Kael froze immediately; the demon landed right in front of him. He felt glued to a spot. Could barely move.
The stench of sulphur filled the air as the creature landed. Its claws dug into the earth with a hiss, cracking the cobblestones beneath it.
The demon was tall—taller than any man Kael had ever seen—with skin like obsidian wrapped in shifting shadows. Its ribs pulsed red through the gaps in its armour of bone and ash. Fire licked around its horns, and its eyes—two molten pits—locked directly onto him.
Kael's gaze was fixed on the demon. Anticipating and wondering what it was going to do.
“Kael,” Nira whispered beside him, her grip on his wrist tightening. “Don’t move.”
The demon stepped forward. Its movements were fluid, almost human, but wrong in the way it tilted its head, i
