I kicked the demon back as Micah answered for me. “Then we try all of them.”
I ran my sword through the demon’s chest and turned to the altar. Victor and Micah grabbed their scepters from two holes and placed them in the next ones. Nothing happened. They took their scepters from those holes and—
Across the room, Omi threw Ceris to the side and deflected Izaera’s bolt with a shield, all the while, watching the guys at the altar.
A red bolt formed in his palm.
“Watch out!” I pointed to Omi.
Micah and Victor whirled around and jumped to the side, avoiding the bolt by inches. I stepped on the altar intent on crossing it and helping Ceris and Izaera against Omi, but energy surged up around my legs and stopped me in the center.
“What is this?” I asked, incapable of moving. The energy surrounded every inch of me.
Omi was ready to send another bolt, his eyes on me this time, but Ceris knocked him back with one of her bolts, and then Izaera was on him too.
Victor turned to me. “I don’t know.”
“Can’t you move?” Micah asked.
“No!”
“I don’t understand,” Victor muttered.
Since I couldn’t move my head, I scanned the area with my eyes and I understood. “There.” I tried pointing my fingers or jabbing my chin to my right, but nothing happened.
Thank goodness, Victor and Micah understood and looked the way I was looking. The hole on my right was shining.
“Is the one opposite to it shining too?”
“Yes,” Micah answered.
“Then place the scepters there,” I said.
“But what about you?” Victor asked.
I swallowed. “I-I think I’m supposed to be here.”
Micah was in front of me in a flash. “What? What does this mean? Did you know this? Why didn’t you tell me? Why—?”
“I don’t know!” I cut him off. “I don’t know any of it. Just … just do it, okay? Please.” He put a hand on my cheek, looking unhappy about it. “Micah, Ceris and Izaera won’t be able to hold Omi much longer, more demons are bursting in, and only the Fates know when Imha is arriving. Please, do this so we can leave.”
His eyes shone with indecision. Finally, he nodded, pulling his hand away, and went to my left, where he placed his scepter. Then Victor placed his scepter in the hole to the right. Energy burst through me and I gasped.
A bright white shine came from the altar, forcing me to close my eyes.
A ruckus sounded around me. The clanking of swords, the whoosh and oomphs of blows being dealt and received, the growls and the groans, the yells, and the rapid shuffle of feet on the rocks. I was aware of it all until the energy began pounding inside me, like a thousand jackhammers. The energy dragged me down to my knees, and then it slipped out from me.
I blinked my eyes open. My hands pressed against the stones on the altar, and lines of white energy ran down my arms and zigzagged to the scepters.
Eyes bugged, Micah reached for me. A shock coursed through us when his fingers brushed my shoulder. I yelped and he jerked away.
He cursed. “What is it doing? Is it hurting?”
“I-I don’t know,” I croaked.
Filling with the energy that had been in me, the scepters shone brighter and brighter.
My head felt heavy, my vision dimmed, and my muscles felt like jelly. The energy was leaving me completely. For a moment, I wondered if it had taken everything, even my own energy. I wondered if this was my purpose, if my aura was powerful to make Micah and Victor full gods again.
The last two lines left my arms and zoomed to the scepters, and I fell to my side gasping for air.
Once more bright light shone, blinding me for a moment, but this time they came from the scepters.
Micah knelt beside me, but I shook my head. “Go. Get your scepter. Now.”
With a pained expression, he stepped back and stood before his scepter. Victor and Micah shared a nod, and at the same time, they closed their hands around their scepters.
“No!” Omi yelled.
The lines of energy appeared on Micah’s and Victor’s hands, running up their arms and shoulders and chest, taking every inch of them until they were encased in white light and shone brighter than anything I had seen or encountered before. I closed my eyes again until the shine receded.
When I opened my eyes, the glow was gone and they were there, one on my left, one on my right, standing tall and proud, with their scepters. No bruises, no signs of weariness, and looking amazing in their own skins.
“Did it work?” I asked, pushing up on my elbows.
Micah beamed at me. “It did.”
For some reason, I expected them to become the older men I had seen in my visions, but they still wore the same handsome bodies and faces from when I had first met them.
“My, oh my,” Imha’s voice echoed through the room. “It seems I’m late to the party.”
32
Imha had brought chaos with her because everything and everyone suddenly went crazy.
Omi broke through Ceris and Izaera, and reached Imha. Side by side, Victor and Micah lunged toward Imha and Omi. More demons burst through the door, and Keisha and Zelen went to them.
I needed to help. If I didn’t, they would be two short. Even though two of them had just recovered their powers, we were still embarrassingly outnumbered.
I sat up and my head spun. Oh God, what had happened to me?
Keisha showed up before me, striking a demon that had dove to me and I hadn’t even noticed. My brain was mush. So were my muscles.
She fended off a couple more, while I scooted back. If I couldn’t help, I had better hide because I would only attract unwanted attention and distract Keisha’s focus. Feeling weak, exhausted, small, and alone, I reached the edge of the altar. I prepared to jump off and stopped. Morgan’s body was right there, at my feet. A sob raked my body, and I pressed a hand to my mouth to keep it in. Oh my God. Morgan was dead. My family was dead. The world was destroyed. How many more would die before this mess was over?
Keisha roared and the sound made me turn around. She brandished her sword, dropping one demon after another with her sure strokes, her blade ripping through their grayish bodies like she was ripping through paper. Zelen and his staff weren’t too bad either. He moved fast for a guy who appeared so old.
Farther away, Ceris and Izaera took turns assisting Keisha and Zelen, trying to thin the wave of demons running to them, and throwing bolts at Imha and Omi trying to catch them off guard. The beauty of it all was to watch Victor and Micah working together to beat Imha and Omi.
They looked like ninjas, moving fast, exchanging blows, spinning around each other, throwing bolt after bolt, a fierce look on their faces and a lethal glint in their eyes.
If I didn’t know better, I would believe they had worked together forever.
“Isn’t it fun?” Imha asked, flinging a huge purple ball at Micah. He slipped to the side and let it pass. “All of us back together. Playing, fighting, killing.” She threw a purple bolt at them. Victor cast a shield and when it broke, it exploded in purple smoke.