Horde of the Demon Priest (Demona Book 3)

by Megan A. Hepler

Felix yawned and quickly covered his mouth. “I’m tired.”

  “Tell me about it. I can’t wait for a nap when we get back,” Demona replied.

  Several of the other defenders that accompanied them in the RV were too exhausted to speak, but nodded in agreement. They slumped in their seats or leaned against the wall to hold themselves upward. One defender’s head bobbed as he nodded off to sleep.

  With the peaceful silence of their ride back to headquarters, Demona reached into her pocket and selected Itzig’s name in her contact list. She let the phone ring.

  “Hello,” Itzig answered.

  “We’ve all made it out of town. There are some houses in town that you might want to send officers in to check out. We didn’t have time to check to see if anyone was injured or possessed in the area, we had to get out of town quick.”

  “I’m guessing things didn’t go well?”

  Demona hesitated before giving her response. “Well, we didn’t lose anyone if that’s what you mean. There are still a lot of demons out there somewhere.”

  Itzig sighed. “It’s a good thing you all got out of town when you did. New orders just came in; our police department is being quarantined that includes all personnel. They’re sending us into town with the rest of the residents.”

  “You can hide out at headquarters if you want,” Demona said. She noticed the quizzical look on Felix’s face at her words.

  “I can’t. I have to help the department from the inside. If I’m not in town someone will notice. Just tell my Aunt and Uncle I’m fine and not to worry. And if you guys have to enter into town again, be extremely careful. They are calling in the National Guard to take the place of our officers. The CDC is still running things, and now they won’t hesitate to take any trouble makers out.”

  “What? Why?” Demona asked.

  “The CDC is convinced there’s an undetectable virus spreading, because of the recent increase in cases. They’re not waiting for tests to confirm its presence any longer.”

  “Geeze, thanks for the warning. I will pass it along,” Demona said. She ended the call and looked at Felix. “Things in Melville just got a lot more serious.”

  The two RVs pulled up in front of the headquarters and the weary group made their way to either the infirmary or their own tents to get some much needed sleep. Demona and Felix drug themselves toward the tents, each supporting the other as they leaned together and walked in silence. Demona gave Felix a hug before they each went to their respective tents. She promised to fill him in on Kearne and Ileana’s relationship, as well as the events that had unfolded while she was separated from him during the fight. For now, she just wanted to sleep and let her body thaw under her thick woolen blanket.

  Demona found her tent and dropped onto her cot. She flung her blanket over herself and wrapped it tightly around her. She was exhausted, more than she had been used to. Her body now experienced more fatigue than it had while she was a vampire. Not to mention she had been soaked to the bone.

  Despite how tired she was, she was unable to fall asleep. Instead, the conversation she had had with Kerrick played through her mind. She was still uncertain how she felt about the information he had given her. In some ways she was still angry at Kerrick for what he had done, but in other ways she was able to sympathize with his situation. Of course, regardless of how she felt about Kerrick at the moment, his situation made Demona despise Darius even more.

  Demona eventually drifted off into a restless sleep. She dreamed of the day her parents were killed. The scenes she had witnessed of her parents being murdered. How Darius had controlled her mother’s actions so that she plunged a sword through her father and then allowed herself to be killed. Then, she dreamed of her own experience of being killed by Darius when he viciously attacked her. These memories often haunted her dreams and were almost as vivid as the flashbacks she used to have before finding out the truth.

  She was startled awake by the sound of a dog barking. She found herself stuck in the wool blanket, which she had become tangled in during her nightmarish slumber. She heard another bark. At first it took Demona a few moments to decide if it was real or from her dream. When she was certain that the sound she was hearing was real, she promptly sat up. There are no dogs in camp.

  The dog’s barking became frantic.

  Demona threw the blanket off of her body and slipped on her boots and coat. She bolted from the tent and looked around for the source of the incessant noise. She noticed that several other people had emerged from their tents wondering what was going on. They looked in all directions searching for the dog that had interrupted their sleep.

  Demona spotted movement coming towards her in the dim lighting of the heavy cloud covered sky. The object of the movement became larger as it grew nearer. Then, as it was not even twenty feet from her she was able to distinguish the characteristics of a large, shaggy, dark dog. It seemed to blend in very well with the blue, gray surroundings.

  The dog seemed strangely familiar to Demona, but she could not recall where she had seen it before. She was positive she had seen it before, but no matter how hard she tried, she could not remember where.

  The dog turned in a circle and then ran towards the headquarters’ entrance. She spun around and barked at Demona with spunk. The dog was putting so much emphasis on its barks that its ears flopped up and down with each noise. The dog turned and walked a few paces ahead before turning around once more and began barking at Demona. Demona just stood watching the goofy dog’s actions, but it was impatient. It came back to her and began running circles around Demona as if herding her in the direction of the entrance.

  “Do you want me to follow you?” Demona asked. She took a step forward.

  The dog turned around and threw its head back as if to make certain that Demona was following. When the dog saw that she was indeed following, it wagged a stubby tail and ran on ahead. Demona and several of the other curious onlookers followed the dog at a sprint. They reached the entrance and watched the dog run past the guards out into the field.

  “How did the dog get in?” one of the guards asked.

  Demona shrugged. “Beats me.” She followed the dog a short distance out of the entrance.

  The dog stopped and stared straight ahead out into the field with one leg pulled up to its chest as if pointing into the foggy gray field ahead. It wagged its tail vigorously and barked. Demona drew closer to the dog and looked out into the field in the direction the animal was facing. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the vast sea of gray ahead, but once she had she noticed figures slipped out of the misty surroundings and walked towards the headquarters.

  “Everyone get back!” Demona yelled. She ran back to the entrance and informed the guards that something or someone was coming their way. Panic rose in her as she thought that the possessed may have found them and was about to overrun Roost Haven. The guards sounded an alarm and a bell rang through camp. Everyone that was asleep was now alert and anyone that had been completing their chores was running to their stations.

  The figures that Demona had seen were drawing closer to the dog that still stood wagging its tail in the field. Demona squinted in that direction as if it would allow her to see what was coming. As the figures drew nearer Demona recognized one of the people as Kerrick. Fear took hold as she wondered if Kerrick had been possessed after he and the TGHC agents separated from them in Melville.

  Most of the people were now waiting with weapons in hand. Many stood behind the fence watching the people walk forward. They were prepared to fight and protect their safe haven, if need be. Demona held up her hands to make sure that nobody initiated an attack without making certain that these were enemies approaching their gate.

  Kerrick noticed the weapons that the GLC members held. “Demona, if you are there, tell them we mean no harm.”

  “It’s okay, it’s just Kerrick,” Felix said. He held his hand out as if you emphasize that there was no need to attack.

  “Who’s with you,”
Demona yelled to Kerrick.

  “Neutral beings seeking sanctuary,” Kerrick replied.

  The GLC members stared in awe as dozens of neutral refugees approached the entrance to their headquarters. They stood in shock as more people emerged from the foggy surroundings. Some carried small children and some helped support elderly people. Some held bags or a small suitcase. They looked tired and full of sorrow.

  The GLC members allowed the neutral beings into Roost Haven. Each person was patted down and the contents of their bags or suitcases were sifted through. The defenders were not taking any chances of their being a threat among the refugees. Once inside the entrance to the headquarters’ base, several of the GLC members dictated where the neutral refugees should go.

  “Where did they all come from?” Demona asked.

  “Terra Hollow was attacked during the night. The demons were attempting to posses the neutral and dark beings, while the possessed wreaked havoc throughout the city. The demons we faced in Melville were merely a distraction. Darius instructed me to lead those neutral beings, willing to seek refuge, here to your headquarters. We have nowhere else for them to go. The city is practically destroyed, we’ll have enough of a trial ahead just finding places for all of the dark beings,” Kerrick said.

  Felix shook his head with sorrow as he looked at the homeless neutral beings. “How did you get them out of Terra Hollow and Melville without the CDC stopping you?”

  “We didn’t. There’s a rarely used passage out of town from within Terra Hollow,” Kerrick replied.

  Chapter 14:

  Animal Guide

  The shaggy black dog ran up to Demona and licked her hand as it hung by her side. The dog sat down on its haunches beside Demona and looked up at her with its floppy ears facing forward and the tip of its pink tongue sticking out of its mouth lazily. Kerrick scratched the dog behind its ear. The shaggy animal gave a low growl in response. Kerrick promptly withdrew his hand after the warning.

  “Cute dog. Where did you get her?” Demona asked.

  Kerrick shook his head. “The dog isn’t mine. I thought it lived here.”

  Felix’s brows were creased with confusion. “No. Did one of the refugees bring it?”

  Kerrick shrugged in response. “I don’t think so. There wasn’t a dog with us when we left Terra Hollow.”

  “If it’s not yours and it’s not ours, then where did this dog come from?” Demona asked. She looked down at the dog beside her and wondered where he belonged. It seemed that nobody had an answer.

  Hannah came up to them from the hospital wing; she looked as exhausted as everyone felt. Her wavy blonde hair was a mess and there were circles under her eyes. Despite her disheveled appearance her hair seemed to glow in the streaming light that broke through the dense clouds.

  Kaleb leaned in and kissed her. “How are things going?”

  Hannah sighed. “We’ve had a lot of people in and out since the attack on Melville. Molony told me to take a break because I haven’t slept since you guys left for town. Rowena, Gale, and some of the others are helping him with the flood of neutral beings that need healing,” Hannah said. “Looks like a lot of people had minor injuries from the attack on Terra Hollow too. We’re going to run out of supplies before long, if this keeps up.”

  Hannah noticed the dog and bent down to eye level with the animal. She promptly began scratching the dog under the chin. “Aww, such a cute doggie!”

  The dog licked her face. When Hannah stood again there were signs of slobber on her cheek, but Hannah did not seem to mind. “Hey, Mona, remember when we talked about Bouvier des Flandres a while ago?” Hannah asked. “You asked me to show you one if I ever saw one again?”

  Demona thought back to what felt like ages ago, when she and Hannah had eaten pizza and drank wine in her old apartment. “Yeah,” Demona replied.

  “Well, here you go. This is a Bouvier des Flandres. And this doggy is such a handsome boy.” Hannah yawned. “I’m going to get some rest. Make sure nobody else gets hurt while I’m asleep.”

  The group watched her retreating figure.

  Demona pressed her lips tightly together. “So, that’s why the dog looks familiar. It reminds me of the dog, Acadia; I had a long time ago. The one that ran off on the night Darius turned me into a vampire.” Demona said. She recalled once more, the conversation she had had with Hannah months ago. They had been discussing the dog she had been walking that fateful night. The dog, Acadia, had run off in fear and Demona never saw her again.

  Kearne and Ileana walked up to their group of friends with their arms around each other’s backs. They looked increasingly comfortable with one another. Demona suspected that the “we don’t know what this is yet” had escalated to a boyfriend and girlfriend thing.

  Everyone was still in shock after having learned that Kearne had become human after he was in the Tomb of Beginning. Felix still had trouble getting used to the fact that Kearne was no longer a danger to Demona or any other women, especially since he had kept such a careful watch on him during their journey through Dissium. Despite the shocking news, it seemed that the hot topic around Roost Haven was the fact that Kearne and Ileana were together. Several of the GLC members had known Ileana for many years, and had never imagined that anyone would be able to put up with her sarcasm and strong will. Somehow the two of them seemed to work.

  “Hey how’d the dog get here?” Ileana asked.

  The dog seemed to be paying attention to everything that was going on. His head whipped back and forth in the direction of their voices. It was as if he was soaking up every word of their conversation.

  “We have no idea where it came from,” Felix said.

  “I’m surprised to see you again,” Kearne said to the dog and patted his head.

  Demona’s brows furrowed. “You know the dog?” She asked.

  Kearne nodded. “Yeah, don’t you recognize it? It’s the dog we saved from the iya demon the night you guys found me in Terra Hollow.”

  “No way! How’d it end up here?” Demona questioned.

  Everyone shrugged.

  “We’ll worry about that later. For now, we need to focus on getting the refugees settled in and everyone calmed down. Between the attack on town and the attack on Terra Hollow, many people are shook up,” Kaleb said.

  After Demona, Kaleb, Felix, Ileana, and Kearne chipped in to help the refugees, things began to normalize at headquarters. At least, they went back to as normal as possible given the situation. There were more people in Roost Haven than they knew what to do with. Many of the refugees were assigned to tents since they could fit four to eight people to a tent if the space was utilized properly. The pews inside the church were once again moved out of place and filled with sleeping people. Though, the sleeping arrangements could not possibly be permanent.

  The group met with Ezekiel when he was available. It was the first chance they had been able to speak to him since they returned from fighting the demons. All of the important GLC members were called in to discuss the situation that the headquarters faced with the growing number of people to feed, shelter, and clothe. He also brought up the lack of medical supplies as Hannah had mentioned. The supplies that they had on hand were already dwindling, but now that the number of people in Roost Haven had almost doubled overnight, the need for aid was dire. Their numbers were nearing a hundred.

  Demona discovered that the dog had followed her into the church and remained beside her throughout the meeting. It was a strange creature and seemed to have an instinctual loyalty to her. Demona continuously glanced down at the dog at her side and wondered why the dog seemed to follow her every move. He looked up at her with big, sparkling brown eyes, which seemed to give an expression of contentment.

  Kerrick had been standing at the back of the crowd during the meeting. He might have been a dark being, but Demona could not help but notice that he seemed more at peace among the GLC members than he had at TGHC. Despite his newly relaxed demeanor, Kerrick remained separate from the g
roup. Demona felt as if her feelings were beginning to change toward him. Instead of feeling the disgust and betrayal that she had once felt, she now felt pity for him after she had digested the information he told her about his past.

  At the end of the meeting Ezekiel discussed his plans to contact the Council in Gleannbroch about their needs. He hoped that they would continue to send supplies, but knew that the Council had already been more than generous. He also hoped that more volunteers would lend a hand, since the situation in Melville seemed to be growing worse by the day.

  As the group broke up and returned to their tasks, Kerrick approached Demona. “I’ve been watching that dog with you.”

  “Okay?” Demona said. She was not certain as to what to make of the comment.

  “I think it’s your animal guide,” Kerrick said.

  “A what?” Felix asked.

  “I’m not sure about the specifics. It’s like a familiar or spirit guide. Though, if I remember correctly, an animal guide is a guide that takes a physical form unlike a spirit guide. And it wouldn’t be a familiar, because you aren’t a witch. But I think the animal guide is similar to both in a way. The dog seems to be attached to you,” Kerrick said.