And that’s exactly what it was. Hundreds of winged, bony demons swinging metal back and forth against warriors. Her eyes searched frantically for Tyrian but she didn’t see him. Her eyes shot forward as the demon holding her slowed.

Her heart raced as she was slowly carried towards the ground and closer to the grey, rotten demon waiting for her behind his army. The stench of it immediately filled her nostrils and left her gasping as her eyes watered at the retched stench.

Chloe was dropped roughly to the snowy ground. She stood quickly and ran, but a group of demons grabbed her and sent her twirling back towards the demon. Her feet sunk into the deep snow, slowing her movements, wetting her jeans to her legs like cold hands.

The freezing cold bit at her and some part of her mind screamed at her to put a coat on, but she screamed back at it to wait a minute. There’s a demon in front of me!

The demon took one, very long step towards her, placing it directly in front of her.

“What do you want?” she whispered. She heard the screams of men and demons dying

behind her and she couldn’t stop the trembling that started in her body. People were dying because of her. She never wanted any of this. How she wished she could go back in time and never do that stupid spell.

The demon’s huge mouth opened, baring its hundreds of pointed teeth, then it spoke.

“Uganaray k’thunu trime. ”

Chloe had no idea what that meant. But apparently what he said wasn’t meant for her because demons grabbed her wrists, threw her to the ground then two more were at her ankles, holding her fighting body down.

Chloe’s heart galloped in her chest, her breaths came in pants. “What do you want?” The demon held out its long, fleshy arm and another demon came up to it and placed a

ridiculously long sword in its hand. Chloe couldn’t help it—she screamed.

The scream was horrendous and piercing even to her own ears and the demon’s holding her lost their grip to cover their ears. Chloe didn’t hesitate. She got up and ran.

The snow slowed her immensely but she ran wildly, blindly. She couldn’t go back

towards the castle because the demon’s army was there, so she went off to the side and towards a forest of pine trees.

She nearly made it to the trees before she was tackled from behind. Her body slammed into the snow, which struck her stomach hard, knocking the wind out of her. Gasping, she was turned around. Quickly, she curled into the fetal position trying to get the intense pain in her stomach to go away.

As the demon lumbered towards her, idummi demons grabbed her by her ankles and dragged her through the snow back towards it. The demon spoke more in that harsh,

unrecognizable language, rounding on her with that sharp, glinting blade.

The demon wasted no time. It raised the blade high with its long arm. Suddenly, it cried out as a dozen arrows landed in its arm. Chloe and the demons turned to see the Atal Warriors beating down the demons, getting closer and closer to them. Yes! She just needed to hold out for a couple more minutes.

As the demon’s arm fell limply to its side, its good hand picked up the blade. Chloe could feel the hatred and menace oozing out from the demon. Its red glowing eyes stared at her with a hungry passion that spoke of power.

It didn’t lift its arm this time but pulled its elbow back and thrust the blade towards her.

Chloe screamed and turned her body to the side. She stared, wide eyed as the blade dug two feet deep into the snow where her stomach had just been.

The demon snarled something and then demons came at her, trying to grab her arms and feet. She kicked and caught one in the mouth. It snarled at her but another grabbed her other leg.

Soon she was trapped, held down like an ancient offering.

But then she heard a wonderful sound. Tyrian was calling her name. Chloe lifted her head, her eyes darting everywhere before finally seeing him fighting his way towards her. He fought with vigor and skill that far surpassed even the warriors he fought next to. He swung his double-bladed axe, ducked sword blows, and dropped demons in his wake.

The demon didn’t wait for him. It pulled the big blade out of the ground and hacked it at her. Chloe froze.

Adrenaline surged through her, making time slow. The sword came down and she twisted as it neared. The hold on her body was tight and she could scarcely move. The first touched of the blade on her skin was burning hot. Chloe heard herself screaming but didn’t recall actually making the sound.

She contorted her torso just enough that the blade cut into her side, cutting through the muscles of her waist. But mostly missing anything major—she hoped.

“The spell!” she heard Tyrian scream, sounding so far away. Chloe blinked and tried to remember the words.

In a hoarse shout, she chanted the words, “Go back whence you came, I unsummon thee demon!” Chloe gaped as the demon stumbled back, its arm dropping the massive sword. Chloe fought against the demons gripping her.

Arrows whizzed through the air and two of the demons holding her fell on top of her.

Grunting and fighting, her wrists slick with sweat, Chloe wiggled out from under the bony, heavy bodies.

Chloe never stopped saying the words. Louder and faster she chanted, “Go back whence you came, I unsummon thee demon.” The demon’s head shook, its hands flying to cover the holes of its ears.

Chloe stalked to the demon, no longer fearing the beast. She wished she hadn’t lost her potion, but she could do it. This would work. She repeated the lines one more time.

But suddenly, the demon’s cries turned into horrible laughter. It bared its teeth at her and swept out one heavy arm, catching her in the stomach. The air left her body in a painful burst and she went flying through the air. She landed hard in the snow, her breath leaving her on a hard whoosh.

Her eyes opened in time to see the demon closer to her than she liked. But then again, Jupiter would be too close.

She saw a dark flash of movement, and then Tyrian was there. His eyes cold and fierce, unlike anything she’d ever seen. He came at the demon, but it was ready and fought back with brute strength. Tyrian swung his axe and it cut through the demon’s leg sending it toppling over to the ground. Chloe’s teeth clanked together with the force of its body hitting the ground.

She slowly stood. She had to help him. He couldn’t kill it. She didn’t know how she knew that, but she did.

Tyrian closed in on the demon, his blade already swinging for a decapitation, but the demon raised its hand at the last second and blue power shot out from him. Chloe screamed, her heart dying in her chest as Tyrian shouted, his eyes wide. He dropped to the ground unmoving.

Chloe didn’t think. She acted. She sprinted towards the demon, swept low, and grabbed Tyrian’s axe, never feeling the heavy weight of it. She turned and spun, using the counterweight of the axe to gain momentum, and then she let herself fly.

The axe landed, burying deep into the demon’s stomach. Again, Chloe started chanting.

“Go back whence you came, I unsummon thee demon! Go back whence you came, I

unsummon thee demon!”

The demon roared and Chloe had to cover her ears and turn away. The demon dropped to the ground, green thick blood oozing like lava from where the axe was buried inside him.

It made one last grab for her and Chloe jumped away. The demon’s red eyes blinked

slowly, one, two, three more times. Then stayed open, unblinking. Chloe slowly stood, her hands shaking violently.

She had to finish this. She had to be sure. With strength she never knew she had, she stalked to the demon, grabbed the huge axe and tore it from the demon’s belly.