ASHADEOFVAMPIRE67:ADOME
OFBLOOD
BELLAFORREST
C ON T E N T S
Also by Bella Forrest
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New Generation List
Family tree
1. Derek
2. Harper
3. Rose
4. Elonora
5. Ben
6. Rose
7. Sofia
8. Kailani
9. Hunter
10. Amane
11. Nathaniel
12. Rose
13. Elonora
14. Ridan
15. Amane
16. Herakles
17. Elonora
18. Kailani
19. Douma
20. Amane
21. Herakles
22. Elonora
23. Derek
24. Elonora
25. Elonora
26. Hunter
27. Kailani
28. Nathaniel
29. Harper
30. Kailani
31. Elonora
A L S O B Y B E L L A F O R R E S T
HARLEY MERLIN
(New fantasy/romance/supernatural series!)
Harley Merlin and the Secret Coven (Book 1)
Harley Merlin and the Mystery Twins (Book 2)
Harley Merlin and the Stolen Magicals (Book 3)
Harley Merlin and the First Ritual (Book 4) (Releasing November 30th, 2018)
HOTBLOODS
(Supernatural romance. Completed series.)
Hotbloods (Book 1)
Coldbloods (Book 2)
Renegades (Book 3)
Venturers (Book 4)
Traitors (Book 5)
Allies (Book 6)
Invaders (Book 7)
Stargazers (Book 8)
THE CHILD THIEF
(Action-adventure/romance.)
The Child Thief (Book 1)
Deep Shadows (Book 2)
Thin Lines (Book 3)
Little Lies (Book 4)
Ghost Towns (Book 5)
THE GENDER GAME
(Action-adventure/romance. Completed series.)
The Gender Game (Book 1)
The Gender Secret (Book 2)
The Gender Lie (Book 3)
The Gender War (Book 4)
The Gender Fall (Book 5)
The Gender Plan (Book 6)
The Gender End (Book 7)
THE GIRL WHO DARED TO THINK
(Action-adventure/romance. Completed series.)
The Girl Who Dared to Think (Book 1)
The Girl Who Dared to Stand (Book 2)
The Girl Who Dared to Descend (Book 3)
The Girl Who Dared to Rise (Book 4)
The Girl Who Dared to Lead (Book 5)
The Girl Who Dared to Endure (Book 6)
The Girl Who Dared to Fight (Book 7)
A SHADE OF VAMPIRE SERIES
(Supernatural romance)
Series 1: Derek & Sofia’s story
A Shade of Vampire (Book 1)
A Shade of Blood (Book 2)
A Castle of Sand (Book 3)
A Shadow of Light (Book 4)
A Blaze of Sun (Book 5)
A Gate of Night (Book 6)
A Break of Day (Book 7)
Series 2: Rose & Caleb’s story
A Shade of Novak (Book 8)
A Bond of Blood (Book 9)
A Spell of Time (Book 10)
A Chase of Prey (Book 11)
A Shade of Doubt (Book 12)
A Turn of Tides (Book 13)
A Dawn of Strength (Book 14)
A Fall of Secrets (Book 15)
An End of Night (Book 16)
Series 3: The Shade continues with a new hero…
A Wind of Change (Book 17)
A Trail of Echoes (Book 18)
A Soldier of Shadows (Book 19)
A Hero of Realms (Book 20)
A Vial of Life (Book 21)
A Fork of Paths (Book 22)
A Flight of Souls (Book 23)
A Bridge of Stars (Book 24)
Series 4: A Clan of Novaks
A Clan of Novaks (Book 25)
A World of New (Book 26)
A Web of Lies (Book 27)
A Touch of Truth (Book 28)
An Hour of Need (Book 29)
A Game of Risk (Book 30)
A Twist of Fates (Book 31)
A Day of Glory (Book 32)
Series 5: A Dawn of Guardians
A Dawn of Guardians (Book 33)
A Sword of Chance (Book 34)
A Race of Trials (Book 35)
A King of Shadow (Book 36)
An Empire of Stones (Book 37)
A Power of Old (Book 38)
A Rip of Realms (Book 39)
A Throne of Fire (Book 40)
A Tide of War (Book 41)
Series 6: A Gift of Three
A Gift of Three (Book 42)
A House of Mysteries (Book 43)
A Tangle of Hearts (Book 44)
A Meet of Tribes (Book 45)
A Ride of Peril (Book 46)
A Passage of Threats (Book 47)
A Tip of Balance (Book 48)
A Shield of Glass (Book 49)
A Clash of Storms (Book 50)
Series 7: A Call of Vampires
A Call of Vampires (Book 51)
A Valley of Darkness (Book 52)
A Hunt of Fiends (Book 53)
A Den of Tricks (Book 54)
A City of Lies (Book 55)
A League of Exiles (Book 56)
A Charge of Allies (Book 57)
A Snare of Vengeance (Book 58)
A Battle of Souls (Book 59)
Series 8: A Voyage of Founders
A Voyage of Founders (Book 60)
A Land of Perfects (Book 61)
A Citadel of Captives (Book 62)
A Jungle of Rogues (Book 63)
A Camp of Savages (Book 64)
A Plague of Deceit (Book 65)
An Edge of Malice (Book 66)
A Dome of Blood (Book 67)
A Purge of Nature (Book 68)
A SHADE OF DRAGON TRILOGY
A Shade of Dragon 1
A Shade of Dragon 2
A Shade of Dragon 3
A SHADE OF KIEV TRILOGY
A Shade of Kiev 1
A Shade of Kiev 2
A Shade of Kiev 3
THE SECRET OF SPELLSHADOW MANOR
(Supernatural/Magic YA. Completed series)
The Secret of Spellshadow Manor (Book 1)
The Breaker (Book 2)
The Chain (Book 3)
The Keep (Book 4)
The Test (Book 5)
The Spell (Book 6)
BEAUTIFUL MONSTER DUOLOGY
(Supernatural romance)
Beautiful Monster 1
Beautiful Monster 2
DETECTIVE ERIN BOND
(Adult thriller/mystery)
Lights, Camera, GONE
Write, Edit, KILL
For an updated list of Bella’s books, please visit her website: www.bellaforrest.net
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Copyright © 2018 by Bella Forrest
Cover design inspired by Sarah Hansen, Okay Creations LLC
All rights reserved.
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N E W G E N E R A T I O N L I S T
Dmitri (son of Victoria and Bastien – half human and half
werewolf)
Elonora “Lenny” (daughter of Ash and Ruby – vampire-
sentry)
Varga (son of Ash and Ruby – vampire-sentry)
Kailani “Kale” (daughter of Brock and Arwen /
granddaughter of Corrine and Ibrahim – witch)
Hunter (Sofia’s adoptive brother / adopted son of Aiden
and Kailyn – werewolf)
Vesta (daughter of Idris and Rayna – water fae)
E
D E R E K
verything was going from bad to maybe better, then
horribly worse.
Ta’Zan had Sofia in a glass box, in his private quarters, while
the rest of us were stuck in the diamond dome. He was going
ahead with the creation of his new line of Arch-Perfects, with
rebuilding the starships and comms blocker towers that our
outside crew had destroyed, and with his plan to raise his armies
and turn them against the universe.
Yes, he was delusional in his genetics obsession, but he had
the power and the resources to force it down our throats. He
would be able to take his Perfects out into the vast cosmos and
conquer the In-Between, one planet at a time. We were the only
ones who could stop him before he took flight—not because we
were superior to his winged warriors. We weren’t. But because
we were here, and we could do something about it, or die trying.
But the stakes had reached a new high. Our outside crew, led
by my children, Ben and Rose, had succeeded in stealing devil-
vipers from the colosseum’s animal sanctuary, as well as
kidnapping Amal. Without his prime scientist, Ta’Zan was
seething and bordering on brutally vicious.
He had Cassiel drag Floren Pyris, a fire fae lieutenant, out of
our group, and executed him right in front of us. It was his
ultimatum: either the outside crew surrendered, or he’d
continue to kill one of us every twelve hours. That wasn’t even
the worst part. The next prisoner on his kill list was my wife.
Pain spread through my stomach, like red-hot knives cutting
through my entrails, as I tried to think clearly and come up with
some kind of strategy to stop Ta’Zan from killing Sofia and more
of our people. Rose and Ben’s crew couldn’t surrender—it would
mean the end of our effort to stop him. Abandoning the In-
Between and letting it fall under Ta’Zan’s bloody rule was not an
option. Billions of lives were at stake.
Rose assured me that they had this under control, but she
didn’t immediately give me details. She’d said she needed to
confer with the rest of her crew. They weren’t going to let twelve
hours pass without something to at least stall Ta’Zan from going
ahead with his next execution. My heart was twisted and tiny
and in permanent agony, separated from Sofia and worried sick
about her, about the outcome of all this. I couldn’t even imagine
a world without her. None of us could.
The founders and I sat in a circle, unable to formulate a
coherent thought for the better part of an hour. Nothing we said
had any value in the absence of details regarding Ben and Rose’s
plan to stop Ta’Zan from killing Sofia. The angst was almost
palpable.
“Have you heard from Rose yet?” Lucas asked, pointing at my
earpiece.
I shook my head. “I’m sure I will, the moment they have a
clear and detailed plan,” I answered. “I’m on the edge of my
seat, though.”
“Tell me about it,” Aiden said, a muscle twitching nervously
in his jaw. “If anything happens to Sofia, I swear I’ll—”
“We won’t let anything happen,” I said, cutting him off.
His collar was probably hot already. We couldn’t talk much
about fighting the Perfects and Ta’Zan, since the shock collars
were wired to react to our brainwaves. They were able to
interpret what we said and what we intended to do—which was
why they released an electric shock whenever we tried to attack
Ta’Zan or one of his underlings. We’d been testing their limits,
but this wasn’t the time to get ourselves zapped.
“I’m not liking this silence. It reeks of doom,” Corrine said,
her concern for Kailani more than obvious.
“Let’s wait for the kids to get back to us, Corrine,” I replied.
“We may be helpless in here, but I know they won’t let anything
happen to Sofia.”
“So, then, what? They surrender?” Claudia shot back, equally
shaken. She had a lot to lose here, since Elonora and Varga were
both in that group, and we’d already gone to great lengths to get
Varga out of the prisoner dome, in the first place.
I shrugged. “I’m not sure. All I can say is that I trust Ben and
Rose to come up with something smart. We’ve come too far to
let Ta’Zan win this.”
“I get that, but what about our kids?” Aiden sighed. “Hunter
is out there… If he and the others end up in here, it’s all over. If
they don’t surrender, Sofia dies. If this isn’t that space between
a rock and a hard place, I don’t know what is.”
We had everything to lose if Rose and Ben’s crew
surrendered. If they didn’t, my wife, their mother, was going to
die. How the hell are we getting ourselves out of this one?
“If Kailani gets captured, Ta’Zan will want access to all that
raw, untapped power of hers,” Ibrahim muttered, his brow
furrowed. “And I’m talking about the Word here. About her
swamp witch skills. They may be learned and not genetic, but he
won’t care. Ta’Zan will dissect her like a frog and turn her inside
out if he has to. He’ll do whatever it takes until he somehow gets
what he wants out of her or he kills her.”
“Don’t even say it out loud!” Corrine snapped, running her
hands through her messy curls. “I can’t… No, I can’t even
imagine what that’ll be like. She can’t come here.”
“If I know Ta’Zan well enough, I’d bank on him threatening
Kailani to kill Corrine or Ibrahim, or anyone else he knows she’s
close to,” I said. “He’ll try every other avenue before proceeding
to… you know.”
Corrine exhaled sharply, her eyes tightly shut for a moment.
“Think about Lumi, too,” Vivienne said. “Thanks to Cassiel,
Ta’Zan surely knows about her, about Taeral—”
“Oh, crap, Bogdana as well,” Xavier murmured, his eyes wide.
He understood the damage that a surrender could do. “Jeez.”
“Well, at least he doesn’t know that Bogdana is his surrogate
mother,” Cameron answered, raising an eyebrow. “I doubt the
crew will come out all at once, anyway.”
It was my turn to frown. “What do you mean?”
Cameron and Liana exchanged glances, then smiled at me.
“You know Ben and Rose are way too sharp to simply succumb to
Ta’Zan’s request. I mean, come on… Rose didn’t tell you she’s
got this covered simply to console you, Derek. She’s a lot like
you, remember?”
I couldn’t help but chuckle lightly. “You have a point there.”
“If they do opt for a surrender, it’ll be controlled, and with an
endgame,” Cameron added. “They won’t all come out at once.
We’ll probably see Rose and Ben’s crew first. They’ll maybe
claim the others are gone. They won’t drag their allies into it,
and Ta’Zan won’t be able to go back on his word. He said he
wants the outsiders, not all the rebels. They’ll hold him to it,
and, if he cheats, it won’t look good for him in front of his
Perfects.”
Xavier gasped. “And if they do go down this route, it’ll be up
to the rogue Faulties, the Draenir, and the handful of Perfects
they’ve got on their side to save the day.”
“Dammit. We should’ve just gone to Hawaii for a holiday,”
Kailyn mumbled, rolling her eyes. “This isn’t the way I wanted to
spend my ‘founders’ break,’ you know.”
The shadow of a smile flickered across Yuri’s face.
“What’s up, Yuri?” I asked.
“I’m thinking about Lenny and Varga. They’ve got a serious
bone to pick with Ta’Zan. They’d rather die than let him win. I
know I shouldn’t be smiling about it, but I’ve got to give Ruby
and Ash credit where it’s due. They’ve raised two phenomenal
warriors.”
Aiden groaned, pressing his index fingers against his
throbbing temples. “You know what the worst part is? I know
Sofia. She wouldn’t want them to surrender. She’d also rather
die than let Ta’Zan beat us.”
My breath was cut short for a moment. Aiden was right. Sofia
would gladly die, if it meant that the rest of us got to live and
fight another day.
“One thing is for sure right now, and I think Sofia would
agree, too, if she were here with us,” I said, exhaling deeply. “We
cannot lose hope. We can’t let this bastard dictate any more
terms. We’ve crippled his space fleet. We’ve taken down his
comms blockers. We’ve turned some of his own people against
him. We can do more, even if we’re stuck in here.”
“Derek is right,” Marion replied, gently squeezing Lucas’s
hand. “Even with these stupid collars on, we can do something.
After all, we started a Faulty riot not that long ago, right?”
“As long as we’re breathing, Ta’Zan won’t win,” Jax
interjected, joining our group. “Let’s not forget that we’ve got
GASP on the line, with Calliope, Nevertide, Neraka, and the
entire Supernatural Dimension ready to back us up. We’re not
alone in this. We will prevail, somehow.”
Hansa, Jovi, and Anjani stood next to him, equally determined
to see this through to the end. There were over six hundred of us
in here. Ta’Zan’s Perfects could be manipulated—Amal and
Amane were together again, and they could maybe build the
device they needed to do a mass memory wipe.
“Word is that Douma turned against Ta’Zan, even after she
was… reconditioned,” Jovi chimed in.
“No, Amal swooped in on this one. Ta’Zan ordered her to
wipe Douma’s memory, but Amal left her with both sets, old and
new, and gave her a choice,” Jax replied. “Spoke to Heron via
Telluris. He gave me the details.”
“Wow, so even knowing exactly what she’d done and thought
while loyal to Ta’Zan, Douma chose us,” I murmured, then found
myself grinning. “And let’s not forget Raphael, who didn’t even
need his memory wiped to choose to help us.”
Corrine huffed, then shot to her feet and cursed under her
breath. I knew exactly what ailed her. She loved Kailani more
than anything, and she dreaded the thought of seeing her in
here, with a collar around her neck, like the rest of us.
“Corrine,” I said gently. She looked at me, resting her hands
on her hips. “You know Rose as well as I do. You know that when
she says she’s got this, she does, right?”
She thought about it for a moment, then nodded slowly.
“Good. Glad we got that settled,” I answered, trying to keep a
serene expression, though every fiber in my body wanted me to
roar and smash everything within my reach. But that would’ve
meant giving Ta’Zan the satisfaction of seeing how badly his
actions were hurting me. “Now, let’s wait for Isda to come
around. She will, soon enough. She’ll most likely have a message
for us from Sofia.”
Something told me that Sofia was going to insist that Rose
and Ben keep doing what they were doing, and that they’d better
not even consider surrendering. Aiden was right. My wife was
ready to die, if it helped us beat Ta’Zan. Part of me completely
understood that. I would’ve done the same.
But, at the same time, my very soul cried.
F
H A R P E R
rom where we stood, it didn’t look good for any of
us.
Ta’Zan had put us all in a tight hold: surrender, or lose our
matriarch, the woman who had helped transform The Shade and
develop GASP. Great-Grandma Sofia’s contributions were
obvious wherever we looked; even across three different
dimensions. Her choices, her determination, and her wisdom
had helped the Novak family grow into what it was today. And I
was damn proud to be a part of it.
So, no. None of us were ready to accept either outcome.
“Ben and Rose can’t just give up, and Sofia can’t die,” I said
firmly.
I stood at the end of the council table. The meeting room
suddenly felt too small. Aida and Field had called an emergency
meeting shortly after Rose told us about Ta’Zan’s actions.
Scarlett and Patrik, Blaze and Caia, Arwen and Brock, Mona and
Kiev, Shayla and Eli, Phoenix and Viola, Bastien, the Daughters,
and the four Perfects were present, seated around the table.
At the other end, Sherus and Nuriya, Caleb and River, and Ash
and Ruby had joined us. Amelia Novalik, Erik and Abby’s
daughter, was also present. During the Eritopian time-lapse,
while Serena, Aida, Jovi and the others were battling Azazel,
Hazel and Tejus, Victoria and Bastien, and Grace and Lawrence
had not been the only ones to have kids. Erik and Abby had a
child of their own, though they kept her in The Shade most of
the time. We didn’t see her much until she turned twenty and
applied to be in GASP’s intelligence department. However, Sofia
and Derek stayed close to the Novaliks during Amelia’s
development, since Abby had asked them to be her godparents.
I’d asked for Amelia to attend this meeting, since she’d
become a key figure in GASP’s intelligence work over the past
couple of years. Amelia was exceptionally intelligent and able to
process everything on a level and at a speed most of us only
dreamed of. I trusted her to see anything that we might’ve
missed. Plus, she was close to Sofia—after all, the Hudsons had
been a big part of Sofia’s life while growing up, and Sofia was her
godmother.
The atmosphere was gloomy, to say the least. My heart was
constantly racing toward a finish line that never came, as I
thought of Serena and Draven stuck there, on Strava, looking at a
potential surrender. I just couldn’t have that.
“We need to look at the problem from every possible angle,”
Caspian replied, softly squeezing my hand. I caved in and sat
back down next to him, while Field took the lead on the meeting.
We had a lot to talk about.
“Caspian is right,” Field said, then pressed a button on a
remote. Behind him, the massive screen lit up with a live feed of
Strava, on two different windows—one overlooking the planet,
and the other giving us a bird’s eye view of the mountain where
Rose’s crew had taken refuge. “We’ve made incredible progress,
despite Ta’Zan’s bloody request.”
Aida nodded. “We’ve got Amal and Amane ready to work on
the mass memory wiper, and we didn’t even know that Amal was
playing the long con on Ta’Zan to begin with,” she said. “The
Hermessi reached out to us, they told us they can help, and they
gave us their terms, which, by the way, I think are manageable.”
“Yeah, seven hundred and forty-two fae,” Bastien muttered.
“Easy peasy.”
“We’ll provide the number,” Sherus declared. “If that’s what
it takes to activate these entities and help put Ta’Zan back in his
place, we’ll give you what you need.”
“We’ll do whatever it takes to get our son back unharmed,”
Nuriya added, her lower lip trembling.
Mom and Dad were helping Jeremiah, Pippa, Grace, and
Lawrence handle Shade issues back on Earth. Victoria was busy
with little Voss and Vita, who was dangerously close to her due
date and temporarily without a husband. I dreaded having to tell
her about Ta’Zan’s ultimatum, since either outcome would kill
someone she loved dearly.
Between the people we had here, there had to be enough
brilliant minds to figure a way out of this hot mess. We’d been
through enough already. We’d jumped over so many hurdles.
We’d lost enough. This couldn’t be the end of it all.
Caspian and I were just getting started. We deserved a life
together, and I hadn’t nearly died on Neraka to end up a
Perfect’s slave. Screw that!
“Okay, so, we’ve got the fae, then,” Aida said, nodding
slowly. “We need to get them to Strava without the Perfects
intervening. We’ll use the smallest shuttle we have that can fit
them all, but it won’t guarantee a safe entry.”
Mona sighed. “We need a diversion,” she answered.
“Specifically, our ground crew there needs to organize a
diversion.”
“I agree. A multi-directional diversion, to be specific,”
Amelia interjected politely. “With a red herring, too. The
Perfects are highly functional. They won’t be easy to distract.”
“Our people are aware,” Caleb said. “They’re currently
working on a plan. Rose will be in touch as soon as they have all
the details nailed down. There’s no room for errors here.”
“You can say that again,” Kiev retorted, crossing his arms.
“We’ve got what, maybe ten hours till that maniac kills Sofia?”
“Approximately, yes,” River said. “We can’t let them carry
the whole burden, anyway. We have to do something on our end,
as well.”
“That was always implied,” Arwen cut in, then nodded at
Nathaniel, Uriel, Angelica, and Deena, who’d geared up in GASP
uniforms and were eager to help out. “These four are ready to go
to Strava and assist Ben and Rose.”
All of a sudden, all eyes were on the four Perfects, who gave
us faint and nervous smiles in return. I knew they were genuine
in their endeavor to assist us. I’d had my eyes on their emotions
from the moment they’d been introduced to us, post-memory-
chip-removal.
“What are we thinking?” Ruby asked.
“We’ve gone through all the video footage in our memories,”
Nathaniel said. “We’ve got enough knowledge to go back there
and infiltrate the colosseum. From what we’ve learned, Ta’Zan
doesn’t keep count of who’s missing among his soldiers.”
“Unless it’s his precious Douma or Raphael, for whatever
reason,” Uriel added. “He’s got a soft spot for those two. We
were witness to more than one instance in which they got
preferential treatment.”
Angelica rolled her eyes. “Even Araquiel didn’t get that much
love while Douma and Raphael were still around.”
Bastien cleared his throat, demanding our attention. The
darkness weighing on his shoulders seemed almost impossible
to bear, but he carried it with his typical stubborn stoicism.
“What’s the plan, once you infiltrate the colosseum?” he
asked.
“That depends on what Ben and Rose’s crew needs from us,”
Nathaniel replied. “We’ll be ready for anything.”
Amelia raised a hand, drawing the focus back to her for a
moment. “We need to make sure the fae land somewhere
relatively safe. I doubt their proximity to Rose’s crew matters.
The Hermessi said they need one thousand and one fae to set
foot on Strava, no more, no less. It doesn’t matter if they’re
huddled together or miles apart.”
“I’m inclined to agree,” Mona replied. “The winter-summer
cluster would be ideal, perhaps at least fifty miles from Merinos,
just to be safe.”
Kiev nodded. “If we keep the Perfects busy with something
big enough in the archipelago, they won’t notice the fae coming
in, or, if they do, they won’t be able to intercept them.”
“And by big enough we mean epic, right?” Scarlett asked,
smirking.
The Perfects nodded simultaneously. “Like I said, whatever
Ben and Rose’s crew needs, we’ll help,” Nathaniel answered.
“But we have to know exactly what they’re planning, so we can
organize ourselves accordingly.”
Bastien let a deep sigh roll out of his chest. “I find it ironic
that we’ve wound up relying on Perfects and Faulties, the very
ones that helped get us into this mess, to save us.”
“We didn’t ask for this,” Uriel said, slightly offended. “We
didn’t ask to be made. We didn’t have a say in how we were
educated and manipulated. You must understand, we’re not
inherently bad. We don’t want anyone to suffer!”
“Your maker has imprisoned my in-laws and my son! They
have shock collars around their necks, and if we don’t stop
Ta’Zan, we’ll all end up like them, or dead!” Bastien snarled.
Safira stood, frowning. “Bastien. I understand your anger. I
do. But they didn’t cause this. Focus your rage on what we can
do, not on what already happened. We cannot change that.”
Silence settled over the meeting room for a good minute,
while we all stared at each other, and Bastien reassessed his
emotional state. He didn’t like being this way. I could tell he was
frustrated, but he wasn’t the only one whose emotions were
getting the best of him.
“I don’t want to see my father wither away in that diamond
dome,” Blaze mumbled, his eyes fixed on the large screen
behind Field. “That’s not a life for a dragon.”
“We still have some advantages,” Field said. “Let’s wait for
Ben and Rose to communicate their detailed plan, then operate
accordingly. In the meantime, we’ll all prepare for anything.
They need our eyes up here, while they operate down there.”
Nathaniel, Uriel, Deena, and Angelica got up.
“We’ll get ready,” Nathaniel replied. “We’ll gear up and make
sure we’ve got a shuttle ready.”
“I’ll send word for the seven hundred and forty-two fae,”
Sherus added. “You’ll have them all here within the hour.”
Shayla smiled. “Arwen and I will secure their transport from
the fire star, don’t worry.”
“I’m sorry we can’t do more for Strava,” Safira said, her
shoulders dropping. “Our powers decrease as soon as we leave
Eritopia, and, based on what magi-tech is being used by Ta’Zan,
we wouldn’t make much of a difference down there.”
“You can help us here, instead,” Phoenix replied. “Eritopia
still needs you.”
That was painfully true. With everything that was going on
out there on Strava, we still had our worlds to take care of—
kingdoms to run, armies to prepare, billions of innocent
creatures to protect. Most importantly, in the event of Ta’Zan
succeeding in his attempt to take flight, we had an unwinnable
war to prepare for.
“Is it too soon to discuss complete annihilation of Strava, just
to get it over with?” Eli asked, prompting Shayla to suck in a
breath and scowl at him. “What? We’re all thinking it!”
“We could’ve done that sooner,” Bastien answered. “But we
chose to give that planet and its people a chance. Despite my
doubts, the Perfects have proven to be reliable, provided that
their minds and hearts are clean, as evidenced by our… friends,
here,” he added, pointing at Nathaniel and his group. It was
good to see Bastien coming around like this. “They deserve a
shot at a good life. And let’s not forget the Faulties and the
Draenir.”
“We can’t let Ta’Zan win,” I said. “Whether he takes flight
with his Perfects or gets them all killed in the destruction of
their planet, he’ll still win, because he’ll either subjugate us or
force us to commit genocide. That’s not what GASP is about, and
we all know it. So, while I totally get that we’ve all thought about
this, I still don’t think we should really consider destroying the
whole planet.”
Caleb sighed. “Besides, Sofia would rather die than see
another one of us fall prey to Ta’Zan. She’d rather get herself
killed than let Ben and Rose’s crew wind up in the diamond
dome.”
On that, we all agreed. Our options seemed limited, and we
weren’t ready to lose anyone else. But, at the same time, we were
all determined to do more, to find another way in, and to stop
Ta’Zan, once and for all.
In my heart, I knew we could rely on Nathaniel, Uriel,
Angelica, and Deena to help us. Bastien was right. As ironic as it
was, the very creatures that had been trying to capture or kill us
were now the ones fighting by our side. All we needed was a plan
from Rose and Ben.
“W
R O S E
ell, we’ve got a doozy on our hands,” Varga
quipped.
We’d settled on the cave’s black floor, in front of a chalk-
drawn map of Ta’Zan’s archipelago. We always had chalk in our
bags, in case we needed it for spells, just like we carried lighters
in our pockets, in case our fae needed the extra fire.
My stomach ached, and I had trouble breathing as I thought
about Mom. Ta’Zan was perfectly capable of killing her, unless
we found a way to stop him without giving up on everything we’d
done so far. Thankfully, our new friends and allies had helped
me see clearly, when all I wanted was to curl up in a ball and
never get up.
“That’s one way of putting it,” Elonora replied, wearing a
bitter smile.
Maybe we would’ve found the courage to keep going with our
initial plan, if Ta’Zan’s next kill weren’t going to be my mother.
But, then again, it could be Hunter’s mother next. Or his dad. Or
Jovi. Or Jax. Whoever Ta’Zan picked to kill in order to get us to
surrender—it was bound to be someone we loved or were close
to. We’d bonded with so many worlds, so many different
kingdoms, already.
But Raphael led the way toward a brighter path, despite
Ta’Zan’s ultimatum.
“We’re going to get ourselves killed,” Ridan muttered, still
uneasy about the Perfect’s plan. “It’s beyond crazy. It’s
potentially suicidal.”
“Hey, Sparky, it’s either this, or Sofia dies. And I’m pretty
sure none of us want to concede right now,” Raphael said.
We’d spent the past hour discussing Raphael’s suggestion.
The plan we hatched made sense, but it was insanely risky. It
bought us the time we needed, and it gave us the opportunity to
use the aces up our sleeves. This wasn’t the end. On the
contrary, to me, it felt like the very beginning of what would
eventually become Ta’Zan’s downfall.
But to get there, we had to be smart, cunning, and ruthless,
just like him.
I let out an audible sigh. “Are we ready to share the plan with
the others?” I asked. “Dad is broiling by now, and for good
reason. We need Calliope on the line, too, like we agreed.”
Everyone around me nodded in agreement. We were all on the
same page.
“Okay, so, we’re doing this,” I murmured, then pressed the
call button on my earpiece. “Dad? Harper? Are you there?”
I stared at my brother as I waited for a reply. Ben had been
through enough already. He deserved some peace and quiet, not
running around on a foreign planet, trying to save our parents
and the others in our extended family. Hell, I looked forward to
an actual holiday with Caleb, once this was all over. Provided we
made it out alive.
“Rose, honey?” My dad’s voice came through.
“I’m here, Grandma,” Harper answered. “We’ve got the
executive council, Sherus and Nuriya, Ash and Ruby, and the
Perfects here, too. Talk to us!”
I looked at my mixed crew again. Those of us with earpieces
could hear them as well, since this conversation was taking place
on the common channel. It was time to lay out the plan—the
only way in which we could save my mother without forfeiting
our mission, or the universe.
“We’ve got a plan,” I said. “Some of you might not like it, but
it has to be done. Sorry, Caleb...”
“Babe, I trust you. Whatever you do,” my husband replied
gently.
“Good. So, we’re going to surrender.” I sighed.
I heard gasps somewhere in the background, most likely from
my side of the family. Voices broke through, but Harper was
quick to shush them. “Hold on!” she snapped. “Let her speak!”
“We’ll try to keep it to the original crew, Ben’s and mine, to
be specific,” I added. “It’ll be me, Ben, Ridan, Dmitri, Varga,
Zeriel and Vesta, Hunter and Kailani, and Nevis and Elonora. To
stop Ta’Zan from further threats or malicious acts, Douma,
Raphael, and Amane will surrender, too. Amal will come with us,
under the guise of being our prisoner. Ta’Zan has no idea that
she’s been on our side this whole time.”
My dad coughed. “Yeah, we had no idea either.”
Amal gave me an apologetic shrug and mouthed an “I’m
sorry.”
“You know it’s complicated with these people, Dad. Besides,
according to Amal, Ta’Zan is nearly impossible to kill.”
“We know that. Well, we have an inkling,” he replied.
“Theories, at best, about how he could’ve fortified his own
position in this society and against us.”
“I have something more concrete, actually. Amal recently
told us about genetic materials he’s been injecting into himself
since he created the Perfects. He also reverse-engineered a
shock collar and modified it into a small implant in the back of
his head. It can read people’s intentions on a twenty-yard
radius, which is why it’s so difficult to even get close enough to
kill him. The only weapon that will work on him is the
pulverizer, but we need specific conditions to take him down,” I
explained, going over what I’d already discussed with Amal.
Amane had suspected that Ta’Zan would look for ways to
make himself invincible like the Perfects, mainly because he
didn’t like to be inferior to his own creations, at least where the
ability to survive was concerned.
“That explains a lot,” Harper replied, her voice shaking.
“Ta’Zan is more complicated than we expected.”
“But not invincible,” I said. “The original crew will surrender,
because we’re the ones that Ta’Zan wants the most. If needed,
and if we can’t convince him that they escaped or something,
Draven and Serena’s group will come forward, too. It won’t
matter much because we won’t be in there for too long. You see,
Ta’Zan thinks Araquiel is dead. He thinks we killed him with a
pulverizer weapon, like Abaddon, Oriphiel, Elyon, and the
others. Araquiel will infiltrate the colosseum and blow it up.”
“Whoa, whoa… Rose, what are you saying?” Dad replied,
clearly taken aback. “What about the prisoners? Your mother?”
I couldn’t help but smirk. “Dad, listen to me—and please
don’t mention it to the others, yet, for security reasons. We’re
looking to keep it on a need-to-know basis. You know the
protocols. We don’t want to risk Ta’Zan or any of the Perfects
getting wind of this.”
“Yeah, I do.”
“Thanks. Now, Harper, we need the four Perfects down here.
They’ll meet with Araquiel and help him. Amal, Amane, and
Lumi are working on the explosive charges. They won’t tear the
entire structure down, but they’ll be loud and flashy and
devastating enough to draw all the Perfects in the archipelago to
home base. We need them distracted up there, while the seven
hundred and forty-two fae come to Strava.”
“Amal set us up with all the codes for the shock collars,” Ben
continued. “We won’t be subdued while we play the prisoner
part. We’ll evacuate the dome prisoners before Araquiel
activates the explosive charges. No matter what happens, we’ve
got everybody covered. Don’t worry.”
A few seconds went by in silence as our people processed the
information.
“So, surrender and infiltrate the colosseum. Evacuate
everyone. Blow the place up to draw the Perfects in, while the fae
come to Strava,” Harper said. “That’s it in a nutshell, right?”
“Exactly,” I said. “We need another angle to get close enough
to kill Ta’Zan. Amal will be in there, back by his side. If she gets
an opportunity, she’ll take it. But once the fae land on Strava,
the Hermessi will be activated. The forces of nature itself will
stifle the Perfects, while we go in for the kill. It seems pretty
straightforward, no matter what comes up.”
“Are we prepared for worst-case scenarios, too?” My dad
asked, his voice lower than usual.
Ben and I looked at each other. We’d talked about it, yes, and
it involved our collective sacrifice. “Whatever it takes to get the
Hermessi activated on Strava,” I said. “We’re ready to give it
everything, Dad. All of us.”
“Good. So are we, though we’d rather not,” he replied. “Your
mother and I still have an eternity ahead of us. We’d like to keep
it.”
I chuckled softly. “Yeah, I know what you mean. Caleb and I
really don’t do well when we’re apart.”
“Ben, is Araquiel trustworthy? Amal?” River interjected on
the comms channel.
“Yes. We all want the same thing, my love. And Ta’Zan is
standing in the way. Araquiel will not rest until Ta’Zan is taken
out. And neither will Amal. We’ve done our best to prepare for
what’s coming next. For us, it’s important to stop Ta’Zan from
killing Mom,” Ben said.
“Okay, well, Nathaniel, Uriel, Angelica, and Deena are ready
to join Araquiel over there,” Harper replied. “They’ll need about
five to six hours to get there. When do you plan on
surrendering?”
“Closer to the deadline. We want Ta’Zan to stew a little,” I
said. “Amal and Douma both confirmed that the more riled up
he is, the less focused and more prone to making mistakes he is.
We want to play him with every card we’ve got. We want him to
think that we might sacrifice Mom after all. It’ll throw him for a
loop, it’ll irritate him, and he’ll take forever to recover from it.
His psyche is fragile, apparently, despite his composure.”
“We’ll leave him without genetic materials,” Ben added.
“We’ll snatch the four Draenir he’s got in there, too. By the time
we get out of the colosseum, Ta’Zan will have nothing. Araquiel,
Amal, and Amane will see to that.”
“Oh, you’re talking about the genetic samples he’s already
collected!” Arwen cut in.
Kailani lit up like the sun at the sound of her mother’s voice.
They’d talked several times since the comms went back up, but
the distance was still making its presence felt, especially since
Kailani had been dealing with her Word apprenticeship. She
needed a mother now more than ever. Lumi handled the
technical part, but Kailani was more than just a budding swamp
witch.
“Yeah. We worked out a general map of the colosseum,”
Kailani explained. “We know where the labs and the storage
halls are. Araquiel will make sure to load them all up with
explosives, and Amal will compromise whatever batches are
already being processed.”
“Good. We don’t want that bastard to create a single Perfect
on top of what he’s already done,” Arwen grumbled. “What
about the pulverizer weapons? You got your devil-vipers, didn’t
you?”
“We did, yes!” I answered. “We’ve got enough venom to
produce all the ammo we need. Raphael and Araquiel will
provide the rest of the ingredients over the next couple of hours.
Lumi and Douma will help them. We’ve got the weaponry under
control.”
Harper cleared her throat. “We’ll put the fae on a shuttle and
have them wait outside Strava’s atmosphere. Once one of you
confirms that the Perfects are too busy to engage the shuttle,
they’ll go in and land somewhere in the winter-summer
cluster.”
“That sounds reasonable,” I said, nodding slowly, then looked
at my team.
There was a mixture of hope and fear drawn on their faces. I,
out of all people, understood exactly why they felt this way. This
was it. This was our greatest challenge yet—the biggest
performance of all time. Our last attempt at dismantling
Ta’Zan’s growing empire before it was too late.
“Rose, Ben… I need you all to be extremely careful,” Dad said.
“Be ready for anything, and make sure you come back to your
mother and me alive and in one piece. Okay?”
Tears came up to my eyes, and Ben gave me a soft smile.
“Dad, we’ll be together again,” I replied gently.
“Or we’ll all die. The future’s bright, dammit!” Varga
retorted, then let out a nervous chuckle.
It wasn’t in his nature to succumb to any form of despair, but
we had to be realistic, too. The chances were fifty-fifty, at this
point. Either we succeeded, or we died trying. There was no
middle path, and we were all okay with that. We weren’t happy,
nor eager to embrace death, but we looked at all the possible
options.
After all, the fate of the entire universe hung in the balance,
not just the lives of our families, our friends, and our allies.
Failure couldn’t be an option, and, if needed, sacrifice was an
acceptable outcome, as long as Ta’Zan was destroyed.
W
E L O N O R A
e had some time to spare while Amal, Amane,
Raphael, Araquiel, Douma, and Lumi prepared our
weapons against Ta’Zan. Ingredients for the pulverizer pellets
needed to be gathered from around the mountain, and the
explosive charges had to be put together, along with the wiring
and the remote control for their detonation.
In the meantime, we didn’t have any bags to pack or weapons
to take with us. We were going to surrender, and we were going
to leave everything behind, with the exception of our earpieces
—those were going to be well hidden. The Perfects were bound
to search us for weapons and any spell paraphernalia that could
be used against them, but not such small, nearly undetectable
communication devices.
So, with nothing much left to do prior to departure, I settled
in one of the cave chambers to gather my thoughts. Nevis didn’t
leave me alone, though. He sat next to me on the floor, and we
said nothing for a while, enjoying the darkness, the inner-
mountain chills, and the silence.
My heart fluttered simply from his presence. I’d fallen for
Nevis, and I worried that, should everything go sideways, I’d
never get to experience what his love would feel like. His
shoulder gently pressed against mine, and a familiar warmth
spread through my body, all the way to my fingertips.
“We’ve got quite the challenge ahead of us,” he said slowly.
“Mm-hm. We’re screwed, more or less,” I replied, then
exhaled sharply.
“I’m not ready to give up. Are you?” Nevis asked.
I looked at him, thrilled to find his icy blue eyes fixed on me. I
located the source of the liquid sunshine flowing through my
veins—it was Nevis’s love for me, burning bright and golden all
around him. The drum beating in his chest echoed in mine. We
had a similar effect on each other, and that made me smile. Or
maybe I was grinning. I wasn’t sure. Nothing was absolute when
Nevis was around, except his impact on me. That, I felt clearly.
“I’m not giving up. I just know we won’t come out of this with
our feathers intact. We’ll get them ruffled, and then some,” I
said. “Not to mention the possibility of dying. We’re all aware of
it.”
He gave me a soft smile. “This isn’t my first dance with
death, Elonora. The Dhaxanians have had their challenges over
the years. Mind you, Shaytan and the Exiled Maras were merely
one of many. A blip in our ancient timeline. A hiccup. I’ve stared
at my end before, and I have no intention of giving up on what
I’ve found now.”
“What do you mean?”
“Love, Elonora. I’ve found love. And there’s nothing more
powerful than love to make me tell death to bite me,” he replied,
then tucked a lock of my hair behind my ear. His mere touch was
enough to send my senses flying.
“So, we’ll tell death to bite us both, then,” I said.
A split second later, he’d moved in front of me, his hands
cupping my face. He pulled me close and kissed me deeply, and
the universe vanished for a moment. I was weightless. His arms
slowly snaked around my waist, his embrace tightening.
His lips were soft, and he tasted of cool nights and honey. His
tongue explored my mouth as he took me all in. We’d spent so
much time running or fighting or sneaking around that,
whenever we got together, stars practically exploded between us.
Nevis was as cold as they came, and yet, as soon as his lips
met mine, we were both overcome with a combustible heat. We
kissed and hugged for what felt like days, and I couldn’t get
enough of him. His firm grip reminded me that beneath the
royally bejeweled tunic and the blue blood, Nevis was full of fire
and passion—and I was the sole recipient of it all.
“Love, you say?” I murmured, brushing my lips against his.
My stomach tightened as he kissed the tip of my nose and
whispered, “I love you, Elonora. I didn’t think you’d need any
clarifications.”
I giggled, and his hand found the back of my neck and
squeezed gently. Suddenly, years of tension came unraveled, and
my muscles instantly relaxed. I traced an invisible contour of his
face, marveling at the sharp line of his jaw and the softness of
his skin—a most enticing contrast.
“No, but I do like hearing it once in a while,” I replied.
“Besides, it’s a two-way street here, so it would be rude of me
not to tell you my own truth.”
His lips stretched into a lazy smile, his hot breath tickling my
cheeks. He had me pinned against the hard stone wall. This was
the only type of rock-and-a-hard-place situation I wanted to be
in.
“By all means, please do, Elonora. I’m on the edge of my seat,
here.”
“I love you, Nevis. Prince of Dhaxanians. All-around frosty
badass. And I certainly didn’t see it coming, back at the Shade
party,” I replied, my voice wavering. His gaze darkened, his arms
tightening around me and nearly cutting off my air supply.
“You didn’t?” he asked, the shadow of a smile fluttering
across his face. “Funny. I was already thinking about what my
people would think of you. Dhaxanians never date outside their
species.”
“I think you need to take me out on a date, first,” I said.
He kissed my left cheek, then the right, with slow and
deliberate movements. My heart was bouncing around like a
tennis ball, and my feelings for him grew stronger with every
second that went by. This was it, our little moment of peace,
before we went out and faced our nemesis, the very end of days.
“Where would you like to go, then?” he asked, most seriously.
“Anywhere that doesn’t have Perfects trying to fry my ass,” I
replied.
He laughed lightly, and it sounded so sweet, it made my
ribcage hum. He kissed me again, this time with more fire than
before. I welcomed him into my very soul, wrapping my arms
around his neck and losing myself in this single most precious
snippet of time.
“We’ll go wherever you want to go, Elonora. The world will be
out there, still waiting for us,” Nevis said, breathing heavily
against my lips.
Desire thrummed through me. I’d practically forgotten where
we were, or what we were going to do. It didn’t matter, as long as
I could always just reach out and touch him, as long as I could
feel his lips on mine.
“Honestly, I’ll be perfectly happy if we spend an entire month
locked away in your bedroom on Mount Athelathan,” I replied. “I
like the cold, and, well, I can’t get enough of you. It’ll be a total
win-win.”
“You don’t have to ask me twice,” Nevis whispered, then
lifted me off the ground so I would straddle him. He kissed me a
third time, hungrily.
“I could stay like this forever,” I murmured, then gently bit
his lower lip.
He stilled and pulled his head back so he could look at me, his
brow furrowed. “This isn’t our last night together, Elonora.
We’re going to get out of here and do everything we’ve been
thinking about doing since we first kissed.”
My cheeks were on fire. I didn’t think it was possible for me
to fall deeper in love with him, but Nevis was clearly aiming to
break any barrier in this relationship.
“We’ll go to Mount Athelathan, and we’ll lock ourselves in
my suite. I will love you until the sun comes up, then I will love
you some more as it goes back down. We’ll be together, and we’ll
explore new worlds and fight a million Ta’Zans along the way, if
needed, until every single living creature in this universe gets a
shot at love and freedom. Am I making myself clear?”
I found myself nodding slowly, overwhelmed by the intensity
of my own emotions. I was seconds away from crying, when he
locked his thumb and index finger on my chin and lifted my head
so we could look into each other’s eyes.
“Sounds like a plan,” I managed, my eyes stinging.
“Elonora, I’m serious,” Nevis said. “If we look at this as our
last night together, we’re letting him win. We’re putting
ourselves in a mindset that leaves room for failure. And you are
one of the greatest warriors I’ve had the honor to join in battle.
That, to me, is enough to move mountains, tear down entire
worlds, and beat the snot out of a gray-haired megalomaniac.”
I laughed, surprised by his choice of words and the smooth
compliment. I’d thought Varga was the one who had a way with
words, but Nevis could sure drop the royal jargon to get down
and dirty like the rest of us.
“You’re absolutely right.” I sighed. “We’ll kick some Perfect
ass. We’ll fire up the Hermessi. We’ll pulverize Ta’Zan, and we’ll
get our people back. And then, you’ll take me to Neraka, and
we’ll do all the stuff we’ve both been thinking about since—”
“The Shade party,” he cut in, completing my sentence.
My eyes nearly popped out of their orbits. “You weren’t
kidding, huh?” I mumbled. “You’ve had the hots for me since
the party?”
He nodded. “You don’t know how beautiful you are, if you
thought I was indifferent to your charms.”
“You called me inadequate, too young and inexperienced to be
worthy of your attention.”
It was Nevis’s turn to blush, as he pressed his lips into a thin
line.
“I was lying,” he replied dryly. “I would’ve thought you’d
figured it out by now.”
“I was too busy drooling over you,” I grumbled.
There was something endearing in the way he looked at me, a
kind of softness I’d never seen in a man’s eyes before. He made
me feel like I was the single most important element in the
universe—more precious than all the serium on Strava, more
beautiful than the Nevertide sunset, more loved than The Shade
itself.
Somehow, in the midst of all this chaos, Nevis and I had
fallen for each other. The spark had been at the party, it seemed,
but the real love came gradually, one day at a time, as we fought
for survival through the jungles of Strava.
Nevis was right. This wasn’t our last night together.
I kissed him, this time, resting my hands on his shoulders—
the feel of his toned muscles beneath the fabric of his shirt
making my insides tingle.
“This is only the beginning,” I whispered in his ear, then
nibbled on his earlobe.
A grunt escaped from his throat, and he gripped my waist and
captured my mouth in yet another kiss. This time, he conquered
me, bringing down all my defenses. I was helpless now. All his.
Forever.
Nevis paused, gently squeezing my thighs.
“All spicy jokes aside, Elonora, I will want you to meet with
my people. Whatever this is between us, I don’t think it will die
out,” he said.
The flutter in my chest became frantic, as I held on to Nevis
and prayed to all the possible deities, both old and new, that
we’d never be apart. We’d found each other at the heart of a
tragedy, and, if The Shade’s history of love stories was correct,
ours was going to be just as powerful, just as timeless.
“You want to introduce me to your family, then,” I replied,
smiling.
“They are my family. My friends. My confidants. My people,
yes. And I know they will love you. They’d be foolish not to.”
“You’ll have to meet my parents, too. I’m guessing we’re
going to do the whole dinner-and-dance thing, while we’re at
it,” I said. “Nevertide has gotten really good at throwing
parties.”
“Do you think they’ll like me?”
The question came as a bit of a surprise. Nevis was one of the
most confident creatures I’d ever met. I hadn’t thought, for one
second, that he’d require anyone’s approval—including my
parents’. He didn’t seem fazed by Varga, and my brother knew
how to intimidate, after all.
“Well, I tolerate you, so they shouldn’t have a problem with
you,” I said, grinning.
“What about your brother? What does he think?”
Again, this struck me as strange, as if I didn’t recognize the
Dhaxanian prince who’d already claimed my heart. “Varga is…
well, he’s a little special.”
“Define ‘special,’” Nevis answered, the corner of his mouth
twitching slightly.
“He won’t have a problem with you. He’ll be your best friend.
Your hunting partner. He’ll bleed in the battlefield for you, if he
has to. But if you break my heart, Nevis, he will kill you,” I said,
quoting my brother almost word for word.
Varga had said it to me before, during our travels, but this
time, his statement felt so true and so appropriate. It was as if
he’d said it in anticipation of this exact moment. For a second
there, I’d forgotten that my brother was a prolific sentry.
He’d already read Nevis. He knew what was in his heart.
Nevis, in turn, didn’t seem surprised by what I’d just said.
Instead, he took it in and acknowledged it with great dignity.
“That sounds reasonable. I would do the same, if I were him,” he
said. “For what it’s worth, Elonora, I think you have been
exceptionally fortunate to have Varga as a brother. And
something tells me your parents are just as wonderful.”
I nodded enthusiastically. “Oh, they are. You’ll love them, I
promise.”
“The same can be said about the Dhaxanians. We’re cold and
distant by nature, but we tend to love deeply and fiercely, when
we indulge in such emotional luxuries,” he replied, tracing an
invisible line down my cheek, setting each cell in my skin on
fire. “It’s settled, then,” he added with a sharp exhale.
“I meet your people, and you meet my parents,” I said,
summarizing the core of this peculiarly intense conversation.
“That means we’re not allowed to lose this fight, Elonora,”
Nevis replied.
“Not in a million years,” I murmured, then kissed him again.
We stayed like that for a while, nestled in each other’s arms,
savoring this moment for as long as we could. Deep down, I’d
already found my resolution. We were going to prevail and do the
whole meet-the-parents dance. Nevis’s parents were long gone,
but mine were more than enough for the both of us.
My father was going to mess with Nevis’s mind. My brother
was going to prank him in some awful way. My mother was going
to treat him to a sumptuous feast and interrogate him, like the
cunning queen that she was.
Once Ta’Zan gave his last breath, all Nevis and I had to worry
about was getting our people to accept us. May that be our
biggest problem…
I
B E N
took some time to talk to River over the comms
system. My cave chamber was on the northeastern side
of the mountain—chilly, quiet, and dark, just like I
wanted it. I was hours away from getting an electric shock collar
around my neck, and I needed to hear my wife’s voice for a bit. If
all this went south, it could very well be the last time I’d get to
speak to River in private.
“How’s Vita?” I asked, perpetually worried about our little fae
granddaughter.
“As well as she can be,” River answered. “She’s stressed
about Bijarki being out there, with you, but she does understand
why he had to join Draven on this mission. However, she’s still
extremely pregnant, so her patience is wearing thin.”
“And her health?”
“She’s good. I mean, we’ve never had a fae-incubus hybrid
before, so we’re not sure how the pregnancy will go in the end,
until she goes into labor. Her vitals are good. The baby’s vitals
are good, and it’s kicking something fierce. Personally, I’m
optimistic,” River explained. “Vita’s perpetually tired and
hungry, though. I honestly feel sorry for her. I don’t remember
having this much work with Grace,” she added, giggling.
I chuckled softly, remembering River’s perfectly round baby
bump and the many kisses I’d dropped on it, feeling the soft skin
against my lips, as if I was kissing my daughter directly. Grace
must’ve felt my love from the womb, and I felt sorry for Bijarki.
He was busy saving the world. He couldn’t be there with her
right now.
The best I could do was make sure that the incubus came back
home alive, ready to be a father to his child.
“Remember when you were still carrying Grace?” I asked her.
River sighed. “My ankles were huge.”
We both laughed hard at this one. Tears snuck out, rolling
down my cheeks. As scary as it was, the labor was the most
extraordinary moment in my life—the day Grace joined us in this
world and brightened my existence in ways I’d never thought
possible. And I had River to thank for that.
River. The love of my life. The woman I came back from the
dead for.
“But I don’t regret it,” she added. “I don’t think there’s
anything that gave me more joy in this life than carrying Grace
to term… Oh, wait, there’s one thing that equals it!”
I couldn’t help but smile, the smoothness of her voice
warming me up on the inside.
“Oh, yeah? What’s that?” I asked, though, deep down, I
already knew the answer.
“The day you came back to me,” she replied, and I could
almost see her right there in front of me, her lips stretching into
a warm smile. If I reached out, maybe I could even touch her.
But all I felt was the cold air against my fingertips.
My River was millions of miles away, on a different planet
altogether.
“I remember that,” I muttered. “You were sitting on the
shore.”
“Mm-hm. I’d been waiting forever for you. Hoping you’d find
a way back to The Shade. Back to me,” she said.
“Well, I kind of did, didn’t I?”
She laughed again, and the sound of her laughing was like
music to my ears. “Your body was on a three-day loan, Ben. You
proposed to me while wearing another fae’s meat suit.”
“I didn’t technically propose, babe. Remember?”
“Ah, yes, you said you would ask me to marry you if you could
keep that body forever,” River shot back. “And remember what I
told you?”
My heart was aching. I’d spent so many of my ghost days
hanging around River, unable to touch her or tell her how much I
loved her, how much I missed her. I could only reach her in
dreams, and that was never enough.
“You said yes,” I replied. “I didn’t even ask you, and you said
yes.”
“Ben… I was happy to see you. The happiest, in fact. I was
miserable without you, and… seeing you there, on the beach,
smiling down at me… My brain just stopped functioning,” River
said.
Oh, I remembered the look on her face. I could almost feel her
angst once I told her about the three-day agreement I’d made
with the fae for this body. I got to keep it, in the end, but, back
then, nothing was certain. Nothing besides my love for River.
We’d been through enough over the years, and me dying and
coming back wasn’t even the cherry on top of it all. Over the past
few months, prior to this Strava mess, River and I had been
having trouble. Not the serious kind, but we’d grown just a little
bit apart. Enough for the both of us to feel like there was
something wrong with our relationship.
I’d spoken to Rose about it, and I was surprised to hear that
she and Caleb were going through something similar. We figured
they were the regular troubles of married couples. Sometimes,
even with all the love in the world and nothing to really argue
about, couples went through these… slumps.
River and I had been having some arguments—the small stuff
about GASP operations, or where to spend our much-deserved
vacation, mostly, but they did suck the life out of us. By the time
we got to bed, we ended up sleeping with our backs to each
other.
Now that I was here, on Strava, struggling to stay alive and to
save the friggin’ world, I missed River more than ever. This was
way worse than my stint as a ghost. This time, I could speak to
her—I just couldn’t get back to her, because Ta’Zan, the crazy
bastard that he was, wanted to destroy the entire world.
All the arguments that River and I had were gone. Mere
threads of dust gone with the wind. Moments that flickered by so
fast, I couldn’t even remember what they were about. All I could
think of was a way to destroy Ta’Zan and stop the Perfects, so I
could get back to my wife and hold her in my arms again.
“I miss you,” I said to her.
“I miss you, too, Ben.”
“Do you remember what we last bickered about?”
“I don’t even care,” she replied. “We’re married. I think we’ll
always butt heads, one way or another. Sofia said it comes with
the couple life.”
“You talked to my mom about it?”
“Not directly, no. We just talked about… stuff, in general, and
I mentioned that we had some rather heated arguments,” River
said. “I hope you don’t mind.”
“No, no, not at all,” I breathed. “I’m a little flustered, maybe,
but I kind of had that coming. I’m stubborn. I deserve it.”
River scoffed. “That makes two of us. Why do you think
sparks fly when we’re together? There will always be some
disagreement between us, at one point or another. But we’re
much stronger than that.”
“I like to think it’s because we love each other to the moon
and back,” I said, reminding her of exactly what she’d said to me
the day I came back as a fae.
“Oh, you sly dog, you!” River shot back, laughing. “Promise
me one thing.”
“What’s that?” I asked, deeply satisfied to have made her
laugh again.
“Promise me you’ll come back. We’re going to be great-
grandparents, Ben.”
“River, I will pulverize a billion Ta’Zans, if that’s what it takes
to get back to you. I’m sorry we ever fought, even for a minute,
over the most trivial of things,” I said, my voice shaky. “There’s
nothing I want more, right now, than to hold you in my arms.”
“Well, then get off your ass, obliterate those damn Perfects,
and fly back here!” River replied, stifling a giggle.
“By the stars, I love you even more right now,” I grumbled.
“You like it when I talk dirty, huh?”
“You’re such a dork.” I laughed, and she joined me.
It went on for minutes on end, until River regained her
composure. “I’m serious, though,” she said. “Come back to me,
Ben. I don’t know what I’d do without you. You’re embedded in
my soul, and I’m not sure my life would mean anything if you
weren’t a part of it.”
I nodded slowly, though no one could see me.
“I will, River. Strava isn’t all that great, anyway. Too much
sunlight for my taste. I’m used to our nocturnal Shade and our
mighty redwoods. Don’t get me wrong, this place is great for a
tropical vacation, but we’ve been here too long already.”
I needed to hear her laugh again. She knew I’d do my best to
keep my promise. I didn’t have to say it out loud. River had seen
me come back from the dead, after all. A planet in another galaxy
was supposed to be a piece of cake, compared to that.
But we both knew it wasn’t so cut and dry.
There was a chance I wouldn’t make it back at all. So, knowing
I’d told her that I loved her just now made me feel a little bit
better in case of a worst-case scenario coming true. I’d made my
peace. Come hell or high water, I’d find my way back to River, or
at least die trying.
I
R O S E
didn’t want to look at this night as our last one as free
people, but I had to admit, though only to myself, that
there was a chance I’d never see my family or my
husband again. Our plan was supposedly foolproof, but Ta’Zan
did have a way of surprising us—and not in a pleasant manner.
Caleb’s voice was strained. I knew he missed me as much as I
missed him. Most importantly, I knew he was worried sick, and
for good reason. We were about to embark on a crazy mission, to
say the least. I was going to offer myself up to the beast, in order
to save my mother, and to destroy it once and for all.
“How are you holding up?” Caleb asked me.
I chuckled. “I should be asking you that.”
“You’re the one who’s about to give herself willingly to that
maniac,” he muttered.
I could feel his anger, the frustration fueled by his inability to
stop me from doing what I was about to do. I understood how he
felt, but, if the roles were reversed, Caleb would’ve done the
same to save his mother, without abandoning the mission.
“You know why I’m doing this,” I said, not ready to get into
an argument with him over my decision. We’d had a couple of
heated conversations about it already, and I didn’t have the
patience for another one.
I wanted to talk to him about the good stuff to get my mind
off what we were about to do, not dissect it further to prove
exactly why this step was necessary. I loved Caleb more than
anything, and the only reason why we had arguments over this
in the first place was because he loved me, too. He didn’t want to
lose me, so I couldn’t hold it against him.
Caleb let a deep and frustrated sigh roll out. My stomach
churned at the thought of not seeing him again. “Are you sure
you’ve worked out all the kinks in the plan you gave us?” he
asked, trying his best to gradually divert the conversation away
from the hot points.
“As long as Nathaniel, Uriel, Angelica, and Deena meet up
with Araquiel and Herakles, we’ll be fine,” I replied. “Amal and
Amane have already worked out all possible scenarios, including
the possibility that Ta’Zan already knows that Amal has been
playing him. We’ve got it covered, Caleb.”
“Forgive me if I’m worried.”
His tone was clipped. I took a deep breath, carefully
measuring my words.
“Honey… I want nothing more than to be there with you,” I
said. “Let me just kill that crazy bastard first, and then we’ll take
some time off, just the two of us.”
A few seconds went by in silence.
“Did you have something in mind?” he grumbled, making me
smile.
“I was thinking we’d stay on Earth. Maybe Europe.”
“Yeah, I’ve had enough of these foreign trips, for sure. And
the worst thing we can expect in Europe is… what, exactly? Some
rogue werewolf, maybe?” Caleb replied.
There was amusement in his voice. I was getting him back to
a lighter mood, and that made me feel better, too. As if my
throat wasn’t closing up anymore. As if I wasn’t hours away from
getting myself imprisoned in that diamond dome.
“We could try Italy. Tuscany is supposed to be gorgeous in
September,” I murmured, already imagining the starry sky
unraveling over the wild hills south of Sienna, with deer and
boar roaming through the nearby woods and the midnight
breeze brushing through my hair.
“I can’t believe we’ve never been there,” Caleb said. “We’ve
been around for quite a while.”
“We’ve been busy saving the world, over and over.”
“Can we save ourselves, next?” he asked, his voice hoarse.
My heart fluttered at the thought of wrapping my arms
around his neck and making love to him until the morning.
Caleb was an essential part of my soul, and the chemistry
between us was eternal. No matter what happened to us, and
even if the sky crumbled, the love that Caleb and I had for each
other was timeless.
“There’s nothing to save,” I replied. “We’re okay, Caleb.
Sure, we bicker now and then, but what did you expect? We’re
both stubborn as hell.”
He chuckled softly. “That’s true. Though, I admit, I still don’t
regret kidnapping you. I’d do it again.”
I laughed, remembering how the two of us had met. Caleb had
once been an enemy of sorts, my abductor, and the cause of
much grief to my parents. But the fire between us was too
strong. It didn’t care that Caleb was doing all sorts of crazy stuff
for Annora. It was hard to shake a black witch off, and Annora
had had her claws deep in his heart at the time.
In the end, our love prevailed.
“I mean, let’s not forget how you took Annora down,” he
said. “You were something else, Rose. You didn’t give up, not
even when she practically fed you to flesh-eating ogres. In
hindsight, I’m an absolute idiot for doubting your ability to get
out of this Stravian mess in one piece.”
“You’re not an idiot. Annora was a different pile of darkness
and crazy, anyway. Ta’Zan is calculated. He’s cunning. He’s like
nothing we’ve faced before,” I replied. “I mean, ogres and
dragons are like flies on the windshield, compared to the
Perfects.”
That made him laugh.
“I don’t want to lose you, Rose.” He sighed. “You… You
changed my life. Your spark got me out of the darkness. You
showed me that life is the sum of our choices. And I don’t want
this choice of yours, to surrender to Ta’Zan, to break us apart for
good. Am I making sense? I feel like I am, for the most part.”
I loved this side of him. Caleb was the tall, dark, and
handsome type, the fierce and determined guy who was ready to
burn down an entire planet for the woman he loved. But
sometimes, this hard shell dissolved and revealed the softness
beneath. I was his soulmate, and Caleb struggled to function
without me. In all honesty, I was empty without him, too.
“It makes all the sense in the world, my love. But listen to
me, because I’m only going to say this once. There’s no way in
hell that I’m letting this place be the end of me. I didn’t come all
the way here to get my ass handed to me by a guy who thinks
he’s genetically superior and thus worthy of killing us all. No. I
survived a crazy cult of witches, a kingdom of ogres, and an army
of vengeful dragons, and I’ll survive this maniac, too.”
I paused, but Caleb didn’t say anything. I took it as a sign to
keep going. There was more where that came from, anyway.
“Dammit, Caleb, I want us to rent a villa in Tuscany. One with
a pool overlooking the hills. I want a hot air balloon ride and a
taste of gelato—”
“You know your stomach doesn’t tolerate gelato,” he replied.
“A teaspoonful. I’ll have a teaspoonful with you, under the
full moon,” I snapped. “But you get where I’m going with this,
right?”
“I most certainly do.”
If I closed my eyes, I could almost see him standing in front of
me, wearing that sly smile that always worked perfectly with his
chocolate-brown eyes, as if he’d been specifically designed to
dazzle me.
“I’m not dying here, Caleb.”
“It might not be up to you,” he mumbled.
“No. But I need you to know that I intend to do everything I
can to come back to you. If I lose this, there will be no Tuscan
vacation. No hot air balloon ride. No lovemaking under the
moonlight for the two of us. There will only be death.”
“I know. And I do trust you. You’re a Novak. Ta’Zan should
know better than to mess with a Novak.”
I chuckled. “He’s got a few Novaks in his dome. He probably
thinks he can totally get away with what he’s done so far.”
“He can’t. Not while you’re breathing, babe.”
We laughed and reminisced for another hour or so, while the
rest of the cave structure buzzed with preparation activities. All
the ingredients we needed for the pulverizer pellets had been
brought back to the cave, and Amal and Rakkhan were busy
preparing the ammunition.
I left my chamber and went back to the main hall, with Caleb
still on the line. I was his eyes and ears, for the time being.
“How’s everybody else holding up?” he asked, after we’d
clarified that we loved each other too much to let anything or
anyone get between us.
I stilled on the edge of the circular hall, leaning against the
black stone as I took it all in. No one was standing still. Faulties,
Perfects, and Draenir alike, the Stravians worked hard to prepare
the ammunition and explosive charges, carefully guided by
Raphael, Amane, Amal, Rakkhan, and Douma.
“You’d be amazed what tolerance will do for a society,” I
mumbled. “They’re getting along so well.”
“Who?” Caleb replied.
“The Faulties. The Perfects. The Draenir. Without Ta’Zan,
they’re perfectly… normal. You’d be amazed.”
“I’m not surprised. People, in general, aren’t born bad. We’ve
already seen it with Douma and Araquiel, right?”
“Mm-hm. Speaking of which,” I answered, stifling a chuckle,
“Douma and Dmitri are totally a thing now.”
“No way!” Caleb exclaimed, as if we were dishing on the
latest gossip. Truth be told, we did like to keep tabs on what
went on in The Shade and in GASP. Caleb, in particular, was quite
ecstatic whenever a new couple formed. I found it downright
endearing, more proof that there was a sweet and soft side he
only showed me and, sometimes, Hazel, Benedict and the
grandkids. “Then again, they were close from the beginning, if
memory serves me right.”
“Yeah. We put him in charge of keeping an eye on her, prior
to removing her memory chip—”
“And her head.” He chuckled.
“Believe it or not, I think the spark was there from the
beginning,” I said. “Even though she was loyal to Ta’Zan, Douma
exhibited a soft spot for Dmitri. She never would’ve admitted it,
though. She was so stern and proud.”
As I spoke, Douma and Dmitri were wrapping up sticks of
explosives in what looked like slim bands of white linen. They
didn’t speak much, but they kept stealing glances at one another
as they put the sticks together to create full charges, which they
then handed over to Araquiel and Raphael, who mounted the
small, remote-activated devices on them.
“In Douma’s defense, there is something about Dmitri that
just gets to a girl’s heart,” I added. “I think it runs in the
Blackhall family.”
“It’s not the charming wit, for sure,” Caleb shot back.
I covered my mouth so no one would see me grin, thankful
that Bastien wasn’t on the line with us. He would’ve growled. I
shifted my focus to Elonora. She and Nevis had been missing for
the past couple of hours, and I was old and experienced enough
to know what they’d been up to—not that her flushed cheeks
hadn’t made it obvious already.
“Caleb?” I breathed.
“Yeah.”
“I don’t want you to worry too much about me,” I said,
watching Elonora as she joined Douma and Dmitri in packing the
explosives. “I’ve got the best people I could’ve asked for with
me.”
“Oh, that much I know,” he replied.
“I’m serious. I mean, Elonora alone is enough to take down
an entire city, if she sets her mind to it. This girl’s got enough
grit for an entire army regiment. She’s fierce and determined.
She’s more like Claudia than I thought, and I mean it in a most
positive sense. No wonder Nevis is head over heels with her.”
“He’s got the hots for Lenny? The icy Dhaxanian prince? Mr.
I’m-Too-Good-And-Superior?” Caleb shot back, clearly amused.
He secretly liked Nevis because he reminded him of his younger
self—cold and ruthless, shrouded in mystery, and capable of
some scary deeds to get what he wanted.
“Oh, yeah. I wonder what Ash and Ruby will say about that.”
“How’s Varga?” he asked.
“He’s okay. Equally stressed about all this, but in good humor
and determined to see this through. You should see this boy
fight, Caleb. He’s scary smart on the battlefield,” I said. “He and
Lenny are incredible when they’re together. It’s like their minds
are connected, and they can anticipate each other’s
movements.”
“How are the Faulty twins coming along?” Caleb replied.
Amal and Amane were inseparable, which made it slightly
awkward for Ridan, who had trouble leaving Amane’s side. The
dragon and Amal were sort of competing for Amane’s attention,
from what I could tell. It was cute, to say the least.
“I think Amane has already forgiven Amal,” I explained.
“She’d been living with the dread that her sister was blindly
devoted to Ta’Zan. I guess a part of her was terrified that she
might have to kill Amal to stop her, if that were the case. Since
she learned the truth, though, it’s like a weight was lifted off her
shoulders.”
Amane had lit up since she’d made peace with Amal, in a
complete 180-degree turn from the other day. She was happy.
“She looks happy,” I murmured.
“She’s got the dragon swooning over her, and her sister back
by her side. I’m guessing this is as happy as she’ll ever be, in her
mind,” Caleb suggested.
I had to agree. “Amane once believed Ta’Zan to be superior to
everyone, to be the only one who could lead her and her people
into the future. She left him because she realized what a filthy
liar he was, and she thought her sister was indoctrinated beyond
salvation. Until she met us, and Ridan, specifically, my guess is
that Amane didn’t think there would be light in her life again.”
“Yeah, then the dragon barged in and set everything on fire,”
Caleb replied.
Looking around a little bit more, I settled my sights on Vesta.
She and Zeriel were helping Rakkhan with the pulverizer
ammunition, pouring the completed liquid into small glass
pellets created by Lumi. The Tritone king was nuts about Vesta—
it was painfully obvious, since he couldn’t take his eyes off her
and kept spilling the pulverizer liquid.
“Stop overpouring!” Rakkhan snapped.
“Sorry…” Zeriel mumbled, then tried again with another
glass pellet. It didn’t take long before he found himself staring at
Vesta again.
“Vesta is equally fearsome,” I said to Caleb. “All this time,
and she hasn’t once complained about wanting to go home or
missing her parents. Nothing of the sort. This is her first
military field mission, and I have to admit, babe, I’m in awe of
her. She’s already had it rough as a kid, hunted by daemons and
Exiled Maras alike, raised on a foreign planet, but now she’s
dealing with the end of the world, basically. She’s holding it
together well, considering.”
“She hasn’t killed Zeriel yet, either,” Caleb replied.
“Oh, honey, they’re a pair now.”
A second passed before Caleb burst into hysterical laughter.
He hadn’t seen it coming, for some reason. Then again, he
hadn’t spent all this time with Vesta and Zeriel, observing them
as the days went by. He couldn’t have seen this coming, like I
had.
“I can’t believe it. In the midst of all that chaos and violence
and death, the Tritone king still managed to fall in love.” Caleb
sighed.
“Hey, remember how we got started. You were serving an evil
witch,” I retorted, then moved my attention to Kailani. I worried
about her the most, because I knew the others had control over
themselves and over their abilities. They knew their limits.
Kailani didn’t. “How’s Arwen doing?” I asked. “Has she spoken
to Kale recently?”
“Yeah. She’s worried. She knows about the Word incidents,”
Caleb said. “I think she regrets supporting Kale’s decision to
start the apprenticeship.”
I shook my head. “It’s just bad timing. Kale’s a fantastic
swamp witch, for what it’s worth. She’s got a tremendous
amount of power that she hasn’t tapped into yet, but everything
she can do, for the time being, is exquisite,” I explained.
“Normally, the apprenticeship would take place in a controlled
environment, but, out here, we’re busy running for our lives.”
“Rose, she killed four Draenir,” Caleb replied. “I love that girl
as much as you do, but… come on, let’s face it, she’s a bit of a
risk.”
I had to admit it. Caleb was right. Without full control over
her abilities, we didn’t know if or when she’d black out again and
release another devastating pulse. What was really impressive
and scary at the same time was that the pulse had been powerful
enough to permanently kill Perfects, too.
“If we could get her to control this connection of hers to the
Word, Kale alone would be enough to rein the Perfects in,” I said.
“But we can’t exactly rely on her, like this. Hunter is with her at
all times, whether she likes it or not.”
“What do you mean?”
“Eh, they must’ve argued about something. Not sure what,
but Kale has tried to keep some distance. I insisted that he keep
an eye on her, nonetheless. After all, he did a good job of
snapping her out of her last blackout… Still, I worry.”
“I get it. Let’s see how she pulls through the captivity, then,”
Caleb muttered. “Aren’t you worried Ta’Zan will want her
swamp witch knowledge?”
I smirked. “It’s beyond his reach. Ta’Zan will want to study
her genetic material, but he’ll only see what he’s probably
gotten from Corrine, already. Swamp witch magic isn’t genetic.
And Kale would never tell him anything, anyway. Her oath binds
her for life.”
“And Ben? How’s he holding up?”
“He’s in here, somewhere, probably talking to River.”
“That sounds so damn gloomy. Like we’ll never speak again,
or something,” he grumbled.
I breathed out, emptying my ribcage of all the angst and fears
that had been piling up over the past couple of weeks. This whole
mission had taken its toll on me, and I knew I needed a clear
mind and heart in order to survive everything that came next.
For that, of course, I needed my husband to be calm and ready
for anything that might happen.
“It most likely isn’t, baby, but you know how hazard works,” I
said softly. “We’re all doing the best we can to survive this
battle, and we need to talk to the people we love the most. Ben
and I are a lot alike, and only amazing creatures like you and
River are capable of boosting our morale.”
“Oh, now you’re trying to tickle my ego, aren’t you?”
I giggled like a little schoolgirl. “Is it working?”
“Yes. As long as you come back to me, Rose. Hazel and
Benedict are both looking forward to holding their mother again,
you know.”
My heart twisted itself up in a most painful pretzel as I
thought about my daughter and my son. They were both big and
strong enough to go on without me if something terrible
happened, but I still had a hard time imagining a reality in which
I wasn’t by their side.
Caleb, Hazel, Benedict, and their children were the most
important people in my life. My parents, too. And this was a war
I was fighting in order to save and protect them all. Sure, the rest
of the universe was on the line, too, but this was extremely
personal to me. I’d never been away from Caleb for so long, and
it took a toll on my already-frayed nerves. This whole thing had
evolved into a let’s-just-get-this-over-with-so-I-can-get-
back-to-my-husband type of mission. Ta’Zan’s ideals of
superiority were tiresome, to say the least.
I took another deep breath and got ready to end my
conversation with Caleb. Judging by the pile of pulverizer pellets
and explosive charges rising on the floor, we were getting close
to the next stage of our mission.
“I’ll see you all again soon enough, Caleb.”
I meant it. I had every intention of getting out of this place
alive. Sure, the odds weren’t exactly in my favor, but I was a
Novak, dammit. And Novaks go to hell and back if they have to,
for the sake of freedom and love.
K
S O F I A
nowing that I could die in a few hours didn’t
exactly boost my morale in any way.
But I didn’t want Rose and Ben to surrender. My life was
worthless if Ta’Zan won. I was hoping I’d get out of here, sooner
rather than later, so I’d be with my husband again. So we could
fly away to some other world and get the vacation we actually
deserved—one that didn’t involve a mad scientist looking to kill
everybody who wasn’t a Perfect.
If the universe wanted me to die instead, I had to find the
courage to accept such a fate. No one runs toward death, not
even as a sacrifice. It takes great courage to die.
Something gnawed at my stomach—most likely the prospect
of dying and never seeing my beloved Derek, my Ben and Rose,
my grandchildren and my great-grandchildren ever again. My
father. Kailyn. Corrine and Ibrahim. Abby and Erik, not to
mention Amelia… All the people who meant something to me.
My friends and allies.
I’d never stare at the moon for hours on end. I’d never dip my
feet in the ocean, the crisp water tickling my skin. I’d never
wonder when Serena and Draven would have a child of their
own. I’d miss out on Harper and Caspian’s endeavor, too, though
Harper would have to first turn human in order to conceive. All
curious and scary and wonderful things I’d never get to witness
as they unfolded.
Tears came up, threatening to roll down my cheeks and make
it impossible for me to hold it together. Self-pity was lurking
around, ready to sneak in and make everything worse. I shook
my head, rejecting its poison, and focused on something I could
still do.
So far, Ta’Zan had yet to find out about Isda. She was always
ready to pass a message to Derek for me, if needed. And I knew
Ta’Zan would come around again to gloat and to torment me.
He’d taken great pleasure in telling me that my life was over
unless my kids surrendered.
“I’ll kill you myself,” he’d said.
The double doors to his private quarters slid open, and, as if
summoned by my very thoughts, Ta’Zan came in. He didn’t look
as confident as before, though. Something was different. His
head was slightly bowed, which was a rare occurrence for a
creature who’d always held his chin up, looking down on
everyone like he was a friggin’ god.
My blood boiled. Had it not been for the shock collar around
my neck and this stupid glass box, I would’ve already torn him to
shreds. I would’ve pulled him apart like a gingerbread man, one
limb at a time. Imagining just that made it easier for me to watch
him walk toward me. It was therapeutic. By the time he reached
me, I’d already hung his entrails all over the walls.
“Your children have yet to surrender,” he said, his tone flat.
Chills ran down my spine. Of course he knew who was in that
group. Cassiel was still serving him, from what Isda had told me.
That treacherous, two-faced, chicken-winged bastard.
I crossed my arms, doing my best to keep a straight face and
not show him how deeply all this had already affected me. The
last thing I wanted was an enemy reeking of self-satisfaction.
“Aha. And?” I asked.
“It just seems like your daughter and your son don’t love you
as much as you might’ve thought.”
“If I die here today, Ta’Zan, it’s because they love me.
Because they know that I would gladly give my life if that bought
them some more time to pulverize you, like you deserve,” I
replied, wearing a cold grin.
“And you’re okay with dying?”
“No one ever is. But we do what we can to save the lives of
billions from monsters like you,” I snapped.
Ta’Zan didn’t like being called a monster. His face was ashen,
almost the same color as his hair. His lips turned into a flat, thin
line. Hate blazed from his eyes—raging oceans in one, dark
forests in the other. Had he not been so cruel, he would’ve
broken a few hearts. He was beautiful, physically, but he was
rotten on the inside.
“I like how you try to convince yourself that your martyrdom
will make some kind of difference,” he said. “It doesn’t matter,
Sofia. I will kill you if they don’t surrender, and they will suffer.
Then, I will kill another. Then another. And, in the end, I will kill
them, too. There is no stopping this. No matter what tricks they
pull. I will always be one step ahead. I know enough about them
to understand where to hit for maximum damage.”
Stalling was suddenly a great idea. I exhaled sharply and
prepared myself for what could be my last contribution to our
final mission.
“What exactly do you know, Ta’Zan? You certainly didn’t
know they’d steal Amal from you,” I retorted.
“I will get her back. Amal is my most loyal child. I will get
Amane back, as well, whether she likes it or not. Your son, Ben,
and your daughter, Rose, will never see their home world again.
Vesta, your other fae, will probably be more useful to me alive
than dead, since I understand she has control over all four
elements. She has strong genes. I could do with Zeriel, too. He’s
less… threatening,” Ta’Zan said.
Dread froze my joints, my throat gradually closing up. Cassiel
had served us all up on a silver platter. If I get out of here, he’ll
be the first chicken I roast… No! Scratch that! I’ll drain his
blood. Every last drop!
“Your witch, Kailani, I’m particularly interested in her. I’m
told she can kill my Perfects, permanently. I can’t have her
walking around, loose and all. The white wolf, Hunter? Not so
much. The dragon might come in handy,” Ta’Zan continued. “I
know Amane likes him. She can keep him as a pet, if she comes
back to me willingly. Dmitri, on the other hand… Again, I have
no use for half-breeds, and Douma has exhausted her chances
with me already. Elonora’s genetic material might work, but her
mind is too sharp. I don’t need her conscious. The Dhaxanian,
Nevis? I’ve not yet made a decision. But the bottom line, Sofia, is
your children, their friends, and all the others who landed on
Merinos will all suffer the same fate. You will not win, so if you
think your death will help them, rest assured, it won’t.”
“My people were able to turn your Perfects into dust. A
handful of them took out your favorite lieutenants,” I retorted,
trying to find out who else he knew about. “Araquiel, Abaddon,
and the others. They’re all dead. And that was before they took
down your comms blockers. Before they blew up your starships.
Ta’Zan, we’re just getting started, and you continue to
underestimate us. You’re in over your head, and you know it.
Otherwise, you wouldn’t be putting my neck on the line like this.
Deep down, you know it. And you are afraid of them.”
He didn’t say anything for a while, but I could almost hear the
wheels turning in his head. If there was one thing I’d learned
about Ta’Zan throughout my involuntary stay here, it was that
he always had to have the last word. This wasn’t going to be an
exception.
“What happened to Araquiel and my other children was
extremely unfortunate, but nothing short of a stroke of luck for
your people,” Ta’Zan finally said. “It was a mistake on my part
to think the Draenir wouldn’t be vicious enough to store such
weapons in those bunkers of theirs. They were always
delusional, thinking they’d eventually find a way to beat me.
Speaking of which, I know there are survivors, too. They will all
burn, as will the Faulties who joined them. The world I’m
building has no room for weak and ungrateful children. Oh, and
don’t think I’m too broken up about the death of a few Perfects. I
can always make more. Besides, it’s the Arch-Perfects I’m
counting on to lead the charge against the universe. They will be
the true warriors. The Perfects will be colonists, at best.”
“Good grief! Are you not hearing yourself?!” I croaked. “You
sound like you’ve completely lost your marbles. What happened
to you, Ta’Zan? Were the Draenir mean to you, and so now you’re
getting back at the whole universe? Who the hell do you think
you are, to claim you’re superior to anyone?”
Ta’Zan smirked. I’d gotten the information I needed, but that
didn’t make him any less irksome.
“I must be, since you’re in a glass box, and I’m watching you
from the outside,” he said. “Sofia, there’s no need for you to rile
yourself up any more. Enjoy these last hours you have left. If
your children don’t surrender, I’ll put your head on a stake and
mount it on the top of my colosseum for everyone to see.”
He turned around and walked toward the double doors. I knew
now that Ta’Zan had no idea about Araquiel—which worked in
our favor, in the end. If anyone could infiltrate and destroy the
colosseum from the inside, it was a Perfect presumed dead. My
synapses were quick to make the connections, and I also
remembered the four Perfects that Harper had fished out from
Strava’s orbit, shortly after the fleet attack.
They could help, too. And the idea that the Perfects were no
longer at the top of the food chain couldn’t possibly sit well with
them. I was confident that at least a handful would be annoyed
by the prospect of Arch-Perfects doing all the conquering, while
they came in last to colonize the planets. The sole pride of the
Perfects was that they were the best, the greatest, the most
powerful and whatever. This couldn’t possibly end well for
Ta’Zan, and, even if I were to die in the next few hours, I was
going to do my best to make sure I played a part in his demise.
“Ta’Zan!” I shouted after him. He stilled but didn’t turn his
head to look at me. “Will I see Derek again before you kill me?”
He scoffed. “Let’s see what your children do first, Sofia.”
Words couldn’t describe the mixture of horror and hatred
brewing inside me, like a hurricane threatening to rip me apart
from the inside. I pressed my sweaty palms against the glass
wall, wishing I could break out and end him, right then and
there.
But I had no power in there. All I could do was wait for Isda to
sneak in and update me on what was going on outside. Ben and
Rose must’ve spoken to Derek and the other prisoners already.
They had to have a plan for this. They had to. My biggest fear was
that Ta’Zan knew something about it. If Ben and Rose were
looking to stall him, it was incredibly dangerous to try it.
I’d raised two powerful and incredibly sharp kids. I knew I
could count on them, always. They knew what they had to do,
and I was fine with whatever decision they made—even
sacrificing me, if needed. Anything to stop this monster.
Anything.
H
K A I L A N I
unter and I hadn’t really talked much after my last
Word-mode episode. The words we’d exchanged had
been harsh and filled with anger. In light of what we were all
about to do, however, I felt the need to try and patch things up.
If this was going to be our last night of freedom, our last few
hours together, I didn’t want them to go by in awkward and
sullen silence. I loved him too much to let him be angry like this.
And he loved me; otherwise, he wouldn’t have been so riled up
about what the Word was doing to me.
We were done with the explosive charges and the pulverizer
pellets. We’d used all the ingredients we had, until we ended up
with enough firepower to take down a colosseum and an entire
army of Perfects. Knowing that the Perfects could be reset to a
more neutral stance made us reluctant to actually use the
pulverizer pellets against them, which was why Amal and Amane
were determined to put the mass memory wiper together,
instead.
Hunter was busy putting his weapons in a small pile on the
floor, on top of his backpack. I kneeled next to him, placing a
hand on his muscular shoulder.
“Can we talk?” I asked, my voice barely audible.
He gave me a sideways glance, then looked around for a
couple of seconds. We were pretty much on our own in the main
hall, with the exception of three Faulties watching over the
pulverizer ammo. The others in our crew were taking some time
for themselves, probably to do what I was about to do: leave no
room for sadness or regret. The plan had been drawn down to the
last detail. If we succeeded, we’d all see each other again, in
better circumstances. If we failed, there was a chance we
wouldn’t, turning this night into the very last.
The thought nearly broke my heart, but I chose to focus on
Hunter’s cool blue eyes, instead.
“What’s up?” he replied.
“I’m… I don’t want us to be like this when we go in there.”
“Like what?”
“Like this!” I said, irritated. He was definitely sulking, and I
had no patience for that. I needed him to hold me and to tell me
that everything was going to be okay—one of those pretty lies
we told our loved ones before going off to war. “We’re not… I
mean, I know you don’t like this Word apprenticeship, but, I
don’t know, I feel like we didn’t really talk it through the other
day.”
“We didn’t, Kale. We just argued,” he grumbled.
“I don’t want that. I can’t give up on the Word now, and I
don’t want to lose you. I love you,” I murmured.
He stilled, his gaze softening as he looked at me. “I love you,
Kale. I need you here, with me, alive. And I don’t think that’ll
happen if you keep going down this road.”
“We’re about to surrender to Ta’Zan.” I sighed. “Any chance
we could postpone this Word-related argument for later? Maybe
till after we kill him?”
He blinked several times, then exhaled sharply and wrapped
his arms around me, pulling me close. His natural scent filled my
mind with ideas of lazy summer nights in the redwood forests of
The Shade, making my heart skip beat after beat as I held him
tight.
He shoved his hand in my curly hair and gently pulled my
head back. A low growl escaped from his throat, sending my
senses into a frenzy. “Kale, if you don’t survive this, there will be
nothing for us to argue about,” he whispered.
Pain cut through me like a hot knife. Death was the last thing
on my mind, and for good reason, because it meant I’d never see
Hunter again. The mere thought of that broke me down on the
inside. I parted my lips, slowly, noticing the effect it had on him.
I’d dreamed about moments like these before we even knew
Strava existed, back when Hunter and I were just friends. Ah,
those were the days. Before Ta’Zan and his dumbass Perfects.
“I need you to back me up here, Hunter,” I replied. “How am I
going to pull through the apprenticeship if I don’t have you by
my side, huh?”
He chuckled softly. “So, you want me to be okay with you
potentially dying?”
“No, I want you to be okay with me potentially becoming a
better version of myself. Glass half-full and all that,” I
answered, smiling.
He nodded slowly, his expression warm and his soft lips
begging to be kissed.
“I don’t know what I’ll do if I lose you,” he managed. “I
didn’t think I’d be so deep in these feelings I have for you. And
it’s too late to undo anything, my darling witch.”
“Then don’t lose me. Help me stay on the path. Remind me
why I’m doing this. Make sure I always know that I’m coming
back to you, no matter what,” I said. “You’ve brought me out of
the Word-mode before. You might be the only one who can.”
“Ever the optimist,” Hunter replied, then kissed me deeply.
I needed him now more than ever. “I need you to promise
me,” I said, my voice uneven. “Promise me that, no matter what
happens, you’ll bring me back.”
His forehead smoothed. “Are you expecting another blackout
anytime soon?”
“I have no idea. But I’ll breathe easier if I know you’ve got my
back rather than being mad at me for insisting on doing this,” I
replied. “Besides, you know it already. I can’t quit. It’s a one-
way street I’m on, and I need to reach the end in order to
survive.”
His pained expression made me cry a little on the inside. He
didn’t like the prospect of losing me, I knew it. He’d made that
perfectly clear before. But I held on to the hope that maybe, just
maybe, I could get away with both.
“You do know we’ve got an evil overlord out there waiting to
chop us into spam, right?”
“I know, bad timing. But none of us saw it coming, so the best
we can do right now is adjust and adapt,” I said.
He rolled his eyes, then kissed me again. This time, however,
there was a certain tenderness in it, enough to bring tears back
to the surface. I locked my arms around his neck and refused to
let go.
“Fine, I’ll adapt,” he muttered against my lips. “But I won’t
let you go, do you hear me?”
I giggled. “I don’t expect you to.”
“Good, because I plan on introducing myself to your mom and
dad as your boyfriend when we see them again,” he answered,
making me laugh.
“I can’t wait to see what Grandma Corrine has to say about
it.”
“Frankly, I’m more worried about your Grandma Mona. She
scares me, sometimes,” he whispered.
I stifled a chuckle. “Yeah, well, she’s a determined witch. It
runs in the family.”
“Yeah, let’s just hope she’s not determined to skin me alive.”
“Only if you break my heart,” I replied.
He sighed. “I’m afraid you might break mine first, Kale.”
I kissed him, this time. I put all the love I had into it, hoping
he’d feel it like sentry couples did.
“I’m in this all the way, if you are,” I murmured, firmly
cupping his face. “Hunter, come on. Let’s grab this big-ass
problem by the horns and tackle it. I don’t want to do this
alone.”
“You won’t,” Hunter said, smiling. “I’m with you all the way
to the end, you crazy… crazy girl…”
Our lips met once more. I closed my eyes to enjoy it to the
fullest. Once the shock collars were mounted around our necks,
there was a slight chance they would never come off. I didn’t
want to go in with even the slightest idea of potential failure, but
I wanted to be realistic, as well.
If, by some misfortune, our plan failed, I was going to be stuck
there, forever being poked and prodded by Ta’Zan so he could get
his claws on my swamp witch magic. However, knowing how the
Word tended to react in times of pressure, I was aware that I
could easily turn into a friggin’ nuclear bomb without even being
able to control it.
That was my worst-case scenario. Death by Word.
I tried to open my eyes but couldn’t. Hunter’s lips were gone.
The firm softness of his embrace had vanished. I was stuck
somewhere, in some kind of limbo…
Darkness everywhere. My body missing, and yet my heart
racing as panic began to seep through and make a mess of my
psyche. I knew what this was. I’d experienced it before, and I
dreaded it the most. I’d lost control.
I was going into another Word-mode, and what truly terrified
me was the fact that I didn’t know why this was happening or
how I could stop it before I hurt anyone again. Hunter had just
been holding me, which meant that he was still out there, by my
side, probably livid to see me blank out like this.
Wait… Hold on… Why am I conscious?
This felt different from my previous seizures. I was sharp and
fully aware of my surroundings. I knew there was a physical
world outside. Time seemed to flow strangely slow here—or
maybe the complete absence of matter made it feel this way.
Where the hell am I?
Something flashed past me. I turned around. Another spark
flew in the opposite direction.
Oh. I know what this is.
Before I could formulate my next thought, I got a feeling of
déjà vu as words began shaping in the black ether, written in
golden light, as if someone had squeezed the sun into a fountain
pen. Something was deeply wrong with my brain, though,
because I didn’t recognize any of the words.
Some were written over and over, while others were dropped
in different sentences. The silence was almost deafening as I
tried to make sense of what the Word was trying to say to me. I
had to figure out what the message was, because now, more than
ever, I wanted to wake up and be with Hunter.
Ugh, I don’t have time for this now.
“What do you want from me?!” I shouted from the bottom of
my lungs, putting all the rage I could muster into this one,
simple question. “What the hell do you want from me?! Why
can’t you just talk to me, like normal people?”
I cursed under my breath. Of course the Word couldn’t talk to
me like normal people. It wasn’t… people. It was a mysterious
entity with the power to do or undo pretty much anything, if I
had the right formula. Its language was unknown, but, in certain
instances, I understood it. Its power limits were a mystery, but it
felt as old as time itself, and I’d recently offered myself up to it.
But I couldn’t, for the life of me, understand where all this was
going. Lumi had said it was for me to discover, but, dammit, we
were at war!
Was this another violent blackout? Or was it just a brief
encounter with the Word, again? Would I remember any of it
once I came back to my senses? Or would I forget it all, like
before?
No matter what the answer was, I had to admit one thing. I
was genuinely tired. This felt less like an apprenticeship and
more like a chronic illness—something akin to narcolepsy but
able to obliterate dozens of Perfects at once.
It was as if I’d just fallen asleep on top of a nuclear warhead.
I hated it.
K
H U N T E R
ailani’s eyes glowed white.
She’d gone limp in my arms, and I was once
again at a loss for words, not knowing what I could do in order to
get her back to me. I’d been through the motions before, and,
while I was terrified she might hurt herself or all of us, I was also
tired of seeing her like this.
I completely understood why she was so determined to go
through with this, and I wanted to support her every step of the
way, but seeing her like this just cancelled everything out and
threw me into complete disarray. We’d spent years being
friends, closer than most people ever get in their entire lives.
We’d finally found our way to each other in love, too, after all
this time. Kailani was intrinsically connected to my very heart,
and I couldn’t lose her.
“Kale… Come on, babe, wake up,” I said softly, holding her
close and gently shaking her every other minute. “Don’t do this
again. Take back control!”
I didn’t need any swamp witch knowledge to understand how
dangerous the Word could be in the absence of control. I’d seen
it back by the last comms blocker, where Kailani had virtually
disintegrated a bunch of Perfects and four innocent Draenir. Had
we not dropped to the ground in time, we, too, would’ve been
roasted. And I knew she didn’t want any of this.
“Kale… Come on, honey… I need you here, in the real world.
We’ve got so many asses to kick,” I continued, whispering in her
ear, hoping she’d hear me.
My heart ached to the point where I found it difficult to
breathe. But I didn’t even want to imagine what it would be like
without Kailani. Panic was already threatening to set in, the
hairs on the back of my neck rising and my wolf instincts
awakening.
Her entire body hummed, as if she was transmitting a signal
into outer space, or something. Her eyes were wide open,
shining like headlights. Her breathing was even, and, upon
checking her wrist, I noticed her pulse felt normal, too. It was as
if she’d just fallen asleep after having swallowed the sun.
I raised my head and looked around, hoping I’d see a familiar
face. The Faulties I’d spotted earlier were gone, and the small
fire in the middle had died out. We had a couple of hours left
before departing. They all needed to rest a little before the next
stage of our plan.
I breathed out, wondering how long it would take for Kailani
to wake up. Unlike the last time, it didn’t feel like something
terrible was about to happen, but I couldn’t know for sure. The
sooner she snapped out of it, the better.
Footsteps made me turn my head. I couldn’t stop a gasp from
leaving my throat.
“Lumi!” I said.
She stood about twenty feet away from us, clad in a long, dark
blue dress with golden embroidery on the sleeves and along
every hem. Her bright orange hair was pulled back in a bun, and
her neck and face tattoos added a dramatic and unexpected
contrast to the existing plethora of visual elements composing
her. Her irises, white with blue edges, were fixed on Kailani.
“She’s away,” Lumi murmured.
“She passed out a few minutes ago. She’s been like this
since,” I said. “How do I wake her up? What if she lets out
another deadly pulse?”
Lumi came closer, concern visibly etched into her features.
She sighed deeply as she kneeled by Kailani’s side. “I’ve seen
this before, with other witches. I’ve been through it myself, but
my circumstances were quite different. We weren’t at war or
running for our lives when we fused with the Word.”
“What… What does that mean?” I asked, unable to follow
her.
“I’ve said it before, Hunter. The conditions of Kale’s
apprenticeship have changed. She was supposed to have done it
in peace and quiet, away from family and friends, away from
pretty much anyone. Instead, she’s running around and trying to
save people by using spells that she hasn’t fully internalized.
She’s unstable, Hunter.”
“How unstable?”
“Nuclear-warhead-rolling-down-the-hill unstable,” she
replied. I had to admit, her reference game had improved
significantly since she’d studied Earth and its history. “These
episodes she’s having are supposed to take place under quiet and
tranquil conditions, not hidden in a cave and about to become
Ta’Zan’s prisoner.”
“Should we have her stay back and hide her here, then? Let
her do her apprenticeship in peace?” I suggested, occasionally
glancing down at the unconscious woman of my dreams, limp in
my arms.
Lumi smirked. “Do you think she’d let us do that? While we
go off to Ta’Zan’s private zoo?”
“What can we do, then?”
“Try to rein it in. The apprenticeship cannot be stopped; you
know that already. There are only two possible outcomes. Either
the Word accepts or rejects her,” Lumi explained.
“What happens if it’s the latter?”
“She’ll live, but she’ll always feel empty on the inside. You
see, the Word opens up before you, first. It gives you access to
knowledge that has never even seen the light of day. Secrets of
the universe. The origins of creation itself. If it accepts you, it
will make them available to you, through a series of lengthy
meditation processes. Frankly, I’ve only had time for about
thirty. Out of approximately ten thousand. Though there could
be more, since we can’t exactly put a limit on knowledge. I’m
still incredibly ignorant, in a way.”
“And if it rejects her, then what? It closes it all off?”
“Precisely,” Lumi replied with a nod. “It takes it all away, and
it leaves you with a feeling that you could’ve had it all. It doesn’t
feel as bitter as a missed opportunity. It’s much worse. It could
drive a person mad.”
“Oh, good. Madness. Anything else we should be aware of?” I
retorted sarcastically.
“This apprenticeship is too bumpy,” Lumi said. “If she’s not
careful or calm, it could kill her. This is her most fragile period,
just before a so-called chrysalis stage. The last sleep before the
great bloom.”
The more I learned about swamp witches, the more worried I
became. Nothing of what Lumi told me was soothing, in any way.
There were more ways in which this could go wrong than ways in
which it could go well, and that scared the daylights out of me.
“Keep talking to her. She’ll hear your voice, eventually,”
Lumi advised me, giving me a sad half-smile. “The only thing
you can do for her is support her and make sure she’s as calm as
possible, considering what’s ahead. If she doesn’t keep herself
cool and open to these episodes, the entire process might kill
her.”
“Did she know about this when she signed up for it?” I asked,
frowning.
“I couldn’t reveal too much, as per the swamp witch
traditions. But I warned her that it could be dangerous or even
deadly if done incorrectly. The rest was up to her.”
I shook my head slowly, then shifted my focus back to Kailani.
I pressed my lips against her ear. “Come on, Kale. It’s getting
lonely here without you. I need you,” I mumbled.
“I have all the faith in her, you know,” Lumi said. “I wouldn’t
have taken her on as an apprentice if I didn’t think she could
pull through. Kale is incredibly strong. There is so much raw
power inside of her. It flows naturally. It’s like music to my ears.
The Word would be foolish to reject her.”
“Provided she survives these blackouts, right?” I asked.
Kailani moaned in my arms. I held my breath. She blinked
several times, until the lights went out from her eyes. She looked
at me, then exhaled sharply.
“I was out again, wasn’t I?” she asked.
I gave her a weak nod, then showered her with kisses,
thankful to have her back. I could breathe again, and, as she hid
her face in the small space between my neck and shoulder, Lumi
told her what happened, and what it could mean for her future as
a swamp witch.
Once Lumi laid out all the facts she could disclose, like she’d
done with me, Kailani cursed under her breath. “Well, I
definitely picked the wrong time for this swamp witch stuff,
huh?” she asked rhetorically.
“You couldn’t have known,” Lumi replied. “We all thought
you were coming to Strava for a simple recon mission, not this
pile of trouble.”
“Kale, it’s okay. We’ll figure it out,” I said to her.
She smiled, then planted a kiss on my cheek—as if I’d just
said the cutest thing, and as if I couldn’t be farther from the
truth. “This one’s on me, Hunter,” she murmured. “I have to
make sure I don’t blow myself up, and that, in the end, the Word
accepts me. Though, I have no idea how I’m going to do that.”
“Do you remember anything from this blackout?” I asked.
She shook her head. “I can’t tell you. I’m sorry. The rules.”
“Screw the rules,” I grumbled.
She wrapped her arms around my torso and glued herself to
my upper body. I couldn’t really think straight when she did
that. All I could focus on was her scent, filling my nostrils and
flooding my mind with images of her, melting in my arms, the
wind blowing through her hair and the ocean lapping at her feet.
Thankful to have Kailani back, at least for the time being, I
kissed the top of her head, then looked at Lumi. “I don’t know
what else to do,” I said.
“There’s nothing you can do, Hunter, except prepare yourself
for the most difficult challenge yet,” Lumi replied. “Help Kailani
keep her condition under control while you’re Ta’Zan’s
prisoners. He’ll be particularly interested in her, and we don’t
want him riling her up in any way. If she loses it, we’re all
screwed.”
As if things couldn’t get any worse. Kailani looked at me, her
brow furrowed.
“Hey, we never said this would be easy, right?” she said.
Nothing ever was. My only concern was that Kailani had
jumped on a ride she had absolutely no control over, and it was
too late for her to jump off and save herself. It killed me to see
her like this and to know that there wasn’t anything I could do to
help or protect her.
The only thing I could do was help us both brace for the
impact, which was inevitable. Either way, and no matter what
the outcome of this apprenticeship, I had to make sure that
Ta’Zan didn’t get his claws on the love of my life.
Easy to say, since we’re about to surrender to him.
A
A M A N E
mal and I tried to get some sleep before heading to the
colosseum. Ridan gave us the privacy we needed, hoping
we’d get some time together as sisters. Once we returned to
Ta’Zan, everything was going to change, and not in a good way.
My sister wasn’t too confident in our plan. She feared we were
playing fast and loose with our freedom, and she was still miffed
about us kidnapping her. At the same time, she was able to
acknowledge the brilliance of our actions. Ta’Zan didn’t know
she was on our side, and that was going to help us, going
forward.
But none of that mattered, for the time being. I settled on the
floor next to her, crossing my legs and resting my back against
the stone wall. She handed me a small device, the size of my
fingernail. I looked at it and turned it over, trying to figure out
what it did.
“Hide this somewhere on Rose,” she said. “I’ve got one of my
own. Make sure it doesn’t pop up in a search.”
“What is it?” I asked.
“I studied one of those earpieces and figured out how it
works. It’s similar to something Ta’Zan had the Faulty engineers
developing. This, dear sister, is a scrambler. If Ta’Zan thinks of
eavesdropping on anyone in the diamond dome by means of
magi-tech, this little thing will thwart such endeavors.”
I chuckled. “You’re devious.”
“I’ve had to adjust. It was only a matter of time before Ta’Zan
figured out a way to eavesdrop on his prisoners without them
knowing. I suppose that makes me as devious as him.” She
sighed. “Point is, if he does try something, it’ll fail, and he’ll
blame his magi-tech, since he obviously has no idea I came up
with this,” she added, nodding at the scrambler. “By the time he
gets the engineers to try something else, we’ll be long gone.”
“How would he eavesdrop, then? Through the collars?” I
asked.
She shrugged in return. “I doubt it. The collars have been on
the prisoners since they were first brought to the colosseum,
long before Ta’Zan would’ve realized they would destroy his
blockers and restore communications. Whatever artifice he
might come up with, it would be a last-minute fix, with little to
no time for testing. Hence the possibility that it wouldn’t work
and therefore why the scramblers will be effective.”
I laughed lightly. “You’re positively evil.”
“I’ve had you by my side. My brain functions better, you know
that. It helped me come up with a solution. A preemptive one,
anyway. There’s no guarantee that Ta’Zan has any means to
listen in on any conversations, but I’m inclined to think he
would have.”
“It’s brilliant, if you ask me,” I said, looking at the scrambler.
“If he does have a listening device in the dome, and it doesn’t
work because of this little thing, he won’t be able to come in and
ask us why his spying gadget doesn’t work. It would give him
away.”
Amal grinned. “Exactly. No way that he’d allow himself to
come across as a bumbling, incompetent inventor in front of
Derek. Especially Derek. He’s so determined to prove his
superiority. It’ll be his undoing someday.”
“Hopefully, that day is soon…”
A few minutes passed in silence.
“This isn’t how I’d planned it,” Amal finally murmured,
staring blankly ahead.
“I thought we were over this,” I replied, rolling my eyes. “You
should’ve told me.”
Amal sighed. “Can I be honest?”
“It’s what I’ve always expected of you.”
“I wanted you to have total deniability, in case it went
wrong,” Amal murmured. “Getting close enough to kill Ta’Zan is
extremely dangerous. I think I’ve already explained why—”
“He’s been modifying his own genes, gradually,” I replied,
nodding. “He’s become nearly as invincible as the Perfects, only
he’s more cunning than all of them put together. His self-
preservation instinct makes him virtually undefeatable.”
“Yes. We need to chip away at his confidence, piece by piece.
Once we go back in there, we have to play our parts flawlessly.
We cannot make a single mistake,” Amal said. “This plan of
yours… Well, it’s crazy, but it could work.”
I gave her a sly grin. “A few minutes ago, you weren’t really
on board with it.”
She chuckled. “Hey, I’d rather go with the crowd than ruin all
the work I’ve put in so far. I am so close to finding the right
attack angle, you have no idea.”
“How’ve you been, though?” I asked, changing the subject.
We’d talked about what we were going to do, already. We knew
how we’d proceed through every step, until we got it right.
Revisiting the plan wasn’t helping, not this far in the game. “In
my absence, and with everything that happened in there…”
“As well as I can be. I have the blood of my brethren on my
hands,” Amal answered, her voice uneven.
“You’re talking about Monos and the other rebels.”
She nodded. “I could’ve let them go ahead with it, you know.
They could’ve taken Sofia’s group out. But Ta’Zan would’ve been
on to them in minutes. They were all going to be back in the
dome before the next midnight. His comms blockers were still
up. His mind was still too clear for a bunch of prisoners escaping
to get the better of him. Like I said, we need to break his psyche
before he can make a potentially fatal mistake. It’s the only way
to stop Ta’Zan.”
“Why didn’t you speak to Monos and his people about it?” I
asked.
“Everyone knows I’m loyal to Ta’Zan. I had to keep up
appearances. It’s the only thing that has helped me save more
lives than the few we lost the other day. Monos’s sacrifice won’t
be in vain. As cruel as it may sound, those deaths fortified
Ta’Zan’s trust in me. I have him right where I want him. I mean,
why do you think he started killing prisoners and giving you
ultimatums? He’s scared he’ll lose me. He knows he’s weak
without me. Without us, Amane. He hasn’t been the same since
you left.”
“I’m sorry you had to do what you did,” I mumbled. “I wasn’t
even sure I could trust these outsiders when I saw them. Then
the dragon took a nose dive, and I found myself swimming after
him, saving his life.”
“You did right by him. And they sure did right by you,” Amal
replied, smiling. “I see the way they look at you, Sister. They
respect you. They value your opinion. They rely on you. They’re
everything our so-called father never was to us.”
“If only he’d been less of a murderer, right? Then he wouldn’t
have been half bad,” I replied with a chuckle.
“And I see how the dragon looks at you, too,” Amal said. “He
loves you. And you… Sister, I think you love him, too.”
I took a deep breath, wondering if what she said was true. It
felt right. It felt so damn right.
“Ta’Zan never told us about love,” I whispered.
“Nope. He said it’s useless. A romantic concept that the
Draenir couldn’t let go of.”
“It’s everything,” I said. “Everything matters more, now that
I know where Ridan and I stand. And you’re right. The way he
looks at me. It’s mesmerizing. It makes my heart race. My
stomach churns whenever we’re apart. And I know, I know that I
would never be bored with him. You’ve seen him in his dragon
form, right?”
Amal nodded, her eyes wide as she remembered the flight
back.
“I’m in awe of him,” she replied.
“That, alone, was enough to make my chest tighten. And
when he’s just himself, he’s so… quiet and patient. You should
see him fight, too. He is as fierce as the dragon inside him. But
he’s also tender, and sweet. And he makes me laugh, even
though I don’t always get his jokes. It’s the way he smiles to let
me know he’s joking. That cracks me up.”
Amal giggled. “Good grief, Sister, you’re in so much trouble.”
“I know. I have to make sure he lives through all this,” I said,
stifling a chuckle. “What about you and Athos, huh? That poor
soul has been pining over you for years, now.”
“I’m aware. But I don’t feel the same,” Amal replied. “I value
him. I care about him. After all, I convinced Ta’Zan to put him on
the cleaning crew, instead of kicking him out like the other
rogues. But I could never give him what he wants.”
“He’ll find someone, eventually.”
“Your optimism could be infectious.” She laughed. “That’s
assuming we survive what comes next!” she added, then
suddenly turned serious. “We helped this murderer become who
he is today. Don’t think we’re forgiven for our past sins.”
“So, what, we don’t deserve a second chance?” I sighed. “We
didn’t know any better. It wasn’t until I spent time with Ridan
and his crew that I realized what the real world was like. It’s the
complete opposite of what Ta’Zan taught us and wanted us to do.
You know that as well as I do, since you’ve been working to
destroy him already.”
Amal let a deep breath out. A few seconds passed in silence as
she formulated a reply. I knew she wasn’t done with the guilt
trip. I’d already gone through those motions, shortly after we
discovered the surviving Draenir. I would’ve gone to my grave
with the secret about the plague, had it not been for Rakkhan. In
hindsight, it was better this way. My moral compass had clearly
been in need of adjustment.
“I don’t know, Sister. I feel guilty. I live with it every day, like
a disease festering in my chest,” Amal finally said. “Sometimes,
I think we don’t deserve any kind of happiness or forgiveness.
We helped him kill millions of Draenir.”
“We did. And, if we break free of his reign, we will have a
whole life ahead of us to make amends, to fix it as best as we can,
to help the Draenir resettle and thrive again. It’s what gives me
hope. Well, that and the fact that I have Ridan in my life. I’ve
been tempted to punish myself by running away from him, but I
can’t. I’ve thought about it. But love’s funny like that.”
“Maybe that’s what’s missing in my life,” Amal said.
I put an arm around her shoulders, then gently pulled her
close. She seemed surprised by this gesture of affection, but she
didn’t reject it. We’d never really hugged, in the early days. We’d
come out fully matured and indoctrinated into following Ta’Zan
everywhere. His needs always came first. Our relationship didn’t
matter, unless it could be of use to him—after all, we were
brilliant together, and not as efficient when we were apart.
“You have love in your life already, Amal, if you want it,” I
said to her, gently. “I’ve got enough for you and for Ridan.”
She snaked her arms around my waist. I didn’t see it coming,
but I was beyond happy to have it, nonetheless. Amal and I
hugged for a while, quietly letting each other know that our
connection ran deep, and far beyond our cerebral capabilities.
We were sisters by blood, and it was time we acted like it, too.
“We have to stop him, Amane,” she mumbled, resting her
head on my shoulder. “Do you trust your friends to go through
with this? To do their part of the plan?”
I gave her a soft nod. “They’ve done enough damage to him
already, don’t you think?”
She grinned. “I’ll admit, they exceeded my expectations.”
“Then trust them with this. They want to save their worlds,
their friends, and their loved ones. And, based on the stories I’ve
heard from them, they’ll stop at nothing until they succeed. And
that’s where we come in,” I said. “If anyone can take Ta’Zan
down, it’s them.”
Amal thought about it for a while, then looked at me. “We’ll
help them. But you know what that means.”
I most certainly did, and we’d already discussed it. I didn’t
feel comfortable being separated from Ridan anymore, but, with
Amal’s and my knowledge, we had enough information between
us to maybe pull this off. It was only temporary, anyway.
If my sister and I succeeded in what we’d planned, we’d all
survive and maybe even thrive in a new world. If we failed,
however, I’d be forced to watch Ridan live out the rest of his days
with a shock collar around his neck, withering away in Ta’Zan’s
diamond dome.
At least I had Amal back. I’d never really lost her, but with her
so close to me, my mind functioned at incredible speeds. I was
processing a thousand possible scenarios at once. Together,
Amal and I were unstoppable.
“T
N A T H A N I E L
he interplanetary travel spell functions quite
simply, but its landing is random,” Arwen said.
Uriel, Angelica, Deena, and I stood on the top level of GASP’s
Mount Zur base, where a platform had been built. The space
shuttle was small but had enough firepower to steer the travel
spell away from a potential hotspot—that much we’d learned
from the blueprints that Phoenix had showed us. This particular
vessel was his latest design, and he’d insisted on being up here
with us for the takeoff.
“All you need to do is rev all the engines to the max as you
steer toward the Merinos cluster,” he added, checking some last
flight details on his computer tablet. He’d wired it so he’d be
permanently connected to the shuttle and our vitals. With the
comms blockers down, that was easy.
I gave him a confident nod. “We’ve got this. We’ve learned
how to pilot the ship. Your manual was very good,” I replied.
“Yeah, the one thing I’m really good at is telling people what
to do.” He chuckled nervously.
He was on edge. I could almost feel him. His pulse was
thudding in my ears. I was still trying to get used to what my
body was capable of, but I didn’t feel superior to anyone, in any
way. My mind was as far from what Ta’Zan had intended as
possible—and it was all because of me.
“You’re also very good at designing ships,” Uriel chimed in.
“You need to land as close to Merinos as possible. Araquiel
and his local crew will meet you there,” Arwen said. “I think you
can find each other without much effort.”
“We can sense each other, if we pay attention,” Angelica
replied. “I’m not sure our Stravian brethren are aware of that.”
“I doubt they are. Otherwise, they would’ve found Raphael
and Douma already,” Phoenix said, then looked at me. “Thank
you for what you’re about to do.”
“Don’t thank me yet. Not until we deliver,” I replied, feeling
my nerves stretch to new limits. “Once we do what we have to
do, and the mission is declared successful, I will gladly accept the
praise.”
Angelica laughed. “Ever the serious soldier,” she quipped,
then gave me a friendly slap on the shoulder.
Uriel, Angelica, and Deena were the creatures that were
closest to my heart. In a way, we’d grown up together, though
over the course of days, not years. We were made from the same
genes, and we understood each other better than most.
They knew what it felt like to attain consciousness in a
foreign world, to be told that you had no power over the
decisions you made, that your brain was programmed and
molded to fit the agenda of a creature whose sole purpose was to
cause misery and prove nature wrong. I felt violated and
ashamed by what I’d done. I’d done it willingly, because I didn’t
know any better.
And they felt the same way. For all the blood we’d shed and
all the hurt we’d caused, the four of us felt compelled to do
something to make amends. To do good in order to stifle the evil
we’d done already. To be better versions of ourselves. To prove to
these people that we deserved a chance, after all.
What I appreciated most about Arwen and her people was that
they gave us the freedom to choose, to decide what was wrong
and right. They shared their history with us; they showed us
their way of life and their reasoning methods. And they made a
lot more sense than what I’d picked up from our recorded
memories as Ta’Zan’s soldiers.
“We’re going to have a tough time walking in there,” Uriel
muttered, crossing his arms.
“What do you mean? Inside the colosseum?” I asked.
He nodded. “They’re our brothers and sisters, in a way. And
we’re about to turn their world upside down. We’re about to kill
a whole lot of them to save the world from them.”
“To save many of them, too,” Deena interjected. “We didn’t
choose to be like this, and neither did they. We can’t rescue
them all. But the ones that we can, we will.”
“As long as Amal and Amane get the mass memory wiper
working,” Angelica replied.
“Let’s trust the twins. Rose and Ben’s crew certainly believes
in them,” I said. “And they’ve been out there, kicking and
fighting against our misguided brethren for a long time now. I
trust their instincts.”
Arwen sighed. “Just be careful once you get there. Don’t let
the beauty of those diamond colosseums seduce you. Don’t think
for a second that Ta’Zan might actually win this—”
“He won’t.” I cut her off before she could suggest that we
might get soft in there. I completely rejected the notion, anyway.
“Once we’re in there, his entire scheme will fall apart, diamond
brick by diamond brick. And we’ll have Araquiel and the Faulties
to work with. It’s more than we could’ve asked for. We’ll be
okay, Arwen. Please, don’t worry.”
“My daughter’s life is on the line,” she said, her voice
trembling. Tears gathered in her eyes. “I can’t help but worry.”
For a moment, I wondered what it would’ve been like if
Ta’Zan had acted more like a father and less like an evil and
delusional overlord. Maybe my brethren and I would’ve been less
vicious. Maybe there wouldn’t have been the need to wipe our
memories and have us start over, just to stop us from killing
innocent people.
Rage burned through me, quiet but persistent. I couldn’t
ignore the grief, either. I’d done terrible things for Ta’Zan. And I
was determined to live through an eternity of making up for it, if
needed.
Arwen gave me a soft smile. “I know you’re worried too,
about what to expect down there,” she said. She knew me well
enough to understand how my mind functioned. I would’ve
loved to have her as a mother, if I were ever to experience the
traditional family model—if I’d had the presence of real parents
in my life.
“I don’t know what to expect,” I said. “I dread the thought of
having to kill Perfects.”
“We may not have another choice,” Deena said. “And it’s not
our fault. This is the situation we’re dealing with, and this is the
best we can do.”
“Besides, you have the whole of GASP by your side,” Arwen
said. “Whatever you need, we’ll do our best to help. Phoenix will
be manning the comms line, ready for your instructions. He’ll
guide you through the islands, too, if you need additional
guidance.”
“Once our people surrender, you’ll have a very brief window
of time to do what you have to do,” Phoenix continued. “While
you and Araquiel set the explosive charges, Amal and Amane will
work on the mass memory wiper, and Rose will manage the
prisoner evacuation procedures.”
“With a shock collar around her neck? How’s that going to
work?” Angelica asked, slightly confused.
Phoenix grinned. “Amal gave them all the operational codes
for those things. They won’t be a problem. Once Rose is in with
Derek and the others, they’ll be ready to do their part. It’s all
about timing.”
“That’s why Amal didn’t give Derek the codes already,” I
reminded Angelica. “They need to be in the diamond dome. All
of them. They’ll escape together at once, after we do our job.”
I felt surprisingly optimistic about all this. Knowing how
dangerous fate could be, in general, I didn’t dare to voice this
optimism. I kept it to myself, fueling me in our endeavor to
infiltrate Strava and pretend we were still part of Ta’Zan’s army.
I looked at Uriel, Deena, and Angelica for a brief moment.
They all smiled and nodded, signaling that they were ready for
takeoff. We were already dressed for the part, in dark blue silk
tunics that matched those we’d seen in our video memories. I
shifted my focus back to Arwen and Phoenix.
“I think we’re ready to go,” I said.
“Good. Then hop in, and we’ll see you after we win this,”
Arwen replied, beaming at me.
I’d already made a promise to her, though she didn’t know it.
I was going to do whatever it took to keep her daughter, Kailani,
safe, and to bring her back to Calliope and her parents. Under no
circumstances could I allow Ta’Zan to get his hands on her and
exploit her powers. I couldn’t bear to think of Arwen suffering
while her daughter languished in that diamond dome. No. I’m
getting you your daughter back, Arwen, because you gave my life
back to me.
“I will see you soon,” I said.
“Wait…” Arwen sighed, and wrapped her arms around me,
taking me by surprise.
Her embrace felt warm, and it filled me with more
determination than I’d thought possible. She didn’t hesitate to
hug Angelica, Deena and Uriel. The girls teared up. I figured this
was the value of family and love—something we’d not been
destined to have, and yet, we got it anyway. I only hoped our
brethren would get a chance at such things, too.
One by one, we moved into the shuttle and settled in the pilot
chairs. Four sets of controls and commands were needed to
operate it once we had to force its course toward Merinos.
Outside, Arwen prepared the interplanetary travel spell. I’d yet
to fully wrap my head around swamp witch magic, but I did
appreciate the principles upon which it functioned.
I made a note to myself to study this stuff in greater detail,
provided I survived the oncoming mess. This wasn’t going to be
easy, and I was well aware that one or more of us might have to
die—sacrifices needed to secure the mission and make sure the
others took it to the very end. I was, in fact, ready to give my life,
as long as it led to Ta’Zan’s death and the salvation of the
Perfects.
As the shuttle trembled, engulfed by the spell’s golden light,
then took off and shot through the sky, the four of us braced
ourselves for what came next.
“We’re in for a heap of trouble. You know that, right?” Uriel
muttered, as the shuttle shuddered and groaned, breaching
Calliope’s atmosphere.
It quickly settled, smoothly sailing through the vacuum of
cosmos, shooting past the stars and nearby planets as it headed
toward the Meahiri galaxy, home of our Strava.
“Yes, but we’re getting our world and our lives back,” I said.
“I think it’s worth a scuffle or two.”
They all chuckled, but I knew that we were on the same page.
Together, we were going to take our maker down and give our
people the freedom to forge their own paths through life—
peacefully, and not at the expense of others.
M
R O S E
y pulse drummed in my ears.
We’d synced our watches, and we knew we were
two hours away from Ta’Zan’s deadline. Amane had already
given me the tiny scrambler and explained what it was for. It was
neatly hidden beneath my skin with a quick, last-minute
surgery, just to make sure it wouldn’t be found. I knew I’d asked
my dad to keep the details of our operation to himself for a
reason…
My parents and the other prisoners had already been aware
that Ta’Zan might have ears on the dome, so they’d been careful
with how and when they talked—the collars didn’t allow for
much conversation about rebelling against him, anyway.
Even so, it was better to be prepared than to be caught by
surprise. The scrambler sure wasn’t going to hurt us, especially
with the comms blockers down—Ta’Zan knew he was at a
temporary disadvantage there, and he wasn’t going to let that
slide.
With clammy hands and a permanent knot in my stomach, I
found Ben in his chamber and brought him into the main hall, as
the rest of our “initial” crew gathered around us.
Our bags and weapons were piled up in a corner. We had no
use for them, for the time being. We were going to surrender,
and we would be lucky if we managed to sneak anything inside
our hidden pockets.
There was a certain sense of doom weighing on our shoulders.
We had a plan, but it still felt weird. We’d circled and infiltrated
the colosseum before, fighting tooth and nail not to end up its
prisoners. Yet now, we were doing exactly what we’d tried so
hard not to.
The rogue Faulties, led by Herakles, along with Rakkhan and
his Draenir, huddled to the side, watching us quietly, their eyes
wide and filled with curiosity and concern. Araquiel was by
Herakles’s side, his lips pursed and his arms crossed.
“Everyone ready?” I asked, my voice breaking. I cleared my
throat, hoping I’d sound a lot more confident the next time I
spoke.
The first line of surrender consisted of myself, Ben, Kailani
and the rest of our original crew, along with Douma, the Faulty
twins and Raphael. They all nodded. Behind them, Draven and
Serena, Lumi and the others in their group also confirmed they
were ready, as the second line of surrender, according to our
plan.
“You all know what you have to do. From prisoners to trusted
Faulties and wayward Perfect children,” I added, giving Amal and
Amane, then Douma and Raphael a soft smile.
Kallisto raised a hand. “Are you seriously leaving me
behind?” she grumbled.
“You’re safer here with Leah and Samael. We’ll tell Ta’Zan we
lost you after we heard about the deadline,” I replied. “If you go
back to him, the Perfects won’t let you live.”
“Or, if they do let me live, they’ll torture me until I beg them
to kill me.” Kallisto sighed. “Yeah, I get it. I just wish I could
help you more.”
Amane squeezed her shoulder. “You’ve done enough already,
and you know you’ll be out there with the Draenir and our rogues
when the time comes. That’ll be enough, trust me.”
“We’ll be okay,” I said, trying to reassure them all. “It’s risky
as hell, and there are some unknown variables that might mess
with our calculations, but we’re perfectly capable of adjusting to
and overcoming anything. We’ve proven that much.”
Rakkhan smiled. “If anyone can destroy that maniac, it’s
you.”
“Araquiel and I will do our part, don’t worry,” Herakles
interjected. “By the time we’re done with Ta’Zan, he’ll be
weeping like a baby.”
That got a chuckle out of me. If we survived this, I was
determined to offer Herakles a position in GASP. He hadn’t been
around for too long, but he damn well deserved it. His grit, his
quick wit, and his ability to adjust in response to unexpected
twists and turns had already placed him ahead of many non-
Stravian potential candidates. His sense of humor was just a
delicious bonus.
“And we’ll do ours,” I said. “No matter what we see or hear,
no matter what happens around us, we stick to the plan. We do
our parts. Then, we reap the rewards and win this damn war
before it spills into the In-Between.”
“This is our one shot to make things right. We inadvertently
helped Ta’Zan create his Perfects and develop this nightmare.
We’ll be the ones to stop him,” Ben continued.
“I’ve told you before, you shouldn’t blame yourselves for any
of this,” Amane said, drawing a nod of approval from Rakkhan,
Raphael, and the others. “Ta’Zan would’ve woken up eventually.
He would’ve found a way off the planet. He would’ve built his
Perfects another way. A similar outcome, regardless of the
circumstances. This was always his plan. But you’re right about
one thing. We will be the ones to put an end to it.”
Kailani stepped forward. She seemed nervous, and for good
reason. She was about to walk into the home of the one creature
who was most desperate to snag her and poke and prod her, until
he figured out what made her magic tick.
“Okay, let’s get the first group there,” she murmured, then
looked at Taeral. “You bring in your crew. Let’s see if Ta’Zan
knows about all of us, or just my team.”
“That sounds reasonable. We might get lucky,” Taeral replied
with a smirk.
“Hey, if he doesn’t know about us, that doesn’t mean we get
to kick back with a fruity cocktail and enjoy the tropical sunrise,”
Lumi said, raising an eyebrow at the young prince.
“Don’t hate me for dreaming,” Taeral retorted, pouting like a
little boy.
Ben and I linked hands. Seconds later, the original recon crew
was connected through touch, along with Douma, Raphael,
Amal, and Amane. We knew that Ta’Zan wanted them back as
much as he wanted us, and that they were included in his
demand. The four of them had also insisted on coming with us,
in the first group, hoping that Ta’Zan would be too pleased to
have them back to worry about Draven’s crew. Wishful thinking,
I’d thought, but worth a shot, nonetheless.
We had to go in regardless. This was the most difficult and
dangerous stage of our mission. Like I’d told our people, there
was no room for mistakes here.
Kailani took a deep breath, waiting for me to give her the go-
ahead to teleport us.
“It’s time to go,” I said.
A split second later, we were outside Ta’Zan’s colosseum.
Elonora and I had to quickly pull up our hoods, as the sun had
proudly risen over the island. Its rays cut through the
surrounding jungles, and we couldn’t risk getting burned.
The diamond structure was humongous from up close. It took
my breath away.
I stared at it for a couple of seconds, until the Perfect guards
patrolling the grounds and the crystalline walls noticed us. They
rushed toward us, ready to attack.
I put my hands out and shouted, “We’ve come to surrender!”
They hadn’t seen this coming, for some reason. They’d
probably thought we’d sacrifice my mom to keep fighting
Ta’Zan. Their brilliant minds had not yet ripened to the point
where they could understand that we were perfectly capable of
defeating Ta’Zan from the inside out—hopefully, provided we all
did our part.
They pointed weapons at us. I hadn’t seen them before, but
they seemed designed after the original pulverizers. Whether
they had the same deadly pellets or not, I didn’t know, but I
wasn’t ready to risk it.
“Ta’Zan wanted us to surrender,” I added. “So, here we are.
Get him out here. We need to talk.”
One of the Perfects stepped forward, wearing an arrogant
sneer that made it difficult for me not to charge him and rip his
throat out—if I could do that. Perfects could dodge much, much
faster than I could hit, in the absence of their blood.
“What would you need to talk to him about? You’re
surrendering, aren’t you?” he asked.
“The terms of our surrender need to be discussed,” I replied.
He laughed hard at that one. Hunter growled behind me. I
motioned for him to keep his reactions under control. The last
thing we wanted was a brawl outside the colosseum. We wanted
clean and easy access into the diamond dome. Nothing more,
nothing less.
“There’s nothing to discuss, you savages. Just get down on
your knees and beg for mercy, like you’re supposed to!” the
Perfect spat, then aimed his weapon directly at Raphael. “I look
forward to beating the daylights out of you, in particular!”
“Don’t be an idiot,” Raphael said. “You’re a lousy guard. I
could pick my teeth with your bones, if I wanted to. Now, get
cracking and bring us Ta’Zan. He won’t be happy if you try to
process us yourself. He hates incompetence, remember?”
The Perfect was boiling. I could tell from the way his lips
twisted. He would’ve loved nothing more than to skewer us right
then and there, much like his other colleagues, but Raphael
made a good point. Ta’Zan was going to be furious if they didn’t
notify him of our arrival.
He cursed under his breath, then pressed a small button on
his tunic sleeve and spoke into it. “Get Father out to the
southern gate. The outsiders are here,” he grumbled.
Raphael and I exchanged glances. Despite the circumstances,
he was thoroughly amused and didn’t seem to want to miss out
on any opportunity to mess with his lesser brothers. After all, he
did have a point. Ta’Zan didn’t assign his strongest and bravest
to guard the gates. He was well aware that no one would be
foolish enough to try to invade his colosseum, so the guards
were, more or less, just for show. The real fighters were inside,
ready to destroy anyone who did dare come in uninvited.
“Waiting for the big kahuna to show up, huh?” Dmitri
whispered. “Hopefully, he’ll be happy to have us and not anyone
else.”
“Raphael, Douma, Amal, and Amane are the morsels he truly
wants,” Ben muttered. “He just wants the rest of us contained.
They might be enough to distract him and get his mind off
Draven and Serena’s crew.”
“Don’t hold your breath,” Raphael said.
The air seemed to turn cold around us when Ta’Zan walked
out through the main gate. Chills ran down my spine, as if I was
facing death itself—personified. His long, gray hair poured down
his back in what looked like a silvery cascade. His slim nose was
in perfect symmetry with his high cheekbones and strange eyes.
I was finally beholding the source of the Perfects’ superb irises,
one blue, one green. By all possible definitions, Ta’Zan was a
most beautiful creature.
But, like his own creations had said, his soul was decisively
rotten. Still, his presence demanded our full attention and even
some of our energy. Just looking at him weighed heavily on my
shoulders, while my stomach tightened into a small and painful
cluster of anger and anguish.
He’d done so much harm to us, to my family and my closest
friends. His reckoning was long overdue, and I sure as hell was
ready to kickstart it.
“It took you long enough,” Ta’Zan said, measuring each of us
from head to toe with clinical interest. “For a second there, I
thought you were prepared to let your mother die.”
“Our mother will outlive you all,” Ben said, his fists clenched.
“We’re here to surrender,” I answered, while the irritating
guard moved back.
“Are you, now?” he murmured. He looked to his side, just as
Cassiel showed up, holding my mother by the back of her neck.
My heart jumped in my throat, but quickly subsided. She seemed
immune to the sunlight, to my relief. I remembered dad
mentioning Ta’Zan’s pills and how he’d made them take one
prior to going outside. This had to be why she was okay and not
bursting into flames.
Mom lit up like a firefly at the sight of us, but quickly
softened when she remembered where we were and what was
about to happen. I could hear Ben’s pulse quickening.
“Stand your ground,” Nevis whispered, as if sensing that we
were about to do something.
We weren’t, but I had quite the urge to just dash forward and
slit Ta’Zan’s throat. Looking at my mom, however, I knew I
couldn’t. She seemed okay, just like I’d last seen her before she
and Dad took off for Strava. There was sadness in her eyes, and a
painful grimace fluttered across her face whenever Cassiel
squeezed her nape.
I recognized him from the Merinos attack. Elonora had
specifically pointed him out—the traitor.
“The collars connect through small needles to the spine,”
Amane murmured. “The way he’s holding her is painful.”
That explained the look on my mother’s face. She was calm,
refusing to give anyone the impression that she was under any
form of duress. I narrowed my eyes at Cassiel.
“You’re a colossal piece of trash, you know that?” I asked,
albeit rhetorically.
Cassiel shrugged. “I serve my maker.”
“Obviously. It doesn’t make you less of a turd, though,”
Elonora retorted.
“Enough,” Ta’Zan interjected. “We have a problem.”
Cassiel brought a slim blade up to my mother’s throat. She
stilled. Ben and I froze. Hunter and Dmitri both growled behind
us. Tensions were running high, and I worried we might get a…
bumpy entrance. Ta’Zan was not an idiot, and Cassiel was as
conniving as they came. Dread curdled my blood at the sight of
that steel blade threatening to draw my mother’s blood.
“What’s that?” I asked.
“There’s not enough of you,” Ta’Zan said, a muscle ticking in
his jaw. “You must think I’m an idiot.”
“We don’t know what you’re talking about,” Ben replied,
frowning.
“Now you’re insulting me,” Ta’Zan snapped. “I made my
terms clear. Either you all surrender, or your mother dies. What
part of that wasn’t clear?”
He knew about Serena and Draven. Of course he knows. He’s
got Cassiel on his side, doesn’t he?
Cassiel pressed the blade against my mom’s throat. She
hissed from the pain, as a droplet of blood trickled down and
blossomed into an irregular red rose on the hem of her white,
silken tunic.
“Don’t hurt her!” I shouted.
“You’ve got what you wanted,” Ben said. “You have us. You
have your precious twins back. Raphael. Douma. What more do
you want?”
Ta’Zan smirked as he first looked at Ben, then at Amal and
Amane. “It’s good to have you two back,” he replied. “We will
have words later. As for you, Douma, Raphael… Well, I’m deeply
disappointed in you, but, like I said… I’m counting fewer
outsiders than I was told there were.”
He sneered at me. It made my blood boil.
“I’m confused,” I said, trying to spare Draven’s crew. “I
thought you wanted us to surrender. We’re all here.”
“No, you’re not,” Cassiel retorted. “Your swamp witch, your
Druid, your fae prince, the Maras… Come on, Rose, don’t be
foolish. I saw them all. I know who you’re hanging out with. And
they’re not here.”
“Either they all come in, or she dies,” Ta’Zan added, nodding
at my mother.
At least we’d tried. My mom gave me a weak smile. There was
a lot we wanted to say to each other, but first we had to get this
circus out of the way. Unfortunately, Draven and Serena’s group
was doomed to come in with us. Our hopes thus rested on
Araquiel’s shoulders.
S
E L O N O R A
ofia’s life was still on the line.
I would’ve given anything not to have to do what we
were doing, but we had no other way. I was already mentally
preparing myself to pay Cassiel back in kind for his duplicity and
nauseating treachery—I’d syphoned enough energy from Nevis
just in case I had that opportunity. Still, his aura was confusing.
He was worried and angry, but most of it flared whenever he
looked at Ta’Zan, as if he didn’t really want to be here, doing
this. Nevertheless, he was doing it. He was complying with
Ta’Zan’s orders. To me, that was unforgivable.
Branches broke somewhere to my right. The Perfects
stiffened and pointed their weapons in that direction. Their
auras flared yellow—they were afraid! They were afraid of us!
They must’ve heard about our pulverizer weapons; otherwise,
they wouldn’t have opted to carry their own, similar guns. They
knew about the destruction we’d caused and the Perfects we’d
killed. They understood that we were not to be messed with.
I found that somewhat flattering, given that they’d scared the
daylights out of us in the beginning. Up until a week ago, they’d
seemed indestructible to us.
Draven and Serena came out, accompanied by Avril, Heron,
their wards, Bogdana, Lumi, Bijarki, and Taeral. They all had
their hands up in a defensive pose. Ta’Zan grinned at the sight of
them. Bogdana’s expression and her multicolored aura confused
and alarmed me at the same time—specifically, the threads of
gold intertwining with yellow, as if she both loved and feared
him. From the moment I’d learned about her connection to
Ta’Zan, I’d known she could either be a risk or the ultimate
weapon against him.
She’d carried him in her womb, after all. He wasn’t her son,
per se, but there was a link between them, something that
couldn’t be broken. Whether that would be useful to us or not,
we didn’t know yet, but this was definitely the right time to find
out.
“There they are. The rest of your merry crew,” Ta’Zan
exclaimed sarcastically.
“Can’t blame us for trying,” Draven replied dryly.
“What of the others?” Ta’Zan asked. “Your allies. My
children. The filthy Draenir. Why haven’t they joined you?”
“They scattered as soon as your demand came through,” I
said. “The Draenir are weak and outnumbered. They’re hoping to
hold out in the woods, rather than come here to certain death.
The same can be said about the Faulties. They were with us until
we decided to surrender.”
Ta’Zan thought about it for a while, as if processing my
explanation. He sighed. “Oh, well. I suppose my Perfect children
will have to hunt them down one by one. It’s fine. They need the
exercise, anyway.”
Bile rose up to my throat, my stomach turning itself inside
out. I looked forward to breaking every single bone in his body,
because I hated him with the fire of a thousand galaxies.
“All right, I suppose I’ll make do with you,” Ta’Zan then
added. “Have the outsiders collared and taken to the diamond
dome. Have Sofia join them as well. I suppose she’s suffered
enough.”
Several Perfects came out from the colosseum with shock
collars hanging from their arms. One by one, they mounted
them around our necks. I flinched when the needle pierced my
flesh, but accepted the outcome. I could no longer say or do
anything against Ta’Zan. Varga had taught me how to keep my
mind focused, to stop the circuits from heating up and, most
importantly, to avoid getting myself electrocuted.
“At least you won’t be wasting my time with your
megalomania,” Sofia spat. “You’re a terrible leader, Ta’Zan, and
you will go down in flames. Mark my words.”
“Sofia, be thankful that I’m allowing you to go back to your
husband. I’m not the merciful kind. You should know that by
now,” Ta’Zan replied, then smiled at Douma and Raphael. “You
two will be held separately, until I decide what I’m going to do
with you. And you will wear collars, too. They may not kill you,
but they will hinder any thoughts of rebellion you might get.”
The Perfects snapped shock collars around Douma’s and
Raphael’s necks. Douma gave Dmitri a brief, over-the-shoulder
glance, followed by a faint nod. They’d talked about this already.
They’d known they might get separated.
“What about me, Father?” Amal asked. “I had nothing to do
with these people. They took me!”
“I know, my darling. You will join me once more, because
you’re the only one I can fully trust,” Ta’Zan replied, then looked
at Amane. “What about you? Will you further oppose me, like a
wayward child, or will you come to your senses and help your
sister serve me?”
Amane took a deep breath. “I’d rather be with my sister than
locked up or killed. I’m not foolish or suicidal.”
“Amane, don’t!” Ridan said. “Don’t help him! Don’t make
things worse!”
She gave him an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry… But I have to
think about my survival. We’re over.”
“Ah, yes, you and the dragon.” Ta’Zan chuckled. “Don’t
worry, Amane. If you prove yourself to me, I will let you visit him
once in a while. I understand the need for a pet.”
My jaw clenched. Ta’Zan had no idea what he was in for. From
this point on, we had to focus and do everything seamlessly,
according to the plan. We’d set up all the details, every possible
scenario and potential outcome. This… This was just a decent
theater play.
“I’ll burn you alive,” Ridan grumbled.
“Careful, dragon. That collar delivers quite a punch,” Ta’Zan
retorted, clearly amused. He motioned for one of the Perfects.
“Put one around Amane’s neck.”
“But… I said I’d work for you!” Amane objected, her brow
furrowed.
“That doesn’t mean I trust you,” Ta’Zan replied, pursing his
lips. “You’ve already betrayed me once, Amane. I’m not going to
let you fool me again. The collar will come off when I feel like I
can trust you again. Not a day sooner. It’s either that, or a glass
box. Your choice.”
Amane exhaled sharply, then offered a nod in response. The
Perfect snapped a collar around her neck, grinning like a little
kid. “I find it ironic that you’re finally getting to wear your
invention,” he whispered.
I stifled a laugh, wondering if either of them had thought
about what Amal and Amane had done, in terms of cheats and
backdoors in every piece of technology that they’d created for
Ta’Zan. Sure, we had collars around our necks, supposedly
forever. And, if we dared to conspire against him or the Perfects,
we’d get electrocuted.
As Ta’Zan turned around and went back in, accompanied by
Cassiel, Amal, and Amane, and as the rest of us were herded in
after him, flanked by Perfects, I was quietly content with our
situation so far. Amane and Amal had created these shock collars
—and they’d given us all the codes we needed to disable or take
them off, at will.
The Perfects escorted Douma and Raphael to a separate
enclosure, somewhere to our left, on the ground floor of the
colosseum. They took us to the diamond dome, where we were
going to be reunited with our people.
My heart felt heavy. Lead settled in my stomach. Fear gripped
my throat. We were risking a lot to do what we were about to do.
One look at Nevis, and my resolve came back with the strength
of a cosmic storm. We were in the right place, and we were about
to systematically take down the greatest enemy we’d ever faced.
I
R I D A N
f someone had told me weeks ago that I’d fall in love
with someone like Amane, I would’ve conked them on
the head. If they’d told me that I’d feel so miserable
watching her walk away with Ta’Zan, I probably would’ve
laughed. But I wasn’t laughing now. I was bruising on the inside,
uneasy and downright stressed out, knowing the kind of trouble
she’d willingly gotten herself into in order to help us.
Then again, she was also helping herself and her sister.
Ta’Zan had to be stopped, and our feelings for each other took a
backseat on this one. I managed to look away as Amane and
Amal walked quietly behind Ta’Zan toward what had to be his
labs, while four Perfect guards took Douma and Raphael to
another hall—their private prison, from what I’d understood.
Having them kept separate from us hadn’t been part of the plan,
but it wasn’t a deal breaker. We’d find our way back to them,
eventually. They were our friends and allies, even though they
belonged to a species that had been brainwashed into hating us.
The rest of the guards marched on both sides of us, escorting
the entire group to the diamond dome. Looking around, I noticed
that no one was comfortable with the shock collars—and I
couldn’t blame them.
“It’ll take a little bit to get used to the pins in the back of your
neck,” Varga said quietly as he walked by my side.
“Yeah, not my biggest injury so far,” I replied, then glanced at
Sofia. “Are you okay?”
Sofia scoffed, shaking her head in dismay. “You shouldn’t
have come here.”
“I wasn’t going to let you die, Mom. None of us were willing
to do that,” Rose said. I could almost feel her anguish, as it was
clearly imprinted on her face.
“It’s going to be okay,” Ben added.
He couldn’t say much else, given that we were surrounded by
hostiles who kept giving us sideways glances. The air felt so
thick between us that a mere flinch could trigger them. I kept my
cool as they led us down the massive hallway.
The diamond dome doors opened wide. The Perfects motioned
for us to go in. We obeyed, calmly walking into our temporary
new home—a hopeful emphasis on “temporary.” Derek and the
others quickly gathered in the middle of the massive hall, then
rushed toward us.
“Sofia!” Derek gasped, then darted forward and took her in
his arms. “Honey… You’re okay!”
She nodded briskly, then showered him with kisses. A few
seconds later, the other prisoners reached us. It was reunion
time, and it wasn’t easy to keep my eyes dry as I watched them
hug and kiss each other as if tomorrow might never come.
“Sweetie! We were hoping we would never see you here!”
Claudia exclaimed as she and Yuri wrapped their arms around
Elonora.
“We had to come,” Varga replied.
Claudia measured Elonora from head to toe, as if checking to
see that she was okay, before shifting her focus onto Varga. “You
surrendered. You shouldn’t have.”
Jovi and Dmitri hugged, quickly joined by their grandparents,
Xavier and Vivienne. Avril was nearly suffocated with kisses
from her parents—Lucas and Marion were beside themselves.
Ben and Rose put their arms around Derek and Sofia, taking
turns to kiss them and whisper kind words, thankful to be
together again. Claudia and Ibrahim were practically shaking
when Kailani came out of our group and hugged them.
It was good to see everyone together again. But at the same
time, this wasn’t how we’d planned it. We’d seen ourselves
coming in victoriously, opening the diamond dome doors and
smilingly telling them that they were finally free.
Heath came out from the prisoner crowd and gave me a bear
hug that nearly suffocated me. “Good to see you, Brother.
Though I would’ve loved it if we’d reunited as far away from this
wretched place as possible.”
“I know, I’m thinking the same thing,” I answered.
“Please tell me there’s a plan here,” Claudia said, looking at
us.
Varga chuckled. “Of course, Grandma. You know we don’t
surrender so easily.”
“Yet, here you are,” Sofia grumbled.
She’d been away from Derek’s group, so she didn’t know
what we’d planned.
We’d told Derek everything, but he’d chosen to keep most of
the details to himself until we got in with the scrambler device.
We’d agreed that we couldn’t risk anyone, especially Ta’Zan,
overhearing what we were about to engage in. Corrine and the
others knew the general gist of things, and they were obviously
hyped and eager to learn the rest—the devilish little things that
were going to make all the difference between us getting out of
here and getting ourselves trapped for good… or dead.
We hadn’t survived until now to get ourselves captured so
foolishly.
“Mom. I told you, we weren’t going to let you die!” Rose said.
“My life is worth nothing if we lose this fight!” Sofia replied,
tearing up.
Derek put an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close.
“Honey, we talked about this. Ben and Rose didn’t just
surrender. They most certainly had a plan, but they asked me not
to share until they could make sure we weren’t being spied on, in
any way,” he said, then looked at Claudia. “You know Elonora
wouldn’t just give up, guys. Neither would Varga. Not after all
the sacrifices made to keep them free.”
“Ah… In hindsight, that makes sense,” Claudia said, a grin
lifting her cheeks.
“How are you, my little pot-sticker?” Corrine asked Kailani,
clearly worried about her granddaughter.
“There’s something very different about you,” Ibrahim
added, gently tracing the contour of Kailani’s face with his index
finger.
Kailani sighed. “A lot has happened since we last saw each
other,” she replied, wearing a weak smile.
“She’s transforming,” Lumi said, stepping forward. “She’s
fusing with the Word, though the apprenticeship conditions are
not what we’d hoped for.”
“What do you mean?” Corrine asked, suddenly alarmed. The
witch’s instinct was undeniably strong.
“A swamp witch needs peace and quiet, zero distractions, and
a calm mind to undergo this apprenticeship, this fusion with the
Word,” Kailani explained, her voice shaky. “I’ve had none of
that, so… I guess we can say that my apprenticeship has been a
little bit bumpy.”
“Define ‘bumpy,’” Corrine shot back, her tone clipped and
her brow furrowed.
“Her connection to the Word is unstable, but the process
continues to unfold,” Lumi said. “The Word hasn’t rejected her
yet, but—”
“Wait, yet?!” Corrine snapped. “Somebody please tell me my
granddaughter didn’t sign her own death sentence when she
took on this swamp witch magic thing!”
“She’s fluctuating,” Ibrahim observed, carefully eyeing
Kailani, as if he could see right through her. “There’s energy
flowing through her, pure and of atomic proportions, but she’s
yet to learn to control and harness it. She’s a walking bomb, isn’t
she?”
Lumi’s lips were pressed into a thin line. “One could say
that.”
Corrine went pale. I didn’t have children or grandchildren, so
I could only imagine how worried she had to be, but I understood
her distress, maybe more than I would’ve thought.
“What’s going to happen to her?” Corrine asked, her voice
barely audible.
“We’ll have to wait and see,” Kailani replied, trying to keep
her grandmother’s temper in check. “I’m doing my best to stay
calm and go with the flow. I can’t turn back now. The process has
already started, so the best I can do is ride it out and make sure
no one gets hurt in the process.”
Corrine pinched the bridge of her nose, closing her eyes for a
moment. Ibrahim squeezed her shoulder in an attempt to soothe
her distress.
“We have enough things to worry about, already,” Corrine
murmured. “My granddaughter’s life shouldn’t be one of them.”
“I’m okay, Grandma,” Kailani said. “I’ll get through this. I’ve
got strong genes in me, remember?” she added with a weak
smile.
Lumi nodded. “That might actually work in her favor,” she
replied. “None of us were natural-born witches when we fused
with the Word. Kale’s body might be stronger than ours, in the
end.”
“Then, what were you? Or are you?” Taeral asked, raising an
eyebrow.
“I’m something that no longer exists, I’m afraid,” Lumi said.
“My species has been extinct for about two thousand years. I’m a
pixie.”
“A what now?” Varga croaked, his eyes wide. This was new
information to everyone, clearly.
“I told you, a swamp witch isn’t born. She’s made. Long ago,
Calliope and Persea were the only two planets in Eritopia that
were home to pixies. Tens of thousands of years ago, we used to
roam the woods, but we gradually died out. Mostly due to fertility
issues. Anyway, that’s a story for another time. The point is that
Kale is strong enough to get through this. There’s no doubt in
my mind. But she needs us all to have faith in her.”
Corrine blinked several times, as if trying to wrap her head
around what Lumi had just said. Taeral didn’t want to let go just
yet, though.
“Hold on. No, I want to hear more of this,” he said. “What
does a pixie do? What is it, exactly?”
Lumi let out an exasperated sigh. “Good grief, you’re a
stubborn one. We were known as protectors of the woods! Okay?
We have slim, iridescent wings, and we can compress our bodies
into a smaller version of ourselves. From a certain distance, we
look like incandescent fireflies. We’re gifted with the earthly
element, with the growth of natural things, in general. We used
to nourish the forests, help the trees grow and the flowers
bloom.”
“Now I want to see those wings,” Taeral shot back with a
smirk.
“You picked a weird time to do this,” Bijarki muttered,
crossing his arms.
“Hey, man, this is new and valuable information. I, for one,
have never heard of pixies, and, since we’re going to be here for
a while, I need to know more,” Taeral retorted.
Varga shrugged. “To be honest, I’m curious, too.”
“I second that,” Dmitri chimed in.
Looking around, I saw that the rest of our crew was equally
fascinated. Frankly, even I wanted to see her wings.
“I think you could show us the wings, at least,” Kailani said,
grinning.
“I haven’t used them in a very long time. At least ten
thousand years,” Lumi replied. “I was one of the last of my kind.
I couldn’t find a male pixie with whom to conceive and continue
my line. When I turned to the Word and became a swamp witch, I
sort of left all that behind me, including my pixie nature. I had
no need for wings with swamp witch spells readily giving me
flight and more power than I’d ever dreamed of.”
“Come on, let them out,” Taeral said, his eyes glimmering
with excitement.
Lumi exhaled sharply, then gave Kailani a small knife. “Do
me a favor,” she murmured. “Cut open the back of my dress. I
need to give them a little bit of room.”
“And when you shrink, do your clothes shrink with you, too?
Or do you lose them, like the dragons and the werewolves?”
Dmitri asked.
Lumi scowled at him. She definitely wasn’t in the mood to
answer such questions. Her pixie heritage seemed to make her
uncomfortable, and I had a feeling it was connected to their
collective passing. She was already the last of the swamp
witches, after she’d survived the extinction of the pixies. That
kind of grief never really went away, and I got that. Dragons had,
until not long ago, been close to a complete wipeout, as well.
Kailani did as asked and cut through the back of Lumi’s dress.
Lumi then took several deep breaths and quivered, as if relaxing
her muscles. She grunted softly, before a brief flutter made me
freeze. Four wings snapped out from her back—long and
slender, similar to those of earthly dragonflies. The light got
trapped in their iridescent nerves, visible across the thin, almost
transparent membrane of her wings. They fluttered quickly,
making a soft buzzing sound, much like a large flying insect.
“That is so cool!” Taeral exclaimed.
“Glad you like it. Now, get back to the order of business
before you ask me to shrink and grow a tree, too,” Lumi shot
back.
“You could do that—” Dmitri tried to suggest it, but Lumi
raised a hand and motioned for him to keep quiet, as her wings
retreated behind her shoulder blades.
Derek clapped his hands once, demanding our attention.
“Enough with the distractions. We clearly have a lot on our
hands, both individually and collectively,” he said, as we all
gathered around him. “But we must focus on what’s most
important right now. Ending this… before it ends us.”
He grimaced from the discomfort caused by his collar. We had
to be careful in our choice of words, so as not to heat ours up too
much. The codes that Amal had given us were for our escape, and
only for special emergencies. We still had Perfects watching us
from the outside. We didn’t want any attention, for the time
being.
“Like we told Dad, we do have a plan,” Ben replied, running a
hand through his messy hair. “This isn’t a surrender, per se. It’s
more of an infiltration.”
Sofia shook her head. “I still don’t like it.”
“Mom, for the last time! I wasn’t going to let you die. Get that
out of your head!” Rose shot back. I had to admit, I found their
mild bickering somewhat endearing. I also understood where
they both came from, but I was definitely with team Rose on this
one.
“Sofia, none of us would’ve come here if we didn’t have
something in mind,” I said. “If it makes you feel any better, we
would’ve sacrificed you if there was no other way. But there is.
So, we’re doing this, whether you like it or not.”
Sofia was genuinely befuddled by my statement, even taken
aback. The shadow of a smile flickered across Derek’s face, while
Ben and Rose stared at me in disbelief. I offered a shrug in
return.
“What? We all thought about it. Let’s not spare any feelings
here, since your mother was obviously eager to die in order to
save you. To save us,” I added, then shifted my focus back to
Derek. “I know none of you like the thought of having us here.”
“You can say that again,” Corrine muttered.
“But! There’s a method to our madness,” I continued. “And
yes, there is a well-defined plan we set into motion the moment
we walked through the colosseum’s gates. Most importantly,
Ta’Zan has absolutely no idea how badly he’s going to get
screwed in this scenario.”
“We’ve got Araquiel on our side. Ta’Zan doesn’t know he’s
alive,” Ben said.
Sofia gasped. “Oh… You’re absolutely right. He told me that,
a few hours back. And who else?”
“Herakles, one of the Faulties, and his band of merry rebels.
The Draenir. Plus, Calliope is sending the four Perfects they have
there to help us,” Rose replied. “Nathaniel, Uriel, Angelica, and
Deena.”
“On top of that, Amane and Amal are in here, too, supposedly
loyal to Ta’Zan. Amane, not so much, since he put a collar
around her neck, but Amal is in the clear,” I added. “She even
helped us with a tiny scrambler to stop anyone from
eavesdropping while we lay out the crucial stuff for everyone
here to know. Rose has it. Hence the secrecy. We know what
we’re doing.”
“We didn’t come here empty-handed, so to speak,” Draven
chimed in.
“I didn’t expect anything less from my brother,” Jax replied,
smiling at Heron.
“You sly devils, you,” Lucas quipped, then hugged Avril again.
It was good to see everyone again, I had to admit. Derek and
Sofia, Xavier and Vivienne, Cameron and Liana, Corrine and
Ibrahim, Claudia and Yuri, Aiden and Kailyn, Lucas and Marion…
Not to mention Jax and Hansa, Jovi and Anjani… Even grumpy ol’
Heath. I felt better just by looking at them, watching them
stand, alive and well before me.
“That being said, we’ve got our work cut out for us, if we’re to
succeed in what we’ve planned,” Heron said, then looked at Jax.
“Oh, and just so you know, if we get out of here alive, I’m not
relinquishing the Lordship back to you.”
Jax laughed, but Heron kept a straight face, until the now-
former Mara Lord realized that his brother was dead serious.
“You’re joking,” he breathed.
“I don’t think he is,” Avril answered, visibly amused. “He
likes having your wards follow us around everywhere.”
“They’re my wards, now,” Heron replied, grinning.
The nine wards were clearly embarrassed by the exchange,
which made it even more difficult for me not to laugh at this
unexpected development.
“Let’s talk about this again after we get out of here,” Jax
concluded, keeping his cool. “We have enough on our plates,
already.”
“Yeah, that’s why I thought I’d get this Lordship thing off
your back altogether,” Heron retorted. Avril nudged him with
her elbow, quietly asking him to cut it out.
“Okay!” Hansa cut in, stepping between the two Mara
brothers. “What’s next, then, regarding Strava? Remember, we
can’t be too explicit in our words, or the collars will burn.”
Elonora rested an elbow on Nevis’s shoulder, smiling. “We
wait.”
Our job, for the time being, was done. It was up to Amal,
Amane, and our Perfect allies to do their part, before we could
proceed with the next stage of our plan. I worried we might fail,
but I couldn’t let that pull me back or bring me down in any way.
I had to stay positive, because it was the only way I could see
Amane again.
And there wasn’t anything else that I wanted more in this
world than to hold her and kiss her and be by her side, for as long
as we both lived. For that, Ta’Zan had to be out of the picture.
T
A M A N E
a’Zan took us to one of the main creation labs—
specifically, the one where Amal and I had devised
the core blueprint for the Perfects. Not that much time had
passed since I’d last been here, but it still felt like ancient
history. A lot had changed since I’d left this place, most of it
inside me. I was no longer the person who’d worked here, who’d
served Ta’Zan willingly, thinking he was the only one who could
lead us.
That Amane was dead. The one standing in front of him now
was filled with anger and resentment, all of it aimed at Ta’Zan.
The collar made it difficult for me to say or do a lot of things, but
it wasn’t a real impediment, since Amal had given me the codes.
From this point forward, I had to be careful. Ridan’s life and
wellbeing—not to mention the lives of the others in Rose and
Ben’s crew—depended on me. They were like family. I couldn’t
let them down.
Ta’Zan stood in front of us, blankly staring at a screen with
his back to us. He didn’t say anything for a while. Both my sister
and I waited for him to speak. Knowing him, this added a
dramatic effect to what he was about to say. Ta’Zan sure loved
his theatrics once in a while.
The silence was almost deafening. I occasionally glanced at
Amal, who didn’t miss any opportunity to give me a reassuring
wink, as if telling me that everything was going to be okay. I
didn’t want to disagree with her, but Ta’Zan had a way of ruining
everything, intentionally or otherwise.
“I’m extremely disappointed in you, Amane,” Ta’Zan finally
said.
“Yeah, you’ve said that before,” I replied, unwilling to let him
have this small victory. I didn’t want him to think he had any
power over my mind, since that was never in my nature. He
would’ve taken it as deceit, and the last thing I wanted was for
him to think I was playing some kind of game. I had to be myself,
unapologetic and unafraid, ready to get my ass kicked if needed.
“Things will be different from now on,” he declared. “I didn’t
want it to be like this, but you and your outsider friends didn’t
give me another choice. I would’ve thought you were wiser than
what you’ve shown, so far.”
“I was tired of your delusions of grandeur,” I retorted.
He turned around, sneering at me. “Yet, you’re standing here,
ready to serve me again.”
“Well, it’s either that or death, and you know I’m enjoying
my existence too much to let you snuff it out.”
“Perhaps you should choose your words more carefully,
Sister,” Amal murmured, giving me a sideways glance.
“No, no, let her speak freely.” Ta’Zan chuckled. “She thinks
she’s right in all of this, and she’s just trying to keep her friends
alive. In a way, I admire her. But it won’t lead anywhere good.”
“I don’t understand.” I sighed. “You’ve got me here, ready to
work for you again. What the hell more do you want? Genuine
enthusiasm? Because that’s not going to happen. That ship has
already sailed.”
Ta’Zan gave me a cold grin, and it scared me more than an
army of Perfects. I knew him well enough to understand his
facial expressions, and this one, in particular, was cause for
concern.
“I would like for you to be a little bit more… into it, yes. You
should love what you’re doing, Amane. You’re not a run-of-the-
mill Faulty. You and your sister are the best of your species, and I
think you deserve the luxury of enjoying your craft,” Ta’Zan said.
“Spare me the love-your-work nonsense,” I said. “Just tell
me what you want me to do, and I’ll do it.”
“In a minute. I’m not done,” Ta’Zan replied, then turned his
attention to Amal. He stepped forward and hugged her. She
smiled, softening in his arms. “I’ve missed you, my child.”
“I’ve missed you, too, Father,” she whispered. “I’m sorry I
wasn’t more careful. But my sister took me by surprise. I didn’t
think she’d be this foolish…”
“Not to worry, Amal,” Ta’Zan said, giving her a soft, fatherly
smile. “All has passed now, and we’re together again. We can
continue our work, undeterred by anyone. It’s a shame so many
have died already because of these outsiders’ stubbornness.”
Amal nodded enthusiastically. “I feel like I can breathe again.
I’m nothing without you, Father.”
Well, she certainly knew how to play the part right. Even I
was close to buying whatever she was selling. Ta’Zan looked
more relaxed as he carefully analyzed her expression, as if
thankful to see that she was still loyal. When he shifted his focus
back to me, however, my blood curdled, as the sneer returned—
an omen of something much darker that had yet to happen.
“Now, it’s time for you to understand something, my
wayward daughter,” he said.
I hated it when he called me that. I wasn’t his daughter. He
wasn’t my father. He’d made me, sure, but he’d also
indoctrinated me, he’d poisoned my mind, and he’d convinced
me to do horrible things. I had the blood of the entire Draenir
species on my hands. I would never forgive him for that.
“I don’t know what else you have left to teach me. I’ve
learned enough,” I murmured, though my knees were already
getting weaker.
Ta’Zan pressed a small button on his bracelet. Seconds later,
a Perfect came in, dragging someone by the back of his neck. My
heart stopped, as I recognized the prisoner. We’d grown up
together. He’d been by my side, and my sister’s, from the very
beginning. I’d once had feelings for him, but I’d never acted on
them, given our servitude to Ta’Zan, who’d always insisted that
we keep our personal relationships to a minimum in order to
avoid getting distracted.
“Thanis…” I mumbled, dread clutching my throat.
He was as handsome and as resilient as I’d last seen him.
Thanis was tall and muscular, with long limbs and turquoise fur
growing on his back and legs. His amber eyes were cat-like and
wide, and they filled with both surprise and horror when he saw
me.
“Amane… No… Why’d you come back?!” Thanis breathed.
“She came to her senses,” Ta’Zan said.
“What… What is he doing here? What are you doing to him?”
I asked, my voice trembling.
Ta’Zan raised an eyebrow. “Thanis was one of the rebels who
started the riot to assist Derek and his crew in escaping the
colosseum,” he replied. “I kept him alive and killed the others.
The latter I did to teach the Faulties a lesson. The former,
however, I did because I knew you’d come back to me one day,
my wayward daughter.”
“What the hell are you talking about?” I croaked, then looked
at Amal. She seemed equally stunned by this development. “Did
you know about this?”
She shook her head slowly. “I didn’t see him with the others
when they were executed. Then again, I wasn’t exactly paying
attention, and I didn’t have much time to react, since they were
all promptly pulverized.”
“Ta’Zan… He’s not… He’s not a part of this,” I said, mentally
bracing myself for something horrible. My instinct was never
wrong, and the knot in my stomach was extremely
uncomfortable.
The Perfect pushed Thanis onto the floor, then stepped back,
patiently waiting as Ta’Zan got closer to him. A glimmer caught
my eye. A blade glistening in Ta’Zan’s hand. Amal gripped my
wrist, discreetly holding me back.
“What… What are you doing?” Thanis asked, scared and
confused, his gaze bouncing from me to Amal, then Ta’Zan and
back to me.
“I’m teaching Amane a lesson. Unfortunately, you’re
involved,” Ta’Zan replied dryly. Thanis didn’t get to do or say
anything else, as Ta’Zan’s hand shot outward and slashed open
his throat.
“No!” I screamed, then collapsed with Amal’s arms around
me. “No! Thanis!”
Blood gushed out, and Thanis froze, then gurgled and choked
as the life drained out of him. He slumped on the floor and gave
his last breath, settling in a pool of his own blood. Tears stung
my eyes, making it impossible for me to focus. The heartache
was too much to bear, as was the guilt.
Thanis had been my closest friend and confidant. He’d backed
me up in my endeavor to leave. He’d even encouraged it,
promising to help however he could if I needed it. And my
rebellion had brought him to his end. His death was on me.
I bawled like a little girl, while my sister held me tight,
without saying a word. Ta’Zan wiped the blood from his blade,
and the Perfect dragged Thanis’s body away, leaving a crimson
trail behind. Someone else was going to clean that up, at some
point. Ta’Zan’s horrific gesture had gutted me, but it hadn’t
taught me the lesson he’d hoped. All it did was fan the flames,
making me even more determined to take him down and destroy
him.
“This is the price you pay for working against me,” Ta’Zan
hissed, pointing a finger at me. I’d definitely crossed him, and it
was finally starting to show. “Thanis’s blood is on your hands,
Amane. The next time you betray me, I won’t be so merciful. I
will chop off your arms, then your legs, until there’s nothing left
of you, except an empty husk. And even then, I will not grant you
the luxury of death. No, that is reserved for everyone you hold
dear.”
Amal cleared her throat. “Father, I think she’s learned her
lesson.”
“Good,” Ta’Zan snapped. “And you’ll make sure it stays that
way. Otherwise, it’ll be your neck on the line!”
That wasn’t a threat. It was a promise. Ta’Zan showed
affection, but he never really meant it. As long as we were
valuable to him, he let us live. The moment we became a
nuisance, however, he turned on us, and Amal was no exception.
The only reason she was still alive was because of her act, her
supposed obedience and loyalty.
On the inside, I grinned, because I knew I would stop at
nothing in order to break him. On the outside, however, I cried
my heart out, because my fight had taken Thanis down as
collateral damage. He hadn’t deserved any of this.
I couldn’t do anything now, though I would’ve given anything
to just reach out and slit Ta’zan’s throat wide open, like he’d
done with Thanis. All I could do was focus on what came next,
and make sure no one else suffered such a dreadful fate.
“Will you really obey my every command, Amane? Have you
truly learned your lesson?” Ta’Zan asked, his tone calm and flat.
I nodded. “Yes. I will never turn against you. I promise. Just…
stop killing the people I love.”
“Love is a fallacy, Amane. Get that out of your head and focus
on your work. That’s your purpose in life. Nothing more, nothing
less,” Ta’Zan replied.
I nodded again, though this time I was simply responding to
my inner thoughts—the promise that I would watch his empire
burn, that I would turn everything to ashes, and that I would do
everything in my power to kill him.
R
H E R A K L E S
ose and Ben had left clear instructions for us, and a
specific amount of time in which to follow them. The
timing was most important, since our moves had to
coincide with the arrival of the four Perfects they’d previously
captured from Strava’s orbit.
Araquiel and I geared up and headed for the winter-summer
cluster, while the rest of my crew, along with Rakkhan and the
Draenir, as well as Kallisto, stayed back in the cave. Rose and Ben
had two extra earpieces, which they taught us how to use. I held
on to one and gave the other to Kallisto. She hated being left
behind like this, but she did feel better knowing she was useful
to the communications part of our mission. After all, with Ben
and Rose’s team inside the colosseum, we had to effectively rely
on each other in order to succeed.
“Do we know where they’re landing, specifically?” Araquiel
asked.
We were halfway through the journey already, moving from
one island to another as we kept our distance from the populated
archipelagos. I didn’t like Araquiel holding me as he flew us
across the turquoise ocean, but his pristine white wings were our
fastest way to dash toward Merinos. We were careful in our
travel, though, so other Perfects wouldn’t notice him.
The last thing we wanted was someone catching on that he
was still alive. Araquiel was, for the time being, our secret and
most valuable weapon. The runners-up were Nathaniel, Uriel,
Angelica, and Deena, who were thought to have been lost in
space during the fleet attack.
“Rose said that they were told to land as close to Merinos as
possible. The shuttle fuel reserves and their abilities combined
should help them steer the interplanetary spell accordingly,” I
replied.
Araquiel and I didn’t have that much to talk about, besides
the mission. Prior to his memory wipe, he’d been the ultimate
bastard and Ta’Zan’s right hand. I was still wrapping my head
around this new version of him—able to think and rationalize on
his own, without any form of indoctrination. He was generally
quiet and remarkably obedient, but maintained a sense of
righteousness and kindness I’d never seen in him before.
“It’ll be a few more hours before we get there, if we keep it up
like this,” Araquiel said. “I would’ve gotten us there in minutes,
otherwise.”
I chuckled, occasionally glancing over my shoulder. “That’s
fine. I enjoy the quality time we spend together, as brothers
from the same lab.”
He looked at me, his eyebrows raised with surprise as we
continued our trek through a small, dark jungle. “Really?”
“No. I’m joking. You’ve yet to grasp the notion of humor,
huh?”
“I’m not sure what I did to offend you, then. Perhaps, if you
tell me, I can make amends,” he replied.
I shook my head slowly. “This isn’t about you, per se. It’s
about the old you. I would’ve killed you then, if I could’ve, and if
I’d had the chance.”
“I was bad, wasn’t I?”
He sounded sad as he asked me that, and I couldn’t help but
feel bad for him.
“Ugh. Let’s just say you were thoroughly misguided and too
stubborn to accept other viewpoints. On top of that, you and
your Perfect siblings were always suffering from this obnoxious
superiority complex that made us all hate you even more,” I
explained.
“Yeah. Douma and Raphael told me about that. I know what I
did, and I do regret it. Had I known then what I know now, I
wouldn’t have hurt anyone,” he replied. He sounded genuine.
Frankly, I had no reason to believe otherwise. Araquiel was
fundamentally changed. All I had to do was adjust and finally
accept it, which was hard, given the headaches he’d given me
and my people before. It wasn’t impossible, though. It wasn’t in
my nature to hold a grudge forever, especially since the old
Araquiel was already gone. “The only thing I can do now is make
sure my brethren don’t hurt anyone else, going forward. In order
to do that, I must help Rose and Ben in their quest to destroy
Ta’Zan.”
“And you’re okay with that? He’s your creator, after all.”
“He’s yours, too, and you don’t seem to have a problem with
it,” Araquiel answered with a half-smile.
I laughed hard. He sure was observant.
“I have to admit. I like this version of you better than the old
one,” I said.
We reached the western beach of a small, tear-shaped island.
Looking around, it seemed quiet. Sand-colored deer watched us
from the woods we’d just left behind. Turquoise felines prowled
in the nearby bushes but didn’t have the courage to pounce—
they knew who they were dealing with. Birds chirped in the
trees, and the ocean lapped at the white sand shores.
Far away, the pashmiri moaned and huffed water like geysers,
playfully jumping and splashing around. The waves they
generated could topple a small boat or two, but wise people knew
to keep their distance.
I wondered what the other rogue Faulties were up to—the
ones I hadn’t been able to rally from the jungles. My charm only
went so far in my physical absence. Most of my crew had come to
me solely based on what they’d heard about me, but not
everyone could be so easily convinced to abandon the temporary
safety of the forests to join me and my crusade against Ta’Zan.
Some were still hung up on the idea that he might take them
back. The delusional fools.
All this was going to be over once we rooted the evil out. Once
we killed Ta’Zan.
“Yeah, I prefer being who I am now, too,” Araquiel replied,
then put his arms out.
That was my cue to basically hug him, so he could fly us over
to the next island. “I hate this part,” I grumbled, then wrapped
my arms around his torso.
“I’m not a fan of it, either, but Rose was right. We can’t risk
anyone seeing us. I’d rather fly low like this than get us in any
trouble,” Araquiel said, then held me tight and took off.
My breath got stuck in my throat again—the adrenaline
pumping through my veins was impossible to ignore. I loved
flying, though I didn’t like hugging Araquiel in order to do it.
Riding the dragon’s back… now, that was an experience I
would’ve been more than happy to repeat!
We reached another small island, darting through the woods
and keeping a low profile as we headed for its western shore.
Above us, several groups of Perfects flew north like swift comets.
We stilled, listening for any sound that might bring danger
closer to us.
“Coast is clear,” Araquiel whispered, looking up, his ears
twitching slightly. “They’re gone.”
“I wonder who they’re looking for, this far out from the
inhabited archipelagos,” I mumbled, then kept moving, with
Araquiel right behind me.
“Probably us. You. Your clique. The Draenir. Anyone else
who’s aided Rose and Ben so far,” Araquiel replied.
“Lucky you’re dead, huh?” I asked, stifling a grin.
“As long as it works to our advantage, sure,” he said.
A few hours later, we were two islands farther to the west,
swiftly dodging flying Perfects as we headed toward the winter-
summer cluster. We didn’t say much to each other, but that
didn’t last long.
“What will we do if we win?” Araquiel asked.
“That’s a good question,” I said, settling on the edge of a
beach overlooking the tempestuous isles surrounding Merinos.
We were close to our target location now. “I don’t know. There
will be Perfects. There will be Faulties. And there will be Draenir.
Three species who will have to learn how to share this planet,
because I’m in no mood for a war over resources.”
Araquiel scoffed. “Besides, after what was done to the
Draenir, they should definitely be given a special status.”
“I agree. They’ve been through enough.”
We both went silent at the sound of a distant boom. That
wasn’t a Perfect flying, for sure. We followed the source until we
saw the bright light and the ripple in the atmosphere, extending
outward, as if a pebble had just been tossed into a lake.
“The shuttle,” Araquiel murmured, his eyes wide and
twinkling with excitement.
He was definitely looking forward to meeting others like him
—pure Perfects, as he chose to call himself. Clean memories,
bright enough to understand who they were and what they’d
done, and also capable of never willingly doing it again.
Indeed, the shuttle had breached Strava’s atmosphere. It was
headed downward at a high speed, cutting through the clear
skies like a shooting star. This was our moment, what we’d been
mentally preparing for.
“Its trajectory seems arched,” I said, keeping my eyes on it.
“They must be forcibly steering the spell,” Araquiel replied.
“Can you approximate a landing spot?”
I took a deep breath, then made several mental calculations,
based on the axis and the speed with which the shuttle was
moving. “About two, maybe three miles north of Merinos, if they
keep it at that angle and speed,” I said.
“Uh-oh,” Araquiel breathed, as we both heard familiar sonic
booms.
We looked to our right. A fleet of Perfects had spotted the
shuttle coming in, as well. They flashed across the sky with
supersonic speed, shooting stars determined to obliterate the
shuttle. My heart was already racing. We’d known this could
happen, but we’d both been hoping it wouldn’t. The universe,
however, wasn’t going to let us have anything the easy way.
Araquiel gripped his pulverizer weapon and spread his wings.
He briefly looked at me, frowning, before he set his sights on the
incoming Perfects.
“I’ll meet you at the landing spot. I’ll deal with them,” he
said.
“I’ll make my way there,” I replied.
There was no way for Araquiel to help me and draw the
hostiles away from the shuttle, too. Lucky for me, I did have my
native abilities to rely on. Behind my ears were two sets of small
gills which only opened when I was underwater—something I
shared with the Tritone, it seemed. I was a fast swimmer, and I
could make my way through the water and between the islands
in order to get to the shuttle. I’d chosen to fly with Araquiel
because it was easier if we were together, and because his wings
got us around faster than my swimming.
“Good luck!” I shouted after him as he took off.
I jumped in the water, my muscles instantly reacting to the
liquid’s density. I shot toward the supposed landing spot, my
legs and lower body wiggling as I moved. I could easily rival the
pashmiri in speed and mobility while underwater, and I took
advantage of this side of my hybrid nature.
Once in a while, I poked my head up just to check on Araquiel.
He flew higher and intercepted the group of Perfects. I saw
flashes of light as he moved around them and released pulverizer
pellets. One by one, the hostiles were turned into clouds of gray
ashes.
Closer to Merinos and descending farther, the shuttle was
wrapped in its light bubble and headed precisely to where I’d
estimated a potential landing site would be. We had to get there
fast and leave the area with the four Perfects before more
soldiers came in. Araquiel’s foes weren’t going to be the only
ones.
I went back under and increased my swimming speed. I
dodged the rocky island shores and the mangrove clusters,
sneaking between gnarly and swirling roots and coral branches
that seemed to reach out, eager to grab me. Banks of fish
scattered away, frightened by my presence. Several predators
noticed me. One even dared to come after me, but I swam faster
and lost it.
By the time I reached the right island, Araquiel was nearly
done killing the hostiles. I could only imagine the surprise they
must’ve had when they saw him—not only still alive, but also
killing them permanently. I felt the corner of my mouth twist
into a devilish smirk as I ran across the beach and shot through
the deep woods.
Seconds later, the light orb crashed smack in the middle of
the jungle, about two hundred yards away. The ground shook
beneath me, but I didn’t falter. Too much was hanging in the
balance for me to fail in any way. Relentless by nature, I kept
running as fast as I could. The hard ground hurt my bare feet, but
the sensation was quickly soothed by the bed of leaves that had
settled closer to the center of the forest.
By the time I reached the crash site, the light bubble had
already faded, revealing a small shuttle at the bottom of a small,
smoking crater. They’d made quite the landing, from what I
could tell. Trees were leveled and charred, and hundreds of
colorful birds croaked as they flew away—swarms of red, yellow,
and green that scattered across the outer edges of the jungle.
I heard screams and wails in the distance, but I could no
longer see Araquiel because of the tree crowns obscuring my
view. I didn’t need to see him, though, to know that he was
kicking serious ass and doing his job like we’d discussed. I had to
admit, despite my initial loathing of him, I could definitely rely
on the guy. It was time to put the past behind us, for sure, and
shake his hand for his devotion and determination to do the
right thing.
I was no saint, but everything I’d done was for the sake of my
rogue Faulties, in my bid to help and protect them. What we
were doing now, however, was bigger than all of us.
A pop and a hiss drew my focus back to the crater. I stopped
on its jagged edge, the earth slowly crumbling beneath my toes.
The shuttle doors opened upward, and out came the four Perfects
we’d been expecting. They wore dark blue silken tunics, like
their “untamed” brethren, and their backpacks were probably
loaded with supplies and ammunition. Swords and short knives
were mounted on their belts, and small metallic disks were
strapped to their wrists. I’d seen those extendable shields
before, on Rose’s team.
Two males and two females. The Perfects from Calliope.
They glanced around, blinking rapidly as they tried to adjust
to their surroundings. I slid down toward them. In an instant,
they drew their swords at me.
“Whoa! I come in peace!” I said, raising my hands in a
defensive gesture. “Rose sent us!”
Nathaniel frowned and cocked his head to one side. “I’m
Nathaniel. These are Uriel, Deena and Angelica. What do you
mean by ’us?’ I only see you.”
A loud thump startled us all. I looked back to find Araquiel.
He’d just landed and had only acquired several cuts on his face—
already healing. I looked back at Nathaniel. “Nope. It’s ‘us.’ I’m
Herakles. And that’s Araquiel.”
The Perfects and Araquiel exchanged nods and brief smiles,
while I quietly listened to the sounds of the jungle. It was only a
matter of time before more soldiers would come in from the
colosseum. Someone was bound to come looking for the shuttle.
They’d definitely seen it.
“We need to get as far away from here as possible,” Araquiel
said.
“We’ll catch up when we leave this hotspot,” I added.
The four Perfects didn’t wait to be told twice. They closed the
shuttle doors and climbed out of the crater. I followed, rejoining
Araquiel at the top. Blood rushed through my veins, fueled by
the adrenaline.
“I see you managed to steer the shuttle despite the travel
spell. I’m told that’s pretty hard to do,” Araquiel said to
Nathaniel.
“With four of us and the fuel, it was doable,” Nathaniel
replied.
“Called it.” I chuckled. “Let’s go.”
I led the way through the jungle, with five reformed Perfects
by my side. Frankly, I’d always felt stronger surrounded by my
rogue Faulties. I drew my energy from my friends and allies. But
with Perfects in my entourage… it felt different. Infinitely
better.
The odds didn’t feel against us. At least, not as harshly as
before. With these creatures on my crew, I felt like we had a
better edge against Ta’Zan. As if all wasn’t lost. Not yet, and not
as long as I was still breathing.
Araquiel and I had already agreed upon one thing. If our
worst-case scenario were to come true, if Ta’Zan were to defeat
Rose and Ben somehow, we would never give up. We’d keep
fighting, tooth and nail, until Ta’Zan met his end. Or we died
first.
I
E L O N O R A
spent the next couple of hours catching up with
Grandma Claudia and Grandpa Yuri, while Derek stayed
on the line with GASP on Calliope, briefing us
whenever there was new information. Varga and Nevis stayed by
my side, and Grandma Claudia told us about the more recent
developments inside the colosseum.
Personally, I looked forward to meeting Isda. They had
nothing but good things to say about her, and, after what she’d
done to get my brother out of this place, she had a special place
in my heart already.
“I see the Perfects are in no rush to change you into these
silky tunics like us,” Grandpa said. “It’s a shame. Evil world and
whatnot, but the fabric feels nice.”
I chuckled. “Meh. We’re better off with what we have,
especially the hoods and masks and goggles. They had no reason
to take them away from us, anyway. Besides, I’m pretty sure
they’ve got bigger issues on their minds right now than to put us
all in matching outfits.”
Plus, the hoods, the masks and the goggles were going to
come in handy later.
“There’s something different about you,” Grandma
remarked, smiling at me. “Your cheeks are pink. Your eyes
glimmer whenever you look at Nevis. I don’t have to be a sentry
to know you’ve got the hots for the guy.”
I froze, feeling the heat spread through my face.
“And it’s obvious he’s got the hots for you, too,” she added.
I looked at Nevis, who gave me a soft and reassuring smile in
return. He then focused on Grandma and Grandpa. “I suppose
Elonora finds it awkward when you’re so blunt, but, personally, I
think it’s endearing. And yes, you’ve read us both correctly. We
are in love.”
“Oh, snap,” Varga murmured, his eyes wide. “I didn’t think
he’d spell it out like that.”
“Yeah, me neither,” I breathed, while my grandparents burst
into laughter.
“Honey. It’s amazing you found each other in the middle of
this mess!” Grandma said, squeezing my hands in hers. “I can
read you like an open book, sometimes.”
“I need to work on that.” I sighed.
Nevis wrapped an arm around my shoulders. He didn’t pull
back, and he clearly wasn’t afraid to show his affection toward
me. I figured he was making it official this way, and that just
made my heart swell in my chest. “I love Elonora, and I hope you
both find me agreeable enough to be a part of her life.”
Grandpa Yuri smirked. “I find you agreeable, but I’m pretty
sure my wife thinks you’re hot.”
Grandma chuckled. “Scrumptious, to be precise.”
It was Nevis’s turn to blush, his eyes bulging. He was seconds
away from either stroking out or digging himself into a hole
from which he’d never come out. The poor thing.
“Grandma!” I chided her, laughing. “You’ll scare him away!”
“Daemons and soul-eating Maras didn’t scare me; I doubt
this stunning vampire lady will,” Nevis retorted, offering a
charming smile to go with it. Oh, he definitely wasn’t afraid of
my grandparents. In fact, he was showing a side I hadn’t seen
before—perhaps the facet he showed to other people when he
engaged in diplomatic affairs. The kind of smile that got deals
signed and empires conquered.
Judging by the look on Grandma’s face, she was definitely
conquered.
“I’m glad to see you two together,” Grandpa said. “An
unlikely couple, by most definitions, but I know my little Elonora
well enough to understand that it takes a certain kind of
character to get past the thick wall she’s built around her heart.”
My grandparents knew my history from The Shade, including
the heartbreak that Connor had caused. They were quite
protective of me, in fact, and it was good to see the lack of
objection on their part, as far as Nevis was concerned. The last
thing I wanted was for my family, the people I loved
unequivocally, to reject him—the one person who’d managed to
steal my heart without making me feel miserable.
“Nevis had his methods,” I replied, resting my head on his
shoulder.
“You deserve it,” Grandma said, beaming at me. “I just hope
you both get to take this relationship further, once or… if this
ordeal ever ends.”
Just like that, her smile faded. Grandpa held her close, and I
felt the urge to wrap my arms around her and never let her go.
She’d been locked up in this place for long enough. It was time
for her to get out.
“We do have a plan, you know,” I said, raising an eyebrow.
Grandma didn’t respond to coddling. She preferred facts, with a
dash of humor. “We’re busting everyone out of here.”
That got me her full attention. “Hold on. All of us?”
I nodded. “We’re waiting for Amal to give us the green light
so we can bypass the shock collars, and for Araquiel and the
others to plant the explosives and detonate them as a
diversion.”
“Whoa. Honey, I knew about that, but I had no idea the plan
was designed with everyone in mind,” Grandma replied.
“How will you get so many out?” Grandpa Yuri asked. “There
are hundreds of us here, and plenty of Perfects keeping an eye on
the diamond dome.”
“Also, diamond dome! This is a solid structure! You can’t just
crack it open like an egg,” Grandma added.
Kailani joined us, sitting next to me. “I’ll be helping,” she
said, giving me a soft smile. “I overheard you talking about the
plan. I figured I’d clear some things up.”
“Do your grandparents know?” Grandma asked her.
“Yeah, and we’re not happy about it!” Corrine shot back from
the neighboring cluster, approximately ten feet away. “But it’s
the only way for us to succeed, so… you know, we’ll do it,” she
added, rolling her eyes.
“What’s the plan?” Grandpa asked.
One by one, the rest of the founders and our crew turned to
face us. Ben and Rose had already talked to Derek, Sofia, and the
others, but some things had to be clarified—specifically, who
would get to escape from the colosseum.
“It won’t be just us getting out of here,” I said. “We had to
analyze every possible scenario and go with the most reasonable
strategy. And, as crazy as it may sound, getting everyone out of
here is our best option.”
“Okay. But how will we accomplish such a feat?” Grandma
replied.
“There’s a swamp witch spell called bilocation. It’s powerful,
but I can pull it off with additional magic energy from other
witches,” Kailani explained. “It needs great power to work for so
many prisoners. It creates palpable, visible, and audible copies of
all of us, set on a kind of movement loop. They’re dummies,
basically, that look and sound exactly like us.”
Lumi stood up, resting her hands on her hips. “We need four
magically capable individuals to fuel the spell, one for each
cardinal point, as per the Word’s instructions. Kale and I will
take the north and south, and Corrine and Ibrahim can handle
the east and the west. Once we start the spell, and the dummies
materialize, we’ll sneak out of the dome and leave them behind.
Without us, the bilocation spell can stand on its own for about
twenty, maybe thirty minutes before it all fades away.”
My grandparents looked at each other, then nodded slowly.
“So, where’d you learn that spell from, Kale?” Grandma
asked. “I thought your apprenticeship wasn’t over, and it sounds
pretty complex.”
“I know of it,” Lumi replied with a shrug. “It normally
shouldn’t be cast without four full swamp witches, but, given our
circumstances, we have to take our chance with what we have.”
“Hold on, so it’s risky?” Grandpa asked, somewhat alarmed. I
couldn’t blame him. We all loved Corrine and Ibrahim, Kailani,
and even Lumi, with her previously undisclosed pixie nature.
Kailani let a heavy sigh roll out, her shoulders dropping.
“Without four full swamp witches to power the spell, we’re not
entirely sure of the end result. But I, along with my
grandparents, have naturally magical genes. That has to count
for something.”
“If you ask me, it might actually help,” Lumi said. “More
than four full swamp witches. Anyway, we have to try it.”
“Will it kill you or hurt you if it fails?” I replied.
Lumi shook her head. “The bilocation spell won’t last. Worst-
case scenario, it won’t even be cast. But we’re rooting for a
successful attempt here, so let’s not think of the possible failure.
We don’t want the universe slapping us with its law of
attraction. The last thing we want is to screw ourselves out of a
perfectly functional bilocation trick.”
I had to admit, I found Lumi extremely fascinating. She
wasn’t one to adhere to a certain religion or pray to specific gods,
but she did worship the universe, calling it the child of the Word
itself. She believed that thinking of the worst usually invited
failure through the door, but she also refused to call herself an
optimist.
Granted, she was anything but that. Her biting realism had
irked me more than once, but it was fascinating to hear her talk
like this. Then again, in a way, she kind of had a point. Jinxing
was the worst, given where we were and what we were about to
do.
“We’ll use our fae to manipulate the diamond floor,” Rose
added, sitting next to Corrine and Ibrahim. “The more of them
that are connected to the earthly element, the better.”
“I imagine we can pray to the Hermessi for some assistance
when the time is right, too,” Bogdana interjected.
I turned my head to look at her, as she’d made herself
comfortable behind Derek and Sofia, her head occasionally
popping up during our conversations. She’d been quiet until
now, but I couldn’t forget the look on her face upon meeting
Ta’Zan outside. The connection between them was undeniable,
though Ta’Zan had no idea who she was.
“How are you feeling?” I asked her.
“I honestly don’t know. Pained, I suppose. I gave birth to that
monster, but my heart still aches when I think about him. Worst
of all, I felt a strange warmth in my chest when I first laid eyes
on him,” she replied, surprisingly honest.
“You carried him in your womb for nine months. Surely a
bond was formed,” Grandma said. “He didn’t have to be related
to you for you to feel the need to nurture and protect him. It’s a
mother’s instinct, especially since his embryo switched your
body into motherhood. You can’t control that.”
“But we can’t let you get too close to him, unless it helps us,”
Lumi replied, narrowing her eyes at Bogdana. “I’m sure you
mean well, but I don’t trust you with Ta’Zan. I’m sure you
understand why.”
Bogdana nodded slowly, the sadness in her amber eyes
impossible to ignore. From what I could tell, she, too, was
uncomfortable with her own weakness toward Ta’Zan. I could
see the threads of yellow and gold still glimmering in her aura—
fear and love.
Ben cleared his throat, as if to change the subject to
something less uncomfortable.
“Let’s focus on this bilocation spell,” he said, then looked at
Lumi. “Do you need us to help you with anything?”
“I don’t think so,” Lumi replied. “I know how to perform the
spell, though I haven’t cast one since my swamp witch sisters
were still alive. We’ll just need everyone to be ready to run, and
one of you to give the signal to Araquiel. As soon as we’re all out,
they can detonate the explosives.”
It sounded pretty cut and dry. Timing was obviously essential
here. Amal and Amane were tasked with covertly gathering the
items they needed for their mass memory wiper device, while
pretending to do Ta’Zan’s bidding. Given the recent
developments regarding Douma and Raphael, they had to make
sure they got them out, too, before the explosives were set.
Araquiel, Herakles, and the four Calliope Perfects were due to
infiltrate the colosseum and place the explosive charges in every
node of the diamond structure. Their chemical formula was
powerful enough to break the diamond, provided they were set
against a thin surface. The bombs had been devised as a chain
reaction, until crucial parts of the colosseum came down. There
was a specific focus on all the laboratories and storage units. The
harder we crippled Ta’Zan, the better.
“Once we’re out, and the colosseum is crashing down on
Ta’Zan, the seven hundred and forty-two fae will have the go-
ahead to enter Strava’s atmosphere,” Rose continued.
“We have to match each other’s moves here,” Ben replied,
scratching his stubbled chin. “A one-minute delay could screw
us all.”
“Hey, we’ll just have to make sure we have everyone in check
before we even cast the bilocation spell,” Corrine said. “We’ve
all been trained for complex and last-minute missions. We can
do this!”
She sounded energetic and determined, but, deep down, I
knew she was terrified. Not so much for herself and Ibrahim, but
for Kailani. She was the apple of their eyes, their single most
precious bloodline continued. Corrine, however, was also a bit at
peace whenever she looked at Hunter. She knew they were in a
relationship, and she liked seeing them together.
“We’ve done crazy crap before,” Hunter replied, giving
Corrine and Ibrahim a sheepish smile. “At least, this time
around, it’s well-planned crap.”
We all placed our hopes in Hunter, in the end. The white wolf
seemed to be the only one who could rein Kailani in whenever
she unwillingly slipped into Word-mode. If anyone could stop
her from releasing another uncontrolled but deadly pulse, it was
him.
“I’ll give it everything I’ve got,” Kailani added. “I’ll do my
best to keep my Word glitches under control, too.”
“I’ve got you covered,” Hunter whispered in her ear, barely
loud enough for me to hear it.
“I guess we’re putting our faith in Perfects to get us through
this, huh?” Lucas chimed in, wearing a crooked smirk. He was no
fan of the species, but he did understand why we were so keen to
rescue Douma and Raphael—and why Dmitri had fallen so
hopelessly in love with Douma, too.
“They haven’t failed us so far,” Rose replied. “Douma,
Raphael, Araquiel… Nathaniel, Uriel, Angelica, and Deena…
They’re more than we could’ve possibly asked for in the middle
of this fresh hell. I trust them, and I know they won’t betray us.”
“And I trust your judgment,” Lucas said. Rose’s uncle was a
peculiar character—a reformed baddie who’d wreaked quite the
havoc in his heyday. But he was also a brilliant strategist who
understood our situation and was able to recognize an
opportunity or an ally when he saw one. Most importantly, he
trusted us, the so-called next generation, to carry the mission to
its very end, and to save the entire universe.
I, for one, wanted everyone to live through this. I wanted us to
win. I wanted Ta’Zan dead and the Perfects liberated from their
poisonous doctrine. I wished for the Perfects, the Faulties, and
the Draenir to share this planet in complete harmony, so I could
run away with Nevis. So Kailani could get a shot at an actual
relationship with Hunter. So that Vesta and Zeriel could one day
rule over the lagoon together.
So Rose and Ben would see Caleb and River again. So we can
all get back to our lives. To freedom and love…
L
K A I L A N I
umi and I had already described my blackouts to my
grandparents. They knew about the frequency with which
they occurred and what happened around me while I was
out, but I couldn’t tell them about what I saw and experienced
during these episodes. My oath to the Word compelled me to
keep all that to myself.
The entire dome had been warned to get down in case I
showed signs of another devastating pulse during one such
episode.
Grandma Corrine and Grandpa Ibrahim quietly listened to
everything I had to say, after getting over the earlier, initial
shock. The others in our crew could hear us, too, since we were
all clumped together inside the diamond dome, but no one
interfered or offered an opinion. Not that one was needed.
Hunter stayed close, silent but always with his ears open,
occasionally exchanging glances with my grandparents. The
more I watched him, the more I loved him. If it weren’t for
Hunter, I probably wouldn’t have made it this far.
“Maybe your next apprentice will get a better environment to
develop this connection to the Word,” Corrine grumbled,
frowning at Lumi.
I wasn’t sure if she was angry or not. Grandma had a way of
masking her emotions when she spoke. Lumi nodded slowly in
return.
“I would’ve given anything to change what’s already
happened, but I can’t. I’m sorry,” Lumi said.
“We cannot change the past,” Grandpa replied, giving
Grandma a gentle shoulder squeeze. “Kale is with us now, and
that’s what matters. Whatever comes next, we’ll all deal with it,
like a family.”
Corrine smiled, then looked at Hunter. “That includes you,
too, wolf-boy,” she said.
“Tha-Thank you… I guess,” Hunter murmured, blinking
rapidly and blushing. I stifled a giggle, then leaned into him and
rested my head on his shoulder for a brief moment. My way of
saying that I wanted him by my side, now more than ever.
“I was expecting an I-told-you-so speech from you,
Grandma.” I sighed. “After all, you did warn me not to get into
this.”
“Do you regret it?” she asked, her eyebrow gracefully arched.
I shook my head. “I’m scared, but no. As complicated as it
may seem, this bond with the Word feels amazing.”
“Had it not been for your swamp witch magic, you probably
wouldn’t have been out there for so long,” Grandma replied.
“For better or worse, the Word got you through all this. Let’s just
make sure it doesn’t kill you in the end, okay?”
“To be honest, no form of magic is ever truly safe. Not even
the one we’re born with,” Grandpa said, resting his elbows on
his knees. “We’ll have to work with what we have, and make
sure no one else gets hurt in the process.”
“That’s what I’m worried about,” I murmured. “I already
killed four Draenir who didn’t… really didn’t deserve it.”
Hunter held me close. “You know the circumstances of that
incident. They just weren’t fast enough. We know better now.
We can prepare for it, if it happens again. I’m here, Kale, and I
will make sure we come out of it alive.”
Grandma chuckled, her tone loaded with bitterness. “That’s
sweet of you to say that, but let’s not fool ourselves. You’re just a
werewolf, and Kale is a witch with too much power on her hands.
Like my darling husband said, we’ll do our best with what we’ve
got, but let’s keep a healthy dose of realism around, just in
case.”
“What do you mean?” I asked, fighting back tears. It tore me
apart on the inside to know I could do it again. I had enough
blood on my hands already.
“Oh, honey… I’ve been around for long enough, and I’ve seen
plenty. You’re hoping your blackouts won’t hurt anyone else, but
we have to be prepared for the worst. If or when that happens,
you’ll have to face it, and you’ll have to live with it,” Grandma
said, her gaze softening on me. “That doesn’t mean you should
let the guilt eat away at you. On the contrary, you have to take it
all in, learn from it, and take control over this bond of yours with
the Word. Take control of it, Kale, accept and acknowledge it,
and do something with it. I’ve already made my peace with that.
You should, too.”
I was surprised to hear her talk like this. Grandma Corrine
was usually adorably overprotective, and whenever I made a
decision without involving her, she didn’t shy away from giving
me a piece of her mind. In a way, I’d grown up with three moms
—the one who’d given birth, Grandma Mona, and Grandma
Corrine. They’d all been around, nearby and nurturing me over
the years, teaching me and reprimanding me, when I got out of
line.
“I think the most important aspect of Kale’s blackouts is for
her to take control once she goes under,” Lumi said, then looked
at me. “It might sound crazy or impossible, but everything
you’re going through happens in your subconscious. Your spirit
never leaves your body, and every interaction you have with the
Word is in your mind. Therefore, it’s on your turf.”
“Lumi is right,” Grandma replied. “The next time you go
under, take control. Figure out what it is you want from the
Word, what you want to do with the powers it gives you… and
own it!”
“If your will is strong, then every molecule around you will
fall in line,” Grandpa Ibrahim added, smiling gently.
“Remember, you’re not just a creature who’s taking up swamp
witch magic. You’re a natural-born witch, Kale. That, alone,
gives you an edge that no one else has.”
Grandpa had a point. Lumi had said the same thing, too. I did
have an advantage here, and I was letting my fear get the better
of me. The Word had accepted this bond between us; otherwise, I
never would’ve been able to use any of the magic it had given
me. I had to take control. I had to get my crap together. I’d been
so consumed by my fear of losing control that I’d nearly
forgotten the great things that the Word had already given me.
“You two look amazing together,” Grandma Corrine said,
changing the subject as she wiggled her eyebrows at Hunter and
me.
It was my turn to feel my face burn up. “Grandma…” I
mumbled.
“What? You two are so obviously head over heels with each
other!” Grandma said. “I’m just surprised it took you so long!”
Hunter chuckled. “We were both blind to one another, I
guess. But at least one thing was always certain. We’ve loved
each other in more than one way, for years.”
“And now you’re taking it further,” Grandpa replied,
grinning. “Does your mother know, Kale?”
I shrugged. “Um. We didn’t really get to talk about that.”
“Oh, she’ll be thrilled,” Grandma said. “She won’t see it
coming, though. For years she’s said there was no way in hell her
little witch and Aiden’s wolf pup would ever get together.”
“Aiden’s what now?” Aiden chimed in, clearly amused.
I sensed nothing but love coming from him and Kailyn. They
were already used to Hunter and me hanging out all the time,
since we’d practically grown up together. In fact, they seemed
less surprised than Hunter and I were, when we first told each
other about how we felt. They’d probably seen it coming.
“Wolf pup. I said wolf pup,” Grandma replied.
“That’s a full-grown wolf you’re looking at, sweetheart. One
hell of a man, and an even greater wolf. Kailyn and I raised quite
a warrior!” Aiden said, beaming with pride.
“He’ll always be a pup to me,” Grandma grumbled. “Just like
Kale will always be the little curly thing that held on to my leg
whenever I walked out of the sanctuary. I refuse to let the
passage of time change that for me.”
“Aww. Grandma Corrine is getting emotional,” Hunter
replied, stifling a laugh.
“You’ll see what it feels like when you get to my age,”
Grandma said.
“You don’t look a day past twenty-five, honey. I don’t think
you’re getting the right message across,” Ibrahim said, also
struggling not to laugh.
“Yeah, but I feel at least two or three centuries old on the
inside,” Grandma said.
Lumi cleared her throat. “Let’s all get past this Strava mess
and see how old we feel then.”
And just like that, the fleeting moment of humor went away,
as the harsh reality set itself back in, heavier and more
uncomfortable than before. We had a way of laughing in the face
of danger and misery, but it was becoming increasingly difficult
to maintain a high spirit for more than a minute or two.
“It’s all in the hands of our Perfect friends,” Kailyn said,
wearing a sad smile. “All we can do now is wait. Our resolve is in
here, somewhere. We just need to find it, hold on to it, and never
let it go.”
“Mom’s right,” Hunter replied. “We’re all here together. And
we’re getting out of here together. We’ve got too much to lose,
and I have some dates to go on with Kale. Can’t do jack squat if
we’re stuck in this place.”
His words warmed me up on the inside. I locked my arms
around his torso and held him close, taking deep breaths and
nearly getting drunk on his natural scent. His words rang true in
my heart. We were all together again, though not under the
circumstances I would’ve hoped for.
Even so, it was up to us to change these circumstances and
end this debacle, once and for all. For the time being, our
success, our shot at freedom, was in the hands of our Perfect and
Faulty friends. I couldn’t help but think about them, wondering
where they were and what they were doing. Araquiel, Herakles,
Nathaniel, Uriel, Deena, and Angelica were basically our last—
our one and only—hope. If they failed, we were all done for.
W
D O U M A
e were collared and placed in separate glass boxes,
but kept in the same room. At least we could talk to
each other as we waited for Ta’Zan to eventually come around
and gloat. It was in his nature, especially since both Raphael and
I were physically superior to him. Ta’Zan had always taken
pleasure in keeping us under control, and I knew it bugged him
to see Raphael and me exhibiting free will. Under this illusion of
victory, Ta’Zan was bound to show up. He hadn’t had the last
word just yet.
The room we were kept in was dark, the diamond walls
covered in a thin, smoky film designed to block out the natural
light. White beams were mounted on the ceiling, casting a cold
glow and giving me the sense that I was in some kind of animal
exhibition—and I was one of the prime specimens on display.
There were computer screens and a plethora of medical tools
and devices mounted on one table, and I knew they were all
meant for us. I recognized the tens of feet of slim cables. Ta’Zan
used those to read brainwaves and vital signs, connecting the
body to his computer screen.
“Well, at least we’re together,” Raphael quipped, clearly not
as affected by our circumstances as I was.
I’d hoped that we’d be imprisoned in the diamond dome
along with the outsiders. I’d done enough damage to be deemed
an ‘enemy,’ like them, even after he’d reset me. But Ta’Zan
wasn’t going to let me off the hook that easily, and I hated being
away from Dmitri like this. It made our plan a bit more
complicated, and we’d already been dealing with several
unknowns. It was just another bump in the road, but one I’d
partially expected. I was now facing two possible outcomes, if
the outsiders escaped: either they came to get us, too, or they
left us behind.
Personally, I would’ve left us behind because it would help the
group more than lingering around to get us. But the pain in my
heart told me that wasn’t the scenario I was truly hoping for.
Dmitri would never leave this place without me—that much I
knew for sure.
“I wonder what they’re doing in there,” Raphael added,
noticing my silence.
“They… You mean Rose and Ben?” I asked, my voice low.
“Mm-hm. They’ve brought each other up to speed by now.
Despite being stuck in the dome, I’m pretty sure they’re all
happy to see each other.”
“It’s worthless if they don’t get out of there,” I said.
“We should’ve been in there, with them,” he replied. “But
Ta’Zan doesn’t want us fraternizing with his enemy, not even
after we’ve already betrayed them. I kind of knew he’d do
something like this.”
“Yeah, me too. What do we do, then? We can’t stay here,” I
murmured. “The collars aren’t enough to keep us down.”
“But these glass boxes certainly are,” Raphael said, then
banged his fist against the glass wall. It didn’t even budge or
hum. No matter how hard he hit it, the glass’s molecular
structure would never allow us to leave, unless programmed by
Ta’Zan. Or Amal and Amane. They probably knew their way
around this stuff. “We can’t walk out on our own.”
“We have to find a way,” I said. “We can’t be here when the
explosive charges go off. You remember the blueprints of this
place, right? You know where Araquiel is planting the bombs.”
Raphael nodded. “We’re smack in the middle of a hotspot. It
won’t kill us.”
“But it’ll tear us to shreds. By the time we recover, we’ll be
back in a glass box, with no means of escaping. Besides, Ta’Zan
is looking forward to cutting our heads off and indoctrinating us
again. I can’t have that. I can’t lose myself like that. I won’t!”
“Hey, hey… Take it easy,” Raphael said, softening his tone. “I
know what you’re going through. I understand the fear of losing
your memories, your personality. Everything that makes you
who you are. I get it. But you can’t let it cloud your judgment.”
I exhaled sharply, running a hand through my long, black
hair. My own head felt heavy, and a crackling node was forming
between my shoulder blades—the burning need to spread my
wings and take flight. An anxiety attack was just around the
corner, unless I found a way out of this place. Raphael was right,
though. I couldn’t cave in like this. Dmitri and his family, his
friends… they needed me.
“Remember, Amal and Amane are with him. They won’t let
us rot in here,” Raphael added. “They need us. They all need us.”
I couldn’t help but smile, leaning against the glass. “Or is it
maybe that we need them, Raphael?”
He stilled, his eyes wide with the realization. “You’re right,”
he muttered. “How… How did we get to this point, Douma?”
I took a deep breath, going over everything I remembered,
from the moment I’d first seen Dmitri, Elonora, and their crew.
They’d stumbled into one of the first colosseums, thinking that
they’d find their people there. Kallisto had led them to us,
hoping it would grant her safe passage back to Ta’Zan. How
young we were then… Just a few weeks ago.
How it had all changed! Even before they removed my
memory chip, I’d developed a soft spot for Dmitri. But I didn’t
have the heart to betray Ta’Zan. When I woke up, remembering
nothing, the first thing I saw was Dmitri smiling at me. The
sweet feeling of familiarity, the mild knot in my chest. I was
already falling for him.
“We met them,” I whispered. “We met them, we understood
them… and they changed us. They showed us a different way of
life, and we could no longer bring ourselves to go back to the old
way. They didn’t do anything, specifically, other than be
themselves.”
Raphael chuckled. “Yeah, Elonora’s quite the whip.”
“She’s out of your league,” I shot back.
“Had it not been for Nevis, I might’ve had a chance,” he
groaned, crossing his arms and pouting like a little kid. It was
one of the things I liked most about Raphael. He’d developed a
strong and colorful personality from the very beginning. No
wonder he’d butted heads with Ta’Zan. Out of all the Perfects
created, Raphael would always be the one who rebelled without a
memory wipe.
“We do need them, don’t we?” I asked, though I already knew
the answer to that.
Raphael offered a brief nod in return. “We do. They’re doing
so much. They’re exploring the world. Going from planet to
planet, inadvertently setting things right wherever they land.
You’ve heard their stories.”
“Yeah. You’d like to do that, too, huh?”
“You read me so well,” he replied, grinning, and his eyes
twinkled with mischief. “What do you say, Douma? Shall we get
the heck out of this joint, save our planet, and fly off into the
cosmos with these people?”
I laughed. “You make it sound so easy.”
“They’re doing most of the hard work, if you think about it
—” Raphael said, then froze at the sound of footsteps.
The double doors glided open. Ta’Zan came in, accompanied
by Amal and Amane. Amal seemed relaxed, once again
benefitting from Ta’Zan’s trust. Amane, on the other hand, was
fuming. She’d been crying, judging by her puffy eyes, and that
collar couldn’t possibly be comfortable. Mine annoyed me like
crazy.
The twins gave us both soft nods, then went to the table and
started fumbling with the slim cables. Amane turned one of the
computer units on, the screen turning white. Strings of black
symbols dashed across, signaling the beginning of what had to
be a reading of my vitals and brainwaves.
“Nice to see you show up again,” Raphael said to Ta’Zan, his
tone clipped.
The air thickened around us, a display of energy between the
creator and his most brilliant child. Ta’Zan was smiling, but his
blue and green eyes carried a certain weight and dull anger—the
kind that he’d been developing over the days since Raphael had
left and joined the outsiders.
“I have no reason to stay away,” Ta’Zan replied.
Amal and Amane both came around to our boxes, placing
their hands on the glass. The surface rippled and split open,
allowing them to reach inside and mount the wires on our
temples. The procedure was swift and simple, as the wires had
suction-cup endings that kept them in place. Amane discreetly
nudged me before she withdrew her hands.
I turned my head to look at her, and she gave me a wink, as if
trying to reassure me that she was still here, still on our side.
“Besides, I need to understand what drove you two to betray
me like this,” Ta’Zan added.
Amane and Amal took hold of two tablets, inputting data and
occasionally watching the computer screens, while the wire
sensors read our brainwaves and translated them into figures for
them to interpret. They stole glances at Raphael and me but said
nothing. The floor belonged to Ta’Zan, it seemed.
“It takes a certain kind of thinking to commit to such
stupidity, when I specifically designed you to be intelligent
creatures,” Ta’Zan continued.
“You designed us to be intelligent, but you brainwashed us
into being mindless tools,” Raphael replied. “You never wanted
us to be our own people. You’ve always wanted us to be strong,
but limited to blindly obeying you. Please don’t insult our
intelligence by saying otherwise.”
“You must’ve seen this coming, though,” I said. “You’re
smart enough to know that you would never blindly obey
someone else. So why did you think we’d be different?”
“Your brothers and sisters know what’s best for them,”
Ta’Zan replied. “How are you two foolish enough to think you’d
be better off without me? Actually, don’t answer that. I’m sure
your data readings will tell me everything I need to know.”
“It’s called free will!” Raphael snapped. “Like Douma said,
you should’ve seen it coming. But pride does tend to blind
people. It’ll turn the most brilliant ones into idiots. Case in
point,” he added, nodding at Ta’Zan.
“The Perfects are free to do whatever they wish. They chose
to fight for me,” Ta’Zan retorted. A muscle twitched in his jaw,
the only sign I had that Raphael’s words were, in fact, getting to
him. “All I’m trying to understand is why you decided to go the
other way and bite the hand that feeds you.”
“Let’s get something straight here,” I said. “No matter how
many tests you do, you’ll never be able to understand why we are
who we are. You cannot study free will. There’s nothing wrong
with us. And you can continue trying to keep us all under control,
but it won’t last forever. Sooner or later, they will all rise against
you, because what you preach is a delusion, a bitter lie that
causes nothing but suffering.”
Ta’Zan shifted his focus to me, narrowing his eyes and tilting
his head to the side. “I wonder… You had your memories wiped.
Amal cut your head off and implanted your old memories. How
did you decide to go against my wishes, even after that?”
My breath got stuck in my throat. I hadn’t thought about this
when I went back to Dmitri and the crew. I couldn’t tell him the
truth now—not without getting Amal into hot water. The twins
were both quiet and stunned, trying to stay focused on their
tablets as they avoided looking at Ta’Zan. The last thing they
wanted at this point was to make eye contact.
“I was already having thoughts of rebellion,” I said. “Long
before the outsiders cut my head off and took out my memory
chip, I was already tired of your lies and delusions of grandeur.
After Amal reset me again, the same feelings came back. All you
did was further fan the flames.”
Ta’Zan didn’t say anything for a while, as if taking it all in,
probably wondering if I was telling the truth. He gave Amal a
sideways glance, and she gathered the courage to look at him
and nod, confirming my story.
“Then you’re as wrong as Raphael, it seems,” Ta’Zan
concluded.
“Keep telling yourself that,” Raphael said. “You’re in over
your head, Ta’Zan. You can’t stop this revolution. It started with
us, and even after we’re gone, it will continue to grow. It won’t
end with us. It’ll end with you turned into a cloud of ashes.”
“We’ll see about that,” Ta’Zan said.
“We’ve seen it already. More and more of our brothers and
sisters are getting tired of your lies. They see what’s going on.
They see how weak and insecure you’ve been since we took out
your comms blockers and destroyed your starships,” I said,
smiling with sheer confidence. “They know you’re not fit to
lead.”
I was lying, of course, but he didn’t need to know that. It was
enough to get under his skin, and that just proved my point.
Ta’Zan pointed an angry finger at Amal and Amane. “Get me
the reading results as soon as possible, then get cracking on the
ship prototypes. We’re behind schedule already,” he said,
gritting his teeth.
“Try all you want, we’ll still destroy you!” Raphael shouted
after him as he stormed out of the room. He chuckled, then
nodded at the twins once the double doors slid shut behind
Ta’Zan. “How are you two holding up?”
Amal sighed deeply. “Ugh. It’s harder than before.
Everything you’ve done so far has definitely gotten to him. He’s
permanently angry and frustrated, especially in private. He tries
to keep his composure in front of the Perfects and the Arch-
Perfects, but he still snaps once in a while.”
“Then it’s working. His psyche is crumbling,” Raphael
breathed, a grin slitting his face from ear to ear.
“You know, I have to say this, you’re enjoying this a lot.
Maybe a little too much?” I asked.
“Hell, no. I’m loving this, and I’m entitled,” Raphael replied.
“After everything he’s done? This isn’t even enough. I root for
the day I see him utterly distraught and miserable.”
“How are you two doing?” Amane asked, stepping forward.
“We didn’t think he’d separate you from the others.”
“Neither did we, but here we are,” I replied with a long sigh.
“We’re okay. Just wondering how we’ll do our part of the plan, if
we’re stuck in these glass boxes.”
Amal and Amane looked at each other, then back at us. They
must’ve talked about this. They were unbelievably smarter when
they were together, their brains operating at incredible speeds,
far beyond our own.
“We’ll help you get out, as long as we know when Araquiel
breaches the colosseum,” Amane said. “We’ve spoken to him
through Amal’s earpiece. He’ll let us know.”
My heart felt heavy, and I knew I had to approach the worst-
case scenario, too. I placed my hands against the glass and took a
deep breath.
“I need you both to understand and do something for us,” I
said. “If it gets too hairy or crazy out there, don’t complicate
things by coming to get us. Leave Raphael and me behind—”
“Whoa!” Raphael cut in. “What the hell, Douma?”
“What?! You know I’m right!” I replied, and looked at the
twins again. “I’m serious. If it’s too risky or too dangerous, leave
us behind. The important thing here is to get all the outsiders
out of the colosseum before the charges are detonated, and for
the Perfects to be distracted enough not to notice the fae shuttle
coming in. That’s on us.”
Raphael groaned with frustration and cursed under his
breath. Amal, Amane, and I looked at him as he clicked his teeth
and exhaled sharply.
“Screw this. Okay!” he conceded. “If anything, maybe give us
some cheat codes or some way to get out of these glass boxes
ourselves. If we can’t reunite with the outsiders when it’s escape
time, we can at least make enough of a mess in this place, on top
of the explosions, to draw as many Perfects to this location as
possible. At least this way we’ll help guarantee safe passage for
the incoming fae.”
Amal shook her head. “I don’t have any cheat codes, I’m
sorry. The glass boxes don’t work like that. But I promise one of
us or even Araquiel will come up here and get you out when the
time is right. We can’t digress from the plan.”
“We’ll look into it, once we get everything we need for the
mass memory wiper.” Amane added.
“How are Rose and Ben’s people?” Raphael asked. “Elonora?”
“I think they’re fine. We checked in with them about thirty
minutes ago. They’re waiting to do their part. We’re all waiting
for Araquiel, Herakles, and the others now,” Amal replied.
We were all in limbo, and I hated it. I hated my glass box and
the shock collar around my neck. I hated being in this situation,
and, most noticeably, I hated not having Dmitri close to me.
Whatever came next, planned or otherwise, would decide my fate
and our shot at an actual relationship.
I knew next to nothing about love. It was a concept that
Ta’Zan had deliberately left out of our education and
development, but, after all the time I’d spent with Dmitri and his
people, I knew it was essential to a happy life, to a healthy
relationship and a good future. Love transcended pretty much
anything, and it was intense enough to drive people to do the
craziest things in its name.
I was ready to face all the Perfects and even die, if I had to, in
order to keep Dmitri safe. According to Rose, that was the purest
form of love out there—the kind where my life was worthless, if
my loved one suffered or was dead. I was ready for the supreme
sacrifice, and I was still trying to wrap my head around this
realization.
Love makes you do crazy things, Dmitri had said the other
day.
It most certainly did.
“W
A M A N E
hat did Ta’Zan think of the readings?” I asked my
sister as soon as she came back from Ta’Zan’s
private quarters.
After we collected the data from Raphael’s and Douma’s
brainwaves, Amal and I prepared a short report for Ta’Zan with
our findings. We already knew what the results would be, but
Ta’Zan was too stubborn to understand that there really wasn’t
anything wrong with Douma and Raphael that was making them
act so rebelliously.
“He didn’t like it,” Amal replied.
We’d been assigned a lab of our own, once more, where we did
all the work that didn’t require Ta’Zan’s supervision. It was also
where we were going to work on the mass memory wiper, since
we had the space and all the tools we needed in the room,
carefully deposited and catalogued in multiple drawers.
I’d already begun taking the pieces out, and I was halfway
done with the technical specs when Amal came by my side to
check out my unfinished work.
“Of course, we both knew he’d hate the truth,” she added,
frowning as she picked up one of the clippers with two fingers.
“This one’s for the serium wiring, right?”
I nodded. “I gathered most of the tools and some of the
hardware, based on what we’ve already discussed. We need to
figure out the rest and see where we can get it from, if it’s not
here. We can’t be seen wandering around the lab area just yet.
I’m sure Ta’Zan is watching me like a hawk wherever I go.”
“He sure is. The upside is he doesn’t know what a mass
memory wiper would even look like, and he wouldn’t think of me
helping you,” Amal said. “I’m still surprised at how foolish he’s
become. He’s clearly on edge and losing it, and that will work to
our advantage. He’s too busy being paranoid about the
outsiders.”
“He can feel it all slipping away. His insecurity is chipping
away at him. He’s lashing out, I suppose,” I replied. “He’s so
convinced that his indoctrination program is flawless that he
can’t accept the fact that he cannot fully control free will. He
hates that.”
“Raphael and Douma twisting the knife in deeper didn’t
help.” Amal chuckled.
“Hey, it did the job, didn’t it?”
“Oh, it most certainly did. He’s on thin ice, Sister. It’s only a
matter of time before he falls,” she said.
“You got a lot of the inside work done. I don’t think we
would’ve gotten this far, had it not been for your persistence in
staying by his side and nurturing his trust in you,” I admitted. “I
should’ve told you when I decided to leave. Maybe it’s too late,
but… I’m sorry.”
“Hey, we put that behind us already,” Amal said. “Let’s do
this thing and move forward. Come on.”
We spent the next hour inputting calculations into one of our
computers, based on previous conversations. The three-
dimensional model we came up with for the device, complete
with all the parts and a power source, was pretty impressive. We
could finetune the radio waves to go outward at high speed. My
heart swelled with pride, looking at the final design.
My synapses were fired up, and I could already visualize the
device working at full capacity.
“This is a masterpiece,” Amal murmured. “We went past the
distance barriers with the physical augmentations. Well done,
Sister.”
“Well done, yourself!” I replied, smiling. “Your circuits look
extremely efficient in theory. The blast radius on this baby will
go past the initial five-hundred-mile mark we’d talked about.”
She pointed at the power source on the screen. “We’ll need
something huge for this.”
“Serium. Concentrated. But how much would be enough? And
how much would burn it out?” I asked. There was a risk of
overloading the mechanism, if we weren’t careful.
“It takes time to compress serium into concentrated sticks,”
Amal said. “More than we have.”
“Okay… So, what do we do? If we want a wide radius, which
we definitely do, we need a lot of power, and fast,” I replied.
Several possible scenarios darted through my head, but none fit
the timeframe we had to work with. “Once we get out of here
with the device, we’ll need to act fast and activate it, before an
entire army descends upon us.”
Amal thought about it for a while, then quickly transferred
the blueprint to a small, portable tablet—perfect for a tunic
pocket. She gave it to me, then smiled.
“Keep it safe. We need a few more parts, and they’re not here.
I’ll have to get to the Creation Labs and bring them in without
anyone seeing me,” she said. “As for a quick and potent power
source, I’m thinking of the Hermessi.”
That made sense. Only, they weren’t fully awakened yet.
“How can they do it? They’re still in a dormant state. They’re not
strong enough without the one thousand and one fae,” I replied.
“We’ll have to speak to Vesta or one of the other fae, so they
can talk to them. The Hermessi could power a serium bar to the
levels we need, if they’re strong enough. They’re pure, natural
energy, after all. They could do it as soon as they take what they
need from the one thousand and one fae,” Amal suggested.
I nodded, trying to fully analyze this option before actually
voicing my agreement. “It might work. But it’ll have to be you
talking to the fae in the dome,” I said. “I can’t be seen anywhere
near them right now.”
And I hated that. I longed to see Ridan again. I worried about
him, knowing how miserable he was without his freedom.
Captivity harmed everyone, but no one was more affected than
Ridan—my dragon, designed by nature to soar through the skies,
not languish in a diamond cage.
As if reading my mind, Amal gave me a warm smile. “You’ll
see him again, you know.”
“I’m hoping. We have absolutely no certainty that this plan
will work,” I replied.
“We can’t go into it with that kind of mindset,” Amal said.
“We have to be determined to succeed. Don’t let doubt erode
your resolve. Dammit, you left and forged your own path in this
new world, and you were fearless throughout. Don’t let Ta’Zan
make you think you can’t make it. I need you. Ridan needs you.”
As if seeing my sister for the first time, I felt myself overcome
by a warm feeling of bewilderment. Amal could see and
understand more than most, especially where I was concerned.
Amal knew me best, and she’d learned to read my expressions
before I even opened my mouth to speak. It was her most
endearing quality, and I became determined to never be without
her again.
Ta’Zan had driven a wedge between us before. This time,
however, we were walking out together. And we were taking the
outsiders with us, too.
“I’ve missed you,” I murmured.
Amal grinned. “I know.”
“Go, now. Get what we need. I’ll start working on the frame
and the wiring first,” I said.
“I’ll get the output circuits and a transformer unit,” Amal
replied, then turned toward the door.
Just then, as if summoned by misfortune itself, Ta’Zan walked
in. His brow was furrowed, and there were faint but dark circles
under his eyes. He was stressed out of his mind, and he was
clearly having trouble keeping it together.
Amal froze, but offered him a weak smile. “Father. How can
we help?” she asked.
“Prepare another batch of pills for Derek. I’d like to take him
out again, tomorrow morning,” Ta’Zan replied.
“Of course. I’ll have them ready in a few hours,” Amal said.
I slowly shifted in front of the work table. I didn’t want him to
see the tools and parts we’d already placed on it. Not that he
knew what we were up to, but I didn’t want him thinking that I
was doing anything other than what he’d ordered. He wasn’t
stupid. On the contrary.
He looked at me, and I could almost feel him digging into my
soul, the claws scratching away at my conscience and clutching
my throat. “Help your sister, Amane,” he muttered, then left.
The silence he left behind gave me quite a headache. There
was something different about him, an intensity of sorts that I’d
never seen or felt before. He wasn’t like this. This version of him
carried a dark energy that turned my legs into chunks of lead.
“There’s something odd about him,” I whispered, staring at
the door.
“He’s been injecting himself with some of the bio materials
we used to develop the Arch-Perfects,” Amal replied.
“Well, he’s made himself as difficult to kill, that much I
know.”
“Hm… It’s not just that. He hasn’t told me, but I’m sure
there’s more to it. We don’t have an inventory of the genetic
materials, though, so I don’t know what he used,” Amal
explained. “All I know is that I’m getting a bad vibe from him.
He’s been like this since they first took down the comms
blockers and bombed his ships.”
“Genetic modifications on himself? As a live specimen?”
“Probably. But I wouldn’t know what, exactly, what works
and what impact it’s having on him,” Amal said. “However, it
does work in our favor a little bit. He’s already frustrated and
distracted. Whatever physical changes he’s going through, it has
to be tough.”
“Okay, let’s do his pills and get cracking on the memory
wiper.” I sighed. “What pills are we making, exactly?”
Amal stared at me for a moment, her eyes wide. “That’s right,
you weren’t here when he devised the cocktail,” she mumbled.
“What are you talking about?”
“I’ll show you,” she said, then took a deep breath. “It’s
nothing complicated. It’s just to help Derek deal with sunlight
when he goes out with Ta’Zan.”
Ta’Zan was a brilliant chemist. When it came to drugs, cures,
and treatments, he knew his stuff, combining biology with
chemistry and even genetic engineering, if necessary. He’d
devised all the treatments for both Perfects and Faulties, and
he’d been the one to come up with a healthy and efficient
acceleration process for the embryo development, shrinking the
pregnancy term from nine months to mere hours.
But Ta’Zan never did anything out of the sheer goodness of
his heart, and I didn’t think Amal knew anything about it.
“What’s the recipe?” I asked. “Did you make it?”
“No. He gave me the quantities and preparation instructions.
He came up with the composition,” she said.
Ta’Zan was doing something with these pills for Derek. I just
didn’t know what. I didn’t have his exquisite knowledge of
chemistry—I knew my way around it, especially where biological
and mechanical processes were concerned, but I had little to do
with the medication side of things. Ta’Zan didn’t need to take
Derek out on a walk under the sun, unless he was doing
something with it.
I didn’t think the recipe would tell me much, unless I looked
into the ingredients and quantities used. Amal would’ve picked
up on it, had she known more than me. My stomach churned. I
suspected, deep down, that Ta’Zan was up to something.
The mass memory wiper was our priority, though. Amal asked
me to get started on the structure, while she prepared Ta’Zan’s
pills. Time wasn’t on our side, and we had too much to deal with,
already. We were playing the parts of the obedient assistants,
but we were actively plotting our maker’s demise.
The fear of anything going wrong was permanently ticking in
the back of my head, but I followed my sister’s advice and
refused to let it get to me. It worked. Before I knew it, I was
elbow-deep in the mass memory wiper, connecting circuits and
preparing the holding hatch for the serium sticks.
Once it was done, all it needed was an awakened Hermessi to
power it up. At the end of it all, I saw myself jumping in Ridan’s
arms and showering him with kisses. The only ending I wanted
for this story.
N
H E R A K L E S
athaniel and his crew updated us on what they’d
learned on Calliope, along with how they were going to
help us, as we trekked through the jungles toward the
colosseum. We contacted Kallisto and the other Faulties along
the way. We were due to meet on the southwest border of
Ta’Zan’s fortress, according to our plan.
“I’m amazed that Raphael chose to rebel, with his memories
intact,” Nathaniel said.
We were stocked up on invisibility paste and red lenses, and
we’d made liberal use of them throughout the journey. We had to
keep a low profile, and being completely unseen was the best
way to do it.
“I don’t think we would’ve turned against Ta’Zan had our
memories not been wiped,” Nathaniel added.
“I was loyal to a fault, from what I was told,” Araquiel replied.
“Hey, quit lingering on thoughts of your former selves,” I told
them, constantly looking around, wary of Perfects stumbling
upon us. The last thing we wanted was a fight just as we were
about to infiltrate the colosseum. I could see it rising, not far
from our location. Sonic booms echoed overhead—soldiers
flying around, scouting the nearby islands and most likely
looking for me and my people. The rebels. “Focus on what you’ll
be doing from now on, with a free will and a clear mind. That’s
what will define you, in the end. Not what Ta’Zan programmed
you to believe.”
“Sorry,” Araquiel replied. “I’m still processing all of this.”
“I know. But we’ve got one crazy mission ahead, and we
cannot fail. I really don’t want to spend the rest of my life
swimming upstream against Ta’Zan,” I said.
Movement in the distance caught my eye—movement on the
southwest jungle border. With my lens on, I could see the two
dozen Faulties and another thirty Draenir. The former were
using the invisibility spell—I’d insisted upon it, because we
needed more of an edge against the Perfects. The Draenir,
however, were hiding beneath makeshift bushes that mimicked
the local flora, and they’d also used mud and dried leaves on
their skin to help them blend in.
“There they are,” I whispered.
“The swamp witch didn’t have enough ingredients to make
enough for everyone, I see,” Araquiel replied, following my gaze.
“She did warn us about it, but the Draenir didn’t seem to mind
that we got dibs first. We’ll need Calliope to send some more,
but with the Perfects intercepting almost everything, it’ll be
tough. Besides, my team needs the magic more than anyone
else, given what we’re about to do.”
“No argument there,” I said, and chuckled softly. “It just
makes for a pretty funny view, because the Draenir can actually
pass as genuine trees and bushes. That’s top-grade camouflage.
I thought only my kind could pull it off, yet here come the
Draenir, putting us to shame. I guess I’ll add that to their
repertoire of acquired skills.”
The Draenir had been hiding for much longer than my
Faulties. Years, to be specific. We’d had maybe weeks out in the
wilderness, learning to blend in. No wonder the Draenir didn’t
even need invisibility magic. They’d learned to use the
environment in their favor, in the absence of other artifices.
We snuck through the woods, going from tree to tree, while
Perfects patrolled the areas to our left. As long as they didn’t see
us, we could move freely. I led the way, with Araquiel, Nathaniel,
Uriel, Deena, and Angelica right behind me.
Kallisto was waiting by one of the pink orchid trees,
accompanied by my crew, all of them wearing red lenses. As
soon as she saw me, she lit up like the sun and waved at me—as
if I couldn’t see her already.
I motioned for her to put her arms down. “I can see you,
nimrod,” I hissed.
“Took you a while,” she said, then stilled at the sound of
Perfects flying overhead. The tree crowns were too rich and full
for them to see through. Besides, we were invisible. That gave
me a certain kind of confidence, with which I felt like I could
take on the entire colosseum. As long as they couldn’t see me, I
could easily go around and chop their heads off. An effortless
rampage.
“We had a bunch of Perfects trying to intercept the shuttle,” I
said. “But Araquiel took care of them.”
“Ah. So, they’re the wonder kids from Calliope, huh?”
Kallisto replied, smiling at Nathaniel and his group. They offered
a collective polite nod in return.
Araquiel introduced them, then shifted his focus back to me.
“We know what we have to do, right?”
“Yup. But first, my crew here needs to go visible,” I replied,
pointing a thumb at Kallisto, in particular, who rolled her eyes in
response.
“I like it like this,” she moaned.
“I know, sweetie, but the Draenir will get their asses fried if
the Perfects don’t see you guys around,” I replied. “And we need
all of you to keep the southwest gate busy.”
The Draenir stood still, hidden beneath their waxed leaves,
but they were all listening, ready to spring into action when
summoned. I had to appreciate that about them. They weren’t as
fast or as powerful as we were, but they sure were ready and
determined to help. That gave them more value in the field than
a thousand Arch-Perfects, or whatever the hell else Ta’Zan had
cooked up in his labs.
Kallisto and a few other Faulties came forward and split open
their satchels, which were loaded with explosive charges devised
by Lumi, Amal, and Amane. Another group gave us extra
weapons and hundreds of pulverizer pellets to go around.
Nathaniel, Uriel, Angelica, and Deena had their own weapons
now, plus their backpacks filled with ammunition, while
Araquiel distributed the explosive charges between them.
“We’ll infiltrate the colosseum and plant the packages,”
Araquiel said, his voice low. “You’ll handle the offensive here,
like we agreed, right?” he asked me.
“You bet,” I replied, then gave Kallisto a nudge. “This vicious
screamer here will be my second-in-command.”
“Good. I’ll stay invisible. Nathaniel, Uriel, Angelica, and
Deena will be seen, because the Perfects are using thermal
scanners on a regular basis,” Araquiel said. “I may be able to
sneak around and bypass them, but the same can’t be
guaranteed for all of us. It’s better this way.”
Kallisto smiled. “It works in your favor that no one kept track
of who got lost in orbit when the GASP fleet first came in. No one
will care who you are or what you’re doing. Plus, you’re rocking
the silk tunics. That’ll work in your favor as well.”
“It’ll be easier for us to drop the charges, for sure, if we blend
in,” Nathaniel replied.
The guard was changing on the south and west gates. Judging
by the sun’s position in the sky, sinking into a reddish sunset, it
was about time. The night shift was coming in, and Ta’Zan was
probably resting on his laurels, thinking we’d all scattered and
run off—certainly not preparing to ambush his people and blow
this place up.
“I’ll start the attack on the southwest, but I’ll pull them
toward the south gate to get more of them involved,” I said.
“We’ll put our weapons on bullet-mode to piss them off, first,
then pulverize as many as we can. They’ll go into a panic and call
for backup. By the time you guys are setting the charges, this
entire south wing will be popping!”
“The Draenir should keep their weapons in pulverizer-mode
and not risk it, though,” Kallisto said, giving Wallah and his crew
a sideways glance. “We don’t want them dying out here.”
I nodded in agreement, then pointed a finger at Wallah, who
was barely visible under his leafy cover. “You heard her, right?
Don’t be cheap with the ammo. Fire at will. We didn’t milk those
devil-vipers to be conservative with our firepower in the face of
danger,” I said.
Araquiel shook my hand, giving me a stern look. “Thank you
for everything,” he murmured.
“You say that as if this will be the last time we see each other.
Don’t be an oaf. Get out of this place alive, dude. I’ve yet to kick
your ass in close combat, and I’m itching for a rematch,” I said
with a smirk. I looked at Nathaniel. “You all be careful in there,
okay? We’ve got a lot more work after this. Once this place goes
down, the fae will be coming in. They’ll need our protection.”
“You can count on us. We’ll see you soon,” Nathaniel replied.
Araquiel guided them toward the western entrance, darting
through the jungle like swift breezes, unseen and unheard by the
Perfect guards in the area. I turned to face Kallisto and my rogue
Faulties, gripping my pulverizer weapon.
“Okay. Let’s go annoy some Perfects, then,” I quipped.
“Morfuris.”
A second later, I was visible again. I took the lead and headed
toward the southwest entrance. Behind me, the Faulties
whispered, “Morfuris,” and revealed themselves. The Draenir
stayed close, moving bushes that flanked us as we made our way
through the lush jungle.
I loved this place, and I looked forward to liberating it. This
world needed a good cleansing, and I was more than happy to
deliver it. What made me even happier was spotting Jakkhiel in
charge of the southwest gate guardians.
I put my arms out, prompting my people to come to a sudden
halt. I narrowed my eyes and quickly analyzed the scene waiting
for us, just a hundred feet away. Jakkhiel and I had some
unresolved issues, and I’d often dreamed of ripping his spine out
if I got the chance.
“Kallisto, do you see the tall, blond-haired fella with a golden
chest plate?” I asked quietly.
“Uh-huh.”
“I’ll start a conversation with that bastard, while the rest of
you fan out and prepare to engage,” I said.
I didn’t wait for her to reply. I knew she’d do as I asked.
Instead, I sauntered through the woods, as if I’d just gone out for
a walk. I was a Faulty, after all. I wasn’t cause for immediate
concern. Not until they saw my weapon, at least.
Unsurprisingly, as I got closer to the southwest gate, Jakkhiel
was the first to hear me and turn around to look at me. The
instant frown on his face told me everything I needed to know.
He remembered me, and he knew that he was in a world of pain
if I got my hands on him.
“Look what the tide dragged in,” he called out, his voice
echoing between the trees.
“For all the pain you caused me, all the torment and torture,
did you really think I’d let you live in peace, Jerkiel?” I shouted,
grinning like a hungry turquoise tiger, ready to devour its prey.
He pointed a clawed finger at me, the thirst for my blood
glimmering in his eyes.
“It’s about time someone put you out of your misery,” he
said.
I took another step forward and pointed my weapon at him.
The color drained from his face as he realized what I was holding.
I could almost taste his fear on the tip of my tongue.
“Tell you what, let’s talk about that after I fill you with
holes,” I replied.
The other Perfects around me were tense, gripping their own
weapons with such strength that their knuckles had turned
white. They nearly broke down when they saw my rogue Faulties
moving out and closing in around them, pointing their
pulverizers at them. The atmosphere changed in a millisecond.
The jungle went silent, as if anticipating the incoming carnage.
This had quickly turned into a whoever-shoots-first-gets-to-
live kind of scenario. And it was my only opportunity to keep my
word to Jakkhiel. Not that long ago, he’d nearly flayed me like a
fish, purely for the fun of it. In my book, he was as cruel and as
horrible as Abaddon. He didn’t deserve a fresh start. Nothing
could be done to wipe away the murders and pain he’d left
behind. Jakkhiel was evil.
Ta’Zan’s indoctrination had merely served to amplify that. I’d
seen enough of these creatures to separate the decent from the
monsters. And Jakkhiel was definitely a monster, begging for my
bullets. Fortunately, I had plenty to spare.
K
E L O N O R A
ailani, Lumi, Corrine, and Ibrahim were huddled
together, talking about the bilocation spell. From
what I’d understood, they all needed to be perfectly in sync with
each other while they performed the ritual. That meant four
clear minds and peaceful hearts. The latter was tough, since
Kailani carried the accidental deaths of four Draenir on her
conscience.
Meanwhile, I stayed close to Hunter, Nevis, and the others in
my crew, as we listened to Rose, Ben, Derek, and Sofia talk about
the evacuation procedure. There were hundreds of us in this
diamond dome, and we needed to leave as smoothly and as
quietly as possible.
Isda and her Faulties were present, delivering food, water,
and fresh blood in glass pitchers. She stayed close to our group,
while the prisoners flanked us and obstructed the Perfect
guards’ view. Those by the door seemed pretty jaded and bored,
but the ones outside, stationed on the outer passageways affixed
to the dome, liked to keep an eye on us.
“Isda, have you seen Amal and Amane?” Derek asked her.
“Yes. They’ve asked me to tell you that they have all the
pieces they need for the memory wiper,” Isda replied. “They’re
having trouble putting it together because Ta’Zan keeps giving
them stuff to do. At first, he wanted Amal to prepare some
daylight pills for you, for a stroll tomorrow morning. But now,
he’s asked her to hurry up and get it done this afternoon. I think
Ta’Zan has something to tell you, away from everyone else.”
Derek frowned. “That’s… odd, to say the least.”
“And not a good sign, given how much we’ve annoyed him so
far,” I chimed in. “I doubt he has good intentions. Can you
refuse his invitation for a… stroll? Is that what he calls it? A
stroll?”
Isda gave me a soft nod, a smile flickering on her lips. “Yes.
He sometimes takes Derek out in the sunlight. He thinks it’s a
leisurely thing, as if he’s doing Derek a favor.”
“If you ask me, I think Ta’Zan is still trying to get my
approval, somehow,” Derek replied. “He sees some kind of
kindred spirit in me, as a leader over hybrids. He doesn’t
understand the fundamental differences between us, but he does
feel the need to talk to me about it.”
“Could we possibly use that to our advantage?” Rose asked.
“Maybe,” Derek said. He looked at Isda. “Do you know when
he’s coming for me?”
“Not yet, but, after I’m done here, I’ll check,” Isda replied. “I
saw Douma and Raphael, too. They’re okay and calm,” she
added. “They’re collared and kept in individual glass boxes, with
guards outside.”
“We’re getting them out, too, when it’s time to roll, right?”
Dmitri interjected, his brows furrowed and his expression clearly
saying he wasn’t leaving without Douma.
“I think Amal and Amane are best equipped to handle that,”
Isda said.
“Once the explosive charges are set, Araquiel will let us
know,” Derek added. “He’ll notify the twins, too. From there on,
it’ll be a race to get the bilocation spell going.”
“I’ll crack the floor open,” Vesta replied.
“I’ll help,” Ben said, giving her a confident smile.
“Heck, count us in!” Lucas cut in, pointing a thumb at
himself and Kailyn. “The more fae, the better, and we’ve got
plenty in our ranks here!”
I could no longer ignore the sore knot in my stomach. It made
me feel uncomfortable, mainly because I knew it had something
to do with my instincts. This was going a little too smoothly for
my taste.
“Does anyone else feel like this is too easy?” I muttered.
It got me everyone’s attention, while Isda resumed the food
dispensing, then made her way out of the diamond dome,
accompanied by her fellow Faulties.
“What do you mean?” Rose asked.
“We usually bump into some kind of hurdle at this point,” I
said. “Yet, nothing so far. I don’t know, I’m getting a bad feeling
about this.”
“What kind of bad feeling?” Nevis replied, concern drawing
shadows under his icy blue eyes. “Did you see or hear
something? A Perfect’s emotions, or something?”
I shook my head. “No, nothing like that. It’s kind of hard to
explain. A gut feeling, I guess. We’ve been through enough
already for me to spot a pattern of sorts.”
“Maybe you’re just really worried about what we’re about to
do,” Grandma Claudia suggested. “It’s quite big and complex,
honey. So many things could go wrong, I wouldn’t even know
where to begin.”
“Nothing is set in stone here,” Nevis said to me. “It may look
seamless now, while we’re in limbo, but a lot could go sideways
when we start to roll out the second part of the plan.”
Maybe he was right. Maybe it was just my concern clouding
my judgment. We’d been dragged back so many times that I’d
become accustomed to sticks and stones getting stuck in my
wheels. Everything depended on this operation. We’d risked
everything by turning ourselves in, and we were smack in the
middle of enemy territory, under Ta’Zan’s watchful eye.
“Rose? Elonora? Anyone there?” Harper’s voice came through
the comms system.
I could hear her clearly in my earpiece. “We’re here,” I said.
“All of us. In the diamond dome. What’s the scoop?”
“The fae ship is close to Strava now,” Harper replied. “They’ll
stop and wait for your signal before they breach it.”
“Stand by, then,” Ben said. “We’re waiting for the explosive
charges to be set. Once we’re out and we detonate them, the fae
will see their signal loud and clear.”
“Okay, we’ll keep an eye on the colosseum just in case,”
Harper replied, then a familiar click followed. The line was clear
again.
Nevis gently gripped my wrist and pulled me away from the
group. We were still within earshot of the main conversation,
but with enough privacy for him to cup my face and drop a sweet
kiss on the tip of my nose.
“Whatever it is that’s troubling you, Elonora, let it go,” he
whispered.
Gold blossomed around him, his aura mirroring everything he
felt for me—and I, for him. I locked my arms around his neck,
relishing the feel of his toned frame against my body.
“There’s a lot of that,” I said. “I don’t think I can drop it all.”
He smiled. “Don’t think of what’s coming as the next stage in
saving the world. It might feel overwhelming. Think about it as
the next stage in our relationship.”
I blinked several times, confused by the concept. He chuckled
softly.
“What will you do to get the two of us together, forever,
undisturbed by anyone?” he continued, then pressed his lips
against mine for a moment. It gave me enough time to think of
an answer.
“Anything?”
“Therefore, what will we do in order to get out of here and be
together?” he asked, his eyes closed as he rested his forehead
against mine. His warm breath tickled my face, and I realized,
right then and there, that I’d never be able to define happiness
without him, without his touch and his calm, low voice.
“Everything,” I breathed, then tilted my head backward and
kissed him.
His heart thundered in his chest, sending echoes through
mine. His lips were soft, the taste of him forever seared into my
memory. I didn’t even notice his arms snaking and tightening
around my waist, as he pulled me close and deepened the kiss.
“Elonora, I will do anything, as long as you’re with me. I’ll
endure everything, as long as I know that, at the end of it all,
you’ll be waiting,” he said, covering my face with delicate kisses.
“Just so we’re clear, I’m totally into the icy Athelathan
weather, but I do hope we can slip out on the occasional tropical
cruise once we’re done with this fresh hell,” I said breathlessly,
prompting him to laugh lightly.
He ran a hand through my hair, looking at me like I was the
most precious thing in the world. “We’ll go wherever you want
to go, Elonora. I’m afraid I’m far too addicted to be away from
you, ever again.”
How had we come to this? How deep could this bond between
us be, if we were so emotionally dependent on each other
already? In any other situation, I would’ve been concerned about
how quickly I’d fallen for Nevis, but in this case, I had to admit I
was thankful.
I had him as my anchor, the rock I held on to when the waters
got too choppy.
“I can’t wait to see the look on your parents’ faces when they
see you and the Snow Cone here together.” Grandma Claudia
giggled from ten feet away.
It was enough to make us take a polite step back and turn
around to face her. I was sure Nevis and I both looked as though
we were two teenagers, caught making out behind the bleachers
during a football game. Grandma Claudia would’ve made a fine
superintendent.
“Yeah, me too,” Varga said, crossing his arms and grinning
like a hungry daemon. He didn’t even need his vampire fangs out
to send shivers down anyone’s spine. “I’ll bet you Dad will have
Nevis take the Trials, just for kicks.”
That made Grandpa Yuri laugh, maybe a little too hard for
Varga’s comfort. “Wait until he has you take them.”
It was enough to wipe the smile from my brother’s face.
“I’d rather not think about that,” Varga muttered. “That
throne is a long way from me right now.”
“Yeah, I don’t see you taking the helm anytime in this
century.” I chuckled.
Nevis sighed. “Personally, I look forward to visiting
Nevertide. And should Elonora’s father decide to put me through
these… Trials, whatever they may be, I’ll gladly take them.”
“Hah. Looks like you got yourself one bold fighter, Lenny!”
Grandpa Yuri said.
We all laughed this time, but our moment was short-lived.
The double doors opened, and Ta’Zan entered, accompanied
by two Perfect guards. It was only now that I got to notice the
beautiful, bejeweled details on his silvery tunic. Diamonds
clustered around his neck and on the sleeves—combined with
the light refracted through the dome itself, it adorned Ta’Zan in
a myriad of colorful lights, as if he’d stepped out of a dream.
This splendor of his was a complete mismatch with the evil
festering in his soul. I couldn’t, for the life of me, connect his
beauty and elegance to the murders he’d committed, as well as
the mass destruction he was about to unleash upon the universe.
It just didn’t fit together in the same package.
Even so, I braced myself. Ta’Zan was evil, and he showed no
mercy, unless it served his agenda. With that in mind, I was able
to take my eyes off him and focus on what he said.
“Derek. I would like to talk to you. In private,” he demanded.
We’d seen this coming, thanks to Isda, but Derek was quick
enough to display some surprise. “What? Why? What could you
possibly want to talk to me about?”
“You’ll see, once you step outside with me,” Ta’Zan replied,
then handed Derek a small pill. “Take this. We’re getting a
breath of fresh air today. The sunset is particularly beautiful on
the west side.”
Derek looked at Sofia, then gave us an over-the-shoulder
glance. He swallowed the pill and went outside with Ta’Zan and
his two guards. The uneasiness of watching him go with our
arch-nemesis took a toll on my body.
My stomach growled, a dull pain spreading outward.
“Sofia, is he going to be okay?” I asked. “I mean, I get that
he’s gone on these walks with Ta’Zan before, but we hadn’t torn
down his towers back then, nor had we blown up his ships.”
Sofia sighed heavily. “I don’t know, Lenny. Ta’Zan has a soft
spot for Derek, whether he wants to admit it or not. That much I
could tell from my own conversations with the guy. I think that,
even now, after we’ve repeatedly irked him, Ta’Zan still craves
something that only Derek can give him. Whether it’s his
approval or something else, I don’t know.”
“It might work in our favor,” Ben replied. “I’m sure Dad
knows it, too.”
Sofia nodded. “He most certainly does. He’s kept things civil
every time, for the most part.”
“Until he took you, that is. Derek lost it, then,” Xavier
chimed in.
“I’m only worried about the timing here,” Lucas added,
frowning. “Derek is out there with that bastard now, while our
Perfect allies are planting bombs in the colosseum. It stinks.”
Lucas was right. It could throw a wrench in our plan, if Ta’Zan
didn’t bring Derek back soon. We had to get ready for the
bilocation spell, and we all needed to be present in order for the
magical copies to be created. Sofia gasped, then covered her
mouth, as she probably thought of leaving this place without
Derek. That was suddenly a possibility.
Looking at Nevis, I had to accept the hard truth he’d uttered
earlier. Anything could go wrong, at any moment. Nothing was
going smoothly in this operation. Derek leaving with Ta’Zan was
the first sign of trouble.
More was bound to pop up, and we all had to adapt.
T
D E R E K
a’Zan’s timing couldn’t have been worse.
Still, I couldn’t refuse his so-called invitation,
which was an order, anyway. I couldn’t let him get suspicious of
me or my people. Everything had to proceed as usual. I’d go out
with him, he’d tell me something to further chip away at my
resolve, I’d bask in the sun for a bit, thanks to his special pills,
and then I’d go back to the diamond dome.
I had my earpiece on, discreetly nestled beneath my growing
hair, and I made sure to stay on his right side, so he wouldn’t
spot it by accident. The best I could do, at this point, was to try
and keep this conversation short. The sooner I got back to the
dome, the faster we’d set up the bilocation spell.
“Rose, Derek?” Araquiel’s voice came through the earpiece,
just as I walked up the stairs with Ta’Zan, headed for the upper
levels.
“Araquiel! We’re here,” my daughter replied. “Talk to me.”
“We’re inside. I’ll let you know when all the charges are set,”
Araquiel said.
“Roger that,” Rose replied.
“Roger what?” Araquiel asked, and I had to press my lips into
a thin line to stifle a chuckle. The Perfect knew nothing of our
radio lingo.
“Don’t worry about it,” Ben came through the comms
channel. “Do what you have to do. We’ll be waiting.”
Ta’Zan’s low voice ripped me from the conversation
altogether. “Something on your mind, Derek?”
He was carefully watching me, standing at the top of the
stairs. I’d fallen behind, so I climbed the rest of the stairs to
reach him.
“Yeah. Just wondering why you wanted me out,” I replied.
“You said you had something to tell me, if I’m not mistaken, and
you’ve yet to do that.”
Ta’Zan smirked. “I would’ve expected you to at least thank
me for sparing Sofia’s life, before anything else. I believe it’s
called common sense.”
My blood was already boiling, but it didn’t feel like rage, per
se. I was a tad lightheaded, too, and my breathing was faster
than usual. My body wasn’t all mine—or, at least, that was the
impression I had. I couldn’t help but wonder if it had something
to do with that sunlight pill he’d given me. But I didn’t want
Ta’Zan to perceive any kind of weakness on my part.
“There’s no common sense required, since you’re the one
who took Sofia from me in the first place,” I retorted.
“I value this friendship between us, Derek. Please don’t let
your pride soil it,” he said, then continued walking.
We stopped at the bottom of the last set of stairs leading up to
the terrace. The only thing left between me and pure sunshine. A
sliding door had been mounted horizontally above it, operating
on a motion sensor. As soon as Ta’Zan climbed the first step, the
door slid back, and the raw, unfiltered sunlight came through,
warming my skin in a most pleasant way.
“Whatever friendship you thought we had was gone the
moment your goon, Cassiel, put a knife to my wife’s throat,” I
replied, gritting my teeth. “You’ve done nothing but harm, and
you have zero compassion, even for your own creations.”
“Compassion is unnecessary,” Ta’Zan returned, then stopped
at the top of the stairs and took a deep breath. He seemed to
enjoy being outside. Or maybe he was doing this to mock me, to
remind me that it was only thanks to him that I was capable of
being outside like this. “Love. Compassion. Empathy. All
fictional and useless. I have no need for such trivial emotions in
my world. And neither do my children.”
“You wouldn’t understand love, anyway,” I said, looking
around at the vast jungle framing the colosseum for miles.
Beyond the layer of green was the turquoise ocean, sprinkled
with more islands, each with a colosseum of its own—as
beautiful as I remembered it from my last outing. Such a shame
that it was home to all this vileness. “You lacked it from the very
beginning.”
Ta’Zan frowned. “What do you mean?”
“A mother. You never had one, did you?” I asked, and Ta’Zan
shook his head. “A mother would’ve taught you all about love
and empathy. You wouldn’t have considered them useless,
then.”
“My father, my creator, taught me everything I needed to
know,” Ta’Zan replied. “His lessons pushed me forward to
become the leader I am today. I doubt love would’ve made a
difference when I was clearly destined for greatness.”
We started walking along the edge of the colosseum, passing
several guards as we headed toward the south side. The wind
brushed through the trees and caressed my face. For a moment, I
forgot Ta’Zan was even there, until he decided to talk some
more.
“Derek, my army of Arch-Perfects is almost complete,” he
said. “Our ships will be fully functional by the next full moon.
The Perfects are currently mining for serium to power them. I’ve
managed to combine your designs with my magi-tech. The end
result will impress you.”
“I guarantee you it won’t,” I answered. “Nothing created for
death and destruction could possibly impress me. Its beauty and
ingenuity are immediately canceled out by its purpose. But you
wouldn’t be able to understand that because you’re too wrapped
up in your delusions of grandeur.”
“Once we take flight, we’ll start with our galaxy. There are
other inhabited planets in Meahiri. I’ll take them, one by one,
until it’s all… Perfect.”
“It’s like you’re not even listening to what I’m saying,” I
murmured, shaking my head in dismay. My arms and legs felt a
little weak, and my skin tingled. This was different from my last
exposure. Not worse or better but… different. “What’s in the pill
you gave me?”
Ta’Zan raised an eyebrow at me. “Nothing I didn’t use before.
Why?”
“Just curious. You never gave me the recipe to begin with. I
could get used to all this sunshine.”
“Stay with me willingly, and you will,” Ta’Zan replied,
smiling.
I scoffed. “You’re a piece of work, you know that? What do
you want from me, exactly? What possible reason could you have
to keep me around? Do you need my approval for something? Do
you want me as a pet? What is it?”
Ta’Zan stilled, his eyes wide as he stared at me. “Can’t I
simply enjoy your company, Derek? I told you before, you and I
are very much alike, whether you want to admit it or not.”
“You never want anything if it doesn’t serve your agenda, and
you’re nothing like me, Ta’Zan. I have a family. I understand
love. I foster peace, not war under the false pretense of peace.
You and I are diametrically opposed, in every single aspect of
life,” I said.
Heavy silence settled between us. Minutes went by as I
wondered what his endgame was. The whole “pleasure of my
company” excuse was a load of crap. Ta’Zan wanted something
from me, and I sure as hell wasn’t going to give it to him. He’d
threatened to kill my wife. He’d had Cassiel murder one of my
people in front of me. His sins were unforgivable, and there was
nothing he had that could warrant some kind of compromise on
my part.
At this point, I just wanted to get the hell out of here and get
back in the diamond dome. Our bilocation spell was waiting, and
I had no intention of staying behind while everyone else fled the
colosseum. I wanted to put some distance between Ta’Zan and
me, so I could plan an effective attack and obliterate him, once
and for all. For the time being, I was vulnerable. The collar
around my neck was already warm, picking up on my
brainwaves.
“I did have a mother, in a way,” Ta’Zan said, his voice barely
audible.
“Huh?”
“A surrogate mother. I came out of a real womb, not an
artificial pouch, like my Perfects,” Ta’Zan replied. “I never met
her. My creator didn’t tell me anything about her. I would’ve
liked to meet her, to be honest,” he added, then looked at me.
“Is that what you want to hear from me, Derek? Something to
make me seem a little more like you?”
I took a deep breath and let it out slowly, as if emptying my
lungs of everything, to start over. Movement somewhere below
caught my eye as we walked. Leaves rustled. Tree crowns
trembled. A puff of ashes burst out from one.
A Faulty poked his head out. Then a couple more. They
vanished back under, as several Perfects came after them. More
puffs of ashes followed. Only then did I realize that I’d yet to
breathe back in. Something was happening outside by the
southwest entrance, and I knew it had to do with our mission.
I moved and turned around to face Ta’Zan in order to block
his view of the southwest sector. I narrowed my eyes at him,
while my brain practically burned itself out as I thought of a way
to distract him, to get him inside and myself back in the
diamond dome. Time was running out.
“Your surrogate mother is alive,” I said.
That worked. Ta’Zan went blank. His jaw dropped, and his
eyes nearly popped out of their orbits. “What are you talking
about, Derek?” he croaked.
“She’s in the diamond dome. She’s one of us,” I replied.
He blinked several times. His eyes, one blue and one green,
were hazy, making him seem lost. I’d hit him right in the gut
with this one, and I had to admit: it felt good. I had to play
whatever card I had against him. I wasn’t sure what that would
mean for Bogdana, but this was the most inconspicuous way to
get Ta’Zan away from the edge and inside the colosseum. The
scuffle happening below had to be part of the Faulties’ role in
Rose and Ben’s plan—a distraction to get as many Perfects as
possible busy over here, with apparent intruders, while Araquiel
and the others made their way through the different levels and
planted their explosives.
I’d almost forgotten about this stage, worried more about
those ships and Arch-Perfects that Ta’Zan had mentioned.
Based on what I’d seen in the sky the night before, the full moon
was only a couple of days away. That alone had been enough to
throw me into a frenzy.
We couldn’t mess up now.
“You’re lying,” Ta’Zan breathed, clearly unable to process
this information.
“I’ll introduce you,” I retorted.
Oh, it had definitely worked. I now had to make sure things
didn’t get out of hand back in the diamond dome. We couldn’t
have Ta’Zan lingering down there for long. Things were already
on the move out here.
I just couldn’t help but worry, as I wondered what impact this
revelation would have on Bogdana.
“H
E L O N O R A
ow long will Ta’Zan keep Derek up there?” I asked,
nervously staring at the double doors, praying he
would walk through them any minute now.
Corrine, Ibrahim, Kailani, and Lumi took their positions at the
cardinal points, with their backs pointing east, west, north, and
south, respectively. Hunter and Dmitri had drawn the required
symbols with pieces of chalk they’d managed to hide in their
inner pockets, guided by Lumi. The rest of us made sure to
spread out and obscure the view from above.
We couldn’t have Perfects peeking in and noticing lines and
symbols drawn on the diamond floor, after all. Rose and Nevis
were with me in the middle. Vivienne, Xavier, Sofia, Lucas,
Marion, and Avril had joined us, while Cameron, Liana, Aiden,
Grandma Claudia, Grandpa Yuri, and Varga surrounded us.
Draven, Serena, Heron, and his wards, along with Taeral, Bijarki,
and the others, formed the outer circle.
“I don’t know, but I hope it’s not too long,” Sofia replied. She
breathed a heavy sigh. “We need him back here. I think our
witches and warlock are ready.”
“Yes, we are,” Kailani said. “But this collar is burning up.”
“You know the drill,” I replied.
She gave me a faint nod, pursing her lips. Once we were all in
here, Derek included, we’d use the codes Amal had given us to
disable the collars while the bilocation spell was performed.
Ben had taken Vesta, Kailyn, Bogdana, and a couple more fae
to the northwest edge of the dome, where they’d use their earth
manipulation abilities to crack through the diamond floor and
force a tunnel to open up between two rows of beds. Vivienne,
Sofia, and Liana had managed to create a canopy of sorts over it,
after they dismantled a couple of beds and used the metal frames
for a makeshift structure. They’d thrown bedsheets over it, and,
as one of the Perfect guards looked through the outer wall to see
what they were doing, they’d lain down, pretending to chill in
the shade.
Needless to say, it didn’t take much to divert the Perfects
from what we were doing. Most of the guards couldn’t care less
about what we did. According to Xavier and Lucas, the change in
their demeanor had become visible from the moment that
Cassiel had first been introduced as an Arch-Perfect, supposedly
superior to them.
“Are you ready?” Nevis asked me, a deep shadow drawn
between his pale eyebrows. His skin had caught a slight tan since
we’d arrived on Strava, and I had to admit, it made him look even
better, especially in contrast with his snow-white hair.
I nodded. “Ready as I’ll ever be. If only Derek were back here
to—”
The doors snapped open, interrupting my train of thought. As
if summoned by my frayed nerves, Derek walked in,
accompanied by Ta’Zan. The way they both looked made me
wary. Ta’Zan’s aura was a jumble of emotions—fear, anger, and
threads of gold prevailing over everything else. I couldn’t see
Derek’s aura, but his expression said enough. He was worried.
“He must’ve said something to Ta’Zan to get himself back
here so quickly,” Sofia murmured, unable to take her eyes off
her husband.
Ta’Zan stopped in front of the crowd, measuring each of us
from head to toe. He was looking for someone. I found myself
praying to the universe itself that he wouldn’t see the chalk
drawings or the concentration of fae on the northwest side of the
dome. He didn’t seem to care, though. I followed his gaze, and
my heart stopped for a moment.
He’d found the person he’d been looking for.
“Bogdana,” I whispered.
“I’m sorry, Bogdana. I had to tell him the truth,” Derek said
out loud, for everyone to hear. “I hope you understand.”
The old fae gasped, before she cast a quick glance toward Ben
and Vesta and moved unevenly toward Ta’Zan, who was utterly
speechless and downright stunned. Tension in the dome rose to
almost unbearable limits, making it difficult for me to even
breathe.
The entire crowd was anxious about what came next—most of
the emotions I could see were in deep shades of yellow. Fear. All
kinds of fear…
“It’s okay, Derek. I’m sure you had good reasons for doing
that,” Bogdana replied, her voice trembling slightly. Out of them
all, she was the most scared, but she kept a straight face,
nonetheless, as she advanced through the hall toward Ta’Zan.
Only then did it fully hit me what had happened, as if my
brain was working in slow motion. Derek told Ta’Zan about
Bogdana. But why?
“Ta’Zan knows she’s his mother,” I murmured. “Why would
Derek do that?”
“What better way to get himself back in here, with us?” Sofia
replied.
Nevis shook his head slowly. “He sold her out, then?”
“We don’t know that yet,” Lucas replied. “Wait.”
Now facing Ta’Zan, Bogdana kept her chin high. She was
practically crumbling on the inside, torn between fear and some
kind of affection, but her expression was remarkably calm.
Ta’Zan, on the other hand, wore his emotions on his sleeve at
this point. He was beyond shocked.
“You gave birth to me,” he said, his voice barely audible.
Bogdana took a deep breath. “Yes.”
“You’re… You’re my mother?”
She shook her head. “I only carried you in my womb, as a
favor to Mudak.”
Ta’Zan frowned, then looked around at the prisoner crowd
again. None of us moved. We all stood our ground and looked
straight at him, tall and unwavering, unwilling to show any kind
of weakness.
“How did you end up here, with these people? Where did you
go after you gave birth to me?” Ta’Zan asked. He’d probably
settled for these two questions. He must’ve had hundreds more,
gathered over the years. No matter what he said about himself,
Ta’Zan had to have a weak spot. I had a feeling that we’d just
found it.
“I left as soon as you were born,” Bogdana replied. “Mudak
didn’t want me anywhere near you. So I went back to my
people,” she added, then motioned around at us. “These are my
people you’ve imprisoned.”
Ta’Zan crossed his arms, keeping his chin between his thumb
and index finger. He frowned, watching Bogdana carefully, as if
checking every inch of her. As if making sure she was real.
“My father didn’t want you in my life?” he asked. “Why? Did
he ever tell you?”
“He didn’t tell you?” Bogdana replied. Ta’Zan didn’t answer.
We all took that as a no. She offered a shrug in return. “He didn’t
want me to love you. He didn’t want you to love me, either. He
wanted you all to himself, so he could raise you and shape your
personality as he desired.”
“Mudak must’ve thought he could develop you without the
nurturing of a mother,” Derek interjected. “A fool, if you ask
me.”
“No one asked you!” Ta’Zan snapped.
I instantly covered my mouth to stop a chuckle from coming
out. We’d definitely gotten to Ta’Zan, and I regretted not having
revealed Bogdana sooner.
“And you never wondered about me? You never thought to
object to my father’s demand? You just… left?” Ta’Zan asked, a
nerve twitching in his temple. He was furious.
“The creature I gave birth to is dead,” Bogdana replied
stoically. “The creature I’m facing now is a monster. I could
never love or wonder about a monster who seeks to thrive on
others’ misery. From the moment Mudak took you away from
me, I knew you’d never be complete. He was a scientist, not
father material. And I knew, when they told me about what
you’d done, that you were—that you are a monster.”
“You carried me in your womb for months. Our souls were
practically connected. Yet you stand here, today, and call me a
monster?” Ta’Zan murmured, as if not believing a single word
she’d just said.
Bogdana nodded. “You were gone. Dead. I said my goodbyes
then and moved on. Mudak never would’ve let me be a part of
your life. It’s too late now, anyway. You’re irredeemable, and
there is nothing I can do about that. Honestly, I feel sorry for
you.”
“Don’t,” Ta’Zan replied. He grabbed Bogdana by the wrist
and dragged her out of the dome. “You and I have a lot to talk
about.”
None of us could do anything. Taeral and Bijarki tried to go
after her, but Xavier and Draven were quick to get to them and
pull them back before their collars could do any damage.
“Stand back,” Derek said to them. “He won’t hurt her.”
“How do you know?” Taeral asked, surprisingly concerned
about Bogdana. He didn’t strike me as the caring type, which
made his reaction all the more curious.
“She’s his mother,” Derek said, as the double doors closed
after Ta’Zan and Bogdana. “No matter what he portrays himself
as, that’s the one bond he cannot lie to himself about.”
“She’s not his biological mother, though,” Bijarki replied,
raising an eyebrow.
“It doesn’t matter. She’s the closest thing he’ll ever have to a
mother,” Derek said. “I’m truly sorry I had to do that, but I
couldn’t think of anything else to get him inside and myself back
to you. Faulties are operating on the southwest side. He nearly
spotted the scuffle. He’ll find out about it soon enough. I just
needed to buy those people a bit more time.”
“It’s starting, then,” Sofia said lowly. “We’re closer to our
escape. But what about Bogdana? We can’t just leave her with
Ta’Zan, can we?”
She grimaced from the pain, her collar burning and clearly
bothering her.
“We don’t have much of a choice. She’ll be okay,” Derek
replied. “Amal and Amane were right. Douma, too. Ta’Zan isn’t
himself anymore. He’s clearly distraught and losing focus. We’re
building a mass memory wiper under his nose. We’ve infiltrated
his colosseum, and we’re planting bombs all over it. Down here,
we’re getting ready to break out of the joint. His Perfects have
low morale, and with Bogdana present, he’s… well, he’s
vulnerable.”
“And he didn’t even know it!” Lucas exclaimed. “Dammit,
it’s brilliant. Devious and brilliant.”
On top of that, if Ta’Zan had been trying to listen in on us, the
scrambler on Rose had certainly done its part, since we were so
close to busting out of here without detection.
“The timing is perfect,” Corrine cut in. “We need to get the
bilocation spell going now. Once we evacuate, we’ll give Araquiel
the go-ahead to detonate the charges.”
Derek nodded enthusiastically, then looked at Taeral. “We’ll
get Bogdana back. First, we need to get everyone out and the fae
in. The Hermessi must be activated in order to destroy Ta’Zan
and rein in the Perfects and Arch-Perfects.”
A loud thump made my spine tingle. It was a familiar sound,
and it was never good.
“Kale!” Hunter roared from the other side of the hall. “Kale,
no!”
I spotted him dashing through the crowd. He slid down on his
knees and stopped right next to Kailani. She’d passed out, but…
“Oh, no,” I mumbled, dread crippling my senses.
Corrine, Ibrahim, and Lumi were quick to get to her and
Hunter. Kailani’s eyes were wide open and glowing white. I could
hear that eerie hum in the back of my head, and the vibrations in
the pit of my stomach.
Kailani had just gone into Word-mode, with no way of telling
when she’d wake up again. Without her, we couldn’t do the
bilocation spell. Without her, we were screwed.
“C
E L O N O R A
ome on, Kale, don’t do this now,” Hunter said as he
held her in his arms.
Kailani’s body was limp, and her glowing eyes sent shivers
down my spine. This was the worst possible time for her to go
into Word-mode. With Faulties pestering the Perfects outside
and Araquiel’s group sneaking around on the inside, we had to
make our way out before the whole place blew up.
The explosions weren’t going to obliterate the colosseum, per
se, but they were going to deliver enough structural damage to
make at least parts of it come down—enough to draw focus away
from the incoming fae shuttle. Most importantly, we couldn’t be
here when that happened. First, we didn’t know whether the
dome would be impacted by the explosion. Not everyone here
was a vampire capable of surviving a collapse, and there weren’t
enough witches between us to help with the healing process.
Second, we needed each and every one of us in the aftermath, for
an offensive alongside the super-charged fae and the Hermessi.
“Kale… Honey, wake up,” Corrine murmured, touching her
granddaughter’s face. She looked up at me, her eyes wide and
glassy. “She’s so cold.”
“You can’t wake her up,” Lumi warned us. “She’s
communing with the Word again, and any disturbance might
trigger a deadly pulse.”
Derek looked around, then set his attention on Lucas,
Vivienne, and Xavier. “Tell everyone to be ready to drop to the
floor, if there’s a chance of this happening,” he said. “Don’t
shout it; don’t make any sudden moves. Make sure there’s no
commotion for the guards to notice.”
“We have no choice but to wait it out,” Lumi added.
Ibrahim cursed under his breath. “What the hell does this
communion mean? What is she doing like this? How will she
snap out of it?”
“I can’t answer these questions,” Lumi replied. She bit her
lower lip. “I’m truly sorry. The laws of the Word reign supreme,
regardless of the circumstances.”
I rubbed my face with my palms, taking deep breaths in order
to cool my nerves. Time was running out, and no amount of
magic could save Kailani from where she was now. Nevis took my
hand in his, demanding my attention.
“She never stays under for too long,” he said. “Let’s see what
Araquiel’s status is, first. We can’t do the bilocation spell,
anyway.”
Jovi snapped his fingers. “Hold on. The detonator is wireless,
right?”
“Yes. But they need to be within a certain range,” Dmitri
replied. “As in, they can’t leave the colosseum. That’ll be too
far.”
Rose pressed the call button on her earpiece. “Araquiel. Are
you there?”
We all looked at each other. The seconds flowed by. He had to
be knee-deep in his task if he couldn’t answer straightaway.
“Yes,” he eventually replied.
“What’s your status?” Rose asked.
“We’ll be a while,” he said. “There’s a lot of commotion on
multiple levels. Perfect guards are being mobilized and running
around. Nathaniel and his group are blending in quite well. No
one’s asked them what they’re doing or what unit they’re with.
I’m close behind them, dodging thermal scanners. But some of
the designated bomb points are busy with Perfects. It’s not easy
to get them in there.”
“That’s fine. Don’t rush into it.” Rose sighed. “We’ve hit a
little snag with the bilocation spell, anyway. We want to do this
nice and proper.”
“I take it Herakles and his Faulties are doing a fine job of
distracting the Perfects, then,” Ridan muttered, slightly amused.
“Not all of them are going into the southwest wing,” Araquiel
said. “There’s something else going on, and it doesn’t have
anything to do with us.”
My heart skipped a beat. Using my True Sight, I scanned the
entire building, from top to bottom. I spotted Douma and
Raphael in their glass boxes. Amal and Amane working on
something and constantly looking over their shoulders, so as not
to get caught—the mass memory wiper, for sure. And, just like
Araquiel had said, throngs of Perfect guards dashing through the
hallways.
Approximately one third were headed southwest. Outside, in
the neighboring jungle, I could see Herakles firing his weapon at
a Perfect, while his Faulties wreaked havoc by the gate. With the
Draenir hidden close by, they managed to throw the hostiles off,
running around and wearing them out.
The others, however, were moving into the northern section,
where the hangars had been rebuilt. A gasp left my throat. “Oh,
crap…”
“What’s wrong?” Varga asked. He followed my gaze, using his
True Sight. His reaction matched mine. “Oh, crap.”
“What?! Come on, share it with the class!” Dmitri snapped,
his nerves all stretched and raw.
“They’ve got new armor and weapons,” I said. “Way more
advanced than ours. I think Ta’Zan upgraded the pulverizers and
their defense methods against them.”
Derek grunted, pinching the bridge of his nose. “That
shouldn’t come as a surprise. They knew we got pulverizer
weapons from the Draenir. Counteracting that must’ve been at
the top of their priority list as soon as Ta’Zan learned about it.”
“So, what, the Perfects are gearing up?” Jovi asked, confused.
I nodded. “And they’re headed southwest. They’re going after
the Faulties and the Draenir. Our guys won’t stand a chance.”
“And we can’t get out to help,” Zeriel said, and cringed from
the pain. “Okay, I’ve had enough. What’s the code to stop this
thing from electrocuting me, again?”
“Twenty-four twenty-two,” Ridan replied. He’d memorized
all the codes that Amal had given us to control the collars.
Zeriel motioned for Jovi to disable his collar. “Do me a favor,
please. I can’t find the keypad if I can’t see what I’m doing.”
Jovi came up behind him and gently removed the top of a
small keyboard mounted on the back of the collar. “They had
these all along,” he grumbled, shaking his head slowly. “And
Amal was jerking our chain during the initial escape attempt.
Damn.”
“Hey, she did what she had to do,” Ridan answered. “It
doesn’t matter now, anyway. We’re all in this together.”
“Thanks,” Zeriel said to Jovi as soon as he pressed the right
keys. From the look on his face, the Tritone king was no longer
suffering. Jovi, on the other hand, seemed pretty sore.
“What’s wrong?” I asked him.
“It gave me a tiny zap,” he replied. “Because I tampered with
Zeriel’s collar. Jeez.”
“They’ll all come off soon,” Zeriel said. He looked at me.
“Okay, now, like I was saying. We can’t get out of here yet, and
our allies are about to get pummeled. Araquiel has yet to plant all
the explosives. So, what part of this plan seemed so suspiciously
smooth to you, Lenny?”
He shot me a grin, making me chuckle softly.
“Fair enough,” I answered.
“We’re in a bit of a pickle, aren’t we?” Vivienne observed.
“You can say that again,” Xavier replied.
I looked back down at Kailani. She looked so peaceful, yet so
damn scary. Her body was relaxed, almost fluid in Hunter’s
arms. But there was something deeply unsettling about it. I
couldn’t hear her heart beating anymore, but she was definitely
breathing.
I wondered where her mind had gone. She had no control over
these seizures whatsoever, and I knew she would’ve wanted
nothing more than to be here, with us. But she wasn’t. My only
hope was that she was never away for too long. At the same
time, I was worried sick, because I had no idea what effect these
episodes had on her.
Kailani had changed a lot from the moment she’d set foot on
Strava. The Word had impacted her in ways I’d never thought
possible. I could only imagine what it was doing to her on the
inside. This whole swamp witch thing wasn’t affecting her alone.
No, it touched everyone who loved her. And not necessarily in a
good way.
I, for one, had had enough of watching her fade out like this.
M
H U N T E R
inutes passed in silence around us.
Corrine and Ibrahim were torn apart, holding
each other as Derek and the founders’ crew gathered around
them for emotional support. Sofia had the sense to gently pull
them away from us. I felt like they were better off putting some
distance between them and their granddaughter. Xavier,
Vivienne, Cameron, and Liana were particularly talkative, trying
to get their minds off Kailani.
“What’s the first thing you’ll do, once you get off Strava?”
Vivienne asked Cameron, wearing a faint smile.
Liana sighed deeply, resting her head on Cameron’s shoulder.
“I’ll give my kids the tightest hug in their life.”
“Yeah, wait till I get my hands on Victoria,” Xavier muttered,
prompting the others to chuckle softly. “I’ll squeeze the life out
of my baby girl…”
They sounded as though they’d found something to focus on.
I, on the other hand, couldn’t be consoled. My mom and dad
stayed close, and I could see the suffering imprinted on their
faces. But I was too preoccupied with Kailani to even talk to
them. All I could do was give them both a weak smile, hoping
they’d understand me. I just couldn’t let Kailani go.
My heart was aching, to the point where I could almost feel it
tearing itself apart. A chunk of lead had settled in my stomach,
and my knees were weak. I kept watching her, unable to take my
eyes off the starry lights that had taken over hers.
Lumi was right next to me, her legs crossed and her lips
pursed. Her strange eyes carried the weight of thousands of
years. She’d seen this before. I knew it.
Elonora and Varga stayed with Ben, Rose, and the others in
our group, waiting for Araquiel to tell us how they were coming
along on their end. There was no word from Herakles or Kallisto.
Elonora tried to keep track of the fight outside, but they were all
moving too fast for her to tell us anything useful. The Faulties
had brought their best game into this.
“I don’t want Corrine and Ibrahim to hear this,” Lumi
whispered in my ear, “but Kale might not wake up from this.”
“Wha—What?” I managed, my voice barely there.
“She might. She might not. I’ve told you, the circumstances
of her apprenticeship are extremely rough, the exact opposite of
what they should be,” Lumi explained. She didn’t like what she
was telling me, but I did appreciate her honesty. I also
understood why she was telling me, and not Kailani’s
grandparents. “You’re strong enough to know this,” she added.
“If I tell them, it’ll break them. And, if we lose Kale, we’ll need
all the magic we can get. We can’t let this bilocation spell be our
only option for getting out of here.”
I gave her a slow nod, feeling my eyes sting. “What is she up
to, in there?” I asked, caressing Kailani’s soft and cold cheek
with my knuckles. My hands were trembling.
“I can’t—”
“You can’t tell me,” I cut her off, my tone flat.
“I can’t tell, period,” she replied. “When I did my
apprenticeship, I went through several blackouts before the
Word opened up to me. Thing is, the Word opens up differently
to each of us. What it says to me won’t make sense to her, and
vice versa. It’s like it’s using separate languages for us. That way,
I’ll never be able to give her secrets that the Word wouldn’t give
her, otherwise.”
“What’s that got to do with Kale, now?”
“When I formed my bond with the Word, I had to be specific
about a few things. Most importantly, I had to be absolutely, one
hundred percent sure that I wanted this. What I wanted it for
was just as crucial. If I’d gone into this with any kind of doubt in
my heart, I would’ve exposed myself to the Word’s deadly
rejection,” Lumi explained. “There’s a thousand ways in which
this could work out. The Word might accept her. It might reject
her, and remove everything she’s learned from her memory. Or,
worse, it might kill or maim her. One of the first swamp witches
betrayed the Word, for example, and lost her tongue and eyes.”
That just turned my stomach inside out. Thankfully, I’d barely
eaten anything, so there wasn’t anything to puke out. I
swallowed back a knot, then looked at Lumi.
“What do you think will happen to her, then?” I asked.
“I have faith in her. But I cannot predict what the Word will
do. I’m sorry. All we can do right now is be by her side and hope
for the best,” she replied.
There wasn’t anything I could do to help Kailani. Any kind of
magic used to help her could end up killing her. I resorted to
simply holding her close and whispering sweet things in her ear,
hoping she might hear me, wherever she was.
“She needs to set her priorities straight. If she does, she’ll
come out of this more powerful than ever,” Lumi added. “She’s a
tough cookie, you know? I wouldn’t have taken her on if I didn’t
think she’d make it.”
“But you also think she might die.”
“She might not.”
“Ugh!” I groaned, rolling my eyes. “You’re not helping,
Lumi.”
“I’m not here to help. I’m here to tell you the truth and
prepare you for every possible outcome, Hunter. It’s what a
swamp witch does, and Kale knows it. If she doesn’t come back
from this, we need to make sure that her death isn’t in vain. We
must pick up and keep going. The universe is at stake.”
I planted a kiss on Kailani’s forehead. She felt cold, in a
dramatic contrast with the rage simmering inside me.
“Wherever you are, baby, whatever you’re doing,” I
whispered, “come back to me. I’ve only just found you the way I
should’ve, years ago. I can’t lose you.”
Of course, she didn’t answer. But a part of me thought that
maybe, just maybe, she could hear me. So, I listened to my
instinct and tightened my embrace, pressing my lips against her
cheek.
“Come on, Kale. You’re a natural-born witch. You’ve got the
juice to win this. Get back here, so we can kick some Perfects’
asses, then go on a gazillion dates until you ask me to marry
you,” I mumbled, tears streaming down my cheeks. I didn’t care
that Lumi was watching me, that she could hear me. Every word
coming out of my mouth was true, and I had nothing to hide.
“You know you’ll be the one to pop the question, right, Kale?
You’re not going to let me do it. I know you…”
Kailani was a comet. A tornado. A jumble of intensity wrapped
up in splendid curves and chocolatey curls. Fires burned in those
amber eyes, and every smile she wore told a different story of
her. She was my witch, and she could tear down mountains to
get what she wanted.
If I thought about it, the Word didn’t stand a chance in front
of her. She was too strong, too damn stubborn to let herself get
stuck in limbo. On top of that, she loved me. I knew she did.
There was no way she’d get lost so far away from me. No matter
what Lumi said or tried to prepare me for, I had to put my faith
in Kailani. She was a warrior in her own way, and a resourceful
one at that. No way the Word would be able to keep her from me
for too long.
What Kale wants, Kale gets.
T
K A I L A N I
he moment everything went dark, I knew I was
headed for another blackout. I expected to find
myself surrounded by nothing—just pitch black, as far as the eye
could see, and luminescent threads of text fluttering past my
head, like before.
But this time, I seemed to be lost in a dream of some kind.
Before I could even rationalize what was going on, I became a
part of this dream. I lived it. I was Kailani, and I was walking
through the redwood forest of The Shade with my parents.
From the looks of us, we’d been out for quite a while now,
talking and laughing as we breathed in the fresh air of an early
morning. I couldn’t tell when this was, whether this was a
memory or a mere fabrication of my strained mind. But, in the
absence of other options, I rolled with it.
Being back in The Shade felt good, given that my last flicker
of consciousness involved a shock collar around my neck and the
dusk light filtering through the diamond dome. Here, I could feel
the wind brushing through my curly hair, loosely cascading
down my back—it felt longer than I remembered it. As if I’d
never bothered to cut it.
Mom and Dad looked at peace, smiling at each other and at
me, while the starry sky beyond the redwood crowns began to
light up. That was weird, since there was only one area where the
sun could break through, and it wasn’t the forest. Maybe this
was my version of The Shade.
“Have you heard from Hunter lately?” Mom asked me.
I stopped to simply stare at her. I’d never seen her look so
beautiful. It was as if no trouble had ever drawn fine lines at the
corners of her eyes. Her hair was long and smooth, glistening in
shades of caramel, in perfect harmony with her tanned skin. She
wore a long white dress, seemingly made of diamonds, and
warmth practically radiated out of her.
My dad was equally stunning, his green eyes glimmering in a
solitary ray of moonlight. He, too, wore white—a linen shirt and
pants, the kind of stuff I’d never seen on him before. The more I
looked at them, and the more I took in my surroundings, the
more surreal it all felt, a reminder that this was still a dream.
But my heart felt at ease. I laughed lightly.
“Yeah, he’s getting over Sarah remarkably well,” I replied.
“He’s dating Laura, now.”
“Laura… Laura who?” Mom asked.
“Laura Ingram. She’s a human from the Vale,” I said. For
some reason, it didn’t bother me at all. It felt natural. I expected
this of Hunter, but it didn’t cause me any kind of ache.
How could this be? I was supposed to be in love with Hunter.
We’d found each other in the middle of this hot mess on… Wait,
where were we? A foreign planet.
Parts of me felt absent. Memories lost.
Knowing that Hunter was dating some human here in The
Shade had zero impact on my emotions. It felt strange, but I
couldn’t put my finger on why.
“Oh, I know her,” Dad replied, resuming our walk through
the woods.
Birds chirped from nearby branches. Deer watched us from
between the trees. And the smell of night-queen blossoms
flooded my senses. This place was amazing. Why did I ever leave
it?
“I think I know her,” Mom said, frowning slightly. “Blonde?
Freckled?”
I nodded enthusiastically. “Yeah! She’s one of the new
teacher’s assistants at the Vale middle school.”
“That’s right! Always brings pecan pie to the Vale Autumn
Fair,” Dad said. “That’s good pie. Hunter’s a lucky wolf.”
I chuckled. “She needs to switch it up to meat, though, if she
wants to keep him.”
Since when did the Vale do autumn fairs? Since when was
there a Laura Ingram baking pies? My instinct told me to back
away from all this, but I couldn’t bring myself to actually do it. I
was surrounded by towering redwoods and a tranquil wilderness,
with my parents, completely detached from everything. Why
would I ever leave this place?
“Why would you ever leave this place?” Mom asked me,
wearing a faint smile.
“Sorry, what?” I asked, somewhat confused.
“Why would you ever leave this place?” she asked again.
I had no answer to that. Why would I?
Suddenly, I was somewhere else. As if I had just been cut-and-
pasted into a new setting. The surrealism reached new levels, as
I tried to figure out where I was. City lights blinking—red,
yellow, neon pink. The buzz of a busy street. Hawaiian music
playing in the background. Somewhere over the rainbow…
I was seated at a table, outside, on a restaurant terrace.
Hunter was sitting across from me, grinning like the devil as he
took a sip from his drink. A platter of Japanese food covered
most of the table, complete with the cutest soy sauce dishes I’d
ever seen, and neatly hand-carved chopsticks. Why were these
details so important to me? Why did they carry such meaning?
I didn’t even like sushi.
“Melanie is quite the firecracker, you know,” Hunter said,
slipping a piece of food in his mouth, his chopstick dexterity
catching my eye.
“Who’s Melanie?” I heard myself asking.
A band was playing inside the restaurant. The tables were all
busy. Waitresses buzzed around like little bees, carrying food
platters and drink pitchers all over the place. People roamed the
street. Vintage cars paraded up and down, in shades of cherry
red, flamingo pink, and lime green. It looked like a scene out of
the 1950s, all post-war extravagance.
“Melanie Foster. Come on, Kale, I’ve been talking about her
for the past hour,” Hunter replied, laughing lightly. “Where’s
your head?”
“I have no idea,” I said, as I tried to focus. “So, who’s Melanie
again?”
“She’s a half-wolf. Marwyn’s daughter. You know Marwyn.
The Woodlands Wanderers’ Pack,” Hunter replied, as if that was
supposed to ring a bell or something. It didn’t.
But, still, I was happy for him. He looked like he was in love
with her. His blue eyes twinkled like sapphires. His blond hair
was cut differently, with side fades that brought out his sharp
cheekbones. I loved this look on him. I didn’t love him, though. I
had every reason to love him, but, for some reason, that feeling
no longer existed in my heart.
As if it had never been there.
“What the hell is going on?” I muttered, glancing around
again.
All the neon signs. All the lights. They were pointing in a
single direction—dozens of arrows and hand-shaped bulbs, with
fingers pointed at the very end of the boulevard.
“What’s wrong?” Hunter asked, confused by my erratic
behavior. “I told you about Melanie, Kale. You’ve met her at least
once. I sent you photos from our Bahamas trip. Are you okay?”
I nodded slowly, completely ignoring him.
It wasn’t just the street signs being weird. People, too. They
were all walking toward one end of the boulevard—the same end
at which the neon lights pointed. The cars. The vintage cars,
slowly driving along with them.
Even patrons from a terrace across the street started to get up
and join the flow. Before I knew it, our restaurant was also
practically deserted. Only Hunter and I were left at our table.
“Kale. Kale… Can you hear me?” Hunter asked, trying to
reach out to me. He snapped his fingers in front of my face, but,
still… I wasn’t even remotely interested.
I got up and started walking down the road, following the
people. They weren’t hypnotized or anything. They were
chatting and laughing, clinking glasses and sharing morsels of
street food. The night felt young, and I… I felt like I didn’t really
belong here, but I definitely needed to see where they were
going.
“Kale! Where are you going?” Hunter called out after me.
I kept walking.
Past the streetlights. Past the ritzy hotels and fancy
restaurants. The luxury shops and cocktail bars. It all felt so
immaterial, like a vivid painting that I was simply a part of—a
moving, living, and breathing stroke of paint.
At the very end of the boulevard, standing tall and proud in
shades of beige and royal crimson, with massive searchlights
pointing at the sky, was a movie theater. Its main entrance was
adorned with millions of wild orchids and a luscious red carpet
going up the stairs. Cameras were flashing.
The crowds gathered at the bottom of the stairs.
Photographers struggled to get to the front, to snap more
photos. It looked like a movie premiere or something. The street
people were all wearing ballgowns and black tuxedoes. I briefly
glanced at my own outfit and was shocked. I didn’t expect to find
myself wearing a tight, champagne-colored sequin dress.
I couldn’t help but touch myself, just to make sure it was all
real. My hair was styled in massive locks, with an equally
imposing orchid resting behind my right ear. I had diamonds in
my ears, and… all eyes were on me!
“What in the world…” I managed, suddenly breaking into a
cold sweat.
I wasn’t comfortable with all that attention. Up until a
moment ago, I was talking to Hunter about his latest romantic
conquest. Not long ago, I was walking with my parents through
the redwood forests of The Shade.
“No… Seriously, what the heck is going on here?” I asked.
I didn’t expect to find an answer, but I didn’t stop. This had to
be some kind of dream. Or maybe a high-definition
hallucination. It was superb. Every detail was breathtaking, and,
most importantly, the people’s adoration toward me made my
heart swell.
It was warm and pleasant. The night was gentle and filled
with stars. All lights were on me. Gasps erupted from the crowd
as I reached the red carpet. Cameras started flashing like crazy.
Some fans were screaming and asking for my autograph.
Journalists asked me questions. I couldn’t understand a word
they were saying, but I loved every second of it.
“This doesn’t make any sense. None whatsoever,” I said, and
climbed up the stairs.
The doors opened before me. It was dark inside.
I left the vibrant crowd and sea of lights behind, then walked
through the doors.
As if a veil had been lifted from my eyes, I could see everything
clearly.
A certain peace of mind settled on my shoulders, and I could
breathe again—fully, vivaciously, for the first time in what
seemed like forever. The theater itself was abandoned. It didn’t
match the pompous reception outside.
Inches of dust lingered on the dark green velvet chairs. The
movie hall was shaped like an amphitheater, and I was at the
very top. Images were flashing on the big screen at the bottom.
Fragments of my life edited into some kind of movie.
“Oh, wow,” I murmured, going down the stairs.
I was light on my feet, as if gliding. The closer I got to the
screen, the better I could see. Those were memories of mine. My
first spell casting—accidental, of course, when I’d wandered into
Grandma Corrine’s room during a family dinner and found her
witchy workspace. My first bike ride, with Dad anxiously running
by my side, struggling to keep up, while I sped up to get rid of
him because I didn’t like his helicopter parenting.
My numerous escapades into the redwood forest with Hunter,
back when we were kids. We used to hide up in the trees and
scare anyone who passed by—until we came face-to-face with a
rather grumpy Derek.
I couldn’t help but laugh, staring at the screen. Hunter looked
so handsome on it, like the sweetest memory. My heart fluttered
whenever he showed up. Then why am I so okay with Laura or
Melanie or Gina or whatever their names are?
My memories never betrayed me, no matter what I’d seen in
this strange dream state. I could see myself pining over Hunter.
Grunting and pouting whenever he missed a Sunday dinner with
me and my folks because he was wooing some succubus or
vampire chick or anyone but… me.
I could see everything, right there on that screen. My love for
him, unfolding, one memory at a time. Yet the clarity in my
mind left no room for such feelings.
“I don’t get it,” I said. “I don’t get it! What is this?” I called
out, hoping someone might hear me. “Why are you doing this to
me? Say something!”
The silence that ensued was deafening. The screen went
black. Goosebumps tickled my skin.
When it lit back up again, there was an image of me, standing
by the shore—a midnight in The Shade. A tidal wave was headed
toward me. I didn’t remember this. This didn’t happen.
But that wasn’t the strangest part. The dark silhouette of a
male figure stood at the bottom of the screen. I didn’t need to
see his face to know that he was looking at me. I could feel the
eyes drilling through my very soul. My heart skipped a beat.
For a moment, I would’ve expected to see Hunter. But I knew
it wasn’t him. I’d left Hunter back at the restaurant.
No, this was someone else. Or something else.
“Who… Who are you?” I asked.
“I was wondering how long it would take you to find me. I’ve
been waiting for a long time, Kailani,” the man replied.
“I don’t know who you are. I can’t see you that well. Would
you mind stepping into the light?” I asked, hoping he’d take a
couple of steps forward—just enough to reach one of the
spotlights at the edge of the stage.
He didn’t move. “You know who I am. And you know that you
cannot see me. This is as clear as I will ever be, unless you tell me
what you want.”
His voice resonated in the pit of my stomach.
Oh, I know exactly who you are.
I could’ve sworn he smiled. “That’s right, Kailani. You know
me.”
“You’re… You’re the Word,” I whispered.
“And it took you a while to get here. Longer than most of my
conduits, I’ll admit.”
“Whoa…”
I was breathless. This was a Word-mode, only the complete
opposite of everything I’d experienced so far. All of a sudden, I
became incredibly self-aware. I remembered my grandparents.
The diamond dome. Raphael. Hunter. Strava. The Perfects. My
crew, with Ben and Rose. Lumi. The Draenir. The Draenir I’d…
killed.
“We have a lot to talk about, Kailani,” the Word said.
“Oh, we most certainly do!” I muttered, feeling all the rage in
the world gathering in my throat. I could scream at this point.
But the Word, a mere black silhouette, raised one hand, and
all my emotions were gone. “I apologize. I forget how intense
you can be,” he replied.
I was blank like a sheet of paper. Every feeling I’d just
remembered and experienced again was gone, as if erased from
the drawing board altogether. I couldn’t, for the life of me,
understand how the Word could have such control over me.
“Finally, I have you all to myself,” the Word added.
I was ready to talk. It was time to bring this to an end.
W
N A T H A N I E L
e didn’t have any trouble moving through the
colosseum. Just like Araquiel had assumed, no one
kept track of the Perfects. No one even asked us if we were
supposed to be on this level, and not elsewhere. The Faulties
didn’t even have the courage to look at us—the poor souls.
Araquiel stayed close as we advanced through the hallway,
placing the smaller charges at the top of the structural pillars.
Amal had devised their wireless detonation system, making it a
fantastic way to tear this whole place down, since we didn’t have
any cables to struggle with.
We heard about the commotion on the southwest side from
Perfects passing by but kept moving. We knew what Herakles
was up to, anyway.
According to our colosseum blueprints, we had a few more
charges to drop on this level before heading out to the north
entrance, where Araquiel would detonate them all. Deena
pointed at a storage room, one of five, built side by side in the
ground floor’s eastern quadrant.
“We should put one in there,” she said. “It’s the closest to
the internal pillars.”
I nodded. “You have one left in your backpack. Do the
honors,” I replied.
“How many left?” Uriel asked.
“I think three, without this one,” Angelica said.
“We’re on track, so far, with the big ones,” I added. “Araquiel
is doing his part with the small ones.”
“Good, so there won’t be any delays on our part,” Uriel
concluded.
“There shouldn’t be. As you can see, we’re practically
invisible here,” I replied, tempted to smile as a couple dozen
Perfects stormed past us. “Who wants to bet they’re headed to
the southwest entrance?”
Uriel chuckled. “Herakles must be riling them up really good
if they need backup.”
“With pulverizer weapons and a sturdy supply of pellets? You
bet,” Araquiel muttered behind us. “I’ve got four more charges,”
he added. “I will go ahead and plant them, then I will catch up
with you.”
“Sure. Be careful,” I breathed.
I couldn’t wear my red garnet lens to see him without
arousing the curiosity of the hostiles around us, but I did pay
attention to the sound of footsteps. Araquiel was the only one I
couldn’t see. However, I heard him walking away.
Just in time, too, since shortly after he went ahead, two
guards came into the hallway, carrying one of the thermal
scanners and checking the entire section.
“I’ll be right back,” Deena murmured, then separated from
the group and slipped into the storage room we’d marked on our
blueprint.
As the thermal scanner went past us, I felt the corner of my
mouth twitching. This was definitely one of the better ideas I’d
had since I’d regained my consciousness and free will. It
might’ve come at the cost of a head, but, in the long run, it was
worth it. I no longer had Ta’Zan’s poison clouding my judgment.
Cassiel appeared in front of us, almost out of nowhere. I’d
been so busy watching the thermal scanner head down behind
us, that I hadn’t even noticed the Arch-Perfect turning the
corner. I came to a sudden halt. Angelica and Uriel both froze
behind me. This was unexpected.
“What are you three doing?” Cassiel asked, his tone clipped
and his brow furrowed.
My pulse was racing, but I couldn’t let my reaction, or Cassiel,
for that matter, jeopardize our mission. The universe was at
stake, and I had zero tolerance for anyone who so willfully
supported Ta’Zan. Cassiel was clearly more complex and
independent than the other Perfects. His actions were not the
result of doctrine; that much I knew for a fact, based on what I
knew about him.
“Our rounds, as usual,” I replied, banking on my old
memories. Thank the stars for Phoenix, who’d converted them
into video files, straight from our memory chips. We had enough
inside knowledge not to stir any suspicion.
“You’re aware that there’s a group of Faulties currently laying
siege on the southwest entrance, right?” Cassiel said, clearly
irritated.
There was something odd about him. His pulse was elevated.
Beads of sweat trickled down his temples. He seemed on edge,
and it couldn’t be because of a handful of raucous Faulties, for
sure. I had a feeling he knew what this was, and he was trying to
weigh his options before turning against GASP or against Ta’Zan.
His duplicitous nature wasn’t a game. It was literally a part of
who he was.
“And why are you so nervous?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.
“They’re Faulties. Easy to take down, with so many of us.”
“They have pulverizer weapons!” Cassiel retorted.
“So do we, from the looks of it,” Uriel said, crossing his arms.
Cassiel let out a frustrated sigh. “They’re not great shots,
unfortunately. Or the Faulties are really good, by contrast. I’m
not sure, but our people are getting blown to smithereens out
there,” he replied. “You three should go help. I see you have
weapons of your own.”
His voice trailed off as he frowned and got a better look at my
pulverizer. My heart stopped for a moment. This was it. The
second that would define Cassiel, going forward.
“These aren’t issued by us,” he added, then glowered at me.
“Where’d you get this from? What are your names?”
I took a deep breath and decided to gamble with Cassiel’s
duality. Every note I had on him verified my theory: he could be
reasoned with, but not through any stammering or pleading. No,
I had to be blunt. Painfully blunt.
“How do you think all this will end, Cassiel?” I asked, my
voice low. “Looking around, seeing how resourceful Ben and
Rose’s people have been so far. What do you think the outcome
will be?”
Cassiel blinked several times, as if trying to process my
question. He measured each of us from head to toe, then
smirked. “You’re with the outsiders.”
“I never said that,” I said. “Answer my question, Arch-
Perfect.”
“Why do you even want to know what I think?” he asked with
a shrug. “You’ve clearly picked your side.”
“But you haven’t. I’d like to know when and how that will
happen. So, what do you think this will all end with?” I replied,
my lips stretching into a confident smile.
Uriel and Angelica trusted my judgment and didn’t say a
word. I knew Cassiel wouldn’t attack us. Not yet, anyway. He’d
let Elonora’s crew escape during their last infiltration. He was
flirting with the idea of turning against Ta’Zan, but he definitely
needed additional coaxing. He must be extraordinarily
intelligent and devious, since Ta’Zan didn’t suspect anything.
Cassiel was still his right hand, his most trusted after losing
Raphael and Araquiel.
“I’m not sure,” Cassiel finally replied. “I think the outsiders
have some spunk, but I don’t think it’ll be enough to take Ta’Zan
down. Then again, they’ve surprised us before. They may still
have some aces up their sleeves.”
“And for how long will you sit back and do nothing, like a
coward?” I replied. “Until you feel it’s safe enough to betray your
maker?”
“Watch your mouth, Perfect,” Cassiel hissed.
“For a Perfect, I clearly have better judgment than you,” I
said. “At least I know where I’m standing. As for you, Arch-
Perfect, I’m genuinely impressed. You serve Ta’Zan, yet you
helped Elonora and Raphael take down the comms blockers. You
let her walk out with bags filled with devil-vipers, the very
source of the pulverizer toxin. You pretend to be by your maker’s
side, but your actions lately have been in the rebels’ favor.”
“You wouldn’t have helped them if you didn’t believe in
them,” Uriel continued. “Why are you still clinging on to this
relationship with Ta’Zan? You know damn well you’re no more
than a simple tool for him.”
Cassiel took a deep breath, then exhaled sharply.
“You three, on the other hand, had no trouble betraying him,
I see,” he said.
“Then what’s holding you back, Cassiel?” I asked again.
“You seem to know a lot about me,” he mumbled, his eyes
wide.
“I’m observant,” I replied. “So, what is it? Are you unsure?
Don’t know which side to bet on? Are you hoping to see more of
how this fight unravels before you pick one?”
“Listen, I don’t like what Ta’Zan is doing any more than you
do,” Cassiel burst out. “I think it’ll blow up in his face, sooner or
later. But, for the time being, he’s incredibly difficult to kill, and
he has a ton of secrets and tricks that he isn’t sharing with us.
Not even with his Arch-Perfects, his most trusted.”
“So, you’re afraid of him,” I concluded.
“Well, I do have a survival instinct, and I can see the long-
term effects of any potential rebellion. I’m just trying to be
smart, here. Smarter than my predecessors, anyway,” he
replied. “I mean, Raphael’s in a glass box now, and Araquiel is a
pile of ashes. I’d like to make it past the month, at least.”
The shadow of a smile fluttered across his face.
“Tell you what. You worry about what’s going on by the
southwest entrance and let us do what we came here to do. You
slither back to your master and keep pondering whether you’re a
coward or the Arch-Perfect you claim to be. We’ll do our part.
We’ll fight for what we believe in. And, if you decide you want to
be on the right side and take Ta’Zan down, once and for all, I’m
sure you’ll find a way to let us know.”
Cassiel grinned. “You know I can’t let you walk away now.”
“Of course you can. You let Elonora go,” Angelica replied.
“Lenny was stealing devil-vipers. You’re doing something
much more dangerous in here, and I’m not sure I want to be held
responsible in any way. Others have already seen us together,”
Cassiel said, pointing at Perfects who passed us by. Shortly after
they were gone, the hallway remained empty—except for us.
“See, this is why my faith in you is faltering,” I replied.
“You’re inconsistent in your choices.”
“You sound like you’re quite a fan.” Cassiel chuckled.
The swish of a blade threw my senses into a frenzy. Before I
could blink, I saw the red line dash along Cassiel’s throat. A
second later, his head was on the floor. His body followed. I
stepped back and put my red lens on. Araquiel was standing in
front of us, his short blade covered in blood.
Angelica and Uriel were quick to react. They picked up
Cassiel’s head and body and tossed them into the nearest storage
room, two doors down from where Deena was busy planting the
explosive charge. Fortunately, only the body regenerated once
the head was cut off, and not the head, too—otherwise we
would’ve doubled the trouble with two Cassiels. I shuddered at
the thought.
“Sorry, he was wasting our time with his inability to make a
decision,” Araquiel said, still invisible to most. “Maybe this will
help him. I don’t know.”
Angelica and Uriel came back, both aggravated and breathing
heavily. “We need to get away from here as soon as possible,”
Uriel replied.
Deena came out and joined us. She frowned at the sight of
blood on the diamond floor.
“What’s that?” she asked.
“Cassiel. Not to worry, that’s just one less problem for us, for
the time being,” Araquiel said. “Let’s go.”
Speechless, we followed Araquiel through the hallway,
headed farther north. With just a few more explosive charges
left, we were one step closer to the conclusion of our first
mission for GASP. I had to admit, I liked it.
Being surrounded by my people, still-brainwashed, did make
me feel uneasy. But the weight in my stomach was quick to
dissolve whenever I thought of Amal and Amane, who were
currently working on their mass memory wiper—the one tool
that would give our brothers and sisters a chance at a better life.
A life without Ta’Zan’s lies.
Being here wasn’t as troublesome as I would’ve thought. I had
a focus, a clear purpose, and four incredible fighters by my side.
The Faulties were doing their part, shedding their own blood and
putting their lives at risk to make all this happen. The Draenir,
already close to extinction, were also out there, fighting for a
better future—one where they weren’t hunted or infected with
genetically engineered plagues.
On a different level, in another corner of the colosseum,
Douma and Raphael were suffering in captivity for our freedom,
in a way. Everyone involved was engaged, sacrificing something
for GASP to defeat Ta’Zan and prevent this world from coming to
an end.
We had our part to play. And I was more than eager to do it.
T
H A R P E R
ensions were running high on Mount Zur.
Every single GASP agent around was on edge,
quietly waiting to hear from our people on Strava. To avoid a
nervous breakdown, most of them kept themselves busy with
various tasks—liaising with our other bases in Eritopia and on
Neraka, checking on the new recruits, and preparing various
activity reports. Anything to take their minds away from the
fragile, yet incredibly important operation currently taking place
on Strava.
Caspian and I were in the command center, along with
Amelia, Arwen and Brock, Field and Aida, and Phoenix and Viola.
Caleb and River were back in The Shade, but they had their
earpieces on at all times, so they could talk to Rose and Ben.
Victoria and Bastien were with little Voss and Vita, who was
finding it increasingly hard to even move. I didn’t think we’d get
Bastien out of the command center to begin with, but Victoria
had convinced him that he needed a bit of a break—his nerves
were stretched too thin. He was bound to come back soon.
Nobody could keep Bastien away for too long.
Whether it was supposed to be like this for Vita or not, we
weren’t sure, since we’d never had a fae-incubus hybrid before,
but she was doing her best to keep herself calm. Bijarki was a
prisoner in the diamond dome, and that couldn’t possibly help
with her condition, but still, I had to admit that I admired our
little fae. She was as fierce as ever.
The Daughters and Arwen occasionally checked her vitals and
general health. Everything pointed to a good pregnancy, but her
mobility issues didn’t seem natural. Then again, maybe we were
all just more worried than usual.
“The fae ship is in orbit,” Phoenix announced, keeping his
eyes on one of the telescope screens.
The seven hundred and forty-two fae sent by Sherus and
Nuriya were on that shuttle, patiently waiting for a green light to
pierce Strava’s atmosphere. We had Araquiel, Herakles, and the
diamond dome prisoners on the line, but we kept it clear, in
order to make communications easier. The entire operation was
remarkably complicated and time-sensitive, so having a clear
comms channel was essential to pass crucial messages along.
“How are they holding up?” I asked Amelia, who checked the
message screen and their vitals, all transmitted through a
plethora of experimental sensors Phoenix mounted inside the
ship, with Arwen’s help. I had to admit, Phoenix and Arwen
made one hell of a team when it came to combining technology
and magic.
“They’re okay. Their vitals are relatively steady. Some of
them are off-the-charts nervous, but who can blame them?”
Amelia replied.
“They’ve picked up some space debris from orbit,” Viola
added, narrowing her eyes at the video feed. “I think it’s helping
them stay hidden from potential eyes on the ground. We don’t
yet know what space observation technology Ta’Zan has.”
“Was it on purpose?” I murmured.
“I don’t think so. I think it’s pure physics. Objects in orbit
tend to be drawn to larger objects. In this case, the shuttle,”
Phoenix said. “Either way, it works for us.”
“I wonder what Nathaniel and his crew are up to now.” Arwen
sighed, leaning against the back of her chair. “We haven’t heard
from them in an hour or so.”
“I think we’d know if they ran into any kind of trouble,” Field
replied. “Amane and Amal have eyes and ears on the place, plus
Isda’s around. I don’t think we’re lacking intel right now. It’s
just the calm before the storm.”
“Well, we’d better survive the storm,” Aida said. “I want my
brothers back, dammit!”
“We all want them back, hon,” Brock replied gently.
Elonora’s voice came through our earpieces. “Harper? You
guys there?”
I clicked my earpiece on. “I’m here, Lenny. What’s up? How
are you guys doing in that dome?” I asked.
“Um… mostly okay,” she replied, her voice strained and
shaky. “Arwen, Brock? You around?”
“Wait, define mostly okay,” Caspian cut in, his brows drawn
into a sharp frown. Had it not been for him, I would’ve lost my
senses days ago. Even in these circumstances, I found myself
gazing at him, thankful to the universe for bringing him into my
life.
Well, technically, I’d sort of barged into his, but that was just
a minor detail.
“We have a bit of a problem with Kale,” Elonora replied.
As if their chairs were on fire, both Arwen and Brock shot to
their feet, staring at the second telescope screen, which had
settled over the diamond dome and Ta’Zan’s colosseum. We
couldn’t see much inside, since the diamond plates were angled
to distort everything, but it gave us the feeling that we at least
had eyes on them.
“What’s wrong with my Kale?” Arwen asked.
I could almost feel her frayed nerves and stomach-churning
concern for her daughter. I probably would’ve been worse if that
was my daughter out there.
“She’s gone into Word-mode again,” Elonora explained.
“Corrine, Ibrahim, Lumi, and Hunter are with her. She’s stable,
but we don’t know for how long, or when she’ll come back to us.
We’re in a bit of a pinch now, because of the—”
“Bilocation spell,” Brock cut her off, fear locking his jaw.
“You need four witches for the spell to work. It’s bad enough you
only have one and a half swamp witches to begin with.”
“Uh-oh,” Amelia murmured, understanding the size of the
trouble pending.
“But my baby. Is she okay? Do you know what happened
before she blacked out?” Arwen asked.
“She’d taken her position in the dome. We were waiting for
Araquiel to give us the green light so we could get the spell
started,” Elonora replied. “We don’t know how these episodes
start, anyway.”
“Does she seem… dangerous?” Brock murmured, clearly
pained by a genuine fear that Kailani might lose control and
release another deadly pulse. I couldn’t blame him. Our closest
friends, our grandparents, and our great-grandparents were in
there, our allies… hundreds of innocent people.
“Brock!” Arwen snapped, not ready to deal with that side of
Kailani’s swamp witch powers.
“I’m sorry, my love, but we have to ask that,” Brock replied,
trying to comfort her. “Your parents are in there. There are a lot
of people in there. We need to be realistic.”
Watching them made my heart twist itself up in a painful
knot. I would’ve given anything for the power to put an end to
everything now, before more people got hurt. I would’ve stopped
at nothing to get everyone out of there, to reunite my people
with their loved ones… to turn Ta’Zan into a pile of ash before he
tore more families apart.
“She seems calm,” Elonora finally replied. “Her eyes are
glowing white, but Hunter is holding her close, and Lumi is
watching over them. The others were told to drop as soon as we
hear the hum we heard during her last episode. It’s the only
thing we can do, in here.”
Phoenix shook his head slowly, a muscle angrily twitching in
his jaw. “If they can’t set the bilocation spell, Araquiel can’t risk
detonating the charges once they’re set. If we don’t blow that
place up, the fae can’t enter Strava’s orbit without a swarm of
Perfects tearing the shuttle apart. Without the fae, the Hermessi
won’t awaken, and Amal and Amane’s mass memory wiper
won’t be enough to tip the scales in our favor. Ta’Zan is still
rebuilding his ships. He’ll block the comms again. Telluris.
Everything. We’ll be back to square one, but with an enemy
who’s learned a few of our tricks.”
Arwen’s knees gave out. She sat back in her chair, with Brock
kneeling next to her, trying to help her stay focused.
“Kale’s a fighter, my love,” he said reassuringly. “She’ll get
through this.”
“But will she get through it in time?” Amelia breathed.
“I’m sorry, Arwen,” I said. “We’re all trying to look at the
bigger picture here. This isn’t just about Kale anymore.”
“I know, I know,” she replied, wiping a solitary tear. “It’s
kind of hard not to look at it like that, though.”
“What about the fae?” Elonora asked.
“They’re still in orbit, waiting,” I replied. “The sooner we
move this along, the better. They’re using the fuel reserve to
keep the shuttle from moving away from its original entry point.
If that runs out, they may have to either go in at another location
or wait a day to go in above the winter-summer cluster, like we
planned.”
Suddenly, the background of our comms channel was filled
with the sound of battle. Weapons fired. Grunts and wailing.
Short screams and swords clashing. Herakles came through,
breathing heavily.
“Lenny? GASP? Anyone?!” he called out.
“Herakles?” Elonora croaked. “You actually found the general
channel. Well done! I thought you’d have more trouble with the
earpiece’s frequencies—”
“What’s the holdup in there?” Herakles interrupted her. He
was definitely impatient and most likely fighting someone as he
spoke.
“Nathaniel and Araquiel are still planting the charges,” I said,
joining the conversation. “They’ll let us know when they’re
done. If they’re not saying anything, it’s probably because
they’re ducking hostiles in there.”
“Dammit,” Herakles cursed. “I’m losing more people than I
would’ve wanted out here, and the Draenir aren’t doing too well.
They’re sending more Perfects over on our side, and I don’t think
we can last much longer. I mean, we’re doing our best to draw
their attention here, but we can’t keep this up forever!”
Elonora groaned with frustration. “I’m sorry you’re having to
deal with that, Herakles, but we’ve got some issues of our own.
Even if Araquiel and Nathaniel’s group gets the job done, we
can’t get the bilocation spell started. Kale went into Word-
mode.”
Herakles’s reply was a string of curse words so lewd, my ears
caught fire, and I was seconds away from removing my comms
piece altogether and crushing it under my boot like a bug.
“Sorry,” Herakles then added, clearing his throat. “Okay.
Okay… We’ve got this. We’ll try to hold them off for as long as
we can,” he said. A thud in the background made my spine
tingle. “Oh, that was close,” Herakles then muttered. “We’ll
stand by for an update.”
“You can do this!” I said to him. “I know you can. Just don’t
let the Perfects see you. Go deeper into the woods if you have
to.”
“Harper’s right,” Elonora replied. “They’ll come after you,
either way. But the jungle is your turf, not theirs. Make the most
of it. It’ll buy you some time!”
We all heard the click that followed. Herakles was offline.
Whether that was deliberate or not, I wasn’t sure. I could only
hope. I closed my eyes for a moment, praying to all the gods and
all the stars for all this to work out in our favor. We’d done
nothing but good. Whatever we’d done wrong, it was never with
malicious intent.
We didn’t have much left to do. Araquiel was going to tell us
once he and Nathaniel succeeded in planting all the explosive
devices. Amal and Amane were going to do the same, once they
completed their mass memory wiper. They had their own secret
escape route, ready to be used at a moment’s notice. Our people
in the diamond dome, however, had no choice but to wait for
Kailani to wake up. They couldn’t leave without the bilocation
spell, because there were too many Perfect eyes on them, too
many for them to handle, even with their collars off.
I looked at Caspian once more, seeking some sort of comfort.
Our souls were bonded forever. His presence alone was enough
to soothe me, but his warm smile did even more. He took my
hand in his and held it tight for a moment, then pressed his lips
against my knuckles.
“She’ll pull through,” he whispered. “Nothing’s going to stop
her from doing her duty. Not even the Word. You know that.”
I gave him a brief nod. Caspian had a point.
Kailani had a way of beating the odds whenever it got rough.
She’d snapped out of these seizures before. She was one of the
truest fighters I’d ever come across. With her family and her
loved ones at stake, she wasn’t going to let anyone or anything
get in the way.
There was more fire in Kailani than in all the Perfects and
Arch-Perfects put together.
M
K A I L A N I
y blackout had taken me to the strangest dream
state.
I was faced with versions of some of the people I was
supposed to love, yet I felt nothing. They were like distant
memories forged solely to catch my eye. Everything was surreal,
and I’d found myself entranced by the littlest of details.
But at least I was finally facing the Word.
Appearing to me as a dark silhouette, the Word’s presence
weighed heavily in my subconscious. The film theater around us
was huge, and yet it seemed tiny with the two of us in it, as if the
walls were shrinking and closing in.
I’d waited a long time for this, and I had so many questions
that I didn’t even know where to start. But the Word wasn’t
going to let me take the lead on this conversation. With a low
male voice, it spoke directly to my soul.
“What took you so long?” the Word asked.
I cocked my head to the side, slightly confused. “I’m sorry,
there wasn’t an instruction manual for any of this,” I replied.
“You have no idea how many times I’ve tried to reach out, to talk
to you.”
“Clearly, you didn’t try hard enough.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. I did everything that Lumi asked. I
listened to every message you sent me, but, for some reason, I
can’t remember a single word. I don’t really understand how all
this is supposed to work.” I sighed. “Believe me, if I knew how to
get to you like this, I would’ve done it sooner.”
The silhouette moved across the narrow stage in front of the
cinema screen. My eyes were fixed on the shadow, completely
ignoring the snippets of my life, so colorfully displayed across
the canvas. I knew everything that had happened already,
anyway. I was more interested in what lay ahead, and only the
Word could tell me what that was.
“But here you are, Kailani,” the Word said.
“Here I am,” I muttered, stretching my arms to my sides.
“What now?”
“You tell me.”
I felt my blood simmer.
“I’m pretty sure you’re the one with the answers, Kailani.”
“How so?”
“All you need to do is tell me what you want,” the Word said.
This felt like a test of some sort. That meant coming up with
good and honest answers. Seems easy enough.
“I want to become a swamp witch,” I replied. “It’s why I took
the apprenticeship, after all.”
The figure was quiet for a while, and, once again, I could feel it
looking at me.
“What do you want, Kailani?” the Word asked again.
All I could think of was waking up. I knew this was a dream.
My feelings were missing. My people were gone. Hunter wasn’t
here. My body was back in the diamond dome, on… Strava. With
that memory, everything else flooded my consciousness so hard
and fast that I nearly lost my breath. The truth came back to
haunt me. The four Draenir on my conscience. The bilocation
spell. My family, my friends, billions of innocent people were
relying on me to pull through.
But how could I, if I was stuck in this movie theater with a
shadow of the Word?
“I answered your question, didn’t I?” I shot back.
“This isn’t a job interview. I’m not here for you to impress
me. I need you to look deep inside yourself and tell me what it is
you want to do. Unless there is crystalline clarity in your mind
and in your soul, I cannot grant you the authority to ascend,
Kailani.”
The urgency of my situation back in the real world made me
snap.
“You’re still messing with me!” I shouted, letting the anger
take over. “Dammit, you are playing games, even now, as the
entire world is about to burn! My parents need me! Hunter needs
me! I’m stuck here, indulging in your… whatever weird fantasy
this is, and you’re toying with me!”
The Word chuckled, and the sound of that was like nothing I’d
heard before. It resembled a low growl, like that of a wolf about
to tear its prey apart. I was compelled to take a step back, fearing
that the shadow might jump off the stage and lunge at me. But
the Word didn’t move an inch.
“What have you seen so far in this dream, Kailani?”
I took a deep breath, trying to get a grip on my emotions
before they jeopardized everything. I couldn’t let my smart
mouth or short temper destroy this connection with the Word.
Sure, I was frustrated that it had taken so many incidents to get
here, but… Eyes on the ball, Kale.
“I walked through the redwood forest with my parents, back
in The Shade,” I said. “Then I was having dinner with Hunter.
Then I got here. We’re in Hawaii, right?”
“We’re right where you wanted to be.”
“In a movie theater, with a throng of paparazzi and adoring
fans outside?” I replied, raising a most sarcastic eyebrow.
“Dreams aren’t meant to be taken literally, Kailani. You
should know that by now. They’re a distorted reflection of your
subconscious. Your deepest desires, translated in elements
you’ve seen out there, in the real world,” the Word said. “You
should look past the glitz and the glamour, past the food and the
vintage cars, past the people you think you know and love. Peel
away at the layers, then tell me what you see. What is left is what
you want.”
That made me think. But the Word was right—shockingly.
If I were to go back through everything I’d seen in this
peculiar dream state, and if I looked beyond the obvious and the
familiar, I was left with things that made me happy like nothing
else. In the redwoods, I found tranquility and knowledge. At the
terrace in Hawaii, I found comfort and a light heart. Outside the
movie theater, I found adoration, respect, and sheer awe.
It took me a while to figure it all out, as I went over my actions
—everything I’d done, from the moment I’d first met Lumi,
until I’d made the decision to become a swamp witch.
“What drives me?” I asked myself out loud.
“What do you want, Kailani?”
I raised a hand to shush the Word. I realized I did it a second
too late. Thankfully, the Word didn’t seem to mind. “Hold on,” I
whispered.
Closing my eyes, I let everything go for a moment. All my
fears and desires came tumbling down, intertwined in hot and
cold threads that made every atom of my body vibrate. I followed
the threads into the deep unknown of Kailani… and, at the very
end, I saw everything so clearly, it brought tears to my eyes.
The silhouette cocked its head to the side, as if fascinated by
my reaction.
I couldn’t help but laugh lightly, shaking my head in
astonishment.
Minutes went by in utter silence, but neither of us was
bothered by it. At least I had the momentum here. I had the
clarity for which I’d been subconsciously yearning for months, if
not years.
“It’s funny what a moment of silence will do to one’s brain,” I
said.
“What do you want, Kailani?”
“Good grief, you sound like a broken record!” I retorted,
fearless and more determined than ever to snap out of this
blackout and get back to business. People were relying on me,
dammit. “First of all, you need to stop messing around in my
heart. No amount of Word mojo will ever change the fact that I
love Hunter like I’ve never loved anyone before. I love my
parents. My grandparents, on both sides. Elonora. Heck, even
Snow-Mountain Nevis. I love them all. So maybe quit fiddling
with my emotions, okay?”
“I’m surprised to hear you still have feelings of any kind,” the
Word replied. “This dream state is the last stage of your
apprenticeship, where you must remove yourself from anything
that might tie you down. This is where your fate is decided.
Where I determine whether you deserve to be a swamp witch or
not. Whether I should wipe all your memories forever simply for
talking to me in such a disrespectful manner… or not.”
Fear clutched my throat. My heart got tiny, a painful marble
beating well beyond its capability. I’d pissed the Word off. I could
add that to my repertoire of “Things Kailani Does When She
Blows a Fuse.”
But I was too far down this road to go back. This was my one
chance to make something of myself, in the eyes of the universe.
In the eyes of everyone who needed me or who would need me in
the years to come.
“You’ll never be able to wipe the love from my heart,” I said,
more determined than ever.
“Fine. Let’s work with that. I suppose your witch genes are
more powerful than I originally thought,” the Word replied.
“Tell me. What do you want?”
As if saying it for the first time, with more pathos than I’d
ever been able to summon before, I let loose.
“I want to be a swamp witch, like none before me ever were. I
want to serve the Word and the universe. I want to help people,
especially those who can’t help themselves. I want the
knowledge of everything that was, is, and ever will be to surge
through me like wildfire. I want to wake up, perform a most
awesome bilocation spell, and destroy anyone who stands
between me and my freedom. I want to hold Hunter in my arms
and tell him how much I love him. I want my parents and my
grandparents to live long lives, happy and at peace. I want the
Perfects to get a better shot at life, without the poison of their
creator clouding their judgment. I want freedom for the Faulties,
who are beautiful in every single aspect of their biological and
aesthetic diversity. I want the Draenir to call Strava their home
again. I want… I want everything! And if I can’t have everything,
I want nothing!”
By the time I was done talking, my knees were made of jelly,
and my hands were shaking. I’d let it rip, and it felt incredible.
By saying all those words, I’d removed an entire mountain of
pressure from my chest. I took a deep breath again, only, this
time, it felt like my first—like the air I’d inhaled as soon as I’d
come out of my mother’s womb.
Pure. Perfect. Unforgettable.
The shadow dissolved, like black ink in a glass of water, until
a clear figure emerged. I recognized the champagne-colored
sequin dress. The diamond earrings. The chocolate curls. The
orchid behind her right ear. It was me.
Well, a peculiar version of me, with white, glowing eyes.
Inside me, peace reigned. Bliss flooded my consciousness as I
gazed upon myself. The Word was me, in more ways than one.
“You continue to surprise me, Kailani,” the Word-me said.
She glowed from the inside, as if thousands of fireflies buzzed
beneath her caramel skin. She was the most beautiful creature
I’d ever seen, and it had nothing to do with my vanity. She
could’ve looked like a ghoul, for all I cared. It was as though I was
looking at the truest form of the Word, and it was so stunning
that I found myself crying.
“I knew I was doing the right thing when I took a chance on
you,” the Word-me added, smiling. There was so much warmth
emanating from her. Liquid sunshine bottled up in this superbly
crafted version of me. “If we do this, Kailani, there will be no
turning back. I will open the doors of the universe to you. Not all
at once, of course. It will take a million lifetimes for you to
understand and learn everything. Then, by that time, there will
be a million more lifetimes to learn everything new that has,
since this moment, happened. Being one with the Word will not
be easy. Sacrifices will be made. And you’ll need a strong
stomach for what comes next.”
I nodded once. “I’m ready.”
“You must be ready to let go of the people you love, too, when
the time comes,” the Word said.
“Can we just cross that bridge when we get there?”
I was eager to get this over with. Had my circumstances been
different, I would’ve certainly enjoyed the full pump of a final
swamp witch initiation. But the clock was ticking out there, in
the real world. I was needed.
Word-me scoffed. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you. Now, any last
words?”
“What… What do you mean?” I asked, suddenly confused.
“These are your last moments as… Kailani. Once I open
myself to you, you will die and become something else entirely.”
There was no more time left to waste. On top of that, I had a
feeling the Word would appreciate what I was about to do, later. I
didn’t think about it for a second. With a heart filled with love
and a mind driven by clarity and sheer strength of will, I darted
forward.
The move took Word-me by surprise.
I wrapped my arms around her, and I held her tight,
welcoming everything with nothing but joy. I exploded like a
star. Every atom of me was conscious and fully aware as the
dream state warped out and opened into the endless string of
universes.
I was a spark. I was a flicker of life. A thread of Kailani. A
particle of love.
Above it all, I was the Word.
T
E L O N O R A
ime seemed to move slower than usual. Much like a
snail on a windshield under the midday sun. Tick…
then, an hour later… tock. Even my breathing felt heavy, as I,
like the others in the diamond dome, waited for Kailani to wake
up.
We’d worked hard to get this far. So much was hanging in the
balance.
Surrendering and pretending to be prisoners had been our
best option in this war against Ta’Zan. We wouldn’t have done it
if Amal hadn’t provided us with the collar cheat codes, despite
Ben and Rose’s predilection to do it anyway, since their mother’s
life was at stake. None of this was easy on any of us.
“When did Araquiel check in with us last?” Nevis asked me,
keeping his voice low.
The silence in the dome was almost deafening. We were all
sitting down, knees to our chests, waiting for our luck to finally
turn. We’d been through enough already.
“About ten minutes ago,” I replied, checking my watch.
The comms line was open and quiet. Using my True Sight, I
glanced around the diamond dome. I could see Herakles, the
Faulties, and the Draenir out by the southwest entrance. They’d
scattered farther into the woods in order to reduce their
casualties. The jungle was their friend and protector. It was their
home when Ta’Zan kicked the rogues out.
The trees and the thick, rich foliage helped conceal the more
vulnerable fighters. It also made it easier for the Draenir to fire
their pulverizer weapons, then bounce from branch to branch,
avoiding detection. There were plenty on the ground, dead in
pools of their own blood.
Isda had told us that the upper-echelon Perfects were
equipped with pulverizer weapons of their own. It was only a
matter of time before they’d rush to assist their southwest-exit
guards. Then, the tide would turn, and not in our favor. Our
offensive time was limited, and the more time Kailani spent out
cold, the smaller that window got for everyone involved.
“They’ll be done soon,” Nevis said. “With the explosive
charges, I mean.”
“I know.” I sighed, then looked at Kailani.
Still soft in Hunter’s arms, her eyes glowed like two stars. Her
body hummed gently, and the sound made me quiver. I could
only imagine what was going through her head, or what she was
doing there, deep in her subconscious.
Lumi, Corrine, and Ibrahim sat by her side, staring at her.
Waiting.
“We’re almost done with the mass memory wiper,” Amal
announced through the comms channel. “But we haven’t seen
Ta’Zan in over an hour. We don’t know where he is.”
I pressed the main button on my earpiece. “I don’t think it
matters where he is. Once the charges get detonated, over
seventy percent of this place will go down. Hopefully, he’ll get
jammed in the rubble. Squished like a bug.”
“You’ve disabled your collars already, huh?” Amal replied
dryly.
“I couldn’t take the heat. Besides, as long as they’re on, we’re
fine,” I said.
“Once they come off, you’ll have to move fast to get them on
your copies,” Amal reminded me. “They are all connected to a
central system. I only made them to be monitored on a basic
level, as in, whether they’re on or not. I’m not tracking their
functions, nor did I allow for them to be used as recorders.”
“You played dumb, in other words,” I said, smirking.
“More like… I blamed my sister’s absence for my inability to
upgrade the collars more,” she said.
“Smart move. Comes in handy now.” I sighed, even more
aware of Amal’s previously hidden efforts to sabotage Ta’Zan
from the inside.
“How is Kailani?” she asked.
“Still out,” I replied. “I don’t know for how long. I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay. Just let us know when the charges are about to go
off. Amane and I will be ready.”
“I will. Thank you,” I said.
Dmitri came on the line. I could see him sitting about twenty
yards from us, huddled with his grandparents, Jovi, and Anjani.
The gloom on his face said more than his words ever would. He
was miserable without Douma.
“Have you seen Douma recently?” he asked.
“Not since we last saw her and Raphael,” Amal replied. “Isda
is supposed to deliver their food soon. I made sure to slip her a
skeleton key. It opens any glass box. I made it before you guys
took me, but I never had a chance to test it. We’ll need Ta’Zan to
be busy or away from their room, though, if we want a clean
escape.”
“Or, alternatively, let them out as soon as the charges go off,”
Ben interjected on the line.
I searched for him in the crowd. He and Rose were sitting with
Derek and Sofia, closer to the center, surrounded by most of the
prisoners. They seemed like beacons of hope, in a way, as the
majority of those stuck in this place looked to them for a
direction.
“They’re strong and will be fast to make their way out as soon
as the diamond structure starts collapsing,” Rose added.
“Yes. I agree,” Amal said. “I will let Isda know. Ta’Zan gave
me a calling device for Isda. I’m in awe of how willingly he trusts
her, when she’s literally the most loyal to the outsiders.”
“She’s worked hard to get to this point,” Derek muttered, not
necessarily for Amal to hear, but rather for our clarity. “She kept
her nose clean and didn’t get involved.”
“Amal did help by not ratting her out about the rebellion,
though, didn’t she?” Rose asked, and Derek replied with a nod.
“Okay, Amal, we’ll stand by for news from you and the others.
Hopefully, Kailani will wake up soon.”
A click followed. Amal was offline.
Shifting my focus back to Kailani, I felt as though I was
watching a movie I wholeheartedly hated. I was being forced into
a scene I didn’t want to be a part of. Kailani was one of my
closest friends. Her heart was mine, and my heart was hers. It
had been like this for years, now. I couldn’t stand the thought of
never seeing her again, or, worse, of this whole swamp witch
apprenticeship making irreversible changes to the wonderful
creature that she already was.
“We have to address the possibility of her not waking up in
time,” Nevis spoke up. “I know nobody wants to consider this,
but we clearly have to.”
“She’ll wake up!” Corrine snapped, obviously aggravated.
“I’m not saying she won’t. She always does,” Nevis replied.
“But the timing is now critical.”
“Give her a little more time—” Hunter tried to say, but was
abruptly interrupted by Kailani wheezing as she took a deep
breath. It sounded like the first after minutes underwater. “Holy
crap!”
“Kale! Baby!” Corrine exclaimed.
In a split second, Kailani was sitting up, panting as if she’d
just run a marathon. Her curly hair covered most of her face, and
her hands were shaking slightly. Hunter tried to hug her, but she
gently pushed him back.
“Give me a moment,” she murmured.
I shot to my feet, my blood rushing to my head. That didn’t
sound like Kailani. Not the Kailani I knew, anyway. Her voice was
raspier and lower, quite different from her usual vibrant tone.
“Honey! Are you okay?” Corrine asked, wide-eyed as she
looked at her granddaughter.
One by one, the others in our crew, along with the rest of the
prisoners, got up. Derek, Sofia, Xavier, Vivienne, Lucas, Marion,
Cameron, and Liana motioned for everyone to maintain their
position and not get too close.
“Give her room to breathe,” Derek said out loud.
“We don’t want to tip off anyone watching us,” Xavier added.
I completely agreed.
“Kale. Talk to me,” Hunter murmured, visibly concerned.
Kailani finally looked up, and my whole world was
temporarily shaken. She looked like Kailani, but she wasn’t the
person I knew anymore. Something fundamental had changed
inside her. There was a faint, peculiar golden glow that had
settled into her tanned skin. Her breathing was now even, and
her eyes…
“Your eyes,” I said, pointing at her.
Corrine and Ibrahim followed my gaze, then stilled.
“Oh, something’s definitely different,” Ibrahim croaked.
“She’s transformed,” Lumi replied, beaming with pride as
she took Kailani’s hands and helped her stand up.
Kailani’s caramel eyes were gone. The pupils were pearly
white, with a golden contour—much like Lumi’s, with the only
difference being that Lumi’s pupil contours were blue. But the
energy oozing out of her was the most noticeable change of all.
Judging by the expressions around me, I wasn’t the only one
who noticed.
“Kale… Talk to us,” Corrine said, her voice trembling. Fear
and curiosity burned through her aura, but love was still the
predominant shade. I had a feeling that, no matter what
happened to Kailani, Corrine and Ibrahim would still love her
more than anything in the world. The same could be said about
Arwen and Brock. Hunter. Heck, all of us who knew her.
“Grandma,” Kailani replied. There it was! That change in her
voice! It was permanent. I knew, deep down, that Kailani would
never sound like her old self ever again. “I’m… I’m okay.”
“The Word accepted her,” Lumi said. “Her chrysalis stage is
complete.”
“She’s a full swamp witch, now,” Ibrahim concluded.
The moment we’d all been practically praying for had
ultimately arrived. Despite the fears and constant concern.
Despite the knot in my stomach whenever she blacked out.
Despite everything! Kailani had pulled through, and she’d come
out victorious in the end, with the power of the Word flowing
through her.
I
K A I L A N I
’d fused with the Word.
The bond between us was unbreakable. My existence
in this world had become indelible. I was infinitely
stronger, more confident in my powers, and, most importantly,
more awake than ever. Everything was crystal clear. Every atom,
every molecule, and every damn particle around me—they all
made sense.
Every word that was ever written. Every breath taken. Every
sunset and sunrise… Good grief, there was so much of this entire
universe that I was deeply connected to!
I could feel the energy bursting through me, like a thousand
suns being born at once, taking over the vast emptiness of a
young cosmos. It would take a while to get used to it, for sure,
but I loved the general feeling. I doubted I’d ever need coffee
again.
Looking around, I saw that the expressions of my people
spoke of excitement and relief. Everyone was so happy to see
me. I must’ve been out for a while, for them to be like this.
“How are you feeling?” Hunter asked me. The way he looked
at me made me worry a little. I felt different, but did I look
different, too? Or was he simply worried that something was
maybe wrong with me? We’d all thought about potentially
negative outcomes of this apprenticeship, anyway.
“I’m good, I swear,” I replied softly. “How long was I out?”
“A few hours, but… There’s something very different about
you, Kale,” Grandma Corrine said, then gently cupped my face,
tears glazing her eyes.
“The Word fused with you, Kale,” Lumi interjected. “Your
apprenticeship is complete. You’re now a swamp witch. The real
deal. Like me.”
“Yeah, even your eyes are friggin’ weird,” Elonora shot back,
pursing her lips.
I blinked several times. “They don’t feel weird.”
Lumi chuckled softly. “They’re like mine, in a way,” she said.
“But, Kale, I have to admit, even I didn’t have the amount of
Word power surging through me that you do.”
“What do you mean?” I asked, while Grandma and Grandpa
both hugged me, briefly, smothering me with kisses. They didn’t
need to say anything. I could feel their love, like sunshine on my
face on a good day at the beach.
“Your witch genes definitely played a part,” Lumi replied. “I
don’t know whether to admire you or be wary of you, if I’m
honest.”
I took a deep breath, relishing the plethora of sensations
rushing through me. I gave Lumi a warm smile, then shifted my
focus to Hunter. He didn’t move, but he didn’t take his eyes off
me. I took it as my cue to step forward and drop a kiss on his lips.
He tasted like honey and jasmine; he smelled of rumbling oceans
and lazy summer afternoons in the wild. What an experience this
was, living with the Word embedded in my very soul.
It was incredible. I experienced everything at a different,
vastly superior level. I could smell the tiniest changes in the air.
I could feel the molecules on everything I touched—vibrating,
working hard to keep the object or the body together. This was
truly an extraordinary time to be alive, as far as I was concerned.
The Word thrived inside me, and I loved it. I also feared it. The
seconds prior to my awakening had compressed centuries’ worth
of teachings from the Word itself. The final stage of my
apprenticeship was, indeed, over, and I had been tasked with
power like I’d never had before. Part of me was overwhelmed
and downright terrified, but I was eager to explore it, to
understand my limits, and, if necessary, to go past them.
I was surrounded by people who loved me. And I’d come back
to them because I was determined to save each and every single
one of them.
“Don’t worry, babe,” I whispered against Hunter’s lips, losing
myself in his blue eyes. “We’re going home soon.”
Lumi put a hand on my shoulder, prompting me to turn
around and face her again. “Seriously, now, how are you feeling?
Any pain? Any feeling of heaviness? Any physical discomfort
whatsoever?”
I shook my head. “No. I’m perfectly healthy,” I said. “Don’t
worry, Lumi. Everything will be okay from now on. You’re not
the only swamp witch anymore, and that matters. I now
understand how important this step I took was, not just for me
but for everyone else. You see, if the last swamp witch dies, the
Word dies, too.”
Dmitri gasped. “Whoa. Hold on, isn’t the Word like… I don’t
know, the energy that keeps this world together? I mean, this
and all the worlds, for that matter?”
“Yes,” I replied. “The more swamp witches there are, the
more powerful the Word is, and most importantly, the more
balanced the universe becomes.”
“That’s new information,” Ben murmured, frowning.
“I didn’t know that either,” Lumi mumbled, looking alarmed
and aware of how truly important she’d been until now, and how
valuable the both of us were to everything and everyone. “The
Word told you that?”
“Yeah. I had a crash course just seconds before I woke up. I
was told that time is running out, and that I’m finally worthy of
becoming a swamp witch and serving the universe. So, here I
am,” I said, and chuckled softly.
Draven exhaled, shaking his head slowly. “And to think how
close Azazel once got to destroying the Word. He butchered all of
Calliope’s swamp witches. Even he probably didn’t realize how
important they could be.”
“Mm-hm. Thankfully, I was out of town at the time,” Lumi
said, raising an eyebrow. “That insolent fool. Thinking he was
above the creation forces themselves…”
“Speaking of which,” Elonora chimed in with a shy smile. “I
think we need to get a move on and teach our Stravian insolent
fool a lesson.”
Just then, the urgency of it all came crashing back into me,
much like it had done during my dream state. Elonora was right.
We’d already been on a tight schedule, prior to my blackout.
Looking around again, I found myself feeding on the prisoners’
hope. It beamed out of them like milky moonlight, and it made
my senses tingle.
Hunter squeezed my hand. “I’m here if you need me.”
“Make sure everyone gets out,” I told him, then looked at
Lumi and my grandparents. “You guys ready?”
“We were waiting for you to finish your beauty sleep,
cupcake,” Grandma Corrine replied.
I laughed lightly. It was good to see her good spirit back. She
was probably adjusting to this new version of me, much like
everyone else—including myself. But, like most of my
apprenticeship, our current circumstances didn’t allow for a
smooth transition. I was to adapt quickly and take everything
the Word gave me.
This time, however, every spell I learned would stay with me.
The words would never escape me again. The incantations would
forever be seared into my memory, and so would the face of
every single creature in this diamond dome. Their lives depended
on me.
“I’ll take the north,” I said. “You need most of the energy
output for the bilocation spell there, and we all know I now have
the juice for it now.”
Lumi grinned. “That’s the spirit. I’ll take the south, then.
Corrine, you do the east. We need a mother where the sun rises.”
“I’ll take the west point, then,” Grandpa Ibrahim quipped.
Seconds later, Rose disabled our collars with the first code
she’d gotten from Amal—it kept them on, but they no longer
prevented us from doing our magic. The second code was meant
to take them off. We took our positions on the edges of the
diamond dome. Just like they’d practiced before, the prisoners
scattered around the hall, making sure to obscure the floor
drawings to any outside views.
I took a couple of deep breaths, the words of the bilocation
spell already echoing in the back of my head. I knew what I had
to do. My gaze wandered around the hall for a moment as I
brought a hand up to the back of my neck.
With my fingers resting on the tiny keyboard mounted on my
shock collar, I prepared for the next stage of our mission.
“I’m sorry I was late,” I said, making sure everyone heard me.
“This is it, guys. The point of no return. From the moment we
get this started, we cannot linger; we cannot falter; we cannot
look back. Is that clear?”
The crowd gave me a collective nod. My chest filled with pride
and my heart swelled with determination, as I found Derek and
Sofia smiling at me. Their nods of approval were my signal to
press the deactivation code on my collar.
Freedom was within our reach again.
N
E L O N O R A
evis, Varga, my grandparents, and I stayed together.
Vesta, Ben, Taeral, and several other fae took their
positions under the hung sheets that had been tied to a couple of
bunkbeds, ready to drill into the diamond floor, using the earth
abilities.
We were all ready.
Lumi, Corrine, Ibrahim, and Kailani took their cardinal point
spots. Lumi had taught Corrine and Ibrahim the spell’s verses.
They put their arms out and closed their eyes.
“Everyone, be ready,” Lumi announced. “Once your copies
appear, you’ll have to be quick and coordinated. First, all
prisoners will remove each other’s collars at once using the
second code we gave you, then place them around the copies’
necks. With a bit of luck, the disconnection on the Perfects’
central screens will last a second, tops. A glitch, at best.”
“Fire it up,” Ridan replied, eager to get out of here and to
reunite with Amane.
We were all pining for our freedom. Our crew, however, could
only imagine the anguish that GASP’s founders and the fleet
prisoners had been feeling, cooped up in this place for almost
two weeks.
“Word of life, giver of light and darkness,” Lumi started,
swiftly joined by Ibrahim, Corrine, and Kailani in a perfect
unison. “We summon you. A body is one, but a body can also be
two. Where one stands, the other may sit. Where one smiles, the
other may cry. We are one, yet we are none. Make it so that
instead of one, we become two. Give us our golems, mirrored by
ourselves. Give us two, instead of one. Make us two. Make it so!”
The chant itself was a mere call to action, reaching out to the
Word. The symbols on the floor were the true formula, each
circle and triangle and swirl combining into a precise recipe to
create solid copies of ourselves. In the ancient tongue of swamp
witches, the copy created through a bilocation spell was called a
golem. I looked forward to finding out what a golem was, exactly.
It didn’t take long for me to find out.
As soon as they completed the chant, the symbols on the
floor lit up white. Seconds later, out of thin air, hundreds of
figures emerged. Shapeless and colorless, at first. Gradually,
however, skeletal structures were formed. Muscles were snapped
on. Blood vessels and nervous systems shot through them.
Organs and tendons. Cartilage and brain matter. Then skin, hair,
and nails.
Before I could breathe out, I was staring a perfect copy of me
right in the face. The same green eyes, reflecting forests and
eagerness to kick Ta’Zan straight in his pompous hind. The same
long, curly blonde hair. The slightly sun-kissed skin. The smile
of a devilish kid who survived into adulthood. Yep, it looked
exactly like me.
“Wow…” Nevis murmured by my side. “Was I always this…
stoic?”
I briefly glanced at his copy and stifled a chuckle, though my
heart did skip a beat. His golem was as handsome and splendid
as he was. His long, white hair was braided down his back. His
slightly pointed ears carried a pinkish hue, always sensitive to
the slightest temperature changes. His eyes were ice water. And
his lips… I would’ve kissed those lips.
“If you ask me, two of you might be better than one,” I
replied.
“I’m a handsome devil, aren’t I?” Varga croaked on my left,
making me laugh hard.
“Now! Collars off!” Kailani commanded us, her husky voice
rippling through me like thunder.
We didn’t wait to be told twice. I slipped my hands behind
Nevis’s neck and pressed the right buttons on his collar keypad.
It snapped open. With fluid movements, I slipped it off, then
quickly put it around his copy’s neck. Nevis did the same to me,
placing my collar on my copy—who, by the way, was staring at
me in the eeriest way. Checking around me, everyone did the
same with one another. Put the code in. Took the collars off.
Locked them around the copies—all of them staring at their
originals.
I exhaled sharply, looking at myself.
“It’s done,” Kailani said. “I can feel them all… They’ll stay
here, unbothered, unresponsive.”
“Our turn,” Vesta replied.
The fae put their forces together. Nevis and I were the first to
dart toward them, making our way through the crowd—now
doubled and more difficult to navigate. According to our plan,
Nevis and I were to lead the people into the tunnel and out on
the other side.
Vesta, Ben, Taeral, and a dozen more fae dropped to their
knees and pressed their palms against the diamond floor. It lit
up red underneath, as if a thousand lasers were burning through
it. The ground started shaking.
Instinctively, I gripped Nevis’s arm.
“I’ll bet your copy is just as toned,” I muttered, giving him a
sly sideways grin.
His gaze softened on me, the corner of his mouth curling into
a discreet smile. “Wait till you feel the rest of me,” he
whispered.
“Your Grace! That’s no way for a prince of Dhaxanians to
talk.” I giggled.
“Can we all just get out of here first, and then we can see
about getting you two lovebirds a room?” Varga cut in.
My cheeks caught fire. I’d momentarily forgotten about my
brother. Varga didn’t let me go anywhere alone, especially not in
the heart of such a hostile land. We braced ourselves as the fae
used their connection to the natural elements to crack open the
diamond floor.
It gave out, eventually, collapsing into the dirt beneath. The
hard crystal layer was the toughest for them to deal with. Ben
and Taeral pulled the diamond slabs aside, while Vesta jumped
in, sinking her hands into the dark ground.
We all heard the ground moan beneath, then crackle and pop
as the tunnel was drilled by the sheer force of nature bursting
out of Vesta, our little and most valuable Nerakian fae. Of course,
technically, she wasn’t Nerakian, but most of who she was
belonged there, and Vesta liked referring to herself as such.
I couldn’t help but feel incredibly proud of every single
creature inside the dome. Every fae, every witch, every vampire
and werewolf, every Mara and Bajang, every Druid and dragon,
every Dhaxanian and incubus, every succubus and
interdimensional hybrid that had joined us on this quest—all
woes included. They were all warriors.
And they all had the potential to change the entire world,
from this point onward.
I checked on Derek and Sofia first, who were with my
grandparents and the rest of the founders’ crew. Ibrahim and
Corrine maintained their bilocation spell positions, along with
Lumi and Kailani.
“Why aren’t they moving?” Varga asked, following my gaze.
“The longer they stay there, the longer our copies will be
charged and able to function without us present,” I said.
“They’re trying to buy us as much time as possible before the
Perfects catch on about the trick.”
“Hunter!” Dmitri shouted after him. “Come on! We need you
back here!”
Indeed, we’d agreed that Hunter, Ridan, Dmitri, Jovi and Jax,
and the rest of our younger crew would help guide the prisoners
into and through the tunnel. Leaving their copies behind, the
prisoners gradually moved toward the tunnel.
“Come on!” Vesta shouted from below. “From here on it’s
easy breezy for me. Let’s get them out!”
“Grandma! Grandpa!” I shouted. “We’ll go ahead!”
Grandma Corrine nodded. “We’ll close the line. Be careful,
darlings!”
Nevis and I held hands as we turned around and slipped under
the bedsheet cover. Looking down, I saw that the hole was wide
and deep. I always found myself in awe of what a fae could do.
After all, how many of us could honestly say that we were able to
manipulate the natural elements, that we had the power to
reshape the entire landscape?
“Ready?” Nevis asked me. The question was mostly
rhetorical, but I knew that there was a part of him that meant it.
“As I’ll ever be,” I replied.
We jumped in, swallowed by the temporary darkness.
I landed on my feet, my eyes instantly adjusting to the
absence of light. Ben and Taeral were already down there,
pressing their hands against the dirt walls and making sure the
tunnel stayed firm while Vesta kept digging ahead.
More fae would join them in minutes, as there were several
nodes through the tunnel where additional power was needed to
maintain its integrity. It was going to stretch for at least three
miles, before ascending back to the surface and emerging smack
in the heart of the jungle.
Varga, Nevis, and I started running, taking the lead through
the constantly extending tunnel. Behind us, more people
dropped. All of them were prisoners with a second chance at
freedom. A second chance at life. Vesta used her fire abilities
with the help of a lighter she’d snuck in via an inside pocket, and
planted two flames on her shoulders. It didn’t burn her, but it
offered enough light for those who couldn’t see as well as I could
to follow.
From here on out, the trajectory of our actions seemed pretty
simple and straightforward. We had to make sure that everyone
got out of the diamond dome alive. I used my True Sight to check
on the surface events. Most of the Perfects assigned to guard the
prisoners from the outside had their attention diverted to the
southwest entrance, where Herakles, the rogue Faulties, and the
Draenir were making a lot of noise and causing a lot of damage.
By now, Ta’Zan surely must’ve heard about it. More
dangerous Perfects with deadlier weapons were bound to head
over there. We had to do our part and leave this place as quickly
as possible, so Herakles could pull his people back before they all
got themselves killed out there.
Once all the prisoners were out of the dome, Kailani, Corrine,
Ibrahim, and Lumi were going to follow and close the tunnel
behind them with magic. That left the copies behind, absently
moving around, pretending to be us—enough to let our enemies
think that we were still there, quiet and obedient.
A second afterward, the charges would be detonated.
I pressed the call button on my earpiece. “We’re leaving the
colosseum. I repeat, we’re leaving the colosseum.”
“Roger that,” Araquiel said. He’d finally learned our lingo, it
seemed, and I couldn’t help but smile. “We’re almost done here,
too.”
“Amane? Amal? Where are you?” Ridan’s voice came on.
Glancing over my shoulder, I saw him running about a
hundred yards behind us, keeping the prisoners in line as they
rushed through the semi-darkness and followed us. Vesta had
already shared her flames with the other fae, tossing sparks back
for them to catch and use, lighting up the tunnel.
“We’re fine,” Amal replied, her tone clipped. “You do what
you have to do. We’ll meet you on the outside!”
“I need to know how long until you can leave the colosseum!”
Ridan said. “It’s about to blow! Let me talk to Amane! Quit
hogging that earpiece.”
“Ridan, proceed as planned,” Amal said firmly. “We’ll be
okay!”
Rose reached Ridan through the tunnel, clearly annoyed. “Cut
it out!” she hissed. “They’re big girls and smart enough to take
care of themselves. Trust me when I say that Amane does not
want to be, nor will she ever be, a damsel in distress.”
“Toughen up, fire dragon. We need to be a model for these
people we’re saving.” Dmitri chuckled.
“Shut your piehole, you little pup!” Heath growled from
behind. “You’re not saving us. We’re all saving ourselves. Up
until a couple of minutes ago, there was a shock collar around
your neck, too. Pipe down!”
It took a lot of effort not to laugh. Jovi, however, wasn’t as
restrained. His guffaw echoed through the tunnel. In the end,
however, Amal and Rose were right. There was no looking back
now. We knew what role each of us played, and under no
circumstances could we divert from them.
All we had to do now was run as fast as our legs could take us.
And run we did. All seven hundred or so of us.
T
N A T H A N I E L
he last room on our list was one of the laboratories
on the ground floor—one of the artificial womb
chambers. It was a weird thing to look at, for some reason. Four
new Perfects were curled up in the amniotic liquid sacks, dozens
of serium-powered cables connecting them to the main
monitoring and feeding system. There were a couple of Faulties
present, checking the Perfects’ vitals on the computer screens
and taking copious notes on their glass tablets.
This was the center of life for us, I thought as I stood in the
doorway, watching the Faulties casually go about their business.
Heartbeats echoed from one of the computers, steady and slow,
as the bodies developed in their artificial wombs. Another two,
maybe three hours, and they’d be released into this world. New
souls for Ta’Zan to poison and turn against the very creatures
who’d made their existence possible.
We were all hybrids. The blood of many flowed through our
veins—and with it, so did their collective experience. During our
brief learning sessions on Calliope, Uriel, Angelica, Deena, and I
had made it our mission to learn as much about our genetic
sources as possible. We understood more from the fae and the
vampires, the werewolves and the dragons, the witches and the
Maras, and other equally extraordinary creatures, than from
anything that Ta’Zan had tried to teach us.
And, as I stood there, watching and holding the last of the
larger explosive charges, I knew that I was doing the right thing.
I was perpetuating violence, sure, but it was for the greater good.
There was no reasoning with the likes of Ta’Zan, and certainly
not with a brainwashed brother or sister of mine. We had to do
this.
The clock was ticking.
The Faulties finally noticed us and stilled, their eyes wide.
“Out. Both of you,” I said. “Get as far away from this place as
possible.”
“What? Why?” one of them asked.
“Get out!” I shouted. “For once in your lives, don’t let this
place dictate who or what you’ll be. Leave the colosseum and
never look back!”
The Faulties rushed past us and out of the laboratory, leaving
the five of us with the four artificial wombs. Araquiel, still
invisible, proceeded to plant the last of the small charges,
designed to amplify the main one in my hand.
I saw the black, square, palm-sized bombs appear as Araquiel
mounted them in the four bottom corners of the room. One had
to look closely to notice them. Their discreet positioning didn’t
matter anymore, though.
“How long till they all leave the dome?” Angelica asked.
“I’m not sure. Judging by the size of the colosseum, the
estimated width of a sustainable tunnel and the number of
prisoners… I’m thinking maybe nine, ten minutes?” Uriel
replied.
“We’re running out of time,” Araquiel said.
“Um, yeah, about that…” Deena murmured, pointing in the
direction of his voice.
His invisibility spell was wearing off. Slowly but surely,
Araquiel was revealed. The last thing we wanted was for
someone to see him in here, after he’d been declared
permanently dead.
Araquiel frowned, confused by our expressions. He looked
down, then sighed. “Okay. Now what?”
“You take another batch,” I said. “Quickly, before anyone
comes—”
“Something wrong?” A male voice shot through from behind
us. It sounded familiar, and that scared me.
I breathed in, then looked over my shoulder. I recognized the
two Perfects. Raziel and Gabriel. I knew them from my
memories. We’d trained together. We’d learned together. We
were all part of the same batch. I couldn’t help but curse under
my breath, knowing how slim the odds were that we’d actually
run into someone we’d personally met before. We’d drawn the
short sticks, it seemed.
They were both stunned to see us.
“Nathaniel?” Raziel said, his jaw close to hitting the floor.
My muscles were tense. My joints were stiff, all of a sudden.
This wasn’t going to lead anywhere good. They remembered us,
and we had no way of accounting for our absence. Unless I lied
through my teeth. Arwen had taught us the basics of deception,
after all.
“I saw you… Deena?” Raziel continued, his voice trailing off
as he recognized Deena and the others, too. “Uriel. Angelica.
Sweet fate! I saw you all pierce through the atmosphere and
freeze… We didn’t think we’d ever get you back!”
“How the hell did you make it back here?” Gabriel asked,
narrowing his eyes at me.
I found his expression to be quite irritating. Of course, it
probably had to do with the fact that we had to get rid of them as
soon as possible. The rogue Faulties were minutes away from
getting slaughtered out there.
“We flew,” I replied bluntly, then motioned for them to walk
away. “We’re busy. Let’s talk later.”
That didn’t work. Raziel took a step forward, clearly
suspicious of our presence here. And they definitely weren’t the
type of Perfects we could just brush off with a vague, two-
worded explanation. My blood was racing, my reflexes sharp and
ready to take them on, if needed.
“What’s going on in there?” Raziel asked, then froze at the
sight of Araquiel in the laboratory. “You! You’re alive! Araquiel!
Brother!”
Deena muttered a string of foul words, then grabbed Raziel by
his tunic’s collar and dragged him into the room. Uriel was quick
to grip Gabriel’s throat and pull him in, as well, away from the
main corridor—where other Perfects and Faulties were still
buzzing.
The fight broke out between the seven of us. I threw the first
punch at Raziel, taking advantage of his initial moment of
confusion. The hit managed to break his jaw. I felt his bone crack
under my knuckles.
Deena and Angelica handled Gabriel, but it didn’t look easy.
He was a fearsome warrior, to say the least. The only advantage
we had was that we’d fought together before, even if only in
training. We had some knowledge of their weak points, based on
what we’d noticed in the video files of our memories.
The sense of urgency blew through me like a shot of
adrenaline. Just in time, too, as I had the sense to duck and avoid
a deep facial cut from Raziel’s extended claws. Uriel rammed his
fists into his lower back, bruising the kidneys.
I let my claws out and slashed at Raziel, drawing blood and
ripping his tunic off. It was a combined effort to disable both
him and Gabriel as quickly and as quietly as possible, so we could
set the last charge.
Raziel was faster, though, and managed to sneak an arm out.
His claws sliced through my side and cut off the strap I’d used to
keep the last brick-sized charge on my body. It fell on the
ground with a thump. I caught a glimpse of Araquiel sliding
down to grab it, just as Raziel turned around to quickly deal with
Uriel.
This was my only opening. Raziel was a worthy opponent, to
say the least.
“You traitors! You’re working with the outsiders, aren’t
you?!” Raziel shouted, and punched Uriel multiple times.
I snuck up on him and snatched the long knife from his belt.
He heard the screech of the blade leaving its sheath, but he
didn’t have time to react. I grabbed him by the hair and cut his
head off in one decisive hit.
“Raziel! No!” Gabriel gasped.
Uriel snarled from both pain and fury, then darted toward
Gabriel. He drove his clawed hands into his stomach. Gabriel
stilled, his eyes wide from the shock. His lips parted. A quiet
second later, blood gushed out.
Deena took his short sword and decapitated him. She and
Angelica then dragged the bodies out of sight, while Uriel caught
his breath, staring at his shaky hands. He seemed disgusted by
his own actions.
“I killed my brothers,” he muttered.
“They’ll be back,” Araquiel replied, emerging from behind a
tall metallic cabinet. “We’re done here.”
“Are we good to go?” I asked. “Thanks, by the way.”
“Don’t mention it,” Araquiel said, then looked at Uriel.
“Don’t beat yourself up over this. We’ll kill a lot more of our
people in the hours to come. We all know what we have to do
now.”
“Yes. No, I get it. It’s just… I didn’t think it would feel this
way,” Uriel said, struggling to come to terms with what he’d
done.
I gave him a firm pat on the back. “We have to do what we
have to do, Brother. The fate of the world depends on us, and
there is so much of it that we won’t get to see, if we fail.”
“We’re ready, by the way,” Araquiel interjected. “All the
charges are set and connected. We need to make them go
boom.”
Angelica and Deena came back to the center of the laboratory.
I could still see Gabriel’s and Raziel’s legs under one of the
tables, but it didn’t really matter at this point. We just didn’t
want them to stand out.
“We’ve got to get out of here first,” Angelica said.
“Right,” I replied, then fumbled through my tunic pocket for
my invisibility spell ration. We’d all been given ten of these
algae-based pouches to chew on, for quick consumption and
activation.
Araquiel found his and popped it in his mouth. We looked at
one another as we chewed, listening to the noises coming from
outside. Someone was barking orders, directing the guards to the
southwest gate.
“It’s getting hot out there,” Araquiel said as he vanished.
I couldn’t help but smile. “Then let’s make it hot in here,
too.”
“You two are stooges.” Deena chuckled, then pointed toward
the door as she became invisible. “We’re going north. Those
charges will go last in the chain reaction.”
I nodded and put my red lens on. Through it, I could see the
four Perfects I knew I’d have a good future with, if we succeeded
in this mission. I wanted all the pain and misery to end for those
most affected by Ta’Zan’s actions. But I also yearned to go out
there and explore the many and diverse planets that the
universe had to offer.
As we ran out of the laboratory, I thought of the four still-
developing Perfects we’d left in the artificial wombs. They were
still innocent. They didn’t know what they were getting
themselves into. They didn’t deserve this.
“Hold on!” I breathed, then ran back into the room, dodging
potential hostiles left and right.
I entered the lab again and stopped in front of one of the
artificial wombs, checking its cables and wiring. How could I
disconnect them, and what would that do to the creatures
inside?
Uriel squeezed my shoulder, startling me. “They’re
premature, Brother.”
He’d come back to stop me, but I couldn’t find it in me to
leave them here, so vulnerable. Their minds had yet to be
tarnished by Ta’Zan. Maybe there was still hope for them. I
ripped one of the oxygen cables first. The hiss echoed through
the room, and Uriel muttered a curse and went over to the
second womb. One cable at a time, he disconnected it.
I did the same, smiling and thankful that he was here with
me. Soon enough, Angelica and Deena joined us, while Araquiel
kept watch by the door.
“There isn’t much we can do,” I whispered, “but we can at
least wake them up and tell them to get out of here. Morfuris…”
Turning myself visible, I ripped through the artificial
membrane. Amniotic liquid spilled out. The Perfect, a young
female with medium-length black hair and pale, almost
iridescent skin, was free. But her eyes were still closed. In a
moment of instant clarity, upon measuring her from head to toe,
I pulled my knife out and cut the umbilical cord.
As soon as the blade sliced through it, her eyes popped open
and she drew her first breath. In a panicked frenzy, she tried to
move away from me—not knowing where she was, what she
was, or who we were. I completely understood how she felt. I’d
experienced the same after they woke me up on Calliope.
Angelica, Deena, and Uriel—Araquiel, too, for that matter—
had suffered through the first minute of blank consciousness.
Only, we had the time for someone to tell us what was going on.
This Perfect, along with her three equally befuddled and
terrified brothers, didn’t have that luxury. I gripped her
shoulders firmly, prompting her to look at me.
“I know this is confusing and scary. I know you don’t
understand a word I’m saying right now,” I said, then pointed at
the door. “But you need to get out and as far away from here as
possible. I don’t want an explosion tearing you apart to be your
first memory in this world.”
“We’re running out of time!” Araquiel whispered from the
door.
It caught the Perfect girl’s attention for a moment, but since
she couldn’t see Araquiel, she turned her focus on me. At least
she was calm. I took advantage of this moment, pulled her up to
her feet, and gently escorted her to the door. Angelica, Deena,
and Uriel made themselves visible for long enough to bring the
others forward as well. We whispered a collective “Morfuris”
just as the doors slid open. The newly-born Perfects wandered
out, causing some confusion in the hallway.
Nobody could see us anymore, but they could certainly see the
four premature Perfects stumbling into the crowd. Several
Faulties stopped in their tracks and rushed over to help them. I
took advantage of a few Perfect guards rushing past me to issue
an order as if it was coming from one of them.
“Take them to the infirmary!” I said out loud. “There was a
glitch in the womb. They’re premature.”
One of the Faulties looked around, obviously confused. He
spotted the guards moving down the hallway and exchanged
glances with one of them. Fortunately, it was enough of a
coincidence in gestures for the Faulty to think that the guard had
spoken instead of invisible me.
They did as ordered, while Angelica dragged me back toward
our original destination: the northern exit.
“Let the countdown begin!” Deena said. “Six minutes.”
“Five-fifty-nine,” Uriel continued.
“Five-fifty-eight,” Araquiel replied, a second later.
“Five-fifty-seven,” I murmured, running down the hallway.
Soon enough, this whole place would go down.
In about five minutes and fifty-four seconds, the explosive
charges would go off, and we’d be one step closer to giving our
brothers and sisters a new and better shot at life. Free from hate
and lies. Free from Ta’Zan. My heart almost burst with both grief
and excitement.
Grief for the Perfects I knew we’d lose in this war. Excitement
for the future we could still build for ourselves, once we got our
freedom and independence back.
J
H E R A K L E S
akkhiel hadn’t lost his edge.
In fact, in the days since I’d last seen him, he
seemed to have gotten better at delivering efficient
attacks. I’d enjoyed teasing him and making him chase me
around the colosseum in the beginning, back when he was just a
novice in this world. I loved getting him all riled up, only for him
to miss me at every turn.
This time, however, it was different, and my body bore the
marks. My movements were sluggish, my ribs bruised, and
dozens of cuts were blooming crimson on my face, arms, and
legs. Jakkhiel had yet to slash at the more important parts of my
body. My energy levels were running low, though. I wasn’t sure
how much longer I’d last out here.
“I can smell you!” Jakkhiel shouted through the jungle. “You
reek of fear, Herakles!”
I sighed, perched up on a gnarly branch, about thirty feet to
his right. I’d lost my weapon in this fight. It was somewhere on
the ground, about two, maybe three yards behind him, but I
couldn’t get to it just yet. Jakkhiel’s reflexes were deserving of
his species name—annoyingly perfect. I couldn’t make a move
without him noticing.
“And you stink of idiocy, but hey, we can’t all be perfect,
right?” I shot back, then jumped on another branch in a nearby
tree.
Below, my fellow Faulties and the Draenir were fighting their
own fights against the Perfect guards. The Draenir managed to
take shots from beneath the bushes, but the guards were quick
to catch on to their positions. It wasn’t long before the Draenir
were firing pulverizer pellets left and right, dangerously close to
running out of ammo. They’d taken some Perfects down, sure,
but they’d mostly hit trees and bushes. That meant fewer places
to climb and hide, not only for themselves, but for the rest of us,
too. Having such effective and destructive weapons in our
possession had a downside, it seemed, since everything they
touched was turned to ashes.
It became difficult to use the ground, as well, since the ashes
of trees and fallen Perfects were scattered across it, making
every footprint visible. That made it easier for the rest of the
guards to track us. Looking around, my crew had been reduced to
half of the original number. It made my heart ache, but it also
made me angry enough to keep going until every single one of
these winged bastards came down.
“No, you can’t all be perfect, but I certainly am,” Jakkhiel
said, sounding dangerously closer than before.
I let the tip of my tongue stick out to catch his scent. He’d
advanced through the jungle, but he was still somewhere behind
me. He hadn’t passed my tree yet. Gripping the trunk, I craned
my neck to one side, trying to spot him. My heart skipped a beat
when I saw him quietly climbing another tree in hopes of finding
me.
Two yards farther back was my gun. I locked on to it and made
it my mission to get back there and retrieve it. I’d failed to kill
Jakkhiel before, and I wasn’t going to make the same mistake
again.
I exhaled and relieved myself of any fear or doubt, then
jumped higher on the tree, one branch at a time, until I reached
the top. The dusky sky was red, with thin patches of orange
clouds that seemingly stretched forever, above a turquoise ocean
sprinkled with hundreds of islands in this one atoll. This place
was a paradise, a work of art. My home. And I sure as hell wasn’t
going to let the likes of Jakkhiel take it from me.
My torso hurt, pain flashing red hot through me whenever I
moved, but I couldn’t stop.
“Come on, Araquiel,” I whispered. “Get a move on,
already…”
The moment we’d get Araquiel’s signal, we were all due to
retreat and lose the hostiles, as the colosseum would finally
explode and, hopefully, come crashing down. That was going to
be enough to stop additional guards from coming to Jakkhiel’s
aid, for sure.
A roar shot through the woods. One of mine. My stomach
churned. I didn’t know whether it signified victory or a bloody
loss. I’d led these people here. In many ways, I was responsible
for them. Their deaths were going to be embedded in my
conscience, but the more of them I could bring to victory and
freedom, the better I’d feel and the more chances for our species
to survive and thrive in the future.
I made a risky jump from one treetop to another. I coughed
from the searing pain as I wrapped my arms around the slim
trunk. Two seconds later, I reached another top. Then another.
By the seventh jump, I looked down and breathed a sigh of relief.
Jakkhiel wasn’t close. Concern then wiggled its tail into my
thoughts. I couldn’t see him.
“That can’t be good,” I mumbled.
The wood exploded next to my face. Splinters jumped out.
Some pierced my skin.
I instinctively shut my eyes and jumped back. A split second
later, I was freefalling from an alarming height. Jakkhiel came
down after me. The bastard had almost blown my head off!
I grabbed on to the nearest branch, the bark scratching my
palms. The branch gave out with a heartbreaking snap. This just
wasn’t my lucky day.
“Now, you die!” Jakkhiel snarled as he hopped from branch to
branch, descending after me.
My landing was slightly softened by my multiple attempts to
hold on to something on my way down, but blood had gotten into
my eyes, and my arms were a tad weak from all the climbing. I
was probably bleeding internally, too—or I’d bruised an organ or
two, at the very best. It was getting increasingly difficult for me
to physically function at a level that would allow me to survive
this fight.
I hit the ground hard enough to get the air knocked out of my
lungs. Ashes burst out from beneath me in grayish clouds. I
groaned from the pain, but the adrenaline and my will to live
didn’t let me succumb.
Glancing up, I saw that Jakkhiel was approaching, his claws
out and a hungry sneer slitting his face.
He was eager to tear me apart and splatter me across the
jungle.
I couldn’t let him win. I’d endured enough from him during
the first days of Ta’Zan’s so-called ideal society. He’d kicked me,
he’d humiliated me, and he’d murdered one of my best friends.
Of course, he’d claimed it was an accident, but Jakkhiel was as
vicious and as evil as Abaddon and many other Perfects who’d
gotten drunk on their own power.
No, I couldn’t let him end this here. Not now. Not like this.
Fate smiled upon me. My pulverizer weapon was just a couple
of feet away. I cried out in agony as I managed to extend a hand
to reach it. My fingers caught the nozzle just as Jakkhiel jumped
on the last branch—a mere second away from finishing me off.
One second. That’s all I get.
Jakkhiel came down, his claws long and sharp and craving my
flesh. The look of impending victory on his face quickly morphed
into one of dread. I’d never seen the color drain from someone’s
face so fast.
I fired the pulverizer pellet.
Poof.
Jakkhiel was a puff of ashes, momentarily suspended in the
air.
One breath. Another. The third was equally painful, but at
least I was still alive. The ocean breeze blew through the jungle
and sent Jakkhiel away.
I lay there for a few seconds, listening to the sounds around
me. Shots fired. Bones broken. Perfects dying. Faulties and
Draenir getting torn apart. Their screams would never leave my
memory. I’d brought them here.
Then again, we hadn’t known that the Perfects had their own
version of the pulverizer weapon. It shouldn’t have come as a
surprise to begin with, though. Ta’Zan had stolen most, if not
all, of his knowledge and technology from the Draenir. He hadn’t
seen the need for such weapons until Ben and Rose’s crew
started using them back on Merinos.
“Come on, Araquiel, how much long—” I muttered, but was
promptly interrupted by his voice in my ear.
“The explosives are set. I repeat, the explosives are set,”
Araquiel said.
I pressed the main button on my earpiece, feeling my lips
stretch into a broad smile. “Finally. It took you a while,” I
replied.
“On it!” Amal’s voice came through.
“We’re almost out of the diamond dome!” Elonora said on the
same channel. “About a dozen left to come down, along with the
witches and warlock.”
“Five minutes,” Rose added. “Give them five minutes, then
blow this place up.”
“Got it,” Araquiel replied.
As if rejuvenated, I managed to pull myself up into a sitting
position. My people were scattered, as were the Draenir, dashing
between trees as the Perfects tried to catch them. I saw pellets
flying, their targets obliterated.
Most of the shots were fired while running, often over the
shoulder, so the trees incurred most of the damage. But I
couldn’t let this go on for another second.
I belted out the retreat signal, a cackle imitating a specific
wild bird my people and I had encountered during our travels in
the eastern archipelagos. It echoed through the jungle, its
distinctive sound reaching everyone.
We’d planned for this. From taunting and engaging the
Perfects, we quickly switched to running away from them. I got
up, determined to ignore the stiffness and crippling pain
coursing through my bones, and climbed the first tree in front of
me.
The higher I got, the better I could see.
Below, my people were running. The Draenir were nowhere to
be seen, already. The Perfects were falling behind. The more
persistent ones got themselves pulverized.
I wasn’t as close to the colosseum as I’d thought. About a
hundred and fifty yards had grown between us during my fight
with Jakkhiel. I couldn’t help but smile, settling on one of the
treetop branches to watch what came next, once the explosives
were detonated.
Despite my aching body and wounds that would require
treatment soon, I was satisfied. I’d managed to kill Jakkhiel, the
one Perfect I’d known I would never let see the light of day, ever
again, if I got the chance.
Lo and behold, the universe had appeased me.
Whatever else came next, I could take it, head on.
T
D O U M A
a’Zan came to see us again. This time, however, he
seemed angrier than before. I could tell from the way
his eyes darted from Raphael to me, then back to Raphael. It was
one of the few signs I’d identified as stress markers for Ta’Zan—
his inability to focus his gaze on a single person.
“Did you know?” Ta’Zan asked us both.
Raphael didn’t miss an opportunity to further annoy his
creator. “About what? The fact that everything is slipping
through your fingers?”
I didn’t have his sharp tongue, unfortunately; otherwise, I
would’ve gladly chimed in. I was more focused on getting Ta’Zan
out of the room before Isda or the twins came in to release us. I’d
just heard Araquiel through my earpiece. This place was going to
explode in five minutes.
“About my surrogate mother!” Ta’Zan snapped.
“Oh, he’s fuming,” I murmured, mostly to Raphael, who gave
me a quick wink, then grinned at Ta’Zan.
“He found out about Bogdana,” he said.
Ta’Zan narrowed his eyes at him. “So you knew.”
“She’s quite a firecracker, I’ll give her that,” Raphael replied.
“Though, she’s not exactly proud of her choice to help you come
into this world. You haven’t really given her any reason for
that.”
“All she did was carry me in her womb,” Ta’Zan shot back. “I
don’t need her approval.”
“Then why are you so hung up on her?” Raphael asked,
grinning. “You could’ve brushed her off. Why are you so angry
about her? Or about the fact that we knew? Does it even matter
anymore? You stuffed her in the diamond dome with the
others.”
“It irks me. Well, I suppose I am disappointed in you two,”
Ta’Zan replied. “You should’ve been the first to tell me about
her, the moment she showed up at the gate. Had you been loyal
to me, your maker, that is.”
Movement behind Ta’Zan caught my eye. Isda. She stayed out
of the room, but she crouched for a moment, before she got up
and disappeared somewhere to the right. Something was
happening. Our escape was imminent, but how could it unfold
with Ta’Zan still here?
My pulse quickened, and my chest tightened.
“Where is she now?” I asked.
“In my private quarters. She and I have some catching up to
do,” Ta’Zan replied.
Raphael chuckled. “And you said you don’t have mommy
issues.”
“Bogdana is not my mother!” Ta’Zan shouted.
Both Raphael and I stilled. That was one tender nerve we’d
struck.
I mouthed the word “wow,” then looked at Raphael. “You
were right,” I said. “He’s completely irrational where any form
of true family is concerned. He says she’s not his mother, but he
clearly feels a bond, given that she carried him in her womb. You
were absolutely right.”
“What are you talking about?” Ta’Zan cut in, frowning and
becoming increasingly aggravated.
“I was just telling Douma before you came in that you lose
your mind whenever your parents, your lineage, or even your
surrogate mother are brought up,” Raphael replied. “You play
this cool and reserved leader, empirical and determined by
nature, detached and resilient, but, in the end, you’re as weak as
the rest of us. As dependent on family as anyone else.”
“You raised us to be soldiers, but you didn’t think for one
second that you couldn’t erase our social need to be with family,
with friends, no matter what circumstances you put us in,” I
added. “You completely erased the concept of family to begin
with, but you are hung up on it. You’re suffering. You’ve been
suffering for years. You probably cried when Mudak died.”
Ta’Zan moved toward me. “You will regret—Argh!”
He jumped to the side and looked down. His eyes nearly
popped from their orbits. Raphael and I followed his gaze.
“Oh, damn,” Raphael muttered, struggling not to laugh.
“That can’t be good.”
A devil-viper had been let loose in this room. This had to be
why I’d seen Isda by the doorway. Judging by the blood trickling
from Ta’Zan’s ankle, the serpent had emptied its venom reserve
through its wide fangs. The bite was painful and messy, since the
fangs were long, arched, and sharp enough to reach the larger
veins.
“What… What… Where did it…”
Ta’Zan’s voice trailed off as his eyes rolled into his head. He
fell forward, flat on his face. His blood turned black, myriads of
capillaries and veins visible on his face, his neck, and his hands.
“It’s not going to kill him,” Isda said as she came in with a
rectangular piece of glass in her hands. The circuits inside it
glistened silver and gold. “But it will keep him down for a bit.
Devil-viper venom is deadly in a full bite like that, but Ta’Zan
—”
“Has acquired Perfect regeneration abilities,” Raphael
completed her sentence. “Yeah, we know. How long will the
venom keep him down, though?”
Isda pressed the rectangular glass against Raphael’s box. It
was a key. As soon as it touched the glass surface, its circuits
revealed the box’s own wiring, in an active connection. Two
seconds later, the glass wall to his right dissolved and withdrew,
allowing Raphael to step out.
“An hour, for sure,” Amal replied as she came in,
accompanied by Amane, who was carrying a strange device in
her lap. “Maybe more, if we’re lucky.”
“Is that the—” I asked, but Amane beat me to it.
“The mass memory wiper, yes,” she said, smiling.
Isda moved to unlock my box next, while Amane pressed the
deactivation code on Raphael’s collar. It snapped off and
dropped on the floor.
“We’ve got two minutes left before this whole place blows
up,” Amal said.
I stepped out of my glass box, thankful to be so close to
freedom again. Amal removed my collar next and dumped it on
the floor by Raphael’s.
“We should take him with us, then,” I said, looking at Ta’Zan.
“His presence here was unexpected, but if he’s going to be out
like this, he’s vulnerable. We could end it all sooner.”
“Let’s cut his head off now, before he comes to. As soon as we
reach the others, we can just grab a pulverizer weapon and finish
him off,” Raphael suggested.
Amal and Amane looked at each other, while Isda carefully
placed the mass memory wiper in a backpack. She handed it back
to Amane, who put it on her back.
“They’re right,” Amane said, a tinge of excitement in her
voice. “We could—”
The swish of a blade cut her off. Amal cried out in pain, then
dropped to the floor.
Ta’Zan was awake!
He snaked an arm around Amal’s neck and started choking
her, gritting his teeth in pure rage. “You traitorous bitch! I raised
you! I taught you everything! I gave you everything!”
Amane was quick to react, before either of us could move. She
kicked him in the ribcage, while Isda struggled to get Amal out of
his suffocating grip. She was already pale, unable to breathe
properly.
Raphael and I helped get Amal and Amane away from him.
Ta’Zan got up, wiping the foam from his mouth with the back of
his hand. His veins were gradually returning to their original
color, but he wobbled slightly on his feet.
“Did you think I’d let any creature live here without
immunizing myself to its venom or toxins?” he hissed, then
quickly pushed a button on his silvery bracelet and drew two
long knives from his belt, pointing them at us. “Just because I’m
not a Perfect doesn’t mean I’m not capable of chopping you all
up into little pieces.”
Raphael moved to attack him, but my hand shot out to the
side, blocking him. “Don’t. He’s already called for backup. If we
fight him now, we’ll get stuck when it—”
I stopped myself before I revealed the existence of the
explosive charges. It was bad enough that Ta’Zan had made
himself immune to devil-viper venom. We couldn’t have him
warn anyone about the bombs.
“Then we’re not taking him with us.” Raphael sighed.
He was obviously disappointed, and so was I, but we’d already
lost our edge here, and there was less than a minute before it all
went off. Ta’Zan was too alert for us to take him on, now. I
glanced to my left, where Isda, Amane, and Amal were standing
and shaking before Ta’Zan. They’d never be safe unless we ended
him. There were three Faulties and only two of us Perfects to get
them out of here fast enough.
But Ta’Zan still stood in our way. Every second was crucial
now.
“No. We have to leave. Now,” I said.
Ta’Zan was too furious to follow our conversation at this
point. He roared and charged Raphael—a foolish decision, in my
opinion, but Ta’Zan was already off his rocker, destabilized by
Amal’s betrayal on top of everything else. He wasn’t thinking
rationally anymore. He was reacting solely based on his
emotions.
It worked in our favor. Raphael dodged his knife hit and
rammed a fist into his stomach. He then sucker-punched Ta’Zan
right in the face and tossed him to the side. Ta’Zan landed on his
back and slid on the diamond floor, until he hit the wall.
Raphael was quick to do the math between us, next.
“This place will be crawling with guards any minute now,” he
said.
“North exit. We need to take the north exit,” Amal replied.
He nodded, then grabbed Amal and Amane by their waists
and held them close. I took Isda’s hand, and we all ran out,
leaving Ta’Zan behind. We heard him roaring as we dashed
through the hallway.
It was a damn shame we couldn’t take him—but a conscious
Ta’Zan couldn’t be abducted like this, not with seconds left on
the clock.
As expected, Perfect guards poured into the hallway and came
after us. Raphael and I increased our speed. The air crackled at
our heels. Our wings snapped out, wide and white and flapping.
Dozens of other Perfects and Faulties got out of the way.
The corridors were tall and wide enough for us both to fly
through, but not with so many creatures around. The more
Perfects were alerted by the incoming guards behind us, the
more of them started coming after us.
“Get out of here,” Isda screamed at the Faulties we shot past
along the way. “Get out! It’ll blow up!”
It was too late for the Perfects to do anything about the
explosives anymore. They were too rattled and confused, not
only by Isda’s screams, but also by our presence and Ta’Zan’s
roars—still echoing through that part of the colosseum.
When the first boom ripped through the building, my heart
stopped.
A moment later, it resumed beating, harder and faster than
ever before.
The second and third booms rocked this level. The diamond
pillars and bricks began to shake. Murmurs and screams erupted
behind us as we continued our flight toward the northern exit. I
briefly glanced behind us and saw the sea of Perfect guards
coming to a halt, their eyes wide with horror.
The fourth explosion tore through them and that section of
the hallway.
“Move! Move! Move!” I shouted.
Raphael and I whizzed past the last handful of Perfects still
standing by the northern exit, with Amane, Amal, and Isda
firmly in our grip. As soon as we made it out and shot through
the jungle like rebellious arrows, all hell broke loose behind us.
Thundering booms erupted. Glass and diamond shattered.
Thousands of Perfects were torn to shreds or crushed, as the
entire colosseum moaned from the chain of constant explosions.
The small charges had gone off first. The big ones destroyed a lot
in their path. Where they broke through, flowers of amber fire
and black smoke blossomed all around the colosseum.
“I warned most of the Faulties to get to safety before we got
to you,” Isda croaked, her arms wrapped around my waist. “But
the message didn’t get to all of them, I think…”
“I’m sorry, Isda,” I murmured, occasionally looking over my
shoulder.
The giant diamond structure broke down. As expected, parts
of it didn’t collapse, but most of it crumbled like a sand castle.
Orange blazes and clouds of black smoke burst and spread out,
where the bombs hit fuel tanks and chemical supplies by the
hangars. Whatever ships Ta’Zan had been rebuilding in there,
they were now gone.
Once more, his work had been destroyed.
His home, his palace, the beacon of oppressive Perfects… it
was coming down, diamond chunk by diamond chunk. And the
sound of that disaster was the wind beneath my wings as
Raphael and I kept flying.
The pulse of the explosions caught up with us. We were fast,
but not faster than the shockwave of such a detonation. We’d
left the colosseum late…
It smacked us all from behind. I wound up crashing through
trees and shrubs. I heard Isda scream.
Raphael grunted. I yelped from a sharp pain in my side, then
rolled into the bushes. My wings broke before I could withdraw
them and gather myself into a ball for a forced landing. I was
thrown against something hard and cold. Maybe a rock.
Everything went black.
Somewhere in the background, leaves rustled. Bodies hit the
ground. Bones broke. And explosions continued to tear through
the colosseum, like drums beating in the distance in a solid
rhythm. All I could think of was Dmitri as I faded from
consciousness.
Did he make it out?
T
E L O N O R A
horoughly creeped out by the moving, walking, and
breathing copies of us left upstairs, I made my way
through the tunnel, accompanied by Nevis and Varga. Ahead,
Vesta was forging the rest of the tunnel. I wasn’t sure if it was
just her awesome fae power or whether she had help from the
Hermessi without even knowing it, but I had to give the girl
credit—she could practically dig a tunnel with her bare hands.
When the explosions were set off, the ground shook. Beneath
us. Around us. Above us.
“It’s begun,” Nevis said.
I looked back, using my True Sight to see all the way to the
diamond dome tunnel end. I cackled with pure, unadulterated
joy when I saw Kailani jump in, with Corrine, Ibrahim, and Lumi.
They were the last four in our massive crew. In front of them,
most of the founders stayed together. Farther ahead were Jax
and Hansa, the nine wards, and Hunter, who was constantly
glancing over his shoulder, making sure he could still see
Kailani.
Hundreds of our GASP people were in-between, while Zeriel
was right behind us, keeping an eye on Vesta ahead. Sprinkled
among us were the fae, who did their parts as we kept moving
through the tunnel.
Some held the tunnel together. Others passed flames around
to keep every section well-lit as they advanced. Fire was
provided by the dragons. A few of the air-proficient fae made
sure the currents flowed from one end to another, giving us a
constant supply of fresh air, which they pulled from the
diamond dome. This was a team effort of extraordinary
proportions, and I had to admit, I was genuinely impressed.
I was also beaming with pride. These were the kind of people I
was ready to fight for.
Without the shock collars, they could all use their abilities
and remind us of why they were a fit for the GASP alliance, in the
first place. They were all ambitious and fearless, determined and
resilient. They were all warriors and survivors, and it was my
duty to make sure they lived through this.
The ground quaked, over and over, making it a bit harder for
us to run without tumbling down. My True Sight gave me a full
view of the destruction unraveling on the surface. The diamond
colosseum was collapsing, consumed by bright orange-and-
black clouds of fire and destruction.
“It’s coming down,” I shouted, for everyone to hear me.
“Araquiel, are you there?” Rose asked, pressing the main
button on her earpiece. “Araquiel! Herakles! Douma! Amane!”
“Team, come in!” Ben joined her on the line, using his
earpiece to contact the general channel. We could all hear
anything on it, but no answer came through.
Rose panted as another tremor made her lose her footing. Ben
was quick to catch her by the elbow. They kept moving and
trying to reach out to the others. Scanning the surface above us, I
couldn’t see much—I couldn’t make out who was out there.
People were running away from the colosseum. Most of them
Faulties. I spotted some Draenir, too. But I couldn’t find our
team leaders. I couldn’t see Amane or Amal… Raphael or
Douma… Araquiel. Nathaniel. Uriel. Angelica or Deena. Heck,
Herakles was nowhere to be found, either.
I cursed under my breath. “I can’t see them. But it’s a mess
up there.”
“Define ‘mess,’ little sister,” Varga shot back.
“The Faulties were definitely warned,” I replied. “Isda did her
part. There are lots of them up there, running from the
colosseum. But I can’t see our people anywhere. I mean, it’s hard
to track them while we’re down here, running as well.”
“Keep moving!” Rose advised us. “Keep digging. Once we
reach the surface and get to a safe spot, we’ll do a tally. We can’t
stop now!”
I nodded and shifted my focus back to Vesta. The earth
opened up in front of us, in shades of black and brown and
fragments of marble, limestone, and a multitude of colorful
crystals. I felt as though I was moving through an iridescent
painting of an unreal world, something imagined by an artist’s
mind.
Shimmers of diamonds and rubies and sapphires and
emeralds—all of them raw and unpolished—caught my eye,
both to the left and right. Occasionally, there were threads of
glowing blue serium and gorgeous obsidian. Lava fissures had to
be close, most likely deeper underground. We passed by ancient
tree roots stretching and swirling for hundreds of feet down,
buried bones, and sheets of sweet water.
It reminded me of our Hermessi-induced tumble through the
entrails of Strava, shortly after Cassiel came after us with an
army of Perfects back on Merinos. I wondered how he was taking
all this.
“By the time Ta’Zan figures out what happened, it’ll be too
late,” Nevis said.
“Most of the colosseum is coming down,” I replied,
frequently checking the disaster scene that we left farther
behind. “Some parts will probably collapse later. The diamond
dome is still standing!”
“It’s a separate structure,” Nevis said. “It’s only linked to the
colosseum through minor fixes. The structural damage is done,
though. I think it looks worse than it actually is.”
“That’s why Amal used those red, powdered chemicals for the
explosive charges,” Varga reminded us. “She said they’re mostly
for show, since the Perfects can’t be permanently destroyed like
this, and since the entire colosseum is pure diamond.”
“Yeah, but the charges were well placed,” I replied. “Either
way—” I went quiet for a moment, hearing an unfamiliar sound.
A wail of some kind, mechanical and sharp, much like the air
raid sirens the humans had on Earth. “It’s coming from the
surface,” I added, then looked at Varga.
He, too, could hear them. They were getting louder, to the
point where everyone was aware of them. The sound made my
skin crawl.
“Sirens,” Varga confirmed. “They’re all around the island.
The Perfects are ringing their alarms, I think.”
“Good, because we’re about to get to the surface and
hopefully see a fae shuttle come through,” Vesta said, then
raised her hands slowly.
The earth reacted to her movements, almost as fluid as water.
The tunnel began to ascend, and we gradually made our way back
to the surface. It split open, eventually, in the heart of the
jungle, about two miles from the colosseum.
Varga and I immediately pulled on our hoods, masks, and
goggles as we made it into a small clearing. The other vampires
managed to rip leafy branches along the way, which they used to
shield themselves from the afternoon sun cutting through the
foliage, its beams lighting up patches of wildflowers. Vesta
dropped to her knees, trying to catch her breath. She’d put in an
insane amount of work. She definitely needed the break.
I gently squeezed her shoulder, while the prisoners emerged
from the tunnel and occupied the clearing. When there was no
more room, they spread out into the woods but stayed close to us
and the founders’ crew.
“Well done,” I said to Vesta. “That was epic, to say the least.”
Vesta looked at her trembling hands, turning them over once
in a while. She seemed surprised by what she’d accomplished,
and she gave me a weak smile. “I didn’t really feel like myself…
It’s like I was in the backseat, watching the earth open up in
front of me.”
Zeriel kneeled next to her, then kissed her temple and held
her close. “Maybe the Hermessi gave you a hand.”
“See, that’s a little creepy. I’m pretty sure consent would be
appropriate if they’re going to use my body like this,” Vesta
grumbled.
Taeral stepped forward and motioned for the trees in front of
us to move. Like magic, the trunks moaned and creaked, but still
bent under his fae influence, clearing the view for us.
“Whoa, didn’t know you had earth manipulation abilities,”
Bijarki breathed, watching in awe as the forest bent in front of
us, so we could see the colosseum coming down in hot flames.
“I didn’t know, either,” Taeral replied, his voice shaking.
“This has to be the Hermessi’s doing,” Ben chimed in.
“Imagine what will happen when the full moon rises and all
one thousand and one fae are present on Strava,” Lumi
muttered.
Kailani scoffed. “I know I should be more excited about that,
but I don’t know… My gut’s telling me we’re playing with a
different kind of fire.”
Derek and Sofia couldn’t take their eyes off the colosseum,
while the rest of the founders’ crew proceeded to do a quick tally
of the GASP prisoners gathered around them.
“I wonder what Ta’Zan is doing,” Derek said. “I mean, I know
this didn’t kill him. I’m just curious as to what his mindset is,
right now.”
“That aside, I sure hope he’s got Bogdana in a safe place,”
Taeral grumbled, his brow furrowed and his arms crossed. “It’s
bad enough we practically sacrificed her to him.”
“He won’t kill her,” Draven replied. “Relax, young prince.
I’m sure she’s okay. Once we’re in a safe place, maybe our
swamp witches can help us find out how she’s doing through
some kind of magic.”
Bijarki chuckled softly. “Still, I find it endearing how attached
you are to Bogdana,” he said, then gave Taeral a friendly slap on
the back.
Rose checked her earpiece again. “Douma! Amane! Herakles!
Araquiel! Anyone there?”
The comms line crackled, but Harper’s voice came through.
“Rose, it’s Harper. Come in!”
I was glad to hear her, but I was also a little bit disappointed. I
wasn’t comfortable not knowing what our friends were doing—
whether they were okay, whether they’d survived their parts of
the mission.
As if sensing my distress, Nevis discreetly took my hand and
squeezed it tight, as if eager to absorb some of my emotions.
Strangely enough, it did feel better.
“Harper!” Rose replied. “Do you have eyes on Nathaniel and
the others, maybe?”
“No. The telescope tracker stopped above the general area of
the colosseum,” Harper said. “Listen, we’re watching this live.
When do you think is a good time to get the fae shuttle in?
They’re about to miss their entry point to land in the winter-
summer cluster. If they miss it, they’ll have to complete the
orbit before they can come in, so as not to risk Perfects attacking
it.”
“That won’t be good, since the full moon is tomorrow night,
and we need time to get to them, to secure them.” Rose sighed,
rubbing the back of her neck in frustration.
“Whoa… Check that out.” Dmitri pointed at the sky.
As the sirens continued to wail around the island,
incandescent arrows shot through the sky from multiple
neighboring colosseums. Perfects. Thousands of them.
“Arched trajectory. They’re headed for the disaster site,” Ben
murmured, staring at the flashes of light.
The sonic booms and the sirens screeching made it difficult
for me to focus. I took several deep breaths, trying to keep my
head in the game. We couldn’t be out here for much longer. We
needed to put a few more miles between us and Ta’Zan, before
they figured out that the people inside the diamond dome
weren’t us.
Looking at it now, we saw that Ta’Zan’s great palace was in
shambles. Laboratories destroyed. Fuel tanks ruptured and
ignited. Arches and hundreds of chambers collapsed. All his
work. His research. His Creation Labs and spaceships. His creepy
orchards of artificial wombs, and the learning rooms. Most of it
blown to bits.
Large chunks of diamond remained, but everything else was
mostly torched. They’d rebuild, I knew that, but Ta’Zan no
longer had our genetic material or Amal by his side to help him.
Besides, all this destruction was, in fact, a distraction. I
wondered if his four Draenir specimens had survived the blast.
Unfortunately, we’d not had the time or the resources to bust
them out, too.
Judging by the thousands of Perfects converging on the
colosseum now, our plan was definitely working. My resolve was
stronger than ever.
“Harper, let the fae come in,” Rose said. “It’s now or never.”
As if automatically ignited, my True Sight took hold as I
looked to the western skies. Soon, a light spark would pierce it,
and I’d have to track it. It was our duty to get to the shuttle
before any of the Perfects spotted it. Hopefully, they would all be
too busy with Ta’Zan’s crumbling capital to notice a measly ball
of light with seven hundred and forty-two fae in it.
If we succeeded with this, we had the equivalent of nuclear
weapons against this enemy. We had a real shot at saving
ourselves, our families, our friends, and, most importantly, the
entire universe.
“W
D M I T R I
e can’t stay here,” Jovi said.
For good reason, too. The thousands of light
flashes coming toward the colosseum faded, revealing a
troubling number of Perfects descending upon the island.
Swarms upon swarms of angry warriors with wings and abilities
superior to ours, desperate to rescue their maker and to exact
revenge on those responsible for the explosions.
I pressed the comms button on my earpiece. “Douma…
Douma, are you there? Are you okay? Talk to me!”
Still, no reply came through. We didn’t know what had
happened to them. We had no idea whether they’d made it,
whether Amal, Amane, Herakles, or Isda had survived. We didn’t
know how many rogue Faulties and Draenir had escaped the
Perfects’ claws earlier by the southwest entrance of the
colosseum. There was no sign from Araquiel or Nathaniel and his
crew. Douma wasn’t picking up, either.
The worst-case scenarios began to sneak through my mind,
planting seeds of poison that festered and infected my heart. I
was worried sick about her. I was ready to do anything to get
back to her, but, at the same time, I couldn’t leave my people
behind.
Jovi was right. We couldn’t stay here much longer. Within the
next hour or so, someone, if not Ta’Zan himself, would figure out
what we’d left in the diamond dome pretending to be us. Search
parties were going to scour the woods and the entire damn ocean
to find us. This was our golden opportunity to get our people to
safety, to meet with the incoming fae, and to put the next stage
of our plan in motion.
All this needed to stop.
“Look…” Lumi breathed, pointing at the sky, somewhere to
the west.
The glimmer was quick and flashy, but it faded away to a tiny
point of light, barely noticeable against the burning sunset sky.
That had to be the shuttle.
“They’re in!” Harper said through the general comms line.
“Headed for Merinos, more or less.”
Just in time, too. The sky darkened above our island as the
Perfects began their descent. Taeral waved his hands, forcing the
trees back up, their lush crowns stretching and covering the
clearing. He’d virtually redesigned this entire patch of land,
making it difficult for anyone headed toward the island to spot
us.
“Time to go,” he said.
Rose looked at Vesta, then Ben, Taeral, and the other fae. “We
need another tunnel back to base camp. It’s the safest and
fastest way, since there are too many of us for Corrine, Ibrahim,
Taeral, and Kailani to teleport there. On top of that, only Taeral
and Kale know the location. It would be too dangerous for
Corrine and Ibrahim to go blind.”
“We can pull it off,” Ben replied. “If we all work together, like
we did on our way out of the dome. Right?”
He glanced around, pleased to see the fae nodding, neither
doubtful nor unwilling. They all stepped forward and gathered
around Ben, Vesta, and Taeral. Lucas and Kailyn joined them,
motioning for the rest of us to step back.
“We need about ten feet of space around us,” Kailyn said.
“We’ll all drop into the tunnel. Half of us will go ahead below
with Vesta to build the tunnel as we go. The other half will stay
at the end of the line to keep it up for everyone to pass through.”
Lucas nodded slowly. “We’ll let it collapse behind us, to
preserve our energy, I suppose.”
“Yes, we have to. It’s about two hundred miles to base camp,”
Vesta said. “And we’ll have to keep the tunnel straight. Which
means we’ll be going through the ocean level, too.”
“So, water tunnel,” Taeral replied.
Nevis joined them. “I’ll help.”
As if summoned by their lord, a dozen Dhaxanians came
forward as well, while Varga and Elonora stayed close to our
grandparents. Elonora didn’t seem all that comfortable to be
separated from Nevis, but she didn’t flinch. It was obvious that
she loved the guy. I only hoped they’d both survive this so they
could be together—much like I hoped I’d see Douma again.
“We’ll all help,” one of the Dhaxanians said.
Two hundred miles’ worth of tunneling. A fae shuttle headed
for the winter-summer cluster. No sign of our Perfect and Faulty
allies. This had to be the sweet-and-sour side of our Stravian
experience, though, frankly, I would’ve preferred it significantly
less extreme.
“Listen, we have a great advantage now, with the bilocation
spell,” Derek said.
The woods thundered in the distance as the Perfects from
nearby islands finally reached the colosseum. I would’ve loved to
have eyes on them, to see the extent of the damage we’d caused.
We’d made it so far, though, and we had to keep going, no
matter how much we wanted to look back.
“Let’s take this whole crew to the base camp, first,” Derek
added. “If we move fast, we’ll be there in a few hours. Then, a
bunch of us will teleport to the winter-summer cluster and
secure the fae’s positions by midnight tomorrow. That way,
when the Hermessi are ready, all they’ll have to do will be to
activate themselves using the fae as their conduits.”
“What about the mass memory wiper? We’ll need that to
disable the Perfects,” Xavier replied.
Derek sighed. “I’m afraid we won’t know anything about it
until we hear from Amane or Amal. In the meantime, we must
bring the Hermessi back to their full strength. They’re raw forces
of nature. The Perfects won’t survive them, and that’s our most
violent option right now, in the absence of a mass memory
wiper.”
My heart was thudding, wrestling against the confines of my
ribcage. Every second that passed without hearing from Douma
added to my aggravation, to the point where I could no longer
hold it in.
“Douma. Are you there?” I asked through the earpiece again.
“Douma!”
Thunder rumbled in the distance. Elonora’s eyes glimmered
gold as she used her True Sight to check on the colosseum.
Before she could open her mouth to say something, a blue pulse
flashed through us and continued to extend outward, like a
solitary ripple across time and space.
It felt weird. As if magnets had just tried to pull my organs
inside out for a moment.
“Crap,” Elonora croaked. “That came from the colosseum.
The Perfects surrounded it first, and now they’re going in.”
“What type of pulse was that?” Cameron asked. “It was
weird.”
“It kicked my intestines around,” Lucas grumbled.
“Yeah, it was strange, but… I don’t know what it was,”
Elonora replied. “I only know it came from the colosseum.”
Derek scratched the back of his head. “Maybe something
flammable blew up?”
“It wasn’t an explosion,” Elonora said. “It was something
else.”
I pressed the main button on my earpiece again. The pulse
must’ve hit Douma, too, wherever she was. “Douma, are you
there?”
This time, however, the silence was different. It was blank.
Zero static.
“Oh, no,” Kailani murmured, pressing the buttons on her
earpiece. “Harper? Come in, Harper? Anyone? Can anyone hear
me on the main channel? You should all be hearing me now,”
she asked, looking around at all of us.
Like a hammer in the gut, the realization came. Brutal and
soul-crushing, as we connected the dots to this blue pulse. Sofia
covered her mouth, hit by the shock of it all.
“The comms are down again,” Derek concluded, his brow
furrowed.
“That must’ve been the disabling pulse,” Elonora said. “I
remember Raphael specifically saying that, once rebuilt, the
blocking towers could be activated remotely. Maybe this is what
he meant.”
Hunter grunted and muttered a string of curses. “We
destroyed the damn colosseum. How the hell was that pulse even
possible?!”
“We knew from the very beginning that the explosions might
not take everything down,” Lumi reminded him. “Maybe it was
Ta’Zan or Cassiel or whichever of his lieutenants managed to get
to wherever they were keeping this magi-tech. Clearly, said
magi-tech survived the explosions and jammed our comms
channels again.”
Bijarki lit up like a bulb, fueled by intense emotions of anger.
I’d seen him shimmer with joy and love whenever he was close
to Vita, but I’d never seen this end of his emotional spectrum. I
had to admit that, as pretty as that silvery skin of his was, it gave
me the creeps when it manifested his rage.
“So, we’re cut off from Calliope again,” he snapped.
“And Nathaniel. And Douma. And Amane. Herakles.
Everyone we gave an earpiece to.” Rose sighed, shaking her head
slowly.
Trees broke in troves, not far from our location. Something
was happening out there, and it couldn’t possibly be good for us.
Rose groaned, then looked at the fae and her brother.
“It’s time. We have to go. Now!” she said.
I didn’t like the idea of leaving. Not now, not when I didn’t
know whether Douma had made it or not. Maybe she was still
locked up. Maybe she’d been crushed in the colosseum’s collapse
and was now vulnerable to capture. So many unpleasant maybes.
With an iron will and an unshakeable resolve, Ben, Taeral,
Lucas, Vesta, Kailyn, and all the other fae in our group put their
hands out, their palms facing the ground. An earthquake shook
us all, before a circular hole opened up beneath them.
They all dropped inside, swallowed by momentary darkness.
By the time we reached the edge, the tunnel was already
forming beneath. Ben and Vesta led the way, since they had the
directions to the base camp. One by one, we slipped down the
steep edge and entered the tunnel.
I stayed close to Elonora, Jovi, and the others, while Nevis and
his Dhaxanians led the way with Vesta and Ben. Their frost
abilities would be required to hold up an entire tunnel through
the water, once we reached the ocean.
Above us, there was spine-tingling silence. In the distance,
however, sonic booms cut through the sky, while more Perfects
went to the central colosseum.
Come to think of it, Ta’Zan was going to be pissed off, and
then some! Yet, I knew he’d breathe a sigh of relief once he saw
that his GASP prisoners were still there. I would’ve given
anything to see him blow a gasket once he realized that all he
had were copies, useless for his genetic work. It was the only
thought that gave me some kind of comfort as I ran through the
tunnel with the others, in Douma’s absence.
All I could do was make sure my people got to safety. I’d find a
way to get to Douma later, if she didn’t return to the base camp
first. I also had to withstand the increasing discomfort in the pit
of my stomach.
The operation hadn’t gone as smoothly as we would’ve
hoped, and we were cut off from the world again, in terms of
means of communication, but there was still a spark on the
horizon: a shuttle of fae badly needed by the Hermessi to rise up
and put the Perfects back in their place. To put an end to Ta’Zan.
I
D E R E K
should’ve been happier for finally getting out of that
damn dome.
We’d been stuck there for what felt like decades, not
weeks. It was nice to move again without the shock collar
heating up or electrocuting me. But our mission was incomplete.
The comms were down, and we couldn’t get hold of our allies.
We didn’t know how many had survived the melee by the
southwest entrance. We didn’t know if Amal and Amane had
made it out with the mass memory wiper.
Our goal was to fight Ta’Zan in a clean manner, disabling his
army by wiping the memory of the Perfects. The bigger the
device’s radius, the more minds to clean, and that was where the
Hermessi’s power intervened. They had the juice to make it
happen.
Otherwise, we would be forced to kill them, also with the
Hermessi’s help. Upon the next full moon, the natural elements
were going to channel their energy and activate themselves by
using the living bodies of one thousand and one fae on Strava.
From that moment on, all hell would break loose—the kind of
hell that would later haunt us and chip away at our consciences.
I didn’t want the Perfects to die. I wasn’t a fan of them, but I
understood that their minds had been skewed and programmed
by Ta’Zan to obey him, to commit acts of cruelty and atrocities in
his name, for the sake of so-called genetic superiority. They’d
been radicalized, but they could be brought back. They deserved
a shot at life without bringing down the entire universe.
My heart ached sincerely at the thought of killing them all.
Chances were that nothing would survive the blaze of an
activated fire Hermessi, for example, no matter what gene
editing Ta’Zan did to prevent his Perfects from completely
burning. I didn’t yet know for sure how the Hermessi’s
intervention would help, but I understood enough to know that it
entailed complete obliteration. The raw force of nature, once
unleashed, had to be stronger that his artifices.
We kept running through that tunnel for hours. Once in a
while, we tried to reach out to the others through our earpieces.
Foolish of us to think the same actions done repeatedly would
yield different results, but despair had this way of messing with
our critical thinking.
The rumbling of the colosseum’s destruction stayed behind,
as the Perfects tried to deal with it—figuring out what happened,
helping their brethren out, and looking for Faulty survivors, if
any had been left behind after Isda’s warning. They’d been smart
enough to launch that pulse after the explosion, and that alone
was confirmation that parts of the colosseum, aside from our
diamond dome, had survived the blast.
The fae worked tirelessly to keep the tunnel up and dig
farther south. They did the same through the ocean, where the
Dhaxanians intervened with their frost, making sure we all had
safe passage. Our witches and warlock did their part, as well, in
making this journey as smooth as possible.
“We’re almost there,” Rose said, leading the way with
Elonora, Varga, Ben, Taeral, and Vesta. “We’ll regroup and catch
our breath there.”
“The Draenir who stayed in the base camp were instructed to
gather provisions of water and food for us, upon our return,” Ben
added.
As the tunnel ascended, I took Sofia’s hand in mine. She
looked at me, her lips stretching into a bright and encouraging
smile.
“It’s going to be okay, Derek,” she said. “We got through the
worst part already.”
“I don’t think I’ll be able to breathe properly until Ta’Zan is a
pile of ashes,” I muttered.
“Patience, Dad. We’ll get to that point,” Rose interjected.
“We have to be smart about this. And, hopefully, Amal and
Amane and the others are already on their way back to base
camp, as well. Douma, Raphael, Araquiel, Nathaniel, Uriel,
Angelica, and Deena are all perfectly capable of supersonic
flight. If necessary, they will make use of it.”
Somehow, that thought didn’t comfort me as much as it
should have. Though, it wasn’t in my nature to be a super-
optimistic beacon of positivity. Real life had taught me the hard
way that things could get worse, fast. I had to be mentally
prepared for that, so I wouldn’t get us tangled in a problem, but
rather focused on the solution.
Vesta grunted as she put her hands up. One last push, and the
ground split open. The cool air of a mountain cave came through,
chilling me to the bone. I loved it.
We emerged from the tunnel right into Ben and Rose’s base
camp. I could tell by the many backpacks and weapons they’d
left behind, along with an impressive pile of food and water
bladders stacked against a wall.
I recognized the handful of Draenir that had stayed behind.
They were just like Rose and Ben had described them: beautiful,
pale, and delicate, with slender figures and curious eyes. The
eldest stood up, lighting up like the sun at the sight of us.
A second later, he and his people took a couple of steps back,
clearly overwhelmed by the number of people coming out from
the hole in the ground. We spilled into the large chamber—
hundreds of us, tired and hungry, thirsty and nervous.
“You made it back!” the elder Draenir exclaimed, then put his
arms out as Ben and Rose rushed to hug him.
“Yes, we did, Rakkhan,” Rose replied, then looked back at
Sofia and me, smiling. “These are our parents, Derek and Sofia.
They’re part of the reason we’ve been fighting so hard.”
I felt compelled to shake Rakkhan’s hand. He was, after all,
one of the survivors of Ta’Zan’s genocide from more than a
century ago. His grip was firm, his tone soft.
“It is an honor to meet you,” he said. “Rose and Ben spoke
highly of you, and for good reason. You’re responsible for great
acts of peace and kindness in this universe.”
“We do the best we can with what we have,” I replied, then
introduced the rest of our founders’ crew to Rakkhan and the six
Draenir that had stayed with him.
We took a few minutes to quickly eat and drink something.
The Draenir had even hunted some animals at the base of the
mountain, offering us a fresh supply of blood. It gave me the
burst of energy I needed to push through.
Rose and Ben brought Rakkhan up to speed with how the
mission had been carried out, along with the unexpected twists
and turns, including the comms blockers coming back on.
Rakkhan listened carefully, processing every detail as he
occasionally glanced around at the plethora of GASP prisoners
we’d suddenly crammed into the cave.
His people were equally fascinated, unable to take their eyes
off the diverse species that had come together to fight Ta’Zan.
Dragons, witches, warlocks, werewolves, Maras, Dhaxanians,
fae, Bajangs and Druids, incubi and succubi, vampires and
Lamias, and more—all driven by the singular desire to restore
balance and prevent the universe from flipping over because of
one maniac’s ambitions.
“I see Douma and the others haven’t made it back yet,”
Rakkhan said.
“They’re missing,” Rose replied, crossing her arms. “I’m
hoping they’re on their way, though. They’re strong and
resourceful. The blast must’ve helped with their escape.”
“We saw the column of smoke, far away in the sky. One can
see well from the mountain top,” Rakkhan said. “We saw the
clouds of Perfects descending upon the explosion site, too. You
went underground. That was wise.”
“They probably spread out afterward, hoping to catch
whoever did it,” Ben said. “But with copies of us still in there,
they didn’t have much to go on. From that point of view, the
mission was a success. We extracted all the prisoners, including
our founders,” he added, lovingly looking at Sofia and me.
“But we don’t have the mass memory wiper yet.” Rakkhan
sighed. “You know what this means, right?”
“If we don’t get it, we’ll have to kill the Perfects,” Xavier
interjected.
“It’s not a path I would like for us to take,” Rakkhan said.
“But we may have to, in the end…”
Vesta gasped, her eyes wide and glassy as she looked at us.
She wasn’t the only one. Other fae displayed a similar reaction,
including my son.
“Oh, wow,” Ben breathed, the shock on his face visible.
“What happened?” I asked.
“I think the seven hundred and forty-two fae landed,” Vesta
said. “Or something related to them, anyway. I felt fire, water,
air, and earth vibrating through me, as if I’d manipulated all four
of them at once.”
Ben shook his head slowly. “We’ve been running for hours.
They couldn’t have been flying for so long, not with Perfects
flying around the colosseum. They were meant to come down
fast and hide. But I do agree it might have something to do with
them.”
“We’ve all experienced this weird… pulse, or vibration, or
whatever you want to call it,” Lucas replied.
“So, what, the Hermessi were doing a tally and decided to
communicate that we definitely have the right number?”
Ibrahim asked.
Vivienne shrugged. “It could be. I felt a tingle, too. And I’m
no fae.”
Elonora raised a hand. “Me, also.”
“Yeah, I’ll hop on that train, then.” Kailani sighed.
“And I,” Lumi added.
I couldn’t help but frown, trying to see the connection.
“We’re all creatures who had contact with the Hermessi, one
way or another,” Elonora said, her voice wavering slightly. “I
had that weird dream, weeks ago, before we knew what we know
now. Kale had her Hermessi episode, too. The fae, well, they’re
fae. They’re the conduits. Of course they’d react.”
“And I had my first vision in years,” Vivienne replied. “It was
the same as Lucas’s and Kailyn’s and the other fae’s dreams.”
“So, this is what, an approval nudge from the Hermessi?”
Taeral asked. “It felt awkward. Like someone poking at stuff
inside me, stuff I’d only let a qualified surgeon or witch healer
handle.”
“It means we have one thousand and one fae present on
Strava,” Lumi interjected. “We are one step closer to the end of
our mission here.”
Bijarki stepped forward. “We need to get a plan together, and
fast. We can’t let the fae stay out there on their own for too
long.”
“I agree,” Ridan replied. “We need a search party. Maybe two
or three actually, to find Amane, Amal, and the others. If they’re
not back by now, something clearly must’ve happened, and we
don’t have our comms to help us anymore. We have to work with
this setback, now.”
There was a sense of urgency in his voice that struck a chord
in me. From what Rose and Ben had told me, Ridan had fallen for
Amane. I’d seen enough of Amal to understand why—if Amane
was her twin, she clearly had the beauty, the intelligence, and
the grit to steal a dragon’s heart like that. I sort of sympathized
with him, as I did with Dmitri, regarding Douma. They were both
in love with powerful creatures, and I didn’t want to let the likes
of Ta’Zan win by crushing them and their newly formed bonds. I
just couldn’t.
“Okay. We’ll pick a group, fast and quiet, able to move around
easily without the Perfects—” I started saying, but stopped
when Vesta collapsed.
Ben, Zeriel, and Elonora rushed to her aid, but all three of
them froze when water started pouring out of the young fae’s
mouth and nose. I held my breath, instead, ignoring the
murmurs and gasps erupting from the crowd behind us.
“Oh, crap,” Zeriel murmured, his gaze fixed on Vesta.
“What? What’s happening to her?” I asked, increasingly
alarmed, as she twitched a couple of times.
“It’s the Hermessi,” Ben replied. “The water Hermessi, to be
precise.”
As if manipulated by puppet strings, Vesta clumsily got
herself up into a standing position and opened her eyes. They
were strange, pasty white and glimmering. I’d never seen
anything like it before. Her voice was raspy and low, completely
different from Vesta’s usual sound.
“Aya… You’re back,” Lumi said.
Vesta, or, better said, Aya, looked at Lumi and nodded once.
“You’ve done well,” she said. “One night is left between us
and the full moon. Once it reaches its highest point in the sky,
tomorrow night, we will awaken and course through this world
with our full strength, just like in the ancient times.”
“Is that why you’ve taken over Vesta again? To tell us what we
already know?” Zeriel retorted, clearly unhappy with this
development. Then again, he was head over heels with our
Nerakian fae. This was personal to him.
Aya coughed lightly, water still trickling from her mouth.
“No, Tritone King. I’ve come because we will not be able to do
anything tomorrow night if the Perfects get to your fae before
you.”
“We’re getting ready to go after them now,” Ben replied.
“You must hurry,” Aya said, her brows furrowed. “Even when
they’re not looking, the Perfects have eyes in the sky. We felt
your diversion. We did our best to help, as dormant as we are.
But there is only so much we can do, going forward. Soon
enough, Ta’Zan will send people after your fae, if he hasn’t
already.”
“Whoa. Eyes in the sky,” Dmitri repeated after her, and
cursed under his breath. “Crap. Crap! Scanners. They’ve got
scanners. They’re monitoring air traffic, so to speak. Argh!”
“Which means our fae aren’t safe where they landed,”
Elonora concluded. “But even if, say, Ta’Zan captures them,
we’ll still have one thousand and one fae on Strava. It’s still good
for your activation ritual, or whatever, right?”
Aya cocked her head to the side. “Can you guarantee that all
the seven hundred and forty-two fae out there will survive
capture? How many will fight back? How many will get killed?
You cannot be certain of anything right now.”
“They might not deem all the fae necessary for Ta’Zan’s
work,” Sofia replied. “He’d have enough genetic material from a
couple-dozen of them, so the Perfects would be given some
leeway in killing some of them. They would be labelled as
invaders or, worse, the creatures responsible for the colosseum’s
explosion. They’re with us, after all.”
“Even if one fae dies, we will not be able to fully awaken,” Aya
warned us. “You must hurry. You must go to their rescue and
make sure they’re all standing when midnight comes tomorrow.
From there on, we’ll take over and finish this, once and for all.
We’ll help our Fire brother cleanse this world. Believe it or not,
I’m aching. My oceans are suffering. They’re slaughtering my
pashmiri whales to fuel their warmongering…”
Just as Vesta dropped on the ground again, and the equivalent
of a small pond poured out of her and seeped into the hard
ground, I fully understood the gravity of our situation. And, as
Vesta came to in Zeriel’s arms, I knew we couldn’t waste another
second.
“Rose, Ben, Elonora, Nevis, Kailani, Hunter, Lumi, and
Heath,” I said. “Grab whatever weapons and supplies you need.
You’re coming with Sofia and me. We’ve got some fae to rescue.”
“I’ll take Dmitri, Zeriel, Vesta, Jax, Hansa, Jovi, and Anjani,
then, and go find Amane, Amal, Douma, and the others,” Ridan
replied firmly.
We gave each other an approving nod.
Trouble lay ahead, and we had to beat it to the punch. If
Ta’Zan had eyes in the sky, the colosseum distraction was only a
limited one, at best. Sooner or later, someone would go out in
search of the small ball of light that had pierced Strava’s
atmosphere, headed for the summer-winter cluster.
Hell, Perfects could be converging on our fae already!
But I wasn’t ready or willing to let them screw this up for us.
Whether they liked it or not, we were going to change the fate of
this planet. We were going to save our people, our worlds and
theirs. Ta’Zan wasn’t going to emerge victorious from all this—I
could stake my life on it.
D
A M A N E
ouma’s pained groans snapped me out of the darkness
into which I’d sunk.
We’d made it out of the colosseum, with Douma and
Raphael holding me, Amal, and Isda as we’d shot between the
jungle trees. But the blast’s shockwave had caught up with us. It
tore into us, to be specific.
I remembered Amal, Raphael, and myself smashing one of
the thicker trees in our fall. Then, everything had gone black.
My eyes popped open. Fluttering wings swarmed somewhere
above us. I looked up, thankful to see the foliage obscuring my
view of the sky. Perfects were flying above, and they couldn’t see
us down here. Not for long, though.
I tried to move, but a sharp pain in my chest made my breath
hitch.
“Amane… Amane, are you okay?” I heard my sister ask me.
I turned my head to follow the sound of her voice. She was ten
feet away from me, lying on the ground. Between us was the
splintered tree we’d crashed into. Sharp pieces of it were still
standing, and Raphael was impaled on one.
“Oh, no,” I murmured, ignoring my own pain as I managed to
pull myself up into a sitting position. “Raphael!”
“Argh, I’m okay,” he croaked. “It didn’t hit the spine. I’ll be
fine.”
“You would’ve been fine anyway. You’re a Perfect!” I
snapped, holding my side.
Glancing around, I remembered the device in my backpack.
With sluggish moves, I managed to take it off and look inside. I
breathed a sigh of relief, then smiled at Amal.
“It’s fine,” I said. “Some minor parts came off, but nothing
we can’t put back together. We’ve got it.”
“Thank the heavens and the stars.” She sighed, then got up.
Her knees were weak. I could tell from the way her legs were
shaking. She was covered in bruises and cuts, much like me, and
she’d probably cracked a bone or two, somewhere inside, but she
wasn’t going to let that get between her and our mission.
Heck, that made two of us. We reached Raphael, carefully
analyzing the spike on which he’d gotten himself impaled.
“I got stuck in the crash,” he said, breathing heavily. “Pretty
sure I’m bleeding out.”
“Yeah, you can say that again,” Amal murmured, following a
stream of crimson blood pouring out from his wound. “We need
to get you off it before you die, so you can heal faster.”
I climbed over the gnarly tree base and gripped the lower half
of the spike. Amal knew what to do next, though Raphael didn’t
seem happy about it.
“Oh, this is going to hurt like a—” He didn’t get to finish his
sentence. He roared from the agonizing pain instead, as Amal
grabbed the tip of the spike and pulled as hard as she could, until
it snapped off clean.
Raphael tumbled onto the ground, the upper half of the spike
still piercing through him. I rushed over and dropped to my
knees, tearing up from my own injuries. I covered his mouth,
while Amal did the dirty part of the job and pulled the spike out
through his back. We managed to stifle most of his screams.
Blood sprayed out from the gaping wound, which Amal was
quick to cover with torn pieces from her tunic. I ripped my
sleeves off and handed them to her, while Raphael did his best to
measure his breathing. There wasn’t much we could to for him
in terms of pain relief, and he knew it. He was temporarily
disabled, and that pretty much sucked for us.
“Isda? Douma?” he called out, and I shushed him.
“Hold on,” I hissed. “I heard them earlier. Hold on,” I added,
then looked at Amal. “Stay with him.”
She nodded, and I turned around and went back to where I’d
woken up. I’d definitely heard Douma grunting here. Not far
from where we were, the colosseum had crumbled. Most of it,
anyway. The smoke was spreading outward through the jungle,
making it harder for me to see ten feet in front of me.
The constant fluttering of wings didn’t help. Thousands of
hostiles were close by, probably minutes away from discovering
us. We couldn’t stay here. We had to get as far away as possible,
but I didn’t want to leave Douma and Isda behind.
I moved around, checking every shrub and bush in my path,
until I tripped over Isda. I hadn’t even seen her—the dark green
dress she’d been wearing worked well as camouflage, especially
with the thickening smoke hanging around.
“Isda. Isda!” I whispered, then gently turned her over.
Her eyes were closed, but she gave me a responsive moan.
“Isda! Are you okay?” I asked.
“Amane…” Douma’s voice came through from my left.
She, too, had crashed into a tree. She’d taken the whole thing
down from the root. The trunk was practically intact and
toppled, its twisting roots torn from the ground. She lay on her
side, covered in blood. A branch had punctured her side, but she
mostly had cuts and bruises to deal with.
I reached her in two jumps that cut the air from my lungs—
I’d fractured a couple of ribs, for sure. Tearing another piece of
my tunic, I quickly cleaned off some of the blood from her face,
enough to spot the source: a couple of deeper cuts on her temple.
“You’ll be fine,” I said to her. “You’ll be okay.”
“Yeah… I’m just sore. I took the tree first. Couldn’t let
Isda…” Her voice trailed off.
She shot to her feet like lightning, accidentally tossing me
backward in the process. She looked around, then dashed toward
Isda.
“Hey… Hey, Isda. Wake up,” Douma murmured, taking Isda
in her arms.
I swallowed a curse I’d planned to hurl at Douma for knocking
me over, mainly because I was too thankful to see her still
walking and talking. Isda was trying to wake up, but her eyes
kept closing, her head lolling as if she were a mere rag doll.
Douma picked her up and went straight to Raphael and Amal.
I joined them, carefully moving over stumps and rising tree
roots, so as not to cause myself unnecessary pain. Some healing
paste would’ve worked wonders right about now, but there were
no Shadians around to help us.
“They’re probably waiting for us,” I said. “The device. They
need the device.”
“We need to get out of here, first,” Raphael replied, now
standing with his arm around my sister’s shoulders. Amal
grimaced from the pain, but she didn’t say anything as she
helped prop Raphael up.
Branches broke, too close for my comfort.
“They’ll be scouring the area for survivors and culprits,”
Douma said. “They’re angry and confused. We delivered one hell
of a blow, this time.”
A bloodcurdling roar erupted from the colosseum, about half
a mile from where we’d landed. I knew that sound. I recognized
the rage, the raw anger and despair.
“Ta’Zan,” I whispered.
“He’s awake,” Amal replied, equally shaken.
Perfects were getting closer. I could see some of them darting
between the trees. Maybe a couple hundred feet away, coming
from multiple directions.
“We need to go, now!” Raphael insisted.
“Where, though?” I asked. “We can’t go to base camp right
now. They’ll be tailing us. We can’t lead them to the prisoners
we just stole from them.”
“We can’t get caught, either, with this device on us,” Douma
replied.
Raphael shook his head. “It doesn’t matter. We need to get
off this island first. Find a place to hide for a bit. Then regroup.”
As broken and as weary as we were, we did the impossible. We
started running, though not as fast as we would’ve wanted. Then
again, we’d lost some blood, torn some muscles, broken a bone
or two. It was a miracle we could do this much, thanks to the
adrenaline rush.
Behind us, the Perfects were getting closer. Dangerously so.
Douma pressed her earpiece button. “Dmitri? Elonora?
Rose?”
She frowned as we kept running west.
“What, no answer?” Amal asked.
“No sound at all. I don’t think the comms are working,”
Douma replied.
I checked my earpiece next. “Ridan? Rose? Anyone?”
Nothing. Douma was right. There wasn’t even static. It was as
quiet as a grave, and it made my stomach churn.
“The earpieces are intact, though,” Douma murmured, with
Isda thrown over her shoulder. “It can’t be a technical issue.”
Amal exhaled. “Ta’Zan was rebuilding the comms blocker.
Maybe he succeeded.”
“What, in the middle of the explosion?” I asked
incredulously.
“Or shortly before. Or after. I don’t know,” Amal replied.
“Point is, comms are down, as far as we’re concerned.”
“The fae must’ve landed. The prisoners surely made it out.
That leaves us in the wind,” Raphael breathed. “We’ve got to
save our asses first, then figure a way back to the others.”
I agreed, already panting. Sweat dripped down my face and
neck, soaking what was left of my tunic. We heard voices about a
hundred feet behind us. The Perfects were catching up with us.
They were barking orders.
They’d caught our scent.
But I couldn’t stop. None of us had any intention of giving up
right now.
We’d come too far. Yes, we were all in tremendous amounts
of pain. Yes, it was damn hard running with cracked ribs and
bruised ankles. Yes, we had to give it everything we had left in
order to not get ourselves captured again.
I was going to see Ridan soon. We were going to be together.
Free and happy.
We had to keep going.
No matter what.
Ready for the FINAL book of Season 8?
Dear Shaddict,
Thank you for reading A Dome of Blood.
The next book, ASOV 68: A Purge of Nature, is the epic FINAL
book of Season 8! I can’t believe we’re here already.
A Purge of Nature releases December 11th, 2018.
Pre-order your copy now for your convenience and have it
delivered automatically to your reading device on release day:
If you’re in the USA: Tap here
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See you very soon!
Love,
Bella x
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R E A D M O R E B Y B E L L A F O R R E S T
HARLEY MERLIN
(New fantasy/romance/supernatural series!)
Harley Merlin and the Secret Coven (Book 1)
Harley Merlin and the Mystery Twins (Book 2)
Harley Merlin and the Stolen Magicals (Book 3)
Harley Merlin and the First Ritual (Book 4) (Releasing November 30th, 2018)
HOTBLOODS
(Supernatural romance. Completed series.)
Hotbloods (Book 1)
Coldbloods (Book 2)
Renegades (Book 3)
Venturers (Book 4)
Traitors (Book 5)
Allies (Book 6)
Invaders (Book 7)
Stargazers (Book 8)
THE CHILD THIEF
(Action-adventure/romance.)
The Child Thief (Book 1)
Deep Shadows (Book 2)
Thin Lines (Book 3)
Little Lies (Book 4)
Ghost Towns (Book 5)
THE GENDER GAME
(Action-adventure/romance. Completed series.)
The Gender Game (Book 1)
The Gender Secret (Book 2)
The Gender Lie (Book 3)
The Gender War (Book 4)
The Gender Fall (Book 5)
The Gender Plan (Book 6)
The Gender End (Book 7)
THE GIRL WHO DARED TO THINK
(Action-adventure/romance. Completed series.)
The Girl Who Dared to Think (Book 1)
The Girl Who Dared to Stand (Book 2)
The Girl Who Dared to Descend (Book 3)
The Girl Who Dared to Rise (Book 4)
The Girl Who Dared to Lead (Book 5)
The Girl Who Dared to Endure (Book 6)
The Girl Who Dared to Fight (Book 7)
A SHADE OF VAMPIRE SERIES
(Supernatural romance)
Series 1: Derek & Sofia’s story
A Shade of Vampire (Book 1)
A Shade of Blood (Book 2)
A Castle of Sand (Book 3)
A Shadow of Light (Book 4)
A Blaze of Sun (Book 5)
A Gate of Night (Book 6)
A Break of Day (Book 7)
Series 2: Rose & Caleb’s story
A Shade of Novak (Book 8)
A Bond of Blood (Book 9)
A Spell of Time (Book 10)
A Chase of Prey (Book 11)
A Shade of Doubt (Book 12)
A Turn of Tides (Book 13)
A Dawn of Strength (Book 14)
A Fall of Secrets (Book 15)
An End of Night (Book 16)
Series 3: The Shade continues with a new hero…
A Wind of Change (Book 17)
A Trail of Echoes (Book 18)
A Soldier of Shadows (Book 19)
A Hero of Realms (Book 20)
A Vial of Life (Book 21)
A Fork of Paths (Book 22)
A Flight of Souls (Book 23)
A Bridge of Stars (Book 24)
Series 4: A Clan of Novaks
A Clan of Novaks (Book 25)
A World of New (Book 26)
A Web of Lies (Book 27)
A Touch of Truth (Book 28)
An Hour of Need (Book 29)
A Game of Risk (Book 30)
A Twist of Fates (Book 31)
A Day of Glory (Book 32)
Series 5: A Dawn of Guardians
A Dawn of Guardians (Book 33)
A Sword of Chance (Book 34)
A Race of Trials (Book 35)
A King of Shadow (Book 36)
An Empire of Stones (Book 37)
A Power of Old (Book 38)
A Rip of Realms (Book 39)
A Throne of Fire (Book 40)
A Tide of War (Book 41)
Series 6: A Gift of Three
A Gift of Three (Book 42)
A House of Mysteries (Book 43)
A Tangle of Hearts (Book 44)
A Meet of Tribes (Book 45)
A Ride of Peril (Book 46)
A Passage of Threats (Book 47)
A Tip of Balance (Book 48)
A Shield of Glass (Book 49)
A Clash of Storms (Book 50)
Series 7: A Call of Vampires
A Call of Vampires (Book 51)
A Valley of Darkness (Book 52)
A Hunt of Fiends (Book 53)
A Den of Tricks (Book 54)
A City of Lies (Book 55)
A League of Exiles (Book 56)
A Charge of Allies (Book 57)
A Snare of Vengeance (Book 58)
A Battle of Souls (Book 59)
Series 8: A Voyage of Founders
A Voyage of Founders (Book 60)
A Land of Perfects (Book 61)
A Citadel of Captives (Book 62)
A Jungle of Rogues (Book 63)
A Camp of Savages (Book 64)
A Plague of Deceit (Book 65)
An Edge of Malice (Book 66)
A Dome of Blood (Book 67)
A Purge of Nature (Book 68)
A SHADE OF DRAGON TRILOGY
A Shade of Dragon 1
A Shade of Dragon 2
A Shade of Dragon 3
A SHADE OF KIEV TRILOGY
A Shade of Kiev 1
A Shade of Kiev 2
A Shade of Kiev 3
THE SECRET OF SPELLSHADOW MANOR
(Supernatural/Magic YA. Completed series)
The Secret of Spellshadow Manor (Book 1)
The Breaker (Book 2)
The Chain (Book 3)
The Keep (Book 4)
The Test (Book 5)
The Spell (Book 6)
BEAUTIFUL MONSTER DUOLOGY
(Supernatural romance)
Beautiful Monster 1
Beautiful Monster 2
DETECTIVE ERIN BOND
(Adult thriller/mystery)
Lights, Camera, GONE
Write, Edit, KILL
For an updated list of Bella’s books, please visit her website: www.bellaforrest.net
Join Bella’s VIP email list and she’ll send you an email reminder as soon as her next
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