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Muttering under his breath, Kayde turned his back on all of us, gesturing ahead. “Time to move and save the vulnerable little witch.”
Chapter 8
“You’re bleeding.” Rydertouched a hand to my shoulder, and I winced.
“The bite is getting worse,” I admitted. “The pain doesn’t seem to stop.”
“We must be close to the nest,” Gabe observed. “Can you make it?”
The sincerity in his voice was genuine and I was grateful for his presence. “Yes, I’ll be fine. This is nothing.”
Kayde snorted but didn’t say a word.
“What are we looking for exactly?” Damian flashed ahead, disappeared, and came back within a few seconds. “I see nothing but feel the sinister presence of the demons closing in.”
“I’ve taken all the pain away that I can, angel. What’s left you’ll have to endure until we kill the Thrall.” I nodded as Ryder continued. “We’re looking for a nest. Piles of bones and rotten flesh, the scent of death and decay, and the heavy oppressive feeling you were describing Damian. Blood trails will lead in all directions and probably half eaten or consumed corpses – by flesh or their aura. The Thrall feed both spiritually as well as physically.”
Damn. “No wonder they’re so dangerous.”
“Yes, so stay close. No one ventures off alone, period.” Kayde gave the order and surprisingly, no one contradicted or argued with his edict.
The farther we walked, the heavier the air felt around us. My limbs weakened and I fought for every step that I took. Strange lights began to glow in various places. At first, they were sporadic, but as we continued forward, they became more numerous.
Black iron lanterns held glowing orbs that danced inside, often bumping into the glass as if they were trying to escape. Exhausted, I sank to my knees and reached for one. The lantern was lightweight, and the mysterious glowing light turned from a somber pale amber to a bright aqua surrounded by a halo of white.
“Don’t open the lantern, Cass.”
I turned to Kayde in curiosity. “It’s so pretty, I just want to –”
“Don’t. You can’t. These souls are already tainted.”
Sadness engulfed my heart as I stared at the light. “They want to be free.”
“I know, little witch. We can set them free only once the Thrall have been destroyed.”
“Will the taint be erased?”
