He reaches his hand across the table and gently covers mine. “Don’t,” I whisper, pulling away. Bones stares at me as if I’ve slapped him.
“So, the big party is tonight, huh?” A mocking laugh interrupts the tense moment. Micah stands beside our table, looking like he’s ready to pose for the cover of a trashy romance novel. His bronzed, bare chest is puffed and proud, and his long blond locks seem to flow in some invisible breeze. “I’m almost tempted to join in the fun, if only to watch this crazy bitch get what’s coming to her.” His amber eyes lock with Bones’, challenging him.
But Bones doesn’t take the bait. He slowly gets to his feet and heads back up to the bar. I follow him, deliberately turning my back on Micah. Gyan slides over, an impish grin lighting his freckled face. “Hey, guys, did I ever tell you that I’m also part Veritas demon? So if you need to get the truth outta some feller, as long as he’s got at least a few drops of Sapie blood in him somewhere, I’m your guy.”
“You’re just full of hidden talents, aren’t you?” I mutter, still simmering over Micah’s rudeness. He has a gift for crawling under my skin in a way no other creature can. Like a perpetual itch I can’t scratch. Maybe when this is all over, I can show him just what a ‘crazy bitch’ I really am. But not tonight. Tonight my rage is already spoken for. All my energy, all my desire, all my strength…all my everything is focused on one thing and one thing only.
Getting Kieron back.
~~~
Khalil and Bones take the lead. I race behind them on Diablo, followed by Aria and Gyan riding double on Aria’s mount, a pure white Arabian mare named Kyrie. Alik brings up the rear. I’m reminded of another hunting party not too long ago…the one where Bones, Kieron and I went looking for Ivy and Cody. That had ended with disaster. But this time will be different.
I glance over my shoulder and bite back a smile at Gyan’s terrified face as he clutches on to Aria as if his life depends on it. Which, at the speeds we’re travelling, it probably does.
We reach the border and slow down. For some reason my heart is strangely calm. I’m supposed to be here. I am supposed to do this. Whatever happens tonight is exactly what is supposed to happen.
We gather in a circle, and Bones phases into human form. “Okay, the border is right past that clump of trees over there. Once we cross it, we’re fair game.”
“What do you mean, ‘once we cross it’? Obviously we’ve already been fair game; we were attacked under our own roof!”
“I meant from the Legionare, Lucky. We have no defense for what we’re about to do, and it’s a capital offense. If we survive the Hlbafa, the Legionare could still come after us if we’re ever found out. I just want to take this chance to tell anyone who wants to go back, do it now. No judgments. No hard feelings.”
After several seconds of silence Bones nods. “Okay, then. We stay close together. Aria, you listen for hostile demon presence in the area. If you hear any, send them away and let us know. Lucky, you get your bow in hand and be ready to use it. Only use the stones in extreme emergency, and give us fair warning first. Gyan—” Bones stops and looks blank. “Gyan, you just try not to get killed, I guess.”
“Bones—” Aria starts, and then stops. He looks up at her, and she nervously licks her lips. “I…I just hope we don’t run into too many at once. I’ve never used mind control on more than maybe a dozen or so demons at one time before. If there’s more than that, I fear—”
“Then we retreat or go another direction. Or if we get in trouble, Lucky throws some veneficus calx.”
Aria still looks unsure, but nods at Bones. He gives her leg a reassuring squeeze, shifts back into a hellhound, and one by one we begin our slow march over the border.
We had decided it would be better to use a cautious approach at first. It’ll make it easier to get a read on our surroundings, as opposed to charging in guns blazing. The hounds’ long noses point and sniff in every direction, and Aria’s eyes are aglow with concentration as she surveys the landscape. Carefully, I reach behind my back and withdraw a poisoned arrow, straining it against my bow. The bag of veneficus calx rests securely around my neck, tucked inside my cloak. I don’t exactly love the idea of being a walking, talking bomb, but I like the idea of being unprotected even less. As long as they stay in their protective pouch, I’m safe. They will only explode if removed. So I take my chances.
None of us speak as we slip from the relative safety of Dryndara to the peril of Hlbafa. I’m having an eerie sense of déjà vu about this trip, and as we pass the wooded area where Ivy and Cody’s bodies were discovered, I clench my teeth and strengthen my resolve.
Just think of Kieron.
Sometime later, Bones phases out and approaches Aria. “What do you see? Anything?” The rest of us gather around her in a loose circle.
She shakes her head. “Nothing for miles. And what do I feel? Weak, spread out…one here, one there, none powerful, and all many miles away.”
“How much further do we have to go?” Bones asks, looking at me this time. I reach down into my boot and pull out the page I’d ripped from the grimoire. I study it for a moment and shove it back into my boot. “It’s kinda hard to tell distance-wise, but we’re definitely on the right path. We’ll reach the lava river right around this bend, and I’m guessing it’s maybe fifty or so miles…”
My voice trails off as Bones and I exchange a private look. We both know time is of the essence, not only to sneak through the area unnoticed, but to finish this before I turn into a worthless human pumpkin. This means we’re going to have to pick up the pace quite a bit. It also gives us less time to react if we’re spotted or attacked. But we have no choice.
The countryside becomes a blur as we race alongside the lakes of molten flame. Suddenly Aria pulls Kyrie to a halt, and the rest of us, under her silent command, stop as well. “We are close,” she whispers, her emerald eyes wide. “Very close. I feel them everywhere…around the bend, over that hill…they cluster around an underground lair in the center of the village, just behind those trees there—”
As she’s speaking, Gyan twists his body back and pulls out something from beneath his jacket. His body jerks violently. In a fraction of an instant, Aria’s severed head flies past me, landing on the ground beside Bones. Gyan pushes her headless corpse off Kyrie and smirks as it turns to ash. “I’ve heard enough out of her. Well, now that we’re here, let the fun begin!”
Too shocked to fully comprehend what just happened, I can only stare at Gyan, mouth agape, my arms slack at my side. Bones lets out a ferocious growl and lunges, knocking into Kyrie. The startled horse staggers and falls, giving an earsplitting cry. But Gyan is standing several feet away, wagging his finger.
“Naughty, naughty, little puppy.”
Teeth bared, Bones flies in Gyan’s direction again, only to be met with open space. “Doesn’t he ever learn?” Gyan asks me drolly.
My body reacts faster than my mind as my arm whips up and snaps the bow, sending an arrow at Gyan’s head. It sails unimpeded and lodges into the side of a tree.
“And apparently, you don’t learn very fast, either,” his voice whispers in my ear, followed by a quick peck on my cheek. Before I can even turn he’s gone again, standing safely several yards away.
“You traitor!” I scream, flailing my arms in anger. “You scumbag piece of shit! You…traitor!” Bones and the other hounds sprint to my side. Gyan gives an amused chuckle as he leans his lanky body against the tree.
“Traitor implies I was ever on your side to begin with, you arrogant little bitch.”
Bones creeps in front of me, positioning himself between Gyan and myself. I don’t know if I’m more angry or flabbergasted. What is going on?
“I thought you were my friend,” I say, trying to stop the whirling in my head. “I thought we were all your friends…”
“Funny. And I thought I was going to spend the rest of my life with my sweet Geneviève. But you had other plans in mind when you decided to kill her
for…how did you put it? Oh, yeah…for cheap thrills. You were bored, she was there. You dusted her on our fifth commitment anniversary because you were bored. I’ve waited a long time for the perfect opportunity to get my payback for what you did. And now that the time is here, I can say it was definitely worth the wait—”
“What?! Who? But how…?” My voice falters as Gyan raises his hand to his lips and lets out two short whistles. Almost immediately, dozens of ominous figures emerge from the shadows and surround us.
“Here they are, Xandria,” Gyan says to the tall, blonde woman approaching us. “On the proverbial silver platter, just as promised. Told you this would work.”
The woman Gyan had called Xandria appraises me, then glances at Bones and the other hounds. “This is her?” Gyan nods. “And which hound is the murderer?”
Gyan points at Bones. “The one in front. But I should get extra for the other two, don’t you think? Now you’re even. They killed five of yours; you can take five of theirs—”
“I know how to add, thank you very much.” She turns to a tall, stocky demon with snakelike eyes and black markings on his face. “Take them to the dungeon with the other one and lock them up. I’ll be there shortly.”
The demon nods and grabs my arm roughly, jerking me backwards. Bones growls and snaps at his hand, but the creature gives him a ferocious kick that sends him flying. Alik and Khalil leap up, growls low in their throats and fangs bared, but they’re quickly subdued by the leader’s henchmen.
“Let’s just kill them now,” Gyan says, clapping his hands excitedly. “No use in prolonging the inevitable. Except for that one,” he adds, pointing at me. “I want her alive awhile. Plus, I can’t wait to see the look on her face when she sees the treatment her precious boyfriend has been getting.”
I glare at him with hate in my eyes and bile in my throat. We are obviously outnumbered. There’s no point in even thinking about trying to fight. But I will kill Gyan if it’s the last thing I do.
“Why are you doing this?” I croak as I’m dragged past him. “Why? If it’s something I did, why punish all of them?” I wave my hand toward Bones, Khalil and Alik, but my question includes Kieron as well.
Gyan follows right behind me. “You see, it’s funny what losing someone you love can do to a demon. It makes us snap in the worst, cruelest ways imaginable. I didn’t want just you to suffer. That’s too easy. I wanted you to watch the ones you love suffer. See how much you like it.”
“Are you crazy?!” I scream. “You don’t think I know how much it hurts?! I’m sorry I killed your girlfriend or whatever she was. I didn’t know!”
“Well, now you do.”
“If you’re mad at me then let them go—just take me!” I squirm around trying to get out of the guard’s firm embrace, but to no avail. He grips me like a vise.
“Well, that would deny me the fun of watching you see your loved ones suffer, now wouldn’t it?”
“I don’t care about these losers—”
“Shut up!” a voice commands, and someone whaps me across the back of the head. I’m bound and dragged along a small footbridge that crosses the lava lake, and toward the center of the Hlbafa village. Bones, Alik, and Khalil follow, heads held low…knives, arrows, and fireballs aimed in their direction. More and more demons approach. By the time we reach the heart of the town, we’re surrounded by several dozen, easy.
A blindfold is placed over my eyes, and my world goes black. I hear laughing. “Bones? Bones, where are you?” I call out frantically. A low yap behind me tells me he’s not far away, but I’m terrified we’ll be separated. I need him to phase out so I can talk to him. But I know he won’t now—he’d be way too vulnerable.
“Silence!” a voice yells, and a hand slaps me hard across the face. Reeling from the unexpected blow, I trip on something and fall. Mocking laughter surrounds me.
“This is almost too easy,” another voice says. “I thought she was supposed to be some kind of warrior.”
Another raucous laugh. “She’s not so tough after all.”
I grit my teeth, stand up, and continue walking. What else can I do? I’m good, but I can’t fight fifty demons at once, even with Bones and the others to help. The stones are still safely hidden beneath my cloak, but I can’t very well use them with everyone so close. And even if I hadn’t been relieved of my crossbow and arrows, it’s not like I could use them on this swelling crowd. I’d be lucky to take out two or three max before my own certain death.
No, fighting is not an option right now. My gut tells me to play it cool, and, judging from the way Bones and the others are behaving, they’re of the same mind. Good. We just need time to think, to figure things out. They’re taking us somewhere; hopefully we’ll be kept together. Bones and the others can shift back, and we can figure a way out of this predicament. That is, of course, if we aren’t killed first.
After what seems like hours, we stop. I hear a pounding, the creaking of a door, and when I’m pushed forward again, the soft ground has been replaced by concrete. “Bones?” I call out, bracing myself for the impact of a flying fist. I hear his soft whimper behind me, but thankfully this time there’s no punch to the face.
“Throw them in there with the other,” a haughty voice commands.
With the other? Do they mean Kieron?
“Move it!” a voice behind me shouts, giving me a shove.
“It’d be a lot easier if I could see,” I snap. “What’s the point in blindfolding me, really? Afraid I’m gonna tell people where your super cool secret hideout is? As if anyone cares! And it’s not like the hellhounds can’t see where we’re going. Whoever said you guys were the dumbest demons around gave you way too much credit—” The blow of a giant hand cracks across my cheek again.
“Shut that mouth or I’ll shut it for you. Permanently,” a voice growls.
“Stop here,” says another.
The blindfold is finally removed, and as my eyes adjust I see we’re in a darkened dungeon. The walls are made of ancient grey stone, as is the floor, partially hidden beneath stray batches of yellow straw. The air is stale with the pungent stench of rotten eggs. The low ceiling gives me an instant feeling of claustrophobia. Overall, the place has all the charm of a medieval torture chamber.
“Mind putting my blindfold back on?” I ask, disgusted by the filth.
Suddenly I gasp and stagger back, my horrified eyes locked on the body hanging slack and motionless in midair, as if suspended by invisible ropes.
“Kieron!” I scream.
I start toward him, but before I’ve taken three steps, the zap of an invisible electrical force sends me flying back across the room in excruciating pain. I skid across the straw-covered floor on my butt, stopping only when my back slams up against a cold, concrete wall. A rat scurries past, and I stagger to my feet. Kieron hasn’t flinched.
I close my eyes to shut out the mocking laughter. I was wrong. I wasn’t supposed to come here.
And now I will die here.
Chapter 16. Lucky
“Lower the shield,” the woman commands.
A short, old man with pinched features waves his hands in small circles and mutters some words under his breath. Must be their demon-witch, I think to myself. What Tatiana would be, had she traded the use of her magical powers with demons in exchange for immortality.
Xandria turns to me with a wicked smile. “No demon alive can escape from this prison. Not even your pretty lover boy here, and don’t think he didn’t try.” She glances at Kieron. “Poor thing must’ve worn himself out again. That’s okay, he needs his sleep. It’s no fun playing with my toys when they’re broken.” She turns to the others. “Put those two in that cage,” she says, pointing to Alik and Khalil, “and these two in the far back.” She points to Bones and me.
The guard nods. “As you wish.” I’m confused. I don’t see any sort of cage anywhere, just a series of smaller chambers inside the cavernous room.
The guard pushes me forward, and as I pa
ss by Kieron I can’t help but stare. I’ve waited for so long to see his face. But his head is tilted down, and I only see top of his black hair. Xandria said he was sleeping, but I’ve never seen anyone be so still who was just sleeping. He looks like a statue hanging in suspended animation.
“Kieron! Kieron, can you hear me? Wake up, Kieron!” I yell before the guard clocks me again. This time my mouth fills with blood. I turn and spit it in his face. He just laughs and runs his forked tongue over his lips.
“You taste delicious,” he says with a salacious smile. “I think I’m going to nibble on your legs for dinner.”
“Try it and I’ll have your heart for breakfast,” I snap back.
Bones and I are pushed to the farthest corner of the room. Fortunately, I can still see Kieron from where we are. “Don’t make yourselves too comfortable. I have a feeling you won’t be staying with us very long.” The guard’s eyes flash and he snakes his forked tongue at me like a whip, cracking the air and slicing my cheek. He retracts it and smacks his gums. “Delicious,” he repeats.
I place my hand over the stinging wound and fight back tears of rage. I’ve really done it this time. This is far worse than I imagined, even in my worst case scenario…Aria dead, betrayed by Gyan, ridiculously outnumbered and walking right into a trap like the biggest, most gullible, incompetent idiot who’s ever lived…
That’s exactly it. I’m too stupid to live. I made the fatal mistake of trusting a demon for Satan’s sake. Sure, Gyan, come along! The more the merrier. No big deal! And now, because of my colossal stupidity, not only can I not rescue Kieron, I’ve probably signed the death warrants of Bones, Alik, and Khalil as well. After this fiasco, it’ll no doubt be for the best if the Hlbafa just do away with me. They’d be doing me and the world a huge favor.
Bones sits on his haunches at my feet, and I absently stroke the back of his neck. Even sitting, his head is still taller than mine. “Not phasing out, huh? Can’t say as I blame you. I’m sure I’m the last person you want to talk with right now. Sorry you have to be locked up with me—”
The Complete Demonblood Saga: A Demon Made Me Do It; Fire With Fire; Curse of Shadows and Light Page 40