A Ride of Peril (A Shade of Vampire #46)(23)

“What shall we do once we get there?” Bijarki replied.

“I’m convinced their leaders can be reasoned with, given the circumstances. The Lamias have quite the bone to pick with Azazel since he’s killed off the Druids —leaving them with no mates and on the brink of extinction.”

Bijarki nodded in agreement and exchanged glances with Jovi and Anjani, while Draven looked at me, Aida, and Phoenix.

“I need the Oracles to stay here, beneath the safety of the shield. You must keep working on your visions, as you’ve made impeccable progress so far,” he said.

I couldn’t help but feel a tinge of pride.

“You can conjure your visions without any herbal or physical aids, and you’ve also extended their length. You can now focus on specific topics. We need all the information that you can gather regarding Azazel and his Destroyers. Once we bring Sverik back, we’ll be able to rally more rogue forces against the former Druid. We cannot walk blindly into battle.”

“How do we get visions of specific topics, though?” Aida asked. “I’ve barely managed to hold a vision for more than five minutes. How do I pick what I want to see?”

“Think of the world as a library,” Draven replied. “Space, time, and matter compressed into moments. Little books on shelves. This is what I learned from Elissa, years ago. Once an Oracle can control the way in which the vision occurs and its length, it’s only a matter of practice and focus before specific timelines can be tapped into. She used to tell me that all she had to do was close her eyes, imagine herself inside a massive library, and think of a specific topic as if it were a book on a shelf belonging to a certain person or a certain year.”

It didn’t sound difficult, but given the efforts we’d made to have visions in the first place, the three of us knew we were in for quite the ride.

“Field will stay with you,” Draven added. “His wings and fighting skills will come in handy, especially if the Daughter decides to go beyond the protective shield.”

“I’m not leaving Phoenix’s side again,” the Daughter shot back.

A smile lifted the corner of Draven’s mouth, but he responded with a simple nod and looked over the translated spells, written down in a pocket journal with pale brown pages and black ink. He flipped through the pages and looked up.

“We can gather most of the ingredients for these spells ourselves,” he said to Serena. “But there’s one specific item that the Dearghs will provide.”

“I have to ask,” Serena replied. “In our world, witches are born with the ability to conjure magic and to control the elements. It’s hereditary. How can we use the swamp witches’ magic without their abilities?”

“This isn’t your world.” Draven smiled. “There are spells in Eritopia that can be achieved with the power of the word. There are formulas, there are ingredients, and, if performed correctly, there is magic. Eritopian magic isn’t genetic, at least not as far as the swamp witches are concerned. Druids are different. We are born with it, indeed. But the swamp witches tapped into something ancient of Eritopia, and it took them millennia to develop the craft they needed to use it. They weren’t born witches, which is why they preserved their knowledge in that book in the first place. They hoped someday someone would pick it up and start over.”

“The power of the word,” Serena repeated absently, her eyes fixated on the notebook.

“Yes. Formulas and chemical reactions combined with the right words can create powerful magic. Eritopia listens if you know what to say.”





Aida





I had made notes of my visions over the past couple of days. I’d written them down along with rough sketches of the dungeons and halls I had seen in Azazel’s castle in a small journal I’d found in the attic. I took it out of my pocket and walked over to Serena to hand it over.

“I’ve been writing down everything I remember from my visions,” I told her, then looked at the Druid. “Given that you don’t know what you’re walking into, I figured you’d have more use for these than I will.”

“Where are these from?” Draven asked, glancing over the notes.

“Mostly from Azazel’s dungeons and the other halls inside his castle. I’ve made some rough sketches as well to give you an idea of the layout I’ve been able to decipher so far.”

“These are incredibly useful. Thank you, Aida.” Serena smiled and stood up to hug me.

I welcomed her embrace. I worried for her safety, and I needed her back in one piece, so I was doing my best to help her on this mission to retrieve Sverik. Serena was the rock in our group, the one both Vita and I had admired over the years, the light that pulled us from our insecurities. She meant everything to me.

“It’s the least I can do to help make sure you come back in one piece,” I whispered.

“I can’t tell you how much this means to me,” she replied.

“You’d better keep her safe, Druid, or I will tear you to pieces. You hear me?” I said to Draven, only half-jokingly.

“I can take care of myself, thank you very much!” Serena exclaimed.

“Don’t worry, Aida,” Draven replied. “I won’t let anything happen to her.”

His gaze softened when it found Serena’s, and I instantly understood what they’d come to mean to each other. There was something deep and warm flowing between them, an energy I’d never felt before. She wasn’t kidding when she’d said they were taking things to the next level.