I do not own the Demonata series.

Chapter 6

I glance around myself in preparation of claiming the power stored within Kernel Fleck. His fate is sealed. He's facing me only a few feet away, hands darting all over with his unmatched speed ever since the grenade-smoke revealed my uninjured body. Working on another window. Too late for trying to escape. I knew coming to stop me was a grave mistake on his part, though he may still prove troublesome, for I bet he plans on fleeing with the lodestone ruining our new fatal tunnel.

As I ready myself, I sense that the window behind me is still in one piece. The thought that it may be their plan to keep it opened for more distractions crosses my mind, but worries me not. Nothing could stop my next attack. Also to my back is Timas Braus. He raises another worthless metal object and with a twitch on its upper side reveals just how ineffectual it is. Just a flare. He however throws it into the afore-mentioned window to his side from which another werewolf jumps out howling. As I can tell, this new pack of enhanced wolves has been trained to charge when given sings that are: whatever shiny crossing the window to their side.

I form weapons with my shadowy shell, only to catch movement from bodies around me. The beasts I've previously bashed into the wall are on their paws again. Don't tell me they've been taught to play dead too! The howl must've been another signal they've been trained to. Having laid by my feet the newly risen two are now backing me until they can totally surround me along with their third teammate. An impressive ambush for simple-minded mortals and hybrids.

Ignoring the threat of Kernel my shadows strike down upon the two werewolves in front in the form of threads, binding their limbs and lassoing their necks tight. For dealing with the one behind I mold what would most accurately be called a tail, one so sharp it impales his chest. I'm getting pretty good with that move.

As the first two wolves suffocate I sense the three souls are becoming a part of me. They're all dead now, and I see that the window has fallen apart in the meantime, so no more of these beasts is to be expected. Kernel's time has come. Before I could turn however, I catch the move of Timas from the corner of my eye, as he hurls his hand into the air again. I need to prepare my defenses to take the shock of another grenade. But when I fail to catch the explosive with my eyes, I come to a confusing realization: a bluff?

It is at this time, when I'm staring into the empty air, an eventless, silent moment is broken by frequent smacking sounds. Footsteps! Someone's running towards me. Sounds so close. But it will be useless. I will survive anything and can kill anyone, so whoever this is better be aware that they're headed for the awful fate of having their souls held captive within me for the rest of eternity. My shell becomes that of a porcupine's, having sharp tips of spears covering me, ready to be extended into the enemy's flesh. Spinning around, I release these stakes with ferocious speed to my surprise at Kernel. He might've snuck up to me within his reach, but I still can't imagin…

With a slide of his hand, he completes the window he's been working on, and it appears between us, giving Kernel a wall of defense against my frontal stabs. The thought that he might jump through and manage to escape me, stiffens my body with rage. My human body at least. My remaining shadowy tentacles reach above, and over the sides of the window and bend to smack into Kernel. But to my shock the form of the body of light starts to change. It bends at its rim, and now covers "the eyes" from the sides as well. No-one ever knew that such a feat was possible... No-one but the Old creatures. Now their words ring in my head as I recall what they told this boy.

"With our assistance you may learn, how to make bigger windows, also you will bend them, in so surrounding the entire planet."

Having survived my barrage, Kernel molds his window into the opposite direction, towards me. The speed at which defense is shifted into offense is so great, I can't back away in time. The gateway falls over me like curtain.

I see nothing. It's darkness all over. I wonder if my sight's been damaged in any way.

'That's hardly the case.'

'Oh, so you even talk to me now, Shadow?'

'I might as well remind you myself. You've been forced through a window. Just use your magic to conjure light, and we'll see where we've been brought to.'

I don't argue. I light the place up. The all too familiar place I might add. Just one glance on the familiar cracks on my stone surroundings, and I recognize what used to be a demon-crossing tunnel in the Carcery Vale cave. I ought to, I've been trapped within here for sixteen-hundred years. I gather I'm in no trouble. I've just been transported from an important battlefield. It's frustrating, I can't open windows leading to specific places the way Kernel can.

To think that their trickery eventually succeeded. I have to admit though, their tactic was pretty good. Whether the werewolves or the grenade would harm me or not didn't matter, they were merely just distractions, giving Kernel the chance to get up close to me and trap me with the window. How'd that boy learn to bend his windows anyway? Could the Old creatures have been in on this plan?

'He could've just mastered it on his own. A lot more time has passed on planet Earth than we had felt in Lord Loss' domain. All that time spent on their training got them this far. We best not underestimate them ever again. Speaking of his majesty's realm, I believe that is where we should be headed right now. We can wait for him there.'

'On it.'

Opening a window to the aforementioned kingdom takes minimal time and effort, because trips to that destination were stored in Kernel' memory. As I focus to create the required window I continue to look about the cave, not that the memories brought back are so joyous. Memories of how I fought 'til death here, images of another battle from the minds of Grubbs' and Beranabus'… But not Kernel's. Every time he's ever been in this cave, he has had his eyes gouged out by either a demon, or Grubbs. Strange… I figure, he needs a place with its own unique name or one he's seen before to create a window, so how did he…? Oh, no!

'He didn't make a window to lead to a specific place, but to a person he knew would be here!' is what we both figure, but Shadow isn't too shocked to speak it. On this fitting cue, the events are sent in motion.

The cave is irradiated by a bright purple light, someone behind me had summoned. I instantly turn and am almost blinded when staring into the source: a destructive ball of magical energy, the size of which has not been matched over the hundreds of years Beranabus could recall. It has not been sent to fly yet. It's hovering in its place of origin, the palm of the conjurer, desperately trying to focus more of their energy into the sphere.

Through another shading curtain of souls I can make out who that is (had it not been obvious who could control such a force): it's Grubbs! The third container of the Kah-Gash, of course! To his sides I notice he has a company of two. On his right stands the pitiful Kirilli Kovacs, to his left, another disciple referred to as Shark, him being in a state that makes him look just a bit less pathetic, than the aforementioned.

The second I recognize my foes, my Shadow-shell takes on a redoubtable form. Souls solidifying into a cloak of blades, topping it all off with a large, tri-pronged spear at my chest-height. I instantly propel the mighty weapon at the enemy standing in the cover of the ever-growing orb. It's brought to a stop as the middle edge lashes into the surface of the globe. It's not a defense I'll be able to pierce, but I'm not short on back-up plans. The remaining two tips of the fork unstiffen, lengthen and start on a snake-like movement, so they may bypass the obstacle, except I come to the estimation, that time will run out and the form will reach a size so great, it will connect with the tunnel walls leaving no holes to attack through.

I scratch the idea of further attacks, and reverting the blades into their original less murderous death-cloud form I make my feet rise into the air taking fast panicked flight, towards the exit of this pipe-like trap.

I'm fleeing for my life with limited hope for success in the same tunnel I did in, sixteen-hundred years ago. I also try another option of escape working on the completion of the window to Lord Loss' realm, but all illusions are shattered when the enemy releases the missile, which sweeps across the tunnel seemingly unstoppable. The sight of it smashing rock formations to mere pebbles the size below human perception is just frightening. It is this fear that torments me as the distance lessens by the second. This is impossible! Not even the trigger of the ancient weapon could muster such great force on its own, or even if he'd fuse his with that of the two disciples' on his sides.

When the blast finally makes contact, the last thing I comprehend is the sight of a pebble of lodestone floating in the center. Then everything I sense is washed away in a wave of pain. I can only assume I'm then rammed out of the tunnel through the exit which had meant my only chance to dodge the blow a minute ago. Eventually I guess I'm stopped by a cave-wall against which I'm smashed into a dust-like substance.