Authors: Kate Douglas
Crystalfire (26 page)
After a moment he relaxed. Their chests rose and fell the way they should. Everyone was alive. That was good. Maybe they were as exhausted as he felt. He glanced at the ruby altar and fought a powerful desire to lie back down to sleep some more. He couldn’t remember ever feeling so weak, so unbelievably tired. He ran his hand over his chest, absentmindedly rubbing the phoenix tattoo.
As he remembered. His mind flooded with an overwhelming fear for Eddy, with need. With the final moments before he blacked out—the whisper of feathers across his chest, the strange sense of the tattoo pulling carefully away from his skin, and the final, brilliant flash of fire as the phoenix spread its wings; as it leapt into the air. He winced, remembering the awesome sight of the magical bird rising up and bursting into flames.
Just before it disappeared in a flash of cold fire.
He glanced at his chest, expecting to see the colorfully inked bird that had appeared on his skin the night he died. The phoenix rising from the flames, signifying his rebirth.
“Nine hells and then some.”
Alton’s favorite curse seemed totally apropos.
His chest was bare and the phoenix tattoo was gone.
She ached all over. Her head, her arms, her legs. Even her butt ached. She was afraid to open her eyes, convinced they’d ache, too, but not knowing was worse than the pain.
There’d been no pain in the void. No sense of Eddy Marks beyond the simple thoughts within her conscious mind. Pain likely meant her situation had changed and she was no longer in the void, but was it a good change or a bad one?
Why don’t you open your eyes and check, you frickin’ coward? Well, yeah. Maybe.
She could do this. Slowly, carefully, Eddy opened her eyes, squinting against the light. Her first thought was that it seemed as if a thousand candles burned. Blinking, Eddy forced herself to focus and realized she was lying on her back on the hard ground, looking at diamonds. Thousands upon thousands of diamonds, glimmering and shimmering from the inside out, covering the walls and ceiling of ...
“The crystal cave?” She rubbed her eyes with both hands and looked again. Definitely the crystal cave. She even recognized the crystal sconces carved into the walls where Taron had placed his glow sticks.
The sconces were empty, but the cave still glowed. That was unusual. She was lying on the ground, close beside the little creek that meandered across one end of the huge cavern. She remembered it, now. Remembered how clear and cold the water had tasted. Her throat burned with thirst, so she rolled to her belly and got up on her hands and knees, crawled just a couple of feet and dipped her face in the icy water.
Sucking it up through parched lips, she drank her fill. The water cleared her head and took away most of the pain, and she wondered if the achiness had merely been her body’s reaction to not having any sensation at all for such a long time.
However long it had been.
She sat back on her heels, suddenly aware of two important things—she was stark naked, and she wasn’t alone. In fact, if she wasn’t mistaken, the soft curse she’d just heard had been Dax! She spun around so quickly she almost fell on her butt, caught herself, and gazed around the cavern.
The place where she’d awakened lay in shadows, but the ruby altar was bathed in brilliant crystal fire ... and Dax was sitting on the edge of the altar, rubbing his hand across his chest!
“Dax? Dax! I’m here.”
“Eddy?” His head popped up and turned this way and that as he swept the cavern with his gaze, twisting in all directions to find her.
“Over here. By the creek.” She struggled to her feet, but it was hard to hold her balance and she quickly sat back down. “Oomph. Sorry ... I can’t ...”
But he was already off the altar and racing awkwardly across the space between them. Dax, who was usually so smooth and graceful, running as if his legs would barely hold him up. And for whatever reason, he was wearing nothing but his cotton boxers and there was something else, something different, but ...
“Dear gods, Eddy. My love, my sweet, sweet Eddy. I thought I’d lost you forever.”
He was on his knees beside her and his arms went around her and nothing else mattered. It was Dax and she’d feared he’d never hold her again, but he was warm and alive and hers. Definitely hers, and though she never cried, not ever, Eddy clung to him, sobbing uncontrollably and probably getting snot all over his chest, but she didn’t care. She’d thought she was trapped in the void forever. Thought she’d never feel him holding her again, and he felt so good. This felt so good.
He kissed her—kissed her lips, her eyes, her forehead. Covered her face with kisses and she couldn’t believe it, but Dax was sobbing with her, crying as hard as she was. He held her so close she felt as if she could just crawl right inside his skin and stay there forever.
She sensed movement and soft exclamations, but she couldn’t stop crying and damn it all, but she was bare-assed and she was almost certain one of the voices she heard was Alton’s grandfather, and wasn’t that just the stupidest thing, to be worried about not having any clothes on when she could have been dead.
“Here, Eddy. Wow, girl ... talk about making an entrance.”
She glanced up, and Ginny was there, grinning like a damned fool, and handing her a man’s shirt. Eddy managed to quit sobbing long enough to nod her thanks, and Dax helped her put the shirt on. It was his. It smelled of him and she wanted to bury her nose in the soft flannel and inhale forever, but there was no need to. Not really. Not with the real thing holding her with one arm while he buttoned the front of the shirt for her.
It was big enough to cover halfway down her thighs, and she finally got her crying under control well enough to gaze over Dax’s shoulder and see who all was here in the cave with her.
Alton and Ginny, Dawson and Selyn, and Alton’s grandfather, all of them looking like they’d had one hell of a rough night, but standing there with huge grins on their faces.
She suddenly realized something was missing. “DemonSlayer?”
“Elda’s here. My mother ... your sword is here, Eddy.” Selyn was back by the altar, kneeling beside the swords. She cleared her throat in an obvious attempt to gather her emotions. It had to be difficult for Selyn, knowing her mother, the sentience in Eddy’s sword, had been lost in the void as well. “DemonSlayer is right here with the others,” she said, smiling now as she caressed the silver pommel. “She’s been replicated perfectly. Even your scabbard is the same.”
“Oh, wow ...” Eddy swallowed and shifted until she was sitting in Dax’s lap. No way was she going to leave his embrace. Not for at least a thousand years. “What happened? I was stuck in the void and then I woke up here.”
“Mother Crystal,” Alton said.
“The phoenix,” Dax said, speaking over Alton.
“What?” She glanced from one to the other. “What did Mother Crystal do? What phoenix?”
Dax grabbed her hand and placed it against his chest, and that’s when she realized what had changed. The phoenix tattoo, that beautiful, magical tattoo that appeared the night he died, was gone. He nodded his head when she gasped.
“Mother Crystal somehow took part of the life force of each of us along with that of the warriors’ spirits here in the cavern, gave it to the phoenix and turned him free.”
Ginny grabbed Eddy’s hand. “You should have seen it. The tat just pulled right off of Dax’s chest and flew into the air.”
Selyn had joined them. She interrupted with a shake of her head. “And then you and Lord Artigos blew the poor bird to pieces with your swords.”
“What?” Eddy stared at Selyn and then at the chancellor. “You killed it?” Her voice squeaked on the last word.
“The phoenix has to die to be reborn.” Artigos fastened his scabbard over his back as he spoke. “Somehow, it appears that the same bird that gave Dax a new life gave you life as well.”
Frowning, Eddy glanced from Artigos to Dax and then at Ginny. “But I wasn’t dead.”
Dax sighed. “Your body was. Only your consciousness survived. Sort of like what happened to Willow when the demon ate her body. At least she had Bumper. Mother Crystal wasn’t sure how she was going to get you out without a body for you.”
“She mentioned something about you coming back as the consciousness of a crystal sword.” Dawson flashed a cheeky grin at Dax. “But this guy nixed that idea.”
Dax hugged her close and kissed her again. “The idea of snuggling with cold crystal just didn’t do a thing for me.”
Eddy placed a soft kiss on his chin and then snuggled as close as she could get. It still hadn’t entirely soaked in, but they were standing here telling her she could have died—probably would have died—if they hadn’t all given her a part of themselves. No wonder everyone looked so wasted.
“Thank you. All of you. It was so scary, so alone. Except ... oh shit! How could I forget! Dad! He’s been possessed by the demon king. We’ve got to help him.” She struggled to push herself out of Dax’s lap.
Then more memories slammed into her mind. Her father’s warning. She turned and looked into Dax’s dark brown eyes. “Dad came to me in the void. He’s been taken over by the demon king, and somehow he was able to communicate with me for short periods of time. The demon wants you, Dax. It needs your life force in order to hang on to that demon body that was yours.”
Dax nodded. “Mother Crystal told us. I can’t risk fighting the demon king. He’s almost taken me on more than one occasion, but there’s no reason Alton and Ginny or Selyn and Dawson can’t go to help Taron free your ...”
The crystal walls shimmered so brightly that Eddy pressed her face against Dax’s chest to protect her eyes.
“There is every reason, warrior.”
Eddy popped back up and stared at Dax. “Mother Crystal?”
He nodded, as the woman’s voice continued speaking. The sound of her was like the clearest bell ... just like crystal.
“You have all been drained of your life force almost to the point of death. Replicating an immortal body is not quite the same as replicating crystal. The weakness you feel will stay with you for at least another day. You cannot go into battle, as you have no power to draw upon. Your swords are equally depleted, their force drawn every bit as low. You must rest, or you will die.”
Oh, crap. Eddy gazed around her, at the faces of her friends and finally realized the risk they’d taken to save her life. “I had no idea.” But there was something else. Something that mattered more than her own life, more, even, than her father’s.
She slowly untangled herself from Dax’s arms and carefully stood up, though she was glad Dax held on to her hand, bracing her. “Mother Crystal, I thank you for what you’ve done for me. I thank my friends as well, but I still have one more request.”
Soft laughter rippled across the crystals. “I know of the boon you seek, Eddy Marks. There are now, as we speak, twelve childless Lemurian women who have yearned for babies of their own—twelve women who will discover themselves with child over the next fortnight. Each of the lost boys will be born into a loving family, their lives, once interrupted, now allowed to continue.”
Eddy felt the tears on her cheeks before she even realized she was weeping. Her knees gave out and she went down, but Dax caught her as she fell. “Thank you,” she whispered. “Thank you more than I can say.”
Selyn clutched at Eddy’s hand. “The lost boys? You found the spirits of our brothers, the sons of the Women Warriors?”
“I did. They’ve been in the void all this time. The wardens were told to kill any boy babies that were born, but they fought the demons’ orders and brought them here to the crystal caves. Mother Crystal sent them into the void for safekeeping.”
Now it was Selyn who cried. Eddy pulled her into a warm hug and held her tight. Dawson was right behind her with his arms around both of them. A few moments later, Selyn raised her head. “We have known there were baby boys and always wondered what happened to them. How did you find them?”
Eddy shook her head. “I don’t know. They found me. DemonSlayer said they were attracted to me for some reason, but I could sense their souls. They were just as lost as I was.”
Chapter 20
Eddy thought of those twelve baby boys, the fact they’d been trapped since birth within the void. They’d known nothing of life, but now they finally had a chance. She felt good about that, but she couldn’t rest until her father was safe.
She sighed and leaned against Dax. “I’m so worried about Dad. He said the demon king was growing weak because Taron and Willow had managed to kill all the demons around Evergreen. There was nothing for the demon to feed on, but Dad sounded like he was growing weaker, too.”
“I didn’t know Willow had the power to kill demons.” Dax rubbed his chin over Eddy’s head.
Eddy shook her head. “According to Dad, she’s got a woman’s body. He doesn’t know what happened to Bumper, but Willow’s big, like us.”
Alton sat down, hard, and burst out laughing. The others slowly crumpled to the ground as well, so weak they’d given up trying to stand, but Alton’s laughter was so heartfelt it was contagious. They were all chuckling by the time the big Lemurian got himself under control.
“What’s so funny?” Artigos stared at Alton until his grandson took a couple of deep breaths, wiped his eyes, and grinned at his grandfather.
“Taron, that’s what. He was absolutely fascinated by Willow the first time he saw her.” He smiled at Eddy. “Remember? That was in the prison cell the night you and Dax got arrested.”
“I remember.” Eddy turned to Artigos. “Willow was a tiny sprite then, about two inches tall, and Taron couldn’t take his eyes off her.”
“Exactly,” Alton said. “I gave him a bad time about her the last time we were together. He made a joke about me giving up my freedom for Ginny, and I teased him about never finding a woman. He said the only one he’d ever been interested in was now stuck inside a curly-haired dog. I wonder how well he’s dealing with a full-sized version?”
“I’m trying to imagine Willow as a full-sized woman.” Selyn leaned back against Dawson. “She was one tough lady even when she was stuck inside the dog. I have a feeling Taron has his hands full.”
“Let’s just hope the demon king has his hands full. Taron and Willow are the only chance my dad has.” Eddy sighed and then crawled out of Dax’s lap. “We need to go to the upper levels and get something to eat so we can build our strength back.” She held out her hand and tugged Dax to his feet. “And you need some pants.”
He leaned over and kissed her. “It was a small sacrifice, giving up my pants to get you back, sweetie.”
Alton walked across the cavern, grabbed Dax’s jeans off the floor and tossed them to him. “You can have them back. Eddy’s right, big guy. I’ve seen enough of your butt to last me a lifetime.”
The guys teased each other as Dax dressed. Eddy turned away and faced the crystal wall. “Mother Crystal?”
“Yes, Eddy.”
“Thank you. Thank you so much.”
“No, thank you, Eddy. Take care climbing out of here, eat well, and regain your strength. I will do what I can to help your father, but Taron and Willow are his best chance.”
Eddy didn’t know what else to say. She felt as if her mind and heart had been overloaded with too much emotion, too much fear, too much joy. Dax walked over and handed DemonSlayer to her. She looped the scabbard over her shoulder and fastened the buckles across the front.
The others were waiting. As they turned toward the entrance, Alton’s grandfather paused and looked back at the glowing cave. “Good-bye, Mother Crystal. Take care, and thank you.” He tipped her a quick salute. “I’m going to be waiting, you know.”
“And with any luck, you won’t be disappointed, Artigos. Take care. Have patience, and please ... keep yourself safe.”
Eddy thought the chancellor looked terribly depressed when they left. She wondered if Alton knew what was going on, but she was almost certain she’d also detected a sad and wistful quality to Mother Crystal’s words.
Glancing over her shoulder as they moved through the arched passage into the tunnel beyond, she paused a moment to stare at the crystal cave that she now knew was so much more than she’d first realized. The glow was fading from the crystals, and she thought of the ageless spirit of Mother Crystal. Eternity spent as a spirit within the crystal caves.
She couldn’t help but compare it to the short time she’d been trapped in the void, and it made her heart ache. There was something between Artigos and Mother Crystal, but it appeared even more hopeless than she’d felt, alone and frightened in the void. She linked her fingers through Dax’s and held on tight.
Some day, she was going to have to tell him what she’d discovered—that no matter how wonderful those memories were that she’d taken into the void, nothing beat the real thing.
Slipping out through a partially opened window, he left the woman sleeping in her own bed in the dark room without any memory of having provided a meal for a demon. With little more than a thought he was back outside, shifting in and out of mist form without any problem at all.
Amazing. This human body could turn to mist and reform in an instant. He’d never realized that, with enough living energy, he would have so much power. It had taken a human body to show him he could draw the life force from other humans.
How come he hadn’t known that before?
He stared at the small farmhouse he’d just left. She’d wake up with a bad headache and spend a rather listless day, but he’d allowed her to live. Something told him that a trail of dead bodies might create a problem he wasn’t prepared to deal with.
At least not yet. One day, though ... one day there would be no limits to what he could do. She’d been his fifth tonight, if he counted that little man near Ed’s house. What now? He’d gotten close enough to the house to realize Dax wasn’t there. Not in Evergreen at all.
Did Dax even know his friend’s body had been ... hmm. What was the proper word?
Utilized? Borrowed? Usurped?
Sated, he turned away from the house and headed up the mountain. Whatever he called it, this was not what he’d planned. Not at all.
Utilized? Borrowed? Usurped?
Sated, he turned away from the house and headed up the mountain. Whatever he called it, this was not what he’d planned. Not at all.
Where in the hell was Dax? He wanted the demonform, not this puny human body. It was beginning to degrade and he wasn’t sure how to repair it. There was still a spark of life, but once that was gone, he’d have nothing more than a lifeless avatar like those silly statues the lesser demons seemed to prefer.
To rule all worlds, he needed a body fit for a king. It waited for him—that perfect demon’s form—but he couldn’t claim it without the final spark, the ultimate connection that rested somewhere deep inside Dax.
So where in the name of Abyss was the bastard?
He stared at the mountain rising into the clouds above him. It was a long hike, but he was strong now. Practically invincible, in spite of this dying form.
Already it was little more than the walking dead. A strange noise burst out of him and he slapped a hand over his mouth to cut off the harsh cackle. Laughter? Yes, the avatar knew laughter. It wouldn’t do to let anyone hear him now. Not when success was so close, but the image was too funny for words.
Maybe the idea of a dead man walking would bring Dax to him. How would he react, to discover his beloved woman’s father was nothing more than the undead—rotting flesh in motion?
The image had a certain appeal to it. Disgusting, but still appealing. With that visual in mind, he began the long trudge up the hill. He could do it in mist form, but there was always the chance of the body repairing itself during the change. He couldn’t risk that. Didn’t want it looking better.
No ... the uglier it got, the better it would suit his needs. He’d find Dax. And then he’d let him see what dear old Ed was fast becoming.
Of course, he couldn’t wait too long, or Dax might not recognize the man. Timing. It was all about timing. He walked quickly, one foot in front of the other, and the power inside seemed to grow with each step.
Had he taken on too much life force?
Never. You could never have too much of a good thing, though it might not hurt to release a bit of the pressure.
He pointed his hands at a tall pine and
pushed
.
pushed
.
A burst of energy shot from his fingertips. The tree exploded, and huge splinters of shattered pine shot in all directions. Chortling softly, the demon who was Ed Marks smiled at his fingers and their amazing new ability. Then he tucked his hands in his pockets and continued climbing the mountain.
“What was that?” Willow pointed at a bright flare blossoming through the forest on the hillside far above them.
Taron saw the flash of light, heard the sharp crack of an explosion, but he couldn’t pinpoint the source through the trees. A minute later, the slight stink of sulfur drifted on the breeze. He turned and glanced at Willow.
She nodded. “If that’s him, he’s gotten a lot stronger.”
He felt a hard knot form in his gut. “I wonder if he’s killed anyone? Now that he’s figured out how to take the life force from humans, what’s to stop him?”
“Us, hopefully.” Shaking her head, Willow took off, heading toward the explosion. “If we still can. Whatever he’s doing, he’s definitely gaining strength.”
Taron used CrystalFire’s glow to light their path and as he followed the trail up the side of the mountain, he wondered if that was all his sentient sword would ever be good for. The damned blade had maintained silence for most of the day.
Was it mad at him because of his relationship with Willow, the fact he’d finally given in and admitted how he felt? He was really going to be disappointed if that was the case. Here they were, facing a final battle with a demon that could tip the ultimate balance between good and evil, and his damned sword was wallowing in some kind of jealous snit. It made no sense.
In fact, CrystalFire hadn’t done anything at all the way he’d expected a sentient sword to act. It was even worse than HellFire’s snark, though Alton’s blade had finally decided to show a little respect. He’d been downright civil the last time Taron heard him speak.
He certainly wasn’t getting any civility from CrystalFire. At least the damned blade made a good flashlight. The blue-white glow emanating from the crystalline blade lit up the forest all around them, so bright it was like hiking within their own bubble of daylight.
The night had grown even darker now that the sun was fully down beyond the horizon. Wind swirled in all directions and clouds continued to gather. The rain had stopped, but Taron knew more was coming. They’d turned on the television long enough to catch the evening news, and a bigger storm was predicted for later tonight.
He hadn’t experienced weather in so long, Taron had forgotten what an incoming storm felt like, but the changing pressure added to a sense of dread that wouldn’t lift. Anxiety had become a living, breathing force. Chills raced along his spine at every sound in the night. His heart pounded and he had to consciously relax muscles that continued to tense up.
He wondered if Willow felt it. Instead, he said, “Bumper’s been quiet for a long time. Any word from her?”
Willow sighed. “She’s really uneasy. In fact, she was driving me nuts, whimpering and whining.” She rubbed her hands over her arms, as if warding off a chill. “I told her to settle down and be quiet.”
Taron chuckled. “You mean she’s minding you?”
“Sort of.” Willow’s dry comment had an edge to it. Taron decided she was as affected by the weather as he was. “She quit whimpering,” Willow added. “She’s supposed to be listening for the sound of footsteps.”
Taron chuckled at Willow’s tone. “I’d love to hear footsteps about now—like from a few fellow demonslayers. Doesn’t it seem odd to you that we’ve not heard a word from Alton or Dax? That Eddy hasn’t tried to contact us? I thought she’d be checking on her dad by now.”
Willow glanced his way. “I know. She’s never gone this long without calling her father, or at least checking in to make sure Bumper was okay. I don’t know what to make of it. We haven’t heard from Darius and Mari again, either. I know they were going to the coast, but they’ve been gone for two nights.”
“I tried to reach Darius earlier. He’s still not close enough to hear my call. They’re probably still at the ocean.”
Willow paused and wrapped her arms around herself. “It’s unsettling, feeling so cut off from everyone. I keep getting a strange feeling about it, the fact it’s just you and me and the demon.”
He watched her for a moment and felt more of Willow’s uneasiness affecting his own growing anxiety. “I know. It’s like we’re pieces in some cosmic game of chess, with no idea who’s making the moves. I wish I could explain it better, but ...” He shrugged. Willow just nodded.
“If it’s chess, we’re nothing but pawns.”
“I’m certainly not feeling like much of a knight.”
Willow’s eyes sparkled. “You know chess? Ed taught me to play.”
He grunted. “Lemurians invented chess.” Then he tightened his grasp on his sword. “CrystalFire? You warned me of a final battle. Is it coming tonight? What more do you know?”
The blade shimmered but remained silent. Taron glared at the worthless sword in his hand and wanted to toss the damned thing. Anger surged, hard and hot and his muscles clenched, but then he raised his head and shifted his glance toward Willow.
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