Skybright

 

 

A light touch against her shoulder woke Skybright, and she shot up, crying out. Stone clasped her arm, his fingers warm through her sleeve. “It’s me,” he said. “We leave at the next sound of the gong. Kai Sen is speaking to the monks.”

She nodded, her heartbeat thundering in her ears.

He looked better than she felt, his dark eyes clear, the color having returned to his face. “Skybright—”

The tone of his voice caught her attention.

“I wish I could be there with you when you go after Master Bei,” he said.

It surprised her because it sounded almost sentimental. “I’ll do all I can to move close enough for striking distance, Stone,” she replied. “Even if I have to do a song and dance.”

His smile was fleeting enough that she wondered if she’d imagined it.

“I’ll be all right.” She bunched the coarse blanket between her fingers. “I hope Zhen Ni is still safe.”

They left the monastery at nightfall, a silent group. Kai Sen and Han had hand selected thirty monks to bring to Bei manor. Han stayed behind. The two had exchanged heated words before they left, but Kai Sen had forbade his friend to come with them, designating Han as the head of the monastery while he was gone. Kai Sen led the group, illuminating their way with a singular globe of blue fire. She and Stone brought up the rear.

She was first to go down the tunnel a second time. Shifting, she felt the monks’ fear swell behind her, and a collective tension reverberated through the group. But she did this in their defense as she was able to sense if anything had changed in the dark caverns below and be swift enough to react to it in serpent form. She heard whispers of “demonic” and “temptress” scatter among the men.

“How is she to be trusted?” a monk said in a too loud whisper. “She is one of them.”

Blinding blue light flared above the head of the foolish man who had spoken out of turn, and he cowered in surprise and fright. “I am the head of the monastery now,” Kai Sen said in a commanding voice. “You obey me. And you trust Skybright because I trust her. Any more dissent and you can return to the monastery and scrub pots until your skin peels off.” Kai Sen’s dark eyes swept over his men. “Are we clear?”

The monks nodded together, shocked and silent.

Skybright had not had a chance to speak with Kai Sen alone since waking. She wanted to show her gratitude, with a smile or brief touch, but those private moments between them were gone. She was glad to see him appear more steady and rested, clearheaded enough to steer his men. Without a word, she headed into the tunnel. Stone crawled behind her this time and climbed down the wall by himself. He manifested a small lantern and cocked his head to one side, then gave her a questioning look.

“No one has been down here since we left,” she rasped.

“Good,” Stone said. “Master Bei has set everything in motion and is simply biding his time. A direct attack will be the last thing he expects.”

She slithered back up the wall and whistled twice, signaling to Kai Sen to begin bringing the monks through the tunnel. Dropping back to the cavern floor, she slid up the corridor, toward where the rope ladder dangled from the trap door above. “No one is directly above us,” she said to Stone. “But I can sense Zhen Ni.”

“And Master Bei?” he asked.

If the ancient demon wasn’t within the manor, their chance at catching him would be lost. “There are ten demons above ground, but how can I tell if one is Bei?”

“You’ll know,” Stone replied. “He will smell different—more powerful than any other demon you’ve encountered.”

She cast her senses above ground, touching upon all the individual demons. The fourth presence reminded her of Ye Guai, ancient and formidable, pulsing with a suppressed energy that she would have missed if Stone hadn’t asked her to search for it. “He’s here, above ground in the manor; he feels very much like Ye Guai.”

Stone grabbed her wrist, surprising her. “How so?”

“The energy coming from him is exactly like Ye Guai’s, but I can sense his strength and magic, more potent than what any of us wield, Stone.” She glanced at him, trying to tamp down the fear rising within her.

“I would bet my life it is Ye Guai,” Stone said. “That traitor. He was biding his time, plotting and hiding his true power from me.” He slipped his hand from her wrist to clasp her fingers, squeezing it. “But your venom can still kill him, Skybright. Use the element of surprise to your advantage.”

She felt the first monk drop to the dirt floor farther down the long corridor. She changed back into her mortal form. “I want you to conjure something resplendent for me, Stone, fit for an empress.”

“As you wish.” He spoke an incantation and a dress of jade green pooled into his outstretched hand, the fabric shining even under the dim lantern light.

Skybright swept her palm over the silk fabric. The dress was embroidered with chrysanthemums in deep and pale pinks, accented with gold thread. A pair of gold slippers, embroidered as magnificently, appeared on top of the dress. This would be her armor. Stone’s eyes were downcast, but there was that recognizable scent of desire exuding from him, even as he tried not to look at her, to pretend she was not fully naked less than an arm’s length away. She took the dress and slippers from his hand, murmuring thanks, and he turned his back to her, a knot of annoyance and frustration directed toward himself.

She slipped the dress on, tying the intricate belt around her waist when Stone turned, holding a gold hairpin encrusted with jade and rubies, and a pair of large emerald earrings. She tucked the hairpin into her braided bun, saying, “You’d make an impressive handmaid.”

He gave a small laugh as she put in her earrings, their weight heavy against her lobes. “You cannot meet him unadorned,” Stone said. “He obviously takes pleasure in beautiful things, believes he can have a place again in this earthly realm and pretend he isn’t a demon at his core.” He touched an emerald that hung from her ear, his fingers grazing one cheek. She stopped the shiver in time but couldn’t quell her attraction to him. “It is foolish to deny your true self, to pose as something you are not. I believe he’ll meet his match in you, Skybright.”

She steadied herself before saying, “Should I carry a dagger?”

“No,” Stone said. “He would sense the weapon, but he won’t be able to sense your magic. Use this against him.”

He stepped back as Kai Sen came through the corridor, followed by twelve monks. “The rest are on their way,” Kai Sen said and stopped midstride when he saw Skybright. “Ah,” he said. “You look beautiful.”

She smiled at him, though it was not one of mirth. “I’m ready to fight.”

Without hesitation, he drew her into his arms, embracing her for a moment before letting go. His men, wisely, kept silent. She breathed in his familiar sandalwood scent, underscored by steel. Kai Sen untied a leather pouch from his waist and handed it to her. She had seen him slip the divining stone into it earlier. “Keep this safe for me.”

She nodded and tied it to her sash but didn’t like the gesture; it seemed one of finality. On impulse, she reached out and caressed his cheek, not caring what the monks might think. They stirred behind their leader, as uneasy as a flock of hens near a wolf. But Kai Sen smiled at her, eyes aglow, before saying, “You follow Skybright now. Do as she commands.” Kai Sen unsheathed his saber, although where he and Stone were headed, there was no need for such weapons. She tasted his courage, brash and bright.

They waited until the other monks joined them; then Kai Sen used his metal magic to manipulate the lock set in the wooden trap door above. It popped open a moment later. Skybright began climbing up the rungs, the rope ladder swaying as she did so, and she was grateful for the grip her slippers provided. Halfway up, she glanced down and saw both Kai Sen and Stone’s faces turned up to her, their grim expressions a mirror image. But there was determination too, so strong it was like something tangible rising from beneath, buffeting her upward.

When she finally reached the top, she pushed the trap door, and it opened with ease. Skybright knew there was no one within these quarters and pulled herself through. The chamber was dark, except for the wan light from a lantern outside casting an eerie yellow glow. She ran her hands down her dress and touched her hair, making certain everything was in place, then waited as the monks each climbed up to join her.

They were swift and moved noiselessly, yet she was still eager to leave this place—to confront Master Bei and find Zhen Ni. But as the last monk closed the trap door beneath him, Skybright sensed one of the demon guards veering their way, swift as an animal. She lifted her hand. Thirty pairs of dark eyes followed the motion, and the monks all snapped to attention, poised, reminding her of cats about to leap. She raised one finger and motioned to the courtyard beyond the quarter, then at the door leading into the empty study. Using hand signals, she sent four monks out to meet the demon guard. She couldn’t shift and kill the guard herself, wanting to keep her demonic side secret until her encounter with Master Bei.

The remaining monks were so silent that she was convinced they had turned into ghosts. But a moment later, they could all hear the scrape of the main door from the courtyard sliding open. Then nothing, until a guttural shout erupted from the other chamber to theirs. A monk began to chant in a low voice, and she felt the ones in the room with her lean forward, as if ready to surge into the other room.

“No,” she said, loud enough that she knew they heard her. The sounds of fighting came fast and intense from the main chamber, and the floorboards actually shook beneath them like someone wielding a giant hatchet was slamming it into the ground over and over. Other than the one monk’s low chanting of a magical mantra, no other monks made a sound—not a grunt, a shout, or cry. But the demon roared, in rage and in pain, loud enough to warn the other guards and Master Bei.

Finally a loud thud resounded through the floor and walls. The door between the main hall and the study slid open; all the men with her tensed. One of the monks stuck his head in, his face splattered with black blood. “It’s dead,” he said in a grim voice. “Kai Sen was not exaggerating when he said your tracking ability is keen, lady.”

“I can sense all around me,” she said in a clear voice as the other three monks rejoined them. Two were bloodied and one was limping, but they were all still able to fight. “Well done.” She nodded to them. “We have little time. The estate is large, but four more guards are already headed this way. You can separate and intercept them.” Quickly, she gave the location of all the demon guards at the moment, sketching a rough map on the wooden floor with a piece of charcoal a monk passed her. “Master Bei is in the southwest corner. Leave him to me. You cannot win against him, even if all thirty of you attacked at once.”

“And you can, lady?” asked one of the bolder monks hidden in the shadows toward the back.

“Yes,” she said. If she could not kill Master Bei, she’d injure him enough so Zhen Ni could escape. There were no alternatives.

The monks filed out of the empty chamber, taking the raw scent of fear and excitement with them, each gripping a steel blade. The powerful stench of death from the giant demon guard assaulted her. Skybright averted her eyes and followed the monks outside into the courtyard.

The men, dressed in black, disappeared into the shadows like wraiths. She doubted now that the gods listened to their prayers, but she whispered a protective mantra for them anyway, and another for Kai Sen and Stone, facing their own impossible task below. She moved as quietly as the monks did on her slippered feet, avoiding the covered corridors that were brightly lit with lanterns, her serpentine senses alert, even in human form.

She could feel where Zhen Ni was, near Master Bei, but not within the same chamber—probably in an adjacent quarter. It took all her willpower not to run there first, to see her friend and make certain she was well. No. In order for Zhen Ni to be safe, for all of them to survive, she must find Bei. Stone had said once that the serpent demon had the best tracking ability among all the demons, and by the way she could sense every living being within the estate and their movements, she knew he was right. She would use this to her best advantage.

A silent foreboding enveloped the estate. It was hard to believe that thirty monks were within the manor, hunting down eight demon guards. The lush landscape that must have looked beautiful in the daylight seemed ominous now—gnarled and jagged branches of trees appeared like threatening fingers ready to grab passersby, the tall rockery around the small fish ponds like looming monsters. She shook these images from her mind and concentrated on one thing: finding Master Bei. He had remained in the same area where she had sensed him, and despite the expansive size of the estate, she was able to hone in on him.

Too soon, she stood facing an elaborate door carved with ferocious beasts. Upon closer inspection, these animals all bared sharp fangs and talons, and horns jutted from their heads. Master Bei was within these quarters, his presence so heavy and powerful it weighed against her chest like stone. She slid the door open, noiselessly, and stepped inside.

The reception hall was sparsely furnished, with two simple curved backed chairs, an oval table, and a few stools. A lantern burned low in the far corner of the rectangular chamber, casting a dim red glow that reminded her of the breach to the underworld. The air was pungent with the smell of smoke and fire, though none burned within the chamber. Master Bei was nowhere to be seen, but his presence dominated the entire room.

Sweat dampened the back of her neck as she cast her eyes about, searching every dark and hidden corner. Finding nothing, she turned her attention to another door, slightly ajar, opening into a different chamber. Sliding the panel open, she stepped through to what should be Master Bei’s bedchamber. It was empty except for a small platform bed set against the farthest wall. Rich brocaded curtains in lavender and silver draped the four corners of the bed, and it was lit by three purple lanterns strung above, softly illuminating the bed as if it were a stage.

A child lay in the bed, her hands folded across her stomach. Skybright hadn’t been able to sense the girl, and this frightened her. Perhaps she was masked by Master Bei’s presence in the chamber—but then, where was he? Could he be disguised as this child? Slowly, she walked to the bed, her senses so alert her entire being felt as if it was thrumming.

The little girl of perhaps three years was the most beautiful Skybright had ever seen, with long curling lashes sweeping rounded cheeks touched with a blush of pink. She wore a white night dress with lavender plum blossoms embroidered along its collar and sleeve edges and looked like a perfect doll. Standing near, Skybright could smell the girl’s sweet scent, reminding her of the honeyed cakes Cook used to make and Zhen Ni would have her steal by the dozen from the kitchen.

The girl’s eyes snapped open.

Skybright’s hands jerked in surprise, but she managed to keep her expression smooth.

The child’s eyes were a deep amber and seemed to glow. “Hello,” she said, watching Skybright with interest.

Not knowing what to say, Skybright replied, “I didn’t mean to wake you.”

“Oh, I was not asleep.” She spoke like an educated adult, enunciating the words perfectly in a little girl’s voice. “But Mama insisted that I rest like everyone else. And she said to pretend to sleep means that I must close my eyes.”

Mama. Could it be Zhen Ni?

“Is Mama here, little girl?”

She reached for the girl with her senses and realized she couldn’t gauge her emotions at all. Nothing radiated from her. Disturbed and propelled by a strange urgency, Skybright tried to glimpse within the child’s soul, but it was like leaping into a void. There was nothing there. No darkness, no light. Her scalp tingled, and she had to force herself not to take a step back. To show fear, Skybright intuitively knew, was to pique this creature’s interest—to reveal oneself as prey.

“My name is Blossom,” she said in that sweet voice. “But Mama calls me petal. She sleeps alone. I would love to be in her bedchamber instead, but Baba insists I stay in his.”

“Is your baba near, Blossom?” she asked, her voice hitching higher.

The girl stared at her with those bright, unblinking eyes. “Baba is always near.”

Blood drained from her face when Skybright felt the air gather behind her, thicken with the oppressive stench of smoke and fire. “What is this?” said a deep voice. Skybright was unable to quell her fear when she heard it, the words stretching out like thick tendrils assailing her. “Turn,” the demon said, and she obeyed.

Master Bei was a brute, with a misshapen head that barely appeared human. “With the monks crawling all over the estate, I expected their leader here, not some girl.” His glowing red eyes roved over her body, then lingered on her face. “I know you.”

Those three words gripped her heart in a vise. This close, there was no disguising Ye Guai’s scent. It was one that she could never forget—but unrestrained power and magic exuded from the demon lord now.

“I’m Skybright,” she said, curling her fists against the cool silk of her elegant dress. She took a slow step toward Ye Guai. Then three more. He simply watched her with those eyes. Ye Guai wasn’t afraid of her—why should he be? “And if we have met before, I’d remember.”

Ye Guai said nothing to correct her, although the closer she drew, the more she wondered how anyone could mistake his coarse features as human. The lumps on “Master Bei’s” brow appeared ready to sprout lethal horns.

“You have a soul, but you are not fully human,” he said, thrusting his head to one side, as if trying to unravel a puzzle. “I sense ancient demon blood in you. Has the monastery fallen so low to be led by demons?” He grimaced, his mouth pulling wide over sharp teeth. She realized he was smiling. “I was hoping to be rid of them once and for all by raiding the monastery. But they fought harder than I expected.”

Her steps were slow and careful, as if she were gliding on water, her dress barely rippling around her legs, her heavy emerald earrings not swaying.

“Why would you be on their side?” he asked. Then he revealed his true self. Thick horns sprouted from his forehead, deathly sharp, and his fingernails stretched into knife-like talons. His nose became even broader, muzzle-like, and he thrust it in the air, sniffing as a wild beast would. Ye Guai stretched taller, his legs elongating and thickening, and his strange ugly feet cleaved into hooves.

An ancient demon lord.

“I grow weary of my human skin,” he growled. “But we both know what it means to reveal our true selves to mortals.” He sneered, and thick saliva dripped from his protruding fangs.

She had drawn to two arm’s length away, close enough to kill any mortal and most demons. But she knew now that Ye Guai was not like most demons. He lifted a hand, talons raking the air, as if to say she’d moved close enough. When she tried to take another small step, she found that her legs had locked in place. The ancient demon had immobilized her without so much an incantation, as Abbot Wu had done months back. Her stomach cramped from that horrifying feeling of powerlessness and not being in full control of her own body.

“Show yourself true,” the demon said.

The three characters that the abbot had carved into the inside of her arm, the scars that she always tried to hide under a long sleeve, seared through her, as if someone held an actual flame to her skin. It didn’t burn as cruelly as the blue fire that Kai Sen had cast but still her eyes teared. But none of this was as awful as the twisting that was stirring deep within her, a responding hiss from her very soul. He was making her turn against her will.

Skybright fought him, teeth clenched, trying hard to control her demonic side. She was stronger now than when she had met Abbot Wu, more in control. Ye Guai’s blood-red eyes widened a fraction. He unfurled his talons, as if beckoning her, and spoke archaic words in a harsh tone; the tugging within her grew ten-fold.

Her body shook so violently that she knew if it weren’t for his magic holding her immobile, she would have collapsed to the ground.

“Baba,” Blossom’s sweet voice shot through the air like a bright butterfly. “You aren’t hurting the pretty lady, are you?”

“I do not trust her,” the demon said. “So I must kill her. You can feast after.”

“Oh, I am ever so hungry.” The little girl let out a long sigh. “But I like her—she reminds me of Mama.”

The conversation barely registered for Skybright as she fought not to turn, but in the end, the urge was too overpowering. Within a breath, she was in her serpent form, hissing low. She lunged at Ye Guai, because although she was still rooted to the spot, her long serpent length provided more range. He jumped back and let out a loud bark of surprise.

Blossom clapped behind them. “What a lovely trick! She has such pretty scales!”

“A serpent demon!” Master Bei said with genuine pleasure. “I haven’t seen one in over a thousand years. Beyond the foolish mortal folklore, I had thought your kind had ceased to exist.” His hooves clacked against the stone floor. “Such a shame I have to kill you.”

With that, a surge of wind lifted her into the air, and invisible fingers closed around her throat, squeezing her windpipe shut. She thrashed and clawed at her neck but was helpless against Master Bei’s magic. Her heart felt as if it would burst from her chest, and even as she fought for breath, the world was beginning to fade around her, graying along the edges. Before she lost consciousness, she heard Blossom say, “Mama.”

A furious, shrill scream rang through the entire chamber. Zhen Ni. The demon grunted, staggering forward, and in an instant, the invisible hands released Skybright. She crashed to the ground, choking, even as the blood rushed into her head and her vision returned. Zhen Ni stood behind Master Bei, Nanny Bai’s dagger plunged deep into his thick neck. The demon seemed more annoyed than hurt, and even as Zhen Ni struggled to free the dagger so she could strike again, he swatted his giant fist and knocked her aside. Zhen Ni struck the hard floor with a sick thwack, boneless and silent.

“Mama!” Blossom screamed.

But Zhen Ni’s sacrifice had given Skybright the opportunity she needed. Furious and stricken to see her friend hurt, she launched herself at Ye Guai, who twisted, giant fist raised, talons out. But it was too late—she was within striking distance. Even as his hand tore her shoulder, ripping through muscle and bone, Skybright sank her fangs into his muscular forearm.

He threw her aside, and she fell, bleeding out, her arm slack.

But it was done.

Ye Guai stared at the puncture marks. Twin drops of black blood erupted from the wound, and his strange face was so incredulous, mouth gaping and eyes bulging, that she laughed. Triumphant through her pain. His ember eyes locked with hers, but the flames within were already dimming, and he swayed on his hooves.

“Mama?” Blossom was bent over Zhen Ni, gently touching her cheek. “You hurt her!”

“Blossom,” the demon said, deep voice trembling. “Come. You can save Baba.”

Skybright lifted her head, dread washing over her, more powerful than the throbbing pain in her ripped shoulder. “No,” she whispered.

The child gazed at the demon with unblinking eyes. It was then that Skybright fully realized Blossom was both demon and mortal, like herself. “Why?” the girl demanded.

“Baba is hurt.” Ye Guai plunged to his knees. “Come give me a kiss.”

“You have never asked for a kiss before,” Blossom said, observing him with bright eyes.

Skybright’s skin crawled. He was taking much longer to die, but there was no doubt in her mind that he was indeed dying. And though she didn’t know how Blossom could save him, Skybright believed the girl could. And if that happened, all was lost.

Blossom took a single step toward Ye Guai when Zhen Ni’s arm shot out, gripping the girl by the wrist. “No, petal,” she said in a soft voice. “Stay here by Mama.”

“You witch!” the demon spat, but his words were slurred. He tried to lunge toward Zhen Ni and Blossom, but the little girl pulled Zhen Ni beyond his reach, so fast it was a blur. “Turning … my own … against me,” Ye Guai managed.

“How would you have her save you, Husband?” Zhen Ni asked, pushing herself up by her hands. “By drinking her blood? Stealing her soul?”

“I made her!” He writhed now like a worm toward Zhen Ni and the little girl. “I gave her her human and demonic essences.”

Skybright thrust herself up with her good arm and slithered forward. The demon’s face was turning purple, his red eyes containing the barest flicker, yet he still dragged himself forward.

“Baba’s hurt,” Blossom said, looking toward Zhen Ni.

“I know, my heart,” Zhen Ni replied. “But he would hurt you to save himself. Do you believe Mama?” The demon child turned her thoughtful, unblinking gaze from Ye Guai to Zhen Ni. “You know Mama loves you?”

Blossom nodded. “I feel it. Just like I love Mama.”

“No,” Ye Guai said, the one word deep and resonant, like it was erupting from the very heart of the underworld. “You obey me, Daughter.”

The little girl began walking toward Ye Guai, one plump hand extended. But then she glanced up and paused. Skybright had stopped over the demon’s crawling figure. She slipped the hairpin Stone had given her from her locks and stabbed Ye Guai through the base of his skull, holding it there as he bucked. She was dizzy from blood loss, her sight blurring, but she didn’t let go until he stilled. Only after the monstrous body had been motionless for a while did she straighten, trembling, the demon’s black blood smeared across her hand.

She felt his life leaving him, like smoke rising from a flame.

 

 

 

 

Kai Sen

 

After Kai Sen had made sure that each monk had climbed into Bei manor and the trap door closed again above them, he nodded to Stone, and they backtracked, going down the long steep corridor into the caverns below. Kai Sen lit the way with a single globe of hellfire, and Stone held his lantern in one hand. The stench of the decomposing corpses hit them much sooner this time, and he gagged, swallowing hard. They walked past the bodies quickly, Stone leading the way. He didn’t seem bothered by the ravaged corpses surrounding them.

They had not spoken the entire way, until Stone said, “I’ve known countless abbots as the chosen before you. You are the most magically adept among all of them.”

Kai Sen felt pleased by the compliment, and this both surprised and irritated him. He still did not like nor trust Stone, but he did respect him, and had no doubts about Stone’s capability as a cohort in this grim task. Warily, he cast a glance at the other man and said nothing.

“You have a natural intuition that helps you wield the elements to their fullest potential,” Stone went on, his stride never faltering as he picked a path between the decomposing bodies. “This can make you one of the most powerful abbots that the monastery has ever seen.”

“Why are you telling me this?” Kai Sen asked. He couldn’t help but be suspicious.

“Because I was arrogant and cruel when we met at the first breach. Because I think you should know,” Stone replied with a directness that Kai Sen envied. “You are one of the most magically inclined mortals I’ve ever come across. This will give us better odds at bringing the whole place down.”

“I’ll drink to that,” Kai Sen said, feigning a lightness in his tone to mask his fear.

When they reached the large stone door set into the cavern wall, they used their earth magic in silence. They worked well together, their strands weaving with ease, their magic strengthened exponentially by the other. The door grated open, and Stone slipped in first.

When they entered the vast chamber, the air seemed even hotter and more oppressive than last time. The walls pulsed blood red in a rhythm that mimicked a heartbeat. Although the majority of demons within the walls remained suspended and frozen, Kai Sen saw movement among some in the rockwork, a curling of the fist here, a twitch of the leg there. More were beginning to stir.

“If we had discovered this any later,” Stone said. “It would have been too late.”

“How do we do this?”

“Have you worked two elements of magic at once before?”

“Yes,” Kai Sen said. “But never to full potential.”

Stone strode to the crater at the center of the cavern, bubbling with magma. “You’ll have to use your full potential today. And more.” He met Kai Sen’s gaze. “I need you to create a protective shield over us, then add to my earth magic to bring these walls down.”

“Are we going to survive this?” Kai Sen asked.

“Not likely,” Stone replied. “But the demons in their current state are as vulnerable as we are. And this breach to the underworld will be buried under rubble—inaccessible to anyone. If we succeed.”

Their success would also mean their deaths. For how long could Kai Sen weave a shield to protect them? Long enough to do what needed to be done, he hoped. Without saying another word, he began pulling wood magic to himself, which controlled the air and wind. He drew from the deep roots all around them, from the trees planted above ground in the estate, from the walls and doors of the manor itself. Wood magic was both brittle and yielding, ancient as the oldest trees and as young and pliant as a new shoot in the earth. He deftly wove a dome over himself, then around Stone, and the other man began weaving the earth element.

Stone gathered strands of magic from the rocks and dirt surrounding them, then cast the multiple strands back into the cavern walls. Kai Sen felt the impact, a jarring of his senses connected to the elements. Stone tugged hard again until he was at the heart of hundreds of strands—Kai Sen couldn’t count them all—and thrust them back once more against the rock. The ground shuddered beneath their feet.

Reaching for the earth element himself, he tied his strands to Stone’s and realized that the man had extended his magic much farther than he knew, delving down the tunnels to the caverns below. In his mind, Kai Sen pictured Stone like some hideous insect with a thousand legs sprouting from him. Stone hurled the strands again, slamming them into the rock, and jarring Kai Sen’s teeth. This time, a shower of rubble rained down, rattling against their shields. “We can retreat backward as we work,” Kai Sen shouted. “I can move the shield with us.”

Stone gave him a dark look, as if he were a fool. “I won’t be able to strike as hard from the cavern’s entrance. But you move back, and I’ll follow.” Kai Sen could tell that the other man was indulging him.

Kai Sen slowly retreated toward the cavern’s tunnel entrance, shifting the shield with him. Stone stood his ground near the pit at the center of the chamber. Kai Sen could feel the brute strength in which Stone worked the strands. His face shone with sweat, pale against the red glow of the cavern walls. Kai Sen added his own strands, as much as he could give while still keeping a tight hold on the magic for their shields.

Stone flung the earth strands again and again until boulders began to crash down to the cavern floor. Kai Sen worked in unison, sweat sliding down his back and dripping into his eyes. He didn’t bother to wipe the sting away, he was concentrating so hard on weaving his magic to Stone’s. On the eighth strike, the strands broke through the cavern walls themselves, tunneling like giant worms. Kai Sen sensed the hundreds of strands as they shot through, splitting the earth and rock, creating fissures. This time, the ground shifted beneath their feet.

“Pull back!” Kai Sen shouted above the angry roar of the shaking walls around them. A giant boulder bounced off Stone’s shielding, and Kai Sen grunted, as he had barely been able to hold the strands together to protect Stone.

“One more time,” Stone shouted.

Frustrated, Kai Sen worked to strengthen his hold on the shield as Stone sent his strands outward again. Kai Sen twined his magic with Stone’s, giving so much that he began to shake, then fell to his knees; the impact shocking his entire being. This time, the strands punched through again, expanding all the existing fissures until everything began to crack like an eggshell. The ceiling groaned overhead, and a large portion of it collapsed onto Stone and the path between them.

Instinctively, Kai Sen had thrown his own shield toward Stone’s, strengthening it and leaving himself exposed. Rubble rained down, but Kai Sen dodged the largest of them, although a sharp rock glanced against his brow, and blood dribbled into his eye. He cursed. Incredibly, the shield over Stone had held but barely, and Kai Sen had to focus all of his remaining power to hold it in place. Stone was nowhere to be seen, completely buried under the rubble.

Unshielded, he leaped over the boulders, using his instincts to dodge the rocks crashing down on him. Kai Sen spared a fraction of his power to shift a few large rocks around Stone but lost control of his hold on some of the strands. A massive boulder thunked down where the shield had been, and Kai Sen’s heart dropped to his stomach. No man could survive that. “Stone!” he shouted, though it sounded small above the groaning of the walls all around them. Kai Sen glimpsed Stone crouched against the ground, head bowed, accepting his fate. The boulder had fallen right next to him, grazing his side, but not crushing him.

Goddess have mercy.

Stone glanced up through the small opening, staring at Kai Sen with unreadable eyes. “You fool,” he said. “Go.”

“I didn’t come back for you to play the martyr,” Kai Sen said. “Come on!” He dodged more rocks, and Stone crawled out of the small opening. When he was clear, Kai Sen released the strands of his shield. The heavy rocks collapsed to the ground in a thunderous roar, sending up plumes of dust around them. Kai Sen shifted the shield above them like a canopy. But Stone was clumsy on his feet, falling a few times before rising again. He could tell that Stone had used his magic to the point of exhaustion, and Kai Sen was nearly there himself.

But curse the hell lord if he died here, buried with dead demons. “Follow me!” Kai Sen said. His clairvoyance and agility allowed him to pick the best path toward the cavern’s exit into the small corridor. Their shield was waning above them as Kai Sen weakened from the exertion of trying to run to safety while working the magical strands at the same time. He glanced back. Stone was stumbling far behind, unprotected by the shield, his face and tunic stained with blood. The lurid red glow continued to pulse, like some erratic heartbeat, and Kai Sen was certain they were in the core of hell itself. He didn’t have enough power to extend the shield farther, so he paused, giving the other man time to catch up.

The entire cavern was rumbling now, shaking like there was a massive earthquake. Demon bodies had toppled out of their cavities; most were crushed and still, but some creatures mewled piteously, flailing against the rocks which pinned them down. Searing heat blasted from the walls and lava pit, overflowing as more large chunks of rubble plunged into the hole, splattering magma. Stone finally reached where Kai Sen stood. The man’s eyes had become sunken holes, standing out coal black against his white face. But his cheekbones were flushed bright red, as if he were suffering a fever. He buckled to his knees, and Kai Sen hauled him up by the elbow. Stone had paid a high price for bringing the walls down around them. “Go ahead of me,” Kai Sen shouted above the roar and pushed the man forward.

Stone lurched toward the exit, but as he was about to reach it, Kai Sen saw immense boulders plummet from above. Without thinking, he used his remaining magic to thrust Stone forward, so hard that the man flew through the opening right before the giant rocks smashed to the ground, barely missing him.

Kai Sen’s arms fell heavily to his sides. The last burst of power he had used on Stone had drained him completely. He limped toward the exit, blocked now by the massive rocks which would have crushed Stone. Feeling boneless and lightheaded, he ran his hands over them, searching for a crevice, a crack, some way to climb out or wedge himself through an opening. But he did so half-heartedly, because he already knew by intuition—the one exit out of these caverns was completely blocked.

He was trapped inside.

Even as he came to terms with this, the ground heaved, knocking him off his feet, and the cavern walls fell inward as the ceiling crashed down on top of him.