Ten minutes later, with Caia and Blaze keeping an eye out from around the corner, we moved to the next stage of our plan. I briefed Ryker on who we were and how we’d made it here, and he thanked the Daughters over and over once he heard that Laughlan was alive and free.

“Do you know where they moved the Maras?” I asked him, while Jax gave him some herbs and water to gather enough strength for what lay ahead. Ryker shook his head slowly, then nodded at the High Warden, who was finally waking up.

“He’ll know for sure,” Ryker muttered, then gulped down half a gallon of water.

The High Warden mumbled something as he opened his eyes, then froze once he realized where he was, along with the fact that he was tied up. Our invisibility spells had worn off about a minute earlier, so he could see us all, though he obviously didn’t look happy about it.

“You people are suicidal,” he sneered. “Why did you come back?”

Pheng-Pheng punched him so hard that I heard his jawbone crack. He groaned from the pain, and blood dripped from the corner of his mouth.

“Let’s get something straight here, warden,” I replied bluntly, crossing my arms. “You don’t get to ask the questions. Where are the Maras from the Druid delegation?”

The High Warden chuckled with contempt, until Pheng-Pheng backhanded him and wiped the smirk off his face. “Good grief, stop it, you pestilent little bug!” he snapped. Pheng-Pheng wasn’t bothered, though, and hit him again. He cursed under his breath, then spat blood to the side before he looked at me again. “After you bastards caused a ruckus yesterday, we started moving the prisoners, as Prince Cayn ordered. I told him it wasn’t necessary, since you were all gone, but he insisted. Said you might be foolish enough to come back for them. I’m surprised to say he was right, which, by the way, is unheard of.”

I rolled my eyes, then scoffed. “You’re spread too thin now, looking for us,” I replied. “It was the perfect time to come back and tear this place apart from the inside. Now, answer the question. Where were the Maras transferred?”

The High Warden sighed, licking his bloody lips. “Cells 14 and 15, one block over to the west,” he said. I frowned.

“That was quick and easy. Why are you being so open?” I asked.

He grinned, revealing his bloody teeth and broken fangs. I made a mental note to never get on Pheng-Pheng’s bad side. She was ruthless. I loved her. “I’m hoping it will increase my chances of survival,” he answered, and I could still hear the tremor in his voice. He was afraid.

Jax and I exchanged glances. “How many guards?” I asked the High Warden.

“Two per cell, but you might want to be careful,” he replied. “Cayn is pissed, lurking around like a rabid pit wolf. We’ve got soldiers out and around Kerentrith, too, looking for you. They’ve sent Death Claws and a couple of platoons to the south to track you down.”

“Which is great,” Ryker said as Jax helped him up. He was still pale and way too slender for his height, but he could at least stand on his own. “We can cause some serious damage while we’re down here.”

“What are you suggesting?” I replied.

Harper grinned. “Oh, yeah, I know exactly what he’s suggesting. It’s what we talked about,” she said. “With Fiona handling Zane, and more than half of the daemon forces out, uselessly looking for us, we can wreak significant havoc in Draconis. They’ve got plenty of daemon pacifists locked up in this joint, and we’ve got the skeleton keys,” she added, then gave the Druid an appreciative nod. “We’re on the same page, believe me.”

My synapses clicked with lightning speed as I prepared for the aforementioned “significant havoc”. I drew my broadsword and pushed its sharp tip against the warden’s throat. “You. Tell us where we can find some pacifists.”

“They’re next door, and put that thing away before you cut me with it!” he hissed, prompting me to raise an eyebrow. “I told you, I’ll tell you whatever you want to know, as long as you spare me.”

“You don’t hold a candle to Velnias,” Ryker muttered.

“Velnias is a pacifist,” I replied.

Ryker seemed surprised. “Oh. So that’s why I got this bastard as the new High Warden. I see.”

“But you do make a fair point,” I said. “At least Velnias wouldn’t be so quick to betray his people.”

The High Warden scoffed, shaking his head slowly. “Oh, please. You don’t even know what it’s like down here. The king is barely holding onto his power, and you outsiders made everything ten times worse. The pacifists have been growing in numbers over the years and so have the Exiled Maras. This truce between the daemons and the Exiled Maras is a sham, hanging by a thread. I’m merely trying to survive what’s coming.”

“What do you mean?” Harper asked, moving to stand next to me and face him, while Caspian stood by the door, listening for any noises coming from outside.

“They’re desperate to rebuild Infernis. Fast,” the High Warden explained, then paused to spit more blood. “We’ve got patrols, pit wolves, and generals on high alert. The last thing King Shaytan wants is for the Exiled Maras to find out he took such a hit. And from a bunch of outsiders, to top it off. The alliance is fragile. There’s a lot of greed, plenty of internal machinations, Lords backstabbing other Lords. Same with the daemon princes. The Council’s been a mess since they arrested Zane. The daemon people are unhappy. Addicted to souls and faced with a dwindling population of Imen. We’re all frustrated. The balance keeps tilting. If the Exiled Maras hear about what happened in Infernis, I tell you… They wouldn’t mind being the supreme species of Neraka, so they wouldn’t have to share resources and souls with the rest of us.”

A couple of seconds passed as we all processed the information. We finally had extremely valuable insights into this so-called alliance between the daemons and the Exiled Maras. The only thing both species seemed to agree on was the value of the swamp witch, which was why they had “shared custody”. But the High Warden made a good point. If one side discovered the other side’s weakness, all bets were most likely off.

“I’m about to literally pat myself on the back for what we’ve done so far,” Harper muttered, slightly amused. “I had no idea it reverberated to such a level.”

“I know, right?” Jax chuckled softly. “All the more reason to tear this place apart while we’re here.”

“Oh, yeah. Just let the pacifists loose,” the High Warden chimed in. “They have their secret meeting spots and ways of delivering messages. They know all the city’s weak spots. They’ll have a field day dismantling Draconis. Just make sure you leave me here and lock the door behind you. I’m perfectly happy to plead for amnesty once you leave,” he added with a smirk, making my stomach churn.

“Nothing stops us from letting a few pacifists loose,” I said, ignoring the daemon and focusing on Harper. “It’s on our way, if you think about it.”

Caspian, Jax, Pheng-Pheng, and Harper all nodded in agreement. Ryker chuckled softly.

“I like you crazy folks,” he said. “A handful of you are resourceful and vicious enough to decimate a daemon city. I can only imagine what an army of your kind would do.”

“You will find out, actually, as soon as we get Lumi out of Azure Heights,” I replied with a smile. “She’s the only thing standing between us and our people back home. Though, it’s not her fault. And she’s the only one who can bring the shield down.”

“And you said Telluris doesn’t work, either?” Ryker asked, frowning.

I shook my head, then sighed. “Not at all. It doesn’t even work between us, on Neraka. Whatever that shield does, it cuts off everything. One of our own nearly got blown up while trying to leave the planet in a travel orb.”

“And the Exiled Maras have her, for sure?” Ryker replied.

“Laughlan overheard some other warden talking about it, yes,” I said.

“I can’t confirm that, but it seems like a safe bet,” the High Warden interjected. “It’s probably why King Shaytan is so worried the Maras will find out about what happened in Infernis. The Maras might disable the daemon grunts with whom they’re jointly guarding the swamp witch, thereby canceling the truce. A weak king will bring his kingdom down. He’s not even letting Darius go back to Azure Heights. He’s afraid he’ll tell the others and he’ll lose access to the swamp witch,” he chuckled.

Harper started pacing the room, her gaze darting around as she quickly reassessed our position and our options, given these revelations. I had to give the vampire sentry credit. Despite her age, Harper was sharp and ruthless. I could easily see her taking Derek’s place in a few thousand years. She didn’t focus on a problem, but always went straight for the solution, bypassing the moment of panic that made many younglings choke. I could see great things in her future, provided we all made it off Neraka in one piece.

“If the pacifists know one another and can communicate with one another, we could easily have them not only sabotage Draconis, but also spread word back to Infernis and other cities,” she said, then took out her skeleton key, grinning. “All they’ll need is this.”

“They could also spread the word about King Shaytan,” Pheng-Pheng added, her scorpion tail twitching with delight. “The rumors would fly back to Azure Heights. And our enemy would have some internal turmoil that would make it easier for us to get the swamp witch out. I doubt the Maras would pass on an opportunity to disable the daemons, even with outsiders loose on Neraka. They’re greedy.”

“And greed often leads to foolishness,” Jax replied with a nod. “Whatever they thought they were going to achieve when they brought us over here, they overlooked two very important aspects. One: we came with a dragon. Two: they know little to nothing about GASP and how it operates. They’ve been stranded here for so long, they’ve actually become convinced they’re superior.”

The High Warden let out a brief, malicious cackle. “Oh, please. The only reason King Shaytan hasn’t been able to wipe them off the face of Neraka has been because they snatched the witch and forced him into a truce. They’ve been trying to con and outsmart one another for thousands of years. The best they could come up with was the truce, until the Imen started dying off and they realized they needed more souls to feed on.”

“That’s where we came in,” Harper scoffed. “Their first test. An attempt to draw supernaturals to Neraka, capture and enslave them, force them to reproduce and grow in numbers, in captivity, so they can have more souls to consume.”

“Sadistic bastards, I know,” Ryker breathed, visibly disgusted.

Jax gave him a sympathetic smile, followed by a friendly pat on the back. Well, it was meant to be friendly, but Ryker was still so weak that it made him wobble and nearly fall over, before Jax caught him and helped him stay upright. “Don’t sweat it, Druid. Soon enough, you’ll see the light of day again,” he said.

Ryker gave him a weak smirk. “It’s been almost… what, eight thousand years since I’ve felt the sun on my face? I’ve lost track.”

“It’s a wonder you’re still alive,” the High Warden grumbled, a muscle twitching in his broken jaw.

I clapped my hands once, then took out a second supply of invisibility paste. Jax gave some to Ryker, too. “We’re good to go, then. Stopping by next door first, then off to get some Maras out,” I announced, then swallowed the shimmering paste, mounted the red lens over my eye, and sheathed my broadsword.

We gathered by the door, watching one another as we gradually vanished, Ryker included. The High Warden stared at us, then put on a hopeful, sheepish, and crooked smile.

“I’ll let the pacifists know you let me live when they get here,” he said, no longer able to see us.

“Who said we’re letting you live?” I replied dryly, then nodded at Pheng-Pheng.

His face dropped. All Pheng-Pheng needed was a couple of steps and a jab of her poisonous tail. It wasn’t just that I couldn’t stand daemons who fed on the souls of the innocent. I absolutely loathed traitors, and the High Warden would’ve easily turned against us, if given the opportunity.

I wasn’t born yesterday.