“Yes.” Patrik nodded. “I know exactly where she’s kept. Thadeus is guarding her chamber, it’s next to the throne room.”
“Damion’s friend.” I remembered. “From Marton. One of the young Druids. Well, former, given his current state.”
“Okay, so how do we do this?” Bijarki asked.
“Vita!” I heard Aida’s voice across the room.
I turned around and saw her projection in the corner, bright and milky.
“Aida!” I beamed at her. “Bijarki’s here!”
Patrik stared at me, not sure who I was speaking to.
“Aida?” he asked, and I shushed him, raising my index finger to ask him to stay quiet for a minute.
“Oh, thank the stars!” Aida exclaimed. “Listen, there isn’t much time, then! You guys need to get the little Daughter out of there for sure! I saw her in a vision. Her name is Nova. She thinks Azazel’s her daddy, and Thadeus keeps watch over her. She’s weak. Ill, even. Azazel is draining her power, and it most likely has something to do with a little ruby medallion she’s wearing.”
“Her daddy? Ew…” I replied with disgust.
The last thing either of us had ever imagined Azazel would be capable of was any form of affection. After his affair with Tamara had gone sideways, Azazel had lost his mind altogether.
“It’s okay, we’ve got this! We know where he’s keeping her, she’s in a room next to the throne hall. I’ll see you soon, Aida!” I gave her a confident grin, and she blew a kiss my way before she disappeared.
“The Oracles have a personal connection,” I heard Bijarki explain to Patrik. “They can talk to each other, some sort of telepathic projection. That’s why we can’t see Aida.”
“Aida being the other Oracle.” Patrik nodded his understanding.
“Exactly,” I interjected. “Okay, now we can go.”
I wanted to ask Bijarki about the invisibility spell, given that we were about to leave the room, but I found myself breathless as I watched him reappear, like watercolors blooming on a blank piece of paper, as his cover wore off.
Vita
Patrik raised his eyebrows with surprise, as I took a deep breath and actually saw the love of my life for the first time in days. He was tall and handsome, his silvery eyes twinkling with love as he smiled at me.
I immediately jumped into his arms and kissed him, holding him tight. He responded with equal hunger, oblivious to everything else around us.
“I must say, it’s so good to see you,” I giggled in his ear.
Bijarki shuddered and chuckled, holding my face and dropping more kisses all over. Patrik cleared his throat, politely looking away. We both stilled. I felt my cheeks catch fire while Bijarki’s skin glowed with embarrassment.
“Right,” he muttered, then took the invisibility spell ingredients out of his satchel and whipped up another batch of shimmering paste in a small wooden bowl.
“That’s the invisibility spell?” Patrik watched curiously.
“Yup,” I replied, and scooped up my serving with my bare hands.
Bijarki and I swallowed ours whole, then waited for about a minute. I felt a peculiar warmth spread through my body. Patrik watched with keen interest as we both gradually disappeared. He took a deep breath, then dropped the bedspread to the floor, prompting Bijarki to groan.
“Sorry, my friend.” The Druid smirked and shrugged. “Can’t do anything about it.”
He grinned, then morphed into the same small black cobra as I opened the doors. He slithered out and down the hallway, and we followed.
We followed Patrik up several flights of stairs and through a series of narrow corridors until we reached Azazel’s throne room. Two Destroyers kept watch in front of the massive archway leading into the large chamber, staring blankly at the wall ahead.
Patrik moved slowly behind them, and we snuck between the beasts in order to enter the throne room. At the far end on the north side there was a small wooden door, in front of which we stopped.
“She’s in there?” I whispered, and Patrik nodded with his little snake head.
My heart skipped a beat, and I moved back when the door opened. Thadeus came out with an empty food tray. He looked around, frowning slightly, then slithered away.
I waited for him to vanish into the hallway past the guards, then quietly went into the room, followed by Bijarki, whose hand I felt on my back, and Patrik.
The little Daughter was lying in bed, holding a doll in her arms and staring at the ceiling.
I moved forward, trying to find a way to talk to her without startling her.
“Nova,” I said slowly.
She immediately looked at me. It felt weird, as though she could see me. But I was invisible.
“Who are you?” she asked, then sat up with a grimace.
My heart broke for her. She looked so weak and fragile.
“I’m a friend, I promise you,” I replied gently. “I’m here to help you.”
“And who are they?”
I blinked several times, not sure what to think at that point.
“They?” I asked cautiously.
“The incubus standing next to you, and the snake,” she clarified.
“You can see me?” Bijarki gasped, and the little Daughter nodded.
It took me a couple of seconds to understand what was going on. She could, in fact, see us, despite our invisibility spell. It most likely had something to do with the fact that she was a Daughter of Eritopia, able to see past the swamp witches’ magic. Or perhaps any other magic, for that matter.
The little ruby medallion flickered green, hanging by a slim gold chain around her neck. Her hair was long, a beautiful reddish pink that reminded me of Viola.
“We’re here to help you, Nova,” I said.
“Help me how?”
“Well, you see, honey, you’re in danger here. You’ve been in danger since you were brought to this castle.” I decided it was best to just lay out the truth for her and hopefully persuade her to come with us.
“How can I be in danger? My daddy is looking after me…”
“You mean Azazel, right?” My lips tightened. I had to tread carefully here. She nodded and gave me a weak smile. “Honey, he’s not your daddy. You’re a Daughter of Eritopia, but you were taken away from your sisters too soon. The Daughters protect this world, and you were meant to do the same. But Azazel snatched you away and kept you hidden here, forcing your sisters to stay away and not intervene as he laid waste to the galaxy, as he slaughtered innocent people and caused nothing but pain and suffering. He’s not who you think he is, sweetheart…”
She sighed, frowning and shaking her head.
“No, no… He’s been nice to me…”
“Haven’t you ever wondered why you’re always ill? So weak and barely able to move?” I asked her then. “Don’t you want to be free and happy, and go anywhere you want?”
“I do.” She nodded with a pained expression.
“Azazel is draining your energy, Nova. He’s using your power for his dark magic. He doesn’t love you. The only reason he protects you is because you are useful to him.”
She didn’t say anything, but judging by the look on her face, she seemed conflicted, as if I’d been voicing some concerns that she already had.
“You can feel it, right?” I asked her. “You can feel that you’re different, right, Nova?”
She nodded again, looking at me.
“And you can tell that I mean you no harm, that I have good intentions, right?” I tried my luck. If she was able to see me despite the invisibility spell, maybe she could sense that I was telling the truth, too. It was worth a shot.
“Yes, but… I don’t know what to believe anymore,” she replied. “Daddy’s been with me all my life, and Thadeus always takes care of me. But I’m always so tired and weak, and I don’t like it. And I have these dreams, and I think you are telling the truth, because in these dreams I see them. My sisters, as you call them. They’re tall and beautiful, wi
th hair like mine and glowing violet eyes and colorful silks and golden masks… And they try to reach me, but they’re always far away. They talk to me, but I can never hear them…”
I understood then that the little Daughter had hatched so underdeveloped, that she couldn’t even establish a clear connection with her sisters through her dreams, like Viola could. But I did feel relief at not having to spend too much time making a case for her liberation, since she’d already been suspecting there was something off about her living conditions.
“They’re your sisters, yes, Nova,” I replied. “And they want you back. You’ll be safe with them. They can take care of you and protect you, but you have to leave this place first. Azazel would never let you leave, honey. He’s pretending to be your father so you don’t choose to leave on your own, so you’re always by his side. You’re weak because he’s draining the life out of you. You see that pendant around your neck?”
She looked down and grasped the medallion between her thumb and index finger. The green flame flickered furiously inside the ruby.
“It’s a spell Azazel uses to consume your energy for his dark deeds, Nova. Take it off, destroy it, and chances are you will feel much better,” I urged her, taking a few steps forward.
Nova exhaled sharply and took the medallion off, tossing it to the floor.
The little Daughter then took a deep breath, her eyebrows slightly raised.
“You’re right,” she gasped. “It does feel a little better…”
Bijarki then quickly prepared another batch of the invisibility spell.
“We need to get you out of here, Nova,” I said. “Will you come with us, please? We’ll take you to your sisters, and you will never feel this weak again, I promise!”
She thought about it for a minute, then nodded and got off the bed.
Relief washed over me as I bent down on one knee so I could look her in the eyes, and took her little hands in mine. I gave her the warmest and most reassuring smile I could muster, given the circumstances, and she seemed to relax in my grip.
“My friend here is making an invisibility spell. It’s a paste, and you’ll need to eat it. It doesn’t taste all that great, but it will make you invisible. You’ll disappear like we did, and then we can just sneak out of here without anyone ever noticing. How does that sound?”
The corner of her mouth twitched, attempting another smile.
She didn’t get to reply, though, as the door burst open behind us and I felt something cold and wet hit me. I gasped and fell to my side, looking around in a panic. There was red paint dripping from the little Daughter’s dress.
I looked down and saw my own invisible form covered in the same red paint. I glanced at Bijarki, and saw that he, too, had been hit and had already drawn his sword.
“I really didn’t want it to get to this.” I heard Damion’s voice.
He stood in front of the open door with Thadeus, each tossing aside a bucket with a red-coated interior. Dread paralyzed me as I realized what was happening. They knew. They’d known all along about the invisibility spell.
How did they know?
Azazel’s booming laughter pierced my ears as Damion and Thadeus stepped aside to let him in. The blood drained from my face, and I froze on the floor as he slithered closer to me. I immediately reacted, pulling myself back until my head bumped into the bedframe.
“I knew one of you was bound to do something stupid like this,” Azazel grinned, hands behind his back, giving Bijarki an icy sideways glance. “You see, when your friends first snuck in here, they lost a pouch of this shimmering paste of yours. My Destroyers found it in the basement and brought it up to me. Naturally, I got curious, and I forced one of them to swallow it. The worst-case scenario was that he’d die—which was only a fitting punishment for having allowed said friends of yours to escape in the first place.”
Bijarki came at him with the sword, but I knew nothing good would come of the attack.
“Bijarki, no!” I screamed, but Azazel lifted his hand and muttered something under his breath, pushing out an energy pulse.
It knocked into Bijarki hard, throwing him backward. He landed on his back with a thud, unconscious. I tried to get to him, but Azazel wrapped the tip of his massive snake tail around my neck, forcing me to sit still so I wouldn’t get my windpipe crushed.
“Don’t interrupt me when I’m telling my story, little Oracle,” Azazel continued, sounding slightly irritated. “So imagine my surprise when I watched the rat disappear right in front of me. I understood then how your friends had gotten in undetected, so I added some new security measures to my green fires. They can pick up one’s body heat, even if their form is invisible. I knew it was only a matter of time before your idiot friends tried again, probably thinking they were one step ahead of me.”
He bawled mockingly, then pulled me closer, painfully jerking my neck in the process.
“You should’ve stayed on my good side, little Oracle,” he hissed.
I glanced around and saw Patrik as he slithered out by the wall, undetected. To my right, the little Daughter stood by the bed, paralyzed and wide-eyed as she understood what kind of “father” Azazel was. My heart tore apart as I looked at Bijarki out cold on the floor and the little Daughter unable to defend herself from this monster.
“You’ll never win,” I said through gritted teeth. “You will die, and I will be there to watch you burn.”
“We’ll see about that, little Oracle. I could see your boyfriend coming as soon as he set foot in Luceria. Do you really think I would let you just waltz out of here with my most prized possessions—which include you, by the way? You must be as foolish as this incubus to think I’m that easy to fool.” Azazel chuckled. “The only thing you’ll get to watch is your friends burning, including Patrik. That spineless worm… I know he helped you. I could feel him slipping away sometimes. I never should’ve let him near you. I don’t know what you did to him to get him out of my control, but you will pay.”
I looked at Thadeus and Damion, who stood there motionless, their yellow eyes darting from me to Azazel, then to Bijarki and the Daughter.
“I helped Patrik break free from your sick control.” I raised my voice to make sure his Destroyers heard me, to plant the idea in their heads. “You’re not invincible, Azazel. If Patrik could break free and return to his Druid form, so can the others. You won’t win this one. Sorry.”
“Oh no, honey, you’re the one who’s going to be sorry.” He grinned.
He brought his hand down hard, slapping me out of consciousness.
He was right. I was in trouble, and so was Bijarki.
Darkness swallowed me.
Serena
We crawled behind a black stone boulder as arrows kept swishing past us.
“It’s the Druids,” I breathed.
“Would you like to do the honors?” He raised an eyebrow at me, the corner of his mouth twitching.
“Don’t mind if I do,” I replied and rose to my knees, pushing out a powerful barrier.
It was enough to knock them off their feet. I heard them grunting and panting as I stood and moved closer to the rocks from which they’d been shooting their arrows. Draven came to my side, his arms raised in a defensive gesture.
“We mean you no harm,” he said. “We come in peace!”
The young Druids got up and scrambled to get their bows and arrows off the ground, but I pushed out another barrier and knocked them back down.
“We’re not here to hurt you!” I shouted.
“Then… Then what do you want?” one of them asked, short of breath. “And how did you do that?”
“You’re Ori, Malachy, Flynn, Mason, Cassin, and Dain, are you not?” Draven asked.
“How… Do you know us?” Another one stood, dusting himself off.
“I’m Draven. I’m a Druid, like you. This is Serena.”
“Not from around here,” I added.
“Yeah, I can tell,” the first one shot back. “I’m Ori.”
“And I’m Flynn,” the second one said. The others stood up and came closer, looking at us curiously but warily. “This is Malachy, Mason, Cassin, and Dain.”
Draven gave them a curt nod and a half-smile.
“I must say, it’s an honor to meet you all,” he replied.
“I didn’t think there were any Druids left, besides us.” Malachy frowned.
“I thought the same thing, until our Oracles saw you in their visions,” Draven said.
“You have Oracles?” Mason was stunned.
“And an alliance of the free rebel nations rising against Azazel. We’re ready to take the snake down,” I replied with confidence. “What do you say, Druids? Ready to kick some ass?”
They all went silent, staring at us. A good minute passed before either of them spoke.
“We’ve been stuck here for a long time,” Ori sighed. “We haven’t heard from Antara in decades. We’ve lost some of our own to Destroyers. We didn’t think there was any hope left…”
“I know, and I am truly sorry for your loss,” Draven said solemnly. “But we need you. We need Druids to fight with us. We need your power, your natural magic, your willingness to defend this world and take it back from Azazel.”
“But he’s so powerful,” Malachy replied.
“True, but we know where his power stems from, and we’re already taking measures to cut him off. There is hope, Druids, believe me. Our armies are moving in on his castle on Antara, but I need you to join me in a direct attack on Azazel himself. If we come together, we will bring him to his knees. His hubris has blinded him. He’s made mistakes.”
“Such as?” Malachy pursed his lips.
“Not killing me when he had the chance.” Draven grinned. “You can’t spend the rest of your lives cowering in this desert. You might lose but at least you’ll go down swinging or, even better, you’ll win. Either way, Azazel will come after you eventually. And he will kill Thadeus and Damion, too, once he’s done with them.”
The Druids stilled, fierce shadows darkening their expressions.
“You know about our friends?” Dain asked.
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