Page 144 of As Above, So Below

A lie to protect is still a lie.

With a long sigh, I push the sides of the box closed and it seals itself shut. Yet another mystery to figure out.

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

Screaming.

Someone’s screaming.

It takes my sleep-addled brain longer than I’d care to admit to process the sound, before I roll onto my side in bed and open my eyes. Greeted by the still darkness of my bedroom, my breathing slows and I listen.

A muted scream has me slinging the blankets from me and leaping from the bed. As my feet fall upon the marble floor, rushes of tingles course down my skin—magic use.

This is Kassil.

It has to be.

The vampire Ryc killed would have told him everything. And Kassil would know I’d hide in Celesta’s temple once he’d learned I’m in Ollora.

Snagging my dagger from under my pillow, I strap it to my thigh and bolt out the door into the hallway. Another scream cuts through the air, pulling my attention to the far end of the hall where a winged creature carries Cora through a shattered window into the night.

Demon?

No. My eyes narrow, flying down to the chaos in the hall, to the wings of feathers—not the bat-like wings of a demon.

Demons wouldn’t be able to cross the threshold. Kassil has sent a different creature—harpies. Neither undead, nor demon, Celesta’s ward wouldn’t apply to them. But they’re pledged to Netharis all the same.

My heart sinks as fear kicks me into motion.

The corridor is filled with the skittering creatures, shrieking as they pull temple members from their beds. Cyran fights amidst four alone, and my feet take off toward him on instinct. As I pass Eve’s door, I crash a fist against it once, hoping to jar her awake.

“Eve! They have Cora!” I scream, my feet not slowing.

Good gods, I hope she heard me.

I don’t have time to stop.

In seconds, I reach Cyran and launch my innate, full force, at two of the harpies at his back. The shadows respond, lashing out as tendrils of dark, wrapping themselves around the wings of the creatures. My fist clenches, and their wings are torn from their bodies. The shadows fling the dark-feathered limbs across the hall where they hit the wall and fall to the floor.

My innate screams with delight and the shadows expand, encasing the two harpies in darkness, muffling their screams as the scent of blood blossoms through the air. The shadows constrict and the sound of bones crushing fills my ears.

Now is not the time to lose control of my innate, to succumb to my demonic urge. I let the shadows feed but keep the magic on a tight leash.

Cyran embeds his sword into the throat of the harpy on his left. Wasting no time, I pull from my innate again, my fingers dancing, and three shadowed blades streak past Cyran, striking the remaining harpy’s heart, throat, and forehead. She sinks to the floor, and my innate ripples with delicious satisfaction. Cyran turns, giving me a firm nod in acknowledgment before sprinting off to the next closest harpy.

As I race down the hall, tendrils of shadow strike at every passing harpy, piercing through chests and spines to grip and tear at their hearts. A chorus of screams rise as the shadows retract, dropping the bloodied muscles onto the white marble.

Leaping over the banister, my feet land firmly on the middle landing and begin carrying me the rest of the way down. Pushing with as much strength as I can muster into my legs, I speed down the empty hall toward the doors that cut through the garden.

I should ferry.

But if Kassil is here, I need every ounce of my reduced innatepool if I want to survive. I’m not returning to the hells. I refuse. If he’s here, he’ll be out front. Celesta’s ward will keep him from setting foot within the temple.

Bursting through the garden access doors, I turn my eyes upward. Dozens of harpies fly overhead, many with devotees in their claws.

My heart sinks.

Cora isn’t one of them.