Chapter 30

Chapter Thirty

My mouth dropped open, as did many of those in the company.

Vargas snapped hers shut and scoffed. “Do not be ridiculous. If you were capable of such magic then we would have smelled the scent long ago.”

“I have not practiced since Lord Thorn rescued me,” Raines explained as he gestured down at himself. “You cannot smell what has long worn off.”

“And that is exactly why I wonder if you’re capable of performing such a powerful spell,” Will spoke up as he frowned at his servant. “And you are older now. The magic may be too much for your body to handle.”

“I would still like to try, My Lord,” Raines insisted.

Will pursed his lips but finally nodded. “Very well, but at the first sign of trouble, you will abort the spell. This isn’t only to save your life but that of the Tenky.” The little possessed demon growled and rattled the thick pitcher.

Raines bowed his head. “Thank you, My Lord. I will not fail you. I will make the preparations forthwith.” He hurried out of the room being sure to close it behind himself in case the thing should escape

I looked down at my bottled captive. “So how do we even get him out of here to get him downstairs?”

“We will wrap up the rug around the pitcher and carry it downstairs into the foyer,” Raines suggested as he nodded at the door. “I will have enough space there to work my magic.”

Everyone pitched and rolled the corners of the rug up to the pitcher. They were forced to stop when they reached me and I looked uncertainly at the foursome. “You guys ready to roll up if I jump back?”

Enna nodded from her corner. “Yeah, just don’t trip or anything like that.”

I snorted. “I make no promises, but here goes. On three. One. Two. THREE!”

I threw myself back and rolled across the floor. The evil Tenky threw off its flower-patterned prison and lunged at Vargas who grasped a corner. She punched his adorable little nose which flung him back into the center of the rug. The others threw the rug over the thing and wrapped it tightly around his squirming person.

“I’ve got this!” Enna shouted as she hefted the rolled-up rug into her arms and hugged it against herself. “Now get out of the way!”

We scattered except Allard who flung open the door. Enna raced through the doorway followed by the dragon lord and the rest of us. She stampeded down the stairs to the foyer where Raines had already dragged a small table into the center of the room with a glass bowl on its top. He closed his eyes and rubbed his hands together as if he were cold. I let out a tiny gasp as I beheld little flakes of orange magic that fell from his palms like showers of starlight. The tiny flecks settled on the floor in front of him and made a shimmering glowing hill. The faster he rubbed the more flakes came from his hands until he had a mound as big as a pumpkin.

“Where do I put this thing?” Enna yelled at him as she hurried up to stand on the other side of the table.

He nodded at a spot on the floor behind her. “Drop him there when I tell you.”

Enna scooted back to position herself in front of where he indicated while the rest of us stood on the sidelines behind her. The little demon struggled in her grasp and I could hear a horrible gnawing sound as he chewed through the thick rug.

“Hurry!” she shouted as she gave the rug a shake to delay the inevitable. “I don’t know how much longer this rug will last!”

Raines’ eyes flew open and he nodded. “Drop the rug.”

Enna tossed the carpet onto the ground, and not a second too soon. The tiny Tenky tore apart the strands it had gnawed to pieces and leaped out, its hideous sharp black teeth gnashing at the air. Raines thrust his hands forward in a pushing motion and a wind blasted out of his body. The orange flecks were taken by the gust and blew past the table where they struck the attacking Tenky.

The flakes swirled around the Tenky and clung to its body, creating a shimmering orange coat that suspended the creature in midair. The mutated little guy let out a hideous howl and thrashed bout, twisting its head and gnashing its teeth but unable to reach the flakes.

I looked up at Will who watched with a mixture of awe and worry. “Why couldn’t we do that upstairs?”

“I was uncertain this would hold the creature,” Raines spoke up as his eyes remained focused on his captive. Sweat speckled his brow and his body was as tense as a hunk of marble. “I am also uncertain I can hold him for very long. If he does break free you may do as you think best, My Lady.”

“Perform your spell and don’t worry about us,” Will commanded him.

Raines nodded and raised his trembling hands. The flakes that held the Tenky also rose and Raines beckoned them to him. The flecks lowered the Tenky into the glass jar where the light glistened as bright as a paper lantern and with the same soft glow.

Raines closed his eyes and scrunched up his brow. The light of the flakes grew brighter and brighter, transforming into a brilliant sun that lit up the whole house. I could barely behold the wonder and I raised my arm to shield my face.

The Tenky disturbed the wonderment with its terrible cries. They were the shrieks of a creature in pain and torment. I squinted my eyes as something dark rose from its squirming body. It was like a shadow and it stretched upward, drowning the orange glow in its hideous emptiness. The wind that Raines had created had not only not subsided but had grown in strength, whipping about the room like a severed tornado and crashing into random points along the walls. The wind picked up bits and pieces of furniture and decorations and swirled them around us like a shifting junkyard.

Raines stepped up to the table and clapped his hands over the top of the glass jar. The shadow shoved itself against his palms and rubbed itself against him. My heart dropped into my stomach when I saw Raines’ flesh sink into a black color.

“Raines!” Will yelled. “Stop!”

Raines shut his eyes and shook his head. “No! This must be done!”

“Damn it, stop right now!” Will insisted as he marched toward him.

Raines’ magic burst outward in a rippling wave that shoved us back, Will included. I flung up my arms and caught Will’s back as he slid across the floor back to me.

“What’s going on?” I shouted above the storm.

“He’s absorbing the darkness to weaken it enough to free the Tenky!” Will yelled back.

My breath caught in my throat. Absorbing it meant taking the curse into his body.

Raines was infecting himself.

The dark twisting shadow pulsed and flickered as it pushed itself into Raines’ hands. Boils popped up and black blood dripped out of them and onto the Tenky. The little man’s black eyes softened and a hint of color appeared in their depths.

Raines gasped and stumbled back. The storm abruptly ceased and all the items captured in the wind crashed to the floor. Will shot forward and reached his servant in time to catch the man as his legs buckled. Raines’ hands shook so violently that the rest of him quivered. Will lowered him to the floor and grasped one of his wrists where he turned the hand over so the palm faced upward. I knelt on Raines’ other side and gasped.

Ugly black boils covered every inch and dark blood stained the tumors.

Will whipped his head up to Raines who weakly smiled. “My. . .my apologies, My Lord. I. . .I may have overestimated myself.”

Enna had approached the glass jar and looked inside. Her eyes widened. “Something happened to the Tenky!”

The other three congregated around the table and Allard reached his hand into the jar.

“What are you thinking?” Vargas scolded him.

“I am thinking I can risk as much if the human can,” Allard countered.

Enna swatted his hand away. “Then let me do it, you idiot. I don’t want some stupid dragon going nuts and blowing his fire in my face.”

She shoved her hand in and grabbed the Tenky whom she pulled out. Much of the little guy’s boils had disappeared and his eyes were a brilliant blue as he blinked in bewilderment at the curious faces that hovered above him.

“Do you remember what happened to you?” Ware questioned him.

The Tenky blinked a few times before his eyes widened. His mouth flopped open and his body spasmed. “Snake!” he shrieked as he stared with terrified eyes at the crowd. “Snake!”

Enna frowned and shook her head. “You’re not making any sense. What about a snake?”

A film appeared over the Tenky’s eyes and his head dropped back. He lifted one hand and pointed down at his pocket. “S. . .snake. . .” His eyes rolled back and he fell unconscious. My heart leaped when I feared the worst but his chest moved up and down with regular, if shallow, breathing.

“Perhaps there is something in his pocket,” Allard suggested.

Enna’s attention dropped to the pocket he indicated and she rummaged through it as best as her large fingers could manage. “The pocket is too small to get down in there,” she complained.

Vargas drew out a small purse from inside her coat. “Allow me.”

Enna held out her hand to the dragon lady and Vargas opened her purse. She pulled out a pair of tweezers and clicked the forceps together to make sure they worked. The small tool was able to reach deep into the pocket and draw out something that crunched and crinkled between the two forceps. She drew it out and raised it for all of us to see.

It was a transparent mess of snake skin.