Falling Blind: The Sentinel Wars

by Shannon K. Butcher

  “Yes. You’re safe now, but you must leave here. It’s not safe for you or our son.”

  The child had remained utterly silent—no fussy cries or babbling squawks.

  Ella pulled the boy to her chest in a hug. “You knew he was yours?”

  “Instantly. His scent.”

  She swallowed and nodded. “I won’t leave without you. Come away with us.”

  “I can’t. You know I can’t. They would hunt me down.”

  “We’ll run. We’ll hide.”

  “There is nowhere you and I can live in safety. How you managed to keep our son alive for so long is a wonder. He’s so big.”

  “Ethan. I named him Ethan. He’s strong, like you. All he needs is us to love him. And the sun.”

  The sun. If he hadn’t already been aware of the giant rift between them, that made it clear. “Sunlight keeps him alive?”

  “Yes. Like the other boy. I heard rumors. I hid his Synestryn side. No one knows.”

  Canaranth stroked Ethan’s silky cheek. “Your mother loves you. I love you. Don’t ever forget that.”

  “Don’t talk like you’ll never see him again,” said Ella. “We’re going to be together now.”

  She would fight him if he told the truth. There was no time for that now. Later, she would be angry over his lie, but it was for the best.

  He forced himself to give her a reassuring smile. “If that’s what you really want.”

  “I do.”

  “Okay, then you need to listen carefully. We don’t have much time. I need you to stay here, hidden, until I come for you.”

  “No, don’t leave. The monsters—”

  “Will leave you alone. I’ll see to it. Just stay here and stay quiet. I won’t be long.”

  She nodded.

  Canaranth had little power, thanks to the human blood running through his veins. But he was powerful enough to protect his family.

  He used his teeth to cut open his wrist, and laid a line of blood across the entrance to the chamber. Within the blood, he wove a warning to his kind to stay away. The scent of possession filled the space, marking this area as his.

  His measures wouldn’t keep Raygh or any of the other Synestryn lords out, but none of the lesser beasts would bother Ella and their son.

  All he had to do now was find the Theronai he smelled and make sure they stayed alive long enough to save his family.

  Chapter 30

  Rory realized what she was doing too late. She’d been tricked. The demon in her head—Raygh was what he called himself—had been lurking there, waiting silently for an opportunity to strike, and had used her fear for Cain against her. Like a dog following a trail of bacon, she’d gone where Raygh had led, not even realizing that she was no longer in control.

  And now she was trapped inside her own body, unable to do anything more than scream in silent frustration and anger.

  Visions of hundreds of demons filled her eyes. She saw herself in front of a horrible, monstrous beast.

  Raygh.

  Its face was sunken, its body hairless, tinted the same color as new bruises. Its flat, open nostrils leaked snot onto its lips and chin, which it licked away with a scaly, black tongue.

  She knelt before him, still and pliant, fighting for control. Cain floated at her side, wrapped tightly inside the cage Raygh had crafted using her body. She tried to cut off the flow of power to release him, but it was like the connection between her mind and body was severed.

  “You’re wasting your energy,” Raygh hissed at her. Mucus flew from where it leaked over his lips, making her stomach give a queasy heave.

  She reached for the luceria, hoping to find some way to touch Cain’s mind. Surely he had a plan. All those thousands of battles he’d shown her were filled with winning strategies. She hadn’t had time to sort through them all and make sense of them, but Cain had been around forever. He had to have a plan.

  “Such a dilemma,” said the snot monster. “I really want to kill your beau, but if I do, then all that pretty power of yours will be lost. Just think of what I can do with a trained, bonded pair of Theronai at my command.”

  She was definitely thinking about it. At least she was new to all of this, and relatively harmless, unlike some of the other women from Cain’s memories.

  Another man walked into the room. Dozens of eyes slid in his direction, giving Rory a clear view. He was tall, pale, and compared to Raygh, beautiful. He could easily have passed as a human—at least from a distance. His voice was soft and mesmerizing, almost gentle. “I think we should cage them. Separately, of course. That will give you time to decide what to do with them.” He moved closer, and small demons parted to allow him to pass. “I will take them now if it pleases you.”

  “It does not. I want his blood first. Then there will be no question of their obedience. He will do as I will, just as she does.”

  “Of course. You’ll need to lower the barrier holding him.” He had a dagger in his hand, which he held at Cain’s throat with an air of menace. “If you fight, I will kill you.”

  Rory felt the flow of power going through her ease as the glowing cylinder of light dissipated down to Cain’s elbows. He struggled, but the tight shield held firm.

  She was unable to do anything except witness the event through too many eyes to count. The different angles gave her a disturbingly 3D view, forcing her to witness Cain’s fury from all angles.

  “If you hurt her, I will kill you,” growled Cain.

  Raygh laughed, sending streamers of mucus flying onto his lap. “I’m going to hurt her. You can be sure of that. In a minute, you’re going to help me hurt her.”

  “Never going to happen. I’m bound by my vow.”

  “I’m not. You two are simply meat puppets for my amusement. It’s my will that matters. Not yours.”

  A ripple of comfort that felt like Cain brushed her mind, gone so soon, she wasn’t sure she’d felt it at all.

  “How sweet,” said Raygh. Then to the man with the dagger, “Bring him to me.”

  Cain’s body bobbed along the floor as the pale man pulled him by one ear toward Raygh. All she had to do was regain a second of control and Cain would cut those fuckers down before they could blink. His sword was in his hand, pressed tight against his leg. If she could just find the strength to shove the demon back into its box, they’d make it out of this alive.

  Rory remembered what Ronan had done when he’d barricaded the demon inside that cage. She could picture the metal box in her mind, open and waiting for her to shove him inside. She was strong. She could do this.

  Instinctively, she reached for Cain’s power to aid her efforts, but she couldn’t touch it. Something huge and evil loomed in her way. As she struggled, the visions flared to sickening brightness, shoving their way into her eyes like electrified knitting needles. Within some of those visions, she saw Raygh flinch. Whether he was also reacting to her visions or if she was gaining some ground, she had no idea. Either worked for her.

  She refocused her efforts, trying to picture the demonic presence as bound and shrinking.

  Sweat trickled down her back. Her muscles trembled with strain. The Godzilla of headaches rampaged through her brain like it was Tokyo. A stifled cry of pain erupted from her lips, but she’d made the sound herself with no demon-fueled compulsions.

  “She’s beating you,” said Cain, his deep, gravelly voice warming her like sunshine. “She’s going to smash your mind flat until it’s nothing more than chunky pulp.”

  His cheerleading efforts helped her ignore the pain and fight harder.

  Something inside one of her visions caught her attention. Raygh was glaring at her, teeth bared as it growled in frustration. He wasn’t paying attention to the man with the dagger—the one who had lifted it to just the right angle to plunge it into Raygh’s neck.

  The demon saw what she saw. She felt his awareness spark. He turned just in time to block the attack from his servant. The pale man’s wrist snapped audibly as it was ben
t down. The tip of the dagger dug into his forearm. Raygh’s anger was so powerful, she felt it blow back against her like hot, rotten breath.

  But he was distracted now. Busy.

  Rory shoved every scrap of willpower and strength she had at the demon’s presence in her mind, trapping it within a glowing bubble the way Ronan had done. The cage only lasted for a split second, but it was enough to break his hold on her.

  She let go of the power holding Cain against his will. He hit the floor, landing on his feet. His sword came up in a powerful arc, slicing the demon’s chest open from stomach to chin. On the downswing, Raygh threw the man who’d tried to stab him in the way. Cain’s sword went right through him before he could slow or stop.

  Rory felt his horror at what he’d done, his fury at the creature that had caused him to harm someone who’d tried to help.

  Raygh tossed the pale man at Cain, knocking him off balance. He regained his footing and charged. An enraged bellow echoed off the cave walls.

  She felt the demon gather his power, bursting free of the glowing bubble to take over her body once again. She fought back, screaming as pain sliced through her skull. The visions flowing into her from the monsters surrounding them grew brighter, more vivid. One part of her saw a mass of creatures swarming toward the man with the dagger. He was bleeding badly, struggling to swat them away.

  Rory wanted to help, but she couldn’t move. Raygh had regained control of her limbs, locking her in place. She tried to fight him off, but she was so tired. Weak. Her heart was skipping beats, jerking around in her chest as if trying to break free.

  That’s when she realized what was happening. Raygh was bleeding out, dying. And Rory was going to die right along with him.

  “No!” screamed Cain. His desperation reverberated in her ears and inside her thoughts. He knew what was happening. She felt the dark knowledge seep into him, making him hesitate.

  If Cain killed the demon, he would kill her as well.

  Chapter 31

  Ronan crouched in a small corner of his mind, waiting to strike at the demon that controlled his body. It had ravaged him, fighting the chains and tape that bound him until blood flowed freely from his broken skin.

  Ronan couldn’t even muster the control he needed to heal himself. The demon didn’t care if he lived or died, it only cared about freeing his body to use as it willed.

  As Ronan waited, feeling his body weaken drop after drop, he felt a sudden change. A flickering break in the demon’s control.

  Without hesitation, Ronan sprang from where he waited, forcing his consciousness to swell and surge so there would be no room left for the demon.

  It realized what had happened and fought back, snarling for control. Ronan wasn’t going to get another chance. He was too weak to do this again, and now the demon knew he was lying in wait. If Ronan was to be free, now was his chance.

  His cells burned as he ripped power from them. His muscles trembled as they shrank. The tape binding him loosened as he turned his tissue into fuel, growing skinny and frail.

  For a fleeting second, he felt Rory’s presence, recognizing her fighting spirit instantly. He’d had her blood. The demon inhabited both of them. They shared a space, linked together in a way Ronan had no time to understand. He simply accepted her presence as fact.

  The demon was powerful, but its strength was fading. Something had happened. It was dying.

  And it was going to take both Ronan and Rory with it.

  No. He refused to allow that. His people needed Rory to survive and provide them with sustenance. One fewer Sanguinar left to feed was no tragedy. One fewer female Theronai left to feed his kind—left to bear children whose blood was strong—was.

  As starvation ravaged his body, he knew what he had to do. He wouldn’t let his kind suffer as he did now, fighting back hopelessness, pain and despair. She and her future children were the key to Sanguinar survival. She had to live, no matter what.

  Strengthened by his decision, Ronan did the only thing he could think to do. He found the lingering, weakened presence of the demon in her mind and pulled it from her. It fought his hold, but was no match for a Sanguinar with nothing to lose.

  We’ll die together, he whispered to the creature. And I will torture you for eternity.

  * * *

  Cain felt it the moment Ronan had freed Rory from the demon’s hold. He didn’t understand how Ronan had done it, but there was no time to figure it out now. Later, he would ask Ronan. And thank him. Whatever blood he needed, Cain would give him. He deserved no less.

  Assuming he survived.

  If Ronan was tied to the demon in the same way Rory had been, then chances were killing it would kill him as well.

  Sadly, there was no choice. Rory’s life was at stake as long as the demon lived, and Cain’s vow forced his hand. He could, however, kill the beast slowly, giving Ronan time to slip away.

  Cain sliced a shallow cut across the demon’s arm. The sound of scratching, chittering creatures grew louder as the scent of blood sent them into a frenzy.

  A flicker of panic bursting out of Rory was the only warning Cain had of the impending attack. She sent him an image of hundreds of those small, scorpion-tailed demons skittering toward his back.

  His mind spun through the options and came to rest on the only conclusion possible. The little demons weren’t poisonous. The Synestryn lord in front of him was the real danger.

  Raygh lifted his hand, and the cave walls began to shudder. Rocks tumbled from the ceiling, stinging Cain’s arms and back.

  If he didn’t kill the demon, it would bring the cave down on top of them. There was no more time to delay and give the Sanguinar time to escape.

  I’m sorry, Ronan.

  The mass of scorpion-tailed demons swarmed over Cain’s back. Their barbs dug into his skin, shoving their way right through his leather. He ignored them and adjusted his swing for the additional weight riding his body.

  Raygh cowered back in his stone throne, slipping on his blood as he saw Cain’s intent. There was nowhere for the demon to run. At least that’s what Cain had thought.

  The demon lifted from his seat, rising steadily out of reach. Cain jumped onto the throne, but the added weight of the small demons threw him off balance. He slipped in the blood and began to fall, the stone floor of the cave and hungry mass of demons waiting for him.

  Something stopped his fall. Rory. He felt her presence caress him as she batted away the demons with a sharp gust of wind. She buoyed him up, lifting him until he was within striking distance.

  He had no leverage inside her invisible grip, but she was so firmly fixed in his mind, she acknowledged the problem in an instant, giving him a solid surface on which to stand. He didn’t know how far out his temporary floor expanded, but he trusted her to give him what he needed.

  A bolt of fire shot from Raygh’s fingers, searing along Cain’s ribs. He held his cry of pain behind clenched teeth and swung for the demon’s neck. It couldn’t move out of the way. It was trapped against a rock jutting from the ceiling. Instead, it dropped out of sight.

  Cain dove after it, knowing he couldn’t let it get away. As he fell, he caught sight of the floor below. Hundreds of Synestryn lined the floor, waiting to pounce as he hit the ground. Rory stood near the man who’d dared attack Raygh, holding the creatures back with a brilliant circle of fire.

  As she split her attention to slow his fall, the flames sputtered and a few demons leaked through.

  Let me go, he told her. Protect yourself.

  Little busy. Mind your own damn business.

  Raygh hit the floor running. Cain was right on its tail, but not close enough. The demon reached a passageway—the one leading out—and put its scaly blue hands on the walls. The cave shook and more rock spilled down.

  A wall of demons blocked Cain from his target. The scent of his blood had them nipping at his heels. They hadn’t hit him from behind only because Rory was there, shielding his back.

  He cut t
hrough them, shoving his way forward. A couple managed to get through his defenses, but there was nothing he could do to stop them. Poison entered his blood, slowing him down. It hadn’t sapped his strength yet, but it would. Soon.

  Before that could happen, he threw everything he had into reaching the Synestryn lord. The rumble of the walls, crash of falling rock, and screams of crushed demons was deafening. Raygh slumped in the opening, but the twisted sneer of determination on its monstrous face made it clear that it was going to pull the cave down on them, even if it had to die to make it happen.

  Cain shouldered a larger demon out of the way, taking a deep bite in the bargain. His right arm cracked and went instantly numb. He grabbed up his sword in his left hand and used every bit of his strength to lunge forward.

  The tip of his sword went right through Raygh’s throat. A hard pivot to the side and its spinal cord was severed. It fell to its knees. Cain finished the job, lopping off Raygh’s head completely.

  The Synestryn lord was dead. Cain had stopped him from collapsing the cave. But it didn’t matter. There were too many demons left to fight. He was poisoned, fading fast. His right arm was broken. He couldn’t possibly fight them all. And neither could Rory.

  They were all going to die down here and share Raygh’s tomb.

  Chapter 32

  So this was how it ended.

  Rory wasn’t one to give up, but she knew overwhelming odds when she saw them—especially when she saw them from so many angles. Cain’s assessment reverberated in her mind, agreeing with her own. He couldn’t see a way out, either.

  He was in bad shape. He could barely fight. She was struggling to keep the demons off of him and keep them away from her. She didn’t know how much longer she could hold up the flow of magic. As it was, she was shaking and having trouble breathing. And that weakness he’d warned her about? It was here, crushing her under a mountain of sudden exhaustion.

  Maybe if he touched her—if the two halves of the luceria connected—she could find the strength to carry them out. It was worth a shot.