The night was still lingering around in the sky when everyone awoke, stars twinkling brightly in the endless abyss that was the heavens.

Today began the two-day grueling journey back to Draco's estate, located on the more fortunate side of Serius and to say the least, not everyone was pleased.

Two days of travel meant two days where unknown creatures and thieves and strange magic lingered in the possible things that would attack them. Knowing this twisted kingdom, no one ever traveled safely.

On the bright side, there wasn't much to pack. The last stray of clothes was lazily shoved into bags and Draco had insisted that there were more clothes back in his estate so there was no need to overload. Weapons were a must and everyone carried their own, from magic to swords to bow and arrows.

All kinds of weapons were hidden on everyone's body, concealed under clothes or in mass amounts of hair or tucked safely underneath worn in gloves. Magical containers containing ingredients for spells and spellbooks were also an essential, taking up at least half the space in everyone's bag.

The rest would be protected underneath a magical spell that Castrin would cast as soon as they embarked on their journey.

There was nothing much to do except walk out the door.

Onyx Ashrevion fixed the last string of her bodice that was sewn across the waist of her peppered gray dress she had borrowed from Alesandria. Even though she had grown a bit gaunt on the Erabon Mountains, she still managed to fill out the dress quite nicely, the material hugging the curves of her waist and chest.

Her knee high black boots held knives and sharpened pins that were easy to conceal, her short hair pulled up into a curled bun that was stuffed with tiny sharpened pins. Not much of a weapon but it would do great once they landed in her hands. The elbow length gloves she wore each hid a dagger or two strapped to her skin.

Lastly, she wrapped a scarf around her neck, laced with a deadly venom very fatal to mortals and immortals and strapped her sword underneath her layered dress as a concealed weapon.

As Yongui and Castrin sorted out everyone's bags and Parcia fixed Eros's scarf and her own scarf, the Mind Siphon headed out into the hallway to see Alesandria standing next to the door that led to the dungeons with Venix. Draco and Rheynoak chatted amongst themselves, the conversation turning to a nasty turn.

"Of course, you would be the foolish one to trap SilverClaw Witches" Rheynoak hissed at Draco, grumbling more inaudible nonsense underneath his breath. "They could kill all of us if they wanted to. What were you thinking?"

"I was thinking it would be better if I kept them here than letting them go and ripping the heads off of innocent mortals that deserve to live," the Emperor said back to the tribe leader, not an ounce of impatience trickled in his voice. His gaze hardened, his lips turning into a frown. "Unlike you."

The tribe leader growled back. "I will rip off your head if you don't keep that filthy, ancient mouth of yours shut" he threatened, hazel orbs blazing underneath the weak candlelight. The emperor only shrugged and smiled back.

"How long have they been like this?" Onyx whispered to her friend as she watched the two magical beings bicker, seeing how this could end in a really bad twist. The BloodBone Witch groaned, casting a sideway glance towards Alesandria who was watching the argument with intruigment freckled in her eyes.

"God knows. Both of them won't shut up" Venix hissed back, crossing her arms over her chest. Violet eyes flickered rapidly between the two, fingers digging deep into the skin of her elbow. "You would think they would have an ounce of decency and poise but unfortunately, they lack both."

Onyx couldn't help that smile that slipped on her lips. Venix was right in a way. Coming from two powerful leaders, one would expect a certain level of proper behavior and temperament. Maybe lesser profanities flying out of their mouths.

But these two seemed to be lacking that one trait. Of course, the Siphon herself could see why Rheynoak would be mad. Even when Draco himself had told her that he had been keeping a bandit of SilverClaw Witches down in the dungeons, she wanted nothing more than to slap him.

Keeping those vile creatures even a feet away from other magical beings wouldn't stop them. They would find a way to sniff down their prey before striking, devouring and conquering.

But on the other hand, keeping them here was better than letting them roam around free in this twisted kingdom.

"I don't see why you are opposed to this" Draco sneered at the tribe leader, tilting his head to get a better look at him. "With the amount of SilverClaw Witches you have seduced in bed, one would think you would be excited to have them near your presence."

The air became thick and uncomfortable, a dead silence setting in. Rheynoak's face fell, the once proud tribe leader now in shock, standing in front of his nemesis who simply smirked at him again. Onyx directed her gaze away from his when she felt his eyes trail after her, an indecisive look on his face.

Her cheeks burned red, aching from holding back a wince that threatened to escape her lips. She could feel all eyes on her, expecting her to say something but the words wouldn't form in her mouth. They seemed to be stuck, her tongue as dry as sandpaper against the roof of her mouth.

Growling more profanities, Rheynoak simply barked, "Just get those damn witches out of here" before walking away into the other room. Alesandria trailed after him, never meeting the Siphon's gaze and keeping her distance from the tribe leader as she reunited with her family, scooping her brother back in her arm.

A sickening stab impaled the Mind Siphon in her gut. Damn her heart.

Turning towards the two women that stood by the dungeon doors, Draco simply nodded and said, "let's get this over with." Silently, all three went down the staircase that led into the dungeon. Everything seemed dark, unknown until the flicker of light met their eyes.

Lucien, still dressed in his tattered clothes, leaned against the wall, his gaze darting between the journal in his hand that he was currently writing in and the three witches that clawed at the cages. Yagein shouted profanities at him, her coal-ringed eyes blank.

"Set me free, you damned fools! I will slaughter you all!" she threatened, banging her silver nails against the bars of the cell. Her two companions, Ivy and Storm were awake, not as angry as their Queen but still shouting profanities. "Our clan will come after you!" Ivy threatened, baring her silver teeth.

"How long have they been like this?" Venix asked Lucien, watching as he tucked his book away in his pocket. He ran his fingers through his white, hair, tugging on the strands at the end. "Long enough to keep me awake throughout the night" he replied in a tired voice, rubbing his eyes. The BloodBone passed him a smile, tucking her arm behind her back.

Onyx inspected this, watching as her friend's cheek blossomed red and her behavior seemed to alter from confident to uncertainty. Questions bubbled on her lips but she saved them from later.

Draco snarled, shaking his head. "Shut your mouth and I will set you free," he said in a low tone that seemed to ring all power. He walked over to Yagein's cage, his eyes meeting hers. "But when I set you free, promise me you'll never come back here. I don't care that you have a second lair in this kingdom. Don't come back."

The SilverClaw Queen smiled hastily, her nails curling into the iron bars. "I wouldn't dream of it, your majesty" she spat the words at him, each syllable laced with pure hatred. Her gaze darted over to Lucien for a split second, her gaze hardening. "It seems like our paths seem to always get cross," she said to him. "How is that lover of yours?"

The Hell Siphon scratched the back of his neck, his gaze straying from hers. "That's none of your business" he replied to her in a tired tone. The witch smiled, shrugging her shoulders. The Emperor looked over to Venix, his eyes meeting her violet gaze. "Do you think you can break the spell Yongui put over them?" he asked.

"I can" she simply replied, walking over to him before crouching down next to him. Her eyes briefly met those of the SilverClaw witch and something in the air seemed to stiffen. Those coal-ringed eyes inspected the BloodBone witch standing in front of her, a frown pulling on her lips.

Closing her eyes and curling her nails into the palm of her hands, Venix chanted the ancient words clear and fluently against her tongue, her voice carrying a bit of an accent when she spoke. Yagein watched the witch with hatred, snapping her teeth at the woman.

"You" she seethed, snarling her words as she felt a specific red jewel burn underneath the material of her dress. "You damned being! You are the reason I am still here! You are supposed to be dead!" As if something had snapped within her very soul and shattered into a million, blown out pieces, those long nails reached for the BloodBone's wrist, capturing her.

"I will kill you!" Her words snapped through the air as she dragged Venix into the metal bars, drawing blood from her wrist as she repeatedly collided her face with the rough surface of the bars. A strangled cry from help escaped the BloodBone's lip, the spell stopping on her tongue as she fought against the force.

"Let me go, bitch!" Venix swung her fist out, long nails scratching against the queen's face before she yanked on her gray locks and banged her head against the metal bars as well. The BloodBone felt something wet and cold on her wrist, the feeling of her blood being drawn from her wrist.

Hands latched around the BloodBone's lips, pulling her away from the queen as Onyx and Draco held back the queen. Her entourage snarled and yelled profanities from their cells, banging their fist against the walls and bars.

Venix fought against the hands that held her back, her feet kicking in the air as she screamed the spell again, loud enough for those on the mountains to hear. "Rumpere claustra sit liberum volantes!"

An ear-splitting sound pierced through the air and the feeling of chains being broken and glass shattering was a strong enough force to blow everyone to the walls. The BloodBone crumbled against the wall she hit before everyone else, strong arms still holding her. The cell doors creaked open and Yagein and her entourage ran free from their prison.

"Don't miss me for too long!" The SilverClaw Queen shouted as she ran up the stairs and vanished into a stream of thin air before anyone else could catch her. A groan fell from the BloodBone's lips, pulling herself up despite the arms that helped her up. The arms around her waist turned out to be Lucien's, his tall figure stepping out from behind her, blood dripping down from a cut on his arm.

"Stupid witches" groaned Draco as he helped Onyx up, touching a bloody cut on his temple. Blood dripped down his face, staining his cheeks. Onyx's fingers were covered in blood, cut from the impact of the wall and her Ruge arm was severely bleeding.

A curse fell from her lips, her nails grazing past her cut. "Venix, do you need anything? Are you severely hurt?" her best friend asked as she inspected the cut on her wrist. The BloodBone shook her head, her gaze dancing on everyone else in the room before lingering on the empty cell doors.

"I could heal all your wounds if you want. They look pretty bad" she offered, shaking her head as she did so. Draco declined her offer, stating he would heal in short time but and the Mind Siphon's wounds were already starting to heal. But Lucien's injuries were far deeper so Venix performed a quick spell to heal it.

When all was done, Venix let her own wounds fix themselves. The door to the dungeon opened and in rushed Rheynoak and Alesandria, out of breath. They didn't take a breath before asking if everyone was okay. The BloodBone frowned at him, crossing her hands over her chest.

"Like you would care" she hissed at the tribe leader before brushing past him and stomping her way up the stairs, leaving the others in behind.

When everything was settled and everyone was ready, they all made their way out of Castrin's dwelling, carrying each of their personal belongings in a bag he and Yongui had uniquely sorted out. Cresa immediately stood up when she saw her master, whining happily as he brushed her midnight mane.

The cross symbol on the door transformed to two swords crossing each other, the Phoenix doorknob changing into a dragon. "We need more transportation," Castrin said as they headed up the stairs into the opening, the kingdom of Serius still sleeping.

"More specifically, we need more horses" Yongui added, brushing her dark hair away. "They are easier to manage and can carry more load" she added on when nobody else spoke.

"I know where we can get more horses!" Eros's sweet voice drawn everyone's attention, the little boy cuddled in his mother's arms. "Two blocks down, there's a horse keeping where people can buy or rent horses. Mommy and Alesa used to rent a pony out for me all the time!"

A chuckle escaped everyone's lips, Alesandria's surpassing them all. Her hands ruffled his hair. "Glad that pretty head of yours can remember such detail" she whispered to him, planting a kiss on his head. He simply smiled back.

The kingdom was quiet as they walked on, almost too quiet. The feeling was unsettling, unsure and the warm feeling of safety turned icy cold in their presence. Leaves rustled by and the wind howled, kissing their skins with ice coldness. But they walked on until the reached the horse keeper.

It was a surprise that the owner was still up by this time, his sandy blonde hair tucked underneath a straw hat and his skin darkly tanned from the desert like sun that baked the kingdom almost every day. He wore commoner's clothing, a tattered striped shirt and brown pants with shoes that were barely holding up.

"Hello, good sir" Alesandria greeted, slightly bowing her head. "My friends and I are looking for good horses to help us brace through our long journey" she informed, her eyes directing over to the back of the shack, whining coming from the horses. "Any of your finest horses will do sir."

"Well, you came down to the right place, pretty lady," he said, a hint of a southern accent in his voice. Abyss black eyes strayed over to Cresa, who slightly pulled on the gold reins Draco held her with, a playful whine trailing from her lips. "What kind is she?" he asked the emperor, catching him by surprise.

It took a minute for Draco to answer, "Where I am from, she is referred to as Wild Midnight." The owner nodded briefly before leading them all to the back where he contained his horses. Beautiful horses of all kinds, shapes, and colors watched them with beady eyes, kicking against their wooden stalls.

"These horses are shifters. They are not regular horses but rather possess magical elements that help them shift" the owner explained, taking his hat off to run his fingers through his hair. "Pick your poison."

The group split apart, looking for the horse of their dreams. It only took a few minutes, everyone almost finding their immediate match. Venix chose a dark violet, ruby fanged horse while Alesandria went with a pepper gray mane and blue eyed horse. Lucien's horse was diamond fanged with snow-white mane and Rheynoak went with a burnt-orange horse with silver eyes and black fangs.

Onyx lingered a bit longer, passing by horses with dawn colored manes and white reins and horses with diamond-sharpened fangs and white eyes before she found her match, her eyes lighting up when she saw a horse with beautiful midnight blue mane and gold, melting eyes. The reins around the horse were gold, the horse's teeth sharpened like fangs.

The Mind Siphon immediately smiled, her hands running through its glossy mane. "Forest Night," the owner said, holding his hands out for his payment. "Fastest one here, pretty lady," the owner said, rubbing his beard. "And she is a true beauty to lay eyes on. Much like yourself there, pretty lady." The Siphon looked up again smiling, the horse seeming to nuzzle the palm of her hand as her nails tickled its chin, almost begging her to choose.

Another smirk fell on her lips, her other hand reaching into her bag and pulling out six golden coins, placing it in the owner's hand. The owner nodded happily before unlocking the stall and letting the horse free.

"I shall name you Aithne, a flaming torch," the Siphon said as she yanked on the golden reins of the horse who neighed happily at her, her gold eyes burning brightly. She pulled herself on the horse, yanking the golden reins gently.

Bidding the horse keeper good day, the group settled out on a dusty, muddy, two-day trail, filled with terror and danger, looking up into the sky and praying they would all still be alive towards the end. 

A/N: And that is the end of another chapter!

Nine more chapters to go!I am excited! Maybe too excited XD

Okay, to Draco's estate/manor is going to be the location in the next two-four chapters before the big showdown during The Catalyst Moon happens. The Catalyst Oath will happen but so much more is to come.

All this suspense and mystery and build up are killing me on the inside. I just want to spill everything out right now but we are very close to finishing the book. 

And then I am going to edit the book and put it into an official manuscript!

So much editing to do. Hopefully, the book isn't like six hundred thousand pages long, that would mean a lot of editing XD

Which one of the horse shifter would you guys want? I honestly want Lucien's horse! I imagine it as a beautiful winter color and so elegant yet badass! 

So tell me what your thoughts are on this chapter and don't forget to comment down below and vote if you liked it.

Thank you all so much for your constant support! It means so much!

Until next time Lovelies!

With love, May