Page 76 of The Mating Fire
Leg muscles quivering, she fell to her knees near the ruins of a building. Painted bright turquoise, it stood open to the sky. Perhaps a home, or a store, it was a sorrowful reminder of the loss here.
A child’s ash-covered doll lay in the doorway.
The bright blue sky overhead and burning yellow sun belied the grim atmosphere at La Fuego. Here, layers of gray ash covered the ground. Harper shivered, knowing people were probably buried beneath, either killed by the oncoming pyroclastic clouds of fire and ash, or when the buildingsthey relied upon for protection simply couldn’t withstand the onslaught.
A powerful demon did this. Killed innocents and drew power from their suffering. Probably laughed as they died.
This, along with a fierce determination to save Jared, fueled Harper.
Saqara must be vanquished so he couldn’t cause any more pain. Couldn’t be a catalyst for Jared to embrace evil.
Deep down, she knew Jared was a good man. But she failed to convince him.
Vanquishing this demon might finally bring Jared much-needed peace.
I have coldfire. I am a powerful being. I can do this.
Strength returning to her limbs at last, she stood and stretched as one would prior to undertaking a great physical task. Harper splayed her fingers, summoning her powers.
The air carried the faint stench of Sulphur still and an underlying smell of old decay. Harper’s senses kicked in, but so did her emotions. Control your emotions. Jared always insisted.
But it was tough, with the sad, sad energy of this village, and all the lost souls who had only wanted to live out their lives in peace.
Tears sprang to her eyes. This demon must be defeated for the sake of all the people who lived in danger. She knew a tremendous war hovered on the horizon. Her senses indicated it.
Harper drew in a deep breath and heard a rumbling in the distance, like a freight train. Dust kicked up, so much dust she could barely see. But she felt an ominous crackling in the air and the stench of decay grew stronger.
As she prepared to fight, summoning her coldfire, she saw a face rising out of the dust - a snarling face with a red slash of a mouth and pointed teeth. Then a soft pop of air followed. Harpercaught a brief glimpse of Jared, wonderful, handsome, strong Jared.
He waved a hand and everything went dark.
With extreme care,Jared sent Harper hurling far, far away to the safest place he knew.
His castle in Peru.
She would be protected there.
He hoped she would stay there until this battle was over.
Dematerializing to the ruins of the turquoise house, he prepared to face the demon. This wasn’t going to end well, and he might lose his life.
But Harper would be safe.
Guess this is it, then. Well, it’s been an interesting 234 years on earth. Wish it had been longer so I could stay with her.
But everything has to end, eventually.
The ruins echoed with the ominous hiss of a chilling wind as Jared confronted the enemy. Jared summoned his incubus form. His ears flicked forward, detecting the whisper of pure dark energy.
SaqraYazez, his leathery wings outstretched, his red mouth a yawning pit, eyes black as pitch, circled around Jared. Walking on cloven feet, the other demon looked less agile.
Jared knew this was an illusion, to lure in victims closer in order to devour them with Saqra’s needle-like teeth.
Amid the crumpling stones, sunlight filtered through the shattered archways, casting elongated shadows dancing much as Saqra did around Jared. More than a display of strength, the other demon taunted him, played with him much as a cat toying with a mouse before devouring it.
Got a little secret for you, Saqra. I’m not as weak as you think.
Jared conjured a super-sized nail file and sharpened one of his bony horns with languid boredom. Saqra drew back.
