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“WHAT CAN YOU SENSE, Saige?” Ruen whispered when we reached the bottom of the stairs. We were in a wide stone hallway that stretched off to the left and right.
“There are a couple of dozen lesser demons down here,” I reported. “Valac is in the center of the cellar. He’s with Aurora and three other supernatural beings.”
“They’re probably captives as well,” Otis figured.
I nodded, then continued with my report. “There are seventy or so lesser demons on the floors above us. They’ll come running as soon as the alarm is raised.”
“Most castles have several access points to the upper levels,” Zahir said. “We should split up and block them from coming to Valac’s aid. They won’t be able to overrun us as easily if we fight them in the stairwells.”
“Saige and I will find Aurora,” Ruen said. “If you get overwhelmed, retreat and return to the woods.”
“You can’t get close to Valac,” I hissed at his back when he turned to stalk away. “He’ll take over your mind and turn you against us!”
“No, he won’t,” the leech said almost serenely.
I yanked him to a stop as our colleagues split into pairs to find the entrances to the upper floors. “Did Drake give you magical protection against demons?” I asked, searching his face for a lie.
“Lord Gilden has removed almost all of my restrictions,” he said and allowed his madness to shine through. “Not even a demon will be strong enough to take over my mind when my bloodlust takes hold.” He grinned and I let go of him and stepped back before I could stop myself. His fangs had descended and he looked monstrously ravenous.
He turned to walk away again and this time I didn’t stop him. I followed in his wake with my mini crossbow held ready to shoot anything that moved.
Ruen followed a series of hallways that took us ever deeper into the cellar. We passed rooms with metal doors and bars on the windows. All of the cells were empty, but they smelled faintly of rotten flesh and waste.
A deep, rumbling voice drifted down the next hallway we turned into. The hairs on the back of my neck stirred. My instincts told me it was Valac who was speaking. I tiptoed after Ruen, hurrying to keep up with him.
Lesser demons were all around us, but we hadn’t run into any yet. Ruen had managed to avoid them all. I sensed a foe around the next corner. Ruen picked up on the demon’s scent, or possibly heard his heart beating. The vampire flashed around the corner and I heard a low grunt and stabbing noises.
I rounded the corner to see blood had splattered all over the wall from the twitching corpse that Ruen was crouched over. I looked away when he pulled his fangs out of the demon’s neck. His mouth was smeared with blood and he let out a sigh of ecstasy. Demon blood was far more potent than human blood.
“Focus!” I whispered when his eyelids fluttered and he almost went into another trance. “Help me save Aurora first and turn into a psycho afterwards!”
Ruen gave me a sarcastic smile, then wiped his mouth on his sleeve. “After you,” he invited me.
Valac was speaking again. His tone was taunting and grated on my nerves. I stepped into another hallway, then shot a demon in the back before he could turn around and spot me. Ruen rushed off and took down another guard. He went on the hunt, leaving me to face the carbuncle alone. He would be close enough to come to my aid if I needed him.
“Who is your owner?” Valac asked his captive. “Tell me his name and I’ll kill him and free you from his service.”
“No!” Aurora retorted angrily as I approached an archway that led to the center of the cellar. “I’m not going to become your property!”
I glanced through a stone archway and blanched at the sight before me. Most demons were evil to the core, so it wasn’t a surprise to see the wine cellar had been converted into a torture chamber. Contraptions straight out of medieval times were on display. An iron maiden that looked like a metal sarcophagus stood in one corner. It was open to show the sharp spikes that lined the interior. They were coated in old blood and dried bits of skin and flesh.
A vampire lay on a rack that was designed to stretch his arms and legs until they became dislocated. Naked, he was chained with silver and couldn’t move. His eyes were closed and his chest didn’t move, but his kind didn’t need to breathe. I sensed he was alive, but it was pretty obvious he wasn’t dead, since he hadn’t turned into a pile of ash.
Two werewolves were crouching inside tiny cages barely large enough to hold them. The bars were silver and they were naked as well. The vampire and shifters were sporting red welts where the silver had burned their skin.
Aurora was in a larger cage that was just tall enough for her to stand up in. She was still wearing her wig and clothes, much to my relief. I couldn’t see any signs of blood or injuries. Her expression was defiant as she stared the demon down.
Short and obese, Valac was nothing like I’d pictured. Utterly bald, he had glittering black eyes and emanated spite. His white shirt had long sleeves. It was unbuttoned almost to his navel to reveal his hairy chest and gut. He wore ill-fitting brown trousers that had been rolled up a few inches, so he wouldn’t trip over them. White loafers completed his outfit.
Lesser demons were arrayed around the chamber, watching Aurora avidly. From their lecherous expressions, they longed for their owner to allow them to torture his latest captive.
One of the caged shifters smelled me and his head turned in my direction. I lifted my finger to my lips to motion for him to be quiet. His friend saw me as well and they exchanged a look. I had no idea who they were, or if they were good guys or bad guys. My main focus was on killing Valac and busting Aurora out of her cage.
“Tell me who your owner is, or I’ll allow one of my minions to join you in that cage,” Valac said threateningly.
I felt a few lesser demons being snuffed out by my ex-colleagues and knew our time was running out. Someone would sound the alarm soon, then all hell would break loose.
“I’m her owner,” I said as I stepped into the torture chamber. “And I’ve come to retrieve my property.”
I fired at the closest demon and he let out a pained gurgle when the bolt lodged in his throat. Valac sent out a blast of hatred, but it washed over me harmlessly. Aurora rocked back on her heels, then turned to me with an ugly expression. “I’ll kill you!” she hissed, hooking her fingers into claws. “You have no right to claim me! No one owns me!”
It wasn’t easy to ignore her when she began spitting vile things at me. I knew it was just from the spell and that she didn’t mean any of it. Valac didn’t have enough control of his talent to pick and choose who it affected. His henchmen turned on each other, pulling knives from their pockets and started hacking away with insane abandon.
“Lord Gilden only wants to have sex with you because of your gigantic breasts!” Aurora said. I cut a hurt look at her and she laughed shrilly, then came up with even worse insults.
Screams of intense hatred sounded from all over the cellar, which meant Valac’s power had spread further than I’d expected. Lives were being extinguished too quickly for me to keep track of. I sensed pimples and boils flooding downstairs from the upper levels. They’d been out of the enchantment’s range, but they would soon be caught up in the battle.
Cursing beneath my breath when Valac turned to run, I shot a bolt into his back. He stumbled and went down to one knee and I rushed at him. Barging into two of his stabbing, clawing and biting minions, I sent them both flying. They crashed to the floor, but leaped to their feet again. Their owner was going to get away if I had to fight them all on my own.
