A Shield of Glass (A Shade of Vampire #49)(20)

“Azazel most likely killed the Master Druid whose turn it had been to safeguard the cursed object, and performed the Soul Fusion.” Draven slowly shook his head.

“So Asherak is back,” Jax concluded.

“Yes. Kind of. Their souls are most likely fused. He’s probably struggling with a split personality, mood swings, and sudden changes in behavior. There are two monstrously evil entities sharing one body. I’m starting to think he needs the volcanoes and the little Daughter’s energy for more than just power. I think he needs them to keep his body from exploding, as I can only imagine the toll it’s taking on him.”

“And the Destroyers?” I wondered whether Asherak’s darkness had something to do with their transformation, as well.

Draven flipped through the pages and nodded.

“Yes, it’s here. It’s called Consumis. It’s a curse,” he replied.

“Of course it is.” Jovi ran his fingers through his hair, unable to hold his frustration in any longer.

“But is it reversible?” I asked.

“It doesn’t say,” Draven said, flipping back to the Soul Fusion pages. “They couldn’t destroy the pendant. They tried every possible spell. It didn’t work. They could only keep it from getting into the wrong hands, which is why they trusted the Master Druids with it.”

“And look where that got them,” Hansa scoffed.

“No one besides the Master Druids knew of its existence, either,” he added. “Azazel really did it. He betrayed the trust of the Master Druids; he betrayed Eritopia and fused his soul to Asherak’s. We have to take that pendant away from him.”

The conclusion resonated with all of us, and was met with a collective nod.

“We can’t just walk up to Azazel and pluck it from his neck,” Jovi replied dryly.

“No, but we can weaken him first,” I mused, my gaze meeting Draven’s. He nodded, as if knowing exactly what I was thinking.

“We shut down his external power sources. We take the little Daughter away from him, to begin with.” He completed my thoughts perfectly. “The fewer boosts he has, the less he can do when we all attack him at once. We’ll have to think this through very carefully, down to the last detail.”

“Nevertheless, one thing is clear,” Jax said as he looked at us both. “We’ve just found a way to defeat Azazel.”

The idea was so foreign, yet so powerful it lit me up from the inside. Draven’s attitude changed, and I felt ribbons of his gold energy pouring into me. There was hope. There was strength. And there were tremendous amounts of determination coming out of him.

I took it all in, allowing his brightness to fill me up and feed my sentry senses as I began to envision the very moment in which we’d take that blasted pendant off Azazel and separate his head from his body.

We were onto something good.





Vita





As soon as Aida’s projection vanished from my room, the double doors burst open and Azazel walked in with a grin, while Damion followed closely behind, his head down in a humble posture. My skin crawled at the mere sight of them, but I had to keep my temper under control until Bijarki got there.

“So! Little Oracle! What does the future tell us?” Azazel asked, his voice booming through the chamber.

I couldn’t risk serving him a flat-out lie, as I wasn’t entirely sure of my ability to sell it. After all, my spurts of fury were much more genuine than my calculated attempts to bend the truth. I feared a monster as powerful and as cunning as Azazel could see right through me, and I didn’t want to end up in a glass bubble so quickly. I’d already crossed him too many times during my short stay here.

I had to tell him something real, without giving away too many details that might get our own people in trouble. I had to wing it as well as I could.

“Are you sure you want to know?” I asked, stalling so I could get my thoughts in order.

He spread his arms outward in a challenging gesture, and I wished I could wipe the smug smile from his face with a hatchet.

“Bring it on, my darling!”

“Ugh.” I rolled my eyes, unable to hide my disgust. “You’re not going to like it, though…”

His grin slowly faded as he bent forward to get a better look at my face, carefully analyzing my expression—as if looking for signs of an incoming lie.

“Now you have me on the edge of my seat, so please, do tell,” he replied, his voice cold enough to freeze my blood.

“You will be defeated. You will die. Eritopia will not have you, Azazel. I’ve seen the world after you were vanquished. You’ll pay with your life for all the crimes you’ve committed,” I told him, trying hard to mask my satisfaction as I watched his expression turn from curious to livid.

His yellow eyes flickered green as he stared at me. I held my ground, unyielding, enjoying his dismay. A moment passed before he scoffed and looked away.

“You’re lying,” he shot back. “I can’t die.”

“I’m telling the truth.”

“Describe the visions, then.” He glared at me.

“You will be killed by a Druid. My visions cannot lie. And while I may have my shortcomings, I am not reckless or foolish enough to make this stuff up. The future has spoken. You will die.”