Chapter 42

Jace froze for just a second, his body protectively over the demon.

He needed a second to process what was happening. Myth Hunters were inside of the palace and were attacking a demon.

Could this have been what they were planning this whole time? To possess the inhabitants of the palace?

Suddenly Jace’s lack of breathing caught up to him and he couldn’t stop the rapid rate of his chest rising and falling. Everything still felt so constricted. All of his muscles.

As Zebedaios writhed in pain Jace lost his grip on the demon’s hand. He needed to warn April, Gaufrid and most importantly his sister to make sure she was safe. That meant leaving Zebedaios in this vulnerable state.

There was so much pain on the demon’s face and yet he was fighting. Jace had to have faith in him as there was not much Jace could do to help him. Slowly Jace placed a hand on Zebedaios forearm, hoping that his heat would steady the demon.

“I need to go warn my family, please don’t lose this battle, I can’t lose you,” Jace said and kissed the demon’s hand.

Carefully he laid Zebedaios’ arm back by his side and Jace stood.

Guilt washed over him. To be leaving the demon, yet the threat was too large to not. Steeling himself Jce rushed from the room and down the hallway, his coat billowed behind him. Where would they all be at this time? Jace tried his best to recall itineraries yet his mind was racing too fast for him to catch it. He ended up opening the door to Lynn’s quarters in his panic. She was not inside. He cursed trying to figure out where she might have been.

Next he tried April’s quarters, she would know what to do in such an emergency. Jace’s mind scrambled as he tried to think of an excuse for learning this knowledge that wouldn’t involve revealing Zebedaios.

Her door was locked. Jace cursed struggling at the door, Gaufrid. Gaufrid was next to alert.

Jace continued his race down the hall, yet in one of the living spaces he caught sight of a white coat. Scrambling to a stop he saw it was Lynn. She was doubled over, clutching the arm of a chair.

“Lynn!” Jace called as he rushed toward her.

She didn’t respond, not any kind of acknowledgement.

He got closer. “Lynn there are Myth Hunters branching the shields of the palace, do you know where April or Guadfrid are?”

Still nothing. Lynn didn’t even make a move to acknowledge his presence, only hunched her shoulders over even more.

“Lynn, this is serious,” Jace said.

Nothing.

He grabbed her shoulder and whirled her around and what he saw nearly brought him to his knees. The royal Phoenix all had the brightest blue eyes, a pastel blue of an early morning day. Jace had claimed that his sister’s eyes were the most bright and beautiful eyes of them all.

Yet as he turned his sister there were purple.

He felt like he was going to be sick.

Eyes only turned purple in the mythical world for one reason, demon possession. Even if she survived the possession her eyes would be permanently purple. Such was the mark that a demon left on the soul after an attack.

Betrayal hit Jace like a truck. “Zebedaios?”

There was no semblance of a response from Lynn and whichever demon was possessing her. Jace prayed that it wasn’t Zebedaios yet he needed Gaufrid’s help even more than before.

He regretfully left his sister and ran down the hallway again. He passed the guards, both of them were in the foetal position on the ground. Their eyes, which were normally yellow, were now purple as well. This was more than one demon. This was an attack of demons that Jace hoped that Zebedaios had nothing to do with as he had let Zebedaios willingly into the palace. Somehow myth hunters were connected in all of this as well.

Jace ran to Gaufrid’s office hoping he would be there. The door was indeed open.

Inside there were three Phoenix. His mother, Danya and Gaufrid. Each of them had tortured expressions on their faces as well as the signature purple eyes.

Danya and Pearl were both crouched down, their coats splayed out on the floor awkwardly and clutching their heads in such a similar way as Zebedaios was doing inside his quarters. Gaufrid was slumped at his desk but as Jace froze in the doorway with shock seeing the adults, such powerful figures in his life in this state, Gaufrid looked up. Now purple eyes looking over Jace, stopping and staring deep into his eyes.

Gaufrid stood, his impressive height at least two and a half metres was now hostile. Thick muscle shifted as the possessed Phoenix walked toward Jace.

Gaufrid blasted Jace with light, once blue now purple. Yet as it normally would, it passed by Jace’s coat and skin harmlessly. Clearly the demon possessing Gaufrid did not understand how royal Phoenixs worked, and yet they had a hold of arguably the most dangerous one.

Jace backed out of the room, leaving the door swinging open.

The possessed Gaufrid continued stalking toward him. Rummaging around in his coat for a weapon.

He pulled a steel broadsword from the coat and gripped it with Gaufrid’s own muscle memory.

“Gaufrid, I don’t know if you can hear me but surely you of all people can beat this demon,” Jace said, he wished his voice sounded more confident. Yet it wavered as he felt around for a weapon.

He had sparred with Gaufrid many times, he only hoped that whoever was possessing the head of military was not as skilled as him.

The purple eyed Gaufrid lunged toward Jace, a swing of his sword, so powerful it felt as if the very air had been sliced in half and killed. Jace managed to dodge. Swiftly pulling his own sword out of his coat.

Gaufrid’s next attack came quick and swift. Jace met it with his own sword. Yet the demon was throwing all of Gaufrid’s weight into these swings and Jace could barely hold his own. He disengaged quickly, leaping back. But Guafrid swung again. His blade met Jace’s arm, luckily his coat stopped the blade from slicing into him but the sheer force made him eat marble.

Jace had all the wind knocked out of him but Gaufrid was relentless stabbing down with the sword multiple times, Jace’s coat managed to stop it all yet the force made him cry out in pain. He blocked with his own sword to stop him from hitting his face and neck.

Sending a huge blast of light at Gaufrid’s feet from his own eyes he was able to knock Gaufrid to the ground without hurting his body.

Jace quickly got to his feet. Though his body ached from the attacks, quickly he found a net inside of his coat and threw it over Gaufrid who was trying to get up. It was magical and Jace anchored it to the floor which Gaufrid would have to rip up to get out of. Jace felt bad as he knew the net would sting the person inside as it was laced with the most nasty magical ropes yet his own mother and the queen of their people was nearby and Gaudfrid could easily dispose of her in this state.

The possessed Gaufrid struggled under the net, trying to blast it with his now purple light but it wouldn’t give.

Satisfied somewhat with the trap, Jace ran back the way he came, trying to think of some kind of plan.