"Where would she have gotten such a thing?" Rilyin hissed. And it was then I noticed the bloody footprints.
"Sir, your feet," I pointed.
He didn't look down. "Glass in the Infirmary," he said simply. "I'm fine."
"Rilyin, that is a lot of blood," Desraeon added.
"Well, there was a lot of glass up there," he said testily.
I ignored his unwarranted frustration, tracking the steps all the way back to the portal door, relieved it did appear the footprints had lightened significantly the further into the holding cells we'd gotten.
The air at the bend in the hallway, feet from the portal door, shimmered.
"Can the doors be closed from this side?" I whispered, as softly as I could, knowing they would both hear me.
Rilyin stepped closer. "Yes. Why?"
"We're not alone."
He peered down the hallway. "What do you see? I don't hear anything." He tilted his head. "Wait."
The shimmering air moved closer and the bloody footprints in front of the portal door smeared.
"Close it. Close it now," I hissed.
Rilyin bolted.
The shimmer split right down the middle, like someone had opened a door to a realm of monsters, and rotting skeletons spilled out.
Rilyin hit the wall next to the door and the section of wall slid away. He pressed his hand to the screen, punched in a code, and the door hissed shut.
"How did they do that?" he gasped.
Desraeon looked down at me. "How did you see them?"
"There was a shimmer in the air."
"A shimmer?" Desraeon swore.
"What does that mean?"
"Oria magic. Did you see anything on their stomachs?"
I gaped at him. "I'm sorry to say, inspecting their stomachs never crossed my mind."
"Drop the sarcasm and think."
I rolled my eyes. "Lexicon?"
The image crowded my vision. "I believe he is talking about this right here," Lexicon said, zeroing in on the stomachs of the two Carnac in the lead. The same one-and-a-half-inch scar on the stomach of the Carnac in the Infirmary was also on theirs, just to the right of their withered gray belly buttons.
I blinked as the image disappeared and Desraeon's chin came into focus.
"Yes. Two of them had it. What is it?"
"The mark of a Xepa Blade—a weapon that can extract the Magic or Poeir from an individual and transfer it to another."
My insides twisted, remembering Daniel's blade against my throat.
"It appears someone extracted Magic from an Oria and gave it to these demons. That is the only explanation for their ability to create an invisibility shield and, most notably, breach the Rest House."
A bang exploded against the other side of the door and the ground trembled beneath us.
"There isn't another way out of here, is there?" I asked doubtfully.
"No. No there isn't," Rilyin said, stepping over Kovei, a new determination in his step. "Where are the FengDohrn?"
I paused.
YOU ARE READING
The Opelux and Other Monsters || Book One
Teen FictionHer memory was taken. Her skills were not. Her very presence is a threat to everything he has ever cared for. They might make a powerful team... if they don't kill each other first. Once upon a time... In a land where the most powerful can be ki...
CHAPTER 49 - ORION
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