table and cross the floor to the stage in one move. My sword flashes into my hand.
The woman between the vampires rears up, shrieking. The vampires shrink back, hissing at me with wide-open mouths. They reach for Darla.
They’ll use her as a human shield.
I pivot to the left and swipe with my sword. The vampire behind Darla loses his head. Pivot right and swipe. The one in front of her loses his. Both vampires explode into dust.
Hagor gives a pathetic, dismayed whimper from his seat.
I grab Darla by the arm, hauling her up. She’s stares at me, her eyes glazed and unfocused. She gives a shake, as if coming out of a trance. Fear and panic register on her face. I grab her clothing from the bed and push it at her chest.
“Go. Now.”
She looks confused, as if she doesn’t know how she got there. She gives me a tearful thank you and darts into the hall, already throwing on her clothes.
I turn to the room. The couples have broken apart, and every single demon in the place is either fleeing or trying to pretend I’m not there. Humans cower. Terror pounds off all of them.
Making sure everyone in the room can see it, I hold up the Sword of Shadows. “You all know what this means. Where is Garl?”
“Arcayos, you don’t have to do that,” Hagor whines. “You—”
I whirl the sword and slice it through the neck of the demon guard standing near the stage. Blood sprays and he drops. Gasps and a few screams fill the room. Hagor makes a small noise.
“No one here is going to tell you shit, Champion,” a demon in the corner spits. His face is a distinctive red hue, making him a fire demon. “You aren’t one of us anymore.”
“You betrayed the Master,” another one beside him snarls.
I don’t know either by name, but I’ve seen both in Garl’s company here before.
I wasn’t expecting this. Those two are either exceptionally brave or very stupid.
Several patrons get up to rush out, leaving the table in front of the fire demons in full view. Two women are draped over the table, heads hanging toward the floor. Both are naked, legs spread wide while two more demons have their cocks buried in the woman’s pussies. One of the demons is holding his silver ring in front of their eyes, the ruby-red stone glowing. Both of the women look human, and both are staring blankly.
I leap off the stage, stalking toward the demons.
Hagor gives a pleading groan.
“Release the women now,” I order.
The two demons unhand the women and step away. Swords appear in their hands, long weapons with black Hellsteel blades. They advance on me.
“If it means we get to kill you—”
Two swipes. Heads roll off and bodies crash. With one hand for each, I haul the women to their feet, giving myself enough time to check and make sure they’re all right before I gather their clothes from the floor and push the women toward the back door.
Locating the two remaining humans in the room, a man and a woman who thankfully don’t look dazed at all, I nod for them to take the back exit. They run out without looking back.
I flip the table between me and the demons over. One of the demons scrambles up and a black-bladed sword winks into existence. With one swipe, I slice off the demon’s arm, sending limb and sword to the floor. He screams and drops, clutching his bloody stump.
Off goes his head.
A single moment of concentration, and my blade turns into a long, silvery staff. I shove the staff under the remaining demon’s chin, thrusting him against the wall.
“Go ahead,” he snarls. “Kill me.”
I push the staff against this demon’s throat harder, cutting off his air. He bucks wildly. I loosen my grip enough to let him talk.
“You stink of bacon, Champion.” He gives me a fanged grin, his yellow eyes filled with rage. “Word on the street is you’ve been palling around with a human. A cop, of all things.”
Other demons nearby make squealing noises.
“You’ve sunk low, needing a human to play nursemaid,” the demon I’m holding says. “What would the Master say if he saw you now?”
I resist the urge to gut him like a fish for the insult toward my woman. “So Garl’s been blabbing. Where is he?”
“He told us all. He almost killed the mighty Knighted One. You won’t be able to protect her for long. You know he had her sister kidnapped?”
I