Song of Shadow and Light (BxB)

Chapter 36

Kaelan was locked in battle against Shale, who fought back just as fiercely. The demon didn't hold any weapons, but with his magic, he was able to attack the cleric with his demonic vines. The vines lashed out at Kaelan, who cut them down whenever they tried to strike him. Kaelan was focused and kept slashing at Shale. His anger was getting the better of him, but he stayed concentrated. His only goal was to get revenge.

While the cleric and demon fought against each other, Atticus ran to Thaddeus' side. He wanted to get him away from the line of fire. Kaelan wouldn't hurt the warrior, but Shale might. Thaddeus could be used against Kaelan if given the opportunity. Atticus knelt beside Thaddeus, who was still bleeding. Close up, the demon could see how badly wounded the warrior was. Thaddeus had two deep slashes going across his chest and was bleeding from his mouth as well. What worried Atticus the most was the cut across Thaddeus' neck. It was a miracle Shale didn't kill him.

"You idiot . . . if you would have played along, then you wouldn't be in this state right now." Atticus gently grabbed Thaddeus' left arm and made him put it around the demon's shoulder. Atticus stood up, supporting Thaddeus as best as he could. While Shale was distracted, he would get Thaddeus to a safe place before joining Kaelan in battle.

Despite his wounds, Thaddeus couldn't help chuckling. "I couldn't do that to Kaelan. He would be heartbroken if I gave in to Shale's request. Besides, I wasn't expecting this. I didn't know he would have such a short circuit and attack me. He's really fucking strong."

It was a surprise that Shale was able to do so much damage to Thaddeus. Atticus may not have seen Thaddeus in a fight, but he wouldn't have been chosen as Kaelan's warrior for no reason. Not just anyone could be chosen for a task so important. Something else must have happened during the fight that prevented Thaddeus from gaining the advantage.

"What happened to you, Thaddeus? I doubt Shale could have bested you this easily," Atticus commented.

Shale was a new demon. He would still be developing his powers. Thaddeus would have been as well, but Thaddeus was also trained to fight demons. He wasn't a stranger to fighting.

Thaddeus felt as though he was getting heavier as he leaned against Atticus. They were almost out of the chapel doors as the warrior answered, "I don't know. When I was battling against him, I lost consciousness. I ended up in a lot of pain for no reason, and then I passed out. When I came to, Shale had the upper hand."

The warrior took a moment to catch his breath when they were finally away from the battle. Atticus helped him lean against the wall before sitting down with him on the ground. Thaddeus closed his eyes, completely exhausted. Rest sounded good, but Atticus was worried about what would happen if Thaddeus closed his eyes. In his state, Atticus was worried about the worst. They needed Kaelan to heal Thaddeus.

"Atticus . . . what is happening to me? Why am I not dead?" Thaddeus knew that any normal mortal would have died from these wounds. He lost a lot of blood; more blood than a human should have lost.

Atticus sighed. "I know you don't want to hear or believe it, but this is one of the perks of being a demon. You can survive even after this amount of blood loss. However, you're still in bad shape. We need Kaelan's help."

"I'm . . . not a fucking demon," Thaddeus said even though it was getting harder to speak.

"Stubborn until the end." Atticus rolled his eyes.

Thaddeus might deny it now, but he wouldn't be able to forever. He would have to accept what he was once they reached Zarina's domain. Everything would be clear then.

For now, there were bigger things to worry about. Atticus had an idea of how to stop the blood loss, but he wasn't sure if Thaddeus would be okay with it or not. It was a risk he was willing to take of it meant helping Thaddeus.

Atticus mustered up the courage to tell the warrior his plan. With a deep breath, Atticus said, "I can slow down your wounds until Kaelan is able to heal you. I can freeze your blood flow on the inside. You'll survive, but you might not like my method of doing this. The fastest way for me to freeze your blood is by kissing you."

The warrior may not have been in good shape, but this caught his attention. Even though he was badly hurt, he teased, "Are you sure you just don't want to kiss me?"

Atticus blushed and raised his voice, "Of course not! I don't want to kiss you, but this is the fastest way."

He wouldn't suggest this if he had a quicker solution. He didn't wait for Thaddeus' response as he took the warrior's face in his hands, then leaned in to kiss him.

Thaddeus kissed a few men in his lifetime, but this was the first time a kiss had ever felt cold. Atticus' lips were like ice, and Thaddeus could feel a cold sensation shooting down his body. He could feel his veins freezing as Atticus' magic traveled through his body. He wanted to push the demon away, but he was unable to move now that his veins were frozen. The kiss felt like icicles stabbing his body.

Atticus pulled away once the spell was complete. "I'm sorry if that hurt, but you'll thank me later. At least this way, you won't die on us while we fight Shale. You might have survived for this long, but even you have your limits. You'll need to learn what you are capable of handling as your body changes, and you become more of a demon."

Thaddeus wanted to retort, but he couldn't. He couldn't move or speak; he could only watch as the demon stood up and walked away from him to join Kaelan. For the first time since going on this adventure, Thaddeus felt useless. He didn't understand why he suddenly lost the fight against Shale, and he didn't want to believe that the pain he felt was because he was changing. He was a human and no one could tell him otherwise. Atticus was wrong about him. Thaddeus tried moving once more but to no avail. He couldn't stand up to help Kaelan in the fight against Shale.

He was left helpless and alone until the fight was over.