“But Imha will destroy your forest.”
Defiance flashed in Zelen’s eyes. “Let her come, and we shall see about that.”
A tingle ran down my arms, and I turned to my right. Something reddish flashed between the trees. I opened my mouth to say something, but Rok sprung from between the branches on my left, cawing as if his lungs would explode.
Beside me, Micah tensed. “Demons.”
20
Swords drawn, we formed a small circle beside the pylon facing the trees.
Between Ceris and Keisha, Zelen’s tiny figure grew a few inches, his brown eyes becoming golden with pure rage.
“It’s your fault!” he shouted.
“We weren’t followed,” Ceris assured him. “You have my word.”
He narrowed his eyes at her but didn’t say anything. He tapped the end of his staff on the grass three times. A second later, a dozen nymphs sprouted from the ground around us. Like the ones I had seen before in a vision, they were beautiful, delicate, with skimpy dresses covering little of their pale skin, and long colorful hair adorned by flowers.
They positioned themselves between the trees and us.
“The demons are close,” Morgan whispered on my left.
Micah was on my right, one sword in each hand. He looked badass, except for the quick glances he stole at me. His black eyes shone with worry.
“I’ll be fine,” I said in a low tone.
His jaw flexed. “I’ll believe it once we’re out of here.”
Morgan’s movement caught my attention. He switched his sword to his right hand, and he delved his left hand in the side pocket of his belt. When he pulled the Crimson Dagger from there, I gasped.
“You still have that thing?” I asked, not hiding the incredulity from my voice.
Instead of answering me, he said, “They are here.”
Turning to face us, half of the nymphs wiggled their bodies in odd ways. Their skin shifted from whitish to grayish, their hair lost its volume and color, becoming dull and black. Their nails and teeth elongated, looking like razors.
“By the Everlast,” Zelen whispered.
They lunged at us.
The other six nymphs stood frozen in their places, apparently shocked to see their sisters becoming demons right in front of their eyes.
One of the nymphs-turned-demon had its claws aimed at me. Swallowing the memory that it had been a nymph a few seconds ago, I raised my sword, ready to strike. However, Micah stepped in front of me and slashed its chest. It jerked a little, trying to hit him, but he ducked and swung his sword across its ankles. It fell back and thrashed for a few seconds, then stopped, its once bright eyes becoming a sickening glossed white.
“What the hell was that?” I asked, spitting my words with frustration.
“A demon,” Micah said, knowing too well that wasn’t what I meant.
I gripped the hilt of my sword tight. “I can take care of myself.”
He loomed over me, the heat of his body brushing against me. “I know that.”
“Do you?”
“Hey, you two.” Keisha bumped into me before piercing her sword through a nymph-demon’s chest. She pulled her sword out, and the body dropped to the ground. She turned to us, one hand on her hips. “This isn’t the time to bicker like an old married couple.”
“Excuse me?” I asked at the same time Micah said, “What?”
With Victor and Zelen, Ceris approached us. “We need to go.”
I looked around. Everyone seemed okay. Victor cleaned his sword on his pants, Morgan put the Crimson Dagger back into his pocket—I made a mental note to talk to him later—Keisha seemed to be still ready for battle, Micah stood beside me, his tension making me tense. Zelen watched his dead nymph-demons with such desolation in his eyes. The other nymphs had gotten together in a circle, hand in hand, chanting in a language I didn’t understand.
Without a word Zelen approached them, breaking their circle, and headed toward the body of a non-demon nymph lying on the grass.
“One of them jumped onto her first,” Keisha said. “I killed the demon, but I was too late.”
I put a hand on her arm. “You did what you could.”
Morgan stiffened, Micah sprung in front of me, and Ceris cursed.
“What?” Victor asked.
“More are coming,” Zelen said, his tone dejected.
Near the trees the grass became a dark green, then brown, and finally black. Next, the bordering trees were affected, their trunks shrinking, the leaves turning brown and falling. Slowly, the poison spread toward the center. It had advanced three feet when demons appeared among the trees. Many demons—Ornek and Arak—stared at us as if we were the banquet they were promised after a week of starvation.
We huddled in a circle, weapons in hand. Zelen looked pained, as if the death of his forest physically hurt him. Maybe it did.
As slowly as the poison that was killing the grass and the beautiful bushes along the paths, the demons stepped into the clearing.
“We need to get out of here,” Ceris said in a low voice. “We need to get to the edge of the shield. Unless you can drop it right now.”
“I can’t,” Zelen answered. I didn’t dare glance back at them with all these demons advancing on us. “I would need spell ingredients I don’t carry with me.”
“All right,” Ceris said. “Once they attack, we advance through the forest. Please, stick together.”
The poison reached halfway, and the demons were two feet behind it. My grip tightened on the hilt of my sword.
Suddenly green vines surged from the ground, tall and thick, twisting around the demons, trapping their arms and legs, immobilizing them.
“It won’t hold them for long,” a serene voice said from behind me.
We all turned and in the center of our circle a woman, wearing a white dress similar to Ceris, stood tall. Her skin was almost as dark as Keisha’s was, her hair was reddish brown like the ground, and her eyes were a deep green like leaves. In her right hand, she held a scepter topped by a green orb.
“Izaera,” Ceris whispered.
She stepped forward, and both women embraced in a brief but tight hug.
Izaera rested her hand on Ceris’s cheek. “It’s good to see you, my sister. But you and your friends need to go. My magic won’t hold them for long.”
Ceris grabbed her hand, enclosing it between hers. “Come with us.” Izaera looked divided. “Please, sister. It hurts me to say it, but this place is no more. Come with us.”
She nodded, and then turned her back to us. She approached the pylon and the silver symbol on the stone with the orb of her scepter. Green light shone from it and seeped into the orb causing it to shine even brighter. Something silver swirled inside it, and I leaned forward, trying to get a better look.
“We gotta go,” Victor said, watching the demons as they fought against the vines. Some had broken half-free already.