Page 34 of Fallen Demon

I looked around, checking that yes, everyone was okay, but we were in a different place. Well, it was still the same valley, but somehow it had become deeper and now the edge of the valley had become a canyon and its edge was at least thirty feet up, if not more.

“How—” The words died on my lips as dark light crackled from my left and I turned to it.

A figure knelt in the dead center of this place, his hands stretched to the sides and shackled to two short, dark pillars.

“A demon,” Zad muttered.

“A higher demon,” Jasmin said.

As if just now aware that he wasn’t alone, the demon lifted his head, his long dark hair billowing around his sharp face. Where was the damn wind coming from?

His dark eyes zeroed in on us, his head tilting slightly. “I haven’t had company in a while,” he said, his voice rough, deep.

Drake took a couple of steps toward the demon but stopped at a safe distance. “Who are you?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know.” The edge of the demon’s hard lips curved up.

“Why are you here?” Jasmin asked. She glanced back at us and whispered, “I had no idea we had a higher demon imprisoned here.”

“Did you see a fireball falling from the sky?” I asked. That was the only question that interested me.

“I’ll answer all of your questions,” he said, the curve along his lips increasing. “If you free me.”

“No,” Rage snapped.

“If you’re here, then there’s a reason,” Drake said.

Jasmin shook her head and turned to us. “He can’t go anywhere. Let’s move.” She glanced at Rage and said in a deep voice, “We can come back after, with reinforcements, and find out more.”

Rage dipped his chin once. “You heard the princess,” he said to all of us. “Let’s go.”

I frowned, hating that we were wasting this opportunity to find out if he had seen any traces of Levi and Ylena, but I also got the feeling he wouldn’t answer anything, no matter what we did to him.

With a sigh, I turned and started walking toward the huge, straight wall.

A yelp came from my right, where Lacey was a second ago.

I whirled on my heels and stilled.

Darkfire wrapped around Lacey’s middle as she hovered in front of the demon.

He inhaled deeply as he sucked her magic into his through the darkfire connecting them both.

“He has magic!” Farrah shouted.

“And now he’ll have more,” Wyatt said with a snarl.

“Let her go!” I yelled, calling my magic. As usual, it flickered, but didn’t answer. All right, sword it was. I extended my arm and my Celestial sword appeared in my hand.

However, before I could do anything, Rage stepped to my side, a spear of darkfire poised over his shoulder. “I’ve got this.”

“You’ll hit her,” I muttered.

“No, he won’t,” Drake said, his gaze trained on Lacey as she gasped, her arms outstretched beside her, her skin growing paler by the second.

Rage threw the spear and Drake zoomed with his incredible speed. He grabbed Lacey’s hand and tugged as far to the side as she could while wrapped in darkfire, and Rage’s spear flew toward the demon’s shoulder.

At the last second, the demon twisted, somehow bending his arm and bringing the chain around his wrist up.

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