Страница 71 из 80
“Admirable, yes,” hissed the geminus, getting to its feet, “yet futile. Like your friends downstairs, she will be slaughtered, and you shall spend eternity reliving her last agonizing moments. Over and over again.”
Rage, brilliant as an inferno, tore through Leo. He slammed his fist into the geminus’s sneering face. The creature spat blood, then struck back.
As Leo and the geminus were locked in combat, he heard A
Staggering to his feet, he hauled the geminus to standing and rained punches upon it. The creature tried to fight back, but Leo backed it into a corner. Desperate, furious, the geminus struck out with its claws. Yet it weakened.
The geminus suddenly launched itself at Leo. He acted instinctively, grabbing hold of its lapels. He swung its head toward the marble mantel. A wet crunch sounded as its head collided with the stone. Blood coated the marble, a dark smear dotted with clumps of hair, and the geminus fell to the carpet.
Leo strode over to where the creature lay on its back. It stared up lifelessly, its gaze already glazed and vacant. Taking up his musket, Leo placed the muzzle directly between its eyes and pulled the trigger. The smell of blood, brains, and gunpowder filled the room.
He did not waste time standing over the body. In two strides, he was beside A
She glanced from him to the geminus. Though she blanched at the grisly sight, a small, victorious smile curved her mouth.
“An ungentlemanly fight,” she said.
“I’m no gentleman.” He swung his musket around, holding it like a club.
“Oh, I know that very well.”
The remaining demons, seeing the geminus’s inert body, turned and fled. Yet sounds of combat continued to rise up the stairs. The battle was far from over.
He walked to A
Together, they headed downstairs to join the fight.
Chapter 18
Chaos reigned at the foot of the stairs. Aside from the riot at the Drury Lane Theatre, A
In the midst of this stood Lord Whitney and Zora, standing back-to-back. Hard to believe that Lord Whitney had ever been one of the idle elite, wasting time and money at the gaming tables, for now he fought like a born warrior, his fire-wreathed sword hacking down three demons.
Zora, too, made an awe-inspiring sight as she snapped her flaming whip, felling two creatures and pushing back two more who sought to advance. Distant crashes in the front chambers of the house revealed Livia locked in combat with more demons.
“This ca
He quickly readied his pistols and musket, tamping down the powder and loading the bullets. “It’s the first circle of Hell.”
And so it looked. Two humans fought at the center of a dozen writhing, snarling demons, with a specter providing reinforcement.
Leo brought his musket up to his shoulder, took aim, then fired. A demon attacking Zora fell as the bullet shattered its chest. The Gypsy woman looked up and offered a nod of thanks.
“The geminus,” she called up, “is it dead?”
Lord Whitney glanced toward Leo, then answered before Leo could. “Aye. I suffered the same wounds sending my geminus back to Hell.”
A
“Most of the demons have fled,” Lord Whitney shouted above the din. “These are the holdouts.”
“They’ll regret their obstinacy,” growled Leo.
A
And then, suddenly, the humans outnumbered the demons. Only two monsters still lived. With terrified screams, the demons clambered toward the door, anxious for escape. A
“The final retreat,” Zora said, staring at the open, empty doorway.
“A wise decision.” Leo glanced at the walls.
A
Zora’s whip of fire immediately disappeared. “Apologies.”
Yet Leo merely shook his head. “Couldn’t be helped. But we need to get out. Now.”
Smoke filled the entryway, and A
A
“Air will merely encourage the fire to burn,” the specter answered.
“I’ve another idea.” One she was not certain would work, but she hoped the natural science lecture she had attended long ago had been accurate.
Closing her eyes, A
She cracked open one eye. Her heart leapt to see the flames within diminish. Yet it took far more strength to smother the fire than she knew she possessed. Abruptly, the burden lessened. A
With a final, hard pull, A
A
He murmured her name, lips pressed against the crown of her head. She felt utterly spent, and he formed a solid wall behind her, around her. She fought against a wave of exhaustion, released in the aftermath of battle. It was over. Finally.
Leo tensed. She felt his every muscle contract into readiness. “Hell,” he growled, looking off into the darkness.
She turned her head to see what set him on edge. Her own body stiffened when she beheld the new threat.
Three silhouettes. One long and lanky. Another shorter, but ready for combat. And the third, tall and broad-shouldered, with the distinct posture of a battle-hardened warrior.