Silverblood Demons (Daughters of Darkness Book 1) (9 page)

Elektra joined her sister amongst the girls and I made my bed on the other side of the enclosure they were in. Sin-dy looked at me and I opened up my blanket for her to lie next to me. We didn’t say a word but we knew that if we ever got out of Sarturas alive our relationship would be closer, maybe even the most special of relationships that two adults could have.

Tonight was for sleeping, but tomorrow was Kismet and I wondered,
would she smile on us?
We fell asleep to the sound of water trickling, the candles giving off their soothing light and the warm air flowing through our safe haven.

Chapter 10

The following morning Sin-dy served up some flax seed crackers, fig jam, spirulina, roasted seaweed, and cool spring water.

My sisters had already talked and Kira agreed to stay behind with the girls, well, except for Amber. Just like Jade had mentioned yesterday, she wouldn’t take no for an answer, she was going with us. Sin-dy had woven Amber’s hair into a fire-red pigtail and she looked really pretty.
I don’t know who my daughter’s mother is, but surely she must have some redeeming features, even for a demon.

Before leaving the hillside I had to ask my sisters about our father and our mothers.

“Did either of you know what the ‘
Midnight bloodlettings’
were all about?”

“We were talking about it this morning,” Kira said. “It’s what Sin-dy said about the Templars, maybe they were the intended victims of the rituals. Each time one was revealed the group probably met and cast a spell on them.”

“Yeah, and we think mom and dad were trying to protect us by keeping our powers secret from the group,” Elektra said. “If it was discovered that we were ‘special’ they would have wanted to dispose of us too. It’s the only way they could be sure we wouldn’t have used our powers against them once we were older.”

“So who raised you?” I asked. “If it wasn’t for Aunt Victoria, I don’t know what I would’ve done.”

“Victoria placed us with foster parents,” Kira said. “She told us we couldn’t stay with her, that it wouldn’t be safe for us all to be together, now we know what she meant by “all,” “Maybe our fosters were Templars, we never found out, they went missing in our late teens.”

“Aunt Victoria came by often,” Elektra said. “She told me I looked like mom, you know, beautiful and all that, right Amb’?”

“She’s right, you’re stunning aunt Elektra.”

Elektra winked at Amber and tugged on her pigtail. “Ready to go give em hell Kiddo?”

“You’re funny I think,” Amber said.

“I had one other question Amber, did you ever try sending me signals from here to my world? I thought I felt something one time when I was at a friend’s bookstore.”

“No, wasn’t me, and I’m not going to ask what a “bookstore” is. By the way, before you woke up this morning, Kira told us she is Davina’s mom and that you’re my?”

“Yeah, it’s true Amber, and I couldn’t be more proud of you, all of you.”

“You’re gonna make a great dad,” Sin-dy said. As she put her arm around my waist and tugged at me. “But it’s almost time, the meetings are due to start in about an hour and a half.”

“I’m ready−”

“Wait!” I know who it was, Jasmine! She told me she was trying to do an ancient voodoo thingy to reach her dad in a free ka? Maybe the signals went to the wrong place!”

“Oh, Africa?” Elektra guessed.

“I’m ready too,” Sin-dy had finished girding her hips with a sword that had the same pommel as Amber’s knife, I wasn’t sure if there was a connection, but its handle was also engraved with the triangle and the three conjoined horns inside of it, the same shape we had encountered back at the subterranean shaft.

“If you get us into the general area,” Amber said. “I can take you right there. Can I fly with you Aunt Elektra?”

“Of course!” said Elektra. Looking at me and Sin-dy she realized we needed a moment to ourselves. “Let’s go say goodbye to the rest of the gang.”

“Kylar, promise me something,” Sin-dy said.

“Anything. What is it?”

“If something bad happens today, to me, you know how to get out of Sarturas, right, with those rings−?”

“The only thing I promise is, to
never
leave you behind,” I leaned forward and for the first time in a long time, I kissed Sin-dy on her lips, as I pulled away I remembered she tasted of vanilla. It brought back memories, awesome ones. We dated for almost a couple of years and if it wasn’t for my dumb fear of commitment . . .

“We’re ready guys,” Amber said. “You ready dad?” Amber sounded like she was having fun calling me dad, and actually it sounded kinda kool to me too.

Sin-dy looked up, pulled the sword from its sheath and pointed it at the ceiling above us. With dirt raining in on us, the hillside cracked open and she led us out, as Kira and the girls watched us disappear into the still dark sky.

We flew as low as we could but as high as possible trying to find the balance of not being seen from the ground or from above us. Dawn was breaking as Amber spoke up. “That way,” she was pointing at a group of houses, “that’s where Jasmine lives.”

“We need to stay to the right,” Amber said. “Over there, but we have to land, right now.”

Back on Hell’s Terra Firma we made sure to stop inside a field of tall golden wheatgrass. Amber didn’t waste a second, she was already moving ahead, forging her way through as we followed until we reached its edge.

Although it was almost dawn, there was still a slight dusky presence to the morning, and in the distance we could see a walled forest of trees.

“There,” Amber whispered. “That’s where they’re going to meet.”

“Great job Amber,” Elektra said. “Do you know if there are any guards we need to avoid?”

“Only at the entrance. Once we’re inside I can show you the clearing where they met last time.”

“I think we should go in there now,” I said. “We can get settled down before they arrive, I don’t want to risk being heard if we creep up on them.”

Staying at the edge of the wheatgrass for as long as possible, we finally found a place that offered some degree of shelter and made our way over to the stone wall. Elektra took Amber’s hand and we all flew over and into the forest.

“This is where I watched the meeting last time,” Amber whispered. “But the group would have to walk right past us to get to the clearing, let’s go over to the far side.” My daughter is a smart kid. We followed her lead as she found the perfect spot to watch the impending assembly of miscreants.

Our timing was impeccable, the procession of Tutellas, a couple of small winged creatures and Le Femme Fatale Ophelexa didn’t disappoint us, they arrived right on cue and quickly assembled themselves.

“SILENCE!” She didn’t have to repeat herself. Ophelexa walked in and out, around the group followed closely by the two small, winged creatures, one was muscular and the other hairy,
maybe they’re bodyguards?

“One of your sisters is dead! Murdered in her sleep at the hands of, of, I don’t know who! But I swear on the head of
my
sister Sophelexa,” Reaching inside her robe Ophelexa pulled out the severed head of the demon we had killed back at the Yurt. “She will not have died in vain!”

The two winged bodyguards were circling around the group sniffing them as though they were looking for a traitor, or clues, or us.

“Does anyone here have any idea who or what is responsible for my sister’s death?” One of the Tutellas cautiously raised her hand. “Speak!” No sooner had Ophelexa spoken than the bodyguards were by the Tutella, the hairy one hovered above her and the muscular one was to her front.

“The silk rope that was tied around Madame Tutella was the rope we found in the tree outside the wall here, we must have been followed, probably by Amber, she was always up to no good. Here’s the rope.”

The muscular bodyguard sniffed the rope then stuck its nose in the air, I quickly looked to see if I still had my rawhide ring on, the one that could mask my smell, I did, Elektra did too and Sin-dy didn’t need one. Looking over at Amber I realized we had made a huge mistake. We should have taken Kira’s ring before we left but it was too late now.

Elektra sensed my anxiety and reached out to hold Amber’s hand, I did the same hoping that somehow we could mask Amber’s scent.

“It’s almost time to gather all the girls of Sarturas!” Ophelexa screamed. “If the perpetrators can kill my sister, then even Sarine isn’t safe until we find them!”

Her yelling, was riling up her bodyguards, they started flying around bumping into the Tutellas, flapping their wings and generally making a nuisance of themselves.

“After tomorrow, no one can stop us,” Ophelexa said.

We all thought the same thing as we started to look at each other. Ophelexa said “a
fter tomorrow,”
well what about
before tomorrow
.

“All of the remaining dissenters to the plan and especially their leader, Qirvana,” Ophelexa yelled. “I hate even saying her name! Will be summoned to their final audience with Sarine and they will be squashed like this!” She reached out and grabbed the hairy bodyguard that was flying directly above and in her fury thrust her hand into its skull and using it like a ball she pounded it into the ground.

Hairy winced, its eyes popped and finally its brains splattered all over the Tutellas in the front row. Muscular circled around to the back row and hid from sight.

Finally, a crack in the ‘plan’ If we could reach Qirvana and some of the dissenting demons and let them know of Sarine’s plan to dispose of them all and any chance they had of saving their own children, then now was the time to do so. After tomorrow it would be too late.

Muscular hovered back up, sniffing. It was looking in our direction, maybe we had grabbed Amber’s hand too late, I don’t know but this wasn’t looking good.

Ophelexa noticed Muscular’s reaction and swiftly spun around, “GO!” she screamed, “NOW!”

Muscular sped toward us as Ophelexa drew her sword, spinning her tail in such a way as to raise herself higher so she could see past the shrubs we were hidden behind. Her triple colored eyes glowed as she picked out our presence. This was it, we were exposed.

The Tutellas were screaming and running in different directions. Ophelexa ran at us and Muscular was directly in front of Amber. It lashed at Amber’s face with its talons and drew blood on her cheek, but what Muscular didn’t realize was that Amber’s knife had already pierced its throat. She twisted around with all her strength but still holding on to her knife and tossed Muscular right at the advancing Ophelexa.

Elektra and I immediately pulled Amber back to see how bad the gash to her cheek was.

With her bodyguard Muscular hitting Ophelexa right in the face it gave Sin-dy the chance to leap forward and using her sword she sliced off the tip from Ophelexa’s front horn and green steam came pouring out of its opening.

“You Vixen of Gaia!” Ophelexa hissed. “I knew you were up to something!”

“Yeah, but unlike you my friend, it doesn’t involve abusing innocent children.”

Ophelexa lunged at Sin-dy with her sword and the tip was crackling with electricity that sent Sin-dy down to her knees in pain. Remembering that I had the ability to fire off electricity too, I blasted Ophelexa’s sword with a bolt, it worked, the current rippled up Ophelexa’s arm and she dropped her weapon.

Sin-dy tumbled to the ground and wasn’t moving.

From behind Ophelexa we could hear reinforcements coming, fast, we had to do something, right now.

Elektra had Amber by the hand and had flown high enough that she could see the oncoming enemy. “There’s three of them!”

“Go!” I yelled. “Leave! I’m staying with Sin-dy.”

“Forget it Kylar, I’m not going anywhere!” Elektra had taken Amber far enough away to temporary safety and returned down to the ground by my side.

The reinforcements had arrived and tore into us with their blade like tails and talons. Elektra was hit hard and had rolled up against a tree while I had been smashed down flat to the ground but face up. I knew that if I didn’t act now, I’d be dead. Using my black ray I pulsed out a shot that only partially hit my assailant but it took out half his face, he fell right on top of me.

Ophelexa had had picked up Sin-dy’s slumped body and was getting ready to escape the fight when I heard a shout for help. As I pushed aside the carcass on top of me, one of the beasts had its arm raised, its mouth dripping with saliva and with all its talons spread, ready to tear Elektra’s head off, the other beast was heading for me.

I had to focus on the beast that was almost in front of me and managed to pulse a couple of black rays at its oncoming body, but over in the distance Elektra was winded and could barely move. Then suddenly over from her high vantage point Amber had pulled back her arm and let loose the knife she had picked up at the Tutella’s room.

It flashed past me at lightning speed and found its intended target, right between the eyes of the beast standing over Elektra. The pommel was glowing with energy as though it was sucking the life from its victim, then it twisted itself out of the beast’s head and returned back to Amber’s hand. She had saved Elektra’s life.

“Get me down!” Amber yelled.

“Goodbye fools!” Ophelexa laughed as she took Sin-dy and flew away. Elektra finally made it up and had flown over to Amber. “We can’t keep up with her,” she said. “We’re too beat up, we have to leave before anything else tries to kill us. We need to get Amber out of here.”

The air stunk as the beasts lay there, dead and burning from my black rays. As we watched we saw Ophelexa holding Sin-dy by her hair, dragging her through the sky and far away from us. We had no chance of following her, my heart felt like it had been torn from my chest and shredded to pieces.