Page 100 of A Fury Of Shadows

Unease trailed cold fingers down his spine. He hadn’t detected Mae’s magic in a while.

I really hope she hasn’t gone after Vedran on her own.

His eyes cut to Oscar where the sorcerer huddled against a wall to his left. He was holding Drabek and mumbling incoherently to himself behind theContainspell Nikolai had erected to imprison them, his expression glassy.

The lynx still hadn’t regained consciousness.

A harrowing scream cut through the din of the battle, distracting Nikolai. He whirled around. His stomach plummeted.

Vlad, Lou, and some dozen super soldiers had backed into the south of the lobby from a corridor. They were fighting something Nikolai couldn’t see. A Dark Council sorcerer close to them shrieked before exploding in a mist of blood and gore.

Nikolai’s mouth went dry. The man’s head and torso disappeared inside the maws of two massive, nanorobot-enhanced devils. Another one gulped down his limbs with loud crunches before licking its lips and focusing its crimson eyes upon his group.

“Great,” Cortes snarled. “Like we didn’t have enough on our hands!”

Vlad and Lou regrouped with them with the rest of the super soldiers.

“What the hell happened to ‘we’ll finish this and come back you up?!’” Nikolai barked.

“There was a change of plans, alright?!” the incubus snapped. “These devils are on a whole other level!”

Violet looked past Lou.

“Where are Serena and Tom?!” the witch asked in a strained voice.

“They’ve gone after Dietrich.”

“Are they gonna be okay?” Miles said anxiously.

“I wouldn’t worry about Serena.” Lou grimaced. “And Tom may be our group clown, but he’s our third-in-command for a reason.”

“That guy has nine lives,” a super soldier muttered.

Lou reloaded his gun and fired repeatedly at a devil as it launched itself at his head from a stone column, his expression hard.

The monster screeched, chest caving under the deadly volley of bullets. By the time it landed on the floor, its injuries were repairing themselves.

“Dammit!” Lou cursed. “Serena was right. The only way to put these monsters down is to strike at their brainstems!”

Nikolai’s scalp prickled a heartbeat before a suffocating storm of black magic throbbed the air. Cortes grunted, knees bending. Violet clutched her throat and grimaced.

The Dark Council witches and sorcerers still standing dropped to their knees and wheezed, most fainting. Horror widened Nikolai’s eyes as he looked at the stairs.

He could feel Mae’s magic clashing with Vedran’s in the distance.

“Go!” Vlad yelled.

* * *

Mae enteredthe Sorcerer King’s suite warily.

Nikolai had explained where his father’s chambers were before they’d parted. He’d also warned her not to go there on her own.

She fisted her hands.I couldn’t just wait.

She hadn’t sensed Barquiel’s demonic energy since the portal closed on him. Wherever he’d ended up, she hoped the bastard was suffering.

Brimstone sniffed the air cautiously as they crossed a dark living area. French doors overlooked a terrace to their right. Moonlight made the stonework outside glow.

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