Page 83 of Hell to Slay

We were pitched into a timeless, empty dimension that wrenched us away from our bodies, leaving us without a sense of time, space, or anything at all, really. We hung there in the endless vastness for an eternity. Long enough for me to fear I’d doomed us all.

Then everything smashed into place, giving me a roaring headache as sensations overwhelmed me — sight, sound, smell, touch all at once — as I reconnected with my body in a new location. I opened my eyes to see the exact spot I’d imagined, the uncannily flat earth scorched and blackened from its time in the infernal realm.

I glanced around to find Jax, Hudson, and Tempest all accounted for, along with all the spirits… for better or worse. La Cora and Cyrene faded into nothingness without a word of thanks. The ones that didn’t fade took off. The hellfox darted away, but Jax had my full attention.

Hudson kneeled beside his brother. “He’s alive but still unconscious.”

Jax couldn’t relieve our overloaded senses this time, and I didn’t trust my luck using his magic twice in a row. We’d just have to suffer.

An explosion rocked the earth, fragmenting the scorched ground. The thunderous sound compounded my headache, leaving me further disoriented.

Stumbling slightly, I turned toward the searingly bright light in time to see Mel’s limp body go flying through the air, thrown from the blast. She soared over the horde of gathered demons before thudding to the ground in a way that made me wince.

“Get up,” I urged from afar, but she didn’t move.

If she’d survived the impact, demons would be on her in moments. We had to get to her first.

Jax was still unconscious, and any spirits left all faded from existence before I could ask them to watch over him.

“Hurry!”Tempest called.

The tiny hellfox faced off against an army of demons. She was the only thing that stood between them and Mel.

I raised my hands, asking the earth to move, to propel us to them. But nothing happened.

“Mel used every last drop of our magic,” Hudson said, already running toward her with a witchfire blade in one hand and a quicksilver in the other.

I chased after him, hoping we could make it in time. Jax wasn’t moving, and neither was Mel. It might already be too late for both of them. I pushed that thought away as I caught up with Hudson, knowing it could paralyze or frenzy me if I considered it too closely.

All at once, the demons turned away from Mel to face the infernal realm’s threshold. A terrifying groan met my ears, like the wailing of a thousand tortured souls. Then the curtain of smoke and shadows looming over us surged into motion… pulling away from us at an alarming rate as it contracted.

The hellbulls bellowed and went charging after the shrinking threshold, as if afraid to be left behind. I wasn’t even aware that demons could feel fear. Fortunately, the hellhounds and winged hellhounds went with them.

But the hellcats didn’t follow them, nor did the firebirds. And I saw at least two biters go running across the scorched earth toward the containment walls, their darkened hides blending in until parts of their flesh ignited into flame. The firebirds wheeled in the air and the hellcats turned toward us, eyes leaking shadows.

I met Hudson’s glance before we both braced for impact. We both knew we couldn’t survive an army of demons with no magic, especially while we were both still physically recovering from my inexpert teleportation spell. Together, we would go down fighting and protecting those we loved.

But before the hellcats could pounce, flashes of brilliant green light danced all around us, making me wince. Dozens of witches teleported in, gathered in clusters all around us — a disorganized army of demon hunters prepared to wage war to take back parts of Charlotte that hadn’t been seen in years.

Elementalists of every type quickly engaged the horde of hellcats, while others manifested bows and shot down firebirds overhead, covering their coven-mates as they inscribed arcane circles on the blackened earth around us. Shimmering shields started popping up as yet more rocks and fire and lightning and water flew through the air.

Shocked and overwhelmed, Hudson and I could do nothing but stand there, gaping at the unexpected support. Though it didn’t surprise me at all when Mel’s mentor suddenly appeared next to me.

Nimue grinned at us. “You didn’t think you got to have all the fun, did you?”

Her coven had arrived with her, all of them but Fox getting to work on drawing their own arcane circles.

Gathering his wits faster than me, Hudson immediately turned to Rye. “Mel and Jax both need healing.”

Hudson pointed at Mel’s limp form, and he and Rye jogged over to her fallen body. Rye fell to his knees beside her, his hands lighting up as he touched her head.

Nimue directed another healer to Jax, and I felt torn, wanting to be beside them both. With the healers immediately getting to work, I assured myself that they’d both be fine.

“Hold the line,” a demon hunter I didn’t know shouted at me. “Are you an elementalist or a warder, by chance?”

Instead of wasting time explaining how my reservoir was empty, I shook my head and manifested a quicksilver blade in one hand and a waterblade in the other.

There was nothing I could do to help either of my coven-mates recover right now. But I could still fight, protecting them and the healers. It was better than standing around wringing my hands.

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