"Let's get this over with," Feya said. Nikkitah nodded and headed for the basement steps.
"Ah, not yet," Alastor warned, placing his hand on her hard shoulder. She looked confused at the gesture as if he had said nothing at all but just grabbed her and starred.
"I don't understand," she confessed, looking around the room for inspiration. It was clear that this was the first time she not understood every aspect of what someone had said to her. "The spell might not last long, and they could figure it out-"
Alastor curved his thin lips while he tolerated her ramble. "Melaina and I will guide you as if nothing has changed and you are still civilians. Without magical energy you are just a human woman, if I may say so."
With a hesitant nod, Nikkitah let Melaina and Alastor take the lead up to the stairs. Suddenly the door cluttered open. Light poured into the room, burning their retinas as the silhouette stepped forward, his stance shaped to attack. "Traitor," the man spat into the basement. Between the light bouncing from the walls they could see he was the Demon who could control lightening.
"Rai," Alastor replied, adding his own slick touch to the pronunciation. "So, shoot me," he teased with another thin smile.
The man named Rai almost snorted at his words. "I'd much rather shoot your company, although you would know that I'm not the one who enjoys the kill." As their eyes adjusted to the faint lighting it revealed the downwards turn of his eyebrows. He was too angry to speak.
"I could easily make you kill, just like that poor human girl whom I did not want to dirty my hands with. But then, you always were easy to manipulate - a slave to those tiresome emotions."
Rai held his tongue, while his lips began to quiver. It was hard for Feya and Kelsey to understand what was happening inside Rai's head until he struck his hand in the air and snarled at Alastor. The air was static.
"Well then," Alastor said, as Rai tried harder and harder to release the wrath of his magic on them. His eyes grew wider and wider with panic but he did not drop his hand, even as Alastor stepped forward. When he finally realise something wasn't right, it was too late from him.
"Alert Deri-" he roared before Alastor's smooth fist swiped his cheek; Rai fell to the floor groaning as Alastor twisted his head sideways to watch his former 'friend' collapse.
"Did you arm yourselves?" Alastor asked while stepping over the body graciously.
Checking her pocket, Feya loosely held the atheme in her hand. The cold steel told her that her palms were warm and sweaty. Her plan was to return it to Tristan but it was only just now that the thought sparked in her memory, and it was her only weapon, let alone everyone had made some sort of nod. If she gave it away now, she would be unarmed. She decided to nod too.
"Then let's go."
One by one they stepped over the unconscious Rai and left the basement. Alastor pulled a tiny silver key out of his pocket and locked the door just as Rai was beginning to twitch. He slid the door shut and twisted the lock in one smooth motion before swiftly leading them down the hallway. Just as they turned to run down a room the basement door started to bang. Feya hesitated for just one second before Tristan pulled her into the room, but it was a second too long. As Tristan tugged Feya to safety, the halls started to swarm with Demons.
"They're everywhere," Feya panicked before turning her attention to the room. It was basic and empty apart from a large long table, several chairs and a fish tank for a side wall.
"So, what are we doing here?" Kelsey asked.
It was Nikkitah who spoke next. "We need to be careful about this, picking their number off discreetly until we reach the grand floor, which is an open room where Derribus will be."
Ashes to Embers - Chapter 12
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