed miserably, and we both fell, tumbling through the tall grass. I landed on my back with Field by my side, gasping and chuckling as he patted me on the chest.

  “It’s so good to see you, Jovi.”

  “Yeah, I can see!” I shot back, stifling a laugh.

  I jumped to my feet, ready to hold my succubus close for a minute. I got knocked down from the side again, and I was about to curse Field when I felt Anjani’s body on top of me, her lips crashing down on mine. I couldn’t help but smile as heat expanded through me, and we kissed with all the fire that had been building since we’d last seen each other.

  I wrapped my arms around her, tightening my grip as she gasped and lifted her head. Her skin glowed as she looked at me, a warm smile stretching her lips.

  “Fo
r a second there, I thought I’d never see you again,” she said slowly.

  “I’m guessing you really want to finish what we started,” I replied with a smirk.

  “Don’t you?”

  “More than anything.” I felt my voice grow husky. She had an instantaneous effect on me when she didn’t hold back on her succubus nature. I loved it. My heart swelled as she relaxed in my arms, tilting her head for another, deeper kiss.

  “Okay, you two clearly need a room.” I heard Aida’s voice from above, as my lips locked with Anjani’s.

  Though we didn’t reply to her remark, Anjani and I drew apart and looked briefly at each other. We’d both made it, and we were together again.

  Screw Hansa’s antiquated tribe rules, I thought to myself as we stood. There was no way to stop us, and that conclusion seared itself into my soul before I put the thought away and hugged my sister.

  Aida’s body shivered against mine, and I was thankful to be able to hold her tight.

  “Damn, it’s good to see you in one piece, Sis,” I mumbled into her hair.

  “Honestly, I can’t believe we made it this far,” she said, looking up at me. “I swear, if it hadn’t been for them, we wouldn’t have made it into the Green Tribe’s forest…”

  She looked over her shoulder and pointed at the shifters. I couldn’t control the shivers that ran down my spine as I looked at the creatures. Six of them, slumped over in the grass, their eyes glowing violet and their mouths open as they breathed heavily. They were exhausted, and four carried significant wounds on their bony arms and shoulders, which they occasionally licked.

  “I never thought I’d see this,” I replied. “They creep the hell out of me, and yet I can’t stop looking.”

  “I know, we’re the same.” Field came by my side. “But they’re determined to protect us.”

  “And they are phenomenal in battle,” Anjani added. “I had no idea.”

  Phoenix stood a few feet away, staring at the shifters through hooded lids, his jaw locked and his mouth flat. They probably reminded him of the Daughter. I went over and put my arm around his shoulder. He gave me a sideways glance and a weak half-smile.

  “Glad to see you’re okay,” he said, his voice barely a whisper.

  “We’ll get her back, one way or another. You know that, right?” I said what I knew he needed to hear.

  He’d been fighting Destroyers over the course of so many miles, he hadn’t even had time to grieve properly. But we still had a lot of work to do, and I needed him strong and focused throughout. I had no idea how to get the Daughter back, but I had faith in our group, in our ability to come together and achieve the impossible.

  He looked at the shifters again, nodding slowly.

  “Let’s head back into Stonewall,” Hansa said. “If more of them come, we don’t want them to find us here. We’ll be safe inside.”

  We followed her, stepping over Destroyer corpses on our way to the citadel, which lay a mile ahead, tall and quiet on the eastern shore.

  I mounted my indigo horse, and Anjani climbed up behind me, her arms snaking around my body as she kept herself close, soft against my back.

  Phoenix walked ahead, next to Aida and Field, whose fingers were interlocked.

  Hansa took the lead on her horse as we followed the succubi and Maras ahead. Jax looked over his shoulder once in a while, prompting me to do the same. We left behind a site of absolute carnage, but I had no regrets.

  I was ready to do it again to protect the ones I loved.

  Aida

  We ran the rest of that mile to Stonewall. We needed to disappear inside the citadel—if there were more hostiles coming after us, they wouldn’t see us.

  As soon as we reached the steps, I breathed a heavy sigh of relief. I looked up, marveling at the sheer size of the place, the massive stone walls and the wind howling through the wide arches. I could hear waves crashing against the shore on the other side, but other than that, there was no sound.

  I followed Jax and his wards, along with the rest of our group, as they took us through a spacious courtyard. I caught movement out of the corner of my eye and stilled, turning my head to see what it was. A large feline moved quietly along the wall. Field stopped behind me, and I could feel his body heat radiating into my back.

  “It’s okay,” he whispered in my ear.

  “Bajangs,” Hansa said over her shoulder as she kept walking.

  I looked around and noticed more of these creatures quietly watching us from the shadows.

  Field didn’t let go of my hand as we kept moving. We entered the citadel and followed a wide corridor as the Bajangs came closer, walking alongside us. Some of them looked at me with big amber or green eyes, sniffing the air and crinkling their noses. They didn’t seem to like me very much.

  Jovi noticed my discomfort and winked at me. “Relax, Sis, they won’t hurt us,” he said. “I guess this ‘cats and dogs’ thing is universal, that’s all.”

  “You mean ‘multiversal’.” I raised an eyebrow. “You know, since this is the In-Between.”

  “Look at you, one day out in the wild and you’re making up new words!” he replied jokingly and put on a smirk.

  He was close enough for me to smack him over the shoulder. He flinched, then growled playfully.

  “Careful, Sis, I can still kick your ass if you get out of line.”

  “I would love to see you try, wise-ass,” I grinned, while Field stifled a chuckle.

  I’d missed the banter. I’d missed my brother and my friends. My heart leaped at the thought of seeing Serena again. We’d only been apart for a few days, but given everything that had happened, if felt like eons.

  We reached the end of the hallway and stopped in front of a limestone wall. One of the felines that had walked with us, resembling a snow leopard, stood on its hind legs and morphed into a male Bajang. I couldn’t help but gawk at his athletic physique, at the ropes of toned muscle that stretched across his back and the gray and white fur covering the lower part of his body. He glanced over his shoulder at us with icy blue eyes as his lips parted, revealing his sharp fangs. He pushed his thumb into one, drawing blood.

  He pressed the same hand against the wall, and I gasped as the stone began to ripple. Anjani looked at Hansa, her eyes wide with surprise.

  “This is a cloaking spell!” she exclaimed.

  “Yup,” Hansa replied. “Almus taught these people a few swamp witch magic tricks, it seems…”

  The Bajang walked through the wall, and we followed, one by one. I felt the liquid stone tickle my skin as I moved forward, holding onto Field’s hand in the process.

  “This is so cool,” I heard Field mutter once we reached the other side.

  The Bajang guided us farther as we gaped at the spacious interiors, at tall ceilings and ornate details, painted walls and heavy velvet curtains. He took us through the Bajangs’ living quarters, where I saw more of these creatures in their two-legged form—males, females, and cubs, all stopping to look at us as we passed by. The Green Tribe succubi stopped here for their wounds to be treated, except for Wren, who came along with us.

  We went through a wide arch, and I heard Serena squeal.

  I peeled my eyes from the thousands of books covering the walls and looked ahead as she ran toward me and trapped me in a hug.

  “Oh, I am so happy to see you here!” she gasped, and held me tight, kissing my cheek.

  I hugged her back, slowly relaxing in her embrace. She beamed at me before she jumped into Phoenix’s arms. He responded by wrapping his arms around her and hiding his face in her black hair. I saw his ribcage swell as he breathed in. She dropped a multitude of kisses on both his cheeks, then cupped his face and looked him in the eyes.

  “We’ll get her back, Phoenix. I promise you,” she said, her eyebrows tucked into a frown.

  “Don’t make promises you can’t keep,” Phoenix replied, his voice barely audible.

  Draven came up to him and placed a hand on his shoulder, a s
ympathetic look on his face.

  “There’s an unbreakable bond between you and the Daughter,” the Druid said.

  “Viola. Her name’s Viola,” Phoenix muttered.

  “Viola,” Draven repeated, nodding slowly. “We may be able to use this bond between you to find her. Key word here being ‘may’. I wouldn’t want to get your hopes too high.”

  “Either way,” Serena added, giving Draven a reprimanding sideways glance that expressed her discomfort at his sometimes inappropriately brutal honesty. He shrugged in response. “You know she’ll be safe with them, and you know they won’t let anything happen to you, since you and Viola are so deeply connected.”

  Phoenix exhaled sharply, his lips tight, a muscle still twitching in his jaw. He looked at me as he took a step back. I hadn’t had time to tell him what Vita’s visions had shown. We’d been running and fighting Destroyers since we’d left the farmhouse. Everything had happened so fast, and I didn’t want to risk giving him even more to worry about while he battled the slithering beasts.

  “Yeah, about that,” I managed to say, feeling terrible for having to spoil the moment. But Vita’s vision could no longer wait. “I spoke to Vita.”

  All eyes were on me, including Field’s. He’d seen me distraught after I’d reached out to Vita during our stop at the farmhouse, but he hadn’t pressed me with questions. He’d understood the lack of time for properly delving into everything she’d told me.

  “She says the future has changed, but not for the better,” I continued, choosing my words carefully. I glanced at Phoenix, then at Draven and Serena, and bit into my lower lip. I had no choice. “Viola won’t cause that massive explosion anymore. But she will die…”

  I immediately looked at Phoenix, whose face was livid. He didn’t say anything as I struggled to speak.

  “She will die because Phoenix will die,” I continued. “Draven will kill him.”

  Draven and Serena gaped at me, their eyes huge. The Druid’s lips parted and his shoulders slumped, while Serena’s gaze darted between me and him. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. I couldn’t bear to look at them as I told them the rest of Vita’s vision.