by N M Thorn
“Can you die?” she asked calmly, looking directly into his eyes. “Answer my question straight.”
“Yes, I can, River,” replied Damian softly. “Even gods can be killed, and I’m not a god.” He approached her, placing his hands on her shoulders. “I’ll be all right. We both will be fine.” Glancing at his wristwatch again, he frowned, throwing a quick glance at his brother. Then he gestured at the door. “Master Alliandr should be summoning me any moment now. It’s time.”
River didn’t add anything else but squared her shoulders and silently walked out the door without looking back.
Damian stepped into the kitchen and halted, observing everyone in the room. Ace and Jamie weren’t getting along, and Atticus had taken a place between them, keeping them at arm’s length. Yakov sat in the same place, a set of glowing runes scrolling in the air in front of him. He kept touching one rune at a time, shaking his head, and then scrolling farther down. Once he noticed Damian, he moved his hand across the set of runes, and they vanished.
With a low groan, he got up. “I can’t find anything about Koschei the Deathless and the location of his death,” he said, staring down at the table. “I need to get back to the Wardens Library as soon as possible and start the research. In case, you won’t be able to stop Azazel, we have to be ready, Commander.” He lifted his face, angst reflected in his eyes. “When it comes to combat magic, I’m not—”
Damian raised his hand, stopping him. “It’s okay, Yakov. You made the right choice. You should go to the Wardens Library and take Jamie with you. I’m sure between the two of you, you’ll find everything we need.”
Jamie’s eyes lit up with excitement, but he swallowed and shook his head. “Wait, Damian. I should go with you and Cole.”
Damian stifled a sigh, noticing a torn expression on the young man’s face. It was obvious that on one hand, Jamie wanted to visit the Wardens Library and Archives. After all, it was a legendary place filled with ancient books, scrolls and wisdom collected over thousands of years, and Jamie with his natural hunger for knowledge yearned to spend time in a place like this. On the other hand, he felt that he was betraying his friend, and his honor wouldn’t let him do it.
“It’s okay, Jamie,” Damian said softly. “What Yakov’s doing is just as important, and he needs your help. Cole and I will be fine. Besides, Master Alliandr is sending someone to help us.” He switched his attention to Ace, mentally preparing for a storm. “Ace, I need you to sit this one out.”
“But Damian—,” she started but fell silent under his heavy gaze.
“Please, Ace,” he said softly. “I can order you as a Commander, but I’m asking you as a friend. Please, stay here. If you care about my brother, you’ll do as I say.”
As defiance vanished from her eyes, she glanced at Cole, her gaze pleading with him. The vampire frowned but made his way around the table and halted next to her. Placing his hand on her shoulder, he leaned down.
“Today, we all are going to do as Damian says,” he whispered into her ear. “Not because he’s a Commander and it’s his mission, and not because he’s my older brother, but because he’s right. Do it for me, Ace.” He gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze and stepped back.
Feeling a slight headache of a summoning call originating behind his eyes, Damian channeled his power and drew a rune in the air, opening a communication window. Master Alliandr and an unfamiliar tall man stood in front of the window.
“Commander,” said the Master of Power, slightly inclining his head. He waved his hand at the man and introduced him. “This is Oleg Svetlov—my friend I’ve told you about earlier. I’ve explained your situation to Oleg, and he is willing to take you to the cave and stay with you to support you in case you need help.” Alliandr glanced at the man, warmth transforming his face. “Oleg, this is Damian Blake, a Commander of the Destiny Enforcers.”
Oleg’s attentive hazel eyes met Damian’s, and a wide, open smile split his face, dimpling his cheeks.
“Nice to meet you, sir,” he said, generously rolling his R’s, and Damian had to wonder why this man spoke with such a heavy Russian accent when he could use his magic to speak fluently and without an accent in any language.
Damian smiled back at him, inclining his head. “Thank you, Oleg. I appreciate your help.”
He stepped away from the window and channeled his magic. As his hands lit up with a soft orange glow, he heard Oleg’s soft gasp and glanced back at him, noticing surprise bordering on shock written on his face. Turning away, he drew a bright rune in the air and returned to the communication window.
“Master Alliandr,” he said, “the location rune is ready. You can open your portal.”
The young King of Kendral turned to his friend, his eyes filled with concern. They locked their hands in a forearm handshake, and Oleg tapped Alliandr’s upper arm slightly.
“I’ll be fine, Alliandr,” he said with a half-shrug. “We’ve been through worse, yes?”
“Yes.” Alliandr released his arm. “You know my girlfriend will kill me if something happens to you.” He turned to Damian, and a slight smile ghosted his lips. “Damian, you better take care of my friend or my girlfriend will come after you, too.”
“God save us all in that case.” Oleg laughed, his light eyes shining with humor. “Open the portal, my friend. I will see you soon.”
A heartbeat later, a portal rotating with bright blue lights opened next to Damian, and Oleg walked through it. He turned to Damian and offered his hand.
“It is great to meet you in person, sir,” he said.
Damian glanced at Oleg’s hand, noticing a thin silver ring on his middle finger, which looked like the one Master Alliandr had. For a brief moment, he wondered if the Master of Power had given the controlling ring of the Hollow Band to his friend or if it was just a plain piece of jewelry. Then he smiled and took Oleg’s hand. A wave of elemental energy of Earth rushed through him, and the ground responded to their connection with a light tremor. Yakov got up, his eyes wide with awe.
“You don’t say,” he mumbled, tilting his head. “Well, you don’t see something like this every day.”
“You’re a Child of Earth.” Damian released Oleg’s hand, taking a step back. “I’ve heard that there was a Child of Earth in Kendral, but I never thought I would meet...” His voice trailed off as he observed the man with new interest.
“I had no idea there was another Child of Earth,” admitted Oleg, his eyes narrowing slightly. “I wonder if Sandhya knows.” Catching Damian’s puzzled look, he added, “Sandhya… You know? She is the Elemental of Earth.”
“The Queen of Kendral’s Underworld?” Damian stared at him in awe.
He knew that the Elemental of Earth resided in Kendral, and from what he’d been told, the Queen didn’t like to leave her kingdom of dwarfs. Wise and kind to her subjects, she regarded strangers with open wariness. While she lived in peace with the people on the surface, trading gems, minerals and iron for food and some supplies she couldn’t produce in her realm, she never allowed anyone from the outside to enter her underground domain. However, this man spoke about her with such ease and familiarity as if she were his best friend.
“Yes, the Queen of the Underworld.” Oleg thought for a moment and added, “If we survive all this, there is a big chance you will see her soon, and I will be happy to introduce you to her.”
His eyes slipped across the room as he studied everyone present, and a slightly apologetic smile touched his lips.
“My apologies. There is no time for introductions, but I hope to see you all later on today.” Switching his attention to Damian, his face grew harder, a muscle working in his tightly pressed jaw. “Damian, once I teleport us into the cave, we will be right in the middle of whatever is going on there. I have no idea what we will find there, but it cannot be any good. Unfortunately, there are no other ways to get into the cave as it exists between our world and the Dark Nav. There is no place to hide there either. It is a large open space with
a small lake on the right side of it. So, brace yourself, Commander, and expect the unexpected.”
Damian motioned for Cole to come closer and put his hand on his shoulder. “This is my brother Cole. He is coming with us.”
Oleg gave Cole a quick once-over followed by a curt nod and took Damian’s elbow, raising his hand. “Here goes…”
As Oleg snapped his fingers to teleport them out of Paradise Manor, Ace crossed the distance between her and Cole in one step and grabbed his arm. Damian noticed her move, but it was too late to do anything as the world swirled around him, darkness taking over.
Chapter 32
~ Damian Blake ~
The reek of sulfur mixed in with a musty, unclean smell assaulted his senses, and Damian held his breath, hiding his face in the crook of his elbow. The flickering orange light of torches illuminated a spacious cave, unsteady shadows moving away from the circles of light. A small lake was right behind him. With nothing disturbing its smooth, mirror-like surface, it spread, black and motionless, unknown dangers hiding in the depths of its waters. In front of him, a wide circle of dark, hooded figures obscured everything that was going on at the other end of the cave. The soft sound of their monotonous, emotionless chant filled the space with a continuous hum that sent chills down Damian’s back.
“We’re too late,” Cole’s voice sounded in Damian’s mind as he stared at the people in long, black cloaks, trying to figure out what they were.
“Maybe not… Can you detect what they are? I don’t want to use any magic if I can help it,” projected Damian. He threw a warning glance at Oleg and Ace, raising his finger to his lips.
“Not humans,” replied Cole. “At least most of them are neither humans nor vampires. My guess some kind of demonic entities.”
Oleg placed his hand on the pommel of his sword and gave Damian an arched stare, jerking his chin toward the monsters. Damian nodded but didn’t move, his jaw clenched so tight he didn’t think he could speak. He wasn’t sure what he was waiting for, but he stared at the enemy army like in a trance. He knew that even the tiniest sound or a fluctuation in the magical energy field around them could alert the chanting monsters as well as the Fallen.
Even though he couldn’t see Azazel anywhere, he was positive the demon was here. The biggest surprise, however, was that the Fallen hadn’t noticed the spike of magical energy they had created when they teleported into the cave, as well as that he still hadn’t detected Cole’s presence since vampires couldn’t shield their energy signature. At least, he didn’t acknowledge their presence, and that fact alone made Damian’s stomach twist with dread.
A thin metallic sound was so faint that Damian barely noticed it. He glanced in the direction of the sound to see Ace standing with her sword in her hand and cursed inwardly at her inexperience.
He wasn’t sure if it happened because of the sound Ace produced or because Azazel finally decided to acknowledge their presence, but the change came immediately. The chant ceased abruptly, and a heavy silence enveloped the cave, pressing on Damian’s stretched nerves. Somewhere at the far end of the cave, a few rocks fell, rolling across the hard ground, their sound prominent in the surrounding quietness.
All cloaked figures turned around at once, a heavy shuffling noise following their movement. Their black hoods were pulled low over their faces, and he couldn’t distinguish their features. But as their black lips drew back in a snarl, a set of terrifying fangs reflected the light of the torches, and it seemed as though their mouths were filled with blood. The reek of demonic essence intensified, leaving no doubt—most of these monsters were demons in their pure form, which made the situation a lot more dangerous.
Most of the demons who walked the realm of humans weren’t in their natural state, but rather human bodies possessed by demonic essence. More often than not, the owners of the possessed bodies were long dead. However, in some cases, for reasons known to them only, the demon kept the soul of the human they were possessing intact. While these kinds of demons were dangerous and magically well-endowed, they were relatively easy to kill, and in their power, they were nothing compared to the demons in their natural state.
It wasn’t easy to summon pure demons from the realms of demons and spirit. It was even harder to control them and make them do your bidding. So, seeing so many of them gathered inside the cave just confirmed the seriousness of Azazel’s intentions and his enormous power.
Both Oleg and Cole unsheathed their swords, and Damian summoned his daggers but didn’t channel his magic through them, waiting to see what would happen next. A soft wave of whispers rushed through the crowd, and the demons parted, creating a narrow passage between them.
“What the hell?” Cole projected, and his vampiric essence spiked around him, his eyes igniting with a scarlet glow.
“Azazel is coming,” replied Damian.
A short, scrawny man walked among giant demons and halted one step ahead of them. His eyes, enlarged by the giant lenses of his eyeglasses, swept from left to right, halting for a brief moment on each of them. His lips stretched into a wide smile, exposing overly bleached teeth, and he took one more step forward, now standing right in front of his army. He glanced back at the demons and waved his hand.
“What are you staring at?” he asked impatiently, displeasure clear in his voice. “Keep going. The location is not going to reveal itself.”
Right away, the demons turned around and started to chant again, their whispers flowing through the cave once more.
“Commander Blake,” Azazel said, switching his attention to Damian. “I see you found me.” His eyes darted from Cole to Oleg, and his smirk became wider. “And I see you brought your biological brother and your brother in element with you. How sweet.” His eyes explored Oleg’s body, moving up and down his brawny figure, and he pointed at him with his slightly deformed finger. “I’ve heard of you. If I’m not mistaken, you’re the Child of Earth from Kendral—the infamous Captain Oleg Svetlov, personal friend and bodyguard of the Master of Kendral. Am I right?” An almost a child-like excitement lit up his eyes.
Oleg shrugged nonchalantly, a cold smile tugging at his lips. “What if I am? Does it make any difference?”
Azazel lifted his skinny shoulders, pursing his lips. “Alas, you’re right, Captain. No matter who you are, you stand no chance against me. I’ll kill you all.” His eyes halted on Ace, and his eyebrows rose dangerously close to his hairline. “And who might this enchanting, tiny creature among you giants be?” He reached for Ace, but she stepped back, raising her sword.
“I’ll kill you, demonic scumbag,” she growled, squeezing the grip of her sword tighter.
“Aw… I’m sure you’ll try, dear.” Azazel chuckled, shaking his head, the fluffy cloud of his hair flowing with his every move. He stepped away from Ace and returned to Damian. “How did you find out where I was, Commander? Just curious. I thought I covered my tracks well.”
“Not as well as you thought,” replied Damian, calmly. “You made a mistake, Azazel. You took only the controlling ring of the Hollow Band.”
“Oh?” The Fallen cocked his head, staring at him intently. “You also know who I am. Kudos to you, Commander. I didn’t figure you were smart enough to figure it out.”
“Underestimating your opponents is another mistake you’ve made and are still making.” Damian smirked, placing his hand of Ace’s shoulder.
“You’re probably right. In this case, the masquerade is over.” The Fallen roared, spreading his arms, and his magical energy mixed in with his demonic essence spiked to the next level.
The air around him shimmered, and a dark-purple mist rose from the ground, wrapping around him like a shimmering veil. The walls trembled, causing a few more rocks to slide at the other end. A gust of wind swept across the cave, raising dust in the air, and then spun around Azazel into a purple funnel, its howls earsplitting within the limited space of the cave.
A moment later, the wind died down, and the mist vanished, revealing a figu
re of a giant man towering at least a foot over Damian. His narrow, black lips stretched into a malignant smirk as he stared down from his height, the look of his long, sharp fangs making the small hairs rise on the back of Damian’s neck. The Fallen rolled his massive shoulders covered with grotesquely bulging muscles, and a pair of giant, webbed wings sprouted behind his back.
Ace gasped, taking a step back involuntarily. A wild grin split Cole’s face as he brought his sword to his shoulder, and for some reason, his blade emitted a soft scarlet glow, characteristic of the energy of magic. Damian threw a troubled glance at his brother but had no time to think about it.
“That is all you have?” Oleg asked calmly, staring at the monster. A dark smirk appeared on his face, leaving his eyes cold and hard.
The demon glowered down at him and cocked his head a little, throwing the long strands of his black hair to his back. He didn’t grace Oleg with an answer. Instead, he pivoted on his heels, the metal soles of his heavy boots scraping the ground.
“I’ll take it from here,” he said to his army, his deep voice bouncing off the tall ceiling of the cave. He waved his giant arm in Damian’s direction. “Kill the girl and the vampire. Children of Elements are immortal. Subdue and restrain them until I have time to deal with them.”
For a brief second, Azazel looked back at Damian, his eyes glowing with the malignant glimmer of his magic, and the corner of his mouth went up as if teasing him to try to stop him. He folded his massive wings and moved toward the opposite end of the cave, his every step producing soft tremors.
The demonic army shifted forward, taking their hoods off. Their ugly faces had nothing human about them, and the carnivorous light in their eyes was unmistakable. They ripped their cloaks off, bringing forth an assortment of terrifyingly large weapons—swords, daggers, battle axes and hammers, as well as spike-infested clubs and chains.