A Shade of Vampire 43: A House of Mysteries(38)

I exchanged a glance with Field at the mention of the word harpy, who was still looking just as confused as I felt. “So that egg is hidden somewhere in this house, and you’re protecting it?” I asked. “And the Daughters—they’re like some kind of bird creatures?”

“It is not of relevance to you where the egg is,” he replied, frowning. “And they do not resemble birds, but I can assure you they have the temperament of a harpy.”

I felt snubbed at his dismissal of my first question, but continued questioning, “Why do you say ‘last’ Daughter? Why wouldn’t there be more?”

“Again like harpies, their birth is unconventional—and something of a mystery. The legend goes that all the Daughters in existence today were from a single batch of eggs left on a mountain in a distant Eritopian star, many many dawns ago… Nobody I’ve ever come across knows what kind of creature laid the eggs, and apparently, neither do the Daughters themselves. There was a single egg that remained unhatched, however, and that is what the Daughters wish to protect in these turbulent times—they consider it… highly valuable, and the Daughters would not want Azazel getting a hold of it, in case he wished to use it for some kind of power play.”

I stared, dumbstruck, beginning to understand why Draven was slowly drip-feeding us information about Eritopia and the In-Between … this place and its inhabitants truly were another world away from what GASP was used to dealing with. We were in utterly unchartered waters.

“Why would the Daughters ask you to protect one of their own?” Phoenix asked, composing himself more quickly than the rest of us. “Aren’t they all-powerful or something?”

The Druid shook his head.

“Even they feared Azazel—they worried they would be unable to guard her themselves, since they are usually preoccupied with… other matters. They feared that if he knew about her, he would come hunting relentlessly, and nothing would stop him until he had her. They needed one safe, stable place to store the egg.”

“But that’s putting you in a risky situation,” I said, finding my voice again. “Considering you were trying to protect the Oracles, I would have thought that alone would be enough to provide security for this place, regardless of whether or not the egg was here?”

“In truth, the Daughters help no one,” Draven replied. “They do not get embroiled in taking sides, and live to guard the region as a whole. In short, they would not have given me this safe haven had they not wished to protect something of their own.”

I nodded, slowly grasping the concept, but now worried that we were supposed to go and ask them for help. From the expression on his face, the Druid seemed to be thinking along the same lines as he turned to Vita, asking her more questions about her vision.

“Did anything strike you as strange… different from your last vision?” he asked.

“It was clearer, I suppose,” Vita replied, wrinkling her nose as she tried to recall it. “And at some point, everything went in slow motion, and the Oracle stepped out from the weird glass that she was encased in—like a ghost. That was different.”

Draven nodded, listening to Vita carefully.

“What are you thinking?” I asked.

“I’m not entirely sure yet,” he replied. “But I’m hoping this isn’t a trick of Azazel’s. That he’s managed to manipulate your vision. It just seems so strange that the Oracle would ask us to go to the Daughters for help.”

“Azazel can manipulate our visions?” Aida burst out, jumping to her feet as if she was readying herself for an imminent attack.

“He has done it before,” he replied quietly.

“When?” I demanded.

Draven shook his head, and I huffed in frustration. Another vital question going unanswered.

“It makes no difference right now,” he snapped. “You’re new to visions. Even a lifelong Oracle wouldn’t be able to tell if he had managed to worm his way into her mind. Just leave it for now, Serena.”

I stayed silent, angry, but also realizing that the subject had hit a nerve.

“Draven, please,” Vita announced. “We need to see the Daughters. I believe the Nevertide Oracle—and if you’d been there, you would too. You’re in danger. We all are.”





Aida





After everyone had calmed down, and both Phoenix and Serena had recovered from Phoenix syphoning more of the herbal incense than he should have, we disbanded. Vita and Serena returned inside the house with the Druid and Bijarki, trying to persuade them to visit the Daughters, while the rest of the boys went back upstairs to shower and grab some sleep.