Void Domain, Book 03 полностью

Without a single word, Eva dropped the shield and did not recover any orbs of blood. If Nel thought she was being rough before, that was nothing compared to now. She dragged Nel around the corner of Devon’s cell house.

The door to Ylva’s domain was in sight.

Nel’s laugh of stress and joy twisted into a cry of pain. Eva’s claw squeezed and dug into her shoulder.

The pressure vanished while the pain remained. Eva released her shoulder to fall straight forwards against the ground. She didn’t even try to bring her hands out to catch herself.

A bone jutted out of the girl’s back. It was sharpened into a serrated blade part way down before the rest disappeared into Eva.

Nel felt gravity take hold of her. Unable to balance herself properly, Nel raised her hands to cushion her impact.

A pair of hands caught onto her and pulled her back upright.

“Thanks,” Nel mumbled as she looked back.

A skeletally thin man smiled back as he moved his hands firmly on her shoulder. “Oh,” he said with a small chuckle, “don’t mention it.”

Eva gave a small wheeze. “You…”

“Yes! Me! Happy to see me again?” He gave another short laugh that sent the hairs on Nel’s neck to standing at full attention. “I’ll say, your eyes fetched four times the price I would have thought. My buyer was very interested. Some unique property or another.”

“Those golems… I knew it…” Eva’s breath rasped as she tried to push herself up. She didn’t even manage an inch off the ground.

“My work, not my plan,” he spoke with a hint of disappointment, but never lost a fraction of his smile. “And you should be more careful. I know the capabilities of your healing. Let’s just say you can keep that dagger. Call it my gift to you, if you survive.

“I’d love to stay and chit-chat, or even invite you back to my place. Sadly, I’ve only time for one. Getting caught up in the order’s inquisition is not a priority.”

Despite the raging headache and the slight dizziness, Nel connected to the source. She wasn’t a good fighter. Information from the source overwhelmed her in combat. She could still fill this guy with enough lightning that he would–

“Ah-ah, none of that.”

Nel felt a prick at her neck and everything went dark.

“What does it mean?”

Neither of them had dared to speak for the longest time. Her voice felt dry and hoarse–though not simply because of the time. What they watched drained all the moisture from her mouth. Most of it had gathered on the palms of her hands.

Jordan shook his head as the shadows around them faded back into the background. He’d waited long enough. It had been several minutes since anyone walked by.

“The professor is a demon of some sort,” Jordan said. “I’m certain of that. Not as friendly as Eva and Arachne, by the looks of it. I don’t even want to say his name. He might notice us.”

Shelby shuddered.

Eva was one thing. She kept Arachne out of sight and out of mind. Her own physical changes were easily overlooked simply because Shelby had known her for a year and a half.

But Professor Zagan was a demon too? And Professor Baxter knew about it? Not only that, but she looked about ready to attack him too.

Shelby walked up to the classroom door. There was a solid wall of air keeping her from even opening it, but it didn’t stop her from peeking in the window.

Just as Professor Baxter said, there was a magic circle in the room. A ‘transference circle’ according to Professor Zagan. Desks had been shoved aside to make way. A broken bit of chalk lay just outside the circle.

A book bag rested on top of one of the desks. Juliana’s bag?

“They’re not in there,” Shelby said.

“Of course not.”

Jordan paced up and down in front of the door, looking scary. Terrifying even. While the shadows that had been hiding them in the alcove of another classroom had receded, he still had shadows curling off of him.

This must be one of the things my sister was always talking about.

“Professor Baxter asked where they were. If they were in there, she’d know. Didn’t you hear how he dodged her question? He claimed not to remember their names.

“No.” Jordan stopped pacing. “He couldn’t be bothered remembering ordinary mortal names. That might be true, but he remembers our names. He says them in class often. He said it himself. A lie of omission.”

“Then, where are they?”

“Transference circle. Sends things to Hell. He answered that as well.”

“They’re in Hell.” The last word came out as little better than a choked up whisper.

Jordan reached out and gripped Shelby’s hand. “We don’t want to get caught around here.”

Under normal circumstances, Shelby might have enjoyed having her hand held. Now, her hand was cold and clammy. All thoughts of affection had been replaced by fear.

“We need to find Professor Baxter.”

“What about Irene?” Her sister was the whole reason they’d followed after Juliana and Shalise in the first place.