Raven of Water

Chapter 26: Chambers

When I fell through the void, I found myself standing in a tidy yet bare room. There were no windows, and the stone walls had a reddish hue that was only amplified by the large, ornate fireplace complete with a flickering yellow-orange fire.

Shuddering and not caring about much other than heat, I stepped up to the fire and began warming myself and shaking out my wet hair. A large bed dominated one wall, and the wall across from the fireplace was taken up by a massive oak bookcase stuffed with ancient looking tomes.

Curious, I tore myself away from the warmth of the fire and strode over to a writing desk adorned with a mess of papers and open books. I ran a shivering, cold hand over the items before noticing a framed photo of the woods. The idyllic photo seemed out of place in this space devoid of plants, of nature. Then I recognized the handwriting scrawled over some of the papers.

"Kai..."

"Fuck."

His whispered curse had me whirling around to find Kai entering the space via door hadn't noticed. I stepped towards him, considering whether to tell him of the experience I'd just had, but I stopped dead when I realized he wasn't alone.

With him was an unnervingly tall human-like creature with reddish skin, pointed teeth, and rippling muscles. When the creature's orange eyes locked with mine, I felt as if my soul was being prodded and tugged. The sensation was nauseating, and I took another step back as the towering demon shoved past Kai and entered the room, approaching me with haunting and predatory preciseness.

"Well, Kirroz, it looks like you can call off the search for the errant which. She appears to have found her own way into the netherworld just in time to open the portal in 24 hours." The creature's words were rasped like wind through dried grass, and I scoffed as I took another step back before bumping into the warm stone of the wall behind me.

The creature grinned, and its evil leer told me what I needed to know. This was one of the evil beings that wanted me to let it into my world.

"How did you get here?" The creature asked, cocking his head to the side as a forked tongue flicked out and tasted the air. He'd be handsome if he wasn't so... monstrous. His visage made my Kai look normal in his demon form.

"Magic." I shrugged my answer, noticing Kai moving nearer in the corner of my vision. The raven's expression was unreadable.

Following my response, the monster hissed, drawing my attention back to it. I considered the knife in my pocket as the being twitched, feeling the pleasant weight and thrum of earth magic on the item. If I was fast enough, then I could ram the pointed tip of the blade into the thing's throat. I could kill it before it could kill me. I could destroy before it could destroy.

"Dazruur, leave my chambers."

Kai's words slithered over my skin, though I didn't dare look away from the being to read my raven's expression.

The thing ignored Kai's orders as it spoke. "Witch, I am the dark lord's favorite. Do you know why?"

I frowned, feeling my outrage over what was happening to me returning along with my powers. Apparently, this creature wasn't the dark lord, so if I killed it, then I'd be no in no better position than I was currently. The dark lord was the one with real power, the one who was orchestrating this whole apocalypse thing.

The demon had said that the ceremony would be in 24 hours. That's when I needed to use that knife on my enemies or, if need be, on myself. No matter what, I wouldn't open the door for this evil.

Conviction settled in me as I lifted my chin and replied. "The lord has terrible taste in minions? That's why you're favored?"

I saw Kai smirk as the monster's already dark gaze grew darker with my question, though when it spoke, it didn't acknowledge my jab. "I can read intention, emotion. If that fucker," Dazruur pointed a long, clawed finger at Kai, "is scheming with you, I'll know."