The Demons of Rome

XVI - The Spell of Endings

Juliana hurried up the great spiral staircase two steps at a time. The vault was designed to withstand all sorts of magical and physical attacks, but even that wouldn't be able to keep the eternal flame housed for very long and she did not want to be around when it got out.

She gripped her one prize tightly to her chest, a single book, massive in size but plain in decoration. It had only a simple, black, leather cover with no adornments or even a title. If she hadn't known what to look for she doubted she would ever have found it.

As she neared the top she could hear the sounds of battle still going on. She poked her head out of the stairwell and took stock of the situation.

The two demons she had left outside were locked in furious battle with a monstrous, black dragon-like creature. It had no wings and a long, serpentine body but its head was definitely draconic and it had legs that ended with vicious, reptilian claws that clicked against the stone floor.

The monster was in the process of wrapping itself around the other demons, laughing as they screamed in pain.

Hoping that it was sufficiently preoccupied, Juliana crept out of the stairwell and ducked into the shadows behind the overturned shelves.

Shadow twitched as he heard something and stopped his gleeful torment of the two unfortunate spirits, scanning the room for any sign of movement.

Without a backwards glance, he gave a vicious snap of his jaws, relieving the demons of their heads and scattering them into the ether. Slinking over the debris, he wrapped his head round a corner just in time to see Juliana break cover and run for the exit.

"A runner..." he almost purred, "How delightful."

Then he bounded after her, flowing over the terrain as if his body was more liquid than solid.

Juliana twisted around and shot a blast of energy towards him but he ignored it, letting it spark harmlessly off his scaly hide.

"Yes," Shadow whispered delightedly, "Struggle for survival, little one, give me everything you've got. I just adore the chase. Just save enough energy to scream, won't you."

Juliana darted down an alley, pushing herself off of the wall to change direction faster, but Shadow was as mobile as an alley cat, shrinking and growing in size to perfectly fit the spaces. She felt as though she were outrunning a flood more than a monster.

Eventually the alley opened up and she found herself running across a large park, filled with beautiful flower displays and statues of men in Greek and Roman style armour.

Shadow leapt out of the alley behind her, vaulting over her and blocking her way.

She skidded to a halt and threw up a shield, blocking the giant claw coming to seize her.

Shadow laughed and snapped his jaws down on the shield, shattering it instantly and sending her flying backwards.

She gasped in pain on the impact but had to immediately roll away from the oncoming claw.

"Why won't you scream? Come now, is this not scary enough? Scream for me, won't you? It's been so long since I've been on earth."

Juliana snarled at him, then reached into her pocket and withdrew a purple stone, pulsing with the radiance of a thousand fires.

"Get back!" she shouted.

Shadow eyed the stone and took a tentative step backwards.

"Where did you get that?" Shadow asked, the malicious purring suddenly gone.