A Meet of Tribes (A Shade of Vampire #45)(15)

I knew how it felt, but I didn’t yet know how to put it into words.





Vita





As we all gathered in the dining hall for breakfast, I noticed the predominance of puffy eyes in our group. We’d all slept heavily after the previous morning’s ordeal, and I welcomed the feeling of absolute rest—I had no other name for so many consecutive hours spent sleeping. I could see everything in a different light, more clearly and optimistically than before.

Come to think of it, despite the impending doom of Azazel and the threat he posed on our lives, I was strangely content. We were all there, friends and strangers gathered around the table, eating the same breakfast as yesterday and the days before that, gulping down coffee and remembering The Shade and how easy life had been prior to Eritopia. A tinge of melancholy lingered between us, hung between memories of our parents and our play fights after GASP training sessions.

Even so, none of us seemed as lost or as hopeless as our first days in the mansion; our experience here had brought us closer together, as friends and family. We’d even made new friends who were about as weird as we were.

I watched quietly as Aida and Jovi poked fun at each other over their physical training sessions back home, and Serena talked to Bijarki, Anjani, and Draven about the next steps in our mission to defeat Azazel. At the other end of the table, Phoenix ate quietly with the Daughter sitting next to him. She watched him take generous bites out of his pancakes.

“If the Dearghs join our alliance, we’ll have an impressive advantage in the battlefield,” Draven said to Serena.

“What are the Dearghs, anyway? I’ve heard you talking about them, but I have no idea what they are.” Serena stuck a piece of bread in her mouth and chewed.

“The Dearghs are guardians of Eritopia’s volcanoes, servants of nature,” Anjani explained.

At the sound of her voice, Jovi forgot all about his quips with Aida and turned his head to listen to the succubus.

Soon enough, Aida and Field also focused their attention on Anjani. Given the awkwardness between them, and the stolen glances, I had a feeling that Aida was looking for something to focus on other than Field. She’d spent her life admiring him from afar and keeping her distance, but since his breakup with Maura, Field had slowly shifted toward Aida.

“They’re stone giants,” Anjani continued, picking at a pancake with her fingers. “They’re born from the volcanoes, and they spend their whole lives around them. They live for thousands of years, and their lifelines are tied to the volcano that brought them into the world. If the volcano dies out, so do the Dearghs it birthed.”

“How many volcanoes are there on this planet?” asked Jovi, his eyes locked on the succubus.

“There used to be dozens, and each represented a clan of Dearghs. Now, since Azazel has been tearing this world apart, there are only ten active volcanoes left. Ten clans,” she replied.

“What does Azazel have to do with the volcanoes, though?” Serena asked.

“Azazel uses powerful dark magic to conquer Eritopia. This magic draws its energy from nature, and it’s all-consuming when used on a grand scale,” Draven explained. “It takes tremendous amounts of power for him to corrupt his Destroyers, not to mention the war campaigns against the incubi citadels and all his other dirty tricks. Volcanoes are a great source of such power, and Azazel has been abusing them for decades now, draining them out with no regard for what that does to the Dearghs.”

“If anything, Azazel would be much happier if he could wipe out all the Dearghs, like he did with the storm hounds,” Bijarki interjected. A frown settled between his straight eyebrows. “They’re deadly in battle, although it takes forever to get a Deargh angry enough to fight.”

The Dearghs sounded a lot like my fae kind—lovers of the natural elements. They were apparently gentle and peaceful despite their massive size and fire powers.

It hit me then that, with all the madness of yesterday, I hadn’t told the girls or anyone else about my newly awakened fire fae abilities. I spent a few minutes thinking about how I would break the news to them. I didn’t want to tell them and then watch a flame fizzle out in absolute failure in case I didn’t focus enough, so instead I decided to surprise them.

I stood up slowly and picked one of the candles resting at the center of the dining table—a long white wax stick set in a beautiful silver holder with brushed ornate details swirling down to the base.

I looked around. Everyone was engaged in conversations about the Dearghs and the Destroyers and who would win in a fight between the two. Bijarki was the only one watching me.

I took a matchbox and lit the candle, then breathed deeply and followed the steps I’d taken during my previous fae session under the magnolia tree. I emptied my head of everything, shutting out the noises and focusing on Bijarki. He seemed to do the trick for me then, so it was worth trying again. I channeled my attention on him, drawing him into my mind, and placed my palms above the small flame.

It flickered for a while, and I pulled my hands outward, slowly, as if using them to expand the fire. I coaxed my innermost self to connect with it and urged it to grow. Much to my delight, the flame grew into an incandescent fire sphere the size of a soccer ball, sizzling and crackling under my control. I felt my lips turn into a smile. I worked the flame until it grew big enough to stop everyone from talking. It demanded attention with its size and awe-inspiring burn.