A Gift of Three (A Shade of Vampire #42)(51)

“You think we were betrayed?” the Druid asked, displeasure coloring his tone.

Bijarki nodded.

“They seemed to be on the lookout for intruders. That may have been a coincidence, but they shouldn’t have been able to see us—not from where we stood.”

The Druid turned away at this, and I became frustrated that I couldn’t see his expression clearly. They both fell silent, and Bijarki started to pace the room. I jerked back, thinking that he might be coming our way, but before he reached the door he turned on his heel and paced back again. He was dressed in thick, gray cotton-like trousers, tucked into boots and a dark shirt. The clothes were simply made, and I wondered if they were some kind of uniform—they looked so utilitarian, and also completely impractical for this kind of weather. Perhaps incubi didn’t feel heat the same way we did. He certainly didn’t appear to be bothered by it.

“That’s not good news,” the Druid replied at length. “But perhaps it is to be expected. My father never could find out how far Azazel’s influence spread—too many are afraid of speaking out now. He’s done his job well.”

“And what do we do now?” Bijarki asked. “Losing Kristos is devastating, but also problematic—we’ll likely no longer have the support of his family, and lose further sway as a result.”

“We wait. The Oracles are no good to us without fully developed powers. Even then, without the jinni and witch mix, I’m not sure how powerful they’re going to be—what limitations they might show in their abilities.”

“But surely their gift coming from the daughter of an Ancient must mean something?” Bijarki asked in surprise.

“I don’t know. We’ll have to wait and see.”

“Well, how long? How long do you think it will take for their powers to come to fruition?” Bijarki asked again, his impatience showing.

The Druid turned to him, raising an eyebrow.

“Sorry,” Bijarki muttered. “I’m worried. The Oracle is our only hope…to hear that they might not even have the powers…” He trailed off, sighing deeply.

“The sooner they actually believe me, the better,” the Druid replied in agitation. “At least they now might stop trying to leave the grounds—that’s one small victory. And I will help them bring the visions into being, when the time is right—”

The incubus looked as if he was about to interrupt, but the Druid held up his hand to stop him.

“It will be as soon as possible,” he snapped. “Don’t you think I understand the urgency? If it is a fact that all the incubi have turned to Azazel, then it will soon be over—and our chance will be lost.”

Bijarki murmured something that I couldn’t quite catch, but I was still reeling from what the Druid had said. I glanced back at Jovi and Field. They both looked furious. Clearly, we were fast becoming part of something that was far bigger than just our own safety—and by the sounds of it, we were in way over our heads.

I snapped my head back as footsteps moved our way. It was Bijarki, heading for the door. We all moved backward, disappearing behind the other door in the dining room. Before we were out of earshot, the Druid called out to his friend.

“By the way, Bijarki… careful how you treat the female contingent of the Oracle. Do not on any account set to charming them. That goes for Serena too.”

“You know I can’t help it,” the incubus replied, barking with laughter.

We ran back up the staircase as silently as we could. We needed to find the others and tell them exactly what was going on—and less urgent, but just as important, given the strange attention he’d shown Vita in particular, I needed to warn her to stay away from the incubus.





Serena





[Hazel and Tejus’s daughter]




We woke everyone, and we all gathered in the map room. I told them, almost word for word, what had transpired between the Druid and Bijarki. After I’d finished, a shocked silence descended as my brother and friends digested the information. Jovi had started pulling out maps again—I guessed he was newly determined to find a way out of here somehow, but there was nothing in the universe that could persuade me to set foot outside the boundaries of the house.

“So we’re just pawns, then?” my brother asked angrily. “He’s taken us here to help win some stupid war?”

“Do you think he wants power over Azazel?” Aida asked. “It would explain why he wanted the Nevertide Oracle so badly. He probably tried to kidnap the other one the same way he did us.”

It certainly seemed that the Druid’s intentions weren’t quite as pure as he’d first made out. It would explain why he’d brought them here at least. If he truly wanted to protect them, he would have spoken to someone in The Shade—my great-grandpa Derek, Benjamin, or my father. Told them to protect the Oracle, and to expect Azazel to come hunting. Unless he thought Azazel was too powerful even for GASP to deal with. But I couldn’t really imagine that…he seemed to be some kind of demon, another supernatural like all the others they’d faced. If he knew of GASP, then he must have known of our history—the multitude of dangers the Novaks had fought and overcome.

“We don’t know that,” I replied to Aida. “We’re jumping to conclusions. I admit this doesn’t look good, but right now, what’s our alternative? Go back out there?” I pointed to the window. Dusk was already falling.