Page 59 of Malicent (Seven Devils #1)

“The horses may not be far off. We’ll be risking it on foot if we can’t find them,” he says, scanning the dark.

“There’s at least one nearby,” Kalix murmurs. “I can hear it.”

I glance at him doubtfully. “You can hear it?” His green aura continues to oddly flicker.

He smirks and takes Iris’s hand. “You can’t?”

They start walking and I trail behind, frowning. Something about Kalix is wrong, but I can’t put my finger on it.

He’s just a mortal, but tonight, there’s something else. Something new. A gift? A deal, perhaps? I can’t say.

Then, I stop.

Out in the field—

“Cage…did you not just kill that thing?”

“I definitely did,” he mutters, sounding wholly displeased as the corpse twitches before us, reanimating right before our eyes.

The damn thing's organs still hang loose, glistening when it rises again. Life flickers back into its eyes. Then it lets out a fresh scream, this time more human than animalistic.

“Kalix, take Iris to the horse. Now. Millicent you’re with me.”

His tone leaves no room for argument. Kalix scoops Iris into his arms and takes off sprinting down the road.

“I have no weapon and no magic,” I snap. “Am I bait?”

“The horse can’t carry three, and Iris can’t fight. This is the best option.”

He steps in front of me, pulling the two daggers from his thighs. “Here, you can have these.” The cool hilts settle into my palms. They’re too small for my liking.

I frown. “Wonderful. I get to be up close and personal.”

Cage’s fingers slide beneath my chin. He tips my head up until our eyes meet.

“You can handle it, witch.”

I roll my eyes. Of course I can, you idiot . I yank away, storming past him, checking his shoulder with mine as I move into the field.

“Me missus!”

On command, Ollie appears at my side. His joy turns to intrigue when he spots our grotesque company.

“Ollie, fix my blades, baby,” I say sweetly, offering the daggers without further explanation. Our bond makes words nearly redundant, his soul is tied to mine. He knows what I need.

Hovering, Oliver flaps his wings vigorously. His eyes glow as magic lifts the daggers from my hands. Light blue energy shimmers around them. They twist mid-air, lengthening and reshaping until they become short swords.

I take them back and test their weight in my hands. Perfect.

The Edax strikes just as it’s recovered.

Its serpentine speed sends it barreling toward me, jaws wide. But Oliver casts a barrier just in time. A translucent cocoon flares around us. The creature’s fangs slam against it with a crack.

“Rude,” Oliver mumbles, side-eyeing the monster.

“If you stay, stay back and be safe,” I remind him.

He obeys, lowering the shield and doing as I request. I step forward, just as the Edax turns its attention to Cage.

While it lunges at him, Cage feigns movement and quickly parries with his shield, baiting the strike to hack at its neck. I flank it and dig my blades into the back of its hind leg.

It snarls and lashes out, trying to slash at me with its talons. I sidestep and pull, dragging down both blades, cutting through tendons until the limb gives out.

The beast collapses onto one knee.

Cage doesn’t hesitate.

He sees the opportunity to bring his blade down hard, carving through its neck.

The head rolls. The body crumples beside it. Blood floods the grass in thick rivulets.

I take one breath. Maybe two.

Then—

Wails erupt from the trees. From everywhere.

“That sounds larger than just a typical pack,” I mutter, trying to pinpoint the wails’ origins. They’re all around us. Their cries echo from every direction; there’s too many to count.

I glance to the woods where more shapes emerge from the shadows. I count at least twelve.

The Edax at our feet begins to convulse.

Cage and I stagger back, eyes locked on the twitching corpse. From the bloody stump of its neck, a new jaw sprouts, followed by a gleaming, wet spine.

With a spray of blood, its new head snaps forward, fully formed and uninjured.

“They shouldn’t be able to resurrect like this.”

My grip tightens around the swords. My legs shift, bracing for the lengthy battle to come. This is no longer a fight. This is survival.

“No,” Cage agrees. “This has to be some sort of mutation. If they all resurrect, this is pointless.”

His blade erupts into silver and black flames.

The Edaxes charge. Dozens of them, converge on us.

The air fills with a chorus of suffering human and animal cries alike and pounding feet as all hell breaks loose.

I dodge jaws and talons, spinning and ducking beneath snapping fangs. Oliver casts shield after shield over me, each one breaking under the claws’ weight. The monsters crash into each other in their bloodlust, earning snarls and swipes from their own.

Cage is a whirlwind beside me. The style of blade work I saw him use against the Manipulators returns, this time with a more refined savagery.

He doesn’t just slash. He rips through them with wave after wave of black magic, cleaving their bodies into pieces.

Still, they rise. No matter if ran through, gutted, or burned, they rise again.

My arms ache, my hands tremble and shake. Without magic fueling my movements, fatigue creeps in fast.

And still they come.

How are there so many?

“Cage there are more!” I scream, sliding under an Edax as it leaps over me.

Cage slams his fist into the earth.

A second later, a powerful pulse surges from the impact, rippling across the ground. The nearest Edaxes—eight of them—are blasted backward.

Then I notice something strange.

Even those farther away, untouched by the shockwave, freeze. They react as if struck too.

Then in unison, their attention shifts. Every single head, even the ones still flooding from the woods, turns toward Cage.

And then I see it. The way they move. The timing. They don’t fight like beasts. They’re coordinating, reacting in tandem, and their attacks are seamless. The only reason they keep crashing into each other is because we’re outmaneuvering them.

They’re learning—fast.

“It's a hive mind!” I shout, a grin tugging at my lips. That’s why they won’t die. Not until we find the source.

“Keep it up!” I call to Cage.

While he holds their attention, I sprint toward the woods.

Oliver flutters beside me, his tone tight with nervousness, “Me missus, where going?”

“We need to find the main one, the alpha. Can you help me? Look for something different—bigger, smaller, strange markings. They may be protecting it.”

I push harder, my legs burning as I race across the field and into the forest’s shadow. My blades stay drawn. Roots twist beneath my boots and branches snap past my shoulders. I focus ahead, the high from my adrenaline finally kicking in.

Luckily, the hive is still focused on Cage. I’m ready if that changes.

I don’t know how long I run before Oliver reappears in a sudden blink of light. “I found it, me missus.”

I follow Ollie deeper into the forest, weaving through the trees and low hanging branches.

Between two fallen trunks, I spot it.

A massive Edax prowls slowly, coiling its limbs in its path toward Cage.

Once its tongue flicks the air, its head suddenly snaps in my direction.

I waste no time running straight for it. I raise one blade, arcing toward it just in time for its jaws to snap toward me.

The impact nearly knocks me off my feet. Its bite is far stronger than the others. I try to dig in, brace for impact—anything—but I’m thrown back.

My hands hit the ground to stop my fall, and dirt grinds into my palms.

The Edax rips the sword from my hands with teeth and tosses it aside. It’s already on the move again. It strikes out toward me with a shriek.

I stay low to the ground, forcing myself to wait until the last possible second.

When the Edax lunges again I push forward, the shield over me catching her fangs. Bone scrapes against the magical barrier. Her claws rake over it next, growing more frustrated as she tries to break through.

My magic-less weakness is no longer a whisper in my mind but a full scream as I depend on Ollie.

I slide under her belly, grit my teeth, and drive my second blade upward, aiming for her heart.

Black blood pours out in hot waves. The acrid stench fills the air, reminding me of the Crepitus Vox.

I clamp my mouth shut and hold my breath, unwilling to inhale whatever this is made of.

Planting my feet against her belly and kicking hard, I rip the blade free as I roll clear.

She lets out a piercing scream. My ears ring violently. Even when the sound fades, the deafening pain lingers.

Then I hear it.

Scampering paws thundering through the brush. Twigs snapping and leaves rustling straight toward me.

She called them. They’re coming .

I glance at the trees. They’re too close together for open combat. Plus, without my magic, I won’t survive long here.

I will not die here. I’m not finished yet. I have given everything and they have taken everything. I will get what I am owed.

I raise my blade again, aiming to take out the backs of her knees. I need her lower so I can hit her vitals or sever her head.

I manage to cripple one of her legs. She stumbles just as the first of her spawn crash through the trees.

Oliver reacts fast, trying to raise a shield around us to buy me some time.

Gods, she never stops biting.

I’m tired from fighting, from bleeding, from dodging relentless maw.

She lunges again and I kick her snout down and follow with my blade. I drive it into the side of her neck. She bucks back and shrieks, the force flinging me skyward.

Branches tear at my back as I crash through the canopy. My gown rips; my skin splits. Sharp fiery pain flares along every limb.

The fall back down is worse. Bark slices my front and my ribs once again crack.

I hit the ground with a cry I can barely voice. Oliver is there, his expression growing with panic.

He shields me, creating a bubble around us. He lands by my head, stroking my hair with trembling hands.

“Me missus ….” His voice shakes with fear; his skin flushes to a sickly yellow.