The next day and a half passed rather uneventfully, and I was thankful for it. We spent our time digging deeper into the Druid archives, searching for as much information as we could uncover about Jasmine, about navigating the eastern ocean, and about combat spells that Draven and the young Druids could learn for their fight against Azazel.

Aida briefed us on her visions in full detail and regularly checked in on Vita, who kept a low profile and waited for Bijarki’s arrival, while playing the role of the model prisoner. We even found out that the concealment spell had worked, as Patrik told Vita that Azazel was furious, casting all kinds of tracking spells because he couldn’t feel Aida and Phoenix anymore. The Prince of Destroyers had already had trouble tracking them because they were constantly moving, managing only to get five-mile radius approximations until they fell off the radar again. Patrik had also advised Azazel not to take his anger out on Vita, the only fully functional Oracle he had. Surprisingly, Azazel heeded his advice and kept his distance, as he was focused on securing his throne and looking for us.

Phoenix kept his mind busy by subjecting his body to hard training sessions with Jovi and Field. Rebel and Thorn occasionally jumped in, as did Jax, Hansa, and Anjani, while Draven, Aida, Zeriel, and I spent most of the daylight available in the archive hall.

Wren and her succubi were hard at work in the harbor, mending one of the four ships left so they could sail it to Marton. They were close to getting it ready, and Draven and I agreed to accompany the expectant mothers to the desert continent, as we needed to find the young Druids and bring them into the alliance.

Draven barely said anything during this time, keeping his focus on the Druid spell books and avoiding any conversations about the future. Zeriel, as Jax had previously stated, did not always pick up on social cues and was perfectly comfortable talking about Draven potentially wiping us all out, without noticing how uncomfortable it made the Druid.

I couldn’t blame Zeriel either: he was only looking to find a solution, a way to stop Vita’s visions from coming true. But the very notion of betraying those close to him pushed Draven back over the edge and into a sullen state that was hard to come back from.

Nevertheless, I persisted, summoning every ounce of patience I had in me, and talked Draven back into focus—the day of the alliance meeting was finally upon us, and we had a lot of work to do.

I used the telepathy spell ingredients to reach out to Tamara and Bijarki. The Lamia was the first to respond.

“Serena, nice to hear you’re still alive,” she said, with no feeling in her voice. “I’m close to Stonewall now. I should be there shortly. A trail was left for Kyana as well, so she knows where to find us.”

“That’s good to hear,” I replied. “Good to hear you didn’t get stomped by a horse.”

I heard her laugh lightly in my head. She’d caught the gist and seemed to appreciate the dark humor.

“Clearly, you give as good as you get.” She snickered. “You will make a fine leader one day.”

Tamara was like that, I realized. With one hand she patted your back and encouraged you, while she used the other to slap you hard before comforting you again. There was a strategy behind her demeanor, but I’d yet to figure out its purpose. All I could do was appreciate her compliments and brace myself for the day Draven would tell her there was no way in hell he’d mate with Eva. Our group had already kept Eva safe despite dozens of Destroyers chasing them, and Vita had set her sister free. The balance had moved slowly in our favor.

“Bijarki, are you there?” I called out to the incubus.

“Here,” came his raspy reply. “I’m on my way to Luceria. Got side-tracked by former soldiers who thought they could cash in on the reward on my head. I had to put on the invisibility spell to keep others from doing the same. I’ll reach the castle by sunrise.”

“Please be safe,” I told him. “Vita is counting on you…”

“She’s the only reason I’m still topside, Serena,” Bijarki said, breathing heavily. He was most likely running through the jungle. “Do you have an exact location for her?”

“Yes,” I said. “Aida has been checking in with her every few hours, just so you know. She’s on the seventh level, east wing, the summer suite just below the throne room.”

“Thank you, Serena.”

“Bring her back, please,” I mumbled, a claw gripping my heart. I missed my little fire fae so much.

“I promise,” came his solemn reply.

All I could do was wait and hope that everything would be okay, that I would see Vita soon enough. Bijarki had the invisibility spell to his advantage, making this a relatively simple extraction mission. Given our twisted track record, however, I couldn’t help but worry that something might still go awfully wrong.

I took comfort in words my mother had once said: “If you think the worst will happen, you’re nudging the universe in that direction.” I took a deep breath and followed her advice, focusing on the positive possibilities. I missed my parents. I missed The Shade.

Someday soon, this would all be over and we’d see our families again. I’d feel The Shade’s warm, fragrant breeze against my face, and our beloved island’s beauty would ease the ache in my heart.

I could only be grateful that at least back home they didn’t know we existed. They didn’t suffer in our absence like we quietly did in theirs.