Chapter 393: Second Fight
"Sydlynhamitra," she said in a voice echoing through the hallway, "I, Phatshepeset, Lady of the Eighth Plane, challenge you for status."
Nice name. But I wasn't contemplating what she was called or what her ranking was. For once I did as I was told and acted.
Acting I could actually handle. The second she stopped speaking my power was on the move, lashing at her legs in slicing blades of amber fire. It should have worked. I had the jump on her, the shields surrounding her should have been in a nasty puddle at her feet.
Damn it.
I had so much to learn.
Her magic skipped around the edges of mine, forming ripples diffusing the slashing attack until I might as well have come at her with a knitting needle. I barely-barely-had time to dodge aside as her own magic slid forward, a hissing snake, to strike at me with venom I was certain would do more damage than I was willing to take.
Any damage was unacceptable, to be honest.
My demon roared her fury, splitting our magic in two down the middle, arms of force striking outward, coming together around her with so much pressure I felt my ears pop as the magic whooshed around her shields.
Her magic slithered, shimmering and shuddering, the constant motion making it impossible to crush her as she eddied and flowed like water, my demon unable to get a grip on her at all.
Syd! Sassy's voice broke through my intense concentration. Stop trying to beat her with a club and use your head!
My head? He actually expected me to have time to think? A dozen of her magic snakes oozed around my feet, striking over and over at my shields, sending pin-pricks of pain through me with every blow until my demon snarled her frustration.
Okay, think, Syd. She's slippery. What works against something that you can't hold onto? I had to figure out a way to pin her down, but how?
I need to find out how to stick to her in order to get a grip. Stick.
Ow! DAMN IT, that HURT! A large version of her little snakes took a giant bite out of the side of my shield forcing me to patch it while another took a second bite out of the other side.
Nononononono. I couldn't lose. Couldn't.
Sand. As I spun and blocked the snakes, on the panicked defensive, I had an image of being at the beach, covered in suntan oil. And how the sand would stick-
Not thinking, refusing to second-guess myself as a third snake tore a slice out of my shields, making me stagger to one knee, I gathered my power and flung it at her.
But not to pound away at her. Not at all. As it traveled outward it broke up into small pieces, fracturing further and further until it shimmered in the air like glitter. Phatshepeset's smile of derision faded as she batted at it. But the dust of my power settled on her, around her, sinking into the undulation of her shields, like sand settling to the bottom of the ocean.
I staggered to my feet as her snakes disappeared, watched for a moment as she writhed and struggled, slapping at herself where the pin-points of magic touched her as they slid through her wards and settled on her body.
What are you waiting for? Sassy's snapped command broke through my daze. Finish her.
Right. I called to my power and drew it together, cocooning her inside her own wards. With my teeth gritted, I jerked my outstretched hand into a fist, crushing her under the weight of my now solid magic.
Phatshepeset cried out in agony, collapsing to the ground as I then opened my hand wide, shattering her shields outward, sending the shards flying to dissipate in little puffs of gold.
My demon snarled as she shoved me forward, siphoning off a measure of the girl's magic. It slid inside us, the reptile feel of it integrating with my power while the rush of extra energy sent goose bumps racing over my skin.
Satisfied, my demon gave me back control. Sick and a little horrified, I stood over the fallen demon girl who stared at me with terror in her eyes before limping to her feet and scuttling away.
"Ruthless," Sassy said. "Well done."
I turned on him with a snarl. "Shut the hell up." I stomped off to my room, throwing the doors open, not caring if he and Meira followed.
They did, of course.
"I don't know why you're angry," Sassy said. "You knew what was coming."
"It's this damned place." I spun, letting my frustration out, while Meira watched me with sadness on her face. "How can people live like this? What the hell is wrong with them that they can just treat each other like fresh meat?" I couldn't wait to go home and forget Demonicon ever existed.
Sassy ignored what I said. "Had you some training, you would have seen through her attack style and taken her out easily."
"I said shut it," I snapped. "Besides, it's almost morning. I just want to get the hell out of here." Hope, thin and fragile. It had to work.
It just had to.
I spent the rest of the night perched on the end of the bed with Sassy on one side and Meira on the other. Enough rummaging in my closet had turned up the clothes I arrived in and I'd changed, ready and waiting to leave this insanity behind me.
Dad found us there, Meira wilting against my side, just after sunrise. He didn't comment, though I could tell from the pinched look on his face he knew not only about our visit to see Grandmother, but had also heard about the fight.
"Time to get you girls home," he said, "before anything else happens."
Yup. He'd heard all right.
I stood up, drew a breath. "Right then." I reached for the veil and, for a moment, felt the hope I'd harbored rise and swell. The spongy, rubber-like consistency of the veil was back.
Wicked.
Except no matter how hard I tried, Dad's power and Sassy's tied to mine, I couldn't get the damned thing to part. There were brief moments where I thought I might win through, when I could feel the edge of home, but the veil simply folded back in and pushed me aside.
Panting and frustrated, I finally jerked free, not willing to admit defeat, but with no idea what to do next.
Dad hugged me. "I'm sorry, honey."
Fury surged. Where was he last night when I was being interrogated by his mother? And attacked by one of his family? The anger faded quickly. This wasn't Dad's fault.
Nope. I blamed Grandmother.
"Enough," Sassy snapped. "You can whine and cry later. Right now you both have training to do and so help me, if either of you gives me a moment of trouble, I'm going to show you why I was the best demon challenger ever born."
***
