Chapter Sixteen
“Anyone else feel like we’re lambs being sent to the slaughter?” Leto asked.
“I think it’s the children who should be saying that,” Tate said.
Thanks to Emil’s portal, we were transported as close to the targeted section of the Grand Canyon as we dared to get without being seen too soon.
“There’s a lot of magical energy here,” Tate said. She made it sound more like a negative than a positive.
“That’s why he chose this place,” I said. “Major mojo.”
“Major mojo? Nice one.” Liam held up his hand for a high-five, but I ignored him. “Sheesh. Someone can’t take a compliment.”
“Between the ley lines and the elements, it’s a spell caster’s paradise,” Tate said.
Saxon patted her on the back. “Good thing for you then.”
“I don’t have the ability to harness all that energy,” Tate said. “I’d have to be a magical equivalent of a nuclear reactor.”
Liam snorted. “Hey, remember when humans worried about that sort of thing? A nuclear winter and then the Plague happened.” He shook his head. “Poor suckers.”
“Can we stick to the program, please?” Saxon demanded.
“We need a closer look,” Leto said. “We need to know how many minions he has with him.”
“And how many kids,” Evadne added.
Saxon wore his brooding expression. “I can’t fly over the canyon or they’ll spot me.”
“I don’t know. I bet he’s preoccupied with all those tributes,” Liam said. “Imagine trying to corral dozens of little kids when you look like Supai.” He shuddered.
Tate’s face hardened. “They are children, not tributes, and we’re going to save every last one of them.”
“Well, don’t do what the two of you did to the Tzitzimime demons or we’ll be dealing with baskets of Kentucky Fried Kids,” Liam said.
Saxon swore at him. “Can you at least wait until the kids are safe to crack jokes at their expense?”
“Why don’t I see anyone?” Tate said, scanning the horizon. “Not even a random lizard.”
“Maybe Nita got the time wrong,” Leto said.
I pointed to the still-dark sky. “She didn’t. The meteor shower has been increasing in intensity since we arrived.”
Liam rubbed his chin. “Then maybe Tages finally turned on us. Could his coupons have been expired?”
“I’ll hunt down that two-timing runt and break his neck,” Evadne seethed.
Saxon walked a few paces ahead and stopped, his whole body alert. “They’re definitely here.”
Liam turned in a circle, scanning the blank landscape around us. “Where?”
“Can’t you smell him?” Saxon asked.
“That rotten egg smell?” Liam asked. “I thought that was Leto. I saw what he ate before we left.” The werevamp waved a hand in front of his nose.
“It’s Supai’s sulphuric odor,” Evadne said. “I smell it too.”
Tate shrugged. “I guess this is one of those times I’m happy to be a witch. No special olfactory powers.”
“You can’t smell it?” I asked. The stench had reached my nostrils too.
“It’s coming from this direction,” Saxon said, pointing west.
My stomach dropped. “Do you think we’re too late? The only thing that way is a cliff.” We didn’t know what the ritual involved, but throwing them off the edge of a cliff would definitely do the job.
“I can’t risk flying over the cliff and being spotted,” Saxon said.
I thought of the tarot cards in my pocket. “I can look without being seen.”
Saxon eyed me curiously. “One of Lloyd’s cards?”
I nodded. “And I’m a mountain guide, don’t forget. If someone needs to climb down that cliff for a closer look, I’m the one to do it.”
Evadne gave me an appraising look. “I guess it’s good we let you tag along.”
I walked to the edge of the cliff and activated The Magician card in my pocket. I peered over the edge, anxious about what I might see.
Nothing.
My view was obstructed by another cliff below mine that extended further across the rocky canyon. I climbed down so I could see past it. It wasn’t challenging terrain as far as I was concerned; I’d encountered much worse in the Rockies. I made it to the next platform and slid to the edge on my stomach in case the foundation was shaky. Although I was invisible, I didn’t want any debris falling below to alert Supai to our presence. If that happened, hopefully they’d mistake it for the effects of the meteor shower.
Through the morning haze, I spotted two familiar one-eyed figures standing guard outside an entrance that had been carved into the natural rock that formed the wall of the canyon. The Abaasy.
I surveyed the area to see whether there was a simple way to reach the base. If the children were down there being guarded, Supai must’ve had an easy way of transporting them. The average child couldn’t have scaled this cliff. Hell, the average adult couldn’t scale this cliff. I shifted to the left and found my answer. Steps had been carved into the canyon wall. Handy.
I held my breath as I descended, not wanting to give myself away. The thundering of my heartbeat seemed so loud, I was sure it could cause an earthquake. I gave thanks when I reached the bottom and approached the Abaasy with caution, just in case the magic of my card had decided to dissipate. The nearer I drew to them, the more satisfied I became that the iron giants couldn’t see me. I slipped between them and ducked inside.
What I saw next took my breath away—inside was a rock-cut cave monument. The jagged walls were lined with ornate columns that must’ve taken ages to create. My spirits soared when I saw that the children were still alive. I crept along the left side of the cave and counted one hundred and twenty of them, all standing in obedient rows that faced the intricately carved altar. Their foreheads were smeared with dark red paint.
More Abaasy were positioned at the ends of each row, while Velvet demons moved from child to child. I imagined that Supai was waiting for the children to be paralyzed before he began the ritual. I scanned the altar for the Plague demon, but there was no sign of him. I exited the cave and scrambled back up to the side of the cliff to share the intel with the others, making myself visible again as I approached them.
It made sense that this was where the Lord of Minerals would choose to perform the ritual that would return him to his former glory. He was reinventing his very own Land of the Dead in the bowels of the earth, complete with his iron handmaidens.
“One hundred and twenty?” Tate repeated, looking as sick as I felt when I broke the news.
“That definitely rules out celestial fire,” Saxon said.
“It rules out a lot of things,” Tate agreed.
“Whatever we’re going to do, we have to do it now,” I said. “The Velvet demons are already in the process of paralyzing them and the Abaasy are there for the intimidation factor.”
“How steep and narrow are the steps?” Liam asked.
“If the Abaasy can handle them, I would think a wolf can too,” I said.
“What about Supai?” Leto asked. “Which form is he in?”
“I didn’t see him.”
“He’s probably watching the meteor shower to see when it hits its peak,” Tate said.
Saxon started pulling weapons from the supply pack and distributed them among us. “Leto and Liam, I want you to handle the Abaasy.”
Liam glanced at me. “You counted twelve?”
“Think so.” My chest tightened at the thought of returning to the cave monument. What if we couldn’t stop the demon in time?
Saxon turned toward me. “Tate, you and Callie take care of the Velvet demons and then start directing the children back up the steps. Those who are already paralyzed will have to stay put until we can carry them out.”
Evadne hip-checked him. “How do you want me, big guy? On all fours?” She cocked a suggestive eyebrow.
Saxon didn’t react. “I need your fae side, so don’t shift.” He unsheathed his sword. “You and I will handle Supai and the two Abaasy guarding the entrance.”
I hefted the dagger in my hand. “I think I need something longer if I’m on Velvet demon duty.” I couldn’t risk getting too close with a dagger.
Saxon reached into the pack and produced a machete. “Ever used one of these?”
“A hatchet would be better, but it’ll do.” I had loads of experience with a hatchet in the Rockies. I slid the dagger into my boot and took the longer blade.
“Machete is better for slashing,” Liam said. “And you’re about to do a whole lot of that.”
“The second we land at the base, we need to act,” Saxon said. “We don’t have the advantage of invisibility that Callie had.”
Leto looked at me, his thick eyebrows drawn together. “We can’t all use that card, huh?”
“Afraid not,” I said.
“I can’t even use it and I’m a witch,” Tate said. “Not that I’m bitter.” She flashed a charming smile that made me laugh, despite the impending sense of doom.
Saxon eyed each member of the team. “Everybody ready?”
Our heads bobbed in unison.
“I feel like we should have a team cheer or something,” Liam said. “Like a prayer circle before a concert or a theatre production.”
Tate regarded him. “Because we’re putting on a performance?”
Liam’s arm swept toward the canyon. “Check out that stage. It’s the biggest one we’ve ever played.”
“And I’m the lead,” Evadne said, charging forward. “Let’s go.”
No one objected. The one good thing about the carved steps was that they were out of view of the cave entrance until the very bottom. The four of us made our way down the side of the canyon as Saxon swooped down with Evadne to take care of the guards. He dropped the tri-brid from two feet above the guards and she landed deftly on her feet with her sword at the ready. Before the Abaasy had time to blink, she’d managed to thrust the sword straight through the gut.
“I thought those things were made of iron,” I whispered.
“They’re not robots,” Liam said.
“Trust me. Evadne knows where everyone’s weak spots are located,” Tate said. “It’s one of her best skills.”
“Her telepathy helps,” Liam said. “You’d be surprised how many opponents think ‘just don’t let her hit me in the stomach and I’ll be fine.’”
Saxon’s sword took care of the other guard and I watched the Abaasy slump to the ground with a gentle thud. That was our cue. We emerged from our hiding spot and joined the others at the entrance.
“It’s time,” Tate said with a glance upward. Deep orange and pink streaked the sky, heralding sunrise, and the meteor shower looked like the finale of a fireworks display.
We filed into the cave and I dashed toward the nearest Velvet demon, slashing its gelatinous neck just as it was about to slobber over its next victim. The machete did the trick, although the blade didn’t clear the head the way Liam’s sword had done. I had to strike another blow to make that happen.
The cave erupted in chaos. Through the rows of children, I caught the glint of a dagger in the hand of a demon standing atop the altar. He bore the horns of a ram, the body of a man, and the face of a tiger with red glowing eyes.
Supai.
Bile rose in my throat as the presence of the dagger illuminated what the ritual likely entailed. The demon wasn’t simply going to murder them. No. The demon was going to cut out each and every one of their hearts as part of his bid for power.
I was barely aware of the children around me as I stalked toward the next Velvet demon. Unfortunately, I was so intent on decapitating this one that I failed to sense the Abaasy behind me. Two solid arms grabbed my waist and lifted me into the air. I went sailing across the cave and slammed into one of the rough columns, losing my grip on the machete about five feet back. As the Abaasy advanced, I tugged the dagger from my boot and struggled to my feet. A dagger wouldn’t do much good against the iron giant unless…
I did what I’d intended to do that first day at Salt.
I went for the eye.
The Abaasy wasn’t expecting me to move so quickly. I sank the short blade into his single eye and he reeled back. I managed to reclaim the dagger before he could grasp the handle. He staggered forward, moaning in pain, and I slipped away to dispatch the rest of the Velvet demons.
I tried to maintain my focus amidst the pandemonium. Out of the corner of my eye, I glimpsed the others attacking their opponents. Liam and Leto were both in their wolf forms, using their claws and teeth as weapons. Tate was using a magic lasso to slice through the body of another Velvet demon. The children seemed uncertain whether to flee and I realized they didn’t know that the path was clear. I spotted a girl who looked about twelve. She was comforting three of the younger children.
“Take them to the steps outside,” I called. “The guards are dead.”
The girl stared at me with wide brown eyes and it seemed to take a moment for my words to fully register. When she ushered them toward the mouth of the cave, I knew she’d understood. I returned to my hunt for another Velvet demon. Children streamed past me as I marched forward and I knew that word had spread. Not all the children could escape, of course. Dozens lay on the cave floor, already paralyzed and unable to flee with the others. Supai could still use them for the ritual if we failed to overtake him.
“Leto!” Tate screamed.
I twisted in time to see a werewolf hit the floor and a Velvet demon rolling over him like he was a speed bump. Tate used a stun stick on the demon before it could move any further. It collapsed on its side and I turned my attention to the altar to see that the Supai had changed shape and now inhabited the body of a lion instead of a man. I watched Evadne’s hand burn with white-hot light as she prepared to strike the demon. I tracked Saxon to the base of the altar and gasped when I noticed his torn and bloody wings. The hybrid remained still and my throat thickened with fear.
And then Supai changed form again. It reminded me of the Velvet demon, except I understood in a millisecond what the clever demon had done. Evadne’s heat-infused blow had no effect on the resistant tardigrade, otherwise known as the water bear. This creature could withstand extreme highs and lows. Evadne didn’t have time to recover before Supai changed again, right back to the male body. I’d never witnessed a creature shift so quickly from one form to another. It was unlike any supernatural I’d ever seen. No werewolf could shift forms at that rate, not without repercussions.
The cave reverberated with a scream. I looked to see Tate on her knees beside Leto and I realized that the werewolf wasn’t only paralyzed, he was bleeding profusely. An Abaasy lay nearby, unmoving. I raced toward them, leaping over the prostrate bodies of unconscious children.
“We need Evadne,” Tate cried. “She can heal him.” The witch had been too focused on Leto to see that Evadne was preoccupied.
Then I saw the blood streaming down her arm from a gaping wound. “You’re hurt too.”
“It’s not serious. Leto needs help.”
I felt torn. Evadne was fighting for her life against Supai. Saxon was unconscious, possibly dead. “Where’s Liam?”
“I don’t know.”
“Someone needs to help the kids get to safety,” I said. “Can you manage that?”
Tate nodded and pulled herself to her feet. I looked back at the altar and saw a flash of metal. The ritual dagger. I inhaled sharply as the demon stabbed Evadne in the chest. I rushed toward the altar, my mind spinning. If Supai cut out her heart, he’d still be able to complete the ritual. It wouldn’t rise to the level of a mass sacrifice, but it would allow him to garner enough power to make him extremely hard to kill—and he was already proving tough to beat.
I did a running jump and leaped toward the altar. He’d just removed the dagger from her chest, ready to strike again. I threw my full weight into him as I l
anded and the dagger flew from his outstretched hand. The demon and I tumbled to the back of the altar and I hit my head against the jagged wall. By the time I recovered, Supai was already advancing toward the dagger. Relief pumped through my veins when I saw Liam carrying Evadne to safety. I pursued the demon, imagining that I was back in the mountains and he was my prey. That if I didn’t catch him, we might starve. Supai now stood between me and survival.
For a fleeting moment, I worried that he intended Saxon to be his next sacrifice, but the hybrid was no longer at the base of the altar. Thank the gods. Hopefully his angel side kicked in and healed him. I was about to unleash a blasting orb when I realized where Supai was headed.
Leto.
The werewolf remained on the cave floor, still unconscious and bleeding in his wolf form. The demon was too close to him now. I couldn’t risk hitting Leto too, certainly not in his weakened state.
My pulse quickened when I saw Supai plunge the dagger into Leto’s chest.
No, no, no.
Before I could reach him, Supai reached in and grabbed Leto’s beating heart. My mind went blank. Whatever spells I knew. Whatever enchanted cards I possessed. All reason fell by the wayside. Suddenly I was back at the campsite staring at my father’s lifeless body. The pain of loss thrummed in every fiber of my being. Supai’s jaws opened wide, preparing to devour the heart and complete the ritual.
Rage exploded from within me, propelling me forward. Faster. A searing pain ripped through me and my jaw felt like it was about to break in half.
I lunged at the demon and toppled him, tearing through the fleshy curve of his shoulder as though his skin was made of paper. A bitter taste seeped into my mouth as I pushed harder and deeper. I felt his body trying to shift, and then felt as it drained of energy, unable to manage the transformation. I refused to release my hold on the demon until his flailing body went limp beneath me. His tiger head lolled to the side and I rolled onto my back on the cave floor, stunned.
What in the hell just happened? I twisted to look for Leto, to see whether I’d imagined it. Sadly, I hadn’t. His mangled body was still there, patches of crimson staining his beautiful fur coat. Tears gathered in my eyes as the reality hit me.
Double Down on Demons (Pandora's Pride Book 1) Page 19
