Immortal Rider

Twenty-one

They found the cave in half an hour.

Google searches for crystal caves turned up a bazillion results, but after refining the searches, one stood out; a giant crystal cave discovered in Mexico… once filled with scorching water. Miners had pumped out the water, but volcanic vents kept the cave so hot that it could kill unprotected humans within minutes.

According to one of the Internet articles, scientists theorized that over the course of the million years it took for the crystals to form, water levels inside the cavern had varied from full to empty. Limos’s agimortus could easily have been placed inside during one of the low-water periods.

Arik had called Kynan to aid in the search, but Kynan had been dealing with an attack on an Aegis stronghold outside of Frankfurt that had left twenty Guardians dead, so he’d sent his vampire-demon buddy in his place. The demon, Wraith, was some sort of expert treasure hunter, and Kynan swore he’d be as useful as he’d been a couple of months ago at the big battle they’d had with Pestilence.

Kynan had better be right, because Limos had never met a more annoying Seminus demon in her life.

Currently, Wraith was exiting the mining facility and sauntering toward Limos, her brothers, and Arik. He’d arrived before they had, so he’d gone in to check things out and grab Arik an orange “ice suit,” which apparently kept chilled air blowing on the inside via a miniature air-conditioning unit. He handed it to Arik.

“Here, dude. You get to play astronaut. Oh, and I took care of the humans who were inside.”

“Took care of?” Arik asked.

“Don’t get your panties in a twist,” Wraith said, shoving his hands in his jeans pockets. “They’re still alive. Just… tired.”

Limos helped Arik get the bulky suit on. “From what?”

Wraith flicked his tongue over a fang. “Anemia.”

Thanatos laughed. “I like this guy more every time I see him.”

“Good,” Limos said, as she helped connect the respirator and air delivery system that sat on Arik’s back like a big box. “He can be your cave buddy.”

Wraith and Thanatos bantered all the way to the entrance, followed by Ares, and Limos and Arik brought up the rear. Just before they entered through the massive steel doors, Arik stopped her.

“Hey.” He tucked his mask under one arm and cupped her cheek with his hand. “I don’t know what we’ll find in there, but I want you to know I have your back.”

Dipping his head, he kissed her. His warm lips were so velvety, and it never failed to surprise her that a male as powerful and hard-bodied as he was possessed such softness and was capable of such tenderness. She loved the contradiction, loved how it made her feel even more.

“Ahem.”

The sound of a throat clearing broke off the kiss, and Limos turned to see Ares holding the door open and giving Arik the evil eye. Fortunately, Than and Wraith had already entered. Wraith would probably have gotten off on making fun of them, and Than might have tried to drown Arik again. Never mind that there was no water around. She’d seen Than drown a man in his own blood before.

Cheeks stinging with heat, she gave Arik a shy smile and entered the facility, where it became clear that Wraith had definitely taken care of the humans who were supposed to be monitoring the scientific equipment. They all lay unconscious in the white, tunnel-like antechamber. The heat was already oppressive, and as Ares swung open the heavy door that led to the crystal cave, the temperature went from dry desert to sauna.

Arik donned the suit’s protective face mask, while the rest of them put on the helmets with attached lights hanging on the antechamber wall. Anticipation tripped through Limos as they armored up and entered the cave that resembled a big, hollowed out snowball.

The giant crystals formed vertical and horizontal towers hundreds of feet in length and some as wide as a two-lane city street. At the very bottom, razor-sharp crystals rose up like a bed of nails. One slip, and it would be pincushion-city.

She stayed close to Arik as he eased along the crystal that formed a bridge between several points of crystal clusters. Stretching, he ran his gloved fingers over a rough crystal. “I’ll be damned. Symbols.”

Ares was behind them, his eyes searching every nook and cranny. “What do they say?”

“They’re more like directions.” Arik pointed down. “That way.”

Thanatos leaped off the crystal to another that jutted out of the side of the cave, and Wraith joined him, coming down much more lightly. But then, the demon wasn’t wearing clunky earber bone armor.

“Heights.” Arik peered over the edge. “Figures.”

“What’s the matter, human?” Than looked up, a taunting smirk on his face. Her brother really had the oddest sense of humor sometimes. “Too mortal to jump down here?”

“Nah,” Arik called out. “It’s just that your fat asses are taking up the whole ledge.”

Thanatos laughed and jumped to the next lower crystal, and before Limos could stop him, Arik launched himself, coming down next to Wraith and nearly knocking the demon off. Wraith cuffed him in the head and jumped to a ledge near Than.

Limos just tried to not have a heart attack. Arik was fearless. Or maybe insane.

She kind of liked it. “Well? Do you see another symbol?”

“Not yet.” Arik ran his hands over the crystals, and the rest of them joined him in the search.

She was beginning to lose hope when Wraith called out. “Yo, Horsepeople. I found a symbol.” He was crouching next to two huge crystals that formed an X, peering into the inch of space between them.

“How the hell did you find that?” Arik said, as he eased up to the demon. “It’s hidden.”

Wraith shrugged. “I’m good at finding shit.”

“Damn,” Arik breathed. “Glad Ky sent you. We’d never have found that.”

Wraith shoved lightly to his feet. “What? You aren’t glad I’m here for my sparkling company?”

That was something Reseph would have said, and Limos found herself smiling in remembrance. Man, she missed her brother.

Arik lowered himself to his hands and knees to peer between the crystals. After a moment, he stretched out on his belly and reached down, his arm disappearing under the crystal he was lying on. Suddenly, Arik came to his feet, a tiny white cup dangling from a leather thong in his fist. “Got it!”

Limos damn near screeched with joy. Her brothers whooped, Wraith muttered something about being hungry, and she was about to jump down to Arik…

When all hell broke loose. One minute, Limos was celebrating finding her agimortus, and in the next, Pestilence was crouching on a ledge above them, a silent snarl peeling back his lips and making his fangs glint.

“How’d he find us?” Arik dove across one of the gaps in the crystals, but Pestilence was beside him in a flash.

As Arik skidded across the smooth surface, he flung the agimortus up to Ares. The act cost him, and before Arik could escape, Pestilence seized him by the throat.

“Let him go!” Limos ran toward them as Arik punched and kicked, but when her brother squeezed his throat harder, Arik’s struggles weakened.

“Stay there, little sis,” Pestilence said, and everyone froze. “I’ll trade him for the cup.”

If he’d asked for anything else, she’d agree, but the cup was so off limits. Stall. “How did you find us?”

“Ah. That. Did you know your boy sold his soul to a Charnel Apostle?”

Arik slammed his boot into Pestilence’s shin. “She knows, you horse’s ass.”

Pestilence ripped the mask away from Arik’s suit, and Arik gasped at the sudden heat and thick air. “I found him, killed him, and your soul defaulted to me. I can now sense you wherever you are.”

“Let him go, Reseph,” she said quietly.

“Don’t think you can appeal to Reseph,” Pestilence snarled. “He’s gone. Get used to it.” He clamped down on Arik’s throat again, and Arik’s face turned crimson. “Give me the damned cup.”

She couldn’t. But she couldn’t let Arik die, either. Every bone in her body screamed at what was running through her mind, but she quelled the noises and stepped forward.

“Take me instead.” The crystal walls closed in, suffocating her the way Sheoul’s confines would do forever after this. “You can take me to my husband and get whatever reward you’ve been seeking.”

Arik, Than, and Ares all shouted “No,” simultaneously, but she ignored them. This was her worst nightmare—well, second worst, the first being to have her Seal break, but to save Arik, she’d do it.

Pestilence’s eyes glinted with icy evil. “I think we’ve made a deal.”

Than leaped for her, but she spun out of his way. “Don’t,” she whispered. “I have to do this.” She moved toward Pestilence with leaden feet. “I also want Arik’s soul returned to him, so that when he dies, you don’t get possession.”

“Agreed.”

“Don’t, baby,” Arik rasped. “Don’t do this.”

“If I don’t, he’ll kill you, and you’ll spend eternity being tortured. I can’t let that happen.” She kept her eyes rooted on Pestilence as she stepped within arms’ reach. “Release him.”

Pestilence shoved Arik off the ledge, and only Wraith’s catlike reflexes saved him from falling to his death on the crystal shards below.

“Bastard!” Limos slammed her fist into her brother’s jaw.

Pestilence’s head snapped back, and she struck again, this time swiping her fingers over his armor-scar. Instantly, his armor melted away, leaving him in worn camo pants. Sticking out of the leg pocket was Deliverance, in all its shiny, horse-headed glory.

As Pestilence reached up to re-armor, one of Arik’s knives impaled his wrist in a well-executed throw. Blood splattered Limos in the face, blinding her in oneingded glory. eye as she rammed her shoulder into Pestilence’s gut and seized Deliverance. The dagger felt cold in her hand. Heavy.

Without thinking, she plunged the blade into her brother’s heart.

The cavern went silent. Horror and disbelief flashed in Pestilence’s eyes. His hands shook as he grasped Limos’s hand, which was still wrapped around the hilt of the dagger. Blood flowed over her fingers and gushed from his mouth, where it dripped off his chin.

Pounding footsteps rang out as her brothers, Wraith, and Arik rushed toward her.

“Oh, fuck.” Than’s voice was choked. “Li, what have you done?”

No words would form. Pestilence crumpled to his knees on the crystal bridge, and she went with him. The moment her knees hit the rock, searing grief hit too. No… no… this wasn’t happening! Thanatos was supposed to restore his Seal, and oh, God, what had she done?

“Limos,” Pestilence gurgled through the blood, and then he was Reseph again. Limos knew it, could see it in the way the ice of his eyes melted into tears. “I’ve missed… you.”

Her throat constricted so violently she could barely breathe. “Forgive me.”

His entire body shuddered. “I-I’m… sorry.”

“No,” she rasped. “Don’t be. None of this was your fault.”

His head fell forward, and his hair spilled into his face. “You don’t… understand,” he whispered. “I’m sorry… to… to… disappoint you.” His grip tightened on hers with so much force that she gasped. “You must be so disappointed that Deliverance didn’t kill me.”

His head came up, his eyes glowing red, and he yanked the dagger out of his chest as if it were nothing but a sliver.

Holy mother of—

Another of Arik’s knives hit Pestilence’s hand. Deliverance fell out of his grip, the blade spinning. Limos snatched the dagger out of the air and scrambled to her feet, nearly bowling over her brothers. Pestilence moved in a blur, armoring up. Within a heartbeat he had a sword in his hand and was swinging it at her head. Than shoved her out of the way, and she heard the distinct sound of metal crunching into bone. Thanatos stumbled and hit the crystal, Pestilence’s blade lodged in his skull.

Ares attacked Pestilence with a vengeance, and suddenly, the cave came alive with snarls, as a horde of demons seemed to crawl up through the crystals below. Wraith leaped into the fray while Arik produced another throwing knife from his boot and took out one of the scaly beasts as it skittered up a crystal.

“Go!” Ares tossed her the cup. “Get out of here!”

She wanted to stay and fight, but Arik was still in danger, and she had to protect her agimortus. Cursing in frustration, she threw a gate. The portal shimmered like a sparkly curtain, waiting… and she didn’t even realize she was hesitating until Arik tackntince led her, forcing them both through the gate to land in the sand outside her house.

Yes, they had Deliverance and her agimortus, but somehow, none of what had happened in that chamber felt like a win.