The high-pitched laughter that emanated from under his hood put me on edge. He tilted his head back, and I could just make out the tip of a pointed chin covered in dark black facial hair. His features must have been very sharp to have a chin that almost ended in a point. His skin was a slightly darker red than Salina’s. He looked normal enough now, but so had Adramelech. That didn’t mean he couldn’t turn into something else, and I wasn’t ready to handle something like that again so quickly.
He dropped his head down, and the laughter stopped. “I don’t think I’ll be helping you at all, son of John. I always told Adramelech to stop trifling in the affairs of your world. Such as it is with children, they often want to conquer worlds on their own to prove their worth. Look where it got him.” The tittering high-pitched laughter started again.
“So if you are not going to send me back home, why did Salina summon you here?”
He laughed again, this time bending over to grab his knees. The laughter shook him until I thought he might run out of air to breathe. With each second it went on, I felt my chances of getting home slipping away. I wasn’t sure who this man was, but he wasn’t a friend.
“I’m here to put the next demon in control of this kingdom. One of the demons here will be elevated to be a prince.” He looked at Salina. “Or a princess. That and I’d like to personally be the one to punish you for killing my offspring.” Laughter emanated from under his hood.
One thing about the demon in front of me, he wasn’t lacking in confidence. My hands moved back toward my swords, and I brought them out in a single motion. Within half a second, I had the blades swinging down at the man in the cloak. He moved to the side, waited for my blades to swing past, and then hit me in the center of the chest with an open palm. I flew across the room and into the rock I had brought down on Adramelech. I slid off the rock and staggered back to my feet.
The man wagged a single finger in my direction. “Now, now. We can’t have any of that.”
Something slid forward and invaded my mind. My arms rose up and slid my swords back into place behind my shoulders. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t break the demon’s shackles on my mind. My wolf howled, and I released myself to him. He surged forward, and the intruder was thrown from my mind in a flash. The cloaked man stumbled backward, and I turned to run. A wave of power erupted from the hand I had pointed at Salina, and then I vaulted over the stone. Sprinting down the short hallway would lead me to the ledge. If I could make it that far, I could escape and return after I had a chance to refresh my power.
A voice called out from behind me. It was deep, and the power of it echoed throughout the room. “There is nowhere for you to hide here, Jackson Blackthorn. I will find you, and you will pay for what you have done.”
I didn’t stop moving forward as I vaulted over the terrace and out into open space. I pulled my magic close, using it to slow me as the cliffs below rushed up to greet me. If I landed here, I’d still be trapped inside of the castle. It was time to put this new power to use. I reached out and gathered the wind around me. The magic I was pulling into myself I let stream into powerful gusts to carry me up and forward. I shot through the air like a rocket, and for the first time, I knew what it was like to fly.
The castle wall fell away behind me, and I slowly lowered myself down into the city. Walking by a merchant's stall, I swiped a cloak from the rack as he haggled with another demon. I wrapped it around my shoulders, pulling the hood above my head. Turning away from the brighter parts of the city, I headed deeper into the unknown. If that demon thought I was going to be hiding, he was sorely mistaken. All I needed was to find something to eat and drink. As soon as I had my energy back, I was going to tear apart this city stone by stone. I would rain destruction down on it that was so complete, he would have no choice but to send me back.
CHAPTER 21
APRIL
The chair finished turning around, and the woman in front of us was not what I had expected. She had her black hair pulled up into a tight ponytail. The midnight-colored hair flowed around one of her shoulders, draping itself over the bright white pantsuit she wore. The white jacket was accented by a black blouse. She had a tan that would have made anyone jealous, and her eyes spoke of an Asian descent. In short, she was stunningly beautiful, and if the expense of this place said anything about her, she was powerful as well.
If this had been a movie, then we would have been sitting in the boardroom of a Fortune 500 company, facing a very angry-looking Angelina Jolie. As it was, I felt small, underdressed, and completely out of place. Marcus had a scowl set on his features, but I could see in his eyes that he was just as impressed as I was.
“I’m so glad that both of you could make it. We found your little present earlier this morning.”
Two men walked into the room with what remained of the fat man’s body. The last time I had seen it, it had been in our rearview mirror. He had smelled bad then, but now the smell was downright horrifying. A day out in the desert heat hadn’t done anything to improve his rotting corpse. The two men tossed the body on the ground by the desk and walked out of the room.
I looked back up at the woman, but her expression gave nothing away. She could have just as easily had her men drop a sack of potatoes on the ground for all the emotion that she showed. I knew demons were cold, but this seemed to border on sociopathic. She crossed her hands in front of her and sat back into her chair. A smug little grin twitched at the corners of her mouth as she began to speak.
“He wasn’t one of my best, you know. That’s why I had him tucked away in that shithole.” She looked between me and Marcus, making sure we were paying attention. “Still, he had his uses, and now I have to replace him.”
“I’m not sure what you expect us to do about it.” I was growing impatient with this whole charade. I could feel Marcus gathering his power to strike, and I started to gather some of my own.
“Oh, there isn’t anything you can do about it. What’s done is done.” She leaned forward. “But I will have to make an example out of you. I can’t have the Gifted waltzing into my town and disrupting my operations. I’m going to throw you into our pit and let the boys do what they will with you. Then I’m going to send the video to Adam so he knows what will happen to anyone else he sends here to screw with my plans.”
“Adam already knows where we are, and if we don’t respond soon, he will send everyone he has at you,” Marcus spat.
“And why would he do that for two young apprentices who got a little over eager in their assignments? Do you really think you are the first two to go missing in Las Vegas?”
“He’ll come for us because of what we mean . . .” Marcus started, but stopped at the touch of my hand on his arm.
Even though he stopped talking right away, I could see the hint of smug satisfaction flash across the demon's face. Marcus looked guilty. It had started to sink in that he had been about to tell this demon exactly who we were, which was probably exactly what she wanted. By the wicked smile growing on her face, she might have already figured it out. I gave his arm a squeeze, letting him know we were about to put plan B into action. It was time to get the hell out of here.
“So you are April and Marcus. I thought it might be so. I hoped it would be, but you can never put much stock into the reports of others. I need to speak with a certain someone you know very well. Until I do, I’m afraid I’m going to have to ask you to remain here as my guests.”
“Plan B,” I shouted. Marcus jumped to his feet and sent a wave of power at the door. The massive door ripped off its hinges and into the demons gathered outside of it. I sent a blast of fire into them and then started running. I could feel Marcus coming right on my heels. I didn’t bother to try and cut down the demons in my way. This wasn’t about killing them now; it was about making it back to our car and finding a way to survive.
I used my shield like a wrecking ball. I tore through the demons, and they bounced away. Marcus ashed a few of them as he ran behind me. Hopefu
lly that would make them think twice about getting too close to us. I knew he was covering our retreat somehow, but I didn’t have time to look. The front door came into view, and four demons stood in front of it. These weren’t the meat suit variety we had run into so far, but full-fledged demons. I could see their massive muscles quivering in anticipation as we sprinted directly at them.
Two knives from my belt found their way into my hands, and I sent them flying, each blade augmented with a burst of wind from behind. The blades found their marks, but it didn’t seem to faze the demons at all. They used their claws to pull the blades from their bodies, and tossed them to the ground. I sent four more daggers flying before I reached for my swords.
The blades hit just as I crashed into the first demon. My swords rose and fell before another one of the demons pulled me off and sent me crashing into one of the marble pillars in the entranceway. I couldn’t tell if it was the stone or my back that cracked when I hit it. Marcus flew in front of me, using his spells to keep the demons in check. He lashed out with one hand, and the front doors burst open. Surprisingly our car was still there and running. All we had to do now was make it.
Climbing to my feet, I dodged past one of the demon’s hands and went back to work on the one I had stabbed already. I stuck a blade into his chest, and used it to swing around behind him. I let the sword go and brought my second blade down on his thick neck. It didn’t sever his head, but he wouldn’t be fighting again anytime soon. A quick look back down the hallway showed me that we were running out of time. Marcus brought down two of the demons, but the third was giving him trouble.
The demon had him pinned up against the wall by his staff. Marcus hit him with a few waves of magic with no effect. I ran forward and leaped into the air, bringing my sword down on the demon's skull. It turned even as it was dying and sent me flying through the air again. I hit the wall and crashed down onto a table before hitting the ground. Marcus started to run toward me.
I held up a hand. “Get the hell out of here and bring an army down on this place.”
“April, we can make it if you get up now.” He cast a look over his shoulder and held out his hand. “Come on, let’s go.”
“Go, I got this. And when you come back for me, come in loud so I know that you’re here.” Marcus was still waiting with a pleading look on his face. Somehow I managed to claw my way to my feet. I started limping away from the door and freedom. I wouldn’t have been able to make it to the car, anyway. I created a shield around me that stretched from wall to wall and ran straight back into the demons. I wouldn’t be able to hold them for long, but it would be long enough for Marcus to get away.
The demons slammed into my shield. It held for a moment and then buckled. I was slammed to the ground as the demons piled on top of me. Others streamed around me, rushing toward the open door. I saw Marcus get into the car through their legs, and it started to speed away. One of the demons grabbed my head and slammed it into the tile floor. Hurry, Marcus, I’m counting on you, I thought as my head slammed into the tile again. The world spun and faded to black.
CHAPTER 22
MARCUS
Fuck. How was I going to explain this? Oh, we just decided to check out another nest of demons, and it ended up being a horde, and now they have April. Yep, that was going to go over real well. I had to get out of here and find a door I could use to create a portal. Jesus, Adam was going to kill me, and if Jackson ever made it back, you might as well have made that a double shot of death.
Somehow I managed to get my cell phone out of my pocket. I swiped the screen even as I pushed my foot further down on the accelerator. The engine was starting to whine, but it didn’t need to last forever. “Ok, Google, call Adam.”
The phone rang. Damn it, pick up already. The phone rang again. If they didn’t pick up soon, I was going to lose my goddamned mind. The third ring went by, and finally on the fourth ring, Henry answered.
“Marcus, we’ve been waiting to hear from you. Is everything ok?”
“Everything is pretty fucking far from ok, Henry. They’ve got April, and we need help now.” I could hear him talking to someone, but I couldn’t make out what he was saying. Seriously, there wasn’t much to talk about. We needed to mount up regulator style and come back here and get April out. That needed to happen now. No questions asked.
“Adam says to come back to base.”
“Jesus, Henry, this is April we are talking about. We can’t just leave her there.”
He started talking again, and then Adam came onto the phone. “Marcus, just come back in, and we will work it out.”
“Like how we worked it out for Jackson’s dad?” It might have been a low blow, but he needed to hear it. If he wouldn’t help me, I’d rally everyone I could and march back to that stronghold on my own. There was no way I was going to leave April trapped with those fucking demons.
“I’m not saying no, but we can’t just rush in there half-cocked. They have something bigger brewing, and we need to be ready for it.”
“Is that what you told the friends of the others who have died out here?”
“Yes, and they understood it’s for the greater good.”
Well, at least he didn’t deny it, but it was damn disappointing to hear it directly from his mouth. Part of me had hoped the demon had been lying. Now that I knew the truth, I wondered just how many of us had come to Vegas and never returned.
“Why did you really send us here, Adam? Were you using us as bait?”
He let out a heavy sigh. “Not as bait. At least, not directly.”
“So you knew we might find out about the other demons, and you didn’t warn us. You just let us stumble in there to die? Fuck you.”
“I thought maybe if Jackson heard you were taken, it might be the right kind of motivation for him to return.”
“You risked our lives on a hunch?” I couldn’t believe this guy. He was as bad as Stillman. “You know who else liked to gamble with people’s lives, right?”
“Just get back to base. I promise you we will do what we can to get April back.”
“Whatever.” I hung up the line and focused on the road. I was about an hour out from the city. Once I was there, I’d be able to portal home. I wouldn’t even go to see Adam. I needed to find Sarah and Britta. Together we could pull enough people together to make a real go at saving April. This was something we had to do. We couldn’t leave one of our own behind.
CHAPTER 23
JOHN
My knees bounced against the grass, and I looked up into the sky. The stars there confirmed it for me—I was home. My hands dug into the grass, and I ripped them out and screamed into the night. Anguish tore at my heart. No father wanted his son to end up in the same bonds of servitude that he had just been released from. I had to find a way to get back to him to set him free.
Pushing myself up from the ground, I looked around and noticed a couple on a bench not far from me. They were hurriedly packing up their basket in preparation to rush away from me. I guess screaming into the night and ripping out grass was still frowned upon. I couldn’t risk being seen by anyone else, so I cast a shield around myself and used it to reflect the images around me. Basic invisibility would serve me well until I could find a phone.
The downtown lights twinkled in the distance, and I started to run in that direction. It was amazing how much things had changed in the eighteen years I had been trapped in hell. The cars looked different, and so did the stores around me. I saw someone talking into a phone that would fit in your pocket, and almost couldn’t believe it.
Strolling past a coffee shop, I snagged a phone off of the table and ducked around the corner. I wondered if our old emergency number was still active. I dialed and waited. Three rings later and a lady picked up the phone.
“This is a restricted number.”
“Code five-four-echo-one-foxtrot-zulu.”
“One moment, sir.”
It worked. It had to have worked. Hopefully it wouldn’t be
much longer before a friendly voice got on the other end of the line. Once that happened, I’d be able to join Sarah and April and fill them in on everything that had happened. Together we would be able to find a way out of this mess and bring our boy home. I just knew it. I wouldn’t be able to rest until he was safe and I could hold him in my arms again. I had missed out on so much; all I wanted now was more time.
“Jesus, John, is that really you?” Adam’s voice came through the line.
“It’s good to hear your voice, Adam.”
I couldn’t quite be sure of what I was hearing through the phone, but I was pretty sure it was a sob. The Adam I knew would have never cried, but nineteen years could change a person. He had grown softer with time, and my time in hell had hardened me. All I wanted to do now was get back to their base of operations and meet up with my family. Everything else could wait.
“I’m tracking your call now. I’ll send Henry to come and get you.”
“After I see my family, you and I have a lot to talk about.”
“I know, and I’m sorry.”
“Save the sorry for someone who doesn’t know better. I know you orchestrated all of this according to your goddamned prophecy. I’ve seen it, remember? I might be the only other person alive who knows what lengths you would go to see it fulfilled.”
“Then we do have something to talk about. It’s still damned good to have you back.”
The line went dead. I walked around the corner to see a man searching around frantically, looking for his phone. I dropped my shield and walked up to him. “Hey, I found this under my table. Is it what you were looking for?”
“Oh my God, man. You totally saved my freaking life.”
He pulled me into a huge hug. Things really had changed in nineteen years. When our hug broke, his eyes took in my appearance. He looked a little flustered, but he still managed to squeak out his next line.
The Rising Darkness (Ascendancy Legacy 5) Page 16
