“Well, well, well. If it isn’t Oxcen’s friend, Berju. Your time in the Light is over. Even the Shadows won’t save you now, my disloyal subject.”
To those of the Light and Dark, the Nocumat were feared, fierce creatures. Composed of a red, gelatinous substance that made them versatile in fighting and almost impossible to kill, the Nocumat fed on everything they touched. They slowly consumed their prey over weeks or months, depending on how often they fed. And they feared little except for their king.
Me.
I and other Shadow Dwellers with power, like my niece Alandra, could control the beasts, which were actually quite intelligent and thoughtful under the right circumstances. That intelligence made Berju’s perfidy hard to bear, considering his mother and I were good friends. But I couldn’t allow the Shadren to join with the Dark. I ascribed to certain rules, and trying to conquer worlds and subjugate others under Dark Lord leadership didn’t factor.
Not wanting to, but knowing I had to, I readied to destroy my kindred. I ignored the weeping pleas only I could hear Berju make and raised my hands. In seconds, the spell I invoked turned Berju into mist, and then into nothingness. Another Nocumat witnessed the destruction of his brother and vanished in a silent screech of anguish.
Angry at the worthless loss of life, I slapped my hands together and strode through fallen bodies and brawlers toward Arim and Lexa. The enemy’s attack had been so sudden and so involved I hadn’t the chance to wonder how the rest of the kingdom fared, if anyone else had fallen victim to the Netharat.
At least the Light Bringers who joined the fight in the commons had done well. Most of the Netharat in the room looked on the losing end of their battle. Sorcerers and warriors took on the wraiths and Djinn foolish enough to continue the struggle. I heartily left them to it.
“All over the kingdom,” one panting sorcerer said to me as I passed. “Massive front to invade the land. Was told to tell you or them.” He nodded to Arim and Lexa engaged with Sin Garu.
So the Dark Lord thought to take everything at once. Keep Arim occupied while his demons crossed the gap into this reality, and at the same time, Sin Garu’s minions crept over the land, decimating as many Light Bringers as he could. With the demons draining Tanselm, he very well might succeed.
Already, it looked as if he’d done Arim some major damage. Though on his feet with Lexa by his side, the Guardian of Storm looked ready to keel over. I knew that demon blast hurt worse than anything anyone could conceive.
Lexa knew, too, and the anger on her face said she worried more than she liked. She’d experienced similar pain when she’d taken that first blast meant for Arim. She’d suffered in a coma for nearly three months after it. That Arim was even standing meant Tanselm wasn’t totally gone…yet.
Knowing time was of the essence and with a thought of what might turn the tide of this war, I joined them, only to face off against a nightmare from my past.
“Why Sava. I’ve missed you.” A dark voice poured from Sin Garu’s lips. I had to force myself not to flinch. Shit. Of all the demons that had to be possessing Sin Garu, why did it have to be this one?
“Well, hello Ghal. What’s it been? Nine hundred, a thousand years?”
Ghal laughed through Sin Garu’s lips, and Lexa and Arim tightened the distance separating them, strengthening their shield. “Too long, my Shadow. I’ve missed you.”
I swallowed my distaste and smiled. “Wish I could say the same. But you know, you bring up a good point. We should visit more.” Pulling a small pouch out of the air — from the pocket of Shadow I kept by my side — I handed it to Arim. Quickly linking through their shield to pull Arim close, I whispered into his ear, “I think we have a shot at this. You keep Sin Garu occupied. Hold this close and the demons can’t touch you. At least not until they wear down the charm.”
Arim whispered back, “You have to protect Lexa.”
Damn. He sounded hoarse, his breathing raspy. I could feel the taint of demon poison spreading through Arim’s body.
I added, “Hold tight. I’m going to try to sever the demons’ link to Tanselm. That’ll give you the power you need to end this.”
Arim nodded, his gaze dark and glazed with pain. Yet his aura remained bright, his iron will an impenetrable thing they’d need. “Take Lexa away from this. Free her soul.”
I started, having forgotten that important fact.
Lexa grunted at the effort of decimating two more demons. “Damn it, you two. Stop whispering and let me in on whatever you’re doing.”
“Yes, share,” Ghal demanded. “My dear girl, how are you killing my kind? Your brother is right; you are a treasure. One we want to keep.” The demon in Sin Garu smiled, and the sharp, roving teeth in that mouth freaked me the hell out.
“Okay. Playtime’s over.” I latched onto Lexa’s hand. “We’ll be right back.”
Leaning close to her, I murmured, “Trust me,” and took us through the Between.
And straight into hell.
Chapter 33
Lexa
I fought Sava’s surprising strength as we abandoned Arim to fight Sin Garu and those demons alone. Cursing and struggling, I knew a fear I’d felt only once before in my life. Arim was alone. Without me, he’d fall as surely as my Light Bringer family had died. Bloodied at the hands of evil.
When we settled down into a dark room with rock walls and a stone floor, filled with the stench of death, I ripped away from Sava and readied to return but found myself unable.
