Celaine wasn’t sure what her ‘Soul Manifestation’ did. Hump had always described it as a way to take control of the area around him by imparting his will on the world. For her, it seemed to manifest as a veil of darkness, not unlike her blessings. Yet in it, she could see perfectly. And she felt protected—hidden, so long as she didn’t want to be seen. Even with it, she knew she couldn’t match Karlac in battle. The demon was far too powerful. But strength wasn’t everything. She could hurt him. She could make him angry, distract him, and buy a little more time.
“I’m far from as helpless as you thought,” Celaine said, her voice steady despite the tension in the air. “The dungeon will close. We will be free, and the Book of Infinite Pages shall never be yours.”
She took advantage of the few seconds of confusion, carrying Nisha to the edge of the hall where she had her shelter behind a strange metal disc that hung from a rope connected to the ceiling, runes etched over its surface.
Karlac’s sneer twisted into a mocking grin. “Run while you can, little rabbit.”
Celaine’s eyes narrowed, her grip tightening on her bow. She drew back the string, her breath slowing as she focused on the arrow on it. Shadow and silver mixed, each twisting into a play of light and dark as Eclipse Arrow combined both sides of her blessings into a deadly edge. She released.
The arrow streaked through the air, a whisper of darkness that was almost invisible. More arrows shot from around her, following the one she’d thrown her strength into. Karlac didn’t flinch, holding his ground. He raised his armour encased arm, confident that it would deflect the attack as it had before.
An explosion of power erupted, silver light flashing before being smothered by the darkness. The arrow shattered on his armour, sending him stumbling. In that moment, the others searched for a way in, one finding a small gap beneath his arm, slipping through the chink in his mail, the head burying itself in the flesh below.
Karlac grunted in pain, his eyes narrowing in anger as he yanked the arrow free and let it clatter to the floor. He stood there as if waiting for something. His eyes were locked on her position, poised. Why was he—Celaine’s eyes darted behind him, and her breath caught, noticing the cabinet full of pocket world globes that he’d shown Hump earlier. He wasn’t waiting, he was guarding them.
Realisation hit her like a bolt of lightning. The devil had brought them to his trophy room, flaunting his wealth and power as he sought to claim Hump’s spellbook. In his arrogance, he had exposed a vulnerability, one that not even her Relentless Pursuit could have revealed.
A smirk tugged at Celaine’s lips. This was an opportunity she couldn’t afford to miss.
Karlac lunged at her, his flaming sword slicing through the air with lethal speed. She sidestepped, feeling the searing heat of the blade as it passed inches away from her. He followed through with a quick horizontal slash, but Celaine ducked under it and vaulted backward, loosing another barrage of shadow arrows as she moved. This time, they weren’t aimed at Karlac but at the moving painting on the wall beside him.
Karlac dashed into the path of her arrows, catching some with his arm and sword, shattering them in midair, but a few slipped past his defences, striking his armour with enough force to dent. Over time, the dark essence in the arrows would build up, draining Karlac’s strength and reducing his ability to heal. One of the arrows slipped past, connecting with a defensive barrier over the painting.
So there’s a layer of magic to get through too, she thought.
Judging by the arrogance on his face as he strode after her, sword extended at his side, that might take a while. He wore a mask of disdain. He clearly didn’t see her as a true threat, but Celaine knew there was a way in. Relentless Pursuit saw through his armour and strength. The weakness in his defences was highlighted in red at the centre of his chest, and with that last strike, it had grown larger. As the demon pressed the attack, Celaine continued to dodge, each movement calculated to lure him closer, to stall him just a little longer.
He lashed out with his blade, a streak of fire erupted through the shadow. She sensed it immediately and dropped to the ground. It was hot against her back, but her Shadow Cat Cloak offered some protection against such elements.
Without missing a beat, she launched herself into the air with a graceful backflip. As she soared, she loosed another Eclipse Shot. Less power than the first, but Karlac wasn’t the target.
She frowned as he let it pass. It struck one of his paintings, the magical barrier over it shattered as the arrow exploded. The painting was eviscerated, with not a piece of it left. Yet Karlac was distracted, his gaze locked on the fire that surrounded Hump, confusion on his face. Celaine looked over, sensing something strange too. The fire seemed even more vicious than before.
***
The heat was agonising as he tried to absorb the powerful energy of the flames. Whatever plan he’d first had evaporated as white-hot pain erupted from inside him. He was burning alive from the inside. Yet when thought left him, his body responded on instinct. Essence gathered to his core, creating a protective layer around it. His channels rushed with a constant stream of power, shifting the heat and carrying it away from his chest to the surface of his skin, letting it steam out in smoky wisps.
For a long while, all he could do was focus on feeding the fire. The pain was too much to think clearly, and a brief lapse in concentration would be all that was needed to end him. Slowly, he acclimatised to the newfound essence. While it hurt, it did not burn him physically, but rather scorched the core of him. That is, it tried to. So long as he supplied it with essence, he could keep any real damage at bay, slowing down the rate of the burn like wax around a candle wick.
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Though before he could even think about Wielder of the Winds and bringing this power under his control, he had to bring his own mind and body under control. Hump searched for calm. He envisioned the River and Waves, observing the chaos of his channels as if from an outside perspective. The current was strong, the waves tall and turbulent as if a storm swept through him. His dragon blood roared, its own heat rising and helping to suppress the Hellfire.
Yet for all of that, he was unharmed. His Shield was holding, and his soul had not been consumed by the small piece of the fire he’d let inside. The worst thing he could do right now was panic. He was the earth—calm and timeless. He sensed the Earthheart necklace around his neck Count Daston had given him, the grand opal warm against his chest. Whenever the heat got too much, it reacted, drawing more if it inside, protecting him. Hump wasn’t sure how long he was in that state, but time seemed to slow down.
As he acclimatised to the sensation of Hellfire, he began to notice certain qualities to its flame. He sensed the will of fire churning within—essence in its most volatile form. Pure energy. The manic energy of the fire no longer seemed quite as out of control. It was wild, but a controlled wildness. A beast hungry for its meal, caring for nothing but the feast. Whatever the complexities of its intent, that was the core of its desires, and it made it simple to manipulate them. A well-placed was all it took to direct them away from him. By focusing his essence into the edges of his Soul Manifestation, the fire gathered there, burning but never consuming it, so long as he provided it enough fuel.
As Hump’s confidence grew, he studied his Shield. Cracked and leaking essence from a hundred places, it was draining him faster than anything. But he didn’t need it. He had managed to control the flame on a small scale—theoretically, he could do the same and use up less of his essence.
Now that was a big leap. He closed his eyes, sensing Nisha’s fear from beyond the sphere of Hellfire. All she saw was darkness, but Celaine was with her. Fighting for her. Fighting for all of them.
Hump had to do this. There was no outlasting Karlac’s magic. If he were to defeat it, he had to break it down step by step, before finally understanding it. And none of his efforts would matter if he ran out of essence before then.
The moment Hump released his Shield, the pressure on him went up tenfold. He poured more essence into his Soul Manifestation, using it to control the area immediately around him. The edges were a mess of smoke and flame as the Hellfire latched on to its new target, but his theory was working. It did not burn him. As long as he provided it fuel, it wouldn’t touch him.
Hump’s eyes went to his spellbook as he sensed a change. It erupted with a silver glow, the leather shifting against Hump’s palms, its surface moving, taking on a new form. Silver essence spread on the cover, radiating through the grain of the leather in bolts of light. The light gathered in the middle as a perfectly sphere essence stone filled the centre. Hump sensed the presence of Glyndaril within as the silver owl’s intent descended on the room. It bought Hump a few moments of rest from the flame. Glyndaril was helping him. The light expanded. The simple leather cover transformed into one rich with colour, the feathered face of Glyndaril drawn in silver.
Then the book opened, the pages whirling and falling on Wielder of the Winds. Blue light erupted from within, pouring out in wisps of essence. The rune for fire appeared on the page, and instinctively Hump channelled his essence through it before reaching once more for the flames.
The flames fought as Hump tried to bring them under control once more. They lashed out at any exploratory essence he sent their way. This was no simple fire, after all. But that did not mean it could not be understood. Hump had spent countless nights staring into campfires and hearths, trying to comprehend what it was he was missing. What was it he saw in the essence of earth that he did not see here? Why did it come to him more naturally?
It was here, at the heart of the fire, that Hump knew he’d find the answer. Only when pushed to the edge did such moments of enlightenment come. He just wished it didn’t hurt so much.
What would the old man have said at a time like this? “Never should have messed with a devil in the first place.”
Hump smiled at the thought. He’d always been one to poke his fingers where he shouldn’t. He’d done the same thing with Bloodshadow soon after Celaine had first claimed it from Kassius, and the black stones of the warlocks. He’d survived before, and he’d survive again.
The flames writhed at his touch, flicking away before coming back stronger. Every second, he could feel a little more of himself consumed, his Soul Manifestation fuel for the fire. He could feel the intent of the flames—chaotic, frenzied, and hungry. Each time he tried to grasp it with his will, it was like trying to grab smoke, always slipping through his fingers.
One couldn’t control such power. They could only guide it, give it more fuel to burn. And right now, they were standing in a room full of some of the most valuable fuel Hump had ever seen.
With that thought, something changed. The once uncontrollable fire responded. It was still chaotic, still full of the desire to burn and destroy, but now that intent was channelled by him.
It started slowly at first. Bursts of eagerness, the sphere of flames shifting to his command. They danced to his thoughts, resonating with his own energy. He felt their hunger—a hunger that filled him to the core. A desire take essence for himself and use its strength.
Hump focused on the heat burning his Soul Manifestation, calling it to him. It rushed through his area of control, flowing through him and popping out of his hand, igniting the air in a flare. He grinned. He swirled it around him, stirring it to motion on a trail of his essence. It moved with him like a breeze, its surging intent magnifying. There were no false pretences. Nothing but the moment. The fire was as free and wild as anything could be, seeking only to grow in heat and consume. To burn as bright as possible before it would finally go out.
Hump’s manifested soul surged with elation, meeting the fire’s essence with his own. Suddenly, it was no longer burning him. They were one. Fire could not burn fire. Hump was a part of it, his own mind stirring with his desire to consume. He was ravenous. Starving. His blood boiled with excitement as he searched for something—anything—to satisfy his craving.
And where better to be than Karlac’s throne room, surrounded by the demon’s greatest trophies.
Hump grinned as he stepped forward, fire stirring around him in a storm. He was in the domain of a demon—a world almost entirely of essence. There was no limit of food here. No limit to what he could burn.