Page 60

The Devil Returns

B ut then I realized Captain Boromia wasn’t alone.

As he stepped through the shimmering golden portal I realized there was a second figure beside him, his hands wrenched painfully behind his back.

The man’s face and arms were a kaleidoscope of bruises.

Clearly, he’d been beaten within an inch of his life.

And I didn’t recognize him until he was pushed forward into the light.

It was Jeremy.

“Jeremy!” I gasped, my stomach dropping at the sight of his battered face.

Captain Boromia’s smile widened as he shoved Jeremy to his knees. Behind him, six elite RSB guards emerged from the portal, their gold armor gleaming in the eerie purple light of the chamber.

“Did you really think I wouldn’t notice a rat in my ranks?” Boromia laughed, pressing his boot between Jeremy’s shoulder blades. “Poor, noble Jeremy. So concerned with doing the right thing that he couldn’t see he was being used.”

“W-What…” I gasped. “What do you mean?”

He gave Jeremy a vicious kick onto the stone. “Did you really think I’d be so foolish as to leave out important paperwork for just anyone to find? I wanted Jeremy to find it, to bring it to you. How else would I get someone to do all the work for me?”

Sky growled beside me, his ears flattening against his head as his hand tightened around his spear. Mira and Rhia moved closer together while Kuro shifted into a defensive stance, his sword half-drawn.

“And I really must thank you all,” Boromia continued, his amber eyes scanning our faces before settling on Kai’s unconscious form.

“You’ve done it all perfectly. Activated the fragment, broken the seals, and even found me a vessel.

” He nudged Kai with his foot. “Though I’m afraid he’s served his purpose now. The god will consume him soon.”

“Don’t touch him,” I warned, my voice steadier than I felt as I raised my staff despite my depleted magic.

Boromia’s laugh echoed through the chamber.

“Or what, little cleric? You’ll heal me to death?

” His eyes narrowed as he studied my face.

“Though there’s something different about you now, isn’t there?

Something... changed since our last encounter.

You’ve got confidence now, something you didn’t have before.

” He cocked his head to the side. “I wonder why?”

I felt Sky shift protectively closer to me. The captain’s gaze flicked between us, his smile turning predatory.

“The wolf and the healer. How touching.” He let out a sigh. “Too bad it won’t be enough to save either of you. I’m afraid you’re nothing compared to me or my elite guard.”

“We’ll just see about that,” Sky growled, fangs bared as he pointed his spear at Boromia’s throat. “I’ll fucking kill you myself.”

“I’m afraid you’ll never get the chance.” Boromia drew his sword, the metal reflecting the purple swirling light. He held it out to the side, the blade pointing toward the ground. “But first thing’s first.”

The captain drew his blade upward and in that second, I remembered that he was also a skilled magic user. I threw myself in front of Sky, my arms thrown wide. Power pulsed from my staff, Sacred Shield shimmering into life in front of us, protecting us from the oncoming spell.

But it wasn’t a spell.

Boromia’s blade flashed through the air, whistling through the air at a downward angle.

A gasp tore past my lips, but it was far too late.

A thin red line appeared across Jeremy’s face as he stared at me, tears streaming down his cheeks.

Then, without so much as a whisper, he toppled over, the top half of his skull clattering across the ground.

“N-No…” I muttered, my voice shaky. I wanted to run to Jeremy, to heal him. But without the ability to resurrect someone, which was far beyond my grasp and probably illegal, he was gone. I couldn’t heal the dead.

Was his death my fault?

Boromia laughed, flicking his blade so that the blood streaked across the floor. “Well, he outlived his usefulness.” Then he gestured lazily to his guards. “Kill the rest.” He pointed at me and Sky. “But I want these two alive.”

Everything happened at once. The guards surged forward, weapons drawn. Kuro met the first with a clash of steel while Rhia launched herself at another, her fists glowing with channeled spiritual energy. Mira began an incantation, blue fire dancing at her fingertips.

Sky leapt in front of me, his spear a blur as he deflected a sword thrust meant for my heart. “Run!” he shouted over his shoulder. “Get Kai out of here!”

I scrambled toward Kai’s prone form, pushing Jeremy’s death from my mind for the time being, but Boromia was faster. He stepped between us, a sword of gleaming silver and a jeweled golden hilt flashing through the air.

“I don’t think so,” he said, his perfect smile never wavering. “The Architect’s fragment belongs to me now, as does its vessel.”

“You don’t understand what you’re dealing with,” I pleaded, desperately trying to buy time as I heard my friends fighting for their lives behind me. “That thing inside him… it’s not what you think!”

“Oh, I understand perfectly,” Boromia replied, his voice eerily calm amid the chaos.

“A fragment of the creator’s consciousness.

The key to unlocking the forgotten past of Cindersea.

” He leaned close, his smile curling wider on his face.

“And the only way to guarantee the summoners never stop their chanting even when I bring the entire kingdom to its knees.”

“Summoners?” I furrowed my brow. “What are the summoners?”

Boromia clicked his tongue, laughing as he shook his head. “I’d tell you, but there’s no point. You’ll be dead in a few minutes, anyway. I don’t feel like wasting my breath.”

“You’re wrong,” I said, my voice stronger than I felt. “I won’t let you take Kai.”

Behind me, the sounds of battle intensified.

Metal clashed against metal, and I heard Rhia’s grunts as she fought with everything she had.

Mira’s spell finally erupted, a roaring column of blue flame that illuminated the chamber in sharp relief.

Kuro’s battle cry echoed off the walls as he held his ground against two guards at once.

I couldn’t tell if they were winning or not, but I didn’t dare pull my gaze away from the captain.

Boromia’s eyes flicked to the obsidian sphere, still floating silently above its pedestal. “The fragment chose him as its vessel, but I’ll be the one who controls it.” He stepped forward, sword raised. “Now step aside, or I’ll cut you down where you stand. ”

I planted my feet, my staff held before me despite my depleted magic. “No.”

The captain’s perfect smile faltered for just a moment. “Very well.”

He lunged forward with inhuman speed, his blade arcing toward my throat. I barely managed to bring my staff up in time, the impact sending shockwaves through my arms. The wood cracked but held, enhanced by the mana ore woven into its surface. But one more hit like that would surely destroy it.

“Oliver!” Sky’s voice cut through the chaos. He was fighting his way toward me, his spear a blur as he desperately tried to reach my side once more.

Boromia pressed harder, forcing me back step by step. “Your mutt can’t save you,” he hissed. “And neither can your pathetic magic. Clerics are always the weakest in the group.”

I felt my heel strike something solid, Kai’s unconscious form. There was nowhere left to retreat. Summoning what little strength remained in my body, I pushed back against Boromia’s blade.

“You have no idea what I’m capable of,” I growled, feeling something stir within me, something beyond exhaustion and fear.

The captain’s eyes widened slightly as he noticed the faint white glow beginning to emanate from my own. “What are you?—”

Before he could finish, a blur of motion struck him from the side. Sky had broken through, his spear driving Boromia back several paces. The captain recovered quickly, parrying Sky’s follow-up thrust with practiced ease.

“Get Kai away from the sphere!” Sky shouted, not taking his eyes off Boromia.

I dropped to my knees beside Kai, hooking my arms under his shoulders. His skin burned against mine, the purple veins pulsing beneath his eyelids. He was heavier than I expected, his body deadweight as I struggled to drag him away from the obsidian fragment.

Across the chamber, Rhia fought like a berserker, her fists leaving trails of light as she battered one guard’s armor until it crumpled inward.

Another guard lay motionless at her feet, his helmet split down the middle.

Mira had conjured a shield of blue flame around herself, keeping two guards at bay while she frantically worked up another spell.

Kuro held his ground against the last guard, his sword skills matching the elite soldier blow for blow.

Somehow, without us realizing it, we’d become strong.

“You think you can defeat me?” Boromia laughed as he parried another of Sky’s thrusts. “I’ve been training for years while you’ve been scavenging in the wilderness, pet.”

Sky snarled, his movements becoming more frenzied as Boromia toyed with him. “I’m not your pet,” he growled, feinting left before striking at Boromia’s exposed side.

The captain twisted unnaturally, avoiding the blow with inhuman grace. “No, you’re his,” he sneered, nodding toward me. “And soon you’ll both be mine.”

I continued dragging Kai away from the sphere, every inch a struggle. The pulsing veins beneath his skin were spreading, crawling down his arms like purple lightning. His breathing had become shallow, each exhale releasing a faint mist the same color as the energy inside him.

“Rhia!” I called desperately. “Help me with Kai!”

She slammed her fist into the face of her opponent, the impact sending the guard flying into a pillar where he crumpled in a heap of golden armor. Without hesitation, she bounded across the chamber, dropping to her knees beside me.