Page 51 of His Darkest Desire

Vex unfurled his wings and stretched them wide as magic thrummed through his body.

An illusionary double coalesced around him. Despite the situation, part of Vex thrilled in the making of such magic, just as it always had—and always would.

Especially when his illusions instilled wonder in those who witnessed them, as they had with Kinsley earlier.

His form split with that of his double, and the thrumming ceased. The illusionary Vex moved into place in front of the broken branch. Wasting no time staring at his own back, Vex crept away, seeking a new vantage.

“Show yourself,” said the barghest in its disembodied voice.

Vex released the double from its magical concealment and spoke, his words coming from the illusion’s lips. “Here, I am the hunter.”

The barghest’s eyes darted to the illusion. It loosed a call that was part wolf’s howl, part lion’s roar, and part the wailing of the damned before dropping onto all fours and charging at the double. Its footfalls were as loud and powerful as the hoofbeats of a galloping stallion.

Vex glided down into the gill, landing atop one of the large rocks that stood over the fog.

With sheer strength, the barghest bounded up the embankment and launched itself into the air. Maw gaping and claws poised, the beast struck the illusionary double, which vanished.

The barghest crashed into the tree, shaking the boughs, rustling the leaves overhead, and snapping the branch. It snarled in pain. Sinking its claws into the tree, it shoved itself away. Part of the broken branch protruded from its chest, and black ichor oozed from the wound.

“Tricks,” it growled in his mind, nostrils flaring as it scented the air.

Vex bent his magic into another illusion. A dozen seelie warriors in resplendent armor rose from the mist. They readied their weapons—spears and swords forged of gleaming gold.

Snarling, the barghest held its ground, its reflective eyes sweeping over the illusionary warriors, its nostrils opening wider still. “More tricks.”

The warriors charged, carried up the embankment by their multihued, diaphanous wings. They rained blows upon the barghest, their illusory weapons barely able to damage its tough hide despite the magic with which they were infused. The beast snarled, batting at the fae, but its claws and gnashing teeth struck only empty air.

“No more, goblin,” the creature rasped.

The beast’s jaws opened wide, and thick, billowing fog spewed out, building so quickly that the creature was soon shrouded from view entirely. The mist spread in a wave that engulfed the gill and Vex along with it. So dense was the fog that he could scarce see Echo and Flare, though the wisps remained over his shoulders.

“Go,” he whispered, “lest the beast devour your essences.”

“The wisps would make a fine snack, yes,” the barghest purred in his mind, “but your flesh is rife with magic, goblin. It will feed my clutch well.”

Vex let the illusionary warriors fade, recalling the mana into himself.

Leaves crunched somewhere to his right; debris rolled down the embankment to his left. And the sound of the barghest scenting the air seemed to come from all around. Yet still the wisps lingered.

Something tugged at Vex’s heart. He did not deserve such devotion—not from them, not from anyone.

Vex dropped a hand to his belt, curling his fingers around one of the two daggers sheathed there. Even through the leather and cloth wrapping the grip, he felt the heat of the golden tang building on his palm. “I’ll not repeat myself.”

With mournful sighs, the wisps darted upward, their blue glows vanishing in the fog.

“I will feast upon the mortal myself,” the barghest continued. “Its scent stirs my hunger. Long has it been since last I tasted such succulent manflesh.”

“Never again will you taste anything,” Vex snarled, drawing the golden dagger and sending out a burst of magic with a pump of his wings. The magic blasted away the fog around him, sending swirling tufts of it up into the boughs overhead.

A huge black shape darted out of the dissipating fog, flying straight toward Vex.

He leapt aside with another pump of his wings. The barghest’s claws sliced deep across his right thigh, and its body twisted, colliding with his legs and throwing him into a spin. He crashed onto the ground on his side, a rock digging into his ribs and forcing the breath from his lungs. The barghest landed heavily behind him.

“Your tricks cannot mask your scent, goblin.” The beast lashed out with a long arm, burying its claws in the same leg it had cut.

Vex growled in pain. His concealing shroud fell as the beast dragged him closer, its ravenous silver eyes fixed upon him. He grabbed at the ground but found no purchase. The beast rose over him, plunging him into the darkness of its shadow.

I shall not die like this.