The Dark Monolith: Heroes of Ravenford Book 3

by F. P. Spirit

  Let’s see her laugh at this, Glo thought. “Pessulum Electrica.”

  Glo let loose a bolt of lightning. In the blink of an eye, it arced upward the short distance to where the demoness hovered, striking her directly in her midsection. Arcs of electricity played across her body for a few moments, then abruptly winked out.

  The demoness still hovered there, her wings beating slowly, without so much as a scratch on her body. Glo’s eyes went wide when he realized what he had just done. Every novice knew that demons were immune to electricity. They had been ever since the Third Demon War some 6,000 years ago. Glo shook his head. Something was definitely wrong here—his mind felt as if it were in a fog.

  The demoness eyed him with an amused expression. When she spoke, her voice was smug. “Trouble thinking? I seem to have that effect on people.”

  Glo grimaced, not knowing what to do. Without a clear head, he was useless. At that moment, a familiar form stepped forward and placed itself between him and the succubus. It was Elistra. The seeress stood with her hands on her hips, gazing up at the demoness defiantly. “Not all of us.”

  The succubus fixed her gaze on the seeress. The two locked eyes, glaring at each other with an inhuman intensity. Glo could almost feel the silent battle between the two, his skin nearly crawling from the psychic energy in the air. Demoness and seeress remained still in their soundless clash for what seemed like an eternity, until the succubus abruptly gasped and twisted her head away.

  Elistra let out a soft laugh. “Don’t feel too bad—your mistress didn’t fare much better.”

  The demoness spun back to face Elistra, a hateful glare in her dark eyes. Glo, his head clearing, was completely impressed. Whatever Elistra had done, had broken the succubus’s spell on him. It was the second time her gifts had saved him in the last 24 hours. The seeress gave Glo a brief smile, then continued to needle the demoness.

  “So, let me guess, since the direct approach didn’t work, your mistress sent you to seduce the males.” Elistra brought a finger to her chin and examined the succubus critically. “Guess she couldn’t find anything better on such short notice.”

  The demoness’s eyes went blood red. “Take that back.”

  Elistra merely laughed in response. Alana stepped back and took a stance next to the seeress, brandishing her gleaming sword. “Why don’t you come down here and make her?”

  The succubus eyed that sword uncertainly. Once again, Glo was impressed. Together, these two women were able to do something the men couldn’t—stand up to the demoness on both a mental and physical level. The question was how long this stalemate would go on. If the succubus was able to reassert her control over just one of them, the others would end up fighting their friend. Another spell, one that could actually hurt a demon, might tip the advantage their way.

  Glo began to lift his arm when, without warning, an ethereal, glowing axe appeared in the air in front of the demoness. It caught her by surprise, swiping across her body and actually drawing blood! Glo cast a glance behind him and saw Aksel wearing a fierce look of concentration, then a piercing scream drew his attention back to the succubus.

  “Who dares!”

  The creature touched the cut across her torso, then lifted her fingers to look at the blood on them. Her face took on a dreadful cast, then she opened her mouth, bared her fangs and hissed, all traces of her former beauty gone. A thin smile crossed Glo’s lips. Guess she’s not untouchable after all. Well, let’s add to that. He raised his arm, pointed at the demoness, and spoke two words, “Radius Ardens.”

  A red-hot beam leapt from his fingertips and lanced upward toward the succubus, hitting her square in the chest. She let out another horrific scream as the skin blackened and sizzled between her semi-exposed breasts. The demoness stared down at her torso, the fire gone out of her eyes, her voice sounding hollow. “You burnt me. You actually burnt me.” She peered down at the elven wizard, tears welling in her eyes. “Look what you did to my perfect skin.”

  For a moment, Glo felt sorry for the creature, but then he felt a soft hand on his shoulder and heard Elistra’s voice whisper in his mind. Don’t fall for it.

  Glo glanced at the seeress and gave her a curt smile. Elistra winked back at him. The demoness, foiled yet again, fumed in the air above them. “I’ll get you for this! I’ll get all of you!”

  Her large bat-like wings snapped apart and, with a strong flap, she launched herself at Glo, Elistra and Alana. The trio braced themselves, but at the last moment she swerved and headed straight for Lloyd. It was an incredible aerial maneuver, happening so fast that no one had time to react. The creature flew up to Lloyd and kissed him on the cheek before anyone could stop her. Lloyd’s expression immediately went blank.

  “Oh, no, not again,” Elladan groaned.

  “Oh, yes, again,” the demoness swore in triumph. She flitted behind the tall man and said in a dulcet voice, “Fight for me.”

  “Yes, mistress,” came the wooden reply. The young warrior marched forward, his face taking on a deadly cast.

  Alana stepped in front of the others, her shield up and sword ready. “Stay behind me,” she called over her shoulder.

  Glo felt his own muscles tense as Lloyd advanced on Alana. This was no sparring session; Lloyd’s expression was deadly serious.

  Elladan mirrored his thoughts. “This isn’t going to be pretty.” A lute suddenly appeared in the bard’s hand and he began playing madly. Glo felt an immediate lift in his spirits—even Alana seemed to stand taller, if that was at all possible.

  “Just hold him off a minute,” Aksel’s voice rang out behind them.

  A brief nod was all Alana had time for before Lloyd was on her. He was not holding back, his blades flashing almost faster than the eye could see. Alana did her best to keep up with him, deftly parrying his savage blows with her own sword and shield.

  “Cut her, slash her,” the succubus urged, her voice filled with malice.

  Alana, refusing to attack, was pushed backward until, inevitably, a blow broke through the lady knight’s guard. It was Lloyd’s black blade. The star metal sword cut neatly through the thick steel gauntlet of her right arm, the deep wound seeping red liquid over Alana’s silver armor. The succubus chortled with glee.

  “Blood for blood,” she cried exultantly.

  Alana drew back, her shield in front of her, the gleaming sword barely clutched in her injured hand. Lloyd, not hesitating, renewed his assault, raining swift blows down on the lady knight. Alana struggled to fend off his attacks with her shield alone, but it was a losing battle. The others watched on, frozen in horror, until a sharp cry rang out across the deck.

  “Lloyd, stop!”

  Lloyd halted his attack, the young man’s head spinning toward the source of that scream. All eyes turned to see Donnie prone on the deck, Ruka still on top of him, pinning him down. The slight elf’s eyes were wide, his expression frantic. “Ruka, get off me—I have to help her!”

  Yet before Ruka could move, his plea for help was answered with a white circle that fanned out across the deck. The brilliant light engulfed everyone, including Lloyd. The young man blinked, his expression changing as awareness returned to his previously vacant eyes.

  The succubus let out a deep sigh. “Now why did you have to go and spoil all my fun?”

  Lloyd’s arms dropped to his side. “What just happened?” he asked groggily.

  “She charmed you again,” Elladan explained.

  Lloyd grimaced, but then his face turned ashen as his gaze fell on Alana. Blood was now dripping freely from the lady knight’s wound onto the deck.

  “Did I do that?” he asked in a hushed tone.

  “You did indeed,” the demoness chortled behind him.

  Moisture welled up in the young man’s eyes, his voice cracking as he apologized. “I’m so—sorry.”

&
nbsp; A wan smile spread across Alana’s lips, her face filling with compassion. “It’s alright, Lloyd. You weren’t yourself.”

  A wicked laugh rang out as the succubus launched herself back into the air. “That’s quite magnanimous of you, lady knight. But now that you’ve spoiled all my fun, who’s going to play with me?”

  Anger welled up inside Glo. This had gone on long enough. “Oh, I’ll play with you,” he declared, lifting an arm toward the creature once more.

  “So will I!” Lloyd said heatedly, the young man’s face red with anger. Before anyone could stop him, Lloyd grabbed his cape and launched himself upward.

  “Stay in the circle!” Aksel cried after him.

  Lloyd nodded his understanding as he closed on the demoness. Unfortunately, Glo had to stay his hand as the young man flew up between him and the dark creature.

  The succubus appeared amused, the trace of a smile gracing her lips as Lloyd drew even with her. She spoke to him in that same innocent voice she had used when they first met her. “Oh, so you’re going to play with me now?”

  Lloyd was far from in the mood to play, gritting his teeth as he responded to the foul creature. “You made me hurt my friend. Now I’m going to hurt you.”

  The demoness let out a wicked laughed. “You? Hurt me?”

  Lloyd was done talking. In the wink of an eye, he lashed out with his black sword. The blade caught the demoness across the torso, crossing the cut that Aksel had previously made. The new wound began to bleed as well. The demoness wailed in response.

  “You cut me! I can’t believe you cut me!”

  Her expression abruptly changed once more, and this time, long claws sprouted from her fingertips as she bared her fangs. The demoness then flung herself at Lloyd, but the young warrior had grown adept at airborne combat. As she swiped at him, he caught her clawed hand with his left blade, then spun his body around and sliced her again with his black blade. The sword crossed her skin, leaving yet another wound, this time along her side. The succubus rapidly withdrew, flitting back outside of the protective circle Aksel had conjured. Her face was now a mask of rage.

  “You... will... all... die!” she declared vehemently.

  As she hovered there fuming, she was besieged from four different directions: a knife from Seth, arrows from Martan, a beam of white light from Aksel, and another red hot ray from Glo. The arrows and knife both bounced off her tough skin, but the white light and red ray scorched her flesh.

  The demoness arched her back up to the heavens and let out an ear-splitting scream. The companions winced from the shrill sound, covering their ears. The nearby trees were emptied of birds, the avian creatures scared away by the harsh cry of the wounded demoness. As the sound trailed off, the forest about them grew silent.

  The succubus still hovered in the air above the ship, huffing with anger, her expression one of sheer hatred. Abruptly, she let out a second scream, this one as high-pitched as the first. Before they could recover, the demoness launched herself straight up at an incredible speed. She flew high up above the trees, circled once, and then disappeared into the forest to the south.

  Inazuma

  The strange glow had a shape to it. It was the image of an old man

  Lloyd hovered high over the Rusty Nail, scanning the treetops for the demoness. Meanwhile down below, a familiar voice caught everyone’s attention.

  “Can I please get up now?”

  Aksel’s eyes swept back down toward the deck, where he saw Ruka still perched on top of Donnie. The slight elf wore a plaintive expression. The young girl’s face reddened somewhat as her eyes fell on the elf upon whom she sat. “Oh, right,” she responded, quickly getting up.

  Donnie rose as well, dusting himself off. “So, last I remember, Elladan and I were talking to that succubus. Next thing I know, I’m lying on the deck with Ruka on top of me, and Lloyd’s battling Alana. Anyone care to tell me what happened?”

  Elladan fixed his elven friend with a half-smile. “Oh, nothing much—that succubus just took over your mind is all.”

  Donnie grinned sheepishly, a hand going to the back of his neck as his eyes turned toward Alana. “Ah, that explains it. I didn’t hurt anyone, did I?”

  The lady knight shook her head. “No, this wound isn’t from you. Ruka stopped you before you could do any harm.”

  Elladan let out a soft chuckle. “Yeah, she tackled you like a charging boar. I’m surprised you’re not aching all over.”

  “Actually, I am,” Donnie responded, rubbing his shoulder gingerly.

  Ruka stood behind him, her head hung low, her voice filled with regret. “Sorry.”

  Alana walked over to the girl and put her good arm around her shoulders. “Well, I think she was just marvelous.”

  She smiled down at the young teen. Ruka peered up at her, the trace of a smile crossing her lips. “How about we women warriors go spend some time away from these men,” Alana told her, casting an accusatory glance around the deck.

  Ruka gave a swift nod. “Yes, let’s.”

  The duo then turned away and strode off together to the other side of the ship. Donnie threw up his hands and shrugged, glancing around at the others plaintively. “What’d I do?”

  “Oh, Donnie...” Elistra said with a sigh, then walked off to join Alana and Ruka.

  Aksel watched after her with concern. The succubus had not really caused any physical harm other than Alana’s arm, something he could heal fairly easily. Her presence, however, seemed to have created a rift in their group. Up until now, they had all worked together effectively, having each other’s backs when it counted. If this falling-out was allowed to continue, though, it could disrupt their ability to work as a team and jeopardize their entire mission.

  Although he himself had not caused the rift, Aksel felt deeply responsible for it nevertheless. The others looked to him for leadership, and that made it his responsibility. In truth, Aksel had never led a group like this before. Oh, he had been in charge of a number of projects back home, both in school and at the temple.

  The elders, old Bockworth in particular, had thrust him into a position of authority a number of times, despite his desire to be just like everyone else. Those assignments, however, had been either group lessons or community action projects, not life and death situations. Thus, nothing had prepared him for the great weight that now rested so squarely on his shoulders. Aksel’s thoughts were interrupted as Lloyd descended from above.

  “There’s no sign of the Succubus anywhere. It’s as if the Darkwoods just swallowed her up.”

  Lloyd seemed quite frustrated by his inability to catch the demoness. Elladan placed a comforting hand on the young man’s shoulder. “It’s okay, you did the best you could.”

  “Thanks,” Lloyd said, though his expression remained grim.

  A wan smile crossed Aksel’s lips. At least some of the group was still getting along. The real problem seemed to be gender-related, exacerbated by the appearance of the succubus. Still, if he could just get them all to concentrate on the mission again, things might fall back into place. Unfortunately, here out on the river, they were sitting ducks. The succubus could return at any time and make more trouble for them. He decided to broach the subject with the others. “Maybe it’s time we left this river.”

  Glo brought his hands up into a steeple in front of his mouth, his brow creasing as he mulled over Aksel’s words. After a few moments pause, he spoke. “Second attack in two days. They obviously know where to find us.”

  Aksel turned to Elladan. “Do you have that map handy?”

  Elladan pointed his thumb toward the cabins. “It’s in my knapsack down below.”

  “Can you go get it? Maybe you and Captain Morled can figure out our current position. Then we can decide what to do next.”

  “Sure thing.” Elladan spun on his h
eel and headed for the door to the cabin area.

  “While he does that, I’m going to go and see if Alana needs any healing,” Aksel told the others. The truth was Alana, being a holy knight, could probably heal that type of wound herself, but Aksel felt it his duty to ask.

  “I’ll come with you,” Donnie offered, a pensive expression on his face as his eyes swept across the deck. Aksel followed his gaze to where Alana, Ruka, and Elistra stood apart from the others. Alana cast a quick glance in their direction, then immediately turned away. Aksel let out a short sigh—it appeared this was not going to be easy. He turned back to Donnie and spoke to him as delicately as he could manage. “That might not be the best idea right now.”

  Donnie hung his head, his tone resigned. “If you say so.”

  Aksel felt sorry for him. Donnie obviously liked the lady knight, but the allure of a succubus was difficult for even the strongest-willed of men to resist. Still, if Donnie truly cared about Alana, he should have shown just a bit more restraint around the temptress. Aksel attempted to cheer him up. “Don’t worry. I’ll try to convince them to rejoin us once I am done.”

  “Thanks,” Donnie responded with another wistful glance in the direction of the lady knight.

  Aksel left the others behind and strode over toward the three female members of their team. He could not hear their conversation, but from their tone of voice, both Alana and Ruka still seemed somewhat agitated. When they became aware of Aksel’s approach, the three fell silent. Aksel halted in front of Alana and noted a blood-stained kerchief tied around her arm. He peered up at her solemnly, wondering why she had not healed it herself, but then noted her flushed cheeks. She was obviously still angry, not a state of mind in which it was easy to connect with your god.

  “May I heal your arm?” he asked her as politely as possible.

  Alana seemed somewhat taken aback at first, but after a moment or two broke into an embarrassed smile. “Oh, yes, why of course.”