Crimson Bone (Kouzlo Saga Book 2) Read online

  Crimson Bone

  Kouzlo Saga: Book 2

  L.L. McNeil

  First published in Great Britain in 2019.

  No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  All characters and events in this publication are fictitious and any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

  All rights reserved.

  Crimson Bone © 2019 L.L. McNeil

  Three Dragon Publishing

  www.llmcneil.com

  Cover by Rebeca Covers

  For Pipkin, who has given me so much strength to pursue my dreams.

  Contents

  Also by L.L. McNeil

  Acknowledgments

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Note from the Author

  Sneak peek: Book 3 - Crimson Fang

  Also by L.L. McNeil

  KOUZLO SAGA

  NOVELS

  Crimson Eyes

  Crimson Bone

  Crimson Fang

  Crimson Soul

  WORLD OF LINARIA

  NOVELS

  Moroda

  Palom

  Amarah

  NOVELLAS

  Rise of a Sky Pirate

  Acknowledgments

  This series would not exist without Olivia. (Well, it would. It just wouldn’t be half as good.)

  I cannot thank you enough for your keen eyes, nitpicking, and unwavering support. (And patience.) Thank you.

  To anyone who purchases my book, I am eternally grateful. It would mean the world and more if you would be kind enough to review Crimson Bone.

  1

  A double column of fire whooshed up, sending frightened pigeons bursting from the trees in a flurry of grey and white feathers. The flames crackled and spat, embers thrown off in all directions.

  Seila opened one eye, shifted into a slightly more comfortable position, then went back to her meditation. She sat cross-legged on top of one of the many pillars in the vast gardens of Caramond House, searching for the tell-tale signs of demons. Although there were plenty of eyes around, she’d never felt completely comfortable relying on someone else to raise the alarm. Every morning and evening, and several times throughout the day, she closed her eyes and listened for their voices.

  She’d always been able to hear them. The whispers of their desires—usually to feed.

  Although Caramond House belonged to a powerful Enchantress, and thusly had all sorts of protective spells over it to block demons out, Seila could sometimes hear them in this quiet corner of the gardens. She didn’t think it was a break in the spell as such, but the magic appeared to be thin enough for her to listen through it and hear the demonic activity that lurked on their doorstep.

  ‘Again.’ The brusque, thickly accented voice of Claes demanded.

  Seila frowned, focused on keeping her eyes shut to the distractions.

  An intake of breath, a grunt of effort, then another whoosh of fire.

  Damon had been training with Claes ever since the other Kouzlo Leader had returned following an extended trip away. Both were Fire Elementals—although Damon was half, as he kept reminding everyone when his fires raged out of control—and Claes was also a Master Runesmith. Since completing a sealing rune and cutting off the power to an Elite Demon called Sekki, Damon had fancied himself as something of a runeworker, too.

  Claes seemed on a personal mission to put that right.

  Across the gardens, near the tall hedge maze, Tej fired his crossbow at several ceramic jars and pots laid out by Delgo. The Djinni repaired the pots after every successful shot, and altered their forms. Sometimes they were taller, thinner, other times they were smaller, more rounded. He challenged Tej’s accuracy and speed over and over again with a simple flick of his wrist and a burst of purple smoke that appeared whenever he used his magic.

  Seila’s brows twitched with the effort of keeping her eyes shut in the midst of all the activity around her. Fallow’s Kouzlo were coming back in force, it seemed, and she couldn’t get a minute of peace if she wanted to be outside.

  She missed Amber, who’d returned to University to continue with the second year of her Bioengineering degree. Ever practical, Amber had been the voice of wisdom and reason when it came to controlling Damon and Tej’s silly impulses. But after she had narrowly survived the encounter with Sekki and his army of demons, perhaps it was for the best that she took a little time out for her studies.

  Seila, Amber, Damon, and Tej had only managed to complete three hunts together before Amber had returned. Fallow had left almost immediately, and left Delgo in charge of sending them out after demons, or training, when there were no demons to be hunted. Since Sekki had fled, there were fewer demons than normal, but Seila could feel they were already beginning to creep back, like an infestation that never left.

  Amber had taken to the hunt like a duck to water. She’d practiced her Elemental abilities in secret, after all, while Damon had repressed his. Tej, too, held his own. Damon, on the other hand, had far more to learn about his Elemental abilities. It had put him at a distinct disadvantage.

  The siblings had argued about it, somewhat. Seila hadn’t paid much attention, but understood that Damon wanted to improve, even though there was still lingering guilt and shame. Amber wanted him to do what made him happy, and if it wasn’t demon-hunting—like their mother—she was fine with it.

  Seila didn’t know why things were so complicated for them. She thought that—

  ‘Watch out!’ Damon roared.

  Seila’s eyes opened in a flash, and she saw the column of flames sweeping across the grounds straight towards her. With a curse, Seila’s wings materialised, the black feathers beating and lifting her into the sky. Avoiding the fire by inches, she smelled the bottom of her jeans singe. ‘Damon! I thought you were learning to control it!’

  Damon’s fingers were alight, sweat beaded down his nose, his eyes wide in terror. But when he saw Seila avoid his attack, he disintegrated into fits of relieved laughter. ‘Barbecued Seila would be interesting to see!’

  She scowled, still hovering in the air several feet above them. ‘It’s not funny, Damon. You nearly set me on fire!’

  Damon couldn’t help himself. He wrapped his arms around his ribs, cackling.

  Seila held out her right hand, clenched her fist tight, and smiled as her Sieken Blade materialised in her grip. ‘How about I cut off your hands, Damon? That’ll be funny, won’t it?’ She dived for him, blade levelled and ready. It was a feint, but she needed him to realise that she wasn’t to be a target of his training. Tej might have enjoyed it, but it was no laughing matter for her.

  Damon rolled away, avoiding her strike. Her blade caught the top of his shirt, cutting into the collar but missing skin. ‘Hey! Hey! Calm down! I was only joking!’

  Seila landed a few steps away from him, whirled around, sword held up as if ready for another strike. ‘You either you figure out how to control your fire, or I’ll take it away.’

  Claes came over, grabbed Damon by the scruff, and hauled him to his feet
. He patted him down, roughly brushing away mud and dirt. ‘Seila is right. You have been training with me for two weeks and you’re no better than on day one.’ The Master Runesmith was tall and heavy-set, broad at the shoulders and waist, with a thick moustache and a wild mane of dark hair. Blue tattoos ringed his biceps and wrists, which occasionally glowed when he produced fire. Soot seemed to perpetually coat patches of his skin, and the stuff was smeared across his forehead, too. He peered at Damon with piercing dark blue eyes, admonishing him with a look.

  Seila liked Claes because he called her by her name, instead of “Phantom,” like Fallow often did.

  Damon shoved Claes away, straightened his shirt, and scowled at them both. ‘You’ve had your whole life to get used to it! I only found out about my fire two weeks ago!’ Immediately on the defensive, clearly the thought of apologising didn’t even cross his mind.

  Seila shrugged, releasing her grip on the blade and letting it vanish. ‘Then you better stop boasting about how awesome you are, and learn quickly.’

  ‘It ain’t easy, Miss Phantom!’ Damon replied. ‘I’m at work all day, then here all night. I spend every weekend here, every spare minute. I’ve practically moved in!’

  She didn’t see the issue. ‘Then stop working and train through the day.’

  Damon shook his head. ‘Oh, yeah, I would, you know. Except for one thing.’

  Seila raised an eyebrow. ‘What’s that?’

  ‘I got bills to pay! I’m sorry but I have to go to work like normal people.’

  ‘The Kouzlo are funded,’ Claes said. ‘You don’t need to work elsewhere if you are working for Fallow and I. And you need to practice more.’

  Damon rolled his eyes. ‘Yeah, so you’ve said. Helping the Kouzlo save people from demons is one thing. Signing my life away to you and giving up everything else that I ever dreamed of is something else..’

  Seila sighed. Damon always had the annoying habit of making things more difficult for himself, of making a small problem seem far larger than it was. It was like he looked at the options in front of him and purposely chose the most difficult path every single time.

  And there was the fact that Damon was pushed into joining—he hadn’t even been aware of his own powers before Fallow had awakened them. Instead of leaping at his new abilities, he’d dragged his feet, unwilling to put in the time or practice to master his fire.

  She missed Amber.

  She missed Fallow, too—chiefly because the Enchantress had promised her answers to the questions that drove her—about Phantoms, about demons, and about her soul.

  ‘For someone with two weeks’ experience, I think he’s doing very well.’

  Seila looked over her shoulder at a young woman who approached them. She hadn’t seen her before, but her aura felt familiar, not unlike Fallow.

  The woman wore a cream robe in contrast to her dark skin, and she had to be sixteen or seventeen. Perhaps younger. She was quite a petite thing, and Seila thought a strong breeze might blow her over. Her brown eyes were bright, and glanced over each of them in turn.

  Claes inclined his head. ‘Ashante. I didn’t know you were back.’

  ‘Cosimo was getting on my nerves,’ she said with a wicked grin. ‘And I heard Fallow was hurt. I wanted to come and see if I could help.’

  ‘Not hurt. She’s just worn out much of her power,’ Claes replied. He folded his arms and looked sharply at Damon. ‘Come on, come on, back to work. I wanna see that column twice the height and perfectly straight. You need to master this if you have any chance of true manipulation.’

  Damon huffed loudly, but turned away from them and raised his hands without actual complaint.

  ‘You must be Seila? A Phantom? Truly?’ Ashante said, taking another step closer, her grin broadening.

  Although the young woman had brown eyes in contrast to Fallow’s green, Seila thought her stare was much the same as the Enchantress’s; as if Ashante could somehow peer right through her and watch her thoughts as they were created.

  Seila took a step back, keeping her distance. ‘I am. Are you an Enchantress, too?’

  Ashante grinned, and some of her intensity faded. ‘Yes. I met Fallow a few years ago, and I help her out every now and then. My areas of speciality are a little different to hers, though. Her spells are incredible, but I’m the best tracker you’ll ever meet. I know Fallow’s been desperate for help for a while, so I left home to see what I could do.’

  Claes glared at her, as if she’d given away some great secret, but didn’t say anything.

  Seila tilted her head. ‘Where’s home for you?’

  ‘Senegal.’

  Seila’s eyes widened. That was quite some way away. Were demons such a problem in this dimension that Kouzlo were needed all around the world to keep them at bay?

  ‘We have our share of demons, too. They’re everywhere,’ Ashante said, with that irritating Enchantress ability of apparently seeing her thoughts. ‘But there are many Kouzlo back home, and fewer here. Fallow helped me out a while back, so it’s only fair to return the favour.’

  Seila wondered what Fallow’s history was with the Kouzlo. Delgo, she’d rescued. Ashante, she’d helped out. Claes, she could only imagine. And she’d pretty much gathered up herself, Tej, Damon, and Amber in the face of a new Elite Demon. Considering Phantoms never worked with the Kouzlo, either she was something special, or Fallow was. Seila would bet on Fallow being the special one.

  ‘How long have you been here?’ Ashante asked, watching Seila with the intensity of a hawk.

  Seila rolled her shoulders, took another step away. ‘As long as Damon’s been training. Fallow promised me demons to kill, so I’ll be here as long as that promise is fulfilled.’ It wasn’t strictly speaking the truth, but Seila saw no reason to share her life story with the young Enchantress.

  Ashante nodded. ‘Well, I’m grateful for your help. You Phantoms are in another league to most of us! And I’m sure you’ll get your soul soon.’

  Seila nodded, mouth tight.

  Ashante smiled. ‘I’ll leave you to your training. Claes, might we speak?’

  Seila watched the big man go off with Ashante, and wondered if perhaps the Enchantress was royalty, or came from some noble blood. Or perhaps the easy grace and warmth in her voice was simply something that united all Enchantresses.

  As soon as the two had left the gardens and entered the house, Damon stalked over. He brushed off ash from his hands, sending up a small cloud of it. He wiped his sweaty brow with a forearm and shook his head. ‘How long did it take ya to kill demons?’

  Seila continued to watch the spot where Ashante and Claes had disappeared. Something rippled through her. Some emotion that she couldn’t place. ‘Always.’

  ‘No, I mean like efficiently. Like how you were against Sekki’s demons.’

  Seila looked at him. ‘Always.’ She stalked past, headed back to her pillar where she could think quietly.

  ‘Oh. Right. Of course, always.’

  She could practically hear his eye roll but ignored him. She’d told the truth. She couldn’t remember a time when she wasn’t killing demons. She’d always been able to hear them, hunt them.

  Her earliest memory, bar the nightmare of losing her soul, if she concentrated hard enough to recall, was waking up in a field, wings sprawled out behind her, Sieken Blade in hand, surrounded by the corpses of a dozen of demons, the smell of their tar-like blood thick and heavy, like a bonfire burned to ashes and beyond.

  And the crushing realisation that she was empty.

  She’d lost emotions, memories, an identity. Her soul.

  All that remained was the insatiable drive to slay demons, hunt them down, and reclaim what she’d lost. Or she’d die.

  She spread her wings and lifted into the air. Seila landed gently on top of the pillar and sat down, letting her legs dangle over the edge. Only the two pillars by the gates to Caramond House held dragon statues. All the others were flat-topped and provided her with perfect vantag
e points.

  The fact it was a particularly quiet spot was a bonus.

  For now, demons were silent. Either that, or she was struggling to hear through Fallow’s spells and enchantments over Caramond House. It truly was a refuge for her, and those like her.

  The Kouzlo.

  In return for living in comparative luxury among their own, Fallow demanded those in her Kouzlo fought against demons, and protected Fernhampton and beyond from their terror. Seila still didn’t know how many of them there were. Fallow led the Kouzlo with Claes by her side. Delgo, a Djinni, also worked closely with her. Then there was Ashante, the tracker. Tej, Damon, Amber, and herself.

  There had to be others, too. More experienced hunters. Ashante had mentioned someone called Cosimo, too. Seila wondered what the others would be like whenever they made an appearance. Whether any of them would aid her in her quest.

  She settled down, shifting until she was more comfortable—no easy feat considering it was cold marble—and closed her eyes. Damon, Tej, and Delgo continued to work together; the crunch of shattering ceramics punctuated the air every few seconds. Tej work methodically, rhythmically, and Seila could almost predict when his next bolt would hit its target.

  It helped ease her into a light meditation. She relaxed, opened her mind to her surroundings. She was extremely aware of Delgo, Tej, and Damon outside with her, their presence flaring within her mind like fireworks. Soto prowled the gardens, too, but she couldn’t tell exactly where—only a rough direction of where Fallow’s cat Familiar lurked. Sierra was nowhere near, and hadn’t been since Fallow had left. Seila supposed Fallow had taken the owl with her to wherever she’d gone.