her colour and her spasm stopped. She felt better, but Asha felt much worse.
Without a word to the assembled, Asha ran for the exit, Tuartha only a moment behind her.
As the doors swung shut, she heard one of the forest guards repeat what she had just heard.
"A demon is on its way to kill her cousin."
Hearing it spoken by another voice made it more real and Asha ran faster, hoping to reach Elhara before the assassin did.
Chapter Ten
The energy in the care centre was askew. Asha warded herself and Tuartha as they made their way toward Elhara's bed.
A demon was leaning over her cousin and the posture of the woman filled Asha with rage. A succubus draining the life from her cousin was enough to fill her vision with crimson.
She let out a roar of fury and grabbed the woman with a hand of magic, slamming the succubus to the floor and pinning her in place. The demon struggled against the magic, so Asha switched from leprechaun magic to a ward and locked the succubus in a shell of fury.
Asha used her grip to lift the demon to her feet and she tightened the shell until she heard ribs crack. "Why, why Elhara?"
The demon hissed and choked. "She has what is mine and I want it back."
"She has nothing of yours and you will soon be unable to even remember why you came after her."
"Asha. Stop." Tuartha came from behind her and spoke in her ear. "You are better than this."
"Elhara is far better than me and she is almost dead. This demon is responsible." Asha tightened her grip and the demon screamed.
"Asha. Stop." The voice wasn't Tuartha's or either of her grandparents. Elhara.
Keeping her grip on the demoness, Asha turned toward her cousin's bed. Elhara was sitting up in the arms of her grandparents and was wearing a shamrock necklace that radiated power.
"Ash, don't kill her."
"El, how are you…you are awake?"
"I won't say I am fine, but I am awake and my memories have stopped unravelling. The charm is slowly rebuilding my thoughts and the healers here think I should have everything back in place by the end of the week." Elhara's eyes were surrounded by dark circles, but she smiled her familiar smile.
Asha could feel the demoness struggling against her grip and put a quick cage around the power to hold it together. Demons could slip through the ether, so Asha also wrapped the entire room in a blanket of magical mesh. If her primary containment blew, the mesh would wrap around her spirit and tangle her.
A searing pain struck her as an outside source of power ripped through the mesh she had laid. Her prisoner smirked at the pain that ruptured the wrap around her, but her expression faded when the knife blade slid through her ribs from behind her.
Asha watched in shock as a male demon made of shadows appeared, stabbed the succubus and disappeared back through the rip he had made.
The demoness dropped to the floor, her back arched obscenely over the hilt of the dagger. Blood pooled under her and she was gone in seconds.
Asha leaned back against Tuartha, her head pounding from the effort of a demon strong enough to rupture the gauzy ward.
She looked up at her husband, his deep green features and gold eyes. "What the hell just happened here?"
She slumped into his grasp and heard Elhara shout, but then everything went dark and Asha slept.
Waking in the arms of Tuartha was nice. Much nicer than waking on her own. She turned and smiled up at him. "Good morning?"
"Afternoon."
She winced and turned toward him, her lack of clothing making the contact far more fun than would otherwise have been. "Good afternoon. How is El?"
"Getting better every hour. She is still at the care centre, but there are guards posted now." He ran his hands over her back and smiled down at her. "You had me worried."
"I was adjusting and that demon ripped a helluva hole through my lightweight ward when he came through. It drained me of the power I had used to construct it."
He sighed and continued his hand's slow exploration while they talked.
Without a word to the assembled, Asha ran for the exit, Tuartha only a moment behind her.
As the doors swung shut, she heard one of the forest guards repeat what she had just heard.
"A demon is on its way to kill her cousin."
Hearing it spoken by another voice made it more real and Asha ran faster, hoping to reach Elhara before the assassin did.
Chapter Ten
The energy in the care centre was askew. Asha warded herself and Tuartha as they made their way toward Elhara's bed.
A demon was leaning over her cousin and the posture of the woman filled Asha with rage. A succubus draining the life from her cousin was enough to fill her vision with crimson.
She let out a roar of fury and grabbed the woman with a hand of magic, slamming the succubus to the floor and pinning her in place. The demon struggled against the magic, so Asha switched from leprechaun magic to a ward and locked the succubus in a shell of fury.
Asha used her grip to lift the demon to her feet and she tightened the shell until she heard ribs crack. "Why, why Elhara?"
The demon hissed and choked. "She has what is mine and I want it back."
"She has nothing of yours and you will soon be unable to even remember why you came after her."
"Asha. Stop." Tuartha came from behind her and spoke in her ear. "You are better than this."
"Elhara is far better than me and she is almost dead. This demon is responsible." Asha tightened her grip and the demon screamed.
"Asha. Stop." The voice wasn't Tuartha's or either of her grandparents. Elhara.
Keeping her grip on the demoness, Asha turned toward her cousin's bed. Elhara was sitting up in the arms of her grandparents and was wearing a shamrock necklace that radiated power.
"Ash, don't kill her."
"El, how are you…you are awake?"
"I won't say I am fine, but I am awake and my memories have stopped unravelling. The charm is slowly rebuilding my thoughts and the healers here think I should have everything back in place by the end of the week." Elhara's eyes were surrounded by dark circles, but she smiled her familiar smile.
Asha could feel the demoness struggling against her grip and put a quick cage around the power to hold it together. Demons could slip through the ether, so Asha also wrapped the entire room in a blanket of magical mesh. If her primary containment blew, the mesh would wrap around her spirit and tangle her.
A searing pain struck her as an outside source of power ripped through the mesh she had laid. Her prisoner smirked at the pain that ruptured the wrap around her, but her expression faded when the knife blade slid through her ribs from behind her.
Asha watched in shock as a male demon made of shadows appeared, stabbed the succubus and disappeared back through the rip he had made.
The demoness dropped to the floor, her back arched obscenely over the hilt of the dagger. Blood pooled under her and she was gone in seconds.
Asha leaned back against Tuartha, her head pounding from the effort of a demon strong enough to rupture the gauzy ward.
She looked up at her husband, his deep green features and gold eyes. "What the hell just happened here?"
She slumped into his grasp and heard Elhara shout, but then everything went dark and Asha slept.
Waking in the arms of Tuartha was nice. Much nicer than waking on her own. She turned and smiled up at him. "Good morning?"
"Afternoon."
She winced and turned toward him, her lack of clothing making the contact far more fun than would otherwise have been. "Good afternoon. How is El?"
"Getting better every hour. She is still at the care centre, but there are guards posted now." He ran his hands over her back and smiled down at her. "You had me worried."
"I was adjusting and that demon ripped a helluva hole through my lightweight ward when he came through. It drained me of the power I had used to construct it."
He sighed and continued his hand's slow exploration while they talked.
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