Page 102 of The Demon's Fire
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Skylerawoke with a start. A sliver of moonlight crept along the cave floor. She kicked off her covers, sliding her feet to the ground. After drawing on her socks, she checked on Kole.
He was sleeping peacefully on the hard dirt floor of the cave. Skyler stroked the back of her hand across his whisker-roughened cheek. She peeked under the blanket. The oozing black holes had completely healed, and he was cool to the touch, no longer clammy. His color had returned.
“I need some fresh air.” She pulled on her pants and boots. “I’ll only be a minute,” she whispered to Kole as she tip-toed toward the entrance to the cave. The light from a full moon was bright though filtered by the waterfall. She stretched, feeling invigorated, so much so she decided a climb along the rocks would be refreshing.
Skyler stepped into the opening, bracing to swing onto the ledge. Getting a good hold with her left hand, she stretched her foot out until it met rock. She maneuvered from one crevice to another, hugging the cliff-side the entire time. What had seemed an arduous climb the other day was an easy descent today. No quivering muscles. No tenuous holds. Quick, without hesitancy.
She scurried over boulders, sometimes jumping across to the next, sometimes half crawling and half climbing. When she reached the base of the cliff beside the waterfall, she dusted off her hands and followed the swiftly flowing river which crashed onto rocks while it wound its way to the bottom of the mountain.
Every so often, the terrain leveled into a flat meadow. In such a place, she relaxed on the grass, her head tipped back so she could admire the stars in the pre-dawn sky. Darque was certainly different from her life in Chicago. No skyscrapers here. The power of the river, the magnificence of the waterfall, the splendor of the fields, the solid dependability of the rocks. She was in the midst of nature, separate but one with it. The emotional response surprised her. She was a city girl, born and bred. Where did this communion with the natural elements come from?
Skyler rose, pushing aside her reverie, and proceeded to journey along the river again. A grunt startled her. Hiding behind a shrub, she peered out at a dog-sized animal tearing into a fish. The critter stood on its hind legs, sniffing the air before it trotted away, its partially eaten catch still dangling between its teeth. Skyler left the safety of the bush to continue her exploration. If she kept at the water’s edge, she could always find her way back to the cave.
When the terrain shifted once more to steep rocky cliffs, she climbed down the face, her foothold sure, unerring. Reaching a grassy knoll, she stretched out. The sound of wings flapping overhead startled Skyler. But no harpies. Just normal birds.
Crawling out from the shrubbery, she heard the indistinct hum of voices in the distance.
Skyler crept to the edge of the knoll to peer down the mountainside. Far below her a few men sat around a campfire. Surrounding them were at least twenty small tents.
She descended, getting closer, keeping to hidden paths. Once in the encampment, she stayed out of sight, hiding behind the tents. When she drew nearer, she listened to their conversation.
A man who seemed to be in command spoke. “In a few, we’ll break camp to go after the female. Easy pickings now.”
His voice was familiar, but she couldn’t quite place it. Skyler crept closer, peeking around a tent.
Holy shit. What’s Dermott, the victor from the Genesis Rite, doing here?
The demon continued speaking to the man on his right. “You’re sure Kole is dead?”
“Couldn’t help but be with so much iron in his bloodstream. Barely made it. I tracked him as far as I dared.”
“Mowart,” he said to the male on his left, “roust the squad. It’s time to earn our money, finish off the bastard commander if he’s alive, and get the bitch. First, I’ll take what is my due with her. Nobody insults me without repayment.”
Mowart rose, going from tent to tent to wake the men while Dermott kicked dirt onto the fire, smothering it.
As groggy demons stumbled from their quarters, they grumbled about their mission starting before full-on dawn. Skyler scrambled on her hands and knees until she could safely stand. She retraced her path along the cliff.
At the first grassy area, she picked up her pace, sprinting for the river. She climbed the rocks, looking down at how far she had come. Glancing ahead, she still couldn’t see the waterfall. “Damn,” she muttered.
Skyler arrived at the spot where the dog-like animal fished. She kept going.
Once they pack up camp, they’ll begin to scale the mountain. Run faster.I must warn Kole.
At the large meadow, she looked up toward the worst part of the climb near the waterfall. She scuttled up the boulders, across the cliff face, and onto the ledge, screaming a warning. “Kole. Kole!”
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Beforesunrise, Rein gathered with Firebrands and two unknown mages at the stronghold.
“This is Hason.” Tyr jerked his head toward one of the warlocks beside him. “He’ll shield our D-chips so we don’t lose a signal. When he gets close enough to Uwrick, or whoever, he’ll also negate the spell.”
Hason, wearing a dark hooded cloak and soft calf-high black boots, extended an aged hand to Rein, who grasped it firmly. Wrinkles creased the male’s face, deep smile lines at the corners of his mouth.
“Can you counter Uwrick’s spell, ancient one?” Rein used the honorary address for a much older, powerful warlock.
“I can. I have. This won’t be my first tussle with the mage.”
