“Are you out of your mind? You can’t post this. You’ll be breaking the Exposure Law.”
“Nah. I’ll mention something about special effects in the caption. The humans won’t suspect a thing.”
“You don’t even look like yourself, Void,” he exhaled in exasperation.
“I don’t have to. It’s called cosplay.”
“Void—”
“Quick, everyone get in.” He waved over Lex and Justin. The demon and mage looked at each other with confused expressions before each shrugging a shoulder and joining Void. They all stared expectantly at Luther, waiting for him.
He refused to play into the shifter’s idiotic games. “I do not have time for this. Either come along or don’t. I don’t care,” Luther said, heading down the hill in the direction of the castles; there were several in the distance and he was sure Zamorra was in one of them.
“Party pooper,” Void mumbled, snapping the photo. “Alright, let’s split.”
Luther’s footsteps crunched in the grass as he followed the trail into the forest that lay ahead. A tingle ran down his spine and he turned, looking over his shoulder. Eight silver-armoured fae warriors stood in the exact spot they were in only moments ago, studying the air.
“Everyone down,” Luther hissed between his teeth as he crouched low, concealing his large frame behind a tree. Void, Lex and Justin were quick to follow his movements, taking cover.
As Zvetari had predicted, the fae were able to sense when someone portaled into their world and had sent warriors to investigate.
Void inched to Luther’s side. “Let’s attack. We can take em’.”
Luther debated it, thought it over, but the risk was too great. If one of them teleported away and revealed they were attacked by their own kind, it would jeopardise their position.
“No. Remain hidden. We’ll wait them out.”
“Why?” Void questioned.
“Because I said so.”
Luther watched the fae warriors carefully, his power itching to be released. He would love nothing more than to rip the heads from their bodies and gorge himself on their blood. But he had to focus on what was important.
Zamorra.
He looked at Lex. “Can you teleport us into one of the castles?”
The demon looked into the dense forest ahead. “I can’t teleport somewhere I’ve never been before. I need to be able to envision where I’m going. But I can do a series of small jumps as far as my eyes can see.”
“That’ll do,” Luther nodded. “Do it.”
Lex laid a hand on Luther’s shoulder. “Everybody grab hold.” Void and Justin placed a hand on the demon’s body and they all disappeared in the blink of an eye, reappearing surrounded on all sides by thick, overgrown bushes and large, bulky trees. They vanished again a moment later, blinking in and out of existence until they arrived in a small village located just outside the dark-bricked castle.
Lean, round towers served as both a defensive and decorational aspect of the strong fortress. Elegant windows were scattered throughout the high stone walls, where archers patrolled with watchful eyes. Large arch-styled doors granted access inside, guarded on either side by bronze-armoured fae.
A deep, mighty roar came from above, shaking the ground beneath their feet. Luther gripped the sword at his back and snapped his head up. Shock thundered through him.
“Holy fucking shit,” Void breathed, his eyes plastered to the beast unleashing flames of fire into the air.
Dozens of dragons flew in the sky, some flying in lazy circles. Others clashed with one another, their razor-like talons and mighty jaws filled with rows of enormous sharp teeth, cutting into each other. Their scales glistened in the beaming suns, a mixture of all different colours. Black, blue, green, red. Their wings spanned the width of a football field, tipped with sharp horns.
“I-I thought dragons were a myth,” Justin quaked, fear tinging his voice.
Luther could not blame him. Dragons were the mightiest of creatures. He never had the pleasure of seeing one. They were killed off on Earth before his time as a vampire began, but he heard they were magnificent and full of power. He always believed they were real, even though he never encountered one.
“Clearly not,” Void gulped. He raised his phone into the air and Luther smacked his hand down.
“Put that away before you blow our cover,” he snapped under his breath, flicking his eyes to the fae creatures walking around them.