FIREFANGED: Demon in Exile

by Rory Surtain

  Two raging reptiles blocked my way, while Raven took on the third. I stepped back, drawing the pair farther from Raven and my sword. The shorter of the two lizards dropped to all fours and charged, aiming for my right leg, while the other came in high on my left. Moving to my right, I vaulted the reptilian attack dog, punching a fiery hole in its spine as I cleared the beast. Its tail thrashed uncontrollably, slowing its partner’s pursuit.

  As the second, more massive demon hurdled its way toward me, I dodged forward, passing it in mid-air as I dove for Exile. The blade practically vibrated in my grip as I swept it up and swung behind me, neatly severing a black-clawed hand from my pursuer. As it thrust its jaws forward, I spun and swung in from its left, marveling as Exile passed cleanly through its exposed neck. Two more steps and I beheaded the other lizard-beast as it tried to drag itself around to face me.

  To my left, the last fiend standing was caught between Raven and me, but it was on its last legs, literally. Raven had used her speed to dismember it methodically. Looking to distract it further, I slashed its tail, ruining what was left of its balance. Surrounded and off-balance, the lizard-man was defenseless to Talon’s killing blow. The first line of demons was finished.

  “Next time you better make it a ten count,” Rae said, looking me over with an uncertain smile.

  “Five,” I replied, sheathing my glaive. “I’m gonna need a little help here.”

  I was in bad shape, but at least my hair wasn’t on fire, well, at least not any longer. The initial numbness in my arm was fading with my battle rage, and the pain was starting to make itself known. Rae ducked her head under my dislocated shoulder and stretched my arm straight out from my side. With her back to me and my arm resting across her shoulder, she grabbed my elbow with both hands and pushed firmly outward. An audible chunk sounded from my shoulder as the joint slid back into place. The pain faded nicely to a dull ache.

  I drew Fei-Krull and unbuckled its leather sheath. “Please tie me up,” I said, garnering a better smile from my Betrothed.

  “Anytime,” she said, fitting a loose leather sling to my left arm, something to take the weight off my shoulder.

  I was ready. Five demon-knights stoically awaited their return trip to Hell. I looked her way. “I can’t do this without you,” I admitted.

  “You are so right about that,” she said, giving me one long soul-stealing kiss.

  Five minutes later, we clambered from the long smoky tunnel as the pit below slowly filled with molten lava. I held the lid of an old wooden box. The box had contained the blackened skeleton of what looked like a flying rat. Having stomped those bones into oblivion, I had dropped the rest of the box into a pool of lava. The altarpiece was an evil thing.

  The predawn air cooled our lungs as we coughed our way clear of the Hell-hole. The Infernal pall lifted as the dark altar melted below, and our souls felt better for it. We had five downhill miles to cover and a beacon of fire in the distance. I figured we’d make it there by dawn.

  Chapter 22

  Clear sight

  Lockrun had improved during our round-trip to the Hell portal. Scout Tappen was waiting for us at the eastern gate when we arrived. The sun was up, and we had been spotted while still a half-mile out of town. Mott Duncan had people watching atop the walls and the gates, keeping the citizens safe and busy. Tappen escorted us to the town square to meet with my team and the Mayor.

  The bonfire in the square was reduced to a pile of embers and ash by the time we returned. With the light of dawn, droves of vulnerable citizens had poured from the church and the Mayor’s mansion. People were cooking breakfast over the hot coals, and cots were being hauled into the square. The many injured were being carried from fetid basements and houses for treatment under a clear summer sky.

  Mott Duncan was awaiting our report. His day could be made or ruined by whatever I said.

  “Where’s Andarion and Yseria?” I asked with a blank face.

  “Now that you’ve neutralized the threat, they’re helping remove the injured from the church basement.”

  “How did you know that we removed the threat?” I asked the perceptive Scout.

  “Well, first, look at you two. You went down a hole, didn’t you? And you wouldn’t have come out looking like Hell unless you had ended some kind of major trouble. How many Hell-knights were there?”

  “Five,” said Raven with a smirk. “But don’t let him pretend that he killed them all himself.”

  Duncan paused at that remark. That many Hell-knights was usually only found with a major incursion.

  “And second?” I asked Mott.

  “Well, second, we all felt it, like a dark wave flowing back out to sea, a couple hours before dawn. The dread and the whimpering in Lockrun were just gone. Oh, and third, the young lady standing right behind you said so,” Mott replied, with a smile.

  “Hello, Cat,” I said, turning around to face my dearest friend. It had only been a month since I last saw her, but it seemed so much longer. I recalled the promise that I made to her about not turning up again, looking half dead. I wasn’t sure my current state qualified.

  She looked at me with her arms crossed, taking in my burned, crushed, blood-spattered, and overall mutilated appearance.

  “Happy Birthday,” I offered weakly.

  And then she was in my arms, hugging me like there was no tomorrow. I could feel the relief and the love pouring from her. It took away any pain that I might have felt at that moment.

  “Ara, did you forget our last talk?” she teased.

  “I did not,” I said, showing her my best smile.

  “Well then, where is it?”

  “Ah, you mean this,” I said, reaching into my pack and pulling out a pin with a silver lightning bolt through a black half-moon. “This is my birthday gift for you.”

  I pinned it to her shirt. I could see the black leather strap of her earlier birthday gift still hanging around her neck.

  “Cat, you are now an official member of Vigil Ara Storm’s Company,” I said.

  Cat looked from me to Raven, who had the same pin on her breast. “And who is she?”

  “That is Raven Ylamil, my Second and Betrothed. I saved her from some demons in the Everest Mountains, and now it turns out she’s even better at saving me.”

  “Are you sure? It doesn’t look like she’s doing such a great job,” she laughed. “I mean, what happened to your arm and your hair?”

  “Well, you should have seen what we did to those demons,” I countered.

  “I did,” she said, with a solemn look in her eyes. Her mood shifted back to one of fear. She was far too young to be experiencing what we faced.

  “Cat, is that how you knew that Lockrun was safe? That they could start to bring the wounded out from the church basement?”

  “Yes,” she said, pushing the dark thoughts behind her.

  “And before all that, did it feel like a blanket of dread and despair had fallen on your head?”

  “How did you know?” she nodded.

  “I felt it, right here,” touching my heart, “and I knew that I had to get to Lockrun right away. I'm so sorry that you suffered.”

  “Look who’s talking, Ara,” she replied, taking my hand. “Now, let’s find a place for you and Raven to rest, and let Sentinel Mott get back to work.”

  “Mott, please inform the team and start getting them some time and a place to rest. The jailhouse should be an option. I’ll relieve you at noon.”

  After speaking with the Lord Mayor, Cat lent me her bedroom suite, giving Rae and me a chance to clean up and rest. Raven took the first turn in the bathroom while I simply lay flat on the floor next to my pack. Sometime later, Andarion and Yseria arrived to pick me up and drag me into the bathroom. Cleaned and redressed, they dropped me onto the bed next to Rae, where we slept until noon.

  Did I mention that I loved my bodyguards?

  Back from the dead, I woke with the warmth of Rae wrapped around me. She was physically perfect, both
in health and form, but she continued to carry a deep pain, a black fire in her soul that I sensed even as she slept. I shifted closer to her and gave her a light kiss. At that moment, I felt a brighter fire stir within her, and a feeling of peace take hold. I let my soul breathe with it for a while.

  We arose to find Yser camped out on a small couch near the door. She got up to help me into my armor and fit a better sling on my left arm. She applied some salve to the back of my head where the cave wall had burned away my hair.

  “Get some sleep,” I said to Yseria as we left.

  Out in the square, I found Mott overseeing the dispersal of the injured back to their own houses after treatment by the town doctors.

  “How goes the day, Mott?” I asked.

  “Sadly, Vigil. As many as we send home, we’ve sent even more to the city graveyards. The Lord Mayor has the list of deaths. Overall, the actual property damage was mild, and the city wall is still intact.”

  “And our team?”

  “All asleep in the jailhouse, even Andarion.”

  “It’s a good quiet spot,” I said, speaking from experience. “Join them, and I’ll wake you all later for dinner.”

  I found the Lord Mayor in the square and suggested we speak in private. We went back to his study in the Mansion.

  “We passed a couple of couriers from Lockrun on our way up here. Do you expect any help from the Duke to arrive?” I asked.

  “Yes, but nothing for at least another week. I’ve meant to ask you how you got here so fast. I’m guessing that my first courier would have arrived in Stonnberg today. My second messenger was headed to Berykholt.”

  “Your daughter is much better now, I take it,” I replied. “Did you notice my insignia on her shirt?”

  “Of course, she said it was a birthday present from you. Have I reason to be concerned?”

  “You remember when Vigil Snow claimed me, several weeks ago in this very house. Consider the pinning of your daughter to have the same meaning but without the humiliation and burning skin. It’s not a decision that I take lightly, nor will I reverse, for Cat’s sake,” I explained. “Cat is twelve but is already showing signs of clear sight. She and I have always had a connection, and it was that connection that drove me to come here from Berykholt. I felt her dread and terror during my Ascension dinner, two days before the first demon attacked Lockrun. That is why I have claimed her for the Vigil.”

  “But she is only a young girl. She can’t fight demons!” he pleaded.

  “And, Lord Mayor, she won’t. She is much too valuable to risk in that manner. If I have learned anything during my short time with the Order of the Vigil, it’s that they are very good at doing their job; and they’re even better at keeping their secrets.

  “To protect Cat, I will need two things from you before my Company departs. First, you’ve seen the marks placed upon me. I need you to find a person you trust to permanently tattoo a small Vigil insignia on her right breast and shoulder blade and a Vigil Storm insignia above her left breast. Second, all of this must be kept secret. As smart and mature as she is, Cat is still a young girl, and I intend for her to remain here with you until she grows up.”

  I paused to let that sink in.

  “Do you agree, Lord Mayor?” I pressed. He honestly didn’t have a choice, but I needed an answer.

  He finally nodded. “Thank you for protecting Cat and protecting our city.”

  “To ensure the safety of all, we will be staying here until support from the Duke arrives. I can assume that Vigil Snow will also be sending some of his own here, and we both know that he does what he must.”

  Mayor Ramsey prepared a full suite and additional rooms for my entire Company in the visitor’s wing of his sizeable manor home. Raven and I shared the suite with our bodyguards who slept on cots in the anteroom. I announced to my company and the Lord Mayor that Raven had saved my life and killed two Hell-knights during our fight to close the Hell-gate. She was my Second and would be in charge if ever I became incapacitated. This fact seemed to have already been anticipated by the Company, but I was glad to make it official.

  Andarion and Yseria took our security seriously, shadowing Raven and me whenever we left the mansion. The news of the demon attacks in Lockrun and a Vigil’s presence here had to be spreading far and wide by now.

  I sat a late watch every night on a chair outside Cat’s room. Just being there seemed to help me focus. Cat had hidden away her Vigil Storm insignia but kept her Kjaira fang tethered around her neck, even when she slept. I felt the landscape around the valley of Lockrun slowly coming back to life with natural predators and prey. Their growing nocturnal presence reassured me.

  As a small company, we continued to do all we could to help restore Lockrun. Volk had taken to the task of rebuilding the city militia with the help of Gunner, Hicks, and the Martells. Sevin was promoted to full Sentinel for his axe-work on that second spider-demon. I confirmed it.

  Hector Sims had lost his arm defending the city during the initial attack and bled to death that first night. Pastor Riley was appointed acting head of the militia until a permanent replacement for Bailiff could be found. His solid faith and kind demeanor provided an example upon which folks could begin healing.

  I was glad to see my old friend Corey present on the square as surviving heads were counted, and rolls were taken. His father was busy at his forge, fulfilling an order from Lord Mayor Ramsey for several dozen axes in the mold of the Order. With the Duke’s support still apparently distant, the Mayor took it upon himself to better arm the locals against any potential threats.

  The church was repaired, and its doors reinforced, as were the doors of many other large houses. Funeral services were held every day, and Sister Kay began the arduous task of planning for the care of many newfound orphans.

  Duncan and Tappen made their presence felt by constantly patrolling in and around the walls of Lockrun and surveying the citizens for any desperate needs. Walls were manned each night, and gates were opened each dawn. Beleaguered townspeople trickled slowly to the west, but most stayed to rebuild.

  Each afternoon I patrolled north and east with at least one of my company, scanning for any change in the fauna or any unnatural darkness on the horizon. The Hell-gate was closed, and nothing new had appeared to threaten Lockrun by the time our first reinforcements finally arrived.

  Epilogue

  Barely a wince

  Four trying days after our arrival in Lockrun, Inquisitor Loeb appeared with Captain Glenn and a score of Sentinel-Adepts. To the untrained eye, the city of Lockrun almost seemed normal. To Loeb, the town was a tragedy yet to be overcome. I could feel the shock and mournfulness roll off him as he entered the city square.

  “Doctor, Captain, well met,” I said, with Raven and Duncan Mott at my side. Duncan had proved himself a sharp mind and an able Third. His fond connection with Andarion helped build cohesion across the Company with its vastly different members and backgrounds. He now wore the badge of Vigil Storm.

  “Ara, you appear better than I expected, with barely a wince about you,” responded Loeb. “Who reset your shoulder socket?”

  My arm was feeling much better, and I had already packed away my sling for the next injury. It hadn’t fooled Doctor Loeb.

  “Raven managed it. We were in a Hell-cave at the time, about to fight five Hell-knights.”

  “And you fought them with one arm?” Glenn asked in disbelief.

  “I know. Wearing a sling wrecks your balance in a fast fight like that. We’ll show you what’s left of the cave-site later today. It is only about five miles to the northeast. Instead of building up a horde, they sent a few demons at a time into the city each night. We secured the town and destroyed the Hell-gate, but there is a terror, here among the people, that hasn’t gone away.”

  “One hundred and ninety-four citizens were killed throughout the four nights before we arrived, and dozens more were severely injured,” said Mott. “It was a feast of pure terror for the demons to co
nsume. The resources necessary for restoration may be beyond us.”

  “We expect a company in the Duke’s colors to arrive by the day after tomorrow,” said Glenn.

  “Until then, there is much to do and much to discuss in private,” said the Inquisitor.

  We closed the doors to the Mayor’s meeting room and posted Yseria outside.

  Loeb got straight to the point. “What haven’t you told me, Ara?”

  “I should be asking you the same,” I said, sensing that Loeb was deeply on edge. “What ails you so?”

  “The Vigil is spread entirely too thin these days, and if it were possible, I’d say that Hell is heating up. The outbreak of a second Hell crossing in less than two months in the same spot is unprecedented. It would have been so much worse, if not for your swift action.”