Page 102 of Into the Abyss
For the first time, I understood terror asit settled in my gut and chilled my skin. I would level anyone inmy way if it meant keeping her safe, and if necessary, I would doprecisely that to get free of this place.
When the jinn were out of sight, I movedaway from the wall and toward the path.
The fifth jinni stood at the head of thepathway with his arms crossed over his chest. He stared straightahead, unaware I stood behind him though I was practicallybreathing down his neck.
Gritting my teeth, I turned sideways andedged passed him. I ached to bury my horns in his throat and rendhis head from him, but I slipped by and raced toward themonolith.
I came to a halt at the end of the pathwayand behind a sixth jinn. The path here was too narrow for me topass him without touching. Standing behind him, I stared at hisneck. He had to die, but I’d have to wait until Amalia returnedbefore making my move. The second his body hit the ground, theothers would know I was here, and I needed to maintain my elementof surprise until Amalia returned.
Lifting my gaze from his nape, I stared atthe spot where Amalia had vanished as I waited for any sign of herreturn. I spotted a subtle ripple in the air before she emerged inCaim’s arms. Red filled my vision; my lips curled back as jealousyseared like a hot poker straight into me.
Caim’s wings unfurled with a crack of air,but before he could take flight, two of the jinn crashed into theside of him. Swinging a wing out, he battered the jinn with it andknocked one of them back.
Where are the others?
As the question crossed my mind, I seizedthe head of the jinni before me. I tore it from his shoulders andlobbed it aside. Before it hit the ground, I created a duplicateimage of myself and sent it forth. As the image ran forward, morethan a dozen identical illusions broke off from it and ran towardAbsenthees.
I ran straight up the middle of thesplintering figures as I headed for the monolith and Amalia. Caimgave up trying to fly and punched the other jinni in the face, butmore jinn were converging on the two of them. Lifting his rightwing, Caim turned it over and plunged the silver spike at thebottom of it into the eye of another jinni.
“Go!” Amalia shouted at him when half adozen jinn closed in on them. “Find Magnus!”
Caim could have gotten free without her, buthe remained by her side and, for the first time, I felt a twinge ofrespect for the fallen angel, even if I would still like to killhim for touching her.
Some of the jinn rushed forward to attackthe duplicates of me, which vanished when touched. As they weredisappearing, I sent more forth until over a dozen mirages of mefilled the cavernous space. I resisted my instinct to slaughter thejinn I ran past; I didn’t dare give away my location, or the fact Iwas cloaked again before I reached Amalia.
One of the jinn ran past Caim’s wing andbarreled into Amalia. With his shoulder in her ribs, the jinnilifted her off her feet and propelled her into the monolith. A cryescaped her when her back slammed into the structure; I barelysuppressed a bellow as her voice echoed in my head. I’d tear thejinni apart for harming her.
Arriving at the rocks mounded around thebottom of Absenthees, I climbed them faster than I’d believedpossible as Amalia fought against the jinni trying to get a firmhold on her. A thunderous look crossed the jinni’s face when shewiggled free of him again.
Have to get to her. Have to get to her.
The jinni succeeded in getting one armaround her waist and was trying to lift Amalia when she pulled backher hand and punched him in the nose.
Her face twisted in pain and she shook herhand while the jinni adjusted his hold on her. When we were free ofthis place, I would teach her how to fight.
Halfway up the rock base, the coating ofdebris from the ruins shifted beneath my feet, and I almost wentdown. I managed to catch myself, but I couldn’t cover the rocks anddirt skittering away from me and tumbling down the base ofAbsenthees. They would know I was not one of the illusions.
The noise drew the attention of the few jinnstill climbing toward Amalia and Caim. They turned toward me, butI’d already risen away from where the sound was centered. One ofthem started toward where I’d almost fallen, but two others lookedin the direction of where I was heading. They couldn’t see me, butthey’d surmised it was me and were trying to figure out where Iwas.
They guessed too accurately for myliking.
Like locusts, a handful of jinn swarmed Caimwhile the others moved beyond him to Amalia. The jinn had allgotten too close for Caim to continue using his wings as weapons,and he was starting to lose the battle. Clutching his arms andlegs, the jinn were about to lift him off his feet when he shiftedinto raven form.
Some of the jinn yelped and stumbled away asCaim rose into the air. The three-foot-tall raven was easily ahundred pounds and had six-inch long talons curving into lethalhooks. Turning, Caim tucked his wings back and dive-bombed the jinnwith a ferocious shriek.
One jinni threw himself backward and toppleddown the rocks. I darted out of the way when he bounced passed me.Another jinni wasn’t fast enough to avoid the raven; he staggeredaway with both his eyes and a good portion of his face missing.Caim rose higher before diving again at the jinn still swarming therocks.
Unaware I was there, Caim came straight atme to get at the jinn who had started in my direction after Idislodged the debris. I threw myself to the ground before he tookme out with the three jinn he knocked onto their backs.
Rising, I raced back up the rocks, uncaringabout any noise I might make as four jinn surrounded Amalia. Thejinni she was fighting with the whole time finally succeeded inlifting her. Amalia hit his shoulders before rearing back andsmashing her forehead off the bridge of his nose. The jinnisquealed and released Amalia as if she were on fire.
Blood pooled from between the jinni’sfingers as he clutched his nose and stalked toward her. WhenAmalia’s back connected with the monolith, it stopped her fromretreating any further. The jinni pulled back his arm to punchher.
No!
I covered the distance separating us inthree large bounds. Coming up behind the jinni, I gripped his headand yanked it to the side. One of his hands flew up to mine but notin time to stop me from ripping his head from his body.
Amalia pressed against the monolith with hereyes closed as she waited for the blow to land. When it didn’t, shecracked open an eye as the jinni’s body hit the ground and Ireleased his head. She blinked, her mouth parted on an O beforeexcitement lit her face.
