“I knew I was right,” Abbigail sputtered.

Trees crashed to the ground in front of them. They raced and weaved through them, jumping over boulders and sliding down rocky slopes.

“Don’t touch it!” he yelled, jumping over a fallen branch with smoking green leaves.

“You don’t have to tell me that!” she yelled right back.

That’s his girl.

Heavy, pounding footsteps came at them like cracks of thunder. The ground shook with each booming strike. The demon was following them, crashing through the forest like a wrecking ball. Horrible sounds followed them—the sounds of trees slamming to the forest floor, groaning at their death.

All he needed was a good place to slip into and hide for a few seconds, then he could stow Abbigail away and fight the demon. His heart raced nearing panic levels. He’d been wrong, too cocky.

If they were still kids, his brother would have slapped him upside his head for not being more cautious. Oh well, what was done was done. Now he had to protect her. He refused to let the thought of failure even enter his mind. No way will he let anything happen to her.

He’d die first.

A long valley lay before them filled with bright yellow grass waist tall. In the distance, deep in the south, he could just make out a tendril of smoke in the air. It was so far away it could just be his eyes playing with him, or maybe it was just a tree swaying in the wind. Whether the smoke bode well or not for them, he charged towards it with every ounce of strength inside him. Even if he had to pull her along, he’d get them to safety.

“You’re doing great,” he called to Abbigail. It might be a strange time for it, but he was so proud of her. The woman had a lot of fight in her.

Suddenly, the ground shuddered beneath them. They had to stop or else be thrown to the ground as the earth swayed beneath their feet. Abby slammed into his back. They wobbled side to side as the ground shook with a jerking, quaking action as if it was trying to bubble up beneath their feet.

“What’s going on?” Abby asked. He didn’t like the fear in her voice.

Up ahead, the ground split open in a nasty snarl and a loud hiss. The earth parted to reveal an open lip in the field. A black, cavernous slit formed in the massive crack in the ground, and in a rush, it split from one side of the field to the other, completely blocking their way.

“The jaheera is conjuring up magic.” It split the field completely in half, blocking their only real exist.

“Is the fissure real?”

Alrik couldn’t be sure. “It could be an illusion or it could be very real.” He glanced back behind them and saw that at the very least they had put some distance between them and the demon. Alrik grabbed her hand again and headed for the crack.

The first thing he noticed was the grisly smell…like rotting flesh that had been sitting in stagnant water. A gag rolled up in his throat that he barely managed to control. Abbigail wasn’t so lucky. She turned around and her body wretched up the contents of her stomach. Her hand squeezed his hard and he returned the gesture to offer his support.

He was close enough now to see that the crack was real. Either that or a really good illusion. Still, he had to be sure. Quickly picking up a small rock, he threw it. If it was an illusion it might stop in midair as if hitting a wall or it might land on top of the black crack as if it was a solid surface. If it were real, it would fall into the crack.

He slung the rock and watched it. Abby stood up, wiping her mouth on the sleeve of her shoulder. His poor woman looked pale and perspiration covered her forehead. God damn, he needed to get her out of here.

He was so busy watching her that he didn’t see what happened to the rock. Abby squeezed his hand, her expression turning into one of panic.

“It’s real. It went into the chasm!”

Thundering steps boomed closer. “Come on!” Alrik grabbed her hand and started to run, but Abby didn’t move with him.

She stood there, shaking her head.

“Don’t give up on me. We can beat this!”

She laughed and looked at the miles of expanse the crack had sundered, then back at the giant beast barreling towards them. “There’s nowhere for us to go. We have to do something.”

Alrik twitched. He didn’t like this. He didn’t have any time to think! “Fine, you start running east. I’ll hold the demon at bay.”

She cocked her head, fear gripping her beautiful eyes. He hated the look. Nothing would make him happier than to wipe it away forever. “What do you mean? We can’t separate now. We’re stronger together.”

With a flourishing move, he pulled his swords out from his sheath and twirled them once. “I’m going to kill it.”

“But you’re the size of a small bush compared to that thing! You can’t just expect to stab it and beat it.”

Alrik shook inside. He could feel his temperature drop as anger rose. No, not now.

His eyes squeezed shut. He tried sucking in quick breaths but it was useless. She was royally pissing me off. Not with her life on the line.

His eyes shot open and when he leveled his gaze on hers, she took a fearful step back. “Your eyes are doing that thing again...”

“For once you are going to do what I tell you to do. Run east. Find a place to hide and stay there. I’ll come for you.” His voice was a distorted growl. It wasn’t just anger coursing through him but fear, fear for her life.

“And if you don’t?” she asked softly.

His hands tightened over the sword handles. The icy anger felt so good that he shivered, embracing it even as he knew what it’d do to him. “I said I’ll come for you,” he said clear and hard. She flinched at his tone, a flash of pain swept over her eyes. He hated it. He hated that he caused her to hurt, yet that hate only morphed inside him like shapeshifting animal, turning into vile, ugly anger. “Get out of here now.” His arms shook with the need to lash out and hit something, to feel the spray of blood on his face, and the crushing of bones beneath his fists.

He didn’t know if he could control himself or if he could keep himself from lashing out at her if she said or did the wrong thing in those tense moments. Not now, not when the rage gripped him in its bitter hold. He didn’t know what he’d do if he hurt her. Not when he was so close to finally getting what he wanted.

“Go now!” he yelled.

She jumped at his yell, swallowed hard, and then took off running along the heading east. Alrik whipped the blades in his hands, loosening his wrists as he squared off against the demon. He had an advantage now—a boiling mass of rage itching to be let out. And, he couldn’t wait to feel the rush.

Alrik let out a battle cry worthy of waking the gods. The demon slowed its thundering steps at the sound as if nervous for the first time. Then he charged forward, blades pointed behind him, ready to whip, slash, gouge, and cut.

The demon stopped at once, its great head turning east to track Abbigail. Alrik saw black. She was his and nothing would touch her. His vision shifted, distorted, and then changed so he only saw in blacks and greys. Around the demon became a foggy grey color like a stormy day while the demon stood out in stark, oily black.

Yes, his rage screamed inside him. Yes! Kill, hurt, maim!

With his rage out and free, his heart pounded violently. His mind was freer than it’d ever been. No thoughts of consequences, logic, or worry bothered him. All he needed, all he wanted, was to shed blood. He took the curse his mother had placed on him and embraced it with open arms.

Swirling smoke billowed out from the demon as if a fire surrounded it. Alrik knew what it was—a spell being cast. He could see it through the curse’s eye. Before it could finish the spell, Alrik sprinted past the demon’s leg, slashing with both blades.

In a quick burst he chanted, “Kahlab’du shtow zhenyul garrab’deen fuh!”