With no feasible way to get to the fastest route without cutting straight through the heart of Denim, Dásos led the demons up an old country road east of the city until he could cut to the northbound interstate. It was a longer trip, almost twice the distance, but it was safer.

  An hour into their journey, something felt off. High on the hills North of Denim, Dásos stopped the motorcycle and turned to face the city. The others followed suit, and Gaap landed, setting Cresil on the ground. Plumes of thick black smoke climbed into sky, and ash rained down like snow. The king was trying to burn them out of hiding.

  An onslaught of pain filled Dásos as another billowing tower of smoke appeared West of the city. The trees cried to him as they burned, carrying with their own pain the tortured screams of humans and demons alike. Gasping, Dásos clutched his chest, trying to settle his pounding, erratic heart.

  "Dásos?" Keshiema jumped off the bike and barely caught him as he fell. "Day!"

  Another smoke column rose up in the Eastern mountains, but instead of pain filled screams, Dásos felt the silent fear of the trembling forest.

  Two massive explosions in the Southern desert and southwestern foothills confirmed everyone's fears. The king's forces had not only found the rebel bases, but the temple they had just left. If they delayed for too long, it was only a matter of time before he caught up with them.

  The initial shock of pain wore off, and Dásos sat up, still holding his chest and struggling to steady his breathing. "We need to go." He winced; talking made the pain exponentially worse.

  Concentrating her aura, Keshiema attempted to soothe his heart and lungs. Shaking his head he gently pushed away her hands. "Is there anything I can do?" She pleaded, her eyes sparkling with tears, forehead creased with worry.

  "Get me out of here." He gasped as another wave of pain exploded, just before the smoke plume in the West ballooned in a fiery explosion.

  "The farther away he gets, the less connected he'll be to the forests here." Gaap told her.

  "We cannot remain here too long." Asmoday reminded.

  "He can't drive like this!" She shouted before lowering her voice, and her eyes, "and I don't know how yet." Her aura surround her in this haze that clung to her body. A steady pressure was building her chest.

  Sighing, Asmoday dismounted and knelt by her. "Kesh," he whispered, "I can drive him, but you'd need to ride with Eurynome." He saw the fear building in her eyes, and shifted his body to keep her from being seen by the others as her hair turned gray. "You're the only other one who can. You know he could take advantage of a weakened Primordial. And a full blooded one might tip him over the edge."

  Swallowing her fear, she nodded. When she grounded herself and her blues returned, she and Asmoday helped Dásos onto Beelzebub's bike. It worried her that he was too weak to even argue, but it helped to solidify her choice.

  Eurynome stayed quiet as she mounted his motorcycle, but she feel his gleeful, cocky smile. She sey her hands on the repurposed fuel tank - now a supply cache, bit Eurynome grabbed her wrists and wrapped her arms around his waist. "It's safer," He growled, before kick starting the bike and cutting off any chance of an argument. Her growing fear of him was starting to become frustrating.

  Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  The bikes roared back to life and Gaap took flight with Cresil. They continued up the abandoned interstate, hoping their luck would hold out. The wildfires were spreading quickly, causing Dásos an immense amount of pain. Gripping Asmoday, Dásos fought to stay conscious.

  An arrow whizzed by Keshiema. Blood trickled down her cheek before for she could even feel the pain. Smelling her blood, Eurynome increased his speed, zipping to the front of the line. Seeing her injury, Asmoday signaled the others to box her in and open their throttles.

  A barrage of arrows rained down from the trees on either side of the interstate, with no escape in sight. When they reached the old half-mile long double decker bridge, the attack halted suddenly.

  Halfway across, they screeched to a halt, faced with a blockade of archers. Diving low, Gaap dropped Cresil onto bridge and drew his bow.

  'He's after me,' Keshiema thought, looking at Dásos struggling to stay upright. 'If I surrender, they can escape.' she tried desperately to create an ice shield, planning to lock the others in so she could surrender. But her powers locked up, refusing to obey.

  Feeling her icy aura building, Eurynome took hold of her wrist and squeezed it tightly to hold her in place. "Don't even think about it. None of us would leave you behind."

  A single soldier from Leraje's legion stepped forward, dropping his bow and removing his cloak before discarding his dagger. Completely unarmed, he cautiously approached their group.

  Lilith silently volunteered, teleporting to meet the messenger halfway. He jumped, surprised by the sudden company. "Leraje wishes to speak with the woman."

  "No." Lilith said simply, examining her nails as if bored.

  "He does not desire any unnecessary bloodshed." The demon soldier pressed.

  "A little late for that, don't you think? Or was that supposed to be a welcome party?" The thumbed behind her toward the road they came in on.

  "If you react, she falls," he said, his tone made it sound like a clarification.

  In a blur of green, Leraje bolted through, snatching Keshiema off of the bike and pulling her the edge the bridge, with nothing but a five hundred foot drop behind them. Pressing his knife to her throat, he spoke softly, "No one move."

  With Leraje's heals teetering on the edge, thirty mile an hour gusts threatening to knock them over, the threat was unnecessary; none of them dared to even breathe too loudly.

  "Sir Leraje?" Keshiema asked, recognizing the voice. Gray took her colors as the wind race through them, reminding her of falling into the vast darkness in Ethera.

  "Yes," he whispered, "you haven't grown much since the last time I saw you."

  "You remember me?" Closing her eyes, she tried desperately to ground herself.

  Spotting Dásos, Leraje tightened his grip around her waist, but realizing the Primordial was nearly unconscious, he relaxed. "You've got some powerful friends," he remarked, "and I see you're still associating with that Impure."

  "Your soldier said you wanted to speak with me?"

  'Her file said she had good hearing,' he thought, though it still impressed him. "Adramelech claims you raided the castle alongside Beelzebub, and then left the prince for dead to escape."

  Red. A deep bloody crimson. Too angry to allow fear to keep a foothold. Lavender aura steamed from her body. Her jaw ached as her teeth grew sharp. "Beelzebub was dead days before I even escaped my cell!" She hissed as embers formed around them.

  "And I should believe your word over the king's?" He raised a valid point and she had nothing to counter with. "But you've given me something to think about." Pushing her away he leaned back, falling over the edge.

  Using her swift reflexes, she spun around, grabbing Leraje's arm before he could plummet to his death. But he was slipping, too heavy for her to hold for long. "Help me!" She cried, but Cresil was there before she could even finish saying it.

  Leraje let go of her hand before Cresil could grab him. Her eyes turned a swirl of white and black to match the streaks in her hair as she called out his name. Laughing, he shot his grappling hook and swung from the tresses of the ancient bridge.

  Looking around, they found Leraje's legion disappearing before their eyes. Not chancing their return, the group mounted their bikes and raced away as quickly as they could.