Darkness Wanes

by Susan Illene

  “We must move quickly while we still have the chance,” Lucas said, his voice sounding gruff, even to him.

  Yerik stared at Ariel, who hung lifelessly in Kerbasi’s arms. Her eyes were closed, and crisscrosses of wounds covered her exposed skin. Sorrow reflected in the daimoun’s features that Lucas would have shared if he could have felt anything other than rage at the moment.

  “We cannot take any chances.” Yerik held his arms out to Kerbasi. “Give her to me and I will fly her across the field to the tunnel.”

  Reluctantly, the guardian handed her over. “She was being tortured when we found her.”

  “Where is the one who did it?” Lucas growled.

  “Chained and too wounded to move,” Melena said, meeting his gaze. “I detonated a grenade inside him, so he’ll be down for a while.”

  “Good.” He nodded, glad of his mate’s ruthlessness. “Allow the guardian to fly you. Micah and I will guard against approaching demons and meet you there.” They could not waste another moment. Now that they were familiar with the territory, they could move more quickly through it.

  Melena looked like she was about to argue, but then she took a look at the next wave of advancing demons in the distance. They had a couple of minutes at most before they arrived. This was a vast place with no apparent end.

  “Alright,” she sighed. Melena allowed Kerbasi to wrap his arms around her waist. Lucas did not like to see another man touching his mate, but her safety had to come first. This was the only way to protect her.

  Yerik and Kerbasi opened their wings, somehow slipping them around the packs they carried. The daimoun’s feathers were a coppery color, and the guardian’s were gray. They took flight into the air, holding Ariel and Melena tightly.

  Lucas and Micah began striding away from the stone structure and watching the skies for any approaching demons, but the only ones nearby were far across the field. They kept moving until they’d gone far enough from the distortion of the prison. Then they waited for the daimoun and guardian to make it halfway before flashing across the field in short bursts until they got close to the tunnel entrance. Seconds after they arrived, they caught sight of one of the flying creatures. It beat its black, leathery wings awkwardly as it got closer and closer.

  “I’m out of warheads,” Micah said, his tone grim.

  “Take mine.” Lucas turned around, giving his brother access to his pack.

  Micah quickly pulled one out and loaded it into the rocket launcher. He fired on the demon as it came within a few hundred feet of Yerik and Kerbasi. It exploded on impact but did not disturb their flying friends who’d been just far enough from the blast to feel little of its effects. Micah had become quite good at aiming the weapon.

  The daimoun and guardian continued along their flight path, staying well above the ground demons that swarmed underneath them. When Yerik and Kerbasi came close enough to make out their features, Micah took more of the warheads in Lucas’ pack and started firing into the demon horde. They were packed tightly enough that each explosion took out a dozen at a time, slowing the throng’s approach.

  The daimoun and guardian landed in front of the tunnel entrance. Melena stepped away from Kerbasi and adjusted her rifle, firing on the horde. She managed to take a few down, but there were far too many to kill without delaying them further. Lucas noted the wound on her thigh had finally stopped bleeding. It was still quite raw, but at least it had begun to heal.

  Yerik handed a still unconscious Ariel over to Micah. “Take her. Lucas and I will lead the way back down.”

  “Kerbasi and I will guard the rear,” Melena offered, lowering her weapon.

  Lucas did not like having her in such a vulnerable position, but it was the best configuration. He would just have to monitor her carefully. “Very well, but we must hurry.”

  Moments before the demons on the field reached them, they took off down the tunnels. They’d hardly made it around the first bend before shrieking and skittering noises rose up behind them. The creatures were fighting each other to be the first to enter.

  Lucas set an even faster pace. When he caught sight of one of the large demons with hunched shoulders up ahead, he leaped past Yerik and sliced its head off. Certain that it was dead, he kept going without pause. The others behind him followed his lead. Lucas did not need help finding his way through the tunnels this time. He’d memorized the route earlier.

  Several more demons appeared up ahead at a fork in the tunnels. Lucas and Yerik exchanged looks, forming a silent battle plan that could have only been achieved by friends who’d fought together many times. The daimoun leaped forward, taking them from the front and maneuvering them to follow him into a side tunnel. They weren’t the brightest of creatures and fell for the trap.

  With their backs now facing him, Lucas crept behind them and began slicing their heads off one by one. The rest of their group waited down the tunnel out of sight. Once all three of the creatures were dead, they picked up their pace once more. The enraged demons from up top were skittering closer, fueling their urgent need to escape.

  They finally reached the large cavern where they’d first entered. Yerik led them to the stepping stones, crossing the river of lava first. Lucas gestured for Micah to go next. He followed close to his brother as he carried Ariel, providing a balancing hand when Micah wavered on one of the middle stones. Once he and the angel made it safely to the other side, Lucas turned back and reached out a hand toward Melena. She stepped onto the first stone, trusting him to guide her. Together, they finished the crossing.

  As they turned to await Kerbasi, the demon horde came pouring into the cavern like a tidal wave. The idiot creatures piled onto the narrow walkway, filling it so quickly that half of them fell into the lava and went up in flames. A few managed to break from the pack and scurry toward Kerbasi. From his angle, the guardian couldn’t see what was happening. Lucas urged him forward. Kerbasi crossed the river without a single mishap. He seemed to be far less clumsy in a place with stronger gravity.

  They ran down the path and discovered Yerik was already at the portal location, working his magic to open it. Micah was slapping at himself as demon sprites attacked him. Melena pulled a bottle from her pack and started spraying Micah down. They popped out of sight at the same time his brother stopped batting at himself, proving the holy water must have worked. Yerik shouted out next, and Melena sprayed him down too, allowing him to resume his work on the portal. Lucas would have to remember to thank Cori later for giving the bottle to his mate. He hadn’t thought it would do any good, but it was far more preferable than Melena having to use a knife and her blood again.

  “They’re gone now,” his mate announced, then jerked her gaze past Lucas. “But those aren’t!”

  He turned, lifting his sword. Some of the demons must have reached the stone path and made the crossing. None of the bug creatures came toward him, but a couple of the hulking demons approached. One of them was only fifty feet away.

  A whooshing sound behind him let Lucas know the portal had opened. He glanced back and saw a red puddle two feet above Yerik’s head. This was their chance to escape, but someone had to keep the demons back until the others got through.

  “Go,” Lucas commanded. “I will follow after you.”

  Melena appeared ready to argue, but one look at his face and she clamped her mouth shut. Yerik kneeled and cupped his hands, giving Micah the boost he needed to go through with Ariel in his arms. As soon as his brother’s head went into the puddle, it sucked him up the rest of the way.

  Confident that the rest of the group would make it through fine, Lucas raced forward and attacked the hulking demon. It lifted its arms to block the sword strike. Lucas pushed through hard and sent the demon over the edge into the river of lava. It made a blood-curdling scream as its body boiled away.

  The second hulking demon reached him. Lucas used the flat of his sword to knock it into the river, achieving the same results as the last one. It did not bother him in the least to
watch them suffer as they melted into the lava. They were demons and did not deserve to live.

  “Lucas!” Melena called out.

  He turned and found one of the skittering creatures had managed to leap across the river, landing a handful of feet away from the portal and the remaining members of their group. There was no way he could reach them fast enough. Lucas tossed his sword through the air to Yerik. The daimoun caught it and sliced the creature in half. When another bug demon made the leap, he took care of that one as well.

  “Get her out of here,” Yerik said, gesturing toward Melena. Kerbasi had already made it out, leaving only the three of them.

  Lucas shook his head. “No. I will go last.”

  “I’m the one who has to close the portal.” The daimoun glared at him. “You are only wasting time by staying.”

  As much as Lucas hated to admit it, Yerik had a point. Still, he did not like leaving his friend behind. At any moment, more of the demons would get across.

  “He’s right,” Melena said, coming forward to grab hold of him. “Now give me a boost.”

  Accepting defeat, Lucas followed her to the portal and lifted her up. The vortex sucked Melena inside, taking her from his arms. From the corner of his eye, he caught Yerik cutting down another bug creature that had made the leap.

  The daimoun glanced over his shoulder. “Go! I will follow in a moment.”

  Lucas hesitated but knew he had little choice. Every moment that passed saw more demons pouring into the cavern, seeking a way across the lava river. With one last look at his friend, who was already preparing to fight more approaching creatures, Lucas leaped upward and let the portal suck him inside.

  He was immediately blinded by the spinning red vortex surrounding him as he traveled toward Earth. Of all the portals he’d traversed, he was rather certain this one was the most disconcerting. When he reached the other side, it thrust him into the air at an angle, and he landed heavily on the ground next to it.

  “We must clear the way,” Kerbasi said, giving him a hand.

  Lucas took it and allowed the guardian to pull him to his feet. It was rather disconcerting having the two of them on the same side. A lot of things had changed recently. “Yerik is fighting off a few demons, but he’ll be coming through any second.”

  “I’ll wait for him, but you should join the others,” Kerbasi said, gesturing toward a line of supernaturals waiting a hundred feet away. “The fewer of us in the way, the better.”

  On this, he and the guardian could agree. Lucas rushed toward Derrick and his troops, who stood in battle formation with weapons in hand. It was dark outside, but he made out at least a dozen vampires and werewolves among them. They crouched behind a row of sandbags stacked three feet high.

  The alpha stood in the middle with a rocket launcher over his shoulder. His eyes had a fierce glint in them. He was not about to allow demons free range in this world. Lucas took a position next to Melena, who kneeled behind some of the sandbags at the edge of the line. Exhaustion and pain reflected in her features, but she kept her rifle at the ready. He could not help admiring the fine warrior she’d become over the years. Some of the coldness drained from him. Just seeing her here, back on Earth, was helping Lucas return to his former self.

  “We made it by one in the morning,” Melena said after glancing at her watch. “Not bad.”

  Lucas shook his head. “I did not care about the time so much as getting out at all.”

  “Yeah, well, some of us prefer to know how much of our lives we spent in Hell. Plus, I wanted to get back while we still had a full defense team,” she replied.

  With a shout that drew their attention, Yerik came flying out of the portal. He and his tartan were a bloody mess. Kerbasi caught him in midair and set him off to the side before flashing away. Yerik had to stay within ten feet of the portal to shut it down, but they needed everyone else out of the way to kill any demons that followed. The daimoun immediately set to work, calling upon his magic to shut down the gateway to Earth.

  A hulking demon appeared, landing in a crouch. His glowing red eyes spied their line and ran straight for them. Derrick fired a rocket. It exploded into the approaching enemy a moment later, blowing it to pieces. A successive wave of bug creatures came next and headed straight for Yerik. Their proximity was too close to the daimoun to risk using more explosives.

  “Aim low,” Melena shouted down their line. “Bullets won’t penetrate their shells.”

  For the first time since acquiring his rifle, Lucas used it to shoot at the demons. He didn’t find it as effective as his sword, but there was something satisfying about watching the creatures jerk when he struck their heads or underbellies. Their steady flow from the portal stopped, but Lucas couldn’t make out what happened through the pile of bodies in the way.

  Yerik flashed behind the line and announced the portal was closed

  “Everyone use your explosives,” Derrick ordered.

  Up until now, they’d had to limit their use or risk hurting the daimoun. Supernaturals down the line dropped their rifles and switched to grenades and rockets. More than twenty bug creatures and hulking demons remained, coming straight for them.

  Lucas pulled his pack off his shoulders and set it between him and Melena. “Take my warheads.”

  “What about you?” she asked.

  Lucas pulled two of his grenades out. “I have these.”

  Melena nodded and loaded her RPG. Lucas was glad he’d saved most of his explosives until now. Recalling how to use them, he removed the safety clips and pins from the grenades. Then he quickly tossed them toward a couple of the demons breaking away from the main pack. Multiple explosions rocked the ground as everyone let loose their weaponry, but Lucas managed to catch sight of his targets splattering into pieces. He had always been reluctant to use modern firepower, but he was beginning to see the advantages now.

  As the smoke cleared, it appeared nothing within the mass of demon bodies moved. Melena stood. “They’re all dead. Good job, everyone.”

  Cheers went up all around. It wasn’t every day they had the opportunity to fight off a horde of demons. Lucas was just pleased his bloodlust could finally subside. He grabbed Melena and rolled her underneath him.

  “Well done, sensor,” he said, staring down at her.

  She smiled. “You, too.”

  He lowered his head and melded his lips to hers. There was something to be said about sex after a battle, and he wanted his wife right then and there. Melena squirmed underneath him until her legs were wrapped around his waist. Her lust was rising almost as high as his.

  Someone tapped on his shoulder. “Seriously, Lucas?”

  He groaned and looked up at Emily. “Yes?”

  She put her hands on her hips. “There are dead demon parts everywhere and people walking around you. Do you really need a teenager to tell you this is inappropriate?”

  “Someday you’ll understand,” he said, then returned his attention to Melena, planning to kiss her again.

  His mate shoved at his shoulders. “She is right and you know it.”

  “Very well.” Lucas got up—reluctantly. He made a mental note never to allow the teenager near a battle zone again. And not just because it was dangerous.

  Melena leaped to her feet and hugged Emily. After a few seconds, she pulled away and examined the girl closely. “Are you okay?”

  “Oh, yeah.” Emily gestured toward her father standing nearby. “Dad made me stay way back from the fighting, and Cori had her rifle ready in case any demons got close.”

  “Good,” Melena said, her relief evident.

  Lucas hated to interrupt, but now that his battle lust had been thwarted, he remembered the whole purpose of this incursion. “We should find Micah and Ariel.”

  “Oh, right.” Melena’s cheeks turned red. “They’re over there in the camp.” She pointed toward the exact spot.

  Together, they headed toward a large green tent where Micah had taken the former archangel. When the
y entered, they found Yerik—who’d suffered so many wounds it was a wonder he still stood—and Lorna already inside. Micah hovered over the cot where Ariel lay, his hands on her head as he worked to heal her. His eyes were squeezed shut, and lines of strain showed on his features.

  “We’ll give you some space,” Lorna said, pulling Yerik toward the tent flap. “I need to tend to my husband’s injuries anyway.”

  Melena squeezed the older sensor’s hands, addressing her and the daimoun. “Thanks.”

  “It was a pleasure.” Yerik nodded.

  Lucas moved to stand next to his brother and took in the sight of the former archangel, his gut clenching at what he saw. Micah had healed the wounds on Ariel’s face, but many others on her body were still open, and a few appeared to have become infected. Lucas hadn’t even known that was possible for an immortal.

  He could not imagine what the demons had done to her, but the past few months must have been horrendous. If Melena had not insisted on rescuing Ariel, there was no telling what they might have done to her next. Lucas was glad now that they’d taken the risk. Though to be fair, he found it much easier to acknowledge that after the fact.

  “Is there something I can do to help?” Melena asked.

  Micah pulled up Ariel’s sleeve where patches of her skin were missing. “I am working to get the worst of the wounds healed. If you could clean her face and hands, it might make her more comfortable.”

  “Of course.” Melena grabbed a rag off the table and poured some water from her canteen onto it. The tent had been set up to handle any immediate injuries they might have upon their return. It had been Micah’s idea and a rather good one. The sensor crouched down and began washing the dirt and blood from Ariel’s face.

  “How long do you think it will take for her to heal?” Melena asked.

  Micah’s lips thinned. “Even with my help, it will be at least a few days—perhaps a week. Many of her internal organs are damaged…or worse. I can only heal so much of her at a time. It’s like they almost completely shut off her immune system.”