Page 22 of Fortune Academy: Year Three
My caution was paying off. Sure, I was hungry, but I had the power of my Virtues coursing through my veins. Being part Demonspawn and succubus, it was enough to keep me energized even without nourishment. Plus, the last thing I’d eaten in this place had been mind-bending Hell shrooms, so I really wasn’t interested in seeing what effects delicacies from the realm of gluttony would have on my body.
“There,” Luc said, indicating a glowing red tunnel. “That’s the route to the Royal Courts.”
“You really didn’t have to come with us,” I insisted as I marched in front of him. I didn’t trust the demon leader, even if Jess seemed completely smitten. Sexy demon abs could have that effect on a girl.
Good thing he wasn’t one of my Virtues, or I might have been distracted. Instead, I kept a wary eye on the horned male as we descended. The air shimmered with heat as sweat gathered at the back of my neck.
That concerned me. Until now, I’d been comfortable even through the wild temperature fluctuations of this realm.
“Hellfire is the hottest substance in all the realms,” Luc said, fanning his wings to give us something of a breeze.
“No shit,” Logan said, his tongue lolling in an adorably puppy-dog way that made me giggle. He glowered at me in return before grabbing his stomach again and cursing.
“Why are you unaffected?” Orion asked the demon leader, looking positively green as he stumbled down the rocky path. “You ate more than all of us combined.”
“I am native to this realm,” Luc said, tapping his horns. “There are some benefits to being a demon.” He winked at me. “You probably could have eaten without ill effects, Princess, but I can tell you have already satiated your… appetite.”
I blushed. “I could say the same for you,” I snapped back, making Luc smile.
“Then why did you let the rest of us eat?” Hendrik complained. His stomach rumbled in agreement.
Luc laughed. “Because even if the food doesn’t agree with you, it’s still nourishment. And you all need your energy for this next layer. There are obstacles we will encounter and—”
A terrible feeling raked through my body, sending me to an abrupt halt. Logan slammed into my back and cursed, but went silent when Dante drew his blade.
“What is it?” Hendrik asked, his dark eyes scanning the tunnels that filled with red fog.
“Something’s coming,” I whispered just before the ground started to shake.
“It’s those damn witch spirits that I banished before,” Dante said, pushing me behind him.
I shoved my way around his overprotective nonsense. “Then we face them,together.”
“You want to fight those things? I have a better idea.” Hendrik flicked his wrist as he murmured a low chant. A dark portal formed, one similar to the magic we’d used in our guest chambers.
“Hendrik!” I exclaimed as I latched onto his arm. It was one thing to use portal magic within our mate-circle only a few feet apart, but anything else would use far too much power. “We’ve only just learned how to use this spell. Where do you think you’re going to portal us?”
“Straight to your mother,” he said with a bright streak of magic running through his gaze as he sketched a symbol in the air, bringing the dark portal fully into being. “We don’t wait for whatever obstacles this demon has lined up for us to pick us off. He said it himself. He’s bored, which means we’re his entertainment.” He glowered at the bat-winged creature. “Am I wrong?”
Luc grinned and had a positively evil gleam in his red eyes. “You’re not wrong, mage, but go on, finish that portal. I’d like to see what happens next.”
That should have been enough encouragement to stop the Dark Mage from making a huge mistake, but he pushed on when the wave of witch spirits turned the corner. I gasped, locking in on their haggard faces that danced in the air. Their wild, dead eyes all homed in on me and I didn’t want to see what would happen when they reached us.
The ground trembled again as I crouched and extended my Demonspawn claws, although I wasn’t sure what good they would do me against translucent spirits. All my Virtues gathered at my back, even though I knew they wanted to stand in front of me, I would not tolerate that. This was my turf, my fight, and I would not cower behind my males like a pathetic coward.
Hendrik grunted as his portal jerked and fluctuated, stretching in and out as it lost its shape. “It’s turning unstable. Something’s interfering.”
Luc’s laughter boomed as the walls around us widened, opening the tunnel into a cavern and stretching Hendrik’s portal along with it. “You idiots are so easy to manipulate. Portals are a demonic power. To create portals here is to open yourself up to Hell’s mercy, especially against a lower level demon such as myself.” His grin turned wicked as he spread his arms and the portal made a horrible screeching sound. Streaks of red that looks like blood struck through it until claws pushed through from the other side.
“Luc!” Jess cried. “These are my friends! What the hell are you doing?”
He laughed. “You claim that this little princess who doesn’t know anything about our realm is to save us all? She must be tested, just as I was tested.”
Hendrik cursed and fell to one knee, completely losing control of his portal as Demonspawn poured through.
The witch spirits swarmed around them, looking as if they didn’t have a preference in who they attacked. They radiated with anger and rage, looking only to seek vengeance for some long-lost grievances before they’d given up their souls to this realm.
Half of the hoard turned to fight the spirits, using fireballs from their hands to disintegrate the wailing phantoms. I tested the power out for myself, knowing that any skill the demons displayed was something I should have within me. Hellfire ran through my blood and a constant heat battled to the surface ever since I had become one with my Virtues.
