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"River!" Luca's shout came from below.
With a blistering curse, Lilin altered course, tucking her injured wing in close to her body as she dove after me.
The pale clawed fist came out of nowhere, smashing against her and flinging her body through the air like she was a rag doll.
Another figure swept through the air—Abigor. I gasped as his arms clamped around me, jerking me out of my freefall with a sickening lurch. We dove toward the ground and I twisted, clasping my arms around his shoulders. As soon as my hand touched him, there was a flash of white light and he gave a bellow of pain. I stared in horror as the skin of his shoulder turned black and began to slough off. Oh God, the ring—he was a demon, too. I hadn't realized—
He released me and I hit the ground with a thud, my legs giving way as I collapsed into the dirt. Abigor landed heavily beside me, one hand pressed over his shoulder and his face twisted in pain.
I reached for him. "Abigor—"
With a beat of his wings, he launched himself skyward once again. "I'll be fine," he shouted. "Focus on Olryg. You're the only real weapon we have."
"Not true," came a deep growl, and then Julian was there. He was almost unrecognizable, his face streaked with blood and sweat and dirt, his clothing ripped near to shreds. In one hand he brandished his knife, the blade gleaming in the firelight.
"Where's Theo?" I called, but I needn't have bothered.
"Right here," came the voice from behind me. I spun to face him, but before I could say more, a deafening bellow sounded from above, and Lilin landed beside us in a shower of feathers. Abigor dropped down beside her, his face set in a snarl, and the six of us spread out to circle Olryg.
His deep chuckle made the blackened trees sway. "You think to prolong the inevitable? Why put your friends at risk? It is not too late to come willingly. You will—"
I darted forward at the same moment Julian did. As he slashed with his blade, I flung myself at Olryg's leg, pressing my ring into the cracked flesh above his hoof. The light was bright and white and blinding, and the archdemon's scream of pain was near-deafening. He kicked out, sending me flying backwards hard enough to knock the breath out of me, but I gritted my teeth and forced myself to my feet. The others all clustered around, Julian stabbing with his knife, Theo and Luca ineffectually throwing stones and striking with branches and whatever they could find. Lilin and Abigor took to the air, flames exploding from their hands, but their attacks did little more than anger Olryg, keeping him off-balance as he spun, searching for me amidst the chaos.
I took the moment of opportunity their distraction offered and launched myself at him once again, grabbing hold of the same leg as before. The skin had crumbled away, muscle and sinew turned to dust. I shoved my hand into the gaping wound, anticipating the flash of light and averting my eyes. He bellowed and tried to kick again, but I clung tight, twisting to avoid his grasping hand as it clawed at his leg. Fire rained from above—Abigor and Lilin were attacking the archdemon's eyes, blinding him and keeping him off-balance. The flesh beneath my hand disintegrated into powdery ash, and Olryg twisted, howling. I gasped as Luca barely avoided the flailing swing of the whip.
It felt like an eternity, but I held on. A little more—the ash clogged my nose, filled my lungs, making me cough and wheeze, but I didn't let go—a little more—bone disintegrated under my hands—and then suddenly there was nothing left to grip. I darted out of the way as Olryg toppled to the side, clawed hands clutching at the remains of his ruined leg. He hit the ground with a roar that seemed to shake the very mountain itself.
He landed facing me, and his eyes were burning embers in a face filled with hatred.
"Enough," he roared, and flung his whip out, tracing a circle of fire around himself. I scrambled back from the sudden wall of flame, coughing as smoke billowed in thick, choking clouds, catching sight of the others doing the same.
"It is time to go," he thundered, and with the rest of us no longer offering a distraction, both hands shot out, plucking Abigor and Lilin out of the air as though they were dolls.
"No," I screamed, and I was on my feet, throwing myself through the wall of fire.
"River!" someone cried from behind me, but I didn't look back, just hurtled through the flames and reached toward Lilin where she struggled in Olryg's iron grip.
"Come back into me," I gasped. "I can protect you."
The fear on her face seared my very soul, but she didn’t hesitate. One hand shot out and gripped mine. Our gazes locked, and her lips parted—and then the air shimmered, and she vanished. Olryg's claw closed on emptiness.
At once, I could hear her inside me, howling: Abigor, Abigor.
I pushed her aside. Olryg was roaring in fury. One hand swung my way, but I ducked, sweat stinging my eyes as I turned to see Luca inside the ring of flames, mirroring my actions. His hand met Abigor's, and then it was only Luca standing there, breathing heavily.
"No matter," the archdemon snarled, "I will take all four of you." And then his hands shot out. One wrapped around each of us, clawed fingers gripping so tightly I could barely draw breath. I pressed my ring to his hand, and the light blazed forth, the skin crumbling, and with a bellow the archdemon released me. I fell, landing heavily on one shoulder. Gasping, I pushed myself to my knees and reached to where Luca struggled against Olryg's grip.
But it was too late.
"Ad infernum!" Olryg's cry made my teeth rattle, and with another deafening crack, he vanished into nothingness, taking his prize with him.
The hellfire went out. I knelt in the dirt amidst billowing smoke and blackness, my hands empty, with nothing left before me but the memory of Luca's last, terrified gaze.
39
“LUCA!”
The scream tore at my throat. Tiny stones bit into my knees, but the sharp pain was nothing compared to the clawing agony in my chest. Lilin's anguish was indistinguishable from my own as I stared at the empty space where Luca had been.
