Free Devdan Manor by Auden D. Johnson

The roar was deafening. His power cleared the floor. It hovered over him. The fox was gone.
    Cyl leaned on the staff far more than he would’ve liked. His vision kept blurring. He couldn’t relax. The female was still there.
    She walked forward. The fox appeared from behind her. Red stained its shining fur. Its mouth hung open. His power had damaged it. Not enough to stop it. What was this monster?
    The mark on the female’s neck glowed brighter. Her golden eyes turned all red.
    Ryse’s voice filled the room. She chanted a different language. She had spoken that language before. Cyl never asked what the words meant.
    The female’s eyes widened. The mark didn’t glow as bright. Her eyes returned to normal. She rolled back her sleeve. The braided tattoo was gone. It disappeared from the fox’s front leg.
    She pointed to the door. “At the end of the hall.”
    She vanished. The fox followed.
    Were they gone? He felt his wall drop. His power returned to his body. Those two must have retreated. Why? She said she was supposed to kill them.
    Supposed to?
    What monster was powerful enough to command her?
    Cyl’s energy drained through his feet. His knees hit the ground.
    Nuall wrapped her arms around his head. She’d never done that before. She didn’t like hugs.
    “You were brilliant and stupid. Don’t ever do that again. We are not weak. We can help.”
    “What…happened?”
    Why did it take so much effort to talk?
    “That demon is a prisoner here.” Ryse said. “Not like the others. A strong spell binds her.” She sat on the floor. “I used most of my power and was only able to break one part of the spell.”
    “No demon would ever use something like that.” Uryl handed him a bottle of water. “If we want to control someone, we would do it so thoroughly that the demon loses all senses of self. That spell on the female only controlled her body and power.” He passed water bottles around. “Drink it all. No need to ration now. The house doesn’t plan on letting us stay here much longer.”
    Nuall released Cyl. “Only humans use that type of spell. Are you saying this house is a human prison for demons?” she asked.
    “I can’t be sure. I’ve never heard of humans doing something like this. I know demons are not the only non-humans beings in the worlds. As far as we know, an infinite number of worlds exist. The only ones that interact regularly are the demon and human worlds. Why would another species bother with us?” Uryl frowned. “I don’t like this.”
    “She told us where we need to go,” Nuall stood. “It could be a trick, but we’ve nothing else to go on.”
    Uryl shook his head. “We need to rest for a while. Ryse and Cyl can’t move.”
    Cyl had been commanding his body to get off the floor. It hadn’t been listening.
    “We have a problem.” Uryl sat beside him. “Ryse and Cyl used so much power to receive such small results. They can’t do it on their own. I don’t know how much help we can be.”
    “We aren’t weak. We can help Cyl fight and give Ryse some of our power.”
    Uryl winced in annoyance. “Power transfer is disgusting.”
    Nuall shrugged. “Better than being stuck in here.”
    Ozais cleared his throat. “I thought power transfer was impossible.”
    “It used to be. Years ago, demons discovered that the transfer is possible between demons who are blood or so close that they see each other as family. It’s possible. It just…” Nuall shivered. “It feels like your body is being violated.”
    Uryl put a snack bar under Cyl’s nose. He recoiled. He knew that wrapper. It looked and tasted like solid excrement.
    “I know it’s awful. We need it. I was saving them. I don’t have that many. Don’t waste it.”
    “You have too many,” Cyl mumbled
    “Eat it. Since Ryse can’t draw her circles, we can’t sit here long enough for your power to heal.”
    Cyl grabbed the bar between his thumb and first finger. Why did he feel like he was neck deep in toxic