Windburn

Around us, fire and magic lit the night air and time passed. Peta pressed against my side, and Cactus knelt down in front of us as he lifted a wall of flame. I didn’t understand what was going on and couldn’t pull back from Spirit. The power flowed through me and into The Bastard until the final portion of his hide was closed and his belly inside.

Slumping, I leaned forward to press my cheek against his ribcage. I had nothing left in me.

The Bastard lifted his head and looked at me, peering through his mane. His tail flicked once.

“You are not an elemental?”

“I am,” I said, though my words were slurred. I knew in a few moments fatigue would win over my need to stay awake.

“Lark, I can’t stop them on my own,” Cactus said at the same time the shrieks from the other side of the glade began. Soul-piercing screams tore the night air as they pitched higher and higher, closer together, until it was a continuous wail with no space for a breath.

I pushed myself to my feet, wobbled, and locked my knees. “Let’s do this.”

The scream cut off so my last shouted word was loud and clear. The Bastard rolled his legs under his body and then lurched to his feet. I reached for the power of the earth and wrapped it around me, using it to give me strength. Striding forward around the now-smoldering bonfire, I realized the night was nearly over. The time spent healing The Bastard had allowed the coven to complete their heinous ritual.

Winters, the one who’d been tied to the stake, stepped toward us, a grin on his lips. His eyes were no longer the bright green they’d been, but a flickering red glow that told me all I needed to know. The demon possessed him.

“Well, well. A pair of elementals?” His voice was gritty, and no longer the high tenor of Winters’s, but a deeper baritone. He put his hands on his hips and smiled at me. “What are you doing out of your designated prisons?”

Several of the coven members slunk forward behind him. Cactus had cut their numbers, but he was right. To take them on would be hard. A nose pushed hard between my shoulder blades, shoving me forward a step. “Go on, kick him in the ass,” The Bastard said.

Winters held up both hands. “Shall I quote Elemental Law for you? You are not to interfere unless you’ve been asked for help, and then you may only do the bare minimum.”

My whole body stiffened. I didn’t like that he knew Elemental Law. Didn’t like that he could quote it to me.

Hell, I simply didn’t like him.

“What is your name, demon?”

“Who, little old me? What could you possibly want to know about me?” He put a hand to his chest and grinned. Behind him the remaining coven members laughed.

I swung my spear tip so fast it blurred, and laid it against the hollow of his throat. “I am not like other elementals, demon. Do not mistake me for them. Rules are made to be broken as far as I am concerned.”

His eyes widened as I pushed the blade harder. “I see. That is interesting.” He paused and his red eyes widened further, though I was surprised that was possible. “You met Astrid, didn’t you?”

“Yes, and now she is no more. So may I suggest you are careful with what you say, demon,” I said, keeping my voice even.

With great care he shoved the blade away, a funny little smile on his lips. “Oh, I doubt you’ve seen the last of Astrid. She shows up when you least expect. As to your question, though . . . I have been summoned into this body to train these coven members.”

“What did they offer you in exchange?” Peta stepped up beside me, her coat orange in the firelight. His eyes dipped to her and he opened his mouth, but I stopped him.

“If you lie, I will know, and I will end you where you stand.”

The coven members sucked in a unanimous breath. The demon that’d once been Winters pursed his lips. “I want a promise, then. No matter what I say, you will let me go. You will not pursue me regardless of what comes out of these lips.”

The desire to kill him, to end his life and stop whatever mayhem he had planned, rippled through me. I lifted the spear, centering it over his heart.

He flicked his eyes to the spear and then to my face. “Do not be hasty, Elemental.”

“I’m not.” I tensed, ready to run him through.

“Winters is dying. He is dying, and I will be able to keep him alive long enough to pass on the training and knowledge both he and I have.” The demon spoke fast, and the fear in his voice and eyes was enough to give me pause. Without thinking of the consequence, or perhaps not caring, I spun Spirit through him.

The man Winters was indeed sick, and the disease curled through him in every cell, every part of his body. So that much was true. “What do you get in exchange? Demons are not known for their largesse. I doubt you are here out of goodwill.”

“A little freedom from the seventh veil. I have a time limit here, Elemental. Winters will die and when he does, I will be sent back.” But that was not completely true, and the lie was thick in the air between us.

Indecision flickered through me. I could kill him, and Winters would die with him. But the man was already dying.

Cactus, Peta, and The Bastard said nothing. This was my choice. “Tell me what you are truly getting for your help, your real name, and I will let you go.”

His eyebrows shot up. “Give your word.”

My lips curled as I spoke. “You have my word that this time, I will let you go if you tell me the truth. Lie, and I will end you. If I meet you again, I will end you.”