by Holly Evans
Kadrix smirked and said, “The infernals will come up from the ground below, although the witches will likely arrive soon. The non-fae will kill everything that fits one of those descriptions. Some of us will be aiding those fighting, giving them energy so they can continue to fight long past their natural limits."
Azfin raised his eyebrow, “That lacks a little something... don't you think?"
I took a step toward the Sidhe. “A hellmouth is being opened, demons and infernals of all shapes and forms will be trying to take over our city. Do you not have something better to offer than sarcasm?”
His lips parted into a dark smile. “Ah, Evelyn, I had wondered where your spirit had gotten to."
Flashes of garnet appeared in the sky. Small shooting bands of colour tore across the sky. Mutterings and rumblings came from all present. Red spread across the sky in a sheer sheet, covering everything that had once been visible. The stars were extinguished, the clouds consumed, by the red. The earth below our feet began to tremble.
Quin shouted, “The cathedral!"
Everyone took off over the smooth brown stone towards the multi-spired cathedral that seemed to have grown out of the earth itself. Dark brown, black in places, a multitude of spikes that erupted upwards, questing towards the sky like stalagmites. The hunters got there first, but stopped dead, perhaps frozen in fear as the ground began shivering and shaking before a black clawed hand burst up. A wild-eyed young blond hacked at the hand with a ferocity only sheer terror could fuel. Spots of the floor appeared to turn to liquid, shimmering and quaking in the dull red light of the morning. Hands and arms, each deformed, clawed, and discoloured, reached upwards out of the liquid stone. Roars and screeches soon filled the air, mingled with cracking and the wet thwack of muscle cleaved from a body.
There was no organisation; we hadn't been given a chance. No one knew what to expect.
I shouted over everyone, “Humans, hack at everything that moves. Form groups, take one pit per group. Spread out, cover each other's backs. Supernals, do what you can with your magic."
It wasn't much, but I had nothing more to offer. I pulled my celestial blades and embraced the blood-lust travelling down the bond with Lysander. We were going to war. Kadrix had changed from the infuriating, pissy elf into a fearsome warrior. I paused for a moment to watch him flip, hack off two arms in mid-air, to land on the balls of his feet and decapitate another demon. I reminded myself not to piss him off… too much. As the sun rose, or appeared to, the demons increased in number. A small horde of imps pushed their way through the brown sludge and raced at us. My blades sliced through them with ease, but the sheer numbers were growing difficult.
Lysander was close at hand, a grin etched on his face as he tore into everything that came within reach, all of us careful not to touch the liquid floor. Kadrix more danced than fought, elegant pale-silver swords appearing to have grown from his very hands. He spun and pranced across the floor, cleaving everything that broke through from whatever it had previously been attached to. I didn't have a chance to look around and check on anyone else. The manic cackles of the redcaps suggested that they were having some fun. I didn't care, as long as we won.
More imps burst out the ground, clambering over each other, crying out and screeching at us. Shades pressed against them, turning the small sinuous bodies of the imps black where the shades spread over them, their ethereal nature making them somewhat fog-like. I jumped back from the edge of the pit as my foot began to slip down through the floor. The moment's change in focus was enough; two imps sprang forwards. One slipped past me while two more clawed their way through the brown soup towards me. I decapitated one, the rest of its body slowly being dragged back down by its brethren. The others vanished behind me somewhere. I didn’t dare leave my position over the pit. I had to hope someone else would kill them. The shades, however, weren't quite so easy. Kadrix, for all of his dancing, missed one. It rushed a hunter at another pit behind us; there was nothing we could do as more lesser demons pushed through the gloop.
I quickly fell into an instinct-driven routine of hacking and slashing. I leant heavily on the muscle memory from the extensive sparring and fighting I’d done previously to carry me through the endless fighting. There was a constant stream of imps and lesser demons. There was no time to breathe. My focus narrowed over time as my mind slowly became more tired. More imps scrambled up through the brown gloop. Their claws raked down my boots, hoping to find purchase in my muscles beneath. I kicked one off and slashed through the back of the other’s neck. They were quickly replaced with yet more imps.
The numbers were becoming unbearable. We were struggling to hack them down quickly enough. For every one that we dismembered and killed, two more came up behind them. Haeyl came up behind me, muttering something in fae.
He took a breath and said, “We're stopping the portals from collapsing and allowing anything bigger through. Don't fuck up."
I thrust my blade through the head of the closest imp; it crumpled down into the liquid and was dragged down by black, scaled hands. My heart was racing, sweat beaded on my forehead; we hadn't trained for such long and sustained fights as this. I was glad of the fae working to give us energy from their magic so we could continue to fight. I had no idea how they were doing it; there was an odd tingling running through my blood that stopped me from collapsing.
The demons were relentless. I continued to hack at everything; Kadrix had stopped his flips and jumping, instead remaining rooted on the other side of Lysander, their blades swinging constantly.
Even Lysander's grin and the redcaps’ cackling had stopped by the time the demons started to slow down. The brown stone was stained red, pools of blood bubbled around the liquid stone around the hole. Innards were scattered around about, making footing slippery in places. We’d slaughtered what felt like hundreds, and yet they still kept coming. They were reduced to two a minute, giving us time and air to breathe, even if only for a second. The weight of hopelessness eased somewhat, but I couldn't help but feel that it was some sort of a trap. The Sidhe slowed their chanting, Haeyl sat with his legs crossed a few feet behind me, his head in his hands. He'd grown pale, his breathing was shallow. Such intense magic must have taken a lot from him. I took a step back, trusting Kadrix and Lysander to cover the pit for a moment.
"Thank you, Haeyl," I said.
I didn't think I'd ever have cause to truly thank a fae. My words brought a smile to his face; he gave me a small nod, even lowering his eyes.
Elise descended on the square. She rushed over to me. Her hair scraped back into a tight bun, her robes flowed about her. I couldn't help but notice the blood splattered over the pure white; I hoped that it wasn't hers.
“Oh, Evie, we're doing everything we can. The other priestesses and priests are cleansing the nodes, I must return and help them. Keep fighting. Once they're done, I'll close the mouth proper. Don't give in."
With that, she ran off to the other end of the square and vanished. We were going to do this, we were going to save our city. Everyone was pulling together; Elise would stop the demons from getting any further. I dared to smile and hold onto a little hope for the first time that day.
The lull barely lasted five minutes. Enough to raise spirits somewhat; enough for them to be thoroughly dashed. The Sidhe were exhausted, each sat on the damp floor, quietly whispering their words and performing their magic to hold the portals in the state they were in and keeping the rest of us fighting. The witches appeared at first as shadows, creeping along the high, spiked roofs over the cathedral and surrounding buildings. No one saw them. We were too occupied cutting down the demons.
It happened too suddenly. Haeyl gasped before he cried out in pain and anguish. The portal at our feet dropped away, turning from swampy stone to an open hole that flooded with demons. The witches swarmed us, mingling with the demons. There was no chance to pick out details or grasp what was happening. A bruise-purple-coloured demon pulled himself up out of the hole before us, his la
rge, heavily muscled arm swiping at Kadrix, who deftly danced away from him. Shouts and cries came from all around us. The air was quickly filled with screams, rumbling roars, and the gurgling of death.
I continued to hack and slash at everything within reach; imps tried to dash past us, but were cut down. The bodies were accumulating around us, making movement difficult. Flashes of curses flew through the air; screams and shouts of anger quickly followed them. I muttered a quick thanks to Kadrix for the amulet I wore keeping me safe from those, at least. We tried to push in around the eight-foot tall demon, his heavily muscled arms swinging wildly, sending imps flying. Kadrix and Lysander ducked under his swipes while dashing in and hacking at his legs at every opportunity. Quin and I kept the smaller demons away from them, trying to give them the room and energy to dispose of the large demon.
The huge demon's attention switched entirely to Lysander; it growled something that sounded like ‘traitor.’ I didn't get the opportunity to help him. A cold pain formed at the base of my skull. The amulet burned hot around my neck; it seemed it wasn't entirely infallible. I kicked the imp at my feet and decapitated it as I turned to look for the witch that had drawn my attention. She'd discarded her mask and stood before me in loose fitting black robes. A snide smile sat on her coral coloured lips. Her flame-red hair had been pulled back into a loose bun, but it was the stiletto blade in her hand that caught my eye. Her eyes widened with delight as she strode over to me, the demons parting around her and ignoring me.
Her confidence would be her undoing. She made a small hand-gesture sending a fireball at my face. I didn't miss a beat as the fire dissipated a few inches in front of me; her mouth dropped open. I had my chance. Shifting my weight to my right, I pushed off and took a long step forward, slashing her ribs with my left hand as I passed her and stopped just behind her. Her balance was thrown trying to spin and face me; I took advantage and kicked out, catching her calf and making her step backwards. She snarled at me like a common beast. Another fireball appeared in front of my face. I smiled sweetly and lunged forward, slashing at her stomach with my left hand, distracting her while I hacked at her lower right arm with my other blade. She screeched when I cut through the upper layer of muscle. I was horrified when the muscle re-knitted, healing before my eyes thanks to her magic. A sense of dread began to form.
Exhaustion was seeping into my muscles; we'd been fighting the demons for hours. We circled around each other. I continued to push forward, knocking her off balance and making her spin around trying to catch me. I hacked at her stomach and wrists, trying to stop her from casting more magic, but each time she was too quick and healed again. She was growing more desperate, angrier. Her movements were more reckless; she dove forwards, trying to plunge her stiletto into my stomach. I twisted away at the last second and drove the hilt of my blade into the back of her neck. She pitched forward; seeing my opening, I swept her legs from under her and landed on my knees on her back. I drove my blades into her back, one after the other, her screams bringing more pleasure than they had any right to. I stood and kicked her in the ribs, the satisfying crunch accompanying her final gurgled breath.
The pleasure lasted barely a second before more demons surrounded me, witches close on their heels. I took what breath I could and pushed aside the exhaustion. We had no choice. The fate of the city rested in our hands.
Kadrix hit the wall with a dull thud. Lysander sank his kris blade into the base of the demon’s spine. I jumped over the witches’ bodies and sliced open the demon’s throat as it crumpled to the floor. A stray imp got flattened under the great hulk of the lifeless demon. Quin helped Kadrix to his feet just in time for another demon to emerge. The bodies had amassed around us; blood coated nearly every surface within sight. The fae were pale, their breathing shallow where the extended use of intense magic was taking a heavy toll on them. It was difficult to judge how long we’d been there; it felt like an eternity of slashing, imps, and blood.
The sky had flecks of slate grey, bruise-purple clouds crowding in around the edge of the visible sky. The light was fading fast, and we had no light to guide us, giving the demons the advantage. The realisation that we’d been fighting to secure the future of the city for an entire day hit me. I looked around, hoping to catch sight of Elise and the priests. Nothing. I didn’t know how much longer we could keep fighting as hard as we were.
Quin caught the demon’s eye, drawing him forward; Kadrix and Lysander took advantage. Lysander jumped on the great beast’s back and hacked at its shoulder and the back of its neck with his kris. Kadrix sliced the back of its knees, while I took on a lesser demon, standing at only seven feet with blue-grey skin. Its grey black horns curled around the back of its head, the tips stopping just behind its square jaw. Its vibrant blue claws almost glowed in the dim light, which was fortunate as it allowed me to keep an eye on them.
The bodies covering the floor were making smooth movements increasingly difficult. I almost tripped over another smaller demon’s body as I backed away from my latest opponent. My muscles screamed for a break, my thoughts were slowing, but we had no choice. Smoke curled from its broad flat nose; its eyes glowed like dull embers. Its lizard-like lips twitched in amusement as I took another step back, watching its every movement, looking for a weakness.
Its joints appeared to lock at the peak of each movement. Its great hulking muscles hindered its flexibility. If I could only find the energy to move quickly, I could slip my blades into its joints and disable it. I took a deep breath and swallowed down my doubt; it was now or never. I rushed around to its right. My foot caught under an imp’s leg, throwing me off balance for a micro-second. Stealing a glance at the demon, I saw it was too slow, confusion clouding its face. Its great arm swung at me, the air current brushing past my arm without making contact. Luck was on my side.
It turned just quickly enough for me to miss my shot at the back of its knee. I managed to graze its hip, but it wasn’t enough. It snarled in anger, turning to face me once more. I took the risk of running at it; its head swivelled, but its body couldn’t quite keep up. I ducked its great hulking fist and slashed its Achilles tendons. At first nothing happened; I had hoped that demon anatomy wasn’t that different. It went to lift its great leg and stumbled forwards, its arms swinging trying to catch itself. I jumped on its back and stabbed down into its flesh. It wailed and swatted at me, sending me flying.
I scrambled to my feet and ran at it as it pushed itself up trying to get its legs under it. Desperation fuelled my attacks. Thoughts had fled my mind. I hacked at its joints before backing off and attacking its wrist, trying to stop it from pummelling me with its huge fists. It roared in frustration as I kept darting in and out as quickly as I could. It pounded the ground beneath it, sending vibrations through my boots. I ran around behind it and hacked lumps out of its shoulder before I scrambled up its back, sinking my blades in to act as anchors. Once I was on its shoulders, I reached around to slice at its face. It threw me off, but I’d gouged holes in its neck and cheek. Blood streamed down its face. Its left arm hung limp.
I circled around it, slashing at its legs, trying to keep it on the ground. It began to slump. Finally, I plunged my blade into its eye, its wail of agony cut short as it fell forwards. I only just managed to move out of its way before it crushed me. Air refused to fill my lungs; my legs almost betrayed me and crumpled under me. We couldn’t keep this up for much longer.
Lysander came to my side, his arm slipping around my waist. I leant on him and took solace in the support he offered me. We picked our way through the bodies and hid around a corner; guilt riddled me, but we were no use to anyone as exhausted as we were. We needed to breathe, to step away, just for a moment.
The hound’s chest heaved as he struggled to catch his breath. I ran my thumb over his temple, wiping away the blood that sat there; his mouth lifted into a small smile.
“Don’t die, hound, I’ve grown used to having a hellhound. I’d rather not capture and collar another one,”
I said softly.
“I wouldn’t dream of it, mistress,” he said with a smile.
Taking a deep breath, I turned and looked out over the chaos. The demons were trickling up from the gaping holes in the ground; the fae had managed to form floating lights over the square in varying shades from pure white to a dull orange, and most colours in between. The effect was eerie, deepening the shadows and adding another layer of menace to the demons’ movements. The witches were beginning to retreat, their numbers greatly reduced. Bodies were strewn all over the floor, piled up in corners and heaped around the ragged holes where the demons climbed from. Fae huddled against walls, quietly chanting, some savagely hacking demons into small pieces. They were terrifying to behold. The elves weren’t to be taken lightly; they moved through the air with more ease than was natural, their blades slicing through anything within reach.
Quin and Kadrix fought side by side; Kadrix supported Quin, keeping him safe when he needed to step back and rest. Blood stained every spare piece of ground. It was bedlam. The weight of the thing threatened to break my spirit. I wasn’t sure how we were supposed to keep going. There was still no sign of Elise or the priestesses; what if they had been killed? The hunters were lagging, grouping together to watch over each other, although half of their number lay torn and bloodied on the ground. We had lost at least a third of our number through the day, maybe as many as half. None of us had been prepared for this; how could we have been?
Lysander pulled me close to him. “Do not give in, mistress. We will not be beaten so easily.”
I breathed in the scent of him. We had no choice. We would not fail the city. It was our home, and we weren’t beaten yet.
“You started without us, that wasn’t very friendly,” a deep growling voice called from behind me.
I turned, recognising the voice. I almost felt a twinge of guilt when I saw the mangled mess of Felix’s face. I’d thrown wolfsbane in the lycan’s face during a fight when I was looking for Quin; the fact he had his sight was a miracle. He must have worked with a very talented witch to patch up his face into the lumpy state it was. His amber eyes were clear and useful, though; the scar tissue covered his cheekbones and clustered his brow. He grinned at me, a broad toothy expression accompanied by a yellow flash in his eyes.
