It knocked most of the daemon soldiers and Correction Officers back, but, most importantly, it smacked into Shaytan with enough strength to take him down. He fell flat on his back with a pained grunt. Rumbles emerged from the level above—it was definitely going down in Emilian’s mansion! I briefly looked back up and watched the fight spill onto the open terrace.
Shaytan chuckled, then got back up. My blood ran cold. It took him very little time to recover. That didn’t bode well for future efforts to destroy him.
This time, however, he didn’t walk. He darted toward me.
I drew both my swords, but his punch found my face first. The impact made time stand still for a split second. He hit me so hard, I felt my bones break—my cheeks, my nose… even my forehead. Pain spread through my skull like hot lava.
Everything went white. I lost my balance.
I heard him laugh again. Then I heard the sharp clang of my swords hitting the ground.
Then I heard Lumi’s gut-wrenching whimpers.
My eyes peeled open. I could see through the smoky glasses. The sky was beautifully blue and clear. Within the hour, the suns would begin their slow descent into the horizon.
“Let me go!” Lumi screamed.
Shaytan laughed even harder, as if he were having more fun than ever.
My whole face hurt. It would require a few minutes for the bones and crushed tissues to repair themselves. Nevertheless, I needed to see what happened next. I groaned from the pain as I sat up, leaning onto my shaking arms.
Shaytan had grabbed Lumi, his large hand gripping her upper arm.
He tore her black cloak off, delighted to have her in his possession. The satisfaction on his face was too much to bear, but not in a negative way. It hurt like crazy, but I couldn’t help it—I grinned, watching his satisfied expression as he looked Lumi over from head to toe.
He gave me a quick glance, his bright white fangs still bared. Nothing could wipe that smirk off his face. Except what came next, of course.
“What are you grinning about, toothless?” He scoffed.
I ran my tongue over my upper teeth and felt the gap where an incisor had been until a minute earlier. I licked the bleeding gums, feeling another tooth coming out already. I shuddered from the incoming wave of laughter. On one hand, I would’ve loved to see myself in a mirror in that moment; on the other, I would’ve killed to have a camera handy, so I could capture his expression as he followed my gaze and glared at Lumi.
Something was awfully wrong, he must’ve thought, as Lumi’s skin began to ripple all over.
She gave him a broad grin, then started to laugh.
As expected, Shaytan’s amusement abandoned the mountain altogether in the following second.
He let go of Lumi—only to realize that she wasn’t Lumi at all.
As her skin trembled and twitched, Avril regained her natural form. She’d swapped places with Lumi via the swamp witch’s proprietary magic. Heron had been against it for a minute, until he’d understood the genius behind it.
“What the hell?” Shaytan murmured, his eyes wide with shock.
“Dude, you really underestimated our ability to pull one over on you,” I replied, running my tongue over my teeth again. They were all back and healthy, despite the taste of blood in my mouth.
“You… Where is she?” he growled.
Avril took a couple of steps back, in case he sought to take it out on her first. I got back on my feet again, picking my swords up in the process.
“Not here, obviously,” I replied with a smirk.
“Where is she?!” he shouted, downright livid and unhinged.
Fear tickled my throat. I was about to witness the full extent of his wrath.
“What part of ‘not here’ didn’t you understand?” I shot back, then assumed my attack stance and brought my swords up.
Lumi was with Heron. With a little bit of luck, she was already doing what she was supposed to do. All I had to do now was try to stay alive. That was, by far, the greatest challenge I’d ever faced.
The king of daemons had his sights set on me.
His blazing red eyes promised me a world of pain.
Heron
I hated leaving Avril behind with Shaytan the evil overlord and his fiendish hordes, but she’d made a good point back in the basement of the Palisade—none of us were going to survive this if we didn’t get Lumi to safety.
I was also thankful to have Zane take the lead once we reached the main doors. His large figure had kept Lumi and me out of sight. Even though we were invisible, and she was disguised as Avril, we still couldn’t risk being spotted. At first, we’d thought we’d just take one of the many alternative routes to the second level, rather than the main road. But then Shaytan showed up with his daemons, and, well, we had to improvise.
Fortunately, the Palisade still had a functional back door, and the COs were too dazed by the Adlet flare and incoming allies to consider the possibility that there were others coming out of the building—besides the ones they’d already seen, of course, whom we’d left behind.
I took Lumi’s hand and slipped through the service entrance. I helped her walk for a while, as we snuck through the back alleys of the sixth level, as far away from the Palisade as possible. A few minutes later, I decided we were better off if I carried her.
She climbed onto my back, and I continued my trek down the mountain, jumping from rooftop to rooftop and generally staying out of sight. We could both see the daemon armies pouring out of the gorges and coming toward the city.
“How long will it take your people to leave the moon and come down here once the shield is down?” Lumi asked.
I slid down the side of a building, then rushed through the crowded street. Imen who had yet to be mind-bent into joining the fight below were running in the opposite direction, seeking shelter in the buildings at the back of the third level. The COs were too busy moving to defend the city and could not come after these innocents.
“Probably minutes,” I replied. “I imagine they’re all waiting on the edges of their seats right now, constantly watching over us.”
“They can’t see us. They can’t see the planet at all. Not until the shield comes down. It’s how the spell works,” she replied.
“Oh. Great. They’ll definitely be coming in blind, then. Good thing we’ve got a crew out in the field to intercept them. We’ll probably have Telluris back up and running, but if there’s one thing I’ve learned in this place, it’s that we should never rely on just one option…”
I made my way through the thinning crowd with Lumi on my back, then hid behind a small pottery store—just in time, as I would’ve bumped into a squadron of Maras running down to the first level.
“Should we try this area for a safe place?” Lumi asked.
I shook my head. “No, we’re going down to the second level. The allies are in the area. They can help protect us. I know a good spot.”
We reached the top of the stairs leading down to the infirmary, then stopped. Dhaxanian frost was spreading across the cobblestone. Nevis’s archers were shooting hundreds of arrows at once, all of them dipped in Manticore venom. I watched dozens of Maras collapse as the poison worked its way through their bloodstreams.
Manticores and Adlets ripped through the Correction Officers’ flanks, while three dozen rebel Maras worked around the mind-bent Imen defending the city. They overrode their previous commands and ordered them to get off the mountain. The Maras used swamp witch warfare spells to take down the allied troops, casting fires and electromagnetic pulses that crippled the fighters.
Still, the locals didn’t stand much of a chance and were forced to pull back.
I jumped over the banister and landed on the infirmary roof with a thud. Tiles cracked under my boots. I watched the rebels roar and slash at the Correction Officers with their swords, as they pushed them farther up the mountain.
“This is our chance,” I breathed, then jumped down and went around the infirmary, look
ing for the back door.
It was open. Lumi got off my back, then followed me inside. I locked the door behind her. She muttered a spell under her breath, and the doorknob glowed white before it was magically sealed.
I crossed the back room and walked into the front one, where we’d first cared for Patrik and Minah during the daemon attacks. Boy, were we young and clueless back then. It felt like ages ago.
There were two Mara nurses hiding in here. They’d huddled under the bed, whimpering and covering their heads, as the war intensified outside in a variety of bangs and clangs. They couldn’t see us, but they did notice the side door opening and the air rippling around us.
“Get the lens. Get the lens!” one of the nurses barked, keeping her eyes on our general area. The other nurse fumbled through her dress pockets.
“Dammit, it’s not here… I think I lost it.”
“You idiot,” the first nurse muttered.
She scoffed, then came out and stood up straight, holding a sharp glass shard in her hand. The other followed, then broke the leg off the bed. They didn’t even have weapons on them. It almost didn’t seem like it would be fair to fight them, until I remembered their habit of draining the life out of the Imen who came to them for help.
I stalked across the room and cut the head off the first nurse. Blood sprayed out and doused the other in crimson. She started screaming. My blade took care of her next. Her head dropped to the floor, closely followed by her body.
“I’m not one to enjoy watching others die,” Lumi murmured, watching me, “but I must admit, it does feel a little better to know there are two fewer of… these.” She gestured to the dead nurses.
“I can’t blame you. Especially after everything they did to you,” I replied, then put my sword away and pointed at the front door. “Do you mind?”
Lumi shook her head and used the same glow spell to permanently lock that one, too. I pulled all the blinds down, in the meantime.
“What do we need to secure this perimeter for as long as you need?” I asked, looking around for any kind of spell paraphernalia that we could possibly use, besides what I always carried in my satchels and slim backpack.
Lumi frowned, as if trying to remember. “Chalk. A piece of red garnet. And my blood,” she said. “I can cook something up with that.”
I fumbled through my pouches and offered a piece of chalk and one of my lenses.
“These good?” I asked.
She motioned around the room, then took the red garnet lens and sat on the floor. “Draw a line along the walls, uninterrupted. Do it on both the floor and the ceiling.”
I did as instructed, while she crushed the red garnet into a fine powder with her bare hands. Lumi lived and breathed swamp witch magic. Even Viola, who’d mastered most of the three-book spells, didn’t hold a candle to her. It was mind-blowing just to watch her perform the simplest of tasks.
A thud made me jump out of my skin, just as I finished the ceiling line. Lumi had cut her thumb and was dripping a thin red circle around the garnet. She, too, stilled and looked up at the main door. Another bang followed. Then a third.
“Oh, crap,” I muttered.
Lumi sighed, then proceeded to whisper a spell.
“Open up, Heron. I can smell you in there!” Velnias shouted.
“Lumi, stop,” I breathed. “Hold on.”
I rushed to the door, my heart jumping out of my chest. I tried to open it but quickly remembered she’d sealed it shut. I gave her a brief glance, and she murmured something. Two seconds later, I was able to turn the knob again.
Standing in front of me, measuring a glorious ten feet, was Velnias, accompanied by the equally large Tobiah and his pixie-sized soulmate, Sienna. Velnias chuckled, looking me up and down through his red lens.
“What are you guys doing here?” I asked, then looked behind them. Several Maras were still fighting against the rebels, but the others had already left the second level.
“I spotted you carrying Avril on your back,” Velnias replied. “I could see you from the edge of the seventh level, and it struck me as odd that you’d have to carry your lady out of the Palisade, until it hit me that that might not be Avril.” He glanced over my shoulder, his red eyes lighting up at the sight of Lumi. “I see I was right.”
“Yeah, small artifices,” I said. “What are you guys doing here? What’s happening upstairs?”
Velnias scoffed, then nodded at Tobiah and Sienna. “You kids stay here,” he said. He pushed me out of the way and came inside the infirmary. “Lock the door again.”
I did, and then Lumi sealed it once more, looking at the both of us with confusion.
Velnias stopped, then bowed before her. “I cannot express what an honor and relief it is to see you,” he said gently. “Velnias, traitor to my people, at your service.”
“Dude, what’s happening out there?” I asked, slightly irritated.
“What’s happening is that whatever you kids were trying to pull, it worked. But Shaytan’s pissed and sent daemons through the city to look for you and Lumi. They’ll be here soon, no doubt. I watched them deploy from the Palisade, and I thought I’d be more useful down here than up on the seventh,” Velnias replied.
Lumi gave him a shy smile, nodded, then resumed her incantation. The blood circle lit up white. The red garnet dust ignited in a bright flash. Light spread through the room and washed over us. It hit the walls and expanded into a glowing membrane that covered the entire room, from top to bottom, before it faded and vanished.
“Thank you, Velnias,” she said, then looked at me. “The room is safe, for the time being. It will wear off soon, though I’m not sure when. I’m saving most of my energy for the shield. I need more chalk now.”
I gave her another piece from my satchel, then leaned against the door and watched her get to work. She drew a variety of symbols all over the floor and the walls.
“What’s going on up on the seventh level, then?” I asked Velnias, who peeked outside through the blinds, watching Sienna and Tobiah as they fought aimless fiends and kept our area clear.
“The Lords are down,” Velnias replied. “But Shaytan is nowhere near done, my friend. Daemon armies are coming. We’re screwed every other way if our little witch here doesn’t take the shield down.”
“I’m working on it,” Lumi muttered, and pointed at the ceiling. “I can’t reach it.”
“Say no more,” Velnias said with a half-smile. He gently picked her up and sat her on his shoulder. He moved around with her as she kept drawing symbols across the ceiling.
“Harper is back at the Palisade, with Avril, Caspian, Fiona, and Zane,” I replied, crossing my arms. “They’re doing everything they can to keep Shaytan busy.”
“Well, I think he knows it’s a ruse, which is why he sent his daemons out to find you,” Velnias said. “Provided they put up a good fight, the kids might actually keep that bastard busy long enough for Lumi here to do her thing. But, Heron… you should know… I’ve rarely seen Shaytan this furious. Losing the swamp witch will make him livid. There will be blood.”
My stomach tightened into a crippling black hole as my mind instantly flashed back to Avril. As long as she stayed out of his attack range, she was probably going to be okay. Just a little while longer, babe. Hang in there.
“I see a glimmer of hope in your eyes,” Velnias added, watching me intently. “I hate to be a spoiler of such thinking, but you should know that Shaytan knows plenty of the swamp witch spells they’ve pulled out of Lumi. Most are attacks and curses. The stuff of nightmares, really.”
“Dude, enough. Seriously. You’re bumming me out,” I groaned, rubbing my face with my hands and struggling to keep my cool.
Every atom in my body begged me to go back and get Avril, but I knew, deep down, that I couldn’t. I had to protect Lumi with everything at my disposal. Even with Velnias, Tobiah, and Sienna around, we were still vulnerable. The protection she’d cast around the room was only temporary.
I t
ook several deep breaths, mentally bracing myself for what came next.
“I’m just being realistic here,” Velnias replied with an innocent shrug, nearly losing Lumi from his shoulder. His hand came up and held her in place, and he gave her a sheepish smile. “Sorry.”
She frowned at him, then continued drawing her symbols.
“It’s taking a little longer than usual because my incantation symbol knowledge is a tad rusty,” she muttered. “I haven’t undone a spell in thousands of years.”
“It’s cool, Lumi,” I replied. “It’s more important that you get it right. We are here to keep you safe and make sure you can do it.”
Sooner or later, this place was going to be crawling with daemon soldiers. I instinctively gripped my sword handle. I was ready.
One glance at Velnias was enough to tell me that he was ready, too.
No matter what they throw at us, we’re doing this.
Vesta
We had a good spot in the field, perched on the thick branches of a tree, on the edge of a small forest patch. I could see the Adlet flare burning bright above the mountain. Our allies were laying siege on the city. Azure Heights was being conquered, one level at a time.
Fires burned here and there, with columns of black smoke billowing and reaching for the sky. We could all hear the roars, the bangs, the spine-tingling screeches of swords clashing, even from afar.
But the worst was yet to come. The drums of war grew louder as the daemon army crossed the two-mile field and headed for the city. Our patch was at a reasonably safe distance from their path, but my nerves were still stretched to the point of snapping. We were on the edge and could not, under any circumstances, reveal our presence here.
Laughlan passed around his satchel of invisibility paste. “Take the equivalent of a fingertip,” he whispered. Rush and Amina were the first to ingest it. “We only need it while these mongrels pass us by.”
Rush then passed the satchel over. I scooped out a small amount, then gave it back to Laughlan, who tied it back around his belt. We all looked out at the daemon army—their boots stomping on the ground, their swords hitting their shields. They aimed to make as much noise as possible. Just like before, the daemons relied on being loud and intimidating, on top of their increased numbers. They were looking to inspire dread—and they were certainly succeeding.
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