Night Lords

Part III Chapter 8

Part III Chapter 8

As night drew in and the birds went to bed, the crickets chirped, and Desa, Tasha, and I made our way to the canyon. We had long debated whether we should or not, but with me in front, like a personal Deemon detector, I could scout ahead to prove their theory. My heart thrummed in my chest; nervous and, I suppose, a little afraid of what I'd discover, I pushed on, running through thick forests, jumping over lakes and darting up a dormant volcano.

I stopped on the precipice of the canyon and gasped as I saw a huge cavernous fissure run straight ahead of me and to my left. The sides of the canyon were sheer drops to the bottom. But I could not hazard a guess how far down it was, perhaps a mile, maybe more. Jumping from this height may prove a difficult landing. It's not that our bones couldn't handle the landing, but I could not see the bottom clearly, and from this distance, I could not sense any Deemons.

I waited for Desa and Tasha to join me; they stood frozen as though ready to run. 'No, I do not sense any Deemons. I'm too far away,' I told them. 'Desa, where is Magellan's Tree?'

She frowned shrewdly. 'So, you know what it's called. From what I remember, it's about a ten-minute run from here, due east.' She pointed ahead. 'I'd slide down the cliff, jumping down...'

'Yes,' I agreed, 'I don't know what's down there. I'll send you a sign once I'm down there.' Angling my body, I gripped onto the side and started slipping down, digging my hands into the stone. After a few minutes, I finally saw the bottom and realised it was nothing but bracken and rocks; I let go and fell, landing neatly on the ground, cracking the stone beneath me.

When the dust cleared, I took stock of what I was in and didn't see anything alive or sense any Deemons. In truth, I had never discovered how far I away I needed to be to sense Deemons. All I knew was if they were close to me, I could tell just from the feeling in my arms whether I was dealing with one or more. But down here, I felt nothing. If there were dozens of them, as Desa was expecting, I should have been able to feel them. But I didn't.

I broke a large rock that sent a plume up into the air. And after several minutes, Desa and Tasha slid down the cliff face to us.

I dug into my boot and pulled out my silver knife as we started at a quick jog, headed into the canyon.

After a few minutes of running, I felt the prickling sensation course up my arm, and I came to a sudden halt, unable to move. My hands felt like they were on fire. 'What's wrong?' Desa asked.

Tasha came to my side and stared at my hands. 'It's happening again?' I nodded. She turned to Desa. 'Petra can sense Deemons nearby, but there's much more than we can all handle. It seems that your theory is correct, Desa. Deemons are by the tree or the place where Titus fell. Regardless, they are protecting the entrance to the Deemon King's lair.' She sighed. 'Which means it's important.' Desa stared ahead. 'Can you create a diversion?' She asked. 'Lead them away while we search the area?'

Pondering on that, Desa nodded. 'Fine. We'll approach cautiously, and then I'll create a diversion. If they all don't follow, I'll double back, and we'll meet by that mountain,' she thumbed behind. Nodding at me, she asked, 'Can you tell how many we are dealing with?'

'A lot,' I replied. 'I can usually give a roundabout figure, but I'm guessing over one hundred here.'

'ONE HUNDRED?' Tasha gasped. 'That's more than what you dealt with at the mansion!'

I took a deep breath. 'Considering I cannot even see them from here suggests that there are more than I have ever faced before. If there are more than that, we should leave.'