[Bonus chapter] Essence Vs Venom

Immediately, a transport pod moved towards them and Byron's wings unfurled from his back as he carried her up into the pod. The streaming media visual pods zeroed in on their escape, dutifully recording every minute action.

The pod flew up into the bright blue of the Nymphalidae sky and disappeared into space.

It left behind the thundering applause of the audience who had been able to see everything that she had shown them through the magic of nothing but her incredible gift of story-telling through her dance moves.

It was magic without the magic and illusion without the illusion. It allowed them to use their imagination in ways that were not possible in a world that was so filled with visuals that they barely could use their own imagination for much of anything.

But just to absolutely prove that all this was a style choice and not because she had no magic abilities, at the finale, she had used magic to lift herself up and out of the stage with the phantom bird that she had conjured up and danced with.

Candi missed all that adoration from the audience because she was crying as she buried her face into Byron's body. His solid presence fractured her glass stage mask and she wept into his chest.

He carried her to the control chair and sat down, with her still in his arms.

"What's going on Byron? Where is everyone?" She sobbed.

'Hush, Darling. Hush.' He spoke into her mind. 'I'll explain everything in a few minutes.'

With her on his lap, Byron began to work the control pads. He needed to send the transport pod into a sector of space that was a bit further away from Nymphalidae.

As soon as Candi saw that he was no longer furiously punching in the pathways for the pod to travel, she asked again.

"Where are we going?"

"We have to get you to safety. Aside from the tiny area around the stage where all the movers and shakers are present to attend the Avgo Event, it's a war zone everywhere else."

"The fighting has started?" Candi gasped. She knew it was imminent, but she didn't think it would happen before the event.

"While the Avgo Event was starting, there were skirmishes that had already begun at the fringes between the various factions."

"I didn't know…"

Byron's eyes were bleak.

"The fighting started as soon as we touched down onto Nymphalidae. Do you remember the reason for holding the Avgo there?"

Candi nodded. "It was to draw out the factions that were responsible for trying to kill me AND for murdering the poor glass girl Anaïse Paroles."

Byron nodded.

"Well, as it turns out, there are several separate factions that were acting independently of each other. That was why it took us awhile to figure out who did what."

"Where are your brothers? Where is Dante?"

Byron shook his head.

"As far as I can tell, they are all fighting alongside their troops."

He turned to Candi with desperate eyes. "One of the factions that are in this power struggle is my own maternal family."

"The Avians?"

"Yes. They ambushed me early this morning as I was leaving my room to join Jason and Jared for breakfast. I never made it there so I don't know what happened to the twins."

Candi cried in distress. Jason and Jared was most likely attacked in the same manner.

Byron rubbed her back, consoling her as best he could.

"Listen Darling. I don't think the twins were harmed. The attackers didn't hurt me. They just held me in some sort of detention cell."

"How did you get out?"

Byron gave a grim smile. "I managed to convince them that I was on their side."

Candi gave him a questioning gaze.

"I had them contact my aunt, the one who I grew up thinking was my mother." He rolled his eyes and sighed.

"It turns out she still thinks of me as her son because she'd been my mother for my entire life. She made them release me and that was how I was able to reach you before the end of your Avgo Event performance."

He shook his head. "If I'm not mistaken, the bird faction has also taken some of my brothers. I wouldn't doubt that Lucas and the twins have both been snatched the same way I had been."

Candi gasped. "How is that possible? Didn't we have guards and protection in place?"

He shook his head. "By stealth and magic. We're strong but we're not invincible. Given enough of them surrounding us with magic attacks, they can overwhelm us if we're alone."

Candi's eyes teared up. Her poor Princes.

"At least I know one thing." He rubbed his eyes with a tired hand. "Slate and Leo are still in their warships fighting."

Candi's eyes widened.

"Are you able to contact them at all?"

"I'm taking you to Slate right now." He answered.

Her heart jumped into her mouth.

"Were you able to contact Dante?"

Byron's eyes narrowed with worry.

"I can't contact him at all. I have no idea where he is." He looked at Candi. "Did you and he connect mentally?"

Candi nodded, her eyes glistening with unshed tears.

"Yes. I tried to call his mind but," she shook her head, "he hasn't responded."

Byron gave a heavy sigh. "Given that I know how Dante works, the only reason why he would not respond to you would be if he were sleeping, unconscious, or dead."

"Don't say that!!!" She began bawling.

Dante could not be dead. He must have just been too busy fighting or something.

"Don't worry Candace. If there is one thing I know about Dante, he's very resourceful, and very powerful. He'll turn up soon, I'm sure." Byron spoke with grim determination although his eyes were bleak.

"Are you able to mind-contact anyone else?"

She shook her head. "You and Dante are the only ones who I have any mental connection with."

This seemed to surprise Byron. He gazed at her with an intensity that Candi could not comprehend.

"Besides me and Dante, none of my other brothers have given you their essence?"

Candi blinked.

"Essence?" What was he talking about?

"Our bat essence. What I gave you so that we could commune and connect with each other."

"Oh…" Candi gasped. "Dante called it venom."