Total pages in book: 155
Estimated words: 142916 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 715(@200wpm)___ 572(@250wpm)___ 476(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 142916 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 715(@200wpm)___ 572(@250wpm)___ 476(@300wpm)
She could just make out the other three Castellos lying flat on the roof, close to the edge, ready to spring on her to knock her off the dragon. It was to be a concentrated attempt to kill her by all six of the clones. She nearly fell for the trap. The demons made it look easy to kill them, as if because they were replicas of Castello, they didn’t have his brains.
Watch yourself, Tora. She turned Lily away from the roof at the last minute. They’re up to something. I have to figure out who is directing them because someone is.
You’d better hurry, Tora cautioned. There are too many of them.
Isolate them; don’t take on more than one. Stay away from the roof. Those three are desperate for me to get close.
Lily opened her mouth and a steady stream of fire burst from her, incinerating a lone demon trying to climb a bush that would have allowed him access to the roof. Peony managed to corner a second one and incinerate him.
The buzz in Silke’s ears became louder as she managed to isolate another clone, and dragon fire incinerated him. Peony’s fire swept through the yard, catching two more demons who hadn’t taken cover.
The chanting swelled. Took on a different tone. The demons were building a spell. These demons had been programmed to a specific set of activities. Silke doubted if they could have predicted dragon fire as one of the weapons they would have to face, yet they were clearly casting and she understood the words for “dragon fire” in the swelling chant. Demons didn’t cast spells this way. Mages did. Vampires did. Not demons, not like they were doing in perfect unison. Not against dragon fire.
They are attempting to raise shields against the dragon fire, Silke said, directing her dragon to sweep fire along the ground where two more of the replicas crouched behind shrubbery. One screamed and rolled on the ground, while the other ducked down, and the fire illuminated around him for a brief second, clearly hitting a transparent barrier.
At once, the demons went wild with elation. They began to throw fireballs at the dragons, the missiles whistling through the air targeting Peony and Lily. The dragon scales were impervious to the fire, but Tora and Silke weren’t.
Stay low, Tora cautioned. I’m building barriers over us to keep their attacks from scoring. You’ll have to figure out how to bring down their shields fast, Silke.
Silke was well aware the tides could change quickly when they faced so many demons. They’d had the advantage with the dragons, but now that had been taken away. Her crystal sword wouldn’t kill them—in fact, it seemed to make the demons stronger. Dragon fire had been her ace in the hole. She had never considered that Castello would break apart and produce replicas of himself. So many.
Once Tora had woven the safeguards over Silke and herself, the fireballs became useless against the dragons, other than forcing them to maneuver continually through a maze of raining fire. The continuous pulling up sharply and moving constantly would eventually tire them out. It was a good strategy. Silke knew she had to find the one manipulating the battle.
Keep us safe, Lily, she told the dragon. She let her mind expand, touching each demon lightly, feeling their energy. Most of them were in what she considered the hot zone, running on frenetic energy, adding to the chaos of combat. She knew the head demon, the one housing her real opponent, the mage, wouldn’t feel the same. It took time to find each demon and check them. Most demons were hiding, although now that the dragon fire didn’t work against them, some were becoming bolder.
The demons on the roof of her porch once more called to her, arms wide open, taunting her. Again, she heard a soft voice, one that didn’t penetrate her natural shields, but she heard it as compelling. That disturbed her more than having to change battle tactics. Who was the mage working with the demons? He had to be one of them, taking the form of Castello, released when the others were.
She wiped at her face, shocked that she was sweating. She didn’t feel anxiety when battling demons, but a part of her was anxious.
Is that voice getting to you, Tora?
It is targeting you solely, Tora said. I don’t believe these demons or the mage see me as the real threat.
That’s absurd, they have to know you’re Carpathian. Any Carpathian would be a threat to them. Silke had to ask herself the question, why weren’t they concerned with Tora? Between a slayer and a Carpathian, the Carpathian, female or not, would pose the most danger to the mage. Why wasn’t he centering his attention on Tora? Surely, he knew Tora provided the barriers to keep the fireballs off them, not Silke. She didn’t have those kinds of skills.