I saw the succubi's faces change, from frowns to smooth stillness, much like the tiger that has just identified its prey. Their skin glowed, and their emerald eyes darkened as they followed Goren around.
The Destroyer looked at no one in particular when he revealed his sharp fangs in a blood-curling grin. His forked tongue slipped out to get a whiff of whatever hid beneath the protective shield.
"You have nowhere to go, little mice!" he cackled.
Serena
A few minutes passed as we all stood there, motionless, watching green fireflies swarm above and Destroyers circle the protective shield, unable to breach it. A thousand scenarios went through my head. I could think of multiple ways in which this could get worse and no ways to get us out of here. We were stuck.
"What do we do, Draven? What options do we have?" I asked, my voice trembling.
"They know there's something here, but they obviously don't know who's inside," Draven muttered, his eyes fixed on Goren, who kept sneering at us, though unable to see us.
"We're trapped in here," Hansa replied. "My passage stone went missing in the attack, but no one can use it unless they know exactly where Draven's stone is. I don't see anyone on their side willing to risk wandering from my stone to who knows where. The same goes for us, if we want to use Draven's stone to leave. Without knowing exactly where we're going, we're risking a full submersion in lava or water or who knows what else. We could pop out in the middle of a swarm of Destroyers. There's only so much we can avoid through what spells we have."
Sverik was paler than the rest of us, downright livid. His greenish eyes were wide, and his lips were nearly purple. His gaze was fixated on Goren. I could see the terror in him, as he unraveled and dropped to his knees, his breath erratic.
"This can't be happening," he gasped. "Out of one cage and stuck in another. This isn't fair."
Bijarki removed himself from Vita's side for a moment, crouched next to Sverik, and patted him gently on the back in an attempt to soothe him in the midst of his full-blown panic attack. "Tell you what, Sverik, look on the bright side. At least the food's much better here," he said.
As my mind raced through possible solutions, I found myself turning to the Daughter, who'd glued herself to Phoenix, her arms around his waist as her violet eyes watched the monsters outside. Fear was imprinted on her every feature, making me doubt whether she'd be able to help. She'd yet to recover her primordial knowledge, all that untapped power lying dormant and potentially deadly to all.
"Do you think you can help us?" I asked her gently.
She looked at me, her lips pursed and tears glazing her eyes. She shook her head. Her gaze darted from the Destroyers to me.
"I don't know. I don't think so." She sighed. "I'm not sure."
"Our predicament is pretty obvious." Draven's voice made me turn my head. "We're stuck here beneath the protective shield. If we go outside, we will most likely die. However, the Destroyers can't get in. Our only chance of getting out is taking a gamble with the passage stone."
"Go wherever it takes us?" Bijarki frowned.
"I don't see any other choice, my friend. We need to reach out for help and start rallying the troops. We can't do anything from here."
"There's a remote incubi outpost on the western coast, five hundred miles from Mount Agrith," Sverik said, standing up. "They've yet to swear fealty to Azazel. They don't want to, either. If they know I'm alive, if I get a chance to speak to them, I can earn their support, and they can help spread the word and rally more rogues."
I looked at Draven, and his sideways glance told me what he was going to say before he said it.
"We'll have to try the passage stone, then."
Our options were limited, most ending in potential, if not certain death. The passage stone had a slightly higher probability of success. But, as Hansa said, there weren't enough spells in our arsenal to protect us from everything that could await us on the other side.
///
None of us knew what we'd be walking into and whether we'd survive. But we had to try. Billions of lives depended on it.
I sucked in a deep breath, closing my eyes and thinking of The Shade. Its moonlit beaches and swaying redwoods. Its regal mountains and glistening lake. The vision of home helped calm my racing mind-a calm I desperately needed. Now, more than ever, I had to stay strong.
I had to do my Novak lineage proud.