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“The others can’t get through the energy that fil s this hal . Smoky and Vanzir are going to try, but Camil e, Morio, and Tril ian can’t wade through it. I came by shadow.” He eyed the huddle of figures. “I can take them back one by one, but you’l have to protect the others. I have the feeling the minute I move one of them, you’re going to get hit with one hel of a ghostly punch. The energy in here is like a dark forest, dripping with vines and tentacles.”
Delightful. Tentacles, I could do without. Reminded me too much of the Karsetii demons we’d faced. Just then, Smoky and Vanzir stepped out of the Ionyc Sea.
“You made it. Good—we have to get these people out of here.”
Smoky looked at them. “I can take two at a time. Vanzir—you can carry one. Shade, I assume you can walk one through the shadow?”
Shade frowned. “I can, but it’s more dangerous than what you do. I’l carry the boy who is dead.
That way no one wil be hurt.”
“I’l return for the other one and you,” Smoky said to me. “Do you think you can protect her while we’re gone? We’re going to take them up top—to Chase.”
I nodded, not at al sure I could protect the one who was left with me. “Leave Mocha—the unconscious girl—she appears to be okay except for being out like a light. The man needs medical help.” My reasoning was that if something happened, better she be the one left. She couldn’t feel terror right now—or at least I hoped she couldn’t.
Leia protested, but Smoky ignored her and made her hang onto his arm, tight, and then Shade gathered up Jack and placed him in Smoky’s arms. Before I could blink, the dragon had vanished.
From the moment he had touched them, the hairs on the nape of my neck stood up and I shivered as a gust of wind flew past. Vanzir gathered Teri in his arms, and she let out a cry that was echoed with a vicious howl from somewhere in the darkness. He vanished.
Shade gazed at me. “I’d rather take you—I don’t want to leave you here, even for a moment.”
“Just go, dude.”
He nodded, silently picking up Lance’s body. Stepping into a shadow, he was gone.
The second he was gone, I looked up to see a wooden stake hurtling toward me from the opposite side of the room. A shriek fol owed as I dove to the side and the stake clattered against the wal with a solid thud, dropping to the ground. Before anything could make it move again, I grabbed it and splintered it into toothpicks.
There was another howl and I found myself flattened against the wal , arms and legs splayed as if I were about to be crucified, by an unseen force. I struggled to break free, growling as my fangs came down and I began to see red. It felt as though something were trying to creep inside my brain, but I fought it off, refusing to al ow it, and it retreated even as a fist of energy slammed into my stomach. I would have been doubled over if I’d been able to free my arms, but I could do nothing except let out a loud groan.
The next moment, Vanzir and Shade appeared again. “Smoky’s gone to take Camil e and Morio out the easy way,” the dream-chaser demon said, then stopped as he stared at me, pressed against the wal .
“Enough!” Vanzir strode toward the hal and held out his hands. I could see vague energy lines emanating from them—in reality they were tentacles leading into the astral realm, but I couldn’t figure out what the hel he was trying to attach to.
A keening went up through the hal as a puke-green light began to fil the space. Vanzir laughed, leaning back, his eyes a spinning vortex of unnamable colors as his hands shook. He dropped his head back and let out a howl, and was met in return by a ghostly wail.
“Feed on this, you cocksucker!” With another hoarse laugh, he did something and I could see a pale pink energy feeding into the green from his hands. A shudder raced through the hal , and a piece of the ceiling crashed to the floor opposite us.
Vanzir ignored it, continuing to inject his energy into the nebulous creatures surrounding us, and as he continued, his form began to change. Within a few minutes, he was standing there, vaguely bipedal, but now we could see the tentacles emanating from his hands. He was no longer human-looking but a swirl of lights and sparkles, mesmerizing, and yet the energy of Demonkin rode him like a shroud.
Shade sucked in a deep breath. “He’s trying to overload it,” he whispered.
“Are you sure he won’t bring down the building on us? Maybe you should take Mocha out of here.” I was getting nervous now. Vanzir was caught up in a private war against whatever this was, and we were likely to be caught in the crossfire. “Vanzir—stop! Now.” I put al the force I could into my voice, and he jerked his head around.
“No, please! I’ve almost got it!”
“You can’t kil it this way. You’l take down the building and us with it.” I shook my head.
“Fuck you, bitch!” He glowered, but then was back to himself as he ripped his energy out of the rol ing green mass of clouds that were headed our way. But the look on his face was one of obedience. He grabbed up Mocha as Shade pul ed me into his arms and, just before the ghostly vapor reached us, we flickered into the ether.
CHAPTER 9
Traveling through shadow was far different from moving through the Ionyc Sea. With Smoky and Vanzir, it was like we were in a protected bubble, but with Shade, I felt as though my body melded into the shadow, became smoke and mirrors, filtering through the hidden cloak brought about by light.
I’m dissolving, losing form, losing myself . . . a sweep of panic ran through me and I clutched onto Shade harder, but we were drifting. What’s my name? What am I? Another shot of fear raced through me as I realized I had no idea of how long I’d been like this, of what this real y was.
As we landed next to the police cruisers, stepping out of a nearby shadow, I found myself shaking. The ride had been rough, and I kept touching my arms, my stomach to make sure I was al back together. Shade gave me an odd glance, but smiled.
“Mistress Menol y, you are intact. Never fear. I wouldn’t expose you to harm. My journeys can be dangerous for the living at times, but for the dead—and the undead—they hold no threat.” He backed away as Camil e ran up to me. She looked tired, beyond weary, and I realized that she and Morio must have expended a tremendous amount of energy trying to protect us.
