by Linsey Hall
“Thanks,” Roarke said.
“Murder hole,” I said. “Common castle defense.”
Arrows continued to fly from the hole, too fast to be shot by anything other than magic. They left little chips in the stone with every blow. I shuddered at the thought of one piercing Roarke’s skull.
He bent, passing under the stream of arrows that continued to thud into the wall. We followed him, finding only one more murder hole on our way down.
“Medieval folks were crafty,” Nix muttered as we ducked immediately and avoided any chance at getting shot.
As soon as we reached the bottom of the tower, the sound of a shuffling footstep caught my ear.
“Watch out!” As soon as the words escaped my mouth, a fireball hurtled at us from the dark corner of the tower.
We were trapped in the stairway, fish in a barrel.
Quick as a flash, Roarke spun and flared his wings, creating a barrier between us and the fireball. The fireball exploded against his back, and he winced.
From the stair above me, Nix nocked at arrow and said, “Duck!”
We did, and she fired into the corner of the room. A shout sounded, then a thump. Roarke turned and surged from the stairwell. I followed, my ring illuminating the room at the bottom of the stars and revealing another demon in the corner. His skin had a pale, icy tinge.
He threw a bolt of ice, but Cass shot a fireball at it before it could strike Roarke. The ice evaporated immediately, and Roarke threw himself at the demon, breaking its neck before it could conjure another jet of ice.
With his back to me, I could see the extent of the damage to his wings and back. His back was raw, and his feathers were singed where his wings grew.
I hurried to him. “Are you all right?”
He turned, his gaze startled. “Fine.”
“But your back.” I reached out as if to make him turn around so that I could see it again, but he stepped away.
“It will heal.” His gaze searched the rest of the tower. “But it’s safe to say the Ubilaz demon is here. And that he’s brought his minions.”
Chapter Thirteen
We crept out of the tower, keeping our footsteps silent. Surrounded by the castle walls, the open, grassy courtyard stretched out in front of us. Rooms and buildings were built up against the castle walls, some in ruins, others more complete. Across the courtyard was the massive tower keep.
I pointed to it. “Let’s make our way over there, following the castle wall. On the way, we can peek in these buildings and see if we find anything.”
And Cass, Nix, and I would just hope our dragon sense picked something up. We set off across the grass, hugging the wall and splitting off to check out various doorways. The first room that I peered inside was entirely empty. My dragon sense didn’t get a whiff of Arthur’s tomb, either. But the second room, a long, rectangular one, had a trapdoor in the floor.
I poked my head back out of the room to tell my friends I was headed inside. They’d already moved on to the next building, so I ducked in to check it out.
My dragon sense didn’t get a lead on anything inside the room, so I was not surprised to open the old, wooden trap door and find nothing but an old storage space inside. It was unlikely a wooden trapdoor would remain useable for a thousand years, so it was likely a more modern addition. When I shut the door and straightened, an eerie tingle of magic raced across my skin.
Oh no. The castle was coming alive to defend itself again. I stiffened, searching for the coming threat, but all I saw was the telltale blue glow spreading out from where I stood.
No!
It was me. The blue glow raced across the floor. Rushes appeared on top of the stone, the traditional floor covering of medieval castles. I had to try to control this. I had no idea how, but I couldn’t keep doing this!
My limbs trembled as I sucked in a deep breath and tried to call the magic back to me.
Nothing happened.
I tried to suppress the magic within myself, shoving it deep down inside so that it couldn’t do whatever weird thing it always did.
Briefly, the blue glow on the floor flickered. Hope flared in my chest, and I tried harder. But the blue glow returned, continuing to spread, climbing up the walls. Shelves appeared in its place, each holding hundreds of small glass vials of all colors.
An apothecary’s shop.
A noise from the corner made me jerk my head around. An old woman had appeared with a child at her side. Both were dressed in medieval style clothing. Her startled gaze met mine, and she opened her mouth to scream.
Shit! I couldn’t kill her, even though she probably wasn’t a real person.
I shoved my hand into my pocket, scrabbling for the last of Connor’s potion bombs. When I pulled out the familiar golden vial of a freeze bomb, relief surged in my chest. I hurled it at the old woman and little girl, and they froze solid.
Thank magic.
I didn’t spare another glance at the room as I hurried out. As soon as I exited, I slammed into a warm, solid wall. My grip tightened on my sword as I stumbled backward, but strong hands grabbed my upper arms and steadied me.
“It’s me.” Roarke’s black gaze met my own. “What’s wrong?”
“Uh, nothing.” I straightened my spine to try to catch his gaze again before it could travel behind me to the enchanted room. “You just startled me. Come on.”
He nodded, then turned to catch up with my friends who were disappearing into the doorway of a building about twenty yards ahead. I followed, hurrying along in the shadows of the castle wall.
We entered the room, finding my friends inspecting the contents. This had clearly once been a barracks, probably sometime in the castle’s more recent history, given that the heavy wooden beds were still intact against the walls. On one of the beds lay a fine sword made of yellow metal.
“A demon blade,” Roarke said.
“Yeah.” I eyed it, noting the distinct features. “But where’s the demon?”
“Not here,” Cass said as she approached me from the other side of the room. “But why the hell would it leave its—”
The ground fell out from beneath Cass’s feet. She plummeted, disappearing into the ground.
“Cass!” Aidan, Nix, and I yelled at the same time.
I rushed forward, but there was no hole in the ground. When I reached the spot where Cass had fallen, a tingle of magic flowed through the floor and up my legs. Immediately, the ground fell out from beneath my feet. I clawed at the air, trying to grab anything I could reach, but found nothing. When I crashed to the stone floor beneath, pain sang up my legs. I scrambled up, a bit achy but with no broken bones.
“Del!” Cass cried.
Relief surged through me. She stood nearby. I looked up at the ceiling. There was no trapdoor.
The floor had closed as soon as it had sucked us both down. A spell.
A moment later, Nix fell through the ceiling and landed hard on her butt.
“Didn’t you see us disappear?” Cass said.
“We’re a team,” Nix said as she stood. “Of course I jumped in the mysterious hole after you.”
Aidan fell through the ceiling, followed by Roarke, whose gaze sought me out immediately. Aidan hurried to Cass.
“You’ve got to be careful!” His Scots brogue was thick with worry.
“I didn’t know the room was enchanted!” Cass said. She looked around the dark, underground space.
So did the rest of us. It was dank and cold, with low vaulted ceilings. Several doors led off from the room.
“Are we in the dungeon?” Nix asked.
“Looks like it,” Roarke said.
“Handy enchantment,” Aidan said. “It takes the intruders straight to the prison.”
“That’s where the demon went,” I said. “He fell through. But what happened to—”
My gaze landed on a black lump in the corner as a familiar smell hit my nose. Burned flesh. Fresh burned flesh.
A shadow in the back of the r
oom moved, surging forward. I caught one glimpse of massive fangs and acid green eyes set into a face covered entirely in black scales before a burst of flame bellowed into the room. My skin blazed with heat, and my eyes smarted.
“Run!” I yelled.
My friend’s gazes landed on the monster, which looked like some kind of giant lizard had bred with a wolf the size of a school bus. We ran for it, sprinting down the only hallway we could find.
We were fighters, sure. But we were also survivors. And sometimes, surviving meant running.
“Faster!” Nix yelled from the back. “It’s coming!”
The beast’s footsteps pounded as it chased after us. Were we going to have to fight it? We could, but not without casualties, given how fast and far that thing could breathe fire. My heart thundered in my ears as I sprinted down the dark corridor, threatening to explode.
I glanced behind to see it charging after us, its fangs glinting in a head the size of a VW Bug. It was gaining, fast enough to make me consider turning and fighting. But a moment later, I spotted the doorway at the end of the hall.
It was narrow enough that the monster wouldn’t fit.
We raced toward the door, hurtling up the stairs. A roar sounded from below. I glanced back to see the monster howling its rage to the ceiling before disappearing in a poof of dust.
Whew.
Enchantment broken. Gratefully, I hurried out of the stairway behind my friends.
And straight into a crowd of more than fifty demons.
“Shit!” Cass said.
We were in the great hall of the main building. It was so big, and so high-ceilinged, that it was the only place this could be. Within, the demons caroused, no doubt killing time while their master sought Arthur’s charm.
I caught sight of the Ubilaz demon leaving the room.
“There he is!” I said, just as the rest of the demons noticed us.
“Fight time,” Cass said. “We’ll hold them off. You follow the Ubilaz.”
“On it.” I clutched my sword and raced into the room with my friends.
The demons roared and ran toward us. It was close to the worst odds we’d ever faced, but with Roarke and Aidan on our side, we had a chance.
As he ran, Aidan shifted into a griffin. Roarke, already in his alternate form, took off into the air, charging the nearest demon. He broke the neck of one without ever setting foot on the ground, then headed for the next. In his griffin form, Aidan dodged a massive fireball, then bit the head off the demon that had thrown it.
Cass’s magic swelled on the air as she hurled a lightning bolt at a pair of demons. Thunder cracked as the jet of white light slammed into them and fried them to a crisp. Nix fired her arrows in quick succession, taking out three demons straight through their eyes.
My friends could handle this. I just had to get to the other side of the hall. To do that, I had to make it through the demon in my way. It was a massive beast with huge horns sweeping back from his head and clawed hands that wouldn’t have looked out of place on a dinosaur.
I raced toward him, sword at the ready. When I neared, he swiped out with a massive claw. I went low, expecting his attack, and sliced at his legs with my sword. He roared and stumbled. Before he could right himself, I hopped up and stabbed him in the back.
“Go!” Cass called.
I yanked the blade free and ran for the exit, leaving the sounds of battle behind. The night was cold and silent as I sprinted out of the great hall. I skidded to a halt, straining my eyes and ears as I searched for the Ubilaz demon.
But I saw nothing except the quiet, grassy courtyard. No demons, no people.
Damn it!
I tried to calm my racing breath enough to focus on my dragon sense. Come on, come on. Let me find Arthur’s resting place.
But the magic protecting this place stayed strong, blocking my ability.
When I opened my eyes, a faint silver glow appeared in the distance. My gaze raced around. Was I doing that thing again?
But no. Nothing else was changing.
The glow coalesced slightly, forming a person.
A ghost!
I hurried toward it, determined to make use of my weird gift and ask a ghost for directions. It was a long shot, but that was the only kind of shot I had.
The ghost wore a dirty apron over pants and shirt that didn’t look medieval. At best, they were eighteenth or nineteenth century. My heart sank. He wasn’t old enough to know where the tomb was.
“Can I help ye, lass?” he asked.
This close, I could tell that the substance on his apron was dried clay. A potter, perhaps.
“Um, I’m looking for Arthur’s tomb,” I said.
His eyes brightened. “Ah, I’ve been there once. I’m Potter Thompson, lass. I’ll lead ye right to it.”
My heart leapt at this crazy bout of good fortune. “Really?”
“Of course.” He set off along the wall, headed toward the east side of the castle compound at a quick pace.
I hurried alongside.
“I found it once while I was living, you know. But I ran for it—too afraid was I that I would wake the king. I could never find it again in life, but I kept looking. Perhaps it’s why I didn’t pass on. Finally found it as a ghost. But then, only one of our kind could find it.”
“Uh huh.” I nodded, though I didn’t entirely understand what he’d said, and picked up my pace, trying to encourage him to move more quickly.
Fortunately, he took the hint and quickened his stride. “It’s just so lovely to see another person,” he prattled on. “Not those nasty demons.”
Maybe that was why he was helping me. Whatever the reason, I’d take it.
When we reached the ruins of what looked to be an old church, he pointed to the door. “There’s a tunnel entrance in the East Abbey. It will take you straight to the tomb.”
“Thank you so much.”
“Hurry now. I didn’t like the look of the demon that came this way. The entrance is in the far left corner. Behind the tapestry. There is no door. You must use your Phantom form to enter.”
My head whipped toward him, my jaw almost dropping. “What?”
“Your Phantom form, lass. Don’t think I didn’t recognize you. It’s why I’ve helped you.”
“Okay.” This was new. I wanted to ask more questions, but there wasn’t time. Perhaps I could come back and find him later.
“Hurry now, the demon has gone. Though I don’t know how he’ll get through the wall to the passage, if that’s what he’s looking for. But you can. Use your Phantom form.”
“Okay. Okay. Thank you!” I raced through the door, cutting through the empty abbey that was missing its roof.
In the far left corner, there was no tapestry, just a few hanging scraps of one that might have once hung there. And there was no door, just like Potter Thompson had said.
But there was a big hole in the wall. I hurried toward it. I was finally alone, no longer watched by Roarke, so I raised my sword, letting my Phantom power flow through my arm and light up the blade with a blue glow that allowed me to see.
The rubble around the hole looked fresh—there were no weeds growing amongst it.
The demon had torn through the wall.
Damn, he was strong. And fast.
I jumped through the hole, almost losing my footing on the stairs below, and sprinted down. Once I reached the bottom, my dragon sense finally flared to life.
I was close! Close enough that the castle’s protective magic could no longer block my dragon sense. I hurtled down the stone passageway, sprinting full out after the demon.
So close. I was so close!
I had to catch him. I couldn’t spend eternity as a demon.
Ahead, I could just make out the back of the demon. He was bigger than I remembered, and fast.
But not as fast as me.
I pushed myself harder, wishing that I had one of Connor’s potion bombs or some of Cass’s fireball or lightning magic. She’d had to
kill to get those powers, something I didn’t want to do, but they’d come in handy about now.
But my Phantom form was faster and stronger.
Roarke wasn’t here to witness it, and what did it matter at this point? The demon had almost won. I couldn’t let him.
As I ran, I called upon my magic, letting it flow through me with a shivery tingle. My pumping arms turned fully blue and transparent. The weight of my body fell away. My speed increased. I pushed myself harder.
When I spilled out into a massive cavern tomb, the sight made me catch my breath. The demon had almost reached the platform in the middle where a body lay, but a knight with a massive sword fought him off. The knight was neither human nor ghost, but some strange enchantment.
Another protection for Arthur, who slept on the table in the middle of the ornately carved tomb.
Around the edges of the room, statues of knights stood, their hands resting on the hilts of their upright swords. The enormity of it hit me.
The knights of the Round Table.
And they were coming to life.
With motions as smooth as water, they raised their swords and stepped forward. Though they no longer looked like stone, they were not human either. Just like the one who fought the Ubilaz demon.
Some converged upon me, others upon my enemy.
“I’m here to help!” I cried.
But they stalked forward, unable to tell friend from foe. I would have to fight them off. But I could only hope they killed the Ubilaz demon before he got to Arthur. I could just make out the glint of gold around his neck, right above Excalibur, which rested on his stomach.
My dragon covetousness pinged, wanting those two treasures even though I would never take them.
I forced my gaze away and met the oncoming knight with my sword raised high. His blade whistled through my Phantom form, leaving no damage behind. While he recovered his blow, I turned corporeal long enough to land a blow with my sword.
The trick to my Phantom form was that my sword became a Phantom too. While it made me impervious to blows, I had to become human again for my sword to turn back to steel. My strike severed his arm, but there was no blood. Just as he swiped with his blade, I became Phantom again, changing back to human in time to remove his head.
