Bael squinted in the sunlight. “Abrax’s manor is well fortified, but if we focus our forces on a single point, maybe we could break through.”
Ursula looked between the two men. “That’s just what he wants us to do. He’ll tear our army to pieces.”
Bael shook his head. “That’s the only way inside. The crater will run with blood, but we’ll breach his walls.”
“The cost is too high,” said Ursula. Her fingers tightened into fists as she racked her brain for another way. “Bael, do you know if all the manors in the cliff have a secret entrance like yours?”
“What do you mean?” he asked.
“Abrax has a tunnel in his manor that leads to a room constructed entirely of shadow crystal. But there was a second tunnel that Abrax had blocked. Do you think that could lead to the mushroom forest?”
“It’s possible,” said Bael. “We can certainly look.” He held his fingers to his lips and unleashed an ear-piercing whistle.
From the bright lunar sky, two bats swooped lower, landing between Bael and Ursula.
Ursula hopped onto Sotz’s back and whispered in his ear. He scrambled forward, then launched himself off the edge of the cliff. Two strong beats of his wings sent them rising into the thin lunar air, and Bael soared into the sky behind her.
A deep thrumming rumbled through her gut, like the sound of distant thunder. In his dragon form, Lucius soared next to them. His red scales gleamed with the promise of fire, but it was the small person perched on his neck that caught Ursula’s eye. Cera smiled over at them.
Ursula’s stomach tightened. That’s…unexpected.
Bael turned in the air, soaring for a crevasse in the cliff face, and Ursula flew in after them.
Darkness enveloped them, until the glow of the mushroom forest drew the world back into focus. Ahead of her, Bael banked hard, directing his bat along the cavern wall. They skimmed above the mushroom caps, and Ursula caught a few glimpses of the carnivorous caterpillars that lived among them. She shivered, remembering the sharpness of their teeth.
“There!” shouted Cera, pointing to the wall of the cave.
Ursula followed Cera’s outstretched finger to a pitch-black rock high on the cavern wall. Using her knees, Ursula directed Sotz in a tight turn, to just above the rock. Close up, it looked nearly identical to the one in Bael’s manor. But unlike the other obsidian stone, no path led to the rock. It sat perched alone on a terrifyingly narrow ledge that overlooked the cliff.
“I think this might be it,” Ursula called out.
As Sotz cut back for another pass, Bael leapt from his bat, landing effortlessly on the narrow ledge. Sotz banked his wings, and Ursula soared lower. They glided toward Bael, and her stomach fluttered at the idea of landing on the tiny ledge.
“Jump!” shouted Bael.
With her heart in her throat, Ursula leapt. Her stomach plummeted, until Bael’s powerful arms wrapped around her, catching her on the cliff’s edge.
“Nice jump,” he said quietly.
“Thanks.” Ursula’s pulse was racing out of control.
Wings thumped the air as Cera and Lucius approached, then Cera leapt through the air onto the narrow ledge. Grinning, she landed on the ledge next to Bael, dirt clouding around her feet. As she stood, Lucius circled around, heading toward them. Ursula tensed. There was no way a dragon would fit on the ledge.
She backed up against the cliff wall, staring at Lucius as he transformed in midair. His massive wings shrank, scales receding. Red hair erupted again from his scalp. He landed next to Cera with a heavy thunk.
“So is this it?” he asked, without blinking an eye.
Bael heaved his body against the boulder. Shadow magic shimmered, and it rolled to the side, revealing the dark mouth of a tunnel. Bael muttered in Angelic, and a glowing orb appeared above them.
His footsteps crunched over the path, and the others followed him. Ursula drew Honjo as she walked, staring at the amber light that glowed over runes and glyphs inscribed in the walls. An ancient oneiroi tunnel. In here, the air seemed to coat her tongue with a stale dust.
They walked for ten minutes in the darkness, with the orb light wavering over the walls. In here, Ursula found herself relaxing, as if she were at home. The darkness and the narrowness of the corridor felt almost protective. She was tracing her fingers along one of the carved glyphs when she nearly bumped into Bael’s back.
He’d stopped, now staring at something in front of them.
“What is it?” asked Ursula.
“A cave-in, I think.” With a flick of his wrist, he directed the orb higher. Its dim light illuminated a jumble of enormous rocks and stone that blocked their path, crammed up to the tunnel’s ceiling.
“Can we dig through it?” asked Ursula.
Bael’s brow furrowed. “We have no idea how deep it goes.”
Lucius stepped into the light. “I can dig through. No problem.”
Ursula waved at the narrow walls. “There’s hardly any room for you to transform. What if you used Excalibur to melt the rocks?”
Luciius scratched his cheek. “Excalibur doesn’t work that way for me. It allows me to breathe fire, but I can’t turn it into a flaming sword.”
“I can do that,” said Ursula.
Lucius took a step back, gripping his hilt protectively. “No.”
Cera nudged him gently. “You can trust her, Lucius. Let her try it.”
Lucius’s frown deepened, giving him the appearance of a petulant, overgrown child. “The sword is mine.”
“Lucius,” said Cera more sharply. “We’re in a confined tunnel. She’s not exactly going anywhere.”
Lucius sighed as he slowly drew Excalibur from its sheath. He turned it so the pommel faced her, handing it over.
Ursula lifted the ancient blade, and its power seemed to hum through her blood. She closed her eyes, exhaling. It felt good to hold Excalibur again.
In the dim light of the tunnel, the steel seemed to shimmer with an internal light. Imagine how it would feel to wield this in battle. She would be an avenging goddess. Flame would bloom from the blade in an endless stream as she carved enemies into burning piles of limbs. She found herself smiling at the blade, turning it over in her hands.
Lucius cleared his throat. “You said you could melt the rocks.”
“Right, of course. I wasn’t just…having disturbing and violent fantasies, if that’s what you think.” Ursula motioned for Bael to step aside, and she walked up to the rock. Closing her eyes, she summoned Emerazel’s fire, and it burned through her limbs, her bones. She felt the delicious lick of flames moving along her arms, snaking down to the sword’s hilt. The steel sucked hungrily, drawing Emerazel’s fire from her as if it were quenching an insatiable thirst. When she opened her eyes again, she was staring at ten feet of incandescent sword billowing out before her. The scent of burning hair filled the air around her as her eyebrows singed from the heat.
She pressed forward, pointing the blade at the wall of rubble. She cut the blade through the rock, and Excalibur sliced through the stone like a hot razor through butter. She cut the blade sharply, over and over, melting rock, clearing the way.
At last, molten rock slid down toward her feet, and a new tunnel appeared in front of her.
“Good,” said Lucius from behind her. “You’ve cleared the way. Now return my sword.”
Ursula turned, fire still licking along Excalibur. The blade hummed in her hands, hot and lethal. The Lady of the Lake had been right. This blade could defeat Abrax, and she didn’t want to give it up.
“Put the sword down,” said Lucius, his eyes blazing. “I won’t ask you again.”
Ursula stared at Lucius, with his broad shoulders and shock of red hair that looked like a lit match. There was something about him that pissed her off.
“Ursula!” Cera cried, her eyes flashing. “Give him the sword back. You promised to return it.” Dodging Excalibur’s flames, Cera thrust the hilt of Honjo at Ursula. “This is your swo
rd. Honjo, remember? If you give us Excalibur, I’ll give you Honjo.”
Ursula curled her lip in a snarl. It was true—she had promised to return the blade, and she wasn’t going to slaughter everyone in here to keep it. She sucked in a sharp breath, letting the flames die down. Excalibur went cold, and Ursula lowered the blade to the floor.
It had hardly touched the stone before Lucius snatched it back. Without looking at her, he began inspecting the blade.
“Sorry,” she mumbled. “But it belongs with me.”
Lucius didn’t answer as he ran a finger along the edge of the sword, checking for nicks.
Cera thrust Honjo into Ursula’s hand. “That was good work.”
In the narrow tunnel, Bael pushed past her, his light illuminating the space. With the rubble cleared, the tunnel seemed to continue on until it reached an intersection with another passage.
“Bael.” Ursula stepped in beside him. “I know this place. That tunnel leads to Abrax’s manor.”
Bael’s eyes gleamed in the dim light. “Good. Then our new goal is to break open one of his walls. Are you up for it, Lucius?”
The dragon nodded. “As long as there’s enough room for me to transform, I’ll happily tear this manor apart.”
Their footfalls echoed off the tunnel walls. When they reached the intersecting tunnel, Bael extinguished his light. They crept into the new tunnel, treading lightly on the rough gravel.
Bael and Lucius slid through the opening into Abrax’s manor first, moving swiftly ahead of Ursula. She paused for a moment at the opening, gazing into the dark space. When her eyes adjusted, she could see the scaffolding that still stood around the entrance to the tunnel. Within the atrium, she could see that a metallic barrier covered the windows.
Her stomach dropped. Within the atrium, there was no sign of either Bael or Lucius.
Something is wrong.
She started to call a warning to Cera, but inky magic entangled her limbs, snaking around her arms and legs like boa constrictors. Abrax stepped out from the shadows in a corner of the room. Oh, balls.
His hands were in his pockets, a stupid smirk on his face. “Well, fancy running into you again.”
Ursula struggled against the bonds of magic, trying to maintain a grip on her sword. Her limbs were completely immobilized. “What’s going on?”
His footfalls clacked over the marble floor. “Did you think I would leave the rear entrance guarded only by a pile of stone? I’m the son of Nyxobas. I’m a demigod. I’m not an idiot. Wards screamed in my quarters as soon as you stepped into the tunnel.” Abrax prowled closer, his icy eyes shining with a wicked glee. “You must be wondering what happened to your big strong friends.”
Grabbing her by her collar, he lifted her so she faced the opposite wall. Two bodies lay on the floor.
Ursula’s blood roared in her ears. “Did you kill them?” Her own voice sounded strangely distant.
“Not yet. What would be the fun in killing them without an audience?”
He nodded into the atrium, and a pair of golems stepped out of the shadows. Rage and panic surged in Ursula’s chest, and she tried to jerk her limbs against the bonds of shadow magic. But all she could do was stare on as the silent automatons advanced on Bael and Lucius.
“Don’t worry. They’re not going to die just yet.” Abrax lifted his chin. “Bring them to me,” he commanded the golems.
The golems dragged Lucius and Bael over the floor, their bodies wrapped in shadow magic, limbs struggling against the constraints. Despite the immense power of these men, Abrax’s bonds held tight.
Abrax flicked his fingers, and the golems began to kick Bael’s and Lucius’s supine bodies.
“Stop it, you talon-handed fuckstick,” Ursula shouted.
Abrax lifted a hand, signaling that the beating should stop. “Manners, my dear. A follower of Nyxobas is never uncouth.” He paused, cocking his head like a bird. “But of course you are all vile, debased creatures.” He crossed to Bael and jabbed at his ribs with his toe. “This one allows his servants to call him by name.” He moved to Lucius. “And this one beds the oneiroi. Vile.”
Lucius’s eyes flashed with rage, but he couldn’t speak with the shadow bonds clamped over his mouth.
Ursula’s eyes strained as she scanned the shadows. Where is Cera?
Abrax’s pale gaze turned on her. “So which one should I kill first?”
“N-no,” Ursula sputtered. “No.”
“No?” Abrax parroted. “That’s not an answer to my question, I’m afraid.”
“Don’t kill them.”
“Silly Ursula! That wasn’t an option. I am going to kill them. You get to choose who dies first. Those are your options.”
Ursula stared mutely. She wasn’t going to play his game.
Abrax sighed, as though the whole situation were taxing for him. “Fine. I’ll do it myself.” He drew a long, thin blade from a sheath on his hip. A wave of horror slammed into Ursula, and she opened her mouth in a silent scream as Abrax drove it into Bael’s shoulder.
“Stop!” shouted Ursula.
Abrax drew out the blade. Blood gleamed on the steel. “But the fun is only just getting started.”
Ursula’s heart slammed against her ribs. “What do you want?” Her voice echoed off the ceiling.
Abrax turned to her with a small smile. “You know what I want. I want you to join me. Fight with me. Rule with me.”
“Why me?”
Abrax’s eyes pierced her. “Because untapped power lives inside you, and I want it.”
“If I join you, will you release them?”
“Of course,” said Abrax. “They will be free to go.” His smile was a rictus grin.
Ursula glanced at Bael, his blood pouring over the floor. She couldn’t simply stand here and watch him die. Grief ripped through her mind. This was it, wasn’t it? This was the end. She just wanted to know that Bael would make it out alive.
“All right,” she said slowly. “I’ll join you, on the condition that you release my friends.”
Abrax’s eyebrows rose slightly. “You know, I had always taken you for a fool, too devoted to your earthly desires to comprehend the full magnitude of my offer. But I’m heartened that you seem to be learning. When I consume your soul, you will live forever. Eternal life, Ursula, is a glorious gift.”
Abrax stroked her cheek, and bile rose in her throat. Already, the incubus’s dark power was washing over her. Even as the bonds that wrapped around her loosened, his icy magic slid over her skin, skimming her body.
“I thought you hated the taste of my soul.”
Abrax’s eyes shone in semidarkness. “Yes, but it will be only a momentary inconvenience.”
He leaned in closer to her, his lips hovering just above hers. The bonds of his inky magic slipped off her, and yet she was still completely immobilized by him, her body electrified by his magic. She was drawn to him and repulsed by him at the same time, completely transfixed.
Her pulse raced, and she tried to remember what her plan was. Did she have a plan? No—her only plan had been to stop Abrax from killing Bael. Now, Abrax had her completely enthralled with his incubus magic, and it curled around her ribs in seductive tendrils. She felt as if silk had wrapped around her body, until she didn’t want to move. He wasn’t pressing his lips against hers, but he was close enough that his magic washed over her all the same.
A sound nagged at the edge of her consciousness.
Abrax’s magic still enthralled her, but an insistent sound, like a klaxon, hammered at the back of her mind.
“Ursula!” It took her a moment to recognize her own name.
She opened her eyes. Abrax’s face hovered over hers, his eyes closed. A stream of golden magic flowed from her mouth into his. But she read something on his features—something an incubus wasn’t supposed to display.
Pure, utter disgust.
“Ursula!” Cera stood near the bodies of Bael and Lucius, her sharp teeth flashing. “Catch this!�
� she shouted, throwing something at Ursula. The object seemed to move in slow motion as it arced through the air toward her. Light refracted off a blade, a jeweled pommel. Excalibur.
Drawing on the last of her strength, Ursula lunged for the sword, grabbing it by the hilt. Shadow magic poured from Abrax’s body, but she sliced through it with the blade.
The connection severed. Abrax’s eyes burst open. Staring at the blade in Ursula’s hand, he roared, “I offered you immortality, and still you try to kill me? So you will sicken and die, like all the other peasants and mortals. Your flesh will grow old and decay. Is that what you want?” His face cracked into a wicked grin, and his eyes flashed a deep gold.
She carved the blade through the air, and it felt like a perfect extension of her. But she couldn’t summon Emerazel’s fire, couldn’t get the sword to burn like it had before. That is a problem.
Abrax’s eyes danced with amusement. “Your fire courses in my veins now, so I might as well kill you.”
Ursula’s muscles tensed, and her fingers clenched around Excalibur’s hilt. She raised the sword. “Abrax. Have you ever encountered Excalibur? It’s mentioned in the Darkling prophecy.”
Abrax snarled, and the sound rumbled through her bones. With a cracking and lurching of his body, he began to transform. Wings sprouted from his back, and talons curled from his feet.
Ursula gripped the sword tightly, desperately trying to summon her fire magic. Abrax lunged for her, and she swung, the sword’s steel deflecting his raking claws. Rage simmered in her body, and she slashed at the incubus, driving him back.
Distantly, she was aware of the sound of Cera screaming. And when she turned her head, her heart stopped. Golems stood over Bael and Lucius—and one of the creatures was driving a blade into Bael’s back.
Ursula’s world tilted. She was hardly aware of her own screaming.
Without his wings, Bael was mortal.
“Too late.” A gleeful, sing-song declaration from Abrax.
Ice-cold fury slid through Ursula’s veins, and she raced for the golems as fleet as the night wind. With speed she didn’t realize she possessed, she sliced through their bodies, then spun to face the demon.
Shadows & Flame Complete Boxed Set: Demons of Fire and Night Novels Page 92
