by L. L. McNeil
Where did an Enchantress go to restore their magic? She’d said Caramond House was her base. Was there somewhere else, too? Hadn’t her home dimension been destroyed by demons? Like Delgo’s?
Seila pictured Fallow in her mind, as clearly as she could. Her green eyes were striking—filled with emotion and yet also a steely hardness. They seemed to look right through her.
She felt something to her right. A kind of magic that stirred up the air, created a current. Or pressure. Then, the crackle of electricity. Seila opened her eyes. The tiniest hint of smoke twisted a couple of feet above the grass. More mist, than anything else. She squinted. It appeared white, or colourless. It wasn’t Delgo’s purple and it certainly wasn’t demonic black. But that didn’t mean it wasn’t a threat.
‘Delgo,’ Seila called. The Djinni would know what it was, if anyone would.
With all of Fallow’s enchantments in place, she didn’t think a demon could materialise inside the grounds of Caramond House, even if it was an Elite. She kept panic at bay, but she didn’t like the uncertainty of it. She slid off the pillar, used her wings to slow her descent, and brandished her sword at the swirling mist.
It had grown in the few seconds she’d been watching it, and by the time Delgo and Tej arrived, it had doubled in size. ‘Ah. Nothing to worry about. But you might want to drop to your knees,’ Delgo said, his golden eyes twinkling, his words ever cryptic.
Seila and Tej took his advice, and Seila crouched low, bracing herself for an explosion of some sort. Despite Delgo’s mischievous nature, she wasn’t about to disregard a suggestion from the Djinni.
Damon headed over to them, unsure what all the commotion was. ‘Hey, what’s happening? What’s that?’ He pointed to the swirling mist, which had formed into a wide arch about ten feet high.
Delgo didn’t have the chance to answer him.
A knee-high boot stepped through the arch and onto the grass, metal buckles clinking. It was immediately followed by the boot’s owner—a tall, blonde woman, with severe blue eyes and the deepest scowl that Seila had ever seen. She wore two hand axes, one on each hip, a black corset with gold buttons along both sides, a thick leather belt, and dark green breeches tucked into her boots.
She took in the four of them, blinked, then grabbed one of her axes and hurled it at Damon.
He let out a gasp of shock, raised both arms and a wall of flame engulfed the axe before it slammed into him.
Seila was on her feet in an instant, sword held high. ‘Stop right there!’
The woman didn’t even look at Seila; her gaze was locked on Damon and his wall of flame. ‘You need to show me some respect!’
Damon staggered back, his arms still up. ‘What the hell? Who do you think you are? Chucking axes around and demanding respect!’
She sneered, looked down her nose at him for a long second, then back at the others. Her eyes narrowed on the Djinni. ‘Delgo. Is this your idea of a joke?’
Delgo grinned wide, teeth on full display. ‘He’s new, my Lady. I couldn’t resist. Be kind.’
Her scowl softened, but didn’t leave her face. ‘Of course you’re the one to blame.’ She grabbed her other axe and threw it at the Djinni. Her attack was fast, accurate, and would have smashed straight into Delgo’s chest had he not disappeared in a puff of purple smoke.
‘Stay right where you are!’ Seila yelled, sword still held. Clearly Delgo knew her—he had warned them to kneel after all—but who did she think she was? If this woman was attacking her allies, she was dangerous. A threat. And she needed to be put down.
The woman continued to ignore Seila and strode towards Damon. She gave his flame wall a cursory glance, then stepped through it, leaning down to pick up the axe she’d thrown at him.
Seila lowered her sword in shock. The woman didn’t even look singed.
She inspected the axe, ran a finger over the blade, and re-attached it at her hip. ‘Delgo, this is no time for your silliness. What are you doing? Having a picnic? The world is about to fall around your heads and you’re playing games?’
Seila took a step forward, irritated at being ignored. ‘I told you to stay where you are! Last warning.’
The woman looked at her, then. She stared at Seila’s sword before shrugging and retrieving her other axe from where Delgo had been.
Tej leapt back as she approached, and hurried over to Seila. He still clutched his crossbow, but he didn’t lift it to aim. ‘Who are you?’
The woman inspected her other axe and sheathed it. The misty portal through which she’d walked faded away with a soft pop. She looked over at where Delgo had reappeared, some ten feet away, and ignored Tej’s question. ‘Gorath is here.’
Delgo’s smile disappeared from his face as if he’d been slapped. ‘No…’
Her scowl deepened. ‘I followed him. That’s what I came to tell you. Where’s Fallow?’
‘She...she’s away at the moment. Recovering. We’ve only just put down an Elite Demon.’
The woman scratched her chin. ‘Well, you’d better fetch her, then.’
Delgo’s eyes darted to the side as he considered. After a minute, he licked his lips, eyes sombre, all playfulness gone. ‘Yes, I’ll have to. Don’t do anything until we’re back. Please.’
‘No promises.’ The woman smiled then, a mirthless grin that gave off no warmth.
‘You’ve attacked my friends. Moved when I told you not to. Ignored us,’ Seila said. She didn’t know who the woman was, didn’t like being left out of her conversation with Delgo. ‘Tell me who you are now, or I’ll drive this sword right through you!’
The woman faced her. ‘You are a self-important creature, aren’t you?’
Seila raised her eyebrows. ‘Look who’s talking! You waltz in here, making demands, giving orders.’
‘Stop it. Both of you,’ Delgo said. ‘This isn’t the time.’
The woman folded her arms over her chest, shifted her weight to one hip. ‘I am Lady Tress, demon assassin. I don’t answer to anyone. And I suggest you don’t attack me with that sword, Phantom. You’re going to need me if you want to survive Gorath.’
Seila’s grip didn’t falter. ‘Who’s Gorath?’
‘An Elite Demon.’ Delgo’s voice quivered.
It was the first time Seila had ever heard the Djinni remotely afraid.
‘Not another one!’ Damon groaned loudly.
Tress let out a short bark of laughter. ‘Look what the pup says. Scared thing, trembling like a leaf. Don’t worry, little pup. I’m here to stop him. You can stay here and hide behind your candlelight.’
Seila narrowed her eyes. She really didn’t like Tress. Seila didn’t care that Damon was irritating—no-one from outside was allowed to insult and belittle him. ‘If there’s an Elite Demon anywhere near, I’ll be the one to kill it.’
‘Not happening, Phantom,’ Tress replied. ‘I’ve been hunting Gorath for years. He’s mine.’
Seila wasn’t about to give up the chance of power, of her soul, to some pompous woman that she knew nothing about. ‘I have an accord with Delgo and Fallow. I get the killing blow.’
‘I don’t care. Gorath is mine.’
Seila wrinkled her nose. This woman was stubborn as a goat. And she didn’t seem bothered that she had a sword pointed at her throat.
‘I need to leave now, retrieve Fallow,’ Delgo said. He glared at both of them. ‘I don’t think she’ll be ready, but we don’t have much choice. Don’t kill each other. That is an order.’
Tress huffed, clicking her tongue. ‘Tell that to your Phantom. Wild creature wants blood.’
Delgo shook his head again, but his purple smoke was already enveloping him. He disappeared within seconds, off to retrieve Fallow from wherever she’d gone.
Seila kept her sword held high. She refused to concede. Refused to show weakness. ‘I have a name.’
Tress flicked her hair. ‘I don’t care. You Phantoms are all the same.’ She turned to walk away, headed towards Caramond House.
> That was it. Seila snapped. ‘Tress!’
She paused and glanced over her shoulder. ‘It’s Lady Tress, thank you very much. And I suggest you listen to Delgo. You kill me, you kiss your dimension goodbye.’
‘I’m no pup! I’m the Elemental who beat Sekki, sealed his Mirage, and banished him!’ Damon said. Evidently he’d found his courage while Seila had stood up to Tress.
‘A runesmith, are you?’ Tress raised an eyebrow. ‘I hope you’re a better runesmith than you are an Elemental. Otherwise Fallow’s Kouzlo is finished.’ She continued on, striding to the house as if she owned it, and disappeared inside.
‘What a piece of work,’ Tej said.
Seila lowered her sword when she was gone. In her fury over Tress, she’d almost forgotten the woman’s warning. Another Elite?
‘I don’t care who she is, either,’ Damon said. His fists trembled. ‘We got rid of one Elite. This one ain’t gonna be no different.’ He turned to Tej. ‘Come on, mate. Shoot some bolts, I’ll see if I can blast them out the sky.’ His right fist ignited, burning with a bright white flame.
Seila was impressed he focussed his rage into something productive, but right now, she’d quite enjoy watching him burn a hole through the back of Tress’s head. She sufficed by watching Damon throw balls of fire into the air after Tej’s crossbow bolts, and let her own anger simmer down until it reduced.
A flash of movement caught her eye and she looked back to Caramond House, hoping Tress wasn’t coming back for round two of insults and aggression. When she realised it was Ashante, and the Enchantress was running towards them as fast as she could, Seila knew something was wrong.
She jumped into the air, wings speeding her along. ‘What’s wrong? Has Tress done something?’
Ashante skidded to a halt. Panting, she frowned. ‘What? Lady Tress? No, don’t be ridiculous.’
Seila fluttered her wings, half upset. She wanted a good excuse to take her Seiken Blade to the vulgar woman.
Damon and Tej hurried over, concern lacing their faces.
Tej asked, ‘What’s happened? You look like you’ve seen a demon!’
Ashante caught her breath and looked up, her dark eyes full of worry. ‘Prowlers.’
2
Seila joined the others in the lower reception room of Caramond House. She didn’t like the fact that Ashante, even if she was an Enchantress, had sensed demons before she had. They couldn’t have been too near, or she would have heard them. Claes stood at the front with Ashante, their presence foreboding. Damon and Tej lingered near the window, and Tress kept to the far wall, her arms still folded as if being here was an inconvenience. Seila made her way to Damon and Tej, her affinity for them having tripled since Tress’s arrival.
‘Delgo has left to take Lady Tress’s news of Gorath to Fallow. It may be some days before he returns, and may be some days even after that before Fallow is back,’ Claes explained. The television was switched off, and the fireplace lay cold and empty.
Seila pursed her lips. Delgo was a force to be reckoned with. She hoped the Djinni wouldn’t be gone too long.
Claes continued, ‘Ashante has sensed Prowlers nearby, somewhere to the south of Fernhampton, so you have work to do in the meanwhile. Gorath’s presence in our world doesn’t stop the fact that we’re here to stop demons before they become a threat in our territory.’
Ashante took over. ‘There are two of them. Quite old, quite powerful. There are several farms between us and them, and I fear they will attack those living there.’
‘So much for no more Prowlers after we got rid of Sekki,’ Tej said, his voice bitter. ‘Thought they’d all scattered once their master fled.’
‘We can’t let Prowlers live in our territory. And certainly not so close to Caramond House,’ Claes’s words boomed with anger. ‘I must remain here. I’d greatly enjoy removing Prowlers, but with Fallow and Delgo gone, I cannot leave Caramond House.’
Seila kept quiet and listened. From Claes’s tone, she was willing to bet this was the first time demons as powerful as Prowlers were anywhere close. She wondered whether they were bolder now that Fallow wasn’t around.
‘Let me do it,’ Damon said. All eyes wheeled around to him. ‘I’ve been training the past two weeks. I’ve faced Prowlers before.’
Seila did not think it was a wise decision. She’d killed hundreds, if not thousands, of demons. Admittedly they were a mix of Dragora, Leeches, and Stingers, but she had far more experience hunting demons than Damon. Not to mention she’d almost fallen to a Prowler. But if Damon wanted to prove himself, she had to commend his courage. She wondered whether his bold suggestion had been driven by Tress’s insults.
Judging from Claes’s face, he thought much the same. ‘I’m not sure I can let you tackle them alone, Damon.’
He shrugged. ‘I’ll lead the hunt, then.’
Claes considered. ‘Fair enough. You can lead the attack. Ashante will come along, of course, to show you exactly where they are.’
‘I’ll drive,’ Tej said.
Claes nodded. ‘Good.’
‘Seila, Tress—Lady Tress. Coming, too?’ Damon asked, rolling up his sleeves and immediately taking charge.
‘What for? Seems like overkill,’ Tress said. ‘I’d rather wait here in case Gorath makes his move. I need to be ready to act.’
‘Overkill for two Prowlers? I don’t think so. We struggled against them before,’ Damon said. ‘I need a good team under me for this. I’m sure your Elite can wait a couple of hours.’
Tress snorted, and laughter followed. ‘You struggled against Prowlers? Dragons above, you’ll have no hope against Gorath.’
Damon shrugged. ‘Fine, don’t come if you can’t be useful.’
Tress’s laughter stopped abruptly. ‘I didn’t say that. Tell you what, I’ll come with you. See what you can do. More than likely, I’ll have to show you all how it’s done.’
‘I’ll fly,’ Seila said. She did not want to be cramped in a car with Tress. Tej could drive the others for all she cared.
‘Good. It’s settled then. Go now, before those demons do any damage. I’ll need to issue warnings and monitor the media.’ Claes shooed them out of the room.
Seila took a deep breath and watched Damon lead the others out. Her gaze lingered on Tress—even her walk was overbearingly arrogant—and she wondered whether she’d made a mistake by joining the Kouzlo.
As Seila flew, she couldn’t help but think how empty the sky was without Sierra. The owl’s ghost-like presence had been a companion when she’d first been introduced to Fallow and her Kouzlo. A pale streak of white that kept her company in flight. Without Sierra, and without Fallow, she felt strangely lonely.
She chewed on the inside of her lip. Better to be alone from the beginning than have that companionship snatched away.
At least Fallow would recover. Neither Delgo nor Claes seemed at all concerned, which led Seila to believe that Fallow routinely disappeared for days or weeks at a time. But Seila still didn’t understand the extent of Fallow’s power, of her Kouzlo, and the lack of knowledge made her feel vaguely nauseous. Whenever she was presented with something she didn’t fully understand, flying away was the simplest, most effective method. It was probably why she’d never taken on a Prowler—or another bigger demon—alone before. She’d always stuck to what she knew. That, and Soul Eaters were more likely to have her soul, or so she’d believed.
Her memory of losing her soul was blurry at best. She could recall the enormous demon who had taken it from her. She now knew that to be an Elite. But there had been other demons, too. Lesser Demons, who had laughed and jabbed at her with their claws. They’d taken her soul, her essence, from the Elite and disappeared.
She’d been left chasing them down ever since.
But now, she had to hang around and wait for Fallow to return and uphold her end of the bargain. It wasn’t like she knew where the Enchantress was, either. She couldn’t just fly after her. And although Seila’s quest for her soul
was what drove her, she had grown fond of hunting demons with Damon and Tej over the past two weeks. Much as she hated to admit it.
And besides, she could take on the bigger demons with them. That, alone, made it worth sticking around with the Kouzlo for a while.
The roar of Tej’s Mustang echoed through the evening air. Streaks of red and peach coloured the darkening sky. It would be a warm day tomorrow, if the sayings were to be believed. Tej drove further south, away from Fernhampton, along winding country roads that lent themselves more to being demon country as the landscape grew more rural.
This sort of land had been prize demon hunting ground, and to some extent it still was. Without Sierra’s eyes, though, they’d not been able to track down as many demons as Seila would have liked. And while she was adept at flying herself, she couldn’t cover ground the way Sierra could. The owl’s silent wings allowed her to watch without being noticed, and she could immediately report to Fallow.
When Seila went on patrol, she could find demons easily enough, but by the time she reported back and the others followed her to the right location, the demons had often moved on. She took out a few alone, but she couldn’t really do much against the bigger groups without Tej’s crossbow or the flames of Damon, or Amber.
Larger demons were still relatively uncommon, and her experience chiefly revolved around taking on Leeches, Stingers, or the occasional Dragora. She was after her soul, so Soul Eater demons—Leeches—had always made the most sense.
Prowlers had always been something she’d avoided.
She sighed. Fallow’s spiel about teamwork held some water.
Seila hovered as Tej pulled into a layby on the side of the dark road. They were in the middle of nowhere, nestled between two small villages. There were no streetlights, no proper path along the road. Just a small ditch on either side, a handful of trees, and fields sprawling in all directions. Some were grazing land for sheep and cows, others held rows upon rows of cabbages. The demons might be tempted to take livestock, she thought, but other than that, she couldn’t see why on earth a pair of Prowlers would be drawn to this place.