“We don’t have time for this!” Baris hissed. “We need to figure out a way to get past whatever is on the landing and get out of this tower before we’re buried here.”
Janessa paused in her incantation, her hair standing out like an aura around her. “I can help. I just need you to be patient.”
Baris glanced at the young woman, then down the hall. “I’ll be patient. I don’t think it will be patient.”
“Just let her finish, Baris. What can it hurt?” Volinette took him by the hand, squeezing it, trying to impart her worry and strength to him in a single motion.
Janessa slipped back into the spell as easily as a fine ship cutting through smooth seas. The words she spoke were pretty, almost lyrical, and Volinette caught herself composing an accompanying melody on the fly. This wasn’t the harsh, guttural tongue that Janessa had used against them. This was something else entirely. Something more pure.
A flash of light dazzled their vision. Janessa spoke a single firm word, and the light faded. Volinette was the first to recover. She looked at the girl on the floor in front of them and tried to find words that had suddenly and completely abandoned her.
Nestled in the crook of Janessa’s crossed legs was a perfectly faceted crystal column. She’d summoned the Transcendental Prism.
Chapter Twenty-Three
A towering mass of black flesh stood in the center of the landing on the Inquisitors’ level. Volinette had seen it before. It was the arch demon she’d seen in the entrance hall, opening portals for more of its diseased brethren to crawl through, further infecting the Great Tower of High Magic and the Academy. The monstrous construct paced the open space between the two curving stairways that let up out of the tower, and to salvation. The oily sheen on its skin rippled in a disgusting rainbow as it passed the lanterns hanging from the ceiling. It swayed back and forth on its massive trunk legs, as if searching for something.
With each pass, the demon got closer and closer to their hiding place behind a pile of mangled corpses. Janessa had balked at the proximity of the bodies at first, paling even more than she already had at the sight of so much blood and offal, but it was the only place that offered them a clear line of sight to the stairway while also allowing them to see where the demon was. Unfortunately, the demon seemed to be taking undue interest in them. Baris’s hands were clenched so tightly that his knuckles stood out, pale ghosts in the dim light.
“It senses us,” he whispered. “What are we going to do now?”
“Only two options I can see,” Volinette said, her eyes never leaving the beast towering over them. “Fight or run. If we run, I’m not sure we can make it to the stairs in time.”
“I don’t think we’ll survive a fight,” Janessa whispered. “Not even with this.” She hefted the Prism.
Whether it was the sudden motion of the crystal, a glint of light from one of the lanterns, or the latent power in the artifact, they’d never know, but it drew the arch demon to them like a month to a flame.
“Look out!” Baris managed to shout before a massive arm slammed into the pile of bodies they were hiding behind.
The force of the blow sent them flying in all directions. Volinette slammed against the corridor wall and knocked her teeth together so hard that it sent a jolt of pain through her skull. She saw Baris slide out onto the landing, spun by the unexpected attack. Janessa fared no better than Volinette had, also hitting a wall and only barely able to keep hold of the Prism, which she cradled to her chest. They were separated now and vulnerable. Volinette scrambled to her feet, only just avoiding a massive hand that slammed into the wall where she had been, sending a crack through the magically infused obsidian. She’d never heard of anything powerful enough to break the walls of the tower. The tower was supposed to be indestructible. It was the pinnacle of achievement for the greatest Quintessential craftsmen. As she watched the crack race up the wall, she felt her stomach tumble. So much for indestructible.
There was no time to worry about the state of the tower. The arch demon was lumbering toward a dazed Janessa, who hadn’t moved from where she’d ended up after the initial attack. Volinette darted between the massive legs, took hold of Janessa’s arm, and yanked her to safety a split second before six-inch long claws raked across the floor where the girl had been. It was fast for something so huge. Fast and dangerous. Volinette gave Janessa a shove toward the landing where Baris was just picking himself up off the floor.
“Go! Get to the stairs!”
Janessa ran and Volinette followed a half-step behind. With the arch demon in the corridor, they had a clear shot across the landing to the stairs. Baris saw them coming and turned to match their direction. Janessa’s foot touched the bottom step, and Volinette heaved a sigh of relief. A sigh that twisted and transformed itself into a scream as the room seemed to fold in on itself. Invisible hands tore at them, dragging them away from the stairs and toward the open maw of the demon that had made its plodding way back to the center of the landing. As it drew them in, it spoke in a harsh, guttural language unlike anything Volinette had ever heard.
The words it spoke were a series of anguished screams, a thousand damned souls crying out for succor and finding no peace. Nightmares were more comforting than the voice of the demon that was drawing them inexorably toward their deaths. Baris managed to fight against the spectral restraints enough to toss a magic missile. It struck the demon square in the chest, kicking up a thin mist of the oil that coated the thing’s skin, but nothing more. A short, staccato screaming came from the demon, and it took Volinette a moment to realize that it was laughing at them.
“Fire, wind, ice, earth,” Volinette chanted as she slipped into sphere sight, trying to summon any ancient memory that might help them against the danger drawing them ever closer. The mantra didn’t help. The sharp teeth and claws that were looming ever closer dominated her mental vision. A brilliant flash caught her attention and drew her to Janessa, who still clutched the Prism. She slipped out of the Sphere.
Baris was holding another missile, charging it before he unleashed it toward the demon. If she broke his concentration, he might lose control of the spell altogether. She’d have to risk it. No time for a different plan.
“Baris! Use the Prism!”
His eyes widened and he tossed his head from side to side. He looked to Janessa, then to the hulk of the demon who nearly had them. Baris squinted at the crystal. His face contorted in the epitome of concentration. A roar escaped from Baris that could almost rival the demon’s voice. He held his hand out toward the Prism, and Janessa thrust it out in front of her like a shield. The missile flew straight and true, and the Prism absorbed it. Janessa’s arms wavered, and for a single, terrifying moment, Volinette thought she might drop the crystal. Janessa recovered a moment later, grasping the Prism even tighter than before.
White light pulsed in the center of the Prism, making it look like a giant heart. They were almost within reach of the demon. If they were dragged within striking distance, it was over. There wasn’t anything they could do to escape at that point. The Prism didn’t seem to be inclined to help, though Baris still had his eyes shut tight and was mouthing words that Volinette couldn’t hear.
Three things happened at once, and so quickly that it took Volinette a moment to realize what happened. Light so brilliant that she could feel its warmth flashed out of the Prism, the drag of the invisible hands ceased, dropping them on the floor with a thud. The demon howled in rage and pain. Volinette blinked a few times to clear the dazzle from her eyes. The demon had retreated to the far side of the room, leaving its severed leg in the middle of the landing. She watched with a certain horrified fascination as the mangled stump began to regenerate, growing a new leg to replace the one that had been lost.
“Move! Now!” Baris barked. He was already on his feet and running for the stairs. Volinette and Janessa followed his lead. The demon tottered forward on two legs, maintaining its balance in an ungainly waddle. It was able to move, but without
the terrible speed that had been such an advantage before. It began to chant again, beginning another invocation, but this time they rounded the curve of the stairs, breaking line of sight, and making it more difficult for the demon to reach them with its spellcraft. Not impossible, though, so Volinette had no intention of slowing down.
Never before had a few flights of stairs seemed so impossibly long. They ran as fast as their feet would carry them up the never-ending staircase. They rounded corners without slowing, their feet sliding dangerously on the smooth glass stairs. Stumbles threatened them all with death, so they pressed forward, even when they were out of control. At long last, they burst into the entrance hall of the Great Tower, sprinted across its open expanse, and out through the doors that still stood open.
Baris was first out the door. He skidded to a stop, rocking back on his heels at the pandemonium that greeted them. Volinette and Janessa only avoided crashing into him by the narrowest margin. What they saw was almost beyond belief.
The grounds of the Academy of Arcane Arts and Sciences were frantic with battle. Buildings were aflame, belching dark clouds of smoke that gathered at the top of the force dome. A dozen different types of demons skittered, leapt, and oozed toward Quintessentialists that were scattered around. Spells were flying in every direction, including into other unsuspecting mages. Unless the chaos was quelled, and fast, they were going to lose everything. Where the hell was Adamon, Volinette wondered. Then she saw him out of the corner of her eye. Olin was sprawled on the ground behind Adamon and another mage lay not too far off. Adamon was holding three demons at bay with inhuman speed. As soon as one spell landed, he’d flick another at one of the demons bearing down on him.
“Look!” Volinette pointed at Adamon. Baris was off running before she could say another word. Janessa saw the Inquisitor and her eyes narrowed almost imperceptibly. For a moment, Volinette thought this might be the girl’s breaking point, when she went back to the Janessa she had been before the dungeon. Janessa said nothing, but ran after Baris, leaping over walls, hedges, and the occasional errant spell, to catch up.
Nothing left to do but to join in, Volinette thought and she followed. By the time she reached Baris and Janessa, Baris was already charging the Prism. Volinette closed her eyes, summoned the power of the flame, and let the Sphere sing through her. She concentrated on the Prism, willing its glowing, shimmering form in the Ethereal Realm to absorb both the power and the melody. Volinette thought of the dozen demons she had seen and envisioned them burning in purifying flame.
“Janessa…” Volinette’s voice seemed so far away from her body.
“I know. I’m ready.”
The last note of her melody faded away, and the light within the Prism had taken on a life of its own. Flames jumped and flickered, licking at the crystalline walls within. Orange, red, and yellow motes of light danced on the surface of the Prism. Volinette could feel its power, building, folding, compressing down upon itself and then growing again. Adamon was running out of time. She wished the Prism would do what it needed to do.
Janessa screamed. Her weapon blossomed like a miniature sun. It engulfed them in its fire, but it wasn’t the intensity of the heat that burned the worst, it was the awesome power of the Quintessential Sphere riding the waves of magical fire that disgorged from the facets of the crystal-like tiny phoenixes. They streaked across the courtyard, slamming into demons and setting them ablaze. Flames raced across demonflesh, consuming all they came into contact with. Screams of agony were abruptly censored as the demons crumbled into ash. Adamon’s battle was cut short as the three demons he was fighting erupted into flame at the same time, then exploded into cascades of fading sparks.
Sudden silence fell over the Academy, and that was almost as unnerving as the sounds of battle had been. There were some moans and cries of pain from those who had been injured during the battle, but the raucous, ear-splitting shrieks of the demons had been silenced. Volinette turned to look at the girls’ dormitory, hoping that somehow they’d closed the portal that had allowed the invasion. Her heart dropped into her stomach. It was still there, and still growing.
“The three of you have a considerable amount of explaining to do,” Adamon said without a hint of a smile. His hand cannon was on the ground by his feet. The Inquisitor picked it up, loaded fresh rounds into the chambers, and tossed his cloak aside to drop it in the holster hanging from his belt. “I trust there’s a reason for the prisoner to be out of her cell?”
Baris seemed uninclined to fight for Janessa, but Volinette stepped forward.
“We weren’t going to leave her to die. She’s changed, and she wants to return the Prism. We just needed to use it first.”
“Then return it. Now.”
His tone allowed for no argument or reasoning, so Janessa offered the Prism and Adamon took it. He turned it over in his hands, as if seeking out some damage or flaw he could blame on their handling of the artifact.
“We were careful,” Volinette said, somewhat defensively.
“You were lucky.” Adamon leveled his gaze at each of them in turn. “Did the fate of the three who came before you teach you nothing? Meddling in magic you don’t understand can get you killed, or worse. The Academy would survive without your impetuousness…but what of the others you might have put in harm’s way?”
Volinette felt Baris’s eyes burning holes in her back, but she couldn’t look at him. Janessa was giving Adamon a curious look, her head cocked to one side, as if he were just as alien as the demons had been. Janessa drew a deep breath, and Volinette closed her eyes with a sigh. She’d had experience with that particular mannerism and knew what was coming. A harangue about who she was and who her parents were would place Janessa in prime position to destroy any progress she’d made with Volinette.
“You are, of course, correct, Grand Inquisitor,” Janessa said in a soft, respectful voice. “In this particular case, might not the ends justify the means? I will gladly submit myself again for your discipline after this crisis is over, but haven’t we three proven, beyond doubt, that we can handle ourselves and help to push this menace back?”
“She has you there, Adamon.” A new voice joined the conversation. Olin was sitting up. He’d drawn his legs up to his chest and was flexing his muscles one by one, as if assessing the damage done. “And well and politely spoken, at that.”
Whatever retort Adamon would have made was obliterated by the side of the Great Tower exploding into shards of deadly glass. Baris and Adamon threw themselves to the ground. Volinette grabbed Janessa around the waist and dragged her down. Ribbons of pain lanced through her arms and legs as the flying shards cut shallow furrows.
No time to recover. No time to think. The arch demon had burst through the wall and was coming down on them, fast.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Adamon’s hand cannon was a miniature dragon, roaring and spitting fire. Unfortunately for all of them, the projectiles did nothing to harm the huge demon closing in on them. Puffs of oily residue blossomed where the bullets hit, but they didn’t penetrate the ink black demonflesh. Spells glanced off the thick hide. Nothing seemed capable of stopping the monstrosity intent on destroying them. Olin, who had recovered and was back in the fight, summoned massive vines from the earth. Thick green tendrils shot out from between the cobblestone pavers and wrapped themselves around the demon’s legs, arresting it mid-step and causing it to shriek in frustration.
It didn’t take very long for it to tear through the vines with the wicked claws that tipped each finger. Even so, that didn’t stop Olin from doing it again and again, effectively holding the demon off from reaching them. The other Masters in the courtyard had gathered behind Adamon and Olin. A few of them tried their hand at defeating the creature, but nothing they tried seemed to work. Even Maera had shown up, her ornate black cloak tattered and singed, her silver hair disheveled from combat in her own corner of the grounds.
“Well Adamon,” Olin said with a grunt as he twisted his han
ds to control the vines he’d summoned. “If you have any ideas, I’m sure we’d all love to hear them.”
“We need to draw it back to the portal,” Adamon declared. “If we can’t destroy it, we can at least push it back through to the other side.”
A series of pops and snaps echoed across the courtyard, and the demon was free once again. Olin began to cast his spell once more, but Volinette interrupted him.
“In the tower, it was drawn to the Prism. If we take it back to the girls’ dorm…”
“Perhaps it will follow,” Adamon finished for her. “Clever, and worth a shot.”
As one, the Masters moved toward the swirling vortex of darkness that had almost entirely engulfed the building where the girls’ dormitory had been. Creeping tendrils of shadow snaked out, as if seeking for more life to devour and destroy. The closer they got to the building, the harder it was to think, to concentrate. There was a sort of psychic feedback, and it reminded Volinette of being in the dungeon under the tower. Unlike being surrounded by iron and steel, she found that if she tried to close out everything else, she was able to maintain her connection to the Quintessential Sphere.
The hair on Volinette’s neck stood on end. She hadn’t seen it until just now, but they’d managed to put themselves in a precarious position. While trying to lure the arch demon back to the portal, they’d put an opening to the Deep Void at their backs. The demon was still in front of them. It would be just as easy for the demon to drive them through the portal, as it would be for them to try to push it back to its native realm.
“This was a bad idea,” Adamon said, glancing over his shoulder as they moved closer to the swirling blackness of the portal. Volinette took very little solace in the fact that the Grand Inquisitor had reached the same conclusion she had.
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