13. Thirteen

Thirteen

Willow

It’s by the grace of Elementra that I’m holding myself together.

I don’t remember standing from the ground or being moved to the palace command room. Nor do I have any idea when Gaster, Keeper, all the Vito parents, Lyker, Aria, Lennox, Kyan, and Zane arrived, but here they all are, surrounding me and attempting to lend me their strength while I stare off into nothingness.

Aurora’s trying her hardest to push some positive emotions onto me. Her gentle gift caresses my skin like a warm breeze, but I can’t absorb it or accept it. The anger, hurt, and fear that’re pulsing through me basically burn it away the second it touches me.

My eyes tracked Gaster’s pacing until they nearly went crossed and after that, I sank into my mind and haven’t been able to pull myself out since.

The guys aren’t trying to reach me anymore. Tillman ordered when it was time to finalize a plan, he’d tell me. They all know, if I allow my mind to grip reality too much, I’m going to snap.

My thread is so thin as it is .

If I listen to Nikoli’s or Jamie’s voices too much, I lose the control I have on my elements. They’ve each stared at me with both apologies and a heady dose of hope in their eyes and I can’t bear it.

It’ll be my undoing.

I’ve come so far with believing in myself. Up until now.

Until this very moment where it means more than it ever has.

The doubt plaguing me is going to make me physically ill. How could I have been so stupid, so na?ve to believe it would be okay for Oakly and me to put off training me to track long distances? Of course she’s walked me through it. Discussed it in sure-fire detail, but we’ve never actually practiced because of my aversion to transporting.

That pathetic fucking fear is eating away at my soul now.

It’s going to cost me my sister’s life.

Trembles shake the command room’s walls, and fine powder falls from the ceiling as everyone falls silent and stares at me. I hate the pity I see in their eyes. The understanding is just as bad. I should be above this. A dark thought shouldn’t have me on the cusp of crumbling, but here I am.

Falling the fuck apart on the inside.

“I need a minute. I’ll be outside,” I say stoically, stepping away from Aurora’s warmth.

“Draken go with her,” Corentin says gently, but I hold up my hand to my dragon man.

“Solo trip for now, dragon,” I mumble.

“If you need me, any of us…”

“I know.”

I practically power walk until I burst through to the outside.

The palace command area is different than the academy’s.

Where I could’ve left the academy’s command room and walked through the gym to get outside, here at the palace, the command room is its own separate building. Once I burst through the doors, I’m met with a training yard that is teeming with E.F. members.

Those who don’t know me give me a wide berth and even wider glances. Those who do give me determined nods. Ready to go whenever my men or I, I guess, command it .

I round the building like my ass is on fire to get away from all the eyes. I can’t hold my heartbreak in any longer.

As nothing but trees come into sight, I slow my steps and tilt my head to the sky as I pace around. It’s a failing effort to get my breathing under control and as the rays continue to warm my face, my tears burn as they slide down my cheeks.

It’s not long before my legs give out and I sink down into the grass and grip handfuls of it. I want to bellow, rage, fucking burn everything to ash until I find her. The sobs that come up and out from the depths of my soul are painful as I hold in my silent screams. The agony that wants to tear out of me would no doubt be heard for miles around.

“Oakly, please. Please let me in.”

I plead and beg for the millionth time. Wherever they’ve moved her and half her Nexus is concealed. I don’t feel our bond more than enough to know that she’s alive and she won’t answer any of my mental yelling.

“CC, Elementra, one of you. Please. Please tell me what I can do. Don’t abandon me in this. Please guide me.” I cry.

This moment, more than any other I’ve faced, is when I need them. This is a situation where their guidance would benefit me more than ever. I can’t lose her.

“You must calm yourself, filia mea. All the tools you need to find your Perfecta Anima have already been provided to you, but you must search within yourself. You will never be able to do that if you do not balance your emotions.”

Fuck, I want to scream at him. Ask him how dare he tell me to calm down in a time like this, but the reaction slaps me in the face.

I’m not oblivious to the fact that I’ve reacted quite emotionally since my men parted like the fucking Red Sea to show me half of Oakly’s Nexus on the ground. One being healed, one losing his ever-loving mind. But how else am I supposed to react? I’m all too aware of what my best friend could be facing right now.

Drawing in a lungful of air, I pull my legs beneath me so I can sit crisscross in the grass and try to meditate the way Gaster has tried so many freaking times to teach me. He swears by the silent, still method, but I just can’t focus on this shit. The quieter my surroundings get, the louder my mind responds. So instead of being quiet, I sing.

Air, earth, water, fire so bright,

Four elements, pure and right.

Air we breathe, wise and sweet,

Earth stands strong, soil beneath our feet.

Water flows, broken and whole,

Fire’s warmth feeds the soul.

Remember these with joy and cheer,

The elements become one, the world becomes clear.

Repeatedly, I sing the lullaby that’s come to my rescue more times than I can even recall. The enchantment that started it all. As the melody plays in my head, my diversions poke their way through the darkness as well. A small, watery smile crosses my face as times that seem so long ago play across my mind, but it’s over far too fast for my liking.

As I continue to sing and each line brings forth a more positive emotion, I use this moment to fortify my diversion spell. Give it an upgrade, if you will. I lace all my happy new memories with my lullaby like background music as each one comes forward.

Of course the guys are front and center. I keep all their original moments that I used when I first made this spell and add on from our time together since then.

Gaster. CC. Lyker, Aria, Lennox, Zane, and Kyan. Then Aurora and my Patera-Nexus.

Ry, San, Jamie, and Nikoli. My brothers born from a bond.

Finally, Oakly. My sister. My best friend. My backbone.

I try to replay every single second of our time together. Every laugh she’s drawn from my mouth. Every narrowed, sideways look she’s shot me when I do something to her disliking. Fuck, her absolute brilliance. She’s so smart.

I let it all out and allow it to solidify my spell.

The calm I was so desperately looking for coats my body in a blanket of protection and I exhale hard enough to blow the tears off my lips.

Okay, Willow, think .

You’ve been in the exact situation she’s now in.

You know what happens and you know what to do.

As painful as it is, I bring forth the day of my kidnapping to the front of my mind. I picture how I was pulled through multiple transports, drugged by the immobilizing tonic, and then placed in the cell inside the concealed structure.

So based on the time that’s passed and my inability to reach her, it’s easy to assume she’s already inside the concealed structure.

Fuck, okay.

I had to break it while I was trapped in there, but the roles are reversed now.

How do I break it from the outside?

How do I reach her?

How do I…

Shit.

“CC, can I use the spell to break through this barrier between her and me? Not to bring down the entire concealment, but enough of the block I can feel and talk to her?”

“I do not know, filia mea…Can you?”

My heart pounds against my rib cage as his no answer-answer fills it to the brim with hope. Determination floods my system and I dig my fingers into the earth to pull on the extra power.

“Fuck yes, I can.”

Centering myself, I call forth all my power, building it up to exponential heights and then the spell I’ll never be able to erase from my mind. It’s so permanently engrained in my memories now, it’s as easy as breathing to recite.

“Clarity is shown through my knowing eyes,

spread the knowledge to those who are blind.

Crumble the deception of the disguise,

reveal the truth for those to find.”

I feel the crackling across my mind and hope blooms throughout my chest like a field of wildflowers. I snatch up the feeling and hold onto it for dear life, but after a few more seconds pass and the buzzing dissipates with no connection to Oakly opening, I scream out in rage.

“No!”

My fists pound into the earth in sheer fucking anger and each strike has the ground quaking beneath me.

“Why would you make me believe that would work?” I cry out in my mind, blaming CC for my failure.

“You can make it work, Willow. Do not doubt yourself. Think of the words in the spell. You must manipulate them to do exactly as you want.”

Growling, I recite the infuriating spell in my mind over and over. Every time, I come up short on another answer. Those are the words to the spell. Therefore, it should work. Damn it.

“That spell will bring down an entire concealed structure.”

“Yes, I know—”

An entire…

“You infuriating man. After all this is said and done, I swear, you, Elementra, and I will be having a long-ass discussion about these riddles. You hear me? I’m over the mind games. I’ll make damn sure the next savior gets step by step freaking instructions on what the hell to do. I’ll write the manual myself.”

I heave as both my anger and frustration bleed out of me. I understand the method to the madness, I do, but this shit is too much sometimes. I’m on borrowed time to save someone who means the world to me. I don’t have time to figure out on my own that I must reword the spell in order for it to work for this particular situation.

Thankfully, that lesson from him comes barreling through my mind the moment I understand that’s what I’m supposed to do. Part of me wants to absolutely flip out that he taught me how to do this when I was only fifteen because if not for the Memoria stone, I surely would’ve forgotten this by now. The other part tells me to just be thankful.

“After all is said and done, filia mea, the realm…hopefully won’t need another savior if you succeed.”

“Great, thanks a lot. No pressure.”

His laugh soothes me and pisses me off in equal parts, but I latch on to the soothing bits like a leach and drink it dry until it fills my body back with the calm and patience I had moments before the original spell failed.

Once again centering myself, I think about the words I need to replace for this to work. I have to focus solely on her, gaining entry into her mind, and not the location of where she is. I don’t need everyone to see where we need to go. I just need to know.

With the strongest intentions, fully focused on Oakly and only her, I release my power.

“ Clarity is shown through my knowing eyes,

Give me the knowledge, for it is I who is blind.

Crumble the deception inside the disguise,

reveal her truth for my mind to find.”

Gasping, my mind opens up and the block that sat between the two of us shatters into thousands of pieces. The rush of her bond filling my chest cavity has a harsh sob burning its way up my throat.

Pushing myself through her mind, I can tell she’s unconscious. I rip away the murky fog that seems to sit on her awareness like a sheer curtain and I cover my mouth with my hand as I feel her startle awake.

“Oakly, it’s me. Please tell me you hear me,” I beg.

“Willy…” she mumbles and the drugged-induced slur stabs me in the gut.

“It’s me. I need you to wake up fully, Oakly, at least mentally. Can you do that for me, please?”

“I…my eyes won’t move.”

“It’s okay, everything’s going to be okay. Do you hear me? I’m coming for you, I promise.”

I try my hardest to keep my tone level when really, I just want to bawl my eyes out. Her broken, confused speech sends panic washing over my body until it’s hard to hold myself up.

The long pause she takes has my heart racing and my beast prowling in my chest. I need her to talk. I need her to breathe. I just need her to tell me she’s okay, even though I know she’s not .

“Don’t. Don’t fall back asleep, Oakly, please,” I beg when I feel her mentally drifting again.

“It’s…so hard. I’m so heavy…so hot,” she stammers.

“I know. I’m so sorry. Nikoli and Jamie are here. They’re safe. We’re coming for you. I’ll find you. I’ll track you. I swear. Please, please hold on.”

“No tracking.”

“Don’t say that. I swear I’m fucking coming. Do you understand me?” I yell, the defeat in her voice causing me to lose my composure.

“Don’t have to track. I’m in…Pyra.”

Her words fade out with her subconsciousness, and I bellow her name through our mental link to try to pull her back to me. Nothing works as I feel her slip further into the darkness and panic grips my heart. She’s been given something far stronger than the immobilizing drug and I don’t have much time.

I was freezing when I was drugged, not hot. I only started sweating when they tortured me. What drug could—

No. The heat. She’s hot.

Pyra.

My vision.

Pure white-hot fear consumes me as I shove myself to my feet, staggering as I try to take a step. After the second failed attempt to walk, I command my shadows to engulf me. I move through the thick stone walls as if they’re paper and burst through to the command room.

“She’s in Pyra,” I practically scream as all eyes turn to me.

Everyone stops moving and stares at me as though I’ve surely cracked now. Their softening gazes have my body heating with rage, and forcefully, I shove my mind into every last person in the room. Replaying everything that just happened outside.

“I said, she’s in Pyra. We need to move.”

I’m proud of the firm, steady command in my voice although my body sways harshly. Between the amount of magic I’ve used in the last few minutes to the overwhelming fear consuming me, I’m minutes from hitting the ground.

In less than the blink of an eye, my men surround me and Caspian latches onto my arm, pressing a healing vial to my lips.

“She’s inside of Pyra. Not meaning she’s in the lava, but that’s where they have her concealed. From this moment on, assume to know nothing of the inside of the volcano. It’s been manipulated now to be a Mastery structure. Uncle Roye, I need teams of your strongest earth and water elementals. Debrief them for what we’re doing. We’re moving out in fifteen minutes. Once there, Willow is going to identify the best way to infiltrate using her sight. We’ll be blind going in. That’s the best and all we’ve got for now. Go get ready,” Tillman orders.

His full-fledged leader mode settles the warring worry and panic inside of me, and I suck up everything I can. Pairing that with my dragon’s battle-ready determination, I let the emotions of the two of them blanket me in an impenetrable armor. Mix that in with Caspian’s and Draken’s bloodthirsty rage and Corentin’s cold detachment, I basically disassociate myself…well from myself.

I go completely cold on the inside. Fortifying my internal walls as we prepare to go save members of our family.

The sound around the room grows again as everyone discusses and finalizes plans. I listen keenly, I do, but realistically, in my mind, these plans may be for nothing once we get there. Pyra may be swarmed with Mastery members and they each will meet their end today.

No one will receive mercy from me.

I keep my gaze trained on where a healer is doing a final checkup on Jamie as I cross the room, and everyone’s eyes follow me. There’s no doubt my murderous thoughts are bleeding out everywhere, but everyone is the same. They’re just not used to mine being so potent.

“How are you feeling?” I ask with more control than I actually feel.

“Better. That was a hefty dose of immobilizer, but we’ve got it all out. I’ll take a few more healing vials just to be on the safe side,” he says confidently, nodding to the other healer as they finish up.

“Good. I don’t want to upset you when I tell you this, but you need to be prepared. ”

His eyes snap up to mine, on the brink of a freak-out, but all I can do is give him a tight smile. I don’t have anything else to offer.

“She’s drugged with something stronger. I don’t know what, but it’s not your typical immobilizing drug like I was given, or you were. You need to have extra healing vials with you. Keep close to Draken if you can, so if you need a magical boost, he can give it to you.”

“You…you think it’s that bad?” he asks.

“For her, at least, yes. I have no clue the state Ry or San is in.”

It seems the calmest of my best friend’s men has a murderous side to him as well because in the blink of an eye, his whole aura shifts to a rage I’ve never seen from him. As a medical professional, he’s typically pretty good at keeping his wits about him. But not now. Not with this knowledge about his Primary.

“Little warrior, Jamie, come on. It’s almost time,” Tillman calls out from the doorway of the command room.

Marching my way through the doors, my other three men are already waiting there for me, and as always, they surround me protectively. Their energies match that of my own. There’re no silly jokes to break the tension, no sexual innuendos to cheer me up, no chin tilting, no purrs, nothing.

Just deadly men ready to exact some vengeance.

“Child, a word before you go, please,” Gaster says softly, meeting us before we approach the large gathering of E.F. members.

Nodding, I break away from my men as they step to the other side to speak to Aurora, Neil, and Theo. Dyce and Roye will be joining us. From the bits and pieces I actually paid attention to, they all never leave Aurora. Half of them always stay behind.

Out of the corner of my eye, I catch a glimpse of Keeper, laying his head to Tanith’s and that tells me all I need to know about him joining us. I’m sure she isn’t all that thrilled about it, but she’s not stopping him.

“Willow, come back to me,” Gaster says softly as he turns to face me and grips my shoulders.

“Of course I will, Gaster. I always do.”

“No, child, I mean in this moment. I can’t allow you to leave here with the emotions rolling off you. You have every right to be angry, hurt, upset, and want vengeance. Everything you feel is valid, but the heartless detachment is not you, my girl. Come back to me now, before you go.”

His words fracture the icy encasing I’d placed myself in. I try my hardest to seal it back up, but he tries even harder to tear it down. He shoves himself at our bond full force, and no matter the amount of power, magic, gifts, or elements I possess, I simply don’t stand a chance against him.

“Gaster,” I croak. “Why?”

“Because this is not you. Do what you must and what feels right to protect and take care of the ones you love, but you do it with heart, with compassion, with love. I don’t mean that in a sense of allowing these vile creatures to get away with what they’ve done, but you’re much stronger when the love you feel for everyone is at the forefront of your intentions. You keep your soul pure, Willow. You do not allow it to be tainted,” he states firmly, pulling me into his chest.

And I fucking shatter.

I cry and cry until I can’t anymore. I let the hatred I’d been feeling up until this point bleed out of me and into him. He takes it and does away with it as though it is nothing. He holds me tighter, allowing me to fall apart.

When I pull back and wipe the tears from my eyes, my entire body feels weightless, and I sigh in relief.

“Better, child?”

“Much. I didn’t realize that was weighing me down.”

“It is not in you to be cold, Willow. Everything you do is with burning passion. This may be a deadly mission, but you approach it with the intention of saving your sister, her men, not with the intention of killing. That will be an event nonetheless, but that will not be your main goal.”

“Thank you, Gaster,” I sniffle before giving him my first real smile since this whole shit show started.

“It is my pleasure. Now go bring my other granddaughter home to me. She is in deep shit when I get my hands on her.”

My jaw hits the ground, and I stare in astonishment. Honestly confused about what just came out of his mouth. “Gaster, did you just cuss? ”

“I did. That’s how bad that girl has me riled up. You missed some not so pleasant words come from me as well when you were being rescued.” He gives me a sassy wink as he leads me back over to my men and I watch as each of their shoulders drop in relief.

It isn’t just them, though. As Tillman’s deflate, I swear the entire small army waiting for his orders does as well.

“Sorry about that. Got a little murderous.”

“More than murderous,” Caspian says as he grips my jaw and turns my face so he can peer into each of my eyes. Obviously the darkness had been leaking much, much closer to the surface than I realized. “Good, now we can focus properly. How one little fierce Primary can have an army of highly trained men ready to tuck tail and run.”

“I wasn’t that bad.” I argue when he shakes his head at me.

“Primary, your abyss is almost as black as mine. I was beginning to question if we were ever going to be able to get you out,” he says sternly, letting me know how serious he feels about this.

“I’m sorry,” I whisper.

“Don’t be, but next time you’re close to the edge, call for me. I’ll come,” he whispers before pressing his lips to mine.

Wordlessly, he passes me to each of my other men and they all shower me with the same love and devotion.

It’s very scary to realize how in these last view moments, I was able to become nothing but mindless in my pursuit to get what I want and my readiness to do whatever necessary. Everyone else be damned.

Maybe I take after the Summum-Master a little more than I’d like to accept.

“No.” Tillman turns to me and harshly barks. I can’t help but straighten at the tone he used, and he doesn’t break my eye contact until I give him a nod of acceptance. Once he finally looks away, I blow out the breath I was holding.

Fuck, he’s intense when he wants to be.

“Listen up. We’re transporting to Pyra. Everyone, meet on the decimated side to stay out of any line of sight. We’ll maneuver around from there. We have no other information than that. Be ready for anything. Move out in sixty seconds,” he orders.

I use those quick sixty seconds to send Aurora and the remainder of my Patera-Nexus a reassuring nod. I tell Tanith I’ll watch over Keeper and at the sign of trouble, I’ll reach out to her.

I look at both Nikoli and Jamie. I give them my best reassuring smile and their shoulders sag. I should’ve known better than to let my anger take over. They were looking to me for guidance and reassurance their Primary is going to be okay, and I let them down.

I vow with only my eyes that I won’t do that again.

My brother, Aria, Lennox, Kyan, and Zane stand strong to our right. There’s no hint of hesitancy in any of them and the seriousness in their expressions makes my chest swell with pride. I’m so thankful that despite the new position Lyker holds, the small amount of spare time he has, he, his brothers, and Aria are always ready to step up for our family.

My fingers lace their way through Tillman’s as Corentin’s mental countdown reaches twenty, and I squeeze his hand both for his grounding and my own.

Closing my eyes, I take a deep breath, preparing myself for what I’ll see when they open again.

The heat that caresses my face the second I’m guided out of the transport is suffocating. It’s at least fifteen degrees hotter than in the Central, add that in with the sight in front of me as my eyes open, and I can barely breathe.

Standing probably one hundred or so feet away, covered in a thin veil of shadows, my eyes travel up and up until my neck is craned back, looking for the top of Pyra. It’s a beautiful, intimidating sight and why it took Nikoli and his team as long as it did to locate the crimson root now makes a hell of a lot more sense.

The obsidian black seems to stretch endlessly both in the sky and across the land. It’s a wall of a rock that gives me no sight to the other side. From my studies, there’s two sides to the volcano that everyone refers to.

The facial side. It’s the view everyone in Pyrathia sees when they gaze at Pyra. There’s a large distance between the nearest town to the volcano’s edge, but supposedly, it doesn’t matter where in this territory you are. You can see Pyra and all her glory.

The other, the one we came in on, is the decimated side.

Craning my neck around and peering through the scatter of E.F. members, I figure out quickly why it’s referred to that. As far as my eye can see is nothing but black volcanic rock that’s hardened over the countless millennia of her existence. There’re no homes, trees, grass, bushes, just nothing. It’s gorgeous in an intimidating sense. One that reminds you of how powerful this beast of nature truly is.

“What do you see, Will?” Tillman asks.

When my gaze turns back to Pyra, I scan the long stretch of darkness for any sign of life. It appears as an endless stretch of black until movement far in the distance, at least a couple football fields away, catches my eye. A meek amount of pale skin pokes out from underneath the black robes hiding them and if not for their careless movements, I never would’ve spotted them.

“Way down that stretch, there’s a group of people. I can barely see them,” I say, pointing my finger to the right.

“We’ll start heading that way,” Tillman says, but I grasp onto his hand before he can give the signal.

“They’ll see us coming in no time. They haven’t spotted us yet because of how far away we are and Caspian’s coverage, but they’ll no doubt see a black cloud heading toward them and sound the alarm.”

“Bring down the concealment, Primary, and we’ll charge,” Caspian says darkly, but I shake my head at him.

“There’s still too much of a stretch between us. I don’t know how to explain the distance in tactical terms for you, but it’s at least four training fields between us and them right now.”

“Fuck,” all four of them mutter.

It would take us far too long to run that distance and have the element of surprise on our side. The other opinion would be to transport closer and shock them, but even then, that leaves our army transporting blindly and potentially still scattered out.

“Conceal us, little wanderer,” Draken says .

“I—”

“Yes, you can. If you can tear down a concealment the size that structure was, you can conceal all of us,” he says confidently, cutting off my rebuttal.

“Feed her your magic, dragon. Primary, ground yourself and concentrate. No more doubt. Just do it,” Caspian commands sternly.

Cocking my eyes up to him, there isn’t a shred of uncertainty in his features or his bond. None of that is to be found in any of my men. When I glance over at Nikoli and Jamie, both shaking where they stand, any remaining hesitancy flees me.

They feel them. I feel her now that I concentrate on her and that’s all the motivation I need.

Reciting the concealment spell in my mind, practice before pushing my power out, I pause as the words repeat.

Conceal my possession from curious eyes. Only to me, you reveal its disguise.

That’s not going to work. They aren’t my possessions.

Calling my magic forth in my chest, I lace it with the intention to conceal those around me who are here to find my family, but only from those who intend to hurt us.

“Conceal my people from harmful eyes. Only to us, you reveal their disguise.”

My power flows across our army like a gentle breeze and only a few surprised noises flutter through the group.

Gazing around, I still see everyone clearly, and by the glances they’re all sharing, they still see each other.

“Time to test it out. I’ll tell Uncle Roye to stay back and man everyone while our Nexus goes and checks. We’ll have them transport to us once we have the clear,” Tillman says.

A smug-ass grin crosses his face when Roye startles and whips his wide eyes to Tillman, but he recovers quickly enough. With a nod to us, I turn the five of us toward the Mastery members.

“Caspian, move us about a training field away in this direction.”

Wrapping his shadows around us, he doesn’t question me at all and in a split second, his blanket of coverage falls away from us. I blow out a subtle breath as none of the Mastery members acknowledge us, and two more times, Caspian moves us closer.

Standing less than a hundred feet from the guards, their voices are finally audible, and they’re none the wiser that we’re now standing right on top of them.

“Clear,” Tillman relays in our minds.

Transports open and the entirety of our army steps up behind us and I continue to bounce my gaze from them to the Mastery members until they’re all gathered back with us.

Facing the volcano head-on, I scan the wall of darkness while simultaneously getting a headcount now that we’re close enough to tell. A wash of Corentin’s magic covers us in a silencing bubble and I shiver at the feel of it before turning toward him.

“Twenty out here. We’ll send a small team forward to take them out while you find the entrance, princess. How do you want to proceed from there, Tillman?” he asks.

“Keep one alive. We can question them about the layout inside before moving in blind. That’ll give us a better advantage over getting to the three of them quicker.”

“Allow me the honor. Twenty is light work,” Keeper practically purrs when he steps up, eyes already crimson.

“Why do you get to do it?” Dyce immediately asks, crossing his arms.

“You may join…if you can keep up.” Keeper winks and I shake my head at the two of them.

Guess I’m getting that battle I pictured.

“Enough, you two. Keep it clean and quiet. Move out,” Tillman orders.

That’s all Tillman had to say and suddenly, what appears to be a race between two teenage boys ensues. That is until Keeper reaches the Mastery members. By the time Dyce reaches him in his Tasmonium form, four bodies have already hit the ground and the remaining rebels look around frantically for what the hell is happening.

Just as I imagined. The two of them work seamlessly together. Keeper dances around with unmatched speeds as Dyce’s large, extended jaws wrap around unsuspecting victims. It’s brutal, bloody, and they take down the nineteen members without ever breaking a sweat.

Kicking and screaming, unable to even see the beast that has him by the collar, Dyce drags the twentieth member by his robes and tosses him into our silencing bubble. He tries to pry himself free of the invisible restraints he finds himself in, but Caspian has him coiled tight.

“His heart’s going to fall out if I pry,” Tillman says.

“Then just ask him. This information probably isn’t even blocked.”

The look they all give me has me rolling my eyes, and without waiting for them, I reveal only myself. I’m instantly offended when the asshole stops his thrashing and sighs a breath of relief.

Idiot.

“I don’t have time for small talk. Tell me exactly what the inside of the volcano looks like. Now,” I command, forcing my eyes to turn violet.

I get great pleasure when the prick’s gaze widens comically and his trembling starts back up, but regardless, he keeps his mouth shut, so I shift a claw and press it to his neck.

“I won’t ask nicely again.” I growl.

“Ch-ch-chambers, rooms. There’re small hallways grooved out until the…the center magma pool,” he stutters.

“Are there hostages inside?”

“Y-yes.”

“How many?” I press my claw into his neck firmer when he takes too long to respond and he yelps loudly before spilling.

“I don’t know. A couple rooms worth. They’re spread out. Please, I just got sent here recently. I didn’t move them in. Just door duty.”

I remove my claw from his neck and conceal myself once again as I turn to Tillman to take over. We stare at one another for a long moment, indecision warring between us. He knows I can’t kill him. Taking a life in the heat of battle is one thing, but this kid, well, man child, gave me everything I needed once I scared him shitless.

“Move him to the palace prison, then report back. He’ll have his rune removed and tried fairly for his cooperation,” Tillman finally orders a palace E.F. member. “Observe the wall, Will. Let’s find our way in before he returns.”

I hold in my small, appreciative smile because I have no doubt they all would’ve preferred to just kill him now and make it easier, but I am grateful and proud of his decision. It takes a lot more strength to be compassionate than not.

Taking a few steps forward, there’s still nothing to be seen from here other than the haze I know to be the concealment covering this side of Pyra. I continue my trek, ignoring the bodies lying about until I can run my hands over the hot, smooth surface. Wherever the door is, it’s blending in effortlessly or they have it extra shrouded.

Rubbing down every inch I can reach, all that presents itself is the faintest buzzing in my palms from the concealment, and just as I grow frustrated, I fall forward.

I hold in my sudden shriek, slapping my hand to my mouth when I stumble into an empty stone chamber that has only a single hallway leading out of it.

Intrusive magic crawls across my skin, attempting to reveal my presence as I glance around and it’s a battle to shove it off me. My men’s panic hits me in seconds, causing me to shiver, and I jump right back out before they flip their shit.

Slamming into a solid chest, my shoulders are gripped tightly as Corentin holds me steady. “What was that, princess?”

The calm, collected tone doesn’t fool me. The tight grip and the glow on his fingertips tell me that was about to be my ass if I didn’t come back out.

“I found the entrance, but we have a small issue.”

“What?” they all ask at once.

“I can hold the concealment, but it’s going to take a lot. There’s some sort of, I don’t know how to explain it, but like stripping or blocking magic when I passed through. I don’t think it’ll mess with our own magic, gifts, or elements but definitely spells and enchantments. I felt it trying to pull my concealment away. ”

“That’s exactly what it’s doing, Adored. Nor will you be able to transport. The Summum-Master has the enchantment placed around the forest as well. It’s one of his preventative measures from spies or unfaithful followers,” Keeper informs us.

Damn it. That makes sense.

“What do you want me to do?” I ask my men.

“Don’t waste your energy holding the concealment. We already have the element of surprise now. What did you see?” Tillman asks.

“This opens to an empty chamber with only one way to go.”

“Then that’s where we’re going. Palace team three, stand guard. Everyone else ready?” he asks.

At everyone’s definitive nods, I release our concealment, and he leads the way. He and Corentin step through first, followed by me, then Draken and Caspian. I hold my breath until my eyes find them and I move out of the way for as many of our men to follow in.

There’s no way everyone we brought with us will fit in here, but I leave that up to Tillman to handle. I can’t ignore the pounding in my chest any longer. I feel her. We’re so close now that I could follow the threads connecting the two of us.

My men sense it in me, and they position themselves around me wordlessly. As soon as the remainder of our family piles in behind us, we push forward.

Moving down the hall on silent steps, I bring my dragon forth, allowing my eyes to glow violet, and the dark hallway comes to life before me. There’s no one in my sight, but in the short distance, I see the first break away in the wall.

The small corridor is dark and only a few feet deep, leading to a solid steel door. Without a window, crack, or crevasse, there’s no way to tell who or what is behind it, but with one small nod at Caspian from Tillman, he moves through the shadows.

I try to reach out and grab him before he goes in alone, but I’m too slow. Not that it matters, though, because before I can get pissed or panic, he’s popping right back out .

“Twelve alive hostages,” he whispers, but I hear the strain in his tone and his emphasis on alive.

“No guards?” Tillman asks.

“No.”

“Leave them for now then. They’ll be safer there. Any guard we pass won’t make it to them again.”

That murderous promise draws a smirk to Caspian’s lips, and I see the rage morph into something far more fearful. Well, not fearful to me but surely anyone we come across.

We pass three more cells laid out the exact same way as we make our way through the winding hallway and each time, we handle it the same. So far, it seems as though the design is crafted that this one hallway covers the entire stretch of this side of the volcano. I’m almost positive it’ll lead directly to the magma pool, and from there, there will be other routes to take.

I only assume that because of lack of other directions to go other than straight and we’ve only encountered one Mastery member. I’m pretty sure he was going to the restroom that we passed.

He didn’t make it.

No instructions need to be given to Caspian as we approach the fourth steel door, and I keep my eyes peeled down the empty stretch of stone so we aren’t caught off guard by any wandering Mastery members.

“Everyone, get ready. Prepare yourselves,” Caspian says coldly not two seconds later.

That’s the only warning he gives us before wrapping me, the rest of our Nexus, Nikoli, and Jamie in his shadows and snatching us through the walls.

My dragon immediately rushes to the surface and bile collects in my mouth at the sight in front of me and the sounds flood my ears.

In the middle of the room, Ry and San are tied to a post with their backs to one another. Ry’s being restrained with massive ice blocks around his hands and feet, while San’s are contained in the stone blocks and shoes. Just like I was .

There’re four Mastery members on each side, taking turns laying into them whether it be with a gift, a fist, or an element. They aren’t even interrogating them. They’re just ruthlessly beating them to the brink of death.

Ear-piercing screams leave the chests of both Nikoli and Jamie. Concealed in this cloak of darkness, that’s all I hear. Their wails are so loud, they block out the grunts and groans falling from their brothers. The noise is haunting, and I know I’ll never be able to wipe any of these tortured sounds from my memory.

Rage and sorrow in equal parts hit me in my heart so hard it takes my breath away. Tillman’s shaking so furiously, I’m positive at any moment he’s going to make Pyra erupt and no matter the amount of calm I try to push at him, it’s useless.

With a petrifying bellow falling from his chest, Caspian’s shadows fall away, and they pounce. Before I gather my wits about me, six of the eight men are lying dead on the ground with the other two trying their hardest to escape. It’s a useless feat that I don’t bother interfering with and instead I rush over to Ry and San.

“Hold on,” I say softly as I reach them.

Calling on my water and earth elements, I free them from their restraints and surround them in my air before they collapse in a heap on the ground. Not only is Ry beat to hell and back, his teeth chatter so loudly, I’m surprised they’re not cracking.

Gently as I possibly can, I lay my hand on his arm and command my flame to slowly warm him back up. I hold in my growls and fix my crumbling face when he sluggishly rolls his neck to the side to look at me.

“O-Oakly?”

“Let’s get the two of you fixed up. Then we’re going to get her. We need you two,” I say as calmly as I can.

“Fuck,” Jamie mutters as he slams to his knees and puts a hand each on the guys’ shoulders, then he sighs in relief. “Thank fuck. It’s just surface.”

“What does that mean?” I ask .

“They don’t have any drugs left in their systems. It’s all external wounds. Give them two healing vials each, will you, please?” he asks, nodding behind him at the small sack on his back.

Doing as he asked, the tightness in my chest lessens slightly as they are both able to hold the vials themselves. His magic is already coursing through them, and when Draken lays his hand to Jamie’s shoulder, his eyes begin to glow.

I watch in amazement as every extra drop of magic Draken gives Jamie, he pumps into his brothers, and the rate at which they heal right before my eyes is astonishing. Of course their bruises will linger, but the cuts, busted cheeks, lips, and swollen eyes fade away in seconds.

“You okay?” Tillman asks Ry, pulling him in for a hug as soon as he’s on his feet.

“Physically? Sure,” Ry grunts and my heart clenches painfully.

“We’ll get her. I swear it,” Tillman says seriously.

For a brief second, the Mercie brothers all embrace one another. The relief on each of their faces is minimal and when they turn to us, there’s nothing left but deadly promises and readiness to find their woman.

Oakly, we’re almost there, babe.

Wordlessly, Caspian covers us in darkness once again and moves us back into the hallway where all our people are waiting.

One nod from Roye and Dyce, and we’re off down the endless stretch once again. I went from being surrounded by just my Nexus, to my best friends as well. They have me cocooned in a bubble made of the eight of them while we make our way down the hall. Caspian flows through the walls in a matter of seconds. I can’t tell if he’s killing people in the rooms as he goes or just mentally getting a head count of hostages, but regardless, we continue our steps and every time I turn around, he’s right back there with us.

Nikoli quickly and quietly fills Ry and San in on everything and I feel their appreciation in my chest, but I can barely focus on it.

Without saying a word, our steps become faster. Either they’re all feeding off me or Oakly’s guys feel it too because we’re practically sprinting as we finally see the opening at the end of the hall .

That’s where she is.

Tillman tries to tell me to slow down. I both hear his words and feel his hands reach for me as I continue to run past him, all of them. But I can’t stop. I won’t. She’s so close.

Bursting through the opening, I finally do slam to a halt as unbearable heat licks my face, but the sight in front of me is what freezes me in place.

Glaring around, there’s a huge circular stone platform that stretches around a ginormous pit of magma. I can’t see the fiery pool of death as it’s at least a couple stories down, but the suffocating heat tells me it’s close enough.

This center area is absolutely massive in size and judging by the continuous pounding of boots behind me, there’s enough room for the majority, if not all the E.F. members we brought with us. A flimsy-ass railing has been placed around the edges as if that’ll stop anyone from falling in, and around the entire perimeter, except for this exact hallway we just exited, are Mastery members at the ready.

But they aren’t the fuckers I’m staring deadly daggers at.

“Well, well, well. About time the Nexus thieving whore showed up.”