I looked at the edges, my blood burning. As though I’d ever let them get away with taking Fiona. It’s Pandemonium. They’re with whoever’s behind that bloodstone scheme. Divinities above, how had Fiona got mixed up with them? I’d been careful to keep her away from our latest scheme, but it apparently wasn’t enough.
Glass fragments were scattered in the pentagram, shimmering with golden light. I touched one of them, knowing it was demonglass.
I’d travelled through fragments before.
“Devi,” Nikolas said.
“Nikolas,” I said quietly, “I’m really not in the mood for rational judgements right now. So unless you’re volunteering to be a punching bag, back off. This is demonglass. I can get any of us in and out this way. It won’t be comfortable, but no interdimensional travel is.”
“This isn’t a situation we can rush into.”
“The vamps took Fiona into Pandemonium,” I said. “So not only is our theory correct, that dimension is behind it all. I’m armed. I came here expecting a fight, and so did you.”
He cast a furious look at the portal. “How exactly did you expect to get back?”
“I don’t know, maybe the gigantic palace made of demonglass? It’s right there.” I pointed for emphasis. Even through the piece of glass in my hand, its huge shape loomed over Pandemonium’s buildings. Wherever the vampires had taken Fiona was within walking distance of the palace. We wouldn’t get another chance.
The palace called like a siren’s song, a glittering monument to the demons’ power. To a power connected to the demon magic burning in me, in the mark on my wrist which hadn’t quieted since it’d touched Nikolas. It longed to touch the glass and connect with the demonic magic on the other side.
“Fine,” he said tightly. “We stick together. No other options.”
“No rules,” I said. “Anything goes. Right?”
I didn’t wait for an answer. Golden light flared around me, pulling me into the fire dimension.
Chapter 11
Fire burst into life, flames licking at my skin. Even though they didn’t hurt, I clenched my teeth as Rory’s terrified screams replayed in my head, like they did in my nightmares. The look of terror on his face—as with the other victims—when their own celestial fire had taken their lives. I recoiled, like I did every time I saw the fire. This realm had visited me in my nightmares more often than I’d care to admit.
In reality, I’d fought back and won, but in dreams, I froze, unable to move as the fire devoured everything in its path.
The demon mark on my wrist itched insistently, bringing me back to reality as solid ground appeared beneath my feet. I inhaled the strong smell of brimstone and coughed uncontrollably. We’d landed in a street lined with stone houses, the colour of sand. I’d seen them from the palace balcony. From this perspective, they seemed endless, a labyrinth in front of the huge forbidding shape of the palace looming overhead.
Nobody appeared to be around. I spun on the spot, looking for the vampires. They couldn’t have gone far, but the maze led in four directions from here. Nikolas and Rachel looked around, both frowning. Beneath our feet were the crushed remains of more demonglass, drenched in the scent of brimstone.
All right. Time to talk to the locals.
I pushed up the cuff of my sleeve.
“What are you doing?” asked Rachel. “You can’t show your celestial power here. People like you don’t exist. You’d get mobbed.”
“To be honest, I’m past the point of caring. Didn’t you live here?”
“A long time ago. It’s not exactly a place that’s friendly to tourists.” Her mouth pinched.
“I gathered.” I looked at Nikolas. “Well? What’re you doing?” He’d turned the opposite way, peering down the path between two houses.
“They went that way,” he said. “I can sense the demonic magic they used to get through the portal. But it’ll fade soon. We’ll have to move quickly.”
Not like we have much choice. Rachel and I ran after him, glancing to either side in case of an ambush. My celestial light hadn’t switched on yet, so there weren’t demons within close range. It struck me as suspicious, but looking closer at the houses, they seemed to be unoccupied. Empty windows, shattered glass. The city had been hit hard by the loss of their arch-demon, so maybe people had left.
The light on my hand flared up, and I stopped. “Demon. Close by.” A rumbling noise sounded not a metre away, behind the house on our right. “That… doesn’t sound great.”
The ground collapsed, sliding away beneath us. I hit the wall, grabbing it for balance, while Nikolas and Rachel disappeared beneath an avalanche of falling stone as the houses slid apart, too. The demon must have been under our feet the whole time.
My fingers dug into the nearest stone wall, stopping me from sliding into the rapidly opening pit. I kicked off and jumped over the hole, but a rock-hard hand grabbed my leg, dangling me upside-down. Rotating on the spot, I found myself facing a sandstone hand which appeared to have grown out of the house’s wall. It was the same colour, indistinguishable from the row of roofs wheeling around me while I fought to break free. Light flared brighter around my hand, illuminating a huge gaping mouth with razor-like teeth, embedded in the stone.
The demon was disguised as a house?
The monster’s grip slipped as the beast cringed away from the light in my hand. I fought the dizziness, reaching between realms for my trusty celestial blade. With a golden gleam, the sword appeared in my hands.
At the same time, the beast let go. I fell, slashing at its stone hand, and landed on the edge of the pit. Spinning around, I whipped the blade down. The blade sank into stone, prompting a rattling shout. Teeth snapped, its mouth opening wide enough to devour a person. The blocky stone demon pushed against my blade, sending me staggering back, precariously close to the pit’s edge. My limbs trembled under the onslaught. The demon, weird-looking though it might be, was a Grade Three, which meant my celestial blade was the only thing that could kill it.
I slashed diagonally, but barely made a dent in its skin. Several teeth fell out as I gave one last desperate lunge. My celestial blade sank to the hilt through the roof of its mouth. I pushed hard, certain that had to be it. The beast roared and swung, forcing me to let go of the sword and jump out of range.
The blade remained lodged in its mouth—but it still didn’t die. Crap. I’d lost my weapon, but the burning celestial fire ought to have obliterated the demon.
Run, Devi. Now.
I pelted down the path between more stone houses, hoping to hell none of the others came to life and tried to eat me. Where were Nikolas and Rachel? Tell me they weren’t eaten by a demon house.
My feet pounded against dirt. I veered around a corner and Rachel grabbed my arm, pulling me through a gap in the stone wall. “Devi. Thank the seven hells you’re okay.”
“Man-eating house incoming.” My heart thundered against my ribs, and I peered over the stone fence. The monster hadn’t moved, but it clearly wasn’t dead either. Celestial light shone faintly from the sword I’d left in its mouth. The blade would disappear within a few seconds without my hand to ground it.
“Nah, it can’t move further than its roots. I forgot to warn you about them. Niko, is the coast clear?”
“Clear enough.” He climbed through the wall himself, gaze snagging on me. There was an unmistakable hint of relief on his features. “I figured you’d have got out alive, but the ground collapsed.”
“Yeah, I saw. I stuck my celestial blade in its mouth, but it still didn’t die. What is it?”
“A parasite demon which eats through stone and embeds itself in any constructions.” Rachel bounded up to the wall. “The good news is, it can’t chase you. It’s more or less stuck in the same place.”
“The bad news is that there are a lot more houses here.” I pointed to them. “How do we know which might be demons and which aren’t?”
“We don’t,” she said, helpfully.
�
��Come on.” Nikolas beckoned us through the gap in the wall. “Those beasts don’t live close together. We shouldn’t run into another one before we reach that bridge.”
I climbed warily through the gap, onto the cobbled road. Ahead, the road became a bridge over what I assumed was a river, which was at least free of stone houses. The palace’s glass turrets and towers glittered against the pale grey sky, and not far away was a high fence surrounding its clear demonglass structure. Our way back into the sane, normal world where houses didn’t try to eat people.
“We can’t leave Fiona behind,” I said quietly, walking alongside Nikolas. “I know you’ve probably lost her scent by now, but—”
“I haven’t. The vampires came this way. I’m almost certain they were heading for the palace.”
I blinked. “But—why not transport themselves directly in there? That place is like a beacon.”
“Maybe because they knew they were being followed.”
We reached the bridge, which arched over sluggish grey water. On the other side was a large open space of cobbled stone, and the high wall surrounding the palace. A gate made of clear glass waited ahead.
“This is the way in.” Rachel tilted her head. “Looks different to before. There used to be guards.”
“It’s also demonglass.” I walked towards the gate. “I can get us to Fiona this way. Directly. No need to search the whole palace. It’s entirely made of this stuff.”
“You can move to a specific location?” asked Rachel. “Even if you haven’t been there before?”
“Technically, yes, but I’d need some idea of what I’m looking for. At least, that’s how it worked before.” I examined the gate, but there didn’t seem to be a lock or any way to easily open it. Considering how far off the ground the upper floors were, it’d take too long to search the whole building. Then how did the vamps get in? There must be a secret entrance somewhere. Which meant they knew the place, and this wasn’t the first time they’d brought in someone from the human realm.
My demon mark tingled as I raised it to the gate. The glass flickered, and I conjured Fiona’s face into my mental eye. “Okay. You’ll have to hang onto me.”
Two hands pressed to my back and we stepped forwards, emerging in a familiar wide hall. Pillars extended to the ceiling, made of the same glass I’d just stepped through. Our reflections watched from countless surfaces… along with vampires. Dozens of them.
And no arch-demon sat on the throne this time. A dark figure, masked and wearing a long dark cloak, stood between the pillars flanking the golden throne.
A vampire.
Oh… shit. I’d honestly thought most of the vampires in this realm had perished before Azurial had failed in his plan. Or he’d killed them. Several vampires held Fiona between them, pulling her towards the throne. Two others wielding long spears stood on either side of their leader, while the others were scattered around, watching the spectacle. I knew vamps moved fast, but surely they’d taken a shortcut to get here this quickly.
“Get away from her,” I said.
All heads turned towards us. I marched forwards, my celestial hand igniting. The pillars reflected its white glow back at me.
Dropping Fiona, the two vamps spun around to meet me. Lightning sparked from Nikolas’s hands, shattering the calm, but though his aim was perfect, neither vampire fell. Both looked at me with the same cold, dark gaze as the others who’d taken in the demon energy. Crap. Every vampire in this room is under the same spell. And Fiona right in the centre, human and vulnerable.
Keeping one eye on her, I advanced towards the enemy. The light from my blazing hand extended into the long, sharp edge of my celestial blade, and I lunged at one of the vampires who’d held her.
He fell back, snarling in agony as the celestial fire burned him. A blur of movement was my only warning before a second vampire appeared, moving with preternatural speed. I spun around in an arc, but he danced out of the way of my blade, apparently unafraid of the light. Not at all like a regular vamp.
Black-edged lightning flared past as Nikolas struck down another target, while the second vamp leaped at me. I stabbed upwards, missed, and he grabbed my arm with inhuman strength, pulling me backwards. Even Rachel’s shoes couldn’t stop me from falling, the back of my head hitting the floor. Tasting blood on my tongue, I reached into my sleeve for my spare stake and lunged wildly. The stake sank into his arm, but he didn’t stop. Darkness gleamed in his eyes, inhuman, not even vampire-like. Most vamps collapsed after a single blow from a stake—and my celestial light should have made him cringe away.
Time to end this.
I reached for my blade once more. The shimmering sword of light pierced his chest, pushing him off me. The vamp finally screeched, his skin catching afire until he turned to ashes.
Jumping to my feet to look for Fiona, I spotted the other vamps backing away from Nikolas’s lightning assault. Dark sparks shot from his hands, knocking over every vampire that moved—but none of them died. The dude on the throne—I was fairly sure he was male, anyway, from his wide shoulders and stance—watched the carnage without moving or reacting. Rachel ran amongst them in demon form, jaws snapping, but they moved too quickly. Demonic darkness shone from their eyes, and even Nikolas’s lightning had only killed one of them. My sword pierced another, turning him to ashes, but they moved too fast, and without the fear that usually put them on the defensive when faced with a celestial.
Fiona screamed. A vampire held her pinned down, blood oozing from a wound on her head. As the coppery smell of human blood filled the hall, I felt the mood change, every vampire’s head turning in that direction.
And my sword disappeared.
What the hell? Come on, celestial fire. Don’t go out on me now.
I leaped towards the vampire holding Fiona, stake in hand. He moved fluidly, holding her in front of him as a shield. I held back at the last second, just avoiding impaling her, and Fiona screamed again. The vampire grinned at me, a red tint to his dark eyes. Demon magic and blood frenzy? Crap.
“Play nice and let her go,” I warned. “Last chance.”
My left hand lit up again, and I shone the light directly into his eyes. He didn’t, as I’d hoped, look away. Instead, his fangs came down on Fiona—
No.
I slammed into her, knocking both of them backwards. The vampire recovered before he hit the ground, shoving Fiona back at me. I caught her with my celestial hand, using the other to thrust the stake into the vampire’s chest.
I’d missed the heart, but no vamp could recover from a wound like that in seconds. He fell back, and I stabbed again. This time, I hit my mark. He writhed and twisted, his body disintegrating to ashes. Fiona clung to my other arm, eyes wide with terror.
“Hang on,” I told her. “I’ll get you out of here.”
I kicked the vampire’s body, pulling her with me to the demonglass floor—and someone grabbed my demon-marked hand, twisting it behind my back. I kicked back, but the vampire who’d grabbed me moved out of the way, dragging Fiona with him.
He knows about my ability.
If they knew—they must also know I was the only shot any of the others had at getting out of here, which meant if they took me out, the others would be stuck here. And they’d picked Fiona as the weak link. As long as they had her, I couldn’t look away long enough to kill the remaining vampires. Including the dickhead on the throne.
I willed the celestial light to set my hand ablaze, and pulled out my sword again. The blade whipped through the air, stabbing the nearest vampire through the eye. As he crumpled into nothingness, Fiona ran forwards out of the way. Time to get her out.
The vampire king—if that’s what he was—stood, raising his hands.
Shards of dark lightning pierced the air, sending me flying backwards—and Fiona, too. My back slammed into the floor, my ears ringing. Rolling over, I found myself face to face with the vampire king, who still hadn’t removed his mask. Except that wasn’t vampire power he’d
used. It was too similar to Nikolas’s magic.
He’s a demon.
“Fight me, celestial,” he said. His voice echoed through the hall. “You’re a disappointment. I was told to expect someone worthy to slay a demigod.”
“Who the hell even are you?” I reached for my sword, only to find the damn thing had disappeared again. For Divinity’s sake, if any time is a crisis, it’s now.
Lightning flared from his hands, dark and menacing. I dodged, grabbing my celestial sword. My blade was supposed to burn through the dark, but now it felt more like I was about to burn out. The sword wasn’t supposed to disappear at the crucial moment, surrounded by adversaries on every side. The side of my blade blocked his lightning attack—but without warning, fiery pain shot from my hip to my neck, along my right side. I fell, gasping in pain, blood soaking through my shirt. How? Did someone stab me? Through blurred vision, I saw Rachel and Nikolas running over, Fiona screaming my name.
With the last of my strength, I pressed my right hand to the demonglass floor, landing beside Fiona. Grabbing her, I pulled her with me, this time coming out of the floor underneath Nikolas and Rachel.
Clinging onto consciousness, I yelled hoarsely, “Hang on tight.”
The vampires’ king roared in fury, but I was already falling through the floor again…
Chapter 12
We landed in a heap on the carpet of the spare room at Warlock HQ. Nikolas wasted no time lifting me into his arms while Rachel shouted for Javos.
Things got a little bit hazy then. Pain lanced up my side like I was being stabbed over and over again. I moaned, hoarsely yelling for someone to put out the fire, then blacked out. Then I woke up to Javos’s yelling. Apparently while dealing with a full-blown vampire crisis, it isn’t helpful when two warlocks, a human girl and a celestial with a deadly injury materialise in the back room.
Since I was more concerned with not bleeding to death than not pissing off Javos, I tuned out for most of that, only coming to alertness when someone pressed a cool cloth to my forehead. I blinked awake, figuring from the furniture arrangement that someone had moved me onto the living room sofa. Nikolas stood over me, holding the cloth.
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