A Tip of Balance Read online

  Hansa’s words left me with a heavy heart, but I had faith that Anjani would stand up to her sister when the time came, and that she would defend our love as fiercely as I was ready to. I understood that concessions would have to be made for this relationship to work, and I was eager to give it a shot.

  Anjani had just told me she loved me. How much of a fool could I be to consider walking away from that? Her sister didn’t understand, and I made it my mission to make her see what we saw.

  “You’re quite fierce for a homeless succubus,” Jax shot back with an arrogant smirk.

  “You’re quite reckless to toy with me,” Hansa’s reply came with teeth bared, while her arms tightened around his waist.

  It would be an awkward ride all the way to the lagoon. I did consider asking Hansa if she wanted to ride with me, but given what she’d just said to me, I wasn’t feeling my most chivalrous anymore. I decided to let her awkwardly struggle with the Mara.

  I kept my hope that she’d change her mind once we defeated Azazel. Perhaps the prospect of a new world with better laws and fewer restrictive traditions might sound better once we eliminated the slithering threat. In the meantime, however, I focused my thoughts on Anjani, hoping to have her back in my arms so we could take our bond to the next level.

  Hansa kept checking the meadow on both sides while forced to hold on to Jax. Her predicament messed with her pride and that gave me tremendous satisfaction. I had to stifle a grin.

  Serena

  Our horse did not disappoint. We shot through the dark jungles, traveling quickly toward the east as the sun rose ahead to greet us.

  Draven occasionally glanced over his shoulder at me, giving me a reassuring half-smile as we put more miles between us and the mansion. He’d become better attuned to my emotions, and he could probably sense my concern for the others. I tried my best to stay hopeful, but I didn’t want to underestimate the Destroyers either. They were massive and vicious, and they commanded winged horses. I couldn’t help but worry.

  Once we reached a safe spot, I could perform the telepathy spell and find out if they’d all made it safely out of the Destroyers’ reach. Until then, however, I was left on edge.

  “Have you ever met a Bajang before?” I asked Draven as our stallion galloped across the open plain.

  “Actually, no,” he replied. “They’re one of the few creatures of Eritopia that I never got to meet. I only know what my father told me about them and the knowledge gleaned from the books in our library. To be fair, it’s impressive I’ve met the others, given that I’ve spent my whole life beneath the protective shield.”

  We reached another forest patch. Tall, thick trees rose around us, their dark green foliage casting shadows and keeping the air fresh and cool. I saw shadows moving on both sides of our narrow path again.

  I loaded my crossbow, as did Draven. We looked at each other, knowing we would have to defend ourselves once more.

  I used my True Sight to get a better look, but I didn’t spot any shape-shifters. These were succubi, about forty of them, if not more, dressed in tight brown leathers and covered in dark green hoods that offered the perfect camouflage in these woods.

  “Succubi,” I managed to say to Draven before they rushed to us, forcing us to stop our horse.

  The animal was nervous, its front legs restless as it brayed its distress. I held on to Draven, trying to keep my cool as I analyzed the creatures that seemed determined to keep us there. They were tall and beautiful, with athletic bodies and waspy waists. Their arms and faces were covered in green paint, their bright amber eyes wide as they drew their bows, ready to shoot if we so much as moved.

  “State your business,” one of them spoke, her voice cold and deep.

  “We’re just passing through,” Draven said, raising his hands slowly in a defensive gesture. “We mean no harm.”

  “You’re not from around here,” the succubus replied. “You may very well be one of Azazel’s spies. Why should we let you through?”

  “Because we’re not,” he raised his chin. “On the contrary, we’re headed to Stonewall to gain allies and rise against him. You should join us.”

  The succubus pulled her arrow further back, ready to strike.

  Fear constricted my heart like a hungry anaconda, and I made an instant executive decision to keep Draven safe. I pushed out a mild barrier, enough to make the succubi stagger backward.

  “Don’t hurt us,” I said, while Draven gave me a brief and thankful sideways glance. “We’re not with Azazel. We’re very much against him. He has my friend.”

  The succubus was immediately infuriated by my defense mechanism and lunged forward to hit our horse. I pushed another barrier out, this time strong enough to knock her off her feet.

  “I don’t want to hurt you!” I raised my voice. “We’re not drawing our weapons. We do not wish to harm you, but don’t make us defend ourselves because you will regret it!”

  “Who are you?” she was seething as she stood up and brushed the dust from her bare thighs and strips of tanned leather.

  “I’m Draven. I’m a Druid.”

  “Get out of here. The Druids are gone! They’re slithering around, killing the innocents they once swore to defend!” the succubus spat.

  “I was never one of them. I am the son of Almus and Genevieve. I was raised in isolation, away from the wars. This is Serena, my mate and companion,” he said.

  My heart fluttered in my chest at the sound of the word “mate.” It meant a lot to me because he’d just acknowledged me as his significant other to complete strangers, but it seemed to mean even more to the succubi, who took their time to measure me from head to toe and nod what seemed like their appreciation. I suddenly felt flushed, wondering if I’d missed some social detail from Draven’s statement.

  “Son of Almus, you say. I’m Wren, of the Green Tribe,” the succubus identified herself. “Or what’s left of it anyway.”

  Draven bowed his head in response, never taking his eyes off her. The others kept their bows arched and ready to shoot until Wren raised a hand and signaled them to lower their weapons.

  “Fine, son of Almus,” she said. “This is our forest now. You must understand why we are protective of our territory.”

  “I do,” Draven replied. “Why don’t you join our alliance instead of isolating yourselves in these woods? The remaining free nations are rallying against Azazel, and we’re leading the charge. We could use your skills.”

  “What alliance is that?” Wren scoffed. “A handful of rogues and a Druid that no one’s ever heard of?”

  “There’s more to us than you think,” he kept his cool demeanor. “The Dearghs, the Lamias, the Tritones, and the Maras have all come together for this. Succubi, too, of the Red Tribe.”

  “Oh, you mean the ones obliterated the other day by Destroyers?” Wren chuckled mockingly. “How’s that working out for them?”

  “Better than you,” I interjected. “They’ve sided with an increasing army of rebels instead of hiding in a forest and pretending to be tough and fearless against two outsiders passing through.”

  The succubus glared at me before the corners of her mouth turned upward in a sardonic smile.

  “What might you be, if you don’t mind me asking?” she replied.

  “I’m a sentry,” I said, straightening my back. “Not from around here.”

  “Obviously not, since no Eritopian would be so brazen as to insult a succubus of the Green Tribe.”

  “Your pride is worth nothing in Eritopia at this point,” I shot back. “We’re offering you the chance to be part of an alliance that will bring down Azazel and restore freedom and peace. If you wish to stay hidden instead, by all means, do so. Just don’t expect me to fear or respect you for it.”

  Wren’s eyes were two vicious slits, sending nothing but contempt my way. I had to stand my ground and show myself as fearless. They had no reason to harm us and every reason to join us. I’d been around Hansa for long enough to understand
that the succubi didn’t respond well to polite pleas, but to strength and determination.

  “We’re all about survival now. You’re free to go get yourselves killed with your alliance if you wish,” she replied. “We’re fine here. We’ve seen enough to know that nothing can take that slithering bastard down. The Daughters have yet to intervene, and the world is burning down as we speak.”

  “There is still hope,” Draven tried again. “You’re better off fighting by our side than spending what little is left of your free lives cowering in these woods.”

  “You fight, Druid. We’ll let you pass, but we will not join you. Like I said before, we’ve been through enough to know when to pick our battles. This one isn’t for us.”

  A long minute passed before Draven eventually conceded, after eyeing each succubus carefully. I noticed a mild change in his expression, from firm and determined to soft and compassionate.

  “I understand, Wren of the Green Tribe,” he said. “Some of you are with child. I suppose you value their lives and safety more than anything else right now.”

  I stopped, blinking several times and checking the succubi out once more. He saw something I didn’t, and I tried to figure out what gave the pregnant succubi away. I noticed then that seven of them wore a red dot on their left shoulder. I wondered whether that was the indicator because none of the succubi’s bodies seemed under the effect of pregnancy.

  Wren smirked and nodded.

  “I see you’re familiar with our customs,” she said.

  “My father kept extensive notes on the succubi, and Hansa is a good friend and ally,” he replied. “I know the red mark of child-bearing when I see it.”

  “The dots,” I mumbled, pleased with my ability to identify the pregnant succubi.

  “Indeed,” Wren confirmed. “A succubus with child is given the red mark of the mother-to-be, letting the others and the succubi know that life grows inside her womb. After the devastating loss of most of our tribe, we value our children now more than ever. We must look after them and their mothers, whether we only have days or years before Azazel’s forces finish us for good.”

  “Each day you get is a blessing, then,” Draven sighed. “How did this happen? I thought the incubi were mostly sworn over to Azazel.”

  Wren looked at her sisters, who nodded their consent for her to tell us.

  “We ran into Grezzi’s scouts several full moons ago. It happened right after Destroyers damaged our tribe. We were looking for shelter and food, barely able to stand. They took us in for a few weeks, and we shared their tents. There was no discord, no differences of any kind between the succubi and the incubi then. No social issues. Just grieving creatures looking to survive another day.”

  “We consoled each other,” another succubus chimed in, her finger gently tapping the red dot on her shoulder. “When we were strong enough to be on our own again, we left. Destroyers were getting dangerously close to that area. Once we realized that some of us had gotten pregnant, we took it as a sign to start over. We had to find a safe place to give birth, first.”

  “Which is why we’ve claimed this little patch of woods,” Wren continued. “Few venture here, since the port of Stonewall has been destroyed.”

  It made sense then, and I felt a little foolish for having judged them so quickly for their choice to not fight. They were early in their pregnancies given that there were no physical signs visible yet. Protecting the mothers and their unborn children and preserving the lineage of the Green Tribe seemed like the natural thing to do. If they were fortunate enough, they could live long enough to rise and find Eritopia free again.

  If we managed to kill Azazel, of course.

  No, when. When we manage to kill Azazel, I thought to myself.

  “Then we shall no longer insist,” Draven said and bowed respectfully.

  The succubi cleared a path for us, faint smiles lighting up their beautiful faces. I couldn’t help but wonder what motherhood felt like, and how I would perceive it if Draven and I ever got to that point in our relationship. My spine tingled at the thought of it, and I shook my head, willing the idea away for the time being. We’d barely discovered each other, and we still had to save an entire galaxy from Azazel before we could think about marriage or children.

  Draven clicked his teeth, making the horse trot forward, as we passed the succubi down the forest path.

  “I suggest you stay off the main road to Stonewall,” Wren shouted after us.

  “We don’t know any other way,” Draven replied over his shoulder. “The maps we have are old.”

  “There’s a hot spring flowing out of a marble hill five miles down this path after the forest ends. Take the stream’s bankside. It will lead you to Stonewall but away from the main road. Destroyers and hostile incubi still roam that area,” she said.

  “Thank you, Wren,” I said, looking at her as I twisted my torso to face her.

  “I don’t know what you think you’ll find in Stonewall, though. It’s been abandoned for centuries. Whatever it is, I hope it helps you bring that snake down.”

  I gave her a curt nod and waved my goodbye as our horse trotted away through the woods. The entire conversation had started rather aggressively, and, in the end, the succubi had chosen to help us as best they could, given their circumstances.

  I made a mental note to talk to Hansa about the Green Tribe when we saw each other next. I was curious about Wren because she reminded me of the Red Tribe’s chief. She had a similar demeanor and physique, as well as the softer side she didn’t like to show. It was all there.

  “We have to speed up before we reach the marble hill,” Draven said, glancing at me.

  He nudged our horse with his feet, beckoning the animal to start running. Its hooves thundered as it galloped down the forest path, the idea of danger still hot on our heels. He looked over his shoulder and I gave him a playful smile. He encouraged the horse to go faster.

  We didn’t have much, but we had each other and our freedom. That was a good starting point for what lay ahead, and for rescuing Vita. The thought of her ripped a sigh from my chest, and my mind wandered off to Luceria, Azazel’s castle, and what she was enduring.

  Phoenix

  Several hours passed in heavy silence when we dispersed throughout the house. Anjani took her sisters into the greenhouse while Aida and Field retired into the banquet hall for lunch. The eventful flight had taken its toll on the Hawk, and he needed plenty of sustenance to regain his strength. I left Eva in Draven’s study where she got busy reading up on common Druid spells. Her mother hadn’t gained enough circles during her apprenticeship with Genevieve, so she hadn’t had too much to teach her daughter regarding Druid magic, either natural or dark. Draven’s father had managed to show him more than Eva learned.

  I spent the morning with the Daughter. She nestled in my arms beneath her magnolia tree. We watched the sunrise and the Destroyers cursing and burying their dead colleagues and horses for a while before my mind drifted back to Vita’s visions of the future.

  I could feel the Daughter’s distress emanating from her, my sentry abilities picking up on her emotions better than ever. The closer we got, the more I could feel her.

  She rested her head on my chest, and I held her tight, my arms wrapped around her torso.

  “You know I won’t let anything happen to you, right?” I asked.

  I was sure of my statement. I loved her deeply, and there was no way in hell I’d let Azazel take her away from me. After all my sleepless nights and meaningless affairs in Hawaii, I’d finally found a woman I’d formed an unbreakable bond with. I was ready to fight for her. I’d even kill for her, if need be.

  “I know,” she mumbled, “but given how I’m learning to do things, I get the feeling that I might be the one doing all the saving in the end.”

  She tilted her head back enough to look at me and smiled, her violet eyes flickering gently as her gaze met mine. I licked my lips in response, stirred by her. I could almost feel her purrin
g against my body.

  “I have to say,” I replied. “I’m amazed by how you were able to manipulate the shape-shifters. It’s a new surprise every day with you.”

  “I didn’t know I could do that either,” she sighed. “I was just so angry at them. I had to do something, anything, to keep you all safe, especially after what happened to Vita.”

  “I know,” I whispered, and dropped a kiss on her forehead, inhaling her enticing natural scent and letting it fill my lungs and my soul.

  A moment went by as we laid there in the grass, with my back against the magnolia tree. She looked at me with concern etched into her divine features, pulling her delicate brows into a frown.

  “It didn’t feel right, though,” she breathed.

  “What do you mean?”

  Birds trilled in the overhead tree crown, a quirky little symphony that announced the noon sun.

  “It didn’t feel natural to intervene like that, Phoenix. Something deep inside me feels bad, like I did something wrong. I feel like there are limits to what I should do, and I’ve crossed one. It feels like a nagging stomach ache, I suppose. Or guilt.”

  “What makes you feel that way, though?”

  “I think it’s something that is hardwired into my being,” the Daughter replied slowly, looking up as her gaze followed the little colorful birds above, jumping from one branch to another. “Everything else I’ve done so far has not had a direct impact on Eritopia’s ecosystem, I’ve not averted births or rearranged continents. This felt wrong, even though it was necessary. I did something to those shape-shifters, something impossible to reverse. I think I affected the natural balance, and it just doesn’t sit very well with me.”

  “Would you have done things differently if you could go back?”

  She thought about it for a moment, then shook her head, her cascade of reddish pink silken hair pouring over my legs. I ran my fingers through it, relishing the soft feel of it against my skin.