Page 19 of An Empress of Earth & Darkness

Empressssssss.

An ancient voice hissed again, sending shivers across her skin. The pain in her head increased, and as the beast stalked towards her, she stumbled back, still trying to keep a reasonable distance between them.

Her spine struck bark, and she knew she had hit a tree. She blinked a few times to regain focus, but the pain in her head blurred her vision again.

“Block it out,” Torin had coached her. “Anything I say you must learn to block it out. Do not listen. The more you tune in to what a demon is saying, the higher the chance of it capturing your mind. Do not let it in. Fight it. It’s trying to distract you long enough to kill you.”

But this thing didn’t seem like it was trying to kill her, not yet. It was trying to communicate with her. She couldn’t let it in. Her darkness was tingling. Emara took a breath, and as a roar erupted from her mouth, fire soared from her palm.

Her fire missed and hit a tree, igniting leaves and branches. Smoke began to funnel up the tree as the flames licked higher, but Emara had to shut down the panic stirring up in her heart.

She set her sights back on the demon.

You have daaark blood, it taunted her, looking at her through ruby-red eyes. You are one of ussssss. It stalked towards her. I can smell that you have darkness in your veinssss, yet an undeniable sweetnessss of Light. I know who you arrrre. Don’t fight me, pretty one of Balan’s seeeeed. Join me. Join ussssss. Come back to the underwooorld.

Emara’s heart almost stopped.

Join us.

Underworld.

Why could she hear it speaking to her? Why could she hear its thoughts? This hadn’t happened any other time that she had slain a member of the Dark Army.Her darkness urged at her fingertips for release.

I can smell the darkness in your veins.

Balan’s seed.

Balan. King of the Underworld, Protector of the Dark God. She wouldn’t be recognised as having anything to do with that evil bastard. Not now. Not ever!

“My name is Emara Clearwater, Empress of Air and granddaughter to Theodora of House Air. You cannot brand me with your dark filth. I am of the Light. I worship the Goddess of the Moon and Dreams. And I will smile as I cleanse this earth from the evil that you spread.”

Emara blasted out fire again, and this time it caught a wing as the creature tried to take flight. Even with its skin ablaze, the creature managed to get into the air, its powerful wings batting around the smoke from the burning trees and turning her vision murky.

Out of the smoke, the demon swooped down.

Emara ducked, falling to the ground. As she rolled onto her back, she saw the creature coming down again and readied her spear to strike. Agnes stabbed into a leg, and, pulling as hard as she could, she brought the creature to the ground. The earth shook beneath her. She scrambled to her feet, leaving her spear sticking in its leg. Quickly, she pulled a small sword from her weapon belt and jumped atop the beast with the full intention of piercing it through its heart. But the creature had moved, its claws drawing up and ensnaring her hands. The demon pushed its full weight over, pinning Emara underneath, and its claws dug into her wrists.

She let out a scream, one that she knew reached the stars in the sky, and she let go of her weapon.

The creature bowed down close to her face, and the weight threatened to stop her from breathing altogether. Her lungs clutched to the thin air they had left.

The king issssss coming for youuuuuu.

The winged creature let out a shriek of pleasure, and wet drool hit Emara’s face just as the smell of sulphur did.

She could have passed out for a moment, her vision blurry and her head numb from the lack of oxygen, but then she heard a growl.

And it hadn’t come from the beast.

An ash-coloured wolf stood between two trees, its long legs heavy with fur, its huge paws integrated into the mossy banking. Somewhere in between blurred vision and thick smoke, Emara could just make out that the wolf had its teeth bared and its feral face was covered in dark blood.

A growl ripped from its throat, and then the wolf crashed into the demon on top of her. Her lungs burned as the smoke-filled air rushed into them. Rolling onto her front, she pushed up, trying to get to her feet. The woods were brighter with the light of the flames, but Emara couldn’t put the fire out yet. Water wasn’t her strong point, and the wolf was struggling for dominance with the winged beast. Teeth snapped and animalistic sounds broke through the night as Emara found her spear lying on the ground.

Picking up her weapon of choice, she nervously leaned back on her right leg and put every ounce of strength she had behind her throw. The spear travelled through the air at an impressive rate and broke through the skull of the demon.

The beast’s skull cracked open and the contents of the head spilled onto the ashen wolf. Before Emara could catch her breath, fur and legs became skin and limbs.

Breighly Baxgroll rolled to the side before the winged beast fell on top of her.

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