Lifebringer (Pharim War Book 6)

  “Do not think too much of yourself,” Manakel said. “They have been warriors since the foundation of the world.”

  Jez rolled his eyes. “I’ve heard that before.”

  “Jez.” Lina was pointing to the north. He could just make out a line of smoke rising from the forest. “There’s no time for this. We need to go.”

  He took Lina in one arm and launched himself into the air. After a few minutes, Ziary caught up. They flew forward in grim silence for several seconds as the smell of smoke grew stronger in the air.

  “What exactly are we going to do once we get there?” Lina asked.

  “Put out the fire,” Jez said.

  “That’s your plan?” Lina asked.

  “Don’t complain about it,” Ziary said. “It’s actually good for one of his plans.”

  Jez groaned but didn’t answer. By the time they arrived at the forest, a swath at least a hundred yards across had been burned, but it was obviously no ordinary fire. There were no blackened remains of trees or smoldering remains of bushes. Everything had been reduced to ash. In some places, the flames had apparently burned so hot that rocks had melted, leaving pools of magma in the earth. Jez tried to pull water out of the air to extinguish the flames directly beneath them, but the fire had burned so hot that whatever moisture the air had held had sizzled away. He turned to Ziary who had closed his eyes. He opened them for a second and shook his head.

  “That’s not normal fire. It’s not responding to my power.”

  “Demonic?” Jez asked.

  Ziary shrugged. “You would know that better than I would.”

  Jez nodded and took a deep breath. The air burned his lungs, but he tried to ignore it. He hadn’t noticed it at first. The smell of burning wood was so strong that it almost overpowered the scent of sulfur, but it was there.

  “By the seven.” The roaring fire almost swallowed Jez’s words.

  “What is it?” Lina asked.

  “Do you remember last year when Master Linala said that the dominion of knowledge could be more dangerous than destruction?”

  Lina thought for a second. Then, her eyes went wide. “She said she could summon forces. The fires of the abyss?”

  Jez nodded. “This wasn’t done by afur. Not Shadeslayers anyway.”

  “Manakel didn’t send any others,” Ziary said.

  “No, but we do know of a Lightgiver afur that’s in the area. One who has a lot of familiarity with the abyss.”

  Ziary and Lina spoke at once. “Mirel.”

  CHAPTER 30

  Jez waved his arm in a wide arc. A band of blue energy shot out toward the fire. The flames shrank a little but soon returned to normal size as they consumed more of the forest. Jez repeated the working three times in rapid succession and a portion of the demonic fire twenty feet across went out. He shook his head as he tried to ignore the sharp pain of his flesh burning.

  “I don’t have the energy to put out the entire fire. We have to find the one who crafted it.”

  “That’ll put it out?” Lina asked.

  “Probably not, but it should turn it into a normal fire.”

  “How do we find her?” Ziary asked.

  “And why is she here?” Jez asked. Almost as soon as he had uttered the question, he realized the answer. “Aniel. He might be the most powerful, but here, alone, he’s the most vulnerable of the high lords.” He looked around at the utter devastation. “They must’ve fought here.”

  “How do we find them?” Ziary asked.

  Lina raised an eyebrow. “How do we find a high lord of the pharim fighting an afur who specializes in summoning and who can call the fires of the abyss?”

  Off in the distance, there was a crash. Ziary glanced in that direction before giving Lina a sheepish grin. “Ah, yeah. Good point. Shall we go?”

  Jez smiled but didn’t answer. They flew toward the disturbance, though as it turned out, they didn’t need the sound. The battle had left a wide path of destruction. Trees had been uprooted, and the earth had been torn apart, creating wide fissures. Patches of the forest had been reduced to ash, and the smell of sulfur and burned wood was everywhere. Several times, they came across beast men unmoving on the ground. At first, they stopped to see if they could help, but it soon became apparent that they were far too late. Whatever battle Aniel and Mirel were waging left nothing alive in its wake, and though it pained Jez, they started ignoring the fallen beast men.

  They had flown for a few minutes before they finally saw movement. A thing that looked like a great cat made of vines stalked through the forest, felling trees and tearing through the undergrowth as it walked. It almost seemed to be hunting. Jez turned to Ziary.

  “Did you see anything like that when you were with the beast men?”

  Ziary shook his head. “We only dealt with animals. Never anything like that. Even Penar didn’t work with plants on that level. That has to be healing magic or else that thing’s been summoned. Can’t you tell?”

  Jez shook his head. “There’s demonic energy from the fire and in the tracks. It’s too much for me to be able to focus on any one thing.”

  “Does it really make a difference?” Lina asked. “I mean if it’s animated plants, it’s a working of healing, which would mean the triune. If it’s a demon...”

  “She makes a good point,” Jez said. “Osmund?”

  Ziary inclined his head. He tucked his wings and dove. His sword sliced into the creature’s head, leaving a burned gash in the middle of its face. The lion cocked its head and stared at Ziary as if he were an idle curiosity. A chill ran down Jez’s back.

  “Oh, that can’t be good.”

  The lion lunged at Ziary. Its maw closed on the hand holding the flaming sword. The blade came out of the top of the creature’s head, the polished steel devoid of any fire. For a second, Ziary just gaped at it. Then, he shrouded himself in flame. The muzzle of the lion sizzled. Then, it inhaled, taking in the fire. The wound on its face faded.

  “Foolish.”

  The voice came from behind Jez. He spun and found a scarlet-robed being bearing a sword made of fire floating in the air before him. His robes were torn, and he bled red motes of light from wounds on his face and arms.

  “You’re one of the Shadeslayer afur Manakel sent,” Jez said.

  The afur nodded. “I am. Did you think a verentine would be so easy to take out?”

  “Then, it’s a demon, not just animated plants.”

  “Of course it is a demon. If it were just plants, we would have destroyed it instead of the other way around.”

  Jez gaped at him. “You mean that thing...”

  The afur nodded. “I am the only one left.” He eyed the battle. “Your friend is very skilled. I did not think he would last this long. It will be a shame to see him die. We could have used one such as he in the battle to come.”

  “We still can,” Jez said as he summoned his sword into his free hand.

  “Do not be foolish. If I were at full power, I might be able to take down such a creature. As we are, it would take at least a dozen of us, and most would die in the attempt.”

  “We’ve faced impossible battles before,” Lina said. “Leave him, Jez. If he’s afraid, there’s nothing we can do.”

  Jez did his best to hide his smile as the afur’s eyes blazed blood red. Beneath them, the lion tossed its head and sent Ziary flying. He slammed into a tree that was two feet wide at its base and slumped to the ground. A crack spread through the tree’s trunk, and a second later, it fell on Ziary. Leaving the afur, Jez landed just long enough to drop Lina off, trusting that she would use her illusions to good effect. Then, he launched himself at the creature.

  His sword sliced through the vines, meeting hardly any resistance at all. If the attack hurt the demon, however, it gave no sign. Instead, it snapped at him. Jez pulled back. Its jaws slammed shut into the spot he had just been in. He lifted his hand and tried to pull water out of the vines, hoping to dry them out. An oily sensation washed over hi
m, and he almost doubled over and threw up. The lion swiped a massive paw. Jez would’ve been hit, but something that looked like him leaped off the ground and rushed at the demon’s head. It started, abandoning its attack to strike at the illusion Lina had created. The few seconds of respite were enough for Jez to gather his wits. Rather than call water from the vines, he drew it from the air itself and formed it into a whip.

  Jez had used this working before, but it had always required a significant amount of power. Even when used in the rain, gathering the necessary water wasn’t easy, but here, they were less than a mile from the coast. Added to that, whatever magic Shanel had worked had trapped additional moisture in the air. Combined, the two factors made forming the weapon nearly effortless. Jez flicked his wrist, sending a surge of protection magic into the whip. It sliced off a portion of the lion’s mane. For the first time, the creature seemed to feel pain. It threw back its head and roared before lunging at Jez.

  He ducked under the attack, lashing with his whip as it sailed over him. There was a swell of energy, as magic was ripped out of him. Suddenly, the whip fell to the ground as if it had been made from ordinary water. The lion landed and spun, snapping at him. It would have taken his head but something slammed into him. He tumbled to the ground but rolled to his feet a heartbeat later. Only then did he recognize the former Shadeslayer.

  “I told you that you were being foolish.”

  Jez backed up several steps, and the afur followed. The lion was right behind them.

  “This thing is related to the sharieks, isn’t it?” Jez asked.

  “It eats magic, if that is what you mean.”

  It tried to slash at them, but they moved in opposite directions, confusing the beast for a second.

  “How do we banish it?” Jez asked as they came together behind it.

  “With a whole lot of hits from a pharim’s sword,” the afur said, “or with a working strong enough to counter their absorption capabilities. Unless you have much more power than you have displayed, we need to run.”

  Jez nodded. “I have an idea. Get Osmund. I’ll lead it away. Follow me as quickly as you can.”

  The afur started to argue, but Jez jumped at the lion. His sword darted out in three quick motions. Rather than banishing the demon as his sword normally did, each attack cut off a small piece of it. The lion roared and tried to snap at Jez, but he was already several feet away. It took a step closer, but Jez was too fast, having moved even further away.

  It pounced, but while it was still in the air, twin streams of fire crashed into it, knocking it aside. It turned to face Ziary and the afur who had kept the fire going. Ziary was wounded and seemed to be having trouble standing, but that didn’t stop him from attacking the beast. The demon started to inhale, but Jez lunged, taking off a large piece of its mane. It turned to roar at him, but not before it had eaten the magic being thrown at it and used it to heal its injuries.

  “Keep at it,” Jez cried just before jumping into the air and coming down a dozen yards away. “We need more fire.”

  Ziary gaped at him, but as the lion stalked toward Jez, he obliged, sending fireball after fireball at the demon. Every once in a while, it would turn to swallow one. Whenever it did, Jez would strike, wounding it. The wounds never lasted for long, though, as the magic it was consuming seemed to far exceed the damage it was taking.

  Unlike Ziary, the afur didn’t bother to keep his attacks so tightly controlled. He threw his hands forward, and gouts of flame rushed at the demon. They hit it, but they also engulfed the nearby plants and trees. Before long, the forest was ablaze. Only the flames Ziary and the afur actually launched were mystical. Once the foliage was ignited, the fire was natural, and oddly enough, the lion seemed to balk at facing mundane fire. Even that, however, only slowed it down.

  Eventually, Jez, surrounded by the burning forest, stopped retreating. The lion paused and stared at him, as if wondering if this chase was finally coming to an end. A low rumble escaped from its throat. Jez smiled and reached into the earth itself. Behind him, the ground trembled. It lurched and rose up. With a rapid motion, the ground flung burning trees at the lion. They sizzled and burned, and the lion’s eyes grew wide. These weren’t the natural fires created by an out of control working. These were fires of the abyss itself.

  The demon inhaled, extinguishing the flames, but the fires of the abyss had come into being with one purpose above all others: to torment the demons imprisoned there. Even more than the weapons of the pharim, it was the bane of all demons. While the lion might be able to extinguish them, it could not fully consume the power they contained. Again and again, Jez launched burning trees at it. Every one was extinguished, but each took a little longer to go out, and the lion’s vines grew a little more withered. Every once in a while, Ziary or the afur would dive in, striking while the beast was distracted. The burns continued to build up, never quite healing, even as Jez drew the lion deeper into the demonic fires.

  Finally, the assault ceased. The lion had consumed every spark of the fires of the abyss, and in doing so, it had become little more than a collection of blackened sticks. With one blow, Jez severed its head, and the body vanished in a puff of smoke. The afur landed and stared at the remains before turning to Jez and inclining his head.

  “I never would have believed it possible.”

  Jez nodded. “You know we came to stop you.”

  “Yes, I gathered as much, but there is no need. Before Manakel gave the order to attack the forest, he gave two commands that were to be obeyed above all others. The first is to fight Andera’s forces wherever we encounter them. I take it by the presence of this demon that they are here.”

  “Yes,” Jez said. “What’s the second?”

  “To protect Aphlel, should we find him.” The afur saluted with his sword. “Lead the way.”

  CHAPTER 31

  They moved over the forest quickly. The trail of destruction Jez and his friends had been following when they’d encountered the lion demon was the same trail the afur had followed when they’d come into the forest. They had dispatched several lesser demons before they encountered the lion demon and, driven by Manakel’s order, they had attacked, losing five of their number in the process. Only one, who gave his name as Onior, had survived.

  “This afur, Mirel, she specializes in summoning?”

  Jez nodded. “She’s the one who figured out how to craft the circle that Sharim eventually used to summon the high lords.”

  There was another crash from the forest ahead of them. It was still a great distance away, but they were getting closer.

  “We could be walking into a trap, you know,” Onior said. “She could have summoned a legion into your lands.”

  “I know,” Jez said. “But if she’s here, she’s going after Aniel.”

  “Do you think it is an easy thing to capture a high lord of the pharim?”

  Jez shrugged. “They already have Aphlel, and they almost got Sariel. I’d rather not take the chance.” Jez sniffed at the air. “There’s another one beneath us.”

  Onior tightened his grip on his sword but didn’t say anything. It had happened a dozen times now. With such a powerful minion of Sharim in the area, they didn’t dare slow down to deal with each individual demon. Still, ignoring them obviously grated on Onior, and Jez hated leaving enemies behind him.

  “How big is this forest?” Ziary asked.

  “It was created by the triune,” Jez said, “Probably for the specific purpose of drawing out Aniel and capturing him. You spent more time here than anyone. If you don’t know, it’s probably huge.”

  “You mean you didn’t bother to figure out how big it was before they betrayed us?” Lina asked.

  Jez rolled his eyes. “I was a little busy with the unconscious high lord in my garden while the beast men and Haziel’s army were constantly at each other’s throats. I’m sorry that I didn’t bother to check how far into the northern wastes the new magical forest that sprung up overnight extende
d.”

  The air was suddenly full of the stench of sulfur. Jez scanned the area as a massive tree was uprooted. The thing that ran by looked like a cross between a bull and a bear, though it stood at least twenty feet tall at the shoulder. It barreled through trees, knocking them over with as much effort as Jez would take in walking through tall grass. A sense of immense power washed over Jez, completely obscuring the demonic scent and telling him that this could only be Aniel. Before anyone could respond, three sickly green clouds glided out of the trees and toward the strange creature, leaving a trail of dead plants in their wake. For a moment, Jez thought he saw a skeletal form glowing within one of the clouds, but it faded a second later, and he wasn’t entirely sure it hadn’t been a trick of the light.

  “Poxin,” Onior cried out as he dove toward the nearest one. His sword cut into it, having about as much of an effect as one would expect a sword to have on a cloud of gas. Still, it paused and seemed to stare at him. Then, it expanded and enveloped the afur. Flashes of orange light shone from within. The other two clouds, however, kept after Aniel. Jez and Ziary exchanged glances. Without needing to be told, Lina pointed to a tall tree. Jez only hesitated for a second before depositing her on the highest branches. Ziary had already dived into one of the clouds, so Jez entered the last.

  His skin felt like it was on fire. Tears welled in his eyes. It was all he could do to hold on to Luntayary’s form. His flesh was burning, but it wasn’t like when he drew too deeply of the pharim’s power. This was like acid. A being that looked like a human skeleton lunged at him, gripping his throat. Its fingers felt like burning bands on his skin. He started to cry out, but the acidic fog flowed into his mouth, cutting him off. Every part of him erupted in pain. The skeletal figure squeezed tighter, but Jez barely noticed. He slashed blindly, but all he cut into was empty air.

  In desperation, he pulled water out of the air and tried to use it as a shield around himself. To his surprise, the pain lessened as the acidic fog was caught up in the water. It wouldn’t last, though. He could already feel the water becoming saturated. At best, he had seconds.