by L. L. McNeil
Damon sent another whoosh of flame towards her, the fire singing the tips of her feathers as she darted away from him. She yelped, staggered, and crashed into the thick grass on the edge of the trees. ‘Okay, okay, enough.’
Damon ran over to her, concern on his face.
‘I’m fine. A tiny burn.’ Seila awkwardly twisted to see the bottom of her feathers.
‘I got you though! I managed it!’ He grinned wildly.
His joy was infectious, and Seila smiled despite shaking her head. ‘Yes, you got me. Well done.’
‘And if he was a demon, you’d be dead.’
Seila and Damon whirled around to see Tress walking up the garden towards them. She clapped slowly, patronisingly, at Damon’s efforts. ‘Little pup has some sharp teeth, it seems.’
Damon’s exuberance immediately disappeared. His shoulders slumped.
‘Aww, don’t look so upset, little pup. You almost took down a Phantom. That’s some good going, you know. Even I’ve never been able to put an end to one.’
‘I thought you were only interested in hunting Gorath?’ Seila snapped, stung by more than just Damon’s fire.
‘I am. But I also put down any threats when I encounter them.’
‘I’m no threat to you.’ Seila folded her arms.
‘No. Not yet, anyway.’
Seila shook her head. ‘You aren’t a demon. You don’t need to worry about me.’
Tress laughed. ‘I’m sure. Is that where you’ve been all night? Demon hunting?’
Seila stiffened. She’d waited until everyone had been asleep before flying out.
Tress’s eyes twinkled with her victory. ‘Pride hurt knowing you aren’t up to scratch?’
‘It’s none of your business!’
‘I thought so.’
‘What do you want, Tress?’ Damon asked. At the woman’s angry glare, Damon rolled his eyes. ‘Oh, I’m sorry. What do you want, Lady Tress?’
She raised a finger and pointed behind them. Seila and Damon followed it to see several patches of grass burning away happily in the growing dawn light.
‘Ah.’ Damon swallowed. ‘Let me...let me just go and sort that out.’ He hurried away, hands raised, and the flames began to shrink.
‘So, Phantom. How many demons did you kill?’
Seila didn’t bother to reply. She kept watch as Damon doused the flames, running from one to the next.
Tress pressed on. ‘It won’t make a difference, you know. You say you defeated an Elite Demon, but Gorath is different. You’ve not met one like this before. I can promise you that.’
Seila shrugged, still not looking at Tress. Refusing to give her the satisfaction. ‘All demons burn.’
‘That may be so. But your pup has a long, long way to go before he’ll be able to catch Gorath.’
‘We have Claes, too.’
‘Hmm, Claes is a tough cookie. But he’s more into his runes than his fire. It’s probably why he’s trying so hard to train your pup.’
‘Can you stop calling him that?’ Seila rounded on her, Sieken Blade still in hand.
Tress laughed, a sound that descended into more of a cackle. ‘We are touchy, aren’t we? But look at him. He’s out here, training. Learned a new trick. And you’re saying that’s a bad thing?’
‘Well, no. Of course he needs to improve.’
‘So, I’ve given him some motivation.’
Seila bit her lip. She wondered whether Tress’s head would come off in one strike with her sword, or if she’d need several. She wished it needed several. Then she could really hack into her and let out all her rage at the smug, smarmy woman.
Damon finished putting out the fires and limped back to them. ‘There’s a few burned patches, but I can’t really do a lot about that.’
‘Fallow will notice, you know,’ Seila said.
Damon shrugged. ‘I can ask Ashante. Maybe she knows some kind of magic that can cover it? Change the colour? Heal it? Make it grow faster?’
‘Worth a try,’ Seila said.
The three of them turned to head back to Caramond House. Dawn had well and truly arrived, lifting the inkinesss of dark and replacing it with pale grey. Seila could get a few hours of sleep before going on an official patrol. The south of Fernhampton seemed to be home to several groups of demons. She’d start there just as soon as she’d had a bit of rest. Claes and the others would want to know, too.
‘Feed...now…’
Seila looked up as Soto paced up and down the glass sides of the orangery, yowling like he was in pain.
‘What’s wrong with him?’ Damon muttered. He crouched down and patted the cat on the head.
Sota flattened his ears, hissed, and stepped back.
‘No, he doesn’t like that,’ Seila said.
Soto yowled again, mouth wide, fangs exposed.
‘Is he hurt?’ Seila asked. She leaned forward, arms extended, to pick him up, but the black cat darted away. He yowled again, an octave higher, and far louder.
‘Cats,’ Tress shook her head. ‘So glad we don’t have them.’
Soto paced up and down, tail lashing, almost screaming.
‘I wish Fallow was here,’ Seila sighed. ‘Or Delgo. Either of them would be able to make sense of this.’ She stared at the cat, wishing she could understand him. ‘Soto, you need to do better than just screaming at the top of your lungs, I’m afraid.’
‘Maybe Claes knows? I’ll see if he’s awake.’ Damon pushed open the door to the orangery and stepped inside. Soto pelted inside, leapt on top of Fallow’s grand piano, and yowled again.
‘What is wrong with you?’ Seila asked, exasperated.
Damon hadn’t even crossed the room when the door on the far side flung open and Ashante raced through. She was still wearing her pyjamas, hair bound back under a nightcap. Her eyes were wide, panicked. ‘Demons!’
Seila sighed, grasped the hilt of her sword. ‘There weren’t any demons near Fernhampton a couple of hours ago. They must be moving quickly.’
Ashante shook her head, her breathing ragged. ‘No! Not in Fernhampton! Here! Coming here!’
Seila and Tress shared a look.
‘But, Fallow’s enchantments?’ Damon sputtered. ‘Demons can’t get into the grounds.’
Ashante swallowed, shook her head. She swayed on her feet. ‘I don’t know how. But they’re coming. There’s lots of them!’
‘I’ll get Claes,’ Damon said. He raced off down the hall and pelted up the stairs at the end.
Seila looked at Tress, remembered what she’d said about expecting to step into the warzone of a dying world. She’d thought she was just being dramatic. But if there were demons powerful enough to approach Caramond House, demons who were on their way here now, Seila didn’t know what to do.
‘Maybe Fallow’s enchantments faded in her absence,’ Ashante said. Her voice shook. ‘I don’t know her spells, I can’t reinforce them.’
‘Well with Sekki gone, none of us expected to be attacked! It was supposed to be our respite,’ Seila said. ‘How long do we have?’
‘Minutes. I was asleep...I...I should have realised earlier.’ She hastily brushed loose strands of hair from her eyes, tucking them behind her ears.
Tress plucked both axes from her hip and strode back out to the gardens.
‘It’s okay. Tell us what direction and I’ll see if I can head them off,’ Seila said.
Ashante shook her head. ‘Everywhere. They’re surrounding Caramond House.’
Seila exhaled through her nose, steeling herself. She had no time to rest. She whirled around to follow Lady Tress back into the gardens, while inside, Soto continued to cry.
6
Seila kept her eyes trained on the fields and road surrounding Caramond House. She’d taken to the air as soon as she’d stepped outside, leaving Tress to prepare for the fight however she wished. Barely a minute later, Ashante hurried into the garden, with Damon, Claes, and Tej on her heels.
Now, the whole team was up and awake.<
br />
Ashante’s warning that demons were coming from all directions did not inspire confidence. When she flew higher, Seila had been expecting to see waves of demons clambering over one another in an attempt to breach the walls. But she couldn’t see a single one.
‘Attack.’
‘Kill.’
‘Feed.’
She balled her fists, clasped her fingers around the hilt of her Sieken Blade. She could hear them now, their excitement giving their location away to her. It wouldn’t be long.
And there were just so many of them. She could feel all of their energies overlapping, growing in excitement, in aggression.
At least this time, if there were Prowlers, she didn’t need to worry. Setting aside her pride for the time being, Tress would be able to take care of them easily. If not Tress, then her dragons would. Seila and Tej were able to keep the smaller demons away. And Damon had taken a huge step towards controlling his own fire.
They’d be fine. She was sure.
They had to be.
She glanced down again, saw the others taking their positions, facing the walls of Caramond House. Claes held back his fire, which made sense. At least if Damon became tired or fatigued, the other Elemental would be on hand to keep things under control.
‘Attack!’
‘Attack!’
‘Attack!’
Seila looked up at the sudden shouts of excitement bursting in her mind. A small wave of black-grey shadows writhed in the distance. They came from the country, crossing fields and fences, heading straight for them. She whirled around, saw a swarm of Dragora flying in from across Fernhampton to the south, darkening the sky like an enormous raincloud. And to the east, two Prowlers slunk through the trees, leaping over ditches and following the land as it rose towards the grounds of the manor.
‘They’re here!’ She called, warning the rest of the Kouzlo below. She raised her sword, early morning sunlight glinting off the edge. ‘Get ready!’
‘Flesh...blood...feed…’
Another demonic voice. Seila faced west, expecting to see another Prowler, or a pair of them, but it was a new demon. Broader and taller than the Prowlers at the shoulder, they had teeth and thick tusks that protruded forward, giving them a distinctive appearance. But where Prowlers were all sinew and muscle, lean and primed to ambush, these demons were bulkier, front-heavy, with massive forelegs and claws, smaller hind limbs, and a short, whip-like tail. Two horns jutted forward from their shoulders, reminding Seila of a snow plough. Five of them lumbered along, snapping at one another and rearranging their hierarchy as they approached.
‘Marauders.’ Seila lowered her altitude. She’d seen a pack of Marauders, once. She’d tried to tackle the smallest, weakest demon. It had been a mistake that had almost cost her her life. Its companions—rivals when they were alone, but fiercely protective when facing a joint threat—had turned on Seila, leaping to the young one’s defence. They’d gone battle crazy, slashing with their enormous front claws, charging forward to attack with the horns on their shoulders, and doing everything in their power to drive Seila away. It was no wonder they were also known as Rage Claws.
‘Guys, we have everything. Leeches, Stingers, Dragora, Prowlers, and a pack of Marauders.’
Tress linked her fingers and cracked her knuckles in front of her. ‘Looks like the whole demonic family is out to play.’
‘How can they even get in here?’ Tej said, loading his crossbow and lifting it to aim at the wall surrounding Caramond House. ‘I thought Fallow’s enchantments meant we were safe.’
‘Fallow ain’t here, so I guess that’s a weak spot they discovered,’ Damon said. Already, his fingers flickered with small flames.
‘Enough,’ Claes’s voice boomed across the gardens. ‘Pick your targets wisely. Let nothing reach the house. We keep the fight in the gardens or on the walls.’
Seila nodded, still hovering a short way ahead of them, her sword at the ready.
‘Get ready! Here they come!’ Ashante said. She stayed inside the circle, surrounded by Claes, Tress, Damon, and Tej. Three of them could attack demons from afar. Even Tress could, if she summoned her dragons. She only needed to get up close and personal with her axes when the demons breached their defences.
Seila couldn’t stay with them. She needed to fly towards the enemy, engage, then retreat. She wouldn’t get too far, of course, she needed to stay within the grounds—or above them, at any rate. If she became distracted and chased demons farther out, she’d be exposing herself. Vulnerable.
She’d never hear the end of it from Lady Tress if that was the case.
Taking a deep breath, Seila readied herself. She wouldn’t charge until the last minute. There was nothing worse than getting too excited and rushing ahead. No. She’d wait until she actually saw the demons on the walls of the grounds.
Then she’d make her move.
Then she’d show Tress was she was really made of.
‘Not bringing your dragons out to play, this time?’ Seila asked, drifting closer to where Tress stood, waiting.
‘Not yet.’ Tress didn’t take her eyes off the walls. ‘They’ll play their part, don’t you worry, Phantom.’
Seila licked her lips. She didn’t want to be anywhere near those dragons when she released them. Seila wasn’t altogether certain that they could tell friend from foe. The dragon-fire had been bright hot and all-encompassing. Great for burning demons, but she didn’t want to accidentally be caught in their flames. She’d come close enough to Damon’s fire already that morning.
‘They’re here!’ Ashante screamed.
Seila tightened her grip on her sword, eyes locked on the top of the stone wall.
‘Attack!’
Their voices whipped around her mind in a frenzy. She heard their claws scrabbling against the stone wall, heard them hiss in frustration and excitement. This was it. She’d defend her new home.
The moment she saw the first demon’s claw on the top of the wall, an explosion of fire blinded her. Seila squeezed her eyes shut as stars flashed across her vision. She turned away, hiding from the burst of light.
When she gingerly opened one eye several seconds later, the entire wall surrounding Caramond House was ablaze. The flames licked the air, rising several feet, and the demons who had been the first to breach the grounds screamed in pain.
Many had been blasted off the wall from the sheer force of the blaze. Others burned merrily, the scent of their charred flesh already thick in the air. Seila could hardly believe what Claes could do. Seeing the remnants of an Elemental’s passing was one thing. Being in the middle of the action while they loosed their powers against an enemy was quite something else.
Seila flapped her wings, gained altitude. The sheer number of Soul Eaters and Toxic Fangs meant it didn’t take long before they managed to clamber over the wall and drop into the grounds. Something about seeing the demon’s claws on the grass in the gardens of Caramond House made Seila rage.
She shot forward, sword at the ready, and cut down the first few demons she reached. They dropped over the wall individually or in pairs. Between her attacks and Tej’s crossbow bolts, they were able to deal with them the moment they set foot in the garden.
Their dark, sticky blood coated her blade, her sword absorbed it, then their power became hers. Seila smiled, twisted, as she went after every demon she saw. She soon flew higher, chopping down the demons at the top of the walls, no thought to her own safety given the burning fires there.
Her Sieken Blade made short work of the Stingers congregating. She’d killed so many of them recently that their powers were the tiniest blip in her mind. They almost meant nothing to her now.
Although she didn’t want to admit it, she needed to start taking the Prowlers down. That was the only way she’d get stronger, the only way she’d have any chance of beating Gorath—or any other Elite Demon they faced.
Tress wouldn’t be around forever, and she didn’t want to rely on someone else, anyway.
‘Get back!’ Seila roared, skimming along the top of the wall, her sword picking off the few demons that Claes’s fire hadn’t already claimed.
Blood pumped in her ears, adrenaline coursed through her body, and she glowed with power.
‘Seila! Watch out!’
Seila dived immediately. She’d been so engrossed in the battle that she couldn’t even tell who had shouted the warning. But it had come at the right time. One of the Marauders had leapt over the wall and lunged towards her with outstretched claws.
She pivoted in the air, faced upwards, hands and sword thrust forward to meet the demon’s attack.
Claw and blade collided, both skittered off each other, sent up sparks, and then the demon was rushing past her, falling to the grass below.
Seila’s wings kept her airborne and she powered away from the wall and any other potential sneak attacks. She’d become distracted again. Her tunnel vision had blocked out the danger. She narrowed her eyes, scanned the chaos below her, searched for her next target.
The other Marauders clambered over the wall, stamping out the flames where they encountered them, and stalked across the grass towards Damon and the others. Tej raised his crossbow, switched targets from the Leeches and Stingers on the wall to the greater threat lumbering towards them. Most of his bolts found their marks, and many drew blood, but it wasn’t enough to stop them.
Seila screamed, powering down towards the Marauder in the lead. The demon was a little larger than the other four, its horns a little thicker and darker with age. She slammed into its side, raking her sword along its rear legs and back.
The demon roared, spun to meet her. Blood poured from its back and it struck faster than Seila expected. It’s right leg caught her on the hip and sent her spinning out of control.
Seila crashed in the grass, part of which had been burned by either Claes or Damon’s fire, and she immediately rolled over and stood up. One of the other Marauders had seen its opportunity and was making its way over to her.
She raised her sword, demon blood dripping from it, and met the creature’s challenge. Seila widened her stance, fanned out her wings, the feathers trembling. The demon slowed down, lowered its head, and snarled.
