Tasting Darkness

Read Taming Darkness By Jessica Hall Book 3 Chapter 32 - Darius The phoenixes circled above, jolting the veil between the dimensions, which this place was shielded by. Now Tobias had pointed it out, | could feel the low vibration all around the place, feel the veil like a pulse. We just had to figure out how to drop it. The b*tch was going to regret this move of hers, it gave us the element of surprise.

Lidia had shielded it from the world, but that also meant she had shielded everyone else from this dimension.

We just needed the power to bring down the shield and send enough energy into it to open the portal. Wards only went so far, which madewonder what exactly she used to keep this never ending charge going.

- | examined the translucent veil. The shimmer of it was easy to spot now that we knew what we were dealing with thanks to the Phoenixes. We had a lot of power, but it would be foolish to use it all at once and burn through i) We needed to conserve as much as possible because we had no idea if Aleera could feel us or not. She gave us as much power as the bond would allow her to transmit to us, but it was nowhere near enough to bring this veil dividing the two realms down.

If I was at full power, | would be more than enough to handle this issue by myself. But now, even with all of us, we weren't strong enough in our current state. My eyes lifted back to the still-circling phoenixes.

They had the power, unlimited power through regenerating their lifespans, but there was no way to harness it without her, or them willingly giving it to us. What exactly was powering the veil, and what would we have to do to breakz it? would we have to do to break it? Tobias and Lycus scanned the ground, searching for a power source or anything that might be a ward, yet | knew they wouldn't find anything.

Lidia didn’t survive this long like a c***kroach, by leaving a map behind to locate her. We needed something to drain its power, or overwhelm the source.

If we could somehow control something like a solar flare, that might possibly do the trick, but | had no idea how to conjure up something like that. In the distance, Kalen also stared up at the birds. Ryze dropped out of formation not too far from him, and it made him jump.

He watched the bird, and Ryze stared right back. | dragged my attention away from them and forced myself to focus. There had to be a solution to this, and | needed to figure it out, fast. “Nothing,” Tobias huffed, wandering over to my side.

He glanced over at Kalen as he interacted with Ryze. Lycus joined us, watching Kalen and Ryze before tipping his head back and studying the birds. “We need their help, but without her, there's no way to control the flock.” He shuddered at how close Kalen was to one of her lethal pets. “Maybe | can try to absorb it,” | suggested. “Are you insane?” Tobias demanded, turning on me. “We don’t even know what is powering this.

Even your incubus side has limits on what it can absorb. What do you plan to do if they can’t charge it? What if whatever is powering this thing between realms is more than you can handle?” | scowled.

“Well, do you haven it better idea? | can try to siphon it, while they charge. It might be enough to break through it.” “We did not call this way to save her just to lose you. Aleera would be furious if you went and killed yourself trying to get her out, Tobias snarled, his eyes turning a dark shade of crimson.

“It’s the only plan we've got right now!” | snapped right back. “Maybe not,” Lycus mused. He took a step towards Kalen who had abandoned his convening with Ryze and was hunting for a way to drop the veil.

Lycus hummed with whatever plan he’d cup with. | was proud of him, but a little worried what he might say.

“What are you thinking?” “Kalen...he can manipulate our auras, our intentions,” he pointed at Kalen and my eyes widened.

| hadn't expected that from our resident pretty face. Yet Lycus knew more about Kalen’s magic than Kalen did.

“What if he can manipulate the Phoenixes, show them his intentions and what we need from them?” Lycus continued, still surprisingwith his burst of a good idea.

“They won't allow a Dark-Fae to control them,” Tobias argued, Phoenixes didn’t answer to Dark Fae. They only tolerated us for her, their loyalty was to Aleera.

However, Kalen hadn't always been Dark-Fae and neither had I. Spart ofknew they could sense that through her, so maybe it really could work. “Ryze!” | called, and her head turned to look at me.

She opened her wings, flapping them twice before riding the breeze and dropping in front of us. She squ*wked in my face, beak snapping. They were all on edge, restless for their Queen.

“Aleera,” | simply told her, and she tilted her head, such smart birds that they recognized our language, | just needed her to convince the other's to allow Kalen to manipulate them.

| turned my wrist up to show her, tapping my infinity mark. “We need power,” | point up, then at Kalen. Her head followed my finger and considering she didn’t try to bite it, | took it to mean she was paying attention.

Ryze though was far different from the others, she was as much ours as Aleera, though would turn on us without thought for Aleera. However, Ryze wasn’t the head of the flock. Spark is, her father.

Kalen glanced over when | pointed him out before wandering over to us through the long grass. “What's going on?” he asked. “We need you to manipulate their auras,” | explained, as Ryze observed her. “I haven't got the power to do that, and I...” Kalen pauses, looking at Ryze. Her bird-like eyes watching him. Sh*t, he was right. We still needed magic. “And | don’t think | can use it on an animal,” he finally said. | nodded in agreement. “Your father,” | grabbed Ryze’s beak, turning her attention to me. Magic.” | explain to her, before pointing to each of us. Ryze watches, trying to understand what | am saying to her. She ruffled her feathers, her tail cutting through the air like a frustrated cat.

(( “Magic,” Tobias repeated, tapping his wrist. She c**ked her head to the side, observing him, before her tongue flicked out, licking his cheek. He sighed, shaking his head. In return, she screeched loudly in his face.

“This is pointless, you want to p*ss them off?” Tobias shrugged. | tried to think. “She doesn’t understand, she’s juvenile, and | am not p*ssing off Spark.” he clarified. | chewed my lip. We had no choice.

Ryze hopped along on the grass, as | stormed past her, scanning the ground for anything that would help us.

“Darius!” Tobias snapped at me. “We need Spark. He'll understand!” | snap with a growl.

“Are you f**king insane? He could fly down and rip you to pieces!” Lycus objected, tossing his arms up in the air.

He was right. The Phoenixes weren't in the right frof mind. They wanted their Queen, their mother. And we were not her.