"Maintain." The voice seemed to come from inside Talon's head.
Ash placed a hand on his shoulder.
One instant they were on Bourbon Street, the next they were outside a warehouse.
"What did you do?" Talon asked, wondering how many people had seen them vanish.
"I'm doing what I have to. Don't worry, no one saw us leave or arrive. I don't make those kinds of mistakes."
Talon hoped so.
Ash held the door open for him and Talon led the way into the building.
They were halfway through the main room when something akin to lightning flashed from upstairs. Screams rent the air.
Talon lost his calm as he sprinted for the stairs with Ash hot on his heels.
They rushed through a door and were almost run over by Zarek who was covered in blood and carrying Sunshine in his arms.
"What the hell?" Talon asked, terrified by the sight. "What happened to her?"
Before Zarek could answer, the door was blown from its frame.
"Run!" Zarek shouted.
No one had a chance. A swarm of hideous winged demons flew into the room. Talon cursed. He'd never seen anything like them. They were the color of rust and screeched like banshees as they flew at them.
They had three barbed tails that they wielded like whips.
Acheron held his hands up and blasted them with electrical energy. They recoiled, but kept coming.
"Get Sunshine out of here," Acheron ordered.
They headed back to the stairs only to find Daimons coming up from below.
Talon tossed two srads, taking out four of the creatures, but it didn't even slow them down. "We're surrounded."
Acheron spoke in a language Talon couldn't understand. The demons paused and flew around as if dazed by his order.
"It won't hold the demons for long," Ash shouted, his voice barely discernible over the ethereal flapping of wings and claps of thunder.
Ash threw his hands up and the Daimons ran into what appeared to be an invisible barrier between them.
Talon led Zarek down the hallway, hoping to find another way out of the building.
He shoved open a door to a smaller room.
"I think she's dying." Zarek's voice sent an electric chill through him.
"She's not dying."
"Talon, I think she's dying," he repeated.
The demons forgotten, Talon took her from Zarek's arms and laid her carefully on the floor.
Her face was so pale that it shook him.
"Sunshine?" he breathed, his heart pounding. "Baby, can you look at me?"