Ascension. A.S. Fenichel

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СКАЧАТЬ laugh sounded as if it was music. “Protect us. Baah. Belinda is far better with a sword than you, and I am more clever. It is far more likely that we shall have to protect you, Reece Foxjohn.”

      “Enough.” Belinda held up her hand for peace. “Stop bickering. Jamie is not here, and we shall all have to protect one another. Besides, we have no idea what this Dominus is or how to kill him. Reece, what is the plan?”

      “Belinda, you are always the voice of reason,” Reece said. “My man at the docks shall meet us. He has been watching this cell for quite some time. They congregate in an old warehouse. They have also been seen in alcoves under the bridge. He says there is a man who has recently taken charge.”

      “A man?” Lillian asked.

      “His words, not mine. He said the leader looks almost human, but admitted he’d only caught a glimpse of him and it was dark. I’m assuming that it is not a man, but a banshee or some other type of demon we have yet to encounter.”

      Belinda shuddered at the thought of this new demon. Something worse than the abominations they already knew about was unimaginable and made her skin prickle. Were there countless species of these aberrations? God forbid. The enormous beasts that had captured her almost four years earlier had been hideous, with slimy skin so dark green that it appeared black. Their heads loomed twice the size of a man’s, but with almost no intelligence to speak of. She knew now that they were malleus. The smaller scaly demon that had taken control once they kidnapped her was a trebox. He had taken over her torture, but his intelligence had been nothing to boast about. Cruelty had been the trait that set him above the others. These creatures respected brutality above all else. Her stomach twisted at the memory of that night and the changes she’d made in her life since.

      Reece and Lillian had saved her, but in the years following, she had made sure that she would never be the victim again. She would fight and die if necessary, but no one, demon or man, would ever take control of her life again.

      “I’m sure the banshee, or whatever it is, can be killed. We shall find a way, Belinda. You must not fret over those types of details, my dear.”

      Belinda couldn’t help grinning. Reece always made everything seem so pedestrian. She wondered if he had ever had a moment’s worry in his life.

      Lillian did not share his amusement. She pursed her full lips. “More than a detail if we encounter one this evening.”

      He nodded and tapped his fingers on the window fame.

      The smell of foul water, and other things she would rather not think about, filled the air prompting her to pull the scented handkerchief from her reticule and press it to her nose. They had arrived at the docks.

      The carriage jerked to a stop, and Reece immediately jumped down.

      Belinda pulled the dark curtain aside and peered out at the warehouses and shanties lining the river. The parts of London she frequented in the last few years had only been places on a map before she became a hunter.

      Reece walked several feet away and spoke with an older man in a dark wool coat and cap. The man pointed with a cane in the direction of a large building.

      Reece opened the carriage door and the ladies stepped down with his assistance. Neither Lillian nor Belinda needed help down, but it kept up appearances to act the part. The demons would think they were nothing more than a gentleman and two ladies on some kind of strange business.

      Most of the building’s windows were broken. The empty openings gaped down like a demon’s dead eyes.

      No candles or firelight lit the interior. Pieces of the exterior were missing, leaving holes in the façade. The street stank of filth and garbage and no amount of perfume shielded her from so much neglect.

      Fear and excitement built in Belinda’s stomach and the weight of the sword lashed under her skirts gave her a certain sense of security. They made their way to the building the old man had indicated.

      Reece opened the door.

      As soon as they crossed the threshold, she pulled a hidden tie at her waist, and allowed her full skirts to fall away, leaving her in the trousers she preferred for a fight.

      Lillian adjusted a harness under her cloak to reveal a set of sai blades while Reece took his gun out of concealment in his boot.

      The must of stale water permeated the air. The metallic odor of blood assailed Belinda’s senses.

      The trio made their way down a long dark corridor leading to a set of steps down and then another long corridor.

      Lillian’s form a few feet in front of her faded into the darkness. They had a code for such circumstances. It was common for demons to frequent dark places. They had fought in caves, dungeons and tunnels.

      Belinda knew what to do, but that didn’t stop her heart from pounding wildly or sweat from breaking out on her brow.

      Reece made a chirping sound.

      She held her position. In total darkness, her heart pounding remained the only sound from any direction. A set of three chirps told her that they were not alone.

      A door creaked behind them.

      Fortunately, the demons couldn’t see in complete darkness either. The corridor filled with torchlight, and three malleus demons rushed them.

      Her eyes stung from the sudden brightness and no time to adjust to the light. Belinda couldn’t rely on her eyes but spun around at the sound of rushing feet.

      Two more demons attacked from behind. She would have to trust her friends to handle the other three. Her hands were full.

      Immediately gunfire and the clash of steel sounded from their direction.

      Pulling a dirk from the belt at her waist, she parried with her sword, just as one demon lunged for her. Her blade pierced his eye. His roar echoed down the corridor.

      She whirled around the flailing malleus, driving her dirk into the chest of the other. She kicked with her left foot and jerked the blade from the creature’s flesh, sending it tumbling against the wall. It crumpled to the floor, dead.

      The half-blind demon renewed his efforts, rushing forward with both arms outstretched in the direction of Belinda’s throat. Its battle cry filled the narrow hallway.

      Belinda called out her own aggression and whipped her sword through the air and the thick neck of her attacker.

      Its eyes never registered defeat when it fell to its knees and then thudded to the floor.

      Her breath came in hard warrior gasps. She turned ready to aid her friends, but both Lillian and Reece were leaning against the wall, watching her.

      Reece had appropriated one of the torches, and they acted as if they were off to make a house call.

      The other three demons lay dead in the hallway, two shot and one decapitated.

      “You really are magnificent, Belinda,” Reece said.

      “I must agree,” added Lillian.

      “How long have СКАЧАТЬ