A golden ball of energy raced toward the entrance to the goblins’ lair. It flew out of sight down the tunnel and Damien detonated it. The explosion shook the clearing and sent bits of wood flying out. Dust and debris marked the openings of the secondary exits. Jen drew her sword and he increased the power to his shield.

Damien focused on the entrance. When the demon came he’d have no trouble detecting it. Beside him Jen held her long sword in a two-handed grip, soul force surging through her body, strengthening her muscles and bones to many times the power of a normal person.

He grabbed Jen’s arm and yanked her behind him.

A golden shield appeared before them an instant ahead of a blast of dark fire. Raging black flames swept by on either side of them. They didn’t feel hot so much as wrong, an abomination that didn’t belong in this world.

When the flames subsided he absorbed the minimal energy remaining in his shield. From within the lair three small energy sources raced ahead of two bigger ones.

Sounds of battle from deeper in the forest indicated the others had engaged their opponents.

“Here they come.”

Three goblins, their eyes filled with corruption, the tips of their crude spears burning with the same black flames that had shot out of the tunnel, came screaming out of the exit.

Quick as thought, golden swords fell from the sky and pierced them through the head and chest. Damien reclaimed his power the instant the goblins died.

“Aren’t you going to leave any for me?”

“You’ll get your chance. You have to keep the demon busy while I deal with the sorcerer.”

As if summoned by his call the goblin sorcerer flew out of the mouth of the tunnel. A beam of darkness streaked toward Damien.

He raised a shield to deflect it and leapt into the air after the goblin.

Streaks of golden energy shot from his fingers, detonating around the monster, but never making a solid hit. They chased each other through the late afternoon sky, golden energy hammering dark barriers.

The little bitch was fast, Damien had to give her credit.

Damien conjured a wall in her path. If he could slow her down and get in a clean hit he’d be able to end this fight.

The goblin surrounded herself with an aura of dark power and smashed right through his wall.

So much for that.

At the edge of his awareness the seething power of the demon raged. He hoped Jen could keep it busy.

A dark beam streaked past his head, missing by inches.

He didn’t dare worry about his sister now. If he did his opponent might get lucky and hurt him and then they would all be in serious trouble.

The goblin dodged another of his blasts. The thing was too fast to hit that way.

He conjured a pair of golden angels and sent them after the goblin. He didn’t worry about them getting hit, instead focusing on getting them close to the enemy sorcerer.

Lances of dark energy punched holes through his constructs, but they didn’t falter. Damien poured more power into them, closing the holes and increasing their speed.

One of them got a hand on the goblin’s ankle. She turned to blast it. The moment the goblin stopped, the second angel grabbed her arms.

Damien released the power in both constructs. The double explosions tore the little goblin to bits.