Rising Tides | 2

17 | E m b e r

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Demons. Just when I thought things couldn't get worse around here, demons showed up. They had been prepared to fight. How did they even know we were here? The eerie sight of them worried me more than they made me afraid. Demons were the servants of Oremis, and if they were here, then so was he.

I slid a long blade from the pocket on the side of my calf. Wren ran on my left. Calix was on my right. We were on the front lines, the first to come in contact with the enemy. Rebel boots thundered against the marbled flooring. General Hatis surged ahead, arms outstretched as he tore demon dogs apart.

They were the first to reach us. My mind flashed back to one of my first days in this world when these dogs attacked me. I had been useless then. Now, they wouldn't stand a chance.

My blade sliced through the air, coming in contact with its first victim. The dog had lunged at me from across the dry fountain, leaping where water should have been. Saliva dripped from its jaws as it snapped at my arm. It whimpered as the blade sank into its chest, breaking the dog's jump. The caniree fell to the ground, wounded but not dead. It quickly recovered and jumped at me again, snarling. The dog was too quick for me to lash out again, and its claws sank into my shoulders, ripping through the fabric of my shirt.

It knocked me onto the ground. My head hit the stone hard. A throbbing at the back of my head began, and I was sure I was bleeding. The caniree loomed over me, ready to kill. It growled and stank of death and burned flesh. The smell sent bile into my throat.

With a swift movement, I grabbed the caniree's throat and ignited my arm with flames. The fire spread across my fingers and coated the caniree. It yelped and fell back, shriveling and burning under the force of my fire.

I quickly rolled to my feet. The battle raged on around me. People fell from both sides. Demons conquered rebels in fits of screaming and agony. The caniree were easily put down, and the Guard seemed to go after those who were dazed by the demons.

I pushed forward, slashing at any enemy I could find in the crowded space. I crushed skulls with my mind and set limbs on fire all while trying to push my way towards the large, imperial staircase that led to the palace entrance. Tyler was inside, and I feared that he wasn't alone.

Suddenly, a wave of water soared over my head and shot down on those in front of me. The water parted around the rebels, only colliding into the enemy. They went down quickly, demons too, and I whipped my head around to see what had happened.

Wren and three others stood in front of the fountain, arms raised and water pouring out from the source behind them. He caught my glance.

"Go!" he yelled over the roaring sound of the water.

Already, demons were recovering. I turned back around and sprinted in the direction of the staircase. All around me, rebels forced people and creatures down, giving me a path. I ran past Adara, who was giving a caniree hell. It yelped in pain as its skin burned from the white lightning that struck through the dark sky. Calix was close by, weaving in and out of visibility to gift lethal blows to those around him. Bear and Giovanni stood side by side, forming cages of lightning and fire around the demons as they rose.

I was almost to the foot of the staircase when something from behind wailed a terrible noise and pulled me back by my hair with great force. I gasped and fell, rolling across the courtyard and losing grip on my blade. It clattered uselessly to the side. When my fall was broken by a lifeless caniree, I looked up to see who, or what, had attacked me.