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Axle quickly got to work, taking down the demons that Levi pulled off the roof. Levi tossed them down to the ground, and Axle made quick work of them. He grabbed the nearest creature and slammed his fist into its face, sending it flying across the cave into the wall with a resounding thud. He spun around and dodged an attack from one of the demons as it tried to slash his face with its thin claws.
Compared to what Levi and the pack had fought in Ridgeshire, what they were facing now was a lot weaker. But that didn’t mean they were up against an easier target. It only meant that the power was being kept by a single, more powerful entity, and that was Kanai.
“Who dares?” came a deep rumble through a corridor that led off to the side.
Axle hadn’t noticed it when they first entered, but now it was clear that the sound and heartbeat had come from there. Axle and Levi immediately knew that it was Kanai and rushed in after the sound, knowing they were better on the offensive. As they ran, Levi tapped his brother’s shoulder.
“Heartbeat,” he said as they made their way toward the demon.
Axle was about to respond, but then he understood what Levi meant. Demons didn’t have a heart, so there was nothing to beat. If there was a heartbeat in the cavern, it belonged to a human. Just as they crossed into the smaller space, Axle saw the woman as she repelled down from a hole in the roof of the cave, landing hard on the floor.
Axle turned his head to see Kanai next to something that looked like some sort of altar raised out of the stone floor itself. He could hear Adebayo and Victor running in behind them, so he kicked up some sand as high as he could, looking to obscure the view of Kanai and the woman.
Kanai waved a hand, sending a gentle wind that pushed the sand out of the way. But just as it did, Levi’s fist connected with the side of the demon’s face, sending him staggering backward. The demon swung his arm to slash at Levi, but the dragon leader was already up in the air, flying backward and away from reach of the attack.
Distracted, Axle took in a deep breath as he saw his chance. He let out a stream of fire from his jaw, hitting Kanai dead on. Axle knew he couldn’t worry about the woman at that time. They would deal with her later. If they got distracted, everyone would fall.
He jumped in, using the fire and smoke as his cover, driving his knee into the jaw of the demon. Kanai staggered a little and Axle kept up the attack. He followed through with two powerful punches in quick succession before placing a roundhouse kick that sent Kanai to the side. The demon shook his body free, as though the burns he had just sustained hadn’t done much to hurt him. His claws glowed a dangerous red, and his blackened decaying skin smelled of smoke.
“You think you can stop me?” Kanai yelled, letting out a deep guttural sound.
“Now!” Levi yelled, and all four men rushed at him at the same time, following the plan. As they leaped in, Kanai reached for something on the platform in front of him, and as he pulled it free from the altar Axle felt the air in the room get sucked inward for a moment before it repelled outward.
All four dragons were thrown into the walls, the air knocked out of them. Axle opened his eyes and saw that he was right next to the human woman, who had also been thrown back by whatever Kanai had done. Axle stared at her face for a moment, noticing a little cut she had gotten on her head. She looked incredibly beautiful, even with her face covered in sand and sweat. He checked her pulse to confirm she was fine before he turned away. As he got to his feet, he saw Levi and Adebayo already waiting to get back into the fight.
But as they scanned the place, there were no signs of the demon. Kanai had simply vanished without a trace.
Chase quickly ran in. “They’re all gone. The bodies of the other demons, everything just vanished.”
Axle shook his head. “Yeah, this happened one time. He thought he was done with everyone and he teleported away or something. Can you smell that?”
Levi took a sniff and nodded. “Ash. Where is it coming from? Adebayo’s flames?”
“I want to believe it’s hell, or wherever it is he retreats to. But for now, it’s safe to say that we got him to run away,” Axle finished.
“What was he looking for?” Victor asked, walking over to the altar. Axle joined him, and they stared at the symbols inscribed on the rock. From what Axle could see, they were probably thousands of years old. “Bingwen would understand what these runes mean.”
“Where is he now?” Axle asked.
“He’s helping the shifters in Ridgeshire. We still have a few demons running around,” Levi replied. “But I’ll have him come here and see what he can find. If Kanai is going to come back, we need to be better prepared, and we’ll need all the help we can get so he doesn’t get away.”
“Uh, guys?” Chase called out, nodding to the woman who was stirring.
“We have to do something about that,” Levi replied.
“She’s unconscious, I can deal with it,” said Axle.
“She saw us, she saw everything,” Adebayo replied.
“Yeah, and if I put her on the floor next to her bed while she’s unconscious, she’ll think she just had a really active dream,” Axle replied. “No one is going to believe her, and she won’t believe herself. I’ll keep an eye on her and make sure nothing happens.”
“Well, no one else was going to,” Levi replied. “You’re the one who’s from here.”
Axle laughed and turned to pick up the woman. Just as he did, Levi’s phone rang and he picked up the call. Axle listened in shock as he heard Lyra’s voice, telling Levi about the demons and how their presence in Ridgeshire was still increasing. Levi reassured her and promised he would be back by nightfall.
“You heard?” Levi asked as he turned back to his brother.
“Yeah yeah, as long as it’s not Kanai, I can handle most of the threats here myself. I just don’t know what this magic thing is, so make sure Bingwen gets here,” Axle replied.
