Spin the Dawn(87)

I dove just before he lunged, barely making it out of harm’s way.

Blood rushed to my head. Edan’s dagger glinted behind me, not far from the stone stairway leading to the top of the tower. I sprinted for it and, unsheathing it, dashed up the steps as fast as my feet would take me. I didn’t know what the demon was, but I’d learned from scaling Rainmaker’s Peak not to let fear overcome me. If I did, I’d be lost. Up and up I went.

The top of the tower was empty, save for a stone well in the center. Above me, the sun and moon were side by side. The bridge connecting them arced across the sky, a vein of shimmering silver. Once it collapsed, the blood of stars would trickle down into the well.

Still panting, I bent over the well. Inside was an endless black abyss, as deep as the tower was tall. I prayed the blood of stars would fall soon.

My ears perked at the sound of scraping, knives against stone.

The demon had followed me. His claws grated against the side of the tower, red eyes glowing as he leapt up, landing on the other side of the well.

He laughed at my raised dagger. “You barely know how to use it.”

One side is best used against man, Edan had said. The other side is made of meteorite and is best used against creatures I hope we won’t encounter.

I held the weapon close. The edge made of meteorite began to glow, and the demon’s stare turned vicious. He sprang for me and I darted away with a scream. I didn’t know how to attack him. He was thin as air at times, solid as iron at others. He crouched atop the well, leaping at me and blocking my way whenever I tried to get past. Laughing. Playing with me.

It was a game I couldn’t win. He was too fast. Just trying to avoid his razor claws left me gasping with terror. I would have to attack soon, before I became too tired.

I stopped running and faced the demon, swinging the blade with all my strength. This surprised him, but only for a second. He twisted away, and I missed, but the meteorite burned through the chain of his amulet. I grabbed it and wrenched it from his neck.

The demon retreated. His eyes still glowed with rage, but he made no move to attack.

“Give it back,” he demanded. His claws retracted, and his voice became sweet again. Honeyed, almost, like my mother’s. “Give it back, Maia.”

I backed up until I was against the well. Above me, the glittering bridge between the sun and the moon collapsed in one great flash of light, and a white veil swept over the night, smearing light across the sky. It didn’t last long. Darkness returned, and the blood of stars began to fall, a firework of silver dust that trickled down like raindrops. The stones in the well hummed and trembled, the dim light shining from its depths growing brighter and brighter.

“There is nowhere for you to go,” the demon growled. “Return it and I won’t kill you.”

I brandished the meteorite blade with one hand and held the amulet over the well with the other. “One step closer and I throw it in.”

The demon assumed Sendo’s voice again, knowing it would torment me. “The ghosts will see you dead before they allow you to leave with the blood of stars. Return the amulet to me, and I will give you safe passage off this island.”

“Safe passage?” I snapped. “You tried to kill me.”

“Give me my amulet, and I will let you go.” A deliberate pause. “Or I can give you something your heart yearns for.”

I was breathing hard. “What do you know of my heart?”

“Edan,” the demon whispered. “You love him, and yet he pledged an oath that cannot be broken. Hand over the amulet, and I will break the oath.”

I hesitated. “How?”

“Let me show you,” he hissed, inching closer with the lethal grace of a wolf. “Just give the amulet back.”

I was torn. Are you crazy, Maia? You can’t trust a demon.

But what if he was telling the truth? What if he could free Edan? We could be together.

Listen to yourself! the logical part of my brain screamed at me. The demon is manipulating you. If you don’t take the blood of stars now, then there will be no hope of peace for A’landi. Thousands more will die. Their blood will be on your hands.

But Edan…

We’ll find another way.

“I don’t bargain with demons,” I said shakily.

“That’s too bad,” the demon said. “I was looking forward to freeing Edan. Death would be a gift for him, after serving so many hundreds of years.”

A chill rippled down my neck. The demon would have killed Edan. He had tried to trick me again!

Hatred thickened my blood. No more of this. Heart racing and fingers fumbling, I cracked open my walnut and leaned over the well, reaching deep for the shimmering silver liquid within. Just an inch more!

The demon’s shadow loomed over me. I jumped, feeling his icy-cold breath on my neck, and the walnut slipped out of my hand into the well.

“No!” I shouted.

My gut twisted with despair, and the demon cackled. “Such a useless girl,” he murmured, shaking his head.

A small vial materialized in his palm. He held it out, sharp nails glittering. “Give me back the amulet, and you may have it.”

I tightened my grip on his amulet, studying its rough black surface. Its round face was scratched and dented, likely hundreds of years old. Maybe more. It resembled the one Emperor Khanujin wore, only with a wolf in place of a hawk.