by Eric Vall
I watched as the magical green sparks left his fingers, and it looked like when Alyona began her portal.
“Shit!” I tightened my wings close to my body to speed up my approach. As I opened my maw to bellow fire on the mage, his portal opened, and he bounded into the opening. I heard him laugh again as he made his escape, and I wanted to tear his limbs from his body.
I’d fucking catch him soon, and that day would be his last.
I looped back around to the others who were still locked in battle with the Sect members. Only six of the traitors remained after the rest attempted to battle my party, and I watched Nike lunge into one of them with his sword. The blade drilled through the Sect member’s gut and exited his back as blood dripped from the weapon. Then Nike yanked his blade back without even breaking a sweat and faced off with another assassin.
I couldn’t let Nike and Aaliyah have all the fun, so I roared to get some of the Sect members’ attention on me. Two of them looked up, and I used the basilisk’s power to petrify them. As soon as their eyes met mine, the Sect members’ bodies stiffened and crumpled to the ground, and I topped them off with a torrent of fire for good measure.
The burning bodies satisfied my dragon desire to conquer all my enemies.
Aaliyah suddenly burst onto the scene below me and swiped a claw at one of the last three Sect members. He ducked and swung at her with his dagger, but the lioness leaped over his extended arm and bit down on it. The assassin yelled and grabbed the oozing wound, and the Demi-Human took the moment to wrap her hands around the man’s head and squeezed. Then she used her momentum to slam his head into the ground face first, and she dug her claws into his back. She shredded his robe and tunic to expose his bare skin, which was already covered in blood from her slashing blows. The Sect member finally laid still, and Aaliyah climbed off his back with blood dripping from her claws.
Fuck, the lioness was sexy. Her hunting attire was covered in sprays of blood, and her face gleamed with sweat. I watched her lick one of her claws and face the last two members of the Sect. Then I realized we still had to interrogate one of them, and I refocused my attention on the battle.
“Leave one alive!” I called down to Nike and Aaliyah as they both turned to face the remaining traitors.
I angled my body for a landing and shifted into my human form a few feet before I hit the ground. Once my feet landed on the dirt, I pulled the Sword of Healing from my spatial storage and sprinted toward the action. Then I let out a battle cry as I swung the sword around and slashed through the middle of one of the Sect members. As I watched the two halves of his body fall, I looked up to see Nike standing over the last one with his sword pressed to the bastard’s neck.
“Great job, Nike,” I congratulated him. I turned to check on Jager, and I saw him put Archer on his horseback before he trotted over to us.
“How is he?” Aaliyah asked the warrior with concern etched across her face.
We all looked at the small child, who had his arms wrapped around the centaur’s waist and his face pressed to his back.
“He’s shaken up,” Jager replied. “He won’t say anything.”
“Mona should be here soon,” I said. “Maybe he’ll perk up with her here.”
“I hope so.” The centaur’s face was set into a grim frown.
Then my dragon hearing picked up on movement near the edge of the camp, and I turned to see a hooded figure as he tried to sneak up the hill and escape.
“Oh, fuck, no,” I grumbled and raced toward the retreating Sect member. As I came up behind him, I grabbed his hood and yanked him back so I could press the blade of my sword to his throat.
The hood fell off and revealed Cesar in his human form.
“So, the coward was trying to run away, huh?” I chuckled as I dragged him back to where the rest of the group stood and tossed him at their feet. “Looks like Mona is still going to get her wish. Cesar is alive.”
“Traitorous bastard!” Jager bellowed and kicked the other centaur’s limp body with his hooved foot.
Cesar whimpered and curled himself into the fetal position.
“Well, don’t kill him now,” I scolded. “She should be here any minute. Let her figure out what to do with him.”
I considered petrifying Cesar, but since I wasn’t sure how to undo that just yet, I decided to hold him down with a layer of webs instead. I also removed his Sect tattoo before I left him in his curled-up form and covered him from his shoulders to his feet in the sticky webbing. Then I remembered how the warriors had torn through my webs with ease during our first battle, so I shot another layer over him.
He wasn’t going anywhere.
I returned my attention to the Sect member who trembled under Nike’s sword. His robes were torn, and I could see the green leaf tattoo marked on his chest. He laid with his arms at his sides, so I shot a set of webs to hold each hand down. Then I shot a couple more webs at his legs to ensure he wasn’t going anywhere.
“Did you really think you’d get away with kidnapping the prince?” I asked the traitor.
“I don’t have to talk to you,” he answered and turned his head away. “You’ll never find all of us anyway.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I demanded and pushed my sword against his throat.
“I, ah, I just mean there are a lot of our people in the forest still,” the traitor mumbled.
“Oh?” I raised a brow. “Anything else?”
“You won’t get past the traps to get to the people anyway,” he laughed without humor. “And I won’t tell you where they are.”
“Oh, there are traps now.” I snickered, shrugged, and pressed my own sword to the tattoo.
“What--what are you doing?” the Sect member stammered.
“Getting my answers,” I replied as I reached out to Miraya in my spiritual sea to help me heal the mark. The sword warmed in my hand, and my healing ability combined with the sword’s power to draw the Green Glass Sect’s curse out of the tattoo. The ink glowed a bright green as we pulled out the magic, and the man moaned with discomfort. Finally, the glow faded, and the tattoo was nothing more than normal ink again.
“What did you do?” the man shrieked as he stared down at his chest.
“I got rid of the curse,” I explained as I placed the sword back into my spatial storage. “Now, they think you’re dead.”
“Oh, gods,” the Sect member moaned and dropped his head back. “You have no idea what you’ve done.”
“I’ve done it a few times, my friend,” I laughed. “It’s the only way any of you will talk to me. Unless you prefer the torture?”
“What?” The man’s eyes widened as he stared at me. “No, I don’t even know anything. I’m nobody.”
“What’s your name?” I demanded.
“Gavin,” the Sect member answered after a moment.
“Okay, Gavin, here’s how this is going to work,” I explained. “I’m going to ask you a question. You can either answer it truthfully, or I can let the beautiful Lady Aaliyah sharpen her claws with your bones. Do you understand the rules?”
Gavin looked over to Aaliyah, who used one of her claws to dig a piece of flesh from her teeth and then grinned at him. He inhaled sharply, returned his gaze to me, and nodded with vigor.
“Great.” I smiled. “Now, why did the Sect want to make a sacrifice to the Breach?”
“It gives the demons power,” he mumbled.
“And why would we want them to have more power?” I asked with a quirked brow.
“The more power they gain in the underworld, the easier it is for them to escape into our realm,” Gavin replied.
“If they escape, what does that do for the Green Glass Sect?” I frowned as I tried to understand the Sect’s logic.
“The sage believes if we help the demons, they will be loyal to us when they get here,” he answered with a shrug. “Then we can use them to take over kingdoms and stuff.”
“Who is the sage?” I demanded.
; “Well, that’s a trick question … ” Gavin trailed off.
“Lady Aaliyah has a couple tricks, too,” I growled, and the lioness stepped closer to our captive, who shuddered in response. “Tell me who the sage is.”
“It really is a trick question,” Gavin insisted. “The sage is whoever he wants to be. He has more magic than anyone has ever seen. He can look young, old, male, female, human, Demi-Human, whatever he wants!”
I glanced up at Nike, who shrugged his shoulders.
“So, he can look however he wants, but who is he really?” I narrowed my eyes at Gavin.
“No one knows,” he murmured. “He’s the one who recruited everyone. I heard one of the mages say he uses dark magic to be immortal.”
So, Olivier could be the sage, and that face was just one of many faces he could use. Could he have been the necromancer, too? If so, the sage was not only our biggest threat in the Green Glass Sect, but he was also the leader of the attempted dragon genocide.
Just then, I heard the distinct sound of hooves pounding into the ground, and we all turned as River and the other centaur warriors crested the hill above us. I waved them down to where we waited with our two prisoners, and River led the warriors, Mona, Alyona, Laika, Ravi, and the dryad sisters down to what was left of the camp.
“I thought you were sending for us immediately,” River grumbled. “It looks like all the work here is already done.”
“We, ah, had to move more quickly than anticipated,” I answered and rubbed at the back of my neck. I didn’t want to blame Jager outright, even though he was the reason for our quick attack.
“It was my fault, sir,” Jager confessed as he stepped forward. “Once I saw the prince, I knew I had to save him. I started the battle without waiting for you. Or waiting for anyone, really.”
“Archer?” Mona called out as she shoved through the warriors and barreled toward her son.
“Mama!” Archer finally sat up and reached for his mother.
The queen pulled her son from Jager’s back and wrapped him in a bear hug. Tears of joy streamed down both of their faces as they clung to each other with relief, and the rest of us shared a look and smiled. Even though nothing went according to plan, bringing these two back together was worth it.
Suddenly, the queen looked up from her son and realized Cesar was curled up at our feet next to the Sect prisoner.
“You,” she whispered, and if looks could kill, Mona would have ripped Cesar to shreds with that look.
“Your Highness, I--” Cesar began.
“Silence,” Mona snarled in a quiet tone. “You betrayed me and our people, but the worst part is you betrayed my son. And for that, you will suffer.”
Cesar shuddered and closed his eyes. He looked like a man on death row, and he probably was reconsidering his crime.
“Take him away,” River ordered the warriors.
The centaurs pulled the layers of webbing from Cesar’s body and yanked him to his feet. They tied a rope around his waist and hands, and they looped it around each of his ankles. Then one of the centaurs held the end of the rope like a leash. Not only was Cesar not going to escape his fate, but he was going to be dragged through the city like a dog to show the citizens what he’d done.
As the warriors began their return to Lumin with their prisoner, I faced Alyona.
“We have to seal the rift,” I said and pointed to the demon gate that now released more tendrils of black smoke. The miasma wasn’t content to stay near the rift now that the Sect members were gone.
“Gods, that tear is considerably larger than the last one,” Alyona gasped at the expanse. “I have no choice but to use the Sutra of Forty-Four Seals. I only hope I have enough power without my father.”
“You do,” I assured her. “The Oracle said you have more than you think, remember?”
“Yeah, you’re the best priestess in Rahma!” Trina chimed in.
“Those demon assholes won’t know what hit them!” Marina cheered.
“See, everyone believes in you,” I said and smiled at the princess. “Now, I’ll come with you and give you a layer of healing while you start the spell. Okay?”
“Okay.” Alyona returned my smile and linked her fingers through mine.
We walked toward the tear, and I could feel the evil as it seeped out of the ground. The stench that accompanied the miasma also became stronger as we got closer to the demon gate. Ebony smoke spiraled out of the gash in the ground, and tendrils of black oozed onto the grass and dirt around it. The rift wouldn’t stay contained for long without the Sect here, so we had to seal it fast.
I sent out a glittery layer of my healing to cover the princess as we walked closer to the tear. Even though she was a pure being, I’d already seen what the miasma could do if it infected her, and I would do whatever I needed to keep her safe.
Alyona ventured closer to the gash and gasped, and I covered myself with the healing power so I could join her. Then we both looked down into the rift, and I inhaled sharply.
The miasma was like the steam on top of a volcano, but the demons under the surface were the magma. They roiled together as they reached for the opening to our world in desperation. Their faces melded together, and their grayish bodies writhed with their efforts to escape. It was hard to tell if they were smoky like the miasma or solid like us. Their wails and gasps filled the air around us, and I started to feel uneasy.
I suddenly had the feeling we had to close the tear now, or it would be nearly impossible.
“Let’s just seal this shit up,” I mumbled as I took a step back.
“Yeah,” Alyona murmured. “We can’t let them out.”
The princess stepped back with me and closed her eyes. She held her hands out, and purple and white symbols rose into the air around her as she whispered the words of the sutra. The symbols glowed as her magic flowed from her hands, and the symbols ebbed and flowed like waves around her body. The waves of magic swirled up above Alyona’s head and then dove toward the rift in rings of pure white light. I’d seen the sutra before when Alyona performed the spell with her father, but it was even more captivating when she did it alone.
“Evil will inevitably destroy itself,” I heard Alyona murmur as the white rings crashed into the ground around the tear.
Slowly, the black spirals that had been burned into the grass retreated to the rift, and the dying plants started to turn green again.
“ … from these sorrows and desires, fear comes,” Alyona continued under her breath, and another set of magical rings rose from the waves, though these were silver in color, and crashed into the rift.
The smoky miasma appeared to be pulled back into the gash, as if her magic had shoved it back into the underworld.
“ … inevitably, they will be consumed by the flames … ” Alyona built up the third layer of the spell, and black, smoky sutra rings flew above her head before they slammed into the tear.
“ … courage and virtue, brought about by a resolute mind … ” Alyona’s voice rose in volume as she neared the end of the sutra, and the rings that rose now were a bloody-red with flames that curled over their edges.
A subtle thudding sound echoed in the air surrounding us, and the magical rings began to spin around the entire demon gate. They didn’t blur together this time, since the expanse was so much larger, but they spun with a fury.
“Cease!” Alyona cried out, and the rings froze in place. “And thus, will the darkness leave.”
Then the world felt like it stood still for a moment as the rings and the rift disappeared. One second, they were there, and the next, nothing. It was as though the tear simply ceased to exist.
I grinned and looked at the princess, just in time to catch her as she fainted.
“Alyona!” I gasped as I wrapped my arms around her, but she didn’t respond.
I frowned and sent out my glittery healing power, but she didn’t awaken, so I checked on her status instead.
Classification: Divinity
; Condition: Fatigued
Priority: Sufficient rest will aid recovery from over use of power
Danger: None
Status: Fatigued
I sighed in relief. I’d worried about her proximity to the miasma, but it hadn’t sent her into another coma. She’d just used all her energy to complete the sutra on her own.
Ravi and Laika rushed over as I held the princess’ limp body in my arms.
“Is she okay?” Ravi asked with a concerned frown.
“Yeah,” I mumbled. “She used all her energy to seal that tear.”
“She needs rest,” Laika agreed, and her gray wolf ears flattened against her head. “We need to get her back to the palace.”
I nodded and cradled Alyona in my arms.
“Oh, gods, she isn’t dead, is she?” Mona asked as we approached the group. The queen had shifted to her centaur form and placed her son on her horse back, and he gripped her torso tightly and ignored the rest of us.
“No,” I replied. “She just needs to sleep. Let’s get back to Lumin.”
“Would you like to put her on my back, Lord Evan?” River offered, and his face was kind as he gestured to his horse back.
“Thank you,” I murmured as I gently laid the princess across his back.
“You and your people have done even more for us than I could have imagined,” Mona said with glistening green eyes. “You’ve rid us of two beasts, saved my son, and now closed this hole to the world of demons. I will forever be in your debt.”
“No, Your Highness.” I shook my head. “I said I would help you with what you needed as a service to my people. I don’t want you to be indebted to me. I only want your loyalty to the crown and to Rahma.”
“You have it,” the queen swore. “And you have the help of my people in defeating this Green Glass Sect. We won’t stand for their betrayal of our nation.”
Mona glanced at Cesar as she spoke and grimaced.
“Do you have a prison?” I asked and changed the subject after a moment.
“Yes,” River responded. “Why?”
“Well, we have two prisoners who might be able to help us with the defeating the Sect thing.” I gave him a half-smile as I motioned to Gavin.
