Rival Demons (29 page)

The witch in the ice was thawing herself with
fire, but she was obviously not very good at it. Fire must not have
been her strongest energy. The hunter I'd hurt with the stone was
on her feet again, her wound still leaking. The ancient hunter had
disappeared behind the hill for now, but her absence made me
nervous. What was she doing up there?

"Behind you," I said to Jackson.

He turned just in time to see one of the younger
hunters descending on him with a net in her hands. She barely
missed him, which threw her slightly off balance. Jackson took
advantage of the moment and created a large block of ice that he
used to bash the thing's head. She fell to her knees,
disoriented.

I summoned a pile of blue rocks and quickly
moved them toward her with great force, burying her beneath them.
Working perfectly with my plan, Jackson encased the blue stones in
a layer of ice, freezing the hunter inside.

An enormous sense of pride swelled through me.
We were winning against the most fearsome creatures the Order could
send after us. We were outnumbered, yet still alive.

But my celebration was premature. Without
warning, the ancient hunter flew out from her hiding place behind
the hill, some kind of dome-like glass structure in her hands. I
rolled out of the way, but Jackson hadn't seen her fast enough. She
brought the glass dome down on top of him, sealing him inside. He
pounded against it, yelling something, but I couldn't hear him. I
scrambled backward, stunned at how fast the tables had turned.

I watched as he tried several attempts to break
the glass, but nothing would shatter it. He was trapped and
helpless.

I quickly lifted the largest rock I could find
and sent it flying toward the glass, figuring he might get cut a
little, but at least he would be free. But the rock merely bounced
off the structure, leaving it completely unharmed.

My heart sank and panic rose in my throat.

I was on my own.

I needed a new word for fear.

My body tensed and my vision blurred. I stumbled
backward, searching my mind for anything that could get me out of
this moment. There was no escaping it. Above us, dark clouds
gathered. Thunder rumbled, echoing the fear in my heart.

The hunter Jackson first encased in ice was free
now. She flew to her older sister's side, hatred rolling off of her
like a haze.

"There's no use fighting us," the ancient one
said. She wiped greenish fluid from her forehead from where
Jackson's orb of ice had sliced her. "You may be stronger than we
expected, but you will never have the strength to beat us."

My eyes flicked to where Jackson stood, still
pounding on the dome. His eyes were dark with panic.

Terror ran through me like lava, leaving a hot
flush on my cheeks.

I straightened up and lifted my palms, summoning
a strong flame.

The ancient witch narrowed her eyes at me. "You
will regret this, girl."

"I told you I would not go with you," I said
through gritted teeth. "You can break me down all you want, but
I'll never go willingly."

The witches moved toward me. Not knowing what
else to do, I created a circle of fire around myself, trying to
block them from reaching me.

A tidal wave of icy cold water descended on me,
dousing the entire fire and leaving me shivering and wet. I drew in
a freezing breath, shocked and so incredibly cold.

"I'm tired of playing with you," the ancient
hunter said. "This ends here."

She raised her gnarled hands and lifted me into
the air. She threw me as hard as she could. I lost all control of
my body, flying through the air, over the top of the hill on the
opposite side. I lost sight of Jackson and the blue stones. The
ground rushed toward me with unthinkable speed. A field of pure
white. I braced myself for the impact.

Pain shot through me as I hit the ground.
Something sharp stabbed through my skin in the back, just below my
shoulder. The blood that poured from me was warm and sticky against
my cold skin. My breath was knocked from my body, and I gasped
desperately for air. My head hit the ground hard and my ears
throbbed.

I turned my head, trying to see if the hunters
were coming after me. Time moved in painful, slow ticks. Out of the
corner of my eye, all I could see was white.

My heart stopped beating as the scene became
clear.

A light snow fell from the sky above me, falling
onto my face and melting into tears that slid down my cheeks. I
knew that if I could see myself, I would be the perfect replica of
the scene from Jackson's nightmares.

Horror seized me and I drew in a sharp, painful
breath.

This was it. This was the moment. I closed my
eyes as the blood slowly left my body.

A shadow fell over me. I blinked and saw that
both hunters were hovering over my body, smiles twisting their
horrid faces. How had it come to this? How could I let my life end
like this?

My head fell to the side, not wanting their
ruined bodies to be the last thing I saw in this world.

I braced myself for the cold snow against my
cheek, but instead of cold, something soft and silky caressed my
skin.

I blinked, not sure whether to believe what I
was seeing. I reached out, my fingers brushing against the soft
petals of a white rose. My mother's favorites.

I plucked a petal from the rose and held it
tight in my hand.

Jackson had drawn it wrong. It wasn't snow that
cradled my wounded body. It was a bed of white roses. Hundreds of
them all around me, telling me not to quit. Not to give up until
the last breath had been ripped from my body.

In the distance, I saw the small boy. He emerged
from his rocky hiding place, staring at me with tears in his eyes.
I had a feeling he'd seen this horror before in his young life. I
wanted to shout out and tell him to run. To hide.

But before I could do anything to help him, the
ancient hunter followed my gaze, spotting the child.

I cried out as she sent a ball of poison toward
him. The green splashed against his side and he fell helpless to
the ground.

Anger took control of my body, and I could feel
the dark power inside of me rise up.

Control it
, I told
myself.
Use it.

I blocked all noise and worry and doubt from my
mind and went inward. Deep down to the root of my power. There, I
found a flowing river of untapped essence, something more when all
else seemed lost. I dove into the source, feeling only a moment of
panic as a strange darkness seeped into my being.

The hunters descended on me, their hands
reaching out to take their prize.

I took a deep breath, then let go. I surrendered
to this unknown power, trusting it as a part of my own foundation,
my core. Just as their hands reached me, my body split into a
million pieces, turning into pure white smoke.

My body was gone. I was air. Smoke. Wind.

I moved in a flash, feeling suddenly strong
despite my injuries. I took form again behind the hunters, and it
happened so fast, they were still standing there trying to figure
out where I had gone.

I let this new power stream from my hands, the
white smoke thick like a rope. I wound it around the younger
hunter's chest, neck and mouth, squeezing so tight I could feel the
breath leaving her shriveled body.

The ancient hunter sliced through the flow of my
energy, but I quickly recreated it. She moved back, confusion
contorting her wretched face.

"What are you?" she screeched. Fear shone in her
eyes.

"I am the thing that ends you," I said.

I reached deep into the ground with my mind, the
tendrils of white smoke disappearing down in the earth surrounding
the ancient witch. I bent my knees and pulled up with great force,
pulling the ground upward in large slabs of rock and dirt. I
created a stone prison around the hunter that muffled her terrified
screeches.

I held the structure up for a moment, then with
all of my strength, I slammed it down on top of her, crushing her
body into nothingness.

The remaining witch lay on the ground,
gasping for air. She trembled in fear as I turned my eyes toward
her. I lifted my hands to end her, but realized all fight had left
her. She was defeated already. Killing her out of hatred didn't
seem right. She was no longer any threat to me.

That's when I noticed something gleaming on her
finger.

I looked closer, my hope rising as I recognized
the ring. I held my hand out to her. "Give me the ring," I
said.

She looked down at the ring on her finger, as if
just now remembering she had it on. "I can't," she said. "The Order
will destroy me."

"I'll destroy you," I said. "Give it to me."

Shaking, she removed the ring and placed it into
my hand. I closed my fist around it, tears of joy stinging my eyes.
The hunter seized the moment and fled off into the distance. I
didn't bother following her.

Instead, I slipped the ring onto my finger and
rushed over to where the little boy had dropped in the field. He
lay still, but his eyes were open and he was breathing. Carefully,
I picked him up and carried him over he hill to where I'd last seen
Jackson. His domed prison was gone, no doubt destroyed when I'd
killed the hunter who created it. I set the boy down near him, then
touched his face with my hand.

Jackson opened his eyes, blinking against the
sun that now shined down on us. "Are we alive?" he asked. His
question brought a smile to my face. Hadn't I asked nearly the same
question just a few months ago when he brought me to this
world?

"Yes," I said. "We're alive."

"How?" he asked, his voice cracking.

I still didn't understand it myself. Somehow I
had tapped into some unknown power. But where had it come from? Had
I connected to Aerden's power somehow? I couldn't figure it out.
All I knew was that I had survived.

Jackson struggled to sit up, then as his eyes
looked around, a new panic seized him.

My stomach turned. I followed his gaze,
expecting to see a new group of hunters waiting for us.

Instead, the entire hill above us was lined with
uniformed soldiers. They stared down at us with no expression. The
glint of silver at the waist betrayed their weapons, and I had a
feeling their magical skills were nothing to laugh at.

I was almost numb to the sight. There had to be
at least two dozen of them. I wasn't sure I had the strength left
to face them all.

But I promised I would never give up.

I struggled to my feet and lifted my palms,
ready to fight.

To my surprise, a tall demon stepped forward
from the small army. His laughter boomed throughout the quarry.

Confused, I stared at him, not dropping my
stance.

He walked down the side of the hill toward me, a
crooked smile on his face. He shook his head. "It's uncanny," he
said. "You're just like your father."

I struggled to stay on my feet.

"I don't know what you're talking about," I
said.

"My name is Gregory," he said. He held his hand
out to me, but I was so disoriented and confused, I didn't know
whether to trust him or fight him.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, looking up
at the soldiers.

"My men and I patrol the lands on the outskirts
of the Center," he said. "We'd been tracking this group of hunters
when they suddenly disappeared. It took us a while to find them
again, and believe me, we were shocked to see that they'd been
taken care of."

Gregory leaned down to examine the block of ice
and rocks that still encased the third hunter.

"Do you think she's dead?" I asked.

"I doubt it," he said. "These things are
extremely difficult to kill. Especially when it's three against
two. You're lucky to be alive."

"We know," Jackson said. "Too bad you guys
didn't come along a little sooner."

"We only caught the tail end of the fight,"
Gregory said, looking at me with one raised eyebrow.

I ducked my head, wondering if he'd seen what
happened to me. I still didn't understand it myself.

"What did you mean about my father?" I asked.
"How could you possibly know who my father is?"

Gregory smiled. "Your father is a dear friend of
mine," he said. "I can take you to him if you'd like to meet him. I
know he'll be very happy to see you."

For the second time in ten minutes, I felt the
breath knocked from my chest. How could this be? My father was
here? In the shadow world? What was he doing here? Had he been here
my whole life?

"Does he know I'm here?" I asked, not sure what
else to say.

"I sent a runner back to the Center," he said.
"I imagine by now everyone knows you're here. Word spreads fast in
the city."

Jackson took my hand. "Do you think he could be
telling the truth?" he whispered in my ear. "Could your father
really be here?"

"I don't know," I said. My mind was spinning. I
turned back to Gregory. "How do we know we won't be in any danger
in your city?"

He smiled and laughed, shaking his head. "I
promise, Harper."

My mouth opened in surprise. "How do you know my
name?"

"A lot of demons in this area know your name,"
he said. "You're kind of famous around here, actually."

None of this made sense. I wondered just how
hard I had hit my head back there.

"I promise once you get to the city, your wounds
will be looked after," he said. "As will the wounds of your small
friend there. He needs immediate medical attention. You'll be
completely free to come and go, and I can assure you you'll be much
safer there than you will be out here alone. Especially now that
the hunters can track your magic to this spot."