Hero of Fire

by P. E. Padilla

  There was no time to ponder; her team was moving to surround her. She could match maybe two of them at a time, but never all of them, even with one of their number injured and another poisoned. Besides, she couldn’t bring herself to kill them, even if they were trying to do the same to her.

  “Lower your shield and your weapon, girl,” Xylevera ordered. “Stand there and watch what your friends will do to you.”

  Kate’s eyelids sank and her mouth fell slack. Her shield dipped, and she began to lower her sword. Xylevera beamed at her and gave a little jump as if she was preparing to see a grand display.

  Meanwhile, the men got into place: Aurel right in front of Kate, Benedict to the left, Peiros to the right, and the other two just shadows behind her in her peripheral vision.

  Through her own heavy-lidded eyes, Kate noticed that Aurel’s movements were halting and jerky, as if he was fighting to stop himself.

  The men charged in at the same time. Sharp steel closed the gap, every blade aiming to be a fatal strike.

  Kate ducked under Aurel’s huge sword and battered her shield against Peiros’s crescents. She straightened on the other side of the circle and rotated her hips.

  With a prayer she was accurate, Kate unwound her torso and threw her sword with all of her strength. It sailed through the air, turning slowly hilt over point for one full revolution.

  The blade flew true and punched into Xylevera’s chest, exactly between her two perfect breasts. The force was enough to shatter the demon’s breastbone and skewer the heart beneath, then continue on through her back.

  The demoness’s face twisted in hatred, but then shifted to confusion. Her glowing eyes widened and she tilted her head down to see Kate’s sword buried to the hilt in her chest. She looked back up toward Kate with a pleading kind of expression on her face.

  Then her legs collapsed and the succubus unceremoniously fell on her face.

  “Huh,” Kate mused. She guessed the sword had severed the demon’s spinal column. She considered the corpse as the pressure on her mind disappeared.

  At the same time, all five men dropped to the ground, unconscious. Kate stepped over to retrieve her sword, still trying to rip through the fog in her mind to decide what to do about her team lying on the ground around her. She pulled her sword from the demon’s body.

  “What have you done?” a different voice, this one male, said.

  Kate wasn’t sure what to expect, but what she saw was definitely not it.

  This demon had small horns also, and bat-like wings tucked behind his back so Kate could hardly see them. But those things were trivial.

  How could Kate have thought Xylevera was the most beautiful creature in the world when it was obvious he was standing in front of her? He noticed her stare and smiled, causing her to melt into a puddle at his feet.

  At least, it felt like that.

  “You are the six for whom everyone has been looking,” he said. “Fortuitous that you found your way to us. Thozrixith will reward us—” He looked over toward the corpse Kate had just created. “That is, me, when he comes for you. The messenger has already been sent. It should not be long now.”

  Kate didn’t understand. The beautiful, perfect man in front of her was planning on giving her away to another demon? Why?

  “Now, why don’t we chat for a little while,” the demon said. “I am Kranorax, and it is so wonderful to meet you. What is your name, my beautiful lady?”

  Kate lowered her eyes, embarrassed of the heat that suffused her face. “I’m Kate,” she said.

  “Ah, Kate. I have known a few Kates in my time. You have lovely hair, and your eyes, they are a marvel. None of the lights in the heavens can compare.”

  Kate smiled widely at the man—the demon. It was too bad she would be taken away soon. She wanted to spend the rest of her life with this perfect specimen. Why was something about all of this tugging at her?

  She had never been one for chasing after men, no matter how gorgeous and sexy and perfect—what was she thinking about? Oh, right. She didn’t understand why she would be willing to put aside everything else to talk with this man. This demon.

  And what about him handing her over to the demon lord? She had others to think of, not just herself.

  And the mission. She was on a very important mission.

  “What shall we do while we wait for your captors to arrive?” Kranorax took his time eyeing every little bit of Kate’s body.

  Heat ran up her body from her feet. When it reached her head, it made her dizzy, and then the wave of fire turned and ran down her body back to her feet. Why did a simple bit of innuendo do this to her? This was not like her.

  “You know,” he continued, “before the gate was created, I used to visit your world. A thousand years ago, I could enter the world of humans and seduce any woman I wanted. My skills in pleasing those women were renowned.

  “Alas, no more. The magic used to create the gate closed off the other holes we had been using for millennia. Such a pity. But you are here, and we have some time. It would be nice—for both of us—to prove I have not lost any of my talents.”

  Kate couldn’t believe it. On the one hand, he was offering what she had been hoping for since she saw him. On the other, though, if she had only a little time to live, she needed to use it to complete her mission. She had no time for dalliances.

  And a single, bright thought shone through in her mind, cutting through the fog the incubus had created.

  She knew what she needed to do.

  Kate pursed her lips and then opened them just enough to run her tongue over her top lip. She gave Kranorax such a steamy look, he couldn’t help but to recognize it.

  He smiled and started toward her.

  Once he was within range, he reached out to embrace her, but he never made it.

  Kate brought her sword up and punched it through his abdomen, much like she had with Xylevera, except a half a foot lower.

  “I don’t think so, demon,” she said as she twisted her sword within him.

  His eyes widened in surprise, with some pain probably thrown in for good measure.

  “How?”

  “You’re not my type,” she said. “I didn’t understand that until you told me you sent a message to Thozrixith. That made us enemies.

  “And I kill enemies.”

  Kranorax fell back and sat down hard on the ground, green blood pouring from his wound. It was over in a handful of seconds. That left Kate alone with five unconscious men and two demon corpses.

  25

  When the others regained consciousness a few minutes later, Kate was sitting on a table waiting for them. She had nibbled small amounts of the food on it and found it to be safe.

  “What?” Peiros asked, but then stopped as his face went white. “Did we…did we try to kill you?”

  “Yes,” Kate said.

  “But, you’re alive,” Benedict said. “And we’re alive.”

  “Yes.”

  “It got fuzzy there at the end,” Jurdan said. “Was it just the poison in me or was it like that for everyone?”

  The blank looks the other men gave him told them all they needed to know.

  “Would you care to enlighten us as to what happened?” Jurdan asked Kate.

  “It was simple enough,” Kate said. “I killed Xylevera, and when her control over you ended abruptly, you all dropped to the ground unconscious.”

  “That would explain how I cut myself with my own blade,” Aurel griped.

  “Sorry, Aurel. I had a few other things to worry about when it happened. Five other things, to be exact, all trying to kill me.”

  “You are right, Pretty Kate. I’m sorry.”

  “But how did you defy her mind control?” Visimar asked.

  Kate quirked an eyebrow. “I would think it naturally was more powerful for you, being men and her being…well, what she was.”

  “I could accept that,” Visimar said. “But what about this other corpse here? If I’m not mistaken, Xyl
evera was a succubus, which makes this other one an incubus. They like to travel in pairs, for some reason. At least, so I’ve read.”

  “Kranorax,” Kate said. “Yes, he was an incubus.”

  “Then I will ask again,” Visimar insisted, “How did you fight the mental control these types of creatures usually have over humans?”

  “I guess he just wasn’t my type, either,” Kate said, winking.

  “Kate,” Peiros said. “If you have discovered a way to fight the compulsion these creatures cause, it would be useful to us as well.”

  “I’m sorry, Peiros. I didn’t mean to be glib. I don’t know how I withstood the incubus. It was a near thing. I think what did it was when he told me we were expected and that he had sent a messenger to Thozrixith. The firestone may have helped me resist as well. The demon lord will send some of his minions to collect us and take us back to him. I don’t have to tell you all what that means.”

  “Expected?” Peiros said. “They knew we were here in Hell?”

  “Yes, but not exactly where. Not before. They do now.”

  “We need to leave this…this place,” Jurdan said. “Where are we, anyway?”

  “All I know is that we’re in the lair of the succubus and incubus there.” Kate pointed toward the dead demons. “I didn’t want to leave to explore because I wasn’t sure when you’d wake up.

  “But yes, we need to leave. While you were sleeping, I decided we need to go back to Gateskeep.

  “Wait,” Benedict said. “We can’t just abandon the mission. We have a job to do. Just because it is more dangerous now, that doesn’t mean we should go crying home.”

  Kate glared at Benedict. He withstood it for a moment, but then lowered his eyes.

  “I’m not afraid, Benedict. What I am is concerned. Thozrixith knew we were here, but he didn’t put too much effort into searching for us. What does that tell you?”

  “That he is confident he can find us and kill us,” Benedict answered.

  “No,” Kate said. “It tells us he has more important things to do. Things maybe like circling back around us and making his attack. If he has gotten what he needed, he could be heading back to the gate as we speak. Do you want to stay here looking for him when he might be doing the very thing we are trying to prevent?”

  Benedict looked like he had been struck. Visimar’s chuckles didn’t help matters.

  Finally, Benedict’s eyes met Kate’s. “I didn’t think of that. I’m sorry I accused you of being afraid.”

  “Apology accepted. The fact that you questioned my motives and decisions without asking my reasons does concern me, though.”

  “It won’t happen again,” Benedict said.

  “Good. Shall we leave, then? I have an uneasy feeling that won’t go away until I see Gateskeep again.”

  The others all voiced their affirmations. Peiros gave Kate a considering look that turned into a smile and a small nod. That was enough for her.

  “It’s a shame to come all the way here and not kill more demons, don’t you think?” Benedict said.

  “We could keep our eyes peeled, maybe pick off one or two?” Jurdan added.

  “Pretty Kate has said what we are to do,” Aurel scolded them. Then he lowered his voice and added, “But it is too bad we cannot make their numbers smaller.”

  “Oh,” Kate said as they gathered their weapons from where they had fallen. “One more thing we should probably do as we head back to the gate.”

  Five heads snapped up, with looks ranging from curiosity to disdain for something she might come up with.

  “We need to do as much damage and kill as many demons as we can on the way out. I don’t like being played with.”

  Four emphatic smiles—and one creepy one—greeted her pronouncement.

  The others ate some of the food on the tables and put some that would travel well in their packs. They couldn’t figure out why it had been there. Did the succubus and incubus eat human food, or had it been intended for the humans? It was one more mystery they’d have to leave unanswered.

  As they left, Kate glanced back over the demons’ home, or fortress, or whatever. It was a structure of twisted stone and sharp angles, almost like some of the strange shapes she had seen in caves. It was the size of a small castle, but didn’t seem to house any demons other than the two she had killed. She would have liked to explore it—possibly finding something that could be useful—but they didn’t have the time. Maybe she would come back some day, if she got out of Hell alive and survived the upcoming war. With a shrug, she turned toward Peiros, ready to follow where he led.

  Less than a quarter mile from the gate of the structure, the team stopped. They all scanned the terrain, even Peiros. It was obvious to Kate they were as confused as she where they needed to go.

  Peiros had been using the distant telepathic communication of the demons to go toward where he thought the army would be, but he didn’t know how to go back toward the gate, especially since they didn’t know where the succubus had brought them. They could be anywhere within a few days of where they had been captured.

  “I do not know how to find our way back, Kate,” Peiros told her. “None of the terrain looks familiar, and there is nothing to use as a landmark. I am not even sure how we can travel constantly in the same direction. There are no thoughts for me to follow.”

  Kate patted the man on his shoulder. “Just do your best. We’ll figure something out. In the meantime, if you have any sense that one direction or the other might be the best, please let me know. We’ll keep our eyes out for more scouts. Maybe they can tell us where to go, or at least which direction not to go.”

  Peiros nodded, chose a direction, and started the party moving.

  The next day, Kate made a point of traveling with each of the men for a time. The terrain was wide open and barren again, and they spread out so that an attack would be less likely to hit most or all of them.

  She started with Visimar. He was generally a quiet man, except when he had an opportunity to say something nasty to Benedict. As normal, he said little while they walked. Kate wanted to tell him what Benedict had told her, but it wasn’t her decision. She thought Visimar should know, but it would have to be Benedict who gave him that news. She hoped it happened soon.

  Aurel was as kind and happy as always. The lumbering giant asked Kate how she was feeling and what she thought of the mission, if they would succeed and how many demons they would kill on the way back home. Kate mostly smiled and let the man talk. His acid-burned arm was healing, part of it covered with thick scabs but the edges of the damaged area puckering slightly with tender, new skin. He seemed to have full mobility, for which she was glad. It still looked like a mess, but functionally, it didn’t seem the worse for wear.

  Benedict’s arm seemed to be doing better, too, but he lacked full strength and range of motion. When she asked, he simply said, “It’s nothing. I’ve seen worse.” She wasn’t sure of that, but she appreciated that he was in good spirits and on the mend.

  Jurdan, on the other hand, was not. His normal boisterous personality was dampened quite a bit. He smiled at Kate when she walked up to him, his mask hanging from his belt, but she could see in his eyes the pain he was trying to hide. He looked pale, also. In a word, he looked horrible.

  “Good morning, Kate,” he said, false joviality plain in his tone.

  “How are you doing, Jurdan? That poison is no small matter. When we get back to Gateskeep, the first thing we’ll do is go to the chirurgeon so he can fix you back up.”

  Jurdan’s face fell.

  “What is it?” Kate said.

  “Kate, I don’t think I’m going to make it back home. If I can be honest with you, the poison is winning. I can hardly keep up. I think it would be better if you and the others left me. I’m slowing the team down, jeopardizing the mission.”

  “Nonsense,” she snapped, but then realized how she sounded. She cleared her throat. “No, Jurdan. We will not leave you behind. Just a little wh
ile and we’ll be back in our own world, and you can be healed. Don’t you dare give up on me.”

  “But I—”

  “No. I am in command of this team, and I am telling you right now, Jurdan Vora. We will all go back through the gate together. If we have to take turns carrying you, then that is what we’ll do. Is that clear?”

  “Yes ma’am,” the blond man said.

  “Very good. You let me know if the pace gets too rough and we can figure something out.” She headed toward Peiros at the front of the loose column.

  “Thank you,” Jurdan said, almost too soft for Kate to hear. Almost.

  She felt a slight tugging at her mouth and found that she was smiling. It wasn’t long before it slipped off her face, though.

  Kate joined Peiros at the front of the group. She was content to simply walk beside him without saying anything. His eyes, as always, moved constantly, scanning the surroundings as if something would jump out of thin air at them.

  Then again, that had happened to them earlier. She was glad he was with them. They would have been lost a dozen times without him to guide them.

  He gave her a sidelong glance, curiosity in his pale hazel eyes. Then he moved his gaze to scan the landscape again.

  “One thing troubles me,” she finally said.

  “What is that, Kate?”

  “They knew we were coming.”

  “That is what the demon said,” Peiros agreed.

  “How would they know we were in Hell?”

  “Perhaps it was a good guess. Many of the more powerful demons have lived for thousands of years. This demon lord, Thozrixith, he must be very old and very intelligent to have survived in such a place of power.”

  “Maybe,” Kate said. “That’s not the sense I got from the incubus, though. It seemed as if he knew, as if he had been told. I don’t like it.”

  Peiros paused in his terrain scans long enough to meet Kate’s eyes. “I agree with you. I do not think it was a guess, and I do not like what it means if the demon knew for a fact we would be here. But there is nothing we can do about it presently. It is a matter for when we get back. For now, we have…other problems.” He jerked his head toward Jurdan, who seemed barely able to put one foot in front of the other.