Page 61 of Of Flames and Crows

It’s not enough!Dread twisted Mae’s belly. She looked up at the shadowy ceiling.I can’t useEclipsein here! It might bring the whole place down on our heads!

Brimstone finally tore the devil’s head off and swallowed it whole.“UseDecimate.”

Mae’s pulse stuttered while Hellreaver consumed the rest of the devil’s body with happy munching sounds. She’d never heard of that spell before.

“That sounds like it might destroy this place too!”

“No.Decimatecan isolate your enemy and get rid of them without inflicting secondary damage on your surrounding or allies.”

Mae squinted. “Why haven’t I heard of this spell before?”

Brimstone spat out the devil’s lower jaw. “I’m not the witch here.”

Mae scowled. She closed her eyes and focused inward.

The spell was deeper than the others she’d uncovered to date. It rose from her subconscious as if emerging from a pool of molasses, the runes resisting her grasp when she reached for them. Frustration churned her stomach.

She could hear Vlad and Nikolai’s grunts and feel their magic flickering violently beneath her.

Come on, you damn spell! Faster!

The conjuration finally formed in her mind. Mae’s eyes snapped open. She raised her hands.

“Decimate!”

A black and crimson orb crackled into life inches from her fingers. Mae blinked, shocked. The lightning it contained resembled the power Barquiel wielded.

Talons scored Vlad’s chest. The incubus bared his teeth and blocked the devil’s next attack with both swords. Ludmila’s magic crashed into the monster and took it to the ground.

Vlad spun around and glared at his grandmother. “I don’t need your help, old hag!”

“Shut up, you ingrate!” Ludmila snapped.

“Jesus!” Nikolai snarled. “Can you two skip the family drama for one second and focus?!”

Mae flexed her fingers.

Deadly currents arced fromDecimate. They snaked through the air and found the devils with unerring accuracy. The monsters screamed as her magic pierced their bodies. They writhed for breathless seconds, pinned in place by a power they could not escape.

Her breath caught as they started to disintegrate from the inside out. The devils vanished in a hazy cloud of black ash that soon coated the floor.

“Vlad!” Mae headed for the incubus and touched down close to him. “Are you okay?!”

“Not really,” Vlad groaned.

He was bent over and clutching his chest.

She looked over wildly at Nikolai. “Can you heal him?!”

The sorcerer nodded grimly and crossed the floor toward them.

Vlad straightened hastily. “Wait! I don’t need him!”

Mae and Nikolai stared, puzzled. A wave of incubus charm swamped the crypt, causing several sorcerers and witches to flush.

A seductive smile curved Vlad’s mouth. “A kiss from my queen is all I need to make me all better.”

He gazed hotly at her and puckered his lips. She punched him in the ribs, much to Tarang’s chagrin.

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