Chapter 5

CHAPTER FIVE

Lisa’s words hung in the air despite Damon’s reaction. I felt torn, my mind racing as I tried to process what she’d said. The phoenix could supercharge all the artifacts? It sounded too good to be true, and with Lisa’s track record, it definitely could be.

I glanced at Damon and saw the skepticism etched on his face. He’d always been the first to call out Lisa’s lies, even when I wanted to believe her. But this time, I couldn’t shake the feeling that she might be telling the truth.

Rage was unlike anything we’d faced before. Ten times more powerful than any demon we’d encountered. And the mirror, our go-to weapon, was useless against him. That had never happened before. The rules we’d relied on were crumbling around us.

But what if the phoenix could supercharge the mirror? The mythical bird held power over life and death itself. Maybe that included the power to extinguish a demon like Rage. It was a big “if,” but with the stakes this high, could we afford to ignore it?

I turned away from Damon, feeling the weight of his disapproval, and looked at Justice. I had a feeling he’d come to the same conclusion I had. We needed to take this chance.

“Lisa,” I began, my voice steadier than I felt. “If you’re lying about this, if it’s another one of your tricks…” I let the threat hang unfinished.

Lisa’s eyes widened, a flash of hurt crossing her face. “Sawyer, I know I’ve betrayed your trust before, but this isn’t?—”

“Save it,” Damon cut in. “We don’t have time for another round of ‘Trust me, I’ve changed.’ Sawyer, think about this. We go after the phoenix, and we’re splitting our forces. That’s exactly what Rage wants.”

The familiar pull of loyalty toward my brother warred with a desperate need to try anything that might work. “Damon, I hear you. But if there’s even a chance Lisa’s telling the truth…”

Justice cleared his throat, drawing our attention. “Time’s running out. We need to make a decision. Sawyer, it’s your call. Do we trust Lisa and go for the phoenix or stick to the original plan?”

I looked between Damon and Lisa, feeling like the sheriff between two gunslingers trying to stop a fight. Whatever I decided, it would change everything between us. Yet, with Rage growing stronger by the minute, indecision was a luxury I couldn’t afford.

Damon held up his hand. “Hold up, are we seriously considering chasing after some magical firebird on a ‘what if’? Come on, man! We’ve got a nuke of a demon breathing down our necks, and you want to go on a wild goose—er, phoenix chase?”

He glanced at me as if trying to drum up support for going after the harp first. “Look, I get it. Rage is one bad mother, makes our usual playmates look like fluffy bunnies. And yeah, our tried-and-true mirror’s about as useful as a screen door on a submarine right now. But for all we know, Lisa here could be playing us like a fiddle.”

Lisa stiffened her spine and crossed her arms. “I’m not. That’s one of the reasons why Maci wanted to keep the phoenix out of our hands. She understands its power.”

Damon ignored her and focused on me. “Fine, let’s say she’s not yanking our chain. Even if this phoenix can juice up our gear, how long’s it gonna take to find the damn thing? We’re not exactly working with a surplus of time here, in case you haven’t noticed the pay-per-view demon smackdown brewing outside.”

Justice stared at Lisa as if reading her thoughts.

Damon sighed. “Justice, man, I know that look. You’re buying what she’s selling, aren’t you? All right, all right. If we’re gonna do this, we do it smart. We split up. Half of us go for the harp. Our original plan, remember that? The other half can play bird catchers. That way, if this whole phoenix plan goes up in smoke, pun intended, we’ve still got a shot at this demon the old-fashioned way.”

I looked at my brother. We had always been on the same playing field, but not this time. I braced my shoulders and spoke in a small voice. “I say we go after the phoenix.”

Lisa gave Damon a superior smile that only spurred his frustration.

He threw his arms up in the air. “Fine. But I swear, if we end up chasing our tails while Rage turns this town into his personal playground, I’m gonna be pissed. And someone better have a spare bottle of Jack handy ‘cause I got a feeling I’m gonna need it when this is all over.”

Brody, who’d been silently assessing the situation, stepped forward, his muscular frame tense with urgency. He swept his gaze across the team. “All right,” he stated firmly. “We need to make a call, and we need to make it now.”

I gave him a nod and smiled. His ability to calm things and get the team focused was definitely appreciated. Even though I was the leader, sometimes you needed to step back and let someone else use their talents. In the meantime, I scanned the crowd, looking for Rage and Maci. Where were they? They had to be watching the scenario unfold.

He gestured toward the chaos, his movements sharp and precise. “We’ve got two potential game-changers, the harp and the phoenix. Both could be crucial against Rage, but we can’t pursue them simultaneously.”

His eyes narrowed as he addressed Damon, giving a curt nod of acknowledgment. “Damon’s concerns are valid. We can’t afford to chase a ‘maybe’ when we’re on a tight clock. But if Lisa’s right about the phoenix, it could give us the edge we desperately need. Here’s my take—we stick together. No splitting up. That’s how people get picked off in situations like this. We need to choose one target and commit to it fully.”

Brody uncrossed his arms and leaned in slightly. “So, team, what’s our next move? The harp we know about, or the phoenix that could potentially turn the tide? We make this decision together, right here, right now.”

His fist clenched at his side, emphasizing his words. “When we decide, we move as one unit, no hesitation. Whatever we choose, we’re in this together. We watch each other’s backs, stay alert, and adapt as needed. Time’s running out, and Rage isn’t going to wait for us to debate. What’s it going to be?”

I lowered my voice, my gaze darting around the increasingly chaotic courtyard. “The Isle of Skye,” I whispered urgently. “Come on, before Rage comes after us or the people start attacking us.”

As if on cue, a bottle smashed against a nearby wall, showering us with glass shards. The crowd’s angry shouts grew louder, more frenzied. We didn’t have much time.

Wordlessly, we formed a tight circle. I gripped Lisa’s and Justice’s hands with white-knuckled intensity. I felt Lisa’s fingers trembling in my right hand while Justice’s strong grip filled me with strength on the left. Damon’s face was a mask of grim determination as he nodded to Justice.

Justice’s eyes flashed. “Hold on,” he growled.

In a blur of motion that made my stomach lurch, Justice activated his vampire speed. Wind whipped at my clothes and hair as we moved faster than human eyes could track, leaving the escalating madness of the castle behind.

As we raced away, a chilling thought struck me. The chaos I’d witnessed felt too potent, too all-consuming, to be the work of Rage alone. My mind raced with possibilities. With this level of chaos, Envy or Gluttony or even Pride might be here, too.

Justice didn’t stop until we reached our SUV.

But we weren’t alone.

An eerie stillness spread goosebumps along my arms like a spider had crawled all over me. The streets that should have been bustling with life were a tableau of unnatural inertia.

People stood frozen in place as if time itself had stopped. Some were mid-stride, arms suspended in half-completed gestures. Others sat slumped on curbs, their eyes glazed and unfocused. A woman near us had a trail of drool sliding down her chin, pooling on her shirt. She made no move to wipe it away, seeming too lethargic even for that small action.

Damon stared at the drooling woman. “Well, ain’t this a picture of small-town charm. Looks like someone hit the pause button on the whole damn place. Great. As if we didn’t have enough on our plate with Rage, now we’ve got the entire town doing their best mannequin impressions.”

“Sloth,” I whispered hoarsely. “Sloth is here.”

Damon cursed under his breath while Brody’s jaw clenched tight enough to see the muscles work. Justice glanced around, assessing the danger with preternatural speed.

Suddenly, movement caught my eye. A man in a crisp charcoal suit approached us with surprising swiftness. Unlike those around him, his eyes were sharp and predatory, fixed on Lisa with unsettling intensity.

A demon.

Time seemed to slow as the man reached out, his fingers mere inches from Lisa’s arm. Without conscious thought, I found the mirror in my hand, raising it with practiced speed.

“Lisa, duck!” I shouted, thrusting the mirror between her and the advancing threat.

The effect was instantaneous and horrifying. As soon as the man’s reflection hit the mirror’s surface, he released an inhuman shriek. His form crumbled, flesh and bone disintegrating into fine gray ash. In mere seconds, he was a pile of dust scattering across the concrete in a light breeze.

The ensuing silence was deafening. I stared at the spot where the man had been. Sloth had been defeated, but there could be other deadly sin demons lurking nearby. I glanced at the mirror. Its power was the only thing keeping the demons away, but I had a hunch they were waiting for a tiny slip-up, a chance for the mirror to shatter or be out of my reach, to attack. The hair stood up on my arms and on the back of my neck. I didn’t see them, but that didn’t mean they weren’t there.

I could almost taste their evil, wanting to kill everyone I loved.

Not happening.

“Everyone okay?” Brody asked as he scanned our group for signs of injury.

I suddenly realized Zara had been uncharacteristically quiet since we arrived. I turned to look at her, and the haunted expression on her face struck me. Her usual confidence had vanished, replaced by a vulnerability I’d never seen before.

“Can we get out of here?” Zara whispered, trembling with emotion. “I don’t want to become a living statue like my sister.”

The sadness in her tone was heartbreaking. I tried to imagine how I’d feel if it were Damon frozen in place, stripped of his vibrant energy and wit. The thought alone was enough to make my chest tighten with anguish.

However, Sloth wasn’t the only demon we had to worry about. Six others were waiting to take these poor people around us and my team. The question was, where were they lurking?

Zara’s gaze darted nervously from one motionless figure to another, each frozen form a painful reminder of her sister’s fate. I recalled the story she’d shared with us earlier, a tale of sisterly love and devastating loss.

“We won’t let that happen to you, Zara.” I squeezed her shoulder reassuringly. “We’re in this together, remember?”

Damon nodded. “Yeah, no one’s turning into lawn ornaments on our watch.”

Zara managed a weak smile, but the fear lingered in her eyes. “Thanks,” she murmured. “It’s just…seeing all these people. It brings it all back, you know?”

Her hands were shaking, and she clenched them into fists, trying to regain her composure. The strong, sarcastic Zara we knew was still in there, but for now, she was overshadowed by a scared sister reliving her worst nightmare.

“We should keep moving,” Brody suggested, scanning our surroundings as he opened the SUV door. “We don’t want Maci or demons following us.”

I had a feeling it was too late for that. Maci was a crafty adversary, and I bet she’d figure out we were heading for the Isle of Skye.

As I was sliding into the front seat, Rage and Maci walked onto the sidewalk. To anyone else, they looked like an ordinary couple. Rage tipped his finger to me as if saluting, and Maci smirked.

They didn’t attack, and that scared me most of all.