Demon Curse

by Linsey Hall

  This place was so big it almost defied the imagination.

  Once on solid ground, Pelatin turned left and disappeared into a small guardhouse.

  Declan joined me and leaned close, whispering, “Just walk forward. Follow me.”

  I touched his arm lightly to indicate that I understood, and he set off down the main road that was right in front of us. He waved goodbye to Pelatin as he passed.

  Once we were out of earshot, I leaned close. “Now what?”

  “Now we scale the wall of the main building.”

  “Ooh, a true B&E?” I asked.

  “I think it’s the best way. Pelatin is just the bridge guard. There are more at the main entrance. Too many to persuade all at once. And I don’t want to fight the angels.”

  I could see how fighting his former comrades would sit wrong.

  “This way.” Declan turned right down a narrow side street.

  Buildings towered on either side of us, each wall dotted with tiny windows. They were unusually small, probably to protect the books and documents within from sun damage.

  “This place is quiet,” I murmured. “Where is everyone?”

  “Guards and scholars are inside with the texts. Every building is full of books and records. No one lives here, so it’s not like a normal city.”

  My shoulders relaxed slightly at the idea that we probably wouldn’t run into anyone.

  Declan led us in a loop back toward the edge of the floating island. Just like at the main angel headquarters, the street disappeared into nothingness at the edge. In some places, tall walls extended up from the edge, the libraries built up right next to nothingness.

  I looked at Declan. “You have got to be kidding me. You want us to climb up a wall that is right over open space, don’t you?”

  He looked toward my voice, though his eyes didn’t land right on me since I was still invisible. “Yeah, pretty much. The protection charms are weakest at the edges here, since most wouldn't be brave enough to climb up a wall like this.”

  “Dumb enough is more like.”

  He grinned. “Dumb enough. Come on. You ready?”

  “Yeah.” What was my alternative, anyway? Even now, I could feel the fire in my veins. It grew with every hour, and eventually it would consume me from within. Might as well risk my life to avoid that horrible death.

  Declan moved to the edge of the buildings, and I joined him, careful not to look at the clouds below. The side of the building was almost too smooth for climbing, but there were a few handholds where the great stone blocks met each other.

  Declan began to scale his way upward. I flipped my hood back so I became visible. Somehow, it seemed even worse to fall off and plummet to my death without anyone ever seeing it happen.

  Shut up, self.

  Dumb, dangerous thoughts.

  I climbed onto the building, following carefully in Declan’s wake. My heart thundered and my skin chilled as the wind tore at my hair. Declan took a circuitous route to the top, but it had the best handholds. My fingertips hurt from clinging to the tiny bits of stone, but I held on for dear life.

  “Almost there,” Declan murmured.

  I drew in a deep breath and continued climbing, every atom of my body totally alive and terrified as I ascended. Finally, I gripped the top of the building.

  Declan’s hand closed around my wrist, and he pulled me up the last little bit. I scrambled onto the small deck, gasping.

  “Thank fates that’s over.” I turned to take in the view.

  More clouds.

  So many clouds.

  I hated clouds.

  I turned back to Declan, then eyed the small patio upon which we stood. There was a little door. “Is that our way in?”

  “It is. We just need to break it down.”

  My brows shot upward. “Break it down? Won’t people hear us do that?”

  “There’s a chance, but hopefully not. We’re at a remote part of the archives.”

  “Why don’t we pick the locks?” I approached and knelt in front of the metal lock, inspecting it for any clue about its operation. All locks were different, and I quite enjoyed the challenge they presented.

  “There’s a charm that will melt the tools you use.”

  I grinned. I might have to live with this damned nullifying magic, but it could come in handy sometimes. “I’ve got just the cure for that.”

  Understanding dawned on his face. “Ah, of course you do.”

  I drew a small set of lock-picking tools from my pocket, then sorted out the tiny metal implements that I thought might work best with this particular lock.

  Once I was situated, I raised my left hand to the door and pressed it to the wood. A burning sensation flared against my skin, and I winced, feeding my nullification magic into the wood as quickly as I could.

  It came slowly at first, with my mind distracted by the pain, but eventually I dredged it up from my soul and forced it into the door.

  The burning sensation faded, and I stuck the tiny pick into the lock. As I worked, I made sure to keep up with the nullification magic that prevented the lock from melting my tools.

  “Where did you learn to do this?” Declan asked.

  “When I was a kid in Grimrealm, I found a hairpin. I thought I could use it to get us out of the room my aunt sometimes locked us in. It didn't work. So I found a skinny nail. That didn’t work either. But I just kept trying. Different tools—mostly trash—until finally I figured out a way.”

  There was silence for a moment, and I realized how shitty that sounded.

  Whatever.

  In hindsight, maybe I shouldn’t have shared that. But whatever. My life had been shitty once. No need to hide it.

  Declan’s hand landed on my shoulder, a gentle touch that was obviously meant to be comforting.

  Instead, it lit a small fire inside me.

  I drew in a steady breath and ignored it, focusing instead on the lock in front of me.

  Finally, the lock clicked, and I stood, pushing open the door.

  “Nicely done.” Declan sounded impressed.

  I inclined my head, then stepped through the door and into a darkened room.

  A black shadow rushed toward me, partly ephemeral and partly solid. White fangs and claws gleamed in the light.

  A shadow wolf.

  A scream trapped in my throat, and I dodged right, trying to avoid the wolf’s fangs. Fear snared me as I felt the icy grip of death.

  7

  From behind, Declan charged the wolf.

  A glint of steel flashed in the low light. He’d drawn his sword from the ether. The wolf growled, white magic spurting from its mouth. The figure was hazy.

  The creature was made of angelic magic, not flesh and bone. I wouldn’t have to feel guilty for killing it, since I wouldn’t be so much killing as destroying the spell.

  Declan lunged for the wolf with his sword.

  Another appeared in the middle of the room. It crouched low, growling, its onyx eyes on me. The beast was huge, four feet tall at least.

  I drew my mace from the ether, ignoring the ice that shivered over my spine. The metal of my mace chain was comforting in my hands as I began to swing.

  By the time the wolf leapt for me, I had enough speed going. I slammed the mace into the wolf’s head as he lunged for my face. My heart lodged in my throat.

  The mace connected solidly, and the wolf disappeared with a poof of magic that smelled like rotten meat. I spun in time to see Declan plunge his blade into the other shadow wolf’s chest. The creature hissed and stumbled backward, disappearing on a poof of smoke.

  Panting, I leaned against the wall. “Quite the welcoming committee.”

  “They sensed when we broke through the door. We shouldn’t see any more.”

  “Unless we have to break through more doors.”

  Declan shrugged. “Hopefully we won’t have to.”

  I stashed my mace in the ether, trying to calm my breathing. “Now what?”

  �
��Let’s head to the main archives. They’re in this building.”

  He led me out of the room and into a narrow corridor. It was barely wide enough for me to slip through. Declan’s shoulders brushed the edges.

  “For such a big building, I expected the hallways to be wider.”

  “Every inch is dedicated to the archives. If it can’t hold a document, it’s considered unimportant. I’m amazed this place still has passageways to let people in.”

  Declan led me through an endless maze. At times, we passed by blank walls. Then by shelves crammed full of books. Then scrolls, paintings, stone tablets. There was no end to the information stored within this massive space. My head was spinning ten minutes later.

  “How will we ever find what we’re looking for?” I asked.

  “Declan?” A masculine voice sounded from in front of Declan, cutting off his answer.

  Immediately, I stiffened, drawing a sword from the ether. These quarters were far too close for a mace.

  I tried to peer around Declan to get a look at whoever was speaking, but his broad shoulders filled the space. I ducked low and peered around his side.

  An angel in simple white clothes stared at Declan, shock on his face.

  “Camius,” Declan said. “It’s been a long time.”

  “Too long.” Camius looked down and spotted me peering at him.

  Shit.

  I was basically crouched low and peeking out at him like a weirdo.

  Ah well. Not my usual first impression, but you can’t have everything.

  “Who is your guest?” Camius asked.

  I straightened. Declan turned to the side and gestured to me. I hid my sword behind my back, only increasing my awkward introduction. But it seemed we weren’t going to fight, and there was no need to freak the guy out.

  Declan gestured to me. “This is my, ah…friend. Aerdeca.”

  My ah…friend?

  Okay, then. It was a loaded sentence, but it was the only way to describe what I was.

  “Good to meet you.” I looked between him and Declan. “What’s going on here?”

  “That’s what I was hoping to find out,” Camius said. “Last I heard, you’d fallen, Declan.”

  “I did. But we need information to save Aerdeca’s life.”

  I noticed he didn’t call me Aeri in public, and I appreciated it. I’d recently told him the name, but hadn’t gone into detail about the fact that it was a secret.

  Camius frowned. “Only angels can access the heavenly archives.”

  “And you’re an angel.”

  Suddenly, I understood Declan’s plan. He’d hoped to run into an old friend here. Because clearly, up until this point, we’d had no idea where we were going within the building, and it was big enough that we could starve to death before we found what we were looking for.

  Camius sighed. “I supposed you want me to help you?”

  “I’ll die otherwise,” I said. “And the one responsible is a fallen angel. So it’s your business, too, in a sense.”

  Camius’s gaze sharpened on mine. “Another fallen?”

  “And not one as even-tempered and law-abiding as Declan.” I patted his shoulder as if to make it very apparent that Declan was a good guy and Camius should want to help him. Want to help me.

  Camius looked at Declan. “After what you did for me on the battlefield, I will help you. But we have to make it quick. I can’t be spotted with you.”

  What had Declan done?

  “Thank you.” Declan’s voice was heavy with gratitude.

  I blinked, my eyes a bit warm.

  He was only doing this for me.

  Sure, he was curious about the other fallen angel. It was relevant to him. But it wasn’t one of his jobs. In fact, the High Court had made it clear that we shouldn’t pursue this.

  So it was all for me.

  I swallowed hard.

  “What do you know about this angel?” Camius asked.

  I let Declan fill him in with everything we knew.

  When he finished, Camius nodded and turned. “Come this way. I know where we can look.”

  We followed him through a labyrinth of halls and finally stopped in a crowded alcove. The three of us barely fit as he searched through the old leather documents.

  “Camius has worked here on and off for centuries,” Declan murmured. “He knows where everything is.”

  Good thing we ran into him, then, because no way in hell we’d have found anything otherwise.

  Camius sorted through a variety of books, eventually pulling out a heavy old leather one. He flipped through the pages, landing on one that looked to be smudged with ink.

  My stomach pitched at the sight.

  “Shit.” Declan’s low curse filled the space.

  Camius stared at it for a long time, clearly frozen in shock. “This has never happened before.” He turned to look at us, face white and eyes stark. “A book has been defaced.”

  “Is there any information left?” I asked, leaning close to see.

  “I can perhaps make out his name. Acius. But that is all. The rest has been blacked out.”

  Declan reached for the book and took it.

  I looked over his arm at it, frowning. Finally, I got a good look, but it was just as Camius had said. Black ink was smeared over the words.

  “Whoever blacked that page out was in a hurry. They didn’t even get the whole thing. They left his name.” I could imagine it now, the person—Acius probably—about to be discovered by the guards. He’d splashed the ink and run.

  “We can work with this,” Declan said. “Is there any other place there might be information?”

  “I’m afraid not,” Camius said. “This is all there is about Acius. He’s ancient. Far older than any other angel.”

  I was about to ask how old the angels were when an alarm went off. It blared loudly through the space, pounding at my ears. I slapped my hands to the sides of my head, trying to muffle the sound.

  “What the hell is that?” I shouted.

  “You,” Camius said. “They’ve figured out there are intruders.”

  Shit.

  “We need to get out of here,” Declan said. “If they catch us, they’ll lock us up. You’ll die in captivity.”

  Oh fates, he was right. If there was any kind of delay in my release, the curse would get me.

  I looked at Camius. “What’s the fastest way out of here?”

  “The only way is over the bridge.”

  Shit. I looked at Declan, who nodded. “He’s right. We need to move. Now.”

  Declan tore the page out of the book, and Camius gasped.

  Even Acius hadn’t torn the page free. The worst of the worst, and Declan had topped it.

  For me.

  “Sorry about that, old friend.” Declan smiled apologetically.

  We turned and ran, sprinting away from the angel who stared after us in horror. I let Declan take the lead, since he theoretically knew where we were headed.

  “I hope you know your way out of here.” I jumped over a pile of books that sat in the middle of the narrow corridor.

  “I’ve got a good idea.” He sprinted faster, and I pushed myself to keep up.

  We wound our way through the labyrinth of bookshelves and corridors, retracing the steps that Camius had taken when he’d led us to the shelf. We deviated from the path at one point, entering a stone-walled hallway that was devoid of books. It was narrow, and dark.

  Growls sounded from behind me, and I nearly jumped out of my skin.

  I looked behind, the hair raising on the back of my neck, and spotted three shadow wolves. They were even bigger than the ones before.

  “Wolves!” I shouted.

  “Trade me.” Declan turned and darted behind me, throwing a blast of heavenly fire at one of the wolves. It smashed into the creature’s chest, and the angelic magic apparition exploded in a poof of dust.

  Declan clearly had this under control. I turned and sprinted ahead, glancing back occasio
nally to see Declan hurl another blast of heavenly fire at the wolves.

  The alarm continued to blare, beating at my eardrums. I approached a split in the path.

  “Left or right?” I shouted.

  “Left!”

  I veered left, looking back in time to see Declan blast the last wolf.

  “Nice work.” I slowed to let Declan take the lead again.

  He sprinted ahead, leading us through the complicated maze of the enormous building. We entered another narrow corridor formed of piles of books and scrolls. They soared so high I almost couldn’t see the tops of the shelves.

  Magic prickled against my skin, the only warning that I got.

  Books began to tumble off the shelves, crashing to the ground in front of us. One hit my shoulder, and pain flared.

  Damn, they’re heavy.

  I drew my shield from the ether and raised it over my head. Declan did the same. I sprinted forward, leaping over fallen books. Every time one of them hit my shield, my arms vibrated from the blow. It hurt like hell after a while, my arms weakening despite my unusual strength.

  More fell, faster and faster. If we didn't get out of here—or stop them—enough could fall that they would bury us.

  Then the angels would come.

  An idea came to mind. I stuck my hand out, running it across the shelves to the left as the books continued to fall. I could feel the magic in the shelves. It was a protective charm that turned the books into weapons.

  I called upon the nullifying magic deep in my soul. It surged to life, always waiting close to the surface. I pushed it into the shelves, envisioning the protective spell failing and the books staying safely on their shelves.

  Magic sparked along my arm, feeding into the wooden shelves. The books slowed, fewer and fewer falling, until they stopped.

  “Is that you?” Declan shouted.

  “Yeah.” I kept up the magic, clearing the path as we sprinted. “You can stash your shield.”

  We both put our shields back in the ether and kept running. My lungs heaved and my muscles burned, but we managed to leave the books behind. Declan led us through a small room and a huge door. We spilled out into a massive entryway. It was the size and shape of a football field, with a golden ceiling soaring high above.