Page 26

Volis

T he water has receded enough that we are able to take small boats to cross into the mainland. It could take several days or weeks to fully dry up, and I can not afford to wait that long. It makes me nervous to be this far away from Lilith. I haven’t known her personally for long, but I’ve known about her for my entire life. I remember when Mom was pregnant with her. Striker and I were so excited to have another little sister. I remember how devastated Dad was when that portal closed. I don’t think I saw him smile much after that. He was always there for us, and he was an amazing father, but it broke something in him to lose Mom and Lilith.

When she stepped off that plane and ran to him, it was the first time in a long time I saw true joy in him. He has always questioned if he should just go to Grimitara and find her himself, but Grandma Ari had to remind him often that he would be killed before he could even find out what city she was in. He knew going himself wasn’t an option because he couldn’t blend in, and neither could myself or Striker.

I am glad that Leli has Lilith now also. Having another girl around will be good for her. She bottles everything up but then tries to act tough so that we don’t see that she’s hurting. She probably would have kept her assault tucked away if Lilith hadn’t made her comfortable enough to open up. The fact that she found her mate after all of this makes it even better. I’ve been hoping that she would. She needs that positivity in her life. She has done her best to take care of us and take charge. It is time she lets someone take care of her.

Once we’ve reached land, I double-check the map to make sure we are going in the right direction. We aren’t going too far from where we landed. My plan is to get in as quietly as we can and just wait in the shadows. The last thing we need to do is end up in a fight that gets Lilith killed. All of the witches and the few demons coming with me are oddly excited to have a chance at killing Zypher. He did severely abuse their High Witch. She’s essentially their Queen and they’d follow her through hell and back.

We walk through the next couple of nights until we get about a mile from the warehouse. I have the ability to project an orb into an area that allows my vision to freely roam as I explore ahead. It is called Animus Ocular. The spell puts me in an extremely vulnerable position because I don’t know what’s going on around my body, so I require the assistance of witches around me to protect me as I send myself out to check the area.

It’s a large warehouse, and it seems abandoned on the outside, but when I look in one of the windows, I can see hundreds of men and women chained to the walls. Some of the women are naked and lying on the ground unmoving, whereas some are actively being assaulted by various men. Some by more than one. There are a few that appear to be unconscious, but everyone seems to be alive.

In the center, watching the chaos unfold, are two men. One is older, maybe in his mid-fifties. The other is in his thirties. The older one looks like a creep, and based on pictures that Dad had sent to me, that would be Morwen. This means the younger one has to be Zypher. If I didn’t know what he had done to my sister, I would think he looks like an innocent guy. He looks like he is trustworthy, but don’t all psychopaths? They make you believe that you are making a choice, but in all reality, you are being lured into their dark fantasies.

I pull myself back to my body and get my phone out.

We are in place. Foxes are here as expected. I will keep you updated.

Lilith

Thanks. Be careful, please.

I always am!