“And the king’s men aren’t in place yet.” A bone-chilling sensation gripped her.
The demon said, “They’re on their way now. And the general’s men should be doubling back soon.”
“Soon is not going to help us,” Tanner cut in.
Of course, Darien’s warning for the slayers to stay in the village and leave the fighting to his troops flashed in her mind. But she and Tanner were already on the scene and they were the only available defenders at the moment.
Why oh why had she let Michael come along? She could scream from her own idiocy.
The second demon said, “We can’t allow the rogue force to enter the forest. We’ll lose the wraiths and the village will be under siege within minutes.”
Jade felt sick to her stomach. She’d promised her neighbors no harm would come to them. But how the hell were the five of them going to stop the invasion?
Thinking quickly, she said, “We have to stall them until the king’s army arrives.”
“And how do you propose we do that?” Tanner asked.
“Sadly, I have an idea.” Glancing over her shoulder, she told Michael, “Get down and stay back. Keep behind us, Michael, do you understand?”
“Yeah, I hear you.” He hopped to the ground and took a few steps away from them. Jade moved forward.
Tanner stayed positioned where he was and the two demons flanked Jade as she passed the last line of trees and entered the snow-covered meadow, which was about to become a battlefield.
The fire wraith, sans flames at the moment, rode toward her, along with what she assumed to be his second-in-command. They stopped ten or so feet shy of Jade and her new compatriots.
“Vampire,” the demon on her left muttered in warning.
The presumed general and vampire spoke for the wraith. “Five against fifty is hardly worthy of our time.”
She hitched her chin and said, “The king’s men will come.”
“Will they?” the vampire demanded. “And how will they know we’re here in this spot, when we have a half-dozen other battalions about to surround your village?”
“The king has scouts,” she countered. “I have faith in his ability to locate all of your factions.”
“Then you’ll be disappointed to know that the scout in this area is dead. He never made it back to the castle to alert the king.”
She swallowed down a lump of horror, but then remembered the patrolman beside her had said there’d been other scouts to witness the rogues’ gathering. No doubt one of them had reported back to the castle. She sent up a silent prayer that was the case.
Hoping to buy more time, she said, “If the five of us pose such little challenge, feel free to wait for the king’s army to join us. Otherwise, if you’re confident you’ll have a swift victory over our small group, know that two are demons and three are slayers.” A fib, but who on her side was going to call her bluff when it came to Michael? “Oh and one of the slayers is also half-demon.”
For their part, the two demons beside her didn’t react to her statement. But she knew they had to be curious, as were Tanner and Michael, most likely.
“Needless to say,” she continued in a haughty tone, hoping to somehow keep the conversation going so the rogues didn’t attack for a while longer, “we’re our own force with which to be reckoned. That’s why there’s only five of us.”
The general and his leader considered this as their steeds grew restless, pawing at the drift they stood in. She wondered if the demons were able to converse telepathically, because they seemed to be deep in thought.
Finally, the general said, “A shifter on our side maimed one of your slayers. I don’t see him present.”
“He’s still injured,” she told them, forcing her voice not to waver. “Two others were sworn in. The ink’s still wet on the king’s approval,” she added, in case they’d had any way to check the registry before they’d arrived, “but we are official. And deadly.”
With the fire wraith’s army engaging them, she knew there’d be no dispute over Michael’s involvement in the fight, even if he were to kill a demon. She did, however, hope one didn’t get close enough to him to even require he lift his sword.
In order to facilitate that, Jade knew she needed a solid strategy.
Feigning nonchalance over the combat scenario—though she was brimming with nervous energy—she said, “I’m sure you’ve surmised the odds are significantly less in your favor now that you know there are demons prepared to fight you.”
She glanced first at the one on her left, then the one on her right. With a smug look she had to force beyond her fear, she said, “I’m perfectly capable of holding my own. Now that I’ve learned your weaknesses.”