Page 156

Patience wasn’t something Xen possessed in abundance, but violence came to him as naturally as breathing.

A sizzling flame monster roared to life in his palm, opening its huge jaws of fire, ready to swallow anything in its path.

Knox grinned. “Bring it on.”

Xen reared to attack when a shrill cry rang out.

“No!”

The hand ready to unleash the jaws of fire froze. Xen’s fiery eyes blinked once, then fluttered to a figure stumbling inside the Tomb of Ascension.

Evan held onto his throbbing ribs and wobbled forward, warm blood still trickling from his lips. “Don’t… Don’t kill him. His—It’s Aaron’s body. Don’t kill him,” he struggled to form words. “You promised…”

Xen’s raised hand trembled with the effort it took to hold himself back, veins bursting along his arm before slowly, he closed his fist. The jaws of fire dissipated.

Knox snorted, looking almost disappointed that Xen had withdrawn the hit. “You’re still chained to human emotions I see. Anyone else in your place would have learned a thing or two from the past by now.”

Evan let out a stuttering breath of relief when Xen lowered his hand. He approached the edge of the Tomb of Ascension, intending to intervene. But when he reached out, something zapped him, and he was flung back again.

Xen stepped forward, chest heaving. “Evan—”

“I’m fine. I’m fine,” Evan croaked out, raising one trembling hand from where he was sprawled on the Tomb floor. “Just a little…barrier.”

He glanced around at all the cloaked figures surrounding the Tomb, the remaining members still chanting continuously. If it wasn’t his imagination, the spells had abruptly stopped when Knox had flung Evan inside, then started again. As if they’d lowered the veil for a moment to allow him in.

Oh. The chanting was not to summon anything but to keep the barrier up around the Tomb. To trap Evan inside. If he wasn’t injured, he could’ve blasted his way out.

Weak bastards.

It made sense. With the amount of spiritual energy he possessed, Evan couldn’t be held back with one barrier spell. That would give out the moment he touched it. The cult members were supplying a constant flow of spiritual energy tothe spell and holding the barrier up. With around fifty or sixty of them, they could somewhat keep Evan trapped inside.

He gripped his side and tried to sit up, but an acute pain shot up through his ribs, and he crashed back on the floor. After several more attempts, he gave up and rolled onto his back.

The night sky was clear above the Tomb, visible through the crack at the top, which was probably from the time when lightning had struck the array many years ago and broken it.

Evan’s head lolled to a side, staring at the bloody array a few feet away from him. If he could mess up the array, perhaps he could delay the summoning of the Hellfire. Delos had said they would carry out the ritual tomorrow…

Something occurred to him, and Evan froze.

He glanced up at the dark sky, eyes unfocused. Delos had saidtomorrowbut he hadn’t specified what time of day.

Clang.

A gong rang out nearby, the sound vibrating up Evan’s sprawled body. With a grunt, he rolled onto his less injured side and looked around the circle of cloaked heads before his eyes landed on one slightly bent to a side.

“Hey…” Evan managed to let out. “What time is it?”

The limping cult member jerked, the spell dying down on his tongue. After contemplating for a moment, he glanced at Knox, who was busy spouting nonsense at a stoic-faced Xen, then said, “E-Eleven thirty.”

Another half an hour to midnight. And after midnight, it would betomorrow.

It was certainly possible that the Bloodbath ritual would take place at midnight. But if that was the case, why were these cult freaks wasting their spiritual energies to hold Evan back rather than saving it for the summoning of the Hellfire?

With a sudden jolt, as if struck by lightning, Evan’s head lifted off the floor, eyes wide.

No…

Grunting and cursing as pain exploded through his side, he sat up. “Xen! Don’t talk to him,” he barked. “Get out of here right now. Go!”