Immortals After Dark 04 - Wicked Deeds on a Winters Night

above this chamber’s floor. She arrived in time to see him leap the distance, easily clearing it.
    As he gazed down at her from the opening, his eyes looked crazed, and she saw he was turning more fully. An image of a furious beast flickered over him. He ducked down, positioning himself under the portcullis. When he raised his hands above him to grip it, she said, “Don’t do this, MacRieve.”
    He hefted the weight—with difficulty, but by himself. Two demons had labored with that feat. And the colossal stone that the three archers had struggled to shove under it? MacRieve simply kicked it away, toppling it from the ledge into the space near Mari.
    As if her thoughts of them brought the other competitors, the archers entered the outer chamber, their easy smiles lit in the glow of their lanterns. When the three saw her, they appeared shocked that she wasn’t in her cloak. Each gaze locked on her pointed ears. “Mariketa, you’re fey, like us?” Tera, the female asked. “It was rumored at the assembly... ”
    Tera trailed off when Mari nervously jerked her chin in MacRieve’s direction. The archers eased farther inside. In a heartbeat, they’d swung three nocked bows up at him, yet they knew if they shot, he’d drop his burden, sealing them in.
    But he’s going to do it anyway .
    The demons arrived then, quickly comprehending the situation. Their fangs lengthened as they began to turn into their own enraged demon shape.
    Their eyes grew black as their skin darkened into a deep red. Their elegantly turned horns, which usually curved out from just past their temples to run along the sides of their heads, now straightened and sharpened into deadly points, the normally shell-like color blackening.
    Rydstrom, the older demon grated, “Bowen, think on what you plan.” The two obviously knew each other.
    Tera murmured to Mari, “Can you get a call out, Mariketa?”
    Mari raised her right palm, intending to send a psychic message to her coven. Nothing came. She shoved her palm out again.
    When she failed once more, MacRieve laughed at her. His voice sounding like a beast’s, he grated, “No’ quite so powerful, witch.”
    Enough. Fury churned in her like she’d rarely known before. She wanted to hurt him, needed to, and suddenly a rare focus came to her wrath, control to her power.
    She put her left hand behind her back, and a spine of red light rose up from her palm, taking shape like a dagger. Tera must have seen what she was doing because she sidled up to her and raised her lantern to camouflage the magick’s glow.
    Building... building...
    In a flash, Mari threw the dagger of light overhand. MacRieve appeared shocked at the speed and twisted to dodge it, but it exploded into painless fragments over his heart.
    Bull’s-eye. Subtle-like.
    With a glance down, he smirked, thinking himself safe. “Keep your daggers to yourself, witchling, till they get some bite.”
    He calmly took one step back... then dropped the stone. As it slammed shut with a deafening boom, a volley of arrows sank into it, too late. Air, rock, and sand rushed over Mari’s face, gritting into her eyes. She heard the elven males yelling with rage as they rushed forward and banged on the wall.
    When Mari wiped the sand from her eyes, she blinked, disbelieving what she saw. The elves backed away in silence. Once, long ago, something had leapt up, desperately seeking release from this place.
    Deep claw marks scored the back of the portcullis in frenzied stripes.

3
    A s Bowe slowly backed from the tomb, he was met with silence. He knew that inside they were cursing him, but he wouldn’t be able to hear. Much of the pyramidal steps were coated with thick soil and draped with roots and towering trees.
    Yet even the jungles surrounding this square perimeter of ruins were quiet.
    He continued to gaze at the edifice, finding himself unaccountably reluctant to leave. Part of him wanted to charge back in there and vent more of his rancor at the witch. To his shame, part of him was burning to retrieve her and finish what they’d started together.
    He thought back to that moment when the witch had comprehended he was going to seal them in. She’d seemed hurt, and her glamour had flickered.
    In that instant, Cade’s predatory gaze had darted to her, even in the midst of his killing rage. Divested of her cloak, comely Mariketa had seized the demon’s attention. His brother Rydstrom, too, had done a double take.
    Bowe had been surprised to