Blood Bonds Read online

  I turned to Eriskel. “Old friend, I don’t know the end of this battle, but if I fall, let us hope who next wields the horn will be an ally.”

  The jindasel regarded me with solemn eyes. “The world will move as it will. I have hopes, my Lady, that you will continue to be my mistress. The Elementals of the Horn will do their utmost for you. We all await your command.

  Reluctantly, I withdrew. It would be easy to stay, to take time and rest, to put off the inevitable, but in the end, everything had its season, and it was time to finish this chapter in our lives.

  “Thank you, for all you’ve done,” I said, hugging him. He felt misty, insubstantial, and yet the energy surrounding him was more powerful than just about anything I had ever felt. Another moment, and I waved softly before I closed my eyes and withdrew.

  I BLINKED, BACK on the battlefield. Everybody was poised, waiting, focused on me. I held up the horn in one hand, my new dagger in the other, and let out a loud ululation.

  “It’s go time, boys. Open the gate.”

  Shamas stepped back away from the poles, Wilbur behind him. Wilbur placed his hands on Shamas’s back and the energy began to swell, kept concentrated by the barrier that Pentangle had created around us.

  We watched in silence as Shamas held out his hands, and a crimson light began to emanate from them. It filled the night, surrounding the poles, clinging to the symbols on the charcoaled wood. A low roar began to fill the clearing and it rocked beneath our feet as the runes began to writhe with fire, lighting up like a Christmas tree, brilliant and flaming symbols of power. As each one caught hold, the clearing quaked yet again, and the roar grew, reverberating through the air like the drone of a low-flying airplane.

  The hair on the back of my neck rising, I focused on controlling my fear, concentrating on Shamas and the gate. He was in thrall of the magic now—shaking as he continued to feed the ethereal rune-fires. Wilbur was, in turn, pouring as much energy as he could into Shamas. Then, as the last rune caught fire, there was a loud shriek as the veils separating the worlds began to split, wedged apart by the magic.

  “The sword!” Shamas called, and Delilah raced to his side, holding Yerghan’s sword. It was our anchor, as Shadow Wing had possessed it and it carried his energy.

  Shamas motioned for Wilbur to take hold of it, and then pushed Delilah away. She darted back behind the daemons. As soon as she was clear, Shamas held his hands over the sword and called out in a loud voice.

  “I open this Demon Gate. In the name of the gods, in the name of all that is powerful, I command thee, Shadow Wing the Unraveller, Demon Lord of the Subterranean Realms, to appear before me. Come forth now!”

  As soon as he finished speaking, he motioned to Wilbur, who threw the blade through the Demon Gate, where it vaporized in a flash of fire. The next moment, Shamas turned and vaulted toward me, the daemons shifting to let him pass. As he raced into his place in the Circle, the daemons closed up the passage again, facing the gate.

  As Shamas clasped hands with Chase and Lisa, forming the Circle around me, the Knights immediately slid into trance and I felt them beginning to raise the energy that I would need. The diamond around my neck was glowing, and I could feel every single stone making up the Spirit Seal vibrating with a low, deep resonance. I faced the gate, horn and dagger ready.

  The Demon Gate let out a shower of sparks, and then a deep keening split the air as a thick cloud of smoke began to pour out from between the posts. Sparks flew everywhere, sizzling as they hit the daemons, but the guards neither shouted nor responded. They held their ground, weapons ready, as the posts began to crumble and a figure began to emerge.

  He was massive, fifteen feet tall, with rust-colored skin and wings that spread out like a bat. He was bald, with a troll-like face, and horns that spiraled into the air. In one hand, he held a whip, and in the other, he cradled a ball of flame. He was wearing a loincloth that looked to be made of numerous skins, and his eyes were glowing with the light of ten thousand suns.

  I found myself beginning to waver as the sheer power of the Unraveller washed through the clearing. At that moment, he froze, as if suddenly realizing that he wasn’t in Kansas anymore. He let out a bellow that shook the clearing and then he turned his head. As he caught sight of me, he let out another shriek that almost broke my eardrums and pointed at me, his fingers ending in massive talons.

  “You. Die,” were the only words he said that I could understand, but there was no mistaking the bolt of lightning that came sailing out of his palm next. The jagged fork split the air, and it was aimed directly at me. But in a split second one of Joreal’s daemons launched himself into the air in front of the bolt. The lightning hit him square in the chest, exploding, and the daemon let out a shriek as his chest split wide. The guard’s body hung suspended for a second, then fell to the ground, lifeless.

  Smoky backed up away from the group to one side, where he began to change shape. Shade did the same, and the two dragons were there, crowding the edges of the clearing. Shade let out a massive belch and showered a flame strike toward Shadow Wing, but the Demon Lord just seemed to absorb it, laughing as the fire washed over him. The next moment, Smoky followed suit, but instead of fire, it was a shower of ice pellets, launching like bullets as they peppered the Demon Lord. Shadow Wing roared, trying to wave off the frozen projectiles.

  Raven Mother vanished in a wave of smoke, turning into a massive raven. She flew up, letting out a series of long calls, and out of the darkened trees around us, an unkindness of ravens appeared. They were large, with glowing eyes. These were no ordinary birds, I thought as they rose and, with Raven Mother in the lead, began to dive-bomb Shadow Wing. They couldn’t do much damage, but they could keep him distracted.

  As the daemons launched an attack with jagged swords, I narrowed my attention to the exclusion of the chaos going on around me. The Keraastar Knights had joined hands, and a loud humming began to emerge from the energy that was rising around us. I could feel it, seeping from the spirit seals into their hands, and as the seals touched without touching, the circle of power began to build. The diamond around my neck was drawing on it, feeding it through my body into the blade, into the unicorn horn, into my soul. I tilted my head back, and let it sweep me under even as it built me up.

  Menolly

  CAMILLE AND THE Knights were preparing their attack. I glanced over at the circle, feeling almost queasy. The power they were raising was palpable. It was ancient and frightening and for a moment, the look on Camille’s face made me freeze. It was as though the power possessed her, and I wondered what kind of force was manifesting through her body.

  I turned back to gauge what was going on with Shadow Wing. Raven Mother had led an attack with her magical ravens, and while they had managed to distract the Demon Lord for the moment, it wouldn’t last long. A group of five of the daemon guards had taken him on, attacking him with their swords. But Shadow Wing swept at one with his massive hand, grabbing the daemon up into the air. As we watched, Shadow Wing brought the daemon to his face and then, like motion blur in a movie, he began feasting on the daemon’s life force. The daemon began to scream as Shadow Wing devoured his energy, sucking it deep.

  Smoky let out a second blast of ice magic, slinging another rain of ice pellets toward Shadow Wing. The Demon Lord stumbled forth, bellowing again, as he stepped on yet another one of the daemons. He flung the body of his other victim to the side, and the daemon landed on the ground with a wet splat.

  I wanted to run in, to attack him, but we were to hang back as long as possible and let those who had distance attacks use them first. I glanced over at Nerissa. She had shifted into her cougar form and was pacing the edges, looking for a way to edge in toward the demon.

  “No,” I yelled at her. “Not yet.”

  She glared at me for a moment, but backed down. I glanced around, looking for a way to help. Then I saw that the daemon Shadow Wing had stepped on was still alive and I motioned for Nerissa to follow me and circled arou
nd to his side.

  At that moment, the Black Unicorn stepped forward and lowered his horn. He pawed at the ground with his front hoof and tipped his head up so the horn was aimed at the face of the Demon Lord, and a stream of crimson light flowed out of his horn like a laser, hitting Shadow Wing square on the nose.

  Shadow Wing shrieked, his great wings fluttering in the air, and he clawed at his face, trying to drive away the light. I wasn’t sure what the force was doing to him, but one thing was certain: he didn’t like it.

  Smoky suddenly rose into the air and flew at him, raking at him with his front feet as he swept past the Demon Lord. He managed to rip a long gash on Shadow Wing’s chest, but before he could fully fly away, the Demon Lord reached up and, with his own talons, slashed at Smoky. He landed a hit and as I stared, unbelieving, he managed to sever Smoky’s leg at the knee joint. Smoky bellowed, flailing back, his great wings beating frantically as he lurched away to collapse on the ground at the far edge of the clearing, trailing a massive shower of blood in his wake.

  “Smoky!” Delilah screamed, running toward him. Shade was on her heels, flying high enough to avoid knocking anyone over.

  I was torn—I wanted to run over to help, because Camille sure as hell couldn’t—but we couldn’t just drop the attack on Shadow Wing. I turned to Nerissa.

  “Go, see if you can help him.” As she loped off, I motioned for Vanzir and Roz to flank me. The daemons renewed their attack on Shadow Wing, whose face looked horribly burnt from the strike the Black Unicorn had managed to make. The three of us spread out in front of Camille and the Keraastar Knights, joined by Trillian, trying to protect them as they built their power.

  As the Black Unicorn moved in for another attack, Raven Mother returned with more ravens, and they swept down to focus on the Demon Lord’s face. I glanced back at the circle of Knights, but from what I could tell, they needed more time. If we could just keep him occupied long enough, we might still have a chance.

  Delilah

  AS SMOKY LURCHED away from Shadow Wing, I saw the trail of blood pouring out of his severed limb. He’d bleed out if we didn’t do something. I turned to Shade and screamed for him to follow me, then raced over to where the massive dragon had fallen.

  I reached his side just in time to see him open his eyes and let out what sounded like a massive moan. As I knelt to examine the wound, I realized that this would be his right arm when he was in human form. I glanced up at Shade.

  “Can you do something to stop the bleeding? Please?” I couldn’t let Smoky die—Camille would never forgive herself if he died.

  Shade waved one giant skeletal paw at me and I moved out of the way, leaning against one of the nearby charcoaled tree towers that stood within Pentangle’s barrier. As he landed on the ground next to Smoky, Shade took one look at the wound and then leaned in close. The next moment, he began to breathe a concentrated stream of fire onto the stump of Smoky’s arm, using careful control to make certain the flames didn’t land on any other part of the white and silver dragon. The wound bubbled up, sizzling, and Smoky let out another scream and then collapsed. Within seconds, he reverted to human form and lay there, unconscious and unmoving.

  Shade transformed to human form and knelt on one side of the dragon, examining him. He looked up at me. “He needs help.”

  “We can’t get him out of here—remember? Nobody can cross out of the barrier for twenty-four hours.” Frantically, I looked around, but then a thought hit me. “Wait here.”

  I raced over to the edge of the circle, to where Pentangle was watching. Sure enough, a force field prevented me from crossing the barrier, but I frantically waved my hands overhead, shouting at her.

  “Pentangle! Please, I need to talk to you.”

  She approached the outer edge of the circle, her face impassive. “What do you need?”

  “We need medical help. Shadow Wing severed Smoky’s arm. There’s no way we can bring him out?” I figured she’d say no, but it was worth a shot.

  “No, I’m sorry, there isn’t. But you can bring someone into the circle, if they’re willing to help.” She retreated to the side of the tree against which she had been leaning.

  I turned, returning to Shade, where I saw Wilbur. He was on his knees beside Smoky, wrapping up the remaining stump of the arm with a handkerchief. He looked up at me.

  “I was just telling Shade here that if Smoky was human, he would probably be dead by now—he’s bled out a lot. But he’s still breathing.” Wilbur glanced over at Camille and the group. “I’ve got to get over to Shamas. He may need me again.” He pushed himself up off the ground, looking back at the fight.

  The Black Unicorn had taken another shot at Shadow Wing and this time, it looked like he had managed to put out one of the Demon Lord’s eyes. The ravens were continuing to encircle his face, and on the ground, four of the daemons were busy hacking at him with their swords. They were injuring him, but it was obvious they weren’t making much headway. Smoke filled the clearing, and the sounds of battle rang in my ears, echoing. I suddenly found myself back in Elqaneve, during the siege, watching the fires burn and hearing the shouts and screams. I shook my head and the images cleared, but the feeling was the same. We were in a war zone, and as I took another look at Shadow Wing, I wondered if we had made a huge mistake.

  “Delilah? Delilah!” Wilbur’s voice cut through my thoughts.

  I shook my head. “Sorry—what were you saying?”

  “I need to be ready to help Shamas if he needs me, Puddytat. And Shade’s going to have another go at Shadow Wing.” He paused, then clapped my shoulder with his hand. “Wake up, Kitten. Be here. Stay in the present. It’s the only way to get through the fight. Take it from a war-weary veteran.” And then, he was off, heading over to Camille’s side of the clearing.

  I turned back to see Menolly and Nerissa trying to help another daemon get back on his feet. They were cannon fodder, I thought, the daemons. Joreal knew that when he assigned them to us, and they knew it when they had come on the mission. Wondering what it felt like to be viewed as expendable, I slowly turned and numbly made my way back to Smoky’s side.

  Camille

  THE POWERS WERE almost at their peak, mixing and churning through my body, flowing through the Keraastar Knights, into the diamond, blending with the mother-force, and then into me where it formed a living web through every cell of my being. The Keraastar diamond pulsed with a deep, deadly heartbeat, throbbing against my chest.

  My hive slowly circled around me, chanting in low tones as they moved one sure step at a time, creating a living wheel that turned ever onward, spiraling through the years, through the decades, through the centuries, through the eons. Different bodies in different times, but we had done this before—that I knew for sure. We were the weapon that the ancients had hidden for times of crises, when nothing else could stop the demonic powers from rising up and breaking through.

  And sure as I knew this, I knew that this had happened before. Unwritten in the history books, unsung in the songs, the Keraastar Knights had rose and fought, then fell into hiding until the next time they were needed. The prophecy first given by Grandmother Coyote had not been about us as people, but had been about our force, and the prophecy had covered more battles through the millennia than would ever be remembered.

  I tried to remember my name, but it vanished on my tongue, as did the names of the men and women who circled round me, building the power as they chanted, building the force as they wheeled in a widdershins motion. For we were mere instruments now, unwinding the coils that constrained the powers into the gems. We were removing the barriers to their use, letting them shine through for an instant before once again burying them in obscurity.

  My gaze was on Shadow Wing. Shadow Wing the Unraveller.

  I could see the soul receptacles now, on either side of his horns. They were my targets, and they shone brightly, like signal fires. All my fear drained away and now there was only the push to finish the destiny to which I
was born. Nothing else mattered and I paid no attention to what was going on with the rest of our allies.

  Shadow Wing sent another daemon flying through the air, and I heard a scream from across the clearing, but I couldn’t afford to look, I couldn’t afford to feel anything but the drive to fully open myself to the power and let it flow through me.

  And then, like flipping a switch, I knew it was time. I called out, and my Knights swept back into a V-formation, with Chase at their lead behind me, and Shamas and Venus behind him. We began to move forward, toward the Demon Lord.

  There was blood on the ground, and I thought I saw a hand but I ignored it as we moved through the smoke. A few of the daemons were left, doing their best to distract him, and Raven Mother sent one last volley of ravens toward his face. The Black Unicorn was resting near the edge of the circle and I could feel from where I stood that he had exhausted his energy. I caught glimpse of someone in white on the ground across the circle but I forced myself to look away. There was no space for fear.

  Moving forward I held up the unicorn horn and the dagger, readying them as we marched toward the Demon Lord. Images of the past four years tried to flicker through my mind but I pushed them away, focusing only on my target.

  And then, we were there, in front of Shadow Wing. He let out a roar, his face bloody, with one eye missing. He was covered with wounds, but he was still on his feet. And then, I leaned my head back as the powers began to rush through me.

  “This is your time,” I whispered to them as I gave myself over, letting them sweep through and take control of me.

  I brought up the unicorn horn and the dagger, and aimed toward his soul receptacles.

  The force of the lightning that swept from my weapons rattled my teeth, frying my senses and my sight. The flare was blinding, and as the ground rocked beneath my feet, I found myself in the center of a war of elements, a whirlwind of power that threatened to overwhelm me.