Seeker: Demon Killers [Fantasy/Action | Complete]

Chapter 38: Two Choices

Cimerus struggled to keep his emotions in order. Lilitha was such a pitiful figure in front of him. He knew what the Shadowlings had brought back, the moment when he'd caught her and that Eali eloping. Father was furious. It would have been Cimerus's head rotting in hellfire if he'd failed to bring her back – not that it was ever a difficult task, considering how predictable his sister was. But still, he didn't bargain on how attached she would be for that pathetic little insect. Despite the disgust he felt at the sight of her taking on the weak form, a tiny bit of guilt gnawed away at him.

Especially when Azyazel dumped the Eali's body in the middle like that. He'd told him to 'take care of things', but obviously his second-in-command lacked the slight humanoid emotions he and Lilitha shared. In retrospect, perhaps it was an inconvenience at the time.

He would have justified it all: catching Lilitha, indirectly suggesting he would spare the Eali's life if she returned with them, eradicating the pest – it was because it was all Father wanted. It was for Lilitha's good. Once she returned, he would teach her a lesson; she would regret her stupidity and focus on becoming a great leading general after that. That was what was meant to happen.

Instead, Father took the elopement and failure to secure the Eali realm as the ultimate insult. And he'd sentenced her to a fate worse than death.

No doubt she was reliving the moment when her own brother killed her lover. Those guilt-ridden sobs and the broken voice could not have sounded more human.

And, of course, the Shadowlings loved it. So much loss and sadness – they feasted on it. Cimerus observed it all unfolding before him, waiting for Lilitha to reach the critical moment. Except it didn't arrive as he'd expected. Perhaps going through that difficult time was too much for her psyche, perhaps the presence of Shadowlings as well as the exhaustion from their fight just now proved too much for her human body to take. It was such a fragile form, after all.

"You wish to take Lilitha hostage?" he said to the Sentinel. The tall humanoid stood up, the negation rod clutched in his right hand. "Bludgeoning her with Lyre weaponry won't kill her, you know. It takes a lot more than that."

"Yes, but she can't shift," was the jeering reply. "So all the damage she takes now—" As if to make a point, he rose his foot and stomped. The bottom of the boot connected with Lilitha's left human forearm. A sickening crack snapped through the air. When he raised his leg again, the connecting bones were shattered; the distal part connected to the upper forearm by a flattened bit of bruised skin. "—will stay. And she will bleed slowly to death. It's funny, isn't it – how friable humans are?"

Cimerus's several hearts skipped beats. How sly of him. The Sentinel read his unease.

"Ah, starting to get worried, are you?"

The Sentinel crouched by Lilitha's body. He teased at her hair, running fingers down her cheeks.

"How interesting. I never expected a Shifter would have such human emotions." He was half-speaking to himself. "I could almost be fooled, just now."

Cimerus evened his breath. The Sentinel knew where the Artefact was. He was aiming for some sort of game with his humanoid pawns. Lilitha still held some purpose for him. If he wanted to use Lilitha as leverage against Cimerus, he was sorely mistaken. If sacrificing her allowed Cimerus to get the Artefact, he would do it a thousand times over.

The Sentinel laced his fingers into her hair and lifted. Her eyes fluttered but she didn't wake.

Without another word, he smashed her head onto the ground. She didn't move. A pool of blood grew around her.

"She doesn't seem to be looking that great, eh, Shifter?"

"What are you playing at?"

The Sentinel grinned, cocking an eyebrow. There were residual burns left on his body. Cimerus supposed the Lyre tattoo could only heal so much in such a short span of time.