“If Wrath left through the other cave entrance, he had to go through the town, which means the barrierisdown,” I said.
“We have to see if there are survivors,” Aisling said.
“We will,” I assured her.
The closer we got to the town, the more the smoke billowing into the air blocked out the sun and burned our eyes and lungs.
“Where did the other three horsemen go?” I asked. “Why weren’t they with Wrath, Lust, and Pestilence?”
“Maybe they’re hiding wherever they were before they attacked the wall,” Aisling suggested.
“They could be, but why wouldn’t they all return to hiding?” Caim wondered.
Only the horsemen had an answer for that, and since I didn’t plan on talking to them before killing them, the question would never have an answer.
“Maybe they had a falling out,” Aisling suggested.
“Anything’s possible with those crazy pony riders,” Caim said.
A few minutes passed before Aisling spoke again. “It’s the four worst ones left—or at least, I think they’re the worst.”
“Pride, War, Wrath, and Death are the most destructive,” Caim agreed.
Aisling took my hand and squeezed it. I felt the tremor in her fingers before she released me to grasp a tree branch while she climbed over a boulder. Our progress slowed when the smoke grew so thick it was impossible to see more than ten feet in front of us.
And then it started dissipating as we moved beneath the cloud and the dwindling tendrils of smoke, and the ruined town came into view. None of the buildings avoided the flames, but a few of them still stood while flames devoured what was left of them.
The remains of the toppled buildings glowed from the diminishing fire and hot embers beneath them. The charred stench of burnt wood permeated the air, and the smoke choking the sky created an unnatural dusk as it blocked out the sun.
“It’s awful,” Aisling murmured.
“It was necessary,” Caim said.
From the shadows of the trees outside the town, figures prowled through the smoke and slithered through the woods. At first, I couldn’t tell what they were; then the hounds materialized. Vivid against the unnatural dark, their amber eyes were luminous as they stalked toward us.
“Puppies!” Caim exclaimed and skipped over to the hounds.
Aisling gawked after him. “The last thing I’d call them ispuppies.”
“Caim’s not exactly normal,” I said.
“No shit.”
We were almost to the edge of the barrier when a dozen humans and demons emerged from the smoke and trees. They froze when they spotted us, but then their shoulders slumped, and some of them smiled as they came toward us. I waited for them to walk into the invisible wall of air, but nothing hindered their progress.
“The barrier is down,” one of the women said.
“Good,” Aisling breathed.
“Where is everyone else?” I asked as I rested a hand on Aisling’s waist.
“Most of the survivors have gone their own way,” a man replied. “The minotaur took two into the mountain after you left the town.”
Aisling squeezed her hands as she clasped them before her. “Did they come back out?”
“Not that I know of,” a demon said.
“I don’t think they survived,” Aisling murmured and bowed her head.
