Fading Light: Shadow Born, Book 2

by Angela Dennis

  He walked over to where Gray lay stunned beside the dirt wall. Before Gray could react, Adare plunged the silver blade into Gray’s side. The remnants of the spell worked quickly. Gray felt the drain on his powers. Without them he would have no defense against Adare. He attacked. Desperately he delved into the darkness inside of him and grabbed his power by the throat. He bound the remainder of his magic into a spell and, murmuring an incantation, threw it at Adare.

  The other man stumbled back, a look of shock on his face as Gray’s magic rode his body, eating away at his flesh. “Not possible,” he stammered, spitting blood onto the dirt.

  Gray smiled, but it came out as more of a grimace. “Ga’loh wanted Brenna to heal him, so she had to understand the curse. Agnes taught it to her, and she taught me.”

  It was a bluff. A big one. Gray had learned this spell as a child, not Agnes’s. It took the victim’s fears and gave them physical form, amplifying them until the spell ran its course. Apparently, Adare was terrified of ending up like Ga’loh. Gray couldn’t blame him. The spell would dissipate within hours. But Adare didn’t know that.

  “Damn you.” Adare bent over, a wet sloppy cough wracking his lungs.

  Stepping back, he wrapped himself in his magic. His form slowly dissolved into the thick black smoke that housed his power.

  Gray stumbled to where Keegan lay. The dragon’s skin was clammy, his body trembling. Blood poured from the wound, pooling in the dirt beneath him.

  “Damn it.” Gray stripped the clothing away from the wound. Deep and angry, the gash spread across the dragon’s broad torso. Gray bit into his wrist and let his blood fall onto the gash. As it hit Keegan’s battered skin, the side of the wound began to knit together, fixing the worst of the damage. But it wasn’t enough.

  Gray didn’t have the strength to get both him and Keegan out of the caves. But if he left Keegan, the dragon wouldn’t make it. And he wouldn’t let the dragon die alone. He leaned against the dirt wall and pulled Keegan onto his lap. They needed a miracle. Fast.

  Chapter Twenty

  Brenna pressed her forehead against the cool wood of the kitchen table. Her magic was on the fritz, mainly because she was an emotional wreck. She focused once again on the link she shared with Gray, slamming her psychic fist against the locked door, but he wouldn’t answer. His presence was strong in her mind. She knew he was still alive, but something had gone wrong.

  Releasing a deep breath, she forced herself to lift her head. Gray was a grown man, a warrior, he could take care of himself. He wouldn’t want to distract her from the impending battle with Ga’loh. A battle Agnes and Hilda had not stopped practicing for in nearly twelve hours. At this point, Brenna had heard them rehearse the spell so many times, she could recite it by memory.

  “We’re ready.” Hilda stepped inside the room. Agnes followed close behind.

  Brenna glanced at them. They were quite the pair, the dead witch and the old witch. “Do you have everything you need?” She glanced at the duffel bags they had piled in the center of the room. They were filled with herbs, potions, and other things she hadn’t wanted to look at too closely.

  “We’re as ready as we’ll ever be,” Agnes replied. “Have you heard from Gray?”

  Brenna shook her head. “We’re on our own. He shut down our link, so I’m guessing something went wrong.”

  “Or right.” Seraph stepped through the swinging door. Brenna jumped to her feet when she saw Lucy tottering behind him.

  “Where’s Gray?” She glanced past Lucy, but there was no sign of him.

  Seraph shook his head. “They’re still in the caves. They got Lucy free, then stayed to fight.”

  Brenna nodded. Gray would have shut down their link while fighting. He wouldn’t have wanted to risk the distraction.

  Lucy stumbled into the room with Seraph’s assistance. She had taken a beating. Her face was swollen and bloody, and her legs trembled beneath her weight. Brenna rushed across the room to take Lucy in her arms. She didn’t know who was the most surprised, her or the gargoyle.

  “You’re not pregnant, are you?” Lucy stared at her, her gaze unblinking. “Since when did you get all emotional?”

  Brenna shook her head. “I’m trying to help you. I didn’t want you to fall on your ass.” She awkwardly smoothed the sleeves of Lucy’s sweater. She had grabbed them, planning to give her friend a hug.

  Lucy grinned. “Pour me a shot of whiskey, chase it with a moon pie, then we can build a campfire and sing kumbaya. But only if you get one of the witches to finish healing me first. I think the potion is wearing off.”

  “Nice.” Brenna stepped back. “Forgive me for giving a damn.”

  “Forgiven.” Lucy stumbled forward and grabbed Brenna by the wrist. “I love you too, but if we get soft before this is over, we’ll end up dead.”

  She was right. Brenna had no idea what had come over her. To think she had told Gray she loved him over the phone. Her timing sucked. But he was going to make it through so she could tell him again in person.

  Brenna went to the pantry and pulled out the biggest bottle of whiskey she could find. Lucy’s injuries were going to hurt like hell to heal, and she didn’t want her to run out of liquid sedative. She moved across the room and placed the bottle on the table.

  Lucy winked. “Thanks.” She grasped the bottle in her blood-stained hands, popped off the lid and took a long swig. “That’s exactly what I needed.”

  “Are Gray and Keegan all right?” Brenna straddled the chair beside her.

  Lucy nodded. “They were fine when they rescued me. I told them to get out before Adare came back, but they stayed. There’s no way the two of them can take him on their own.” She closed her eyes. “I saw Adare doing things I’ve never seen before. He’s no war mage. I don’t know what he is.”

  “Like what?” Brenna leaned forward.

  “He threw five demons through the Veil for disobeying.” She took another swig of the liquor. “He spoke them out of existence.”

  Brenna tensed. “You mean he did a spell?”

  Lucy shook her head. “No. I mean he looked at them and said die. And they went poof.”

  “That’s impossible.” Seraph walked over to join them. “He didn’t create them.”

  Lucy sucked down an impossibly long drink. “You asked me what I saw. That’s what I saw. Adare’s more powerful than any of us. He’s like a Shadow Bearer on steroids.”

  Brenna considered. Demon princes held a debilitating amount of power over their minions, but not that much. But Adare wasn’t a demon prince. Whatever he was, Brenna didn’t have time to figure it out now.

  The deadline for their meeting with Ga’loh was quickly approaching. They had decided not to drain their magic by teleporting, and the car ride to his location would take at least an hour. If they didn’t leave now, they would be late. And something told her Ga’loh’s tolerance for tardiness was low. They needed to play nice, at least for now.

  “Can one of your healers look at Lucy?” she asked Agnes. “I can’t spare the magic to heal her.”

  “Sure.” Agnes motioned to a young woman who had helped them pack the herbs. The other witch stepped over to Lucy and ran her hands across the gargoyle’s forehead.

  “That tickles.” Lucy jerked away.

  The witch shook her head and motioned for Lucy to follow her out of the room. When they were gone, Brenna turned to Seraph. “What do you think?”

  He shrugged. “Gray and Keegan will take care of it.” He glanced down at his watch. “We’re running out of time. Pack the SUV, we’re leaving.”

  “You can give me a few more minutes. I need to contact Gray.” She pulled her phone from her pocket.

  “No.” Seraph snatched it from her hand. “You have a job to do, so does Gray. No matter what you find out, it doesn’t change the fact that you have to go after Ga’loh. Millio
ns of lives depend on us finding a cure.” He shoved her phone in his back pocket. “If anything, I’ll go after them. There’s no reason you can’t do the spell without me,” he said in a softer voice.

  “No. You’re right. They’re probably fine. Gray and Keegan have thirty hunters and ten witches to back them up. We need you. The ritual to heal Ga’loh will weaken me, we may not have enough power if you’re not there.”

  Brenna closed her eyes, pinching the bridge of her nose. All worrying about Gray did was distract her. Even if he was hurt, she couldn’t go after him. Not yet. Still, knowing he was all right would relieve her anxiety, maybe even make her fight better. But she couldn’t tell Seraph that.

  The tension in the vehicle was palatable. Seraph, Mira and Brenna had parted ways with Hilda and Agnes at the boarding house. If Ga’loh got even a hint of foul play, the game was up. Together they were strong, but Brenna wasn’t sure they could beat Ga’loh, once she healed him.

  Silence reigned, but the undercurrent of tension and frustration was enough to drive a person mad. Brenna ignored the others, continually trying to contact Gray although she had sworn to leave it alone. For the first time, she wished they had completed their bond. If they had, she would hold a part of him with her always. No matter how hard he tried, he would be an open book. It was one of the reasons the bonding process was so frightening. To give another person that much control was terrifying, especially for a control freak like her. But maybe it was time to reconsider.

  She closed her eyes, leaned back in the seat, and said a quick prayer as they rolled to a halt. They would have to climb the hillside to reach the tunnel where Ga’loh lived. It was an arduous task, but it would allow her to clear her head. The next few hours would make or break this war. Without the cure, Adare would wipe out the humans. And that wasn’t an option.

  They were only a few feet from the entrance to the cave when Brenna felt it. Blood magic wrapped around her like a scratchy wool blanket until she could scarcely breathe. Ga’loh had someone with him, and they were working a nasty spell. Brenna gathered her magic and sent it searching inside the cave to find out what was going on.

  “It’s Lilura,” Seraph said with a shake of her head. “I thought she was too smart to get involved.” He glanced at Mira. “You need to take her out. We can’t trust her.”

  Brenna nodded. There was a good possibility one of them might not come back from this fight. If taking out Lilura would change that, it had to be done. “Don’t kill her if you don’t have to, but get her out of here. I’ll deal with Ga’loh.”

  Mira smiled. Her fangs shone in the moonlight. “My pleasure.”

  They followed the trail of magic to the cut in the hillside. It wasn’t the same set of tunnels where Ga’loh had housed Mira. He must not like to keep his prey close to home. Brenna felt a strange compulsion to knock as they rounded the corner. She could hear the faint sounds of the demon speaking from up ahead, and anticipation danced in her stomach.

  She stilled a few feet before they entered the cavern. Closing her eyes, she mentally forced herself to push aside all thoughts of Gray. Being distracted wouldn’t do any of them any good. In fact, it might get them killed.

  Before she could fully ready herself, Ga’loh appeared in front of her. “Come on in, my dear. We’ve been waiting for you.”

  Her eyes played over his features. He had chosen not to wear his mask, and what was left of the skin on his face hung like rotten cabbage from his cheekbones. The only thing still fully intact in his desiccated face was a pair of glowing red eyes. The smell was nauseating.

  She followed him inside the wide cavern, Seraph and Mira at her back. The room where he led them was flanked on four sides by narrow passageways which Brenna assumed were the entrances to the tunnels that twisted beneath the ruins. The demon couldn’t have picked a better location for their purposes. Once Ga’loh was distracted, Hilda should have no trouble finding a place to hide.

  As they stepped more fully inside, Brenna saw an enormous altar of red rock and aspen near the center of the room. Blood dripped from the flat stone platform to pool in the dirt below. It smelled fresh.

  Brenna’s eyes adjusted to the dim light. The room was lit solely by the fire that sat near the far end in a makeshift fire pit filled with aspen and cedar. The witch had been burning sage. The smoke made Brenna’s eyes water.

  “Tell her to blow it out. It’s distracting.” Brenna placed the duffel bag with all her “ingredients” in the center of the room. All she needed for the spell was her blood. But Ga’loh would remember her plea for more time. She had to make it look good.

  I wasn’t aware you were bringing guests.” Brenna eyed Lilura. “If she stays, keep her out of my way.”

  Ga’loh laughed. “Of course.” He gestured to Seraph and Mira. “Not the cavalry I expected.”

  Brenna shrugged. To explain herself would be suspicious. “We need to get started. I’ve got things to do.” She motioned for the demon to step back. Walking as close as she could to the center of the room, she knelt before the duffel bag and slowly unzipped the top. The altar took up most of the free space, restricting her movements.

  “I need more space.” She sat back on her haunches. A bottle of blood in her hand, she gestured to the altar. “This isn’t going to work.”

  Ga’loh hesitated, shooting a quick glance at the witch. “Get rid of it, or I will. I told you to keep it out of the way.”

  Lilura started to protest, but he silenced her with a glare. She laid her hands in the blood on the platform and murmured an incantation. The structure gave a low groan and shrank to a manageable size. With an irritated huff of air, the witch pushed it to the side of the room.

  Brenna watched her go. Whatever Lilura had done had lessened the play of magic in the room. But, although weakened, the spell was still present. She turned back to Ga’loh. He had leaned against the dirt wall and was watching her carefully.

  “Whatever spell your witch is casting is going to interfere with the ritual. Tell her to stop.”

  Ga’loh considered. After a few moments he motioned to Lilura. “No magic. Not until I tell you.” There was an audible snap and the spell disappeared. He turned back to Brenna. “Good enough?”

  Ignoring him, she took a deep breath and began to pull various useless items from the bag. First came the purple silk drop cloth. She had chosen it in an attempt to appeal to Ga’loh’s vanity. Purple was the color of kings. As he watched, she stood to spread the fabric across the dirt floor. Once she finished, she placed a variety of candles and bottles around the border of the sheet to keep it in place. The bottles were filled with a variety of things, water, blood, antifreeze. She had used whatever was handy. The last step was to place the assortment of blades. Three spelled silver daggers that would, hopefully, render the demon immobile while Hilda worked her magic.

  Brenna stepped away and motioned for Ga’loh. “Get naked and lay in the center of the candles.”

  He stared at her as if she had lost her mind. But, as much as she didn’t want to see him nude, it would render him somewhat vulnerable if things went wrong. When he didn’t move, she turned to face him. “I need to see what I’m healing. If that’s an issue, I can’t help you.”

  A slow smile stretched across his face. “No. I was just…surprised.” He moved toward her, shifting his shoulders to allow his black trench coat to fall to the ground. The gore stained black shirt followed. His ravaged fingers struggled over the buttons of his jeans, but, eventually, they too lay in the dirt at his feet. He wasn’t wearing underwear.

  Brenna turned away, but not quick enough to hid the revulsion on her face. His body had fared far worse than his face. Festering wounds spread across the surface. Puss and blood oozed from them to trail down his torso and legs. And, now that he was fully uncovered, the smell was dreadful. The scent of rot and decay followed his every movement. As he crouched on the floor,
every inch of his body revealed, she wondered yet again why he didn’t save himself the torment and return home.

  Moving to sit behind his head, she motioned Mira and Seraph forward. “You have to stay completely still, or this won’t work. I only have enough magic to do this once, and every time you move you’ll rip open my repairs.” She met Ga’loh’s gaze. “These two are here to hold you down if you get out of hand.”

  Ga’loh snorted. “They’re not strong enough. I can control myself.”

  Brenna pulled a vial from her back pocket. “This is going to hurt like hell. Healing isn’t pleasant. The worse the injuries, the greater the pain, and if this doesn’t work you’re going to have to wait a long time before I’m strong enough to try it again.” She sat down the potion which would allow her to ease into the trance she needed to work.

  “Fine. I’ll let them help you.” He glanced at where Lilura stood beside the wall. “I’ve got insurance.”

  Brenna swallowed, trying to relieve her dry mouth. The twinkle in Ga’loh’s eye spelled trouble. He knew something. Hopefully it wasn’t anything that would get them killed. She took a deep breath. Her magic danced around them like sprites at a bonfire. Freeing the dagger strapped to her thigh, she sliced her palm as Seraph lit the cream-colored candles. Blood welled in the wound. Squeezing her hand into a fist, she let the crimson drops fall across Ga’loh’s face and torso, sinking into the skin. Then she closed her eyes, said a quick prayer, and sent her power inside the demon.

  Brenna had healed all types of creatures. Human, dragons, fae, but she had no experience with the anatomy Ga’loh possessed. Being inside his body was similar to running through a labyrinth chased by a satyr. Trusting her intuition, she went after the faint markers in his DNA. The curse had attacked at the most basic level. It was there she would begin the healing process. At first it seemed impossible, but then something clicked and the work became easier. The pattern in the damaged organs and tissue became clear, allowing her to patch together the pieces more effectively. It had been a long time since she had been this challenged, and, despite the circumstances, a part of her was enjoying it.