Page 86 of The Demon's Discovery
“Let’s get busy then.” Magnus shouted several commands at his troops, many clearly blinking away the effects of too much ale from the celebration as they fell into order at his direction, fanning around the square so that as many of the small creatures as possible were contained.
“Ready?” Rylan asked, the hint of a grin on his mouth.
“As I’ll ever be,” I replied, giving my new Light blade a turn with my wrist. It felt good in my hand.
“She’ll serve you well,” Imogen commented, before running directly into the center of the mass of little demons, arms pumping, a broadsword in each hand.
I reached into the deep well inside me that I kept my rage contained in, summoning the bloodlust that had hovered near the surface so often recently. To my surprise, it hesitated briefly, but once stoked by the notion that my mate could be in danger as well, it flared to bright life. My fangs dropped fully down, my jaw aching as I prepared myself for the onslaught of memories that would wash over me with every drop of blood I tasted.
After another quick look to my brother—he had his wings spread wide and glowed with threads of golden electricity—I called my mist, and we descended into the madness that battle was and always had been.
Blood spattered the ground and everyone nearby as my new sword was quickly and properly christened. Rylan and I stood back-to-back, our well-choreographed technique dispatchingdozens of the little demons at a time. The new blade in my hands sang as it sliced through the air, flesh, bone. As before, once the curse had taken a solid hold of me, I forewent slashing with only my blade in favor of using my aching fangs on hastily bared throats. Flashes of inconsequential memories assaulted me over and over again as I worked from one body to the next. I dodged blows and blades as Rylan and I danced around one another, making short work of as many demons as possible, all the stone kin soldiers doing just as much to dispatch the chaos.
Entrenched in my mission, I wasn’t able to stop when a flash of red hair crossed my vision, but it niggled all the same. There was a great roar and the sound of a ghostly laugh, but I was lost to the lust, and the only thing I could do was continue to destroy the enemy.
Rylan’s choice towear all black made much more sense to me now. I looked down at myself with disgust, the silver and white of my clothes splashed with rust and crimson. It might never be the same no matter how much I scrubbed, which was a shame. These were some of my favorite pieces. The closer to daylight it got, the more concerned I became about my state being seen by the townspeople. Bakers and other craftsmen arrived before daybreak, so we were rapidly running out of time.
“Just a few more small things to incinerate,” Rylan said, face spattered, but dark clothing hiding all evidence of his work. “Then we can head back.”
“Do you think the humans will believe it was just a mob that got out of hand?” Magnus asked, similarly decorated with splashes of color and gore.
The smashed windows and charred stains on the cobblestones would be difficult to explain away, but with the help of the stone kin, several shops had been pilfered of their food and drinks and goods that were not in short supply, bottles and wrappers left scattered among the debris.
“People believe what makes sense to them,” Rylan said. He wasn’t wrong. “There have been rumblings of unrest for some time now. A group of dissidents who went on a little rampage to satiate their need for justice will be easily accepted. The magistrate will help with replacing the missing goods and glass.”
“Thank you both,” Magnus said, clapping a hand to our shoulders as he walked past, directing his exhausted troops with final orders.
“Sir!” A young woman rushed up to Magnus, pointing at the fringes of where we’d fought to keep the demons contained. “It’s General Gaius.”
“What about him?” Magnus’s concern was plain as he trotted after her.
“Alright, let’s finish, shall we?” Rylan asked, approaching the last remaining piles of lower-level demon carcasses. He extended his arm as well as his magic, turning the flesh and bone to less than a dark smudge on the street in a matter of minutes.
We did one final sweep of the area, passing stone kin catching their breath and staring off into the distance as they processed the events of the night. Rylan charred away anything that might be blood, removing the battle from the market square as well as he could.
Magnus squatted down over another massive gargoyle. I recognized Gaius from our meeting before, but it took a moment. This man was pale, panting through what must have been excruciating pain.
“No,” Magnus argued. “You need a healer. We cannot move you if you go into stone sleep here.”
“I will not lose my wing as well!”
“Fuck your wing and yourpride, Gaius!” Magnus boomed. “If you don’t go now, it will be your life that you lose. You’ve already lost far too much blood.”
“What does that matter? What good am I to the clan like this?” Gaius laughed, the sound humorless and pitiful.
“You have much to offer yet,” Magnus said, staring at him hard in the face. “Whether you believe it or not, you do. I know it.” He stood and turned, facing the three nervous soldiers hovering nearby. “What caused this grave injury?” he asked.
They looked between each other, hesitating long enough that Magnus had started to growl in displeasure before one, the female, began to speak. “There was a man. He and the general were fighting?—”
“You hold your tongue! You know nothing of what you speak. My business is mine.”
“And your business got you in the deepest pile of shit I’ve seen since the covenants battle,” Magnus barked.
“You know nothing, same as them, Magnus. Many good stone kin were lost that day. This is not the same.”
“Agreed, Gaius. You lost a brother, and I lost a wife that day.” Magnus sighed. “What did this man look like?” He turned his attention to the young woman.
Her eyes widened as she glanced over to find Gaius staring her down. “He had long red hair, green eyes. He smiled…” Her brow pinched, and she shook her head. “I didn’t hear him speak at all, but he was a very talented swordsman. General Gaius said something about the council? I’m sorry, I didn’t hear anything further.”
