Thorn Queen Page 0,104

at Jasmine, still bound. I wouldn't uncuff her until the last possible moment and still didn't trust her.

"You know what you have to do?" I asked her.

She'd been staring off thoughtfully at the guards ahead, taking in the sloped land and scattered pines. Probably planning her escape, I thought ruefully. Like before, these brigands had chosen the best cover they could find in this barren land. She turned to me, immediately putting on her standard scowl.

"Yes."

"And you know what'll happen if you try anything?"

"Yes." Pure malice looked at me from her eyes.

"Good," I said, shifting my hold on the gun. Her eyes flicked briefly to it, and if it scared her, she made a good show of still looking defiant.

"I hope you hold true to your word," murmured Dorian, walking up to me.

"Stop poisoning her," growled Kiyo.

"And both of you let me make my own decisions," I said.

The scouts returned shortly thereafter, giving us the all-clear. We headed toward the encampment, circling it and descending in full force. Thankfully, no one announced our presence, and we had a brief element of surprise before the bandits mobilized. I unfastened Jasmine's cuffs, hoping I wasn't making a mistake. My right hand firmly held the gun against her back-holding it to her head had seemed a little too cruel-while the left held my wand poised and ready. Kiyo and the other fighters were going in for the hand-to-hand combat while the other magic users and I stayed back and waited-not that I intended to use magic today. I was strictly in shamanic banishing mode.

And there they were. A deep swell of magic permeated the air, and fiery forms materialized on the far side of the camp. I saw Rurik's gaze travel to the spot they'd come from, his attention not on the demons but on what was potentially the demons' summoner. Circling around, he headed toward that area. The demons were my job. I nudged Jasmine with the gun. "Do your thing. Volusian-attack."

I held my breath, wondering what Jasmine would do. A moment later, I felt magic well up in her, a magic similar to my own but with a slightly different feel. Some part of my brain tried to grasp it, hoping I could learn it for later. The rest of me watched as there was a ripple in the air-an opening to the Underworld. Two forms stepped out from the slash in our world. Much like the water elemental from the other night, these two demons were composed of water, sloshing with each step yet maintaining a solid form. They were bigger than the elemental, though, adorned with horns and glowing yellow eyes.

"Only two?" I exclaimed. "There are five of the others!" Jasmine didn't respond but held up her hand like a conductor drawing a powerful note from her musicians. For a heartbeat, I wondered if the water demons would come charging toward us. They didn't. Their attention turned to the fire demons, their ancient enemy from the Underworld.

Nearby, Dorian was wielding magic of his own, ripping up the earth from underneath the fire demons so that they stumbled and sank into great holes, making them easy prey. "Demons aren't that easy to summon," he said in her defense, eyes on his handiwork. "In fact, this will be it for the fire demons. There's no way that man can summon any more. I'd be surprised if he's still conscious."

Well, that was something. Jasmine's servants had two of the fire demons in a deadlock, which meant none of them were going after my people. Volusian was making good work on one of the demons as well, though the other two were rampaging forward. It was time for me to step up.

I drew up the human power I'd used my entire life, the power that was based on will and not emotion like gentry magic. My wand focused it, and I sent it out toward one of the loose fire demons, encircling him and summoning up the strength of Persephone to open up a way to the Underworld and suck him back. He sensed the banishment happening, and I felt his power surge as he tried to fight it. I steeled up my own strength, and what seemed like a land mine suddenly went off near him, showering him in dirt and rock as he stumbled. Thank you, Dorian. The Underworld opened up, and the demon dissolved back to his domain, unable to fight my strength.

And like the last time I'd fought these