Chapter Thirty-Eight
I landed with a soft thud on more dirt, the rush from the drop sent a thrill through my nervous system. A flashlight blinded me in the face, and someone pulled me aside so Josh could land where I stood just a few seconds ago. The flashlight was then angled to the ground, revealing Baron behind the bright light and Chloe’s tight grip still on my arm. I patted her off and readjusted myself, relieved to have made the drop, surprised that the impact didn’t break my kneecaps.
Baron dimmed the light just enough to where we could recognize our silhouettes and motioned for us to follow him through the underground tunnel.
Are Drarkoth’s known to make tunnels? I asked Josh, trying my best not to trip and blow our cover.
They don’t. This was done by a Magidoz, Josh responded. A fucking big one.
We continued in silence, only our soft steps heard in the vastness of the tunnel. To imagine anything else lurking within the shadows down here seemed tamed compared to what I’d witnessed outside the cathedral.
I wished I could hear the others. Maybe it would be easier to prepare when we reached the end.
No, you don’t, laughed Josh.
I wasn’t talking to you, I sneered.
Loud thoughts, remember?
You’re insufferable.
Likewise.
I huffed loudly and thought, Why wouldn’t we want to hear the others?
It could get overwhelming and could distract you in battle. Being bonded to one is better than none.
I prefer not, period.
Josh stifled a laugh from behind me. You’re lucky it’s me. If you got paired with anyone else, they would’ve already requested a transfer.
I rolled my eyes, inching my way through the tunnels. Is that what happened to your last one?
I only had you .
Why the hell did his comment warm my skin? Even the cooling material of the fighting gear I wore wasn’t enough to sizzle out the flame along my skin. Then a thought occurred, already filtering through our connection. Wait, I’m your first—?
Just then, a slight rumble vibrated our feet. We froze, Baron shutting off the light as we waited, unsure if it would happen again. Time seemed to tick on, until another rumble sounded, and then another, until it became constant, a nagging vibration like one of a cell phone when someone was calling.
We’re close to the nest. Looks like someone didn’t do a thorough job cleaning it out. The hairs on my neck stood up at Josh’s warning, neither of us sure whether to continue down the darkened tunnel.
Baron dimmed the flashlight once more, barely a glow illuminating from the bulb, and whispered, “We have to keep going.”
I barely heard him over the rumble. What if there is more than just Magidoz? If Josh’s claim was true about the size of the demon, then another one of that size could also be lurking down here.
Be prepared to fight, Josh warned.
Because I have been for my whole life?
As we trekked further in, the rumbling got louder, causing a ringing in my ears.
With one foot in front of the other, I kept my balance and wits about me as best as I could, but it was Josh’s voice inside my head that made me halt.
Remi, your hilt is glowing red.
I stalled, Josh’s hand stopping himself at my shoulder from colliding with my back as I gazed down to where I clutched the pommel. A soft glow shined through my hand where the garnet stone was forged.
Is this normal? I asked.
“Baron!” Josh whispered.
The faded light from the flashlight was directed at us. “What—”
His sudden silence made Chloe swear in disbelief.
That’s when the rumbling stopped.
I stood, gripping the pommel as it glowed brighter, my hand vibrating from the intensity as if some other force was behind it. Is this normal?
Not that I’m aware of. He grabbed my dagger, inspecting the stone, the glow illuminating his features. Josh’s fingers traced the pommel, only to look up into my eyes, a curious expression to match my own.
“I read somewhere that Juniper’s original weapon glowed when danger was near, but…” Baron took it from Josh, lowering the flashlight, his eyes scanning every part, trying to see if there was something hidden within the depths of its forgery. “…her dagger is lost. Not even The Order knows what happened to it.”
“Lost?” I said in disbelief.
Baron handed me back the dagger. “It’s been missing for months.”
“How did you find this out?” questioned Chloe.
“Acting oblivious around the Aces comes in handy,” he informed us.
Suddenly a deep growl shook the tunnel, a warm breeze whipping through us as if someone huffed their hot breath in our direction.
All somehow on the same wavelength, forgetting about my shiny weapon, we bolted down the tunnel, running blindly in the dark.
I pumped my legs, Josh only a couple steps behind, Baron leading the sprint. My dagger glowed brighter the further we traveled, snapping teeth coming from behind us.
Praying we didn’t hit a wall, Baron shouted over the rumbling. “Left!”
My sense of awareness when pumped with adrenaline was enough to determine when Chloe made a turn. Following closely behind, Baron continued to shout directions, until the tunnel opened to a wide space revealing one Saint and Scarlet battling in the center against the biggest Magidoz I’d ever seen. Its arms were enormous, with pulsating veins and a head sporting four horns instead of three.
Anxiety pounded in my bloodstream.
The Magidoz snarled, showing all three rows of needle-shaped teeth, snapping at the air, hissing with each attack. Black sludge coated its entire form, making a protective circle where it stood.
Cillian fired arrows left and right from a sleek black crossbow, dodging every counter move effortlessly. A deep gash oozed from his left cheek, dirt was caked on his forehead, but he showed no signs of debilitation.
Emilia climbed its back, shouting in rage, aiming her dagger directly at its head, only to get tossed off into a heap of broken metal pipes, Cillian screaming as he fired an arrow.
Baron got his bow ready. “We have to help!”
Shit.
There was no way I could do this.
Petrified, my bones locked in place while everything played out before me.
Josh’s positive affirmation filtered into my head. You’re a Scarlet by blood. You have the power to fight this.
Do you not remember a couple nights ago? I completely freaked when a smaller one was behind the cathedral! I reminded him . And how I ran away like a coward, almost drowning in whiskey to ease the very real nightmare.
Remi, you have the strength of past Scarlets burning inside you. The Blessing gave you what you need to overcome the terrors of what plagues this world. Grasp that fear and destroy it.
What if I fail and get everyone killed?
Josh grasped my chin, forcing me to look directly into his eyes. “Failure only happens when you don’t try . So, try, Remi. Try and win.” His eyes blazed with each word he spoke.
“I won’t fail,” I whispered, repeating the mantra until Josh let me go.
Swallowing any sense of terror I had moments ago, I began to circle the Magidoz with Chloe until we reached Cillian, who kept knocking back arrows to distract it from his Scarlet.
“Get her up!” he ordered, an arrow whizzing in the air, striking the Magidoz in the shoulder. Sludge spewed from the wound, spraying down like a broken faucet. It cried an ear-piercing scream, causing me to cover my ears.
Chloe ran in the opposite direction, then rolled until she landed near Emilia’s unconscious body, shielding her as much as possible.
Josh and Baron started releasing their own arrows, some barely grazing it while it swung with its long claws. Baron climbed up a makeshift shelf of metal piping, getting a better view before knocking back an arrow. Josh took it upon himself to move to the other side, almost slipping in a puddle of sludge. It turned as Josh made it around the beast, sniffing the air.
I suddenly realized its eyes were missing, and its nostrils flared with rage.
Holy shit, it was blind!
Josh! He’s blind!
Remi, get as close as you can.
Its sludge left a trail leading up to where it stood, swiping vigorously, screeching. If it was blind, then the odds were, it was using its sense of smell to track our movements. Sight robbed, but the demon wasn’t stupid. How to get across was another issue.
But what if…
Tossing my cape to the side, I sheathed my dagger. If this didn’t work, then I might as well expect an early visit to the afterlife. I got down on all fours, making sure from the neck up didn’t touch the residue, and rolled through the stench, masking my scent with its own.
When I finished, zigzagging through flying arrows and dangerous swipes, I found leverage on a busted pipe and jumped, to then push myself off the wall, gliding through the air. In just seconds, removing the dagger, I aimed, hands overhead, ready to strike.
Before, there was no way my body could perform such acrobatic moves. Now, it felt like second nature, a rush of strength and power guiding my every move. Any sense of doubt went away, giving me the courage to take on such a grotesque task.
I landed directly on its back, stabbing right between its shoulder blades and dragged the dagger down, going with it and creating a deep gash, more sludge spraying, hitting me in the face.
Its cry shook the tunnel, and its contorted body swayed. Making it to the bottom, I ripped the blade free, backing up against a wall, my hands slick with demon sludge. It began to stumble, and the men shouted to get back, halting their assault. Dozens of arrows covered the ground, some broken, others stuck to old crates and barrels. Chloe had Emilia leaning on her body, supporting her weight, eyes half closed and blood oozing from her scalp. Her shoulders bore deep gashes, part of her leather pants torn at the knees.
Time slowed to an agonizing speed as Josh shoved Baron and Cillian, getting them out of the way. He barely missed the Magidoz, crying for the last time, falling forward and hitting the ground with force, steam escaping from the wound on its exposed back. From the impact of the fall, some sludge hit the men, and Baron cursed loudly.
Ready to go to them, I stopped short, noticing what the Magidoz’s strong build blocked from view. The other Scarlet and Saint, ripped to shreds, their heads barely hanging onto their spines.
Covering my mouth, I dropped to my knees, a cry forming in my throat. We were too late . I was too late.
Josh knelt beside me, cradling my head against his chest. “It’s okay. You’re okay. You saved them.”
But I didn’t save them all.
Cillian walked over to their lifeless bodies, lowering his crossbow. “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain for the former things are passed away.”
Josh bowed his head along with Baron and Chloe. But I couldn’t look away from what was lost, never to come back, gone to wherever their resting place may be.
Tears welled in my eyes. “How is this okay?” My voice was barely above a whisper.
Josh stroked my hair. “What we sacrifice is what we gain in the afterlife.”
Looking up from my tear-soaked lashes, Josh stopped stroking my hair. “It still doesn’t make it okay. How can we continue, knowing every day could be someone’s last?”
“If you let the fear of death control your actions, then you might as well dig yourself an early grave.” Cillian took Emilia from Chloe, carrying her like a rag doll. “Thank you for showing up in time.”
“How did this even happen?” asked Chloe.
Cillian replied, “We were ambushed. The first fleet failed to do a thorough search.”
“Are you sure?” Josh seemed unconvinced.
“Bold of you to question your superiors, West.”
That was the first time I’d heard his last name. Come to think of it, I knew nothing of any of them. Trusting a bunch of strangers, running around in dirty tunnels was not on my bucket list.
“Just trying to cover all the bases here. Ironic that we were chosen for this mission.” He stood then, taking me with him.
I wiped my cheeks with the back of my hand, finding sludge residue lingering.
“Whatever you think, you’re wrong . ”
“Sorry, just find it hard to believe that one of the top Saints and Scarlets were almost taken down by a somewhat large Magidoz.” Of course, he wasn’t going to let this go.
No, you should be questioning this as well, he added.
We don’t know what happened before our arrival , I challenged. All I wanted was to get the hell out of there, strip the sticky clothes off, and take a long, hot shower… or two. Instead, he chose to pick a fight against the deadliest Saint in the northeast.
I have every right to question his actions. As someone of his caliber, why did we find two other members dead and his own Scarlet flying headfirst into a pile of junk?
Right now, our best bet is to get out of here and regroup later. Because if another one of those freakish, large beasts come again, I don’t think I have it in me to go another round. I was quite astonished to have even fought, let alone still be standing after what I’d done.
“Glad to keep you in suspense.” Cillian stepped over a small puddle of goo, exiting the way we originally came in.
“Prick,” muttered Josh, securing his bow once again on his back. Half his arrows were depleted, and some of the ends looked broken.
“Great idea, masking your scent, Remi,” praised Baron, leading the way out.
I smiled, kind of proud of my quick thinking. “Thanks.”
Josh handed me my cape, our eyes meeting once again. He searched my face, checking every inch, probably to see if I got hurt. When he couldn’t find a scratch on me, something shifted. His eyes became softer and his body language changed, enticing a feeling only I would get from a serious situation, like a moron.
I’m so proud of you, Remi.