A loud crash behind me caused me to whirl around, and I came face to face with Mr. Blake. I quickly glanced behind me, seeing no way to retreat with the other demon still fighting. I took a few cautious steps back when Mr. Blake moved forward.
I looked around, trying to see if my brother appeared out of the darkness. When he didn’t, my heart fell. I was sure he had been keeping Mr. Blake from getting to me. Mr. Blake wouldn’t be here if Thurron was ok.
My magic felt his magic looking for a weakness, but I still didn’t understand what it was trying to tell me. I threw a powerful freeze spell at him as he moved closer. It encased his body in ice, and he staggered to a halt. I could see his magic working to free him. Before it could, I sent another wave of magic at him, hitting him in the face with what would feel like a hundred needles.
Dots of blood appeared on his face, but they quickly healed. I continued throwing freeze spells at him to keep him from moving, but I wouldn’t be able to keep him away from me for much longer. He tore through my spells faster each time. I tried using fire on his face but only managed to burn away what little hair he had. His skin wasn’t even red.
He laughed at my shocked expression. “You can’t stop me this time. You aren’t strong enough.”
I looked back at the guardians and Ian. They were still fighting the other demon and hadn’t noticed Mr. Blake. Molly was the only one who saw him. She rushed to my side to join the fight, and we fought Mr. Blake together.
I kept him frozen, and Molly used her teeth and claws to do as much damage as possible, but she was moving slower than usual, and I could see blood running down her side. She lunged at Mr. Blake again, ripping into his arm. His face and upper body were bleeding, but he still grinned at me, thinking he would win. Looking around, I realized he was probably right.
“Serena!” Ian yelled. I tore my gaze from Mr. Blake and watched as Ian was ripped into the darkness. The last thing I saw was his face.
Everything inside me shifted as I watched the darkness creeping closer to me. Normally, I could barely feel my demon magic unless I pulled it to me, but now it felt like a torrent had been unleashed.
I let my magic fill me, barely able to breathe as more and more pushed into me. My body grew weightless, and I felt more powerful than anyone could have described. Even as the power filled me, I felt my anger and despair take over.
I looked at the black cloud growing steadily closer. It pulled another guardian into the darkness when he got too close after dodging the demon’s attack. I knew Ian was in there somewhere. It would take a couple minutes for the rogues to find him. Precious minutes that I was letting slip away, but I knew I had to wait until I couldn’t hold any more power. I wasn’t even sure if this would work, but it was my only chance of getting him back.
I quickly glanced around, hearing the sounds of battle coming closer. Mr. Blake was almost free of my last freeze spell. I had to hurry. I opened myself up to my magic even further, panting. I started to feel lightheaded and knew if I didn’t do something soon, the magic would overwhelm me, and I wouldn’t be able to control what it did.
I closed my eyes and imagined a strong breeze swirling around the black cloud, forcing it to disperse. I threw my hands out, and my body bowed back. The wind whipped around the clearing, throwing rocks and dirt everywhere. A blast of wind tore Mr. Blake and the other demon into the air and threw them into the darkness.
As soon as the wind touched the black cloud, it started to pull it apart, letting me see what was hidden in it. I directed it to keep moving farther into the cloud. The black cloud dispersed but started to reform as soon as the wind let up. I kept pulling more magic from around me and threw another hand in the air, causing part of the wind to swirl around the areas of the black cloud that it had already blown through.
It collected all the dark wisps trying to reform and squeezed them into a ball. As the wind ripped through the black cloud, it pushed the wisps back toward the ball of black that was forming. The ball was now half the size of me and churning disgustingly.
I turned back to the black cloud, trying to spot Ian. When the breeze finally got to him, he was on his knees, gagging but trying to crawl forward. I wanted to run to him and help him stand up, but my feet were rooted to the spot. I had too much power coursing through me. It was taking everything I had not to fall over. Ian looked up and saw me. He made his way over to me and slipped his arm around my back to help hold me up.
“Let it go, Serena. You’re using too much power.”
“I can’t. I need to destroy this, or it will continue to grow and spread.”
He looked at me for a minute and then nodded. “I’ve got you. Do what you need to do quickly before the magic kills you.” He reached up and wiped my eyes. When he took his hand away, there was blood on it. I wondered where else I was bleeding. He leaned down and kissed my forehead, worry reflecting from his eyes.
I turned back to the growing ball of black magic. The wind had finished going through the black cloud, and now it was squished into a ball the size of a small car. If I didn’t destroy it, it would explode outward, killing everything in its path. I could see guardians and rogues spread around the area. The guardians were shaking their heads now that the darkness had lifted.
They started to fight the rogues who tried to retreat, sensing a shift in the battle. The guardians didn’t let them go. They attacked with ferocity after witnessing what the rogues were capable of. I didn’t see the demons anywhere and wondered if they already retreated.
I closed my eyes and focused on the magic inside of me. I let my rage take over and threw my hand at the black cloud. Flames flew from my palms, encircling the growing ball. It slowly ate away at it, causing the ball to shrink. After a few minutes, a loud blast came from inside the fire, and the cloud winked out of existence. There was nothing left. I had destroyed it.
Ian tried to lift me up, but I pushed against him. “I’m fine, Ian. I can walk.”
“Serena, you aren’t fine. You’re bleeding from your eyes and ears. We need to get you to a healer.”
“We need to help the guardians.”
“You aren’t needed. Listen, the battle is almost won.”
He was right. There was still fighting but less than there had been. I could even hear Kellan shouting out orders to get the wounded seen to as quickly as possible.
I looked up at Ian and opened my mouth to speak. We needed to tell Kellan what happened, but I couldn’t get my voice to work.
“Relax, Serena. I need to get you to the healers.”
“Be careful, Ian. There are more traitors here. That’s the only way they could have gotten into the compound,” I whispered painfully.
“I know,” Ian said softly.
I saw Thurron coming out of the woods, staggering a little.
“Thurron, are you ok?” Ian asked.
“Of course, but I wasn’t able to stop him.”
“Who? Mr. Blake?”
“Yeah. He got past me after he pinned me under a tree. That bastard. Next time I’ll get him. I did manage to kill two other demons though,” he said, smiling proudly. “And it looks like most of the rogues were caught.”
“That’s good, I guess,” I said quietly to him.
“Of course it’s good. Two less demons after you, little sister.”
Epilogue
Kellan told us to get checked out before meeting him on the front steps. After the healers cleared me and tried to heal Thurron, who wouldn’t let them, we walked outside and stood next to Kellan. Blood covered his clothes, but he assured us he was fine.
I was surprised when he told us many of the rogue guardians ran as soon as Mr. Blake went missing. Most of the guardians hadn’t seen what I had done, but the few who had witnessed it spread the news like wildfire. It had grown into a huge story about me completely destroying Mr. Blake with demon magic even though Mr. Blake wasn’t destroyed. Kellan told Ian he would handle the rumors once everyone settled down.
Thurron was st
ill angry that Mr. Blake got away. He said the demons had magic that was forbidden, but he wouldn’t tell me what the magic was. He insisted my dad would have to be the one to speak about it. I tried asking again, but he clammed up, so I let it go. I would ask my father as soon as I spoke to him.
Kellan addressed the crowd while I spoke quietly to Thurron. I already knew what Kellan was going to say.
“Where’s Dad?” I asked Thurron. “I thought he would have tried to contact us by now.”
“I don’t know. Something’s wrong,” he told me quietly. “We need to go find him. He hasn’t answered any of my summonings since I got here.”
“And that’s bad?”
“Really bad. He’s never ignored me. Either he’s hurt badly, someone has captured him, or he doesn’t want to be found.”
“Wouldn’t he still be able to be summoned if he was captured?”
“No. Because demons can be summoned to different realms, one of the ancient High King’s had magi make special shackles that can keep demon prisoners from being summoned. It completely blocks all magic so the prisoners can’t escape. If Dad is in them, then things are really bad. No one should be strong enough to defeat him.”
I didn’t know what to say, and Thurron turned away from me to look out at the crowd gathered in front of Kellan.
“We will fight back and save the other compounds,” Kellan was saying. “Rest now until we have a new plan, but be prepared for anything. I doubt they’ll attack anytime soon after losing today. We should have time to grieve and say goodbye to our fallen.”
The crowd slowly dispersed. I was surprised when many of the guardians stopped in front of us and thanked Thurron for helping them on their way back to their rooms. I guess saving people was a good way to earn everyone’s trust.
Serena’s World
• Agganon-werewolves realm
• Enchantria-realm where Serena’s mother was last seen, realm of wild magic
• Kirkorath-Serena’s dad, Pride Demon King
• magi-people with magical ability
• Maglearos-also called ageless fields, realm that Kellan and many guardian councillors have their homes
• nary-ordinary people
• nooban-Vammoriel creature twice as big as a boar with four tusks, brings good luck
• Obarryn-also called lost realm, prison realm
• pragaras gaisras-form of hell fire
• Pride’s Mantle-cloak given to Serena by her father
• Thurron-Serena’s demon half-brother
• Urgnon-king of the wrath demons
• Vammoriel-demon realm
TURN THE PAGE FOR A SNEAK PEEK OF DEMON BORN
Chapter One
I stared out the cabin window, waiting for Ian to get back from his patrol. He was still taking double shifts even though the rogues hadn’t attacked us in almost a week. Kellan didn’t think they would be back anytime soon, especially without the wrath demons to help them.
I paced through the house again.
“Sit down. He’ll be back soon. Wearing a hole in the floor isn’t going to make him get back here any sooner,” my brother Thurron said. My demon half-brother to be exact, I thought as I looked at his horns.
I still couldn’t believe my dad was a demon. And he was the king of the pride demons. What was I supposed to do with that information? I was still having trouble processing it.
I actually really liked my dad now that I had met him a few times. It still freaked me out that I could summon him whenever I wanted to talk to him. He didn’t have to answer me, but he always did. At least so far.
I hadn’t talked to him in a few weeks, though, and I was starting to worry. So was Thurron. He wanted to go back to Vammoriel, the demon realm, but he wouldn’t leave me. He had come to the human realm to protect me from the wrath demons who were trying to kidnap me to use against my father. They were going to start a war in Vammoriel, but they couldn’t win if the pride demons weren’t under their control.
So far they hadn’t gotten me, though it was close a few times. The Guardianship was trying to protect me, too, but a rogue group led by one of the councilmen was working with the wrath demons. Kellan barely survived the attack on him when they tried to take over.
I spun, crouching as something scratched against the front door. The scratch came again, followed by a small yip. I relaxed and walked to the door to open it. Molly, a hellhound, ran into the living room, straight for Thurron. She growled and yipped to him.
His face grew pale as he listened to her. I still couldn’t understand anything she said. Thurron told me I would eventually get it once I embraced my demon side and was recognized as a princess of Vammoriel. I wasn’t ready to do that yet.
“Serena, Molly can’t find Dad. She said she’s checked all the realms she has access to, but there’s no sign of him.”
“What does that mean? Is he…” I couldn’t finish the sentence. I finally found my dad, or he found me, and now I might lose him.
“No. He isn’t dead. If he was, I would know. So would you. You would feel it.”
“I would?”
“Yes, even being only half-demon, you would know. All demons know when their king dies. It’s a very strong sense of loss and emptiness until a new king is recognized by the High King. Then that emptiness goes away. It happens when one of the princes die too. That’s how all demons know when there’s a change in leadership.”
“So where’s Dad? Shouldn’t Molly be able to track him anywhere?”
“Almost. There are only a few places she can’t go, but I doubt he’s in any of those spots. They’re not friendly to demons.”
“Then where is he?”
“He’s either being held prisoner in Vammoriel in a special area designed to keep him hidden, or he’s done something to make himself untraceable to everyone.”
“He can do that?”
“No, but there are those very skilled in potions that could make something. The price would be astronomical, but if he thought that was the only way, Dad would do it.”
I wasn’t sure what to think of everything. I wanted to go after my dad, but I needed to stay here so the wrath demons couldn’t get me. If I left, it would make it easier for them to capture me.
The Guardianship was meant to protect people, even half-demons, though there were a few who didn’t like it. Thankfully, most of them were gone now. They had shown their true allegiance to Councilman John and the rogues.
A couple of the remaining guardians still looked at Thurron with suspicion. No one said anything though. Thurron helped save them all when the wrath demons came. They owed him.
I looked toward the front door. I was still waiting for Ian to get back. He was in a meeting with Kellan and the remaining council members. They were going to decide what we needed to do next now that the rogues had taken over some of The Guardianship compounds. I was anxious to find out.
I didn’t know a lot about The Guardianship, but I knew they would try and save any guardians who had been taken prisoner by the rogues. I wanted to help if I could. I felt partly responsible. If the wrath demons weren’t trying to get to me, maybe they wouldn’t have partnered with the rogues and helped them attack.
Ian tried convincing me it had nothing to do with me when I told him how I felt. He was sure they still would have worked with the rogues. The wrath demons needed The Guardianship to be out of commission if they were going to start a war.
Even though the guardians were based in the human realm, they traveled to many other realms to keep things under control. A war in Vammoriel would spill into many realms, so The Guardianship would try to stop it. Not to mention, the wrath demons were planning on coming to the human realm once they won the war to control the humans. At least that’s what my dad thought they would do.
“Molly,” I yelled as she jumped up and licked me.
Thurron started laughing. “She wants you to relax too. You’re making her uncomfortable.”
I looked
down at Molly. “I’m sorry, girl. I’m just worried.” She whined and licked my hand. I sat on the couch, and she curled up next to me, laying her head in my lap. I pet her while I watched the clock.
When Ian finally walked in, I was calmer. Petting Molly always did that for me. I think she somehow used magic to calm me down. Molly refused to get up, so I was stuck on the couch. Ian walked over laughing as I tried to extricate myself from under Molly.
He leaned down and gently kissed me before sitting on the couch next to me. He reached over and gave Molly a scratch behind the ears. She yipped once before licking his hand and jumping off the couch.
Thurron rose from his seat and opened the front door. Molly tipped her head back and howled. It was eerie and beautiful at the same time. Two answering howls told me the other hellhounds were close. Molly ran out the door, not looking back.
“She’ll be gone for some time,” Thurron said. “She’s going to search the other realms again, but without a way to track him, it will take time. Eventually, she should find him.”
“I’ve never heard of a hellhound not getting whatever they’re tracking,” Ian said.
“It doesn’t happen often,” Thurron replied, “but it does happen. Molly herself has never had it happen to her, so I have hope that she’ll find him. Then we can find out what’s going on.”
Thurron got quiet. I changed the subject, not wanting to think about my dad anymore.
“What did the council say? What are we going to do?” I asked Ian
“They’re going to send teams out to surveil each of the compounds that were taken over. You, on the other hand, will be staying right here.”
Demon Hunted Page 24