Demons & Battleskirts Volume 1 by Belinda Crawford

Author:Belinda Crawford [Crawford, Belinda]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: science fantasy, science fiction, fantasy, urban fantasy, action adventure, LGBT, bisexual, lesbian, homosexual, academy, school, high school, college, magical girls, superhero, superheroine, action, demons, daemons, magic, wizards, witches
Publisher: Belinda Crawford

THIRTEEN

The glaive burned, not with heat or light, but with darkness. The runes carved into the black metal writhed with shadows that not even Nova's halo could dispel. Instead, they grew richer, the shapes reaching, eating what little remained of the concrete and sinking through to the rubble beyond.

The girls watched it, silent heartbeats passing as the ground continued to crack as if the glaive were an asteroid impacting the Earth in slow motion. Or maybe it was the darkness spreading its fingers. One crack reached past the hem of Nova's long, white-gold skirts reaching for her boots. The dark within the crack seemed to bathe in the light emanating from her skin, and instinct had her stepping out of its path.

Hastily, Nova dispelled her halo, willing it back into her body, and... The crack continued past her, the shadows continuing towards the portal.

'Why didn't Ahriman dematerialise?' Della asked, and Nova wondered if it was actually a question or if her friend merely wondered out loud.

Nonetheless, she answered, and when she did, none of the gut-crunching fear in her belly made it to her voice. 'I don't know.' She looked up, caught Della's gaze and reached deep inside herself for the Empress, infusing her words with power. 'But we don't ask Byrne and you will take the memories of what happened tonight to make sure.'

Duty and compassion crashed on Della's face, furrowing her brow and pulling at her mouth. 'I can't keep wiping her memory, Nova.'

The Empress rose and Nova let her, welcomed the certainty that came with her other self, burning all the fears, all the doubt as the other took over her mouth. 'You will do it,' she said and though the voice was hers, was calm and soft, it was threaded with the iron ring of command.

Across from her, still crouched beside Byrne, Della's dark face paled. 'We can't keep doing this to her,' Della said again. 'It's making the Sword stronger, and Byrne needs to know she's not going crazy.'

'We can and you will,' said Nova, the Empress still riding her tongue. 'Byrne will know when she needs to, when we can control the Sword.'

'Nova—'

'No.' Nova let the other all the way out, felt the Empress turn her eyes to suns and rise through her skin, making the pale gold gleam like it was the real thing. 'Do it.'

She didn't wait for Della to comply, there was no need, the certainty of it rested in her bones, and the portal at her back was shifting. She couldn't sense the portals like Fion, couldn't feel the fabric of reality parting like a never-ending itch down her spine, but the demons... Nova twisted, Avestan appearing in her hands, the sword an eye-searing blaze of fire as she slashed it across the shimmering veil.

The horned head rolled across the ground, ink-black blood spewing over the rubble, spitting as it made contact with earth.

Nova didn't stop, Avestan danced in her hands, the blazing edge singing in the air as her long battleskirts flared around her gold, nano-armoured legs.

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