Demon War: Shadowguard Academy Book 4 Page 15

  “But the Shadowguard knows about the Blackstone clan,” Freddy points out. “Surely, with Aspen’s connection to their lead elder, it is being monitored.”

  I remember my first, and only, visit to the mysterious clan’s territory. “I think Olina is right.” I describe the long trek Belial and I made to reach the clan’s entrance and how we were unable to gain access without the help of one of Blackstone’s members.

  “Could you describe the location to me?” Vivian asks. “I can’t transport to a destination without knowing its location.”

  Well, crap. There goes that idea.

  I frown. “I can’t. Other than knowing it’s tucked in the Appalachian Mountains, I can’t say where the entrance is.”

  Our disappointment is swiftly accompanied by silence.

  I glance back up at the winter sky. I can’t help but think something terrible must’ve happened to prevent our allies from coming here. Maybe Azazel has a trick up his sleeve. Mr. Legrand had said the original demon was orchestrating attacks. What if Beelzebub was simply a distraction to clear the way for Azazel’s real attack? What if we are playing right into his hands?

  I’m so caught up in my thoughts, I don’t hear soft footfalls drawing near until a feminine voice clears her throat.

  I jump, startled, and whirl around.

  Lauren stands in front of me. Her arms are hugged around her middle for warmth, but her expression is open when she meets my gaze. It’s also a little wary.

  Without preamble, Lauren announces, “I know a way into Blackstone’s territory.”

  My jaw falls open. “Y-you do?”

  She nods.

  “How?”

  She shuffles her feet, shooting an uneasy glance at the audience standing behind me. “I have a… friend in the clan. I visit him from time to time.”

  “A friend?” I didn’t peg Lauren as the sort of girl to associate with lesser demons. She comes off too high and mighty.

  Lauren’s cheeks turn red. Someone coughs behind me, awkwardly.

  “Oh. Oh.” The pieces fall into place.

  This warlock isn’t just a friend.

  Color me surprised. People really can surprise you.

  Lauren’s blush darkens, but she presses on. “Yes.” She moves her attention to Vivian. “I can give you the location on my map, as well as the sigil which will let you bypass the clan’s protective ward.” She holds up her phone in demonstration. “Will that work?”

  My foster mother nods, looking a little gobsmacked by our lucky break. “Yes, that is perfect.”

  “We should wait for my brother and Logan to show up,” Freddy interrupts. “I’m sure they can help transport everyone.”

  “I disagree,” Lex says. “I’m telling you, I’ve got a bad feeling. We’re sitting ducks out here. I say Mom starts transporting us to the Blackstone Clan. Hopefully, the others will reach us by then, if not… well, we’ve got to hope they found another way out until we can get help to come back and investigate what’s happened to them.”

  Freddy doesn’t look happy, but he doesn’t disagree. I can only imagine how he’s feeling. I know I’d be freaking out if Lex or Cortney weren’t here with me.

  “I’ll get started on the sigil. Miss Thibodeaux, will you show me our destination?”

  “Yes, ma’am.” The two women step away from the group, heads tilted together over Lauren’s phone.

  “This is a good idea,” Olina says to no one in particular. “I, too, believe we are too vulnerable out here.” She scans our surroundings as she speaks. Tension wrinkles her scaled forehead.

  “You should go first, Aspen.”

  “What?” My head whips to Lex. My eyes are wide with disbelief. “No way.”

  “Yes way,” he counters. “If something goes down, you need to be as far from here as you can be. If there is more to this attack than meets the eye, you’re undoubtedly the target.”

  I know I can’t argue with his logic, but that doesn’t stop me from trying.

  “I can fight.” I call to my holy fire in demonstration, no longer caring if it alarms my peers. I let the flames flicker higher than normal to make my point. “This holy fire will annihilate any demon who dares get too close to me. I need to stay here to help defend the others if something does happen.”

  “Aspen,” Cortney speaks softly, as if I’m a skittish cat backed into a corner. The comparison isn’t too far off. “Too many people have gone through a lot of trouble to keep you safe for you to risk yourself so carelessly. You have to be the first to go.”

  My head swings from side to side. Hair slaps my cheeks, but I don’t stop my vehement objection. “I can’t just leave you all here defenseless.”

  “We aren’t defenseless.” Cortney pulls a stylus out of her back pocket. Freddy and Lex do the same.

  I stare, dumbfounded. “You have a stylus?” First year students aren’t supposed to have their own stylus until we pass our spring semester exams.

  “The Guardian members of the alliance provided them,” my friend reveals. “I assume they thought it would be best if we were prepared in case we found ourselves in a sticky situation—much like the one we’re in right now.”

  I bite my lip. I’m running out of reasons to argue, but that’s not enough to stop me. I simply can’t stomach the idea of rushing off to safety while the rest of them stay behind to face God knows what.

  “So you can draw basic sigils on yourselves, but what happens when you’re actually attacked? You don’t have any weapons.”

  “Our bodies are weapons,” Lex’s voice is resolute. “We’re all trained fighters. Couple that with combat sigils, and we’re formidable foes.”

  “But you’ve never faced a demon!”

  “What do you think we did during the attack at the academy?” He snaps back.

  I… I totally forgot about that.

  Lex lifts his chin, glaring down at me through narrowed eyes. “You don’t have to play hero all the time, Aspen. In fact, you shouldn’t play hero all the time. Sometimes, it’s better to be smart and stay alive than be brave and get captured by your enemy.”

  He’s right.

  There’s no denying it.

  But acknowledging it doesn’t make acceptance any easier.

  I release a pent-up breath, desperately trying to think of anything I can say to dissuade them from insisting I be the first to reach safety.

  “I am sorry, Aspen.” I barely hear Olina’s apology before red tendrils of magic encompass my wrists, catching me off guard.

  “What the—”

  The words fall away as a firm hand grabs hold of my shoulder. I turn my neck and meet Vivian’s determined stare. The sigil on her forearm glows blue, traveling the length of her limb until it reaches me.

  “No—”

  The blue light surrounds us, cutting off my objection, as I am swept away from the grassy field to bittersweet safety.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Transportation with Vivian is even more disorienting than with Belial. With the original, swirling colors and the feeling of being sucked through a vacuum leave me off balance, but I recover within minutes of reaching my destination. With Vivian, however, I feel as if my head has been stuffed into a blender and turned on high.

  Sharp pain pricks behind my eyes, and my stomach feels like it’s lodged in my throat. I land on hands and knees, digging my fingers into the frigid earth beneath me, yearning for the agonizing sensations to disappear.

  “Aspen?” Vivian kneels at my side. “Are you all right?”

  I move to shake my head, but a piercing sting courses through my skull, halting the gesture. “I just need a few minutes,” I manage to puff out. My eyes are closed tight as I slowly breathe in and out of my nostrils.

  The air beside me shifts as Vivian stands. Through throbbing ears, I hear her feet shuffle as she turns in a circle.

  “What?” She inhales sharply. “What is the meaning of this—”

  Her words are cut short. I hear a zip of
power buzz overhead, hitting Vivian with an audible thump. My foster mother hits the ground hard.

  Alarm and panic claw at my mind. I stagger to my feet, sending fresh waves of agony flowing through my skull. I pry my eyelids apart, but all I see are flares of light and dark, interspersed with unidentifiable shadows. I squeeze them closed, unable to stand the pain.

  “Who’s there?” I shout from my hunched position. “What do you want?”

  Movement sounds from the left. Again, I try to open my eyes to identify the source. And again, I’m unsuccessful.

  Behind me, I hear Vivian wheezing. I follow the sound and drop down next to her. I pat the ground, moving closer until I find her arm. “Vivian?” I grab her hand and hold tight.

  She continues to wheeze, but she doesn’t return my squeeze. I have the sinking suspicion she can’t.

  I sense, more than hear, someone approach. I twist so I crouch between Vivian and the newcomer and call holy fire into my hands.

  I hear at least three different gasps, but they come from farther away. They are not the one I feel drawing close.

  “Stop.” I stoke the fire higher. “Don’t move.”

  I don’t know if the stranger heeds my warning.

  My head still throbs, but I force my eyes to stay open. I blink repeatedly, praying my distorted vision corrects itself sooner rather than later. I’m able to make out the outline of trees and shadowed figures standing between them, but finer details elude me.

  “How fun. You are much more spirited than the first time we met. Too bad that spirit will not help you.”

  The feminine voice glides gracefully through the air, pass my eardrum, and is processed by my brain. Horrifying recognition hits me, and my blood runs cold.

  “Patience Naamah,” another speaks. The voice sounds like it’s underwater as it confirms my worst fears.

  I force my burning eyes open and look at the outline of the original demon. Her red hair is just as fiery as I remember, and her beautiful face wears the same belittling sneer. I’m only slightly relieved by the improvement of my vision, the rest of me is distracted by the realization that Vivian and I have walked right into a trap.

  My gut had been right; I knew something was wrong while escaping through the tunnels. So did Lex.

  Somehow, our enemies knew we would seek safety in Blackstone clan’s territory and planned to intercept us all along.

  The question is how?

  It goes against my every instinct, but I force my eyes off the most powerful opponent in these woods to scan my surroundings. The figures I’d seen among the trees are mundane demons. Unlike Olina and Ladros, there’s no humanity in their red eyes. These demons have embraced their violent ways, and they leer at me with bloodthirsty grins.

  Naamah sways back two steps. My eyes flicker her direction, but then I do a double take.

  A man stands in front of me, previously hidden by the original demon.

  “Fabian?” All the breath rushes out of my lungs.

  I blink twice, not trusting my eyes don’t deceive me. But no matter how many times I blink, the vision of my warlock grandfather remains in front of me. I stare at the man from whom I inherited my green eyes.

  “Fabian?” I repeat. My throat tightens. “What’s going on?” A quick glance shows Naamah grinning like a maniac. She is positively delighted. That can mean nothing good for me.

  “Hello, Aspen.” My grandfather returns. “I was beginning to think you might not show.”

  Again, I look at my surroundings. The brush and tall trees look familiar. I believe Vivian was successful in transporting us to the Blackstone clan. Which means…

  “You’re working with them,” I whisper, unable, or perhaps unwilling, to believe the evidence right in front of me.

  “I’m doing what needs to be done,” Fabian replies. His calm demeanor is nearly my undoing.

  Holy fire flickers brighter in my hands.

  Behind my grandfather, I see Naamah give the slightest flinch.

  “Now, now,” Fabian chastises. “There’s no need for that.”

  Like hell there isn’t.

  “What do you want?” I hiss. The flames grow higher. The pain of this betrayal is like nothing I’ve ever felt. Fabian has never been the friendly grandfather who wanted to spend time with me to get to know me, but I never thought he would work with my enemy.

  Fabian tucks the edges of his black cloak closer to his body as he crosses his arms. “I need your blood, Aspen. Once I have it, this will all be over.”

  A black pentagram.

  Dark red liquid soaking my clothes.

  The light leaving my father’s eyes.

  Beelzebub climbing out of Hell.

  How can Fabian do this?

  How can he work with the demons responsible for the death of his son?

  “Give me what I want, Aspen, and Vivian will go free.”

  Vivian releases a gurgled noise from the ground. I turn and see her eyes have locked on my grandfather, and they are filled with utter rage.

  Then, her gaze lands on mine. Her message is clear. I’m not to give them anything they want. No matter what.

  I give her a small nod and urge holy fire to rise from my palms. “No deal.”

  The power flies from me at an impressive speed. Naamah dodges the first attack, but the second hits its mark.

  The redhead screams in agony as holy fire sticks to her like glue. She tries to smother the flames, but the power transfers to her hands, charring her skin.

  I watch, stunned to see how fast the holy fire encompasses the original demon. Belial has always said my power is formidable, but I had no idea it could do that.

  An incantation is whispered in the air. A gray cloud descends on Naamah, hugging her body tight. The flames licking her flesh begin to diminish.

  I draw more power into my hands, knowing exactly where the incantation came from, then spin around and launch an attack at my grandfather.

  Only, he isn’t where I thought he was.

  Black smoke falls over my vision. On instinct, I hold my breath. I bring my hands to my face and try to burn away the suffocating spell. Splotches of smoke fade from view, but they are quickly filled with a fresh wave.

  I become dizzy. I need to breathe, but I know I’m doomed the moment I do.

  “Give up, Aspen,” Fabian speaks quietly, standing close on my right side.

  I swing my arms wildly, hoping the holy fire catches his cloak on fire.

  Based on his exasperated sigh, I didn’t succeed. “This will be easier if you go along with us.”

  Go to hell! I silently scream.

  I can’t believe I’m in this situation. For weeks, things were going just fine. I was hidden, my friends were safe, and I finally accessed my divine power. All it took was one mistake for everything to come falling down—for me to fail.

  Where are you Belial? I call out into the universe, desperate for my savior to make an appearance.

  But the universe is silent.

  Belial isn’t coming.

  I can’t hold my breath anymore. I take a breath and immediately begin to choke. My dizziness grows. I am helpless.

  “What are you waiting for?” Naamah practically shrieks. I can smell her burnt flesh. “Neutralize her.”

  “It will knock her out for days. She won’t be any use to Azazel.”

  “I. Don’t. Care.” The promise of violence sits heavy in those three clipped words. “Do it now.”

  Fabian sighs. He doesn’t sound afraid of the original at all. If he weren’t my enemy, I might be impressed. “Very well.”

  His cloak rustles, giving away his movement.

  Before he can do whatever it is he plans to do, I drop to the ground and swing my leg out, praying I haven’t misjudged his distance.

  I want to shout in victory when my calf makes contact with his legs. I sweep my grandfather’s legs out from underneath him, then fling my hands in the direction he fell. Holy fire heats the air around me, but my dizziness m
akes it hard to focus.

  I wait to hear my grandfather’s cries of pain, but he is suspiciously silent.

  A rush of air disrupts the black cloud covering my face. I try to throw my power to the newest threat, but I’m not fast enough.

  Something sharp is jabbed into my chest.

  For a moment, I think I’m back in the warehouse, stabbed with Azazel’s dagger.

  I gasp, waiting for the cold pain to set in.

  But it never does.

  My holy fire begins to fade. I feel the power creep back into my body, slinking into dormant depths my mind cannot reach.

  The black cloud dissipates.

  I blink up at the sky, confused by the absence of my power.

  Naamah leans over me. Half her face is charred and gray. Without a word, she pulls back her arm and drives her fist into my temple.

  I’m knocked out.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Drip. Drip. Drip.

  I scrunch my face and turn to hide my face.

  Drip. Drip. Drip.

  Wetness collides with the back of my neck now, just as disturbing and cold as before.

  Groggy, I open my eyes.

  It takes me a moment to remember what’s happened. When I do, I’m jumping to my feet.

  The world spins. My body wasn’t ready for the sudden movement, and I immediately slump to the ground.

  I’m in an unknown room. Four stone walls surround me, broken up only by the steel door on one side. Above, a single fluorescent bulb shines yellow light down on me. A flimsy mattress lies in the corner of the room. A wet spot forms where my head used to be as water leaks from a crack in the ceiling.

  I press my fingers to my aching skull and shiver. I still wear my pajamas, and based on the way they smell, I’ve been in them for a while.

  Someone must be monitoring the room. I’m not conscious for more than two minutes before the steel door open, revealing an empty hallway with matching stone walls before the door swings shut.

  I’m not surprised to see my grandfather standing in the doorway.

  “You’re awake.”

  I say nothing. I let my furious glare do all my talking.