Chapter 191: 191
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Hurriedly, we all crowd around Soren, sparing nervous glances occasionally to the door, half expecting someone might be listening. Soren too, seems mildly apprehensive, lowering his voice to a dull whisper, low enough that any inkling of sound is soon soaked up by the vast cavern we reside in.
"I am glad you have got a plan, Soren," Kal laughs nervously, scratching the back of his neck with a generous itch of his fingernails. Shooting me a cheeky sideways look, perhaps to poke holes at how vastly underprepared I was in coming down here, he adds: "We didn't even have one, we just planned to bust right in there and kick Azrael's ass. Queen Areen told us to do as much."
"Yeah well, I have never been one to follow a plan," I retort under my breath, nudging Kal in the ribs, to which he only snickers.
Delina and Soren share a look, half of disbelief, and another part amusement, as though not quite comprehending why the two of us seem so intent on squabbling at such a crucial time. Then Delina clears her throat, growing impatient.
"Alright then," Delina says stonily, folding her arms over herself as she brings us all to attention. "What are we going to do?"
Expectantly, we all look up to the newly winged vampire, our eyes glistening with a new found hopefulness.
Placing a firm hand on my shoulder, Soren indicates to me.
"First things first, Serena is going to go in to find Azrael. Preferable, as you would have without my any of influence. After all, Azrael is expecting her to arrive at some point to save my corporeal form in exchange for her own soul, but he will not let you do that, because he wants you for his own," he voices with a low growl, splaying his hands out as a deathly look creeps over his eyes.
At this news, a leaden weight drops in my stomach. My mind reels at this new scrap of information, my gut turning to a leaden cold as the truth of the situation washes over me- a truth I had tried to deny my whole journey down here.
So even if I had made my way down here, I think inwardly, clutching my hands around myself, saved myself the grim tragedy of being torn apart by halflings, or feasted on in some gourmet meal by a bunch of Sirens, there was still no hope of saving Soren's soul?
Gritting my teeth, I clench my fists to reign in the flames threatening to spill out from under the vessels of my skin. It was foolish, naïve of me to believe that Azrael would be even someone negotiable, he is too despicable for that. Yet a part of me, just like any other desperate person would, had hoped that after all this, I would still have some hope of saving Soren. That Azrael maybe, just might have kept it word.
I was a fool.
Begrudgingly, I pull myself back from my thoughts.
"So, I act as bait then? Let everything continue as planned for now?" I say, not bitter, but from the way I notice Kal freezes at the words, I can tell the opposite is only true for him. It doesn't take a genius to realise that Kal's mind is swimming with protests.
Giving an apologetic smile, Soren nods.
"Something like that- you must act as if everything is normal, do anything you would have done prior to finding me here. I need you to keep Azrael talking for as long as you can, he will not want to kill you, play this to your strengths. You are the only one here exempt from Azrael's powers," he adds, indicating the ruby necklace slung around my neck fondly with a touch of his fingers. "Plus even if he wanted to, he could not physically hurt you, since I have glamoured him to prevent as much."
A series of nodding circles round the group. Get in, make a distraction, keep Azrael talking. That doesn't seem too hard. Hopefully.
For just a moment, I think we might all be agreed on the plan, until a tuneful voice pipes up, laced with the dubious tones of doubtful concern.
"Alright then what?" Kal say sceptically, running a hand along his jaw with a nervous fervour. "We still need to get you back into your corporeal form, and unlike Serena, you can't just waltz on in there," Kal points out, growing deeply. But to this, Soren merely grins, pacing around us as his black clawed fingers tap together, scheming.
I never did understand how someone could look so beautiful, and yet so menacing at the same time, but here seems to be the perfect example of that.
"That, my dear Kal, is where you come in. I want you to cloak the three of us in an invisibility charm. We will follow closely behind Serena as she enters, as not to arouse any suspicion, and then-"
Delina raises a hand, bringing his rant to a sudden halt. Shaking her head grimly, she takes a step back.
"That won't work. Even if we are invisible, there is no guarantee Azrael won't find our minds or try to manipulate them. I have seen what he can do to people, going in head first would be a suicide mission. While you may be strong enough to fend him off, Soren, I certainly am not."
Defeatedly, Soren drops his hands. Delina is right, of course. Azrael has the capability to practically obliterate anyone's mind if he felt like it- delve into their deepest secrets, their fears, and extract everything he needs there to create a maddening concoction of death. Walking into that room isn't exactly the most comforting experience, especially in the notion that you might find your mind taken over in the blink of an eye.
The four of us stand in a frigid silence, mulling over this problem in our minds. Silence ensues as I pass the options through my mind- the possibility that I could do this alone, or that somehow, perhaps, Azrael's powers could be hindered.
But how?
Then an idea strikes me.
Plunging my hand inside my sachet, I wriggle my fingers around for the contents, praying desperately that I was smart enough to include them within my packing. It feels like such a long time ago that I packed this bag that it seems almost impossible to remember, so it is all I can do but hope as I fish around in the depths of my sachet. Fortunately due to my enchantments, the contents of the bag have remained remarkably dry- a good thing too otherwise I might be in very deep, very icy waters.
At last my fingers hit a familiar feeling object, and relief sparks through me like a wildfire.
"Here," I exclaim at last, presenting three vials of a questionable, murky looking substance infused with several flecks of a gold substance that swims inside the glass like flakes of fish food. "I made this up a few days ago. It's a potion against the powers of the mind soul. I found a recipe in your book, Soren. I know it's not much, but maybe it can help us?"
Beaming, Soren prizes the vials from my fingers, holding them up to the dim red light that floods the room around us. Upon inspecting them further, his smile only widens.
"You clever girl," he chuckles, handing out the vials to each one of my companions, each of which inspect the glass with a similar look of horrified intrigue. Gently, he leans over to ruffle my hair. "I did wonder whether you found my notes."
"Well, I guess that issue is sorted then," Kal laughs to himself, eyes glistening with an emotion I have not seen for a good long while now: hope. Jovially, he slaps Soren on the shoulder. "So we go invisible, sneak in there, get you back to your corporeal form- how does that work exactly?" Kal queries, giving Soren an up and down look, clearly wondering how two bodies could possibly merge into one. Soren chuckles darkly.
"I will enter the body of my corporeal form- merge if you will. But I will need time to adjust before I can awake again. The silver in my blood will need to be dispelled."
"How long?"
Soren's answer is immediate.
"Two minutes, not a moment less."
Affirmatively, Kal nods, a look of relief flooding over his features. Admittedly, I too feel that same wash of relaxation- while I may be a good talker, and excellent at winding people up, in situations of pressure and stress, there is no telling how well I will fare in keeping Azrael distracted. The less time I have to do this alone, the better.
Seeming to sense my distress, Soren winds his hand around my waist, pulling my body against his as he runs his thumb over my skin reassuringly.
"Alright," Kal starts again, clearing his throat.. "And after that you'll have your body back- we will be able to end this mess? What are we going to do with Azrael? We can't exactly leave him lurking around, especially when there are other souls still wandering unaware of his plans throughout Faey."
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Hurriedly, we all crowd around Soren, sparing nervous glances occasionally to the door, half expecting someone might be listening. Soren too, seems mildly apprehensive, lowering his voice to a dull whisper, low enough that any inkling of sound is soon soaked up by the vast cavern we reside in.
"I am glad you have got a plan, Soren," Kal laughs nervously, scratching the back of his neck with a generous itch of his fingernails. Shooting me a cheeky sideways look, perhaps to poke holes at how vastly underprepared I was in coming down here, he adds: "We didn't even have one, we just planned to bust right in there and kick Azrael's ass. Queen Areen told us to do as much."
"Yeah well, I have never been one to follow a plan," I retort under my breath, nudging Kal in the ribs, to which he only snickers.
Delina and Soren share a look, half of disbelief, and another part amusement, as though not quite comprehending why the two of us seem so intent on squabbling at such a crucial time. Then Delina clears her throat, growing impatient.
"Alright then," Delina says stonily, folding her arms over herself as she brings us all to attention. "What are we going to do?"
Expectantly, we all look up to the newly winged vampire, our eyes glistening with a new found hopefulness.
Placing a firm hand on my shoulder, Soren indicates to me.
"First things first, Serena is going to go in to find Azrael. Preferable, as you would have without my any of influence. After all, Azrael is expecting her to arrive at some point to save my corporeal form in exchange for her own soul, but he will not let you do that, because he wants you for his own," he voices with a low growl, splaying his hands out as a deathly look creeps over his eyes.
At this news, a leaden weight drops in my stomach. My mind reels at this new scrap of information, my gut turning to a leaden cold as the truth of the situation washes over me- a truth I had tried to deny my whole journey down here.
So even if I had made my way down here, I think inwardly, clutching my hands around myself, saved myself the grim tragedy of being torn apart by halflings, or feasted on in some gourmet meal by a bunch of Sirens, there was still no hope of saving Soren's soul?
Gritting my teeth, I clench my fists to reign in the flames threatening to spill out from under the vessels of my skin. It was foolish, naïve of me to believe that Azrael would be even someone negotiable, he is too despicable for that. Yet a part of me, just like any other desperate person would, had hoped that after all this, I would still have some hope of saving Soren. That Azrael maybe, just might have kept it word.
I was a fool.
Begrudgingly, I pull myself back from my thoughts.
"So, I act as bait then? Let everything continue as planned for now?" I say, not bitter, but from the way I notice Kal freezes at the words, I can tell the opposite is only true for him. It doesn't take a genius to realise that Kal's mind is swimming with protests.
Giving an apologetic smile, Soren nods.
"Something like that- you must act as if everything is normal, do anything you would have done prior to finding me here. I need you to keep Azrael talking for as long as you can, he will not want to kill you, play this to your strengths. You are the only one here exempt from Azrael's powers," he adds, indicating the ruby necklace slung around my neck fondly with a touch of his fingers. "Plus even if he wanted to, he could not physically hurt you, since I have glamoured him to prevent as much."
A series of nodding circles round the group. Get in, make a distraction, keep Azrael talking. That doesn't seem too hard. Hopefully.
For just a moment, I think we might all be agreed on the plan, until a tuneful voice pipes up, laced with the dubious tones of doubtful concern.
"Alright then what?" Kal say sceptically, running a hand along his jaw with a nervous fervour. "We still need to get you back into your corporeal form, and unlike Serena, you can't just waltz on in there," Kal points out, growing deeply. But to this, Soren merely grins, pacing around us as his black clawed fingers tap together, scheming.
I never did understand how someone could look so beautiful, and yet so menacing at the same time, but here seems to be the perfect example of that.
"That, my dear Kal, is where you come in. I want you to cloak the three of us in an invisibility charm. We will follow closely behind Serena as she enters, as not to arouse any suspicion, and then-"
Delina raises a hand, bringing his rant to a sudden halt. Shaking her head grimly, she takes a step back.
"That won't work. Even if we are invisible, there is no guarantee Azrael won't find our minds or try to manipulate them. I have seen what he can do to people, going in head first would be a suicide mission. While you may be strong enough to fend him off, Soren, I certainly am not."
Defeatedly, Soren drops his hands. Delina is right, of course. Azrael has the capability to practically obliterate anyone's mind if he felt like it- delve into their deepest secrets, their fears, and extract everything he needs there to create a maddening concoction of death. Walking into that room isn't exactly the most comforting experience, especially in the notion that you might find your mind taken over in the blink of an eye.
The four of us stand in a frigid silence, mulling over this problem in our minds. Silence ensues as I pass the options through my mind- the possibility that I could do this alone, or that somehow, perhaps, Azrael's powers could be hindered.
But how?
Then an idea strikes me.
Plunging my hand inside my sachet, I wriggle my fingers around for the contents, praying desperately that I was smart enough to include them within my packing. It feels like such a long time ago that I packed this bag that it seems almost impossible to remember, so it is all I can do but hope as I fish around in the depths of my sachet. Fortunately due to my enchantments, the contents of the bag have remained remarkably dry- a good thing too otherwise I might be in very deep, very icy waters.
At last my fingers hit a familiar feeling object, and relief sparks through me like a wildfire.
"Here," I exclaim at last, presenting three vials of a questionable, murky looking substance infused with several flecks of a gold substance that swims inside the glass like flakes of fish food. "I made this up a few days ago. It's a potion against the powers of the mind soul. I found a recipe in your book, Soren. I know it's not much, but maybe it can help us?"
Beaming, Soren prizes the vials from my fingers, holding them up to the dim red light that floods the room around us. Upon inspecting them further, his smile only widens.
"You clever girl," he chuckles, handing out the vials to each one of my companions, each of which inspect the glass with a similar look of horrified intrigue. Gently, he leans over to ruffle my hair. "I did wonder whether you found my notes."
"Well, I guess that issue is sorted then," Kal laughs to himself, eyes glistening with an emotion I have not seen for a good long while now: hope. Jovially, he slaps Soren on the shoulder. "So we go invisible, sneak in there, get you back to your corporeal form- how does that work exactly?" Kal queries, giving Soren an up and down look, clearly wondering how two bodies could possibly merge into one. Soren chuckles darkly.
"I will enter the body of my corporeal form- merge if you will. But I will need time to adjust before I can awake again. The silver in my blood will need to be dispelled."
"How long?"
Soren's answer is immediate.
"Two minutes, not a moment less."
Affirmatively, Kal nods, a look of relief flooding over his features. Admittedly, I too feel that same wash of relaxation- while I may be a good talker, and excellent at winding people up, in situations of pressure and stress, there is no telling how well I will fare in keeping Azrael distracted. The less time I have to do this alone, the better.
Seeming to sense my distress, Soren winds his hand around my waist, pulling my body against his as he runs his thumb over my skin reassuringly.
"Alright," Kal starts again, clearing his throat.. "And after that you'll have your body back- we will be able to end this mess? What are we going to do with Azrael? We can't exactly leave him lurking around, especially when there are other souls still wandering unaware of his plans throughout Faey."
Hurriedly, we all crowd around Soren, sparing nervous glances occasionally to the door, half expecting someone might be listening. Soren too, seems mildly apprehensive, lowering his voice to a dull whisper, low enough that any inkling of sound is soon soaked up by the vast cavern we reside in."I am glad you have got a plan, Soren," Kal laughs nervously, scratching the back of his neck with a generous itch of his fingernails. Shooting me a cheeky sideways look, perhaps to poke holes at how vastly underprepared I was in coming down here, he adds: "We didn't even have one, we just planned to bust right in there and kick Azrael's ass. Queen Areen told us to do as much.""Yeah well, I have never been one to follow a plan," I retort under my breath, nudging Kal in the ribs, to which he only snickers.Delina and Soren share a look, half of disbelief, and another part amusement, as though not quite comprehending why the two of us seem so intent on squabbling at such a crucial time. Then Delina clears her throat, growing impatient."Alright then," Delina says stonily, folding her arms over herself as she brings us all to attention. "What are we going to do?" Expectantly, we all look up to the newly winged vampire, our eyes glistening with a new found hopefulness. Placing a firm hand on my shoulder, Soren indicates to me."First things first, Serena is going to go in to find Azrael. Preferable, as you would have without my any of influence. After all, Azrael is expecting her to arrive at some point to save my corporeal form in exchange for her own soul, but he will not let you do that, because he wants you for his own," he voices with a low growl, splaying his hands out as a deathly look creeps over his eyes.At this news, a leaden weight drops in my stomach. My mind reels at this new scrap of information, my gut turning to a leaden cold as the truth of the situation washes over me- a truth I had tried to deny my whole journey down here.So even if I had made my way down here, I think inwardly, clutching my hands around myself, saved myself the grim tragedy of being torn apart by halflings, or feasted on in some gourmet meal by a bunch of Sirens, there was still no hope of saving Soren's soul?Gritting my teeth, I clench my fists to reign in the flames threatening to spill out from under the vessels of my skin. It was foolish, nave of me to believe that Azrael would be even someone negotiable, he is too despicable for that. Yet a part of me, just like any other desperate person would, had hoped that after all this, I would still have some hope of saving Soren. That Azrael maybe, just might have kept it word.I was a fool.Begrudgingly, I pull myself back from my thoughts."So, I act as bait then? Let everything continue as planned for now?" I say, not bitter, but from the way I notice Kal freezes at the words, I can tell the opposite is only true for him. It doesn't take a genius to realise that Kal's mind is swimming with protests.Giving an apologetic smile, Soren nods."Something like that- you must act as if everything is normal, do anything you would have done prior to finding me here. I need you to keep Azrael talking for as long as you can, he will not want to kill you, play this to your strengths. You are the only one here exempt from Azrael's powers," he adds, indicating the ruby necklace slung around my neck fondly with a touch of his fingers. "Plus even if he wanted to, he could not physically hurt you, since I have glamoured him to prevent as much."A series of nodding circles round the group. Get in, make a distraction, keep Azrael talking. That doesn't seem too hard. Hopefully.For just a moment, I think we might all be agreed on the plan, until a tuneful voice pipes up, laced with the dubious tones of doubtful concern."Alright then what?" Kal say sceptically, running a hand along his jaw with a nervous fervour. "We still need to get you back into your corporeal form, and unlike Serena, you can't just waltz on in there," Kal points out, growing deeply. But to this, Soren merely grins, pacing around us as his black clawed fingers tap together, scheming.I never did understand how someone could look so beautiful, and yet so menacing at the same time, but here seems to be the perfect example of that."That, my dear Kal, is where you come in. I want you to cloak the three of us in an invisibility charm. We will follow closely behind Serena as she enters, as not to arouse any suspicion, and then-"Delina raises a hand, bringing his rant to a sudden halt. Shaking her head grimly, she takes a step back."That won't work. Even if we are invisible, there is no guarantee Azrael won't find our minds or try to manipulate them. I have seen what he can do to people, going in head first would be a suicide mission. While you may be strong enough to fend him off, Soren, I certainly am not."Defeatedly, Soren drops his hands. Delina is right, of course. Azrael has the capability to practically obliterate anyone's mind if he felt like it- delve into their deepest secrets, their fears, and extract everything he needs there to create a maddening concoction of death. Walking into that room isn't exactly the most comforting experience, especially in the notion that you might find your mind taken over in the blink of an eye.The four of us stand in a frigid silence, mulling over this problem in our minds. Silence ensues as I pass the options through my mind- the possibility that I could do this alone, or that somehow, perhaps, Azrael's powers could be hindered.But how?Then an idea strikes me.Plunging my hand inside my sachet, I wriggle my fingers around for the contents, praying desperately that I was smart enough to include them within my packing. It feels like such a long time ago that I packed this bag that it seems almost impossible to remember, so it is all I can do but hope as I fish around in the depths of my sachet. Fortunately due to my enchantments, the contents of the bag have remained remarkably dry- a good thing too otherwise I might be in very deep, very icy waters.At last my fingers hit a familiar feeling object, and relief sparks through me like a wildfire."Here," I exclaim at last, presenting three vials of a questionable, murky looking substance infused with several flecks of a gold substance that swims inside the glass like flakes of fish food. "I made this up a few days ago. It's a potion against the powers of the mind soul. I found a recipe in your book, Soren. I know it's not much, but maybe it can help us?"Beaming, Soren prizes the vials from my fingers, holding them up to the dim red light that floods the room around us. Upon inspecting them further, his smile only widens."You clever girl," he chuckles, handing out the vials to each one of my companions, each of which inspect the glass with a similar look of horrified intrigue. Gently, he leans over to ruffle my hair. "I did wonder whether you found my notes.""Well, I guess that issue is sorted then," Kal laughs to himself, eyes glistening with an emotion I have not seen for a good long while now: hope. Jovially, he slaps Soren on the shoulder. "So we go invisible, sneak in there, get you back to your corporeal form- how does that work exactly?" Kal queries, giving Soren an up and down look, clearly wondering how two bodies could possibly merge into one. Soren chuckles darkly."I will enter the body of my corporeal form- merge if you will. But I will need time to adjust before I can awake again. The silver in my blood will need to be dispelled.""How long?"Soren's answer is immediate."Two minutes, not a moment less."Affirmatively, Kal nods, a look of relief flooding over his features. Admittedly, I too feel that same wash of relaxation- while I may be a good talker, and excellent at winding people up, in situations of pressure and stress, there is no telling how well I will fare in keeping Azrael distracted. The less time I have to do this alone, the better.Seeming to sense my distress, Soren winds his hand around my waist, pulling my body against his as he runs his thumb over my skin reassuringly. "Alright," Kal starts again, clearing his throat.. "And after that you'll have your body back- we will be able to end this mess? What are we going to do with Azrael? We can't exactly leave him lurking around, especially when there are other souls still wandering unaware of his plans throughout Faey."
