We trudged through the brush at a slow and steady pace. Trees surrounded us on all sides, we wandered down a small forest path in the middle of the woods. The forest was eerily silent. You could hear a pin drop in the echoing quiet. Branches cracked beneath our feet. I shouldered my bag and walked straight. Rhys walked in step behind me, scanning the forest for a hint of a threat. His hand rested on the small of my back, the heat warming me and comforting me. Tate was paving the way in front of us, using his claws to hack away at protruding branches and bushes.
The air around us was growing colder as we approached the centre of the forest. The air in front of me was visible in puffs, goosebumps emerged on my arms, clothed in a light sweater, leggings, and my combat boots I wasn't prepared for winter weather. My teeth began to chatter, I took in a deep breath and grounded myself. Rhys and Tate seemed unaffected by the shift in temperature.
"We're getting closer to the veil." Tate grunted out, slashing at a fallen branch. The veil between worlds was one of the places we could open the portal, and it happened to reside in the middle of the bush.
"It's too quiet." Rhys said. The hairs on my neck stood on end. An immense feeling of dread settled over me. My instincts were on high alert. Tate pushed through another large bush and stopped.
"This is the place." He said. I examined the clearing before us. The air seemed to shimmer slightly, showing glimpses of a world not yet visible. Frost lined the grass and trees.
"Something's not right." I said. A branch cracked behind us, I whipped around, reaching for my sword strapped to my back. Shadows emerged from the trees, black shapes with tendrils slithering on the ground. I narrowed my gaze and focused the magic in my eyes to see.
The mist around them slowly evaporated, revealing three figures. One was a woman, her platinum blonde hair was tied back in a ponytail, she wore leather fighting gear. Her blood red lips were stained with paint, her lapis lazuli eyes narrowed. She smiled, revealing sharpened fangs. Her fingertips ended in blood red painted claws.
Next to her were two men. Both were tall, well over six feet tall. One had long black hair, tied back in a ponytail. His eyes were pitch black, showing no white. His teeth were rows of sharpened incisors. His hands ended in claws. The other male was platinum blonde, like the woman. His hair was cropped close to his head. His eyes were bright red. He also had incisors for teeth.
I pulled my sword out of its scabbard, holding it with one hand at my side. I examined the shadows surrounding the demons, tendrils of magic wisped around them. They all smiled and began to circle us. I began to follow their movements with my sight.
"You came through the veil." Rhys commented. He held a long dagger in each hand. The demons let out a purr, and the woman walked up to Rhys, she dragged her nails down his chest. I saw Rhys freeze for a moment then he swept the dagger downward, toward her hand. She pulled it back.
"We're here for her." Her voice came out like a purr, a snaked tongue flicked out and licked her lips. "She will come with us." The men pulled out knives, their claws sharpened, and they bared their teeth. I snorted and held my sword with both hands in front of me, ready to fend them off.
"'She' is right here, and 'she' is not going anywhere!" I hissed, my fangs elongated, and I bared them at the demons. The two men hissed in return. The woman raised her hand and gestured to the men, they launched forward at us.
"Kali!" Rhys called out, rushing toward me. I held a hand up to him.
"I got this." I smirked. Testing my blade, I spun toward the blonde male demon. I thrust forward and my sword impaled his stomach as he jumped at me. He hissed and his jaws snapped toward me, impaling him further on my sword. He kept coming. I hissed and twisted my blade sideways, effectively cutting him in half. Black blood sprayed the ground.
I turned to see Rhys fighting with the black-haired demon, his long daggers in his hands he spun fluidly, slicing small cuts on the shoulders. The man hissed and reared his head back, launching his face forward he bit into Rhys' shoulder. Rhys grunted in pain and slammed his fist up, stabbing a dagger into the gut of the demon. He yanked upwards, slicing the demon from navel to nose.
I launched at the woman, she jumped back, effectively dodging my slice. She hissed and bared her fangs. She moved with preternatural speed and appeared behind me. She gripped my arm with her claws, slicing my flesh. Black blood seeped from the wound. She inhaled the scent of my blood, trembling with desire. Her eyes flared brightly.
Tate circled around behind her and gripped her arms in his claws, he held her arms behind her back. She struggled against his hold and growled, snapping her fangs.
"Who sent you?" Tate growled in her ear. She laughed maniacally and scratched at Tate's arms. He held her firm. He gripped her hair and yanked her head back. She grimaced in pain.
"You won't escape us." She hissed. Then she smirked. She imperceptibly pulled a dagger out of her sleeve and spun, slamming it into Tate's shoulder. He hissed and lost his grip. She immediately released a cloud of black smoke, that filled our eyes and blocked the light. Tendrils slithered along the ground around us.
As the air cleared, she was gone. The clearing was once again empty.
"Damn." Tate cursed and spat blood on the ground. I stared around us, then placed my sword back in its sheath on my back.
"Kali, open a portal, more may be coming." Rhys came up behind me and looked me over for injuries. I scoffed and pulled away from him, not enjoying being treated as a child.
"I'm fine, Rhys. I'll open it." I said and moved to the centre of the clearing. I stood straight and spread my hands out on either side of me. I examined my surroundings, the tendrils of shadow that permeated the air, I felt the veil. The thinning area between the worlds, I could see it, the way it effected the air, I reached my hand forward, through the thinning veil. I gripped the curtain between the worlds, and I pulled.
Before me the air began to warp, the wind whipped around us, and a large light filled the clearing. A large oval shape ripped into the clearing. Appearing as though there was a tear in the air. The portal had opened.
"Ready?" I looked over my shoulder and stepped through the portal. Not bothering to check if the boys were behind me.