told you before, this
holds my demon powers. The part of me that controls fire and ice, that keeps
this body alive. When the Edenites gave me this avatar, they placed the tattoo
on my body as a repository of all that made me demonkind. Locked away like
this, the powers are mine to control.
“When I passed through the
portal, the gargoyle caught me before I had full use of my avatar, this body.
He hit me with cursed demonfire. The burn on my chest? It was charged with a
curse that seems to be turning my powers against me. I’ve been fighting it, but
it grows stronger by the hour.”
“What can we do?” Eddy pressed
the flat of her palm against the tattoo. It rippled beneath her hand. She bit
back a small scream and managed to hold her hand in place, but she hoped like
hell the curse couldn’t harm her.
After a moment, Dax frowned
and touched the back of her hand. “Your touch calms the pain. Thank you. Maybe
you draw some of the power.” He shook his head. “I don’t know. This is new to
me.” He stood up. “I should be able to keep it at bay for a couple more days,
at the very least. Long enough to finish my mission. After that, it won’t
matter anymore.”
Eddy folded her hands on her
thighs and looked up at Dax, standing so tall in front of her. “It matters to
me,” she said. “I don’t want to think of you hurting.”
Dax looked away without
acknowledging her comment. Then he held his hand out. She grabbed it. He tugged
her lightly to her feet and smiled as if he’d not been close to collapsing in
agony only moments ago. “Are you ready to find the Lemurians?”
“I guess so.” She watched him
out of the corner of her eye as she snapped the leash on Bumper. Dax cleared up
the leftovers from their lunch, saved the extra sandwich, and tucked it and the
trash into his pack. Then he slipped his shirt on and buttoned it, hiding the
snake away behind soft flannel.
She wondered if he’d looked
anything like the tattoo in his own world. He’d said he was a creature of
scales and claws and sharp fangs. Snakes didn’t have claws.
Dax was no longer a demon.
But, what made a creature a demon? Wasn’t it the powers he called upon? Dax had
those powers. They were inked into his skin, crawling across his thigh, his
belly…his groin. She thought of the way the colorful snake crossed from his
upper thigh and passed just above the thick root of his penis. She hadn’t meant
to look quite so closely, but she’d never forget what she saw.
He was beautiful everywhere.
Absolutely beautiful.
With that thought in mind, she
grabbed Bumper’s leash and followed Dax back uphill to the pile of dark
boulders. It was time to go through the portal, into the vortex.
“Hold tightly to Bumper’s
leash. She obeys you well and should be able to follow you through the portal.
Don’t let go of my hand. I’ll need to choose the correct path as soon as we
enter so we don’t end up in either Eden or Abyss.”
Eddy gulped. “What happens if
we take the one to Abyss?”
“You would not survive the
world’s atmosphere. I doubt I could either, not in this body. And if we go to
Eden, we would be destroyed before we could set foot on their world.”
“I thought they were the good
guys.” She slanted a glance at Dax and caught him frowning.
“That’s what they tell me.
However, they protect their goodness by obliterating anyone foolish enough to
try to enter without invitation.”
“I thought they couldn’t
kill.”
“They don’t. The entrance to
their world is warded with spells based on demon magic.”
Eddy shook her head. “Ya know,
at least the demons are honest about their killing. The Edenites are
hypocrites. They let demons do all their dirty work so they can stay pure.”
“It does seem that way,
doesn’t it? C’mon. Let’s do it.”
Eddy laughed. “You’re even
starting to sound human. What’s going on?”
He studied his hands a moment
and then gazed solemnly at her. “The longer I’m in
holds my demon powers. The part of me that controls fire and ice, that keeps
this body alive. When the Edenites gave me this avatar, they placed the tattoo
on my body as a repository of all that made me demonkind. Locked away like
this, the powers are mine to control.
“When I passed through the
portal, the gargoyle caught me before I had full use of my avatar, this body.
He hit me with cursed demonfire. The burn on my chest? It was charged with a
curse that seems to be turning my powers against me. I’ve been fighting it, but
it grows stronger by the hour.”
“What can we do?” Eddy pressed
the flat of her palm against the tattoo. It rippled beneath her hand. She bit
back a small scream and managed to hold her hand in place, but she hoped like
hell the curse couldn’t harm her.
After a moment, Dax frowned
and touched the back of her hand. “Your touch calms the pain. Thank you. Maybe
you draw some of the power.” He shook his head. “I don’t know. This is new to
me.” He stood up. “I should be able to keep it at bay for a couple more days,
at the very least. Long enough to finish my mission. After that, it won’t
matter anymore.”
Eddy folded her hands on her
thighs and looked up at Dax, standing so tall in front of her. “It matters to
me,” she said. “I don’t want to think of you hurting.”
Dax looked away without
acknowledging her comment. Then he held his hand out. She grabbed it. He tugged
her lightly to her feet and smiled as if he’d not been close to collapsing in
agony only moments ago. “Are you ready to find the Lemurians?”
“I guess so.” She watched him
out of the corner of her eye as she snapped the leash on Bumper. Dax cleared up
the leftovers from their lunch, saved the extra sandwich, and tucked it and the
trash into his pack. Then he slipped his shirt on and buttoned it, hiding the
snake away behind soft flannel.
She wondered if he’d looked
anything like the tattoo in his own world. He’d said he was a creature of
scales and claws and sharp fangs. Snakes didn’t have claws.
Dax was no longer a demon.
But, what made a creature a demon? Wasn’t it the powers he called upon? Dax had
those powers. They were inked into his skin, crawling across his thigh, his
belly…his groin. She thought of the way the colorful snake crossed from his
upper thigh and passed just above the thick root of his penis. She hadn’t meant
to look quite so closely, but she’d never forget what she saw.
He was beautiful everywhere.
Absolutely beautiful.
With that thought in mind, she
grabbed Bumper’s leash and followed Dax back uphill to the pile of dark
boulders. It was time to go through the portal, into the vortex.
“Hold tightly to Bumper’s
leash. She obeys you well and should be able to follow you through the portal.
Don’t let go of my hand. I’ll need to choose the correct path as soon as we
enter so we don’t end up in either Eden or Abyss.”
Eddy gulped. “What happens if
we take the one to Abyss?”
“You would not survive the
world’s atmosphere. I doubt I could either, not in this body. And if we go to
Eden, we would be destroyed before we could set foot on their world.”
“I thought they were the good
guys.” She slanted a glance at Dax and caught him frowning.
“That’s what they tell me.
However, they protect their goodness by obliterating anyone foolish enough to
try to enter without invitation.”
“I thought they couldn’t
kill.”
“They don’t. The entrance to
their world is warded with spells based on demon magic.”
Eddy shook her head. “Ya know,
at least the demons are honest about their killing. The Edenites are
hypocrites. They let demons do all their dirty work so they can stay pure.”
“It does seem that way,
doesn’t it? C’mon. Let’s do it.”
Eddy laughed. “You’re even
starting to sound human. What’s going on?”
He studied his hands a moment
and then gazed solemnly at her. “The longer I’m in
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