Yeah, I know. I've killed one of your brothers. Sorry about that. What was his name? You guys all look alike to me." Their forms started flickering in and out, turning from human to shade and back again. I reached for the door handle, clenching the dagger in my hand.
Blood pumped through my body so fast, everything slowed down.
"I'll rip your essence from your body," the Arum growled, "and you will beg for mercy."
"Like your brethren did?" responded Daemon, voice low and cold. "Because he begged - he cried like a little girl before I ended his existence."
And that was it. The Arum bellowed in unison; the sound of howling winds and death.
My breath caught in my throat.
Daemon threw up his hands and a great roar started under the car, shaking the road, and the trees thrashed outside. A loud crack sounded, like a blast of thunder, quickly followed by several more in succession. The earth seemed to shake and rumble.
I turned to the window and gasped. Trees were being ripped from out of the ground, their thick and gnarled roots dripping clumps of moist dirt. An earthy scent filled the air.
Oh my God, Daemon was uprooting trees.
One smacked right into the back of an Arum, taking him several feet down the road.
Trees toppled over. Some landed in the road, cutting off the potential for any innocent driver to happen upon the scene. Branches broke off, flying through the air like daggers. The other two Arum avoided them, blinking in and out as they advanced on Daemon, the branches shooting through their shade form without resistance.
The ground under the SUV trembled. All along the side of the road, chunks of the shoulder broke free from the road. Huge sections of asphalt spun into the air, turning bright orange as though heated from within, and zinged straight at the Arum.
Good God, I was so going to reconsider pissing Daemon off next time.
The Arum dodged the asphalt and trees, throwing back what looked like globs of oil.
Where the murky stuff landed, the road smoked.
Burnt tar filled the air.
Then Daemon was nothing but blinding white light, a being that was not human, but otherworldly, beautiful and frightening in the same breath. The glow heightened around his outstretched limbs, forming a crackling ball of energy that snapped. Light dripped onto the road. Power lines overhead snapped and then exploded. The Arum blinked out, but their shadows couldn't hide from Daemon's light. I could see them moving toward him still. One darted out to the side, rushing him.
Daemon brought his hands together and the blast that followed shook the car. Light erupted from him, zinging straight into the one nearest, sending the Arum spinning up into the air, where for a moment he was in a human form. Dark sunglasses shattered. Pieces floated in the air, suspended. Another clap followed and the Arum exploded in an array of dazzling lights that fell like a thousand twinkling stars.
Daemon threw out his arm, and the other Arum flew back several feet, spinning and tumbling through the air, but he landed in a crouch.
Run. The voice came in my head. Run now, Kat. Don't look b ack. Run!
I threw the car door open and stumbled out.
Falling to my knees, I scrambled down the ditch, wincing at the sound of the Arums' howls. I made it to the first tree that was still standing and stopped. Instinct told me to keep running, to do as Daemon instructed, but I couldn't leave him there. I couldn't run away.
With my heart leaping into my throat, I turned around. The two remaining Arum were circling him, fading out to nothing more than shadows and then reforming back into the tall, imposing figures.
Thick globs of midnight oill shot past Daemon, narrowly missing the halo of light surrounding him. One of the dark streams smacked into a tree on the other side of the road, splitting it in two.
Daemon retaliated by throwing balls of light at them, wicked fast and deadly. They whizzed through the air, forming walls of flames that fizzled out when they didn't hit one of the Arum. The Arum were not as fast as Daemon, but they managed to avoid each of his missiles.
After about thirty were lobbed, I could tell Daemon's light form was slowing down, the time between bombs stretching longer and longer. I remembered what he'd said after he'd stopped the truck. Using his powers wore him out. He couldn't keep this up.