Vincent tilted his head up and basked in the moonlight, his pale flesh illuminated in the glow.
“That’s not going to happen,” I said.
“And the barbarian speaks. Don’t kid yourself, Mr. Williams; your macho act is tiresome. You’ve seen but a glimpse of what I can do. Don’t think I won’t kill you if necessary.”
“You talk about that a lot, and to be honest, I've had enough of you and your games. If you're going to kill me, stop talking about it and do it.” I didn’t wait for him to respond. I pulled my magic to the surface and let the power crush him. Vincent’s body flailed into the air and surprise tore across his features. I pushed my magic into him until his body disappeared into the forest. The sound of branches breaking and leaves rustling echoed through the clearing. Birds and bats scattered from the shadows and then there was silence.
The vampires surged forward in response and Rai fluttered into the clearing. Like nails on a chalkboard, she rubbed her talons together. After a few sparks, a bolt of lightning came down and blew one of the vampires into pieces that quickly turned to ash.
The vampires’ pale skin faded and transparent counterparts came to life. The color left their skin and black veins pushed against the clear flesh, revealing their muscles and inner workings of their face. Long bonelike claws shot out of their fingertips and ivory fangs dropped from their gums. The color of their eyes receded until all that was left were shiny black orbs. They all roared unanimously and the battle began.
Blurs swirled around us and I brought more power to the surface. Fire shot from my hand and screams barreled through the air. Blue and silver flames engulfed a vampire and his screams stopped when his body exploded in a blaze.
Each demon chose its target and was quickly swept away. Rayna’s magic plunged forward. She swung her fist out, and a stream of earth shot from the ground, smashing into the demon. A rapid assault of dirt and rocks blasted him back and Rayna brought her dagger down into his chest. The transparent skin bubbled, steam rolled off his flesh as it cracked, and bright light exploded out of him.
Marcus unleashed his power like an invisible hand, wrapping it around the neck of the nearest vampire. His head jerked painfully to the side and the sound of his spine breaking was bone chilling.
Willy backed away as Tiki picked up the last two. Black filled his eyes and he released only a portion of his demon. Claws so fierce they made a vampire’s look gentle shot from his hands. With a single swipe, their heads rolled off their shoulders. Ashes littered the moist grass around the tree and the clearing went silent.
“That was too easy,” Rayna said.
Marcus nodded. “Vincent wouldn’t plan an assault like this with only a few soldiers.”
I felt more magic stirring within me, but this time it had a strange familiarity to it. The forest came alive around me. The leaves rustled and rolled over the earth. The smell of the woods was stronger than ever, and the hundreds of footsteps that were trying to be silent trampled in the distance.
“Chase…” Rayna said.
“There are more,” I said. “Vincent’s brought an army.”
“Chase, I know that magic. It’s earth magic…and it isn’t mine.”
“It’s his.” Elyas appeared behind us. “Look at the Mark.”
I didn’t fight Rayna as she lifted up the back of my shirt.
“There are more glyphs,” Rayna said. “Earth, Air, Fire, and Water.”
“What?” I tried to look over my shoulder.
“Does this mean he’s getting all of them?” Rayna asked.
“You have many enemies approaching; I suggest we get you to Theral.”
“But you said we didn’t have enough peo–”
Rayna was silenced by Elyas’ hand.
“She’s right,” I said. “There are five of us and an army of them. We need to leave.” I pulled the magic back inside me. “Tiki, are you ready?”
“I am,” he said, the black of his eyes fading and the orange returning, white triangular pupils spinning in the middle.
We circled around Tiki and each placed a hand on him. His power shook around us, stronger than before. Elyas was adding her own magic to the mix. The air wrapped around us when hands grabbed my shoulders and tore me from the huddle. Vincent held me down, his yellow eyes gone and swallowed by black.
“Don’t stop!” I yelled.
“We cannot leave without you,” Tiki replied.
I struggled against Vincent as dozens of vampires pooled out of the trees.
“You won’t, just keep going,” I said through gritted teeth.
I pulled both the earth and air magic up at once. The demons ran towards us and the ground rumbled in a violent quake. Earth exploded and towers of thick rocks jutted from the ground. One by one, square pillars of solid earth shot up around us, blocking the vampire army out, and locking Vincent in. Dirt rained down and I pushed Vincent away. Air wrapped around him and pulled him from my body, breaking his grip. My magic paralyzed him and held him at an arm’s length away.
Tiki’s magic came in a wave and a black hole opened beneath the group.
“Let…go.” Vincent struggled against my magic, his eyes wide with panic.
“No,” I said, “you’re coming too.” The ground below vanished, and I jumped towards the group as they fell into a pit of darkness.
Chapter 27
Darkness swallowed us and I pawed desperately through the shadows. When I felt Tiki’s warm flesh, I squeezed my hand around it. I could feel my nails digging into his shoulder and it took all I had to keep my grasp on Vincent. Keeping my magic focused was hard enough on a good day, doing it while mid-teleport was a different story.
Weight shifted around me, compressing my body as though it might implode. I fought to keep my breath, my magic wavering as my body writhed in pain. I had to keep my hold on Vincent; he’d be no good to me if he showed up lost somewhere in Theral.
I gritted my teeth as the power tightened its grip around us, building up and crushing my lungs and skull. The darkness broke and a faint glow shone beneath us. It grew brighter, turning into a rainbow of colors that became a kaleidoscope of power. The pressure grew, squeezing the air from my body as the rainbow faded and a gray surface came into view. As the portal expanded, the gray turned to blue and black stone. It went on endlessly in every direction, spikes of stone jutting from the earth. Cold air hammered against my skin as I neared the opening, but I was losing my elemental grip on Vincent.
The portal ripped open, letting the blue glow flood the darkness before the last push of magic spat us out. I hit the ground hard and tried to land on my feet, but the force made my legs buckle and my body rolled against the ground, breaking my focus. My element disappeared, sucking itself back inside of me.
With the exception of Tiki, everyone gasped for air and groaned from the impact. Tiki stood on his feet, strong and unaffected, but he looked weathered. Transporting this many people, even with Elyas' help was hard on him.
The black hole above had opened into a dark sky, floating on the air. I scanned the litter of bodies around me, but the vampire wasn't here. Panic filled me, and then the pale figure of Vincent came rushing out of the portal, followed by his scream before he smashed into the ground. Once it released him, the portal began to consume itself. Shrinking smaller it folded into itself until it was gone, leaving a starless navy sky above.
I clambered to my feet and struggled with the first few steps, my legs aching from the rough landing. Rai’s feathers were ruffled, but still they glistened in the light as she spread her four wings and leapt onto the cold air.
There was a huge blue moon shining to one side of us, and a green moon on the other. They seemed so low in the sky I felt as though if I walked far enough I could touch them. The bright glow lit the world in an eerie light. Tiki was right; this was nothing like Drakar.
We sat in the valley of a cold, rocky wasteland. Arches of stone were so black they gave off a reflection of everything around them,
like a polished onyx. Blue rock walls grew up around us, with high cliffs on either side. Loose boulders and crumbling pillars made up the rest of the landscape, no hint of life anywhere to be seen.
“You imbecile, what have you done?” Vincent stormed towards me.
“You got exactly what you deserved. You’re a deceiving little cockroach and now you’re right where you belong: in the Underworld.”
“You forced me into another dimension?” In a blur, his hand was on my throat. His breath came in angry waves and the smell of coppery death poured from his lips. I channeled the fire element through my body and into my neck, picturing my skin to be scalding to the touch. Vincent tore his hand away, his pale skin marred and steaming.
“That’s right, and you’re going to help us or you’re going to die, whether at my hand, or your ancestors.”
“What ancestors?” He waved his hand in the air, watching the pale skin fold over and repair itself at a rate that alarmed me.
“Vampires, just like you. Only pureblood, making them older and more powerful,” Rayna said.
“Such things are a fallacy.”
“They are not,” Tiki said. “They are very real and very dangerous. The pureblood vampires are no laughing matter.”
“This is ridiculous,” Vincent muttered.
“Maybe next time, you’ll think twice before you cross me,” I said.
Vincent mumbled something under his breath in a language I couldn’t understand.
“Any ideas where the temple might be?” Rayna asked.
Everyone shrugged.
There was nothing but high walls surrounding us. The air was cold enough that I could see my breath, and I wondered how Tiki wasn’t freezing. He'd refused to come to Theral wearing the clothes we'd bought him, but even with his baggy pants and shirtless body, he seemed unaffected.
“Follow the moon.” A voice echoed around me.
“What?” I asked.
Everyone turned to me with a strange look.
“Who said that?”
Rayna shook her head. “Nobody said anything.”
“It is I, Elyas. Follow the blue moon and it will take you to where you need to go.” Elyas’ voice echoed through my head. I turned in a circle trying to find her, but she wasn’t here.
“You must hurry.”
“Should we just pick a direction?” Willy asked.
“No,” I said. I shook my head as the feeling of Elyas faded. “We need to walk towards the blue moon.”
“How do you know?” Rayna asked.
“I don't…” I started, but as bright green eyes looked at me, I started again. "It’s Elyas; she told me.”
Rayna arched a brow.
“It's like she's in my head.”
“Wonderful. Our fearless leader hears voices,” Vincent said.
“Let’s go. You’re up front,” I commanded.
I could see the hate in Vincent’s eyes. He wanted to respond. He wanted to kill me, but we both knew I was his only ticket home. Until he got there, he was going to do whatever I told him. Vincent's first priority was Vincent. I could count on that.
We walked for hours in silence. My senses were alive and straining to pick up a hint that something lived here. We knew there were pureblood vampires, but there were other creatures here, too. We just didn't know what.
The fact we hadn’t seen an inkling of life made my stomach clench. Tiki had been here only once before. He knew the power the vampires held, but still, he came. He knew I had to do this and he felt obligated to come. I glanced at him as he walked behind me. He was focused and ready for battle, but I found myself doubting him. I didn’t understand why he was helping me. Without him, I never would’ve been able to save Rayna and I’d be trapped in Drakar. But we only met by chance and once he found out who I was, he’d sworn some silent oath to me. He’d been loyal so far, but he was still a demon: untrustworthy to the end.
Tiki’s orange eyes were wide, scanning the world around us. Two short swords sat in a sheath on his back, moving with each step. Marcus trailed behind him. His brown gaze moved out over the endless rocks, looking for signs of life. His midnight skin reflected the moon and the look on his face was fierce. In this moment, he wasn’t the Marcus I knew; he was a soldier.
“You okay?” Rayna asked.
“Yeah, I’m fine. I just want to find the dagger,” I said. I’d promised to be honest with her, to tell her everything, but this wasn’t the time or the place. Besides, I wasn’t even sure that what I had to say was worth sharing. I was questioning someone I had no reason to question. I shook the feeling away and gave Rayna a smile I knew she’d believe.
“Okay,” she replied.
The scuff of rocks constantly made my pulse jump. My hand moved to my blade and my eyes shot to each and every face, watching the people I trusted stand guard around me. My gaze fell on Marcus again and all I could feel was hatred. His dark brown eyes never told you anything, even when you knew he had something to say. He was all about secrets. He was the reason my mother was dead. If it hadn’t been for him, none of this would’ve happened.
My eyes opened wide and I couldn’t believe what I was thinking. I knew better than that. I'd forgiven Marcus. It wasn't his fault my mother asked him to keep it a secret. He was honoring the request of a lifelong friend. Someone he loved with all his heart. After all he'd done for me, I owed him some respect.
I brought my water element up and let it calm me, pushing the anger aside. The cool river of magic flowed through my veins until it washed the emotions away.
“You sure you’re okay?” Rayna asked. “You look…weird.”
“I’m sure,” I said, trying to look genuine. “It’s just what happened back there…with the earth element. Suddenly, I have another power and I don’t understand it. I'm starting to be able to control the two I have, adding two more to the mix isn't helping. It’s strange, that’s all.”
“We’ll figure it out. Don’t worry.” Rayna gave a reassuring smile.
I smiled, but it was insincere. I wasn’t worried. I was happy to have more power. More power meant I was getting stronger. I would be harder to defeat. Soon, Riley would be begging for my mercy. Power meant respect. Power meant it’d be easier to take out the traitors surrounding me.
We walked for more miles than I could keep track of. I didn't doubt Elyas’ words, but I could feel everyone else doubting me, even in their silence. I shuddered, and I wasn't sure if it was because I knew what they all thought about me, my power, or if it was the filthy demons surrounding me.
I checked in on everyone, watching what they watched and keeping an eye on their weapons. They all paid close attention to the columns of black rock that jutted from the earth, each pretending to be there for me, but I knew they were only here for their chance to get the dagger. They wanted to steal the power that was rightfully mine.
The eerie feeling that someone was watching me moved through my body. I looked out to the rocky hills and tried to distinguish something, anything that might be there, but it was useless. This was a wasteland of stone and moonlight.
When I looked back at the group, I found Rayna staring at me. She scowled, and even though her lips weren’t moving, I could hear her words in my head. “You think I don’t know? I do. I know exactly what you think of her, and me for that matter. You’re a liar. I’d love to beat that smug look off your face. Gods, it would feel good to hurt you.” Rayna shook her head and her eyes changed from angry to confused. She turned away and watched the path ahead.
“Weird,” I whispered to myself.
“What was that?” Willy’s voice snapped at me. His brown eyes were angry and his beast was staring out from behind them. His forehead was creased and his eyebrows furrowed.
“Nothing.”
I could feel his angry gaze even after I’d turned away. It was burning through me and I wanted to keep an eye on him. I knew he’d stab me in the back the first chance he got. He was a shallow demon; a cheap shot was just up his al
ley. Wolf or no wolf, he knew he couldn't take me face to face. He'd be the first to try and get to me.
I shook the thoughts away. I didn’t really feel that way…did I? No. Willy would never do something like that. Besides, Willy was a coward on a good day. I didn’t even know why he was here; he was as useful as a knife with no blade. He wouldn’t fight back if I threatened to kill his Grams. Come to think of it, that wasn’t a half bad idea. I hated that old broad.
“If that’s really what you think, why don’t you say so?” Willy asked.
“What?” I turned around and anger filled me. Surely this small, lost, little demon wasn’t talking back to me.
“You heard me. If you think I’m so useless, why keep me around? In fact, why don’t you just kill me yourself? You’re supposed to be a big bad demon hunter, but given the company you’re in, I’d say your daddy issues have you confused.”
Anger raged inside me, and with it, the air element came. I turned around and my magic blew Willy’s body off the ground, throwing him back into a black column of rock. The pillar’s base broke and crumbled with the impact, and we all jumped back as it fell.
“I’ll kill you, you stupid mutt!”
A deep, earth shaking sound echoed through the valley as the pillar hit the ground, and Willy growled in pain and anger. He jumped to his feet and his wolf took over. His eyes shifted and thick claws jutted from his hands.
“Hey! What’s the matter with you two?” Marcus stepped between us.
“Don’t stop them; let them have a go.” Vincent’s yellow eyes were gone, replaced by solid black. “Let the little wolf bite him and see what happens. Once he’s out of the way, I’ll make a nice snack out of you.” His pale skin vanished and his demon broke through. Long, bonelike talons sprouted from his hands, and I could see the black blood pumping through his veins, pushing against his glassy skin.
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