Page 102 of Heavensent & Hellbent

“Excellent,” Keyon muttered. He turned away from us and pulled out a dagger, holding it in the air just as a shadow crossed the hallway and pounced. Keyon batted it off with one arm, like the shadow was a flea, then stabbed it with his dagger. Rather than yell, whatever it was hissed, the sound endless, echoing through the hollow hallway, until finally it crumbled into a heap and turned to dust.

“What was that?” I asked, voice shaking.

“Those of the night,” Keyon said, sighing. “Annoying creatures. Where there is one, there are hundreds. Vermin.”

“Not vermin…” Azar said slowly, gasping as two more approached.

“Vampires,” I finished. I backed up until I hit the wall. Pouran began muttering prayers, while Zain joined Keyon in attacking the vampires. They each took one, leading them away from us.

Vampires fed off fear—that was what Zain had told me—but it was hard to hide such an emotion now.

I watched as Zain effortlessly punched one, its shadows staggering backward, the hissing snarls growing louder. It rushed him, pushing him onto his back, its teeth bared. Zain didn’t seem concerned, even though he was on the floor. In fact, he appeared to be more irritated that he was getting himself dirty on the floor. “I was trying to play nice, but fine.”

In one swift move his hands were gripping the vampire’s shadowy head, a tender touch, until he snapped it to the right, yanking it clean off its body and throwing it across the room.

At the same time, Keyon used his dagger to press the blade into the other vampire’s chest. Both vampires crumbled into dust, which might have been a beautiful show of symmetry if it weren’t so horrifying.

“You need to go inside and get the objectnow,” Pouran hissed at Azar and me. More shadows emerged, Zain and Keyon fighting them off.

“What’s the object?” I asked, hand on the door handle.

“No one knows,” Pouran said.

“So we’re supposed to just go in there and guess?” Azar asked, watching as more shadows emerged. Zain and Keyon were fighting two, and then three, each, and while they madeit look easy, it wouldn’t be long until more came. We had to get out of here.

I pressed down on the handle, opening the door.

“You will sense the aura,” Pouran said. “You are of the same spiritual blood. The basements are not warded, so your magic, and essence that comes with it, is free to roam here.”

The room was completely black, too, and my eyes had only marginally adjusted to the dark. It didn’t seem wise to enter when I could see nothing in the room, so I willed fire into my palms until both my hands shone with flickering flames. My powers appeared to work down here.

“I don’t think that’s quite the purpose of your power, but sure,” Azar said, stepping around me to enter the room. As we made our way inside, it appeared more like a storage closet than a place in which Zahhak’s soul was kept. Shelves with books, vases, and bric-a-brac lined the walls. It reminded me of my mum’s junk cupboard back in Hull.

Grunting and slow, long hisses were audible from in here. We had to be quick. I looked over my shoulder, and Pouran stood by the entryway.

“Aren’t you going to come in?” I asked.

She shook her head. “It’s warded against anyone who is not royal.” Her face turned ashen, and she backed away, out of view. A shadow crossed the doorway, heading toward Pouran outside.

I leaped out to find Pouran in the corner, dagger raised in front of her. She muttered her prayers, though who exactly they were to I wasn’t sure. “One step forward and I’ll gut you,” shesaid through gritted teeth, but it felt like an empty promise, fear coating her words.

“Pouran, they feed off fear!” I shouted.

“I know that,” she said.

Zain and Keyon had their hands full on the other side of the hallway. They were battling far too many shadows. Even though her words were sharp, it was clear Pouran wasn’t that skilled in fighting. The shadow charged, knocking her dagger out of her hand. It clattered to the ground.

With the flames emitting weakly from my palms, I didn’t have to think as I flung one of the fireballs at the shadowy figure. The thing growled, stumbling into the wall and turning to me. I wasted no time as I flung the other ball in my left hand at it with more force. This time, it was set alight and began to cry.

Azar jumped ahead of me, grabbing the fallen dagger and then pressing it into the vampire’s chest. It crumbled beneath her into nothing more than dust.

“Thank you,” Pouran breathed.

I brought forth more flames, the act easy now, second nature.

Azar shook her head in amazement, and we went back into the room. “What exactly should we be looking for?” she asked Pouran, who returned to the doorway.

“It will speak to you when you’re near it. It could be anything. Typically, a soul is put into a container.”