Page 110 of Blood Sacrifice

The world around us shook as an earth-shattering earthquake ripped across the landscape, opening fissures, and ripping the land apart. Salvator grabbed me, rolling us away before I fell into one of those gaping holes. His arms wrapped around me, protecting me with his body.

“What have you done?” Emperor Atahualpa screamed when the ground stopped moving. He kicked bodies out of his way as he advanced toward us. “You will pay for this!”

Lightning wrapped around his hands and he stretched his arm out toward us, throwing a bolt. A shadow enveloped us, a feathered barrier protecting us.

“I’m going to get my ass kicked for interfering,” Faulkner said, his eyes meeting mine. “But I was always a sucker for a happy ending, and you’ve waited four centuries for yours.”

The sparks of lava from the volcano morphed into figures, some taking humanoid form, while others the shapes of animals.

Faulkner disappeared, leaving Salvator and me lying on the ground.

The emperor bellowed out orders, but he was too late, the doorway was open, and I sensed void magic as it took its first steps into this world.

More bright red sparks flashed from Misti, some disappearing into the sky, more flying away like birds, and others arcing up and falling down to land on those gathered like raindrops. They didn’t burn when they touched my skin, sinking into my body and activating gifts inside me that I never knew existed. Mother priestess had been right when she said that those of us who descended from void magic possessed latent gifts that could only be brought to life with the energy that had been locked away.

Some of the warlocks tried to jump up and grab the embers as they floated through the air, but they screamed and held their hands in horror as their flesh melted away when they touched them.

“Our people placed a curse on their magic.” The woman from the cave inside the volcano stood impassively watching, released from her vigil. “Only those of our lineage can accept the raw form into their bodies. It will destroy any who try to steal it.”

Emperor Atahualpa lashed out at anyone in his path as he forged his way toward us. Evil contorted his handsome face, his hands bunched into fists. I braced myself for his attack, my body exhausted. Salvator staggered to his feet, his form changed to his hybrid, his nails transforming into claws. The two men clashed, both powerful in different ways. A loud snap signalled Salvator breaking the emperor’s arm as he kicked his leg.

Even as the emperor tried to defend himself with magic, I watched as Salvator’s body absorbed the attack. He was immune to magic, his body accepting the red embers as they continued to fall to earth. Salvator was my mate, so it made sense that he would be able to assimilate void magic.

The volcano continued to disintegrate around us, the ground shaking, and fissures opening to reveal what had been hidden beneath. Strange creatures crawled from where they had been trapped, sniffing the air.

The emperor howled in rage, straightening his bones, his form transforming to reveal his true identity. Scaled wings emerged from either side of his spine, his mouth widening to allow a double row of sharp, pointed teeth to descend from his gums. He was a creature of myth and nightmare, something from a time long forgotten who had clawed his way into this world from another dimension. He faced Salvator with his talons exposed, and a vicious smile dancing on his crimson lips.

Shadow figures emerged from the top of the volcano, making their way toward us.

“Salvator!” I shouted, fear crawling up my spine.

The creature fighting him took his moment of distraction to backhand Salvator, sending him soaring through the air. Salvator contorted his body, turning to land on his feet in a crouch. Owen flung a dagger at the creature, piercing his shoulder, and making him howl in pain as he tried to dislodgeit. Maia threw a potion bottle that detonated on his chest, a translucent flame licking across his skin.

Just as Salvator and Emperor Atahualpa were about to clash again, a portal flared into life behind the emperor, feminine hands with long red fingernails reaching out to grab him and drag him backward into the portal. His eyes widened, and he tried to struggle free, but it closed around him, leaving nothing but his scream echoing in the night.

The shadow figures from the volcano came closer, and the air condensed around them to form features, two males and two females. Four of them slowly drew the attention of everyone gathered.

“It has been too long since we inhaled the air from this world,” the male to the left said. “The void is a cold and desolate place, sucking happiness and colour from your existence.” He slowly turned to take in the scene around him.

“I almost forgot the metallic scent of blood,” the other male continued, closing his eyes and inhaling deeply. “I can feel the echoes of battle in this place.”

“We are in your debt,” the female with black hair said. “We were locked away so long ago that I cannot even remember what sin we committed. The elders craved power, and those they couldn’t assimilate, they destroyed.”

“But we were the first of our kind,” the female with blonde hair added. “The Titans who formed this world, and so they could neither kill us for our powers nor destroy us. Instead, they sentenced us to hundreds of lifetimes in a place that neutralised our magic.”

The hairs covering my body rose in awareness. Releasing void magic had been my mission, not these beings.

“Do not fear us,” the black- haired titan said. “We created the four elements, and to them we shall return until we are re-energised.” As she spoke, her body faded until she disappeared into the wind.

The blonde titan sank into the ground, her body taking on the form of a vine until she was no longer standing in front of us. The body of the first male who had spoken became translucent until he was made of water and evaporated.

“My siblings are much more forgiving than me,” the last Titan said. “Tell the elders there is nowhere left for them to run. Zeus and Hades have much to answer for, and our children must be punished.” He exploded into an iridescent flame, which took flight into the sky in the form of a firebird.

“The Titans,” Maia gasped, appearing at my side. “Are we supposed to stop them?”

I slowly shook my head, dread curdling in my stomach. More beings crawled out of the void, running when their feet reached solid ground. More sparks of void magic shot high into the atmosphere.

“What have I done?” I whispered.

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