The responsibility I was trusting her with was enormous. Sothing many would consider to be cruel. But it was the only way.
You dont have to go through with it, I put an arm around her shoulder and pulled her to gently. Just tell now, if you cant.
No, Bell shook her head. It was my idea. I can do it. She turned her head up to look at . But if theres any other way, please dont make .
There were footsteps behind us, and I quickly covered the scrawled lines in the dirt with my foot. Bellarex stood quickly and left, tilting her face away from Maya as she left.
It is a ss out there. The Decarabia are all over the place. Theres no way were getting to The Heart without fighting our way through. Is everything alright? Maya watched Bellarex hurry by, then looked at quizzically.
Shes fine, I said. Mayas eyebrow rose. Will be, anyway. It was an ordeal getting back to us, and she wasnt sure she was going to make it. Its only naturally for her to be shaken.
Mayas expression softened. I am glad shes safe. Perhaps it was wrong of to ask you to go back. Premature.
I waited for the other shoe to fall.
Maya craned her neck, trying to catch sight of where the younger infernal had disappeared to. Anything off?
I feigned ignorance. With what?
Bell. The timing of her returning to us and amount of luck her story requires. Jorra is too overjoyed to notice, but Im guessing you that is why you pulled her away.
There are things Bells not telling, I hedged, but shes still with us. And thats what matters.
How familiar. Maya sounded distant. Youre not as clever as you think, Cairn. I know Jorra is wrong. You dont intend to surrender yourself to Thoth.
I tapped my cheek. Ive got a growing bruise that says otherwise.
Maya ignored . But youre letting himletting usbelieve that you might, which, judging from recent history, ans this is either all a misdirect or its intended to serve another purpose.
As usual, Maya saw straight through . The cold, ebbing tiredness sunk deeper until my very bones seed to ache. A hum emitted from my augury ring, and it let out a dull glow.
Maya stared down at hers. Shes hunting us, still.
I preferred not to lie to her. I was tired of lying. So, I gave her the only solace I could. Grunting, I reached in my jacket pocket, pulled out a wrinkled envelope, and handed it to her. She took it from , puzzled.
What is this?
Instructions. For after the battle, if things dont go our way.
I
Theres a gap in patrols! Jorra was panting as he approached. The asmodials are about to capitalize on it. If we wait until after the fighting starts, we might be able to slip through. He motioned for us to follow him and went back in the direction Bell had gone.
I stood to follow him. Lets go.
Maya caught my arm. If I decided to leave the Sanctum. Decided I could stomach it, maybe even control it. This darkness I carry. Would it always be like this? Living on the edge of a knife. Daggers in the dark? There was a desperate need in her eyes for encouragent, reassurance. And the worst part was, I had no right to give it to her.
I dont know.
/////
I drove my sword deep into a demons back. It roared, wrenching away, nearly tearing the hilt from my hand, its eyeless face a mask of furious porcelain. tallic talons lashed back at in a flash of gold, trying to tear off.
Wed nearly made it to the heart. It was a half-mile away, if that, in clear view atop a slow-summiting hill. I hadnt recognized it at first. It looked more like a war camp now, complete with barricades, towers, and extended steel spikes. Hundreds of infernals milled within, with so of them watching out. It was a relief that theyd been able to consolidate and fortify to such a degree, the level of quick construction likely a result of hundreds of competent magicians working together.
And yet, sohow, my father still conquered them.
It was a cold reminder that all the magic in the world could be bested with the proper application of strategy, guile, and brutality. Perhaps my only remaining hope against Thoth.
Wed managed to move quickly through the battlefield, using the asmodials for cover, until the small scuffle rged into a much larger one, as several greater demons and their followers took the field on either side. The once pristine blue grass was painted with the black of demon blood and quickly spreading fires.
I tried to rip my sword free and found it stuck. The demon screeched, its claws finally finding purchase, slashing through the upper skin of my thigh. Frustrated, I looked around for help. Kastramoth was in the thick of the fight. Maya and Jorra were back to back, covering each other against an onslaught of pixie sized Decarabia. Bell made leaping bounds across the shoulders and heads of many disgruntled asmodials and decarabia alike, trying desperately to ground a flying greater demon that was peppering us with artillery. And Vogrin, of course, was still missing in action.
All of them, either preoccupied or too far away to help. Which left with a problem. I could either stay mounted on the equivalent of a raging tiger or leave my sword, the latter being practically a death sentence. No. I had to handle this myself.
With a burst of mana, I ignited the violet-fire on my sword, letting it spread over the demons clothes. It was a gamble. The Dantalion fla couldnt hurt the demon, but I knew it could be used to banish them after they died. I was banking on the hope thatbeing as rare as it wasthis one didnt know the exact chanics.
The reaction was instantaneous. Angry shrieks turned terrified as the demon ran blindly ahead, trying to take off from the ground. I released my sword to wrap my now free arm around its neck, reached over with my gauntlet and tore a hole through its left wing.
It collapsed to the ground, directly in front of the small assortnt of lesser asmodials Id been aiming for. The landing stunned , but I retained the ntal acuity to stagger to my feet, quench the fla, and pull my sword free.
With the fire gone, an asmodial leaped on the felled greater demon. Then another, and another.
I turned from the scene just in ti to see the glowing white globe flying towards my chest. I braced, thrust my gauntlet forward and caught it, the impact pushing back, sliding across blood-slick grass. The gauntlet glowed red, beginning to overheat. The artillery demon was using the sa type of magic their Arch-Fiend had used, albeit not nearly as strong. That gave a point of reference. Sowhat panicked, I sprinted to the spot where Maya and Jorra were still under siege by the flying smaller demons, threw up an aegis directly over my head and held the gauntlet past it.
It detonated in a sphere, battering the aegis and enveloping the smaller demons. They plopped to the ground in a series of thuds, dead or stunned.
One tried to crawl away before the end of Mayas staff ca down, crushing it. Thanks, Maya gulped in air. That was annoying.
Looked annoying. I shifted, looking for the artillery demon in the chaos. The wound on my leg panged, and when I touched it, my fingers ca away slick with blood.
Mayas hand glowed green as she grasped my shoulder. No vein. Minor muscle damage. Youre good, Nilend.
A demon rushed towards us, draggy a bloody polearm. Jorra reacted before anyone else, lashing out with his whip and catching the demon around the neck. Its mouth opened in surprise for just a second. Then Jorra lashed it downward, hard, and it landed head first on a patch of frozen spikes.
Every demon near us was locked in combat. The pause wouldnt last long, but we had a mont to collect ourselves.
The flying one throwing artillery spells is a problem. Jorra said. The whip snapped back, coiling over his arm.
Kastramoth is in over his head, Maya squinted toward the center of the conflict, her face pained.
Not to be cold, but cant you just use the contract to resummon? Jorra asked.
Yes, but it wont be today. And we might need him today. Maya said.
We only had a split second to decide. Both of you, go save the moose. Ill help Bell.
On it. Signal if you need help. Jorra took a few short steps then sprinted away, Maya close behind him.
Bell was still chasing the artillery demon, using shoulders, heads, and backs as stepping stones. As impressively acrobatic as it was, it wasnt sustainable. She was slowing down, faltering, nearly losing her balance. The artillery demon was moving more cautiously than it had before.
Even while trying to keep to the path of least resistance, it took a great deal of effort to force my way through the center, fighting a never-ending current of teeth and claws.
In the end, they ended up coming to . The artillery demon traded range and accuracy for safety, rising beyond the point where even the highest jump could possibly put Bell in striking range. Bell abandoned trying to hit him with her sword altogether and instead began to fling her engraved weighted rods charged with void. As skilled as she was, her aim was nowhere near as strong as her swordsmanship, and her target was both fast and airborne.
It struck that, despite being surrounded by arguably stronger enemies, the demons attention had shifted almost entirely to Bell when she shifted strategy. Every spell he cast was aid at keeping her away, knocking her off balance.
Does he use magic to fly?
The other one hadnt, but was far less mobile. There was sothing to that. Void had to be the key, but how could I help her land it? I looked for an opening. If I was better with air magic, it would have been a simple matter to lighten myself, ride an errant gust of wind into his blind spot and ground him with a cleave through his wings. But that was pure fancy. I needed to think realistically, use the tools at my disposal. My flash powder? No, the demon was literally eyeless, and I wasnt fool hardy enough to chalk that up to an aesthetic choice. Could I use the fla to scare him like Id done earlier, make him hesitate? Probably not. He seed far more clever than the last demon and less likely to fall for it. I had a bag full of caustics and poisons, with no idea if any of them would be effective. Not to ntion, he seed to have an uncanny ability to dodge.
A mory scratched at my mind from when I was trapped in the runic desert chamber, tossing pebbles charged with mana to lure Saladiuss monsters away. I reached in my bag, rummaging until I found the single smooth stone Id kept from the encounter to practice on.
I spoke without sound, a now familiar buzzing tickling my vocal cords as my silent words crossed the distance to Bell.
Make your way here. I need you to charge sothing, then create a diversion.
Bell was smart enough not turn my way, but the exasperation on her face seed to scream that she was tiring of doing exactly that
Trust .
There was a curt nod of acknowledgnt. And I began the process of cycling the fla, the very act that wounded my soul at the crossroads, years ago.
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