Total pages in book: 153
Estimated words: 141492 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 707(@200wpm)___ 566(@250wpm)___ 472(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 141492 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 707(@200wpm)___ 566(@250wpm)___ 472(@300wpm)
Colin and Arsen echoed his objection. Just like Basil, their protests were difficult to understand. They slurred words, their voices both shrieking and rumbling so that the walls expanded and contracted. The light fixtures overhead swayed as if they would fall from the ceiling.
“But you did,” she continued softly in her angelic voice. “See yourselves. Look into the mirrors in front of you. See you as she made you.”
It was obvious that all four demons tried not to obey, but the compulsion was too strong. Basil covered his eyes with his hands just as Art did. The other two demons tried to cover their faces with their hoods but couldn’t help dragging the material away to expose the truth. They both spread their fingers wide to peer through them. Their faces were identical with hard armor: orange, yellow and red scales. Dark gray lines were carved deep between each scale, giving the appearance of age. Eyes were hooded, with tiny spikes surrounding them. Their mouths gaped open to accommodate the serrated teeth, too wide to be human. Venom trickled continuously from the corners in thin yellowish-white streams. The long talons at the tips of their bony fingers they’d raised to cover their faces were thick, curved and pointed.
Once they had seen themselves, the four of them couldn’t revert back to their forms as mages. Art tried the hardest, turning his face away from the mirror held in front of him.
“She will give us our lives back if we deliver you to her,” Colin snarled, taking a step toward Safia as if to attack her. His hands came up, the long fingers twitching.
“Yes, yes,” Basil agreed. His talons clicked together eagerly. “If we kill her right here, our mistress will be happy with us and will return us to our original form.”
“How do we know this isn’t an illusion?” Arsen demanded. “She could be tricking us into believing what we see now is real so that we turn on the mistress.”
Colin tried to shuffle toward Safia, but his feet wouldn’t move. He looked down at the bottom of the tan-and-orange robe he wore over his loose pants to see the feet protruding from beneath were long, skinny, bare and very hairy. There were three toes with the same thick curving talons. The armor scales were orange streaked with yellow and tan, nearly blending with his robe. He shrieked, mouth distorted, talons clicking in agitation.
Petru narrowed his eyes, and without moving, took a careful look around the room. His acute senses expanded to every corner, every crack, as he scanned for intruders. They were no longer alone. Whoever was oozing in did so slowly, determined to remain hidden. They might hide their physical presence, but there was no hiding their intent or emotions. Hatred was a living, breathing entity so malevolent the air thickened with malignant loathing. All that animosity and hatred were centered directly on Safia.
Petru stayed relaxed, still anchored in Safia, realizing she not only was fully aware of the other’s presence but had also been waiting for it.
What are you doing? She is one of the most powerful beings you could imagine.
She is demon. I cannot destroy her, but I can possibly wound her as you did. You struck hard enough that she had to wait two thousand years to recover and regain her full strength. We all believed she was biding her time, hoping we would forget her, but she was diminished and had to rebuild.
Where had she gotten such a revelation? Petru took the information from her mind. Art. She had taken the demon from Lilith. His mistress no longer controlled him. He had been with Lilith the longest, and he’d been the most powerful of the four mages. Lilith had stolen the magic from all four of them. The other three were nowhere as powerful as Art had been. Art had been one of her prizes, and she’d controlled him with an iron fist and a cruelty she reserved for those she believed might someday try to revolt against her.
Art had studied her just for that purpose, believing he might escape from the underworld one day if he could just hold out long enough. Lilith had stolen his magic and mutated him, leaving him a demon, yet giving him hope that he could one day earn his mage status and magic back.
Even with the information Safia had on Lilith, it was a very dangerous move she was trying. Petru wanted to wrap her up in his arms and get her out of there, but it was too late, she’d already set the trap in motion, drawing the spider right into the web. They were going to have a very long talk about what he was going to be able to live with and what he couldn’t.
His brethren were ancients, and they had their own telepathic link. He apprised them of the situation, and they waited for Lilith’s opening strike.