A Shield of Glass (A Shade of Vampire #49)(46)

“Likewise, Serena.” Inon bowed respectfully. “I am pleased to see you’re still here.”

“Oh, you should know by now I’m not that easy to kill!” I grinned.

“No, they probably didn’t think you’d stand the Druid for much longer!” Grezzi came up from behind, chuckling.

He went for a hug, but I took his forearm in a firm shake to establish some boundaries, as I could feel his temptation to unleash his incubus nature on me. There was no time for lightheadedness and racing pulses. Draven reached my side, giving the incubi and Dearghs a polite nod.

“Welcome, all,” he said. “I’m honored by your presence here.”

“You say that now, but wait until we start eating all the food,” Zeriel called out from the top of the stairs, flanked by two of his generals. Jax came by his side and nudged him a little too hard in the ribs, making him squirm, while he kept a straight face.

Once Tamara and the succubi reached the stairs, we moved inside, beyond the cloaking spell, into the grand hall the Bajangs had arranged for us. I heard the Red Tribe laughing behind us as they were reunited with Hansa, Anjani, Aura, and Almandine. Wren joined us, bringing two of her lieutenants with her. The mutated shifters followed us quietly, as Field urged Grezzi and the others not to hurt the creatures, briefly explaining that they were with us. It got him an eyeroll from the incubus but they all agreed and continued walking behind us.

The meeting hall was truly immense, with archways big enough for the Dearghs to come through. The ground shook with each step the stone giants took, dust falling from the ceiling cracks above. It made me frown slightly, as I wasn’t eager to see chunks of Stonewall crashing down on us, mid-meeting.

“Don’t worry,” Rebel whispered in my ear. “It’s a sturdy place. We’ve done worse with it!”

She went ahead to a huge round table made of white marble, set in the middle of the grand hall. Candles had been mounted and lit on the overhead wrought iron chandeliers, and food and water pitchers were served on a row of rectangular tables by the western wall.

We all found our spots around the white marble table, on which a map of Calliope had been spread, with wooden figurines placed strategically on different regions outlined in black ink. Draven and I stood at the north side of the map. We all introduced ourselves, before Draven could proceed with chairing the meeting.

“First of all, I want to thank you all for coming here tonight,” Draven started. “I’m sure it hasn’t been easy, given all the hostile forces currently occupying our land. We’ve come a long way over the past few weeks, mainly thanks to the discovery of the three Oracles, whom we were able to protect for as long as we could—”

“Until Sverik took a page from the snakes’ code of conduct and betrayed us all,” Hansa hissed, while the others nodded solemnly.

“I take responsibility for that. It was my shortcoming, not vetting him properly before allowing him into our group,” Draven replied, biting his lower lip.

“Don’t,” Jax interjected. “He isn’t under Azazel’s control. He is willingly committing treason against the people of Eritopia.”

Draven nodded once, as a sign of appreciation toward Jax. I liked the Mara. He kept a clear—though sometimes brutally honest—head. My gaze shifted from one ally to another, trying to get as much as I could from them in terms of emotions, without them realizing I was peeking inside their minds with my sentry abilities. Given the way Phoenix’s eyes glimmered slightly every other minute, I had a feeling he was doing the same thing. Jax watched both of us carefully, the shadow of a smile passing over his face.

“This is where we stand at present,” Draven continued. “Azazel is pushing two campaigns now, while looking for us. The last Druid citadel of Antara is about to fall, as he’s taken Marchosi and turned him into a Destroyer. The incubi of Green Stone are still putting up a fight, but they are no match for Azazel’s forces. At the same time, Azazel is pushing to occupy the twentieth planet of Eritopia, Maegaris. Most of his armies and the strongest of his Destroyers have been concentrated on that project. It won’t be long until Maegaris falls, as its Master Druid was assassinated ten years ago.”

“What about Azazel? Why is he still here, on Calliope?” Grezzi asked, scratching his stubbled beard while gazing at the map.

“His one weakness is his obsession for control. He tends to become reckless and desperate when he doesn’t get what he wants. Right now, he wants the Oracles,” Draven explained. “He’s already abducted one from our midst, but Bijarki is on his way to get her back as we speak.”

“How does he intend to do that, then?” asked Wren. “It’s one incubus against a castle full of Destroyers and traitors and Azazel’s dark spells.”

“Bijarki is in possession of an invisibility spell, which will help him extract Vita and bring her back to safety without being seen,” Draven replied. “The other two are here with us tonight. For those of you who have yet to meet them, I’d like to introduce you to Aida and Phoenix.”

Aida and my brother both nodded, while the others gave them a polite half-smile.

“Our fate seems to be in your hands.” Grezzi winked at Aida, and Field instinctively took her hand and brought himself an inch closer, enough for the incubus to understand that his natural charms were not to be aimed at her.