Rise of the Demon Lords, page 17
Mini tornadoes picked the demons up and smashed them into the far wall.
“All of you out of the building. I’ll lower you down.”
The SWAT members all stared at him like he’d lost his mind. And having a complete stranger, even one that just saved your life, tell you to jump out of a skyscraper was kind of crazy. Still, he couldn’t focus on the demons if he had to worry about protecting them.
“Master,” Prime said. “The demons have nearly regained their feet.”
“Let’s go, guys,” the woman said. “We can leave this to Mr. Koda.”
“You heard her, out the hole,” an older man with a salt-and-pepper beard said.
As the SWAT team ran for the opening he’d blasted, Conryu focused on the realm of air. “Elemental, see them safely to the ground.”
The SWAT team out of the way, Conryu turned to the demons. They were ugly things. Dark, twisted vines writhing like snakes hung from their arms and chests. He’d hate to get close enough for them to strike.
Time to see what the elves could do. A swirling, white Heaven portal opened beside him. Conryu pictured his father’s new face and said, “To battle.”
Elves poured out, their silver armor and matching swords gleaming.
No commands were needed and even his father ignored Conryu as they charged into the demons.
The swords flashed and sliced deeply into the demons’ flesh.
The Heaven portal remained open beside Conryu and every second he felt himself weaken a fraction. He’d opened many portals over the last few years, but he’d never kept one open for this long.
Lucky for him, the elves made short work of the demons. The battle was over in less than ten seconds. As they passed back through the portal, his father gave him a single nod.
Conryu let the portal close and blew out a long breath. He’d have to be exceedingly careful how he used that spell. He doubted he could maintain it for more than a minute without serious side effects.
Diane landed beside him. “That. You. How?”
“You’re not the only one that’s had training. Learned that spell from the Goddess herself. We’d best go downstairs and let everyone know the threat is past.”
“Yeah, I guess we should.” After a moment of hesitation, she asked, “Why didn’t my magic work on them? I burned some of the other thralls with no issue.”
“These weren’t thralls,” Prime said, making Diane jump. “They were true demons bound into the bodies of dead men. Your power was insufficient to penetrate their aura of dark magic. Many demons can negate weak spells automatically. Didn’t you learn that in your training?”
“Prime, mind your manners. Sorry about my familiar’s attitude.”
“No, I’m sorry. In the end, despite my big words, I was the useless one. If you hadn’t come, they would have all died while I watched, helpless. Thank you.”
Conryu put a hand on her shoulder and waited until she looked into his eyes. “There’s a new darkness coming to our world. In the face of that, our differences mean nothing. I will fight them anywhere and everywhere I can. But I’m only one man. It will fall to people like you, everywhere, to stand in the gap and hold. The task is huge, but wizards like us are all that stand between that darkness and the people that can’t fight for themselves.”
“I’ll be ready,” she said.
“Good.”
They renewed their flight spells and soared up and out of the building before landing on the ground beside a black armored truck. The SWAT team had removed their helmets and were sitting around waiting.
The woman he’d healed upstairs inched her way toward him as if scared to speak. Not exactly the sort of attitude you’d expect from a SWAT wizard. Her name tag said Cortez.
Conryu smiled in the hopes that she’d relax. “Did you need something, Officer Cortez?”
She licked her lips and took a deep breath. “I read about you, everything I could find, which was surprisingly little.”
“If you read Angus’s book, don’t take it too seriously. He is to serious research what fast food is to fine dining.” She cracked a smile as he’d hoped she would. “That said, the man has a remarkable gift for finding obscure information. So, what did you want to know?”
“What’s Heather James really like? I was a huge fan of hers when she competed in the Four Nations Tournament. She was your coach, right?”
Of all the things she might have asked, a question about that psycho never crossed his mind. Beautiful and hungry for fame, Heather lacked any morals, at least any Conryu could discern. How could he tell a fan girl that?
“She was…interesting. Heather had a gift for dealing with the media and fame. For me, I prefer to avoid the spotlight as much as possible.” He spotted Jonny and Kate running toward them. “If you’ll excuse me.”
Diane joined him and the two groups met a few yards away from the SWAT truck.
“Are you two okay?” Jonny asked.
“Fine,” Conryu said. “The demons have been dealt with and no one died. Tracking down all the other thralls is going to be a far bigger job for all of you. I recommend an aggressive search as they’ll continue to spread until every last thrall has been destroyed.”
“Us?” Jonny said. “What about you?”
“Miami isn’t the only place with a demonic outbreak. Besides, I need to hunt down the hellpriest, so he doesn’t repeat this process in some other city. Remember, fire and light magic are their weaknesses. Don’t take them on alone. Pair wizards with heavily armed soldiers. If things get really bad, call Maria and she’ll let me know. If you’ll excuse me.”
“Just a sec,” Kate said. “If this hellpriest is mixed up with Alpha Z cartel, there’s an island where they recruit fishermen to smuggle for them. It’s outside Alliance jurisdiction so we can’t make a move on it, but you can.”
“It’s as good a place as any to start looking. Can you give me the coordinates?”
She whipped out her phone and swiped the screen open. A few taps brought up a map and she pointed out an island maybe a hundred and fifty miles off the Florida coast. It couldn’t have been ten miles across.
“Thanks.” Conryu summoned the library door.
Hopefully he could track down Baphomet’s hellpriest and end the threat once and for all. Assuming there wasn’t a village full of innocent islanders in the way.
33
“What is this?” Kelsie asked.
She’d been following her grandmother through the jungle for what seemed like hours only to end up standing in front of a vine-covered, partially collapsed stone building. There were strange markings on the exterior wall. On the opposite side of the path lay the bodies of some strange, vaguely ape-looking things that had been torn apart.
“I don’t know,” Grandmother said. “But it called to me.”
Kelsie frowned. She hadn’t heard anything. If her grandmother was hearing voices, that couldn’t be a good sign. On the other hand, if the voices in her head had actually led her to this place, maybe they weren’t just in her head. Whether that was better or worse, time would tell.
“What do we do now?” Kelsie asked.
As if in answer to her question, stone ground on stone as a section of the wall dropped down out of sight. Beyond it, a passage led deeper into the building. A chill ran down Kelsie’s spine that had nothing to do with the weather. She was a dark aligned wizard, but whatever was down that passage wasn’t just dark, it was evil.
“We should go back,” Kelsie said.
“I didn’t come all this way just to turn around and go home to die. Whatever’s down there, I mean to see it.” Grandmother turned her cold eyes on Kelsie. “Will you abandon me now, at the end?”
That wasn’t fair, but then very little of what Grandmother did was. “Fine.”
She summoned a globe of fire and the pair set out. Fortunately, the floor was smooth and the passage short. Soon enough they emerged in a large, open chamber. There was a raised section with a stone altar. Vines covered every surface.
Kelsie seriously doubted anything good had ever happened in this room.
All around them the vines began to twitch and writhe. From a crack in the floor, more vines emerged, wrapping around each other until they took on a humanoid form that stared at them with glowing red eyes.
“Have you considered my offer?” the vine demon thing asked.
“You offered me power and immortality,” Grandmother said.
Kelsie looked from one to the other in confusion. Clearly this thing was the source of the voice her grandmother heard, but she’d said nothing to Kelsie about an offer.
“Those are two things I want very much, but no mention was made of price.”
“The price,” the demon said. “Is your soul and your eternal service to Baphomet.”
Grandmother’s wrinkles deepened as she scowled. “I have no desire to be a slave to a demon lord.”
“Who spoke of slavery? Service, I said. You increase your own power while increasing Baphomet’s influence in the world until eventually you rule over everyone in his name.”
“Hmm. I suppose that would be acceptable. Would any soul suffice, or must it be mine?”
Kelsie could hardly believe what she was hearing yet couldn’t find the will to speak. Some force kept her rooted in place, her lips sealed shut.
The demon laughed, low and sinister. “Contrary to the beliefs of the ignorant, a soul cannot be taken, only given. It is the one thing you mortals truly own. Only by your own free will can you give it to my master. In any case, what do you care? Your soul is so black it will end up fused with hell and likely used to make a new demon in any case. This way, at least you have a chance of retaining your mind when you’re reborn, assuming you please Baphomet.”
“Much as I dislike it,” Grandmother said. “You make good points. How do we seal the deal?”
“An act of good faith. This temple has long lain dormant. It must be reconsecrated with the blood of a wizard.”
Kelsie screamed as vines wrapped around her, carried her to the altar, and bound her in place.
“Your granddaughter’s blood will seal your contract with Baphomet. Cut out her heart and place it in the bowl at the head of the altar. Her death will bring this temple fully back to life.”
“Grandmother, pl—”
A vine wrapped around Kelsie’s mouth, silencing her.
Malice hobbled across the room to the altar. From out of the floor rose a dagger shaped like a thorn with a hilt like twisted vines.
Malice grabbed the weapon. “It seems you’re finally going to be of some use to the family, girl.”
Kelsie couldn’t even scream as her grandmother approached, dagger raised, ready to cut Kelsie’s heart out.
34
Conryu was only a step away from the library door when two black-clad ninjas appeared on either side of him each taking a knee. He didn’t recognize them, but then again when only their eyes were visible, it was hard to distinguish one from another.
“Chosen, we have failed,” the one on his right said. “Kelsie Kincade is in trouble and we were unable to rescue her. We offer our lives in apology.”
He ruthlessly crushed a moment of panic. Ignoring the many people staring at his conversation he said, “In the library, now. Kai, you too.”
Kai joined them and he ushered everyone into the enchanted space. With the door closed, time in the real world virtually stopped.
“Now, tell me everything. Starting with your names.”
The women bowed and the one on the right said, “My name is Sonada and my companion is Lin. The grandmaster assigned us to watch over your friend. For weeks nothing happened then she went to an island not that far from here with her grandmother. They sought a necromancer named Shesin. The name means nothing to us.”
Malice, of course she was involved. Conryu clenched his jaw but immediately forced himself to relax. Getting angry would do no one any good. “I don’t know the name either. Please continue.”
“They found only a damaged mansion when they arrived,” Sonada said. “Shortly after the grandmother led the way into the jungle. They entered a partially ruined flat-topped pyramid covered in vines.”
A vine-covered ancient structure screamed temple of Baphomet. “Then what?”
“They went inside and a creature made of vines and dark magic rose out of the floor to speak with them. A deal was made and vines wrapped Kelsie up. We tried to shift back and free her, but a powerful barrier stopped us. As soon as it was clear we couldn’t do the job ourselves, we came to you.”
Conryu ran a hand through his hair. They had little time. He drew a circle in the air with his staff and said, “I need you to picture the stone building as clearly as you can.”
He put his hand on the back of Sonada’s head and sent light magic into her mind connecting it to the circle. A moment later a jungle appeared along with the exterior of the temple.
“Now the inside,” he said.
“I was picturing the inside,” Sonada said.
He frowned and forced more power into the circle.
No change. The barrier that stopped the ninjas from entering must also stop magical spying. Narumi warned him the lords were skilled at hiding their temples. Looked like she was right. That was going to be a problem. If he couldn’t either see or picture where he wanted the library to appear, he couldn’t open the doors in the temple.
A more direct approach would be necessary.
Kelsie looked from the tip of the oddly shaped dagger to her grandmother’s face. Search as she might, there was no sign of doubt. This was it. After all she’d done to try and help the vicious old woman, her thanks was to be sacrificed on the altar of a demon.
Somehow this fate surprised her less than it should have.
Before the final blow could be struck, an explosion rattled the temple.
Her grandmother staggered away from the altar and ended up on her knees.
Dust billowed in from the passage they’d used and through it strode a familiar figure, staff in hand.
Conryu had come for her.
Fear and resignation gave way to hope. If he had come, she was as good as safe.
The demon rose, gaining mass as more of the vines wrapped around its form. “Who dares desecrate Baphomet’s temple?!”
“I’ve come with the Reaper’s greeting.” Conryu slammed the butt of his staff on the stone floor and blinding white light filled the room.
The vines holding Kelsie’s arms and legs went slack and the next thing she knew she was being carried at a sprint out of the chamber.
When her eyes cleared, she found three black-clad figures surrounding her. They were halfway down the tunnel and rapidly approaching a door floating in midair. Then they were through and safe in Conryu’s magical library.
The two ninjas carrying her set her gently on her feet. The third asked, “Are you hurt?”
She knew that voice. “Kai? Where’s Conryu?”
“The Chosen is dealing with Baphomet’s minions. It was at his command that we rescued you and brought you to safety. Be at ease. No danger will reach you here.”
How could she be at ease when Conryu was fighting that demon and her grandmother? He’d tried to warn her to stay away from her family, but she didn’t listen. Kelsie imagined she owed her grandmother some sort of loyalty. How foolish.
“Shouldn’t you help him?” Kelsie asked. “That demon is dangerous.”
“Do you imagine our Chosen would lose to a mere demon?” one of the other ninjas asked.
“We stay behind at his command,” Kai said. “With our ability to shift between this realm and Hell negated, we are likely to be more of a burden to him than a help.”
When she put it that way, Kelsie couldn’t deny her fears seemed overblown. But even so, until she saw Conryu safe and sound with her own eyes, the worry wouldn’t go away.
35
Conryu smiled when the light faded. Kai and her fellow ninjas had rescued Kelsie and whisked her to safety. Now he could fight without having to worry about any innocents getting hurt. The vine demon thing lowered its arms and stared at him, the red lights in its eyes burning bright.
Malice staggered to her feet. “Do you know what you’ve done? Without the girl I’m doomed.”
“‘The girl’ is your own flesh and blood. She stayed with you because she was worried about you and this is how you thank her? You don’t deserve a granddaughter like Kelsie.”
Vines streaked in only to burn to ash on Conryu’s light magic shield. The attack weakened it a fraction, but a moment of concentration repaired the damage. It was so strange using light magic to fight dark magic. Conryu was almost always the one using dark magic in a fight.
“All is not lost,” the demon said. “Help me defeat this dog of the Reaper and his heart will serve as well as your granddaughter’s.”
“Yes, anything,” Malice said.
Conryu raised his staff. “Stay close to me, Prime.”
The scholomantic pressed tight against Conryu’s back. He didn’t think there was any chance of mistaking Prime for a piece of Baphomet’s corruption, but this spell was new to him and he planned to take no chances.
The crystal glowed white with a crimson core. It was time to test the Divine Flame spell the Goddess taught him.
White flames streaked out around him in a vortex. Light and fire magic combined to scour the stone clean.
He could actually feel the corruption burning away.
His mind became one with the flames, guiding them across every surface so no vines escaped. Malice didn’t escape either. Her withered body was consumed in an instant.
The demon held out a little longer, but soon enough the flames devoured it as well.
When the spell finally ended, Conryu fell to his knees and gasped for breath. Even summoning the elves hadn’t taken that much out of him.
“Master?” Prime actually sounded worried about him. How novel.
