Into the Realm: The Chronicles of Carter Blake, Book I

Chapter 12

1

Durrgedenn and I lay on our bellies, peering over the crest of a hill. Belial's army was behind us, following our trail. They were too far away for us to make out individual demons. I sighed and glanced at my companion. "Okay. You were right. We are being followed. Any ideas how?"

The Clan Leader shook his head, his patchy beard waving in the breeze. If you looked close, you could see the scabs from where he tore his facial hair out. "I think we should try to capture one and make it talk."

"I don't see that happening, somehow. They're demons, remember."

"Good point. Let's find out if Lady Orwen has any ideas."

We crept down the back of the tor, and trotted to our companions.

"Are they following us?" Weijia asked.

"Yes. I'm willing to bet with this." I tapped the collar. I glanced at Adora. "Your Highness, can you sense anything about this thing?"

She reached out and touched her slender fingers to the metal. Her eyes turned white, and glowed. When they returned to their normal piercing blue, she shook her hand as if burned. "It's tainted by the Hells. It's presence here corrupts the natural world."

"Good to know." I nodded, scratching my belly. "But am I being tracked by it?"

She glared at me. "I was getting to that, Carter. A tracking spell is on the collar."

"Wonderful. Would you be able to remove this blasted thing?"

"Yes, I — "

A flash of light and a crash of thunder interrupted her. I was knocked on my ass, my vision fogging. I shook my head, and rubbed my eyes. I heard a familiar voice.

"Enoyreve, pots!"

I rolled to my feet, and saw her, my Rishka. "Dearbhaile."

She turned to me. Her face was ageless, neither old nor young, though in it was written the memory of many things both glad and sorrowful. Her hair, a fiery dark orange like a maple leaf in the fall in direct light; her eyes were emerald and in them a light as of the stars. Thought and new knowledge were in her glance which pierced me to my innermost secrets. The lady's grace was such she seemed to glide across the ground as she approached.

As I drank in the sight of her, I felt weightless like gravity had vanished. My mouth stretched in a goofy grin. She wore an electric blue robe trimmed in white. The way she moved had me sweating and my pulse racing. "Carter." Her poetic voice enraptured me as always.

A stinging slap rocked me on my heels. "What were ye thinkin'? Why did ye nae listen tae me when I said we could fin' another way?" Another slap made my ears ring, and sent her hair over her face. "Why did I have tae suffer fer two months thinking ye might have been killed?"

My right cheek was on fire. The eye on that side watered. 'Shit that hurt. How did she get here?' A third slap, on the left this time, snapped me out of my daze. The world snapped to a crawl, my perceptions shifted. A fourth slap came across my cheek, then a splash of blood struck her eyes as a meter long spike erupted from my chest. A demon was behind me. It had the lower body of a skeletal horse, the torso of a man, the head of a sickly ram with the face of a fly and had spiked bone for arms. One of those had been rammed through my back while Dearbhaile slapped me.

The world snapped back to its normal movement. I caught Dearbhaile's arm, and yanked her to the ground. At the same time, I side-stepped and spun. The demon's arm went through the air. My move had caught the fiend by surprise: the monstrosity almost toppled over. Durrgedenn charged the beast with his sword and a mighty cry. I regained my balance and drew my sword in time for his shout to be cut off with a sickening crunch.