Sacrifice (34 page)

“A fast, thorough search,” he was barking. “Down and back. If you find anything, send someone here for reinforcements. Any questions?”

When no one spoke, Hale nodded. “Okay.” He pointed out shafts as he called off teams. “First team. Second team—”

“Stop!” I ran forward, entering the cavern as the first team moved toward their assigned shaft. At my command, they froze, glancing uncertainly back at Hale.

Rhea, the spotter assigned to the first team, stepped out of her group. Her fist tightened on the hilt of her daggers. “You’ve got some nerve coming here.”

I ignored Rhea, sliding through the crowd toward Hale. “Listen to me. Ian’s betrayed us. This is a trap.”

A buzzing murmur spread through the crowd at these words.

“You want to see a traitor, Hale?” Rhea drew her daggers, pointing the blades straight at me. “Look no further than your pet demon.” I gaped at Rhea, furious, but she turned to the assembled Guardsmen. “I was going to spare you this until after the fight,” she glared at me, “but if you want to force the issue, fine. We can do it now. Do you want to confess your sins, or shall I confess them for you?”

“Rhea,” I said, trying to force a patience I didn’t feel into my voice. “You don’t know what you’re saying.”

“Don’t I?”

“What sins? What is she talking about?” Hale frowned, turning to face me.

“She’s been misinformed! We have to get out of here!” I turned to Dad. He watched me, eyes creased with concern. “This is a trap. They wanted us here. I don’t know why, but we have to—”

“Don’t listen to her!” Rhea cut me off. “You can’t trust anything that little bitch says.”

“Excuse me?” Dad turned to face Rhea, unmistakable fury flashing in his eyes.

“Wait,” Gretchen said. “We should hear Braedyn out—”

“You say that now,” Rhea spat, smirking with dark amusement.

I felt my heart wrench in my chest. Ian had told her I’d attacked Lucas. It didn’t matter that it wasn’t true; if the Guard heard her accusation before I had a chance to get us out of here, I might lose this chance. Dad seemed to sense my panic.

“Enough,
spotter,
” he growled, taking a step forward. “You’ve been gunning for Braedyn ever since you arrived.”

“With good reason.” Rhea glared at Dad.

I stepped in between them. “Listen, Rhea! I don’t care what you think of me, but if we don’t get these people out of here
now,
they are going to
die.
”

“Trying to distract me, little demon?”

“You are so blind.” I strode toward Rhea, my frustrating adding strength to my voice. She gripped her daggers tighter, ready to spring. “I’m done trying to prove myself to you!” I turned my back on Rhea and faced the assembled Guard. “This is a trap! Lilitu are on there way here to—”

“Braedyn!” Dad lurched forward, his face ashen.

I spun around as Rhea’s dagger sliced down, angling straight for my heart. Electricity shot through my muscles and my hand whipped up, catching her wrist. We stood there, frozen, for a long moment, eye-to-eye. Behind us, the Guard watched, unmoving. Two soldiers had grabbed Dad’s arms, keeping him from intervening. Rhea’s muscles quivered as she fought to drive the knife home. I squeezed the pressure point on her wrist and she sucked in a sharp breath of pain. Her hand opened reflexively, and I caught the dagger as it fell. I released Rhea. She took two steps back quickly, as though I were poised to attack.

“I am not your enemy,” I said, breathing raggedly. “And we don’t have time to do this right now.”

Rhea eyed me with deep mistrust. I turned the dagger and offered it to her hilt first. She took it quickly, never letting her eyes leave my face. “Is this supposed to make me trust you?”

“I don’t care whether or not you trust me, Rhea. Just stay out of my way.” I turned back to the guard, seeking out Hale. “We don’t have much time.”

Hale nodded slowly. “Okay. Let’s pull back.”

There was a rustle among the Guard. More than one Guardsman shot a look of disbelief toward Hale. But those who knew me started heading toward the exit. I felt a swell of relief and let my shoulders relax.

“Dad,” I said, starting toward him. “It was Ian—”

Rhea grabbed my arm and spun me around to face her. I was so startled I could only stare at her. I sensed rather than saw the assembled Guard turn back toward us.

“I know what you’re trying to do,” she hissed quietly. “Painting Ian as a traitor so they won’t believe you’d harm your beloved Lucas? It’s not going to work.”

“It’s the truth, Rhea,” I hissed. “I didn’t touch Lucas. Ian’s been working with the enemy this whole time!”

“Liar. I’m outing you. Right now.” She turned toward the crowd. “Hale! Listen up! You should know what your little pet’s done—” Rhea’s head snapped back, her mouth opening in a voiceless “O” of surprise. Her back arched, and her feet wrenched up a foot off the ground—lifted by some unseen force. She released me. I staggered backwards, stunned.

“Lilitu!” someone shouted. Guardsmen drew their weapons in a resounding scrape of metal, listening intently for an enemy they couldn’t see.

I stared—but I could see no cloaked demon attacking Rhea. The stocky spotter spasmed, coughing out a spray of blood. And then she fell forward—no, she was
thrown
forward—to sprawl face-first on the ground at my feet. I lurched back away from her body. Karayan rushed to my side. A gaping wound tore through the center of Rhea’s back, leaving little question; she was dead.

“Spotters!” Hale roared his command into the cavern. The Guard responded, each unit snapping into formation, waiting for their spotters to call out directions.

Only—

“I can’t see anything,” the spotter I only knew as Taryn said. She scanned the space around her, eyes wide with panic. “Where did she go?! Does anyone else see—?”

Taryn jerked back, staring down as three vicious wounds opened across her chest. Then her eyes rolled back into her head and she dropped to her knees before pitching forward onto the floor.

Chaos erupted throughout the cavern. Whatever had killed Taryn? She’d been facing it directly as it attacked, and she hadn’t seen a thing.

“Oh no,” I whispered, clutching Karayan’s hand. “It’s Seth. Seth is here.”

Chapter 17

Karayan shot me a terrified glance, then spun back to face the Guardsmen. “Incubus!” Her voice cut through the chaos. “Protect your spotters!”

Instantly the formations changed. Spotters were thrust into the center of their units. Hale, Matt, and Dad ringed Gretchen, but the three of them together were woefully inadequate protection. Looking around, I could tell—Gretchen was the next easiest target.

“Karayan!” I darted forward to help protect Gretchen. Karayan followed, half a heartbeat behind.

“Take this.” Dad pulled a spare set of daggers from a sheath on his belt and handed them to me. I separated the daggers and gave one to Karayan. It wasn’t a lot, but it was better than facing an incubus unarmed.

“Somebody tag him!” Dad’s voice cut across the growing panic. “It’s the only way to reveal him!”

I tightened my grip on the dagger, then swung out blindly. Dad was right; if Seth came close enough to a blade—and the wielder was lucky enough to swing at the right moment—even a small scratch from a Guard weapon would shred Seth’s cloak, leaving him visible for all to see.

I clutched the dagger, feeling naked and vulnerable. The graceful blade suddenly seemed much smaller than it ever had before. Seth could be standing right in front of me—right in front of Dad, or Gretchen, or Matt, or Hale—and none of us could see him.

Across the cavern massive, we heard another short scream. It cut off in a gurgle, followed by a frenzy as Guardsmen tried to slash at the invisible enemy who’d just murdered another of our spotters. I did the math in my head. Rhea, Taryn, now a third. That meant we had only three spotters left.

And then the number dropped to two. I saw Jane fall. The petite redheaded spotter was in the group closest to us, clutching her daggers, while her unit ringed her closely. But someone heard a sound and shouted, drawing the others’ attention. It was the opening Seth needed—he must have slipped between two distracted guardsmen. Jane’s head snapped back and she dropped. It was sudden and silent. I stared, feeling hot bile rising in the back of my throat. A few of the soldiers in Jane’s unit dropped to her side, but there was nothing to be done for her.

We were sitting ducks—blind, unable to predict where Seth would next strike.

“We have to do something,” I said, my voice hoarse with panic.

“Hold your position.” Hale, next to me, swung out with his sword, clearing the air before him with fast, competent slices. He, like me, believed Seth would come for Gretchen next.

But the incubus wasn’t following any logical pattern.

Minutes later, although I was sure Seth was practically breathing down my neck, we heard another scream from the far end of the cavern.

One spotter left. I turned and glanced behind me. Gretchen’s eyes were wide with terror. She clutched her daggers, but her muscles were rigid with tension.

“To me!” Hale’s voice cut through the chaos and grief. Some of the Guardsmen heard and started to move, but the scene was one of disorganized paranoia. The normally disciplined Guardsmen were falling apart. I cast my eyes around, desperate for anything that could help us locate Seth.

And then I saw the wheelbarrow of fake coal. I raced toward it.

“Braedyn?!” Hale called after me, alarm ringing in his voice.

I grabbed the handles of the wheelbarrow and pushed. It moved easily—the fake coal was little more than Styrofoam painted black. But it would do.

I raced the wheelbarrow back toward Hale and Gretchen, trying to anticipate the route Seth would take from the last murdered spotter to Gretchen, knowing I was running out of time.

I reached my target and upended the wheelbarrow in front of Hale.

Styrofoam poured out across the floor—

“What the hell are you—?” But then Hale’s voice caught.

Scattering Styrofoam parted in thin air, rolling away from some invisible obstacle. Hale slashed out with his sword, and even though Seth had already started to retreat, Hale managed to make contact.

The blade caught on something—and an instant later, Seth was revealed, a line of dark Lilitu blood spreading from a wound on his shoulder. It was a mild cut—if he’d taken the same wound with a regular blade it wouldn’t have slowed him one second. But the strange quality of Hale’s sword, forged by the Guard centuries ago, was more than enough to banish Seth’s Lilitu cloak.

“Here!” Hale’s roar of triumph reinvigorated the men.

But Seth’s trap had just begun to spring. He darted back from Hale’s next lunge, screaming, “Attack!”

“Braedyn?!” Karayan’s voice trilled, straining with tension. I turned. The massive cavern was dotted with openings leading to other parts of the mines; there must have been a dozen entrances. Cloaked Lilitu sprang from the shafts—they’d been hiding, waiting for this opportunity since we’d arrived.

“Guardsmen, behind you!” Gretchen had also seen the fresh wave of Lilitu pouring in to join the fight.

Her warning came too late for several of the soldiers. The Lilitu moved fast, their attacks brutal and merciless. But where each Guardsman fell, others joined up in formations and turned to face their invisible attackers. I was overwhelmed by a sudden understanding of the bravery it took for these men to fight against an enemy they could not see. They wouldn’t make it easy for the Lilitu, but—blind as they were—they were achingly vulnerable.

Hale saw this, too. “Spotters!” He gestured to Gretchen, Karayan, and me. “Help them!”

Gretchen raced to the far end of the cavern, joining up with a group of Guardsmen facing three Lilitu. Matt followed her with a hoarse curse.

“Wait for me, Gretchen!”

Before they reached the far unit, the Lilitu had taken down four more soldiers—

I pulled my eyes off that fight, searching the crowd for Dad. He’d joined up with a group of a dozen others, all moving in unison through the form, driving back another four Lilitu. I raced to Dad’s side as one of the Lilitu timed her attack for a pause in the form—

“Ahead!” I screamed.

The Guardsmen acted without hesitation, each spearing forward with both daggers. The Lilitu, already darting toward one of the soldiers in line, was moving too fast to change direction. She took two blades to the torso, both from the Guardsman she’d been targeting. Her cloak fell away instantly, but it made little difference, she was dead by the time she hit the floor.

I pulled my eyes off the fallen demon. The three other Lilitu had pulled back, eyes fixed on me with burning hatred. They split, meaning to slip around the line and attack from behind.

“Cover the flank!” I moved into the center of the group, and they reformed seamlessly around me, blades flashing out. As one, the three Lilitu attacked, all from different directions. “Incoming!”

Two of the Lilitu took glancing blows from daggers, stepping back as their cloaks slipped away. The last dodged through the line and impacted with a young Guardsman, spearing her claws into his throat and ripping clean through. The Guardsmen nearest to him reacted, stabbing blindly into the air, but she dodged them and danced back, out of range.

“You!” Dad tapped two Guardsmen and pointed at the first revealed Lilitu. “And you!” He gestured to another pair of Guardsmen. The teams split, racing after the visible demons while the rest of the men reformed to battle the cloaked Lilitu.

Only, she had slipped away into the fray. I looked around, trying to spot the next attack. What I saw filled my stomach with a sinking dread.

Of the eight units of Guardsmen, only three had a spotter to aid them. Gretchen and Karayan were guiding their units well; under their direction, soldiers managed to fight off attack after attack with minimal casualties. The other five units were not faring so well. While the soldiers relied on their forms to drive Lilitu back, there were simply too many demons. Each time one Guardsman fell, the others would spring, desperate to reveal the demon who’d attacked him. That left them open to attack from behind, and more and more Guardsmen were lost as the minutes dragged on.