Ikelos (The Ephemeral: Book 2)

Chapter 9

I retreated slightly, and the Pans flanking my brother pushed away from the wall, forming a barricade of swords, spears, and axes. I shifted my weight forward and ground my heels into the dirt, ready for a fight.

Demon Tom tsked at me. He was even worse than before—skin flaking in multiple areas, black veins bulging in his neck and across his scarred cheek, thick walnut hair matted in areas where it hadn't yet fallen from his scalp.

I stared at him—this husk of a man—and tried not to cry.  "How did you beat me to the Gates?"

He tilted his head at me, amused by the question. "We sensed your presence a mile away. You gave us plenty of time."

Dammit. I knew the demons could sniff me out, but apparently, I reeked of the paranormal so bad, they could smell me from hundreds of yards away. That was new, and it definitely complicated things. 

Tom's possessor took a moment to scrutinize me, likely assessing what kind of threat I posed, and then his gaze passed over the entrance. "Your stench is overpowering; it masks all other human odors. Which begs the question: did you, or did you not come alone?"

My heart stalled, but I hoped my poker face would convince him that I was indeed a solo act. "If I said I had an army outside waiting for my signal, would you believe me?"

The corner of his mouth twitched.  "No."

I didn't have a battalion at my beck and call, but I did have Mason and Harmon. By now, they likely thought me dead or captured, and I wasn't sure how to proceed without condemning all three of us.  Could I draw the demons back into town? Free up the gate for Harmon's taking? Convince my companions to leave me behind and save themselves?

Demon Tom looked me over again, but this time, his eyes bled with conceit. "You've backed yourself into a corner, Ikelos. Run all you like. Tire yourself. It will make your arrest an easy feat."

My chest felt like it was caving in on itself, but somehow, I managed a bold smile. "You willing to bet on that, Third Degree?"

The Pan snorted at my audacity. "You really have no regard for your own safety, do you? I left you choking on your own blood, and here you are again, trying to save your brother's soul."

I bit down another insult. I was here for Will's sake, not his. But he didn't need to know that.

"So what, are you the demon ringleader now?" I asked, trying to stifle the ache of unfamiliarity in my bones. Doing my best to stall our fight as I thought up an escape plan. "Godric's new appointee?"

"Leadership runs in my blood," he replied coolly, gesturing to the faded badges on his sleeve. Tom's badges. 

It made me seethe.

"And, as an authority figure, I don't have time to deal with your juvenile coup." He glanced at his subordinates, irreverent and unperturbed. "Bring her to the square."

"Alive?" asked a female Pan. Black, ghastly boils covered her face and arms, her flesh bubbling like magma, her blood oozing like oil.  

"Breathing," the demon clarified. He looked back at me with a cruel expression. "We'll turn her into a creature worthy of her title."

Fear shot through my system like a web of lighting, recharging my adrenaline and cauterizing the fresh wounds in my heart. With my mind made up, I spun and sprinted for the Gates behind me. The demons rushed to follow, but I pushed ahead, racing Death and its minions.

As I passed the threshold into Belgate, my gaze briefly flitted to the meadow, but I couldn't spot the boys. I had to hope they'd found another way out, or at the very least, managed to find a better hiding spot. If enough Pans followed me into town, maybe I could give them the window they needed.