Page 31 of Demons In My Head: Exposing the Exiled
"There are five primary holding areas," Sloane explained, his finger tracing over different marked locations. "The largest concentration is here, in the mountains north of Naryian." His ice-blue eyes flickered between us, gauging our reactions. "The others are scattered strategically—one near the coast, two in the eastern forests, and one underground in the western plains."
Rhodes stepped forward, his pristine suit starkly contrasting our rugged surroundings. "We've developed something that might help," he said, pulling a small vial filled with purple liquid from his inner pocket. "It counteracts the mind control, but..." He paused, his expression grim. "We have a limited supply."
"How limited?" Saige asked, her hand unconsciously moving to protect her belly.
"Enough for a three acre radius," I answered, knowing the exact number because I'd helped Rhodes perfect the formula. The memory of those long nights in the lab still haunted me, the failed attempts, the frustration, the breakthrough that came too late to save some we'd lost.
"And it's not permanent," Rhodes added, his voice carrying that clinical tone he used when explaining complicated matters. "As long as Asrael lives, his power remains. Those we can't treat will stay under his control, until we end him."
I watched as Sloane's arm tightened around Saige's waist, his protective instinct visible in every tense line of his body. The weight of what we were attempting seemed to settle over our group like a heavy blanket.
"So we have to be strategic," Talon mused, his voice uncharacteristically serious. "Choose carefully which dragons we free first."
I watched as Sloane's expression darkened, his jaw clenching in that way that reminded me so much of Rhodes when he was about to argue a point.
"No," he said firmly. "We can't afford to be selective. The execution is in three hours, and we need every ally we can get. One shot—that's all we have."
He wasn't wrong. The weight of that truth settled heavily in my chest, mixing with the already tumultuous emotions swirling there. We'd spent years planning this, and now everything hinged on perfect timing and execution.
"What about expanding the reach?" Saige suddenly asked, her green eyes lighting up with inspiration. "If we could somehow spread the vapor over a wider area—"
"We'd need significant wind power," I cut in, explaining what Rhodes and I had discovered during our experiments. "But even then, spreading it out doesn't increase the concentration. It actually dilutes it, making it less effective."
Talon's voice echoed in my head.Less effective means more dead dragons, brother.
I gave him a slight nod, acknowledging the grim reality of his observation.
"Heat," Sloane said suddenly, his eyes narrowing. "How does the vapor react to heat?"
Rhodes stepped forward, his pristine suit rustling in the breeze. "That's actually how we concentrate it," he explained, his voice taking on that professor-like tone I'd grown accustomed to during our research. "We've already pushed it to the highest temperatures we could generate in the lab. Any hotter and the compound becomes unstable."
"What kind of heat source did you use?" Saige asked, her hand absently rubbing her swollen belly.
I exchanged a look with Rhodes, remembering the countless failed attempts, the explosions, and the singed eyebrows, not to mention that one particularly memorable incident that had left us both smelling like burnt sugar for a week.
"Everything from standard burners to demon fire," Rhodes replied.
"But the problem was always the time it took from base temp to inferno," Talon pointed out. "I mean, the only fire we haven't tried would be…"
"Dragon fire?" Sloane interrupted, his ice-blue eyes suddenly intense. "A dragon's fire is the hottest known fire source recorded."
"That just might work,” Ashland replied, then turned to Rhodes. “Why didn’t we think of that?”
Rhodes rolled his eyes. “Oh gee, maybe because we were banished and couldn’t just waltz over here to collect some fire from some creatures that everyone was led to believe were extinct?”
Saige took a step toward Ash, effectively cutting their banter and bringing the moment back to where it needed to be. Positive. Focused. "You created a miracle! We just need to figure out how we can maximize the amount we have to ensure a victory here today."
Despite his mask, she still smiled at him. Her energy and excitement over our creation were contagious, and that damned mask wasn't going to protect him from her genuine demeanor.
Sloane clapped, drawing everyone's attention. "What about multiple dragons? Concentrated fire from multiple sources?"
I felt my pulse quicken as the implications hit me. We'd never considered combining heat sources, too focused on finding a single, controllable source.
A wicked grin spread across my face. "That's it, Rhodes! We need to have five dragons, and they'll have to start firing at set intervals to maintain the temperature where we need it to be. We need to multiply this vial by five times, that way we'll have a little extra if we need it during the battle."
"We need a cauldron. I saw one in the village. I'll go get it!”
“Think again, Red. You’re not going anywhere alone. I’ll come with you—”
