My heart soared at the sight of Caspian, Fiona, and Avril. As soon as I was free of my charmed cuffs, I wrapped my arms around Caspian, and he covered my face with feverish kisses. I’d heard the noises outside. Part of me had already known what was happening before the door even opened.

I shot to my feet, stretching with delight as Caspian handed me a sword. Mine had been taken away, along with the rest of my gear. I took the key from him and used it to remove Lumi’s cuffs, then took the gag off. The swamp witch was in shock, hope glimmering blue around her for the first time.

“Where are the others?” I asked as I tossed the chains and cuffs aside, resting my hands on Lumi’s thighs and giving her a warm smile.

“Zane and Heron are outside, giving the guards a run for their money,” Avril replied, settling by the door, next to Fiona. “The rest of the team is in position.”

“You’re… You’re all from Calliope.” Lumi finally spoke, for the first time in millennia. Her voice was faint and raspy, her vocal cords weakened. She took several deep breaths, smiling at the sound of it.

“And The Shade,” I said. “I told you, we’re getting you out of this place.”

“After all this time… I didn’t think I’d ever utter a word again,” she whispered, tearing up. “I’m so weak.”

“I know,” I replied gently. “I’m… We’re not going to let anyone hurt you again, I promise. I’ve said it before, and I will say it again. You’re one of us, Lumi. We don’t leave our people behind.”

“How come you can see us, even though we’re invisible?” Fiona asked.

“Swamp witches can see the magic of the Word, even when it’s cast. Invisible spells, cloaking shields, hidden charms, everything. It all glows gold for us,” Lumi explained. “I cannot see you like I see Harper, for example, but I can make out your figures and most of your facial expressions. It’s difficult to explain right now.”

Avril stilled and sniffed the air. “Hold on. There’s a sudden mixture of scents coming from above. From outside, specifically. I think the Adlet flare was launched.”

Fiona gasped. “Oh, hell, it’s showtime. It’s about to get busy in here, for sure,” she added, and looked at Lumi. “Lumi, what spells have you given them so far?”

Lumi sighed, then nodded at Caspian. “Can you scratch off as many of the symbols on these walls as you can? They’re holding me down, physically and spiritually.”

Caspian immediately took out a pocket knife and started breaking the seals. His skin started to burn, as he was going against his blood oath. Avril took over from him, while I helped Lumi stand up. Her knees were weak. She gripped my shoulders, giving me a frightened look. I responded with an encouraging smile.

“I gave them plenty of spells,” she said. “Invisibility, fertility, defense, and attack. Warfare magic. Poisons and scrying potions. Cloaking shields of various dimensions.”

“Including one big enough to hide the entire planet, right?” I asked.

“Yes,” she said.

She regretted each spell she’d given, but we already knew she’d had no choice.

“You did what you had to in order to survive, and that’s a good thing,” I replied. “If you’d gotten yourself killed, our chances of going home would’ve dropped to zero the moment we set foot on Neraka.”

“They tortured me,” Lumi murmured, taking a few steps as she held on to me for stability. We had to get her in better shape, and fast, so I cut my palm and offered her my blood to drink. “They nipped at my soul.”

“I know,” I said. “Drink some of my blood. It’ll help you heal faster, at least enough for you to replenish some of your strength, because we’re about to bust out of this joint.”

Lumi nodded again, then consumed some of my blood. I could see the color gradually returning to her cheeks. Her gaze looked sharper, slightly more focused than before.

“What do you need in order to take down the shield they put around Neraka?” Fiona asked.

“A safe space and about half an hour,” Lumi replied. “I don’t need much else. The one thing I never told anyone, including the Exiled Maras, is the fact that I can break any swamp witch spell with just a few ounces of my blood.”

“Smart witch,” Caspian muttered.

“I think I know where we can go,” Fiona said. She was about to continue, when the door burst open, prompting all of us to step back and draw our weapons.

Standing in the doorway, accompanied by two daemon guards, was Adaris, one of Shaytan’s sons—the sixth on the Council, before Zane. He looked surprised, wearing a red lens and perfectly aware of our presence.

My heart jumped in my throat. We had been bound to get company, sooner or later, only I’d hoped it wouldn’t be one of the princes. They were vicious bastards and very difficult to kill. Time wasn’t on our side, this time. We had to get Lumi out before more hostiles converged on our location.

“What are you ladies doing here?” Adaris muttered, drawing his humongous, bejeweled broadsword. That seem to be a common denominator for Shaytan’s sons—big bodies, big egos, big weapons.

“Waiting for you,” I replied.

I stepped in front of Lumi and raised my sword, its tip pointed at him. The bigger they were, the harder they fell. And I was not leaving this place without my swamp witch.