I walked toward the staircase, and rejoined my friends.
Field met me at the door, relieving me of the jug. We filled the glasses and let them drink. Vita and Aida both looked pale, Vita’s hand slightly trembling as she lifted the glass to her lips.
“How are you feeling?” I asked them both when they’d finished.
Aida wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, and flopped back on the bed. “Honestly, like I’ve just run a marathon or something. I’m exhausted.”
That made sense to me. Their accelerated breathing had sounded a lot like running, and even though their bodies hadn’t been moving, I could feel that their energy was dangerously low.
“Do you need to eat?” I asked them.
All three shook their heads.
“I need to sleep,” my brother replied.
“Not even syphon?” I asked again, thinking that was strange considering his energy levels.
He shook his head. “Maybe later,” he replied, seeing my anxious look.
“There are rooms upstairs you can sleep in,” Field announced. “Let’s get out of this room. Not that the ones upstairs are much nicer.”
They all slowly moved off the beds, Aida wobbling slightly until Field caught her, setting her up straight.
“Are you okay?” he asked. “I can carry you.”
Aida shook her head, her eyes wide.
“I’m fine,” she replied, looking away.
“What is this place?” Vita asked again when we arrived in the first room—the one where Jovi and I had found the Druid. The fire was still roaring away, making the room feel like a furnace after the damp of the basement.
I really didn’t know how to answer her.
“Not entirely sure,” I replied. “I guess the closest thing it brings to mind is some kind of plantation house from the eighteen hundreds…it’s really old, but then has working plumbing and taps and stuff. Hot water as well. You’ll be able to see it better in the morning.”
“But we’re in the In-Between, right?” she clarified.
“Yep.” I paused. “I know… it doesn’t make a lot of sense to me either.”
“As long as there’s a bed,” Aida replied sleepily. “We can work out the rest tomorrow. But I’m telling you all, just for the record, I’m no Oracle.”
“Me neither,” Phoenix confirmed. “The only thing I can predict is that I’m going to be pissed off when I wake up tomorrow and I’m not in the fire fae kingdom.”
“You and me both.” Aida yawned.
I smiled, glancing over at Jovi. He shook his head in bemusement. They all seemed to be taking it, well…far better than we had done. I wondered if things would be different in the morning.
Serena
[Hazel and Tejus’s daughter]
I woke with a start, sitting bolt upright in bed.
When I looked over to my left, Aida and Vita were fast asleep, Aida’s curly brown hair enmeshed on the pillow with Vita’s golden blonde. I sighed, feeling my heart rate slow down as I realized that both of my friends were safe.
Not wanting to wake them, I carefully slid out of the bed, pulling at the corner of my ridiculous nightgown that had gotten trapped beneath Vita’s leg. I walked through to the bathroom, splashing my face with cold water. I saw my pajamas, already dry, on the back of the door. Hoping I wouldn’t make too much noise, I turned on the shower, putting the water at a medium heat. I looked down at my body. My legs and arms were slashed with dried cuts from the branches and grass. I was thankful it wasn’t worse. They stung a bit when I stepped into the shower, but I cleaned them off, hoping that none of the saliva from those gruesome creatures had gotten into any of my cuts.
Last night felt like one long, horrific nightmare—from the moment we’d arrived, to the creatures calling my name, and then my friends and brother sitting up with their eyes rolling back into their heads, announcing they were Oracles.
It hardly seemed believable now. The sun shone brightly through the small window in the bathroom, the air wasn’t humid yet, just pleasantly warm. Keeping the windows open had also helped matters—the room didn’t smell quite so musty and stale, and I could almost appreciate the shabby charm of the house. Almost.
Once I was clean and dry, I put my pajamas back on, not feeling quite as ridiculous as I had in my Victorian get-up, but close.
I ventured out of the room, leaving the girls to their sleep. They probably needed it, and I knew from many years of prior experience neither of them appreciated being woken up early. Especially not by me.
The rest of the house was silent, and I made my way along the corridor quietly, trying not to disturb anyone else. I could smell food coming from the rooms below, and headed in the direction of the banquet room, wondering if there would be anything other than last night’s leftovers.
I pushed the door open, and jumped when I saw the Druid sitting at the furthest end of the table.
“Sorry, I didn’t realize you were here,” I stammered, moving backward out of the door. I didn’t really want to be left alone with him.
“I was leaving,” he announced, rising from his chair.
I looked down at the table where he’d just been sitting. There was nothing in front of him other than a glass of water.
“Don’t you eat?” I asked.
“I eat. Just not right now,” he snapped.
I nodded, turning my attention back to the other places that were set at the table. Once again, there were plates covered with warming dishes and a pot of something hot in the middle of the table.
“Is that coffee?” I asked, hardly daring to get excited until it was confirmed, while amazed to find something so mundane available on a star in the In-Between.
“Yes,” he replied. “You can help yourself.”
I moved closer to the pot, smiling despite myself as I smelt the warm, familiar aroma.
“Did you do this?” I asked. “I mean, do you cook?”
It was hard for me to imagine him standing at a kitchen counter, slaving over a hot stove. He really didn’t seem the type.
“No,” he replied firmly.
“Then who?” I asked.
He sighed, clearly unenthusiastic about having to answer more questions.
Tough. You need to start talking, I thought. We’d have a lot more questions before the day was through, I could promise him that much.
“The house. Or rather, the wards which make it safe produce all this.” He gestured at the food. “The easiest way to understand it is by imagining that the house is its own ‘being’—regenerating itself at the start of every day. The wards renew themselves constantly, and provide for its inhabitants.”
I looked at him askance.
“And you do that? Refresh the wards?” I asked.
“No,” he replied again. “A far more powerful magic is needed than anything I am capable of.”
“So who then? Or what?” I asked.
The replying sigh was deeply aggravated.
“I will tell you more when your friends are here. I have no doubt that I’ll be met with more questions, so if you don’t mind, I’d rather enjoy my morning in peace.”
“Not a morning person, then?” I replied, pouring myself coffee. If he wanted to be vague, then fine—just as long as he knew he wouldn’t be getting away with it later, when he faced all of us.
He replied with a short volley of words under his breath, none of which I caught. A second later he’d left, shutting the door very firmly behind him.
Once he’d gone, I lifted up the warmer, discovering pancake-type creations on the plate. I picked one up, inspecting it closely. It looked okay—more oaty than an actual pancake. It smelt okay too, and when I took a bite, I was pleasantly surprised—as I had been with the food last night. I sat down in the same chair I’d used last night, and continued to eat and drink while I waited for the others.
I didn’t have to wait long.
A few minutes after I’d finished eating, Jovi and Aida pushed open the d
oor, eyes lighting up when they smelt the coffee. Jovi also enquired about the food and who made it, and I told him what the Druid had just told me. He seemed as baffled as I did, but didn’t ask anything further when he realized that the ‘pancakes’ were actually good.
“How are you feeling this morning?” I asked Aida.
“Fuzzy, but still absolutely certain that I’m not an Oracle,” she replied. “And pretty desperate to get out of here and back home. When do you want to leave?”
I looked at Jovi.
“I’m not sure that’s a great idea,” I replied slowly.
“I am,” Vita announced, coming through the door. She looked around in amazement at the breakfast, but said nothing further. She came and sat down next to me, listlessly picking at her food.
Field and Phoenix were the last to arrive, the former smelling of the outdoors and fresh air. I guessed that he’d gone flying this morning. My brother looked a lot better than when I’d seen him last.
“Did you leave the grounds?” I asked Field curiously.
He shook his head. “No. I didn’t want to risk it—not when we’re not all together. I just circled the house a couple of times.”
“But you’re up for leaving?” Aida replied, her glance encompassing both Field and Jovi.
“I don’t know,” Jovi replied, glancing at me. “What happened last night… obviously, it’s dangerous out there. We’d have to be really careful.”
“But it’s dangerous here too,” argued Aida. “We’ve been taken against our will—and I know you say that the Druid thinks it’s for our own safety, but do you really believe that? I mean, we don’t know him—we don’t know his species—we’ve never even heard of them. How do we know he’s telling the truth? About any of it?”
“I know,” I replied, “but what reason would he have to lie? He did save my life last night—that should at least give us reason to trust him a little. We know he doesn’t want any of us in danger.”
“But despite what he’s said, he’s brought us closer to the danger,” Jovi reasoned. “If Azazel or whatever he’s called is in this land, then we’re in far more danger here than we would be in The Shade.”
Field sighed, running his hands through his hair.
“Do you think it would be less dangerous during the day?” he asked. “From what I saw yesterday, though the land didn’t look too inhabitable, I couldn’t see anything lurking—and nothing saw me.”
“As far as you know,” I replied.
I didn’t feel like leaving the house was a good idea. Not after last night. I understood everyone’s concerns about staying here… but if we waited till we could find out more, till the Druid was willing to speak to us, then at least we’d be able to be a bit better prepared, and know whether or not what he’d said about the Oracle was true.
“I think we should risk it,” my brother announced. “Let’s find a way home, there’s got to be some way out of this place. From what you’ve said, the Druid was able to transport us here in the blink of an eye. Maybe that means that we’re closer than we think to Sherus’s fire star.”
Vita shook her head. “I agree with you about leaving, but as to the travel, it doesn’t necessarily work that way. We don’t know what abilities he has or how on earth he got us here… there might be numerous ways it could be done.”
“The maps showed us a couple of cities. I think we should head toward those, see if we can find anyone willing to help us,” Jovi replied. “They might even know of a portal—or we could come across some fae, willing to take us back.”
I looked doubtfully at Jovi. There was a lot of hypothesizing without knowing any of the facts. But I could see I was outnumbered. None of them had experienced what I had last night, and my reluctance was hugely tainted by that.
“We all have to agree,” Field announced, looking at me. “What do you say, Serena?”
Aida’s eyes pleaded with mine. I could see how desperately she and Vita wanted to get out of here—and no wonder.
“All right,” I said reluctantly. “We’ll try.”
Serena
[Hazel and Tejus’s daughter]
After we finished breakfast, we all went back upstairs to the room with the maps. We didn’t see the Druid, and I wasn’t surprised. I imagined that, dreading questions, he’d tried to make himself scarce.
The others discussed the map of Eritopia, pouring over its contents and arguing which way would be best to go. Personally believing that it didn’t make much of a difference at this point—none of us knew what kind of creatures we’d find in the cities, or the jungle—I left them to it. I found myself wandering back into the room I’d seen yesterday, the one with the diary in the drawer of the vanity table. I opened it again, looking at the leather notebook, wondering whose it had been. Checking that no one was coming my way, I untied the leather knot and opened it onto the first page. There was no name, only a date—September third, 1805. I flicked though to the next page, feeling instantly guilty, and read the first few lines.
Same lunch again today! I curse the Daughters for not being more inventive. Almus has it far easier, being a Druid, and it is only my palate that suffers. I shouldn’t complain, and I don’t, not to him, only to you. But I do wonder if I will go mad here sometimes, and it is only Almus who saves me, again and again.
“Serena?”
I hastily dropped the book back in the drawer as Vita poked her head around the door.
“Are you ready?” she asked.
“I…I’m ready,” I replied, doubtfully looking down at my attire. Vita’s was no better—she only had a pair of shorts and a tank top, along with the fluffy robe of the palace that she’d quickly discarded once she woke, due to the heat. All the girls were barefooted, me included.
“I know.” She sighed. “Not ideal, right?”
“For a jungle trek… Uh, no.”
We left the room, joining the others on the stairwell.
“So what’s the plan?” I asked. “What if we bump into the Druid?”
“We fight back,” Jovi replied determinedly.
I bit my lip. I thought about how easily the Druid had waved away my syphoning, and fought off both Jovi and Field. I wasn’t so sure that fighting back was the best option—but once again, it looked like it would be me versus everyone else, and so I decided to keep my mouth shut.
I didn’t need to worry anyway. We made it to the lawn without seeing any sign of the Druid, and began walking away from the house. The grass pricked at the soles of my feet, and I winced as the blades grazed against my already cut legs.
Stop being so lame, I scolded myself. After what Vita, Aida and my brother had been though, my ordeal counted for nothing.
The ravens cried at us from above. I expected them to soar down like last time and try to block our way, but they didn’t, only settling at the edge of the lawn in a single row, watching us with their beady black eyes.
Their presence unnerved me, adding to my misgivings about leaving the safety of the Druid’s home. I glanced back at the house, its grand presence looming over us. What was the greater threat? What lay within the stone walls, or what lay outside them?
We passed the ravens, and left the edge of the lawn for the swamps. They seemed just as eerie as they did at night—the moss hung still and silent, looking like hangman’s nooses, the waters murky and dark. Despite the sunshine that blazed above us, the swamps felt dead and dank, unwelcoming, as if the very air warned us away.
“I bet there are midge flies here,” Aida grumbled, dragging her foot from a muddy slop of land.
Field stopped us, looking up at the trees. He seemed to be the only one of our group who shared at least some of my discomfort. His eyes frequently darted around, his steps more cautious.
“I’m going to fly up,” he said. “Check that we’re not running into anything. I’ll let you know what I see.”
He crouched, then jumped up, his wings expanding as he did so, and he flew up and out of sight. I felt the absence
of him, wishing that he’d remained with us below, though it obviously made sense for him to keep a lookout.
We carried on our journey. I kept a close eye on my brother and the girls, checking for signs that they might feel faint or weak. As far as I knew, Phoenix hadn’t syphoned off anyone since he’d woken up, which would be a problem if we needed to fight.
I moved toward him, matching his pace.
“Are you okay? Did you syphon yet?” I asked quietly.
He shook his head as we continued to walk side by side.
“I actually feel fine… I ate, so that probably helps. I promise I’ll say something if I need to,” he replied. “What about you, are you okay? Syphon off me if you need it.”
“I’m fine. I’m not the one who had the weird Oracle experience,” I replied.
He smirked, cocky as ever. “I think that’s a load of bull. I think he must have put us under some kind of spell or something. I don’t know what he wants with us, but I’m absolutely positive we’re not Oracles.”
I sighed, nodding. I wasn’t as convinced as he was. It seemed like a lot of effort to go to, such an elaborate story to set up, if all he wanted to do was kidnap us for his own purposes. And what could those purposes even be?
As we continued our journey, Field flew down occasionally, letting us know that he couldn’t see anything up ahead. The swamp was starting to turn into jungle, the air becoming increasingly humid, making it difficult to breathe. I felt perspiration covering the entirety of my body, running down my back in rivulets. It wasn’t really helping my mood, and I noticed Aida struggling with it as much as I was.
“I keep daydreaming of water,” she commented wistfully. “An entire bucket of it, filled with ice cubes, being dunked over my head…or a swimming pool, jumping in, submerging my entire body in cold, cold water.”
A Shade of Vampire 42 Page 14