Dread fills me as I step out of the portal onto the street.
Laura stands deathly still, as if she is trying to make sense of the world around us. I do not require the same acclimation. I am deeply familiar with this street. The only change is that there is no noise.
Laura finally comes to her senses as she takes a step forward. She shouts David's name into the darkness. Something moves in the darkness beyond one of the houses. I cusp my hand over mouth and whisper in her ear what a bad idea it is to draw attention to oneself in this realm.
The street rumblings beneath our feet breaks us apart. It is hard to regain our balance as the intensity of the rumbling increases. It stops suddenly, following a guttural moan.
"What was that?" Laura asks.
"The owner of this piece of paradise. Which is why it's such a bad idea to shout into the darkness. Sometimes it shouts back." I say.
A skittering noise catches my attention. Laura is too busy with her own psychosis to notice the noise. Laura yelps beside me and I follow her eyes to see a scavenger demon hanging from the streetlight above us.
The demon dives from the street and I shift all my weight to my right foot and press my palm forward. "Luxima!"
A beam of light shoots from my hand and impales the demon. The beam tears a chunk from the demon's chest. It slides across the hood of the dingy yellow Nissan and crashes at Laura's feet. She glances over at me with a perplexed expression.
I shrug. "I've been here before." I say.
Laura nods as someone breathes in deeply behind us. Laura lifts into the air and her eyes glow white. Anarch moves to plunge his hand through her chest and I magically catch his hand.
"Not this time."
I stomp my feet at him and the ground shifts underneath him. Laura falls and I catch her before she can hit the street. I lift her to her feet and lean her on the car.
Her skin has returned to its pink hue and the veins have cleared from her face. Her hair, though, is white.
"Hide." I say.
"What about you?"
"I'll be right behind you."
Laura hesitates before heading towards the house. Anarch catches my eye again. He is standing across from me with a demonic grin on his face. It instills fear in me.
But I'm not backing down.
"I can smell the fear on you. It's fragrant. He was right about you." Anarch says.
"He? You have a friend. Doesn't that defeat the purpose of being an ugly demon with really bad oral hygiene?"
"Quips. I do appreciate such strength in the face of danger. But your fear betrays you. It always does."
"Stop sniffing me. It's creepy. Oh. Right. Carry on then."
Anarch advances towards me and I duck his claws. I use Luxima again to knock him back. The spell doesn't penetrate his skin, as it did the scavenger. It merely knocks him back.
"Your powers, while considerable here, are no match for me. This is my world." Anarch announces.
"This is your prison. You were banished here years ago. And you're never leaving."
This angers Anarch. Pieces of his skin peel off and drop to the pavement as little slugs. The black slugs screech as the head towards me.
I stomp the ground and scream, "Luxa!"
YOU ARE READING
The Rede Breaker
FantasyParker Royce is sent to Prophecy Cove to investigate the sudden disappearances of many residents within the town. Parker finds himself at the center of a years-long bid by a demon to escape his demonic prison. But Parker didn't come alone. His best...
