Demon Stone (Ascendancy Legacy 4)

by Bradford Bates

  “Then tell me about this final test.”

  “It’s simple. Place the heart into the slot on the table. The stone will appear, and if you have been chosen, you won’t be burned into ash.” He looked down at the floor when he said it.

  For the first time, I noticed several small piles of what I thought was sand sitting around the table. If Bristow was correct, instead of sand, it was the ashes of people that failed to contain the demon stone’s power. It gave me a slight pause before I stepped up to the table. Was I really the chosen one? Everyone thought that it was true, but how could they truly know? I guess now I would find out for sure.

  The heart of cinders fit perfectly into the slot on the table. A circle in the center of the table slowly slid back into the stone, and a pedestal started to rise out of the cavity. On it was the black stone pulsing with red light. The power of it washed over me even from three feet away. I could barely stand to be next to it. This thing made the Jar of Souls look like a kid’s toy when it came to raw power. That was going to be the trick, then. How do you contain the power of the stone?

  Tossing a glance back at Bristow revealed nothing. He sat stoic, looking out into the cave as if the results of this test made no difference to him. Looking back at the stone, I couldn’t help but think that I wasn’t ready for my life to be over. There was so much left to live for. I had April and my mom. Not to mention friends that actually cared about me. All of it was on the line right now. But if we didn’t retrieve the stone, then all of humanity might be on the line. It had to be worth the sacrifice. This was what heroes did, right?

  My hand paused inches away from the stone. I could feel the heat coming off of it. Even without touching it, I could feel my skin starting to blister. I pulled my hand away with a hiss, and then I remembered my dream. It hadn’t been pleasant, but in it, I had been able to hold the stone. The spell took hold, and I reached for the stone, pulling it off the pedestal in one quick motion.

  I didn’t turn into a pile of ash, so that was a plus.

  It took a moment for it to sink in that the stone was in my hand, and then its power slammed into me. The heat of its magic was intense. I felt it stripping away the layers of my soul. The stone almost seemed to be judging me. Whatever it was looking for, I hoped that it found it.

  The power of it forced me to my knees. I could feel the blood in my veins heating up. This was it, the moment I was going to die. Bristow turned toward me and pulled his hood up. I swear he mumbled, “Another failed attempt,” before turning back and facing the entrance of the cave.

  Fuck that! There was no way I was going to fail. I had to stand up to fight against the demons. This world needed to be safe for my friends, for my family. Our job was to protect humanity. I was going to do that now.

  I pushed myself up from the ground and started to lift the stone above my head. This was my moment, my Conan, my Krull, my Dune. Today was the day I became a hero, that I would do my part to save those around me. The power washed over me one final time and then all at once seemed to go dormant. The stone still felt warm in my hand, but not enough to burn me. I tucked it away inside of my coat and turned back toward Bristow.

  He snarled, “It’s not possible.”

  “Bristow, what’s wrong?” I said, taking a few steps away from the man. He was clearly angry about something, and he had already proved himself to be a powerful mage. He cast the spell that tested us as we entered the cave that was no small piece of magic. I needed room to move in case he did something drastic.

  “I’m not ready to die,” he screamed at me, throwing off his hooded cloak. He pulled his bastard sword free. The blade glinted in the light of the cave as he raised it above his head and charged. A scream broke from his lungs even as a snarl pulled at the corner of his lips. There was nothing left to do. I pulled my own swords free and waited to meet his charge.

  CHAPTER 18

  JACKSON

  Seriously, what in the hell was going on? Bristow was attacking me for living through the final challenge. Did he say something about not wanting to die? There wasn’t time to worry about it now. Bristow snapped his sword down in a deadly arc. I managed to deflect the blow to the side. His blade bounced off the cavern floor, and he used the momentum to spin around, launching another strike.

  Somehow I managed to duck beneath the wild blow. His next swing was just as easily deflected. He was out of practice, and I fought against one of the best swordswomen in the world almost daily. I deflected the next three strikes before Bristow fell back, trembling from the exertion.

  “Why are you doing this?”

  “I’m not ready to die.”

  “You said that already. Why would removing the stone kill you? I thought you’d be happy to be free of its burden.”

  “Long ago a false chosen injured me in a battle. The stone is the only thing keeping me alive. I bound its energy to me. If you leave with it, my life is forfeit.”

  “You once served a greater purpose.”

  “Time tends to bend purpose to one’s own needs.”

  “It’s your choice. You can die with the shame of knowing you betrayed your faith, or you can die knowing that you fulfilled your duty. The choice is yours.”

  Bristow charged at me again. This time, he brought his sword in low. I jumped over the blade and kicked him in the face as he stumbled backward. I lashed out with one of my blades, catching his sword arm on the wrist. His blade clattered to the ground, and he let out a howl of frustration.

  “This is your last chance to die with some dignity.”

  He fell to his knees, and sobs shook his body. He looked up at me with tears in his eyes. “Please forgive me.” His eyes pleaded with me to say yes. “You must understand. The stone is the essence of hell bound to this plane. Over time, it will corrupt you if you let it.”

  “Do your duty, and you shall be forgiven.”

  “Thank you.” He stood and waved his hand. Dark smoke swirled around me, and the light of the cavern faded away. Before the smoke blocked out the scene in front of me, I saw him smile. It was a sad end to the tale of a great man. How many others fell to his hand after passing their trial? I would have to remember what he said about the stone. As for everything else, I’d prefer to let his memory live as the boy who rode away in the storybook.

  The light came back. I was standing in the clearing, and April was rushing toward me. I had just enough time to sheath my swords before she jumped into my arms. I kissed her deeply and then pulled back a smile breaking across my face. “It’s good to see you too.”

  “I didn’t think I would ever see you again.” She kissed me again.

  “What do you mean? I couldn’t have been gone for more than a few hours.”

  “Jackson, you’ve been gone for three days.” There wasn’t even a hint of a lie on her face.

  “No way. I was just down there. I grabbed the stone, and Bristow sent me outside.”

  “Marcus left this morning. He is on his way back to the cabin now. He went for supplies and to talk with Adam.”

  If I had been gone for three days in the space of a few hours, how long had we been away from the Ascendancy? April seemed to pick up on the tension in my body and slid off of me.

  “Jackson, what is it?”

  “If I was gone for three days just now, we could have been gone for months while we were inside of the cave. If we run, do you think we could catch Marcus?”

  “He left two hours ago, but you know Marcus. He won’t be able to move as fast as us.”

  “If you get tired, let me know, and I’ll carry you.”

  “You’re the one that should be tired. You haven’t slept since we went into the cave.”

  “I’m relying on the strength from my mom’s side of the family tree to try and save the day.”

  “Well, then, stop talking and start running.”

  She was right; we had wasted enough time. With one look over my shoulder to make sure she was following, I set off down the trail. Marcus’s scent
still hung in the air, or where his clothes had brushed against the foliage. It helped that he was just as ripe as when we had left the cave. I didn’t question how or why I could smell him. I just used it to my advantage.

  April was doing a damn good job of keeping up as I pushed the pace harder. We had two hours of time to make up, and we had to reach him before he went through the portal without us. We needed to get back. I didn’t know for sure how much time had passed, but it was too much. The Ascendancy needed us, and we had been gone for what felt like two days, but it had to have been much longer.

  His scent was growing stronger, but we were running out of time to reach him. If I had to guess, I would say that we had made up at least half the distance on him but had covered slightly more than half of the trail. I could go faster, but I wasn’t sure if April could keep up. “We need to pick up the pace.”

  “Then run ahead. I’ll be right behind you.”

  She was right. If I carried her, I’d only be able to move about as fast as we were going now, and that wouldn’t do us any good. I waved over my shoulder and started to run at a full sprint through the forest. As long as I reached Marcus first, I could turn back for April and guide her toward the cabin.

  The ground seemed to blur beneath my feet. How much faster would I be able to run when I could shift? Just the thought of it filled me with joy. I let my animal side take over as I sprinted through the forest. It felt as if I was on the hunt and my prey was getting away. With each step, his scent grew stronger until finally, I could see signs of his passing. Pine needles on the ground that had been disturbed. Leaves he had brushed against that hadn’t snapped back into place. He was getting closer.

  I broke through the clearing just as he was putting his hand on the door to cast the spell. “Marcus, wait!” He turned and looked at me just as I collapsed to the ground in exhaustion. I’d made it, and only just in time. I managed to flip onto my back, and my lungs heaved, trying to pull more air greedily into my body. My vision started to swim, but I didn’t pass out. God, I needed some water.

  Soon, my perfect view of the bright blue sky was blocked by a black face and bouncing dreads. “Dude, get out of my sun,” I managed to get out before sucking in another gulp of air.

  Marcus laughed. “Bro, you’re alive.”

  “Yeah, I’ll tell you all about it sometime. Although right now, I feel like maybe being alive isn’t the best thing in the world.”

  “Where’s April?” I lifted a hand and pointed back the way I had come. “You must have been hauling ass to catch me.”

  “You know it, brother. Now if you don’t mind, I’m going to lie here until the lady shows up, and then we have to go.”

  I explained to him about the time gap. He confirmed I had been gone for three days. There was no way to tell how long we had all been gone from that small snippet of time, but it had to have been at least a month. They were going to die of shock when we came back home. All of them had to think we were dead. My mom was probably going crazy.

  My breathing finally seemed to come under control, and I managed to sit up. Ten minutes later, I was standing, and five minutes after that, April burst through the trees. She fell to her knees, exhaustion taking her the moment she knew we succeeded in stopping Marcus. Mostly recovered, I swept her up into my arms and carried her toward the doorway.

  “Take us home, Marcus.”

  “You got it, bro.”

  The door glowed briefly white around the edges, and then it opened into a hallway back home. I stepped through, carrying April, and Marcus slipped through right behind me. I turned to head up the hallway and almost walked into the point of a sword. Setting April down and moving her slightly behind me, I met the swordsman's eye. I hadn’t even noticed until April was safe, but it was Henry.

  He stood there looking stunned. I shoved his blade to the side and pulled him into a ferocious hug. “It’s good to see you, Henry.”

  “Jackson, we thought you were dead. I have to get a message to Adam and your mother right away.”

  “We can come with you to Adam’s office.”

  “They aren’t there. They are out on the front lines.”

  “Front lines?” April asked, pushing herself around me.

  “That’s right. There is no way you could know about what has been happening. It's been crazy around here.” He reached for April's hand and started to pull her forward. “Come with me, and I’ll fill you in.” He started to move forward and then stopped abruptly. Henry turned around, letting go of April’s hand. He looked over each of us in turn as if trying to decide what to do with us. “On second thought, why don’t you get cleaned up and I’ll come to you?”

  “Sounds good, Henry.” I knew that I smelled bad, and that last desperate run hadn’t helped anything. “Marcus, meet us at my place in twenty.”

  “I’ll be there,” he said, running off down the corridor. Henry followed him but turned right instead of left at the intersection.

  “Twenty minutes. Huh. What do you plan on doing with the other fifteen?” April asked with a smirk.

  “I need at least fifteen minutes to shower.” She smacked me on the arm, and we headed home.

  CHAPTER 19

  JACKSON

  Once we were in the shower and smelling reasonably well, April laid her head against my chest and wrapped her arms around me. The water cascaded over us, and we stood there silently, holding each other. I felt her body shake against mine as she started to sob. “There is no reason for tears. We all made it back in one piece.”

  “I thought I lost you out there. You were gone for days.”

  There was no way for me to know exactly what she was feeling. For me, it had all been one timeline, and a matter of hours before I saw her again. For her, it had been days. How would I have coped with it? Not nearly as well as she had by the look of it. Especially not now while my emotions were all over the place. If I had thought she was gone, I would have burned down the world to get her back. She meant that much to me.

  I tilted her head up so that she had to look at me. “I love you.” Then I leaned in and kissed her before she could answer.

  Our kiss broke. “I love you too, Jackson.”

  I ran my fingers through her hair. “And you know nothing will keep us apart, not even death.”

  “I know. I would follow you anywhere.”

  That was all I needed to hear. I leaned back in and kissed her. She was so light as I lifted her into the air. She wrapped her legs around my waist, and I spun around so I could use the wall for leverage. As I entered her, I thought that one of these days we might actually have to have sex in our bed. Lately, it seemed like the only time we had alone was in the shower.

  She bit down on my shoulder, bringing me quickly back into the moment. For the next few minutes, all I could think of was her. How she felt as she moved against me, and how lucky I was to have found the woman of my dreams. She had been there since day one, and it had just taken me a while to realize it. She let out a moan, and it pushed me over the edge.

  Slowly, we broke apart, and I lowered her back to the ground. “Ok, so maybe I only needed five minutes to shower.”

  “Well, I’m happy to report that you made good use of the rest of your allocated time.”

  “Pleased to have been of service.”

  She slapped her hand against my chest, and we laughed at the sound it made as the water continued to rain down around us. Her hit left a red handprint on my chest for a moment, and I smiled at the thought of having something of her left on me. What was I going to do with myself? This lady had me head over heels in love.

  The sound of the front door opening brought me back to my senses. I stepped out of the shower and grabbed a towel. There was just enough time to wrap it around my waist before stepping out into the hallway. A very agitated-looking Britta flew across the room and landed in my arms. The towel almost fell as I hugged her back. I thought about reaching for it, but she had seen me naked already. I thought of April and grabbe
d the towel. It wouldn’t do me any good to be naked and hugging a fully clothed Britta when she walked out of the bathroom.

  “Jackson, you’re alive. Henry told me you were back, but I didn’t believe him.”

  “We just made it back a few minutes ago. We’re tired but okay.”

  “You have to tell me what happened. You’ve been gone for so long.”

  “How about I get dressed first, and then we can talk. Marcus and Henry are on their way back here now.”

  “Sure, and I have someone I need you to meet.”

  “Then clothes first for sure.”

  Britta seemed almost giddy as she spun around and headed for the door. What was she doing here when everyone was out in the field? Had Adam left her behind again? Just what in the hell had happened while we were gone?

  I made it back into the bedroom, and April was already almost dressed. She shot me a quick look that said next time put your clothes on before hugging your ex-girlfriend. I just shrugged my shoulders and went for some clean clothes. I grabbed my favorite pair of jeans and an old white tee. All of my combat gear was filthy, so I was going to have to improvise.

  I had another harness for my swords. It took a few adjustments, but I had it on right after a few moments. I sheathed my father’s swords and then tucked the demon stone into the inside pocket of my jacket. I was ready to go. Turning around, I saw April heading for the front door. All of her gear was strapped into place. Despite our mad rush to catch Marcus and the lack of sleep we had over the last few days, we were ready to spring back into battle at a moment’s notice. Rest could wait, especially if our friends were dying out there.

  April opened the door, and Henry came in, followed by Marcus. A moment later, Britta came in, closely followed by a defiant-looking girl I had never seen before. She had a few pink streaks in her black hair and dressed like she enjoyed punk rock. Henry looked at April and me, and noticed that Marcus had his staff as well, and a smile broke out on his face. He had to have known we were exhausted but ready to go.