Page 94 of A Fury Of Shadows

A thought came to him then. He lowered his brows.

Maybe I should send some demons out to look for him. Or even better, Dietrich’s devils.

He turned, intent on making his way to the Immortal’s lab. Something brushed against his senses as he took a step toward the doors. Barquiel stiffened.

The energy he’d just felt was growing exponentially.

His eyes widened when he finally put a name to the presence approaching his chambers at a phenomenal speed.No! That’s impossible! She couldn’t—!

The doors imploded on a blast of crimson magic that knocked him off his feet. Barquiel snapped his wings and braced in mid-air before he could strike the wall, his heartbeat accelerating.

* * *

Mae’s bloodboiled with wrath as she stepped inside the suite, Hellreaver in her grasp and Brimstone towering above her in his nine-tailed form. The magic pulsing through their bond rattled the windows and shook the floor.

She’d lost track of Vedran’s magic on her way to the southwest tower, where Nikolai had told her his office was. The Sorcerer King had probably vanished at the first sign of trouble.

Mae had decided to go after her second target.

To her chagrin, she hadn’t encountered as many Dark Council members as she would have liked on her way to Barquiel’s chambers. Smashing the faces of the few she had crossed paths with hadn’t even put a dent in her thirst for revenge.

She scowled at the demon.Punching this asshole might!

“Be careful, my witch,” Brimstone warned.

“You!” Barquiel hissed.

The air split open beside him. He withdrew his dark broadsword from a rift, his expression furious.

Mae watched the crimson-tinged crack close with clenched teeth.I doubt that’s the portal Nikolai saw.

“It isn’t, my witch,” Brimstone said, his gaze on Barquiel. “That window only accesses an interdimensional pocket.”

Confusion flitted across the demon’s face at their exchange. His lip curled. “How did you find this place?!”

Mae could barely see for her rage. “Why does it matter how I found the hole you’ve been hiding in, you impotent bastard?! More importantly, where is my mother?Where is Ran Soyun?!”

Na Ri’s voice underscored her bellow.

Shock flared in Barquiel’s eyes.

Mae moved.

Sparks exploded when Hellreaver made contact with Barquiel’s sword. The voices of a thousand enraged fiends left the weapon on a deafening ululation. He bit down, his serrated blades throbbing with a power so pure it made him glow.

Mae slammed a hand against Barquiel’s stomach as he struggled to free his sword from Hellreaver’s grasp. Magic surged through her veins.

“NEGATE!”

Barquiel gasped, the spell taking a chunk out of his demonic energy. A thin crack appeared in his sword. He bared his teeth in a snarl, kicked Hellreaver, and retreated a beat. His figure blurred.

Brimstone caught him with a giant paw as he shot under Hellreaver and came at Mae, the fox’s magic-tipped claws carving the demon’s scales and scoring red lines across his chest before he sent him flying into a wall.

Glass exploded as Barquiel struck a mirror with his back.

“Answer my witch’s question!” Flecks of drool fell from the demon fox’s jaws as he growled at their nemesis. “Where is my former queen?!”

Barquiel looked down and touched the dark blood trickling down his flesh. His expression grew thunderous. Corruption exploded around him.

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