Crimson Eyes

by L. L. McNeil

  Seila couldn’t argue with that, and secured it to her belt, as he suggested.

  ‘Did you find the Prowler?’ Amber asked, direct as always.

  Seila gestured to the construction debris on the other side of the roses. ‘Over there. It disappeared below. Must be some kind of tunnel underneath.’

  Amber shuddered. ‘Demons underneath Kew Gardens? Think of all the people that come here every day? The workers, builders. The staff who are here early and late? Wouldn’t they just be picked off by them?’

  Seila pursed her lips as she thought. ‘The Elite’s got them all coming here. Prowlers are tougher than Leeches or Stingers. That’s probably why it ignored orders and attacked people. What I would like to know is why is the Elite gathering demons in the first place? They don’t like to share. They fight amongst themselves, kill each other. Some even eat other demons.’

  ‘We’ll make sure every single one is dealt with tonight,’ Tej said.

  Seila was confident, too. The theatre Prowler had simply caught her off guard, that was all. Now she’d injured it and it was trapped underground.

  It wouldn’t take much more to finish it off.

  ‘And there’s two Prowlers here. The one from the theatre and the one from the restaurant, I’m sure. One of them is still around here, so watch yourselves.’ Seila considered the best approach to tackle the tunnel.

  ‘Wait a second. You’re talking like you’re about to go after the demon!’ Damon said.

  ‘I am.’

  He shook his head. ‘I mean alone. Without us. Again.’

  ‘I don’t see the issue. I’m the most experienced demon slayer here. It’s what I do. How many demons have you killed?’

  Damon had no answer for that.

  ‘That’s not the point,’ Amber said. ‘Fallow thinks we can work together as a team. We’ve got the chance to make a difference. Let us help you. You saved me last night. You said we have great power.’ She balled her fist. ‘I’ve hidden from it for so long now. Damon, too. Why not see what we can do together?’

  Seila huffed. ‘You couldn’t even stop a little Soul Eater. How are you going to cope with two Shadow Strikers? These things are predators. They’re killers.’

  It was Amber’s turn to go red, but it didn’t put her off. ‘I had no idea about that one. This time, we’re going in with our eyes wide open. And there’s four of us. We’ll be fine.’

  Seila still didn’t like the idea of sharing her hunt. She worked alone, always had. And, according to Fallow, like all the other Phantoms that had moved through here. ‘I have this.’ Seila tapped the walkie-talkie on her belt. ‘You’ll know I’m okay.’

  Damon snorted and shook his head. ‘You mean after you’ve killed everything by yourself? And what about the Elite? What if you need help, and by the time we get there, it’s too late?’

  Seila hated this. Hated arguing. Hated wasting time. Her wings flickered. ‘This is pointless. Follow if you want, I can’t stop you.’ She crouched to take off, when Damon grabbed her by the hand.

  ‘I’m coming with you.’

  ‘Me too,’ Amber said, stepping forward. ‘Don’t leave us behind.’ She extended her hand, flames licking her fingertips. ‘I helped you against the Soul Eater, didn’t I? I’ll help you against these demons, too.’

  Seila appreciated the gesture. ‘Fine. But I want the final strike.’

  Damon and Amber shared a look, but didn’t question it.

  ‘What about the other Prowler? The one you said was up here somewhere?’ Amber asked.

  Ever practical, that one. Seila glanced around. ‘I can’t see it. Can’t hear it. But there’s nothing to stop it coming into the tunnel after us, then we’d be trapped between two of them.’ The thought of that made her shudder.

  ‘I’ll stay up here and keep watch.’ Tej hefted his loaded crossbow and furrowed his brows. ‘I’ll cover the tunnel so nothing follows you down.’

  ‘But you’ll be alone against it!’ Amber said.

  ‘It’s okay. I’ve killed demons before, don’t forget. I’ll bed down over there.’ He nodded towards the edge of the rose garden. ‘Find some cover, keep the tunnel entrance in sight. I’ll radio if anything happens.’

  ‘But we’re going with Seila so she’s not alone. We can’t do the same to you.’

  ‘I’m fine. Sierra’s up here, too. She can warn me if anything approaches. Nothing’s getting past that owl’s eyes!’

  Amber frowned, but went to his side and buried her head in his chest. ‘Please, please be safe.’

  Tej wrapped his free arm around her shoulder and squeezed. ‘I’ll be fine. Look after each other, and you’ll be fine, too.’ He kissed the top of her head. ‘Seila’s waiting, go on.’

  ‘If you do see the Prowler,’ Seila said, ‘remember, it’s blind. Better to distract it than fight it. Warn us when you can, keep it away from you, and in sight at all times.’

  Tej grinned. ‘Thanks for the tips. See you on the other side.’

  Amber reluctantly stepped away from him. She and Damon followed Seila as she led them towards the pile of construction debris.

  Seila felt much better investigating it now with several pairs of eyes watching her back. She supposed Fallow had a point about the advantages of a team. So long as they followed orders and didn’t get in her way. Damon’s Elemental powers were still untapped and untrained. She didn’t want to end up trapped underground and burn to death because he couldn’t control his fire.

  ‘It was here, somewhere.’ Seila crouched down to peer below the layer of bricks piled up.

  Tej’s voice came in over their radios. ‘All clear. Think it’s gone off.’

  ‘Thanks, buddy. Stay outta sight,’ Damon replied.

  Seila relaxed. ‘Amber. Any chance of some light here?’

  Amber stepped over to her and extended her hands. The flames which appeared to lick her fingers brightened the debris and revealed a small hole in the ground, to the side of several large cement blocks.

  From the ease of her motion, Seila wondered just how much “hiding” Amber had actually done. Perhaps she’d practiced and simply never told Damon of it out of fear. ‘Looks like this is the entrance here.’

  ‘It’s tiny,’ Amber said.

  ‘It’s well-concealed. Are you getting cold feet now?’ Seila asked.

  Amber shook her head. ‘Absolutely not. Want me to go first, light it up for you?’

  ‘No.’ Seila held up her sword. ‘I’ll go in first with this and call you if it’s clear.’ At least if she landed on top of a sleeping demon, she’d get to slay it before the others arrived.

  Amber and Damon seemed perfectly happy with that, so Seila moved forward. She crouched by the entrance and peered down. It sloped away from her, leading deeper into the dark earth. But there didn’t seem anything particularly dangerous there. No open jaws waiting to snap her up. Only the blood from the injured Prowler.

  ‘Take care,’ Amber said.

  Seila took a quick breath, held the tip of the sword high in front of her, and slipped into the tunnel. She slid down for a few seconds, the earth smooth underneath her, before it flattened into a wide passageway. Seila leapt to her feet and whirled around. No other tunnels led into the area she’d come to a stop at. No demons lay in wait, sleeping or otherwise. But she could smell them everywhere, the feel of their energy thicker even than it had been in the jewellery shop.

  Seila lifted the walkie talkie to her lips and mirrored the motion Tej had shown her only minutes before. ‘All clear. Come down. One at a time.’

  Damon replied a second later. ‘All right. Amber’s going first.’

  Seila took a few steps away to give Amber room. Only a few seconds later, the Elemental appeared, her entrance preceded by the flames still on her hands.

  Seila spoke into the radio again, ‘Amber’s down safe. You coming, Damon?’

  She kept her gaze at the far end of the tunnel, where it disappeared into darkness. No demonic voices, but plenty of
blood.

  Static on the radio.

  ‘Tej?’ Damon asked, still outside.

  Seila and Amber blinked at one another, both held their breath.

  Nothing.

  ‘Tej, you okay?’ Damon repeated.

  ‘Fine.’ His voice was hoarse.

  He didn’t sound fine. Seila lifted the radio. ‘Damon, are you coming?’ She heard him scrambling up by the mouth of the tunnel, and then he half-slid, half-fell down, landing with a thud by Amber’s feet.

  His sister helped him up and dusted him off. ‘You okay?’

  ‘Let’s keep moving,’ Seila said, pressing forward.

  ‘What about Tej?’ Amber asked.

  ‘He said he’s fine. I’m sure it’s okay.’

  More radio static. Seila looked behind her, but both siblings shook their heads, rooted in the same spot.

  Damon lifted the radio to his mouth, but Amber put her hand on it. ‘Wait. What if the Prowler is there? Noise will draw its attention, won’t it? If it’s blind?’

  ‘If it is there...yes.’ Seila wasn’t sure if the Prowler was near Tej or not. She didn’t have time to go back out and find him. Tej said he’d be fine. Sierra was his eyes.

  ‘Guys, I see it.’ Tej’s voice came over, barely above a whisper, and hard to understand over the crackle of the low signal. ‘It’s by the Palm House, looking down at the tunnel where you went. Wait. It’s turned its head. Let me get a better view.’ Shuffling. Branches cracking.

  ‘Does he not understand the meaning of quiet?’ Seila snapped.

  Amber appeared to still be holding her breath. She held the radio up to her ear, listening intently.

  Long seconds passed.

  ‘I’m at the edge of the garden now. I can’t see it anymore.’

  Damon snatched the walkie-talkie from Amber and pressed the button down. ‘Tej, shut up! It’ll hear you.’

  More static, broken up rustling as Tej moved around.

  Amber let out a whimper.

  ‘Sshh.’ Seila said, trying to listen.

  ‘It’s out there, not in here! It can’t hear you!’ Damon scowled at Seila. ‘I swear, if anything happens to him—’

  A sudden roar reverberated through the radio.

  Then the static cut out.

  14

  Seila struggled to keep Amber and Damon quiet.

  She understood they were worried about Tej—though she thought him an idiot by making noise after she’d specifically warned him not to—but they were also in the mouth of what was effectively a demon’s lair. The more noise they made, the more likely they were to bring demons upon them. Then they’d all be screwed.

  Amber calmed down first, seeing the closer threat as more imminent. Damon took more convincing, and he continued to babble for several minutes despite the two women telling him to keep quiet. ‘Sierra is out there. If Tej is in trouble, Fallow will know. Fallow will come, and she’s an Enchantress! That Prowler doesn’t stand a chance against her,’ Amber told him.

  Seila left them to sort themselves out as she began to edge down the tunnel, sword pointing ahead at all times. She was sure Amber would bring her brother around, but she didn’t know quite how long it would take. If he didn’t calm himself down soon, the demons would make sport of them all.

  This was exactly why she preferred working alone. Less chance of someone becoming emotional or making a mistake. Less chance of being compromised.

  What good was an Elemental if they had no control over their powers, anyway?

  They’d do more harm than good. And steal her kills.

  Seila glanced over her shoulder every so often to check they were keeping up with her. The tunnel curled around, left, then right, then left again, winding ever deeper underground. Many smaller tunnels peeled off the main one, but they were so tiny only that Seila was certain only Stingers or Leeches could fit through them. Prowlers—or anything bigger—needed to stick to the main tunnel.

  She swallowed, tried to steady her fraying nerves. She’d never been underground with a demon before. She was completely out of her comfort zone, with nowhere to fly if things grew dire. She really would have to rely on Amber and Damon sticking with her and not bolting like a pair of frightened foals.

  The tunnel curved around and widened suddenly.

  ‘I am here…’

  ‘I want to hunt…’

  ‘I need to feed…’

  A cacophony of demonic voices, all speaking over one another. A veritable wall of rising noise.

  Seila peeked around the corner and her eyes went wide. The tunnel opened into a vast cavern, tall enough for her to fly in, if she needed. Stalactites dangled from the upper parts of the cavern roof, but the floor writhed with demons.

  It was made up mostly of Leeches and Stingers, but she saw the injured Prowler at the far wall, too, curled up and licking at its injuries. Dragora—Blood Thieves—squealed loudly as they flew wildly around a figure at the back. They were one of the only winged demon types that she knew of, and they perpetuated the vampire myth throughout most of the country.

  A Leech would suck your soul and mind dry, leaving you to die alone, slowly, nothing more than an empty husk.

  A Dragora would latch on, half-burying its claws into your flesh while it drained you of your blood, your strength, and you’d rot away.

  Stingers would swarm you, their poisonous barbs stinging over and over, melting your flesh and crippling your muscles while they ate you alive.

  And a Prowler, being a predator and not a parasite, would simply disembowel you. At least that would be a quick death.

  Even the largest swarms of Stingers were only twenty, maybe thirty-strong. Prowlers were so aggressive they preyed on and ate other demons, when they could catch them, and so were never in the presence of other demons. But here they all were, writhing over the cave floor like bees. Countless demons.

  If they burst forth and attacked, there’d be thousands dead within minutes.

  London would be overrun.

  And all these numbers amassed from one bracelet?

  Seila had no idea what the strength of Fallow’s full Kouzlo was, but she was certain they’d all be needed to stamp out these. There were just so many. She narrowed her eyes and held a hand out to her side to warn Damon and Amber to hold their ground. This was not something they wanted to blunder into, mid-argument.

  Seila wasn’t sure, but what looked very much like a man stood at the back of the cavern. One of the customers from that day? Or an employee of Kew Gardens, as Amber had suggested? She watched and listened, tried to pick up on any clues that might explain the demonic congregation. The man didn’t seem to be in the sort of distress she’d expect considering a pack of demons swarmed him. There had to be close to two hundred gathered in the cavern.

  And then she heard it again. The Elite Demon’s voice. ‘I am waiting here for you.’

  Since destroying the bracelet, her mind had been empty of the commanding voice. Now, suddenly hearing it out loud, she struggled not to shake.

  At his words, some of the crowd of demons shifted, giving her a better view of the man. He had his back to her and the tunnel, but she could see his short blond hair was unkempt. He wore a poorly fitted short-sleeved cream shirt that hung loosely off his body, grey cotton trousers that were equally ill-fitting—too long at the leg and too wide at the hip, secured by several thick leather belts. His forearms were bare, and they caught Seila’s attention more than anything else.

  Lined up and down the length of both his arms were armlets and bangles in the same dark silver as Tej’s bracelet, each one covered in a multitude of gemstones. They all gleamed in the low light of the cavern, and the demons swarmed around him almost in reverence, rather than to hunt.

  ‘What is that?’ Damon whispered, having caught up to Seila. He leaned over her shoulder to get a better look, while keeping his body out of sight behind the tunnel wall.

  Seila didn’t know. ‘Either he’s a demon-whisperer, or he’s the Elite De
mon that Fallow told us about.’ She’d never heard of a demon interacting with anything that wasn’t its own kind without attacking, and even then, cannibalism was rife in the larger demon types. Prowlers were a good example.

  It was the jewellery that scared her the most. He’d used it to summon demons to him, perhaps to control them? She didn’t know the extent of it. Either way, the vast demon numbers seemed more plausible. It hadn’t been one bracelet, it had been dozens of jewelled pieces.

  ‘Well, well. What do we have here? A Phantom and two Elementals joining us?’

  Seila froze. The man spoke in a voice like liquid silk. He turned around slowly to face them, the gems flashing every time he moved. He wore a nose stud, paired hoops in his ears, and several rings across both hands. A long, ragged scar crossed his face diagonally from temple to mouth, the only blemish on an otherwise smooth face.

  Seila very much doubted this man cared about fashion. He was a walking vat of demonic power and had poured the lion’s share of it into his adornments. Every piece of jewellery emitted smoke like a fine mist, concealing both his feet and the floor where he stood.

  He smiled. It was a good mimicry of an authentic, welcoming grin. ‘Why don’t you come in and introduce yourselves? It’s rude to stare.’

  Seila found she could do little but obey him. Although her common sense screamed at her to fly away, that this was a fight too much for her right now, she took a step to reveal herself, and then another to enter the cavern. Terror flooded through her at what she was doing.

  ‘That’s better. And what about your friends?’

  Seila jerked her head to stare at them, to warn them to flee. Both looked utterly stricken by the turn of events, but they, too, came out from behind the tunnel wall and stood on either side of Seila. She thought it must have been in solidarity rather than a genuine desire to show themselves.

  The man’s smile deepened. It was malicious, evil, and held no mirth. His cold, grey eyes flicked between the three of them.