A Meet of Tribes (A Shade of Vampire #45)(21)

A red cape hung loosely from her shoulder, prompting me to think that perhaps she was the leader of the party. She seemed slightly taller and bigger than the other two. In my head, it was anthropology 101—the person with the most decoration and muscles was most likely the chief.

We reached a clearing, where I was momentarily distracted by an explosion of flowers in pinks, purples, and fiery reds. The dizzying array of flowers all around us was bordered by giant trees. Right across this clearing was a cluster of giant limestone rocks, apparently rooted to the ground.

They seemed to have been carved into relatively human shapes with arms, legs, and square faces. Green vines had climbed all over them, spreading out and blossoming with small white flowers.

The succubi stopped in front of these stone giants. There were four of them, I realized as we got closer.

“Good day, kind Dearghs,” the succubus in the middle shouted at the rocks. “We’ve come to speak to Urdi, your chief.”

For a moment, I thought she might’ve lost her marbles in the jungle since she was talking to a rock, but when said rock started crackling and moving, I stilled, my mouth gaping. The stone giants were very much alive. They straightened their massive limestone backs slowly—they’d probably been in those positions for a long time. After all, they had vines growing all over them. This whole tableau brought back memories of old Viking folk tales I’d read as a kid about Norwegian stone giants.

“Good day to you, Hansa of the Red Tribe,” one of the Dearghs responded, his voice solid, like rocks crashing against each other. He took a step forward and bowed, each movement seeming like an extraordinary effort for the limestone titan.

Hansa, the one I’d identified as the leader, bowed in response. I took a few steps forward, standing between the succubi and the Dearghs and watched the exchange like a game of tennis.

“Thank you for speaking to us,” Hansa replied. “We bring news from the north of an alliance between our tribe and a Druid against Azazel’s reign of terror.”

“What makes you think we are interested in war, succubus? We are creatures of peace.”

“While that is true, I believe Urdi will want to hear what we have to say.” Hansa smirked with self-confidence. “Especially once he hears the reason behind your volcanoes dying out. This war involves all of Eritopia, whether you like it or not.”

The Deargh thought about it for a few seconds, then nodded and stepped aside. The other stone giants did the same, clearing the path ahead for the succubi. I walked with them as they advanced through the clearing, passed the Dearghs, and entered another space. This one was blanketed by tall grass for a few dozen yards before it rose into a stony ridge leading to a plateau above.

We climbed the mountain via this ridge, and I couldn’t help but admire the view as we went. The jungle unraveled at our feet in shades of deep green and yellow. The tall trees brushed against white wisps of clouds. It was breathtaking—a lavish wilderness that was a natural masterpiece. Strings of birds flew across as the sun threw colorful reflections from their pink, red, and turquoise feathers.

I turned around and saw a massive limestone wall rising above me. It continued upward into another, sharper ridge. From the wall emerged about a dozen Dearghs, as if passing through a waterfall. They stood so tall that I had to crane my neck in order to see their faces. They reminded me a little of the Easter Island statues, their features rough and simple.

One Deargh stood out in particular with black stone inserts throughout his body like obsidian tattoos. He was bigger than the others, and his eyes were deep set below the shadow of the horizontal ridge, glimmering orange like two small fires.

“Urdi,” Hansa addressed him directly. “It’s been too long!”

She smiled and bowed respectfully, and the other two succubi followed her lead. Urdi, the chief of these Dearghs, from what I assumed, nodded in return. His breath was heavy, as if every movement was a daunting task.

“Hansa, sister of the Red Tribe,” he replied. “What brings you here after five hundred years?”

“Eritopia is in danger, milord, and you know very well why,” the succubus said in a grave tone. “Azazel is spewing darkness and poison all over the world, and many are dying. You know that we can’t have that. It’s not natural.”

“We are well aware of Azazel and his Destroyers. But it does not concern us, my dear. We are bound to our volcanoes and speak to no one. For as long as Eritopia stands, we stand. That is not something he can change, regardless of his power.”

“But that is where you’re wrong, milord. We are all creatures of Eritopia, and we all deserve to live. Just because you think his reign doesn’t affect you, that doesn’t mean you should just stand back and watch everything burn,” Hansa replied. “People are dying. The planet is drenched in blood.”

She took a step forward, tilted her head to one side, and crossed her arms. The other Dearghs closed in on us, tightening the circle. Their shadows fell heavily on us, but Hansa did not budge.

“Besides, you don’t seem to realize how much damage Azazel has done to your kind already,” she continued.

Urdi straightened his back in response.

“What do you mean?” he asked.

“Why do you think the volcanoes have been dying over the past few centuries, Urdi?”

“It is nature’s will. Eritopia gives life but it also takes life. We have made our peace with that.”