by Brux, Boone
Temperatures dropped, turning the evening cool. A thin layer of mist slithered across the ground, slowly spreading out in all directions from the hot pool near camp. Chirping from the night hoppers whirred below the underbrush and an owl hooted in a tree near where they patrolled.
As they started their third pass a faint anomaly registered along Siban’s Tell. He stopped the same instant Rell did. She looked at him and gave a single nod. They crept closer together and stood several yards from the face of the mountain. The abnormality turned into warning, which mutated into the bite of the Bane presence.
He swore under his breath and tried to pin down the Bane’s location. The demons seemed to be moving quickly, making it difficult to isolate exactly where they were. The biting grew. He squinted, straining to see into the dark, but nothing moved.
Not halfway into their shift and already they had encountered problems. If they were lucky, the Bane would pass over and not realize that a Bringer party was camped in the trees below. The decision to sound an alarm warred with waiting to see if the Bane noticed them. No doubt Odette and Okee felt the presence as well, but no alarm had gone up.
They crouched. A few seconds later the slow, heavy beat of wings thumped above them, the down stroke sounding like the deep beat against a drum. Siban sent up a prayer that the Bane would pass over and no harm would befall them—but they were not to be so lucky.
Rocks tumbled from the ledge and the scraping of talons hissed through the quiet. All forest sounds ceased, as if sensing the danger from the Bane.
“I can smell you, Bringer.” A familiar voice from Siban’s nightmares drifted through the trees. “Come out and play.”
The urge to charge forward and slay the she-devil washed over him. Rational thought gave way to revenge. The need to pay the bitch back for the two years of torture she’d put him through choked out the caution he’d preached to Rell.
In an instant, Rell was there beside him and in his head, sending waves of love to him, reassuring him that he was not alone. His rage lessened and the realization that he would put her, and the rest of the party, in danger if he acted on his impulse slowly registered.
“You can’t hide from me.” Clawed feet shifted, sending more stones toppling down the side of the rock race. “I’m very good at hunting.”
Hiding was the last thing Siban wanted to do and from the look on Rell’s face, she had the same thought. Together they stood and walked toward Sha-hera’s voice and stepped out of the trees.
The demon perched on a ledge twenty feet above them. Two more Bane females that Siban didn’t recognize stood beside her. Sha-hera’s eyes rounded. “Well, well, well, now this is a surprise.” She circled a finger at Rell. “But how, I wonder, did you manage to become human again?”
The succubus to Sha-hera’s right glanced at her captain and back at them.
Sha-hera laughed. “Don’t you recognize our little Rell?”
All three demons stared at her with renewed interest. Siban stepped forward. “How about me, demon. Do you recognize me?”
The succubus’s gaze leveled on him and slowly narrowed, a smile creasing her lips. “Dark one, I wondered where you had gone.” As if understanding dawned, she looked at Rell. “Of course—she helped you escape. I should have known.” The demon slid her hand down her waist and over her stomach. “I missed you, Bringer.” Her lips formed into a pout. “Nobody to toy with. Nobody to torture.” She crouched. “But I’m so glad you’ve come back to me.”
“We won’t be joining you for any more—fun.” Siban drew his sword. “As a matter of fact, I’ve been meaning to end this relationship for some time.”
Rell followed suit and withdrew her blade. Sha-hera’s attention fixed on the glimmering blades. “Immortal weapons. Where did you get them?”
“The only thing you should be concerned about,” Rell said, “is an eternity within the Abyss.” Hatred washed through her. In a flash, the steel of the sword flared with a rush of blue flame and then tempered to a glow.
Sha-hera straightened and bared her fangs. “It will not be as easy as that, Bringer. There are three of us and only two of you.”
“You’re mistaken.” Okee stepped from between the trees, Odette by his side. Both had their weapons drawn.
The twins were strikingly beautiful, appearing far too innocent to be skilled in vanquishing demons, but the power rolling off them hinted otherwise.
Both demons accompanying Sha-hera hissed and crouched, readying themselves for retreat.
“Hold,” their captain barked. Her yellow glare slid back to the four Bringers. “What do you want here?”
“Our kinsmen,” Siban said. “And do not doubt, Bane, that we will get them.”
Leaves rustled behind them, but already he knew it was the rest of the group. The twins must have alerted them on their way to help. One by one the members of their party stepped from the trees with weapons drawn.
Sha-hera’s companions hissed and without waiting for permission, soared into the sky. Not so easily driven away, the captain stood her ground. “You do not know what you are up against, Bringers. If you believe you can free your friends, I’m afraid you will be sadly disappointed.” She shook her head. “Vile will never allow it and already the other two fly to warn him of your coming.”
Siban let his anger drift through him and focused its energy into his hand. Vibrations rippled down his arms and pooled in his palms. The sensation caused his hands to shake. Narrowing his focus, he concentrated on Sha-hera. When he felt somewhat in control of the roiling ball, he thrust his hands toward the demon. Like a peal of thunder, the pulsing ball hurled toward her and crashed into the rock below her feet. Stones exploded, sending chunks of rock in all directions.
Sha-hera soared into the sky, her angry screech echoing through the night. The heavy thud of her wings thumped several times. She swooped toward the group and again Siban heaved a pulsating orb at the demon, but this time his assault was followed by a volley of fire from Rhys, Gregory, and Ravyn. The demon swerved, barely escaping the attack. Rocks exploded behind her when the fireballs blasted into the side of the mountain.
The group jumped backward, diving toward the trees to escape being pelted by the falling stones. Sha-hera shrieked again and turned north, disappearing into the night without further words or an attack.
Despite not dispatching the she-demon who had made his life a living nightmare for two years, a sense of satisfaction filled Siban. One day he would face that bitch and it would be a fight he planned on winning.
Chapter Thirteen
The crunch of Vile’s footsteps as he paced the length of his chamber pounded inside Sha-hera’s head. She stared at his powerful back. The black tattoos covering his blue skin undulated with the tightening of his muscles when he moved, marks of his dedication to magic’s dark side.
He stopped and spun to face her. “Tell me again what your Splinter said.”
For the third time she repeated Fatima’s words. “Four Bringer women, bearing the mark of full power, caught her leaving the Council Chamber.”
Vile lowered his chin, his thick horns tipping toward her. “And they did not so much as imprison her?”
“No, they questioned why she was there and how she’d gained access to Illuma Grand.” Sha-hera bit back her resentment at being questioned as if she were a simple minion, and repeated the information. “She gave them the excuse that she was there to dance for Bagita.”
His brow furrowed and he straightened. “And what excuse did she use about being in the Council Chamber?”
“That it was in her nature to explore and possibly acquire a bauble or two that she could sell at a later date.” Sha-hera shifted her weight to her other foot. Vile had been interrogating her for the last hour, asking the same questions. “Fatima assured me that they suspected nothing.”
“Is that so?” Vile eased onto an oversize, ornately carved chair. “And you would believe her?”
“I made the consequences clear i
f she did not do as I asked.” Sha-hera clasped her hands behind her back. “Fear is a powerful motivator. I see no reason not to put faith in what she said.”
Vile stared at her, his talons drumming against the padded brocade arm of the chair. These were his private quarters and unlike the throne room, this chamber was luxuriously decorated. Instead of rotting food and carcasses, expensive rugs covered the floor. A plush bed took the place of the cold stone surface the slavering minions slept on, and a long table, complete with golden candelabra and books, sat to the far right of the chamber. Though expensively embellished, in Sha-hera’s opinion, the room’s size was too modest for a Demon King’s residence.
The silk curtains and lush linens that adorned Vile’s bed brought back memories of her past—memories of what she’d fought to overcome. But she knew why he chose to live like this. It was a reminder of his harsh reality and the soft life he’d lost at the hands of those who had betrayed him.
“You are incapable of seeing the bigger picture of what the Bringers are planning, Sha-hera.” Vile smoothed his hand along the burnished material and curled his talons around the carved claw at the end of the chair arm. “That, my dear concubine, is why I am the Demon King and you still serve me.”
Sha-hera clenched her jaw. After a thousand years he still wouldn’t let her forget her former occupation or that she had attended him at the most base level. Only by her wits had she risen in rank among his other concubines. By virtue of her will to survive had she supported his plans to overthrow the Bringer King. She given up her soul for the chance at freedom—and still he would not let her forget.
Losing her temper would be fruitless. She needed to keep his trust so she could still have the independence to move about without his spies following her. With a silent exhale, she relaxed and donned the face of the compliant servant. It was a character she played well. “What bigger picture would that be, my king?”
“The Bringers search for their lost kinsmen. I am sure of it.” He tapped his talon on the end of the chair’s arm. “Several of them have already infiltrated the Shadow World on different occasions. I’m sure they’d not hesitate to do it again, especially since they know about my little menagerie and have already stolen back one of bodies.”
Her breath caught in her throat. Did he suspect her part in allowing Rell’s sister to leave with her human body? Sha-hera had shown Rell the frozen Bringers in hopes of drawing her support away from Icarus, but then the little demon had disappeared and Sha-hera had been unable to locate her—until tonight.
Though she’d told Vile of the Bringers, she’d kept the part of Rell being transformed back to human to herself. Bits of valuable information were rare and she’d take any opportunity to gain the upper hand. She was tired of serving without acknowledgement for her loyalty. She didn’t know how she would use the information about Rell’s transformation but better to plan than give up her edge.
She plastered on an innocent expression. “What missing body?”
“Bowen’s daughter.” His hand stilled. “Did you not know?”
Sha-hera bowed her head. “No, my king. Obviously it is another betrayal by Icarus.”
“Do you really think so?” He stood and flared his wings. “He seemed quite surprised to find that the Bringers had escaped.” Vile prowled toward her and it took all of Sha-hera’s will to not move. He stopped behind her, speaking into her ear. “Perhaps there is another traitor amongst my demons.”
“I will ferret them out if there is.” Playing guiltless seemed far wiser than confessing to her crime. “May I ask, my king, what could the Bringers do with an empty body?”
“A very good question.” Vile brushed her thick braid over her shoulder and traced a pattern on the back of her neck with his talon. She tried not to shy away when the point of his claw slid over the delicate area at the base of her skull. One jab and she would crumble, unable to move. “One I plan to answer soon.” He circled, stopping six inches in front of her. “Perhaps they endeavor to restore her to human form.”
Sha-hera blinked, trying to hide the fact that the Bringers had indeed been successful. “I’ve never heard of such a thing happening. How would they do it?”
A humorless smile spread across his mouth. “That is for me to know and for you to never find out.”
He turned, walking back to the chair and sat again. She cursed her stupidity. All this time she’d thought Vile had been sharing his plans and secrets with her, when actually he’d been using her—just as he had when they had been Bringers themselves.
“Gather the succubus army.” Sha-hera noticed how he no longer called it her army. “And move all the Bringers. Take them to the Threshold.”
“The Threshold?” Fear replaced her anger. The place was dangerous, even to the Bane. Time and reality defied natural law there. “But if we move the Bringers to the Threshold, you may lose them if there is a power rift.”
“Better to lose them, than to let them fall into the hands of our enemies.” He pinned her with a glare. “It would take more than a few Bringers armed with immortal weapons to breach the Threshold. The bodies will be safe there until I have need of them.” He tipped his head toward her. “See it done.”
She executed a slow, delicate bow of her head. “As you wish, my king.”
She settled her face into what she hoped was an unreadable mask, but inside Sha-hera seethed. She’d become complacent as the Captain of the Succubus Army over the past centuries. Instead of remaining focused on the real battle going on right in front of her, she’d squabbled for scraps of control with Icarus, which she now saw was exactly what Vile had wanted. Divide the power and keep them off-balance. Icarus had been smarter than her, catching onto what Vile was doing long before she had. Where she thought she had bested Icarus, she’d really only served Vile’s intentions.
She pulled the door shut behind her and looked at the two sentries. They were from the king’s private guard, followers from the beginning of Vile’s rule. “Stay alert, we may be having visitors.”
The two succubi from her army, Mia and Leah, waited beyond the guards at the edge of the corridor. “Did you tell him about the Bringers?”
“Yes.” Sha-hera strode down the passage leading to the war room with the two demons on her heels. “We are to move the king’s prisoners to the Threshold.”
Both demons stopped. Sha-hera slowed her steps, exhaling an impatient breath. She squared her shoulders and faced her comrades. “Is there a problem?”
“Vile has never allowed any demon near the Threshold.” Mia exchanged a worried glance with her partner. “And the journey is treacherous.”
“Is that fear I hear?” Sha-hera took a step toward them. “Trust me, if you do not do as you’re told, your fate will be far worse than delivering the Bringers to the Threshold.”
“Yes, Sha-hera.” Mia bowed her head briefly and scooted past, followed by Leah. “We will see to the preparations.”
She stared at the two demons’ departing backs. They’d been her friends once, serving in the same concubine harem. For a thousand years they’d fought together, having joined Vile’s cause in hopes of gaining freedom from the world of man. But a thousand years later, they were still shackled, now to the whims of the Demon King.
Though the other succubi believed themselves free from the persecutions they once faced among the Bringers, she bore no such illusion. Until she escaped Vile’s control she would never truly be free. Though she did Vile’s bidding, she never stopped looking for an opportunity to further her own cause. Centuries ago she’d given up her soul, so what did she have to lose now? An amusing and dangerous thought came to her. She wondered what the Demon King’s son would give to know the truth about his past?
…
The opening into the Shadow World was located approximately ten feet above the ground on a narrow ledge. Jade led the party, with Luc next, and Rell directly behind him. The three knew the entrance better than any of the other Bringers. One at a time, they climbe
d to the rocky outcrop and inched into the narrow opening.
Pitch-blackness surrounded Rell and her breathing became more labored the farther she crept. Only a few weeks had passed since she’d last been to the caverns, but the situation was so very different now. How would she react when she entered her old home?
After several minutes of shuffling blindly forward, heat surrounded her, indicating they were getting close to the hot pools. The passage narrowed even further. She turned and flattened her body against the damp wall, scooting until the path edged around a curve. Rell couldn’t help but wonder how Jade and Luc had managed to escape carrying her human body. There was barely enough room for one person.
A pinprick of light glowed at the end of the tunnel. Her heartbeat quickened. Icarus knew of the caverns. Would he be waiting for them? The faintest prickle of the Bane’s presence skittered across her arms, but there was no indication that any demons lurked nearby. Once inside the chamber the gnawing was sure to increase. Enduring the irritation was something she didn’t relish. The closer to the Bane hive they got, it would become even worse.
Jade scooted to the end of the tunnel and held up her hand. The line of followers stopped. Their shallow breathing was all that could be heard in the darkness. Rell inhaled and released the breath slowly. It took all her willpower to remain still, the need to get free of the dark confines pushing her anxiety higher.
Blue light from the glowing algae in the hot pools fell on her sister’s features. She swallowed hard and her eyes were wide, searching beyond Rell’s sight. If the tunnel had been wider, Rell would have pushed past and taken the lead. Putting Jade at risk, yet again, was the last thing she wanted. Instead she quelled the urge and waited, having learned her lesson this morning about barging forward.
The narrow width of the passage made her feel like she was in a tomb. No noise penetrated to where they waited. After what seemed like an eternity, Jade waved the group forward. Not having to be told twice, Rell scooted out into the chamber.
