"Stay strong, Serena," Draven whispered in my ear. "It will only get worse from here. There'll be more of them as we get closer to Azazel's castle."
"Well, that's reassuring," I replied and kept moving, this time pulling him after me.
We kept walking with the moon guiding us.
Soon enough, a swarm of green fireflies buzzed above us, flying chaotically. I stopped to look at them, fascinated by their appearance. They looked like little green sparks against the black night sky.
"They're so pretty," I gasped, mesmerized by the visual effect.
They resembled liquid drops of fire levitating above the dark forest.
"Don't talk," Draven whispered again. "They're not of nature's making."
I didn't move, my words stuck in my throat.
Instead, I continued to watch as they moved through the air, swarming after the Destroyers we'd seen earlier. When we saw the last of them disappear beyond the trees behind us, I was finally able to breathe again. I let a sigh roll out of my chest and leaned against Draven.
"What are they, then?" I asked.
"One of Azazel's most powerful and most dangerous spells," he explained. "They're spies. Tiny little flickers of green fire, Azazel's eyes and ears around these parts of Eritopia. He sees and hears everything through them in real time."
"The closer we get to his castle, the more of these we'll find," Hansa added.
I looked ahead, and the realization crashed into me like a wave of cold water. A few dozen feet ahead, beneath the big white moon, constantly surveyed by swarms of Destroyers and green fireflies, was Azazel's castle.
///
The castle rose quietly over the jungle, its black marble towers stabbing the sky, challenging the stars above. Green fires burned on its walls and above its windows. The thick forest unraveled below, black and quiet and filled with nothing but danger and death.
I tightened my grip on Draven's hand and felt gloom settle in the pit of my stomach.
Soon enough, we'd be sneaking into the monster's lair.
Jovi
The jungle opened up as we made our way to the River Pyros. The road widened, and the woods scattered, leaving room for several square miles of smooth plains with tall red grass and the occasional orchard patch.
Our horses were indeed strong, darting like bullets, their hooves barely touching the ground. Evening was settling in, giving the sky a dizzying array of reds, oranges, and pinks as the sun disappeared beyond the western woods.
"The river is just a couple of miles ahead," Anjani said, clutching her crossbow.
The tension made the air around us solid. We knew we were being followed-we'd heard the hissing and the sound of footsteps and branches breaking in the jungle around us. My hand was sweaty as it held the crossbow against my right forearm.
"The open space might make us or break us," Bijarki added, looking over his shoulder.
I noticed his eyes grow wide and shifted my gaze to see what he was looking at. There were creatures running through the tall grass to our right, incubi wearing dark red and green uniforms, resembling military camouflage patterns. I looked over to my left and noticed the same-more incubi sprinting toward us with knife blades in their teeth.
"Get your weapons ready," Bijarki shouted and pointed his crossbow at one of the incubi.
One by one they emerged from the tall grass, keeping up with our horses. I heard a hiss and the swish of an arrow behind me. I looked over my shoulder and saw Anjani reloading her crossbow. An incubus had fallen back, writhing in pain on the ground.
There were eleven of them left and three of us.
I shot an arrow and caught one right in the chest. He collapsed, foaming at the mouth, his arms and legs twitching.
"We're simply defending ourselves, brothers. Stop attacking us. We mean no harm!" Bijarki barked at the soldiers.
One of them got close enough to try and slash Bijarki's horse with his sword.
"You're worth a lot of money, you traitor!" the incubus hissed.
Anjani's arrow shot him in the back of his neck, the tip protruding out of his throat, glazed in silver blood. He fell flat on his face, lifeless.
Nine left.
"I think there's a ransom on your head," Anjani said to Bijarki as we all kicked our heels, persuading our horses to go a little faster.
Unfortunately, the incubi were just as unnaturally fast. Two of them brought out their long-distance bows. Anjani and I quickly reloaded our crossbows and killed them just as they shot their arrows, missing both of us by a couple of inches. My instincts kicked in, and my inner-wolf growled, eager to tear them all apart.