"No!" Elena shouted. "They found the truck and know we have a boat."
Alec never said a word but pushed the engines harder. Despite the startling speed at which they were traveling, she wished they could go a little faster.
Elena started scanning the skies, half-expecting a Daimones to swoop down and snatch her from the boat. Nothing was visible across the bow, to the starboard, or port sides. But off the stern, she could see a distant shape in the sky.
"Alec!" she yelled to him. "How fast can Daimones fly?"
Almost in response, Alec shoved the throttle harder again. The tachometer on the dashboard indicated the engines were being overworked, their needles pinned in the red zone.
"Fast," he replied.
Alec took his belt off his pants and wrapped it around the steering wheel and a nearby handhold. He set the boat on a trajectory for a small island and tightened the belt. "We are leaving," he said turning to Elena and letting go of the wheel. Alec tore his shirt off, wrapped his arms around Elena, and leaped into the air. For a brief instant, she wished for more time to admire him. As her feet lifted from the deck of the boat, Elena's heart stopped for a long second before it began pounding fast again with the exhilaration of flight. She couldn't ever remember being held so close to anyone before. The feeling of his solid, muscular body against her made her tingle with excitement while her pulse raced faster.
Alec beat his powerful wings a few feet above the water, maintaining a parallel course with the boat. The speed with which they flew shocked her. However, the boat approached the small tree-covered island. She could see no houses or anything on the island, but it seemed all of the trees were covered with a wide assortment of birds.
The boat struck the island's rocky beach and leapt into the air. The whining of the exposed rotor beating the air drowned out the motor's roar. It crashed into a group of trees sending timber, fiberglass, and birds flying about. At the same time, Alec banked hard to the right and flew even faster. He set Elena down on a small point of land covered in scrub pines with small sandy dunes.
They are in Canada, the voice said in her mind. I have them pinned down at Lemoine Point, near Kingston, Ontario.
Elena could see the approaching shape as it came closer, definitely a Daimon. She recognized him in an instant—the same one who had tried to lure her from her car the other day.
"Hello, youngling," the Daimon said within earshot. "I am very disappointed in you. You have brought great harm to my loved ones." The Daimon motioned to the birds flying overhead. "You did it intentionally, didn't you?" He paused. "Never mind, I will forgive your transgression and take it as a poor attempt at a distraction. You intended to disrupt my path. But of course your attempts were futile." The Daimon turned to Elena. "I trust you will give us the girl."
"Anpiel, it was no distraction," Alec told the man. "It was a warning. Like I brought harm to your precious birds, I will also bring great harm to you. I implore you leave us now and forget what your mistress has bidden. Your mission will not succeed." Alec paused, stared their winged pursuer in the eyes, and added, "The girl is not going with you."
"You are wrong," Anpiel taunted. "She is coming with us."
Elena peered over Anpiel's back, several more dark shapes approached.
Alec rushed at Anpiel and grasped him around the neck. Alec's wings wrapped around them both and together they fell to the ground, grappling. Anpiel's wings spread open and he pushed away from Alec. The two Daimones separated, and Anpiel lifted off into the sky with Alec in immediate pursuit.
As they flew off, helplessness washed over her. A quick glance up in the sky confirmed the other dark shapes, at least two other Daimones, were nearly upon her location. As she watched, one of the shapes diverted its course to join the fray between Alec and Anpiel while the other continued flying straight at her.
"Oh no," Elena mumbled under her breath. She focused on the shape and reached out with her mind.
Stay away from me, she screamed at it. When the voice replied to her, it carried no words, only sinister laughter. She ran.
She could hear Alec's voice in her head. Hide, Elena, he told her. Hide. I will be there as soon as I can.
Her legs pumped hard as she ran through the scrubby pine forest. She followed a small deer path winding itself through the woods and then ducked off into the denser underbrush. Small branches and thorns ripped at her arms, legs, and face, she ignored the pain and kept pushing onward.
A shadow passed over her, dark and ominous.
Elena came to a dead halt. Another step forward and she would have crashed into the massive form landing before her. Blinking her unbelieving eyes did not alter the image of his four-foot broad, nearly seven-foot tall form. His wingspan stretched almost ten feet to either side of his massive body.
You can hear me, little one, the Daimon's deep thundering voice said. Do not even attempt to resist. You are coming with me.
A single word popped into her mind, and unfortunately it also entered her mental voice: huge.
She could hear the large form begin laughing again. A wide, toothy, disarming smile grew across its face. The handsome Daimon had auburn hair and mint green eyes. His every muscle seemed as though it had been chiseled in marble.
I am larger than most others, it said to her. I am also much older. I have been on this world more than nine-thousand years. Some have called me Israfil, and some have called me Michael. I was a warrior at Jericho, and I am awaited on Judgment Day to sound the end of this human world. The massive Daimon smirked.
My name does not truly matter, he said as he raised his immense hands and studied them. At Jericho, my horn rallied us to tear down the walls brick by brick. I have killed thousands of humans and Daimones alike. My mistress wants you alive, but do not have such hopes for your companion. To him, I am the final Judgment Day. His executioner.
Elena's anger flared in response to the taunting. She feared for Alec's safety. You bastard! she screamed at him. You leave him alone. I'm the one you want, not him.
She wanted to hurt this creature who threatened Alec. She scanned the skies to find any sign of Alec, but found disappointment instead. Movement caught the corner of her eye in the form of Israfil stalking toward her.
Stop! She shouted in her head. Stop right there! Or, I'll hurt you. He laughed at her again. When he didn't stop, she shouted at him again. I mean it!
You cannot hurt me, you insignificant human.
Elena took several steps back. No, she replied. But Alec can. He can hurt you!
The child cannot hurt me, either. Besides, he is not here now. He swept his hand through the air to illustrate his point. Anger filled his voice. Now, either come with me willingly, or I will take you by force.
Then take me by force, Elena replied in defiance. She narrowed her eyes and added, Do your best.
Elena braced herself and watched the Daimon's eyes. He strode toward her, his chest puffed up.
You make me sick, you puny girl, he said, a couple feet from her now. You cannot stop me.
Elena took a few steps back, but Israfil's long legs closed the gap. Her heart beat so fast, it would explode.
The massive creature raised his large hands towards her with a slow, deliberate movement. He intended to cause fear and she knew it, he was savoring every moment of her torment. The wicked sneer on his beautiful face confirmed her suspicion.
Elena turned as fast as her body would allow and ran with all of her might. She heard a faint chuckle. The giddy sound disturbed her. The man's massive form landed in front of her.
I tire of this game. He stretched out his massive hands. Now come with me.
The creature's huge arms moved so fast she never had a chance to comprehend what happened. One moment he stood before her, the next his arms wrapped around her, crushing her against his hard body.
Numbness filled her mind. She needed to flee, to escape his grasp. The cloying warm stench of his body made her retch. She couldn't breathe.
She
pushed and writhed with all of her strength, but couldn't budge against his massive strength.
The man wrapped his arms tighter around her.
Elena remembered being stuck in her Toyota, the Daimon kneeling on her hood, and how the air had been so stifling. Perhaps it was a trick—some kind of mental ability they had to impress physical sensation on each other. The time for hoping something would work had passed. She had nothing to lose in giving it a try she wasn't about to lose anyway.
Concentrating on his mind, she imagined the most intense pain she could—the pain of being cut by a million shards of glass, a pain she'd experienced when accidentally shoved through a sliding glass door back in Junior High School. The memory filled her to the point she could almost feel the pain again. With a great surge of her will, she forced it on him——sending it into his mind, forcing it to fill his mind and spread throughout his body.
"Let go of me, damn it!" She mentally pushed the memory again, feeling the intense sensation like icy shards piercing her brain. She screamed out in pain.
Israfil let out a tremendous bellow as he threw Elena from his grasp. She hit the ground hard, flat on her back, the wind knocked out of her. The hollow, resonance of Israfil's yell had such power it alone could have brought down the walls of Jericho. Her mind told her to get up, to flee. But her body fought for air, incapable of movement.
"You little bitch! You will certainly pay." The creature's once-beautiful face became a mask of fury.
Finally able to pull shallow gasps of air into her burning lungs, Elena scrambled away from the advancing beast.
He moved faster than a striking viper. In an instant he straddled her prone body with his hands at her throat. Her mind froze, unable to comprehend her predicament. His powerful hands compressed her vocal cords, choking off the few sweet breaths she had drawn into her lungs. His massive weight squeezed her chest, smothering her, preventing her from expanding her chest.
The burning in her airways turned to a raging inferno. Bursts of light swallowed up her vision. Her attempt to scream never had a chance.
Something changed inside of her. The mixed feelings of helplessness, desperation, and terror melted away, replaced instead by determination and anger. She conjured the memory again, except this time making it far worse. With all the mental strength she could muster, she thrust the sensation into the beasts' mind and amplified it, filling his mind with excruciating pain.
Israfil let go of her throat and clutched his head, leaping back and away from Elena, releasing a deafening roar of agony. Elena jumped up and sprinted away with all her might, trying hard to keep focusing on his pain.
She headed for the shoreline, but lost sight of the massive Daimon. Scanning the skies, not so much as a bird flying above could be seen and she feared the worst for Alec. The idea he could not handle himself against the other two Daimones had never crossed her mind. Her face felt warm. What if he didn't survive? What do I do then? She searched the sky in a panic. Where was he?
She heard a light crunch in the pine needles behind her. Her heart sank. She had stopped focusing on Israfil.
I did not enjoy that, Israfil scolded her. The fury on his face explained it all. Despite his rage, she knew she had hurt him. My mistress told me you had to come back alive. She did not say you had to come back unharmed.
He moved fast. But as she reacted, his body could not compete with the speed of her mind. She refocused on the pain and projected it into his mind like an explosion.
Israfil stopped mid-stride and crumpled to the ground.
She heard another light crunch behind her and whipped around to see Alec standing there with shock on his face.
"I was about to help you out," he said in a stunned voice. "How did you incapacitate him?"
"It isn't easy," Elena replied weakened from the mental effort. "And I can't hold it much longer. We need to get out of here. What happened to the other two?"
"They won't be bothering us anymore. Ever," Alec said. Elena hadn't noticed until now parts of his upper body and his pants were smeared with blood.
"You killed them?"
Alec nodded. "Let's go."
"Okay, where to?" she asked. "And what do we do about him?"
Alec pointed inland to the east. "Head that way. I will take care of him."
Elena paused. Alec nodded in the direction again. She started walking down the path and Alec rejoined her a few moments later.
"We don't have to worry about him anymore, either."
"You killed him?" Elena asked.
"Yes. He was still dazed by whatever it was you did to him, so it didn't take much." A brief silence passed between them as she watched him seemingly drift away in thought.
"Elena," he said, "I think for the first time in my long life, I am truly amazed."
Elena opened her mouth, unsure how to respond. Before she could say anything, however, Alec turned away.
"We need to go," he said. "They'll send reinforcements, we need to move fast." He scanned the trees. "This way," he said as he walked away. "Let's put as much distance between us and this place as we can. They'll be all over this area soon, and in greater numbers."
Chapter Ten
Elena contemplated about the laundry list of felonies she had been racking up over the past few days. Forget the mundane misdemeanors, like speeding and blowing through stop signs. Within the last few hours alone, she had crossed international borders illegally, had been an accomplice to killing several superhuman beings, and as of moments ago, she could chalk up a count of grand theft auto to the tally. It was a good day.
The SUV Alec stole from the park at Lemoine Point hurtled down Bath Road, weaving around traffic before turning off onto a crossroad.
"Okay," Alec said, breaking the oppressive silence, "I think I have a plan. We are going to catch a flight from Ottawa International. We need to get a hold of some new identities."
Despite her best efforts, Elena chuckled. The chuckle rolled on to a bout of full-blown laughter. She couldn't understand why she thought this funny, especially considering the dire gravity of the predicament in which she now found herself. But she did.
"Why are you laughing?" Alec asked her, puzzled.
"Because..." she said while trying to catch her breath, "our last attempt at obtaining ID's went so well. Let's do it again." She threw her hands up in the air.
Alec ignored her sarcasm. She could tell by his expression she'd either insulted or embarrassed him. They spent a long while in silence as they drove up Route 416 into the outskirts of Ottawa from the south. Alec turned off the main highway and wound his way through the various suburbs. He came to a stop in a recently built neighborhood of cookie-cutter, Queen Anne revival-style houses with tidy brick facades and vinyl siding. The lawns were all well kept, and the landscaping meticulous. Perhaps, Elena wondered as she took it all in, the fake ID business did better here.
Alec stepped out of the truck. He leaned in and told Elena before closing the door, "We need to walk a couple blocks up this way. I hope you don't mind." More than two blocks up and one over, Alec approached the front door of one of the houses with Elena a few steps behind. His two sharp raps were answered in short order. The man who came to the door also appeared a sharp contrast to the degenerate from New York, being tall, thin, and fit. He wore a pair of khaki pants with a powder-blue button-down shirt, had a neat goatee and a welcoming smile.
"Your Grace," the man said with a touch of reverence, "it has been a long time." Alec shook hands, his eyebrows arched high. The man's face brightened, "Ah, where are my manners? Come in, come in." He ushered them both into the foyer.
"Luc, old friend, we are urgently in need of papers, and your utmost discretion."
"Of course, Your Grace," replied Luc. Elena shot Alec a quizzical glance.
"We will need to move about incognito. The papers must pass muster in any country. We also need to have them within the hour."
"Of course, Your Grace. They'll be ready soon." Again, Elena gl
anced at Alec.
"Thank you," Alec responded. "Once we have our new papers, we will no longer be 'Graces,' understood?" Alec spoke with a firm, but courteous tone.
"Yes, Mr. Appleton?" Luc replied.
"Thank you, Luc," Alec said nodding. "Much better. Where shall we wait?"
Luc escorted them to a very comfortable study with well-stocked bookshelves. They settled into two deep leather chairs. After offering them cold beverages, which they were more than happy to take, Luc disappeared from the room, closing the door behind him. Time flew while they waited for Luc to finish his work. Alec sat in his chair, studying his beverage, and Elena roamed the study, examining the books on the shelves. Luc returned a short while later with a handful of documents.
"These should be able to pass scrutiny in nearly any country," Luc told them as he climbed in behind his desk and sorted through the papers. "I have given you both Canadian identities, complete with driver's licenses, passports, and birth certificates. Mr. Clark Appleton, you are from right here in Ottawa; and Ms. Melinda Richter, you are from Newfoundland."
"Thank you, Luc," Alec said as he slipped something into the man's hand. "As always, your help is greatly appreciated. You will be well compensated."
"Of course, Your Gr—Mr. Appleton," Luc replied.
"Thank you," Alec told him. "I am sure you won't mind if I double your usual fee?"
"Of course not." Luc smiled and guided them back to the foyer.
Outside, Elena turned in the direction of their pilfered truck, but Alec grabbed her hand to stop her. Her skin tingled at his touch, electricity coursed through her entire body. She gasped at the suddenness of the action.
"Wrong way." His voice was smooth as silk.
"What a-about the..." she stammered.
Alec turned and raised his finger to her lips. She shivered at his touch. So soft, gentle, and sensual—like he was trying to seduce a lover. She wanted to press her body against him, to feel him close to her. He pressed in against her, his lips inches from her ear. She could feel his warm breathe on her neck.
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