Endure (21 page)

The creature stalked forward and loud thumps rumbled with each step. He stopped a few feet away, standing two feet taller than me with broad shoulders and arms the size of my leg. He was a beast of a demon and even his breathing sounded arcane and intimidating. All his teeth were fangs, the longest hanging from the top corners of his mouth. A thick golden ring had been pierced through the center of his nose and a long triangular pendant hung from a rope around his neck. Both his eyebrows were gone, replaced with uneven white scars.

“Tikimicharnikato of the Suriattas clan,” he stated. His voice was gravelly, each word spoken with an acute articulation. After a long pause and no response, he grunted. “Your exile has been lifted in honor of your mother, the Queen. You are hereby summoned to the Lavinos dimension to partake in the Death Throne.”

I’d seen Tiki’s demon and it looked similar to the creature before us, but even with the incredible size difference in his human form, they looked related. I studied Tiki’s face, waiting for a change in expression, but it never came. He appeared calm before his brother, his neck cranked back to look up at him.

Tiki nodded and turned to us. “My deepest apologies, Chase Williams. This is
Kithrafankati
of the Suriattas clan. You may call him Kithra. He is the second youngest of my family and my elder brother. As per Suriattas law, I have been summoned to the Death Throne. I have no choice but to attend. I will be able to take you to Drakar, but unfortunately, I cannot join you on this part of your journey. I must return home to see my duties fulfilled.”

“Forget it,” I said. “We’re—”

“I understand your concern,” Tiki said. “I have made an oath to you that must be upheld. I do not break my oaths, Chase Williams. However, I am—”

“We’re not leaving you.”

“Please, my friend, try to understand that my heritage is not what you are familiar with here. Should I survive and return, I will continue with you.”

“Survive? No, you don’t understand, Tiki. I’m not trying to hold you to your oath. If you need to go home to deal with...whatever this is, then fine, but we’re coming with you.”

“They are not welcome!” Kithra growled.

I stepped past Tiki and stared up at Kithra, craning my neck to meet his gaze. “Welcome or not, Tiki’s my family. If he goes, so do we.”

Kithra reached for a blade on his hip but Tiki’s hand was already there, keeping the blade sheathed. “Please, Kithra.”

Kithra growled and his speed surprised me for a creature so large. Before I could move, he grabbed Tiki’s wrist, twisted it around his back and kicked him. Tiki somersaulted twice before landing with a dusty footprint perfectly shaped over his torso.

Before I could react, Vincent grabbed my shoulder and pulled me back. He moved between Kithra and me, a rumble vibrating behind his words. “I try to disagree with Mr. Williams whenever possible, especially when it comes to doing anything more than absolutely necessary.” Vincent glanced at Tiki, who was starting to crawl to his feet. “However—” When he turned back to face Kithra, he found a sharp blade against his throat.

“Leave,” Kithra demanded.
 

Vincent’s eyes dropped enough to glance at the blade, and when they looked back up, they’d gone completely black. “However, if you lay a hand upon that boy again, I’ll tear open your throat with my fangless mouth and lap up your blood like a serpent.”

Kithra seemed unfazed. He pushed the blade harder and I heard Vincent’s skin split. Blood trickled onto the blade and Vincent closed his eyes. Black lines snaked across his skin as the transparent counterpart came through. His claws didn’t extend, but I felt a power fill the air. One I was all too familiar with.

The two demons locked their gazes and Vincent’s power instantly shifted over Kithra. One minute, he was stone cold and ready to lop off Vincent’s head, the next his orange eyes were filled with darkness. The firm expression he wore softened and he sheathed his blade and stepped away. For every one of his steps, Vincent took two.

“Vincent?” Tiki asked.

Kithra dropped to his knees. His tanned skin turn a shade of purple and his body trembling.

“It’s a horrible feeling, isn’t it?” Vincent’s voice had become deep and demonic. “You can see and feel everything I’m doing, yet you have no control. With just an ounce of pressure from my mind, you stop breathing.”

Kithra reached for the blade on his back and pulled out a jagged sword. It wasn’t made of metal, but rather, some kind of reflective, glassy material. The blade looked fierce, and with an arm extended, he pulled the serrated weapon across his inner arm. Black blood oozed through the spiky bracer that grew out of his forearm, dripping to the earth.

“Or I can make your mutilate your own filthy flesh.”

“Vincent Taryk, please stop!” Tiki pleaded, pulling at Vincent’s arm.

“You are a strange man, Tiki, but as you once stood for me, I shall now stand for you.” Vincent turned back to Kithra and leaned in close. His whispered something into his ear and Kithra made a gurgling response, his lips paling and all the color seeping from his face.

The pair stared at one another for a long moment and then as if a conversation had come to an end, Vincent smiled. “Good boy.” And as quickly as it came, the power left.

Kithra fell onto his hands, tearing out the grass beneath his massive fingers. He gasped, wheezing and choking on his own breath. The darkness had left his eyes and the color returned, looking starved and fearful.

Tiki rushed to his side, trying to help his brother to his feet. Kithra growled and started to shove him away, but with a glance from Vincent, he hesitated. Instead, he pulled his arm away and climbed to his feet, stalking the ground away from us.

“What did you say to him?” Rayna asked.

“A debt owed, a debt paid.” Vincent’s eyes trailed from Tiki to Rayna, and a brief smirk occupied his features. “Apparently not all pure bloods are immune to the Taryk charm. Now let’s get this over with. I’m already dreading that ridiculous sunlight you all seem to enjoy so much.”

When Kithra regained his bearings, he came back to us. With a strip of grass and leaves weaved together around his wound, he tried to appear calm and even, but you could see in his eyes he was wary.

“They are with you? You trust these…half-things?” Kithra stared at Tiki.

“These are my friends. I trust them with my life.”

Kithra eyed Vincent and then the rest of us before grunting. “Fine, let us go then.”

“They should not be coming. They should—”

“They are with you. Under your status shall they be held.”

There was no more time for talk. Kithra reached out, his power rising around us. Tiki looked uncomfortable and worried, but Kithra wouldn’t let him say another word. “We leave now.” The power expanded and everyone gathered around, making sure each of us touched a piece of Kithra’s body. It was rock solid and his skin rough and leathery. I felt a pulse of magic, but instead of the slow build I was used to with Tiki, it was instant. One moment we were there, the next we were gone.

Chapter 19

I tried to apply what Tiki had taught me. I took a deep breath, held it in, and focused on where I wanted to go. The problem was I had no idea where we were going and it all happened so fast, there was no time for breathing.

My chest heaved, desperate for air as the darkness embraced me. Even without sight I felt us spinning. Rai’s claws were deep in my shoulder, her feathers slapping against my face. I gripped the leather sheath that held Kithra’s sword and my other hand flailed until I found Rayna. Our fingers locked and white splotches dotted my vision.

The smell of sand and dry earth broke through with a gust of air and I took a deep breath. Grains of sand filled my mouth and although it made my tongue feel rough, I welcomed it. As the portal opened I tried to prepare for the landing, but Kithra was a pure blood; his teleporting abilities were far superior to Tiki’s.

The moment the portal began to open, we were flailing through the air. My feet hit the ground and a bolt of pain shot up my legs. Both my knees buckled at the top of a sandy peak and I rolled down the embankment of a hill. Sand cut my skin like tiny shards of glass. My arms and legs flailed trying to grip something, but my hand only disappeared into loose earth. As my speed naturally slowed, I dug my heels into the ground. By the time I’d come to a complete stop, red and brown sand buried me up to my knees. Endless miles of desert surrounded me. A bright sun with a reddish glow blazed above, its steaming rays made my skin feel on fire.

Everyone stood at the top of the slope. It should’ve only taken me a few minutes to climb up, but each time I pushed with my feet, the slope broke away with heaps of sand, sending me sliding back down. When I finally neared the top, Rayna and Tiki were there to pull me up. Kithra shook his head and grunted. Without a word, he walked away. The ground was solid at the top of the hill. The sand had hardened into a reflective surface that reminded me of Kithra’s blade. The center of the lustrous ground held a
spiderweb
of cracks and a few shards jutted upward.

“That’s what happens to the sand when the dark clouds come and the storms strike our world,” Tiki said. “My people have learned to harness this power and can now mold it into any form they like.”

“That’s amazing,” Vincent said dryly. “Have I mentioned how much I hate the sun?” The words snapped out of his mouth, drops of sweat running down his face.

Tiki shrugged and turned in a circle, taking in his surroundings. He took a deep breath through his nose and a smirk tugged at the edge of his mouth. “Welcome to my home dimension. My people are built for this heat. For you, however, I suggest you two keep your sweaters on. You will be hot, but you will save yourself much pain. The sun of Lavinos is known for its intense heat.”

I had pulled my hoodie off halfway up the hill, but I could already feel my arms tingling with a burning sensation. Rayna and I both took Tiki’s advice and pulled them back on. I hoped we weren’t here for long.

Rayna grabbed my hand and pulled me forward. “Come on. We don’t want to fall too far behind.”

Everyone had a head start following Kithra and I laughed. “It’s an endless desert. I don’t think we’ll lose sight of them anytime soon.” The moment I spoke, the wind picked up and bullets of sand pelted my face. I couldn’t see more than a few feet in front of me and I did as Rayna said—I ran.

After running hard into the wind, we fell in line behind Tiki. Visibility became worse as we walked and I made sure to keep him within reach. Rayna and I kept our hands linked. If we got separated from the rest, at least we’d have each other.

We’d walked for more than two hours, and my mouth was dry and hot. Grains of sand had embedded themselves between my teeth and along my gums, causing an annoying pain anytime I moved my lips. The sun intensified as the day went on and the shirt beneath my jacket felt heavy with sweat, clinging to my body like a wet sheet. Drops of salty liquid ran down my face and my hair stiffened from the blowing sand. Rai had given up trying to fly against the wind and stayed on my shoulder, which had started to feel raw an hour ago from her talons.

“Are we getting close?” I yelled into the wind, making my already dry and scratchy throat feel worse.

“Gods I hope so,” Vincent said, having fallen back beside Tiki. He walked with even less visibility than the rest of us, both his hands covering squinting eyes. “If I have to be in this sun much longer, I’m going to have to eat your brother.”

Tiki looked at Vincent, a solemn expression on his caramel features. “But you have no fangs…” I knew Tiki well enough to know it wasn’t an intended insult, but Rayna and I both laughed nonetheless. Vincent scowled in reply and reached out, letting Tiki guide him forward.

Tiki didn’t cover his eyes as he walked. He seemed unaffected by the blowing sand, and he didn’t seem the slightest bit exhausted. His hair had turned from black to reddish brown, caked with beads of sand, but he kept pace with Kithra while practically dragging Vincent along.

“We are almost there,” Tiki said.

“Almost where?” Rayna asked. “There’s nothing here.”

“Trust me.”

After another twenty minutes, I felt the questions burning inside everyone, including myself, about how much longer we had to go. My face hurt, raw after being attacked by a scorching sun and bits of sand. Relief enveloped us when Kithra stopped.

Four posts stuck out of the sand, each of them a different shade of brown. They were jagged with tiny glass shards that reflected the light, as if beads of sand had clung to a stick and transformed into colorful crystals. Kithra dropped to his knees and swept away the area between the posts until a glossy surface appeared. He unclasped his pendant and stuck it in a groove that had been cut out of the center. With a quarter turn clockwise, the ground rumbled and grains of sand skipped across the surface.

The sound of hydraulics screamed and each post shot streams of sand into the air like a cannon. The shiny surface moved and sand continued to fire from the posts in a beach-like assault. The far edge of the platform shifted, lifting out of the earth with a massive glass tube attached to the other end of it. When it stopped, the hydraulic sound came again and a final sputter of sand drizzled from each pole. Kithra pulled out the pendant and tied it back around his neck. The glassy wall that stood before us opened in toward the glass tube on the other side. Kithra looked over his shoulder and grunted before stepping inside.