“In this, we are,” Storm, Nightmare, and Darkness replied in unison.

The druid pulled in a long, steadying breath, locking his gaze with Darkness’s. “Hold her tight, please. This may be… unpleasant.”

Darkness gripped my shoulders while Nightmare wrapped his fingers around my ankles. Before I could voice any kind of objection, the druid placed his bare hand into the bowl and scooped out a heap of the chunky paste.

Ancient words tumbled from his lips like cascading waterfalls. A long, agonizing shriek ripped through me as he placed his palm firmly against the wound at my side, jabbing the paste inside.

Agony ripped through me. It was an onslaught of a thousand blades, cleaving my very soul in thousands of merciless strokes. The world whirled around me, and I fought desperately against the encroaching blackness, determined not to succumb.

I couldn’t see straight. It felt as though my blood was boiling. I wanted nothing more than to crawl outside of my body and leave it behind.

“She’s strong,” the druid’s voice wiggled into my ears as he tapped the remaining bits to my burned wrist.

“Yes,” Darkness said as his grip on my shoulders tightened, anchoring me as the pain tore through my insides.

My heart thudded, threatening to leap outside of my chest. The torment from the druid’s constant pressure was too much to bear, and just when I was about to give up and let go, he released his hand.

Rich scents of herbs filled my lungs. Like an electric shock, my body jolted upright as though I’d been injected with pure adrenaline. My focus was as sharp as a razor’s edge, and a newfound clarity pierced through the lingering fog of pain and bewilderment.

“Whoa!” I said, blinking rapidly.

“She’s better,” Storm announced.

I hopped onto my feet. “I feel fantastic!”

Darkness pressed his palms together and bowed to the druid. “Thank you. We must be on our way.”

“Understood,” the druid grunted as he rolled up his supplies. “We’ll discuss payment later.”

“Come,” Darkness said, gesturing toward a shed I hadn’t noticed until that moment. “We must go.”

“Where are we going now?” I asked, bouncing a bit too excitedly.

Darkness exhaled slowly. “We have much to discuss, and time is short.”

Chapter

Thirteen

Stopping myself from falling out of the shed wasn’t something I’d yet mastered, but at least I hadn’t thrown up, thanks to whatever the druid had done to me. I brushed myself off as I got to my feet, looking around Darkness’s somewhat familiar property.

“Join me inside,” Darkness ordered, already making his slow way to the front of his dark, gothic mansion.

I followed him with Nightmare at my side. Nightmare’s eyes constantly darted around as if he were afraid we’d been followed by one of the creatures from The Underworld.

“What?” he asked.

“Are you looking for something?”

“Nothing in particular.”

I puffed out my cheeks. “Where did Storm go?”

“Perhaps to rebuild her strength. She doesn’t enjoy being completely drained. Well, none of us do. It makes us feel very vulnerable,” Nightmare said with a shrug.

“I see,” I said, touching the medallion.

Inside the dimly lit home, Darkness was positioning three wooden chairs in a rough circle in the middle of the living room. He gestured to them, but Nightmare remained standing as I lowered myself into the closest seat.

Nightmare crossed his arms. “I won’t be staying long.”

“I figured as much with all we must do yet to prepare,” Darkness replied as he lowered himself carefully into the biggest chair. “Unfortunately, I don’t think I could stand another minute.”

“How can I help?” I asked, pressing my lips together.

Darkness folded his hands together and grunted. “There is nothing. This is all progressing much faster than I had anticipated, and there is not time.”

Nightmare’s head bobbed. “The Oracle said we must retrieve the final artifact if we want to stand any chance. It’s our only hope to stop this war.”

“If that is even enough,” Darkness muttered, drawing in a breath that raised his chest.

“Unfortunately, my dear brother, The Oracle had no idea where the artifact is being held,” Nightmare said, frowning.

“Lucky for us, I do,” Darkness said, raising a brow. “They held me assuming they’d get the medallion, but I learned vital information to help instead.” He released a long breath. “But I do not think it will be enough to save it all. To save everyone.”

I got to my feet. “Let’s go get it.”

“I cannot go… yet,” Darkness said, pointing at the chair.

Nightmare raised a brow. “Where is it?”

“We are lucky the demons are idiots. They spoke freely about its location, but they, too, are having trouble reaching it,” Darkness said.

“Tell me, brother. Perhaps I can get it,” Nightmare said, taking a step forward.

Darkness shook his head. “You need more rest.”

“Where is it?” Nightmare asked, his voice rough with determination.

“It’s in the human world,” Darkness said, wringing his hands together.

“The human world?” Nightmare squinted as if he assumed he had misheard.

Darkness nodded once as he turned to me. “It’s in a white house in the middle of nowhere. An impossible fortress guarded by warriors and various unbreakable spells.”

Nightmare combed his fingers through his hair. “How do you know that… about the spells?”

“I’ve been there before,” Darkness said, holding my gaze.