Marek looked at her, relief shining in his dark eyes. She probably owed him an apology.
Cass frowned as she glanced beyond them and spotted more portals opening. How many daemons did the enemy have on their side? She couldn’t even guess at the number of dead that lay on the battlefield around them.
Judging by the state of Daimon’s brothers, it had already been too many.
Valen, Marek and Ares, and even Keras had multiple injuries, were bleeding from several wounds as they fought the daemons and tried to fight the two Erinyes. The twin blondes were too fast, easily dodging fireballs and lightning, spears of earth and shadows as they attempted to get closer to the gate again.
Daimon’s brothers had their hands full.
She looked at the daemons who were piling over the remains of an earthen wall.
Maybe it was time she levelled the playing field a little.
Cass focused on the spell, building the same one she had used in Tokyo, even though she knew it would drain her. Daimon fought at her back, dealing with any daemons who got too close to the gate. Her magic twined around him, drawn to his power, and she held it back, unwilling to draw on him. She could feel he was weak, struggling as it was to fight the enemies and work on the gate.
She muttered the incantation. She clenched her fists as magic surged through her, leaving her trembling in its wake, and exploded from her in a shockwave. It rolled across the land, disintegrating the dead and sending the weaker living daemons flying, leaving only the strongest ones behind. When it neared the wall, it shot upwards, forming a dome over the area.
The daemons outside it immediately began battering it, every strike of their fists feeling like a blow dealt to her. They echoed on her body, faint for now, but if the fight carried on for too long there would be a cumulative effect and she would really start feeling them.
Daimon’s brothers didn’t miss a beat, kept on fighting as the number of daemons they were facing dwindled, giving them more chances to attack the Erinyes.
Several daemons attempted to make a run for it upon seeing the odds were now stacked against them instead.
They hit the edge of the barrier and bounced off it, landing on their backsides.
She smiled wickedly.
Her barriers worked both ways. Nothing got in.
Nothing got out.
Lightning bounced off the dome, tearing a grunt from her lips and a ripe curse from Valen. When the bright white-purple flash came again, it surged up from below, striking several daemons through their legs.
Ares and Marek switched tactics too, drawing the daemons away from the barrier so their attacks wouldn’t strike it.
Keras tore through a group with his shadows and smiled coldly when a feminine shriek pierced the din of battle. Maybe he did resemble his father, had that same darkness within him, as deep and black as an abyss.
The furie he had found shot up into the air, a shadow snaring her leg, and screamed as it twisted with her, bringing her back down in a swift and brutal arc. She smashed into two male daemons, knocking them flying, and rolled across the grass.
Cass launched a spell at her as she struggled onto her feet, and then another and another as the female spotted her and rolled left and right, evading her attacks. The furie pushed onto her knees and then her feet, and sprinted towards her on a low vicious hiss.
The light of the closing gate washed over her face as she thundered towards Cass.
Cass broke away from the gate, hoping to give Daimon time to close it.
She ran at the furie, grunted as they collided and slammed her palm into the female’s stomach. The blonde hissed as she flew backwards, violet light sizzling over her skin, and hit the ground hard.
The second furie whipped to face her, bared fangs and growled as she spotted her sister on the ground.
She lashed out at Marek with her claws, driving him back, and made a break for it, charging towards Cass.
Shadows seized her legs and she hit the ground face-first.
The first furie was on her feet and running at Cass again. Cass launched minor spells at her, ones designed to knock her away and do some damage. They were low level and wouldn’t drain her. She needed to reserve most of her energy for maintaining the barrier.
The goddess dodged most of the spells that zoomed at her and grunted when one struck her shoulder, spinning her backwards. She found her footing and came at Cass again, faster this time.
Cass bit out a curse in Russian.
She summoned a barrier spell and shoved both of her hands forwards, sending a glowing blue wall at the female.
The furie broke straight through it as if it was paper and barrelled into Cass.
“Cass!” Daimon yelled and she wrestled with the goddess, using her magic to give her a boost in strength.
“I have this,” she shouted, not quite sure that she did have it when the furie caught her with her talons, raking them across her side and cutting through her corset. “Take care of the gate.”
Because it was almost closed.
The furie threw a desperate look at it.
And then off to her right.
The second goddess was on her feet again, running for Daimon. Shadows chased her and lightning shot up from the ground all around her. She nimbly dodged and rolled, leaped and managed to evade all of the attacks as she closed in on Daimon.
Cass threw a spell at her.
Regretted it when the one she had been using to boost her strength faltered, the drain on her magic proving too much.
The barrier around them
