by John Corwin
"Retreat!" I said. "Get out of here!"
Shelton gripped me under the arms and dragged me back. "You think I'm gonna just leave you here?" He grunted. "Man, your demon form needs to lose some weight."
My mother leapt to the fore and fired a withering blast of Brilliance at the swarm. Ashes drifted through the air, but there were always more of the swarm to take the other's place. The Beast, or whatever it was, consumed everything she fired at it.
Blue Cloaks swooped in on their carpets and unloaded on the monster, but nothing seemed to stop it. I realized then with horror what the Beast was—or at least it was the only thing that made sense. The Beast and the Void were one and the same. Wherever it existed, only it remained. If we let it loose here on Seraphina, it too would be nothing more than the Void Swarm.
"Nothing is hurting it!" Shelton shouted. "We've got to destroy that arch!"
But it was too late. More tentacles reached through, wailing, buzzing and roaring in my ears. We couldn't reach the arch through the sheer mass shoving its way free. And then I saw the massive bulk of the Evadora streaking our way, Seraphim crew members leaping off the sides and gliding to the ground on blazing wings.
"Holy farting fairies," Shelton gasped. "Run away!"
"Run for your lives!" Adam shouted.
By now, I'd recovered enough energy to follow his panicked instructions. Elyssa grabbed my arm and everyone scattered. With a tremendous boom, the Evadora slammed into the crimson arch. Wood groaned and stone rumbled as the titanic vessel demolished itself against the massive structure.
I stopped and looked back as the dust cleared and saw the arch still standing. "Oh god, we're doomed."
The portal crackled and flickered. With a brilliant flash and ear-bursting explosion, the gateway into the Void vanished. The swarm fell to the ground like flies. The hull of the Evadora lay in pieces against the crimson arch, its forest spilled out on the plaza. Vines writhed like dying snakes and tree branches flailed wildly.
Illaena ran to the remains screaming, "Cora!" over and over.
"Did she really fly that ship straight into the arch?" Shelton said.
Adam shook his head with wonder. "Dude, that was epic."
"Let's help them find Cora," Elyssa said. She snapped her fingers in front of my face and I jerked from my stupor. "Seraphina to Justin. Come in, Justin."
I nodded. "I don't see how she could've survived that impact."
We rushed over along with dozens of others and began combing through the wreckage. Arcs of energy crackled across the columns of the crimson arch causing people to jump in surprise. Bubbles with images of strange landscapes appeared and popped at random intervals making everyone nervous as the search operation moved closer to the damaged structure.
"It's creating interdimensional warp bubbles," Adam said. "Very unstable."
"Unstable as in it might blow up at any minute?" Shelton asked.
Adam shrugged. "I've never seen anything like this before."
"I have." I tossed aside a chunk of wood and looked beneath it. "Remember when I ended up in El Dorado by accident?"
"Yeah, you tried to use a broken arch to travel," Shelton said.
"I don't know if keeping this arch around is a good idea," Adam said.
Shelton gave him a disgusted look. "How else are we supposed get home, genius?"
"Look me in the eye and tell me that a malfunctioning arch that could open a portal back to the Void again is a good thing." Adam set his arms akimbo and stared at his friend. "Would you rather be alive, or devoured like Cephus?"
"Uh—" Before Shelton could answer, I spotted movement near the arch.
"Hang on." I ran toward a cluster of vines unbraiding and separating to reveal something inside.
Cora broke free of the vines. Face bruised and bloody, she looked like she'd gone nine rounds with a heavyweight boxer.
"Cora!" I turned and shouted at the others. "I found her!"
Cora staggered to her feet. "How is this arch still standing?"
"They're a lot tougher than they look," I said. Before I could close the remaining distance, an interdimensional bubble swelled in front of me. Hot arid air swept across my face from a desert plain. Another bubble blossomed right behind Cora. "Watch out!"
But it was too late. Still woozy from the crash, Cora staggered backward over her own vines. The bubble swallowed her and she fell into a field of brilliant flowers.
"Justin!" she shouted, her voice muted as if she were underwater.
Before I could shout back, the bubbles popped and a lightning storm of magical energy played back and forth along the arch columns. A loud groan and crumbling of rock were the only warnings we heard as the crimson arch began to topple slowly toward the remains of the Evadora.
"Run!" I shouted. "Everyone run!"
The search party scattered, people fleeing the massive crumbling arch. I grabbed Shelton and Adam as they struggled through the mountain of wreckage and dragged them after me. The arch slammed into the earth. The massive columns broke and rolled. The ground rippled beneath me and I fell, sending Adam and Shelton tumbling.
Dust and rubble scattered past, stinging my skin. When the air cleared, I turned and saw nothing but broken stone and the demolished remains of the Evadora.
"We ain't never getting home," Shelton said.
Adam got up and dusted off his clothes. "Never say never."
"Never," Shelton said again.
I hoped he was wrong.
Thomas gathered the war council in the lobby of the Ministry of Research so we could go over our next steps. "We confirmed that the Alabaster Arch on Kdosh is no longer working," was the first thing he shared.
Colin McCloud groaned loud enough for it to echo across the room. "Don't we have the great Alysea Slade, the woman who repaired the Grand Nexus, to fix it?"
"It's not that simple," my mother replied. "For all we know, Serena deployed portal-blocking statues in Eden, making it impossible to open a portal from here to there."
"Can we open portals to other realms?" McCloud asked.
"Right now the arch isn't working at all," Mom said. "Then again, I haven't been back out there to look at it."
"Our Arcane engineers are looking it over," Thomas said. "In the meantime, there's plenty to do here."
"A city to rebuild," Lanaeia murmured next to me.
"The Brightling army may attack if they discover how weakened the Darkling nation has become," Thomas continued. "To that end, we need to put the citizens of Tarissa back to work repairing the damage, and reconstructing the legion." He displayed a holographic map of Pjurna and indicated the blips where the other Darkling legions held the Brightling army at bay. "We need to contact the rest of the armed forces and rethink a long-term strategy. If we're to unite the Seraphim people, we have a lot of groundwork to do."
After the meeting, I took a levitation shaft up to the roof and followed the curve of the domed building to the peak. The building had been much lower than the towers all around it the first time I'd come here, but now it stood alone in the wasteland of the city center. The shattered remains of the Evadora looked like so much scrap amongst the red rubble of the crimson arch.
It made me think of Cora. I wondered where that interdimensional bubble had taken her and hoped she was safe wherever she was. Adam told me that the likely reason for so many dragon incursions from Draxadis were because of the crimson arch creating unstable dimensional bubbles. Just because the bubbles vanished from this area didn't mean they were gone, it simply meant they'd relocated.
It was a lot to soak in. How had Cephus and his allies managed to build an arch unlike any I'd seen? Had they found the blueprints or kidnapped a Siren? Thinking back to Kaelissa's stories about the Apocryphan, it made me wonder if the Abyssal demon I'd unleashed had anything to do with it.
I felt certain we'd only scratched the surface of Serena's deceit. We had to find out how they'd managed to create the crystoids and the sky portals if we stood a chance
of ever going home.
The one person I couldn't stop thinking about was Ivy. For so many years, I hadn't even known she existed. Only after my eighteenth birthday had my father told me I had a sister. I'd spent so much time earning her love and trust, and now she was stranded all alone in Eden surrounded by backstabbers.
Unless I figured out a way back home, I couldn't do anything to help her.
"Need some alone time?"
Elyssa's voice made me start with surprise. "Why do you have to be so ninja silent when I'm deep in thought?"
"I like sneaking up on you." She sat down next to me and snuggled against my shoulder. "I guess we have a new zip code now."
"Yeah." I managed a wry chuckle. "Wonder where we register to vote."
"My father thinks we'll be here until we can gain access to another Alabaster Arch." Elyssa sighed. "That means fighting the Brightlings."
"Whatever it takes, we have to do it fast, though." I felt my knuckles crack as my fists clenched with frustration. "Ivy is all alone in Eden."
"Maybe not," Elyssa said. "She's powerful enough to escape danger, and she still has Stacey and Ryland to go to."
My hopes lifted slightly. "She is a handful."
"She'll blast anyone who tries to hurt her." Elyssa patted my arm. "I know she's young, but she can more than take care of herself."
"Ivy's naiveté is what worries me," I said. "What if she's gullible enough to be led around?"
"No way," Elyssa said certainly. "That girl doesn't trust many people in this world, and for good reason. After all, she had Daelissa as a mentor."
"In other words, we should be more concerned about the people of Eden than Ivy."
Elyssa smiled. "I really think so, babe."
"Well, I feel a little better." I rested my face in my hands and groaned. "Can you help me find a good pizza joint now?"
She laughed and trailed off into a sigh. "I think Nightliss would be happy."
My eyes stung. "Sad too, considering the state of her nation."
"We have a long row to hoe, but I'm looking forward to it."
I took in the vista of the unbroken towers in the distance and saw lights glowing in some of the windows as the sunlight faded to dusk. With the crystoid plaguing the city gone, this place could once more come to life. While I could never bring my sweet friend, Nightliss, back from the grave, I could work hard to bring back her nation from the brink of destruction. It looked like we'd have to work hard and fast so we could rescue Eden from my little sister.
Ivy, I hope you're okay.
Squeezing Elyssa's hand, I kissed her cheek and pressed my forehead against hers.
Victus and Serena might feel safe and smug, but a reckoning was coming. It might be a month or a year from now, but one day, I'd find a way home, and they would regret it.
Today we had a nation to rebuild, and a world to unite.
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Demonicus Chapter 1
The last person I expected to see after a nice, relaxing vacation was George Walker.
I nearly dropped my purse at the sight of my enigmatic handler for the Custodians. "What's wrong?" My heart skipped a beat.
"Apologies for catching you so soon after your return, but we need your help, Miss Glass." He motioned toward a sleek black sedan. "If you don't mind, the situation is rather urgent."
Tyler wrapped his arm around my shoulders. "I don't know how you do business in the Custodians, George, but a text or a phone call would have been nice."
"I tried to reach her, but never received a response." George seemed to take no offense to Tyler's stern tone.
"It's okay." I took out my mobile and looked at it. "I put my phone on airplane mode and forgot to switch back to normal."
"What's the emergency?" Tyler asked.
George regarded him calmly. "That's for Miss Glass to know."
Tyler shrugged. "Then tell her. I promise I won't listen."
I held up my hands. "Let us put our luggage away and we'll come, George." I pointed toward his car. "Please go wait there, and I'll be down shortly."
George nodded and walked to the car.
On the way up the elevator, Tyler cornered me with a kiss. "We're not home ten seconds and you're already off on another adventure."
"Indeed." Despite all the intimate time we'd spent on holiday, I could hardly get enough of this lovely man. The thought of taking off on a Custodian mission without him left me feeling empty. "I want you to come."
"Moi?" A corner of his mouth lifted into a lopsided grin. "Whatever will your handler say?"
I pecked a kiss on his lips. "Absolutely nothing, if he knows what's good for him."
George raised an eyebrow when the two of us approached his car.
"We're both coming," I said.
George glanced at Tyler. "Mr. Rock isn't a Custodian."
A tall man emerged from the passenger side of the car and narrowed his eyes at Tyler. Mr. Sticks didn't say a word, but it was more than obvious how he felt about me bringing a playdate.
"Does he talk?" Tyler bobbed his head toward Sticks. I had, of course, told Tyler all about the people I'd met during my work with the Custodians, including the ever-silent Mr. Sticks.
George smiled pleasantly. "He communicates if that's what you're asking." He turned to me. "I suppose Mr. Rock may ride along. Are you ready, Miss Glass?"
I took a deep breath and nodded. "Let's go."
Tyler ran his eyes across the sedan. "What kind of car is this?"
"A custom model," George answered.
Mr. Sticks held open the rear door and motioned me inside. I slid across the seat so Tyler could climb in beside me. The smell of new leather pleased my nose. Once Tyler was seated, George climbed into the driver seat.
Tyler leaned forward. "Who makes your custom models?"
George touched a handle on the steering column. Soundlessly, the car accelerated toward the exit. "This is the latest out of Science Academy."
"Science Academy?"
Mr. Sticks glared over his shoulder at Tyler.
"You really must attend an orientation soon," George said. "It would answer many of your basic questions."
I pulled Tyler next to me. "Let the man drive." My stomach fluttered with anxiety. Since saving Tyler from the Exorcists nearly three months earlier, I hadn't been on any missions for the Custodians. Tyler and I had taken a long overseas vacation to make sure he was safe and to give my sanity a chance to recover.
He ran a hand across the leather and looked around the car, obviously wanting to talk more about it, but finally relaxed and slung an arm over my shoulders. "Sorry, Em. I've just never seen anything like this."
"Boys and their toys." I tried to give him a serious look, but couldn't stop from smiling at his enthusiasm. "I didn't realize demons were into automobiles."
He squeezed me tight. "I acquired the taste from one of my previous hosts."
This turned Sticks's glare toward us once more.
"Perhaps it's best if you don't discuss Mr. Rock's true nature right now," George said amicably. "Mr. Sticks is a stickler when it comes to the rules and is none too happy that I promised to let Mr. Rock be."
"He's really a very nice demon," I told Sticks. "Once you get to know him."
The man shook his head and faced forward.
George pulled into traffic, drove a couple of blocks, and turned into a blind alley I'd seen him use before. Excitement replaced the anxiety. Before I'd discovered the true nature of my work for the Custodians, George had always blindfolded me before we travele
d anywhere. Considering how quickly we made it across town, I knew there must be something special about the cars they used.
I wasn't disappointed.
At the press of a button, the outside of the car blurred and faded until it matched our surroundings. George pulled a lever and the car lifted from the ground, rising quickly until we were above the city. I gasped.
Tyler's hand tightened on mine. "I think I'm in love," he said.
The early morning sun hovered behind the Atlanta skyline, dividing the city into shadows crisscrossed with corridors of light. My sense of wonderment fled, replaced with worry gnawing at my insides. I didn't know what prompted this abrupt shift in my emotions. I haven't been on a mission for a while. It's probably just nerves.
"How much do one of these cars cost?" Tyler asked.
George pressed the accelerator and steered the car until the brass compass in the dash pointed north. "They're for official use only, I'm afraid."
"Damn." Tyler braced his elbows on the front seats and peered out of the window, much to the obvious chagrin of Mr. Sticks.
I contented myself to look out to the side as buildings flashed past beneath us. We soon reached a single story office building and circled overhead. A pattern of black lines across the flat roof caught my attention. They resembled burn marks, though they appeared too neat and precise to have been made by a fire. "George, what are we investigating?"
He brought the car in for a landing in a loading zone behind the building. "We received a tip that this place was being used as a cover for illegal vampire operations. We'll pose as customers and go inside while you use your special abilities to sense the truth."
A wave of heat washed across my skin from the direction of the building. I swallowed hard and nodded. "What if they catch on?"
"I have a team on standby." He looked back and smiled. "I don't anticipate any trouble. If you confirm there are vampires, we'll have to be sure they're up to illegal activities before we can raid them."
Tyler's arm tightened around my shoulders. "Don't worry, I'll protect you."