by L. L. McNeil
In the air, she had respite. But the longer she hovered above the battlefield, the more demons swarmed them below, and the more likely it was that one of them would fall. She kept half an eye on Tej, Amber, and Damon, who stood together. The Elemental’s flames did an excellent job of keeping most demons away, but the heat would be difficult to manage for too long. She could see their faces were already red and puffy from exertion, and sweat beaded down their cheeks.
Delgo, for all his awesome power, couldn’t be everywhere at once, and when he refused to leave Fallow’s side, he was only making a difference on the far edge of the battlefield. Demons leapt forward to attack Fallow, and he chased them off, only to have to stave off an attack from the other side a moment later.
And all the while, Sekki approached.
The Elite Demon slid the rings off his fingers, let them tumble to the ground. The armlets went next, one after another, landing on the muddy earth with a dull thud. Then his nose stud, and finally the earrings.
Seila watched in horror as his skin peeled away from his bones with the final piece of jewellery, his already loose clothes tumbling to the floor. Smoke poured from his open flesh.
What stepped out of the human shell was a demon unlike anything she’d ever seen. Twice the size of the Prowlers, Sekki’s true form sent every hair on Seila’s neck standing on end.
And with realisation so stark it was almost painful, Seila saw that the Elite Demon looked almost identical to the one who had stolen her soul.
Sekki’s jaws were long, almost crocodilian, with a dual row of spines growing from his nose along the length of his back. Six great horns rose from his shoulders—three on each—and smaller spikes extended from his wrists. And sprouting just behind his shoulders were wings—thin and bat-like, with more spikes along their backs.
Seila gulped. The sky had always been her escape. Even from the Dragora, who flitted about but couldn’t fly as high as she could. But Sekki? He looked like he’d dominate the skies if he took to the air.
It was his wings that told her he wasn’t the same demon she was after. But she wasn’t sure she’d survive long enough against Sekki to ever track down the one demon she was desperate to face.
‘Your death has come, Fallow!’ Sekki bellowed, his true voice deep and gravelly. He pushed Lesser Demons out of the way, shovelling them to the side as he lumbered forward, jaws snapping at those who didn’t move quickly enough.
His skin seemed to suck in the growing sunlight, and every footstep left curling tendrils of smoke in its wake.
Fallow turned around, eyes wide, and then hurried back to her work. Sweat dripped down her forehead, and Seila wondered how much effort it took for her to complete the sealing runes. How much energy she had left to give. ‘Come on, Fallow,’ Seila whispered. ‘I don’t think even Delgo can keep Sekki back, now.’
Delgo squared up to the approaching demon, his own purple smoke bursting at his wrists and feet, pulsing as he summoned his strength. The very ground trembled as the Djinni’s goliath power built around him, and the air crackled with electricity.
Seila had no idea if Delgo masked his true form or not, but, visually, he didn’t change. He shrugged out of his suit jacket, his thick gold bracelets on show, where his energy pulsed strongest. His eyes glowed vibrant gold, and light shimmered underneath his skin, suggesting there wasn’t bone or muscle underneath—but pure energy.
Delgo leapt up to meet Sekki’s charge.
Seila flew towards them, eager to help. With Sekki focused on taking Delgo out, she had an opening wide for the taking. She powered on, putting as much speed into her strike as she could.
But Sekki didn’t even flinch when she plunged her Sieken Blade into the thin membrane of his left wing.
As it tore open, the black smoke which seemed to continually pour from the demon simply repaired it, as though her sword had never touched it at all.
She tried again and again, slashing and cutting, but Sekki healed every attack and didn’t bat an eyelid at her attempts, too engrossed in withstanding Delgo’s assault.
‘Seila! Help!’ Tej cried.
She left Sekki and dived towards his cry. Several Stingers had breached the wall of flames and were attacking the three of them, their barbed tails held high, poison gleaming from the ends. Her sword swiftly deterred the demons and she landed beside Tej, who was still panting.
‘We’re finished,’ Damon said. He wiped his brow with his already damp forearm. ‘It’s too much. Sekki’s too strong. And there’s too many of them.’
‘Don’t say that!’ Seila countered. She swung her sword at another Stinger who’d jumped through the wall of fire to join its brethren. ‘Once Fallow seals the Mirage, it’s over!’
‘She’s right,’ Amber added. ‘We need to hold on. Just a bit longer!’
Despite her fierce words, Seila knew a losing battle when she was in one. If Fallow took too much longer, the sheer number of demons would overwhelm them. And then it wouldn’t just be their lives over—it would be their entire dimension.
She grit her teeth. She couldn’t give up.
Not yet.
Not when she still needed her soul.
Sekki and Delgo crashed into the trees as they grappled with one another. The demon’s talons carved deep gouges into the earth, rock, and tree like butter. Black and purple smoke swirled around them as each fought. The stench of bonfires filled the air as demon blood spilled all around them.
They wrestled, rolled on the ground, kicked and slashed at each other. Delgo headbutted Sekki in the throat, the demon scrabbled at his neck with his claws, and Delgo launched into a spinning kick to shove the demon further back. Sekki dug his claws into the ground, slowing his shove and gaining grip to launch an attack of his own. Beating his wings, he leaped high, then down at Delgo, the claws of his feet outstretched and ready.
Delgo sidestepped, brought his elbow down to smash into Sekki’s face. The demon snarled, spitting fury and foam, grasped Delgo’s wrist and dug his claws in. Sekki leaned back, pulling Delgo with him to throw him to the left and down into the rocky earth.
The crash shook the ground.
Seila blinked as a Toxic Fang slashed at her ankles, bringing her attention back to the fight within the flames, instead of the two titans just on the edge of her vision. She smacked the little demon with the hilt of her sword, dazed it, and then twisted her blade around to plunge it into the demon’s flesh.
After killing the Prowler earlier, Stingers were no longer a threat to her. At least not while her power was high and her eyes glowed. She spared a glance for Fallow, who continued to work, unprotected. ‘We have to keep the demons on us. Fallow’s unguarded!’
Damon looked up, clenched a fist, then threw a ball of fire towards Fallow. It caught the grass by her back, a small wall lighting up around her. ‘It’s something.’
Seila nodded. She could dart over there if she had to, but she couldn’t keep eyes on every part of the battlefield at the same time. She spread her wings out, beating them occasionally to fan the flames towards encroaching demons and ensure there were no gaps they could leap through.
Damon’s fire rolled around Amber’s, wild and uncontrolled. It burned every demon it touched, and a great deal more besides—blazing across the grasses and sending several trees up in smoke. He sank to one knee, the exertion of controlling his flames stronger than actually producing them in the first place.
‘Hold on, Damon,’ Amber said. She dropped low and pressed her shoulder against his in solidarity. ‘You can do this!’
Damon didn’t reply, or perhaps he couldn’t, Seila couldn’t tell. She gave him her arm, pulled him back up to his feet, and yanked her hand away quickly. Her skin was scorched where her fingers had grasped his.
‘Sorry,’ Damon muttered. His body heaved with great, staggering breaths.
‘Keep it together, Damon,’ Seila hissed. She slashed her sword at more demons trickling through their fires. ‘Take a minute if you have to. You ca
n’t fall to this.’
He visibly swallowed, nodded slowly, and leaned forward on his thighs.
And then an earth-shattering roar from behind deafened them.
The Mirage pulsed, sending out waves of flickering light, bright as the sun. ‘What the…’ Seila breathed. ‘Is Fallow done? Is it sealed?’
‘Don’t know,’ Tej said, still firing. ‘Keep your focus on these! They ain’t stopping!’
But Seila couldn’t. Because the roar turned into a snarl that she recognised, only far bigger and louder than before.
Another Prowler stepped out of the Mirage and onto the burned, muddy grass. This one was enormous, with huge spines growing out of its shoulder blades and back. It hissed loudly, a deep note that vibrated in Seila’s felt chest.
Then it turned to face Fallow, ignored Damon’s small, protective fire, and lunged.
19
Fallow crashed to the floor in slow motion.
Seila blinked. The roar of fire, demons, and blood filled her mind, blurring into one overwhelming, churning noise.
As she tried to get up, the Prowler’s claws slashed across Fallow’s back, spilling blood and darkening the grass. She fell forward with a gurgled scream of pain.
‘Fallow!’ Seila couldn’t believe it. She lifted her wings, ready to jump into the air and get to Fallow’s side, when Delgo’s purple smoke shoved the Prowler back with such force that it fell onto its side several feet away.
Delgo crouched by Fallow, his eyes glittering with rage. He picked her up as gently as if she were a newborn baby, and lifted her into the air.
‘Fallow!’ Seila called again, and this time, the others looked.
‘Enchantress!’ Sekki bellowed. He extended his wings and crouched.
‘I’ve got to stop him! Get to the Mirage!’ Seila said, her voice hoarse after all the shouting. She took to the air before Amber, Damon, or Tej could reply. ‘Sekki! I’m coming for you!’
The Elite Demon turned to her, then. He was already several feet off the ground. ‘Phantom.’ Sekki’s sneer was a mixture of amusement and disgust. ‘I’ll take care of you once I have that Enchantress in my clutches! Just be patient.’
‘That’s not going to happen, Sekki!’ Seila screamed, powering towards him despite every fibre of her being wanting to run away. She raised her sword, held it firm with both hands, and sailed towards him.
Sekki faced her properly, his wings beating so hard that the gusts caused by them nearly sent Seila flying off-course. He raised his arms to meet her attack.
She spiralled down at the last second, sinking her sword into the meat of the demon’s belly. The smoke appeared immediately to seal the wound before her blade spilled even a drop of his blood. Before she could even smell the bonfire-stench. She cursed, wrenched the sword along his flesh, but she couldn’t leave a single mark on his skin.
How did you fight something like that?
In her peripheral vision, she saw Delgo and Fallow, with Sierra flying overhead, circling them like a white halo. The Djinni kept the Enchantress away from danger. She didn’t know if Sekki’s ancient Prowler had killed her or just knocked her out. If it was the former, they were doomed.
But if anyone could help her, it would be Delgo, wouldn’t it?
Tej’s bolts whizzed through the air, and more blood spilled with every one that found its target. Seila returned her attention to Sekki, slashing again and again, over and over, trying to get just one attack to stick.
The demon smacked her with his spiked elbow, the blow catching her in between her shoulder blades and sending her plummeting back to the ground where she landed with a sickening crunch.
Everything went white with pain.
When she opened her eyes, flames surrounded her. Had she blacked out?
‘Seila!’ Amber cried, somehow sounding very far away.
With a groan, Seila pushed herself to her hands and knees, and looked around blearily. ‘Amber?’ Heat and nausea washed over her in equal waves. She saw the Elemental only two or three steps away, blasting demons with surge after surge of flames. Seila’s feathers trembled with every breath. Somewhere far above her, Sekki flew closer to Delgo and Fallow. It hurt to look up, every muscle and bone ached.
She couldn’t stop him. Didn’t have the strength to.
And then Amber was by her side. She grabbed hold of Seila’s arms and pulled her up to her feet. Her skin burned at the Elemental’s touch, but it was better than death by demon.
‘Can you stand?’ Amber asked, releasing her. ‘We need you!’
Seila took a wobbly step forward and then nodded. ‘Yes. Thank you.’
Amber sent forwards another blast of fire at a Toxic Fang. ‘Did Fallow tell you anything about runes? If she’s out of the battle, we’ll need to sort it.’
Seila tried to think through the dizziness, and let Amber lead her back to where Tej and Damon stood waiting by the rock. The old Prowler had returned its attention to them now that Fallow had gone, and they were doing their best to keep it from getting too close.
‘Look here,’ Amber said.
Seila cautiously lifted her chin to see where she pointed. Along the top of the boulder, Fallow had drawn several rows of runes with the graphite pen. Each line flashed weakly, a burst of yellow light that faded as swiftly as it appeared.
They all seemed to be shapes with swirls, some parallels of each other, some identical, some mirrors. It looked far too complicated to make sense of, even without the heavy battle fatigue muddling her mind. ‘I don’t…’ Seila breathed. She’d been too interested in hunting demons and finding her soul to listen to what Fallow had said about runes and sealing Mirages. She vaguely remembered something about complete shapes. About balance. But there were dozens of shapes here.
‘It’s a puzzle,’ Amber said. ‘Five by five, but in a diamond. These runes match these ones here. It’s symmetrical. See?’
Seila turned to hack at another demon approaching them. She didn’t have time to figure it out, nor the brain power, not when there were dozens of demons waiting to kill them. ‘It’s a puzzle? Solve it then! I’ll keep these demons off your back as long as I can.’
Amber went quiet, and Seila busied herself with the demons. They’d run out of time. If the horde didn’t overwhelm them, the Prowler would.
If the Prowler didn’t, then Sekki would kill them all and it’d be game over.
And it was the Prowler that was after them, now.
It shoved its way forward with a massive stride. No longer the stealthy, ambush predator that Prowlers usually were, this one was too old, too strong, to warrant such tactics. It growled with every step, a deep rumble that filled Seila with a deep, primal fear.
She took another deep breath, still exhausted and not yet recovered from Sekki’s attack. She bled from a number of wounds, her fingers trembled where she held her sword, and she desperately wanted to sleep. To just lie down and stop.
Instead, she had to face this massive creature, no matter how outmatched she was.
Because if she didn’t, everyone would die.
She widened her stance, bent her knees, and waited for the Prowler to come within striking range. Flying took up too much energy, and left Amber and the others unguarded. If she stood her ground, she’d be able to last longer. She hoped. ‘Come on then, demon!’
The Prowler lowered its head to reveal its armour-plated neck. Seila gasped, realising what was about to happen. ‘Get clear!’
The demon charged forward just as Seila and Tej sidestepped it. Carried on by its momentum, it hurtled past and straight into the rock Damon and Amber had leapt to. The tremor shook the ground, and Seila used her wings to stay balanced. The Prowler snarled and turned back to Seila.
‘I’m right here!’ She called. Better to keep its attention on her and not on the others. She waved her free arm, unsure if it could sense movement, but trying, regardless.
Tej fired more bolts, aiming for the Prowler’s face. A few pierced its thick hide, lodg
ing themselves deep, but the demon continued on, regardless. ‘This thing won’t die!’ Tej said, reloading. ‘I’m starting to run low on bolts.’
Seila cursed. ‘See if you can grab any more from the ground. Bolts that missed.’ It would be better than nothing when he ran out of fresh ones.
The Prowler charged again, and she jumped away, using her wings to speed her escape.
Seila whirled around, brushed loose hair out of her eyes with her fingers. Her cheek swelled from where she’d collided with the ground, and already her right eye was beginning to close. Tears streamed from both her eyes. She wiped her face, smearing mud and blood over her skin more than clearing away her tears.
She was running on empty.
If this had been a normal Prowler, she might have had a chance—especially with Tej’s bolts as a back up. But it had been several minutes since she’d last killed a demon, and the rush of power had already faded. Fatigue stepped in, sapping yet her of more energy.
She flew back down as the Prowler came to a stop a short way off, and made her way back to Damon and Amber. ‘Please tell me you can do this.’
‘The final two runes are missing, look.’ Amber pointed, but Seila didn’t have the energy to focus on Fallow’s bizarre runework.
‘Can you finish it? Where’s Fallow’s pen?’
‘Probably with Fallow,’ Amber said.
Seila panted and shook her head. She didn’t think she could fly all the way up there, past Sekki, to grab the pen Fallow had used.
‘I...I think can do it,’ Damon said, hesitant.
That made Seila turn around. ‘You can what?’
‘The runes. The last ones. I can do it. I can finish it. It’s the opposite shape to the line at the top, right? That’s how the sealing spell is balanced. All I need to do is carve it into the rock to complete it. The Mirage will shut.’
Seila wasn’t sure whether to be relieved or afraid of his confident tone. ‘You’re sure? What about the pen she used? Looked kind of special.’
