“Something’s not right.” Rayna sounded confused, but I didn’t take my eyes off Willy. A deep growl rumbled from his lips and I slid a silver blade from its sheath.
I whistled. “Here, doggy, doggy.”
Rayna’s magic fell over us. Her element moved through my body and sparked the same element inside me. The power pumped through my veins and it brought a calm over me. All the hatred I felt faded, and the horrible thoughts vanished, replaced by guilt. Rayna’s magic amplified my own element, and our powers merged, pooling together and spreading out around the others.
“She’s right. Something isn’t right here.” I rubbed my temples, trying to rid the feeling of someone poking around in my brain. The grainy feeling inside my skull reminded me of the night at the Circle with Riddley’s magic.
“There’s something here,” Rayna said. “I can feel its power. It’s trying to get inside our heads.”
“A spell?” Marcus suggested.
“I’m sorry,” Willy said. His brown eyes returned and they stared at me with sadness. “I didn’t mean it.”
“Neither did I…none of us knew what we were saying.”
“I did.” Vincent smiled. His demon was gone, but long fangs still hung from his mouth.
“Of course you did, but something else is here. It has the rest of us thinking these thoughts. It wants us to fight amongst ourselves,” Rayna said.
“She’s right. I can feel it pushing against our magic. It's trying to break through,” I said.
Rayna’s eyes darted carefully around the valley. She reached down and unlatched her whip, gripping the handle and letting it unravel to the ground. “Everyone, get behind me.”
We all stepped back at once while Rayna snapped her whip to the ground. The silver claws hit the rocky earth and sparks shot around her. She continued pushing her element together with mine and it swirled around us, shielding everyone from whatever was out there.
Foreign magic splintered our shields and I could feel its anger. Outside our circle of protection, they were fighting back, smashing our power away, one layer at a time.
“It’s breaking through,” I said.
“I know!” Rayna scowled.
The shield shattered and the foreign magic swarmed in. I could feel it around my throat and it made it difficult to breathe. It moved through my head, like sandpaper against my brain, and I winced. Angry thoughts filled my mind and I squeezed the dagger in my hand, turning angry eyes on Willy.
Rayna brought her beast to the surface and managed to keep it in control. She didn’t struggle against its force, but it was the beast looking out of her bright green eyes. She snapped the whip again and smiled. “Gotcha.” She threw the whip forward and the silver tip soared through the air. The claws moved towards a towering rock and when she snapped her wrist back, the whip coiled around what seemed like nothing. The air around the whip blurred for a moment and Rayna pulled back, but there was resistance on the other end. She tugged again with force and power exploded over us. The whip snapped back towards her, and a figure appeared, soaring towards us with Rayna's whip twisted around its neck.
The demonic magic broke, and the angry thoughts vanished. The creature hit the ground and dust shot up around it. Rayna dragged the beast towards her, and it struggled to pull the coil from its neck, but Rayna kept the whip tight, not giving any slack.
We crowded around as the dust settled and the body became visible. White scars decorated slate gray skin. Breasts sagged off its chest and from the waist down was the body of a snake: thick and slimy scales with a rattle flickering at the end of its tail. Red eyes were wide with black veins running through them. Scarred flesh dangled where its eyelids had been chewed off. Pieces of dried skin still hung over one eye and tiny jagged teeth filled its lipless mouth.
“Filthy creaturessss,” it hissed. “Ithreal will have your soulssss!” Its voice was demonic, with a white snake tongue slipping out over its face.
“Wh–, what… is it?” Willy asked, stepping back from the squirming serpent.
“It’s a Visceratti,” Tiki said.
“What the hell’s a Visceratti?”
“They are snake women. They can put the most horrible thoughts into your mind, and as you’ve seen, make themselves invisible. They force their prey to turn on one another and when there are only a few left, the entire nest swarms and eviscerates them.”
“Charming,” Vincent stated.
“That’s not the worst of it. If they get inside your head, you become their puppet. They gain full control over you and your magic.”
“Did you say an entire nest?” Marcus asked.
“That’s right. They travel–” Tiki’s feet flew up into the air and his head smashed against the ground. Everyone drew their weapons, and the sound of swords sliding from their sheaths ricocheted off the stone walls around us.
“Shit. They’re here. All of them,” Rayna said, her beast prowling behind her eyes.
Hissing came from every direction, followed by the rattle of a snake about to strike, but they were unseen.
“I can’t see them!” I yelled.
“I can.” Rayna tugged the whip tight against the demon’s throat and pulled out her dagger.
“How do we kill them?” I asked.
“Hurt them to break the invisibility. Cut off the head to kill,” Tiki said.
“Put your shields up; don’t let them in your head,” Marcus shouted.
“Give us our Missssha back,” one hissed.
I turned in a circle, following the voice, but there were only rocks.
Willy yelped as his body was blown back by a solid force, and he crashed against a rock wall. He crumpled to the ground and released a growl. Rolling onto all fours, he pushed his beast to the surface. Brown eyes shifted and became colorless with a single black pupil.
“I can see them.” He spoke with a lisp as his fangs came down from his mouth.
“Where?” I yelled.
“Two, right behind you.”
I turned with all the speed I had and swung my sword through the air. Orange blood exploded from nowhere and splattered against the blue and black stones. The demon hissed and her body came into view; a deep gash across her chest had bright orange liquid trickling down her body.
“Marcus, right in front of you!” Rayna yelled.
He sliced the short sword through the air and fire exploded in front of him. A headless body revealed itself as it burst into flames and crumbled to a pile of glowing embers.
“To your left, Chase!” Willy yelled.
I ripped my blade through the air. I felt it hit something but the blade stopped. I pushed harder and turned my whole body with the blade until I heard a snap. The demon’s body exploded in flames and more hissing surrounded us.
“Kill them all,” the voices said unanimously. They chanted the words repeatedly, and I followed the voices to my next victim, thrusting my sword into her stomach.
Tiki slashed his claws sporadically, trying to hit anything he could. His body jerked into the air and then smashed into the ground. He tried to get to his feet, but something was holding him down. Claws tore across one of his arms and blood spurted from the wound. He swung his claws forward, trying to break the demon’s hold, but his arm was pushed away and pinned to the ground.
Vincent lunged over Tiki, shifting into his demon form in mid-air. He tackled the transparent creature and tore into her with razor talons. The creature’s magic faded and her tail slapped against the ground as Vincent tore at her throat.
I called my element to life and pulled it around us. A wall of blue flames shot up and a ring of fire encircled us. Hisses followed as the flames caught several Visceratti. As soon as they were visible, I pushed the power over them. The demons caught fire with ease, immersed in blue and silver, and everyone moved towards the ones we could see.
Willy finished his transformation and pounced, bringing two down with his massive claws. His fangs ripped into each of them savagely, leaving smo
ldering ash behind him as he stalked his next victim.
Rai released a thunderous scream from her tiny beak. Feathers exploded into the air like someone had torn open a pillow. Bright light flickered around her, and in moments, she was a massive version of herself. Four huge wings cut through the air, pushing her higher into the sky. She struck her talons together and lightning flashed, exploding over the ground. Rocks burst into the sky and rained over us. Among the falling rocks was a trio of Visceratti, a hissing song coming from their lips as they hit the ground. Rai dive-bombed to the earth, her huge claws grabbing a handful of demons and pulling them into the navy sky. A blood curdling screech came from her beak, and she tore them to pieces, leaving white and gray ash to snow down from above.
I leapt over the fire and brought my sword down to kill a flaming Visceratti. I cursed as unseen claws ripped through my shirt, catching my shoulder. I swung the sword behind me and hit nothing but air. Claws sliced into my stomach, tearing away strips of flesh. I grunted and arched the blade above my head, bringing it down and stabbing the air in front of me. Orange blood spilled from the snake’s back and I drove the blade through her. Her cries were masked with a hiss and she slithered away, vanishing again with the sword stuck in her gut.
I watched the air closely, as though if I focused I could see her. Her body reappeared, red eyes thick with hunger. She reached down and snapped the blade jutting from her gut and the rest of the sword slipped out her back and clanked against the ground. She was bigger than the other demons, a tarnished silver tiara sitting over matted black hair.
“You dirty half-breedsss. You think Ithreal’sss dagger can sssave you, but you’re no match for his power!” Her body weaved from side to side as she slithered towards me, leaving a thick, viscous fluid behind her. She lunged forward, her tail rattling in the air. Her lipless mouth opened wide and long fangs came towards me. I pulled a dagger from my back and ducked. Her mouth snapped as I slipped away and brought the blade back around, cutting into her tail. Orange blood pooled beneath her as her rattle fell limp to the ground. The demon turned to face me and I jumped towards her, plunging my dagger into her throat. The muscles snapped as the blade sliced through. They rolled under her skin and she screamed. I tore the dagger out and she brought slate gray hands up to cover her throat, trying to hold in the steady flow of blood. I moved behind her and gripped thick, matted hair with my fist, pulling her head back and opening the gash. Her screams turned to gurgles as the blood flooded her throat. I pulled again, using every ounce of strength I had, and her body bent back with me. Her skin tore as I stretched the wound and brought my blade down in a single, swift motion. Her head separated from her body and she lit up in a glow of orange and yellow before all I was holding was a handful of ashes.
“The princesss! She’ssss dead,” one demon shouted.
“You will pay, half-breedsss!” The hisses came from everywhere and the remaining demons slithered away. “Our queen will not be pleasssed.” Some of the demons disappeared into the shadows while others dove under rocks and burrowed into the ground, leaving us with the faint sound of rattles.
“Are they gone?” Tiki asked.
Willy ran towards us, orange blood covering him. A growl rumbled between his black wolf lips and colorless wolf eyes looked up at me.
“They’re gone,” Rayna said, gasping for air.
“Strange. I’ve never heard of a creature that could see a Visceratti,” Tiki said. “Their bodies are frail, but their magic is strong.”
“Thanks for the heads up on those.” I slipped the dagger back into its sheath and picked up my sword. The blade was split in half and what was left was bent and mangled.
“They are not supposed to be here. They are not from this world and they would not have come by choice. Nobody comes here by choice. Someone knew we were coming. I fear we may be unequipped to handle this.”
“I second that.” Vincent raised a once pale hand, now stained with dried orange blood. “We should leave.”
“We’re not stopping. We need to destroy the ring.”
“Tiki makes a good point.” Marcus slid his blade into its sheath. “We got lucky, but there are still vampires and who knows what else out there. We aren’t prepared for this.”
“Did I mention I agree?” Vincent chimed in.
I glared at Vincent and turned to Marcus. “Let me rephrase this. I need to destroy the ring, so I’m not leaving. If you need to go, I understand, but I can’t stop.”
“Don’t be foolish,” Marcus said.
I looked around until I found the blue moon and started walking. I threw my broken sword into a pile of shattered rocks and footsteps trampled up beside me. Rayna watched me with intensity as she coiled her whip and latched it to her hip. Orange blood had stained her shirt, and there was a single tear in the fabric near the bottom, drying blood coloring the open gash around the wound.
“Are you–”
“I'm fine,” she said.
More footsteps came and Tiki’s sandaled feet walked over the rocks with ease. Willy ran up beside us. His shirt was gone, revealing an overly hairy upper body. His pants were on, but completely torn along both sides.
Marcus sighed. “Let’s go.”
“So, on we go then. Wonderful,” Vincent said.
Chapter 28
Thankfully, Willy’s torn pants were salvaged enough to cover the necessities. We’d come to a rocky wall that had forced us to climb, and the last thing I wanted was Willy’s naked butt above me. Rai soared over us, her voice screeching into the sky. The sound made me wince, but as I pulled myself to the top of the wall, I saw what she was excited about.
The large blue moon was partially masked behind a massive stone pyramid only a few miles away. We were nearly there.
I helped the others as they reached the top and everyone was happy to know we didn’t have to climb down the other side. We were on level ground now, and the landscape had changed.
Massive slate rocks still jutted from the earth, but now they had flowerless vines wrapped around them. Green, blue, and yellow plant life wrapped itself around the stones and spread out over the cold ground. Patches of brown grass and pools of black, frozen liquid littered the cracked earth as we started our final stretch towards the temple.
Now that we were out of the valley, it was even colder. The wind was harsh, like tiny beads of ice cutting into my skin. A thick fog rolled off the pyramid’s stones in the wake of the cold air and I shivered. I had to pull my fire up to keep my teeth from chattering, but no amount of heat could keep this chill from my bones.
The moon rose up above the pyramid, silhouetting it in an eerie beauty. With the exception of the rocks crunching under our feet, there wasn’t a sound, and the saying it’s a little too quiet flashed through my mind.
“Anyone else find it strange we haven’t run into any other demons?” I asked.
“They are here,” Tiki said. “I can feel them. They’re waiting on orders from their master.”
A chill ran down my spine, but it wasn't from the cold air.
As we approached the pyramid, it looked out of place, reminding me of something from ancient Egypt. It was built out of small brown rectangular stones that rose into the sky in a triangle of power. Each set of stones was set further into the pyramid, like a giant staircase leading to the peak, but as I came to the base, I realized there was no doorway.
“Fascinating.” Vincent was in awe as he gazed upon the structure. “I can feel Ithreal’s power beating like a pulse.” He took in a deep breath through his nose and smiled. “Pure, godly energy calling me forth.”
“Interesting.” Marcus rubbed his hand along the stone and pulled it away quickly. “They’re burning.”
Energy poured from the temple and heat rolled off in waves, revealing that it was not a fog, but steam coming off the rocks. I reached out and touched the stones, pulling my hand back just as Marcus had. “Dammit.” I waved my hand in the air. “How are we supposed to get in?”
> “In the Underworld, only true darkness allows one to see.”
I reached for my dagger as the voice echoed around me.
“What is it?” Rayna asked.
“Elyas says we need full darkness to open it.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means we need to cover the moon and stars in shadows,” Marcus answered.
“I’m not powerful enough to do this alone,” I said, my eyes meeting Marcus’.
Marcus nodded and stepped forward. “But together, we are.”
Marcus and I drew our air to the surface and shadows leaked from the darkness. I’d never merged power with anyone but Rayna, and feeling Marcus’ was strange. It was profusely powerful and he had intense control.
Pools of black slid over the ground like liquid. Our magic linked together and pulled shadows from every direction. Thick black arms reached out from the cracks in the earth and into the sky until a blanket of darkness covered us. The blue and green moons vanished behind a wall of shadows, and each pinhole of light a star created was filled with an inky blackness.
My vision vanished as shadows covered the area and I felt lost in space. The darkness was thick, physically weighing me down. Heat filled the air and power throbbed from the pyramid. The clatter of stones sounded in front of me as each brick began to vibrate. They lit up in a glow of red, chattering together and sliding over one another. The pyramid became a tower of inflamed bricks, glowing in the solid night we’d created.
A rumble came from the earth and the pyramid moved. The top few bricks vanished first. Then the next level followed, dropping down inside the pyramid. Steam rolled off of the steps, growing hotter as each layer fell into the next, until there was a four-sided staircase leading into the earth.
The staircase shook and continued to change. Scalding bricks slid over top of each other until they created a small entrance at the bottom. When the stones finally settled, a fire ignited from the base and crawled up each step. Smoke billowed from the bottom, and as the flames grew higher, they reached into the black sky with ember arms. Marcus and I pulled our magic back and the shadows withdrew. The darkness collapsed and the moon and stars exploded in light above us.
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