Izaera pulled the scepter away from the pylon, and its glow faded, leaving only dull white stones behind. We turned on our flashlights.
“Done.” She turned to the trees pointing her scepter to the demons in front of her. Instantly the vines pulled them to the side, and more vines appeared, creating a wall that flanked the path she had just opened. “Hurry,” she said, gesturing to the path.
Morgan was the first to run through, followed by Keisha, Ceris, and Victor. Micah and I were next, with Zelen and Izaera right behind us, then the nymphs. Halfway down the path, the growl of demons and the snapping of vines told me we needed to rush.
A claw broke through the wall of vines and scratched my upper arm.
“Ow,” I muttered. I raised my sword, but Micah was faster. His blade sliced through the air, taking the demon’s arm with the cut—déjà vu. The limb landed on the ground with a pool of blood.
He grabbed my hand and pulled me forward. “How bad is it?” He stole a quick glance at the wound.
“Not too bad,” I said, peeking at it. Three red lines with a little blood trickling from it. “Just scratches.”
We reached the trees and increased our speed. The demons were breaking free.
Weaving through the dying trees, I tripped and stumbled, my steps stalled by grabbing roots and my legs snagged on branches.
Fifteen minutes of running—my heart pounded in my chest—and growls echoed from directly behind us.
“We’re almost there!” Ceris cried from the front of the group.
Almost there was relative. It could be ten steps; it could be another ten minutes. Honestly, I didn’t think we had that long before they caught up with us.
The trees and shrubbery thinned out as we approached the edge of the protective shield, making it easier to maneuver through the woods. My footfalls fell deftly now.
A growl of a demon sounded to my left. Micah, still holding my hand, yanked me out of the way, and then kicked the demon. He was about to swing his sword at it, but Izaera used her powers. Vines twined around the demon’s arms, legs, and torso, and tugged it high into a tree, where it dangled like a wild beast caught in a hunter’s trap.
“There’s no time,” Izaera whispered.
“What?” I asked, confused.
I glanced back. She stopped and pointed her scepter at the demons charging her. More walls of vines surged, blocking their way, but it was easy to see that it wouldn’t hold them for long.
She moved again but not as fast as before. What was she doing?
Micah’s grip tightened around my hand. “By the Everlast.” He cursed under his breath.
I looked at him. “What?”
“Omi,” he said, glancing back.
Ceris and Morgan had already slowed their steps and were watching behind us.
Big trees fell to the side as if they weighed as much as each of their leaves, opening a path covered in fire.
Omi sauntered over it with a big smile on his drunken face. “By the Everlast, look what we’ve got here.”
Micah pushed me behind him, and Victor came to stand beside him. I was towered by giants, but most of all, I felt cheated. Why did they feel the need to protect me? I could take care of myself.
Ceris extended her hand, and her scepter appeared on her palm. She stood beside Izaera and Zelen, with Keisha behind them. Morgan seemed undecided if he should stay by Keisha or by Micah and Victor.
“You destroyed my forest, Omi,” Izaera said, her voice much more confident than before.
He scoffed. “Who cares about a forest? Not interesting. Now, interesting are those two men in front of Nadine. Their auras are quite interesting.” I watched him through the small space between Victor’s and Micah’s arms. His gaze found mine, and I gasped as goose bumps crawled up my arms. His eerie smile widened. “Hello there, Nadine. I missed you. Oh, and I miss your family too.”
Rage bubbled in the pit of my stomach, surging up like a volcano and transforming my rage into stamina. I pushed Micah and Victor aside and marched forward with every intention of slashing Omi’s throat with my sword. Big hands clasped around my arms and held me back.
“Let me go!” I hissed.
“That’s what he wants,” Micah whispered, holding my left arm. “To provoke you and have you go to him.”
I jerked against his hold. “It’s working.”
“Don’t let it work,” Victor said, his grip firm around my right arm.
Omi chuckled. “Oh, Nadine, won’t you introduce me to your friends?”
In his dreams. Even then, he would have a hard time getting any answers from me.
“You’re wasting your time, Omi,” Ceris spoke.
His eyes turned to Ceris, a wicked shine in them. “Ceris, my dear sister. I enjoyed our cat and mouse game. It has been fun, really, but everything has a limit. Time to surrender.”
Ceris let out one of her witch-like laughs. “Do you really know me so little?”
Narrowing his eyes, Omi tilted his head. “Not really.”
He raised his hands to the sky, and Akuma flew down, at the same time more Arak and Ornek popped out from behind trees.
“Run!” Ceris said. Her scepter was in her hand, and she produced a shield between Omi and us. Then she turned and darted with us. “Only a few more yards. Go!”
The shield detained Omi and the demons for a couple of minutes.
I looked up in time to see one of the winged demons descending with eyes and claws trained on me. I waited until it was closer, then jumped to the side, and slashed its wing with my sword. The demon let out an agonizing shriek, then turned to me, its claws ready once more. It swiped, and I parried it drawing its gooey blood. It came at me again, and I ducked stepping around it and slashing its side. The creature cried, spitting rage. I emerged behind it, and before it realized where I was, I buried my sword in its chest.
It cried and thrashed. When I pulled my sword out, it collapsed face-first to the ground.
Micah was right by my side, fighting two demons; Victor was by Micah’s side, fighting another two. Keisha was a few feet farther, and she had three demons sweating. Morgan had the Crimson Dagger, and it was all he could do to defend himself. Zelen fought one demon with his staff. For an old man, he was quite agile. Izaera conjured more vines while throwing green bolts that rendered demons immobile. Ceris created shields to detain the demons and threw pink energy balls at them.
A guttural growl sounded from behind me. I sidestepped as the dumb creature rushed me, catching it with my blade across the abdomen. It fell on its knees before slumping to the side—dead in the withering grass. My heart thundered in my chest, and I couldn’t think about what my fate would have been had I not heard its growl.