Shades of Darkness (Guardians of Eternity #16) - Alexandra Ivy Page 0,21

his tattooed head back and released a savage growl.

The entire building shook with his outrage, and more than a few demons turned to study them with bloodthirsty curiosity. The entire room was obviously ripe for a fight.

“I’ll take that as a no,” Chaaya muttered, quickly turning to make her way back through the crowd.

There was a teeny tiny chance she’d outstayed her welcome.

“I told you not to cause trouble,” Basq chided, his expression tight with disapproval.

“It wasn’t my fault.”

The words had just left her mouth when a large orc moved to stand directly in her path.

He was an ugly creature with small beady eyes and a football-shaped head that was covered with small tuft of fur. He wore shabby bits of clothes that looked like they were rotting off his massive body. It was his smell, however, that made Chaaya wrinkle her nose in disgust.

It hovered somewhere between a five-day-old corpse and swamp water.

A stench that could be used as a lethal weapon if she could figure out how to bottle it.

“Pretty girlie,” he stuttered, his tusks making it hard to form words. He reached out as if intending to grab her.

In one smooth motion Chaaya had her spear pointed at the lower corner of the orc’s stomach. That was its only weak spot.

“Don’t touch.”

The hand continued to stretch out. “Me want.”

“Tough,” she said, prepared to give him a good poke with her spear.

Instead Basq smoothly moved to stand between them, his fangs fully extended and shimmering with a lethal warning.

The orc dropped his hand, stomping his oversized foot. “Give me pretty girlie.”

“Stay away,” Basq commanded.

Chaaya clicked her tongue. Typical male. Always rushing in where he was least wanted.

“I got this,” she snapped, pointing her spear toward the group of goblins who were charging in their direction. “You worry about them.”

With a hiss, Basq whirled to the side, his arms held out as he prepared to halt the crush of demons.

Chaaya turned and twirled her spear. They needed to get out of the bar before the crowd decided to make them the night’s entertainment. She might survive being ripped limb from limb, but it wouldn’t be much fun.

“We’re leaving,” she told the orc. “I can go around you, or I can go through you. It doesn’t matter to me which one it is.”

The orc smiled, revealing his yellowed, chipped teeth. Had he been gnawing on granite? Bones? The gates of hell?

“Come and play, girlie.”

“My name is Chaaya.” She stepped forward. “Don’t forget it.”

“Cha cha,” he mumbled.

Chaaya made a sound of disgust. “Orcs.”

The demon looked offended. “Me eat cha cha.”

Chaaya held her arms wide. “Come and get it.”

Provoked into a reckless attack, the orc leaped forward. Skimming her fingers down the hilt of the spear, Chaaya ignited the magic in the carved glyphs. Sparks danced over her fingers and down the blade.

The orc didn’t notice. He’d already dismissed the weapon. Copper didn’t affect most demons, not like silver or iron. But what he didn’t know was that it was imbued with the power of the druids.

Not even bothering to avoid the weapon in his determination to grab Chaaya, the orc’s eyes widened in shock as the blade sliced through his thick hide. The cut wasn’t deep enough to strike a vital organ, but it was painful. The orc jerked backward, gazing down in bafflement at the blood that flowed down his stomach.

Not giving him time to be pissed at being wounded, Chaaya lunged forward, stabbing her spear at the orc as he hastily backed away. Behind her the shrill cries of the goblins assured her that Basq was holding his own, but the rest of the customers were starting to crowd around to watch the fight. Or maybe just waiting for an opportunity to jump in.

Soon they would be surrounded with no way to make their escape.

Almost as if capable of reading her mind, Basq reached back to grab her hand just as he released his powers to wrap them in his smothering darkness.

Sounds of bafflement, even fear, echoed through the bar as the demons crashed into one another, all of them making a stampede toward the door. As far as they knew, the blinding darkness was caused by a terrifying magic.

Chaaya started to follow them only to be yanked tight against Basq’s body as he led them in the opposite direction. They rammed into large bodies, but Basq possessed enough brute strength to forge a path forward. At last they reached the end of the bar, and locating the back