Total pages in book: 155
Estimated words: 142916 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 715(@200wpm)___ 572(@250wpm)___ 476(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 142916 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 715(@200wpm)___ 572(@250wpm)___ 476(@300wpm)
She kept her mind moving slowly and gently, almost drifting over the footprints leading back to the mind of the mage. It seemed to take forever, but there was no hurrying the process. The mage would detect her if her energy wasn’t low and steady.
Demons ripped at the outside walls of the house and tore at the roof. The stones withstood the assault, and Tora countered with whips of electricity, knocking the demons off the structure. The whips cracked and sizzled as they leapt through the air at the demons.
Silke felt the reaction of the mage as he tried to tune himself to the one attacking his little army. Again, she found it interesting and very telling that he thought the slayer was behind the attack. At no time did he consider there was a Carpathian with her. His mind was consumed with finding and killing the slayer.
She could see red ribbons of rage floating through his mind. Each ribbon had a single command attached to it—find and kill the slayer. That was their one task, what each demon had been bred for. This plot had been in the making for a century, and the mage was the one chosen to carry it out. Should he fail, he would be condemned to centuries of torture, and his mistress had no forgiveness in her. She enjoyed the various cruel punishments she thought up, each one more brutal and merciless than the last. She also had a tendency to forget those she sent to the torture chambers, so they could be there for the rest of their existence, which was endless.
Carefully, she searched through his memories to find the spell for the shields. She studied it with meticulous care. While he concentrated on calling to her, pushing more compulsion into his voice, she slowly, very, very slowly, began to unravel the spell. It took a few minutes to reverse the order without drawing his attention. The shields, other than the one covered in poison, were invisible. The demons—and the mage—failed to notice when they came down.
Now, Lily. Tora, call to Peony.
Lily burst from where she had hidden herself, flying low straight toward Silke. Silke leapt on her back, banked and came around, directing Lily’s dragon fire to the demons in the yard. She caught two of them on the first sweep, incinerating them on the spot. The others went into a frenzy, throwing spears and shooting arrows at the two dragons, who once again had taken to the skies.
Silke felt the instant reaction in the mage. He called out, his hands moving in a pattern. Unfortunately, the demons on the roof and the ones on the porch lifted their hands as well. At least that narrowed her search down.
Destroy as many as possible, Tora. He’s weaving another spell. Silke leaned over her own dragon. Hurry, she whispered to Lily. Take out as many as you can.
Silke angled Lily toward the porch to sweep the deck with dragon fire, hoping to rid them of the mage. Her favorite chair burst into flames right along with two of the three demons crouched on the porch trying to hide from the fire.
A sound swelled in volume, becoming so loud it grated on the ears. Flying insects turned the sky from charcoal gray to black as they swept into the yard. There were thousands of them, and they attacked the dragons, stinging and biting. They were so small they could get between the overlapping scales.
The insects tangled in her hair and stung and bit ferociously. It was Tora who countered, throwing a hardened shell around the dragons, which prevented them from using their dragon fire but also prevented the insects from continually attacking. It also trapped hundreds inside the shield.
Silke ignored the terrible burning sensation as her body swelled where each bite or sting had found her. She had to get rid of the insects attacking Lily and Peony. The sheer number was overwhelming. Lily trumpeted her anger and discomfort. The weight of the insects pushed her toward the ground and interfered with her ability to use her wings. Peony was having the same trouble.
Silke had to push aside her fears for the young dragon, the pain both of them felt, and the shrieks of joy the demons emitted as they rushed to circle the dragons. She had only minutes to reverse the spell the mage had concocted. Fortunately, she was already in his mind, hovering in a little crack, undetected. It wasn’t difficult to find that moment when the mage had bidden the insects to destroy the dragons and the slayer.
The really great part was the insects were real. These were not manufactured in the underworld. The mage had managed to call hordes of them to him. Because they were real, Silke could find a way to wrench control from the mage. The spell was quite simple but very dark. She hesitated. It wouldn’t do to be caught before she could identify him. There were other ways to rid themselves of the insects.