“How are you doing with this whole becominga demon thing?” I inquired as I inspected the rock walls on eitherside of us.
Magnus had taken us back into the largecavern with the carousel to do this. I knew the carousel wassomewhere within the room with us, but all I saw now were the rockshe’d woven around us. Reaching out, I shivered when my fingersslipped through the walls. My brain felt like it wasshort-circuiting as it tried to process how real it all looked withthe fact that it wasn’t really there.
“Okay, I guess. What I’m becoming, or havebecome, is better than being dead.”
“That’s the bright side of the penny.”
He smiled wanly. “There always has to beone, right?”
“Yeah.”
“They should have told me.”
“I know. Believe me, I know.”
He rested his hand on my shoulder, and Istopped walking to face him. I had no idea if the others could seeor hear us, and I didn’t care. “Demons like their secrets, butthere is no changing what happened to me, not now and not even whenit happened. The minute she fell on me, there was no goingback.”
“I’m the one who caused that.”
“No,” he said and released my shoulder totake in our surroundings once more. “It was inevitable. If you andVargas hadn’t come for us, Erin and I and the others would still bein that canagh nest with those things feeding from us. Maybe we’dalready be dead. Whatever I am now, I’ll figure it out as I go.Unfortunately, I can’t ever change what happened with Sarah.”
“That wasn’t your fault,” I said.
“Maybe not, but…”
His words trailed off, but I knew what he’dbeen about to say; he would live with it for the rest of his life,which had just gotten decidedly longer if we survived this.
A step to my right had me spinning in thatdirection and a ball of midnight blue energy erupting from my handsbefore I realized it was happening. Apparently, having monstersleaping out at me had my instincts taking over far more than I’drealized. I was getting better at drawing on the life around mewhile fear was kicking around inside me.
Turning my hands over, I drove the ball ofenergy into the chest of a gremlin-looking creature. I’d watchedthe movie with my friend, Lisa, at her house when we were seven.The two of us had hidden under covers, peeking out and squealingeach time one of the monsters appeared on screen. The onlydifference between this creature and the movie monster was thisone’s skin was blue.
Its large ears flapped when the ball tore ahole straight through its chest and flung it backward. The creaturescreamed as it burst into thousands of pieces that showered us withbits of flesh, blood, and some kind of green goo. My lip curved indisgust as chunks of blue skin splattered over my face. Its bodyflying through the rock walls briefly disrupted the illusionsurrounding us. I glimpsed the carousel before the illusion woveitself around us once more.
“Guess that one was real,” I muttered as Ibrushed away the pieces, but I could feel more stuck in my hair andsliding over my cheeks. I was going to scrub myself for an hourafter this.
“Yes, it was,” Hawk said and picked a pieceof ear from his hair.
We started forward again. Through the darksurrounding us, I spotted a growing light at what I hoped was theend of all of this. Before we made it to the end of the tunnel, oneof those “bear” creatures stepped in front of us.
“Shit,” Hawk hissed under his breath.
My heart hammered with terror as the massivecreature lowered its head and bared its fangs at us. Its red eyesgleamed in the light filtering in behind it. I didn’t have to touchit to know this one was real.
Grabbing Hawk’s arm, I pushed aside my fearas his life flowed into me. A ball of energy came to life in thepalm of my hand. The deep blue sparks flowed around it as the ballbegan to spin before me.
The ball grew larger in my hand, and Iflipped it in my fingers as Pooh steadily closed in on us. Itsclaws clicked against the rock floor and echoed throughout thetunnel with every stalking step it took.
I kept the ball hovering above my palmbefore me, patiently waiting until it was close enough that I wouldbe able to smash the energy into its face if necessary. If it wasblinded, we’d be able to attack, and I may be able to chop its headoff with my katana or at least hack at it.
It was only three feet away when I lifted myhand and threw the ball of energy straight into its chest. The“bear” staggered back from the impact, but the ball had no effecton the creature as the blue light vanished within its flesh withoutleaving so much as a scorch mark behind.
Terror flooded me as I pulled my katana freeof its scabbard. My ability to wield life had never hadnoeffect on something before. What were these hideous things? Itdidn’t matter what it was as it took another step toward us andlowered it shoulders like a bull preparing to charge.
Its powerful hind legs hunched, but beforeit could leap at us, it released a howl that became an echoingwail. The “bear” took a staggering step back as it began to tear atits chest. Its razor-sharp claws tore through flesh, ripping awaymuscle and bone. Blood splattered the floor as the creaturecontinued its crazed assault on its own body.
“What the…?” Hawk muttered and fell silentwhen it wrapped its claws around the bones of its ribcage and toreit open to reveal the heart beneath.
My jaw dropped as that organ swelled insize. The “bear” leaned back as the heart gave a lumbering beatbefore exploding. I threw my arms up, closing my eyes as its warmblood splattered me.
