As it was, James didn't really have to worry about the loss of the Viperus, Sophia thought as they made their way through the darkness. Just one block later, they encountered another one, stalking through the shadows in a street corner.

"I'm beginning to think this was not the best idea," Valentino said, as they hid behind a pillar to watch the hellbeast. "What are we supposed to do? Watch the Viperus root around in trash cans for the rest of the night?"

Sophia kept her eyes trained on the beast, whose head was lowered to the ground and was sniffing around a metal trash can. "It'll go somewhere eventually. We might be able to figure out what they're searching for." Even the optimism in her voice sounded fake.

James peered around the pillar at it. "Are you sure? Because we've been hiding here for the past ten minutes, and it really hasn't moved."

He was right, of course. The Viperus had done little else than sniff around the cobblestones and look stupid. Sophia sighed. A howl cut through the air then, breaking the silence. The hellbeast stiffened, and then began to race towards the direction of the sound with alarming speed.

Sophia scrambled to her feet, racing after it while James and Valentino trailed behind her. She heard James call to her to slow down, but she didn't, leaping over trash cans and dodging the occasional streetlight. But the Viperus, with its four legs, was faster. Sophia swore, drawing out one of her swords from its sheath and touching the blade to the skin on the inside of her wrist. "Celeritas." As soon as she felt the mystik working, she slammed the sword back into its sheath. Her legs moved faster, the buildings blurring and wind whipping her hair out of her face as she chased the Viperus, her breathing turning ragged and burning in her chest. Thank god she had woken up every morning in Velcare to run.

The Viperus turned sharply to the right and Sophia followed, narrowly avoiding crashing into a pot of flowers. She could hear nothing now beyond the sound of her own ragged breathing and her footsteps as they pounded down onto the pavement. As she turned the next corner, two more hellbeasts seemed to join the first one, more and more arriving. They must be near.

Sophia slowed, taking both Armouri blades out cautiously. She heard James and Valentino skid to a halt behind her, quietly drawing their own swords. They seemed to be at the edge of a park, an expanse of green rimmed by a wrought-iron fence and filled with towering trees. A crowd of Viperi were huddled around something, eyes gleaming like the Chesire cat's.

"What is it?" she heard James whisper, the three of them partially obscured by the leaves of a tree.

She heard a rustle, and then saw Valentino's dark figure striding towards the group of Viperi. "What are you doing?" she hissed. "They'll see you!" He ignored her, approaching the hellbeasts with an air of unconcern.

"Mind if I join?" Valentino said loudly, the dark metal of his glade glinting wickedly in the moonlight.

The entire crowd of Viperi swiveled around to stare at him, yellow eyes gleaming. One of them- the one they had been trailing, Sophia thought- morphed into a more humanoid creature, it's fur receding and leaving behind skin that looked like a sphynx cat's. Sophia wanted to throw up.

"You should not have come here, son of Darkness," it said, and it's voice was grating, harsh to Sophia's ears. She wanted to cringe away from it, but she could only stare, horrified yet engrossed. This was the first time she had heard a Viperus speak; she knew they were able, of course, but she had never actually witnessed it.

Valentino look unfazed, lazily swinging his sword back and forth. "You'll have to forgive me if I'm not particularly worried." Sophia, confused, glanced back at James, but he looked just as puzzled, staring at Valentino as if he had grown antlers.

The Viperus narrowed its eyes. "Then you are more foolish than I thought."

Valentino ignored him, jerking his chin towards the thing the rest of the hellbeasts were crowded around. Sophia realized with a start that the crowd seemed to have spread out, thinning so that she could see the gleaming stone in the center. It was smooth, made of a deep orange color that seemed to glow from within like a gemstone. It seemed familiar to Sophia, but she wasn't sure where she had seen it before.

"What is it?" Valentino asked, and she thought she could hear real curiosity in his voice. "The thing you're all crowding around like it's the Holy Grail."

The Viperus smiled a chilling smile. "Don't you know? The Fire Stone."

James snorted. "Fire Stone? What idiot came up with the name 'Fire Stone'?"

So that's where she had seen it, in an old textbook of Asteri history that one of her tutors had made her read. Sophia struggled hard to recall what it had said, but the only thing she could remember was something about water and immortality.

Valentino glanced over at the two of them then, and Sophia realized with a start that he had been distracting the Viperi the whole time, stalling. Apparently, James realized it too because the two of them began to inch towards the stone, trying to stay inconspicuous.

How Valentino expected them to get the stone, though, was beyond her. There was still a crowd of hellbeasts around it, even if it had thinned out. James's voice sounded behind her. "Stay here. Make a Gateway when I tell you," he said, sheathing his longsword and replacing it with a Magnesia dagger.

"What?" Sophia hissed, "what are you planning on doing?"

James didn't reply, instead murmuring, "Indespectum." Sophia blinked; he had vanished.

"What the hell?" she whispered. "Where are you?"

"Invisibility mystik." James sounded smug. "Stay here and get ready."

"How do you expect Valentino to get here? He's ten yards away!" She didn't actually know how long ten yards was, exactly, but it seemed right.

Sophia didn't have to see James to know that he was giving her a dirty look. "The stone's our top priority. Besides, it's our only chance of anyone getting out of here at all." Sophia didn't argue, watching with a thudding heart as she heard his footsteps recede, the stone floating into the air and then vanishing.

Dear god, please don't let him be caught, she thought, her grip on the swords slick with sweat. She held her breath as James reappeared, the stone nowhere in sight. He had almost made it to where she stood, hidden in the shadows, when one of the Viperus seemed to notice it was gone.

"Now!" he shouted, and Sophia raised her blade quickly, panic and fear for James causing her heart rate to shoot up.

"Partum porta!" A roaring Gateway appeared, black smoke writhing in the center. "Laveau Hall, Paris!" She turned back to James, eyes focusing on a Viperus behind him- the same one Valentino had been talking to. It had a knife in its hand, and Sophia realized with a terror that shot through her like a lightning bolt that it meant to throw it at James.

"James, watch out!" she screamed, feeling frozen, rooted to the spot as the Viperus raised its arm, taking aim. There was a glint in its yellow eyes, a glint that spoke of so much malice it made her want to cringe away from it. Her eyes locked with Valentino's across the distance, and then he was moving, racing towards James in a streak of black and gold.

The Viperus released the blade, and it was as if everything had slowed to half-speed. She saw James, turning around, the Stone flashing red and orange in his hand; she saw the knife, the intricately designed black handle and its cruel, jagged blade, shooting sparks of white and silver in the moonlight.

And then it was Valentino on the ground, the hilt of the knife embedded into his chest. He was lying on the ground, blood already spilling out and staining the material of his lightgear. His eyes were wide, his breath coming in short, pained gasps. Above him, James was staring at him in horror, his jaw slack.

"Are you insane?" he demanded, blue eyes burning. "What the hell, Valentino!"

"You have the stone," Valentino spit out, his jaw clenching as she struggled upright and yanked the knife out. Sophia winced, watching a spurt of blood spill over and resoaking his lightsuit. "You have to go." His face was pale, a sheen of sweat visible on his skin.

Sophia felt dizzy, her body shaking uncontrollably but she forced herself to still. "We're not leaving you," she said firmly, glancing at James. "Take him through the Gateway. I'll cover for you." James opened his mouth to argue, but Sophia shot him a pointed look. "Valentino's right. You have the stone. Go."

She didn't give James a chance to retort, whirling around and throwing herself into the throng of Viperi. She really hoped James listened.

The Viperi seemed wary of her, unwilling to attack. They circled around her, watching her with careful eyes. She held her blades up, lowering herself into a crouch. And then they attacked, a sea of black fur and metal claws coming towards her with frightening speed. She ducked down, rolling out of the way just before they reached her, the sound of snarls filling the air.

Her heart was thudding painfully in her chest, her knuckles, where they gripped the swords, were white. Over the sound of her own heartbeat, she heard James call out to her, telling her to get to the Gateway. In her distraction, the tip of a Viperus's claw caught her cheek, and she felt hot blood spill down her skin, quickly creating a splattering of crimson on the ground below her. She wiped it away with her sleeve, twisting to plunge her blade into the Viperus who had scratched her.

There was only one Viperus between her and the Gateway; past it, she could see James's dark figure, outlined in the sparks of the Gateway, Valentino's arm thrown over his shoulder. He was holding them both upright.

Sophia glanced down. She only had one Magnesia left, the other she had used on the Viperus earlier that night. One shot. Speeding into a sprint, she raced towards the Gateway, eyes trained on the image of Laveau Hall in its midst. She could feel her heartbeat pounding in her ears, could hear the sound of her footsteps as she ran towards the Viperus, the Magnesia dagger sliding into her hand. The blade of the dagger ignited with a cold blue flare, illuminating the road below her.

As she came upon the Viperus, she gathered her legs underneath her, feeling her muscles burn as she leapt up, stabbing the hellbeast in the eye with the Magnesia, and then land on the other side. She could feel the effort of keeping the Gateway open beginning to sap at her energy, making her legs feel like lead weights as she stumbled the rest of the way to James. Behind her, she saw a flash as the Viperus ignited and exploded into dust.

"Come on!" James shouted, and she pushed herself a little harder. Only three yards left, two yards, one. She could already hear the rest of the hellbeasts rushing towards her, claws clattering on the pavement, but she was already there. James had disappeared through the Gateway, both he and Valentino vanishing into the sparks. Sophia followed, launching herself the last couple steps and disappearing into the light. 

A/N: hope you guys enjoyed this chapter <33 please don't forget to vote and comment!! love you all and see you in the next xx

dedication: this one goes to @_thisgirlwrites! thank you so much for your votes and comments <33 i appreciate it!