Demon Singer (36 page)

Lyric burst into the kitchen shouting.

"Ceylan, wait! This isn't you!"

Melody's smile was predatory as she produced another blade.  Acheron found herself surprised this wasn't a banishing blade.  Melody leapt at the singer and Acheron smoked out to reappear between them. Grabbing the woman's arm, she shoved the blade into the false goddess' heart and twisted. Melody fell to the floor and Lyric rushed to catch her, already singing his healing song.  Too late.  Melody was dead.

Acheron pulled the strange blade from Melody's body to examine it.  A surge of rage along their tie brought her attention to Lyric.  The Singer's face was twisted in fury.  Acheron was familiar with that look. When he opened his mouth, she was a split second too late realizing his intention.

Time slowed as she watched an angry violet lash span the gap between them, sang into being by his wrath.  A variation of the song of transference he used on her when they first met. He poured into it all of his grief, shame, hate, anger.  Agony coursed through her body as the whip split her open from her left shoulder to her right hip.  The demoness was shocked at the amount of pain she was in.  She smoked out.

* * *

"You don't say much, do you?"

Fugue's conversational tone was somewhat at odds with the casual brutality he displayed breaking the neck of his soldier.  Cadence carefully put her soldier to sleep and grabbed his jacket.  They'd drawn the two away from the action so they could steal their coats, which Fugue insisted had an insignia that identified them as part of Rondeaux's army.  

Donning the new outerwear, they moved toward the back of the army.

"Where are you going?" A voice stopped them both.  "Cadence? Is that you? I thought you were gone!"  They stopped and turned to face Gary Polph.  Fugue looked at Cadence and raised his eyebrows questioningly.  Cadence smiled at Gary and shook her head gesturing to Fugue to answer questions.

"Hello sir, my name is Qui Fugerit, we were summoned by Goddess Melody."

Polph laughed.

"Are you serious?  Qui Fugerit? That's supposed to be your name?"

Fugue bristled.

"Is there something wrong with my name sir?"

"Not a thing, Fugerit.  It's a great name for a soldier.  C'mon, I'll escort you to the Goddess Melody."  Polph led them further away from the fighting.  Cadence did not feel good about this turn of events.  

They approached a large tent and waited patiently while Polph went inside.  Soon he reappeared, accompanied by a large werewolf, and behind them followed a short, pretty woman with a lovely alto voice.

"Hello," she smiled. "My name is Melody."

* * *

Lyric slowly stood, looking down at the dead woman on the floor.  The logical part of his brain waited for the half fairy's influence to wear off even while his heart screamed.  As he waited, he watched Ceylan's face change and his heart seemed to stop beating altogether.  He was looking at Mistress Allison Holt.

* * *

"I'm sure you're here to do something foolish, like try to kill me.  Don't bother, this is my Verger," she gestured to the huge wolf.  "His name is Luper, and he would be very sad if you hurt me. Besides, the war is almost over.  By now, my sister has opened Markhato's secret entrance and our soldiers are on their way to kill our father as well as the other three kings.  There's really not much for you to do.  Would you like some tea?" She gestured back to her tent.

Fugue smiled coldly.

"I guess you haven't met the demon singer, I'm pretty sure the war is still going strong."

Melody laughed merrily.

"Silly man, I'm one of the Singer's council.  I helped send the demon singer out into the world.  I even gave him a gift that's been slowly putting him under my influence."  She placed a hand on Cadence's shoulder and the woman fell to her knees, agony on her face.  "I provided the spell that even now is bringing down the walls in the Soul Singers Guild. I win."

"I just saw the demon singer kill a mile of
your
soldiers yesterday.  If that's an example of your influence I'd love to see more."

"Violence, hate, murder.  They all go against Lyric's character." She looked down at Cadence, her expression perplexed.  She pushed harder and the woman writhed in pain.   "Protection though, that's exactly his bit.  Far better to plant the seed of love and fan it into flame with
this
lovely face." A gesture and her face transformed.

"Ceylan." Fugue said.

"Allison, actually.  Ceylan is my sister."  She looked at Cadence again.  "Why won't you change?"  Putting her other hand on Cadence's other shoulder she continued talking "We're half fairy you know, so stirring up love is simple, I've just given it a bit of a boost for Lyric's benefit."

Fugue looked at Cadence whose tear stained face took on a dangerous look.  Meeting Fugue's eye she nodded imperceptibly. Leaping at Gary Polph, Fugue spun him around to absorb the sword aimed at his back. Polph grunted as the blade entered his body and Fugue shoved him to the side, wrenching the weapon from the guard's hand.  

Cadence, meanwhile, grabbed Allison's wrists and drove her forehead into the woman's face. Allison fell back, trailing blood as Cadence jumped the werewolf before it could attack her.  Rolling across the beast's back, she slid one of her silver raptor blades between its ribs.  The creature howled in pain and Melody cried out, falling to the ground with a hand to her side.

The guards rushed them and the battle was joined.

34 TOO LATE

Lyric flew up the stairs, his mind clear and his heart breaking.  Desperately he felt the tie, ignoring the burning and seeking Acheron. All he found was sobbing.

Acheron! Please be OK!
 

Desperation spurred him on faster.  Acheron was not answering.  Rounding a corner, he plowed into a handful of soldiers.  He barely registered the fact that they weren't Milleytes Lux before he started killing them.  In seconds he was up the next flight of steps. He didn't even bother singing.  Acheron still lived and he still had her strength. Everyone foolish enough to try to engage him was left broken behind him.  Once Ceylan died, Allison Holt's secret themes wore off and Lyric was left with the stark truth of what he'd done.  Regardless of who Acheron was, she didn't deserve what he'd done.  Grief-stricken, sobbing and berserk with self-loathing, Lyric was a terrifying sight, hurtling through the castle to the war room. Men fell like wheat before him, and the Demon Singer ran on.

* * *

Acheron returned to corporeal form in the trees outside the city walls.  The gash in her body wouldn't heal.  She fell to her knees and called out to Logi.  She needed strength.

"Who is Logi?" A beautiful tenor voice spoke in the trees.  The demoness chuckled at her luck.

"No one, you'll do just fine.  What's your name again?"

"Keith Normvy," the Master Singer stepped out of the shadows and approached cautiously.  "I never caught your name."

Acheron stood, ignoring the waves of pain caused by her movements.

"I have many names, Keith.  But you can call me death."

* * *

Cadence and Fugue fought back to back.  The small warrior watched in annoyance as Allison jumped on Luper's back and they sped away.  Obviously, Vergers don't share the silver allergy weres have.

The bodies were piling up quickly, none of the soldiers came close to her skill.  Fugue held his own very well, but the sheer number of opponents was going to be their end.  

Cadence scowled at the impossibility of their situation.  She didn't have time to die, she needed to kill that bitch that made her kneel.  She didn't know why it mattered, but she knew she'd never knelt before.  The small warrior decided she was not going to die until Allison did.

* * *

Lyric reached the door of the war room to find several dead bodies littering the corridor. Among them, an enormous bear dressed in shredded formal wear was dead on the floor.  The butler was a were.

Lyric had vented his rage on the way up and now he was all cold purpose.  Standing calmly before the door, he pushed it open.  The first face he saw was David Westfall's locked in a permanent scowl. His body was closest to the door.  Several bodies surrounded him and the sword in his fist was wet with blood.  Lyric felt an odd surge of pride that his grandfather had been the first to greet the threat that entered the room.  Next, he found the Wheaties box king, whose name he never learned.  The man wasn't far behind his grandfather and held a matching sword.  Bodies surrounded him as well. Lyric realized the swords had been behind a shield hanging on the wall.  Further in, against the table was Branigan.  Where the first two looked angry, he looked sad, even with his hands locked around the throat of his enemy.  In the far corner, lying in a puddle of what Lyric assumed was his own urine was combover.  His face was terrified, there were no bodies near him.

The Singer took in the grisly sight without question or comment. He was too late.  The four Kings of Markhato were dead.  Gently, he closed the eyes of each king and left the room in search of Acheron.

* * *

Normvy sang a short upturned phrase that shot him high into the tree above him.  Acheron searched for him among the branches.  She heard him sing an odd haunting phrase and realized it was his eighth measure.  Looking around expectantly she didn't have long to wait, Johaus stepped out of the trees to face her.  

"You got your arm back! Let's see if we can pull something else off."

The demoness smoked out and appeared on the troll's shoulders, planning to rip his head off as she'd intended to do at the Soul Singers Guild when Lyric stopped her. Johaus reached up, grabbed the demoness and hurled her like a football.  Acheron smoked out just before colliding with the tree in her path.

She returned at full speed, intending to rip the troll apart, but Johaus had changed.  Now she faced a yellow-skinned likeness of Lyric. Eyes narrowed in fury, Acheron attacked viciously.  The Verger was fast though, and strong.  He managed to meet her blow for blow then a trilling vocal line fell on her ears and she was spinning out of control.  A personal sized tornado was wreaking havoc on her hair and widening her wound.

The demoness smoked out but couldn't escape the tornado.  Normvy guided her into the trees and suddenly she was shrieking in agony as branches flailed and stabbed her weakening body.  In desperation, she cried out to her hated singer.

Lyric!!

* * *

Cadence tore into the soldiers without mercy.  Everyone who stood between her and Allison needed to die.  Fugue was separated from her and she turned to help but he waved her off.

"Go, kill her, I'll be fine!"

Cadence, freed for the moment of the compulsive need to protect her companion, changed her tactic.  She flew through the enemy, cutting down those in her way, but otherwise just focusing on covering ground in pursuit of Allison and her Verger. Before long, she broke free of those attacking and moved faster among those who were wondering what all the commotion was about.

Sooner than expected, she happened upon them.  Allison was kneeling next to a man on the ground bleeding from his side.  Cadence could hear the healing song Allison sang as she approached.

Allison Holt looked up and slowly stood to face the warrior.

"Touch him and I'll kill you slow instead of fast."

Cadence launched herself at the woman and was surprised when her blow didn't land. Allison stepped aside and threw a punch at her head but Cadence dodged it easily.

Stepping away from Luper's unconscious body, the women fought ferociously. Cadence was impressed at the other woman's skill, but knew she was better.

Pressing the attack Cadence landed a blow that rocked the fake goddess' head. Allison danced out of reach and sang a brief melody that drew hundreds of stones out of the ground to float in the air all around the warrior.  Cadence realized her intention and dove for Luper's body just as Allison sent the rocks flying at her.  Several hit their mark before she reached him. Gritting her teeth, she ignored the pain and rolled over, pulling Luper's unconscious form on top of her.

Too late, she remembered Luper wasn't a real werewolf and was likely not hurt as bad as she assumed.  The Vergers eyes opened and focused on her face, registering first surprise, then anger.

"You stabbed me," his anger became a cold smile.  "You are going to die."

Cadence heaved, but the Verger was bigger and stronger and she'd put herself in a terrible position.

Luper captured her wrists in his powerful hands and wrapped his legs around hers to hold her still.  Allison approached them, a fantastic lump already decorating her jaw.

"You're a brave little rat, I'll give you that.  Coming against a goddess.  Do you know how I deal with rats?  I stomp them to death.  And since I can't seem to shift you, I'll just have to stomp you the way you are. Luper hold her."

Allison raised a boot above Cadence's head.  The warrior drove her forehead into Luper's face.  The Verger grunted in pained surprise and loosened his grip.  Cadence jerked her legs free and wrapped them around Allison's, bringing the Singer crashing to the ground. Twirling to her feet she drew her remaining raptor blade and held it ready as Allison stood up.

The Singer took a breath, preparing to end this nuisance once and for all.  Cadence had the same idea, and shoved her blade into Allison's throat.

* * *

Lyric flew off the castle wall and hurtled through the enemy forces to find Acheron.  Men and supernaturals alike tried to stop him. Men and supernaturals alike died.  

Reaching the trees he recognized the tell tale sourness in the air.  Normvy was close by, which meant Acheron was close by, the signals across the tie were weak and pained.  She was dying.

The cold logic that had taken over Lyric's brain demanded he stop.  Hyperventilating, Lyric saturated his body with oxygen and sang the eighth measure.