Closing my eyes, I tugged at the thread that somehow linked me to Max and transmuted the blood and elixir into a cold splash of magic that jolted him into alertness. With little care, it slapped at him and tore away the apathy until his mind became clear.
Free of Durin’s parasitic essence, Max’s fury blazed anew. I felt something kick inside his chest and saw the golden fire that was the magical half of him roar to life. And then he was shifting. Thrust out of his consciousness by the shift, my eyes snapped open to find the room had lapsed into eerie silence. All attention tracked to the far perimeter where the enormous fire demon was now standing in front of the portal.
The thing was a terrifying mix of flesh and elemental. It was twice the height of a normal man. Black horns protruded from its head on either side. They curled at the front into a structure that was meant for gouging. Its shoulders were broader than the wide stance of its legs. The sinewy muscles were unadorned by armour or weapons. Why would it need them when it was stoked in fire? It burned like the heart of a volcano, feathering out into flames that licked its shoulders and ran along its arms and legs. Every time the thing moved, flames dripped from its limbs and ignited in the earth, even where there was nothing to burn.
Other demons streamed out of the portal. The inner-circle shifters intercepted them as best they could. Goblins, trolls, and winged wyverns cut through the first wave of demons that tried to infiltrate the Reserve.
The fire demon swiped his arm out and fire fell from the sky in big droplets that burned everything it touched to ash. “Where are the elite guard?” somebody wailed.
Locked out or preoccupied with other problems, I would imagine. We could really use the services of the water Fae right about now. But it was a moot point. They weren’t here and focusing on it wouldn’t help us in any way.
A creature with scales of luminous silver entered our field of vision from the left. For a second, I did a double take thinking it was Doctor Thorne. The basilisk’s cheeks and stomach were bloated. He took a running start. Halfway to the fire demon, his wings snapped out and he lifted into the air. Water shot out of his mouth in a focused beam that splashed the demon in the head. It knocked the demon backwards, but the stream of water turned to steam almost on contact.
Several shifters in the room whimpered. Fire was one of the only ways to kill a supernatural. That kind of fire with a heat steeped in demonic energy wasn’t something they could fight against. And yet, when Max went for the demon, he did so with absolutely no hesitation.
In his new shifter form, Max was almost as big as the demon. In a half shift, he managed to maintain the dexterity a humanoid form provided combined with the powerful muscles of the lion. His head became a frightening amalgamation of man and beast, the mane that protected his head now glowing in streaks of blue and pink.
Not caring that he would be burned, Max slammed his fist into the fire demon’s head. They clashed in an inferno of rage and hate, their hits causing the air to rumble and the ground to shake. The fire demon snapped a kick at Max’s sternum, pushing him back as flames tried to eat into his chest. Max gave a low groan. My heart tried to stop beating, before the flames became blanketed in gold and snuffed out.
The look in Max’s eyes when he lowered his head was murderous. The shifters that were fighting close to his feet scrambled out of the way as Max pawed at the ground with his clawed feet. Thrusting out an arm, the demon shot a beam of blue-hearted fire at Max. Ducking out of the way, Max launched himself straight at the outstretched arm. His claws unsheathed and he drove them into the demon’s chest. The momentum pushed both of them backwards. Max rolled as they landed. The fire demon burned the earth as he touched it, flames springing from the ground like daisies. All around, the shifter and para-human guards were doing their best to put out the fires. Right now, they were as big a threat as the demon. With their attention split, more and more demons were able to break away and come screaming towards us.
The guards below were ready for them, tearing into them with a brutal efficiency that was both awe-inspiring and gut-wrenching at the same time.
Max and the demon came to a stop with Max on top. He drew his arm back, claws flashing in the light of the red moon, and drove it back down into the demon’s neck. The thing bellowed. Its whole body ignited. Grunting, Max held on as the demon’s body began to levitate from the heat of the flames.
A flash of purple light whipped through the air. I gasped, but Max managed to jump back just in time to avoid being struck by the dirty blow from Agatha. Overhead, the para-human guards were attempting to reach her. But every time they got close, she emitted a flash of purple like a bomb exploding and they were thrown aside.
With skin now coiling with smoke from where he had been singed, Max drew himself up. The fire demon leaped to its feet, a whip of pure flames appearing in its left hand. Knowing now that Max was slightly immune to its fire, the demon tried to keep Max at bay using the weapon. The first snap of the whip sliced through Max’s left thigh. He groaned as his leg buckled. My hands were clenched so hard I was going to be crippled if we got
