Endure

by M. R. Merrick

  More demons I didn’t recognize fell from the sky, while others I’d seen only once were already in the midst of battle. Scorpion-like demons skittered across the ground moving on four legs. Without fur, scales plated their chests, backs, and tails, leaving only their legs and necks exposed. Spots of black decorated slimy green skin, and horns curled out of their snouts and jaws. A trio of black eyes reflected the moon’s light and a hiss slipped between its fangs. At first contact, it spun a spiked tail across the ground and took out a group of hunters, only to be torn apart by Tiki as he stormed over it. The rest of the demons were vast and unique, chuffing victory cries each time one of ours fell.

  With vampires approaching from the rear, and Visceratti tearing through shifters to get to me, I didn’t hold back. Streams of flames stretched out like flamethrowers, tearing into the vampires. I knew it wouldn’t hurt them, but it would slow them down. With a dagger drawn I lunged forward, sticking it in the small opening of the first demon’s throat. The demon screamed as black blood poured over his skin and my fire lit him up like a Christmas tree, sending him back to the earth in a rain of ash. More vampires screeched as they were destroyed, but our kill ratio was falling fast. Dead hunters lay on the ground, werewolves and werecats flooded the sky in ashy waves, and our vampires were slimming in numbers by the second. I searched the crowd for Vincent, a sudden concern washing over me, but there he was, tearing into the demons with visceral claws and primeval anger. A flash of orange skin caught my eye and disappointment filled me. It wasn’t just pure bloods we had to worry about.

  Gladiator demons were half-demons of Earth who had sided with Riley. They came in from what was now the distant road. Thick muscles bulged from their oversized bodies, fangs dripping foamy spit. They’d released their demons and massive creatures stalked forward. Behind the Gladiators came the witches, with black magic arcs of power rolling over their hands. And in the final row was an enemy I hadn’t expected to see—hunters from the Stonewall Circle.

  Lawrence Blackwell, the head elder, led the charge of a small group of hunters. We had thought all the hunters had died, and we’d assumed Blackwell had been killed after helping Riley with the ring. His peppered hair and mustache proved otherwise, a smile plastered on his face.

  Seeing the people from my past made a forgotten anger flare inside me, but it wouldn’t have a chance to be released. Eric was already there, charging into the battle with his eyes on Blackwell, but between the Gladiator demons, the witches, and the hunters, he was killed almost instantly.

  Marcus cursed as he ran past me with speed I didn’t think he could manage, a group of his own hunters following his trail. They tore through a hoard of vampires, Marcus’s magic holding them motionless while the other hunters cut open their throats and ripped them to pieces.

  A fist punched the side of my face but it hardly moved me. I turned back, cursing from the small vibration of pain and a single Visceratti stood before me. She hissed, reaching back and lashing out with her claws. The pain was abrupt, searing my skin like a fresh burn, but as soon as it came, it vanished and the wound healed. Surprise rippled across the demon’s face and I responded.

  My fist smashed into her stomach, followed by a knee to the face. Using her shoulder as leverage with one hand, I gripped her hair with the other and pulled. The Protector’s rite had given me a new strength and speed that only a demigod could carry, and I heard the skin rip before I felt it break away from the body. The demon’s spine snapped, her head torn from her neck. Before it could turn to ash, I threw it through the air. The head spiraled, lighting up in a burst of orange and yellow, sparks trailing behind it like a falling star.

  The response from the Visceratti was spine chilling, and the Queen’s anger raged across the ground. “You!” she screamed, and even with a football field between us, I felt the stink and force of her breath.

  The Queen was twice the size of the other Visceratti. A thorny crown adorned with black gems stuck into her skull, streaks of dried blood staining her face. Thick jagged scars covered her chest, and massive breasts swung against her body. Even from a distance and with so many teeth missing, her serrated grin looked vicious. With a single backhand she threw everyone in her way to the side, including some of her own. She slithered toward me in a fluent curl from left to right, her scales making a wet sound as they rippled across the earth. She stopped a few feet away and used her tail to push herself up in an intimidating pose. The rattle on the end shook with vigor and the beast swayed from side to side.

  “You killed my daughter and I vowed my revenge. Now is that time, boy!”

  “Newsflash, you can’t kill me,” I said.

  “Perhaps, but I can soften you up for father.” She lunged forward, jagged claws extended and her face scrunched with fury.

  My air element rose and her body froze midair. “No, you can’t.” I pulled both daggers from their sheaths, elemental magic charging through them. Flashes of blue light illuminated the blades and flakes of ice crept over them.

  Black veins rippled in her wide red eyes, and her slate gray skin paled. “Sssstop, hunter. I can help you!”

  I laughed. “What could you possibly have to offer me?”

  “I can sssstop my pets from compelling the summoner. Without our power, the ritual will never be completed.”

  The world around me had become shades of red and black. Blood splattered the ground, weapons clashed against one another, elements scorched the plains, and monsters tore apart other monsters. Grams was in the distance with an army of witches, their magic destroying a hoard of Kivrakai. Rai soared above, her claws striking together with the sound of nails on a chalkboard, and bolts of lightning crackled down to the earth. The first flash missed, tearing a hole in the ground. The second blew a group of demons back, part of their limbs lost in the attack. Marcus was in a battle of air against Blackwell, and although the hunters that moved with him had slain most of the Gladiator demons, the hunters on Blackwell’s side were proving to be more of a challenge. The cold truth of the battle hit me—we were losing, and our other allies hadn’t shown.

  “If you’re going to help me, give me a sign of good faith first. Call off your demons, pull out of the fight.”

  The demon hissed, her black tongue slipping between her fangs and running over her lipless mouth.

  “Do it now!” I ordered, pushing the blade against her throat.

  “Fine!” she screamed. Her eyes rolled back in her head and magic pressed against me. A choir of hissing filled the air and the Visceratti faded from the battle, slithering away into the distance. There was no forest for cover and our hunters and vampires chased after them until they jumped into the ground, tunneling beneath the earth.

  “Now releassssse me,” she said. “Let ussss be on our way.”

  Thunder boomed and the clear night had been overpowered. Dark gray billowing clouds churned above the island of land like a funnel cloud waiting to strike out with Mother Nature’s force. It was happening.

  “Stop your demons first.”

  “They have complied. Your friend is of her own free will as we speak.”

  “We’ll see about that.” I turned toward the cliff, not releasing my elemental hold on the demon.

  “You made a deal. Releassse me!”

  I turned to face her and shook my head. “I’ve endured far too much to let you go until I’ve seen it for myself.”

  The Queen growled. “You fool!”

  Three Visceratti jumped out of the earth and around me. Claws cut across my face and into my stomach. The wounds were instantly hot, and they didn’t stop the attack, refusing to give my wounds a moment to heal. Strike after strike cut across my body and blood splattered my face. My focus was lost and the magic holding the Queen had long since faded. Darkness covered me as her shadow loomed above.

  The demons stopped their assault as the Queen grabbed me. Her fingers coiled around my throat and she shook me violently, my mind unable to focus. She laughed, stopping long enough
to look me in the eyes and smile before sinking her rigid teeth into my shoulder. I screamed as she ripped a chunk of flesh away and threw me to the ground with a freight train of force.

  The world went black and bright lights flashed in my vision. Blood burst from the searing wounds and I writhed along the dirt. The Queen jabbed her claws into my back and my body arched. The pain swelled inside me and the Queen retracted her claws, her tail smashing into me and turning me onto my back. The healing process had become just as painful as the wounds themselves, my skin burning as it stitched the lacerations closed. The Queen snarled and her jagged mouth came toward me again. I tried to block it, but her serrated jaws wrapped around my arm. Wriggling back and forth, she tore it apart. When I struggled to get away, it only made things worse.

  I closed my eyes, knowing she couldn’t kill me, but the pain was immense. I tried to see past the hurt to a higher level of consciousness. Streaks of red flashed in the darkness as muscles and skin were torn apart, but I gritted my teeth and focused. I unleashed the first element I found and a blade of rock came out of the ground like a javelin. It pierced through the Queen’s stomach and her toothy hold broke.

  My arm fell limp to the side and I immediately charged my water element into it. It took a few long moments for the wounds to heal and I screamed as the bones and muscles re-formed. My nails dug into the earth and when the pain faded, black and white dots colored my vision.

  The Queen lie hunched forward, a massive rock supporting her weight and sticking out of her back. Black liquid oozed over the ground, pooling in each direction. She hissed as I neared, her teeth chattering together as she whispered a foreign language. My arms were above my head and when she screamed “No!” I brought down both blades and plunged them into her. A wheeze slipped from her mouth, but I didn’t wait for her to turn to ash. I’d seen it all before and too many people had died already. There needed to be an end to this right now.

  From the base, the cliff looked even more enormous than I expected. I could use my air element to fly me to the top, but I wasn’t sure how much energy I’d have left. As a hunter, using my elements came at a price—exhaustion. I hadn’t gotten to that point since I’d completed the rite, but now wasn’t the time to be experimenting. I needed to keep what I had left, just in case.

  I curled both fingers in my mouth and whistled, and Rai soared toward the ground. Massive talons clutched my outstretched arms, and with a violent jerk she tore me into the sky. Rai spiraled up around the cliff, wings flapping hard and pushing cold air around.

  The black stone Riley stood on had risen from the ground like a podium. His skin had grown paler and the veins beneath had thickened. Black blood moved through them, causing a rippling effect along his flesh. His shirt was gone, strange symbols painted over his body with blood, and his eyes were closed.

  The Brothers stood on either side, staring at Riley with broad smiles. Their magic danced around him and the clouds above responded, growing thicker and bubbling in the sky. Rayna was on her hands and knees bowing to Riley, reading the blank pages of The 11th Dimension. A trio of Visceratti stood behind her, using magic to break her will.

  A firework of orange flashed below and all the Visceratti screamed in unison, dropping to the ground. None of the snake demons moved, they all lay frozen against the earth. For a moment I thought killing the Queen had meant they all died, but I was wrong.

  One of the three demons behind Rayna began to shudder, gyrating against the earth. An unearthly sound revolted from her mouth and her body snapped in half, folding backward. Something inside her moved like a dozen rodents beneath her flesh. She screamed and her body shifted. Black blood exploded into the air, her skin stretching and remolding. Red eyes opened wide, glowing with power as her body grew. Thorny stems burst from her skull, tearing out mounds of hair and circling her head. Wooden branches plunged into her skull and blood ran down her face. The demon didn’t make another sound. Blood smeared across her eyes. She stood larger than the rest of the demons now, a gem-encrusted circlet sparkling on her head. The other demons roared and cheered as their new Queen was born, and then like nothing had changed, their fight continued.

  Rai screeched as we circled the mountain and her talons opened, releasing me from her grip. I hit the ground, rocks and dirt drifting up in a circle around me.

  The newly crowned demon grinned, gripping either side of Rayna’s head. Rayna let out a muffled scream as her eyes filled with an inky blackness. Her magic came to life, darker and more powerful than ever before. Rayna was already drawing energy from Ithreal and I could taste the sulfuric power in the air.

  “Enough of this,” Darius snapped. “Ithreal’s power is here!” He reached into the air, drawing energy from the clouds that churned above. Thunder crashed and lightning scorched the sky, while arms of darkness bubbled down from the clouds and charged in Darius’s hands. It pooled like liquid between his palms, building and expanding like a storm contained in a jar.

  “Brother, no. Do not damage him. Father needs his shell.”

  “No more orders from you, Drake. You are not in charge. I am your brother, not some minion. Father is coming and Riley’s shell may not be enough. Ithreal can have his pick of any of the others who are alive below.”

  “You know that none of them will suffice. If Riley isn’t enough, Chase will be the only one who can contain him.”

  “Or you, brother. You would be strong enough to hold Father. You are a demigod after all, aren’t you?”

  “Give myself over to Father?”

  “Isn’t that all that matters to you, bringing Father back? You don’t care for a throne in the Otherworld, and lately it seems you care more for this…human than you do anything.”

  Drake’s eyes lit up and he looked taken aback.

  “That’s right, brother,” Darius said. “I know you’ve been sneaking off to meet him. Who knows what you’ve been plotting.”

  “Plotting? Are you suggesting—”

  Darius laughed but it wasn’t out of humor, he sounded hysterical. “You must really think I’m stupid, don’t you? Just the brother who has screwed things up time and time again. Well, this time it was you who made the mistake. You’ve belittled me this entire time and here we are, the Protector standing in our way, and you defend him!”

  “He is not a human; he is a demigod, like us. He is our brother now too.”

  “No! No, that is where you’re wrong. He may be of our kind, but he is not of our blood. We have Ithreal’s blood—the blood of kings. He is no brother of mine.” Darius thrust the black energy forward. The cloud morphed and churned, purple lighting flashing inside. I drew my own elements up to defend, but I was a second too late.

  At first it was only a fuzzy sensation that rushed over my body. The hairs rose on my arms and neck and the static electricity in the air grew ripe. Next came the pain, a heat that washed over me in a wave. It singed my chest and arms, searing the skin. Last came the force. An unmatched strength smashed into my chest like the hammer of a god. My feet were off the ground, my body flailing back, and the world falling past me.

  The entire world slowed, and light jolted from the sky, striking Riley and Rayna simultaneously. An arc of electricity linked them together and Riley’s eyes finally opened, matching the same pure darkness as Rayna’s. They exchanged power, magic coursing from one and into the other. Rayna’s hands pinned The 11th Dimension to the ground, blank pages staring back at her. Her lips moved and the new Visceratti Queen who gripped Rayna’s head mouthed the same words.

  The dirt below was not a fade of brown and green landscapes but rather a mural of black and red. The Visceratti numbers were down and they slithered across the battlefield. The hunters—with the aid of some of their air elements—were not gaining any ground against the vampires, but they were holding them at bay.

  Tiki and the Dunopai faced off against the Kivrakai. Their numbers seemed even, but the Dunopai couldn’t hold up to the lion-men’s attacks. One by one they dropped to t
he earth, flickers of life fading from their eyes. Grayson was one of those creatures. His body, covered in purple blood, lay lifelessly on the ground. His wide eyes stared upward with a glossy haze and his skin had faded to a near-yellow shade. Willy’s face flashed in my mind, then back to Grayson’s. My heart ached at the realization that I’d lost another soldier, but it was short-lived as the world came rushing back to me.

  “No!” Drake yelled, and my body soared over the edge. His magic reached out to grab me, coils of black and purple, but he missed.

  The cliff became a wash of brown as I fell. Tendrils of Darius’s magic pushed me to the earth with god-like speed. I tried to gain some traction on the air, using my element to balance me, but it wasn’t enough. With Darius’s power pushing against me and mine an even match, it was an empty free fall.

  Hitting the ground was a very real future for me. It wouldn’t kill me, but it would hurt like hell. The closer it appeared, the tenser my body became, prepping for the impact. Rai’s screech cut through the air, sharp talons wrapping around my ankles and tearing me back into the sky.

  “Holy crap,” I gasped, looking at the ground just a few feet away. Rai cawed, lifting me higher and I arched my body to look up at her. “Thanks, girl.”

  Rai’s wings pulled us higher. At the top of the cliff her talons swung forward and released me, and the falling began again. Her talons struck together like nails on a chalkboard and lightning burned the air. It jerked left and then right before smashing into Darius, followed with an angry cry from Rai. She disappeared in a dive-bomb toward the ground, taking out a swarm of Riley’s witches.