A Ride of Peril(43)

I was a few hours away from my previous location, as the sunset was still vividly pink and orange in the west, casting its warm light on the wax leaves and dusty road. I looked around, unable to figure out which way I was supposed to go next. All I could see was the straight road, flanked by dark woods.

I heard noises behind me. I turned and watched three figures emerge from the horizon. I stood and waited as they got closer. The sound of hooves and horses neighing reached me first. Before I could think, three gorgeous white stallions galloped past me, their long red manes fluttering in the wind.

My brother, Anjani, and Bijarki were riding them, their expressions grave. Their hands clutched the reins and their crossbows as they darted forward down the road. Thick rolls of dust were raised behind them. I sighed, aware that I was unable to keep up with that speed, even with my inner-wolf. Those horses were faster than any other creature I'd ever seen.


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I heard whispers, swishing and crackling through the jungle on both sides of the road. I looked around and saw shadows moving swiftly through the trees. Several of them stopped, hissed, and moved even faster.

I focused and looked deeper into the woods fearing I'd see a pack of shape-shifters or worse, Destroyers. I caught a glimpse of the creatures. They were females, beautiful and athletic, jumping over the thick, gnarly roots as they gradually closed the distance between themselves and my brother's group.

Bright green and yellow scales adorned their arms, backs, and shoulders. Their eyes were the color of lemons with slim black pupils, and their forked tongues occasionally flicked, sniffing the air. Based on what I'd recognized at that point, those were Lamias.

But I couldn't say the same for all the shadows I'd seen running through the jungle after Jovi, Anjani, and Bijarki. Some were incubi, clad in camouflage uniforms, knives held between their teeth as they ran ahead of the Lamias.

My heart jumped at the thought of hostiles going after my brother. There were too many of them, and they were getting closer with each minute.

I ran, but darkness engulfed me, and I lost contact with the vision. I cursed as I sat up and found myself sitting in the attic, awake and unable to help Jovi.





Serena





We mounted our satchels on our backs, strapping them over our shoulders and around our waists for the sake of mobility. With the invisibility spell completed, we were ready to go. The magic formula itself was a rather interesting shimmering gray paste-not something I would have instinctively ingested, since it looked more like makeup than an edible substance.

The Dearghs stood around us, watching quietly as Draven passed the bowl around, and we each shoved a handful of the paste into our mouths, washing it down with water. It tasted horrible.

We waited patiently on the edge of the clearing at the base of Mount Zur, as nightfall glazed everything in shades of black and indigo.

Draven pulled out the Daughter's notes and recited the spell.

"In darkness and light, we will not be seen. Shapeless creatures we shall become, foreign to the eyes of anything that moves. Between leaves and against stones, through water and dirt, we shall be like air. Unseen, obscured, concealed. We shall be cloaked in light, reflecting light, exuding light."

A few minutes passed as we looked at each other, waiting for the invisibility spell to kick in. By then, we'd already learned that the swamp witches' magic took a little bit longer than Draven's potions to take effect, triggered only by their specific chemical reactions and words.

"Stay in the shadows, even if you cannot be seen." Inon continued to give us little snippets of wisdom, ever the gentle giant that he was. "Follow the moon. Make sure it's always in the middle of the sky for you to find Azazel's castle." 

I felt a familiar heat spread through me as Draven's hand took mine, gently squeezing it and sending me wave upon wave of his golden energy. I took it all in, even though I didn't really need to syphon off him right then. I looked at him, and he gave me a brief smile before letting go, his eyes saying more than his words.

"We'll have to run fast in order to reach the dungeons before sunrise. You need all the energy you can fit in your body right now," he said.

"Thank you." I nodded and stilled.

I watched as his skin began to glimmer slightly, as if diamond dust was suddenly seeping out of each pore. His eyes grew wide, and Hansa gasped as we looked at each other, watching ourselves slowly fade out and disappear as the spell took effect.

"Good to know it's actually working," I heard Draven say in front of me.