33. Firesword

{Naya}

"Ritsu!"

All I could do was cry my monkey's name while he avoided being caught by the winged demon known as "Sabur". Although I was relieved that Sabur's attention was no longer on me, the thought of him harming a single hair on Ritsu's head made me just as anxious.

Even though my emotions were out of control, Ritsu seemed calm. He darted around the room, making the chase difficult for the demon. He didn't scream or wail like I've seen him do in the past. It was as if he were merely baiting the demon away from me while he thought of a plan.

"Mistress! I need to you listen to me!" Ristu managed to holler over Sabur's roaring and the thunderous beating of his wings. I looked at the monster in uncertainty, wondering if Ritsu should really be giving me instructions in the presence of the enemy.

As if sensing my doubt, Ritsu said, "Don't worry about him. He's got tunnel vision right now. You listen to me!"

I shuddered once and hugged myself. "Okay. I'm listening."

Ritsu changed directions faster than Sabur could react, causing him to bash into the wall of the hookah bowl. The brute simply shook the impact from his body and took off after Ritsu again.

The monkey said, "You're going to have to call on your fire. Remember that day when you almost hit Uriel? You had fire coming out from underneath your fingernails."

I gripped myself tighter. "I have no idea how I did that!"

Sabur leapt forward and almost caught Ritsu. I shrieked.

"Use your emotions! Focus, Mistress!"

I panicked. "But I don't know how! Besides, if I try to hurt that . . . that thing, the collector in the living room will hurt Uri!"

Ritsu froze. "Did you say collector?"

Sabur seized the opportunity and leapt.

"No!" Even though my ribs were hurting from earlier, I shut my eyes and dived for Ritsu in a protective tackle.

+++

{Janus}

Janus couldn't help but chuckle at the expression on the young djinni's face. The poor fool was probably racking his brains, trying to figure out how to escape the inevitable.

Then something inside of the collector snapped.

The spell . . . it dissolved!

Keeping his face steady and open, Janus reached across his mental link to Sabur.

What did you do?

In a tiny voice, Sabur replied, Master . . . it was an accident. I was trying to catch the lesser demon, but the she-mortal got in the way. Then I kind of . . . fell on top of her.

A vein surfaced in Janus's temple. You blundering buffoon. And you call yourself an ifrit? The contract only works if you intentionally hurt the girl, but now you've gone and done it this time!

Before Janus could further chastise his demon, a clump of ash suddenly landed in his lap. His attention flickered back to the djinni, who was pinching one of his nostrils closed and blowing fine black ash out of the other.

Oh no, he's sensed the break in the spell.

Facing off against a wild and potentially strong djinni – this was what Janus was trying to avoid. It had been a long time since he had to slay a djinni by himself. It was not something that he had prepared for, but he couldn't let this one get away.

After the changeling was done expelling his ash, he dashed backwards against the window and opened his mouth.

Ah, a bite? Is that how you choose to ignite it?

From across the room Janus heard the djinni's front teeth click together, followed by an explosion from the pile of ash. If Janus hadn't made the sign for a barrier just in time, his crotch would have caught fire along with the ash.

Using muscles that he hadn't relied on for some time, Janus back-rolled off of the couch and put some distance between him and the djinni. He reached inside his waist jacket for something that he didn't think he would need that day, but Duffy had insisted he bring.

Janus smiled as he angled a bladeless hilt upright. Moments later, lightning-white flames shot out from the hilt, taking on the appropriate shape. As soon as he brought it out, it became clear that the changeling had seen one before.

A firesword.

+++

{Naya}

All I could remember after diving for Ritsu was the weight of the demon colliding with me. My head did somersaults and dreamt that I had been crushed by Mr. Naim's elephant fountain.

"Mistress?"

Ritsu's voice sounded fuzzy and far away. If he was calling for me, that meant he was safe. It also meant that I could finally rest. I was so tired.

"Mistress! You have to wake up!"

Something light patted my face. I could feel tiny fingers trying to pry my eyelids open. I groaned.

"Get up. Now!"

I opened my eyes. The monster was backing away from us with something that could quite possibly resemble guilt masking his twisted features.

I tried to sit up. "Ouch." Touching the back of my head, I felt something warm and sticky. It wasn't that painful, but I had never felt so much blood come out of my head before.

Ritsu took my face into his little hands. "There's no time for that right now."

No problem. I'll just put my bleeding on hold.

"You're going to have to let me take over."

I gestured angrily to the monster. "Be my guest!"

Ritsu shook his head. "No, Mistress. What I mean is, you need to let me possess you."

Thanks to my condition – a probable concussion and a severed skull, I couldn't really react quickly enough to Ritsu's outrageous request.

Long story short, Ritsu talked me into letting him take over my body in order to fight Sabur. Because there was no way in hell I could control whatever tiny sliver of fire I might have in my current state, let alone when I wasn't blacking out and half delusional.

The possession involved a spoken incantation from me, which Ritsu helped me paint into the air. Once I had activated it with the touch of my palm, Ritsu's adorable monkey form dissolved, turning into a wispy yellow smoke. I tried not to scream as the smoke darted into my nose, my mouth, and my ears.

After that, my actions were all in the hands of one bossy, perverted monkey demon. Yes, this little hell raiser was inside of me. And from the way my slippery inner flame responded to his presence, he knew exactly what he was doing.

I looked across the chamber at the nervous yet intimidating Sabur and swallowed. Then watched on in helplessness as my hands and feet prepared to take him down.