Dark Descent: The Arondight Codex - Book One by R Nicole (best books to read all time TXT) 📗

I snatched it. The moment my hand curled around the hilt, it burst into life with a shower of purple sparks and I struck. The blade arced through the air and sliced through the Balan’s neck, severing its head from its shoulders. The body fell to the ground with a thud and my gaze met Wilder’s. It’d been his blade that’d severed the demon’s connection. He’d freed me.

I stumbled back a step as a mass of inky black smoke oozed from the Balan’s neck, and another tendril snaked from its head as it rolled across the floor, the open wound leaving smears of blood on the posh carpet.

The smoke rushed together, creating one giant mass, then surged upward and collided with what remained of the ceiling. The plaster cracked, then splintered as the Balan struck again, showering shards over the assembled Naturals, who were now conscious and witness to everything.

The smoke rolled across the ruined ceiling before spilling out into the night, the remains of the pillar sucking it up. A moment later, the light flickered, and then the portal vanished, plunging the library into silvery darkness.

Wilder grimaced, his hand slapping against his side. I dropped the arondight blade, the sword clicking back into the hilt as it clattered onto the rubble, and I caught him before he fell. Steadying his bulky frame, I was hardly aware of the assembled Naturals, or Greer, who was bundled in Aldrich’s arms.

“Careful,” I murmured, my palm landing over Wilder’s heart. I could feel it thrumming, most likely from the adrenalin. Yeah, Scarlett, it’s the adrenalin. Pfft.

I glanced at his side. “You’ve been stabbed…”

“Is that where all that red stuff is coming from?”

“Wilder.”

“You did good,” he whispered, his voice strained.

“You’re complimenting me? After I rushed in like that?”

“Yeah… But don’t let it go to your head, Purples.”

As the library erupted into chaos around us, we smiled at one another, hardly aware the other Naturals were circling us.

We’d won, but at what price? I guessed only time would tell.

21

The day after a disaster was the eeriest thing.

I walked through the Sanctum, stepping over piles of rubble, weaving around wet floor signs, and watching crews of tradesmen file into the building. The mammoth clean-up had commenced at first light, mere hours after the demon incursion was defeated.

The Naturals didn’t mess around—talk about laser focus.

As I climbed the wrought iron stairs that led up to the conservatory, I was surprised to find it untouched by the chaos. The dome was intact and there wasn’t a speck of dust on the crimson carpet. There must be some serious wards protecting this place.

I stopped at the top of the stairs as I spotted Greer standing within the glass encasing the Codex. She turned a page, the air shimmering as the paper leafed over. The vibration pulsed through the air and tickled the edges of my Light—the Light I was well and truly aware of now—pulling me towards the pedestal. This time, I listened to the call and approached.

Greer’s head lifted and she smiled. “Do you want to see?” she asked, gesturing for me to come forward.

“Really?” My eyes widened. “I’m not sure—”

“Come.”

I took a deep breath and rounded the glass, angling myself so I could see the open Codex. I didn’t have the courage to enter the protective enclosure, but here was perfectly fine for now.

“This is all the Naturals know about Arondight,” Greer said, looking back at the page before her.

It was a single leaf of images and text, an illuminated medieval understanding of the blade the Naturals lost. It was written in Latin, or something close to it, so I had no idea what I was looking at. I’d left my translated copy on the roof.

“Only one page?” I asked.

“Yes. You can understand why it pains us that it has been lost for so long.”

“Oh.”

“I wanted to thank you, Scarlett,” she said, exiting the glass enclosure. “Wilder told me what you did last night.”

“I did what I had to do,” I replied uncomfortably, unsure of Greer’s standing in all of this. I decided to test the waters. “The Balan asked me what I knew about Human Convergence.”

Greer tensed. Man, I really hoped there wasn’t a twist coming. The bad guys had been defeated—for now—and the good guys relax… then POW! They’re cut down and there’s an epic cliffhanger. Yeah, I really hoped this wasn’t one of those moments.

“Now it is my turn to confess,” Greer said, lowering her head. “A long time ago, I was part of Human Convergence.”

I gasped. “Greer… no.”

“I was young, idealistic, and stupid. I believed it would make the Naturals stronger and tip the balance in our favour, but I was deceived. I was unknowingly aiding the enemy. When I found out the truth, that they were experimenting on Infernal demons, I did what I could to destroy the project. I thought I was successful and for years, I heard nothing… until you arrived with Jackson.”

That was why she was so interested in him, I thought. It was personal, but not romantic.

“The Infernal who possessed Jackson,” I began.

“Was likely a subject of the Human Convergence Project,” Greer confirmed. “When it came into contact with your friend, it altered his DNA.”

“So…” I didn’t want to bring it up, but the thought was on my mind. If Jackson was a victim of Human Convergence, then it might mean his end.

“We have to bring him in,” Greer said. “We have to understand what’s happening.”

“I know Jackson,” I said, shaking my head. “I know he wouldn’t willingly do any harm to anyone.”

“Scarlett, Ramona stopped the mutation from spreading. If we can understand how his DNA was altered, we might be able to reverse it. In him and anyone else who the demons harm.”

She had a point. I nodded, squirming over the inevitable grovelling at my best friend’s feet I’d have to do.

“It seems whoever has resurrected the research has made advances beyond what the project originally achieved,” she went on. “Someone who wants the demons