Endure (44 page)

Darius smiled wide behind his brother, but Drake did not look nearly as pleased.

“This sanctuary is for the pure of heart only. Do you know how much magic it took to bring us all down here? Whose power do you think that was?” Drake said. “Riley lies there, dead, Ithreal’s souls merging with his as we speak. When he rises, Riley will be an almighty vessel to the god, his own free will vanquished to the souls that reside inside him. Disobey or disrespect either of us again, and I will show you and your Queen what it means to cross a god.”

The Visceratti lowered their eyes to the ground. They nodded, and without a word, slithered to either side of Rayna.

“Good,” Drake said. “Then unless she attacks, let her play with her spells. She is no good to us dead.” And then he was gone, standing beside Riley’s cold body once again.

Darius stared at the two demons again and laughed. “The gods above will open the Otherworld to us one way or another, and then you will be in awe of our presence. You will bow, or you will die.”

The Visceratti nodded, although now with Darius speaking to them, they looked angry. Their hands were at their sides, long fingers flexing against their bodies. Claws cut into their flesh and trickles of black blood ran down their scales.

In a swarm of black and purple smoke, Darius vanished in the air and appeared in front of one of the demons. His hands were balled into fists, his pale complexion red with fury.

“In fact,” he spit the words through gritted teeth. “Why don’t you start now?”

The demon stayed silent and didn’t move. Darius’s arm became a cloud of black and purple as it smashed the Visceratti to the ground. The demon let out a cry of pain, followed by a hiss of anger. The other demon made an attempt to move but Darius’s power lashed out, tearing a wound into her chest. The demon didn’t falter like the first, but she lowered her gaze and stood dormant as the blood ran down her body.

Black and purple smoke drifted over the demon on the ground and bones cracked as her body shifted and struggled against the earth. Darius smiled, his teeth glistening with saliva. His eyes were inflamed with power, flickers of white swirling throughout, and he didn’t stop as drool ran from his mouth.

“Darius!” Drake’s voice boomed from every direction. “Enough.”

Darius glanced at his brother and then back to the demon. His power squeezed harder and the demon scowled.

“I said
enough
!” Drake screamed. Black and gold streaks shot across the sanctuary. They wrapped around Darius and threw him into the air. He screamed and flailed, attempting to fight the power. His own magic spun from his body, but Drake’s hold didn’t waver. He threw Darius to the ground and hovered over him. His voice was too quiet to hear, but I could see his lips over pronouncing the word
enough
.

Darius climbed to his feet and glared at his brother. They were locked in a battle of wills and Darius turned away. He screamed an unearthly sound and stomped away. Drake didn’t attempt to stop him; he watched Darius disappear over the mound of earth and then shook his head.

A grumbling noise came from the center of the sanctuary and the demons crawled from the deep pit. Drake rushed toward them and peered over the edge. The most genuine smile I’d ever seen from him spread across his face and he patted one of the Cyclops on the shoulder.

“And so it begins.”

Chapter 34

“And you didn’t see what happened next?” Marcus asked.

I shook my head. The concrete wall behind me was cold against my skin but I needed it, I was burning up. “Like I said, he carried Riley over to the hole and dropped him in. A few seconds later, some strange power kicked me out of the sanctuary. I tried to go back, but I couldn’t. There was a barrier I couldn’t break though.”

Chief watched me but had nothing to offer. Jax and Grams had left to make sure everyone stayed organized, but the deep stink of cigarettes and body odor clung to the room.

“What happened afterward isn’t important. What’s important is that I got to Rayna. She said she didn’t know if she could, but she would work on releasing the spirit. Has anybody been back to the room…or what’s left of it?”

“No, we’ve been here waiting.”

The door burst open and Tiki rushed through. The white of his teeth could be seen immediately. “It’s here, it’s here! The Claw has appeared.”

Tiki’s hands cupped a glassy item in the shape of a three-pronged claw. Two at the top were long and smooth, while a shorter thumb-like claw curled beneath them. Black veins lingered inside the glass, as though it had once been part of a living creature. Which made sense, because now I knew that it had.

Tiki stretched his arms toward me and I was hesitant to touch it. The last time I had, I tore into the entire clan of Dunopai. Granted they had been about to attack us, but I’d seen its power. This was dangerous. This was just what I needed.

“It is yours, my friend. Take it.” Tiki’s eyes grew with excitement.

I still couldn’t believe it could be of use to us. I knew it was a god’s weapon, but it couldn’t possibly be enough to kill a demigod, let alone a true god’s essence, could it? It seemed so small and fragile. Tiki urged me closer with his hands once again and finally I conceded.

The moment I touched it, a pain spiked through my soul. The Claw moved and I tore my hand away. Each prong squeezed together, intertwining with one another. The Claw felt so delicate, but the glass hadn’t been cold like I’d expected, it felt warm.

“What was that about?” Chief asked.

“I don’t know,” I said.

Tiki looked uncomfortable holding it now and he extended his arms toward me. I glanced up at him and he nodded. This time, the glass didn’t feel as warm as before, it felt hot. Tiki didn’t seem to mind the temperature, but the moment I touched it, it scalded my skin. I winced and cursed, pulling my hand away.

“How can you even stand to touch it?”

Tiki shrugged. “It’s glass. It’s cold like any other.”

I channeled the water element before I touched it again. My hands cooled and I envisioned ice wrapping around my fingertips. Flakes of white crisped over my hands. I placed one finger on the Claw first, steam wafted into the air. After a few seconds the heat didn’t burn, and I wrapped my entire hand around it. The sizzling sound of water dropping onto a scalding surface seared the air, but the magic kept me from being seared. Lifting the soul piece out of Tiki’s hands, the heat poured into my body. Water ran from my fingertips as the Claw melted the icy flakes that covered them. My magic pulsed onward, but now I channeled it into the soul piece, trying to counteract its power.
 
The steam grew thick as it rose, but my elements were strong and controlled. Ice crept over the soul piece, covering the clear glass until the black veins within were hidden by frost. The heat faded beneath the blanket of ice and the fingers moved again. They stretched outward and then bent entirely. The glass creaked and a small burst of white powder exploded off the surface. The icy shell shattered and the soul piece began to vibrate.

More creaks came from the glass and then it cracked. It started as a small fracture, spreading outward. The veins within turned white and the glass expanded, growing wider and longer. Energy pulsed from the Claw, tingling against my skin. In a few moments, it had shifted into something entirely different. The glass re-formed, veins stretching to fill the new structure, and leaving a glass short sword in my hand.

The blade was smooth on one side, but on the other, the smooth edge faded halfway up the blade, leaving a vicious and jagged edge. Three new claws emerged from the base, stretching downward around the rubber-like handle and creating a shield of sorts to protect the hand that wielded it.

“Whoa,” I said.

“A weapon of the gods, to kill a god.” The voice came from the back of the room and it startled me

I peered past Tiki to the open doorway and there stood the small, awkward-looking creature of Silas—Grayson. He raised his three-fingered hand and waved awkwardly. His orange skin glistened with a layer of sweat and his plump lips grimaced as though he’d done something wrong. His massive eyes looked cartoonish and he lowered them, his hair swaying behind him.

“Grayson, where have you been?” I asked. I already knew the answer, he’d gone back to Silas, but I still couldn’t understand why.
 

“I returned to my home dimension,” he said, not lifting his gaze. “After seeing what we were truly up against, I knew that true evil had risen. It is the Dunopai’s duty to keep the balance between light and dark, no matter the cost. I could not neglect my duty. The Caller, and our elder, Alaric, needed to know what the spirits of Yore had failed to show us. He has now seen the truth and we are here to aid you. We are here to help you keep the balance.”

Vincent appeared behind Grayson and his voice made the small creature jump. “What he means is that they’re outside. All of them.” Vincent shuddered. “Even the fat arrogant one who locked us up.”

Grayson nodded sheepishly. “Yes, Alaric has come. The Dunopai fight together, or none of us fight.”

I didn’t bother with more questions of why he left, they weren’t important. Grayson was safe, he was here, and so were his people, which meant our numbers had grown. “Did you know about this?” I asked, holding up the sword.

Grayson shrugged. “It was legend among the Dunopai that the Claw wielded many shapes. This does not surprise me. Nathaniel is a god who adores weapons of all kinds. When he walked within the dimensions, he carried a different one in each of his four hands. He respected war and battle and the baring of a man’s soul that came from a true fight. He had little respect for cowardice and defense, focusing solely on the attack of one creature against another. It is said that is why he created us—deadly warriors with skills unlike any other, but not built for defense.”

“Well, I hope you and your people came prepared to die,” Vincent said, impartial and cold. “We’re about to go to war.”

Grayson quivered. “The Dunopai do not fear death…most of us, anyway. My people are well aware why they are here.”

“We appreciate you coming,” I said. “Where’s Alaric now?”

“He’s outside with all the others. There are many creatures shouting over how we are moving forward.

“We better get out there and help get organized,” Marcus said.

“Agreed. There will be more coming. We can’t keep them all here,” Chief said. “We need to move to a bigger location.”

“There isn’t time,” I said. “We’re moving to
the
location. They’ve got Rayna, and if we can get her back before anything starts, we could avoid this war altogether.”

Vincent laughed. “You sound hopeful. You can’t honestly believe that.”

 
“No,” I sighed. “But hope is all we’ve got left.”

******

The sun had set and a pale glow cast over the gravel-covered lot. There were creatures everywhere and it felt surreal. We really did have an army, and this was only the beginning.

Vincent gathered his vampires to the far side. Although they tried, they were unable to avoid all of the Dunopai and most of the shifters, and the tension between the groups was visible.

I’d grown a lot over the last four months. I knew there was good and bad in everyone. It had nothing to do with what they were, but rather
who
they were. The rest of the world hadn’t come to that realization yet. Although we’re all on the same side at the moment, it looked like we were about to see a civil war already.

Jax and Chief managed to recruit almost two dozen packs, and with the vampires and Dunopai, we had hundreds of people gathered in the parking lot. There were curses, roars, and even the beginning of a few shoving matches. The leaders of each respective group did their best to keep things calm, but so far it wasn’t working.

Hunters from the other Circles had been arriving, and Marcus took charge of them. Eric was among them, trying to challenge Marcus for who was in charge, which left them the least organized. Most of the hunters didn’t know one another. Although they’d been informed, they weren’t ready to fight alongside demons. Their weapons were drawn and the rigidity was palpable, but I trusted Marcus to take care of them.

With the sun gone from the sky, all the Underworlders’ eyes were glowing in the lightless eve. The moon was masked behind pools of grey clouds and the demonic noise grew more intense. Part of it was the circle of life: hunters hated demons, demons hated hunters, and among the Underworlders there were demon-on-demon rivalries that went back centuries. The other part was pure fear—fear of the unknown.

After the facing off against pure bloods, the Dark Brothers, and Riley, everyone had a taste of what they were up against, and they wanted someone to ease their nerves. Between fears being shouted across the lot, the demons bickering about who was in charge, and the thought of working with someone you’ve grown up knowing was your enemy, the crowd was on edge. They needed to become united, and the only way that would happen was if someone did it for them. Groups like this needed a single voice to bring them together. I just wasn’t sure I could be that voice.

In the last four months, my world had been flipped upside down, turned around, torn apart, and reassembled. I didn’t recognize this life, this world, or these people. What was I supposed to say? I couldn’t tell them it would be okay, I didn’t know that it would. Marcus and Rayna had shown me a new world, but it had taken death and pain for me to truly see it. It took time to realize I didn’t know anything. There was no black and white. Everything was some shade of grey; a wash of colorless light that blended one moment to the next. There were no answers, so how I could give them one?