Page 7 of Within the Flames
The guys followed her. Cam seemed tempted to take the lead again, but Macey didn't let him. She might have to deal with the lampads on her own anyway.
A flickering light suddenly appeared in the distance. A fire? A torch?
"Hello?" someone shouted, his voice echoing through the tunnel, reverberating all around Macey. He sounded old.
"Hello!" she called back. "Can we come closer?"
Laughter greeted her words. "I don't bite, unless you've brought food."
Macey turned to look at her men, but even with the tiny bit of light, she was unable to see their expressions. She shrugged and continued towards the light. The whispers she'd heard before had stopped now. Was the old man one of them? Had he been whispering in another language?
This was all very strange. The sooner they got out of these tunnels and back into daylight - non-London daylight, preferably - the better.
When they got closer, the light turned out to be a campfire, built with large slabs of wood onto the concrete floor. The man, whoever he was, had chosen one of the few dry spots in these catacombs. Where did he get the wood though?
A silhouette was barely visible behind the shine of the fire. A large man, but it wasn't obvious whether he was human or not. He could have been anything, really.
"Who are you?" Macey asked when they were close enough to talk without shouting.
"You come into my home and ask me that?"
Jared coughed. "His home? I can imagine nicer places."
"Don't you dare belittle my house," the man snarled, suddenly sounding a lot less friendly. "You of all people should know better, incubus."
He spat out the final word. Okay, he was someone who didn't like incubi. Not that it was something unusual; most people were scared of them.
"Me of all people?" Jared asked, taken aback. "Why... ooooh."
"What is it?" Macey whispered.
"An illusion," Jared said slowly. "It's all an illusion."
"I never thought they'd pick children as the final Wardens," the man muttered dismissively. "You don't seem ready yet. Can't even spot an illusion."
"Children?" Cam seemed offended. "I'm likely older than you are."
The man laughed. "I doubt that very much. But come, we have much to discuss. Please be aware that this is a sanctuary, and as such, everyone is welcome here, no matter the species. Any attacks on residents will be punished severely."
Macey's eyes widened at his words. "We're not here to hurt anyone," she reassured him. "We just need to find someone."
"I know."
Somehow, the man reminded her of Malan. Cryptic, impolite, arrogant. Maybe he was Malan's lost twin? Who wasn't a ghost yet?
He'd already turned around and was walking away from the fire. She still hadn't seen his face, but when she'd passed the fire, she could at least see his back. He had wings. Black, leathery wings.
"What is he?" she whispered to her men. "Some kind of demon?"
"He's a daimon," Cam gasped, stopping in his tracks. "I didn't think they still existed."
"A demon?"
He shook his head. "A daimon. Big difference. They're guides, advisors. Some say they're spirits sent from the afterlife to guide mortals. Others say they're an ancient race of beings with unimaginable powers. Point is, they're rare, powerful and we really don't want to anger him."
"He doesn't like me," Jared complained quietly. "I seem to be angering him simply by being here."
Macey reached out to the incubus, taking his hand. "He'll just have to deal with it. We're here as a team, and whether this is his home or not, we stay together."
