Page 100 of Daughter of the Darkened City

The beast lurched toward them,and Vasu grabbed Avenay, rolling her out of the way just in time. The creature looked around, confused.

“Not concentrated enough,” he replied.

“Can you amplify my power?”

Vasu’s eyes lit up. “Yes, yes, I can.”

Chapter 37: Enid

Enid ran from behind the creature, springing into flight, slashing her sword at it. It moved, swiping its arm at her. She tucked in her wings and rolled to the side. Its movements shimmered in the air as if she were staring down a road oppressed by heat, and she could never quite tell where it was or where it would hit next.

Resolve hardened each movement, clarifying her mind, making her attack more precisely than before. She needed this vengeance for what it had done to Avenay.

She lunged forward, swiping at its ankle. The black blood sprayed near her and she jumped away. It smelled of tar and the droplets were slick as oil when they hit her face. It screeched from the pain, flailing in her direction again.

Avenay let out another blast of light, turning its attention to that instead, stumbling away. It ran into a column, its body slamming harshly into the marble, cracks sliding down its base. Vasu stood back, preparing some spell Enid hoped would help them end this. Enid still buzzed with the energy from the well she’d burst open, but she wondered how long that would last, and if the crash would be as sudden and great as the pulse of power had been.

The demon sword in her hand vibrated against her, a soft glow coming off it. It had been stuck in the well for ages—had it absorbed some of the power of the rift? Sliding her fingers up the side of it, she felt its magic respond to her own. Demon made. It recognized her as kin to the previous owner. She focused on her power. Maybe, just maybe, she could pull power from it since demon magic was so integrated into one another.

Shadows swirled at her feet, wrapping up her ankles, funneling around her body like a tornado. She felt her power increase. Any fatigue she had fell away in a wave of vigor. This magic was different,though. Deep and dark, cold and silent. It sucked all of her in, the weight like the pull of the ground from the sky. She stumbled forward, a feeling like the deepest dark filling her, tugging with dots of light so strong it pierced the void like starlight. It wrapped around her as she gripped the sword. It now shimmered and moved similarly to the beast before her.

She flew up, swiping at its back, slashing deeper than she ever had before. Its scream pierced the air, more terrifying than before. Its dark blood splattered against her face, and she hastily wiped it away, just in enough time to dodge, slipping behind another column. But the hurt and anger made it fast, and in a flash, it appeared around the column, its giant maw opening to swallow her up. She thrust the sword between its teeth. The creature chomped and clomped down angrily, growls erupting from its mouth, acrid, cold breath hitting her face along with blood from its ministrations to the blade.

Fuck.

She was backed into a corner with no way out. A small burst of light hit it before shuddering away to nothing. Avenay was exhausted. She could feel that even through their mate bond. And Vasu was not a fighter.

The creature pressed down, her elbows bending from the weight. She pressed her left bracer against the blade, holding it in place. The creature’s frenzied movements slammed her into the column. The only positive was the creature’s intense focus on destroying the blade meant that it wasn’t thrashing like before.

It stomped angrily, making the castle tremble, and her grip slipped a little more. The creature’s face was right next to hers now. A crisp frost emanated from it, curling around her, lancing into her bones, making a keen ache run down the length of her legs.

She pushed back, gaining only the barest of inches against its otherworldly strength. Her breath hit the air in icy puffs, heavy and labored. The creature roared, the sound rattling her skull. She reached deep within her, pulling at the dregs of her strength. This beast had killed Avenay, and it would kill her and Vasu now if she didn’t stop it.

She pulled, yanking at anything within her to help, and let out a cry. The blade engulfed in smoke, black shadows taking its form and making it grow, grow. She pushed with all her might against it and the creature lost its grasp, teeth slipping from around the blade, blood spraying her as its gums cut on the edge. It stumbled back. She dipped to the side, right as Vasu’s voice rose in a chant. He was performing his spell now. Nothing happened at first, and the creature slashed its clawsat Enid. She ducked under, rolling to the ground. It swiped at her again and she met it with the sword, slicing its palm. The creature began waving its arm wildly, stomping and making the ground rattle. Enid rolled to the side, up to her feet, and ran around it.

“Now, Avenay!” Vasu said.

Sweat covered Avenay’s furrowed brow as she brought her trembling hands up and, with a wince, let the most brilliant blast of light Enid had seen loose, hitting the creature. It screamed, falling forward. Its legs warped, bending like a shadow as its knees hit the ground.

She flew up, focusing all her magic on the sword. It shimmered with a newfound strength. Then she came behind the creature’s head and brought it down swiftly. It had no defense against her. She swiped clean through, its head rolling to the side, and she backed away to avoid the spray of black blood that spilled across the floor. Its body twitched and moved, not realizing it was dead yet, then it toppled over in a heap. In only moments, the body glimmered and then dissipated like smoke on the wind. The only evidence of its presence was the blood staining the floor.

Enid rushed to Avenay, who stood slumped against the wall, breathing hard. She took those shaking hands in her own, massaging them. Avenay’s eyes met hers, giving a weak smile.

“You did it,” she said.

“Only because of you and Vasu. Are you okay?”

Avenay nodded. “That took a lot out of me, but I’ll be fine.”

Enid pulled her into her arms, kissing her forehead.

“It’s almost dawn,” Avenay said, looking out the window. The sun’s faint rays lightly brightened the darkness.

“What does that mean?” Enid asked.

“The creatures and vines should retreat at dawn. That’s what Edond said.”

Relief washed over Enid. She could go longer. She seemed to have sparked a level of endurance she’d never known before, but she was also afraid of the repercussions of using that power.

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