Facets of power, p.6
Facets of Power, page 6
part #3 of The Dragon Portal Series
Without waiting for a response, Bane stepped off the path and disappeared into the underbrush. Sabine took a step after him but stopped. She couldn’t lead Rika into danger when she’d sworn to protect the seer, and Malek wouldn’t be willing to sit aside and babysit while Sabine followed the demon.
She clenched her fists, irritated Bane had taken off when he wasn’t at full strength. The foolish demon was either trying to prove himself or he’d sensed something that could be dangerous.
Blossom landed on Sabine’s shoulder and patted her hair. “He’ll be okay, Sabine. You don’t need to worry.”
“I’d worry about you too, Blossom,” Sabine said quietly. “I’d worry about any of you.”
Rika approached Sabine, staring in the direction where Bane had disappeared. “Why did he leave? Isn’t it better for us all to stay together?”
Sabine didn’t answer right away, surprised by how quickly Rika had warmed to a demon. Even after witnessing Bane nearly lose control, Rika still worried about him.
“Bane can sense people’s life force, and it’s easier if he’s away from me,” Sabine said, settling on a partial truth. She wouldn’t betray Bane by sharing his weakness. “Sometimes my magic interferes with his abilities. He probably caught a hint of something and wants to see if anyone’s around who might be responsible for what’s occurring here.”
Malek arched his brow. “I didn’t know your power interferes with his. You weaken him?”
She hesitated. “Not in the way you might be thinking. Our bond allows him to monitor my life force, even when we’re a great distance away. It’s similar to listening to my heartbeat, or at least that’s how he’s explained it. When I’m close, it’s harder for him to hear the whispers of other people’s lives. In all other ways, his proximity to me strengthens his abilities.”
Malek touched her mark on his wrist, but he didn’t respond. Sabine studied him, sensing he didn’t like her answer for some reason. Something was troubling him and had been for a while now. In many ways, Malek was still a mystery to her. She didn’t want to pry but hoped he might tell her when he felt comfortable.
“Rika and Blossom, why don’t you gather some of the flowers to take with us? I’m not sure whether the dwarves will have much of a selection inside their mountain. Blossom will need them to sustain her magic.”
Rika nodded. “Will any flowers work?”
Blossom pointed at some pink-and-white flowers. “I recognize that kind. Rika, let’s grab a few of those and check out the ones on the other side of the plaza. We can stick them in your bag.”
Rika walked toward the flowers, and Blossom instructed her how to properly harvest them. Sabine watched them for only a few moments before her gaze gravitated toward where Bane had disappeared.
If he hadn’t lost control on the ship and again a few minutes ago, she wouldn’t worry quite so much. Bane could take care of himself for the most part, but he was still her responsibility—and her friend. Not to mention, he knew the Wild Hunt could be descending upon them at any moment. The sense of urgency was grating on her.
Malek reached over and tucked Sabine’s hair behind her ear, drawing her attention back to the dragon shapeshifter. He trailed his fingers down her cheek, the tenderness in his gaze causing her stomach to flutter in response. The emotions he evoked were both equally thrilling and terrifying. She was definitely falling for him, but she still wasn’t sure if that was a good thing.
Malek wrapped his arms around her and lowered his head, then brushed his lips against hers in a whisper of a kiss. She softened against him, unable to resist the promise in his eyes. His touch was gentle as though she were made of the finest crystal and more precious than the finest gems in the dwarven mines.
It would be better to keep her distance from him, but he was quickly becoming her weakness. No one had ever treated her like this, and she wasn’t willing to lose it so soon. But every moment she spent in his presence made her resistance soften that much more.
She pressed her hands against his chest and blinked up at him. “Not that I’m complaining, but what was that for?”
“You needed a distraction, and it’s doubtful I’ll get a chance to kiss you again any time soon,” Malek said, continuing to hold her in his arms. “Once Bane gets back, he and I will go back to giving each other dirty looks. You’ll sigh a lot, and Rika and Blossom will get up to their usual antics while we wait for the next disaster to strike. I need to seize the opportunities to kiss you while I can.”
Sabine’s mouth twitched in a smile, and she arched her brow at him. “We do seem to run from disaster to disaster, don’t we?”
“That’s an understatement if I’ve ever heard one,” he replied with a grin.
She gave him a teasing smile. “I suppose we’ll have to see about finding a few more opportunities for something a bit more fun. After all, the Fae are all about balance.”
He chuckled. “In that case, I think we need to find an inn and lock ourselves in for the next few years. I doubt that would balance everything out, but it would be a fantastic start.” He kissed her lightly and said, “We’ll give Bane five more minutes and then we’ll go after him. I know you’re worried, but Bane can take care of himself.”
“I know,” she agreed, her gaze drifting to the spot where he’d disappeared.
Rika walked up to them and held out the flowers she’d collected. “Do you know what these are? Blossom said you had a way of finding out.”
Sabine glanced over Rika’s shoulder and saw Blossom still investigating the nearby plants. Grateful for the diversion, Sabine lifted one of the long stems from Rika’s collection and assessed it. The flower was deep red at the base, shifting to pink in the middle with white at the very tip. The stems and leaves were deep green with a hint of silver in their veins.
She inhaled deeply and unlocked her memories, allowing the familiar scent of home to fill her lungs. At the edge of her awareness, she caught a trace of the corruption, but the flower was doing well to withstand its influence. “Yes. They’re called caverias. They’re wildflowers, but they don’t grow in the northern lands outside of Faerie. They usually prefer the cooler temperatures of the mountains. My people tended them in this place once, most likely before we stepped aside to allow the dwarves to reside here. Our touch can be felt everywhere if you look hard enough.”
“Your people once lived here?” Rika asked with wide eyes.
Sabine nodded, trying to ignore the unease filling her at Bane’s continued absence. Their shared connection was strangely silent. “Yes. The Fae are the original caretakers of the world. Some of my people were children of the mountains and heralds of the sky. The dwarves, demons, and others came much later. Once the dwarves were born, we offered up our mountain homes to them so they might have a place for themselves. It was our gift to the gods to celebrate the birthright of their newest children.”
Malek stared at her. “Wait, you’re saying Razadon was a nameday gift?”
Sabine cocked her head and then shrugged. “I’ve never thought of it quite that way, but I—”
Rage, hot and molten in its intensity, slammed through her. She gasped, doubling over from the sharp fury threatening to overwhelm her. It wasn’t her emotion. She’d never experienced such intense rage, so piercing it nearly stole her breath. She struggled to get control over it or at least suppress it enough to think clearly.
Malek’s expression became alarmed. “Sabine? What is it? Is it the Wild Hunt?”
“Bane’s in trouble,” she said in a rush, her pulse pounding in her temples. Bane had never pulled so hard on their bond. Motioning toward Blossom, Sabine ordered, “Keep Rika shielded until it’s safe.”
Blossom’s eyes widened. “You want me to pull power to hide her?”
“Do it,” Sabine said, hoping the pixie could boost her magic enough by tapping into the power of the flowers growing nearby.
Without waiting for a response, Sabine sprinted out of the plaza and up the mountain path. Bane needed her. Malek was right on her heels, his boots crunching along the tile path. Sabine raced upward, instinct guiding her as she followed the bond she shared with the demon.
She darted off the walkway and through the overgrown foliage, following the most direct path to get to Bane. Up ahead, she could make out the sounds of battle, a combination of weapons clashing, screams, and the distinct sound of Bane roaring.
Sabine stumbled to a halt on the outskirts of a clearing. Blood. So much blood. And gore. She’d never seen anything like it, not since leaving the Faerie courts where torture had sometimes been used for entertainment. The pressure of corrupted magic was even stronger here, and she could barely breathe under its weight. It was all originating from this clearing somehow. This was the source.
Bane stood over several bodies, many of whom had been eviscerated. One of them was using his arms to crawl away from the demon, but there was no hope for him. Half his body was gone. It was only his contact with the stone that had likely allowed him to survive this long.
“Bane!” she shouted, but he didn’t seem to be aware of her presence. He was in full battle mode, and even his horns had shifted to silver.
More than a dozen dwarves were trying to surround the enraged demon. His skin glowed with a midnight-blue light, interrupted only by the molten blood trailing down his body from the wounds he’d already taken. He gripped one of the dwarves tightly and swiped downward with his clawed hands before tossing the body aside.
She took a step forward, but Malek grabbed her arm. “He’ll kill you, Sabine. He’s in full battle lust.”
“I have to do something to break the corruption’s hold on him,” she said, searching the clearing for the source. Bile rose in her throat, and she blinked several times, trying to breathe through her mouth. One of the bodies was different than the others and appeared almost to be staged for some unknown purpose. The body had been decapitated and laid out spread-eagle in the center of the clearing, but she couldn’t see any sign of the head.
Another dwarf lunged forward, his spear digging into Bane’s side. The demon roared again, jumping forward to rip the spear from the dwarf’s grasp and grab his assailant.
Sabine’s hand tightened on Malek’s arm. “The head. Where is it?”
Malek pointed toward a stone table on the far side of the clearing. “There. Are those crystals?”
Sabine’s eyes widened in horror. Giant crystals had been shoved into each orifice, and one had even been embedded into the top of the head. The one at the top was pulsing a strange green color, the pattern reminding her of the lightning strikes from the storm.
“I need to get to it,” she said, sensing those crystals had something to do with the corruption. She pulled away from Malek and quickly circled the clearing. She didn’t want to risk getting into the fray or drawing attention yet. Malek already had his sword in his hand. He took a protective position running alongside her, keeping himself between her and the fighting.
Sabine knelt beside the bench where the head was resting. Pushing aside the wave of nausea that threatened, she breathed through her mouth and tried to focus on the details. The facial features, from what she could see, belonged to a male dwarf. Three glowing crystals had been shoved inside his eyes and mouth, and they swirled with colors—green, blue, and red. Smaller crystals had been set up in a circular pattern around the head with blood coating each of them.
Another scream from the clearing caused her to jump, but she tried to ignore the sounds of battle and focus on the crystals. They were being used as some sort of magical working, which appeared to be crude in its design, even if the magic powering the spell wasn’t. She’d never seen such a thing, but the sense of wrongness emanating from it was overwhelming. Her knowledge was lacking when it came to these types of crystals, but there had to be a way to break the spell.
“Whatever you’re going to do, it needs to happen soon,” Malek warned, angling himself in front of her. “Bane’s still fending them off, but they’ve gotten some hits in. I’m not sure how much more he can take.”
Sabine gave him a curt nod. Through the bond she shared with Bane, she could sense his growing weakness and the corruption infecting him. The crystals had to be the key. If she removed them, it might be enough to disrupt the spell over the entire area. It should be enough to bring Bane back to awareness. She just hoped pulling them out wouldn’t have a backlash effect. Unfortunately, they were out of options.
Taking a steadying breath, she reached for the crystal sticking out of the dwarf’s mouth. Searing pain lanced through her. She jerked away with a pained cry, staring at her hand. Her fingers were red and blistered where she’d come into contact with the crystal.
“Dammit,” Malek muttered, dropping his bags on the ground. “Let me try to find something we can use to pull them out.”
“Mundane objects won’t work on this type of magic,” she said, determined to stop the corruption no matter the cost. Gritting her teeth, she started to reach again, but Malek grabbed her hand.
“No,” he said with a low growl, the ferocity in his gaze surprising her. “I’ll do it.”
She pulled away from him, ignoring the scream of another dwarf. “It might make it worse. This was created with Fae, merfolk, and demon magic. With my ties to both Seelie and Unseelie magic, I have a chance of overriding it. I don’t know what’ll happen if you touch it without me acting as a buffer.”
Malek stared at the decapitated head and said, “If dragon magic wasn’t used, we might be able to use that to our advantage. You have access to my power through our new connection. At least it’ll give you immunity from the burning if you open our bond.”
Her eyes widened at his suggestion. She had some resistance to demonic magic because of Bane, but Malek’s power might help tip the balance. “You might be right. I can override the blood sacrifice with one of our own making. That should allow me to touch the crystals and possibly even fracture what’s fueling the spell. I need some of Bane’s blood and yours for the working.”
Malek grimaced. “Shit. A bit of demon blood coming right up.”
Without waiting for a response, he leaped over the bench and darted into the clearing. Sabine gasped, watching as he rolled forward and then sprung to his feet with a dagger drawn. The dwarves had surrounded Bane, jabbing at him with their elongated curved spears to push him back. Another dwarf was placing containment crystals on the ground while they tried to lure Bane toward their trap.
Sabine inhaled sharply and held up her hand, flinging some of the crystals aside with a sharp gust of wind. She didn’t want the dwarves to be hurt, but they’d send Bane back to the underworld if they managed to contain him. While he might survive the banishment, she’d promised to do everything within her power to keep him above ground.
Malek used the commotion to dart forward, slicing downward on Bane’s arm with his weapon. The demon roared, his eyes glowing silver as he swiped at Malek with his poisoned claws. The dragon shapeshifter kicked out, landing a well-timed hit in Bane’s midsection to push the demon back. The dwarf with the crystals was fumbling and trying to set them up again, and Bane turned his attention on the hapless man. The dwarf’s eyes widened, and he scrambled back into the group of his companions.
Malek escaped out the side of the clearing and raced back toward her. Breathing heavily, he offered her his knife. She paused, her eyes widening at the sight of the injury on Malek’s side. Bane had hurt him. She ignored the proffered knife, grabbed Malek’s shirt, and pulled him down toward her. She kissed him hard, using the contact to push her power into him, infusing him with her strength. Through her bond with Bane, she was able to negate the demonic poison. Otherwise, it could weaken or even kill Malek.
She released him, searching his expression for any hint of the madness or confusion that frequently occurred when someone encountered demon blood. “Are you all right?”
“Better now,” he murmured, pressing another light kiss against her lips. “What’s next?”
She took Malek’s knife and pierced her skin with the blade, allowing Bane’s blood to intermingle with hers. If she hadn’t been bound to him, this theft of demonic power would never have worked. They still needed to hurry; the potency of Bane’s blood wouldn’t last long outside of its host.
“Quickly,” she urged, handing the knife back to Malek and gesturing for him to cut himself. Her blood would prevent Bane’s offering from harming Malek. “Our connection is still too new. It won’t be strong enough. We need a blood sacrifice to break the corruption.”
Malek cut his palm, and she clasped hands with him. His draconic power slammed into her, but she was better prepared this time. She welcomed his heat into her, finding a balance between the burning sensation she’d experienced when she’d touched the crystal and the fiery inferno Malek represented.
Kicking off her shoes, she used her connection with the land to fuse together the shared might of dragon, demon, and her special blend of Fae and merfolk power. Her skin glowed and she tossed her silvery-white hair back, breathing deeply of the corruption permeating the air. It was an affront to the natural order of things, and it could not be allowed to stand.
She reached outward and grasped the crystal embedded into the dead dwarf’s mouth. It was hot, nearly burning her hand, but she pushed aside the discomfort and yanked hard. With a sickening sucking noise, it dislodged. Another wave of nausea rose within her at the sight of the strange gooey substance coating the end of the crystal. She tossed it to the ground, willing the elements to reclaim it.
Lightning struck the ground at her feet, shattering the crystal into dust.
She took another deep breath, the corruption in the air not nearly as choking as it had been. Bracing herself, she reached for the next crystal affixed in his eye socket and then yanked hard until it came out. She tossed it aside and repeated her summoning with the lightning.
Sweat trailed down her face from the heat of Bane’s and Malek’s blood, but also from that of the crystal. Her strength was beginning to falter from the tremendous expenditure of magic. They likely only had an hour at most before the Wild Hunt was upon them. She hadn’t considered shielding herself before she attempted this binding. It wouldn’t take much time for them to pinpoint her location.
