Page 62
Story: Devoured By Shadows
“He killed it!” Breckett said, his voice holding an obvious note of relief.
Jessamine sniffed, an eyebrow raised. Which, for her, likely meant she was impressed.
Arabella frowned.
Even with the magical fae sword, it was strange that a creature of legend could be felled so easily—with only a single strike. This was a demon thatmadeother demons. It was the thing that haunted dreams, the fear that lurked in corners of forgotten memories. Had it just grown out of proportion in the thoughts of so many?
She hauled herself off the ground, summoning the shadows once more and lacing them around her entire body. It hid the trembling of her limbs somewhat. Why was she so fucking exhausted?
Beside her, Jessamine and Breckett got to their feet.
“That’s it?” Jessamine said.
Hadeon shrugged.
They watched as the zaol’s ashes hovered in the air for several moments too long.
It was then Arabella realized there wasn’t any wind. But the ashes swirled in aimless circles before stilling and shuddering. Then something like a heartbeat swelled inside the surrounding shadows, which were leached from the nearby trees. The darkness flowed toward the ground beneath the ashes before it twisted in the air. As the ashes met the shadows, there was a hissing sound like a sword pulled from a forge and plunged into water.
Then two feet formed on the ground. Unnaturally long legs of sinew melded atop them as its body slowly reformed.
Breckett cleared his throat. “I don’t think it worked.”
“Excellent observation,” Jessamine said as she shoved him back toward the trees. “Run!”
For a moment, Breckett hesitated, as though he wanted to help.
“Get out of here,” Arabella called over her shoulder. “Hadeon and I will catch up with you.”
Jessamine couldn’t use her magic, and Breckett’s magic wouldn’t be helpful against the zaol. Not if Hadeon wouldn’t accept the help, and she had to put all her focus on absorbing the greater demon’s attacks.
Without another word, Arabella pulled the shadows from the earth around her. They hummed a delicious tune. But as she pulled the darkness into her, she noted a strange sticky sensation. As though the inky tendrils had a film atop them—something dark and menacing that filled her along with the power. Her senses became sharper and, along with it, her emotions heightened. It filled her with a sense of unyielding rage like she’d never known.
“Protect Breckett,” she said in a voice that was far colder than her own.
Jessamine hesitated before nodding and running after Breckett.
Then Arabella turned to face the zaol.
Chapter Thirteen
ARABELLA
Arabella watched the zaol weave shadows and ashes together, reforming its body.
A sudden conviction filled her.
“Greater demons can’t die here,” she said, ignoring the faint trembling in her arms and legs. “The underrealms are their homeland… I think it will just reform.”
All around her and Hadeon were the charred stumps of the trees. One-quarter of the trees in the oasis had been felled in a single blast of the zaol’s magic. Now, they had no coverage, nothing to hide behind.
They had to face the demon head-on.
Hadeon’s gaze swiveled between Arabella and the zaol, his sword in his fist. “Do you have a suggestion, Enchantress?”
She sifted through their options.
“I don’t suppose you could fly while carrying us? Even if you bring us one at a time, we could flee and get ahead of the zaol—” she began, but he interrupted.
Table of Contents
- Page 1
- Page 2
- Page 3
- Page 4
- Page 5
- Page 6
- Page 7
- Page 8
- Page 9
- Page 10
- Page 11
- Page 12
- Page 13
- Page 14
- Page 15
- Page 16
- Page 17
- Page 18
- Page 19
- Page 20
- Page 21
- Page 22
- Page 23
- Page 24
- Page 25
- Page 26
- Page 27
- Page 28
- Page 29
- Page 30
- Page 31
- Page 32
- Page 33
- Page 34
- Page 35
- Page 36
- Page 37
- Page 38
- Page 39
- Page 40
- Page 41
- Page 42
- Page 43
- Page 44
- Page 45
- Page 46
- Page 47
- Page 48
- Page 49
- Page 50
- Page 51
- Page 52
- Page 53
- Page 54
- Page 55
- Page 56
- Page 57
- Page 58
- Page 59
- Page 60
- Page 61
- Page 62 (Reading here)
- Page 63
- Page 64
- Page 65
- Page 66
- Page 67
- Page 68
- Page 69
- Page 70
- Page 71
- Page 72
- Page 73
- Page 74
- Page 75
- Page 76
- Page 77
- Page 78
- Page 79
- Page 80
- Page 81
- Page 82
- Page 83
- Page 84
- Page 85
- Page 86
- Page 87
- Page 88
- Page 89
- Page 90
- Page 91
- Page 92
- Page 93
- Page 94
- Page 95
- Page 96
- Page 97
- Page 98
- Page 99
- Page 100
- Page 101
- Page 102
- Page 103
- Page 104
- Page 105
- Page 106
- Page 107
- Page 108
- Page 109
- Page 110
- Page 111
- Page 112
- Page 113
- Page 114
- Page 115
- Page 116
- Page 117
- Page 118
- Page 119
- Page 120
- Page 121
- Page 122
- Page 123
- Page 124
- Page 125
- Page 126
- Page 127
- Page 128