Page 72 of Crimson Skies

A volley of crimson spell bombs smashed into the creature, cratering its flesh and bones.

Blood pounded in Theo’s veins as he emerged from behind the dropping monster. His gaze found the warlocks who had attacked him. They wielded the corrupt summoning staffs Elios had had his alchemists make. Ulrich Karlstad floated at their head.

Fresh burn marks darkened the right side of the man’s face.

Theo frowned.Did Elios do that to him?

Karlstad narrowed his eyes at the dazzling artifact floating in the sky above them. A low hum emanated from the Book of Rain where it bobbed inside Theo’s protective shield, the pulses of light throbbing from it maintaining the interdimensional shield he and Rohengar had erected.

“How about you give us that thing? It’s far too pretty for the likes of you.”

Theo arched an eyebrow. “You are not worthy of laying a single finger on the Book of Rain.” His cold gaze swept the hostile troops below. “None of you are.”

Scarlet overflowed Karlstad’s summoning staff and marked his flesh with sickly runes. The warlock’s figure blurred as he bolted toward Theo, his face twisted in a grimace of rage.

Theo flashed to his side, faster still. He caught the summoning staff with his hand.

Karlstad froze, his good eye rounding as he jerked his head around to look at him. Horror drained the blood from his face at the sight of the golden light spilling along the length of his weapon. He recoiled.

Theo tightened his grip on the staff when he tried to yank it away. “You need to learn a new trick, warlock.”

Karlstad gurgled as the weapon crumbled to ash under the divine power overwhelming it.

* * *

Pan’s bellowshook the air. The sound froze the ghouls and hellbeasts about to swarm him in their tracks.

Tenebra darted through their terror-struck enemy, shadows wreathing the atmosphere in her wake as she disemboweled a dozen of the incapacitated monsters in the blink of an eye. Kes and Orena disposed of the rest.

Heat blasted over them as they finished felling the last hellbeasts, ruffling the darkness surrounding their bodies. The ghastly shrieks of war demons followed. Pyri had unleashed the Horn of Flames on a battalion of the monsters close to their position.

“Oh, well done!” Ladon enthused from where he was cooking some Cyclops and hellbeasts with a torrent of fire below them.

Hesperia and Arethusa’s golden arrows lit the air as they rained upon the Nephilim trying to attack the dragon.

Pan scowled at Pyri. “You bastard! How about you watch where you’re pointing that thing?! You almost got my tail!”

He indicated the mild singe on his rump with an affronted air.

Tenebra sighed. “Here we go again.”

“This makes it, what, the fifth time this has happened?” Kes said dully.

“Just stay out of it,” Orena muttered. “You don’t want to get involved with those two lunatics.”

Pyri smirked at Pan from across the way. “You know what they say. If you can’t take the heat, you should—”

A Nephil smashed into the fire deity from above.

“Sorry!” Menippe shouted from a distance.

A gleeful grin brightened Pan’s face. “Serves him right, the little toad.”

Kes and Orena rolled their eyes.

Pyri melted the Nephil with pure white flames before ascending to their height, his expression irate. “As I was saying, if you can’t—”

“Put a cork in it,” Hecate snapped as she joined them. “We need to stay on our toes. Elios will be back anytime now.” A grisly sound drew her gaze. She squinted at one of her hounds. “What did I say about eating war demons?”

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