There was a long pause before Smoak leaned in and whispered “They’re gone.”
“Gone? Where would they?—?”
“They’regone, witch king,” Smoak growled and flailed wildly. “They were killed while in service of Dùbhghlas soheretained their demonic powers.”
“Killed?” Nox confirmed, his stomach sinking when Smoak nodded. “It’s almost impossible to kill a demon.”
“Not if they’ve already bound themselves to you with a deal. They’ve already forfeited their soul becauseduh,demon. All that’s left is the death part.”
“Right,” Nox agreed and nodded slowly. “But there aren’t many things that can kill a demon, especially on this side of the veil. Hellhounds, valkyrie, or a much more powerful demon… I can’t think of much else.”
“Blue fire,”Smoak stated heavily.
Nox whistled, impressed. “Hugh’s leveled up if he’s wielding blue demon fire. How can you be sure?”
“Because I went to see it for myself. I walked right up to the place and let myself in!” Smoak hissed angrily. “The house has been abandoned and it’s hard to miss the blue blood bath in the main hall. They were taken by surprise by a great blast of blue fire that smote most of them where they were standing. The floors and walls are painted with burned, blue grease.”
“Yikes,” Nox whispered, grimacing apologetically.
He had never killed a demon himself or witnessed one dying, but Nox had read several accounts that described demons as having blue, sludge-like blood that didn’t circulate. They didn’t have working respiratory systems and their earthly bodies—wherever they were—were cold and rotting.
Blue demon fire was at the core of every demon and how they survived without a soul or a living body to anchor themselves to. It was the source of their magick and could be conjured and thrown by extremely powerful demons. Like Smoak. There weren’t many demons like him, though. Nox certainly couldn’t think of any who were worth worrying about.
Noxhopedthat he would know if there were other beings with that kind of power walking the earth. Then again, he had existed without more than a handful of others knowing and had evolved into something new with powershehad yet to understand. He had learned how to cast blue fire and had used it to destroy Walter Forsythe’s poppet, but to throw enough to kill a demon? Nox would probably have to kill a few demons first and consume their abilities before he could do serious damage with it.
“The house at Beartown’s been abandoned?” he confirmed, not wanting to dwell on all the dead demons and what that mightmean for them. “Any idea where Dùbhghlas went with what’s left of his army?”
“No clue.” Smoak shook his head. “Anyone with loose lips or a magickal soul has been immolated. I still have eyes and ears everywhere and have made it known that Dùbhghlas must be found.”
“Good. Thank you,” Nox said but Smoak clicked his teeth and wagged a finger.
“Not because of you. Dùbhghlas will answer for what he’s done tomy children. It is not within his purview to deliver death upon a demon. He has violated the sanctity of death andmy willand for that he must pay.”
Nox shrugged. “Whatever works for you and helps you save face with the other demons,” he said, making Smoak scowl.
“He has a valkyrie.”
“How can you be sure?” That wasalmostas bad as all the dead demons Dùbhghlas had used to supercharge his demonic development.
“There were other dead things there. Halflings, a man who might have been a merrow, withered banshees… The remains had been picked clean. Hellhounds don’t bother with the remains.”
“No, they don’t,” Nox agreed distantly, his thoughts reeling as he tried to envision what an undead valkyrie might be like, what it could be capable of if twisted into something dark and spiteful.
Like hellhounds, valkyrie could peel a soul from a man’s body in the midst of battle and drag it through the veil. There, it could be torn to shreds by sluagh?1 or safely ferried to the Otherworld to spend an eternity in glory. Unlike hellhounds, valkyrie were creatures of both the dark and light. Like the Badb?2, they were the sisters of demons and were as capricious as storms. Their dual natures made them terrifying on and off the battlefieldbecause they could see and touch souls and could maul and burn a man with their bare hands.
That was just the regular text book valkyrie. What had Dùbhghlas done to its soul and what other abomination had he polluted it with when he raised it from the dead? Dùbhghlas learned how to use necromancy to bind together different species of sídh?3 to create dark abominations that could suck the abilities and strength out of other magickal beings.
While Nox wouldneverdo such a thing, he understood the principles. Necromancy involved layers of education and magickal practice but in the most simple terms, it was like jumpstarting a dead being with the battery of a living one. Most scholars and practitioners assumed that the transaction could only happen between humans. Nox had believed that as well until he used some of his own light to bring Everly back to life.
Suddenly, Nox realized that if a piece of whatever he was could recharge a halfling, then Dùbhghlas could have used any number of terrible things to awaken his dead halfling. Most practitioners drew the line at necromancy and could never fathom of attempting itonce.But Dùbhghlas had attempted it time and time again like a god and was creating new monsters.
This wasn’t just a defiance of the sanctity of death, it was a flagrant violation of the laws of magick and nature. Neither Smoak nor Nox could turn a blind eye to what Dùbhghlas was doing. Dùbhghlas had finally backed Nox into a corner and he had no choice but to fight.
The question was: what exactly were they facing?
“So, Dùbhghlas has a valkyrie and possibly eighteen more Fomorians…” he began and Smoak nodded along.
“He’ll have a handful of demons left. The ones who were most loyal and useful and willing to fight against me. They’re hiding and want me to think they’re dead. I haven’t heard anything to suggest Dùbhghlas has another kraken but I’d stayinland if I were you,” he advised and snorted wryly. “You’d better hope we find him fast and strike first. Dùbhghlas is preparing for abigfight and he has nukes in his arsenal. I don’t know how many demons he ambushed up in Beartownyet, but from the looks of it, it washundreds.”
