by Fox Lancet
Once the van was concealed and they were all on foot—the doctor dangling over Hunter’s shoulder—rain began to fall.
“Wow, we’re fucking lucky,” Saliea said, glancing up through the trees at the gray sky.
“Is that honesty or sarcasm?” Nefarion wondered.
She smiled. “Honesty. This will help cover our scent; dogs will have a lot of trouble finding us when our tracks are constantly being washed away. Also, if lightning starts up, they’re not going to risk putting out helicopters either. And that is if this even keeps up, rain can be so fickle.”
“Good, well, let us all hope for the best and move quickly.” Nefarion began moving through the thicket with long, unguarded steps just as a loud crack of thunder echoed through the surrounding mountains.
19
End Road
The Gate
“Calious, The Sixth is arriving.” One of his look-outs from the Pride regiment came jogging over to him in the fading sunlight. It was near dark, two of the moons sneaking over the trees to push their pale glow through the blackening sky.
Three legions had arrived during the last three moon-passes and The Sixth was a notorious legion that many of the camping Demons had been anticipating the appearance of for some time to make things more interesting.
Standing immediately, Calious looked to the sky.
The newly arrived legions had taken up camp on lower levels of the mountain since space near the peak had become scarce. On arrival, each new legion came to check-in with whoever was in charge. Originally that would have been Nefarion, but unforeseen circumstances had given that position to Calious.
Through the leaves and branches, he was able to make out a black cloud moving steadily toward the peak. It swelled at such a gradual rate he did not realize how large it had grown until he could no longer see the moons and his night-vision was able to pick up small details in the cloud. It began to take shape, a collective group of smaller shapes making up the larger whole. He smiled eagerly when it was close enough for the head of the mass to drop elegantly before him.
Black eyes with horizontal white slits, regarded him briefly before looking around curiously, trying to find something. When they seemed to surrender the search they returned to Calious. The Succubus lifted her narrow chin while she stared at him. Her skin was the color of ash and her muscles were tightly defined. A slim tail whipped out carelessly behind her like it had a mind of its own, its lethal tip nearly slicing a nearby Wrath Demon who dodged it.
“Do not be disturbed, Sheeka, Lord Nefarion is no longer on this plane for good reason. He left me to guard the peak in his stead,” Calious assured the silent being.
She looked past his shoulder and around at the group of Demons again before hissing irritably.
“I am now part of the First Elite. Nefarion and his first two Elite are retrieving the key to the gate. My orders are to remain here until his return and ensure that no one breeches the threshold.” Calious watched her carefully, knowing her communication primarily originated from her facial expressions and actions.
Sheeka finally eyed him from head to toe, memorizing him. A low humming of power trickled across his skin and he at first thought it was the Succubus leader until he recognized a crackling spark. He looked over his shoulder to find Aisleen in his peripheral vision. He turned at the waist so he could meet her eyes.
“Calm yourself, she is merely associating herself with me.” When he returned his attention to the new arrival, she was watching Aisleen with a strange mirth touching her lips. After a moment, she looked back at Calious.
“Well, Calious of the First Elite. What is it you would have my legion do for the time being?” Sheeka glanced around at the surrounding horde of Demons.
“You may do whatever you all would like so long as it does not interfere with guarding the gate or with keeping Seraphs from the vicinity. I do know most of these Demons have been anticipating your arrival, hoping for some…distraction.”
She smiled and bowed her head before leaping back into the air.
After she had gone and the cloud had fallen and dispersed among the other legions, Aisleen came to his side.
“I thought Succubi could not speak,” she whispered harshly in his ear.
Calious turned his head to regard her. He smiled. “They prefer not to speak. They find it unnecessary.”
The Seraph quirked a bald brow at him and neglected to rise to his bait. He began heading toward his favorite lookout, the one that stretched out of the trees and provided a picturesque view of Eslendor and the distant Schyroline. The third moon had risen and seemed to be giving introduction to an eerily calm world.
“Two more moon-lapses without his Lordship and we will be crossing into the other world.” His baritone voice titillated her insides and she turned her sight to his brute form. It was difficult for her to remember the time before she had ascended and she wondered often how she could have ever found such powerful creatures revolting on any level.
She did remember the day she arrived at the fortress after annihilating a good handful of righteous Seraphs and delivering some of their heads to the Lord of the Demons. Still, to the moment, the memory made her heart swell in pride and happiness. Calious had been the one to deliver her at the Lord’s command. The hate and suspicion he had exuded at the sight of her had enthralled her instantly.
Now she stood at his side and could tell her presence actually put him at ease. Already he had conveyed signs of jealousy and desire on her behalf. A sneer pulled at the corner of her mouth while she studied the bulge of muscles that composed his body. She was about to lift a hand to feel their hardness pressing beneath the black leather of his flesh when there was a shock of white light in the distance, coming from the direction of Dulca Canyons.
“What was that?” Calious shielded his eyes against the bright intrusion that had disappeared as quickly as it had occurred.
“I will go find out,” Aisleen offered.
“No,” he snapped almost before she had finished her sentence.
She scowled at him, eyes questioning.
“We will send some of the Succubus from the Sixth with Rapsnel and some of his soldiers,” he said without looking at her. She smiled after him, recognizing that he was being protective at the same time he was ridding a Demon who had attempted her.
To be sure, she made a suggestion. “What about Captain Paler? He is of higher standing than Rapsnel.”
Calious did not pause in his gait and responded without much deliberation on her words, like he had been anticipating her challenge. “Why I prefer him here. He and his regiment are in charge of the gate, which is far more important than this anomaly. Besides, I need to keep Rapsnel busy otherwise he may get in my way like he so often does.” He spit into the trees like the mention of the Second Regiment Captain’s name put a bad taste in his mouth.
Aisleen beamed at the affirmation. “Of course, Elite Commander, whatever you deem best.”
Calious glanced back at her doubtfully. She gave him a slick smile, some of her blue hair falling over her eye. His stare lingered a little longer before he redirected his attention on The Horde and began doling out orders.
* *
*
The Lord and Elite
The tunnel was a hungry black, leaving nothing to be perceived. Nefarion and his small horde edged down its throat. After a few minutes, once the entrance was only a memory, pockets of soft red light started to brush across the rock wall, puncturing the greedy blackness surrounding them. The Demons allowed their night vision to prevail. No one spoke for a long while, knowing echoes would traverse down the long passage and back out the entrance, announcing to their pursuers where they had gone. Though the rain had washed away their trail and the stone tunnel protected them from any thermal-imaging equipment, their voices would be a beacon until they had traveled a great deal down the rugged corridor.
After what felt like hours, Saliea leaned into Nefarion, the skin of her cheek brushing his warm
bicep. “How do we know this tunnel will lead anywhere?” She whispered. The red glow of his eyes lit the contours of his face and he looked down at her without slowing his generous gait.
“We do not. If we must, we will stay here until the humans have moved on and we will return to the woods to finish our journey,” he replied in a low voice.
Syler had been several paces ahead, but had stopped to close the gap between him and Nefarion. “Actually, Lord, I have picked up the slightest draft coming from the direction we are going. I believe there is an exit ahead.”
“That is quite convenient. Let us quicken our pace.” Just before he implemented his idea, he looked back down at Saliea. “Would you prefer that I carry you, Saliea?” He lifted a hand and ran it under her hair to cup the back of her neck. She closed her eyes as the heat of his touch shot through her like a hot shower of water.
“No. I can keep up,” she replied on a near sigh.
Acknowledging her answer with a curt nod, he drew his hand away and the feeling it had produced melted away like snowflakes falling on skin—slowly and intermittently.
“Go,” he commanded, jerking his chin at Syler, who turned and set a substantial pace. Saliea glanced back to check for Hunter’s glowing eyes. He was not far behind, keeping up regardless of the extra weight dangling over his shoulder. Before she turned back around, she caught sight of his lips curling into a devious smile under the light of his eyes. She shook her head and half-jogged to keep up with Nefarion and Syler.
The draft Syler had mentioned got stronger as they went. It was about an hour into their quicker pace when Saliea faltered. A spell of dizziness caused her to stumble to her knees. She stared at the dark floor, trying to focus. It lit red and she caught sight of someone’s boots.
“Saliea, what is the matter?” Nefarion squatted down before her. She had a hand to her head.
“I can’t focus, everything is rocking.”
“Here, let me carry you. Close your eyes. Perhaps you are fatigued.” He lifted her as though she weighed nothing and continued onward. It was not long before there was a groaning.
“The woman is waking,” Hunter announced.
“She has nowhere to go, do not concern yourself with her,” Syler replied over his shoulder. Though, as soon as he had said it, Saliea began groaning painfully.
“Something’s wrong,” she managed.
“Keep moving,” Nefarion demanded. “Whatever it is, Saliea, it will not last.”
Suddenly there was a shout from Syler at the front of the group accompanied by a blinding white light. Saliea fell from Nefarion’s grasp and he cringed at the light. There was another shout from behind him, Hunter this time.
When he opened his eyes again, the light had diminished and he assessed his surroundings. Both Saliea and the woman were missing and Syler and Hunter had both been restored to their Demon forms. He glanced down at himself to find he had transformed as well. Before basking in the realization, he searched the vicinity.
“Where are the women?”
Both Hunter and Syler moved forward, but had to halt abruptly as they came to the edge of a deep precipice; a blue rock wall stretched up around them and another across the large abyss.
“The Dulca Canyons?” Syler looked down then up. “There, Lord!” Syler pointed a black claw up toward the dark sky. A winged figure hovered in the distance.
“And here!” Hunter reached out just as a white figure began flying upward past them. He grabbed the slender creature just as Nefarion came to his side. The creature squealed and raked a desperate hand out, dragging skinny claws across Nefarion’s cheek. He growled and went to grab her when she kicked out, pushing away from the trio of Demons on the ledge.
There was a separate scream, this one more feral than the white creature’s delicate cry. There was a tangle of limbs, too far off the shelf for the Demons to interfere. Feminine grunts ensued shortly before the white creature broke free and darted up into the sky. The Succubus did not follow her. She instead floated across from the Demons, assessing them with longing.
“Nefarion,” she sighed and closed the distance to wrap her arms around his neck. “My Lord.” She buried her face in his strong neck.
After a moment, Nefarion took her shoulders and drew her away. She looked up at him, his claws moving from her shoulders into her long, wild hair. “My Queen. At last.” He looked down into her eyes. The horizontal slits in them red instead of white like the traditional Succubus. She was different. She was taller, wingspan much wider. The barbs in her tail looked like they had been dipped in onyx, as was the membrane of her wings.
“How I have been lost without you. For so long,” she replied.
Syler realized—just as Hunter may have, as the two glanced at each other—that this was no longer Saliea. Or not completely.
“I did not know that when I retrieved the key, I would find something I never thought to have in my lifetime.” He studied her features. High cheekbones, colorless lips, the points of fangs pinching her full bottom lip.
“I thought I might be stuck in that body for eternity. Until I felt their presence.” She finally tore her gaze from Nefarion and glanced at the Elite standing on either side of him. Again they glanced at each other.
“You are not Saliea?” Syler asked hesitantly.
“I am Saliea. She was me. I had little power over her until you all crossed, then she became less of herself, and I became more of myself. And now I am completely me.” Her hands caressed Nefarion’s strong arms. She looked up at him once again and touched the claw marks marring his right cheek. “And now Vivienne is free too. She will go home. She will find the Seraphs and aid in their quest to stop you, the new quest to save Earth from you.” She smiled, a top row of menacing fangs appearing. “The war that I get to be a part of.”
Nefarion sneered and looked to Syler then Hunter. Syler was watching and listening carefully while Hunter smiled excitedly at the claim of war.
“We have not had war in ages; nothing but mere battles that came few and far between. This is very welcome. Overdue, but welcome.” Hunter turned and jumped onto the rock wall and began to ascend it.
Syler watched him briefly before looking back at the new Saliea. “Vivienne, she was the other woman?” She nodded. “She is changed now, too. She knows who and what she is?”
“Yes, and she will be most powerful. More so than any Seraph.” She paused thoughtfully. “As am I.” She stepped around Nefarion, looking at the tunnel they had come from. Lifting a hand with splayed claws, she murmured unintelligibly. There was a brief flash of light and the corridor was gone, replaced by continuous rock wall. “Vivienne can control these gates just as easily as I can.”
“How many gates are there?” Nefarion inquired.
“Seven. There were two in the same vicinity in which you found Vivienne and me because of our presence.”
“Well, the keys merely null each other. Saliea closes one behind us and Vivienne comes and opens it for the enemy.” Syler tensed when Saliea hissed in his direction.
“That is why she must be destroyed!” She blinked reproachfully, relaxing. “Or you must hurry and begin your conquest.” A smirk perched on her face and her gaze wandered to the sky, toward the trio of moons. “I think it wise to send your Elite to the gate to start debriefing the legions. In the meanwhile, I must speak with the Lord.” Saliea looked at Syler before pressing her head against Nefarion’s chest, closing her eyes.
“You know that all the legions wait?” Syler queried.
Without opening her eyes, her lip curled in response.
“Of course. I will meet Hunter and we shall return to the gate,” he replied before turning to clamber up the side of the canyon.
“This will be a long trek on foot,” Hunter mentioned after the moons had passed through a vast piece of the sky and the horizon was blushing with a new sunrise.
After Syler had mounted the canyon walls, he had immediately made for the mountains. Hunter followed without questi
on.
“You might make use of the time by helping me devise all the necessary tactics needed to take over an entire world of relatively unsuspecting, semi-intelligent creatures.” Syler picked up his pace to a steady jog. Hunter followed suit.
“What is there to devise? Use their own knowledge against them. They have a saying that I find appealing: divide and conquer.” The words put a fang-filled smile on his face. “And as much as I know it pains you to say, they are intelligent creatures. That is what is going to make this so much more enjoyable.”
“Yes, if you even survive it. With your lack of care, you will be one of the first to get blown to bits. Let us not get into that, though. I think you may have said it all with an expression of their own creation. Divide and conquer. I like that. Communication will be the first to go. Eradicate all forms, and that is many for them. It will take a mass coordinated attack, then it must be followed up by something equally coordinated and devastating to their armed forces. I wonder now if we even have enough Demons for the tasks at hand.” Syler scowled at his ponderings. Hunter watched his face for a moment before turning his attention to the sky, letting the rusty wheels of the planning-side of his mind turn slowly. It did not last before something caught his easily-distracted attention.
“Ah, our trek shall not be as long as I regretted!” Hunter pointed at the sky near the mountains. A black mist drifted toward them from a distance, the vague shape growing subtly in the sky. Syler glanced in the direction of Hunter’s outstretched claw.
“The Sixth,” he muttered. “Perfect, more time to debrief the legions.”
A short while later, a group of ten Succubi silently landed before the two Elite, who came to a halt at their arrival. In the females’ clutches were five Demon passengers.
“Hunter, Syler,” one of the larger Demons said, half with surprise and half mere greeting. Syler gave him a curt nod. It was Rapsnel, Captain of the Pride regiment. Hunter ignored the Demons and leered hungrily at the Succubi. Syler glanced at him and shook his head.