Hell's Ascendant (Mantles of Power Book 3)

by Benjamin Medrano

  “Lovely. So you wouldn’t have had mercy on us, but you expect it in return?” Isalla said angrily, her fingers tightening on the hilt of her sword. “That seems like a little much to ask.”

  “Perhaps, but perhaps not. I don’t wish to kill them in cold blood, but we could always take them to the next city for them to face justice there. The sentence for such is often death, though,” Kitania said and resisted the urge to smile as their faces paled. She wiped off her sword on a nearby body as she continued. “Or we could let them go without weapons if they tell us why they attacked us in particular. This has been a rather eventful trip, which is somewhat annoying.”

  “We were just told that some wealthy knights were coming through the area, that’s all!” the man said quickly, reaching up to wipe blood out of his eye, then freezing as Rose raised her sword slightly. His voice was far more hesitant as he continued. “I-it was nothing personal, honest!”

  “He’s telling the truth,” the woman added, glancing at Isalla as she spoke. “It’s possible that whoever tipped off the boss had a different motivation for it, but I don’t know. He didn’t take any of us with him, so I have no clue who he talked to.”

  “Hm, that’s an interesting claim,” Kitania said, looking at the others as Eziel, Vinara, and the elves approached, the horses nervously following behind them. “What do you all think?”

  Sorm frowned, watching the two bandits through the spyglass attached to his crossbow. He didn’t think the bandits would have a clue about his involvement or that of the Adamant Spire, but that wasn’t a guarantee by any means, and was moderately vexing as well. He really wanted to take shots at the companions of Isalla, Rose, and the demoness, but he only dared take a single shot right now.

  The fight with the bandits had been short and brutal, much as Sorm had expected it to be. As deadly as bandits could be under the right circumstances, they were nothing compared to the soldiers he’d chosen to accompany Haral into the Forest of Sighs, and even without Alserah he’d expected them to be slaughtered. However, it’d also given him a chance to identify the mage in their company, as well as Isalla and Rose. The demoness had been obvious, disguised like a dragon-blooded human, and the others had been barely worthy of note. The barrier to block arrows was annoying, but he didn’t really mind, as it gave him a better idea of the demoness’s capabilities.

  “Alright, let’s deal with a couple of loose ends,” Sorm murmured softly, replacing the bolt on the crossbow with one that was more appropriate. The tip of this one had softly glowing runes in blue and orange, which helped him identify it more easily.

  Taking careful aim, Sorm targeted the female bandit, who was closer to Isalla, the person he knew was least resistant to fire among them. This would be interesting, he thought grimly, and almost gently pulled the crossbow’s trigger.

  The crossbow bucked against Sorm’s shoulder as it launched the bolt, and Sorm hesitated only an instant, long enough to see the bolt shatter the barrier as it winged its way toward the bandit. Then he rose, slinging his crossbow as he quickly took flight, confident in his precautions for stealth.

  A low boom echoed behind Sorm, and he smiled as his wings beat. With any luck Isalla would be mortally injured, but the bandits should be dealt with at the least. If Isalla lived, she’d definitely be injured, which was at least the beginning of recompense for what had been done to Haral.

  Sorm hoped the women would have many sleepless nights ahead of them.

  Kitania saw the streak of blue-orange light the instant before it struck her barrier, and there was no time to do anything more than begin to move. The barrier shattered where the bolt struck, sending a lurch through her stomach as the spell rippled, but the projectile didn’t stop. The bolt slammed into the female bandit’s chest as her eyes began widening with shock.

  The world erupted with fire, and Kitania found herself airborne, at least for a moment, and her instincts took hold before she landed. Her tail whipped around, adjusting her flight into something slightly more controlled, and Kitania grunted as she rolled and sprang to her feet, heat flickering through her armor, but it didn’t gain much of a purchase on her, only singeing her in a few places. Shaking herself, Kitania looked up and almost froze, though she didn’t quite allow herself to do so as horses screamed and she heard people cursing, though with the ringing in her ears the sounds were indistinct.

  Where the female bandit had been was just the lower body of the woman, which was heavily scorched, and Kitania flinched as scorched chunks of flesh hit the ground as well. The man who’d been next to her was a half-dozen paces away, severe scorch marks across his body. The burns were bad enough that Kitania doubted that he was alive, but even if he was, he wasn’t the one she was concerned about.

  “Is—” Kitania began, and only barely cut herself off before she said Isalla’s name, rushing toward Rose and Isalla. Rose was pushing herself to her feet already, but Isalla was on the ground still, her arms splayed out beside her. Scorch marks and debris adorned both of them, and she quickly asked, “Are you okay, Lynn?”

  “I’ll be fine. I’ve always been a bit more resistant to fire, and my armor weakened the blast,” Rose said, her voice slightly labored as she climbed to her feet shakily. “I’m hurt, but not too badly. How’s she doing?”

  “I don’t know,” Kitania said, quickly removing Isalla’s helmet, and her breath hissed inward as she did so.

  Burns scorched Isalla’s face and hair, though they should have been worse, based on what had happened to the man. Obviously, Isalla’s armor had possessed enchantments to protect from fire, just not enough to negate the attack. Still, some of the burns were slowly healing as Kitania watched, and her worry eased slightly. The armor also had the gem which powered healing spells, something Kitania hadn’t known for certain. Rose’s did, but Kitania hadn’t had the chance to examine Isalla’s.

  “She’s healing, so I think she’ll be alright, but that blast…” Kitania said, then grimaced as she looked to the left. “Where’d it come from?”

  “Maura and Yain are looking now. You focus on making sure she lives,” Vinara said, her tone unpleasant. Kitania glanced back to see her friend’s clothing was scorched, and she only had a single horse. Eziel was in sight, but the angel was trying to catch the other horses, which had understandably bolted after the explosion.

  “Of course,” Kitania said, hesitating only a moment before pulling out a healing potion. It wouldn’t do a perfect job, but it’d help Isalla recover more quickly, and that was important. She really didn’t want to think about how bad the burns might be beneath Isalla’s armor, but she’d find out soon enough.

  “Either way, I think that answers the question of whether or not the informant had a bone to pick with us,” Rose said, wheezing softly as she looked around. “Why else would they wait until the bandits were talking before attacking with something like that?”

  “You’re probably right,” Kitania said grimly, then looked up and asked, “Find someplace good to lay her down so I can get her out of her armor, please? I’m afraid this is going to be ugly, regardless.”

  “As you like,” Vinara said and moved away.

  Turning her attention to Isalla, Kitania murmured softly, “Don’t you dare die on me. We haven’t worked things out yet.”

  Isalla didn’t respond, but Kitania was relieved she didn’t seem to be getting worse. She hated burn injuries, but with Vinara there to help, they should be able to help the angel recover in a day or two.

  Chapter 16

  Isalla was aching as she woke, though it wasn’t that bad of an ache. It took a moment for her to remember what had happened, and she flinched internally as she remembered the sudden wave of fire that had enveloped her in the moments before she lost consciousness, and the searing pain had been horrible. It was something of a surprise that she wasn’t in pain when she woke, and a sense of relief washed over her as she opened her eyes, the sound of birds chirping softly nearby.

  “Ah, you’ve wok
en at last,” Vinara murmured, looking up from her book. The succubus looked comfortable in her human form, which was a little disconcerting for Isalla. The succubus looked like she’d bathed recently from her damp hair, and her clothing was quite clean.

  They were in one of the tents, each of them smaller than what angels preferred, but tolerable for those without wings, even if they were cramped. Each tent slept two, and Isalla flushed slightly as she realized that she was naked beneath the blanket. She doubted that Vinara had been ogling her, but Isalla was still embarrassed. She also felt like there was a yawning pit in her stomach, like she hadn’t eaten in a long time.

  “Apparently so,” Isalla said, pulling the blanket a little higher. “What happened? I remember a sudden blast of heat, and that was it.”

  “I don’t blame you, as close as you were to the explosion,” Vinara said, licking a finger and turning a page of the book calmly, her gaze lowering to it again as she spoke conversationally, not like someone who was concerned about an attack at all. “Someone shot one of the bandits with a bolt that punched through Kim’s barrier, then detonated like a rather potent fireball. I do wonder what they were thinking… the explosion was somewhat dampened by starting within her, though I suspect it is a rather deadly attack. In any case, she and the other bandit were killed, and while I was singed, you took the most significant injuries. Kim and Lynn were both burned as well, but nowhere near as badly as you were.”

  “Oh, that’s… horrible,” Isalla said, swallowing as she looked down at her arm, which seemed untouched. She hesitated, then reached up to run her fingers over her face in trepidation. She hated the thought of having scars, but half-expected them, yet a wave of relief rushed through her as she found only smooth skin.

  “It was, but some people are quite ruthless,” Vinara agreed, snapping the book shut so suddenly that Isalla jumped. Vinara was staring at Isalla as she spoke calmly. “If it weren’t for the enchantments on your armor, you might have died, Isalla. The enchantments absorbed the brunt of the blast, and afterward it poured healing energy into your body to repair what damage it could. Even so, you had severe injuries across the entire front half of your body, and if we hadn’t poured an immense amount of mana into the healing spells of your armor, as well as using Kim’s healing salves and my magic, you’d still be unconscious and might have scarred. Instead you’ve only been unconscious for a day and a half.”

  Isalla’s eyes widened enormously, and internally she flinched at the description of what had happened. She swallowed hard, then spoke. “Thank you. I didn’t realize how bad it was, not really… what about the person who attacked us?”

  “They got away. Maura and Yain found where they’d bedded down to watch the attack on us, and it looked like whoever it was flew away. Considering everything we’ve been through lately I’d assume we had an encounter with an angel,” Vinara explained, her gaze almost boring into Isalla. “It’s unfortunate, but I don’t see any way to properly disguise us further. Unless we send Kim back, our options are incredibly limited, and if they spotted us here, I doubt we could easily throw them off.”

  “I… suppose you’re right,” Isalla said, hesitating, then asked uncomfortably, “Um, may I get up? I think I need to relieve myself, then find food. I’m famished, it appears… and thank you again. I’ll thank the others later.”

  “Certainly, I think that’d make Kim and Lynn happier as well. We’ve been taking turns keeping an eye on you,” Vinara said, pausing as she began to rise to add sternly, “Don’t strain yourself, though. Our magic is not designed to help endurance recover, nor diseases or infections. You’ll need to keep an eye out for any problems, though Kim claims she dealt with anything of that sort, as long as you aren’t foolish.”

  “Ah, I’ll keep that in mind,” Isalla said, and watched as Vinara left the tent, half-stooped all the way. There was dim light outside, like that of sunset, but not much.

  “She’s awake and appears to be in full possession of her faculties.” Vinara’s voice was muffled by the tent, but readily audible. “I don’t think she’s sustained lasting damage, including mentally. It probably helps that she didn’t see herself when she was in poor shape.”

  Isalla shook her head, pushing the blankets down to take a moment to look herself over. She obviously had been washed at some point, and her skin looked about the same as it had before the attack, which was a relief and a bit embarrassing at the same time. It was probably Kitania or Rose who’d been responsible for washing her, but she was more surprised that there wasn’t any damage that she could identify.

  Looking for her backpack, it took Isalla a minute to find her clothing, and she slipped it on reasonably quickly. As she did, she could hear other voices, primarily Rose and the elves, though there was also some clattering and the crackle of a fire in the background. Considering the time, they were probably working on dinner. The clothing was nothing special, just a simple outfit for traveling, and a moment later Isalla slipped out of the tent and looked around, blinking as she did so.

  The campsite looked relatively normal, aside from a collection of large fangs and claws laying on a blanket near the fire, and the large charred circle to what she guessed was their south. The burble of a stream came from the north, while she could see the road just barely in sight to their east. Near the campfire were the elves, Rose, and Vinara. Yain was stirring a pot hanging over the fire, and Maura looked at Isalla with a smile.

  “Welcome back, Isalla. I was worried when I saw you, but Kim and Violet assured me that you’d be fine. I’m glad they were right, especially considering how little time it took,” Maura said, glancing at Yain as she added, “I wish that we had similarly skilled healers back home.”

  “They aren’t that bad!” Yain protested, shaking her head as she glared at Maura. “The priests can do more healing than that, though they can’t do it a lot.”

  “I believe that her point was more that none of us are magi skilled with healing magic,” Vinara said mildly, settling down on a rock as she nodded at Isalla, adding gently, “If we had, you’d have been awake within hours at worst. Alas, we work with what we have.”

  “True. I’m just glad I did wake. What about Kim and…” Isalla paused, having forgotten Eziel’s assumed name, which both embarrassed and frustrated her. At last she continued a little lamely. “Her servant, where did they go?”

  “Kim and Emma went to take a bath in the stream,” Rose replied, looking up at Isalla, at which point Isalla finally saw the relief in her lover’s gaze. Rose took a couple of steps closer and enveloped Isalla in a tight hug. Isalla’s eyes widened, then she hugged Rose back as the redhead murmured, “I thought I’d lost you for a time. Even with Kit… Kim telling me you’d be fine, you were so still. You have to stop doing this to me.”

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t try to do it, you know,” Isalla replied, embarrassment and contrition rushing through her. She hadn’t really thought about how Rose would’ve reacted to her being unconscious for the better part of two days, and she should have. Certainly, she hadn’t exactly had time to think about it, but it still wasn’t good. She just hugged Rose tightly for a long minute, taking a deep breath, then let it out again as she murmured, “I’m sorry. If I’d known… well, I wouldn’t have gotten burned at all. What about you? You were caught in it, too.”

  “I wasn’t as close as you were, and my armor was made to protect against fire more thoroughly than yours was,” Rose replied, letting go at last and letting out a breath, obviously relieved despite herself. “I was singed, nothing a night of sleep couldn’t fix.”

  “I’m glad to hear it,” Isalla said, smiling as she glanced at the others, and at how Maura and Yain were studiously ignoring them. She considered before asking, her curiosity somewhat roused. “What’s with the fangs, and that huge scorched spot?”

  “A forest drake decided that Yain would be a good meal and chased her. I’m pretty sure she’d have killed it eventually, though the swearing didn’t help her acrobatics
, but Kim decided to cut things short,” Vinara chimed in, stowing her book and pulling out a packet from her belt pouch, which she offered to Yain.

  Taking the packet, Yain opened it and took a sniff, then recoiled slightly, her eyes visibly watering as she gasped. “Oh, that’s potent. A little in the soup, please? Just not much.”

  “Of course not,” Vinara murmured, taking the packet and carefully adding a dusting of a red powder to the liquid. “I don’t want my mouth to feel like it’s on fire either.”

  “To continue her explanation, the drake was far quicker than the ones back home, so it was a right pain to try to fight,” Yain said after a moment, stirring the soup more quickly now. “I probably could’ve killed it, but it wasn’t fun. Kim, though… she seemed like she had far too much practice killing drakes, since she took it out in four or five moves at most.”

  Isalla blinked at the description, then smiled. She thought she recognized the powder, as Kitania had used something similar in the hells to give more flavor to their meals, and Kitania being practiced with killing drakes didn’t surprise her. Drakes might be favored mounts for just about every airborne cavalry in the world, but they were still vicious, dangerous creatures when wild. Considering how dangerous the hells were, she wasn’t surprised that the demoness had dealt with them before.

  “That doesn’t surprise me. Remember her upbringing, hm?” Isalla said, smiling as she considered, then asked, “And the fire?”

  “Oh, that’s where we dealt with the bandits,” Maura said, her smile fading quickly as she looked at the black spot. “I initially suggested we just drag them off the road, but Lynn pointed out they’d draw scavengers over, and that would make the road more dangerous for travelers, so we built a pyre. It wasn’t the most pleasant work, but better than drawing more drakes down on us.”