For a moment, everyone stared, too shocked to move despite the threat of Azaret not far away. I doubted anyone really believed we would be able to get rid of the wraith entirely, not after it had eluded us for so long. Now it was nothing more than sand. It was hard to believe that it had ever caused the devastation and dread that had plagued the town for so long.
We all waited, staring at the sand. My heart flew into my throat as I waited to see if the wraith would rematerialize.
Nothing happened. It was nothing more than a pile of sand that we could sweep up and drop into a trash can, or that we could throw out of the tunnel, the granules blowing away on the wind.
It was done. The wraith was dead. Its reign of terror was finally over.
A silence fell over the cavern as everyone stared at the pile of sand, as if no one could fully believe that the monster that had been terrorizing us was finally gone. But it was there, right in front of us. We were free of it forever.
I wanted to celebrate, but we all knew it was far from over. I looked around for Azaret, panting, a bead of sweat that had nothing to do with the heat from Rachel’s fireballs trickling down my temple. The wolves continued killing the imps, who grew more erratic the more of them fell.
It wasn’t until the last of the demons died that I finally lowered the barrier, my head throbbing in pain as I took a deep, ragged breath. I hadn’t realized how much effort I had put into the barrier or the rest of my magic until I stopped. I swayed slightly.
Something warm and solid pressed against me. A familiar wolf. My fingers ran through Drake’s fur as I breathed in his scent, hands shaking slightly from exhaustion and stress.
Then the wolf was gone, and Drake was next to me.
“You all right?” he muttered as his arm slipped around me.
“Not yet,” I said, eyes darting all over the place. The ground was littered with sand and demons, and the bodies of three wolves. But the only thing I didn’t see was the thing I most wanted to. “Azaret’s still around here somewhere.”
I didn’t know how I knew, only that I did. I could sense him, almost.
Drake glanced around, his grip on my tightening almost protectively as he let out a low, threatening growl.
“She’s a smart one,” a disembodied voice said with amusement.
The words reverberated all over the cavern. A moment later, Drake turned to human once again as his head whipped around, trying to pinpoint the voice.
“Show yourself,” Drake snarled.
One second, there was no one. The next, the demon appeared by the spring, as if he had been there the whole time.
Azaret gave a slow smile as he clapped. “Marvelous,” he said, his eyes glinting as his attention locked onto me, Rachel, and Emma. He gave a sharp-toothed grin that reeked of malice. “I have to say, I wouldn’t have bet on the three of you, but I’ve been wrong before, though rarely.”
Drake tightened his grip on his iron blade as he glared at the demon, the wolves filtering into the cave snarling at him as they began to approach. Azaret watched coolly, his expression almost bored.
“Are you going to leave peacefully?” I asked. “Leave now, take your imps and other demons with you, and we’ll let you go in peace.”
Azaret tapped his finger against his lip as he contemplated the offer.
“No, I don’t think that’s a viable option for me,” he said. “While I appreciate the offer, I’m afraid I’m going to have to decline.”
More imps slid out of the shadows, cackling and leering at all of us as they approached, claws outstretched and at the ready.
“I have to thank you for getting rid of the wraith,” Azaret said, eyes lingering on the mound of sand as two of the imps trampled across it, spraying the tiny dune that was once the sandwraith across the cavern floor. “I was always going to, as you guessed, but it would have been rather tedious, and this was far simpler than anything I could have done.”
He took a couple of steps forward, that smirk still playing on his face. “As a thank-you for getting rid of it, I would be happy to offer you a rather generous offer: I will give you twenty-four hours to gather your belongings and leave Silver Falls. After that, my demons will begin eradicating anyone left.”
“How generous,” Drake snapped.
Azaret shrugged. “It is, even if you don’t see it. After all, I could simply attack now and be done with all of you. I’m giving you a rare opportunity. I would suggest you take it.”
All around us, the wolves snarled and growled, hackles raised and fur bristling as they took a step toward the encroaching demons.
“I think we’re going to have to decline your ‘rather generous offer,’” Drake said. “This is our home and our land. We’re not letting you take it away that easily.”
Azaret’s lips thinned, as if he was inconvenienced by a rather irritating fly that he didn’t feel like swatting away. “I’m not particularly in the mood for bloodshed, so I’ll give you one chance to reconsider,” the demon said. “This is your final warning.”
