My heart is racing, and I suck in cool, night air. I leap down the porch steps, conjuring strings of blue energy around both hands.
“Let’s go fuck up some demons.”
Julian’s lips curve into a smile, and he starts forward, moving silently through the yard. An eerie silence fills the night, as even the forest knows something dark is taking place.
“Can you feel that?” Julian asks me as we get deeper into the forest.
I nod. “Demonic energy.” I close my fists, lessening the amount of energy I’m holding onto. The light is a dead giveaway, but I can’t see in the dark.
My heart speeds up, and anger surges through me. Ruth has no idea what she’s got coming. She hurt my family, and now she’s going to pay. The air vibrates around us, and Julian holds out his hand, stopping me. He looks up, and right as I follow his line of sight, someone jumps out of of a tree.
Julian pushes me out of the way at the last second, and the man lands hard on Julian’s back, knocking them both to the ground.
“Julian!” I shout as the man pops up and rounds on me, mouth open as a gurgly growl comes from deep inside his throat. Frothy saliva drips down his chin, and black eyes reflect the light from my energy ball. It’s a demon possessing a human body.
Humans can’t survive demonic possession for very long. There’s a chance the demon has already killed this poor man from the inside out and is wearing his skin like a suit. But there’s also a chance he’s still in there, aware of what’s going on and being helpless against the demon’s grasp.
Julian is back on his feet in seconds and throws a hand out in front of him.
“I cast you back to the pits of Hell,” he says, and golden light glows around his fingers, shining on the man’s face. He drops to his knees, screaming, and black ooze pours from his mouth and nose, sizzling like acid on the ground.
The man pitches forward, coughing and gagging for air. Julian lowers his hand and goes to him, helping him up.
“Run,” he tells the man, who’s still struggling to breath. “Run if you want to live.”
The man staggers away, looking back at us.
“Lower-level demons,” I say, looking at the remnants of the demon on the dry forest floor.
“Yes.” Julian pushes his shoulders back. “There are more. I can sense them.”
“Can you sense if the humans they’re possessing are alive?”
“Not from here, though demons are ruthless. I wouldn’t count on finding many survivors.”
“I know.” I twist the strings of magic between my fingers and start forward again. We’re halfway to the Covenstead door when someone screams. It’s high pitched and strained, sounding like a young girl.
Julian eyes me, and we both start running, tearing through the forest. We’re almost to the door when a vampire speeds forward, crashing hard into me. I fall, landing on my back. The wind gets knocked out of me, and the vampire moves on top of me before I have a chance to get up.
His eyes are glazed over, as he’s under Ruth’s control. He opens his mouth, flashing his fangs, and goes to bite me.
I bring my hand up and send a pulse of magic right into his chest, making him fly off of me. I scramble to my feet and conjure a big, blue ball of energy in my right hand. The vampire is back up, fighting against the ripples of magic going through his body.
“Take me to dinner before you bite me, asshole.” I throw the energy ball, hitting him square in the chest. I turn, throwing up a telekinetic shield right as he explodes.
“Get down!” Julian yells. He has one hand outstretched, yellow light pouring into the eyes of a demon. Another vampire rushes at us, and Julian throws his dagger, sinking it right into the vampire’s heart.
A fiery explosion erupts from inside the vampire, and he collapses in a pile of ash and bone.
“Nice,” I say and bring the dagger to me. My fingers wrap around the hilt, and it’s like this dagger was made for me. The blade is long, but everything is perfectly balanced, and it’s almost as if it doesn’t weigh anything at all.
The woman in front of Julian collapses to the ground as the demon is cast out. But she doesn’t get up, and I can tell by the dark purple color of her lips that she’s dead.
I give Julian the dagger back and step over the body, picking my way through a narrow path in the woods. Firelight flickers ahead, and the same girl screams. Heart in my throat, I pick up the pace, terrified of what I’m going to see when I get to the door.
There are kids inside the Academy, kids who don’t know how to defend themselves yet against demons and dark magic. Kids who have trusted the walls of Grim Gate to keep them safe.