Runes of Truth (A Demon's Fall #1)(23)

“The gate,” Azi shouts, but his voice is lost in the wind. I pause when I smell burning, holding my hand up to make the others stop as I slide a dagger out of my belt.

“What?” Connor asks, and I look back at them for a second, placing my finger on my lips. I’ve only smelt that kind of burning once, and if one of those demons are around, we are in deep shit. I keep my footsteps as silent and light as I can as I run to the edge of the path, hiding behind the rocks. The others do the same, staying close to the rocks as I edge my head around, seeing the very demon I never wanted to see again standing with two friends at the entrance. Gragnog demons. Gragnog demons have bodies similar to ours, but they are constantly on fire and their hands are two long, sharp bones instead of hands. They have one eye on their head, and a mouth full of sharp teeth, but their appearance isn’t the worst thing about them. They feed on burning–burning humans mainly. One touch of their fire against your skin, makes you feel like you’re dying, and makes them feel like they’ve had an energy drink.

“Shit,” I whisper as I lean back, and look at the others.

“What?” Azi demands.

“Gragnog demons. One adult, and two teen ones by the looks of them. They are waiting, most likely for us,” I snap out, glaring at the Protectors because this is clearly all their fault.

“We will have to go around,” Nix states.

“We don’t have time for that, we need to get to the next layer, not travel around the fucking mountain. It’s three against five, we can do this,” Trex says, and steps out before I can grab him.

“You are a complete fucking idiot,” I hiss, as the demons turn to us.

“Maybe,” he grins. “Let’s see how deadly the legendary assassin is, huh?”

I don’t have time to reply to the idiot as the demons run at us, and I throw my dagger straight at the biggest one. He has his eyes locked on me as the dagger hits his chest, and doesn’t even seem to faze him. One of the younger ones goes for Connor and Trex, and Nix is left with the other. I go to fight the big demon when Azi jumps in front of me.

“New plan, get in the cave and dive into the water!” Azi shouts, grabbing one of the demons, and holding him in the air. Azi somehow manages to keep control of the older one by holding the demon’s sharp hands behind his back. I run to the younger demon fighting Nix, burning his chest as he pushes him against a rock with one of his dagger arms. I lean around the demon grabbing Nix’s fallen sword from the floor. I grab the demon’s shoulder, ignoring the heat burning my gloves and swing the sword hard across his neck, cutting its head off, and it falls to the ground with a bounce. Gross.

“Nihil!” the demon Azi is holding screams as his friend dies. I lock eyes with Azi as the demon struggles to get free.

“Run, I will portal to find you!” Azi demands, and I turn around, grabbing Nix’s arm and pulling him towards the cave entrance. I see Connor and Trex finish off their demon, before running after us. The cave entrance is tiny, with a ledge that overlooks a very fast-paced, and deep-looking river. The river has a waterfall at the other end; a large one, by the looks of it.

“Fuck it,” I grumble, running to the ledge and jumping off the cliff into the freezing-cold water.





Evie


I gasp for air as my head bounces out of the water, and into the cold air that feels like it burns my lungs. The river pulls me too fast down it, way too fast for me to be able to swim or control where I’m going. The current pushes me around as I try to look for anything. My head goes under again with the current, and I try to move my arms to get my head above the water again when my arm hits something, cutting me, and I feel pain reel through my arm as I feel a snap. I struggle in the river, more water filling my lungs as I try to swim up. An arm hooks around my waist suddenly, pulling me up, and I gasp again, sucking in air.

“Hold on to me, love. I got you,” Nix’s voice says next to my ear, his warm breath relaxing me. I turn in his arms, seeing a yellow vest jacket that is full of air on his chest, holding him above the water. I wrap my legs around his chest, and my hands on his bag straps on his shoulders as the river rushes us down towards the waterfall. My arm stings with the pain of the movement, but I don’t have time to think about it as I stare at him. There isn’t anything to grab onto, or anyone around us either. Where are Trex and Connor?

“Thanks,” I mumble to him, and he rests his forehead against mine. I give him a confused look, which he only grins at as water splashes against us.

“We are about to fall off a waterfall, and likely die. I want to hold the hottest girl in the world before that happens. It will give me a good memory to die with,” he explains with a cheeky grin.

“Charmer,” I mutter with a laugh, and lean forward, pressing my lips to his cold ones. He groans, kissing me back gently. The kiss seems like a goodbye, a sweet seductive one, and he moves away only seconds before we fall off the edge of the waterfall. I have to let go, only seeing his green eyes blazing as he reaches for me, but the water takes me, instead.



I cough as I blink my eyes open, seeing nothing but the top of a cave which has gaps that light everything up, and hearing the rushing water in the distance. I can feel the little wet rocks I’m lying on, the gravel sticks to my fingers as I sit up, crying out when I put weight on my left arm to get myself up, and remember hurting it in the river. I look around, seeing the waterfall, and nothing other than the beach we are on. Where are the Protectors?