“Six Nybbases, three Shax, two Drudes, four Nysroghs.” The words had barely passed her lips when she ducked, sliding beneath the tangle of limbs that creaked, reaching for her. She ignored the burn of the pavement on the side of her leg, gripping two creatures at once. They hissed, blindly stabbing for her, but she maneuvered her body out of the way just in time.
Their energy was little, but it fuelled her.
The night came into focus.
Her body felt supercharged.
“Move, you useless oafs. I’ll finish her.”
It was a feminine voice, yet it grated on Emma’s eardrums like the high-pitched whine of gears grinding together. She looked up just in time to see the Drude that had spoken raising a long, broad sword.
The final dregs of the Nybbases’ powers flowed through Emma and their ashes rained down on her, sticking to her skin and hair. She grinned right before the blade cut through the air, and she rolled back. The clang of metal on road erupted less than a foot from her.
She leapt to her feet, still smiling at the ugly Shediem. The other creature closed in tighter, making it so her back was exposed. From the corner of her eye she saw Blaze carving his way to her.
The Drude swiped the long blade at Emma’s chest, and she jerked back just in time to avoid it. Emma sensed the second Drude only a few feet behind her. Two Shax stood to her sides, caging her in.
With a deep breath, Emma drew her Shediem-roasting power into her center. Before Blaze could get too close, she released it.
The small pulse of energy shot out around her, and the strangled screams of each of the Shediem were all that remained—besides the clouds of ash that floated to the ground. It almost seemed too peaceful, too quick a death. She wanted to punish them for taking her mother from her.
Emma breathed in the remnants of their life-force in the air and the heat licked through her.
Blaze watched her carefully less than ten feet away, blade dripping gore. She offered him a small smile to show that she was herself, and he let his blade drop to his side.“We better get moving before more make an appearance.”
Emma nodded and wordlessly followed him back toward the vehicle, stepping over the severed limbs and other body parts of more than one Nybbas.
Blaze took over driving through the night. Emma didn’t bother sleeping, too pumped with adrenaline to be able to rest. They were quiet. Watchful.
All around, she felt their presence. She felt their numbers in the hundreds. But the Shediem that followed them did not attack. Either they knew it was fruitless, or they had received orders not to. Emma didn’t think that was likely considering she’d betrayed her father. He undoubtedly wanted her dead.
So why weren’t they attacking?
Once they crossed the border into Kansas, the road was blown away, the terrain too rough to carry on by vehicle. They pulled over and Gertie spelled the vehicle so no one could try to scavenge it for parts. When they disembarked the SUV, Emma felt at least a hundred sets of eyes on them, causing her to shiver.
The sky had gone from a subtle glow to looking as though it burned red and orange—like flames.
Still, the air was brisk. Not as cold as winter in Kansas should have been. An effect from the princes rising or something else?
Slowly, the morning sun lit the scorched earth. The closer they trekked into areas where civilization had once been, the more Emma felt her heart twist. There was barely anything left as proof. A blackened pair of children’s shoes, small hunks of splintered wood…
There were a few people sorting through the wreckage. All of them were dirty and wore blank expressions. They hardly looked at Emma and the crew when they passed.
With each step they took, every mound of churned soil they climbed, the sense of dread grew inside her. Her shivers from the cold subsided after an hour of walking on foot and soon her body began to ache. Sergei and Gertie seemed to be in far worse condition, occasionally using their magic to heal blisters on their feet or push a cloud of warmth to stem their trembling.
“Save your magic,” Blaze barked after the third time, making all three of them jump.“You don’t know when you’ll need it.”
“Better to use a little magic than freeze to death,” Sergei argued.“Not everyone here has the supernatural ability to survive the cold for so long.”
Blaze didn’t respond nor say anything at all for many hours, even when they stopped to consult their only map.
By the time the sun was at its peak in the sky, Emma barely felt the cold. Even the two Spellcasters seemed to have thawed slightly.
The Shediem that stalked them kept their distance, though they didn’t hide. Their creepy eyes watched them.
Watched her.
By nightfall, the chill had returned and not even her heavy jacket could keep the cold away. They still had another half day of walking before they reached the prince’s camp. It felt like a lifetime away.
“Let’s stop here for the night,” Blaze said, his tone more pliant than it had been earlier, though the tight set of his jaw was still apparent.
“Oh, thank goodness!” With a gust of breath Gertie sat heavily onto a large mound of earth. Sergei followed suit, wiping the sweat from his forehead.
The two of them set to work on conjuring a fire and logs out of thin air while Blaze started to unpack the two tents they’d carried. Fighting the sense of longing she felt when flames began to crackle nearby, Emma forced herself toward him and began setting up the second tent.
“You okay?” she asked Blaze in a low tone, trying to avoid drawing their companions’ attention. The two of them hadn’t had a proper conversation since she tried to disappear on her own.
He grunted noncommittally and Emma pursed her lips, watching him jam the poles right through the fabric then toss the mess to the ground. She crossed over to where he crouched and took the material from his hands before he could dislodge the pole. Finally his eyes met hers, and she felt her heart crack at the fear she saw in them.
“I can’t lose you too,” he said thickly.
She swallowed hard, feeling tears prick her eyes.“You aren’t going to lose me.”
He scoffed and shook his head. “You don’t bloody know that, Emma. Dammit, why are you always so quick to rush into danger? Do you not have any self-preservation instincts?”
Emma couldn’t stop the laugh that burst out of her, but she quickly squashed any further laughter when his steely eyes darkened. “Of course I do. You just don’t trust that I can take care of myself.” She kept her tone level. It wasn’t an insult, it was simply a fact.
He shook his head, then checked the impaled tent lying on the uneven ground. With a deep breath he met her gaze again.“I do think you can take care of yourself, but the fate of the entire world rests on your shoulders. It makes me feel helpless. I want to shoulder as much of the burden as I can. It’s not much, but I’ll take whatever you give me.”
She smiled before reaching up and cupping his scruffy cheek. “I can’t do this without you.”A knot formed in her throat as soon as she spoke the words. Even with his help—with everyone’s help—it wouldn’t be enough. She might not survive this war, but she couldn’t bring herself to admit that out loud. Especially to Blaze, who looked like he could hear her thoughts. His cool grey eyes seemed filled with all the anguish Emma felt.
She cleared her throat then looked at the tent before helping him set it up. After retrieving her sewing kit, she sewed the hole closed. One of the two Spellcasters could make it waterproof.
They ate their meager rations, Sergei entertaining them by singing a classic Russian lullaby. It brought a smile to Emma’s face, listening to the tune her mother had hummed to her throughout her childhood. She hadn’t heard the words before now.
For a moment, she felt her mother’s arms wrapped around her. An unexplainable sense of comfort blanketed her, warming her better than the fire.
She took the second watch so the others could get some rest. Only Sergei’s snores and the S
hediem that circled their camp kept her company, until an hour or so into her watch, when Blaze emerged from the tent.
“What are you doing?” she asked, brows raised in surprise.
“Can’t sleep,” was his only response before he sat beside her and stared into the dwindling flames.
“You should really try; we all need to be rested for tomorrow.”
Blaze glanced sidelong at her. “If any of us needs to be a hundred percent, it’s you.”
She shrugged. “I’m not tired. I feel like I’ve been doing nothing but sleeping.”
A rare smile curved his lips and it felt like warm sunshine— the sight was infectious. All too soon it faded, and with it, the warmth.“I’ll take over your watch. Go get some more sleep.”
Emma sighed.“I’d rather stay out here with you.”
He nudged her shoulder.“Go on, I’ll be here when you wake.”
She wanted to argue. What better excuse would they get to have a moment alone? But as soon as she glanced toward the tent where Gertie slept soundly, she felt another wave of exhaustion wash over her. After pressing a soft kiss to Blaze’s cheek, she rose and walked to the tent, turning to smile at him before disappearing inside.
His answering smile was forced, but she understood why.
Tomorrow she’d enter the lion’s den.
31
Emma
The four of them peered down the ridge where their encampment was to see a massive, crater-like hole punched in the earth where a city had once been, though
there was no evidence of it any longer.
Shediem crawled all over the place. Hunting, no doubt.
Humans dressed in the same pitiful rags she’d once worn trudged
here and there, carrying anything from baskets of food to linens.
Where they’d gone to get such things, Emma didn’t know. She stared down into the valley, trying to make out any
familiar faces. Her chest felt like an icy hand had punched
straight through it, and she sensed which prince was below
before he stepped into view. He looked every bit the handsome,
well-dressed prince, almost human in appearance except for his
bloodred eyes.
On her left, she heard Gertie suck in a sharp breath, and on
her right, Blaze’s body went rigid.
“Asmodeus,” she whispered. Her father.
From the distance of several football fields, his eyes met
hers, and a slow smile spread across his sadistic face. For several
beats no one breathed. Then with a simple hand gesture, every
Shediem faced them too, eyes glowing and fangs bared. Then they launched into movement, sprinting straight for
them.
Sergei let loose a string of angry-sounding Russian. Then
Blaze got hold of her arm and was dragging her back so fast, her
feet scrambled beneath her.
“Stop!” she screamed.
Blaze didn’t listen. The unholy snarls and taunts rising from
the valley made her insides churn. At least a thousand Shediem
were moments away from cresting the hill.
“Gertie, Sergei, a wall!” Blaze demanded.
The two Spellcasters spun, lifting their hands, and colored
light streamed from their palms, creating a barrier around them. Emma finally managed to get her legs righted, and jerked
out of Blaze’s grasp. “We can’t outrun them, we have to fight,”
she said, bracing herself. The familiar tingling mixed with heat
in her veins spread through her body, warming her. Blaze pulled his sword from over his shoulder, watching the
ridge with equal parts determination and hunger. There was
no denying he craved the battle as much as she did.“Then we’ll
fight.”To Sergei and Gertie he said,“When they get close enough,
break the wall. We’re going to be overwhelmed by the numbers
so keep the majority away as long as possible.”
“Got it,” Gertie said.
“Will do,” Sergei answered.
A sea of monstrous creatures flooded the horizon. Their
cries of bloodlust were deafening. Emma smiled—giddiness at
feeding on so much power made her want to lunge toward the
beasts. But she remained rooted. She had to hold her position.
Follow the plan.
The first wave hit the barrier and was thrown back with
pained yelps, knocking down the second row too. While they
got to their feet—some with long arms swaying and others
brandishing weapons of their own—a steady sound of marching
made all four of them turn.
Crash.
Crash.
Crash.
A wall of red enclosed the clearing from behind, trapping
them. Emma’s smile vanished. These were not Shediem. Even
with their hoods pulled low over their faces, she knew they were
Spellcasters.
“What in the—” Those were the only words from Sergei
before a bright light shot at them.
With a boom that knocked the four of them to the ground,
their protective barrier disintegrated. Then chaos was unleashed. Emma’s ears rang as she leapt to her feet. Sergei and Gertie
stepped toward the line of Spellcasters while Emma and Blaze
advanced on the Shediem.
They were outnumbered, she knew that. Exchanging a final
glance with Blaze, they launched into the fold.
Emma sent a jet of power around her, which burned through
the Shediem closest to her. Their energy filled her. She moved
on, latching onto two dazed Shax and sucking them dry before
they could blink.
She turned, finding an axe above her head preparing to come
down, a grinning Drude holding the particularly brutal weapon.
Emma jumped back just as the zing of the blade missed her
chest. She launched her foot into the Shediem’s face. Spinning
again, she caught a Nybbas by its gangly arm and absorbed its
power into herself. She used her new special abilities for herself,
blinding those around her—forcing illusions into their minds.
A sword swiped for her abdomen and she easily leapt out of the
way, bringing her elbow down on the blade. Her foot met the
meaty hand that held it and its owner shrieked when its fist,
along with the sword, landed on the ground.
Her power grew with each Shediem she drained; so too
did the wicked voice in her head, demanding more. She became
faster, whirling and striking like a supernatural tornado. After a
while, she forgot what her purpose was beyond the call for more
power. More. More. More. Shediem crowded around her, falling
almost as fast as they crowded in.
When she spun for her next prey she missed the glint of metal coming her way, and it sliced into her side. With a gasp she clutched the wound. Blood hot and thick poured from it,
but she didn’t care.
Her eyes locked onto the creature responsible and she lunged
with an inhuman snarl. Baring her teeth, she wrapped her fingers
around the Drude’s bony wrists, and realization dawned on its
face a moment too late.
She pulled, tearing its arms from its body. They smacked
into two feathered creatures that leapt for her before Emma
grabbed the Drude’s face. It fell to its knees, catlike eyes wide
while power filled her. She laughed coldly, the wound on her
side already knitted shut. The Shediem’s ashes burst as another
Drude stormed forward to take its place.
She barely h
ad time to react, rolling to the side before the
sword swung down. It was immediately clear this Drude was
older, more experienced, from the frighteningly fast way it
moved. Emma had the dagger at her hip, but she wanted to feel
the Drude die in her hands.
Each time she dodged or tried to get close to the Shediem it
seemed to anticipate her moves, landing an especially hard blow
to her temple with its bony elbow. She went down hard, breaths
coming in short bursts.
How long had they been fighting? It felt like hours and her
strength was waning. The power she’d absorbed burned through
her much quicker than it usually did. The throng of grey and
bluish skin seemed endless. She cast out her power, a smaller
radius than before, but it was enough.
Their power wasn’t as strong as it would be directly from the
source—a sip when she needed the full glass.
Through a gap, Emma caught a glimpse of Blaze fighting
twenty yards away.
She was forcing herself back to her feet when a scream rang
over the rocky clearing. A scream that sounded familiar. Gertie.
Several shouts went out and then Blaze roared,“Gertie!” Emma fought harder then, managing to land a blow on a
Shax’s chest that made it stumble. With a sweeping kick she sent
it to the ground and pounced. The Shediem let out a gurgling
laugh just before she siphoned the last of its power. What was
so funny about dying, she wondered?
The heady rush was everywhere, and suddenly she tore
through the masses, leaving a coating of ash in her wake. When
at last she emerged, Blaze’s blood-splattered face was filled with
fury as he fought toward the monster standing serenely on top
of a boulder.
What was he doing? He couldn’t fight a prince! Sergei sent blast after blast of magic at the wall of remaining
Spellcasters. Briefly, Emma wondered if Adrianna was
somewhere in the line of red cloaks.
The Throne of Broken Bones (Weapon of Fire and Ash Book 3) Page 25
