Forest Kingdom Trilogy 1 - Blue Moon Rising

their prey behind. Julia and Bodeen hauled the Seneschal to his feet. He was covered in blood and his eyes didn't track, but at least he was still breathing. Julia looked round for the lantern and snatched it up, but the fall had put it out. She cursed briefly, and then helped Bodeen drag the Seneschal back towards the antechamber door. The demons watched from their darkness, but made no move to follow them.
    'We've got to get out of here!' said Bodeen shrilly.
    'Right,' said Julia evenly. 'Just back steadily towards the door. No sudden moves, nothing that might upset them. Take it easy, and we'll get out of this in one piece yet.'
    'But they're demons! You saw what they did to the Seneschal!'
    'So what!' snarled Julia. 'Ram a yard of cold steel through them and they'll die just as easily as any man!
    I ought to know, I've done it before, remember?'
    'How many of the damn things are there?' asked Bodeen more quietly, and Julia relaxed a little.
    'A dozen, no more.'
    'Why aren't they coming after us?'
    'Beats me. Maybe the sudden light from the window blinded them, and they don't know how many of us there are.'
    'Once they realise, we're in trouble.'
    'Right. How much further to the door?'
    Bodeen glanced back over his shoulder. 'Nearly there, Princess. How's the Seneschal?'
    'I don't know. He's in pretty bad shape.'
    'How bad?'
    'Bad enough. And he's the only one who knows the way out of here.'
    'Terrific,' said Bodeen.
    They'd almost made it to the open door when the demons burst out of their darkness. Their eyes glowed blood-red, and their twisted pallid shapes came flying through the dim light like so many misshapen ghosts. Julia and Bodeen threw the Seneschal into the antechamber, and then sprang through after him.
    Bodeen slammed the door shut in the demons' faces, and then sheathed his sword and hung on to the door knob with both hands to keep them from pulling the door open.
    'Lock it!' he yelled to Julia.
    'There's no key!'
    'How about bolts?'
    There were two, top and bottom. They were both rusted into place, and Julia wrestled the top one loose as the door heaved and shuddered under the demons' assault. There was the sound of claws tearing into wood. Julia slammed the top bolt home, and then turned quickly to the bottom bolt. It snapped off in her hand, rusted clean through. Julia and Bodeen looked at each other.
    'That door isn't going to hold them long,' said Bodeen quietly.
    'It doesn't have to,' said the Seneschal. 'We've got to lead them into the counting room.'
    Julia and Bodeen spun round to find the Seneschal getting unsteadily to his feet. His face was pale, and streaked with drying blood, but his eyes were back in focus. Bodeen moved quickly over to support him, and the Seneschal nodded his thanks.
    'The demons will break in here any minute. Bodeen, help me through that door into the counting room.
    Princess, you follow us, but stay in the doorway so that the demons can see you. When they have, you can fall back to join us. Don't let them lose sight of you, but don't let them catch you, either. Got it?'
    'Not really,' said Julia. 'Are you sure you know what you're doing?'
    'Of course,' snapped the Seneschal testily. 'I always know what I'm doing. Now give me the lantern.'
    Julia and Bodeen exchanged a glance. The antechamber door trembled as the demons hammered on it.
    'What the hell,' said Julia, handing the lantern to the Seneschal. 'A short life, but an interesting one. Get
    him out of here, Bodeen. I'll hold the doorway.'
    Bodeen nodded curtly, and half led, half carried the Seneschal out of the antechamber and into the counting room. Julia turned back to face the shaking door before her, and Julia hefted her sword uncertainly. Silhouetted against the light, she made an obvious target. She frowned, and then backed away from the groaning door to stand hidden in the shadows of the open counting-room door. She'd let the demons see her when she was good and ready, and not before. And then the straining bolt finally tore itself free from its socket, and the antechamber door flew open. The corpse-pale demons poured into the antechamber like maggots oozing from a game bird that had been left hanging too long. Their eerie pupil-less eyes glowed crimson in the gloom as they peered hungrily about them for their prey. Julia stood very still, and waited patiently for something to come within range of her sword.
    The demons sniffed at the still air, and then lowered their misshapen heads to the floor, like