Beyond The Darkness: The Shadow Demons Saga, Book 9

by Sarra Cannon

  “But the cheerleading coach wouldn’t let her quit,” I said, a clear picture coming to me.

  “They were ridiculous about the whole thing,” he said. By now, we had reached West Turner and had started back toward town. “Amanda came home crying saying the coach had threatened her. She said that if Amanda dropped out now, she would see to it Mom didn’t live out the week.”

  I shook my head. The Order had to be destroyed. How many lives had they ruined over the years? How many people had they killed or terrorized in the name of power?

  “I was furious, of course, but Amanda begged me not to say anything to the coach. She said I would only make it worse, but I wouldn’t listen,” he said. “To be fair, I had no idea the coach was really a witch, and even though Amanda knew something of the truth by then, she must have been too scared to tell me.”

  “What did you do?”

  “I went straight up to the school and confronted the cheerleading coach. I wore my uniform up there and everything, hoping to intimidate her and show her that I meant business,” he said. “She was a relatively small woman, but she had fire running through her veins. She tore me a new one, insisting that I was out of line and that if I didn’t back down and allow Amanda to continue on at school, she would personally see to it that I never joined the police force. I refused to back down, thinking this woman couldn’t possibly have the power to have me kicked out of the academy. I was a model recruit. Top of my class. I thought I was invincible back then.”

  “You kept pushing her?” I asked.

  He nodded. “I threatened to report her to the principal for harassment. She threatened my mother again, though, saying she would personally make sure my mother died a horrible death before the week was over unless I allowed Amanda to stay on the team,” he said. “I lost my temper.”

  “What happened?” I asked. When I glanced over at him, there were tears at the edge of his lower lashes.

  “She got up in my face, screaming at me, and I just snapped,” he said. “I pushed her. I shouldn’t have done it, but I was a real hot-head back then. When she threatened my mother, I couldn’t take it anymore. I pushed her backward, and she hit the white-board. I went to apologize, but she got this crazy look in her eyes. She lifted her hands into the air, and they were covered in green flames. I freaked out. I pulled my gun and shot her twice in the head.”

  “Oh my God,” I said, raising a hand to my mouth. “You killed her?”

  “I didn’t mean to, but I’d never seen anything like it,” he said. “I had no idea magic was real, but as soon as I saw those flames, I knew she was going to kill me. I had no choice.”

  I sighed, thinking how many times it had come to this choice. Most of us pushed to the edge were forced to become killers. When it was kill or be killed, what choice did any of us have?

  “What did you do after that?” I asked.

  “I ran. It was after-hours, but there were still a few people there at the school, so I knew someone had to have seen me. They must have heard the gunshots,” he said. “I drove home as fast as I could, threw a bunch of clothes into a bag, and started putting together a plan. I called a friend who had moved to New York City after graduation and asked him if I could crash on his couch for a while. I still remember the heartache on my mother’s face when I told her I had to leave. I couldn’t tell her why, because I figured the less she knew, the better, so I lied and told her I couldn’t handle the pressure of the academy. I told her I needed to get away for a while.”

  “What about Amanda?” I asked. “What did you tell her?”

  “I told her the same thing, but Amanda knew better. She knew I’d gone to see her coach, and by then, she knew her coach was part of the Order of Shadows,” he said. “Of course, at such a young age, she didn’t know about the demons or the true nature of the Order, but she’d gotten a taste of the power they held. She knew something had happened between me and her coach. She begged to come with me. She said we should all pack up and get the hell out of there, but I told her to stay put and to deny anything if the police came looking for me.”

  I took a deep breath. I could feel his tension and pain as he talked me through these memories.

  “In the end, none of it mattered, anyway,” he said. “I never even made it out the door before Priestess Evers found me. She came into my home, murdered our mother right there in front of us. She forced Amanda to take some kind of potion that wiped her memories and put her into a deep sleep. Then, once she’d forced me into her car, she made me an offer I couldn’t refuse.”

  I nodded, putting together the remaining pieces of the puzzle.

  “Help her here at the institute, keeping the government out of her business, in return for the life of your sister,” I said.

  “Yes,” he said. He ran a hand across his face, wiping away the tears that had fallen. “Apparently the guy she’d been using to help her out with the local police had gotten tired of the job. She killed him in the previous fire, so she needed a new cop. My lucky day, huh?”

  “Did she at least stay true to her promise?” I asked.

  “In a way,” he said with a shrug. “Amanda’s alive, but she no longer knows who I am. I’ve even spoken to her a few times, hoping that somewhere deep inside, she’ll recognize me, but she never does.”

  “She’s one of the priestess’s daughters?” I asked.

  He nodded. “One of the lucky ones, if there is such a thing in a situation like this,” he said. “Priestess Evers put her in charge of an emerald gate coven in North Dakota. She’s got two daughters of her own now, too.”

  “She’s a Prima?” I asked, surprised.

  “She is,” he said. “But you can understand why I’ve come to hate the Order as much as I do. And the demons are part of it. I want them all to pay for what they’ve done. Not just to me, but all of these girls and the families they’ve ruined over the years.”

  “You’re wrong about the demons. They’re victims just as much as your sister.”

  He shook his head. “No, that’s a lie,” he said. “The demons come here at the bidding of the Order to possess these witches and make them stronger, but their spirit turns these once-innocent girls into evil witches, just like the priestess. I’ve seen it with my own eyes. Once my sister was taken over by a demon, she changed.”

  “And who told you that about the demons? The Others? Priestess Evers? Do you really think those are credible sources?” I asked. “I’ve been in the same position as your sister. They tried to make me a Prima, too. They wanted to force me to take my mother’s place as leader of a sapphire coven in Georgia, and I saw what they do to the demons when a recruit goes through her final initiation. James, it’s not like you say. The demons don’t come here at the request of the Order, they are forced here by horrible creatures called hunters. These hunters scour the Shadow World where the demons live in relative peace, and when they find a demon who is powerful or vulnerable in some way, they kidnap them and force them into the body of a witch. They’re slaves to a witch’s power.”

  “That can’t be true,” he said. “My sister. The things I’ve seen her do.”

  I touched his arm, forcing him to look at me.

  “That isn’t her anymore,” I said. “She’s been brainwashed and taught to be the way she is by the woman she believes is her true mother. Priestess Evers. She’s not the Amanda you once knew, anymore.”

  He could no longer contain the tears that fell in streams down his face. He pulled over to the side of the road at the edge of town, and turned his face away from me as he sobbed.

  I had never seen a man his size cry so hard, but I knew the pain he was feeling. Losing people you loved more than life to the Order of Shadows was unbearable, so it made sense that he had sought out the Others. He wanted revenge, but killing innocent demons wasn’t the answer.

  “James,” I said, placing my hand on his shoulder. “What if I told you I might be able to help Amanda?”

  His body shook with the force of hi
s sobs, but he turned to me, wiping his face.

  “What do you mean? How?” he asked.

  I hesitated, scared to trust him. Everything he’d told me could be a complete lie just to get me on his side. But in my gut, I knew his story was true. His tears were genuine. I’d bet my life on it.

  I explained the potions to him, leaving out where I’d gotten them or where they were now.

  “If they work to restore the memories of these girls and you help me get them home, I promise you that I’ll get one of these potions to your sister,” I said. “More than that, there’s a way to free her from the demon inside her.”

  He shook his head. “No, it’s impossible,” he said.

  “Another lie told to you by the Order,” I said. “But I’ve freed thousands of demons over the past year. When I killed the sapphire priestess, we were able to set every witch and demon connected to those gates free. Now that I have the heart of Priestess Evers, I can free the emerald gates, too. I wouldn’t lie to you about something like this, but you have to trust me.”

  His sobs subsided, and he gripped the steering wheel harder, glancing in the rearview mirror as a couple of cars passed us.

  “Okay,” he said. “I would do anything to save Amanda and her girls. Just tell me where to start.”

  I took my hand from his shoulder and nodded toward town.

  “Start by taking me back to the Evers house,” I said. “We have a lot of girls to visit today.”

  The Last Breath

  Aerden

  The crowd roared as I stepped onto the battlefield for the second round of the tournament. I lifted my axe into the air, and the massive crowd in the arena roared louder, chanting my name.

  I glanced up at the prima cavea, and met Lea’s eyes, just as I had before our last battle. She nodded to me, but even though she sat up straight and looked calm on the outside, I knew her well enough to see the signs of worry in her eyes.

  She looked scared, and I wondered if something new had happened since we last spoke. Had she discovered anything new about her father?

  I was dying to talk to her again, but I knew our time would come. I simply had to focus on winning this second round. After that, only one final round would stand between me and freedom.

  Our opponents followed us onto the battlefield, and the crowd in the arena booed as Yuron raised a giant sword into the air. I had heard talk in the cells after the first round about Yuron and his team. They played dirty.

  But the beast was going down today, if I had anything to do with it.

  I glanced back at him and smiled as he sneered at me.

  “You ready to meet your ancestors?” he shouted over the noise in the arena.

  “No, but I’m sure yours will be disappointed to have to see your ugly face again,” I shouted back.

  “That’s enough,” Ezrah said, holding his hands up. “You’ll get your opportunity to fight in a minute, but for now, show respect for your king. Kneel.”

  Trention and I bent one knee to the ground and lowered our heads toward the king. Yuron and his partner, Sylar, followed suit soon after.

  “My king, I present to you today’s challengers,” Ezrah said, magic amplifying his voice so that he could be heard over the shouts of the spectators. “They fight today in your honor.”

  Ezrah bowed his head as the king stood, his scepter raised into the air above his head.

  “May your weapons be swift and your magic powerful,” the king said.

  I waited, muscles tense as I reached for my magic. I had somehow managed to cast during the first battle, and even though it was only a portion of my old power, it had been there for me when I’d needed it.

  I prayed for it to reappear today. Yuron was one of the strongest competitors, and I couldn’t help but feel it was no accident that we had been pitted against each other today. I had assumed he would be there to face me in the finale, but now I wondered if someone close to the king wanted me to fall today.

  My eyes fell on the face of the demon they called Kael, and my hatred for him intensified as he grinned.

  I couldn’t wait to wipe that smile off his pretty face.

  At my side, Trention trembled. I reached a hand out to steady him.

  “Faith, my friend,” I said. “This day will be ours. I will not let you fall. Just stick to the plan. Let me do the rest.”

  “I trust you,” he said, but his voice betrayed his fear.

  I prayed for strength and gripped my axe tighter in my hand, my eyes glued to the king’s upraised scepter.

  “May you fight with honor,” he said, and with one swift motion, he lowered the scepter.

  Trention and I both shifted at the same time, dodging Yuron’s first spell. True to our plan, Trention stayed in demon form, racing around the oval battlefield, moving as fast as his power would carry him. As long as he stayed in motion while I brought Yuron’s partner down, he would be safe. Then, together, we would bring Yuron down to end the battle.

  I focused on Sylar, watching as he turned in circles, trying to get a good reading on Trention’s location. It wouldn’t take him long to sync up with Trention’s pace and fire a deadly spell toward my friend, so I had to hit him hard and fast before he got the chance to cast.

  Unfortunately, Yuron stood at his partner’s back, not giving me any room to hit Sylar from the back. I would have to face him head-on.

  I waited until the demon seemed to get a lock on Trention’s location. He gathered his power into his hands, forming a large boulder out of thin air. He raised his hand to throw it toward Trention’s smoky form, and I rushed forward, blocking the boulder with a magical shield and lifting my axe into the air.

  I brought the heavy axe down, but Sylar shifted just before the blade reached his head. Yuron spun around, and with a motion too fast for my eyes to see, he grabbed my axe just beneath the powerful double-edged blade and ripped it from my hand. He threw it to the side and thrust his sword forward, barely missing me as I shifted and flew to recover my axe.

  I reached for my weapon, but a powerful wind blew it just out of my reach, and when I searched for the source of the wind, Sylar smiled from across the arena.

  I searched for Yuron, and my heart tightened as I saw him shift and fly after Trention.

  I had to get to him before he reached my friend. I conjured a wide shield to guard me from the wind roaring across the battlefield. I couldn’t shift and hold the shield at the same time, so I held the magic in front of me with one hand as I turned and raced toward my axe, finally gripping it in my palm.

  As soon as I had a hold on it, I shifted and chased after Yuron, but I’d let my shield drop too soon.

  A boulder the size of a truck slammed into me, forcing me back into my human form. My body screamed out in pain, but I pushed it way down. I could hurt later. For now, I needed to save my friend.

  I picked up the large boulder with my free hand and tossed it back toward Sylar. Wide-eyed, he tried to shift, but the boulder landed on top of him, crushing him beneath its weight.

  I knew it wouldn’t take him long to work free, but all I needed was a few seconds.

  I was too far away from Yuron to take him out with my axe from here, so I took a deep breath and summoned my power. To my surprise, flames formed along my arms. I watched the two demons flying around the arena, and focused in on Yuron’s form.

  I counted to sync up with his pace, and when I was sure I had it right, I sent a ripple of flames across the arena floor. As Yuron passed over the small flames, I raised my hand, commanding the fire to rise.

  Yuron dropped to the arena floor, but the flames didn’t stop him. He stood and sucked in a deep breath. When he exhaled, the fire around him went out like the light of a birthday candle at a child’s party.

  Trention reformed at my side.

  “They’re much stronger than I expected,” he said. “I’m not sure the original plan is going to work.”

  “Fly in a more erratic pattern,” I said. “Don’t let them pace
you.”

  “I can fight them at your side,” Trention said.

  “No,” I shouted. “I can do this. Just go.”

  Trention shifted again just as Yuron sent a ripple of earth toward us that opened the ground like a chasm straight down the center of the arena floor.

  I shifted and moved out of the way just as the earth split around me.

  Yuron set his sights on Trention as his partner finally freed himself from the heavy boulder and flew toward me.

  I hoped Trention could hold Yuron off for at least a few minutes while I dealt with Sylar once and for all.

  Sylar reformed just out of my reach, and I lifted my axe into the air. I intended to shift and come up behind him before he had a chance to react, but Sylar opened his palm and threw something on the ground at my feet.

  Glass broke and before I could shift, a cloud of black smoke surrounded me, paralyzing me.

  I struggled against it, realizing too late what had happened. Sylar had brought that vial into the arena with him. He was cheating, but no one moved to stop the fight.

  Slowly, Sylar turned toward Trention with a smile on his face.

  “He’s all yours, Yuron,” Sylar shouted. “End him.”

  No.

  I struggled to shout the words, but I had no control over my voice. I was as frozen and helpless as I had been for all those years while the witches of Peachville searched for their missing Prima.

  I begged for justice. For help from the gods. Anything.

  But no help came.

  I watched in horror as the two demons converged on my friend, an ancient demon who had no place in these games. He belonged in the castle’s library, surrounded by books for the rest of his days.

  When they had Trention cornered, Yuron reached into his pocket and took out a second vial.

  Please. This can’t be happening. Trention, get out of there.

  But it was too late.

  The vial cracked open beneath Trention’s shadow form, and he fell to the ground, forced into solid form. Paralyzed, he stared upward toward the sky as Yuron plunged his sword into Trention’s chest.