A Call of Vampires (A Shade of Vampire #51)

Rewa moved from the Mara wards flanking us and came between us. Jax instinctively stiffened, his features harsh and a muscle thumping in his jaw. The Exiled Mara’s jade eyes were wide and innocent, and I somehow felt that Jax’s behavior toward her was a little too much. Whatever her forefathers had done, she shouldn’t be blamed or treated poorly over it.

“The swamp witches devised a spell that summoned pure energy from the atmosphere,” Viola explained as she added more symbols around the circle, making it look like a very strange but beautiful chalk mandala, with repetitive swirls and geometric elements spreading outward. “All these symbols are catalysts and conductors, designed together to harness this energy and use it to take those inside the circle from one place to another. All I need now is a physical object from your destination.”

Rewa nodded and handed all the red beads over to the Daughter of Eritopia.

“One is enough. You can keep the rest for later,” Rewa said softly.

“The beautiful part about swamp witch magic,” Viola continued, taking the beads and putting them in her pocket. She kept just one between her fingers, glancing at it for a second, “is that anyone with the right formula and words can practice it. Patrik, for example, has been an excellent student, and will be able to perform the return spell after your mission is done. He has everything he needs for it.”

We looked at Patrik, and he gave us a reassuring nod, crossing his arms over his chest. He wasn’t one for onesie battle suits, and had opted for dark blue pants and vest, white shirt, and knee-high leather boots that looked just as good on him. His height, curly black hair, sharp lines, and piercing blue eyes worked well with pretty much anything, anyway. No wonder Scarlett had a hard time looking away from him—the guy was sizzling.

“Now, it’s time for you all to go to Neraka,” Sofia said, coming closer, followed by Derek and the others. They all came around, a beautiful and heartwarming display of hopeful, concerned, and excited expressions, as Viola muttered the spell under her breath.

“Good luck out there.” Field gave us an encouraging nod.

“And make us proud.” Derek winked, making me grin.

Once Viola had finished the first part of the incantation, she dipped the marble in a thick black liquid, then set it on fire. She placed it in the middle of a powder and herb bundle, then stepped back, her lips constantly moving as she watched the spell progress.

Thankfully, the dragons of The Shade had grown lax over the years about their archaic rule of never allowing themselves to be transported by magic—it had become too impractical for missions to have them flying everywhere on their own, even if their speed was supernatural, and the dragons had finally come to accept it. If they hadn’t, Blaze wouldn’t have been able to accompany us now.

The powder and herb bundle lit up, and then the flaming bundle moved all on its own, tracing every line drawn with black chalk until it reached the next bundle. It burned through it, then continued its flaming roll through the swamp witch mandala, until the entire spell design flared up, glowing white and brighter with each moment.

“Don’t worry, ladies.” Heron winked and called out to two GASP succubi to our left, who were quietly and worriedly watching him, “I’ll be back soon so we can finish what we started last night!”

I chuckled, unable to hold it in. I noticed the succubi glowing with embarrassment, while Avril rolled her eyes, feigning a face-palm and topping it off with a groan.

“You are incorrigible.” Jax scoffed, shaking his head slowly, while Heron glanced around, equal parts amused and confused.

“And you’re just jealous I at least get some action in this place,” he taunted his older brother before he was shushed by Hansa.

The bright light emanating from the mandala before us became more intense. Viola raised her arms to her sides and muttered the last part of the incantation. We instinctively moved closer to one another as the spell was activated and we were enveloped in pure white light.

I held my breath.





Harper





(Daughter of Hazel & Tejus)





I closed my eyes for a moment, the light too powerful to look at directly. I felt Caia, Scarlett, Avril, Fiona, Hansa, Heron, Blaze, Jax, and Patrik getting closer. The brightness dimmed, and I peeled my eyes open.

My breath hitched as I realized we could see through the sphere. Everyone else around us couldn’t see inside, but we could see them squinting or shielding their eyes from the light. The only one who looked straight at us, unaffected, was Viola.

Our gazes met, and she smiled.

The transparent sphere lifted us off the ground, and I lost my footing. We all immediately sat down as the orb shot through the sky. My heart stopped when the sunlight glazed over it, but we didn’t feel it, much like the faux roof spell on the platform. We were protected.

I looked down. Our families, friends, and allies cheered, whistled, and clapped their hands. They got smaller as we flew higher at an incredible speed. My pulse raced as I watched Antara, Calliope’s biggest continent and the home of our Eritopian GASP base, get smaller with every second.

Rivers became bluish lines. Mountains became jagged forms with snowy peaks and dark green spots of forest. Soon enough, we passed through a blanket of white clouds, and the sphere trembled and shed sparks as it broke through Calliope’s atmosphere.

I’d never experienced something so strange, so beautiful, and so awe-inspiring. We looked around as the sphere took us farther away. Blackness sprinkled with planets and stars surrounded us. I glanced over my shoulder and marveled at the giant sun, its flames licking at the void around it.

“This is so freakin’ cool!” Caia gasped, pointing at Eritopia’s planets.

All twenty of them moved lazily around the sun, thousands of miles away from one another, like giant marbles in a variety of colors, each with small moons and orbiting asteroids, and some even hosting gaseous rings.

“I’ve only seen them in illustrations.” Heron sighed, his jade eyes wide and bright with interest. He inched forward and put his hands out, and when he reached the transparent layer of the sphere, it seemed to act like glass, stopping him from getting out.

We could breathe and hear each other perfectly.

“You saw this on your way here, didn’t you?” I asked Rewa.

“Yes.” She nodded and smiled. “And it’s beautiful and breathtaking, all at once…”

“Makes you feel so small,” Jax mused, gazing at Calliope, which was now a gorgeous ball of blue oceans, green, dry lands, and wisps of white clouds, accompanied by a pearly moon.

“Look, that’s Purgaris.” Caia grinned and pointed at a smaller, red planet. “Azazel’s old home!”

“And that’s Persea,” I said, pointing at the seventh planet, all blue and white, much like the amulet that Serena had given me. “Land of the Druids…”

“I see Tenebris!” Fiona showed us the tenth planet, a large dark purple marble with yellowish streaks and two moons.

“I wonder who they’ll send over to deal with the rebel incubi,” Avril muttered, then nodded at a planet farther away. “That’s Jolessi.”