Page 125 of Hexbound
Chaos erupted. Wards sprang into being with a harsh buzz and mage globes flickered to life. Bishop squeezed the knife in his hand, looking for Morgana, but there were too many fleeing people between them. One slammed into him, sending him off balance.
And the chaos of the crowd meant that the people on the stage were quite unprotected.
Sebastian faced Drake and Agatha, power brewing until the air felt electric. He lashed out, and Drake drove Agatha to the floor as the entire rock wall behind them exploded with the force of the blow. Bishop launched himself through the circle of flames, landing just behind his half brother, preparing to throw the knife. The demon turned and flung another wave of pure force at him. It swept the knife aside with a clatter.
Bishop staggered back and snapped his wrists together to form a ward but the force hit him like a giant's fist, sweeping him off his feet and flinging him across the stone circle. Ianthe tumbled with him, landing half beneath him.
Head ringing, vision faltering, Bishop looked up as the room fell still again, surprised to taste blood in his mouth.
Hell.He rolled onto his back, facing the demon who wore his brother's body. Everything he'd feared had come true. There were no limits to Sebastian's strength, and now the demon owned all of it.
I should have killed him when I had the chance.
Finding his feet, he pushed for Ianthe to run, even as the demon began sweeping immense bouts of power around the room. It wasn't sorcery. There was no control, no spell craft, no ritual to control the power. Simply Expression. Energy driven by the rage of emotion.
"None of you can stop me," the demon hissed, sending a half dozen sorcerers tumbling like croquet balls. Imps tore into them, but Verity and Lucien were trying to rally some of the sorcerers to their side to fight.
He didn't have time to keep his gaze on her. Verity could handle herself. He had to trust in that.
There was only one person, however, who could take care of Sebastian.Ifhe could get close enough.
"That's not entirely true," Drake called, stepping between Bishop and the demon, as if sensing the tide of his thoughts. "I vanquished you once," Drake spat, his coattails flapping in the wind the demon's sorcery had wrought. "Don't doubt that I can do it again."
The demon smiled and held its arms open wide, gesturing to the body it wore. "Last time you cut my body out from under me. Go ahead."
Drake froze.
The demon's arms dropped to its sides. It took a menacing step toward his father. "Oh, I've been waiting all these years for this moment, Drake. You're right. You're the one person who could stop me. So I had to find the right weapon to use against you." It chuckled. "And here it is, one of three people you won't destroy. No matter what."
It lashed a whip of power at Drake and he fell backwards, tripping over Bishop and landing heavily atop him. Bishop knelt at his side, trying to help him sit up, but there was a look on his father's face that he'd never seen before.
Drake never gave up. He didn't know what defeat was. But the demon had found his weakness, and now it would destroy everything and nobody could stop it.
"It's too late," he whispered, holding his father's hand. "He's already gone, damn you. It's too late! We have to kill him!"
Drake's eyes shimmered with unshed tears. "That's the problem with possession." Slowly, he hauled himself upright. "He's still in there. He's just no longer in control."
"No." Bishop shook his head. He glanced at the demon, an etheric blade springing to hand. If Drake couldn't do this, then he would.
Bishop leapt forward, but the demon closed its fist and immense pressure suddenly drove him to his knees, his ribs forced tightly beneath that crushing pressure. He screamed, the blade vanishing into nothing as he clutched at his aching skull.
Someone yelled something and the pressure was gone. Bishop collapsed onto his hands and knees, panting hard. One of his ribs had cracked. He could feel it.
"What did you say?" the demon asked.
"I said, let him go." Drake took another limping step forward.
"And if I do?" This time, the demon's smile held success.
"Drake, no!" Ianthe screamed, fighting her way forward through the winds gusting around them, with Lucien at her side. "You can't bargain with it!"
"Don't,"Bishop blurted, his lip split and bleeding. No bargain with a demon could ever be a good thing. They only ever paid the price when they had all the cards in their hand.
Drake stood alone before that massive onslaught of pure energy. It whipped around him, tearing slivers of his coat and shirt and raking through his hair. "What do you want?"
The demon laughed. "You know what I want. A vessel strong enough to contain me...."
One brother for another. Ianthe cried out and clasped her husband's hands where the winds were threatening to tear them apart. Drake looked down, his eyes hooded, but Bishop could see his father suddenly still, as if a decision had been made.
