Demon Retribution (Shadow Quest Book 3) (47 page)

Panic exploded through those still standing.
They clamored and trampled to get away as an invisible wave swelled
out to claim their lives.

For fun, Cale flung his sword into the melee
and gave a triumphant shout as it speared it into the back of a
fiend who was ruthlessly tossing others out of his way. His target
hunched in agony just before the wave crumbled him like a delicate
sand sculpture. And soon the rest of them were gone as well.

Silence reigned as everyone stared in awe.
All except Cale, who spotted one last Kayadon.

Yet again, Ginn remained untouched.

Cale took a scrutinizing
step forward, but paused when the air became charged with something
new. Pebbles slowly rose from the ground, hovering as if
weightless. He shared a look with Sebastian. They had witnessed
something like this back on
Extarga
, when Ethan had healed
Anya.

Cale sucked in a sharp breath as a haunting
chill fluttered over his skin, entering his lungs with each
inhalation. He began to feel lighter as the power curled inside
him. The sting in his wounds eased. He looked down at his arm,
watching the deep slash knit itself closed, fade, and finally
disappear altogether. He could feel the same happening with his
neck wound.

Ginn’s dull skin gave off a faint glow. The
greyness slowly faded, changing to a deep pink, then a light tan.
His bones began to move under the surface, cracking and morphing
into different shapes. The sound was horrible.

Muscles formed under Ginn’s grey cloak. His
shoulders broadened as his physique took on strength. The line of
his nose straightened, fitting well with the new shape of his jaw.
Short, dark strands of hair masked his reshaped skull.

When the transformation was complete, Ginn’s
eyelids flashed open, revealing light brown irises. Blinking twice,
his gaze turned incredulous and shifted to Cale.

Cale let out a harsh curse that echoed off
the hills. “Guess this means I don’t get to kill you after
all.”

Still bound, Ginn rocked his body to a
seated position and looked down at himself. “Is this an illusion?”
Even his voice was different. It no longer contained the deep rasp
of broken lungs.

With a baffled expression, Rex pointed to
the sky where Kayadon ships fell like meteors, breaking apart and
withering into dust that sparkled as the wind caught it. All around
them, fires died down, flames shrinking smaller and smaller until
they were snuffed out completely. Only black scorch marks and the
stench of smoke offered evidence of its existence.

Then, in the time it took Cale to let out an
astonished breath, the bubble imploded. The compression knocked him
forward, but he caught himself. Gusts of wind brought new air that
smelled of hot metal and fuel. The radiant light that had
surrounded Kyra and the others dissipated like fog.

Kyra dropped to one knee, holding her head.
With a little less grace, Anya and Nadua went down as well, coming
to rest on their hips. Ethan fell back, making no move to catch
himself as he hit the ground.

Sonya cried his name and rushed to his
side.

Cale went for Kyra, kneeling in front of
her. He wanted to pull her into his embrace, but held back, unsure
if she was in pain. “Are you okay?” His tone was laced with a
desperation he’d never heard from himself before. Anxiety squeezed
his chest, tightening with every second.

Finally, she lifted her head and her tired
eyes found his. “Did it work?”

At hearing strength in her beautiful voice,
emotion choked him and he could not reply. Unable to contain
himself, he crushed her to his chest and buried his face in her
hair. She mimicked his hold, and he pulled her closer, reveling in
the rhythm of her heart.

He inhaled her scent, letting it flood his
mind and ease his nerves. Then excitement exploded out of him.
“That was the shit!” Cale said, lifting Kyra by the waist and
twirling her to stand. “You are the most amazing woman in the
universe.”

Kyra laughed at his exuberance.

“What’s wrong with Ethan?” Sonya shouted,
claiming their attention. She hovered over him, feeling for a
pulse.

Kyra’s smile faded. “He chose to accept all
the consequences of using so much magic,” Kyra muttered.

“What?”

“Energy magic costs energy. That’s why Anya
and I get so exhausted afterward. I didn’t realize it till the end,
but he sacrificed himself so we wouldn’t have to.”

“You stupid son of a bitch!” Sonya screamed
at Ethan’s unconscious body.

Sebastian asked, “Does he live?”

Anya, who was nestled in his arms, looked
worried.

Sonya turned her head away, but Cale had
caught sight of a quiver in her lip. “His pulse is faint.”

“We should move him somewhere safe.”
Sebastian turned his attention to Kyra. “I’m assuming the Kayadon
are no longer a problem?”

“Only those within the field have been
healed or destroyed,” She replied.

With that, Ginn asked eagerly, “Others are
healed?”

Kyra gasped, taking in Ginn’s new
appearance. He was unrecognizable. “Most were not,” she said,
pausing to read his expression. His eyes lowered and he nodded. She
continued, “But yes, like yourself, the magic chose a few to
save.”

“The magic?” said Cale.

She nodded. “I let it completely free and it
did…” she trailed off and scanned their surroundings. “Whatever it
is it did.”

“You don’t know?”

“It was hard to keep up.” She gave a tiny
smile, and he drank it in, fighting to keep from leaning in and
stealing a kiss. Then she stilled. “Wait! Where’s Zoey?”

“She’s back on
Marada
,” Sebastian
answered.

Cale’s brows shot up.
“
Marada
wasn’t
involved in the fighting?”

“
The battle was a bit of a
surprise. We were out searching for you when it started. I hope you
have a good excuse for where you’ve been.”

Cale grumbled, “Yeah, same old shit,
different planet. Ru set us up to be ambushed.”

A muscle ticked in Sebastian’s jaw. “That
might explain why he went missing too.”

Cale’s fists clenched. “If he’s smart, he’s
running and hiding, because when I get my hands on him—”

“Can we discuss revenge later?” Sonya
snapped with a catch in her voice.

“How about we discuss it on
our way back to
Marada
.”

Sebastian shook his head.
“We can’t get back to
Marada
without the Serakians. When more of them arrived,
they performed a more powerful cloaking spell. Once we stepped
beyond the border, we lost the ability to return without their
help.”

“
Well, where the hell are
they?”

“All I know is they were scrying for you two
when the fighting started. They popped out of here and brought you
back and then popped away directly after.”

“Maybe they’ll return soon,” Rex
offered.

Sonya replied with irritation, “We’re not
going to sit around waiting, are we? What if an army of Kayadon are
on the way?”

“Let’s go to the palace,” Kyra exclaimed.
“It’s not far, and we can rally my people. There might be healers
there too.”

They all turned toward the aesthetic
building residing just beyond their perch. It was mostly unscathed
but for a few blackened walls and a crumbled tower.

“Was it cleared of Kayadon?” Cale asked.

“I…
think
so,” said Kyra.

“Does it matter!” Sonya barked. “If it
wasn’t, it will be soon.”

“What do we do with him?” Rex spat, staring
down at Ginn with malice.

Undaunted, Ginn replied. “I am no threat.”
He spoke directly to Kyra. “You have done the thing I believed
impossible. I owe you my life and will serve you till my last
breath.”

“Lying Kayadon scum!” Sonya shriek. “You
think your pretty new shell will make us trust you.”

“Bring him with us, but keep him bound,”
Kyra ordered. “I’ll decide what to do with him later.”

“Whatever,” Sonya scoffed,
adding, “If he even breathes wrong I
will
kill him.” Then her attention
returned to Ethan.

“Let me stand,” Anya said to Sebastian.

Sebastian hesitated, but obeyed. Anya
crossed to the edge of the cliff. She leaned over, and Sebastian
grabbed her by the waist. “What are you doing?”

“The dragons are down there,” she replied,
shooting Kyra a concerned expression. “They’re mourning.”

At the bottom of the cliff, near smoking
wreckage, the dragons stood with their heads hung. Aiden was there
too, off to the side, his features twisted in sorrow. Kyra placed a
palm over her mouth as a lifeless body came into view.

King Mar, twisted and broken.

She thought of Ethan’s healing magic, but
Ethan had yet to wake and was slumped over Rex’s shoulder. With the
circle closed, she could no longer tap his gift, but even if she
could, King Mar was already gone. She could see it on their
faces.

Tristan looked up, red eyed, and met her
gaze. He approached with the distinct air of loss.

“I’m so sorry, Tristan,” she muttered, not
knowing what else to say.

His lips thinned and morphed into a forced
smile. “He died with honor. And he warned us this might
happen.”

“I don’t understand.”

“The message from you father…” Tristan
trailed off, unable to finish.

The message in the book, meant for Mar, had
foretold his death?

“And you helped us anyway?”

He nodded. “You needed us. And father
is…was…stubborn. He would no’ let us fight without him.”

There was nothing she could do to repay the
sacrifice. Even if there were, their honor would not allow it.
Holding back tears, she embraced Tristan, partly to console him,
but mostly, selfishly, to console herself. At one time, King Mar
had been dear to her.

Cale remained silent, and when Tristan
released her, she moved to gauge his expression. He looked
empathetic.

“Sorry,” he said to Tristan.

Tristan gave a tight nod.

“He was a great warrior,” Sebastian
added.

Again, Tristan nodded before returning to
where his father lay.

“I don’t want to be disrespectful,”
Sebastian added. “But we can’t stay here.”

“Understood,” Tristan replied curtly, but
not offended. Their location was clearly too vulnerable.

Still, they stayed for a moment of silence
before the group began crafting two gurneys from broken ship parts
and vines, one for Mar and one for Ethan.

As they headed for the palace, Tristan and
Lear carried their father, while Rex and Sonya took command of
Ethan. The others kept a look out for danger. The forest was eerily
quiet. Nobody spoke. She figured both the dragons and the demons
were using their supreme hearing to judge their safety. However,
their own footsteps sounded loud to her ears.

She was surprised at how well they were all
working together. Sebastian led the group and whenever he paused,
the rest followed, tilting their heads to listen.

Finally, the trees grew sparse, revealing
the city that had once thrived with her people. Many of the
buildings were smoking, and some had been destroyed completely.
Past the city, the palace stood tall, like an ancient statue that
refused to topple.

They cautiously made their way down a main
street, one Kyra remembered traveling as a child. It was a wide
stone path that didn’t look its age. Bits of wood and stone
littered the way and the air was thick with the smell of burnt
embers. It was too silent.

Anya paused and turned her attention to a
small, broken wall that had once been attached to a larger
dwelling. With nothing but an expression, Sebastian asked what she
sensed. In answer, Anya moved aside her hair, indicating her
pointed ear. A Faieara was close.

Cale stepped closer to Kyra, ready to
protect. After Ru’s betrayal, it was clear that even her own people
couldn’t be trusted.

“Hello?” Anya murmured in a tone meant for
youth. “You can come out. It’s safe now.”

They waited, but nothing happened.
Perceiving their anxiousness, Anya lifted a finger for them to be
patient. Still nothing happened. Kyra was about to say something
when a small, lilac colored head peeked out.

“Hi,” Anya said sweetly.

The child ducked away.

Cale grumbled low. “Do you want me to go get
it?”

Kyra swatted him in the chest. “He’s not an
it.”

He shrugged while Anya corrected them both.
“She.”

The child peered at them again. Kyra caught
sight of her frightened eyes before she darted away. Anya called
after her, but she disappeared into the rubble of the city.