Page 76 of Demon Bound

Raiya blinked, startled. “Was… Was that you?”

The earth shook again, a shivering vibration and then a distant screech that rent the air. Raiya spun, trying to identify the source of the sound. It echoed everywhere, and it wasdifficult to tell which direction it came from. Azreth put an arm around her, keeping her close.

“We should return to the camp,” he said. “Come.”

Chapter 24

Acrowd had gathered at the edge of the camp by the time they returned. Fu-lon and a dozen others were watching a hill nearby.

“Did you hear that, too?” Raiya asked as she approached.

Fu-lon gestured toward the hills with her cane. Raiya followed her gaze. After a few moments, a faint orange flash lit up the horizon—the kind that only came from magic or fire.

Fu-lon turned to one of the other shepherds. “Make sure the herd is secure. They’ll spook and run.” The shepherd nodded and hurried toward the grazing behelgi.

There was another screech, and then a large shape came over the hill. It was high in the air, flapping batlike wings.

It was unmistakably demonic, looking like a cross between Azreth and a dragon. Black scales and plates dotted a vaguely humanoid body, and horns and spikes tipped its reptilian head and tail. A gout of fire burst from its mouth into the air.

The group drew back, gasping in unison. “A demon?” someone asked.

“A vythian,” Azreth corrected them, his expression dark. “Another creature from the hells.”

“Astra preserve us,” someone said.

The vythian turned its head in their direction. It studied them from a distance, and then, as if it had found its target, it accelerated toward them, its wings shaping it like an arrow in flight.

Fu-lon turned to the others. “Take shelter in the city. Leave the behelgi.”

Raiya was startled by the command. The behelgi were the Roamers’ livelihood. Losing them would mean losing everything. It was not a command that would be made lightly.

“The vythian will set fire to them if you leave them,” Azreth said to Fu-lon. “They will all die.”

The shepherd gave him a solemn look, her lips tight. “I know.”

Azreth’s brows twitched. He watched the others help Fu-lon hobble back toward the city.

Raiya grabbed his arm. “We need to make sure Jai and Madira are safe.”

He nodded, following her to their tent. The vythian was gliding rapidly closer.

“How could it have gotten here?” Raiya asked.

“Vythians are not intelligent creatures. It is unlikely that it found a way out of the hells on its own.”

So who had brought it here?

“Where are the Paladins when you need them?” Raiya muttered.

“The Paladins would all fall before a vythian. They would be no help.”

They found the elves in front of their tent, huddled together and staring up at the sky with horror. Madira had drawn his sword, though what he planned to do with it against that thing, she had no idea.

Jai grabbed onto Raiya as she arrived. “There you are! Didn’t you see there’s a fucking giant demon in the sky? Come on, let’s get out of here.”

Madira scowled at her. “Jai, don’t curse. It makes you sound stupid.”

“If there was ever an occasion for cursing, it’s when a demon is about to kill you.” She pulled on Raiya’s sleeve, tugging her toward town, where everyone else was running.

---