“That’s swamp witch magic.” Patrik frowned, then glared at Vincent and Cadmus. “And this wasn’t the first time I’ve seen daemons use it, either. Their invisibility is also a swamp witch spell. We think they used charmed collars to control pit wolves. How did daemons get their claws on this kind of magic?”
“What are pit wolves?” Vincent asked. His expression was blank, as if he’d barely registered what Patrik had just said.
“Wait, hold on.” Hansa raised her hands to slow the conversation down. “Let Fiona finish first, and we’ll get to the swamp witch magic in a second. One issue at a time. Let’s focus.”
They all looked at me, waiting for me to tell the rest of my abduction story.
“Okay, so, long story short, Zane kept me there for a while. He even fed me; he gave me blood. He said he wasn’t sure what he was going to do with me, but, in the end, he decided to bring me back here because you were all spotted by other hunters,” I replied. “He said he’d seen the dragon back at the prison and the only reason he took me in the first place was because, and I quote, I ‘smell delicious’ to daemons and he didn’t want to ‘share’ me with anyone. According to him, I would’ve been taken one way or another. In hindsight, it’s actually better that he took me, since I’m back here now.”
“So, what, he brought you back here because he didn’t want to get on our bad side?” Blaze asked, slightly confused.
“Kind of, yeah.” I shrugged. “Honestly, he wasn’t all that open or willing to talk, so I can’t exactly explain his reasoning. He left me inside a crevice nearby, and I knew how to get to you from there.”
“I guess I should thank him for bringing you back to me.” Vincent smiled, unable to take his eyes off me. The Mara seemed over the moon to see me again. It was heartwarming, to a certain degree.
He’d been nothing but good to me, and he sure knew how to use his charm around me. He still made my heart flutter a little bit, but, given all the questions still lingering around him and the rest of his city, I couldn’t help but put on the brakes and keep a safe emotional distance from the guy.
“Speaking of Fiona and our journey here, what happened with the tracking spell?” Harper asked, pulling her hair up in a ponytail with one of the elastic bands she kept on her wrist. “It stopped for a while, hovering, before it darted over to Fiona.”
“I’m not exactly sure,” Patrik replied. “I’ve never used the spell before Neraka but my guess is that Fiona was still in one location, while the light orb was tracking her and it stopped and hovered for a while as Fiona was probably moving.”
“When the daemon brought me back,” I murmured. “The spell is more accurate when the person it’s tracking is standing still, then.”
“That kind of makes sense,” Harper replied, satisfied with our conclusion.
“And what happened here?” Cadmus asked.
Heron stood, his arm around Avril’s shoulder.
“We were looking for Fiona and came across a daemon convoy,” Hansa said. “We fought invisible ones earlier, but this group was organized. They had armor and weapons. They were pulling four cages with captured Imen. They had giant black beasts, called pit wolves, with red eyes and swamp witch collars. They’re even faster than the daemons and just as vicious. We managed to set the Imen free, and, once they were out of this area, we let Blaze loose. As you can see, there are no survivors.”
“Stating the obvious there,” Cadmus muttered.
“The daemons are much better organized than we originally thought,” Jax replied. “And they’re using swamp magic. How is that possible? I thought the swamp witch only gave you a handful of mild charms along with that interplanetary travel spell.”
Vincent and Cadmus looked at each other, but their expressions were quite different. Vincent was confused, his eyebrows arched and his green eyes wide. Cadmus, on the other hand, was silent and didn’t show any reaction to what we’d just told him. He either knew about the swamp witch magic or he’d been trained to wear that straight face twenty-four seven, just like Caspian. Based on what we’d seen so far, however, it was difficult to tell.
“Cadmus,” Harper said, her voice low, “if you know anything about this, now’s the time to tell us. We’re getting tired of finding things out on our own here, and trust me, if you keep holding out on us, GASP won’t be so kind going forward.”
Cadmus glanced at her, his gaze softening for a second before he resumed the harshness he’d previously displayed.
“The daemons are organized. They don’t just hunt,” Hansa reiterated. “They go out in armored groups, with giant beasts and cages, and capture dozens of Imen at once, to take them to their underground cities. Please, tell us what you know.”
“This is something that you’ll have to take up with the Five Lords,” Cadmus replied, getting back on his horse. “I’m not privy to such information, nor was I aware of what the daemons were doing. I doubt the Lords will know more, but it’s the only suggestion I can make at this point.”
“Are you implying that the Five Lords know about all this?” Jax asked, gesturing around him.
“That’s not what I said.” Cadmus scoffed. “I merely suggested that you take these issues up with them, not with me. I’m but a foot soldier and a servant of the city.”
A minute went by in absolute silence. The Maras were still looking around, while occasionally stealing a glance at Blaze, as if putting a face to the devastation left behind. The sun was going down at this point, and the gorge was cast in dark shadows, while threads of black smoke still reached for the purplish sky.
“Ready to go?” Vincent moved closer to me, his arm snaking around my waist.
I nodded. He smiled, then took the reins of his indigo horse and brought the animal near.
“Vincent, wait,” Harper said, frowning. “There’s something you should know.”
He waited, one hand resting on the stallion’s strong neck. Harper sighed and pulled a couple of folded papers from her back pocket.
“We came across Sienna on our way here,” Harper said.
I blinked several times, as did Vincent. This was news to both of us. A flurry of questions flew through my head, but I kept my focus on Harper and took Vincent’s hand in mine. I had a feeling he might need emotional support of some kind, given that Sienna wasn’t with us now.
“What? Where is she? Is she okay? Isn’t she coming home? Did daemons take her?” Vincent pretty much voiced all my questions in one breath, his brow furrowed.
“Vincent, she wasn’t kidnapped.” Harper let out a sigh, her shoulders dropping. “She ran away. She met one of the daemons prowling on the first level a few months back but told no one about him. According to her, they fell in love and knew that your family would never accept them, and—”
“Wait… Hold on…” Vincent shook his head, unable to process the news. “What do you mean, she met a daemon? Do you mean to tell me she knew what was happening here? She knew that daemons were taking our people and said nothing? You’re lying. That cannot be. My sister would never do such a thing!”
Vincent quickly shifted from befuddlement to anger. Not that I could blame him, given what Harper was telling us about Sienna. To think that she knew, and told no one, was simply horrible.
“She couldn’t tell anyone,” Harper replied. “Tobiah, the daemon she fell in love with, would have been killed by his own people if Sienna revealed their existence. She ran away with him, and they’re temporarily living in the Valley of Screams, hiding from both daemons and Maras. Nobody knows they’re together. Tobiah pretends she’s his game, to keep other fiends at bay. And she’s not coming back to Azure Heights, either. She gave me this for you. I’m sorry, Vincent…”
She gave him the papers, which Vincent unfolded and scanned briefly. His lips parted as he recognized his sister’s handwriting. His fingers trembled while he read her words, clutching the thin sheets and trying to make sense of what Sienna was telling him.
I leaned in to get a good loo
k, but couldn’t read the entire message before he folded the papers again and shoved them into his coat pocket. He straightened his back and regained his composure, putting on a calm face. He gave Harper a nod.
“Thank you,” he muttered. “I will pass this on to my mother.”
We all looked at him for a while without saying anything. What could be said, anyway? His sister had vanished, causing nothing but grief to his family. She’d chosen love over everything else, hiding out here in the Valley of Screams in order to protect herself and the daemon she’d fallen for.
But she had blood on her hands. All the Maras and Imen abducted during the time she’d spent meeting with Tobiah in secret—their deaths were all on her. She could have said something. She could have at least left a note for her brother and mother, before she ran away.
I looked at Vincent and recognized the grief in his eyes. I couldn’t voice my thoughts about her now. He needed time to process it all, to come to terms with his sister’s choices. And we had enough on our plate already.
He tightened his grip on my hand, then gave me a soft glance and guided me to the saddle.
“Let’s go,” he said, his voice hoarse. “The sun is coming down, and we need to get out of here before midnight, when the beasts usually come out. I reckon the first daemons we encountered had caught our scent, for them to have come out during the day. The ones you dealt with afterwards were an exception, given their transport, because they seem to prefer hunting at night… I believe the Druid has to try that protection spell for the city again?”
“Yes, among other things.” Patrik nodded.
Harper let out a sharp whistle that echoed throughout the open space of the gorge. Horses neighed not far from us, and, soon enough, six indigo mounts emerged from the eastern part of the ravine, where the path narrowed again.
I got on Vincent’s horse first, and he climbed behind me. His body felt warm against my back, his thighs gently pushing mine as he took the reins with one hand and rested the other on my hip. It felt nice and safe, and, after the madness I’d experienced over the past sixteen hours or so, I was grateful to be able to lean back and find him there to support me.
Scarlett
(Daughter of Jeramiah & Pippa)
Patrik and I shared an indigo stallion again as we all headed back to Azure Heights. It was somewhere close to five in the evening, and the sky was darkening above, while shadows stretched from every tree, stone, and shrub scattered through the gorge. The wind rustled through the leaves, carrying echoes of screams from several miles away.
More daemons were coming out, tormenting their victims and further consolidating the name of this wretched area. The Valley of Screams held many secrets, but we’d been able to uncover a handful since last night. We knew more now than we had when we left the infirmary.
I was getting a little too comfortable in the saddle, with my back virtually dissolving into Patrik. After the night and day we’d had, however, I decided to not overthink this, and just enjoy the feeling of being so close to him. It soothed me in ways I’d never thought possible. My muscles were relaxed, and my head was incredibly clear, putting the pieces of our entire Nerakian puzzle together in new combinations that made more sense.
His breath tickled my ear, while I gazed ahead, my focus sharp on the several miles left until we reached the eastern plain.
“I want to thank you for everything you did today,” Patrik murmured.
His voice rumbled through me, setting off vibrations in my stomach and tingles along my spine.
“It’s okay,” I replied, my voice barely audible. “It’s my job, after all…”
“That’s true, but you’re incredibly good at it, and I imagine I owe you my life, Scarlett.”
Several seconds passed while I tried to think of a decent response. Funnily enough, the clarity I’d experienced earlier was gone, replaced by the fuzziness that his deep voice generated inside me.
“You showed exceptional critical thinking, as well,” he added, and brought an arm around my waist. He pulled me closer to him, and only then did I realize that I’d been slowly sliding forward a few inches. “The way you handled the pit wolves was, by far, a noteworthy highlight of your performance.”
I’m practically melting… Sheesh…
“You sound a little too stuffy for what we’ve just been through,” I murmured. “Why don’t you just go ahead and say that I royally kicked ass back there? It sounds more… realistic.”
I had to defuse some of the tension building inside me because of his hold on me. I could almost hear the smile in his voice.
“Okay then, Scarlett, you royally kicked ass today,” he replied gently, making me giggle.
I exhaled in an attempt to relax, but all I managed to do was further sink into his body. His heart was thumping against my back. I glanced around, looking for something to talk about—anything that would keep my mind off my position. I needed to resist what I was feeling because Patrik was still in mourning and in no shape or mood to even consider a rookie like me for another relationship.
I caught a glimpse of movement somewhere to my right. I turned my head and saw two bright red eyes. My muscles instantly tensed, my senses flaring. I gripped the handle of my sword. I then saw the full form of what I’d noticed and stilled, holding my breath.
It was the pit wolf I’d accidentally freed earlier, huddled behind a large slab of limestone. It looked wary and curious, its nostrils flaring when its gaze found mine. I straightened my back, but Patrik didn’t let go. Instead, his forearm dug into my stomach as he reaffirmed his hold on me.
“I think it’s best if we leave that creature be,” Patrik whispered in my ear.
I immediately looked up at him, and noticed him watching the pit wolf. He’d seen the beast, too.
“Why? It tried to kill us, do you think it’s wise?” I replied slowly, then glanced at the creature again. I hadn’t had a chance to test my theory regarding the collars on another pit wolf earlier, so I was a bit wary about its presence there. My brow furrowed as I tried to understand what it was doing here. It was perfectly quiet and hidden, just watching us as we moved past it through the gorge.
“I’ve already taken the broken collar with me,” Patrik breathed, careful not to make himself heard by anyone other than me. “I’ll study it back in the city, but, from what I can tell at first glance, it acted as a behavior modifier. I mean, look at the pit wolf now… It looks genuinely harmless and scared. It knows not to charge us; it’s already seen what the dragon can do, and we clearly outnumber it. Its body language speaks of fear.”
I nodded, then looked at the road ahead once more, leaving the pit wolf behind. Patrik had a point, and, if my musings about the collar proved to be true, then I certainly didn’t want the blood of an innocent animal on my hands.
A couple of minutes slipped by, and I felt myself relax again.
“You know, you were pretty darn awesome back there, too,” I said. “I mean… The way you jumped between spells while blocking attacks… The speed with which you cast your magic was truly a sight to behold… I’ve never seen such prowess, not with so many hostiles at once, while dodging attacks from giant pit wolves and avoiding getting stomped by a dragon. I have to say, it takes seriously mad skills to do what you did.”
I held my breath, realizing I’d just droned on about how cool he was. I glanced up and found his gaze settled on my face, warmth exuding from his steely blue eyes. His lips stretched slowly into a self-assured smirk that was both cute and incredibly sensual—though I was pretty sure he wasn’t aiming for the latter.
“Scarlett, are you giving me a compliment?” he said, playfulness twinkling beneath his long black eyelashes.
“I… I guess so, yeah,” I croaked. “Why, is that a problem? Do you function better with negative feedback? Because I can tell you the exact opposite, too. I can express dismay at your two left feet, your inability to coordinate between fire and water spells, or whatever else I can come up with, and
… I should stop talking now.”
I pressed my lips together, once again amazed at how my mouth functioned ahead of my brain. He chuckled, his gaze softening as he studied every feature of my face—from my eyes all the way down to my lips. A little ball of liquid heat got itself stuck in my throat, and I was unable to look away.
“I appreciate both positive and negative critiques.” His smile filled me with sunshine, and it was a feeling I never wanted to let go of. “So please, by all means, if there’s ever something you feel I might be faltering with, do tell me. Your opinion matters to me.”
“Why… Why does it matter?”
“Because you are, by far, one of the brightest creatures I’ve ever come across. It isn’t just your physical speed that stands out, but also the velocity of your mind, the way you process and interpret everything you learn. It’s always a pleasure to watch.”
His forehead smoothed as he shut his mouth. The look on his face suddenly changed, from bright and amused to blank and just too serious for the lighthearted tone of our conversation. He sighed, then peered somewhere in the distance, breaking eye contact and allowing an invisible wall to fall back between us.
It hit me then what had just happened. Patrik had just told me he’d been watching me.
He’d mentioned observing my physical speed and mental processes. All this time I’d thought I’d been invisible to him, and yet he was actually studying me. Analyzing me. Drawing conclusions about my intelligence and athleticism.
He’s been watching me. He’s been listening to me. He’s been forming opinions… thoughts about me…
The idea was completely unexpected. I’d convinced myself that Patrik wasn’t looking my way at all, not even for a basic assessment. And I had a feeling he’d just said more than he’d intended, judging by how quickly he went silent and looked away.
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