Flight

by Jason Cheek

  “My brethren will not forget your transgressions Acolyte!”

  The priestess’s face scrunched up in anger as she held her hand aloft once more, but she paused at the demon’s next words.

  “Go ahead Acolyte!” Uncoiling itself from the ground, the demon faced the priestess with a look of fierce triumph on its twisted face. Moonglow heard the scrape of claws on stone as the priestess took a step back. “Break the covenant between your Dark Lady and the Lords of the Abyss!”

  Lowering her hand, the priestess spat into the demon’s face.

  “I will abide by the covenant!”

  GWAK GWAK GWAK

  “How unfortunate for the Pit Fiend your Sister Dyniessus summoned.”

  AAARRRGGG

  Infuriated, the priestess whipped around shrieking in rage. Moonglow could smell the stench of fear as the priestess turned her back to the demon. It was a maneuver she understood well. Never show weakness to a predator, especially not to a creature from the Abyss. As the clawed feet approached Moonglow’s hiding place underneath the demon’s corpse, she slowed her heart rate, hoping it would lessen the pulse pounding in her ears as booted feet approached the priestess hesitantly.

  “Lord Nardak, ready the slaves for battle.”

  The Tuonellian spoke haltingly.

  “May I ask what to prepare for Priestess?”

  The priestess hissed in annoyance.

  “Something is not right!”

  “Can you be more precise, Dark Sister?”

  “No, I cannot!”

  Moonglow heard choking sounds as the booted feet suddenly left the ground.

  “Something is blocking my communion with Loviatar!”

  A large shape crashed to the ground next to where Moonglow hid, gasping for breath. The Tuonellian was so close she could have reached out and snapped its thick neck if she’d wanted to. Watching the armored Tuonellian through slitted eyes, she saw the warrior freeze where it landed on the hard packed snow as the priestess raged on.

  “Is that precise enough for you?”

  Squirming around onto its hands and knees, the Tuonellian touched its forehead to the frozen ground.

  “Yes Dark Sister.”

  “Then go!”

  The scraping of armor on stone was the only sound as Lord Nardak quickly scrambled off to carry out the priestess’s command. Moonglow relaxed slightly as she heard the Tuonellian’s boots fade away in the distance. She was just breathing a sigh of relief when she saw the priestess freeze in place.

  With a look of horror, Moonglow watched her warm blood suddenly pool around priestess bare feet!

  The Tuonellian’s groveling had made a hole in the fresh snow near where she laid, and her warm blood had broken through the thin snow drift in a matter of seconds! Moonglow lowered her metabolism even further forcing herself into the hunter’s waiting trance as she heard the priestess’s hissing screech.

  “Barbed Antitheus! Lift this corpse!”

  In her trance, Moonglow was aware of everything happening around her. It seemed like an eternity of waiting as she listened to the scraping heavy footsteps of the demon coming closer. From this awareness, she was disconnected from the pain as the creature pulled the long barbs of its brethren from her body.

  She knew she looked dead. Her lower body was still crushed from the earlier battle, where half of her face had been ripped off. Running down her torso were large gaping holes as thick as her arm. From where the barbs of the demon’s corpse, she had used as their hiding place, had completely pierced through her body.

  In her heart, she prayed to Meliki to have the strength for one last strike!

  Werewolves were not known to pray. Their relationship with the Goddess of the Forest and the Hunt evolved around the order of nature. Life and death, happiness and sorrow, the hunter and the hunted, they were all equal parts to the flow of life. Living their lives every day to the fullest was how Werewolves honored their Goddess. From the time when she first chose Werewolves as her guardians, they were her caretakers of the Forest.

  “And that of this beast too!”

  The demon’s clawed hand grasped her shoulder in a bone crushing grip, lifting her from atop her daughters. The priestess didn’t give Moonglow’s broken body a second glance as she hung limply from the demon’s clawed fist. The barbs from the demon’s corpse hanging next to her pricked her sides, but still she held back from striking. It was as if she could feel Meliki telling her to wait for the proper moment as she heard the priestess hiss of excitement.

  “You are here my little beasties!”

  Kneeling down, the priestess reached for the blood soaked pups as Moonglow suddenly realized something was terribly wrong with her daughters.

  Normally, Werewolf young did not learn their fighting form until their coming of age, when they turned eighteen. Even in the oldest stories howled by the Pack, Moonglow had never heard of a Werewolf able to shape shift into their fighting form at such a young age. Unbelievable, Moonglow watched her daughter uncurl into a three foot tall Werewolf. With lightning speed, Frostbrand launched herself at the priestess’s outstretched arm.

  CRUNCH

  AAAEEEIII

  Screeching in pain, the priestess clutched her handless arm to her chest in anger. Like a striking serpent, her other hand repeatedly pummeled her daughter’s face into the bloody snow. As Frostbrand lay stunned from the blows, the priestess clawed hand wrapped around her slender neck, lifting her into the air. Slowly, the she began choking the life from the little Werewolf.

  “I will make you suffer like no creature has suffered before!”

  Shaking the Frostbrand’s limp body in her fist, the priestess shrieked in rage.

  “You will curse your mother for the day of your birth! I will…”

  The priestess’s head jerked around, in shock, at the loud rushing sound filling the entire rocky enclosure of Winter Heart as the circle of power shot green flames into the night’s sky.

  Chapter 23

  Location Earth / Florida present day:

  KKKAAABBBOOOOOOMMM

  As the wave of explosions lit up the dark sky above me, my eyes snapped open as the memories came flooding back to me!

  The noise was deafening as the Cobra Assault group, hovering directly above, let loose with everything they had into the demon’s face, at point blank range. In the strobing light, I saw Susan and Laura collapsed protectively on top of me. Moving the women aside, I saw Beth and Deanna struggling to hold a coruscating blue shield as they protected us from the hot metal fragments whizzing through the air from the exploding warheads. It was one of the most spectacular displays of firepower I’d ever seen in my life. Unfortunately, it did nothing to hurt the creature. The double-headed battleaxe suddenly shot out of the fiery cloud surrounding the demon.

  SSSCCCRRREEEAAACCCHHH

  Seeing the weapon cleaved through the Cobra above us, I hooked my arms around both women as I quickly threw them underneath me next to Susan and Laura. Lying on top of them, I covered the hole with my armored body triggering my own shield around us.

  CRUNCH

  KABBBOOOOOOMMM

  Metal shards from the helicopter blades slammed into my back, a split second, before the fireball washed over us. I felt the heat of the explosion on the back of my neck as the shield held the searing heat away from my charges below. In the sudden light, I saw Beth and Deanna mud splattered faces smiling up at me in relief. Concerned, I quickly sent my senses flowing through the women below me. A moment later, I breathed a sigh of relief as I realized they were only exhausted and not hurt.

  Beth gently touched my cheek speaking softly.

  “Thank Ukko your alive!”

  Blushing, I returned her smile.

  “Only because all of you risked your lives to save me. I can’t thank you enough!”

  The scream of rending metal was quickly followed by another series of explosions, which stopped any further conversation. Looking up, I saw the two more burning hunks of metal cras
h to the ground several yards away.

  CRUNCH

  Following the sound, I saw the demon slam the last Cobra into the ground with its stump as it threw its head back, bellowing triumphantly into the air.

  RRROOOAAARRR

  Raw energy throbbed through my veins as I surged to my feet. Watching the demon raise its battleaxe above its head, targeting the helicopter pilots, I screamed out my own challenge.

  “Ukko Gi meg styrke!” (Ukko give me strength!)

  The demon’s head whipped around in shock as the bright golden ray of power split the dark sky. As it shined down upon me, I felt Ukko’s grace flowing through my veins as the power began coalescing into my Katana. Before the demon could react, I rushed forward screaming at the top of my lungs.

  “KANSKJE!”

  In a blur, I swung my blade twice taking out the demon’s massive legs. As the creature fell backwards, I grabbed ahold of the large metal ring at the back of its armored neck. Using my whole body, I threw the demon backwards through the nearest stone hut.

  For a fleeting second, I saw the shocked look of Captain Walker’s face and that of her gunner’s as I ran after the flailing demon. Leaping into the air, I slammed into the demon’s chest, knocking it back to the ground. Looking at me in rage, the creature tried swiping me off with its thick arms, but another two swings of my Katana sliced the limbs off just above the elbow. Roaring in defiance, the demon glared balefully at my glowing blue Katana crackling with holy energy. Howling in triumph, I grabbed the hilt with both hands lunging at the demon’s snapping fangs.

  “KANSKJE!”

  The power that flowed through the magical construct of the demon was released in a surge of energy as my blade sliced through the demon’s thick neck. A second later, the demon’s enormous horned head hit the ground, popping from the creature’s massive shoulders as the energy exploded into the sky above Trapper Nelson’s. Looking up, I saw the black clouds vanish as the dark magic that created them dissipated with the death of the Pit Fiend.

  Slowly the rays of the early morning sun began lighting up the sky.

  Looking around, I saw the green flames still burning brightly in the center of the camp. Carefully, I started walking towards the black bleeding lump lying at the circle's center with my Katana held before me.

  Sudden movement on the far side of the circle caught my eye. Walking out from behind the farthest stone hut, I saw several groups of men leave their cover heading in my direction. Just as the Chief’s tired voice called out.

  “Glad to see your still alive Son.”

  Running forward, I began waving for the men to get back undercover.

  “Stay back Chief!”

  Hearing my warning, the men stopped suddenly confused. Looking around nervously, they began to pull the Chief back as the priestess raised herself up to one arm. I could do nothing, but watch the nightmare unfold before my eyes as the priestess hissed loudly pointing her clawed hand towards the group of men. Seeing the movement, Agent Moss tackled the Chief as a ranger slammed Commander Harris to the ground.

  “CORISCUM!”

  Throwing the men nearest to him to the ground, Sergeant O’Reilly hollered out a warning to the men behind as he hit the dirt, but in his eyes I could see that he knew it was already too late.

  “INCOMING!”

  The purple lightning caught Sergeant O’Reilly in mid-air as it blasted into the group of the men still on their feet. There were no screams. The men hit simply exploded in a spray of blood and burning chunks of meat.

  I had not planned to enter the circle until I knew the priestess was dead, but now I had no choice. Howling out my challenge, I leaped into the air, vaulting over the fiery green sigils of the circle of power.

  Landing in the center of the circle, my blade flashed taking off the priestess’s arm at the shoulder, stopping the blast of purple lightning. Quicker than a striking snake, the priestess rolled to her feet slashing with a black dagger. Sparks exploded into the air as the weapon slashed across my breastplate.

  Her movements were more serpentine than human, moving like nothing I’d seen before. Springing back, my foot snapped out slamming into the priestess’s knee, but there was no crunch of bone. Except for a grunt of pain, she completely ignored the injury. Slithering out of the way, she whipped around, striking with blinding speed she slashed at my face. Ducking, I batted the arm away with my free hand easily enough, but the strike was only a feign. Suddenly, her arm coiled around my forearm, until the dagger was pointing at my face. Lunging forward, she bore my arm down with all of her strength. Using my sword arm, I scooped her body off the ground. Straightening out my arm, I propelled her over my shoulder. As the priestess shot overhead, I tumbled backwards. Rolling to my feet, I faced her once again as we circled each other warily. Her eyes glowed red as she hissed softly.

  “Ut ante dixi, Iterum sic sibi semper sunt praedictio.“ (Like I said before, Paladins are always so predictable.)

  Her clawed hand clutched the front of her robes, and with one hard yank. She ripped the material away from her, throwing it on the ground behind her. She still bled from the arrows in her chest, but already I could see that her arm had almost fully grown back. Her legs rippled, blurring together, into a single thick coil as her lips pulled back baring her fangs in a predatory grin.

  “Adulescens mutus Stulti, velle ad sacrificium animas vestras infirma semper protegentibus! Quod te cognossem bene temerario vitae periculum misellus creaturas ad salvandum illos!” (Young dumb fools, always willing to sacrifice your lives protecting the weak! I knew you recklessly would risk your life to save those pathetic creatures!)

  In a blur, she struck like lightning. I managed to block the black dagger with my Katana, but her clawed hand was already slashing at my face as her thick coils wrapped around my legs. Diving into a back handspring, I slipped away before she could tighten her grip. Facing each other once again, she hissed tauntingly at me.

  “Vos cogitastis de me tu cecideras, sed tu mihi solus incidit in casses meos!” (You thought you had beaten me, but instead you’ve only fallen into my trap!)

  In a flash, I knew what she was, an Echidna. I remembered them from my Grandsire’s many stories. Incredibly fast and powerful creatures, serpents from the waist down and humanoid from the waist up that were able to regenerate any lost limb in a matter of minutes. A race that could change shapes similar to that of Werewolves. Seeing her body tense, I raised my Katana in front of me, defensively. Focusing my power, I spoke one word praying to Ukko .

  “ACELERAR!”

  Seeing the green glow suddenly surrounding me, the priestess screamed in confusion.

  “Quod non potest! Impediat omnem operationem exteriorem circuli. Deum non invocaverunt te in adiutorium potest.” (That is not possible! The circle blocks all external energy. You cannot call on your God for help.)

  Indeed, I was blocked off from drawing in more power, but I had plenty of reserves available for what I needed to do. Laughing at the priestess’s misunderstanding, I calmly explained the simple fact that she’d missed.

  “I never need to call to Ukko for help. Ukko is always a part of me.”

  Shrieking, she slithered forward in a blur of motion, but, this time, I could match her speed. In shock, she watched me side step her dagger strike as my blade sliced through her serpentine waist in the blink of an eye. As the two halves flopped onto the ground, the torso slid to a stop as the coiling tail began whipping around uncontrollably.

  Stepping forward, I lifted my Katana over my head for the killing blow as the priestess flipped herself to her back. Her red hate filled eyes bore into mine as she pointed the black dagger at her own breast, hissing loudly.

  “Ne in morte quidem consequor!” (Even in death I win!)

  Suddenly, warning alarms went off inside my mind. Not bothering to match wits with the evil creature, I swung my Katana at the priestess’s head. Unfortunately, she was faster. In horror, I watched the black dagger pierce her own heart as she hisse
d out her last spell.

  "ADVECTIO!”

  SLICK

  The white reptilian head hit the ground with a meaty thunk, but it was too late. The magic had already been triggered. The green sigils in the circle of power began pulsing around me as the flames suddenly shot into the sky.

  “NNNOOO!”

  Looking around, I saw Beth and Susan screaming, when suddenly everything went black.

  * * *

  A moment later, I felt the ground underneath my feet once again as the power of the transportation spell deposited me at its preplanned destination. Howling cold wind suddenly ripped through me as sleet battered my face. Except for the low light of the sigils inscribed on the rock around me, I was once more standing in darkness.

  I’d been soaking wet from sweating in the Florida heat, but now I felt ice rapidly forming under my armor’s padding and freezing in my hair. Quickly, my eyes completed their adjustment to the darkness as I saw the colors suddenly shifted into the familiar warms and cools of my darkvision. Darkvision was not infrared, because I could see objects that produced no heat. When I had first asked my Grandsire about it, he’d explained that what I saw was the life energy radiating from the objects around me. When I was little, I’d been confused that I could even see rocks and dirt, but Grandsire had just smiled, explaining that everything was alive in its own way.

  The rocky plateau directly beneath my feet radiated bright swirling colors from the natural energy that welled up from some deep source of power far under the ground. Further out, were the charcoal grays that I usually associated with the stone. Looking around, I saw that I was standing at the center of a snow covered rocky alcove that was open to the sky. Large stones rose up into the sky like giant fangs. Except for where I stood, the fresh snow was piled deep on the ground from the snow storm blowing overhead.

  A deep growl reverberated in my chest as I suddenly recognized where I stood. I was standing in the center of Winter Fangs Heart. Everywhere I looked were the slaughtered remains from the Werewolf young of my mother’s people. I whipped around hearing the sudden hissing laughter that drowned out even the howling wind of the storm.