A Tip of Balance Read online

  “I slipped into a vision,” I replied. “I saw Destroyers bringing Hansa’s passage stone to Azazel’s chamber. Then I saw Patrik with Kyana again, just as he was called to take part in Vita’s abduction. Then I was back in the chamber with Azazel and the five Destroyers that attacked us, including Patrik.”

  “He wasn’t one of those we killed?” Draven mused, and I shook my head.

  “No. I guess he’s the one who made it out alive with Vita,” I said. “They were waiting in front of the passage stone when Sverik came through and told them it was time. We were all sleeping by then. He had it all planned.”

  Bijarki slammed his fist on the table, startling me. He was deeply attached to Vita, and I felt sorry for him. All I had to do was imagine Field getting abducted to get an inkling of what the incubus was feeling in that moment.

  “That’s when he looked at me,” I continued. “He looked right at me. He could see and hear me there when no one else could. It felt so weird, so unnatural. The Destroyers had gone through the passage stone by then, so it was just him and me in the room. He wouldn’t let me go unless I passed on the message to everyone hiding beneath the shield. I think he’s figured out some cheating spell, of sorts. I think he knew I was there during my first vision, but chose to ignore me, keeping his cards close to his chest so I could see exactly what he was planning with Sverik. But I can only speculate as to how he’s actually doing this vision hijacking… I don’t think he can keep me in a vision forever, it was all happening in real time.”

  “So Azazel can sense if you’re having a vision involving him,” Draven concluded.

  I nodded my response.

  “He can’t breach future or past visions?”

  I shook my head. “I don’t think so. I think if he had the power to influence the past or the future, we’d all be shifter chow by now and he wouldn’t be having so much trouble getting to us or finding out who’s beneath the shield,” I explained. “I’m barely learning how to pick and choose my visions anyway. I still can’t control them if they just pop up, unannounced, like tonight.”

  The Druid ran a hand through his hair, leaning against the back of his chair.

  “I have no other choice but to try and steer clear of any visions involving Azazel, but that’s all I can do. Try,” I sighed. “If one does happen, I’m screwed. It’s not like he could touch me because I was just a projection. But I don’t know what he did to stop me from waking up. I couldn’t wake up. If I’d been able to get out of there sooner, I could have prevented…”

  I choked up, feeling another sob working its way up my throat. Field’s arm worked its way around my shoulders again, pulling me closer to him, enough for me to feel his warmth seeping through me and gradually calming me down.

  “He was so… so arrogant,” I remembered. “He gave me that message for you, telling me he wouldn’t let me wake up until I promised to deliver it, nearly laughing in my face just to scare me and mess with my mind. I’m not sure he was aware of how much I was able to deduce from what he said.”

  “I’m not surprised. Azazel may be an evil genius by nature,” Draven scoffed, “but he still enjoys showing off, particularly where he feels he’s victorious. Taking Vita certainly qualifies as a victory, given that he had to put this whole Sverik charade together to get to her.”

  “Yeah, not making me feel any better,” I muttered.

  Draven looked at us all. His brows pulled into a frown, before he spoke again, “I am as furious as you all are about Vita, make no mistake, but let’s find a small amount of comfort in the fact that Azazel wants his Oracles to be willing to help him. I’ve not said this before, but he’s privy to a lot more information that way than if he locks them up in glass spheres. He will treat Vita right for the time being. He’ll be looking to earn her cooperation, to give her the impression that she is better off cooperating with him than having visions forcibly pulled out of her while she floats in a bubble. Chances are she is in no immediate danger for the moment, and this needs to work to our advantage. We have several challenges ahead of us if we want to get her out of there in one piece.”

  Bijarki looked away, tears glazing his silvery eyes. A muscle jumped in his jaw, a sign of tension which, combined with his silence, meant that he agreed with Draven and thoroughly hated himself for it. The Druid had a point. We had to be smart about this.

  “What do we do, then?” I asked, choosing to focus on the solution rather than dwelling on the problem.

  “First, we need to gather ingredients for the invisibility spell. Two plants are missing, as well as a gemstone powder,” Draven replied. “Delirium palm leaves, fire orchids, and larimar stone powder. We have everything else we need in the greenhouse. We’ll need the invisibility spell to get into Azazel’s castle and extract Vita. It’s the only way to do it without getting ourselves killed.”

  “Larimar stones are rare,” Anjani took a deep breath. “They’re known as the stones of dancing sunlight. Only a couple of mountain peaks hold larimar deposits. Our best chance is Queen’s Peak, southeast of here.”

  Draven nodded slowly.

  “Delirium palms grow in the Black Swamps,” he added. “That’s a day’s trip alone. And fire orchids, I’m not sure. We might get a good bundle in Sarang Marketplace. The challenge would be getting out of there alive. I have a feeling there are prices on all our heads now, not just Bijarki’s.”

  He went on with our to-do list.

  “We need to reach out to our allies, as well. The Dearghs in Mount Inon are the closest. The Lamias are by River Pyros. The Tritones, the Maras, and Grezzi’s rogues on the northwestern coast. The Red Tribe succubi, too, since they’re out there somewhere.”

  “I can speak to them,” Anjani replied. “We’ve got the communication spell going. It has worked before. But they’re on the south-eastern side, too far away to reach the north-west in time, so they might be better off continuing to rally the rogues in that region.”

  “Good. We need to let our allies know that Sverik betrayed us all. We can’t meet at Mount Agrith. Azazel will know about it. His army will probably wait for us there. We can’t risk it. If we fail with the alliance, we all die, not just Vita.”

  Jax raised his arm, prompting us all to pay attention.

  “I’ll cover the northwestern coast. The Tritones, my people, and Grezzi’s. I would appreciate some assistance until I get my wards out of White City,” he said, looking at Hansa.

  “Hansa and Jovi will come with you,” Draven replied.

  Anjani frowned at him, but Jovi placed his hand over hers on the table and gave her a reassuring smile. She exhaled, then bit the inside of her cheek.

  “I should be out there too,” she mumbled.

  “You need to stay here and talk to your sisters,” Hansa said, her voice low and gentle. “Besides, you’ve sworn an oath to look after the Daughter and the Oracles.”

  “Yes, and look how that went,” Anjani scoffed.

  “Not a good time to play the blame ourselves game,” the Red Tribe leader berated her. “Snap out of it. We still have two younglings to take care of as well.”

  At that point, both teenage succubi straightened their backs, pursing their lips and looking visibly offended.

  “We can take care of ourselves, thank you very much!” one of them said, making Hansa stifle a smile.

  “Each of us will serve a purpose going forward if we want to survive and succeed,” Draven interjected, his tone firm.

  He was right. We all had to pitch in somehow. Not just for ourselves, but for Vita’s safe return. My stomach twisted into knots of anguish and dread as I thought of her so close to Azazel. My eyes burned as more tears bubbled up to the surface.

  “While Jax reaches out to his side, I can relay the news to the Dearghs up north and go around the mansion to alert my Lamias down at River Pyros,” Tamara’s husky voice made me lift my gaze to find her. She sat up straight, one hand resting on Eva’s shoulder. “Eva is my heir. She will stay here with you, s
afe under the shield.”

  “That sounds sensible,” Draven nodded. “Thank you, Tamara.”

  “As you said, we all have to play our part in making this alliance happen,” she replied with a polite smile. Her eyes flickered black for a moment, giving me the impression that she, like us, was working hard to keep some intense emotions under control.

  “We could go after the invisibility spell ingredients,” Serena said, looking at Draven and Bijarki.

  “We have a bigger problem to deal with before we get to that,” Draven replied.

  We all looked at him, my blood running cold.

  “We have to leave the protective shield without getting ourselves killed by a horde of Destroyers,” he stated the unspoken obvious. “We shouldn’t use the remaining invisibility spell because it may be needed here for any emergency exits. It’s not enough for all of us, anyway. We have our work cut out.”

  Jovi

  “What about the young Druids that might still be alive?” Phoenix asked Draven. “Should I look into it further? You said they might be essential to our mission.”

  Draven took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

  “Having Druids on board means a great amount of skill and power to mount against Azazel, enough to put up a good fight and help the alliance leave him without an army. Even if they left the Grand Temple when they were young, they were still highly educated and well trained. The Destroyers have lost their ability to do magic, so Druids are a crucial advantage,” he explained.

  “They’re also part of the nobility, after all,” Hansa added. “Rulers of Eritopia’s kingdom. Their existence might give the remaining rogue nations the will to rise and join us. We just need to make sure they’re not vulnerable to Azazel’s dirty tricks, since they’re young and inexperienced, compared to the Druids already under his control. They’ll need some kind of training…”

  “Then it’s settled,” Phoenix said. “I’ll start digging into the past and trace their path. I’m thinking we’d want to know where they’ve been before we ask Aida to delve into present visions, given her risk of exposure to Azazel. She could very well be looking after Druids in one moment, to end up in Azazel’s chamber in the next.”

  Aida gave Phoenix a warm but weak smile as a sign of appreciation. My heart still leapt in my throat whenever I thought of my sister at Azazel’s mercy. I knew she’d be careful and do her best to improve her vision navigation skills, but the risk was ever present.

  “I’ve been thinking,” Aida cocked her head to one side, staring at an empty glass in front of her. “I don’t think Azazel can keep me trapped in a vision forever. I mean, he’s conscious when he does it. It all happens in real time. He’s got a world to conquer. He can focus on keeping me trapped for only so long before he has to call it quits. Otherwise, I’m thinking I’d still be under right now, unable to help any of you going forward.”

  “That makes sense,” I said, processing her line of reasoning. “Whatever cheat spell Azazel’s using, it only works in real time because he has to manipulate it. Which means real time has to hinder him as well if he has other things to do. I can’t see him spending his entire conscious time keeping Aida locked in a vision with him.”

  It was the glimmer of hope I needed to convince myself that her predicament wasn’t catastrophic, just horribly inconvenient. My sister grew up with wolf hair covering her entire body. I had the feeling that dealing with a megalomaniac hell-bent on ruining the world for five to ten minutes was something she could handle.

  “Speaking of Oracles,” Aida continued, “when Vita had the vision of the Nevertide Oracle, she told her that the Oracles were connected. It’s a link that no one knows about, not even Azazel. It’s been a safety mechanism for eons amongst the Oracles. According to her, we have a direct line to each other, all of us.”

  I stilled, my interest peaked. Given the stunned looks at the table, the feeling was collective.

  “Like astral projection, I think. It has nothing to do with visions,” Aida reiterated. “Listen, I can try it. I can try reaching out to Vita, directly. I’m worried sick about her, and I can’t properly think until I know she’s okay. Maybe I can open a line to her, get us the scoop straight from Azazel’s castle. Maybe, if I focus on that, I won’t fall into any vision traps for that snake to mentally poke and prod me just for kicks.”

  A minute passed as Aida and I looked at each other. My heart swelled with pride to see her so determined and strong despite everything. I was in for a rough ride myself. I didn’t look forward to being separated from Anjani, but we all had a mission to accomplish. I was perfectly okay with her staying protected beneath the shield, looking after my sister.

  “I thought of something as well,” Hansa broke the silence. “We need more people in this alliance. More able bodies to fight with us. We need strength in numbers if we want to knock Azazel’s armies off their feet.”

  “What are you suggesting?” Draven asked, his eyes glimmering with curiosity.

  “No one has reached out to the Bajangs, have they?”

  I could almost feel the air lighten up as the buzzing energy of a minor epiphany smoothed Draven’s facial features. Hansa was on to something.

  “No,” he said, then got up to leave the banquet hall. “I’ll be right back.”

  “The Bajangs?” Serena asked, slightly confused. “The cat people?”

  “You could say that, yes,” Jax nodded. “The Bajangs are a… peculiar people. They used to be independent by nature, only hanging around incubus and succubus groups for food and shelter when needed. They appreciated the Bajangs’ hunting skills. After it all had gone wrong with Azazel, the Bajangs were left on their own to fend for themselves.”

  “What happened?” Aida was curious, and I was relieved to see her distracted by the concept of cat people for a few minutes.

  “They were left behind or cast out from all the citadels. Many were killed. The ones who survived gathered into a couple of abandoned castles, hiding there from Destroyers and other hostiles. They chose locations that Azazel had destroyed. They knew no one would return to those places. Because they can shift into large cats, they can easily survive in the woods, as well,” Jax explained.

  “They’re known for their selfish nature,” Hansa added. “In one moment they like you, then you’re being thrown out the window because you’ve served your purpose.”

  “Oh, wow. I’d replace selfish with ‘extreme,’ though, because throwing someone out the window isn’t ‘selfish.’ It’s psychotic,” I blurted.

  “Well, they’re aware of their value,” Hansa said. “In feline form, they are extraordinary. Agile, ferocious, and deadly. In Bajang form, they’re equally fearsome and beautiful. They can put up quite the fight with any one of us, for sure. A couple of them could take down a Destroyer if they plan their moves right. The only thing is…”

  “They’re elusive,” Draven said as he returned with an old leather-bound notebook, “but not impossible to entice.”

  He sat down and began flipping through the pages as we all craned our necks trying to get a glimpse of what was written.

  “I remembered my father’s notes on the Bajangs,” he said, flipping through the pages. “I knew he’d kept track of them after Azazel started his takeover campaign. There was only one location that he was sure the Bajangs lived. He helped them get settled in the citadel and gave them a swamp witches’ cloaking spell to ward off any curious or hostile passersby. They probably still live there.”

  He seemed to find the page he was looking for. His finger followed a string of words written in black ink.

  “Here it is. Stonewall. It’s on the east coast, a former port. Azazel destroyed it to cut off any links to the neighboring continent, but the old citadel remains. It looks like a giant ruin from afar, thanks to the cloaking spell, but it houses a couple hundred Bajangs for sure. At least it did, a century ago. There may be more of them now.”

  “Wait, I know that name. Stonewall,” Hansa squinte
d her eyes, trying to remember.

  “Druids held it before,” Draven replied. “Scholars, to be precise. Everything was destroyed, though. The archives, the manuscripts, millennia of knowledge turned into ashes when Azazel’s Destroyers invaded. All that remained were the stone walls.”

  “And when you say cloaking spell, do you mean the kind we had at our camp?” Hansa lifted an eyebrow.

  “Yes. Parts of Stonewall are hidden beneath an illusion of derelict facades. The wind howls through them and nightfall makes them even more frightening. It’s close to an occupied incubi city, but no one dares venture too close. It’s said to be haunted.”

  “I’ve heard stories about Stonewall,” Hansa mused. “Most of them tales of horror. But never a mention of Bajangs living there.”

  “My father did a good job, from what I’m reading here,” he said, turning the page. “We could definitely reach out to them. The illusion must have kept them safe. They should still be there.”

  He found a map at the end of the notebook, a rudimentary drawing in thick, black charcoal depicting the cloaked parts of Stonewall along with a couple of symbols on the side. Bijarki’s gaze moved from the map to Draven, as a stern look settled on his face.

  “We can’t all go looking for invisibility spell ingredients,” the incubus said. “I’ll go. I’ll get what we need. I’ll prepare the spell and, I will infiltrate Azazel’s castle and get Vita out of there. You and Serena should go to Stonewall.”

  “No,” Serena shot back. “Vita’s my best friend. She’s my family. I’m coming with you to get her.”

  “Serena, I know my way around there. One of us is enough to extract her. There is no point in risking the lives of all three of us when there is so much to do in the meantime,” Bijarki replied gently. “I understand that you care for her. I do, too. I love her if that makes any difference at all. I need her here, and I will do everything I can to bring her back safely. That I can promise you without hesitation.”