A Valley of Darkness

  “Crap! The protection spell didn’t take!” I hissed, then pointed at the figures.

  My blood instantly rushed through my limbs, firing me up. My instincts flared, and I took a deep breath. We watched in silence as the Mara couple made it indoors, their living room lights flickering yellow in the windows. The daemons kept moving around, huge and quiet, then stilled as Rewa and her two Imen servants reached the bottom of the stairs.

  “Go, go, go!” Jax whispered, and jumped off the roof.

  He landed with a dull thud. Hansa jumped after him, and I followed. We drew our swords and ran after the beasts.

  Rewa stilled and put her arms out, stopping the Iman girls in their tracks. Her eyes were wide with horror as she realized there was something moving, something invisible right in front of them.

  “Rewa, run!” I shouted, and sped up, my twin blades out and thirsty for daemon blood.

  She noticed me, but it was too late. As the Imen girls moved back, they were snatched by two fiends and dragged away in opposite directions, screaming and flailing their arms. Blood blossomed on the lower halves of their beige skirts.

  Jax and Hansa darted forward and split up, each going after an Iman girl.

  Rewa froze on the spot, a large daemon inching forward. She was only a few yards away, but I feared it would be too late by the time I reached her.

  “Rewa, damn it, run! Run!” I yelled, and pushed out a pulse barrier. It barely nudged the beast, but it was enough to snap Rewa out of her fright and shock. She tried to run off, but the daemon slashed at her back.

  She cried out in pain and tripped, falling flat on her face.

  I pushed another barrier out. It was the only sentry power I had against it. I caught a flicker of red eyes as the daemon turned to face me. I jumped, my swords up and angled to go right through the creature’s skull. One blow and Rewa would get another shot at running.

  A rib-cracking force knocked into my side, cutting my breath off. Something hit me hard mid-jump and threw me off course. I caught a glimpse of Hansa and Jax swinging their swords as they fought off the daemons trying to snatch the Imen girls.

  I heard a rough growl beneath me before I hit the cobblestone hard.

  Hansa

  My opponent was as large as the creatures we’d encountered in the Valley of Screams. I had a feeling they all came in such menacing sizes, but I’d fought against their kind before. The second time around was less of a shock and more of a mission.

  The daemon had left the Iman girl I was trying to rescue with deep cuts on her legs, but I kept the beast busy by repeatedly charging it. I brought my broadsword down hard and missed, the blade hitting the cobblestone with a loud clang.

  “Run! Get to the taverns above!” I shouted at the Iman girl.

  She nodded, horror imprinted on her face. I hoped the shock and adrenaline would keep her light on her feet despite her injuries. She managed to get up and darted up the stairs, leaving a blood trail behind as she hurried out of the daemon’s reach.

  I felt a rush of air as the fiend tried to nab me with its claws, but I leaned back, and it missed me by inches. I then brought my sword up and managed to cut through the creature—I felt the sword hit something. Its grunt told me I’d managed to annoy it, its red eyes flickering with rage.

  I grinned and went straight for the eyes, when a pair of claws struck my left thigh, stabbing the muscles. I cried out from the pain, as if I’d been punctured by three knives at once. Jax came down from behind with a growl, shoving his swords into the daemon’s eyes.

  He then moved in front of me, watching the air tremble around us as the second daemon got ready to attack. I caught a glimpse of the other Iman girl running up the stairs. Jax had managed to free her from the beast’s claws.

  I was losing blood fast, my left leg getting weaker with every second that passed, but two of us against a daemon gave me the surge of energy I needed to hold my own for a little while longer. I heard Harper’s grunts and Rewa’s yelps as the young sentry held what looked like two beasts back, while holding her side. She needed our help.

  “Ready?” Jax said, and I nodded.

  We both came at the daemon fast. It dodged Jax’s swords with swift moves, but I changed direction mid-move and charged it just as it tried to get away. My blade slashed across its face, and I heard it grumble as it avoided another hit from Jax and vanished below.

  “Harper!” I gasped as I turned to get to her and Rewa, but stilled when I saw a masked stranger pounce off a nearby roof and intervene.

  His sword came down hard. Harper stared at him for a second before they both moved back to back against the two daemons left.

  “Rewa, run! Now!” Harper said.

  I tried to get to them, but Jax swept me off my feet and hauled me up into his arms, running down the stairs in the opposite direction.

  “No! What are you doing! Harper!” I growled, though my voice sounded weaker than usual.

  “She’ll be okay,” Jax shot back, holding me tight against his chest. “There’s two of them now. You, on the other hand, are losing a lot of blood fast!”

  I nearly dropped my sword as Jax jumped over the remaining steps left before the infirmary level. My head was getting lighter, and I eventually heard male voices as the image before me faded.

  “Hansa, stay with me.” Jax’s voice pierced through the darkness enveloping me.

  I heard the clang of a sword, and footsteps rushing around.

  “Patrik, help!” Jax cried out.

  Then I felt the softness of a bed. My limbs were numb, and I was too drowsy to open my eyes, but my ears could still capture the sounds and words thrown around me. Jax hissed, and I felt soft skin against my lips.

  The warm, metallic taste of blood invaded my mouth. A cool blade cut through my combat suit, and solid pressure was applied to my thigh, where the daemon had stabbed me with its claws.

  “Harper…” I murmured.

  “Stay with me, Hansa, please.” Jax’s voice soothed me.

  The darkness didn’t want to let go. I didn’t want to let go, either.

  “Jax… I need you.” I sighed, fearing I’d never get to say everything I wanted to say to him before my life came to an end.

  Is this the end?

  “Hansa… You’ll be okay,” he whispered in my ear, his lips tickling my lobe. “My blood will help… Just stay with me, darling…”

  I wanted to. I drifted slowly, his arms wrapped around me.

  Harper

  (Daughter of Hazel & Tejus)

  I didn’t have time to be shocked. My masked savior had shown up out of nowhere and had stopped a second daemon from tearing into me. I was back on my feet, my back against the stranger, my side throbbing a little, my swords out and my blood boiling.

  “They’re fast, and they can attack and defend themselves at the same time, so don’t let your guard down,” he breathed out, his voice low and raspy. I tried to compare it to other voices I’d heard, but it sounded too rough to be Caspian’s, for example. Or Vincent’s, for that matter. I caught a glimpse of his jade eyes but didn’t have time to further analyze him.

  Ice trickled down my spine as I noticed a third daemon coming to join its two friends.

  Rewa reached the top of the stairs, crying and screaming for help from above.

  Good, that’ll get the lights on and everyone out.

  All three daemons charged us at once. I hacked and slashed wherever I saw the red glowing eyes. I hit one for sure, as my blades were covered in dark crimson blood. I managed to duck a few hits and drove my swords into one of the beasts’ heads. It growled as the other two jumped at me.

  My savior intervened and brought his blade up. It hit the second daemon, but the third cut him, blood spurting out from his chest.

  I pushed out another barrier with a grunt. It threw the daemon back, and it was enough to make all three creatures scatter. I wanted to go after them, but not even my True Sight could help me. They were too fast, and invisible to my
sentry eye.

  Lights went on all over the alley, as Rewa’s screams pierced the night sky. Footsteps rumbled down the stairs. I glanced over my shoulder and saw Correction Officers rushing down from above.

  My savior was bent forward, dressed in black and holding his chest. I moved to help him, but he raised his sword at me.

  “What the hell?” I growled. “I’m trying to help!”

  Our eyes met for a second, and a familiar intensity burned through me. His gaze was rough and cold. I wanted to use my True Sight and peek beneath the mask, internally slapping myself for not having had quick enough reflexes to do it sooner.

  But before I could, he zoomed off—as Imen and Maras came down. Voices erupted from above, while the Correction Officers drew their swords.

  “No way I’m letting you split again!” I muttered, and darted down the alley after him.

  He turned a tight corner and vanished between buildings, but, thanks to my True Sight, I stayed hot on his trail as he climbed up buildings and jumped from roof to roof, going up the mountain.

  Harper

  (Daughter of Hazel & Tejus)

  It took him about ten minutes to reach the top level, where the Five Lords’ mansions stood proudly before their sculpted fountains and rich flower gardens. My stomach churned as I finally realized where I’d seen those jade eyes before.

  I stayed behind, far enough to let my savior think he’d lost me, but I could see him clearly. He landed on the cobblestone and ran down the narrow space between the Kifo and Obara mansions. My heart was beating frantically as I put two and two together.

  Jade eyes were relatively common among the Maras. But the indigo horse I’d seen him ride on the way back from the Valley of Screams wasn’t—there were stables filled with them up here, belonging to the Five Lords. And while the voice he’d used beneath the mask was lower, raspier than any I’d heard, his general demeanor was awfully familiar…

  Could it be?

  I followed my masked savior to the back and lost track of him for a second, as he jumped onto the roof of one of the stables, then vanished on the other side. I only caught a glimpse of a dark shadow moving with my True Sight, and his back was to me, so I couldn’t get a proper look at his face beneath the mask. I ran and jumped over the fences between two stables, then came to a halt as I realized I’d reached the woods leading up to the top of the mountain. It was dark and cold up there, and I could see the snow cap from here.

  Branches broke to my left. I looked and noticed another flicker of movement. I had a feeling it was him. And I needed to make sure my hunch was right. He couldn’t hide in there forever.

  I exhaled sharply, making sure he heard me. He’d noticed me following him, somehow. This was starting to feel like a game.

  I need to get better at tailing people, obviously, but sure, let’s play…

  I took a couple of steps back, then turned to reach the stables, pretending to leave. I glanced to my right, and saw his dark figure come closer, hiding behind a tree and holding his chest, his back still at me. I moved forward, then darted to the right and after him.

  He didn’t see it coming. I quickly closed the twenty-foot distance between us, went around the thick pine tree he’d been watching me from, and launched a left hook to take him by surprise. My fist crashed into the solid bark. The wood splintered, and I gasped.

  I thought he’d be here…

  His leg came hard from behind, kicking me in my lower back. It bruised a kidney for sure, and I coughed from the pain, but immediately turned and hit him with a straight arm. I hit his ear, enough to throw him off balance but not enough to overpower him.

  He was fast. He blocked a couple more hits before I grabbed him by the back of his neck and brought my knee up. I went for his wounded chest this time, and his grunt confirmed I’d gotten him. But it wasn’t over. He threw out a low kick, his shin crashing into the side of my left knee, then another to knock me off my feet completely.

  I fell backward with an uncharacteristic squeal and landed with a thud on the hard ground. He came on top of me, bringing his whole weight down to keep me pinned, his forearm pushing against my throat. I used my arms to push him off me, but he didn’t budge. His jade eyes were fixed on mine. He wasn’t there to hurt me. He would’ve drawn his sword already, had that been the case.

  “Nicely done,” I croaked, my air supply nearly cut off.

  He didn’t reply, but he didn’t let go either. Which was great, because I finally had him right where I wanted him. I turned my True Sight on.

  Now, let’s see...

  And I stilled then. I could see it clearly, beneath the layer of black leather. His firm jaw, the blade of his nose, and his soft lips pressed into a thin line. My heart nearly exploded, my eyes wide and my breath gone.

  “Caspian,” I whispered.

  The shock on his face was almost endearing. He had yet to completely figure out my sentry abilities. He’d probably seen me push some barriers out, but he’d yet to see me use my True Sight. I knew he’d noticed the golden glimmer in my eyes, though. It was so similar to the Maras’ biology that a lightbulb must have gone on in his head.

  He was stunned, gaping at me. His whole body tensed. He suddenly felt heavier on top of me.

  “You… You saved us. Twice,” I said.

  Caspian pushed himself back to his feet, bringing his hand back to his chest wound. His shoulders dropped as he probably struggled with the fact that I’d figured out who he was. A minute went by in heavy, awkward silence, but he didn’t take his eyes off me. He blinked several times.

  “How did you know? How can you see me?” he asked, his voice low and gruff. He brought his hand up to his face instinctively, as if to check that the mask was still covering it.

  My state of shock dissolved as more questions emerged in my head. Why had he saved me in the first place? Why was he covering his face? He was a prime suspect in our investigation—why was he helping us?

  “I can see through almost anything,” I replied, secretly relishing the surprised look on his face. I took a step forward and pulled his mask off. He frowned, but didn’t stop me or push me away.

  “How?”

  “It’s one of my abilities.” I raised an eyebrow, not liking the fact that I was the one being interrogated. “Why did you save us? Why are you hiding like this? What’s going on here, Caspian?”

  “You’re in over your head, Harper,” he said, and came closer.

  My bravery melted, and I found myself holding my breath again with just two inches between us. But I didn’t want to let go of my anger. He’d lied to me. He’d kept things from me. He wasn’t answering my questions, and boy, I had lots!

  “You know that’s not going to work on me,” I shot back, poking him in the chest. He squirmed, and I froze, remembering he’d been injured. “Sorry. But not that sorry. Answer my questions, damn it!”

  He let out a sigh of exasperation and walked past me, back to the stables.

  “Oh, no, no, no, you don’t get to walk away from me this time!” I said, and grabbed his arm, forcing him to turn around.

  I heard the screech of his sword coming out of its sheath before I felt the blade stop beneath my chin. His nostrils flared as he glowered at me.

  “If you can see through things, I’m guessing you’ve seen what those creatures are and what they look like,” he replied, gritting his teeth. “If you don’t think you’re in over your head, then you must be suicidal!”

  “I can’t see them—I can’t see beyond whatever it is that makes them invisible!” I replied. “I don’t… I don’t get it! What’s going on, Caspian? Talk to me!”

  He pushed the blade a little deeper, enough for it to nick my skin. I held my ground, though. I knew he wasn’t aiming to hurt me. He wanted to intimidate me, and I had to show him I wasn’t so easy to scare. Our eyes were locked on each other, and heat poured through me, but I refused to play his game.

  “You know more about what’s going on than you’re letting
on,” I insisted. “How are we going to help your people if you don’t tell us everything you know? Do you know what those… daemon creatures look like? Have you seen them before? You must have. You knew their eyes were vulnerable to attacks… Come on, Caspian, help us out! What happened to Sienna? What happened to Minah?”

  I had a feeling I was throwing too many questions at him at once, but I needed him to react. I needed him to respond.

  “You can’t help my people out,” he muttered. “Just get out. Take your team, get in your magic ball of light, and get the hell out of Neraka.”

  “No! Fiona’s missing!” I shot back, as tears started working their way up. “I’m not leaving until we get our friend back and until we untangle this mess!”

  His forehead smoothed. Fiona’s disappearance was news to him. He lowered the blade from my neck.

  “If your friend is missing, she’s gone,” he retorted. “You will never see her again. Gather your team and leave before you all vanish like Fiona and the hundreds before her.”

  I punched him in the shoulder, my anger flaring through me.

  “Don’t talk like that!” I growled. “I will turn this mountain on its head until I find Fiona, Caspian! You either help or you get out of my way!”

  “You don’t understand, Harper!” He raised his voice, inching closer to me. “Trust no one! Get out! You wouldn’t understand even if I explained it to you! You… You wouldn’t survive it, either.”

  His gaze softened. My stomach dropped as his warm breath tickled my lips.

  “Why don’t you try to explain something, at least, if not everything?” I murmured. “I’m not an idiot. I am perfectly capable of understanding whatever it is that’s going on here.”

  He closed his eyes and shook his head, his disappointment beyond obvious.

  “You’re just not going to quit, huh?” He scoffed.

  “I told you I won’t.”