Page 17 (2/2)
Neither Trent nor Nina answered ers leavingin a silent prayer, he put his ribbon about his neck Seeing hiain at his ic user His motions were quick and decisive, but there was a new solemn thread to his every action that screaaer than a demon’s, and erous and unreliable
"What if he’s gone?" Nina said, and we all jerked as a tiny pebble rolled alrass, eyes showed A silhouette rose, ragged, as if he wasn’t real My breath quickened as I felt Trent pull lowed to low stretched all the way to the surface de to shred the first layer of reality from it to expose the spirit it really was
I reached behind ic pulled at o home I’d been there once, vulnerable to its summons
Scared, I looked up at the black dome the sky made "Bis? Jenks!" I shouted
"I don’t think that’s Felix," Nina said, and I agreed The hatred shining fro But he was someone Cormel, maybe? Luke’s master? Ivy’s mother? They weren’t demons, they were lost souls, shoved into the hell of the de until the body died and ain
Oh God Don’t letcarefully to not touch his spiral, Trent set a thumb-size bottle at the very center, upside down and still stoppered with a black wax A faint glow raced froasped, and I winced at the al It was co from it like the heart of creation
Even ," I said as rass like lions
Crouching, Trent touched the red-drawn circle around the spiral, and a not-there shi closed to loithin it It was his containrew
"Nina," he said, hair falling into his face and a glow about his hands thatlike himself "Once he shows, lure him into the spiral You can pass in and out of it, but don’t touch any of the lines The spell should ignore you, even if you touch the spiral, but no need to take chances Once the surface demon touches any part of the spiral, he’ll have no recourse but to walk it That will force his essence into the bottle"
Is this how he capturedme
"Are you sure?" she warbled, clearly ready to break
"Pretty sure"
I looked at the glowing eyes inching closer,what to do, but not ould happen Trent’severy surface demon within a hundred miles "Trent, how can I help here?" I asked, and Nina erous plinked throughsouls to him, mine included, and I wouldn’t be able to stop hi an odd cadence, not quite chanting, but oh so close, and it pulled at me "I don’t like what your aura looks like Stay out of the coluht!"
The woed in, e closer, and I itched to invoke the outer protection circle "Jenks!" I shouted, searching for the sound of wings "Talk to me!"
But the surface de out your hand," I suggested, and she shook her head, eyes almost entirely black as she retreated
"That’s not him," she whispered
I turned to Trent for his opinion, and in that instant--the surface deh me I jerked Nina out of the way,at us "Detrudo!" I shouted, locking e of power
The surface deht hi hi bare li his chant rising through me "There’re tooat the dark
I couldn’t see crap Jenks and Bis were still AWOL, and frustrated, I made a fist and pointed it at the sky "Leno cinis!" I shouted, funneling a crapload of energy through ined circle above us A burst of aht lit the entire area in a flash
Nina cowered as the surface deht I didn’t want to invoke the perih of relief as the grass rustled like dead cornstalks on All Hallows’ Eve as they faded back But they didn’t go far
"I don’t think he’s here," I said softly, not wanting to interrupt Trent’s chanting
I turned, lips parting as I saw hiht fro hi Al like this flashed overTrent involved in this?
Nina cried out in fear, and I spun But it was only Bis and Jenks, and I yanked the energy fro it burn as I dissolved the outer edges and it collapsed
"Do what you need to do and be quick," the pixy said, then did a double take at Trent, still chanting "It’s like someone yelled free lunch"
And we’re the entrée, I thought, flicking thede Felix away?" Jenks said<ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:block" data-ad-client="ca-pub-7451196230453695" data-ad-slot="9930101810" data-ad-format="auto" data-full-width-responsive="true"></ins>