“Not in any lasting way, but if this form is destroyed, it will take time for me to recover. I brought three hundred warriors with me. Can you imagine what would happen to the world if three hundred pharim suddenly ceased to exist for a year? Andera could do it.”
Jez rolled his eyes. “It’s not like it would make any difference. The pharim have all retreated from the world anyway.”
Shamarion gave him a hard stare before letting out a long breath and nodding, but he still didn’t seem sure.
“Look at it this way,” Jez said. “If Andera destroys you, that will probably mean he’s no longer Sharim. He’ll be trapped here, and you’ll only be gone for a year. The pharim will be safe to come back into the world. Otherwise, who knows how long the high lords will keep them away.”
“You’re probably right. Come, it sounds like the immediate battle has been won. Let’s look at our losses and see how best to assault this library.”
CHAPTER FORTY-SIX
To Jez’s surprise, the pharim hadn’t actually lost any. That was partially due to the fact that the demons had only attacked with a force of twenty. While that had been enough to overwhelm him and his companions, against a force of pharim several times their number who had been created explicitly to battle demons, they were hopelessly outmatched. The ground was littered with piles of ash. Jez was still standing in the mouth of the cave when the first pharim that had come through landed in front of him. Shamarion quickly related what Jez had told him.
“How many demons does Andera have with him?” she asked. “Of what type are they?”
“I don’t know,” Jez stammered. “There were a lot of them. About half were chezamuts, but there were others too. I didn’t recognize most of them.”
“Where are they camped? Is it one group or several?”
She kept peppering Jez with questions. He answered as best he could, but she didn’t seem satisfied with his answers and kept asking the same things over and over again. Finally, Shamarion walked up next to Jez. The Shadeslayer looked up and narrowed her eyes.
“You’ve gotten all you can get from him, Nakel.”
“It’s not nearly enough to fully plan the attack.”
He laughed causing several of the other pharim to turn and stare at him. He grinned at Nakel. “You’ve gotten too accustomed to being secure in the knowledge contained in the Keep of the Hosts. You never had enough information when we first battled the demons, yet somehow you muddled through.”
A smile crept onto her face. “So I did. Three hundred against, as near as I can tell, seven thousand led by Andera himself. This won’t be easy.”
“We are assaulting demons in their own home,” Shamarion said. “Did you expect it to be easy?”
“You don’t have to beat them,” Jez said. “You just have to hold them off until I can get the library out of here.” A thought occurred to him, and he turned to Shamarion. “Can you banish the library?”
Shamarion shook his head. “If it were only to cause the library to leave this world, I could do it. Given that there are few mortals here, we are not so strictly bound here as we are in your world, but a banishing must have a destination, and sending it back to the mortal realm would be interfering.”
“Can’t you take it to Between?”
“Between isn’t a place. It can’t serve as a destination. Gayel alone knows how that was done, but as far as everything I know says, it’s impossible. Even his highest lieutenants weren’t entrusted with that knowledge.”
“Mirel crafted a circle for us before. Can you do that? Craft the circle so I can use it?”
Shamarion glanced at the circle Jez had used to summon them. It was just inside the cave, though the material had been reduced to ash. He shook his head. “Unfortunately not. However it was achieved, Andera is in the form of a mortal, and we cannot take direct action against a mortal.”
“Aside from attacking his army, you mean.”
“His army is made of demons, and them, we can interfere with.”
“We don’t have time to sit here and discuss this,” Nakel said. “No doubt our enemies noticed our presence the moment we started coming into this realm. Andera will already be preparing for us. Finish what you need to finish, and come up to me when you’re ready to go.”
She spread her fiery wings and rose fifty feet into the air with her sword held in front of her. Dozens of other pharim patrolled the air, while others remained on the ground. Jez met Shamarion’s gaze.
“She does realize that if she hadn’t spent all that time questioning me, we could’ve left a long time ago, right?”
Shamarion chuckled. “I wouldn’t say that to her. Are you ready?”
CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN
Jez had never seen an army charge before. He hadn’t known what to expect, but it hadn’t been this. They moved like a wave of light and power rushing over the land. Jez and Ziary flew with those in the air while Lina road a Beastwalker with the body of a winged horse and the torso of a man. They encountered few demons on the way. Most knew to stay out of the way of a charging army of pharim. The few that they did run into were destroyed in short order, and before long, they approached the library.
The sky was full of winged creatures, and an army of demons covered the slope of the hill. The ground rumbled as many of those on the ground spread their wings and took to the air. One of the largest, a demon at least twenty feet tall with four wings and six arms rushed toward Jez. It had skin like polished steel and a long face. It roared, showing two rows of razor sharp teeth. Before it got even close, however, Nakel dove down and impaled it right through the head. Jez expected the beast to collapse into dust as the ones Ziary dispatched so often had. Instead, lines of fire lashed out, cleaving the nearest dozen demons in two. Then, the creature exploded. Nakel inclined her head at Jez before turning and slicing off the head of another enemy. Demon and pharim met with all the force of a hurricane. The air vibrated with power as weapons of fire, crystal, and claw met with blades of darkness and flame as beings of light fought against the stuff nightmares were made of.
A wedge of Shadeslayers flew in front of Jez, mowing through the demons like wheat before a scythe as they tried to get Jez and his friends to the entrance of the library. Demons roared as they died, but all too quickly, the surprise wore off, and pharim started falling out of the sky, though it was nowhere near in as many numbers as the demons.
Jez’s escorts reached the door to the library. Whatever power had made it appear to be whole before apparently didn’t work in the abyss because the door seemed to be a little more than a burned-out husk. Still, the Shadeslayer at the front threw his hands forward. A gout of flame rushed out and crashed into the entryway. It only lasted a second before extinguishing itself. Only ash remained. The pharim spread out and formed a circle around Jez and his friends. A gust of wind carried the ash from the door into the center of the room. A Shadeslayer, whose name Jez didn’t know, briefly glanced at him.
“You have all you need, Luntayary. We will hold them off.”
They stood in front of the door facing outward. Ziary got into line next to them, and though physically taller than they, he seemed somehow less than the pharim around him. Still, the leader inclined his head, and Jez and Lina went inside.
The library was strangely quiet. The pristine marble columns contrasted the wasteland outside. If not for the open door, he might’ve been able to forget where he was. He set about drawing the circle. It was more difficult than he’d expected. Demons constantly burst into the library, and though the Shadeslayers cut them down before they got close, Jez struggled to concentrate with the constant attacks. After the third time he messed up a particularly difficult rune, he threw his hands up in frustration.
“What is it?” Lina asked.
“It’s too loud.”
She nodded. She waved her finger in a circle, and instantly, there was dead quiet. A demon made of a pale green light crashed through a window only to be incinerated by a Shadeslayer’
s flame. Jez didn’t hear anything. He gave Lina a questioning look.
She shrugged. “It’s just an auditory illusion. Making you hear nothing is almost like making you hear something that isn’t really there.”
Jez nodded. “Thanks, that’ll help.”
He knelt and started drawing again, doing his best to ignore the spectacular battles happening just a few yards away. He closed his eyes and tried to remember what the Blood of Sariel said. If drawn in ash, some of the runes had to be duplicated. The symbol for fire had to be overlaid on the symbols for the other elements, though fire itself had to be drawn lightly. Earth had to be pressed in hard, so the ground showed through the line. One by one, the details came to mind, and he lost himself in his work until Lina’s voice, thick with fear, brought him out of it.
“By the seven.”
He looked up and could practically feel hope drain away. The Shadeslayers that had been set to guard him had come in closer, and there were only half as many as there had been the last time Jez had looked. Dozens of demons had entered the library. Holes had been melted in the ground by the battle and part of one wall had collapsed. Every window in the entry chamber had been shattered, and more of the creatures poured in. Many of the demons had pharim prisoners which they held with ropes or bands of power. Ziary was trapped in a net of darkness. Shamarion was held inside the body of a demon that looked to be made of chains. The Shadowguard was bruised and battered, and half of his left wing had been torn off. Jez’s blood went cold as he realized his mistake. If the pharim died here, they would return to the Keep of the Hosts, but if the demons could find a way to keep them here, they would be trapped. It would be a difficult thing to accomplish, but the demons had a fallen Lightgiver to tell them exactly how to do it.
As if summoned by the thought, Mirel stepped through the ruined doorway. She had abandoned the semblance of a pharim completely and now looked like the reptile demon she’d been the first time Jez had seen her. She no longer looked afraid or jumpy, though, and her eyes lacked any emotion but hate. She gave Jez an evil grin.
“Lina,” Jez said. “Drop the silence.”
She gave him a slow nod and the roar of demons along with the cries of pharim assaulted his ears.
“I never imagined it would turn out so well,” Mirel said. “You have delivered an army of pharim into our hands. If I did not know better, I would think you were one of us. You have done more than any demon ever did.”
“No,” Jez said. “That’s not how it happened.”
“What you intended is irrelevant. The library is ours as are the pharim who weren’t banished. This has been a great victory for the abyss. Only one thing remains.”
“You.”
The voice came from above, and Jez looked up to see Sharim descending slowly, his wings spread wide. He held his blade of liquid flame in both hands. A trio of Jez’s Shadeslayer guards rushed at him, but Sharim casually flicked his wrist, and a torrent of wind sent them crashing to the ground. For a second, Jez just stared, unwilling to believe it. Venta magic was in the dominion of destruction, and while most demons were strong in that area, it was the focus of the Shadeslayers. Sharim had beaten them in their area of greatest strength, and he had done it with ease. Jez raised his crystal sword, but he had no real hope of winning. Sharim landed several feet away from him.
“Surrender.”
“Do not!” Shamarion cried.
The chain demon squeezed, and the Shadowguard screamed. Sharim glared at him.
“Do not interfere, pharim. This is a thing between mortals and none of your concern.”
Shamarion tried to push forward, but his captor held him back. “This is about choice, Luntayary. He cannot trap you as he traps us.” A chain lashed across his face, and blue light dripped from the wound on his face, but he continued speaking. “If you choose to surrender...”
His voice cut off as the demon wound one of its chains around Shamarion’s neck and squeezed.
“Surrender, and I will release him,” Sharim said. “You have my sworn word.”
Jez paused. A demon could not go against their sworn word. It was the only way any sane person would ever believe one of them. No, that wasn’t true. No sane person had any dealings with them whatsoever. They were also masters of manipulation. Jez glanced at his half-finished circle. If only he had more time.
“How will you free him?” Jez asked.
“How else? I will command the shariek to crush his throat. That will release him to the Keep of the Hosts.”
“That’s not what you said,” Jez said. “You said you would release him.”
Sharim laughed. “You want my hand to hold the blade? Do you think you can guilt me away from doing this? Are you so foolish?”
“I notice you’re not moving,” Jez said. “Why not? Are you afraid?”
“You will surrender?”
Jez looked at the hurt pharim and nodded.
“No!”
The word was torn from many throats, both pharim and human. Lina gaped at him in horror. He tried to reassure her with a smile, but it didn’t work. Sharim laughed. “Even now, you surprise me.”
He lifted his sword and held it over the pharim. Then, he forced it down toward the back of Shamarion’s neck.
CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT
Jez was ready. His sword shot forward. He couldn’t stop Sharim’s strike completely, but he deflected it, so the flaming blade only bit into Shamarion’s right shoulder. For a second, everyone just stared at him, and Jez took advantage of the distraction by lashing out at the chain demon. At the touch of his sword, the creature reddened and became rust before crumbling altogether.
Shamarion gaped, but nodded and moved to stand in the center of Jez’s circle. He glanced down at it before looking up. Jez saw understanding dawn on him, and he almost let out a breath of relief, but he didn’t want Sharim to catch on.
“Why did you do that?” Sharim asked. “You made a promise.”
“I promised that I would surrender if you freed him. You haven’t freed him, so I’m not going to surrender.”
Sharim started to respond, but Jez threw himself forward. Sharim’s blade rose to meet his attack, but he’d been caught off guard, and he held his sword awkwardly. He fell back, barely avoiding having the crystal blade cut into him. Jez rained down blows on him. Dimly, he was aware that the Shadeslayers had formed a circle around him, holding off Sharim’s allies. They wouldn’t be able to stop the demons for long, but hopefully, they wouldn’t need to.
It only took Sharim a few seconds to recover. He swept his leg under Jez, who crashed to the ground. He rolled out of the way just as Sharim’s blade melted a hole in the floor. Jez threw a binding at Sharim meant to interfere with a possession, but the wave of energy passed harmlessly through him. Sharim didn’t have time to gloat, though. Ziary roared. His form flared, the fire seeming to melt his bonds, and he went for Sharim with an almost rabid anger. For a second, Sharim seemed surprised. He knocked aside Ziary’s attack with ease, disarming him and sending him to the ground in one smooth motion. Jez struck before Sharim could do anything, but the human demon was better with the sword than Jez, and they both knew it was only a matter of time.
They exchanged half a dozen more blows, and more of Sharim’s attack scored a hit on Jez than missed. After a handful of heartbeats, there was hardly a body part that didn't ache. Jez was sweating and having trouble lifting his weapon. Sharim didn’t even seem winded.
“You’re toying with me,” Jez said.
“As hard as this may be for you to believe, I don’t want to kill you. What would that accomplish? You would simply return to the Keep of the Hosts, and I would have a powerful enemy there.”
“I’m not going to let you take me alive.”
Sharim smirked. “You couldn’t stop me, but it wouldn’t do me much good. How long do you think you could survive here? You’d be dead inside a week, and I would have the same problem. Surrender. You will be kept safe, and your friends will be
released.”
Jez lowered his weapon, and Sharim did the same. He stared at Sharim for several long seconds. “I won’t give you the rune.”
Sharim grinned. “I already have part of it, but that’s not the point. You had a surprise waiting for me last time. I doubt very much you could repeat it. It would go much easier for you if you surrendered. Look.”
He pointed behind Jez. There was an explosion of light and sound. Jez turned around. Chain demons held the last of the Shadeslayers. Other’s moved toward Shamarion, who knelt in Jez’s circle, drawing in the ash. As the demons approached, a bubble of opaque blue energy surrounded the pharim. Sharim’s eyes went wide.
“Don’t bluff, Shadowguard. You’re not good at it. You cannot interfere in my affairs.”
Jez laughed. It felt out of place here, and Sharim looked at him in shock. “You didn’t learn anything from your confrontation with Aniel, did you? A pharim can’t interfere in your affairs unless you interfere with theirs. He couldn’t until you tried to attack him directly.”
Sharim’s eyes hardened. “You tricked me.”
Jez tried to imitate his raspy voice. “I didn’t expect it to be so easy.”
Shamarion looked up. “Luntayary, the circle is complete!”
Jez dove into Shamarion’s bubble. He expected the Shadowguard to take it down, but apparently, he’d crafted the ward with the purpose of allowing Jez to pass, because he went right through it without disrupting the barrier. He landed just outside the circle. Sharim and his demons screamed, but Jez ignored them. He stood up and blinked in surprise. The circle seemed to have three focal points drawn in a triangle with its points just outside the arc. He stepped into the closest one and raised his hands. The words came out of his mouth almost of their own accord. He poured every ounce of power he had into the circle and the Library of Zandra, as well as everyone inside of it, groaned as Jez pulled the building into the mortal realm.
Lightgiver Page 17
