Chapter Fifteen – Edan

What looked like a green snake's body twisted in Isobel's hands. Edan struggled to hold Brant still as Isobel struggled with the demon. She gained an inch and it slithered back in, knocking her off her feet. Edan bit into the back of Brant's neck and forced his head down and Isobel threw herself backward.

The demon slipped out like a baby being born on the final push. Blood sprang into the air as it clawed at Brant's scales.

A screech filled the air and it launched itself into the air. Claws tore at Isobel and Edan lunged forward. His jaws snapped the air. The demon sped off into the mountains, continually shrieking. Edan whirled back toward Isobel. She sat on the ground, pale but unharmed.

"Edan . . . " Brant's voice drew his attention.

His brother melted back to human form, pain on his face. He clutched his chest, panting and collapsed. Edan jumped to him. His own chest barely moved, but when he checked Brant's pulse, it was wild and erratic. The guard was still standing around in a circle. They muttered to each other and stared at the brothers with wide eyes. Edan's flames burst out of his mouth.

"Help us!"

One of them moved forward hesitantly. Edan snarled and seized Brant under the shoulders. He hefted him up and Isobel quickly moved to his feet. They managed to get him to the palace steps before the guard came and took over. Edan directed them to the hospital wing. It soon became a flurry of activity – like they knew what was happening.

"We're doing the best we can," one of the doctors shouted at him as he ran by.

Edan grabbed one of the nurses. "My brother—"

"We're not sure what is causing the seizures, your highness. But we're doing all we can." She yanked herself away and ran after the doctor.

His heart froze.

Clint.

He started forward when a small hand gripped his elbow. Isobel stared at him with wide eyes. When he turned back, he saw Brant shaking, his limbs flopping uselessly. His lungs locked, a silent scream burning in his chest.

"It's the demon," she whispered. "It still has a hold on them."

Edan shut his eyes and covered his hands with his ears, trying to block out the bustle around him as Isobel caught another nurse and directed her to Brant. How did the demon have control over them? No, not control. A hold on them. What did that even mean?

"The queen!" the shout echoed somewhere in the back of his mind. "The queen has collapsed."

He pressed his hands tighter. Brant. Clint. Zoelle. They all had a piece of the demon inside of them. That must be why . . . But what was it doing? His head spun and he felt himself losing his fight to stay strong. All of his family was being ripped away, but what could he do to stop it? Isobel's voice sounded muffled, and then her hands grasped his wrists and yanked them down.

"Azalea followed the demon," she said. "It's in the Phantom's Cave. It's feeding off their energy. If we don't kill it, then it will kill them."

Something he could do. Kill a demon? Not a problem. The desperation burning in his chest was enough to take on Satan himself. "We need your father to guide us again."

Isobel nodded. He grabbed her hand and raced away from the hospital wing. There was nothing he could do here. Part of him wanted to turn around and stay with his family – to urge them to be strong. But he knew in his gut that they didn't have that much time. Every second wasted there brought them closer to death.

Josef was on the steps, his head in his hands. He looked up when he heard their footsteps.

"The demon is in the cave," Isobel said. "We need you to guide us again."

Josef looked between them for a moment and stood. "I can't. I know the path to the light and that's it. I can't go up against a demon. I'm not strong enough."

"We need you," Isobel shrieked. "I need you! Or am I still not special enough for—" She cut off, glancing to her other side. "Never mind. We don't need you. Azalea is going to guide us to the demon. I've always gotten along fine without you. Why stop now?"

"Isobel—"

Edan pushed between them. "Go to the hospital wing and use your magic to try to break the bond the demon has with my brothers and sister. Otherwise, go to the dungeons and tell them you're there on charges of treason."

Josef's jaw dropped, but Edan didn't bother to stick around. He shifted at once, wincing as he took in the tender new flesh of his wings and lowered himself for Isobel to climb on board. The adrenaline was helping him to heal faster, but the flight would be painful. Would he still have the strength to fight once he got to the cave?

Each beat of Edan’s wings had him gasping with pain, but they made it to the cave within a few hours. Edan landed awkwardly and fell to his knees as he shifted. Isobel toppled over him. She panted and he reached for her hand. Together they stood and faced the darkness.

"Are you ready?" Edan glanced at his lover.

Isobel swallowed hard and shook her head. "Nope. But then, I've got far more to lose by doing nothing, so I guess ‘ready’ doesn't matter."

Edan seized her around her waist. He pulled her tight into his chest and crushed his mouth on hers. She answered hungrily, making small whimpering noises as they came together again and again. Her fingers dug into his biceps, almost to the point of pain, and he knew he was holding her just as tightly. Desperation warred in his chest, but he forced himself to tear away.

"I wish we had time for all the mushy stuff," he gasped as he pulled her into the cave.

"Me, too," Isobel whispered. "I love you."

"I love you, too."

The darkness swallowed them the moment they stepped inside. Edan tightened his grip on Isobel's hand as they strode forward. Occasionally, Isobel would speak, guiding him this way or that. He wondered what Azalea was telling her . . . and what dangers the ghost might be omitting.

Eventually, they came to a chamber lit by luminescent fungi hanging on the walls. A creature sat in the middle: green, with slimy skin and a twisted pig's face. Tusks grew from its mouth and goat's horns from its head. It laughed as they approached. A cold feeling crept down Edan's throat, smothering his flames.

"The prince and his bride come to me? I must be an angel, not a demon, for such good fortune. Now I may kill you both at my leisure and take apart the kingdom piece by piece."

It lunged for them. Edan pushed Isobel behind him and ran to meet the challenge. The demon punched at him but he rolled out of the way and shifted into his dragon's form. He turned and sunk his teeth into the demon's leg. It laughed as it drove a fist into his ribs. The blow knocked him back, making him gasp for breath. He impacted the wall hard. Laughter surrounded him as he stumbled back to his feet.

The demon's back was to him. It seemed to be growing bigger with every passing moment, pulling strength from the others. It reached for Isobel, and Edan threw himself across the room. His claws raked down the demon's back as his wings beat the air.

This time, the demon howled with pain. It whipped around and both hands flew at him. Edan caught one fist in his jaws and bit down as hard as he could. He felt his teeth crack as they met bone, hard as steel. The demon clawed at his eyes, a terrible grimace on its face. Edan ducked and the demon threw itself over him. The tusks easily stripped scale and flesh away, sending bolts of white-hot pain through his body.

"Edan!" Isobel screamed. "Edan!"

There was no time to answer her. He threw the demon off and twisted around to land on it. It kicked him in the belly before he could land a proper blow. The force sent him straight into the ceiling. Dirt and debris collapsed all around him as he fell.

Edan rolled to one side, roaring in pain and distress as Isobel disappeared behind a pile of rock. His heart pounded and he lunged forward, clawing at the cave-in as it came down. A jolt of pain sprang from his ribs. The demon jumped onto his back and wrapped its arms around his neck. They banded tight, cutting off his air. Edan clawed at the creature, then threw himself back onto it. The grip loosened slightly and the dragon turned.

"I'll have fun with her," the demon purred as it flipped Edan off of it. It was almost twice as big as it had been when they first arrived. "I'm going to rip her apart piece by piece . . . starting with her mind."

Never.

His flames burned low in the darkness, but he called them forward. He sucked in a deep lungful of air, feeding them. The demon laughed, continually beating on him. He wrapped his wings around himself for meager protection and continued to draw in air. His flames leaped and roared and he threw his head back.

He saw the moment the demon knew what he was doing. The flames licked about his tongue and the demon's triumphant sneer faded off of its face. It looked on in horror as it backed away two paces before the jet of fire burned through the air. It hit the demon straight in the face and it shrieked, collapsing backward.

Edan pounced on it as it writhed, clamping his jaws over its head. He wrenched one way and then the other, all the while tearing into the demon with his claws. When it was still and scattered in pieces, he finally released it. Panting, be backed away.

So that's how you kill a demon, he thought grimly.