Rise of the Demon Lords, page 18
“I’m fine. Just give me a minute.”
When his racing heart had calmed and his muscles ceased their trembling, Conryu forced himself to his feet. All around him the stone had been polished by the cleansing fire. The only things that remained were a black ring and the dagger Malice had been holding. The dagger reeked of corruption, but Conryu wasn’t certain how best to destroy it. The ring Malice had been wearing was another matter. Maybe Kelsie could tell him what it did.
He pocketed the ring and wrapped the dagger in a light magic energy field that should contain any lingering remnants of Baphomet’s magic.
“Do you sense that, Master?”
Conryu frowned and closed his eyes. Through his link with Prime he felt something. A lingering darkness. Had the flames not done their job?
No, this was something else. Something deeper, under the sacrificial chamber.
“Looks like we’re not done here after all.”
“You need to rest, Master. If whatever remains attacks you in your current condition, I fear you won’t survive.”
“No argument. I need to check on Kelsie and Kai. A couple hours’ rest should set me to rights.”
“Take a day. The temple is going nowhere.”
“The temple isn’t, but whatever’s down there might find some way to flee if I give it too long to recover. Then I’ll have to hunt it down all over again.”
Conryu left the temple and pointed his staff. The library door appeared and he pushed it open.
He’d barely taken a step inside when Kelsie nearly tackled him to the floor. She squeezed him tight and cried against his chest. He looked over her head at Kai. “Are you all okay?”
“Yes, Chosen. Your distraction worked perfectly.”
Conryu waited until Kelsie stopped sniffling and said, “I couldn’t save Malice. I’m sorry.”
She looked up at him. “She was going to kill me and use my blood to consecrate this temple to a demon lord. And before that who even knows what she planned to do to me to pay the necromancer.”
Conryu brushed her tears away then frowned. “Did Malice know about the temple all along? When you left after graduation, the other demon lords hadn’t even made their move yet.”
“No, now that you mention it, Grandmother originally planned to make a deal with the necromancer that lived on this island. She said she’d trade the Soul Ring for the secret to becoming undead. When we arrived, it was like she heard a voice that led her to the temple.”
That made more sense. Conryu pulled the ring out of his pocket and held it out to Kelsie. “Is this the Soul Ring?”
“Yes. It’s an elf artifact, one of the Kincade family treasures. Mother was furious Grandmother planned to trade it away.”
“What does it do?”
Kelsie shrugged. “You think anyone told me?”
“Well, if it belongs to your family, you should be the one to return it.” He held the ring out to her again.
Kelsie made no move to take the ring. “No, you keep it. Whatever it does, far better for everyone if you have it rather than my mother. Heaven only knows what sort of mischief she could get up to with an elf artifact.”
Conryu couldn’t argue with that. “Alright, I’ll hold on to it for you. If you decide you want it back, just let me know.”
“Thanks.” She hugged him again.
“What now, Chosen?” Kai asked.
“I need to rest, then I’m going back in. Some darkness still lingers beneath the temple. It won’t be safe until I deal with that as well.”
“I will join you,” Kai said in a tone that made it clear refusing wasn’t an option.
“We will come as well,” Sonada said.
“No. Kai, you will come with me. You two will remain outside the temple just in case anything tries to get away. Nothing, and I mean nothing that comes out of that temple leaves alive. Kelsie, if you don’t mind, I’d feel better if you stayed in the library where it’s safe.”
Kelsie nodded eagerly. “I can do that.”
Sonada and Lin had their gazes focused on the floor.
“You do not trust us after our failure,” Sonada said. “I understand. We will do our best to earn back your faith.”
At Conryu’s mental command a couch appeared along with four chairs. He dropped onto the couch and slung his feet up. “That’s not it at all. You both did the best you could under the circumstances. I really do need someone to stay outside and make sure nothing escapes. I can’t even imagine what sort of horrors might be lurking in the basement of that temple. In fact, you should get in position now. Time virtually stops while we’re in the library, but a lot of rules are changing and I don’t want to get taken by surprise.”
They bowed and slipped out the door.
When they’d gone Kai said, “You should give them some sort of punishment. They’ll feel better if you at least chastise them.”
“Sonada and Lin did the best they could.” Conryu closed his eyes. “I can’t yell at them for that. You should prepare yourself as well. When we go in there, things could get messy.”
“I will be ready, Chosen.”
Of that, Conryu had no doubt.
Miguel paced around, snarling at his thralls and generally venting his terrible mood. He still couldn’t believe he’d been forced to flee from the Reaper’s Chosen. His new powers had made him so confident that no one could defeat him. And yet that man had sent him fleeing like a boy before an angry father.
But he would pay. Oh, yes. Miguel would make him pay for the embarrassment a thousand times over. His new temple was nearly complete and once he found another wizard to sacrifice, he would consecrate it to Baphomet. Then he would truly be a priest and doubtless his power would increase further.
You must flee!
The voice’s sudden appearance and petrified tone stopped Miguel in his tracks. “Flee? What do you mean? The temple is nearly complete.”
It doesn’t matter. The Reaper’s Chosen has found the temple where you gained your powers. I will try to defeat him, but hold out little hope. Once the main temple is purified, you will be on your own.
Panic raced through Miguel. Alone? Without the voice, how would he learn to better use his abilities? Who would guide him in his service to Baphomet?
Wait, wasn’t the voice Baphomet? How could the demon lord lose to a mere human wizard?
I am only Baphomet’s agent on this planet. He sent me here to guide his new Chosen when the time came. I believed the temple well enough hidden to escape notice, but I was wrong. Once I have been destroyed, you will be our master’s only hope. Take the Black Eternals and flee. Find a hidden place and build your power. Draw no attention until you’re ready to strike. Hur—
“Are you there? Where should I go? Speak to me!”
But the voice was gone. Defeated by the Reaper’s Chosen. And Miguel would end up the same way unless he hid. Scrambling away from the construction site, he rushed into the hut where he kept the remaining Black Eternals. Collecting his last three plants, he summoned the vines and fled the island.
He knew not where he would end up. But for now, survival was all that mattered.
Conryu and Kai stood in the altar chamber and looked all around. They’d been searching for the better part of an hour and still found no sign of an access point for the lower levels. When asked, Prime insisted the darkness was still below them and Conryu sensed it himself when they linked their senses. If there were chambers below, there had to be a way to get to them.
“Should we search the walls again?” Kai asked.
“No, if there was a passage there one of us would have found it. Maybe the easiest way to do this is to make my own opening. Prime, where is the exact center of the darkness?”
Prime flew over to a spot about twenty feet in front of the altar. “Right here, Master, though I am uncertain exactly how far down.”
“That’s good enough. Kai, move back.”
When she’d eased a few paces away, Conryu charged the staff with earth magic and slammed the butt end down on the stone floor. A tremor ran through the temple and cracks formed in the floor.
He leapt back as the floor caved in and huge chunks fell down out of sight. A pit formed until half the temple floor had fallen in.
Massive vines shot up, trying to wrap around Prime who had flown in for a closer look.
Kai leapt across the opening, sword slashing. She landed safely on the other side of the pit and Prime flew over beside Conryu.
“Did I not say be careful?”
“Sorry, Master. I thought I was high enough to evade capture.”
“Did you see anything beside the vines?”
“The tunnel continues down beyond them, but I could make out little beyond that.”
The only way they were getting through was if he burned the vines out of the way. Summoning the white flames, Conryu sent them roaring down into the pit.
Blackened vines crashed up, thrashing like living things as the flames burned them down to nothing.
When they were gone, he eased over and peeked over the lip of the pit. The stone glowed orange from the heat, but nothing remained of the vines. He cast a flying spell on himself and Kai. When they were floating over the pit he added a light magic barrier.
With the group as protected as he could make them, Conryu willed them down into the pit.
Happily, it didn’t descend as deep as he’d first feared. They landed about twenty yards down in another chamber about the same size as the one above. At the heart of it was a black sphere about the size of a bowling ball. The surface looked slimy, like it was covered in oil. Just looking at it made Conryu slightly sick to his stomach.
“A demonic core,” Prime said. “This is the heart of the temple and likely the heart of the vine demon from upstairs.”
“Okay, so how do I destroy it?”
“You need to hit it with enough light magic to neutralize the dark. It looks pretty dense, so it won’t be easy.”
“Nothing ever is.” Conryu leveled his staff.
Before he could summon the Divine Flames Kai said, “Chosen, something is coming.”
He glanced back. Scores of vines were crawling towards them like a carpet of snakes. He had to focus all his power on the core. “Keep them off me, Kai. I’ll be as fast as I can.”
“My life for yours, Chosen.”
“Thanks, but I’d prefer we both get out of this alive.”
White flames erupted from the staff and pounded the core.
Once again Conryu felt his mind connected to the fire as it fought to purify the corruption. Through that link he sensed the demon’s awareness as the flames slowly destroyed it.
It railed and fought. Behind him Conryu was vaguely aware of Kai slicing through any vine that got close.
Layer by layer the core shrank.
Stop! I beg you. Let me live and Baphomet will reward you with power greater than anything the Reaper has offered.
He ignored the demon’s wheedling and pushed harder. The core was burned down to little more than a golf ball when it finally shattered. The tiny pieces of darkness were quickly consumed.
Conryu released the spell and leaned hard on his staff. It was done.
A soft moan drew his attention. He turned to find Kai lying on her back. Dozens of wounds covered her body. Though none of them looked serious, they had to be painful.
A sweep of the staff flooded her with light magic. The cuts vanished in an instant. “Better?”
“Much, thank you, Chosen.”
Kai hastened to rise, but he rested a hand on her shoulder. “Take your time. Prime, what’s our status?”
“I sense no more corruption, Master. The temple has been fully purified.”
Thank goodness for that. Conryu seriously doubted he had strength enough for another burst of Divine Flames.
He pointed and the library door appeared. Time for a nice long rest. They’d certainly earned it.
As he and Kai leaned on each other and limped across the threshold into the library, Prime said, “Master, the hellpriest.”
“Shit, I forgot all about him. Sonada, Lin, I’ve got a mission for you two.”
The ninja pair appeared. “How may we serve?”
“There’s an island not that far east of here. I want you to scout it out. Confirm the hellpriest’s presence and return here. Under no circumstances are you to attack on your own. Understand?”
“As you command.” They vanished again.
From behind them Kelsie said, “Are you two okay? You look awful.”
“I’ve been better,” Conryu said. “But at least we’ve dealt with this temple. I really hope the one in Brazil isn’t this tough.”
Lin and Sonada appeared only seconds later. Sonada said, “We found an island crawling with thralls and there was a nearly complete structure that looked very much like a wooden version of this temple, but no hellpriest.”
“He must have fled.” Conryu wanted to punch something.
“You did all you could, Chosen,” Kai said. “Let us rest. The hunt can resume tomorrow.”
“Good call, Kai. Sonada, you and Lin keep watch over that island. If anyone with a powerful dark aura shows up, come find me.”
They bowed and disappeared.
Conryu stepped into the library and closed the door. Time to return to the academy. Maybe it had been long enough that he could finally give Maria a hug. Heaven knew he needed one.
Epilogue
Conryu strode down the sidewalk toward Giovani’s Pizza Parlor. After nearly a week of searching, he’d found no sign of the hellpriest. Even worse, when he went to the temple Maria found in Brazil, the demon was gone and no corruption remained in the temple. He assumed the followers of Abaddon had learned of his victory over Baphomet and found a new hiding place.
It was a setback, but what could he do? They’d pop up again somewhere and when they did, he’d be ready.
On a less pleasant note, he still couldn’t get close to Maria. Whatever darkness he’d absorbed in Hell still lingered. He had to keep a good four feet from her at all times lest she start to hurt. And he would never do anything to hurt Maria. Though being unable to touch certainly hurt them both a great deal.
That problem would sort itself out eventually. He hoped anyway. Having to live the rest of his life like this wasn’t appealing. Speaking of Maria, her father had invited him to some official meeting at the Department of Magic in Sentinel City. He’d given no hint what it was about during their short telephone conversation, but whenever Mr. Kane invited him to an official meeting, nothing good ever came out of it.
But that wasn’t until this afternoon. Now it was time to have lunch and keep a promise. He ducked into an empty alley two blocks from the pizzeria, summoned the staff, and pointed at a spot free of litter. A dark circle appeared and he said, “Dark Lady.”
A cylinder of darkness rose out of the circle and when it vanished, she stood there in the biker outfit he’d made for her. The denim shorts, cut-off top, and thigh-high boots looked just as good on her in the real world as they did in Hell. She also had bat wings, horns, and a tail. Since he didn’t want to give Mr. Giovani a heart attack, a more human appearance would be necessary.
“Master.” She looked all around as if expecting an attack at any moment. “Is all well?”
“For the moment. I’ve got a few hours to kill before a meeting and thought I might keep my promise.”
She stared at him with her red eyes then smiled. “Our date! I didn’t think you really meant it.”
“I always keep my word. Besides, things have been kind of stressful lately. A few hours with a friend will be a nice break.”
Her smile was bright enough to light up the sky. Only the needle-sharp eye teeth spoiled the effect. “Do you know you’re the first person, mortal or demon, that has called me his friend? I quite like it.”
“I guess I’ll never understand demons. If you could get rid of the wings, tail, horns, and glowing eyes, we’ll go have some of the best pizza in the world.”
As her body shifted into a fully human form, she licked her red lips. “I’ve never had pizza. In fact I’m not sure I’ve ever had a proper meal of any sort. It’s not like I need to eat.”
They left the alley and made the short walk to Giovanni’s. Everyone they passed stared at the Dark Lady. Not that he could blame them. Not only was she beautiful, but there was also something about her magic that made people desire her. It didn’t affect Conryu since he was her master.
Speaking of which, before opening the door he said, “Best call me by my name while we’re around other people.”
She took his hand and smiled again. “Calling my master by his given name. Yet another thing I’ve never done. This is turning into a day of firsts. Shall we, Conryu?”
He smiled back. How was it that the most normal thing he’d done in months was have lunch with a demon?
A delicious meal and two hours of idle conversation passed quickly, then it was time to go to the department for his meeting. Whatever happened there he was glad he got to keep his promise. The Dark Lady only pouted a little when he sent her back and even that expression was adorable on her.
It was a ways to the department building so he took to the air. A brief flight saw him landing in the parking lot of a tall, black building with a pentagram on the front. Not the most welcoming structure in the city.
The automatic doors opened for him and he made his way to a free receptionist. The woman gave him a bored look before her eyes widened. “Mr. Koda. The chief is waiting for you in the meeting room upstairs. Top floor, second door on your left.”
“Thanks.”
He went to the nearby bank of elevators and rode the nearest one to the top floor. He knocked on the pale wood door and Mr. Kane said, “Come in.”
Conryu pushed the door open and froze. Four huge televisions hung on the wall, each with a face centered in it. The only face he recognized was Jemma, the head of the Kingdom of the Isles Ministry of Magic. Maria, her mother, Ms. Umbra, Jonny, and two other women he didn’t know sat around a rectangular table with Mr. Kane at the head.
