Dark World (Book I in the Dark World Trilogy) (7 page)

“
Got it!” she announced,
quickly producing a black ventilator and thrust it in Kane’s
direction.

The abrupt movement, however, startled
the shade, causing her to hiss and strike like a cobra. She leapt
at Deme, arms outstretched and mouth open, taking the six-foot
demon down with one hit. Deme punched and clawed the shade in
self-defense, dropping the mask as the newborn lunged for her
throat.

With one hand, Kane reached for
the mask and with the other he grabbed a handful of the shade’s
long, silver mane. While pulling her head back and slapping the
vent over her nose and mouth, he uttered the word to magically seal
the mask to her face, “
Prensio.”

He then wrapped an arm around her
throat and yanked her off Deme. The shade roared in anger, trying
to rip the mask off her face. She thrashed and kicked as Kane
dragged her from her prey. It took all his strength to hold
her.

“
Deme! My pack! There’s
twine in my pack!”

She turned and stumbled towards his
leather bag propped against a mound of rocks. Deme tore it open and
began a frantic search. She located a bundle of cord and upon
pulling it out returned to Kane.

“
Tie her arms first!” he
yelled, struggling to maintain his grip around the fiend’s
neck.

Deme attempted to gain hold of the
shade’s flailing hands. After acquiring one, she tied the twine
firmly around her wrist. As Deme seized hold of her other hand, the
shade suddenly brought her entire torso up, perpendicular to Kane,
and kicked the tracker square on the throat.

Deme flew several feet backward,
skidding along the sand, her mouth formed into a muted scream as
the pointed shackles on her wings dug into her back. She clutched
her neck and fought to inhale. Several moments later, spitting
blood onto the dirt, she managed to take in a few ragged
breaths.

“
Damn it!” Kane growled at
the shade, unsheathing his sword. “Now you’ve just pissed me
off!”

He lifted his blade vertically,
bringing the heavy, steel handle onto the back of the shade’s head.
Instantly falling limp in his arms, he dropped her to the ground
and quickly tied her hands and feet together.

“
Let’s head home,” Kane
ordered as he helped Deme to standing, then asked, “May I have your
cape?”

Deme seethed in quiet protest, removing
her cloak and handing it to him. He took it, draping it over the
nude shade. Kane then bent over, scooped her up and slung her over
his shoulder. He cringed as the coolness of her undead body
breached his feverish skin.

Even as he held the feral fiend, he
couldn’t help but feel the stirrings of hope. If he brought her
back to the city, could he tame her? Then convince her to help him
and his people? Or would she embrace her dark nature and destroy
him?

Would she be a savior for the demons—or
their extinction?

The Crystal Pyramid

With no visible sunlight to assist them
in determining time, the creatures of Dark World depended on the
faithful explosions of geysers sparsely situated throughout the
realm. Upon firing scalding mist into the atmosphere like a canon,
the eruptions occurred at a constant rate. Increasing in power and
height as the day progressed and gradually lessening towards
morning.

Only fifty feet from the nearest, Kane
watched as a geyser discharged, sending steam and searing water
high into the air.

“
It’s getting late,” he
stated, readjusting the shade on his shoulder.

Deme’s fiery gaze scrutinized the
landscape. “Yes, the death worms will awaken soon.”

“
We’ll stay in there,” Kane
said, pointing to a cave at the base of Shard Mountain. Exhausted,
he lugged the venomous human, still soundly unconscious, over the
rocky terrain. Once entering the cave, Kane set the shade down in a
corner. He arched his back and groaned, slowly moving towards a
large rock and sitting.

Deme eyed him suspiciously, then asked,
“When was your last bloodstone?”

Kane replied with a sigh, “A couple of
days ago.”

Immediately reaching for her pouch,
Deme retrieved a marble-sized, crimson stone. Hand extended, she
offered it to him.

He shook his head and held up his hand.
“No, you’ll need that for yourself.”

Deme gave him an adamant look and
thrust her hand insistently towards him. “You’ll run out of energy
soon, take it.”

He exhaled and accepted it from her. Kane
held the rock within his fist and squeezed, crushing it. A thin
trickle of red ran from within his palm. He tilted his head back
and opened his mouth, allowing the essence to drip onto his tongue.
A quiet moan escaped him, his blue eyes glowing brighter. After
opening his hand, he observed the remnants of the bloodstone. With
what little light was available, the bits of rock glimmered as they
lay shattered on his open palm. Without the bloodstone, the demons
wouldn’t have lasted more than few days after the radiance of the
Crystal Pyramid died. Had his father known the true power of the
giant monolith, he might not have divided the Bible.

“
Do you remember what it was
like, Deme?” he asked wistfully. “Before the shades took
over?”

She exhaled sharply, sitting down on a
large rock across from him. “Of course,” she replied with the same
tone of longing. “I was only a child, but I remember.”

Kane looked at the unconscious
shade, unable to ignore the streak of anger that coursed through
him. He knew none of this was her fault, but she was still one
of
them
.

“
Let’s get some rest,” he
said, leaning back against the cave wall.

“
Yes sir,” Deme replied,
crossing her arms over her chest and closing her eyes.

He watched as Deme’s chest rose and
fell, she’d succumbed to sleep the moment she shut her eyes, or was
very good at pretending to be. Kane looked at their feral prisoner,
wondering how long she’d remain comatose. He fought against the
fatigue but his eyelids reluctantly closed. Though sleep came
quickly, he was immediately plagued with dream-like
memories—memories of the apocalypse.

The sound of whips cracking echoed from
within the mines followed by the pained cries of disobedient
humans. The occasional rattle of chains and clanking of pickaxes
emanated from within the mountain. The deep, authoritative voices
of the demon guards resonated as they commanded the humans to work
harder and faster.

Every so often, a cart would rumble out
from the darkness, overflowing with bloodstone. Several humans
pushed the heavy load, shackles around their necks. Barely
acknowledging the young prince as they delivered the cargo beyond
the mouth of the cavern, they simply returned to the shadows to
labor for more stones, hatred residing behind their
eyes.

While he awaited his father’s return,
young Kane rest upon a mound of soft moss outside the entrance of
the cave, playing with his satchel full of precious gems. He rolled
them from one hand to another, admiring the way the tiny jewels
glistened and glinted against the prismatic glow of the Crystal
Pyramid. He stared into the distance, admiring the enchantment of
Dark World’s only source of light. Not only did it provide
nutrients for plants to flourish and cleanse the air, it was a
source of power—one which fed the demons with unimaginable dark
magic.

“
I want ten thousand units
today, no excuses.” Kane heard his father’s deep voice stem from
within the cave.

“
Yes, King Lucifer,” a demon
guard complied.

The sound of large hooves crushing
pebbles approached from behind the young demon. “Ready to go
home?”

Kane rose, still watching as the large
crystal refracted a rainbow of colors, wondering if the sun on the
Surface could possibly be as radiant.

“
Father,” the demon child
began. “Tell me about the Surface.”

“
Again?” his father
chuckled.

With an enthusiastic nod and wide eyes
pleading, Kane asked, “Yes, what does it look like up
there?”

His father’s face warmed with fond
recall. He filled his lungs with a deep breath, placing a hand on
his son’s shoulder. “It’s…beautiful.”

“
When’s the last time you
were there?”

“
Not long ago,” he started,
then glanced down at his son. “Don’t worry, you only have to wait
two more years and then I’ll take you there,” he said, then
muttered under his breath, “Hopefully.”

Young Kane ignored the comment, turning
his attention back to the monolith, miles away yet easily visible
with the naked eye.

“
What’s inside the
pyramid?”

His father paused. “I’m not sure,” he
began. “Some say it’s solid quartz…others say it’s hollow inside,
big enough for an entire city to live in.”

Kane furrowed his brow. “You mean
you’ve never gone to see?”

“
No.” His father turned
serious. “The pyramid is sacred—it is forbidden to enter
it.”

Kane’s indigo eyes widened, gazing at
the mammoth tetrahedron shimmering in the distance. What secrets
did it hold? What ancient wonders were hidden within?

The young prince vowed to find
out—someday.

“
Can we go home now?” Kane
asked his father around a yawn, stretching his talons above
him.

“
Yes.” The King nodded, his
head adorned with a heavy crown of horns. Placing one hand on his
son’s shoulder, he swept the other over the awaiting horizon.
“Shall we?”

His father unfolded his large bat-like
wings and gave a mighty flap, propelling him into the air. With a
grin, Kane secured his satchel of gems onto his leather belt, and
spreading his young wings wide, joined his father in flight. They
rose higher and higher into the atmosphere, father and son soaring
over the flourishing landscape. A warm wind kissed his face as Kane
pushed his wings harder in attempts to fly faster than his father.
They dodged one another playfully, making their way back to the
kingdom.

The Crystal Pyramid’s light shifted
from light blue to violet, foreshadowing twilight. As it mirrored
the illuminated moods of the sun on the Surface, Dark World’s aura
varied throughout the day. Just like the Surface at night, Dark
World was submerged into an ocean of darkness, only there was no
moon or stars to enlighten the shadows. The light of the pyramid
had always shone faithful, only muted while it rested for the
night.

“
We need to hurry,” his
father stated with an edge of urgency. “The creatures of the dark
will be out soon.”

Kane nodded with understanding. The
moment the Crystal Pyramid’s light dimmed for the evening,
nocturnal beasts of unfathomable terror would emerge. Most lived on
land, unable to reach the soaring demons, but some of the most
dangerous could fly.

Legion, the demon kingdom, shadowed the
horizon. Tall ivory peaks bordered by a high, white brick wall.
Home.

A place of power. Peace.

Until now.

The moment they neared the outskirts of
the city, ice moved through the young prince’s veins, hearing
screams radiating from within.

“
Father! Look!” Kane pointed
to columns of fire rising from inside the enclosure. As they moved
closer, he could see an onslaught of silver-haired humans attacking
the demons. His family.

How? We’re so much stronger
than they are!
Kane thought, panic growing in his chest.

“
Stay here!” his father
ordered, diving into the center of the mayhem.

“
Father!” the young prince
shouted, watching him spiral into the slaughter. It was the last
time Kane ever saw the king alive.

Only days later, the Crystal Pyramid
fell dark forever—its gift of power and immortality to the demons,
gone.

A loud shriek woke him.

Dazed, Kane tried to determine whether
what he was hearing was real or an echo from his
nightmare.

“
Sphinxes,” Deme commented,
instinctively stroking the sheathed blade mounted on the outside of
her thigh. “Let’s hope they don’t know we’re here.”

A flicker of anxiety lit within his
core. While a sphinx wasn’t the most fearsome creature they could
encounter in the dark wilderness, it was a dangerous and formidable
predator.

There are worse,
Kane admitted as he
glanced to the prisoner in the corner of the cave. Convinced she
was still out cold, he then worried he’d hit her too hard and
permanently damaged her, but quickly doused the concern. shades
were tough. Damn tough. He and the other demons had underestimated
them. Until the war, the demons had no idea of the powers the
shades held. Powers of healing, magic—and necromancy. But how could
they? The shades were a new species in Dark World. An altered breed
of human. An abomination.

He stood and wandered to the opening of
the cave, scanning the landscape for any sign of sphinxes. Sphinxes
were sleek and particularly sly opponents. Flesh eaters, they
preyed on anything they could sink their fangs into. If a pack
happened upon a lone demon or two, they wouldn’t hesitate to
attack.