Sacrifice (24 page)

The demon grunted, a rumbling noise, then was standing again faster than she could draw a breath. “I will eat you both.” The loudness of its words rattled her teeth.

Thunk, thunk, thunk.
Three more smaller boulders slammed into the creature in quick succession. The last crashed into the demon’s face with a loud crunch of bone. The thing staggered, roaring. Skybright didn’t hesitate; she slid toward it, taking advantage of its pain and disorientation and sank her fangs into one muscular shoulder. Her mouth filled with her own bitter venom, her senses with its putrid musk.

It lashed out, punching her in the side of the head, hitting her square in her ear, but it was too late. She slithered back, head ringing, her ear ablaze with pain. Her vision doubled, but she slid to where Stone stood, weaponless now, except for one final large rock floating behind him.

They watched in grim silence as the demon swayed, then buckled to its knees, before falling flat on its gruesome face. Its massive body twitched for a long time in its death throes before finally becoming still. A distant ringing still reverberated in her head, and Skybright suspected that if she had been in human form, she’d be knocked out cold. As it were, Stone seemed unsteady on his own feet, and she reached out to grip his arm. He glanced at her in surprise, his features tight with pain. “Sit,” she said.

He didn’t argue, and they went back to the water’s edge. She held his arm the entire time, his frustration and pain like vinegar against her tongue. Stone manifested a large jug of rice wine and two cups on a smooth rock and poured for them. She didn’t eat or drink in serpent form, so he gulped down both cups before saying, “Your venom is potent, thank the goddess, or we’d probably both be dead.”

“You held your own,” she rasped. “That trick with flinging the large boulders was impressive.”

He snorted. “Child’s play compared to my magic ability before.”

“Once we fix this, close the breach,”—she slithered around him, pacing—“I’m sure you can ask for your powers back, Stone, for your role as the Immortals’ liaison.”

He flicked her a look, his expression glum.

“What was that thing?” she asked.

“A mistake.” He poured himself another cup of wine, downed it, and the color began to return to his face. “A bungled version of those guards who passed as human protecting Bei manor.”

“A failure then.”

“But still impressive,” he said. “None of the demons I’ve seen or helped to breed in the underworld for the Great Battle have looked so human. Even as scrambled as that thing’s face was, it still bore the features of a human face. And it was faster and stronger than any demon I’ve encountered as well.”

Skybright shivered, wrapping her arms around her naked torso. Before, this familiar spot had been welcoming with its rushing creek surrounded by majestic trees, full of warm memories. Now she felt exposed and the place tainted. “You mentioned ancient demons earlier …”

Stone nodded. “Thousands of years ago, they roamed this middle kingdom between the heavens and the underworld. There weren’t many mortals then, so there was enough land for both to live, but whenever their paths crossed, the humans were often slaughtered by the demons.”

“Did these ancient demons look human?” she asked.

“No,” Stone replied. “They were part beast, like the demons you had seen from the Great Battle, but more powerful, conniving. The gods were shocked one day to discover that the human population had dwindled to almost nothing, targeted by the demons for fun and sport or wiped out by their plagues. The mortals had always prayed to the gods, but the demons had refused to. They were too selfish, too bold; they wanted to take the mortal realm for themselves and rule it.”

“I think I need that drink,” Skybright said. She shifted back to her human form and instantly felt the throbbing ache in her head and the weakness in her knees. Stone manifested a pale green gown and handed it to her, eyes averted. His attraction for her was something that always lingered in the air between them now. She couldn’t deny her own desire, remembered the kiss that they had shared in that ramshackle restaurant. But his attraction was something that Stone was always tamping down, trying to control. He didn’t
want
to be attracted to her—that much was obvious.

She drew the gown on and tied the silk sash with trembling fingers. It was Stone who reached for her this time, his touch tingling her skin, as he guided her to sit beside him on the flat rock. He poured another cup for her and she drank, feeling the liquid burn the back of her throat, making her eyes water. She scrunched her face, and Stone let out a low laugh. “It’s good wine,” he said.

“I’m not used to drinking it,” she replied, even as warmth slid through her, emanating from her chest, rubbing away the sharp edges of her fear and pain. “How did the tale end then, Stone?”

“The Immortals from the heavens finally realized the extent of the demons’ hubris and demanded that they obey and worship the gods. The demons refused and revolted.”

Skybright’s eyebrows lifted. “They tried to conquer the gods?”

“The fighting was short but intense,” Stone said.

She recalled the cold beauty of the Goddess of Accord and the omnipotence of her power. “The demons didn’t have a chance,” she said.

“No,” Stone agreed. “The gods unmade them as if they never existed.”

“But a few survived?” They must have, for her to exist.

Stone stared at the still corpse of the demon in the distance. “The Immortals let a few dozen demons live and cast them to the underworld, forcing them to work there eternally as punishment.”

“And one of them has escaped?”

“Escaped or never captured. Maybe it’s remained hidden for thousands of years, biding its time, growing in strength and honing its powers.”

“Now it’s pretending to be a wealthy merchant with no family to speak of,” she said. “And built a compound protected by new demons who appear human. It’s Master Bei, isn’t it?” The wine she had swallowed felt like it was trying to rise again, sour in her mouth.

Stone nodded once. “I believe so.”

“What does he want with Zhen Ni?”

“Nothing good,” he replied.

“He’s infiltrating the mortal realm.”

“And he’s bringing his demons through the breach. It’s the only way,” Stone said. “The ancient demons wiped out entire villages and cities before—they can do it again. Who knows how many have come through already. He’s using Zhen Ni to pass as human and—” He stopped abruptly, clearing his throat.

“What?” Cold fear wound its way down her spine.

“Perhaps to spawn. I don’t think it’s possible but—”

All the blood drained from her face. She wanted to retch. “We
have
to go back, Stone. Now.” She pounded her fist against the rock.

“I don’t know if we have a fighting chance, Skybright.” He wiped a hand across his face, his weariness palpable. “We might be stumbling toward our own deaths.”

“I don’t care,” she replied. “We have to try.”

Stone met her eyes and held her gaze. Even stripped of most of his powers, it still felt as if he could read her inner-most thoughts, glimpse into her soul. “I go where you go.”

She felt an overwhelming sense of relief that she refused to acknowledge. Skybright would have gone back without Stone, but she was glad he chose to stay by her side, despite that this would further delay their journey. She was beginning to understand why Stone had glowed when she had glimpsed into his past and into his soul. “Good,” she said. “Let’s burn the body first.”

It was evening when they returned to Bei manor. The crowd that had waited impatiently outside to be interviewed had long dispersed. The moon was a thin sliver in the sky, a malicious grin, casting little light. Skybright walked the perimeter of the vast outer wall, then finally turned the corner into an alleyway that ran along the west side of the estate. The narrow lane was completely dark, but Skybright was able to see with her heightened sight.

She stopped after passing a small servant’s side entrance. Unfortunately, Stone’s night vision wasn’t as keen anymore, and he slammed into her, almost knocking her over. She bit down on a sharp yelp while Stone, still agile, threw an arm around her to keep her from falling. “Sorry,” he whispered. In that one word, Skybright could hear the chagrin in his voice. “It’s too risky to conjure a light,” he explained, letting go.

“Can you climb this wall?” she asked.

The Bei manor wall was more than twice Stone’s own height and as smooth as jade. Stone craned his neck, although she didn’t believe he could actually see. “I don’t think so.”

She remembered Kai Sen and all those nights she’d found him perched on top of the Yuan manor wall, as easy as a cat. “I’ll change into serpent form and climb up, then help you.”

He nodded, his pupils wide in his brown eyes. “Use your venom on those demonic guards, Skybright. Nothing is immune to it. I’ll take as many down as I can with my spade.”

She gave a small laugh under her breath despite her anxiety, and Stone grinned. He was mocking himself, even when he had wielded an axe in the demon encounter. She liked the wry sense of humor that was emerging when he had been so aloof before.

She shifted in an instant, losing her clothes and her legs, shedding them like a cumbersome second skin. The air was warm against her bare flesh. “Let’s find Zhen Ni.” The words grated out with a hiss. Skybright used her serpent coil and propelled herself up the cool wall with ease. When she reached the top, she gripped the wide ledge with both hands. The massive estate opened below her, with multiple courtyards and a labyrinth of corridors lit sporadically by lanterns. But the underlying feeling, beyond its grandeur and beauty, was oppressive. The majority of the estate was dark, seemingly abandoned. It lacked the color and noise, the hustle and movement, the rhythmic cadences and rituals that were a part of every manor.

It made Skybright even angrier on Zhen Ni’s behalf, that she had been married off not only to danger, but this lonely isolation. She reached forward with one arm, intending to swing her serpent length over the wall, when some invisible barrier flung her with brutal force away from the manor. She slammed into the opposite wall of the alleyway, so hard that she was stunned, and slid to the ground, her coil breaking her fall. Stone was immediately beside her. “Goddess, Skybright,” he said, and a small travel lantern magically appeared. “To hell if anyone sees us. I’ll knock them out if they do.” His eyes ran over her face and torso. “Are you all right?”

Skybright pushed herself up to a sitting position with trembling arms. “I hit my head hard.”

“May I?” Stone asked.

She dipped her chin in a shallow nod, and he gently touched the back of her skull. She winced.

“There’s a small lump there. But it’s not bleeding.” He made a frustrated noise. “I cannot heal anymore.” He set the lantern on the ground. “What happened?”

“I tried to climb over the wall, but something threw me back.” She felt the knot with her fingers and scowled. “I’ll live.”

Stone cursed under his breath, something about tortoises laying rotten eggs. “The manor is under a protective spell.” He manifested a cloth that smelled of Nanny Bai’s medicinal room, then pressed it against her injury. The soft pad was soothingly cold, and their fingers brushed when she put her own hand there. Stone’s touch seemed even warmer by contrast. “It’d take tremendous ability to cast a ward over such a massive estate. We’re dealing with someone very powerful.” He stood. “Someone who is more powerful than either of us.”

She never needed sleep or was weary in her serpent form, but suddenly, she felt drained. Defeated. “How can we save Zhen Ni if we can’t even get inside? Is the front entrance warded too?”

“The entire estate must be protected.” Stone rubbed his hands together. The small travel lantern he’d conjured cast a dim halo around them, but she didn’t need its light to see that his handsome face was pale from exhaustion. “We have to go to the breach—”

She laid a hand on his wrist, and he stopped abruptly. “The old breach
did
close. We saw it with our own eyes, like you said.” Skybright waved an arm toward Bei manor. “There is a new breach, and it’s within the estate.”

“That’s not possible,” Stone said. “Only the gods can—”

“I can feel it, Stone,” she rasped. “I sensed an unmistakable power in the daytime, but now it is even stronger, underground, deep within the manor. Why else would it be warded?”

“And what better way to bring in demons into the mortal realm than from your very own estate?” Stone cursed, the longest string of oaths she’d heard yet, something about pustules and infertility on all the farm animals, broken wheels, flooded fields, and mosquito swarms. He swiped a hand over his face when he was finally done.

“What can we do?” Skybright knew they were all in danger, but she could only think of Zhen Ni and how alone and trapped she was.

“We go to the monastery,” he replied.

Although it made perfect sense, it was the last thing she expected him to say. “Can they help?”

“It depends on how many more demons Master Bei has waiting for us. At the very least, we need to warn them.”