She released me, giving me a small smile. "I know, and if you can help it, try to come back to us on your own two feet. It’s rather tiring to watch after you when you end up unconscious."
I flushed, tail twitching in embarrassment. "It’s not any easier for me, you know!"
She laughed, giving me a little push on the shoulder. "Get going, already, before you change your mind. We’ll be rooting for you."
Elise spoke up. "If you actually manage to get him to agree, or at least listen, I can negotiate for you again. I’ve got some practice working with demons now."
She flashed me a smile, and I nodded. Fable butted his head against me once more, demanding another hug, before I turned to Fyren and Zephyriss.
"Watch over them, please, " I said. "If Rash’alon truly thinks I’m still here, he might try and attack. He’ll know I’m always with them, so–"
Fyren raised his hand. "I’m aware, and I promise. Your friends are my friends."
Evla shook her head, muttering. "Didn’t know demons had friends."
Fyren glared at her, but let the comment go.
"I’ll keep an eye on you overhead," Zephyriss said. "I won’t be able to sense your soul, else they would be able to sense mine, so if you need me, release your aura in full. I’ll be there as soon as I can. Which, as a storm demon, is very soon."
"Thank you, but I hope I don’t have to take you up on that. We’ll only be gone for a little while, right? Just long enough to talk to Luke."
Fyren shrugged. "It’s no simple feat sneaking into a demon horde, and Evla won’t be able to bring you out as easily, especially as the factions vie for dominance of the horde. I’ll keep an eye on Fable–he’ll know if something’s happened to you. And if he suddenly jumps into a gate–"
"You’ll know I’m really in trouble," I said, nodding. "Thanks." I took a deep breath. "Alright, I’m ready. Let’s do this."
Evla nodded and drew a cloak out of her spatial ring. It was brown and dingy, with a slight, unpleasant odor. I wrinkled my nose, but put it on, reminding myself I could clean the smell from my dress later. Even so, why had I decided to wear one of the Blacksand gowns anyway? Did I really like them that much?
"Stay close to me," she whispered as we left my friends behind.
I cast a look back, drawing the cowl as I turned. R’lissea and Elise waved. Fable’s tail drooped. Fyren remained in his human form, arms crossed, a frown on his face. Zephyriss was already gone, taken to the skies to fulfil her promise. It was a small comfort that she’d be there, waiting in case something went wrong. I tried not to think about how she might be planning to carry me to safety, should the need arise.
Borealis, too, left my side. Evla offered to give him a perch, but he stared at her as if she were insane before taking off, turning into a dot in the sky. He was close enough to monitor us, yet far enough away that he would be mistaken by most as a weaker evolved demon. And if any sensed his strength, there was no way they’d tie his presence to us.
The Devoted parted to let us through, shuffling like leaves blown by the breeze. We were some miles distant from the front lines of the hordes, but Evla walked slowly, keeping pace with me. It was hard to tell what she was thinking, but her tail twitched from time to time. Our footsteps were muted, the only sound aside from the rustling of the breeze through the long prairie grass.
The minutes dragged by, the gentle hills rising and falling behind us. Cold dread settled into my heart as thousands of infernal auras appeared on the edge of my senses, gradually nearing with every step. Occasionally, Evla’s step quickened, only for her to slow, glancing over her shoulder to make sure I was still there.
We arrived all too soon. Scions seemed to crop up from the grass like insects, closing in around us. I clutched my aura tightly, sucking in the stars. A few escaped my grip, but the golden mist was almost invisible. Evla slowed, walking right beside me. Her aura bled from her in waves, turning the air a shimmering purple and smothering the gold.
"Breathe," she whispered.
I gasped, taking my first breath in what felt like minutes. The scions circled us slowly, gradually losing interest, only for more to take their place. Evla glared whenever one got too close, letting a burst of her aura drive it away. A few evolved demons noticed her as well, but their souls held Luke’s mark, and they didn’t stir from where they rested on the ground.
A trio of scions came up to us, shaped like shadowy dogs wearing dull, iron armor. Their eyes burned, staring hard at us. Their souls bore an unfamiliar soul mark. It put a bad taste in my mouth, transcending Luke’s in vileness. An evolved demon, fourth level and shaped like a giant praying mantis, rose above them, sickle-like blades gleaming in the sun. It chittered angrily, thrusting a claw at us as it blocked our path.
"Move," Evla said, eyes narrowing.
The chittering grew more agitated, its claw motions stiff and jerky.
"What’s it saying?" I whispered, shrinking against her.
"No idea. But it’s in my way."
She waved her hand, summoning four magic circles. The demon stiffened, staring at them with multifaceted eyes. With a final burst of angry chitters, it turned and fled, taking the scions with it. Evla sighed, letting her hand drop. The circles disappeared.
"Come on," she said, starting briskly forward. "I can sense Luke ahead. Only another mile or so."
A mile? I almost reached out with my own senses, on instinct, but managed to stop myself in time. I felt blind and smothered, unaware of anything but what my eyes could see. I stumbled after Evla, tail flicking anxiously. I kept glancing upward, searching the skies for Borealis, but it was impossible to know which of the many flying demons overhead was him. I could only pray he hadn’t lost us in the bustle of the horde.
The demons grew thicker, clustered in their attributes. A hillside there claimed by the fire, another over there by ice demons. The ambient mana was stirred in a frenzy, torn between the different elements. Some groups held Luke’s mark, others Rash’alon. There seemed to be no order to it, and it wasn’t uncommon to see packs skirmishing with each other. More than once, brawling evolved demons rolled across our path, only to turn tail and flee as Evla bared her teeth.
The apostle’s steps grew faster and more urgent as we penetrated deeper into the horde. It was all I could do to keep up, stumbling over rocks and tripping on patches of reedy grass. I kept a tight hold of my cloak, ensuring the hood never revealed my hair. Red tails and horns weren’t incredibly uncommon amongst demonkin, but I was still the only one I’d ever heard of with my shade of hair.
I was so preoccupied with putting one foot in front of the other that I nearly bumped into Evla, who had come to a complete stop. I peeked over her shoulder before my eyes darted down, staring at the ground. The praying mantis demon from before had returned, this time with a sixth-level humanoid curse demon. It was one of the ghostly variants, with shadows instead of flesh. It wore a ragged robe and carried a wand fashioned from bone.
"Apostle...." the curse demon’s voice rasped. "You’ve been gone too long."
"I have no words for a demon of Rash’alon. Step aside."
The demon advanced a step, stooping to peer her directly in the eye. "None were allowed to leave the horde. You disrespected my master’s wishes."
Evla tossed her head. Chin jutting proudly. "I care nothing for the fallen one’s words."
"Arrogance," it hissed. "But what of the half-bloods who snuck out with you? Did they not already return? Who is this...delectable soul?"
It didn’t have lungs, or even a discernable soul, but it seemed to draw in a long breath. It hummed faintly, fingering its wand.
"I will overlook this slight to my master’s honor if you but give me that plaything behind you. Surely the loss of one attendant is worth such a favor," it said.
A chill ran down my spine. I hadn’t let a single mote of mana escape, yet it had smelled me through Evla’s overbearing aura. It might not know who I was, but one look under my hood, or maybe, if it got closer, it might–
Evla snorted. "Get lost. I have nothing to say to you."
The demon’s aura turned cold. "Surely you would not risk–"
"Gravity Spike." Evla waved her hand, casting a sixth-circle spell. It resolved almost immediately, launching a long, spear-like projection of purple mana. The demon recoiled, but the unexpected attack caught it in the chest. The spell passed through it as if it weren’t there, leaving no visible wounds on its ragged robe or shadowy flesh.
The spear impaled itself in the hillside some dozen feet away, leaving a long trail of purple mana, like a chain, that passed from it to the demon. Evla snapped her fingers, and the chain tightened. The demon screeched, struggling to run, but the ground no longer called to it. It flew backward like a puppet with its strings yanked, slamming into the spear.
The ground collapsed under its weight, forming a crater ten feet across. Evla turned and, without a glance at the struggling demon, walked off in the direction we were heading. I stared at it for a moment longer before tucking my tail and running after her. The cries of the demon chased after us, ringing in my ears long after its voice vanished into the growls and shrieks of the horde.