Theo's heart jolted. Of course! The thrall might be giving her the power, but Ghost was the one creating the copies and summoning the monsters in the first place. Stopping her was just as good as stopping the thrall.
Not that she'd make it easy. Noticing the rogue's approach, Ghost snapped her fingers and more darkness flooded the mirrors. Copies swarmed out of them like bees from a hive, throwing themselves at the rogue.
Theo could help too. Gathering the Levia sputtering in his veins, he cast the strongest spell he could manage on Zenith.
Three arcs of dawn light flashed through the mob. They cut down all enemies in their wake, dissolving copies into smoke and even shattering the glass of the nearest mirrors.
With the field cleared, Theo could finally see his familiar. No time to celebrate – the copies kept swarming the rogue.
"Get them, Zenith!" Theo yelled, his voice hoarse. He could barely stay upright – his heart felt like it would explode out of his chest – but he didn't stop pumping his power into the spell.
With a mighty leap, Zenith took off and swung his sword one final time. A wave of light sliced through the swarm.
They wouldn't have long before Ghost summoned reinforcements. In that fraction of a second....
The rogue had already closed the distance between herself and Ghost. Ghost paled as the rogue lunged, spear extended.
She raised her hands, but before she could clap them together, the spear struck her stomach with a dull thud. The shriek she unleashed drilled through Theo's brain as if he too was being stabbed.
The rogue didn't let up. She pushed harder, and the spearpoint burst through Ghost's back. The demon howled, her body arching into a grotesque curve.
With a violent yank, the rogue freed her spear. Smoke curled from the wound; black blood dripped from the blade. Ghost plummeted like a stone, hitting the ground with a dull thud.
Zenith and the rogue advanced toward her, their weapons raised. As they approached, Ghost rolled on her side and planted her fist on the floor, trying to rise.
"The...thrall...as long as...I have him...I can…," she hissed, spitting blood with every word.
Theo tensed. But at that moment, a crackle filled his ears and the floor lurched beneath him.
What? He glanced at an equally startled Sam, but didn't get a chance to say anything before the entire row of mirrors behind Ghost shattered. Rather than spill to the floor, the glass shards swirled into smoke.
As the smoke drifted away, it revealed figures stepping through the mirrors' empty frames. Zenith raised his sword, only to back down with a gasp when the people fully emerged.
Because they weren't more Ghost copies. Instead, it was an auburn-haired woman, a tall werecat, and a tiny but proud prince in full regalia. Though they looked haggard, their eyes sparkled with triumph.
And they weren't alone. Lodo shoved forward the green-haired demon in his grip, sending him spilling to the floor.
Phantom's purple eyes turned huge when they landed on Ghost. "Ghost!"
Instantly he lurched toward her, only for Lodo to tighten his grip. Snarling, Phantom whirled around and lashed out with his leg, catching Lodo square in the kneecap.
Stumbling, Lodo let go. Phantom dove to Ghost's side, grabbing her by the waist and shoulders. "Ghost! What happened?"
"Ph...Phantom…," Ghost gasped out.
Their weapons drawn, the fighters surrounded the two demons. "Looks like you won here too," Darian said, nodding at Zenith. "Good work."
Zenith bowed. "Thank you, my liege."
"Now you two." Darian turned back to the demons. "It's over. We've freed one thrall, and the other will soon follow." She jerked her head at Meg, who was supporting an unconscious man in ragged clothing. "Tell us everything you know about the Infernal Legion and we might consider letting you go."
"Drop – drop dead," Ghost snarled.
"Ghost!" Phantom tightened his grip around her, not seeming to care that he only made her bleed harder. Then he shot Darian a furious glare. "You mean it?"
"No." Ghost squirmed in his arms. "What are you – "
"You'll let us go? You'll let me heal her?"
"Depends on what you tell us," Darian drawled, tapping the flat of her rapier blade against her palm.
Phantom sucked in a deep breath. "Fine. The Infernal Legion on Earth is led by Captain Mirage. You know him as Michel Rose. There's only four of us under his command. You've already fought the other two. Ghost and I are his strongest fighters."
So that was it. The other two must be Imago and Melphi. Somehow, knowing that relieved Theo a bit. If Ghost and Phantom were the strongest, maybe the Legion wasn't as big a threat as he feared.
Except – "What about Victor?" he blurted.
Phantom scowled. "What about that human? A disgusting wizard without any pride, a dog who does whatever the captain tells him. Now let us go!"
"Not so fast." Darian pointed her rapier. "Where is your base?"
Phantom looked ready to speak, but before he could Ghost slapped her hand over his mouth. "Stop! What are you thinking? Our mission – "
"You're hurt!"
"Captain...won't be…."
"Like I give a fuck!" Phantom spun toward Darian again, only for Ghost to grab the front of his jacket with surprising strength. Her other hand dove into her own pocket.
"Stop!" Zenith shouted.
Too late. Ghost whipped out a hand mirror and flung it into the air. Instinctively Theo lurched toward it, but the mirror had already flooded black. And Ghost's hand had already brushed the surface.
Zenith and Darian swung their blades. Not fast enough. Icy Levia blasted across the arena, and the next thing Theo knew Ghost and Phantom had both vanished. The mirror clattered to the floor.
Zenith's momentum sent him spilling as well, hitting the floor with a loud crash. Forcing strength into his legs, Theo rushed toward him.
But before he could reach Zenith, the arena began trembling. Theo spilled back onto his knees, watching in amazed horror as cracks webbed across the mirrors. It wasn't just them; the entire scene was splitting apart like ice breaking on a frozen lake.
One by one the mirrors shattered, exploding in black shards that swirled away into smoke. The cracks across the floor and ceiling spread wider and wider.
One last violent heave, then a boom echoed in Theo's skull.
When he opened his eyes, he saw a dusty floor beneath him, dull mirrors reflecting his distorted reflection. Compared to the pitch-black arena, the bluish spring night seemed warm and welcoming.
His heart was still racing a mile a minute, but the adrenaline was slowly draining out of his system. When Zenith crouched by his side, back in his glamour, Theo accepted his hand and rose to his feet.
He looked around, taking in the scene. Darian was helping Sam up. Both thralls slumped on the floor, out cold. Meanwhile Ghost and Phantom were nowhere to be seen.
But the rogue was still there, and – Theo blinked – she still wore her rust-red armor. In the abandoned funhouse, she looked like a picture cut out of one book and glued into another.
She slowly faced them. For a while, nobody spoke.
Until Sam broke the silence. "You were awesome!"
Before Theo could stop her, she bounded up to the rogue. Zenith shouted a warning, but the rogue didn't attack; instead, she stepped backward.
Undeterred, Sam kept bouncing up and down in front of her. "You were so, so, so awesome! We couldn't have done it without you!"
"Didn't do it for you." The rogue turned away. "I owed you, that's all."
"Still! Still!" Sam waved her arms around. "You were so cool! We worked really well together, didn't we? My name's Sam! Whadda ya think about being my familiar?"
This had been the last thing Theo had ever expected to hear. And judging by the looks on the others' faces, he wasn't the only one.
The rogue's response was instantaneous. "No!" she spat, taking another step backward. "I'm not gonna be a wizard's lapdog."
"Aww, it won't be like that! I wanna be partners!"
The rogue sighed deeply. "I don't need help from any wizard, got it?"
"Then why did you come to Earth?" Zenith spoke up, to Theo's surprise.
"Got a mission to accomplish," the rogue grunted.
"Can't I help you with it?" Sam leaned forward, making her best puppy-dog eyes.
Theo couldn't tell from this distance, but he thought the small visible portion of the rogue's face might have turned a little redder. She took several more quick steps backward.
"Absolutely not." Her grip tightened around her spear. "All wizards are my enemies. That means you too. I helped you out here, but next time we meet all bets are off."
"Oh?" A huge grin spread across Sam's face. "So we're gonna meet again?"
Yep, the rogue was definitely red now – her face almost matched her armor. "Didn't say that. I'm off."
She spun around and began striding away, spear held behind her. But just as she reached the funhouse entrance, Sam shouted, "Hey, wait! What's your name?"
The rogue stopped in her tracks. Theo tensed, wondering if this was a bridge too far and she wasn't going to make good on her threat this very moment, so the sound of her voice, quiet and almost hesitant, caught him off guard.
"It's...Ryllis." With that, she slipped out of the entrance and vanished into the night like she'd never been there in the first place.
"Bye, Ryllis!" Sam chirped, waving.
Watching her, Theo wondered if this all wasn't an insane dream. Only his aching muscles suggested otherwise.
"She's so cool!" Sam squealed. "Ryllis! It's a cool name! Oh man, I really want her to be my familiar!"
"Uh, I don't know if she'll make it that easy…." Theo rubbed the back of his head.
"Isn't she a dangerous rogue?" Darian pointed out.
"But she helped us!" Sam insisted. "I'm sure she's gotta have her reasons!"
Theo wondered about that too. After all, he'd thought Tielans came to Earth because they wanted to become familiars.
Unlike Sam, Theo doubted they'd ever get answers. Indeed, if all went well he'd really rather they never saw Ryllis again, considering she'd all but stated she'd be their enemy next time.
Even so, remembering how Sam had cast shields to protect her, how Ryllis had agreed not to kill the thrall, made him smile a little. He had to admit, they did work well together.