Jax took a long sip from his cup, then let out a long, exhausted sigh.
“I don’t know, Caia,” he replied, shaking his head slowly. “They should’ve been here by now, and frankly, I’ve been telling myself ‘any minute now’ for a couple of days… I do know that they would definitely try to come for us if they couldn’t reach us via Telluris. Without a doubt, that I can guarantee you.”
“But they’re not here, so… what now?” I shrugged, crossing my arms over my chest. I lost my appetite, thinking about my parents, my sister, and everyone else who was waiting for us to come back safely. Worst of all, I was beginning to worry that maybe they’d already sent help, and something terrible might have happened along the way. Those were thoughts so terrible that I didn’t want to voice them—voicing them would make them real.
“So, it’s true, then. The asteroid belt is hindering GASP’s access to Neraka,” Fiona said, pouring herself a cup of spiced blood. “It isn’t just stopping us from leaving; it’s doing something to outside forces, too?”
Several moments passed as we let the possibility really sink in. We’d already considered this earlier, but it still didn’t make me feel any better. Nevertheless, it sounded reasonable enough to pass as a valid theory.
“It’s already hindering communications, and it’s keeping the planet hidden from the Daughters,” Hansa mused, absently pushing steamed vegetables around her plate with a fork. “Maybe its effect was amplified over the past couple of days…”
“Disrupting interplanetary spells altogether?” Jax raised an eyebrow. “If that’s true, then anyone who tried to pierce Neraka’s atmosphere could very easily blow up in a ball of flames, too, like what Avril experienced—”
“But out of orbit,” Avril interjected, her eyes wide with fear. “But wouldn’t we have seen something in the sky, if that were the case?”
“Maybe… The interplanetary spell is quite accurate,” Patrik said. “It brought us straight to Azure Heights. The Nerakian samples that Rewa left with Viola are from here, too. So it wouldn’t be a question of an interplanetary spell landing on the wrong side of Neraka, for us not to see at all.”
“What if it’s cutting off magic altogether?” Fiona asked.
“That is possible,” Patrik replied. “We’ll definitely look into the asteroid belt while Jax and his team are out. There must be a way to disrupt its effect. Otherwise it would mean we’re stuck here, with no way for GASP to reach us.”
The idea fell heavily on all our shoulders. My stomach churned, and angst clawed its way up my throat. There was no way I’d be spending my life here. It was absurd, unacceptable, downright horrific.
Blaze’s hand found mine under the table, and gave me a gentle squeeze.
“We’ll find a way out, Caia,” he said, his midnight-blue eyes settled on mine. “Even if I have to fly out there, as high as I can, and blow those things out of the sky…”
“I think that’s physically impossible,” I muttered, though grateful for his attempt to reassure me.
“Don’t underestimate my abilities,” he replied. “We are not staying here forever.”
A couple of minutes went by in grim silence as we all looked at each other. I reached out for my glass of water but stilled as I noticed Vincent and Rewa approaching our table. Blaze didn’t let go of my hand.
“Thank you all for attending the funeral today,” Rewa said, her gaze settling on Blaze. “It meant a lot to me… to us.”
“It was the least we could do, given everything that’s happened,” he replied softly.
“Yes… Well, in light of last night’s event, I understand that you will head back to the gorges this afternoon.” Rewa frowned, and Blaze nodded in response. “I suppose we’ll have to postpone our dinner, then, until you return safely from your mission.”
Even in mourning, Rewa was sweet on Blaze, judging by the faint smile on her face. Had she not just cremated her father, I would’ve been a lot more annoyed, but, given the circumstances, all I could do was stop myself from rolling my eyes. Blaze squeezed my hand again, a secret gesture under the table that made me feel better.
“Thank you for understanding, Rewa,” he replied.
My skin caught fire, not just from his touch but from the meaning of his gesture. Blaze knew how much I disliked Rewa’s advances, and he was quite adamant about making it clear to me that he had no interest in her whatsoever. It made me want to wrap my arms around him and never let him go, but we were still at a funeral luncheon, and Rewa was still standing there, her gaze filled with sadness and longing as she smiled at Blaze.
“Fiona, I understand that you will be staying in the city with the rest of the team,” Vincent said from where he stood next to her chair, his hands behind his back.
“That’s right, we have a lot of work to do in the city, too,” she replied with a nod.
“In that case, I was wondering if you would like to join me for dinner tonight. You’ve been through enough already, and I’d like to do something to lighten things up a little…”
Fiona’s eyes grew wide, and she glanced around the table at us. She noticed my eyebrows rising with surprise, and she definitely registered Heron’s mischievous grin, along with the nudge he got from Avril.
“It would be my pleasure,” Fiona then replied, looking up at Vincent.
“Wonderful.” He beamed at her. “I shall see you here at eight tonight, then. Thank you for accepting my invitation.”
She gave him a soft smile, and he and Rewa excused themselves and returned to their table. Heron couldn’t hold back anymore, chuckling as he poured himself a cup of blood.
“Even with a dead Lord and his sister gone to live with a daemon, Vincent does not stop pursuing you, Fi,” Heron said. “The dude has the absolute hots for you!”
“I think it’s your mouth that’ll get you killed someday,” Avril shot back, slapping him over the shoulder. He kept laughing, though, enough to infect us all and put smiles on our faces—even Avril’s.
“Well, to be honest, I’m not interested in him, not like that, anyway,” Fiona replied, staring at the blood in her cup. “But I do feel sorry for him, especially after what happened with Sienna. It’s like… I just don’t want to let him down. He’s been through enough as it is.”
“That’s cute. He just said the same about you.” Hansa smirked. “Do as you please, Fiona, but just be careful and stay safe at all times.”
Fiona leaned into her chair and breathed out, her shoulders dropping slowly.
“I will. It’s just dinner,” she huffed.
I did understand where she was coming from. Based on what we’d seen so far, Vincent liked her a lot, but he was also a gentleman who tried to do right by everyone. He’d been in the gorges with us, he’d seen the dangers we faced, and he’d later seen the real damage that the daemons could do to his people, far beyond the abductions.
But he couldn’t deny the fact that he liked Fiona. It was so endearingly obvious by the way he longingly gazed at her whenever he was around. Even now, as he resumed his seat at the Lords’ table, Vincent glanced over his shoulder and across the hall, just to get a glimpse of Fiona.
Blaze’s hand was still clutching mine, I realized. I turned my head and found him quietly studying me. There was a look in his eyes that I couldn’t quite comprehend, but it made my spine tingle and my temperature rise by a few degrees.
We were going back to the Valley of Screams. And I was determined to make sure that we all came back in one piece and with crucial information about our enemies. I dreaded the thought of going underground after the daemons, but, at the same time, I found comfort in the fact that Blaze was coming with us.
You don’t bring a lighter into daemon city. You bring a dragon.
Avril
(Daughter of Lucas & Marion)
After the funeral luncheon, we gathered back outside the infirmary, which had basically become our little HQ. Harper, Jax, Hansa, Blaze, and Caia stopped by the Broken Bow Inn first,
to gear up and pack some additional supplies.
Caspian soon joined us, his servants bringing down indigo horses. Jax then handed Patrik a small box with various objects belonging to the group.
“We estimate at least a day and a half for this, “Jax said. “To find a daemon and make our way into a daemon city. If we’re not back by midnight tomorrow, use the items in this box for a tracking spell to find us.”
“We’ll do that.” Patrik nodded firmly. “Scarlett and I will check the city’s library in full, top to bottom, to get as much information as possible on the asteroid belt.”
“And Fiona, Heron, and I will look for Cynara and her sister,” I said. “Hopefully we’ll be able to shed some light on the treatment of Imen in this city, at least until we see Arrah again and she gives us the whole scoop.”
“We’d also like your permission to use some of the invisibility spell ingredients for another prison inspection,” Heron added, looking at Jax. “I don’t think we’re done with that place just yet.”
Jax thought about it for a few seconds, then nodded.
“Do whatever you think will help this investigation, Heron,” he replied, “but make sure you prioritize. We’ll bring back some invisibility spell samples from the daemons, for Patrik to break down into ingredients, so we can replenish our own supply.”
“It dawned on me, by the way, why the daemons’ invisibility spell is different, in that you catch a glimpse of the air rippling and the red eyes… plus the water issue,” Patrik interjected, “and I’ve given it some thought. It makes sense. The original invisibility spell uses specific ingredients, some of which I don’t think exist on Neraka, though I’ll check their biology books, just in case. So, they must have found local ingredients to use, which change the behavior of the spell altogether.”
It sank in then. Patrik had a point. The daemons had taken a swamp witch spell and had adapted it to their environment. The same must have happened with the other charms in their possession.
“They’re devious bastards, aren’t they?” I frowned and shook my head slowly, my loathing of their entire species burning at the back of my throat.
“It makes sense,” Jax agreed. “Then we’ll definitely bring back samples.”
We bid our farewells and watched as Jax, Hansa, Caspian, Harper, Blaze, and Caia got on their indigo horses and left for the gorges. They darted down the main road and became small black dots crossing the two-mile plain separating the mountain from the Valley of Screams.
“Okay, we’ll head to the library next,” Scarlett said as Patrik moved closer to her.
“And we’ll go up to the South Bend Inn to find Cynara and Hera.” I nodded. “Surely they’ll have something interesting to tell us.”
“Let’s meet back here at midnight tonight,” Patrik replied.
We had half an afternoon and an entire evening left to cover as much ground as possible. Heron, Fiona, and I had agreed to use up some of the invisibility spell supply for the prison, just to get a better look at the prisoners. It was odd that they’d all been mind-bent, and we needed to ascertain the extent of their mental manipulation.
But first, we needed to check in on Cynara. The first night we met, just after our arrival, Cynara had acted strangely toward us. There was a fear in her eyes, an uneasiness that didn’t make sense. Hera’s explanation about losing family members in the abduction didn’t make me less suspicious, and Heron and Fiona weren’t buying it, either.
Even with the attack, the funeral, and the grief that had stricken the city, I’d yet to lose my doubts about the Maras’ treatment of Imen. Whether it was something innocent or downright nefarious, we needed to know.
Diplomacy or not, if the Imen were being abused in any way, on top of what was already happening with the daemons, I was going to raise hell in Azure Heights.
Avril
(Daughter of Lucas & Marion)
Heron used his mind-bending to persuade the Iman girl in charge of the South Bend Inn’s reception to tell us which room Cynara and Hera were in. We knocked on the door and were greeted by a baffled Cynara, her eyes puffy and tears still drying on her rosy cheeks.
“Hi, Cynara, I’m not sure you remember us,” I said, smiling gently. “I’m Avril, and this is Heron and Fiona.”
“Yes, I… I remember,” Cynara murmured. She frowned and avoided looking at us directly. I caught a glimpse of her sister behind her. “You were the Lords’ guests for dinner at the Broken Bow Inn.”
“And you’re here to help us,” Hera interjected, joining her sister’s side.
“That’s right,” I replied. “We’re trying to prevent last night from happening again, among other things. We’re all so sorry for your losses…”
Hera pushed the door open with a brief nod, but Cynara didn’t look happy about it. Somehow, the roles had changed. Last time, Hera had been the secretive one, protecting her sister and removing her from the situation. In all fairness, the Lords were watching during that dinner.
“Come in,” Hera said, and cleared the way for us. Cynara kept herself behind Hera, a concerned expression pulling her eyebrows closer.
We went inside, and Hera closed the door and locked it.
A couple of minutes went by in silence. I looked at Heron. He gave me a confident wink—he wanted to take control of the conversation. Hera and Cynara stayed close to each other, keeping some distance from us.
“We were wondering if you could tell us more about the Imen people,” Heron started, while Fiona and I glanced around the room.
There wasn’t much there that belonged to the girls. They’d probably lost everything in the attack. I noticed clothes on a chair and some toiletries on a dresser, but other than that, the room carried the neutral aspect of a guesthouse.
“What would you like to know?” Hera replied.
“How many Imen live outside the city?” Heron asked, his hands behind his back as he assumed a non-threatening posture. I figured he didn’t want to try mind-bending and was looking to see how much they could tell us on their own.
“To be honest, we’re not very sure.” Hera shrugged, while Cynara pulled a chair from the side and took a seat next to her. She seemed worn out, the sadness in her eyes rubbing off on me. “Our people separated thousands of years ago. We haven’t really stayed in touch with the Imen beyond the Valley of Screams.”
“Are there any records of them? The library didn’t have anything,” Heron said.
Hera and Cynara looked at each other, slightly surprised.
“Well, some of the elder Imen in the city keep archives, but nobody knows about them, especially not the Maras.” Hera nodded. “It’s a secret. Only a handful of us are aware, for that matter.”
“You managed to keep it a secret from the Maras? Why is that?” I asked.
“I… I don’t know exactly,” Hera replied. “I just know we have to keep it from them.”
Heron then looked at me, his lips pressed into a thin line.
“They’ve been mind-bent,” he said. “But the Maras never got to clear their memories about the Imen’s archives, because they had no knowledge of them existing in the first place. Call it a loophole.”
“I do have gaps in my memory.” Hera sighed, resting a hand on her sister’s shoulder. Cynara’s eyes were getting droopy—yet another sign of emotional and physical exhaustion. “There are things I don’t remember, but I should. And there are things I know happened, but don’t have a single image in my head to match them to. It’s like I know of certain events… but I can’t actually remember them. Is that also mind-bending?”
“It is.” Heron nodded. “And it confirms what I’ve suspected since we first got here. The Maras have been systematically wiping your memories, replacing ideas and facts in your heads… to fit a specific narrative, I suppose.”
“But why would they do that?” Hera shrugged. “We’ve been staying here voluntarily, living and working with them. Why would they mind-bend us?”
A moment passed as we
thought about possible reasons. Fiona moved farther to the back, leaning against the window frame and crossing her arms over her chest.
“Are you sure you’ve stayed here voluntarily?” she asked, looking at Hera and Cynara. “What do you remember about it?”
“Just what we’ve always been taught,” Hera replied. “From the day we were born, we’ve been told that the Imen and Exiled Maras live in peace. We coexist and support each other, and Azure Heights is our home.”
“Do you remember your parents telling you that, specifically?” Heron narrowed his eyes, carefully analyzing the Imen girls’ expressions. They stared blankly ahead, then at each other as the unpleasant truth set in.
“No…” Cynara breathed, then gave us a frightened look. “Does… Does this mean they’ve mind-bent us into believing that?”
“Most likely, yes.” Heron sighed. “But I suggest you put that thought away for the time being, at least until we figure out what’s going on here. It isn’t safe for you to question anything that the Maras tell you at this point.”
The girls lowered their heads, their hands resting in their laps. They seemed genuinely distraught, and I couldn’t really blame them for feeling that way. After all, their whole lives could very well be blatant lies, and they had no control over their own minds. Their memories were incomplete, and some, if not most, weren’t even theirs to begin with.
“I don’t know how we can do that.” Hera shuddered. “I’m mad… I am so angry right now… I feel so helpless.”
“And the Maras… They seem to know everything,” Cynara added. “I don’t think we can pretend.”
“What if I mind-bend you into forgetting we were ever here tonight?” Heron offered, and both Fiona and I frowned at him.
“Have they not been through enough of that?” Fiona replied.
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