A Shield of Glass (A Shade of Vampire #49)(61)

We took the horses out of the hold and guided them down the planks.

Once we got off the ship, Turaya left two succubi behind to guard it. She and the remaining nine guardians escorted the dozen mothers-to-be down the black stone path. They took two of the horses, while Draven and I took the other two.

It took us less than an hour to reach the shore, our weapons ready in case of an attack. We weren’t sure what we were going to find on Marton, but we had to consider the risk of running into Destroyers along the western shore.

I used my True Sight to scan the area and was relieved to announce that there was no movement on that stretch of dry land.

“I believe this is where we part ways,” Draven said to Turaya and the Green Tribe succubi. “Will you be all right for the rest of the journey?”

“I think we’ll do just fine. The mainland is barren and dry, maybe some snakes and lizards along the way, but not much else,” Turaya replied, then bowed respectfully. “Thank you, Druid, for bringing us all to safety.”

“Thank you for letting us tag along.” He nodded politely, the corner of his mouth turned into a half-smile.

“Eritopia will be a better place thanks to you,” she said. “We have faith in you. In you all.”

She looked at me as she said that, making me blush and smile. I felt honored to be considered such an important part of this war against Azazel. I looked at the pregnant succubi and felt a pang in my heart. I made a promise to myself, then and there, to make sure we’d win this, so their children could be born and raised in a world that offered more than darkness and death.

We bade our farewells and followed the map instructions to the black rock settlement. Aida’s visions had helped us narrow the possibilities down to one potential location for the young Druids.

The horses were strong and exceptionally fast. They galloped across the sand as the sun descended behind us.

It wasn’t long before night set in, covering the sky in indigo velvet and billions of stars glimmering like diamonds. The moon rose ahead as we finally reached the Onyx River. The black rocks rose from the sand, the oasis lush on both sides of the water. Birds sang their night trills, hidden beneath the tops of palm trees, while the river whispered its flow over the black pebbles.

It was just as Aida and Phoenix had described it. An exotic corner of paradise stashed away behind seemingly endless sand dunes. But it was too quiet. It seemed like there was no one there. Draven got off his horse first, looking around with his eyebrows drawn into a concerned frown.

“They should be here,” he muttered.

I joined him, my feet sinking slightly into the soft grass. There was plenty of moonlight with which to see clearly. The silence felt heavy. The air too still.

“Maybe we’re in the wrong place?” I asked, although I doubted it myself.

“No, this is it. They’re not here…”

“Wait,” I whispered, picking up a strange sound to our right.

I used my True Sight to scan the riverside and got a glimpse of six figures prowling in the darkness, coming around the massive black rocks.

“Draven, there are—” I managed to say before arrows swished past our heads, missing us by inches.

We fell to the ground as more arrows rained down upon us.





Vita





Patrik came by for a third time, as he’d accepted my offer to help him break Azazel’s spell. He’d already made it quite far; it caused him tremendous amounts of pain to slither into my room and work with me to regain his Druid form. We’d been at it for a couple of days, and it helped keep my mind busy while waiting for Bijarki.

Azazel kept his distance, though I didn’t know why, and neither did Patrik, until Damion had let slip that he’d seen very little of the self-titled Prince of Destroyers lately. Apparently, he’d been focused on finding and squashing the alliance rising against him. The idea made me smile, given that I knew my friends were moving ahead and the rebel armies were already sneaking through the thick jungles of Antara, circling in on the castle.

“Are you ready?” I asked Patrik as he locked the double doors and turned to look at me.

He ran a hand through his curly black hair, then nodded and advanced to the middle of the room. He grasped the pillars of the four-poster bed, his knuckles white.

“Like we’ve done before,” I encouraged him, then held my breath.

He inhaled and exhaled several times, his yellow snake eyes flickering green before he grunted from the pain shooting through his entire body. His skin took on a gooseflesh quality, his carved muscles nervously twitching beneath.

“Think of Kyana,” I said. “She’s out there somewhere. She’s free. You want to be with her again, don’t you?”

Patrik nodded again, then hissed as he took the fight deeper. The bedposts creaked under his tightening grip as he hung his head, heaving. Beads of sweat formed on his bare back and arms, trickling down. I heard bones cracking.

I moved around to get a better look at his face. Pain marred his beautiful features, his lips peeled back to reveal his white teeth, complete with long, clear, extended snake fangs coming out of the protective sheath of his pink gums.

“You once fought to protect this world, and now you’re helping destroy it. You’re helping kill innocent creatures. You’re helping kill Kyana, too,” I added.