Total pages in book: 158
Estimated words: 145341 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 727(@200wpm)___ 581(@250wpm)___ 484(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 145341 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 727(@200wpm)___ 581(@250wpm)___ 484(@300wpm)
Lada is having a difficult time walking, Siv, Gaia reported. Andros will have to carry her. Grigor is away with Karine. There is one demon to your left nearest the portal who keeps sniffing the air and turning back toward us. You will need a bigger distraction. I’ll cover their tracks in the snow if you can divert attention without getting killed.
Afanasiv held his arms straight out, sword gone, deliberately looking only at the four men who stood in front of him, as if he’d forgotten completely about those behind him. “I’m sorry about your commander. He wasn’t as good with his sword as he thought he was. Lilith has a very large reward out for me. If you want a prize like that one, you have to earn it.”
He spoke softly so the demons would have to strain to hear what he said. That drew those behind him out from around the portal leading from the underworld to aboveground. He felt their movements, their heady triumph as they closed ranks behind him in a loose semicircle.
Afanasiv. Vasilisa sounded distressed. Let me help you.
It will be fine, sívamet. Just be ready with your blue fire. He kept his tone calm and reassuring. She didn’t know him that well yet. He was an ancient, well versed in battle. He wasn’t showing off; he was stalling, giving Andros time to get his lady to safety. What Siv was doing might be considered a calculated risk, but he was certain he would have no trouble fighting off the demons as they attacked him—if his woman stayed put and he didn’t have to worry about her.
A hum began, that low note started by one of the demons off to his right. That demon was dressed in a blue-colored shirt, and he had black spiked hair with blue tips. His thick horns were sharp tips, and the broad forehead indicated it was bony and extremely strong. Because he started the hum and the others followed suit, it stood to reason he was next in charge.
They spoke to one another in their demon language, but Afanasiv had spent time in the underworld, and he had no problem picking up languages. On the signal, they were all to attack at once. That wasn’t a surprise, either. It was a common enough tactic the demons used when falling on their prey before they tore it to pieces with their sharp, serrated teeth.
“Really, gentlemen, you’re going to cheat? Where is the honor in that? Oh, I forgot. You’re demons. There is no honor in demons. That means I don’t have to fight fair, either.”
The sword once more leapt into his hand as the demons crowded even closer to him. He spun in a smooth circle, the razor-sharp blade slicing through bellies as he completed the circle before the demons were even aware he had moved. The second spin, he went low, taking legs out from under them, his speed blurring his image. On the third spin, the demons became aware of the fact that most had to hold their bellies to keep their intestines from spilling out. Then their legs were suddenly not attached just above the knees, and black blood poured onto the snow. That terrible blade of Afanasiv’s was going for necks this time, severing heads as he spun.
Some of the demons tried to retaliate, holding up their swords in an effort to block the blade coming at them. The force and speed of Afanasiv’s attack made it nearly impossible to stop. Swords went flying and arms went numb. He was using the strength given to him by so many years of hunting the undead. So many centuries of battling with vampires had honed him into a fighting machine. He knew the majority of the tricks from every conceivable enemy he faced.
Your charges are away, Gaia reported. Good luck to all of you.
Thank you for your aid, Afanasiv said.
Vasilisa echoed his thanks. Perhaps sometime in the not-so-distant future, Gaia, we will be able to sit down and have a nice evening talk together.
Sometime, Gaia agreed.
The few demons—and there were only three of them left able to walk or wield a sword—backed away from him and tried to run for the portal. Vasilisa was there ahead of them, sealing it off from those below as well as from those above. There couldn’t be a crack or crevice open that the demons might take advantage of. She was thorough, even as she sent the blue flames to incinerate the fallen demons. Very carefully, she consecrated the ground, making certain the demons could no longer use it for coming or going.
The three demons trapped on the surface turned to face Afanasiv, spreading out to give themselves room to fight him. They talked over their strategy using their language to do so.