The impact to her stomach was unlike anything she’d ever felt. Coughing. Gagging. Gasping for air as Demitria tried to calm her breathing. It was nearly dark outside, and she knew she’d fucked up and slept longer than she’d intended.
Demitria was met with something she’d hoped to never see again, its haunting body hovering over her.
“I told you I’d find you again.” Acrid bile rose up the back of her throat as her body threatened to be violently ill as the demon’s deep voice rumbled through her. She gagged and finally took a breath, too consumed with fear to do anything more than lay there as her eyes blazed with terror.
“What do you want?” She gasped, the sound of her own voice weak. Pathetic.
The creature smiled, showing a mouth full of those razor teeth. The image of her mother’s blood dripping from his mouth flashing before her. Hurried eyes tore across her surroundings, the dark shadows of the large rocks around her, but nothing familiar caught her gaze, Atlas nowhere to be found. She was really, truly alone now. Demitria hoped to whatever gods were out there that he’d gotten away safe.
“Your Horseman is not here to protect you.” Those glowing, crimson eyes tore through her. Anchoring her to the spot. It extended a taloned claw toward her, brushing along the smooth pale flesh of her throat, but it didn’t break skin. The shiver worked through her body at the thought of those claws. At the poison that had coursed through Kellan’s body from them.
She regretted leaving. Regretted thinking she could even do this on her own. Why the hell didn’t she just wait for Kellan.He was right. Humans were completely and utterly useless. Stupid. Every decision she’d made since meeting him had been absolutely stupid.
“He will be so pleased that I’ve found you alone.”
Somewhere. Somehow, she found the courage to speak again, despite the trembling of her body. “Who?”
“The Dark King.” It whispered, flashing another sinister smile.
Had she been standing, her body would have collapsed as another wave of fear rushed through her. She didn’t know who the demon spoke of, but the name alone invoked a wave of fear through her. Someone else had put a price on her head. Someone seemingly important.
“He’s been looking for you. We had hoped your Horseman would cooperate, but there’s still time.”
Kellan? Cooperate with what?
“He will join us in due time.”
Kellan must have known that she was gone by now. Would he be able to track her? How far had she actually made it? Would his desire to find answers push him enough to look for her in the first place? Demitria knew she couldn’t count on the Horseman to rescue her again.
She felt the weight of the weapon at her side. In a moment of blind fear, she ripped it from its sheath and swung. Not caring where and what she hit. His clawed fingers parried her sword easily, knocking it from her hands as if her blow had been nothing more than a feather in the wind. The scream ripped through her as she bore his weight on her chest, pinning her to the cool rock below. The deadly points of his claws danced along her skin in a taunting manor, inciting a new wave of terror. Poisoned. If he broke skin, everything would be over. Knowing full well she wouldn’t last nearly as long as Kellan had. Her heart would probably stop beating almost instantly. Demitria didn’t struggle, her body giving up before her mind did.
The weight lifted, only to be replaced by a swift kick, the air rushing out once more as he pulled her to her feet. To her right, the sword lay a great distance away. She couldn’t risk making a dive for it, and somewhere in the scuffle Demitria knew her dagger had come loose by the weight missing on her thigh. She couldn’t fight back. Couldn’t do anything, so she walked, obedient, and she could just make out the looming shadows of the canyon in the distance. At least they seemed to be going in a similar direction. She couldn’t discern if that was a good thing or not.
“What does he want with me?” Her voice shook, despite the strength she willed into it.
“Your soul, for one.” He spoke. “Me? It’s the delicacy of human flesh.”
She wished she hadn’t glanced behind her, catching him licking his lips at the thought of it. Whatever happened, she hoped she wouldn’t meet the same end her parents had. Not by this same creature. Their sacrifice would have been for nothing.
“If you’re going to kill me, just do it now.” Turning on her heel, Demitria faced the creature. The blow caught her shoulder with such force she reeled backward in pain. The blood welling beneath her clothing as the panic set in. Eyes darting to the wound, her fingers prying at the fabric of her shirt, she nearly let out a sigh of relief. She was bleeding, but hadn’t been poisoned. He’d hit her so hard, the power behind the blow had broken the skin.
Her arm ached. She could feel the blood dripping down her finger tips, falling to the dirt as he pushed her on. She didn’t dare speak another word, knowing that if she did, it would only end in pain.
The silence was awful. It was giving her more time to think than she’d ever wanted, really. About life. The people in it, including the fucking Horseman. Her upcoming death. That was something she didn’t want to think about, even though it seemed inevitable at this point. She truly didn’t know who this monster spoke of. So many beings that she hadn’t experienced, and, keeping track of them nearly made her head spin. The price on her had from the council was worrisome, but a price from this unknown? A Dark King? The thought alone was terrifying, more so after the talk with Kellan back at the community. If he didn’t know who—whatelse was in play…she was petrified.
How would her death happen? When would it happen? Demitria didn’t know the answer to either, and probably wouldn’t until it was too late. Without weapons, she was useless. Against their power, she was useless. As a human… she was just utterly useless. Always so fucking useless.
At some point they veered away from the canyon as the shadows seemed to change. They’d been walking for hours it seemed, and instead of the wide path and those tall canyon walls looming over her, the demon looked to be leading her toward an opening at the base of a mountain, instead. Under the canyon, perhaps? She didn’t recall anything of the like when they’d initially been tracking the angels, and wondered how the hell it got there.
“Down this way.”
The demon gave her another shove and she stumbled to her knees. Feeling the bite of the uneven rocks beneath her as it tore into her flesh. She wanted to cry, wanted to cry so badly, but she refused to give the damned creature the satisfaction. Curling her hands and taking a deep breath, she willed her body to calm.
“Get up!” Another kick sent her stumbling forward, but she hadn’t been ready to get up. Hadn’t had a chance to steel her nerves. Just a few moments, that was all she needed to regain her composure. The air emptied from her lungs at the second kick, head colliding with the rock. Demitria lay there, gasping for breath as the creature laughed, grinning as she fought to breathe.
It grabbed at her arms, yanking her up to her feet like she was nothing more than a doll. He shoved again, and they ventured into the cavern. Much like the one her and Kellan had stayed in what seemed like a lifetime ago, when it had really only been a little more than a week. This one was massive in comparison. Demitria wasn’t familiar with the area anymore, and she stumbled over her feet at the new terrain. Had they created it somehow? She wondered if they’d been converging down below. It would make sense for the rise in attacks on the surrounding communities. Why so many had fallen?
They continued down the tunnel, and nothing but darkness invaded her vision, as if she’d gone completely blind. Her feetslowed, but the demon held on by the back of her cloak, yanking her around as he guided her down, his talons almost imbedded into the fabric at her neck.
