Eternal Rider - Larissa Ione [134]
Reaver, who Ares owed an apology and who had been as battered as Harvester, had agreed to assist as much as he could, and though he couldn’t set foot in the region they were traveling to, he’d brought help in the form of Kynan, who was untouchable, and a blond Seminus demon named Wraith, who was apparently just as untouchable, part vampire, and the brother of Eidolon and Shade. Sin, their sister, and her vampire mate, Con, had come as well, since Sin was ultimately responsible for Pestilence’s Seal breaking in the first place.
And Shade had come to give Cara a power boost. It had improved her color and taken the cloudiness out of her eyes, but her lungs were rattling, and over the top of her head, Shade had given Ares the universal shake of the head that meant not much longer.
Fuck.
They exited the Harrowgate, which had been crammed full of people and three warhorses. Eerie silence greeted them. The only sound was that of the stallions’ hooves thudding on the hard-packed Sithbludd dirt.
Ares tightened his arm around Cara’s waist as she sat in front of him. “I’ve never been in this region before.”
Thanatos glanced around. “Me either.”
“Maybe because this place sucks.” Wraith flipped a throwing knife from hand to hand. “I thought we were going to get to fight. Talk about lame. I’m seriously disappointed in you Horsemen people.”
“Kynan?” Limos said sweetly. “Could you maybe have found a more annoying demon to bring with us?”
“Nope.” Kynan drew a stang from the harness beneath his leather bomber. “They don’t get more annoying than Wraith.”
“If you’re going to do something, you might as well be the best,” Wraith muttered, as he moved off toward an area of shadows. Not even the ever-present hazy light that permeated the land seemed to penetrate the murky darkness.
“What’s going on?” Cara’s voice was quiet, but whether it was because she was fading or because she was afraid, he didn’t know. “Where’s Hal?”
“Does any of this look familiar? From your dream?”
“Not really. When I saw it, there were lots of demons. It was smoky. There were big cliffs and vines. There’s nothing here. It’s like a gray desert.”
“I think we were duped by the Aegi,” Than growled.
Kynan peered up where reddish, cloudlike wisps floated, providing a sense of depth. “Thanks for letting Reaver take David back to The Aegis. He’ll never be released again.”
Limos let out a dubious snort as Cara sniffed the air. “It’s weird. It smells the same. And I swear, I can feel Hal. Give me a second.” She leaned back against Ares, resting her head against his softened armor. He held her protectively as her lids closed over eyes that were far too dull.
Desperation, sadness, and anger all combined to create an emotional cocktail that threatened to knock Ares on his ass. He’d never felt this way about another person, and his heart was in foreign territory. He wanted to scream at the unfairness of this situation, but he had to get a grip, keep the wall up, because he needed to be stronger now than he’d ever been.
“I can hear him.” Cara kept her eyes closed, but pointed directly ahead. “That way. He’s snarling. He says… he says they’re here.” She frowned. “I don’t understand. Something about a wraith. And a veil. A… whisper veil?”
“Shit!” Ares wheeled Battle around. “Open the gate! Open the fucking gate!”
Sin and Con sprinted toward the Harrowgate. An ear-shattering boom rocked the area, and everyone stumbled, including the horses. The whisper veil, a concealment enchantment, lifted to reveal the true area, which was a sea of demons and weapons, and in front of the Harrowgate, a creature rose out of the ground, all wisps of mist, sharklike teeth, and claws as long as Ares was tall.
“Fucking vapor wraith!” Con grabbed Sin, yanking her off her feet to snatch her out of the way of the beast’s snapping jaws in the nick of time.
Ares hated vapor wraiths. They could be bound to Harrowgates, and while a single beast couldn’t screw much with Ares and his siblings, the three more that materialized,