Horde of the Demon Priest (Demona Book 3)

by Megan A. Hepler

  “Why are you doing this?” Kearne nervously ran a hand through his blonde hair.

  Demona stopped in her tracks and turned to Kearne. “It was my fault you were thrown in Darius’ dungeon to begin with. I know that despite your fairy impulses you can’t help what you are. I understand that now.” He’s struggling to find his place. I know exactly what that feels like. Empty. Lonely. Confusing. “You may not be completely trustworthy yet, but I don’t think you mean us any harm. Please don’t prove me wrong.”

  “But I left when things were most critical,” Kearne replied.

  “I know it was only the manipulation charm that made you follow the artifact.” Demona frowned. “I was so furious at you, for leaving us when Felix needed help, but there’s nothing you could’ve done. Besides, he’s fine now, thanks to Aero and the healers.”

  They continued walking towards the smaller tents behind the church.

  “Just promise me you won’t use your compulsion on any of the women here and that you won’t touch any of them!” Demona demanded. “This is your tent. If you need anything we have an extra supply of clothes and other items. I’m pretty sure they’ve already brought blankets for your cot. You’ll need it, the nights are getting colder.”

  Kearne looked at the tent and nodded. “You’ve changed.” He observed Demona for a moment before speaking again. “I need to talk to you about—”

  A young man jogged up to Demona, “Ezekiel just received word that a family on the west side of town was attacked and possessed. Looks like there might be a few casualties.”

  “A whole family? How many?” Demona asked in shock.

  “I’m afraid so, and a family of five including three children. Ezekiel said to tell you that the sooner you get to arrange the meeting the better.”

  “Tell him I’m doing it right now. I’ll be in to let him know the details.”

  The man jogged back to the front of the church.

  “Sorry Kearne, we’ll have to talk another time. I have some questions for you about what happened after you left us at Bretthirg and followed the artifact. I’ll find you later.”

  Chapter 3:

  The Parley

  Demona and Molony made their way through a frost coated field of grass. The frost seemed to glisten in the new morning rays shone down from overhead, as they took each step toward their destination. Demona knew the way by heart, having been there several times when she trained with Kerrick. The grove of oak trees lay just ahead of them; she could already hear the faint babbling of the creek that ran through the place where she had learned to use a sword and to channel her mageia. They walked around a thick tree trunk, which was bare of its leaves, to find Darius and Kerrick waiting for them on the dried up portion of the creek bed.

  Kerrick grinned. “Aww…You remembered.”

  Demona glared at him, but refused to provide a response. She momentarily felt the heat within her as she recalled the time they had made-out after falling to the ground during one of her sword training sessions. The sensation quickly faded when she also recalled his betrayal, how he had only been acting on Darius’ orders. She could never forget what he had done and how he used her vulnerabilities to manipulate her.

  Darius stood there in a clean pressed suit, as always. His imposing demeanor still gave Demona chills. “Demona, my dear, pleasure as always to see you. I knew you had changed, but it was my failure to realize what had changed was your heart. I sense it now, your heart beat.” Darius stood with his hands folded in front of him.

  Every time I see him I realize more and more that he is evil, inherently evil. “I’ve changed in a lot of ways,” Demona said. She felt like she was under the microscope when his creepy stare seemed to examine her. She was not sure if it was his emotionless black eyes and almost translucent skin or the fact that he had been the cause of almost every traumatic event in her life, but something made her uneasy. She refused to show her disgust for Darius and pushed the feelings aside for later.

  “I have no doubts about that. Come, let us discuss the reason why we are here,” Darius replied.

  Molony nervously ran his fingers through his red hair. “We asked for a parley, because of the dire situation in town. The demons are overrunning the community. The numbers of possessed are beginning to outnumber our defenders. The defenders can’t protect the community when they can barely defend themselves against the increased number of attacks,” Molony said.

  Demona stood courageously beside Molony, as she confronted Darius. “Word has it you’ve had problems of your own, Darius” Demona said. “You can’t deny it this time, I was just in Terra Hollow yesterday, and I know you’ve put martial law into effect. The dark beings are just as terrified as the rest of us.” I’m sure he has some valid excuse that makes everything sound like it is under control, but I wonder if he really does have control.

  “Martial law is a safety measure—” Kerrick said.

  Darius raised a hand to silence him. “Yes, I have enacted martial law in Terra Hollow… as a safety measure. We have had several attacks on neutral beings within the city; luckily my people have fared better than those living above ground. But I cannot leave them to their own vices, or they will destroy the city and themselves.”

  “So, you mean that there haven’t been any attacks on dark beings? Only neutral beings?” Demona said.

  “That is correct.” Darius stroked his pointed goatee as he studied Demona.

  Liar. I know martial law was put into effect for more than just a safety measure. “That’s not what I heard. I heard Terra Hollow was in a panic.” Yeah, a panic because of the demons. And because you so stupidly announced my existence, as the Mythos, following the attack at the Ball…

  Molony’s face began to turn as red as his hair. “If this alliance is going to bring about the end of the demon priest, we need to start working together effectively.” Molony looked sternly at Demona. “This means your agents and our teams should be teaming up to deal with the priest’s growing army in order to reduce its numbers. We cannot prepare to take on the demon priest itself and also take on all of the demons and possessed at the same time!”

  Kerrick nodded. “I agree. We either need to decrease the amount in the demon army or increase our numbers to fight against them. Both are ideal.”

  “And not to mention that we still have no idea exactly how the artifact is going to assist us in the demon priest’s destruction. We need to study it and test it,” Molony said.

  “I am not a git; I know the situation is dire. The artifact, however, stays in my possession,” Darius said.

  Demona got the feeling that Darius was losing his patience. It did not stop her from crossing her arms over her chest and shaking her head in annoyance. “We’re not asking you to hand it over. We’re asking you to bring it to us to study,” Demona said. But I will find a way to get it back.

  Darius stared blankly ahead for a moment, while he twisted the bottom of his pointed goatee and pondered the dilemma. “Very well. I will entrust it to Kerrick, who will guard it until it is returned to my possession. He will guard it with his life. Isn’t that so Kerrick?” Darius turned slightly in Kerrick’s direction.

  Demona thought she saw a hint of reluctance in Kerrick’s eyes. “Yes, sir,” he said.

  Darius gave a single nod. “I have a company and Terra Hollow to run; otherwise I would bring the artifact myself. In the meantime, I will arrange for two of my field-agents to accompany your teams on patrol. They shall meet in the Melville Central Park and begin their rounds from that point. I believe Demona will know the location of which they should meet.” His eyes seemed to bore holes through her skull as he looked toward her.

  “Yeah, Darius, how could I forget?” Only the place you stole my memories and my life.

  “How will your agents aid our defenders during patrol?” Molony asked.

  Darius held his hand out, palm up, toward Kerrick. “Kerrick, if you will.”

  Kerrick cleared his throat. “We have several m
ethods of dealing with the demons. First, there is the demon vial. Demona has experience with this method. She once captured a demon with a vial and an incantation when she was one of our top agents.”

  That was also the day that I captured Kearne.

  “Secondly, there’s the use of vampire mageia; depending on the vampire’s ability they could easily destroy a demon. The same can be said for witches and their magical abilities, depending on their strength and knowledge,” Kerrick replied. “Demona also has experience with this method. Can you still use any of your mageia?”

  Demona nodded. She remembered using her magic to incinerate the demon, a lilitu. That was the time she finally, successfully willed her magic into use. Until that time, she had ignored the possibility that she could use magic or that she could be the Mythos. It wasn’t until later that she found out what they believed to be a rare elemental mageia, was actually just her magic abilities from being half elvin.

  “This will be useful in helping our defenders with the demons. What about the possessed?” Molony asked.

  “Will it not reduce the number of those possessed, if we remove the demons from the equation?” Darius said.

  Demona raised her hand and extended two fingers almost like she was raising her hand in a classroom. “Capturing the demons and using mageia, or magic, is quicker than an exorcism.”

  Molony nodded his head in understanding. “Anything’s going to help.”

  “Good... Kerrick can make arrangements with Demona to bring the artifact to you. I expect he will provide me with a fully detailed report at the end of each day regarding your progress.” He turned his head slightly in Kerrick’s direction. “I expect there to be progress.”

  Darius reclasped his hands behind his back once again and made his way back toward the road in silence. Demona was relieved to see Darius’ back as he departed. She and Molony stared at one another a moment, until Demona turned her attention to Kerrick whom remained where he stood during the parley.

  “I’ll pick you up tomorrow at the TGHC headquarters,” Demona said. “What time’s best?” She placed her hands on her hips.

  “Morning is fine.”

  Demona’s brows creased. “Won’t Darius need you for field assignments?”

  “Since you left we’ve acquired a number of new agents. Darius has been busy preparing for our confrontation with the demon priest,” Kerrick said.

  “Fine, I’ll see you in the morning.” Demona shook her finger in his direction. “Just keep in mind that you enter our headquarters as an ally, not an enemy. Keep your fangs under control,” Demona said.

  Kerrick glared at Demona. “Remember, I was the one that taught you to keep your hunger under control?”

  ****

  Demona stepped out of her green sedan and watched Kerrick carefully as he emerged from the passenger side. She planned to watch his every move as he entered into Roost Haven, because she did not trust him with so many light beings. He paused for a moment to take in the headquarters and slowly panned his surroundings.

  His eyes grew wide and nodded in approval. “It’s more impressive than I imagined,” Kerrick said.

  Demona did not respond. If only he knew that our headquarters only looked more impressive now, because of the incoming volunteers and refugees. Since the demon priest’s arrival, the GLC headquarters had almost quadrupled in size and its population had increased tenfold. If it had not been for the donations sent from the Council in Gleannbroch, Virginia, GLC’s main headquarters, they would still be without shelter. The aid gave supplies for the barracks, armory, hospital wing, sleeping quarters, etc. The Council elders sent an abundance of resources such as food, weapons, and medical equipment in order to make sure that the light and neutral beings would not be in need.

  Kerrick followed Demona as she entered through the fence.

  A GLC defender stepped in front of Kerrick and placed his hand on Kerrick’s chest to keep him from going any farther. “What’s he doing here?”

  Demona waved the guard away. “It’s alright. Ezekiel and Molony know he’s coming into the headquarters.”

  The defender eyed Kerrick up and down. He demanded that he at least search Kerrick for any hidden weapons before he reluctantly moved aside. “Aleph’s always watching.”

  Kerrick seemed to find the defender’s words funny and scoffed at him before passing by.

  “I wouldn’t laugh if I were you. Aleph is the real deal.” Demona glared at him a moment before turning to make her way up the rickety steps into the old church. Demona braced herself for the reaction of her peers as she entered into the sanctuary. She knew that despite the kind nature of her peers, the GLC members were not happy about having the top TGHC field-agent among them.

  Felix instantly stiffened at the sight of Kerrick; his bright blue eyes seemed to slightly darken with anger. Ileana made a motion that reminded Demona of a bird ruffling its feathers in agitation; she wondered briefly what it would have looked like if Ileana had been in her phoenix form. The rest of the group remained mostly calm and collected, except for a few people narrowing their eyes and others shifting their weight from one foot to the other in discomfort. It had gone surprisingly well.

  Ezekiel entered into the sanctuary from the opposite side of the church with his arms outstretched. “Welcome, Kerrick. Remember, everyone, Kerrick is here not as our foe, but as our ally. We must learn to work together despite our differences.”

  Ezekiel, always the ever gracious pastor.

  “Psh!” Kaleb said as he stood staring Kerrick down.

  I wonder who would win that fight. Both Kerrick and Kaleb looked to be the same stature and build. It looked like they could have been an equal match. Kerrick was muscular from two decades of physical training, as a field-agent it was vital that he be fit for any situation. Kaleb on the other hand had a naturally muscular build. He looked like one of those guys that could pick up a girl in their arms without batting an eye. Hannah was always raving about his perfect washboard abs, while Demona would just roll her eyes.

  “Now, Kerrick, do you have the artifact?” Molony asked.

  Kerrick reached into his pocket and pulled out an item that was wrapped in a dingy white cloth. He unwrapped the cloth and held the triangular, dark copper toned object slightly outward from his body to show the group that he did in fact have the artifact. Ezekiel reached for the object and gripped it. Kerrick kept a firm grip on it before reluctantly releasing it to Ezekiel.

  “I promise you will have it back when we’re finished. You’re welcome to sit with us as we study the object,” Ezekiel said.

  Kerrick nodded stiffly. “It is best that it stay within my sight.”

  Ezekiel and Molony spent the remainder of the morning hovered over the artifact. They poked and prodded the strange object. They flipped through ancient documents and manuscripts for a way to possibly activate its power. They even sang hymns over it in the hopes that the words or tune would trigger some type of response.

  “Mona, are you certain that neither Fotos nor Aleph gave any indication of how to operate the artifact?” Molony asked.

  Demona quickly turned her head from her conversation with Rowena and Hannah in response to Molony’s question. “No. The only thing that was required or asked was that we make a sacrifice in order to take the artifact from the Tomb of Beginning.”

  “What if it won’t work, because you don’t have anything to test it on?” Kerrick offered.

  Molony and Ezekiel exchanged glances as they so often did when they realized something at the same time. Demona often wondered if the two friends had some kind of telepathic communication method.

  Ezekiel peered over his glasses at Kerrick. “It’s possible. Maybe we should consider using it on a test subject?”

  Molony’s eyes lit up. “We could have the defenders bring us a possessed and see if it would activate. Maybe the artifact, as an object of light, needs some kind of darkness to trigger the need for a response. Maybe the presence of a demonically pos
sessed being will bring it to life in order to do good works,” Molony offered.

  Sounds pretty farfetched, but who knows.

  “It’s worth a try,” Kaleb said from across the room. “I’ll go out with the next team and help them acquire a possessed being.”

  Hannah perked her head up at Kaleb’s response. Demona knew what her best friend was thinking, she was afraid for Kaleb to be out in town. Hannah tugged on a strand of her blond curly hair subconsciously. Demona echoed her sentiment every time Felix was out doing the same. Being in Melville these days was far too dangerous.

  Demona patted her friend’s hand. “Don’t worry; he’ll be out there with a team.”

  Hannah nodded in response, but Demona saw the glistening of tears beginning to form in her eyes. Rowena threw an arm around Hannah’s shoulders. “I know you feel helpless. I do too. Trust me, if my omni-linguistic skills allowed me to speak demon, apparently the only language I don’t understand, I’d be out there with them. I’d be ordering every demon to dissipate instantly. But you know Aleph apparently had other plans in store for me.”