Damien settled on the narrow path, drew Lizzy, and started toward the source of corruption. As he walked he poured power into his shield while Lizzy charged the edge of her blade with gray fire. Whoever or whatever awaited them, they’d be ready.

The path sloped steadily downward. Damien strained all his senses, both sorcerous and mundane, but detected nothing beyond the roiling corruption. The source had stopped moving which suggested it had reached the battlefield of its choosing. Damien wasn’t thrilled about having to fight on unfamiliar ground, but since he’d never seen this cavern before the whole place was unfamiliar. He’d just have to adapt.

As he drew closer to the source of the corruption his lights continued to dim, forcing Damien to spend more energy to maintain them. It wasn’t a ton of power relative to what he had available, but he begrudged every drop lost before a battle. Unfortunately, walking blind into a fight was an even worse option.

The path began to widen and the stalagmites grew less frequent until they disappeared all together. Damien came to a steep slope. When he’d clambered up to the top a stunning sight spread out below him. An ancient ruin filled an endless cavern. It seemed like someone might have mentioned a hidden city to him.

Cold, blue ghost lights drifted through the tumbled towers and crushed homes. Everything was made of stone, or at least everything that had withstood the passage of time. And one look at the place told Damien it was ancient beyond anything he had ever heard of. It reminded him of the stone circle they’d investigated two days ago. It would be interesting to see if the ledger mentioned this place. Even if it didn't the scholars at The Tower would be drooling when he told them about it.

He glided down to the cavern floor and set out once more in the direction of the corruption. Damien sensed no life and only one source of corruption. Could it be Connor Blackman himself? No, whatever it was it was weaker than Mikhail.

Damien sighed and stopped speculating. He’d see soon enough and deal with it accordingly.

Even damaged the stone building loomed above him. Who had lived here? The ruin obviously predated the arrival of the first imperial colonists. No books he’d read made any mention of it. That suggested it was already buried when the colonists first arrived. Perhaps an earthquake had sent the whole city down into the cavern below. Damien looked up at the undamaged ceiling. If the city came from above who had fixed the roof and more to the point how had they done it?

So many questions and not nearly enough answers. He rounded a corner and a plaza opened up before him. A woman stood alone in the center facing him, her hands behind her back. She was the source of the corruption. Black veins ran under her skin and her eyes glowed red. A warlock then, one of Connor’s servants.

“Damien St. Cloud?” she asked.

“That’s right. And you are?”

She smiled, displaying perfect white teeth. “I’m Morana. You’ve probably heard of me.”

In fact Damien hadn’t heard of her. He frowned. Jen mentioned a redheaded sorcerer that worked with Mikhail. Maybe this was her. “Didn’t you used to be a redhead?”

She ran the fingers of one hand through her limp black hair and sighed. “Yes. My curls are the only thing I miss about being human.”

Morana seemed a little sad to him. Being transformed into a monster with demonic soul force would do that to you. “I don’t suppose you’d be willing to surrender and come along quietly?”

She brought her other hand around to the front. It held one of the black urns. “I don’t suppose I would.”

Black lightning surged out. Damien caught most of it on Lizzy’s blade. His soul force rushed out and pain rushed in.

Lizzy reinforced his power and between her and his own rapid regeneration of energy he broke even with the drain.

Morana stared at him, her mouth hanging partway open. Damien leaned into the lightning and pushed forward. His muscles spasmed and vision blurred. Everywhere the lightning touched felt like a red-hot poker striking his skin, but he bore it.

One step after another he closed the distance.

He couldn’t attack with soul force, the urn would absorb it in an instant, but he still had a perfectly good sword in his hands. He just had to get close enough and he’d cut her goddamn head off.

“Are you okay?” he muttered as he pushed through the storm of lightning.

I can no longer feel physical pain.

Damien grunted. “Lucky you.”

He was only three steps away when another, monstrous source of corruption approached. He turned just in time to take another blast of lightning in the side. The last of his soul force rushed out and Damien collapsed.

A man appeared above him. At least he had been a man at some point.

“Connor Blackman,” Damien gasped out.

“Yes. Damien St. Cloud, this meeting has been a long time coming. You have proven yourself a worthy adversary. But our conflict has ended the only way possible. Now go to sleep.”

The most powerful surge of lightning yet tore into Damien and everything went dark.