A Ride of Peril (A Shade of Vampire #46)(38)

We mounted our satchels on our backs, strapping them over our shoulders and around our waists for the sake of mobility. With the invisibility spell completed, we were ready to go. The magic formula itself was a rather interesting shimmering gray paste—not something I would have instinctively ingested, since it looked more like makeup than an edible substance.

The Dearghs stood around us, watching quietly as Draven passed the bowl around, and we each shoved a handful of the paste into our mouths, washing it down with water. It tasted horrible.

We waited patiently on the edge of the clearing at the base of Mount Zur, as nightfall glazed everything in shades of black and indigo.

Draven pulled out the Daughter’s notes and recited the spell.

“In darkness and light, we will not be seen. Shapeless creatures we shall become, foreign to the eyes of anything that moves. Between leaves and against stones, through water and dirt, we shall be like air. Unseen, obscured, concealed. We shall be cloaked in light, reflecting light, exuding light.”

A few minutes passed as we looked at each other, waiting for the invisibility spell to kick in. By then, we’d already learned that the swamp witches’ magic took a little bit longer than Draven’s potions to take effect, triggered only by their specific chemical reactions and words.

“Stay in the shadows, even if you cannot be seen.” Inon continued to give us little snippets of wisdom, ever the gentle giant that he was. “Follow the moon. Make sure it’s always in the middle of the sky for you to find Azazel’s castle.”

I felt a familiar heat spread through me as Draven’s hand took mine, gently squeezing it and sending me wave upon wave of his golden energy. I took it all in, even though I didn’t really need to syphon off him right then. I looked at him, and he gave me a brief smile before letting go, his eyes saying more than his words.

“We’ll have to run fast in order to reach the dungeons before sunrise. You need all the energy you can fit in your body right now,” he said.

“Thank you.” I nodded and stilled.

I watched as his skin began to glimmer slightly, as if diamond dust was suddenly seeping out of each pore. His eyes grew wide, and Hansa gasped as we looked at each other, watching ourselves slowly fade out and disappear as the spell took effect.

“Good to know it’s actually working,” I heard Draven say in front of me.

The Dearghs nodded and turned their heads to one side and then the other, unable to see us anymore.

“What do you know! I’m but a ghost in the jungles of Eritopia!” Hansa chuckled and kicked one of the stone giants in the knee.

The Deargh bent forward, smiling and swatting away at the air, unable to capture the fast and invisible succubus. I heard her laugh.

“This is fantastic! Make sure you leave me a copy of that spell, Druid! What we had left over from the swamp witches was nothing compared to this!” she said, having moved further down toward the edge of the clearing.

“Do we know how long it lasts?” I asked.

“Several hours for sure, but there’s no precise figure.” His voice tickled my ear as he closed the distance between us.

My spine tingled as I felt his body mold against mine. My cheeks burned, but I couldn’t help the grin slitting my face at the thought that we were invisible and so deliciously close to each other.

“You should leave now,” Inon said. “Use the spell to your advantage. Run like the wind. Don’t stop unless it serves your mission. Otherwise, time is precious.”

“Thank you, Inon. Thank you, Zur, for your help and kindness,” Draven said. “This gesture will never be forgotten, and you have my word that I will repay you in full for this.”

“It’s not over yet, young Druid,” Zur replied. “Fulfill your mission, and we shall rise against Azazel with you. The time for war is near.”

“Indeed, it is. We’re leaving now,” Draven announced, taking my hand again.

“Draven, Serena, we cannot see each other, but we can follow each other’s voices,” Hansa said, walking alongside us as we entered the dark forest. She mimicked the sound of a snake, a brief succession of three hisses.

Draven responded with the same hissing sound.

“That’s right,” Hansa replied. “We’ll use this when we cannot speak, should there be hostiles around.”

I reproduced the triple hiss surprisingly well, prompting Hansa to clap her hands. Although, since I was unable to see her facial expression, I wasn’t sure whether she was being sincere or sarcastic.

“Well done, Serena,” she eventually said. “You’re blending into Eritopia better and better with each passing day. If I didn’t know better, I’d say you were born and belong here!”

I chuckled as I followed Draven through the woods. A part of me registered that statement—the notion of me belonging here, in Eritopia, sounded like a snippet of absolute fantasy, and yet, something tugged at my heart whenever I replayed the sentence in my mind.

I missed my home. I missed The Shade and my parents and our way of life. I carried the weight of that every day, heavy in my heart while looking for a way out of Eritopia. But as Draven’s and my relationship developed, this whole world was growing on me. I liked the pink and orange sunsets, the taste of the food, and the weird creatures who called Eritopia home.