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Hovering just above him, The Phasmagus goaded him on. “C’mon, fucker!”

The power of Lucifer’s Sword called to Amaliya, demanding blood, vengeance and release. She intended to give it what it wanted. Amaliya hurled herself into the air, flying toward The Summoner, the sword in her hand ready to swipe off his head.

The Summoner paused in his climb, recognizing his folly. Eyes locked with Amaliya’s, he read her intent as she swooped toward him. With a wicked, triumphant smile, he blinked out of existence.

The sword cut through where he had perched seconds before. Spinning about in the air, Amaliya searched for The Summoner.

“Where is he?” Amaliya shouted at Samantha.

“I don’t see him,” Samantha floated in the cloud of phantoms. They held her aloft as the phasmagus searched for The Summoner.

“Let’s play, shall we?” Bianca’s voice snarled below.

Looking down, Amaliya saw the other woman’s eyes glowing brightly.

Then the bodies of the many humans The Summoner had slaughtered rose to their feet.

Chapter 29

Jeff scrambled down the makeshift stairs Baptiste had summoned. The steps made of bedrock and dirt were steep, forcing him to descend faster than felt safe. Jeff kept fearing he’d miss a step and fall. Baptiste led the way, Jeff followed with Eduardo on his heels, and Alexia took up the rear.

Water poured from broken pipes, the reek of sewage filled the air, and gas lines burned like torches along the walls of the chasm. Below, the bright sparks of magic illuminated the remains of the old Mayan temple. The greatest light came from the luminescent cloud of ghosts that held his fiancée aloft. Samantha looked nothing like the sweet, bullheaded girl he’d first met. With the spirits surrounding her and her power flowing in great glittering waves around her, she looked like a goddess.

“Your girlfriend is amazing,” Baptiste said, observing the same view.

“Are we winning?” Alexia asked.

“Hard to tell,” Jeff admitted.

It was difficult to track everything that was happening. Cian was on a killing spree, Cass was dodging stone spikes being thrown at her by a redhead, and Aimee was holding off a horde of demons while flitting around in the air and hurling magic bolts. Amaliya was holding a beautiful, terrifying sword while flying toward The Summoner.

Arriving at the bottom of the cavern, Jeff ran across the muddy surface. The drizzle, water, and sewage were making the ground into sludge. Eduardo surged past them and leaped into the fray.

“I got the elemagus,” Baptiste said, swerving off to confront the redhead.

Summoning some of the fire from the flaming pipes above, Baptiste hurled it at the elemagus fighting Cassandra. Her head jerked in his direction and she thrust out her hand. Baptiste barely avoided a stone spike that erupted from the ground. The other elemagus barely avoided the fire ball and then charged Baptiste, abandoning Cassandra.

Jeff gripped the silver stake in his one hand tighter, and lifted the pistol in the other. The demons were herding Aimee into a corner. The modified bullets in the gun contained vanquishing spells. When used on any other creature, they’d have the impact of a normal bullet, but on demons it would send them back into the abyss. Taking careful aim, he started to fire. He grinned when the first demon he hit winked out of existence.

From behind a large rock, a mortal young man bolted toward the stairs Baptiste had created. He clutched an iPad to his chest and ran like a scared rabbit. Jeff pondered going after him, but the demons had turned their attention in his direction. Reloading, Jeff was glad he had allowed Cian to infuse him. He was much faster doing the task than ever before. A demon barreled toward him, hands aflame. Jeff slapped the clip home and raised the pistol. He fired and the demon vanished.

“Out of my way!” a voice shouted behind Jeff.

Twisting about, Jeff saw the young man rushing Alexia. She started to raise her gun, but thought better of it when she must have realized he was unarmed and mortal. Instead, she pistol whipped him, then kicked him into the bottom stair. Striking him two more times in the back of the head with her foot, Alexia seemed satisfied that he was unconscious and ran to join Jeff.

“I think we got this,” she said with a gleeful smile.

Then a second later the dead bodies littering the cavern climbed to their feet.

“Shit,” Jeff sighed.

The dead didn’t just rise, they were pulled apart and knitted together by sinews of darkness into new, terrifying creatures with bones for teeth and claws. The giant monsters rushed Amaliya, intent on stopping her.

“Oh, hell!” Cassandra cried out, leading the charge into battle.

The dhamphir spun through the air, aiming for the closest creature. She landed on the mushy ground and drove her blades through its torso, ripping it in half. Blood sprayed her as she twisted about, just missing the swipe of a huge clawed hand. Hacking away at the creature, she had no idea how to kill it, but knew she had to keep it away from Amaliya until the necro-vampire could finish off The Summoner.

Nearby, Cian fought another creature, his black blade cutting off the claws of a multi-limbed creature. A grim expression upon his face, he fought with a brutality that was familiar to Cassandra. All her life she’d been afraid she was like her father. Now she realized she was very much his daughter in every way.