Rival Demons (22 page)

Frantic, I looked around for anything I could
use to defeat or injure her. The broken tile had weakened her when
it sliced into her flesh, but she'd be ready for it if I tried to
throw another one. I looked around, seeing only rocks and broken
tile. I looked up and suddenly felt a wave of hope rush through
me.

The black roses carpeted the ceiling, and I knew
that just above the roses was the fragile soul stone. The rock
could hold a witch's power inside of it. It worked like a buffer
between the Underground and the land above it, absorbing any trace
of magic before it could pass through. Maybe I could use the stone
to draw her power from her body.

The hunter flew around, another green ball of
poison oozing between her fingertips. She was toying with me now,
thinking she had the upper hand.

Carefully, I chose the largest rock I could find
from the rubble of the floor and lifted it into the air with a
flick of my hand. My eyes searched the debris. When I saw another
sizeable stone, I lifted that one as well. Then, a third.

The hunter's eyes flickered to the three stones
I had raised into the air. She laughed.

"Do you think you can throw these pitiful rocks
at me and win?" she asked. She threw the green poison at me, but I
quickly maneuvered one of the rocks in its path, the two slamming
into each other and falling down to the ground, powerless.

I chose another rock from the ground and lifted
it into the air.

"No," I said, shaking my head. "These aren't for
you."

For good measure, I lifted a fourth stone, then
dipped my knees, gathering momentum. With every bit of strength I
could find in my magic and my body, I hurled all four rocks
straight up toward the ceiling above the hunter.

Above me, the rocks hit their mark with a loud
crack. The soul stone shattered like a mirror. Pieces of black
roses mixed with thick, jagged pieces of shiny black stone rained
down on top of the hunter. I backed away and quickly used magic to
pull pieces of broken tile over my head like an umbrella, careful
to not get cut. But when I looked up at the screaming hunter, I saw
that she had been cut in over a dozen places. Her essence drained
from her like acid.

Weakened, she tried to stand, but the soul stone
had begun to work its magic, pulling the essence of her power from
her body. Her power slid through the stones like water, in and out,
the grayish green smoke pouring from her.

I knew I had only a small window, so I turned my
attention to the flames burning all around us. I reached deep
inside my own soul, extending my power outward to encompass every
single flame and flicker in the circle. I fed the flames with my
own power, connecting to it in a way that frightened me.

A stream of pure white energy began to flow from
the center of my palms, and I felt the same dark power I'd felt at
the portal rise up within me. I panicked, wanting to drop the
power, so scared of losing control again. But as I watched the
hunter writhing under the influence of the broken soul stone, I
knew this was my only chance to defeat her.

I embraced the new energy, pouring myself into
the flames. The red fire turned a bright, hot shade of pure blue.
With one huge push, I commanded the flames to engulf the hunter's
body. Blue flashed as the flames raced toward the center of the
circle, surrounding the hunter in an ocean of fire.

The hunter screamed, a high-pitched sound that
vibrated every inch of my body.

Then, as the flames sucked the oxygen from her
tiny prison, she began to cough and sputter. Then, slowly, she fell
to the ground like a withering flower, her black eyes finally
closing.

I collapsed onto the broken tiles. The hazy
boundary that held us in dissipated. Andros and a few demons I
didn't recognize ran forward and placed a strange silver
contraption over the hunter's hands, feet and mouth. They carried
the unconscious witch away quickly, the crowd scattering to keep
their distance from her.

Jackson fell at my feet. He ripped a piece of
cloth from the bottom of his shirt and wrapped it around my injured
leg.

I struggled to keep my eyes open. My leg pulsed
and burned from the acid of the hunter's blood. I coughed into my
hand, a black oily substance peppering my palm.

"What were you thinking?" Jackson said. He ran
his fingers through my hair, letting his thumb brush against my
cheek. "You could have gotten killed."

"But I didn't," I said, attempting a smile.

"That was really stupid, Harper." His words were
angry, but his face was full of love and gratitude. "But it was
also really brave and strong. It was difficult to see you through
the haze of the barrier, but I saw what you did with the stone. How
did you know it would affect her that way?"

I shook my head. "I'm not sure," I said. "I just
guessed, in a way. I mean, I remembered how it pulled Caroline's
power from her body, so I thought maybe it would hurt the hunter
too."

Jackson pulled me into his arms. My aching body
protested, but I ignored my wounds and hugged him harder.

"I need to find the Shaman," he said. "We've got
to get that poison out of your leg before it festers."

I nodded. "Want to carry me back to the room
first?"

He smiled. "Of course," he said.

I put my arms around his neck and he lifted me
into the air. A small group of shadow demons stood around the area,
some of them picking up the broken tiles and fragments of stone.
Others simply stared at me, perhaps not believing what they had
just seen. Or maybe they were just shocked to see their future king
caring for a human girl.

I smiled and tucked my face into the warmth of
his neck. Maybe I was just destined to be the kind of girl that
rebels against the system. It seemed that no matter where I went,
in one world or the next, I was always causing some kind of
scandal.

Somehow, I knew my mother would have been so
proud.

I slipped in and out of poisoned dreams, waking
up several times throughout the night to see Jackson faithfully by
my side. He scooted closer to the bed, running his hand gently
through my matted hair.

"How are you feeling?" he asked when I finally
woke in the early morning hours.

"Probably better than I look," I said, joking. I
coughed again, more of the black soot covering my palm.
"Gross."

"I've called for the shaman, but several shadow
demons were injured by the hunter and she has a duty to help them
first."

I nodded, understanding.

"Is Sasha okay?"

He smiled. "She's fine," he said. "She's just a
little scared, that's all. But Ourelia stopped by earlier when you
were sleeping to say thank you. She said the little girl knew you
would save her."

I laughed, but my lungs screamed in pain.
Whatever poisonous gas I had inhaled had really done a number on
me.

A knock on the outer door of the suite sent
Jackson straight into the air. He rushed into the outer room.
"Thank you so much for coming," he said. "Harper's wound is looking
worse."

The shaman walked toward my room, and I could
hear the beads in her hair clicking together as she moved. There
was something so beautiful about the sound. In her presence, I
immediately felt calm.

Without a word, she looked over the poison wound
in my thigh, then placed her hand against my chest. A warmth spread
through my ribs and down into my lungs.

"You will be fine, child," the shaman said.

"I know," I said. "This isn't how I die."

The shaman tilted her head to look at me, then
she broke out in a knowing smile. "No, indeed, it is not."

She rummaged through her medicine bag and pulled
out a vial similar to the one she'd used with Mary Anne's tiger
wound. Only this time, there was no liquid inside. Instead, the
shaman uncorked the vial and laid it at the edge of the wound on my
leg. She chanted something low and soft and at her command, the
poisonous green ooze dripped into the vial. The burning pain
disappeared immediately, leaving only a small burned area on my
leg.

She corked the full bottle and placed it into a
special pouch of her bag. Then, she placed a compress of cool herbs
onto my leg. I sighed at the soothing power of the woman's
medicine.

"Thank you," I said, coughing.

She moved her attention to my chest and frowned.
She studied me for a moment, then went back into her bag and pulled
out a long glass tube that was open at both ends. "This won't be as
pleasant," she said apologetically. "Try to just relax."

Nervous, I made an effort to relax my shoulders
and let my body sink down into the soft bed. The shaman placed one
end of the tube into my mouth. Then, she placed her palm at the
other end, closing her eyes. Chanting, she began to pull her hand
back from the tube, as if pulling some energy forth. She repeated
this motion over and over again until suddenly, I felt my chest
constrict.

I couldn't breathe or move and panic filled me.
My eyes sought the shaman's, hoping she would look to reassure me.
But her eyes were closed shut. She continued to pull air from the
tube, ripping the very breath from my chest. Gradually, the tube
filled with a black and grey smoke that rose from my mouth and
escaped into the air of the room.

Just when I thought I would pass out from not
being able to breathe, she removed the tube. I gasped for air,
sitting up and clutching my chest. When I calmed down, I realized I
hadn't coughed at all. The smoke in the air dissipated quickly,
leaving my lungs healed.

Relieved, I collapsed back onto the bed.

"Thank you," I said between gulps of fresh air.
"I feel much better."

"Yes," she said, raising one eyebrow. She
touched the spot just over my heart. "And your heart is whole again
as well."

I smiled and looked toward Jackson, who was
standing at the door talking to Mary Anne and Essex. "Yes," I said,
placing my hand over hers.

A shock ran through my hand when I touched her,
and I pulled away. In that moment, a scene had flashed before my
eyes. A man's face. Someone I didn't recognize. He was tall and
round. Much older than me with a full silver beard and silver
eyes.

I sat up, blinking. "Who...?" I started, staring
at the shaman. "Who was that?"

She smiled, her eyes teasing me with their
sparkle of knowledge. She turned to leave, but I reached out and
touched the sleeve of her dress.

"What is it that you see when you look at me?" I
asked.

She pressed her lips together, not answering at
first. Then, she finally nodded and said, "You will know soon
enough. You are a very special girl, Harper. Very unique and very
powerful. Keep pushing toward your destiny, child, and you will
find your true self."

With that, she turned and left the suite,
leaving me with so many unanswered questions.

Shortly after the shaman left, we had another
visitor. A courier for the council, requesting that Jackson and I
both attend an emergency meeting of the Underground's council.

I wasn't surprised at the news. All this time
I'd been waiting to be included in Jackson and Lea's meetings, and
it had finally taken a brush with death to make it happen.

"Wait, where's Lea?" I asked. "I haven't seen
her since I saw you together at the party."

Jackson frowned and went to knock on her door.
"I hadn't even thought of it," he said. "But it's weird that she
wasn't there when the hunter appeared."

"Do you think she was hurt?" Mary Anne asked,
her face wrinkled with worry.

"I don't know," I said. "I hope not."

Surprisingly, I meant it. Lea wasn't exactly my
favorite person in the world, but now that I knew how she felt
about Jackson, I kind of understood why she'd never been crazy nice
to me. Could I blame her?

"We need to get to this meeting," Jackson said.
"They'll have answers."

I nodded, throwing on my leather jacket. My leg
was still a little sore, but I was able to walk on it just fine.
"We'll be back," I said. "Are you two okay here on your own?"

Essex and Mary Anne nodded.

"Now that I know my mother is unharmed, I am
much better," Essex said.

Jackson took my hand and led me down the hall so
fast, we were practically running.

"Are you worried about Lea?" I asked.

He nodded, distracted. "Yes, but I'm also
nervous about this meeting," he said. "It can't be good that
they're calling you in when they know you were injured."

"I'm fine," I said, but a shiver of fear ran up
my spine. The demons here couldn't be happy about the danger they'd
all been put in because of me. Also, Jackson and I were going to
have some explaining to do about our relationship.

The secret door to the council's meeting hall
opened at Jackson's command and we rushed through. He led me down
the hall straight into the library. Just inside, sitting at the
large round table, was a group of ten shadow demons. Andros sat in
the largest chair straight across from the door. I recognized some
of the faces of the other demons, including Marlana, the girl who
had first let us into the Underground. Still, there were others I
did not know.

When we walked into the room, the conversation
halted. Several members of the council looked directly at our
clasped hands, open-mouthed. Embarrassed, I slipped my hand from
Jackson's grasp and walked up to the table.

"Andros, I'm so sorry about your daughter-"

He held up his hand to stop me. "Please," he
said. "Have a seat and let us talk about what has happened here
last night."

There were three empty chairs at the table. I
took one and Jackson sat beside me. Lea was missing from the
council's table. Did they know what had happened to her? Was she
okay? I wanted to ask, but Andros was obviously waiting for
something. Or someone.