Page 17 of Dark Hope (Dark Carpathians #38)

Chapter 17

Silke couldn’t continue looking at Benedek and what was happening to him. He was covered in blood, in a life-or-death struggle with the vampire. From the direction of the forest, a dragon streaked across the sky, breathing a steady stream of fire at the vampire. He was extremely precise, or Benedek was protected, because not a flame touched him. The vampire screamed in rage and pain, wrenching himself away from Benedek and taking to the sky.

Ainaakfél. It was more a soft call on the wind. Awaken. Evil comes to your territory. I may have need of you. He cannot get away.

Even as Benedek called to an unknown entity, he leapt into the air, shifting into a dragon as if he’d done it a million times. Maybe he had. Silke didn’t know.

The ground trembled as if far off there was a quake. She heard a boom, again in the distance but in Benedek’s mind. Something large awakened. Something ancient. Ainaakfél meant “old friend” in Carpathian. Benedek had reached out to something or someone who was of ancient descent.

What she did know, through her link to Benedek, was that it would take several hunters to bring the mix of beast and vampire down. He was powerful. He had centuries of battles and had acquired vast knowledge and skills, just as the other ancients had. This was what Benedek feared he would become should something happen to her—or if she rejected him. He was already close to the more , to the beast. She’d felt that rush he got from the battle. The absolute joy. He was so close.

The ground shook again, and the hollow boom sounded as if someone tried to speak in a deep cavern and the sound reverberated. Benedek didn’t seem to be upset by the strange far-off sounds. He whipped around in the sky, looking in the direction the vampire had taken.

You can’t have him, she whispered to the universe, more determined than ever to keep Benedek safe.

Can you handle Castello’s replicas? Benedek demanded. I need the hunters.

Go. This is what I do.

I stay with the slayer, Tora announced firmly. I would get in your way. Good hunting.

Silke was grateful. Tora and she had been fighting side by side for as long as Silke could remember. She doubted Tora would be in anyone’s way—she was a fierce fighter—but the hunters knew one another and had worked together before. She wanted them to go with Benedek. She sensed his conflict. He needed to see that she was safe, but this vampire-beast creature they chased was extremely powerful and couldn’t be let loose on the world.

Go, Benedek. I’ll be fine. She kept confidence uppermost in her mind, holding her concerns at bay.

Be safe. He gave a flick of the dragon’s tail and was gone.

There were so many demons, all targeting the slayer. The moment the dragons pulled back, whipping through the sky to follow the vampire, the demons went into a frenzy, rushing the porch.

Silke didn’t wait. She ran across the stone floor toward the highest point and leapt into the air, calling, “Lily, now. ”

Her dragon launched herself from the flower bed, exploding into the sky and streaking to intercept Silke before she began her descent. They had practiced the move countless times. Silke landed perfectly just behind the dragon’s head, knees digging in as Lily whipped around. Silke held the sacred water in one hand and her crystal sword in the other.

She couldn’t kill the demons with crystal light. That only seemed to make them stronger. But they had no protection against dragon fire. The armor they had wouldn’t stand against a pure earthen creation such as a dragon. The dragons were of the earth, just like the ancient forest. The creatures might be slowly going extinct. They had had their time on the planet, but they weren’t evil. Like Benedek, dragons could be violent, but they weren’t evil despite the way they were often portrayed in books or modern movies.

Silke thought Lily was beautiful and unique. She had dragon lilies for horns and more down her back. The petals were rolled and dark, looking for all the world as soft as velvet. She had a full open lily at her tail. Her body was covered in leaves. Wherever she chose to rest, she appeared to be several dragon lily plants clustered together. It was impossible to tell that she was a live creature. She often lay in the beds in the forest where the dragon lilies were planted.

Every scale tipped in those petals going down her back was a weapon. Her paws were weapons. Not only was the fire coming from her belly a red-orange flame that burned so hot it could incinerate in seconds, but her breath was poisonous. Those fumes, combined with the flames, were deadly.

Silke’s vision expanded, taking in the entire yard, the demons on the porch roof, the ones rushing to climb so they could try to knock her from the back of the dragon. Some had climbed plants and trees; others were on the porch tracking her dragon. All were desperate for her to hear their voices, trying to compel her to obey as Castello had. She heard the buzz in the back of her mind as the demons made a concentrated effort to compel her to listen to them. She was able to keep the voices at a distance, but found it alarming that they managed to penetrate her shield enough that she could hear them.

They seem to have forgotten you’re even in the sky, Tora, Silke pointed out. I can distract them, keep them totally engaged with me, and you and Peony can do the honors.

Tora rode an elegant dragon adorned with peonies. The colors of a sunset, pink, purple and gold flowers made up the back and tail of the dragon. She was gorgeous—just like Tora. And just like her rider, she was lethal. Like the dragon Lily, Peony could easily be overlooked when anyone came to the garden to look at flowers. She lay still, her flowers real, yet they were part of her, making up her scales.

Peony moved in and out of the night sky shadows, blending in with her deeper, richer colors so that she seemed to emerge out of thin air when she attacked. Tora wore her long thick hair down, rolling like waves with the force of the wind as her dragon whipped around, banking and then swooping down like an arrow. The clouds of dark hair flowed behind her, strangely taking the shape of black birds, crows, several of them, as if they were caught in strands or flying in close formation to aid her.

Silke flew Dragon Lily through the sky above the porch roof. Three of the clones stood, chanting in unison, feet planted wide, arms outstretched, weaving patterns in the air. Their joined voices grew stronger and louder.

She could just make out the other three Castellos lying flat on the roof, close to the edge, ready to spring on her to knock her off the dragon. It was to be a concentrated attempt to kill her by all six of the clones. She nearly fell for the trap. The demons made it look easy to kill them, as if because they were replicas of Castello, they didn’t have his brains.

Watch yourself, Tora. She turned Lily away from the roof at the last minute. They’re up to something. I have to figure out who is directing them because someone is.

You’d better hurry, Tora cautioned. There are too many of them.

Isolate them; don’t take on more than one. Stay away from the roof. Those three are desperate for me to get close.

Lily opened her mouth and a steady stream of fire burst from her, incinerating a lone demon trying to climb a bush that would have allowed him access to the roof. Peony managed to corner a second one and incinerate him.

The buzz in Silke’s ears became louder as she managed to isolate another clone, and dragon fire incinerated him. Peony’s fire swept through the yard, catching two more demons who hadn’t taken cover.

The chanting swelled. Took on a different tone. The demons were building a spell. These demons had been programmed to a specific set of activities. Silke doubted if they could have predicted dragon fire as one of the weapons they would have to face, yet they were clearly casting and she understood the words for “dragon fire” in the swelling chant. Demons didn’t cast spells this way. Mages did. Vampires did. Not demons, not like they were doing in perfect unison. Not against dragon fire.

They are attempting to raise shields against the dragon fire, Silke said, directing her dragon to sweep fire along the ground where two more of the replicas crouched behind shrubbery. One screamed and rolled on the ground, while the other ducked down, and the fire illuminated around him for a brief second, clearly hitting a transparent barrier.

At once, the demons went wild with elation. They began to throw fireballs at the dragons, the missiles whistling through the air targeting Peony and Lily. The dragon scales were impervious to the fire, but Tora and Silke weren’t.

Stay low, Tora cautioned. I’m building barriers over us to keep their attacks from scoring. You’ll have to figure out how to bring down their shields fast, Silke.

Silke was well aware the tides could change quickly when they faced so many demons. They’d had the advantage with the dragons, but now that had been taken away. Her crystal sword wouldn’t kill them—in fact, it seemed to make the demons stronger. Dragon fire had been her ace in the hole. She had never considered that Castello would break apart and produce replicas of himself. So many.

Once Tora had woven the safeguards over Silke and herself, the fireballs became useless against the dragons, other than forcing them to maneuver continually through a maze of raining fire. The continuous pulling up sharply and moving constantly would eventually tire them out. It was a good strategy. Silke knew she had to find the one manipulating the battle.

Keep us safe, Lily, she told the dragon. She let her mind expand, touching each demon lightly, feeling their energy. Most of them were in what she considered the hot zone, running on frenetic energy, adding to the chaos of combat. She knew the head demon, the one housing her real opponent, the mage, wouldn’t feel the same. It took time to find each demon and check them. Most demons were hiding, although now that the dragon fire didn’t work against them, some were becoming bolder.

The demons on the roof of her porch once more called to her, arms wide open, taunting her. Again, she heard a soft voice, one that didn’t penetrate her natural shields, but she heard it as compelling. That disturbed her more than having to change battle tactics. Who was the mage working with the demons? He had to be one of them, taking the form of Castello, released when the others were.

She wiped at her face, shocked that she was sweating. She didn’t feel anxiety when battling demons, but a part of her was anxious.

Is that voice getting to you, Tora?

It is targeting you solely, Tora said. I don’t believe these demons or the mage see me as the real threat.

That’s absurd, they have to know you’re Carpathian. Any Carpathian would be a threat to them. Silke had to ask herself the question, why weren’t they concerned with Tora? Between a slayer and a Carpathian, the Carpathian, female or not, would pose the most danger to the mage. Why wasn’t he centering his attention on Tora? Surely, he knew Tora provided the barriers to keep the fireballs off them, not Silke. She didn’t have those kinds of skills.

Lily, find a place to settle where you’re protected to conserve your strength. I’m going to try to take on the demons a different way.

They will kill you. Lily made it a declaration.

Have a little faith. I’ll call you the moment I need you again, but I want you to be fresh, not tired.

Lily was a fairly young dragon. She and Silke were the best of friends, and Silke knew that the wisdom of the other dragons who had come before her had been passed on to her, just as Silke’s ancestors had given her their knowledge. She worried about Lily’s inexperience, and it was clear that Lily was worried about whether or not she could handle the many demons trying to knock Silke from her back.

She leapt from Lily’s back as the dragon swooped low. Immediately the dragon hovered, her great wings flapping, sending waves of turbulence so strong, several demons running toward her with sharp weapons tumbled over backward. Her body blocked all sight of Silke as she ran low toward the beds of shrubs she knew would conceal her. Even from above, the demons wouldn’t be able to find her among the plants. The grounds had been laid out in anticipation of just such an attack.

Can you get the fireballs to stop? They’re distracting. Silke was certain the stone house would prevent any fire, as it always had, but a mage was directing the attack. He was feeding her anxiety, and she needed to stop anything that allowed him to prey on natural emotions.

No worries. I’ve got this, Tora assured.

She dismounted as well, just as determined to conserve Peony’s strength. As the fireballs continued to rain down, she threw her hands into the air and wove a reverse spell. In midair, the fiery round balls paused and then streaked toward the demons. The weapons hit the barriers surrounding the demons and bounced off, falling to the ground and fizzling out.

The demons howled with glee when the smoke cleared and the dragons were gone. They began to rush through the yard, searching for the slayer. One rushed right past Tora. She used a sword to try to take his head, but the shield around him shattered the metal.

You’re going to have to find a way to bring down their shields, Silke, Tora advised. This mage is powerful in one way yet is completely oblivious to the fact that I’m here.

Is it possible they can’t see you? They haven’t actually attacked you personally, have they? They saw your dragon, but maybe they can’t see you.

That makes no sense, Tora objected. How could that be? The mage seems pretty powerful to me. He’s managed to introduce anxiety into you when that has never happened.

Silke had been hoping Tora wouldn’t notice, but of course she had. They’d been together battling both vampires and demons and were in and out of each other’s minds.

He’s extremely powerful using his voice because ordinarily, a compulsion won’t work on me. I can’t even hear it, but he’s broadcasting loud enough or tuned specifically to me enough that anxiety is slipping in. I’m on it now. I’m actively hunting him.

How will you find him when there are so many? You’ll have to examine each one individually. That will take you hours. We can’t hold off that long.

His voice is projected toward me. He isn’t just commanding the demons and casting dark spells. He knew where I was, and that allowed him to push deep enough into my mind for me to be affected. That also left him open. He created a path between us. I just need to find that path and follow it back to him.

Her voice rang with confidence now. She had pushed the doubt from her mind and once more completely assumed the role of demon slayer. Blocking out the growling demons as they sniffed around the yard hunting her, she concentrated on recalling each word, each phrase that had been impressed on her mind. Once she was able to hook into the exact memory, she searched for the footprint. There was always one. Even a very experienced mage would not be able to completely obliterate his mark. The compulsion wouldn’t work if he did.

There it was. So faint, but she found that small, faint dark stain. Once found, she allowed her energy to expand slowly, to cover the smudge and begin to trace it back to its origin. She wouldn’t be able to identify precisely which demon was really a mage in disguise, not at first anyway. She would have to have a very delicate touch, enter his mind and bring down the shields covering the demons.

Three demons shrieked taunts and raced through the shrubs, nearly stepping on her. The flower bed reacted the way she knew it would, protecting her, striking at the demons with poisonous stalks. The toxic sap hit the demons’ armor, revealing what the shields looked like. They were thin, very thin, as if the mage had in haste sent out one dark spell to cover the many demons and the shields were imperfect. She could see cracks in one of the three demons’ armor.

She kept her mind moving slowly and gently, almost drifting over the footprints leading back to the mind of the mage. It seemed to take forever, but there was no hurrying the process. The mage would detect her if her energy wasn’t low and steady.

Demons ripped at the outside walls of the house and tore at the roof. The stones withstood the assault, and Tora countered with whips of electricity, knocking the demons off the structure. The whips cracked and sizzled as they leapt through the air at the demons.

Silke felt the reaction of the mage as he tried to tune himself to the one attacking his little army. Again, she found it interesting and very telling that he thought the slayer was behind the attack. At no time did he consider there was a Carpathian with her. His mind was consumed with finding and killing the slayer.

She could see red ribbons of rage floating through his mind. Each ribbon had a single command attached to it—find and kill the slayer. That was their one task, what each demon had been bred for. This plot had been in the making for a century, and the mage was the one chosen to carry it out. Should he fail, he would be condemned to centuries of torture, and his mistress had no forgiveness in her. She enjoyed the various cruel punishments she thought up, each one more brutal and merciless than the last. She also had a tendency to forget those she sent to the torture chambers, so they could be there for the rest of their existence, which was endless.

Carefully, she searched through his memories to find the spell for the shields. She studied it with meticulous care. While he concentrated on calling to her, pushing more compulsion into his voice, she slowly, very, very slowly, began to unravel the spell. It took a few minutes to reverse the order without drawing his attention. The shields, other than the one covered in poison, were invisible. The demons—and the mage—failed to notice when they came down.

Now, Lily. Tora, call to Peony.

Lily burst from where she had hidden herself, flying low straight toward Silke. Silke leapt on her back, banked and came around, directing Lily’s dragon fire to the demons in the yard. She caught two of them on the first sweep, incinerating them on the spot. The others went into a frenzy, throwing spears and shooting arrows at the two dragons, who once again had taken to the skies.

Silke felt the instant reaction in the mage. He called out, his hands moving in a pattern. Unfortunately, the demons on the roof and the ones on the porch lifted their hands as well. At least that narrowed her search down.

Destroy as many as possible, Tora. He’s weaving another spell. Silke leaned over her own dragon. Hurry, she whispered to Lily. Take out as many as you can.

Silke angled Lily toward the porch to sweep the deck with dragon fire, hoping to rid them of the mage. Her favorite chair burst into flames right along with two of the three demons crouched on the porch trying to hide from the fire.

A sound swelled in volume, becoming so loud it grated on the ears. Flying insects turned the sky from charcoal gray to black as they swept into the yard. There were thousands of them, and they attacked the dragons, stinging and biting. They were so small they could get between the overlapping scales.

The insects tangled in her hair and stung and bit ferociously. It was Tora who countered, throwing a hardened shell around the dragons, which prevented them from using their dragon fire but also prevented the insects from continually attacking. It also trapped hundreds inside the shield.

Silke ignored the terrible burning sensation as her body swelled where each bite or sting had found her. She had to get rid of the insects attacking Lily and Peony. The sheer number was overwhelming. Lily trumpeted her anger and discomfort. The weight of the insects pushed her toward the ground and interfered with her ability to use her wings. Peony was having the same trouble.

Silke had to push aside her fears for the young dragon, the pain both of them felt, and the shrieks of joy the demons emitted as they rushed to circle the dragons. She had only minutes to reverse the spell the mage had concocted. Fortunately, she was already in his mind, hovering in a little crack, undetected. It wasn’t difficult to find that moment when the mage had bidden the insects to destroy the dragons and the slayer.

The really great part was the insects were real. These were not manufactured in the underworld. The mage had managed to call hordes of them to him. Because they were real, Silke could find a way to wrench control from the mage. The spell was quite simple but very dark. She hesitated. It wouldn’t do to be caught before she could identify him. There were other ways to rid themselves of the insects.

Tora would be able to counter the spell and better protect her dragon, but Silke could feel Peony’s distress right along with Lily’s. Even Tora was having trouble with the sheer number of insects crawling through the scales, stinging and biting. It didn’t help that the demons had grown aggressive, certain they could kill the dragons the moment they brought down the barriers Tora had erected around the two creatures. They surrounded the large bulks, pounding on the transparent shells, jabbing at them with razor-sharp spears. Two even began to build a bomb to set under the dragons.

Silke reached for the tiny creatures. As a child, she had practiced connecting with all kinds of insects and reptiles. As a slayer, it was a requirement to be able to control bugs, animals and birds. It required a quiet mind. She had to pull out of the mage, so she marked the pathway to his mind and reached for the insects. Because it was a familiar path, she connected almost immediately.

She tuned herself to the group. Many were nestmates. She couldn’t use odor to communicate so she chose substrate vibrations, using the scales of the dragon to warn the insects to leave immediately, that there was danger to them. The bugs responded by backing out of the scales and flying straight at the invisible barrier.

Are the insects abandoning Peony?

Yes.

Take down the barrier around their heads. That will allow the insects to leave and give both dragons the opportunity to slay those attacking them if we time it perfectly.

That meant complete coordination between the two dragons. She didn’t want the insects smashing themselves on the barrier, so she sent another signal to them, giving them the exact route to get out of the trap they were in.

Tora brought down the front of the shield, and the insects poured out in a black cloud, rising fast to escape back to the meadow. Peony and Lily swung around, vengeful, furious, sweeping a circle of intense, steady fire around them, igniting the demons that had been trying to kill them.

Instantly, Silke felt the mage’s fury. His voice swelled in a summoning chant. The demons joined with him, raising their voices to call. Her heart dropped. This was going to be bad. Of course Lilith had a contingency plan should anything go wrong. Between the two dragons all but about fifteen of the demons were gone. That last sweep had ignited most of those in the yard.

He is summoning something from the underworld, Tora said.

Silke didn’t need to be told. The ground was consecrated. No creature could use it to come through. That meant whatever the mage had summoned was coming from a distance.

Hurry, Tora, we have to try to get to the ones on the roof before their help arrives.

She needed to get back inside the mage’s mind quickly and find out exactly what they were about to face. She was already tired, both mentally and physically. She knew both Lily and Peony were. Tora rarely showed signs of fatigue, but even she had to be on the brink of exhaustion. They had been fighting off the demons for far too long.

She made her way back to the mage’s mind, careful to enter slowly. Her energy was low, and it helped that she really felt drained. There were only fifteen demons left. Six had remained on the roof, still taunting her. She was certain they were bait to draw her in. At first, she thought the mage would be one of the six. On the roof, one had a clear view of the yard. It was the porch roof, so not as high as the main roof.

That gave her pause. Wouldn’t the mage want the best view? The best view wouldn’t be the porch roof, it would be much higher. Much, much higher. The roof was covered in moss and greenery. There were many places to conceal oneself—but the plants were used to Silke and Fenja. They guarded the house along with the stones and mythical creatures.

Deliberately, Silke expanded her energy, sending it out searching for the mage. She had the pathway to his mind that she followed, but she also allowed her mind to encompass the roof. She wouldn’t see him, but she was part of the mycelium network. The plants growing on her home would inform her if there was an enemy hidden among them. She hadn’t checked with them because it seemed futile with so many replicas. But if one was isolated on the roof…

Lily, bring me close to the main roof, close enough that I can reach it. You’ll have to maneuver carefully. I know it isn’t easy. I’ll watch out for the demons trying to attack you.

The armor was still around Lily, but they would have to shed it soon. She couldn’t fly properly. Tora was having trouble getting Peony around to sweep fire across the porch roof. She kept the pressure on, giving Silke the time that she needed to examine the mage’s memories. As she did, Lily tried to get in close to the roof to allow Silke to touch the plants. Silke couldn’t do both at once. It was impossible. She needed all of her concentration to follow the path to the memory without getting caught.

The moment she saw their adversary in his mind, the one he had summoned and who no doubt was streaking toward them, her breath caught in her lungs. It took every ounce of discipline not to allow her heart to accelerate and give her away.

Tora, we’re in trouble. He’s summoned a winged serpent from the underworld. I have only heard of them from one ancestor. Only one. It has fangs and drips venom. Even a drop on you or our dragons could kill. That’s how dangerous they are.

Dragon fire? Will that kill it?

No, they are impervious to dragon fire. As far as I know, they are the only creatures who are naturally resistant.

We will have to send the dragons away from here. Tora was practical. How did your ancestor defeat it?

Silke was silent, reluctant to give the bad news. The serpent ended her life.

Lily had to go, and she had to leave fast. Already, Silke could feel the triumph in the mage. That same euphoria spread to the remaining demons. They were certain they could kill the demon slayer. Lilith would be delighted with them. The shouting swelled in volume. Spears rained down on the dragons.

Get us low, Lily, Silke ordered. The moment Tora removes the shield, go away from here. You can’t take the chance of staying close. The serpent may be able to find you. I know they’re connected to dragons.

Lily obediently, if reluctantly, dropped to the garden floor some distance from the house. Tora removed the shields, and both dragons took to the air, flying toward the ancient forest. Tora and Silke dove into one of the many depressions secreted between the rows of shrubs.

Can you send it back, Silke? Reverse the summons?

No. He had a fail-safe built in. When he called for the serpent, the other demons joined with him. I would have to know which ones and duplicate their voices. Some are already dead.

If you can see the spell, perhaps I can reverse it, Tora ventured.

The wind blew through the yard, a fierce gust, not cold as it should have been, but so hot it scorched the tops of the shrubbery. The plants shrank lower. All flowers closed into tight buds. The earth shuddered. The incessant drone of insects stopped abruptly until there was absolute silence. Even the demons ceased to shriek. No one moved.

Silke found herself holding her breath and forced air through her lungs to relax. She would have one chance to kill the serpent. If she didn’t, all would be lost. Tora, her mother, Benedek. This was her fight. Her battle. She hadn’t expected to face a serpent of hell, but then, as a slayer, she had to expect the unexpected.

It didn’t occur to her to call out to Benedek. He had his own problems, likely as crucial as hers. She was the slayer. This was her duty. She’d been born for this task. It was also very terrifying. The serpent was huge and foul. He was fast and venomous. He could spit. He could use his wicked fangs. Or his tail like a whip.

You can do this, Silke, Tora assured her. You were born for this moment.

Be ready to direct dragon fire to the demons while I do my best to rid our world of the serpent. She pushed her backpack across the ground until it was under Tora’s palm. The crystal sword wields dragon fire.

I’ll keep them off you.

I suspect the serpent won’t put up with them interfering between us. He was summoned and will want to kill the demon slayer.

The wind brought the stench of fire and brimstone. The hair on her body immediately reacted, standing up as the winged serpent swept into the yard. He stopped abruptly in midair, his wicked yellow eyes taking in everything around him.

Silke didn’t want him to find Tora. Tora was her ace in the hole. She had to kill the rest of the demons while Silke dealt with the serpent.

The mage is on the roof. He is crouched near the edge, in the shadow of the bow window overlooking the yard. Make certain he dies. He is in the form of Castello, but he is mage, Silke said.

She stood up slowly, facing the serpent, a small smile on her face. She was in the habit of stashing weapons around the yard, and her bow and arrows were most often kept in the hollow of the old tree close to her. Holding the serpent’s malevolent stare, she made her way casually to the tree and leaned one hand against the trunk, fingers inches from her only real weapon. It took only a moment to set up her rope with the arrows, hiding the activity behind the thick tree trunk.

The serpent ducked his head, swaying it back and forth as he opened his mouth, revealing long rows of teeth. Venom ran down his fangs, glistening white-yellow, dripping on the thick stones that formed the path leading to her home. The venom sizzled and smoked, a noxious odor rising. One of the demons who was close, hiding behind a large stone, began to cough and choke. The serpent turned his gaze momentarily onto the demon. He looked what he was, pure evil.

The yellow eyes glittered as the serpent observed the demon strangling on the fumes. He went to his knees, his hands around his throat as he desperately sought air. Silke refused to be distracted. It was the reaction of the stones making up the pathway that caught her eye. More of the venom had dropped in great globs onto the surface. The venom hissed and smoked, but the stone didn’t even blacken.

The serpent suddenly spit venom directly at the demon, striking the hapless replica of Castello directly in the face. A blackened hole appeared instantly, as if the flesh had been eaten away that quickly. The edges began to spread outward, skin, muscle and bone quickly destroyed by the potency of the venom. The demon screamed horribly, the sound one of agony.

Tora, set up a transparent shield until I have my plan finalized.

It is done.

Everything in Silke stilled. Became aware. She shut out the demon and the consequences of being hit by the venom. She allowed her mind to expand, drift into the wind that surrounded the serpent’s undulating body, the flapping wings as it created a cyclone on the ground. Dirt, twigs and leaves were hurled into the air in tight formation under the powerful force the wings generated.

The connection with the serpent was almost immediate, but her stomach lurched and bile filled her throat. The thing was old. Very old. Evil. Extremely so. It delighted in killing. It felt powerful when it was spitting its venom onto a victim. The serpent felt invincible. It feared no one, not even Lilith. Certainly not the lowly demon slayer. It remembered killing her ancestor. Pitiful woman to think she could pit herself against such a powerful being and possibly survive. He had every intention of killing the slayer slowly so that every moment she lived was sheer torture.

Silke didn’t try to understand the serpent. There was no understanding such a foul, malevolent being. Instead, she studied its strengths and weaknesses. The scales were hard like the scales of a dragon, only more so. To try to penetrate them would be disastrous and laughable. She would have to destroy the brain of the serpent in order to kill it. To do that, she would have to find a way to render it unconscious. Not an easy task.

The serpent was no longer amused by the dying demon. He turned his malignant yellow gaze on her. A chill went down her spine, but she gripped her bow, slid it over her shoulder and caught up the arrows and rope, sliding them onto her shoulder. She would need every skill she had developed from her childhood if this was going to work. She had this one chance. One.

Silke gripped the invisible shield, holding it in front of her body, and without warning ran at the serpent at an angle that would take her between the wings and the neck. She ran for the great stones that created the terracing around the house.

The serpent spat his venom triumphantly, a steady stream, moving his head up and down so he could thoroughly douse her as she ran. The venom hit the transparent shield, splattering across it and running down it in thick rivulets.

Silke felt the shock of the serpent as its great head reared back and then swung side to side. She was already on the rocks, and she dropped the shield as she leapt into the air, landing with both feet on the back of the serpent. In midair, she caught up the bow and fit an arrow into it. The moment she stuck the landing, her body settling for the rough ride as the serpent tried to dislodge her, she shot the first of three arrows into the space behind the head of the serpent. Each arrow was connected to a rope.

Slinging the bow over her shoulder, she caught up the ropes and crouched low, her mind expanding in that of the serpent’s.

Fast as you can, knock her off with the wind. She pushed the suggestion into the serpent’s mind and then followed it with one thought after another so the evil creature couldn’t question what he was thinking.

Faster, fly faster. Show her she is nothing. She has no idea of your incredible speed. She will fall, and you can use your fangs on her, tear her in half for the audacity and disrespect she has shown. Faster, faster. Faster.

She kept repeating the thought, shoving it into the serpent’s mind until the creature was flying so fast the wind whistled and tears leaked from her eyes. She used the ropes as reins, turning him in a circle, keeping up the urgent thoughts as the serpent built his speed. In all fairness, she was nearly blown off his back. It took every bit of strength she had to hold on, even crouched as low as she was.

Suddenly she jerked the reins, turning the serpent at the last moment so he was heading directly at the house. The stones were thickest to the west, and she drove the serpent headfirst straight into the massive wall of stones. The house shook, but the stones held even covered in the venom that spewed from the serpent’s mouth when he hit so hard.

The skull cracked and he went down. She had leapt off just before he struck the wall, but now there was very little time. She knew he wasn’t dead, and he wouldn’t stay unconscious for long. Racing to the front of the serpent where the head lay cocked to one side, the skin cracked open, the tongue hanging out and the fangs broken, she called to Tora.

Need a large spike and hammer fast. While I do this, take out the demons as quickly as possible.

The hammer and long spike materialized right beside her. Silke didn’t hesitate. She wanted to kill the serpent as humanely as possible. She could only do that when it was unconscious. It wouldn’t stay that way for long, and when it woke, it would be more lethal than ever.

She drove the spike through its brain. It wasn’t an easy task. The serpent was huge, and even with a cracked head, it was extremely tough. She had to use every ounce of her strength. Around her, Tora used dragon fire to sweep up the last of the demons. The mage was the first to go. Tora had ferreted him out near the bow window while Silke struggled with each blow of the hammer to force the spike in a multitude of directions.

Pithing involved using multidirectional movement with the spike in the cranial cavity to ensure death. The entire brain had to be destroyed. In this case, Silke knew it was more important than ever to keep the serpent from rising again. She would never be able to fight it off. She was exhausted mentally and physically. Mentally from all the merges she’d done, and just this last task alone was extremely difficult physically, let alone everything else she’d done that day.

When she was certain the serpent couldn’t rise, she sank to the ground and looked around the yard at the ashes smoldering everywhere.

We still have to clean up, and I can’t even lift my arms, she admitted to Tora.

I can do that. Just rest before we go in to Fenja.

I can’t help worrying about Benedek, but I’m not going to chance disturbing him. I don’t want him distracted, Silke said. She was worried. He’d been covered in blood the last time she’d seen him.

He’s an ancient. A very skilled Carpathian hunter, Tora pointed out.

That’s true, but he’s chasing a vampire who escaped the underworld. Isn’t he exactly what the beast is that you and three other Carpathian women guard so carefully to prevent him going free? You told me that most hunters would be unable to take the vampire-beast down.

Benedek is not most hunters. Neither are the others, Tora assured.