by Olivia Ash
Sadie should’ve been amused—proud even—that they did something besides bicker with each other for the first time. But she just stood there, silently waiting until she felt the last of his horde leave her land. Once the last foot of the intruders left her land, she silently headed to her room.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Sadie
Sadie had finally removed the blue glow on the edges of the smoke sword she casted, but it only lasted for about five seconds. It had burst into mist like before. The stone statues of boar heads mounted on the dungeon walls seemed to watch her as she practiced.
“Again,” Mordecai said, standing stern beside his cell.
Sadie wiped the bead of sweat that had formed on her brow. “I’m trying the best I can.”
“If that’s your best, it really sucks,” he said. “Again.”
Sadie grumbled, although thankful for his strict mentoring that helped her better cast. She may have had a hard time manipulating smoke, but she wasn’t a quitter.
Holding up her hand and clenching her jaw, she cast another sword out of smoke. It hardened and maintained its solidity but only for about thirty seconds until it dissolved once more.
Internally, she screamed.
“I think I know what you are doing wrong. The technique is to transfer magic to the sword and reinforce it from edge to center, not the other way around,” Mordecai said from his perch within the cell. “Form a block along the border to contain the energy. Focus on the edges, not the body.”
Sadie bit her lip. Taking a deep breath and keeping Mordecai’s pointers in mind, she cast another smoke sword and concentrated on the sword’s perimeter first. When the blue glow had faded, and the sword remained grey and solid for more than a minute, she lifted it and banged the blade against the wall. It didn’t even hit the surface before disappearing from her hand.
She sighed and looked at Mordecai. “Maybe some other day?”
He shrugged. “If not a smoke sword, then a fire sword. It seems like fire’s your specialty anyway.”
“All right,” she said. She closed her eyes and held out her hands. It was pretty much the same process, though crafting a weapon with fire was significantly easier.
When she opened her eyes and looked at the sword, she smiled. The hilt blazed, and the flames licked at her hand but didn’t hurt her. And though completely made of fire, the blade had a metallic appearance. It glowed red-orange, like iron that just came out of the forge, while blue flames danced around the edges.
“Good,” he said, leaving his post to approach her. “At least you learned one thing today. But now that you crafted a weapon, why don’t you fight me with it?”
Sadie accepted the challenge. “All right.”
Mordecai flicked his wrist, and a smoke staff appeared in his hand. She narrowed her eyes on the weapon, trying to gauge how he managed to produce it so quickly. A tinge of envy filled her gut. She wanted to be as masterful as he was. Hell, she was nearly there with her fire magic.
Sadie advanced first, confident of her speed and precision. Spinning around him, she swung her blade, but he whirled and parried the blow. She swung again and kicked his knee. He turned into shadow at the last moment, so her knee and her weapon only hit air.
“That’s cheating!” she said, panting.
He solidified, no longer holding his staff, and grabbed her weapon that instantly disappeared in her hand. He swiftly tackled her to the ground but rolled so he was under her, softening her fall. He guided her head to him and gently bit her ear. She gasped, her entire body erupting in shivers, her heart picked up in pace.
“Fights aren’t meant to be fair, Captain,” he said, murmuring against her ear.
She inhaled, slowly puffing out her chest to loosen his hold on her, promptly exhaling a breath when she had sufficiently slacked his grip. Balling her hand into a fist, she went to jab him in the ribs. He turned to smoke again, forcing her to hit the ground. The blow knocked the air out of her lungs.
Sadie stood, blowing away the strand of hair that fell in her face, annoyed at how easily he escaped her blows. She created another fire sword and jabbed at him. He turned to shadow again, immediately solidifying back to his demon form as soon as he got out of her sword’s range.
But this time, Sadie caught a tell. She noticed that his shadow form had swirled brighter before he changed back. She tried to get him to shift again by swiping the sword at him. Again, he transformed to shadow, the mist swirling in a brighter grey before he became solid again. Subtle, but there.
Sadie smiled. The shadow drifted to her left and she kept her eyes locked on it. When she caught the bright swirl of color, she reached into the amulet’s magic and held up her arms. Ropes made of fire protruded from her fingers and wrapped around Mordecai like duct tape. He grunted as he fell to the floor. She dashed to him and pressed the edge of the sword against his throat.
He smirked. “Captain.” A sparkling shimmer in his eyes revealed good humor.
Sadie lowered her weapon. “Why don’t we take a rest?”
“Aye, aye.” Mordecai crafted a smoke chair for her, even softening its smoke cushions to make them feel like real pillows. She chuckled.
“I’m surprised you don’t just leave your cell,” she said.
He sat on the floor in front of her and leaned back against the cell bars. “How do you know I haven’t? Besides, I’ve grown fond of the place.”
Neither of them spoke for a moment. Their breaths mingled together, echoing in the near-empty dungeon cell.
Sadie studied Mordecai’s features, noting that each of the brothers had similar chins, high cheek bones, and noses. Just like Zagan. But they each had different eyes, colored skin, and hair. She wondered if Cedric had the same features, and if the softer features came from their mother.
“Where’s your mother in all of this?” she asked as she realized she knew nothing of the woman that birthed them.
He shrugged as he scratched at his beard. “Died a long time ago. Why?”
“Just curious.” Sadie fiddled with a sting that hung lose from the seam of her shirt. “Were you close to her?”
“Not really. Were you close to any of your parents?”
Sadie thought for a moment. All her childhood, she had an equal closeness to both parents, never favoring one over the other. “I was close to both of them. Even my sister.”
“Interesting…” He dragged out the last with a slight purr and narrowed his eyes on her.
She struggled not to squirm and fought against the blush that threatened to burn her cheeks. “Were you close with Cedric?”
Instead of answering her question, he stood and said, “Let’s try to make a bow and arrow this time.”
“Bow and arrow?” she asked, ignoring how he evaded her question. She realized it must have been prying. If he didn’t want to answer, she would respect that.
“You were able to make a fire sword,” he said. “Why not a bow and arrow too?”
She placed her hands on her hips though she felt a bit exhausted from the effort she had exerted. “I think I made good progress today. I should go rest. Maybe grab a tub of ice cream.”
He approached her. “Nope.”
Sadie sighed, but she appreciated the time and effort he took to help improve her skills and make her a better fighter.
Mordecai pulled on her arms, so she could stand, the smoke chair billowing away as she did.
“You know what a bow and arrow look like, right?” he asked.
She snorted. “Of course.”
“Then cast.”
She glared at him and said, “Fine.”
Sadie held up her hands again and bit her lip, but her focus wavered when Mordecai brushed her lower lip with his thumb.
“I love it when you do that,” he said, his voice almost a whisper. She looked away, clearing her throat.
She took a step back and resumed her casting, producing a bow and arrow made of fire. She started with the bow’s limb, curling it
into an arch. She traced a line with her hand from one end to the other and crafted a bow string, imagining it to be a flexible cable. The weapon felt hot against her skin though, like the sword, the flames didn’t hurt.
Recalling Mordecai’s tips, she focused on the edges, containing the magic within as she strengthened the boundaries first. She held the bow and pulled the string. Flames danced along the surface, but it felt solid and effective.
First try, and a success.
She made an arrow next. It also felt solid in her hands.
Sadie grinned at him and he stared back at her, eyes alight with something she couldn’t explain. It seemed like pride, and that filled her with joy.
“Shoot the arrow, then,” he said. “Go ahead.”
She lifted the bow with her left hand and notched the arrow with the other. She aimed at the far wall of the dungeon, but when she let go of the arrow, it shattered one of the stone heads that stared down upon them.
“Oops,” she said and threw her head back, laughing.
Mordecai chuckled under his breath. “Now we have to improve on your aim.”
Sadie let go of her magic’s tether to the weapon, allowing them to disappear. She held her smile as she stared at him.
Mordecai isn’t so bad. She actually enjoyed spending time with him. Too bad she had to be prudent and not trust him entirely.
At least, not yet.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Sadie
Sadie sat in her gardens the next day, peeling an orange that she had plucked from a tree. A tingling sensation, similar to the one she got when Zagan crossed onto her land, came over her. She stood and thought about Damien, wondering if she should ask him to observe who was coming. He knew about Zagan even before Hobson did, and his skills were beneficial, to say the least.
However, she didn’t want to become dependent on any of the princes, so she called for her butler instead. He arrived swiftly, as always.
“You have visitors at the gate. Just six demons this time,” Hobson said. “They said they would like to meet with you. Word had gotten around that you’re looking for allies.”
Sadie let out an exasperated sigh. Dealing with the four princes’ egos was work enough. But after the visit from Zagan, she could use all the help she could get. She nodded. “Go get the princes and some of the ifrits. I’ll meet everyone in the throne room.”
She hoped these visitors were like the ifrits and not the demon king. She had enough enemies inherited from the previous queen and a few of her own. The last thing she needed was more.
After changing into a blue battle dress, she arrived last, finding she liked to keep her visitors waiting. It felt like a good power move to remind them of who was in charge.
As she entered the throne room, she kept her head held high. She noted how deadly silent everyone was, and that made her weary of the visitors already. The princes stood beside a marble pillar as Hobson uneasily shifted near them. Five ifrits stood scattered across the room, lined up along the walls like guards.
When Sadie sat on her throne, the princes positioned themselves around her, glaring at the newcomers. She eyed the purple-clad demons—four men and two women, all of whom had pale, sharp features and wore spiked metal helmets around their platinum-colored horns. One skull hung on each of their necks. They glared back at her men, and that didn’t sit well with her.
She paused at the thought of the princes as “her men” but dismissed it for the moment. There were more important matters to think about, and she was still set on only choosing one.
The male demon at the head of the small party stepped forward, his hand gripping the hilt of his sword. Sadie figured he must’ve been their leader.
“We would like to join your contest,” he said. His voice sounded coarse and commanding. It repulsed her, made her skin crawl, and boiled her blood.
They were bad news and couldn’t be trusted. That, Sadie knew. She listened to her intuition.
“I have enough on my plate for now,” she said. “I regret to inform you that my answer is no.”
The demons snarled.
“Self-important bitch,” their leader said, lips curling. “You will never be queen.”
That demon charged, soaring on his wings, claws out to get her. Sadie cast a fire sword and widened her stance, ready for a fight. Hobson hurried in front of her and grabbed the demon by the neck and threw him away with surprising strength. The demon hit the far wall on the back of the throne room and crumpled to the ground.
Sadie’s gaze darted to the princes, hoping none of them were hurt as the visitors-turned-invaders attacked. One of the female demons charged at Damien and slashed his side, catching him by surprise. He sucked in a breath as he got knocked to the ground. Kaiser sprinted to his rescue.
As the demoness prepared to thrust her dagger into Damien’s chest, Kaiser plunged his fist into the demoness’s back and pulled out her heart. It beat once in his hand before going still. Kaiser flung it to the ground, dark ichor covering his hand.
Another demon advanced on Mordecai, but he dissolved into shadow and dashed pass his opponent. He solidified behind the demon who seemed suddenly petrified. Sadie stiffened as she watched the demon’s body split in two, both halves thumping to the ground and dripping dark blood.
One robed demon ran toward Steele with sword held high. Steele smirked, not bothering to brandish a weapon. The demon didn’t even get close to him before knees buckled and he screamed, clutching his head as he collapsed to the ground, blood flowing from his ears, eyes, and nose. The demon lay sprawled on the ground, eyes eternally staring into the distance.
Sadie swallowed hard as she realized the full weight of what Steele could do. He could have done that to her in a blink of an eye. But he didn’t. That made her trust him all the more.
Her fire magic tingled and pooled in her hand as Kaiser fought the second demoness. Kaiser crashed to the floor as the demoness hooked her leg against his. She leapt toward him, her blade prepared to pierce his throat.
Sadie stood and prepared to launch a ball of fire as Damien appeared, seemingly out of nowhere, flaming sword in hand. He swung his sword once, sending the demoness’ head rolling along the floor. The now headless body slumped forward with a thump.
Sadie sighed in relief, the pulse of her magic ebbing slightly.
The last demon stood in the corner, defending himself against five ifrits. One ifrit shot a ball of fire at him. The shot landed dead-center in his chest, slamming him against the pillar behind him. He screamed as the blow consumed him from the inside out.
The ifrits linked arms, joining together and forming a massive ball of fire. It swooped toward the demon and he burst into flames, screaming as his body combusted, slowly disintegrating to ash.
Hypnotized by the deadly grace with which the princes and the ifrits fought, Sadie didn’t see the demons’ leader attack her from her right. She was knocked to the ground. He jabbed at her with his sword stained with what she assumed to have been the blood of its prior victims.
Instinctively, she held her hands, palms out, in front of her. A bolt of fire struck her attacker.
The demon roared in pain as he jumped away from her, flailing his arms as the flames licked at the fabric of his cloak.
Sadie stood and flicked her wrist, fabricating another fire sword, already familiar with the process. She swung, and the demon blocked the blow with an ill-formed parry. His weapon clanged to the ground when it met hers.
She didn’t hesitate. She plunged her fire sword deep into the demon’s shoulder. He scowled, but his eyes widened as his cloak caught fire.
She twisted the sword. “Why are you here?”
“To capture you, why else?” he said, his breathing ragged.
“Who sent you?” she asked, twisting the fire sword again.
“Mara’s coming for you, and she won’t show you mercy,” he said through gritted teeth.
She yanked her sword from his shoulder and slowly plunged it into h
is chest. Instead of the screaming she anticipated, the demon laughed.
“I will not die in your hands,” he said and spat at her.
He pulled out a strange trinket from his burning cloak.
Mordecai yelled, “Look out!”
A massive body slammed into Sadie. Arms surrounded her as she flew across the floor and rolled to a stop. A loud explosion burst from where she had been standing. The vibrations reverberated the throne room, shattering the surrounding three pillars. In the middle of a small crater in the floor, the demon’s corpse bled and smoldered.
Sadie scrambled to her feet, coughing from breathing in the settling dust, smoke, and ash. She faced Mordecai who had saved her from the blast. “Thanks.”
He winked at her.
Though rattled from her near-death, she rolled her eyes and smiled.
Kaiser ran to her. He gripped both her shoulders, his hold gentle. “Are you okay?” His eyes roved over her entire body.
“I’m all right,” she said. But he didn’t let go, proceeding with his own examinations. She held his arms and placed them back to his side. “Really, Kaiser. I’m all right. I promise.”
His lips formed a grim line, but he nodded.
From the silence, Steele whooped. “That was the most fun I’ve had in ages.”
They all stared at him, not saying anything. Mordecai breathed a chuckle, and all of them laughed.
“Mordecai, I haven’t seen you fight in years,” Steele said. “I’ve forgotten how awesome your power is. Remind me not to kill you just to get it.”
“Go ahead and try, brother,” Mordecai said, the corner of his lips quirking upward.
Damien approached Kaiser. “Thanks for having my back out there.”
Kaiser scratched his head. “Thanks to you, too.”
Sadie glanced at each of them, watching them with a raised eyebrow. Huh. They’re complimenting and thanking each other. What happened?
Shaking her head, she walked to one of the ifrits who again stood with her back straight by the throne room wall. “Thank you for defending this fortress.”