Page 79 of Drawn into Oblivion

Her heart beat wildly, and she couldn’t quite take a full breath. But her knees were firm, and so was her grip on her sword. She locked eyes with Shumei, who had wrapped both hands around the large iron ring on the left-hand door. She gave the empress the best look of encouragement she could, and sank into a readied stance.

Shumei pulled the door open, and a miasma of pure evil billowed out, so rancid it overpowered the magic that had dampened Mai’s sense of smell. She gagged, staggered. Her shoulder hit the wall. A scream lodged itself at the top of her throat. Fear was an immense weight that nearly pulled her to the floor, but she kept her feet. Her magic exploded in size, expanding until it seemed to bleed from her skin. The dagger on her thigh burned white-hot, and behind the renewed ringing in her ears was a rasp. A whisper.

Then the back of her head hit the wall. For a split second, she thought a spell had been thrown at her, but the scent that filled her nostrils—one so powerful it cleansed the evil miasma—was the same as the empress’s magic. Shumei’s bloated power had also erupted in response to the evil aura, but it had overflowed, spilling out of her like a tsunami hitting shore.

The blow to Mai’s head threatened to render her unconscious, but her magic went to work repairing the injury, sweeping away the pain before it could put her on the floor. Her vision cleared as Shumei stepped forward, full of righteous determination. The empress’s skin glowed as brightly as a bonfire. She disappeared beyond the edge of the door, and it began to swing shut behind her.

I trust you, Shumei. So trust in me.

Chapter Twenty-Four

The Damned One’s throne room would have been bathed only in torchlight were it not for Shumei’s radiance, a glow so bright it banished not only the room’s inherent, skulking menace but her fear.

The bang of the door shutting behind her reverberated in the vast hall. It was nearly the same as what Mai had described—longer than it was wide, high arches, a black marble floor, and balconies on either side where the Foul One’s nobles watched every horror he committed. They were hideous, sewn-together creatures he’d reanimated with his lesser powers, and they shrank away from the balcony railing as her light filled the room.

At the back of the hall was a wide dais and a massive, golden throne shaped like a bursting sun. The arrogance of declaring himself a source of light equal to the Divine One was not lost on Shumei, especially considering the eternal moon hanging over his barren domain. Magic spells had been chiseled into the dais steps, the most prominent of which read, “In the end, only one shall remain.” She vowed to make that happen in a moment.

Compared to such an impudent, oversized throne, its occupant was rather mundane—if one were expecting a hulking ogre. Instead, the Damned One had chosen the form of a handsome blond man clothed in dark heavy robes that shimmered like spider silk. Shumei could not know whether his appearance was an allusion to anything, such as her blond predecessors or his possible role in the Blondie Uprising, but she did know he had chosen to hide his real form. Perhaps he was once as she now saw him, but she could sense the monster inside him. The one his thirst for power had made manifest.

Despite her clear intentions, he sat in a relaxed pose and stared at her with something close to amusement. An interesting feint. If he was so confident, why did a broad shield of magic separate them? Or did he think she couldn’t see it? Perhaps he did. Perhaps he didn’t know of the gift she’d received. Even so, getting past that powerful shield would be quite a challenge.

“You are a surprise, Empress Shumei,” he said. “Whether or not you’re a pleasant one remains to be seen.” His voice dripped with slimy arrogance, and his words slid across her face like spittle.

“I’m not here for conversation.” As her ire rose, so did the flood of power. Her feet left the ground. “Or are you too afraid to fight me?”

He stilled, his smirk gone. “You are far more powerful than any who came before you.” His eyes narrowed. “Why is that?”

“You’ve grown weak these last three hundred years,” she goaded. “Your defenses are certainly disappointing.”

A sneer briefly wrinkled his lip. “You’re brave, I’ll grant you that.” He stood, and sighed as though bored. “Does that courage ever falter, I wonder? I recall you have an aversion to a certain breed of my creations.”

He lazily flicked his fingers, and two immense spider demons appeared from either side of him, lumbering out of the throne’s shadow as if conjured from nowhere. Their diseased eyes flicked about, from the nobles to the Damned One to Shumei, as though they were confused by where they were. Their yellowed fangs, clearly taken from a large predator, were too big for their human-sized jaws, so their open mouths leaked whatever fluid remained from their last kill.

Only months ago, she would have been paralyzed with fear. Had been. But she was not here for herself, or even those closest to her. She was here for all of humanity. And with the Divine One’s power raging like an inferno inside her, the spider demons now seemed so easy to squish.

“Hijin.” She held up her hands and effortlessly sent out two massive balls of sharp, swirling energy. The spider demons screeched as they tried to dodge, but their poor construction did not let them move quickly. In seconds, they were reduced to two twitching piles of shredded flesh. “How much longer do you plan to stall?” she asked.

A rumbling growl filled the room. Shumei allowed herself a smug smile, not because she’d easily defeated his attempt to frighten her, but because she’d made him angry. Enough to make him snarl, marring his handsome guise. Enough to make him draw nearer. He stalked forward, footsteps heavy on the marble floor. The light of the Divine One’s power cast a long shadow behind him, revealing a monstrous silhouette. One of a tall, broad beast with horns.

“You would end our fun so quickly?” he asked.

“Fun?” she scoffed. “Your prattle bores me. I expected so much more.”

Rage flared across his face. He drew closer, but slowly. Though her feet didn’t touch the floor, she managed to will herself forward, cutting left. He kept her in front of him, which turned him away from the doors. His disdainful gaze passed over her, and his brows pinched. A hint of a smile lifted his mouth.

“I see now. What a fool he is,” he seethed. “I can end it here and now, without a champion of my own. Thank you for delivering to me my long-awaited triumph.”

He had figured out she carried the Divine One’s power with her. Rather than be cautious, however, he grew bolder, eyes full of greed. She refused to react as he approached. If she made the first move he might decide to cast spells at a distance. As subtly as she could, she drew power into her right arm.

“I’ve been waiting for you to try, you impotent pretender,” she bit out.

Closer. Closer…

His arm shot out, passing through his protective shell, and grabbed her by her neck. She choked out the keywords for Fury and Dagger of Flesh, hoping the strength of her magic would pierce his barrier. She needed to stab him—anywhere, just once. Ready to seize victory, she rammed her magicked hand toward his chest.

But her spells fizzled the second they passed through his barrier. She gasped as her unprotected fingers crumpled painfully against his chest, for he wore some sort of armor beneath his robes. A cruel smile curved his lips. He sensed he had the upper hand. She couldn’t let him think otherwise.

Her knuckles stung terribly, but she clutched at his tight grip on her neck. She couldn’t pass out. She had to keep fighting until she learned his weakness. She pumped magic into her injured hand and flung tendrils of power at his shield. Nothing penetrated.