Sentio didn't even realize his paws were free until Akija leapt the few feet between her and the demoness. Not-Cacopheny's unexpected denial had left him limp and shocked, even as Rao Vajhala shrieked, demon-speech that Sentio didn't even try to recognize, the room around them flickering with black lightning as their surroundings shuddered against distractions. He was too late to try and run forward, grab Akija's tail, foot, anything to stop her from certain disaster, but he took a step anyway.

Taken by surprise, but not for more than an instant, Rao tumbled into her chair, but Akija's momentum sent her there, after her, and Rao was not slow to react. Her own violet-painted claws were as wickedly sharp as Cacopheny's dull black ones, and they lashed out, trying to maul Akija anywhere she could reach. She didn't get much of a chance, though, for so quickly that Sentio hardly saw it until after the fact-- either that, or he was simply too overwhelmed to see clearly-- Not-Cacopheny had swept her out of reach and into his own arms. "You," the shadow-voice said through him with a wicked grin, "have a temper. I like that."

And the room abruptly went black. Sentio froze, fur tingling with the distinctive feel of shadow-magic, and he heard, ::Better start moving, welp, before She heads your way. I know we are. Go left, we'll meet you.:: In his mind rather than from Cacopheny's mouth, it was very obviously not the man he knew: the voice wasn't as deep, completely smooth rather than rough, more confident than Cacopheny had ever sounded, and almost amused. It made him shudder even as he scrambled to do as it instructed.

::We'll hold this as long as we can,:: Not-Cacopheny continued, somehow making it clear that he meant the darkness which was, apparently, of his doing, ::but we're not as strong as She is, if She decided to just batter at it. At least for the moment, She can't see any of us. There now, slow down, welp, you'll run into the wall like that-- stop, we're here.:: A claw flicked lightly against his horn, and he skidded to a startled stop. He could hear, beyond his own anxious panting, Akija's breathing as if she, too, were out of breath.

For a moment they all held still, the only sound their heavy breathing, and the soft rasp that was Not-Cacopheny's own breath. The sounds seemed oddly muffled, as if the air just beyond them had turned thick to catch them and hold them still. One hand, Sentio thought Cacopheny's, rested on his head and horn, as if to hold him still, and part of him wanted to crowd against legs that were at least somewhat familiar, while the rest of him still didn't quite trust whoever had his bond's body now. When the darkness suddenly rippled, revealing a split second of red and gold light, he forgot his lack of trust and sidled up against Akija's hips and stomach and Not-Cacopheny's legs fearfully. Akija added her own hand, resting it against his neck comfortingly.

Apparently forgetting that he was projecting, that unfamiliar mind-voice repeated in their heads, ::Shitshitshit. Just a few minutes, come on, just a few--:: Then, more focused, it demanded, ::Welp. Where did that little monster-bitch of yours get off to? You sent her for help, right? Otherwise she'd be all over us, getting herself or all of us killed. Or you, girl, that dragon of yours?:: The darkness rippled again, more strongly, and he swore again, drawing it tighter around them, like a dome of shadow rather than a diffuse murk.

"They're coming," Akija's voice breathed, and a sound like claws on stone made the dome shudder.

::I hope they're coming quickly,:: the shadow's voice said grimly. ::She is not happy with us. Or you, for that matter.::

"That's an understatement," Sentio managed to mutter, eyes darting around even though he still couldn't see anything. The darkness did seem to be a bit thinner, and Not-Cacopheny's hand on his horn was tense. The horrible scraping sound and corresponding shiver of their protection came again, and the hand twitched. The shadows had thinned enough to reveal the vague outline of something huge and looming and dark circling the shrunken dome.

::Just a little more, just a few more minutes, come on,:: that shadow-voice insisted to itself, but at a third hit from whatever magic was bombarding their protection, he snarled, ::Fuckit-- well, I did my best. Was nice knowing you both.::

Shadow dissolved into blood red light and the towering, pitch black creature, lips drawn back from sharp teeth and ragged wings mantled, that could only be a demon. That demon. He recognized her narrow, golden eyes and the shag of violet hair, and the fury in her expression. Blind terror nearly sent him racing from the only protective presences probably for miles, but then, hearing Cacopheny's voice again, only without Cacopheny's inflection, distracted him into incredulity. Especially given the cocky tone and completely inappropriate words: "Your turn to hide, then, and we come find you? Or shall we try a new game?"

The change in Cacopheny seemed to have startled the demoness as much as it had started the rest of them-- perhaps more. Sentio, at least, had seen that face before. She snorted, snarled, and swiped a claw at the three of them, not quite touching. Not-Cacopheny just smiled insultingly at her, telling Sentio and Akija, ::Hold on tight to him, children, because I doubt I'll be able to hold onto him much longer, and I don't think he'll understand.:: The confidence was back. ::We're about to have company.::

Sentio hadn't the faintest idea what the shadow meant; he was more concerned with a second strike from the demon, which seemed not only certain but imminent, and this time, he didn't think she'd miss. He was the only one watching her, though, because both Not-Cacopheny and Akija, who had gone suddenly rigid, were staring past her. Terror forbade him look; the moment he looked, those claws would come sweeping down, and that would be the end--

--only they didn't come sweeping down, at all. Instead, Rao Vajhala let out a strangled roar, wheeling and swiping at something behind her. Someone behind her. Freed from the fascination of fear, Sentio stared in shock at not one, not two, but several daemons popping out of the small entry tunnel. One of them was massive, taller than even Cacopheny, bearing spears: Chaith, Akija's mother. She looked puny beside the demon she faced, but with her husband beside her, and other daemons, still coming, who could only be the rest of the family, she didn't look so small. The whole Watcher clan must have turned out for this, to rescue their daughter. Even now, they were probably doing what daemons did best, latching onto her power and sucking it away. And with so many--

::Dammit, I told you to-- hold onto him! He's going to-- do something-- stupid!:: The shadow-voice wavered, and suddenly Sentio realized Cacopheny was shaking, staring at the whole scene with something less than the shadow's usual confidence. Belatedly, he reared and grabbed for his bond's wrist with both his forepaws, and only barely managed to catch it before the half-demon tried to lunge forward, presumably in the misguided notion to go to his mistress' defense. Akija had his other wrist, exclaiming, "Coffee, don't!"

He didn't hear her. "Mother, no-- stop, you can't-- no--" he was moaning breathlessly, struggling against them uselessly. The shadow was entirely gone now, not even a warning in Sentio's head. Magic flared on the other side of the room, which now seemed far too small; bolts of fire and lightning, spears, even shouted curses all flew at Rao, were largely deflected. A few made it through, eliciting another roar from the demon, but with so many pulling at her power, there wouldn't be much she could do. It would be over soon, it had to be, and maybe Cacopheny would finally be free.

But Cacopheny, it seemed, was not ready to take freedom without a fight. He was unable to shake off his captors, simply not physically strong enough, but they hadn't shackled his magic-- Sentio had no way to. Another spear flew, lodging in the demoness' shoulder, and her shriek was nothing compared to Cacopheny's scream of, "NO!!" and the last dregs of his power-- which were, apparently, still considerable. The last of Rao's light disappeared, drowned by shadows that were every bit as solid as what Not-Cacopheny had produced moments before, flying from every corner of the room to strike at daemons at random.

Horrified, Sentio hauled his bond back, sending him stumbling back into the wall, then to the floor; Akija whirled, as well, still clutching his wrist and probably prepared to drain him dry, but he no strength left for another volley. Or even to stand up. That, though, didn't seem to matter: the distraction was enough for Rao to sweep away those few aggressors who hadn't been sent sprawling by bolts of darkness with her tail, clearing space enough for one sweep of her wings. She roared fury at them all, but even she knew when she was outnumbered, and when the roar ended, she was gone. 

The chamber was quiet for a moment before the sounds of daemons recollecting themselves, regrouping under magical fire-lights, probably gifts from Chario by their dragon-sense, putting their powers to use cleansing the room. Sentio slumped down beside Cacopheny, as did Akija on his other side. It took him a minute to realize that Cacopheny wasn't just stunned, he was out cold; he really had used up all the energy he had.... "Akija?" he asked tiredly. "Are you okay?"

She turned her head to blink at him a moment, then lifted her right arm, examining the blood-and-dirt mess of her palm, and the shallow but still-bleeding gashes. Then she touched her face with her other hand, pulled away bloody fingertips-- and laughed. She leaned back, fell back, but she laughed, or maybe wheezed-- it was a little hysterical, but it was still a laugh. "M'fuggin' wonderful...."

Caught into a little giggle, too, though not knowing why, Sentio finally got a good, solid look at her. Then he swallowed the laugh, tried to ignore a sudden nausea, and said, probably stupidly, "Akija, you're bleeding--"

"Yes... I saw," Akija sniggered inappropriately through heaving breaths. "But." She lifted a single finger off the ground, remaining otherwise prone. "Dead daemons... don't bleed."

Before Sentio could answer, or even decide how to answer, or even be sick at the sight and smell of more blood, another unexpected mind-voice broke into his tired thoughts: ::SentioSentioSentioyou'reokayI'mcomingholdonI'msogladyou'reokaywe'recoming!:: Bewildered by the speed and intensity, he was completely unprepared for the little daemon who vaulted off of Chario's back and attached herself to his forelegs while the dragon himself tossed himself at Akija. ::I'msogladyou'reokayweweresoworriedSentioI'msogladyou'reokay!:: Not having to use her actual voice to speak, only making little, distressed squeaks and croons, Kenjista didn't have to take a breath between words: she just kept babbling and babbling, repeating herself over and over as if that could convince him of how worried she'd been and how glad she was that he was all right. After spending almost twenty-four hours worried about, afraid for, and afraid of his own chosen bond, it was almost enough to undo what little self-control he had left. Wordlessly, though he probably couldn't get any words out between her own rambling, he scooped her up in a paw and hugged her close to his chest, squeezing his eyes shut so he wouldn't have to see Cacopheny laying against the wall and worry about him again.

There was some conversation next to him, but Sentio didn't notice until suddenly Chaith and Deiv were there, helping Akija to her feet, holding a ball of Fire-light. For a very lonely moment, all Sentio wanted were his parents-- but they probably wouldn't even know about this, and probably never would, because then they'd never let him near Cacopheny again. He sniffled a bit, determined not to cry, and let Kenjista mindlessly nuzzle his chin. At least he had her, anyway. ::You've always got me!:: she interrupted her babbling to say, before going back to the thoughtless mental murmur.

He nearly jumped when suddenly someone's arms came around his neck, but the decidedly familiar daemon smell told him it was Akija. She hugged him tightly, and it was a measure of Kenjista's relief that she didn't even seem to notice, much less protest. Chario's chin came to rest on Akija's shoulder, so his muzzle pressed against Sentio's cheek, and he threw a wing around the whole bunch of them. "They're comin' back with us," Akija stated firmly.

At that, at last out of resistance, Sentio could only bury his face in Akija's chest and cry. At least it wasn't those horrible, childish sobs he was prone to, but rather perfectly normal, quiet tears. It was embarrassing enough, even quietly, that he was glad Chario and Akija hid him from the rest of the world, at least for the moment. "Absolutely," he heard Chaith say, to his great relief. The thought of going home to that shadow-filled, empty manor... it was not comforting.

For a long few minutes, he just let them hold him while he hid and cried. He couldn't do anything else, too tired and emotionally worn to even think until there weren't any more tears. By then, Akija was thrumming softly, a not-quite-feline, not-quite-dragon sound, but equally comforting as if it were either or both, and Kenjista's babbling had faded to wordless reassurances for them both, from where she clung to his neck. Even Chario was still there, one furry ear draped somehow over his face, suddenly making his nose itch. As good or as bad an excuse as any, he drew back enough to rub at it, then his eyes. "Sorry," he managed. "I'm okay now, I think."

Akija smiled and nodded, rubbing his other cheek dry with her cleaner hand before she climbed carefully to her feet. "Let's go home," she said, looking wearily over at her mother. Sentio couldn't agree more, though by this point, he didn't even know where "home" could be; his own room was seeming very inhospitable. At least he didn't have to worry about it, now, and would be able to share Akija's.

Chaith nodded again and gently lifted Cacopheny off the floor, pulling the tatters of his robe tight about him and taking him into her arms with improbable gentleness that seemed inconsistent with her fierce appearance. Sentio dredged up the alertness to watch, in case Cacopheny seemed like he might wake, but she stood easily, as if the half-demon weighed no more than the stained cloth that he wore, and Cacopheny didn't so much as twitch. She gave him a reassuring smile, then turned to lead the way out. As Akija moved to follow, Chario finally slid his wing off Sentio's back and hurried forward to offer his exhausted bond his shoulder, which she leaned on gratefully. Sentio let Kenjista clamber from where she clung at his chest, onto his back, then rose and padded after them, not even bothering to think.

Some of the Watcher clan daemons went ahead of them as they went back down the tunnel, while the rest assumed a something like a rear guard, as if they suspected Rao might reappear from the shadows in the chamber as soon as their Fire-lights stopped illuminating it. It was a valid worry; Sentio would have shared it if he'd had the energy. But, even so, everything was quiet as they stepped back out into the leaf-muted daylight. Akija blinked at it as if she'd forgotten what it was. Sentio almost didn't notice it, eyes on the ground, almost too exhausted to care. It was still only morning, but it felt like hours had passed inside the little cave.

Eleven Watchers total, including Akija's parents, had rallied to Chario's call, but others met them as the group headed back for civilization. Sentio had to wonder, vaguely, just how many people were in Akija's family; compared to his, it was a hoard. At least they let the tired children be, instead conversing softly amongst themselves. He didn't bother listening to what they said. Let the adults handle things now, like he probably should have done before.

The Watcher pack stayed with them the entire way, dispersing only after their charges were safely inside Akija's house, ushered into the living room, and encouraged to collapse. Chaith almost bundled Cacopheny into one of their basket-chairs, but Sentio and, to his mild surprise, Akija made instant protests, well aware of what Cacopheny thought of anything resembling a bed, so an extra bedspread was scrounged from a closet and padded into a corner for him instead. Then the rest were left to stretch out or curl up wherever they wanted, and were all too happy to comply. Sentio fell asleep snuggled between Chario and Akija, with Kenjista curled tight against his chest, in a comfortable pile that was, thankfully, comforting enough to ward off nightmares.