by Han, George
“What is it, Lord Maganus?”
“Did you hear that?” the Guardian Angel asked.
Father Bellator strained their ears as Maganus raised his right palm.
“It is only the chill. The wind,” Father Bellator said.
“This is no breeze.” Maganus’s face tensed. “They are coming.” He warned as Father Bellator ran back for his shotgun. However it was too late - the wind intensified, accompanied by the sound of sharp groans and heavy breathing.
“Gargoyles!” Maganus roared as he threw up his hands and sent balls of power. Instantly a pair of the winged demons crashed to the ground.
Overhead, dozens of winged shapes materialized. Like a swarm of insects, they dived in with alarming speed, claws and talons outstretched. Maganus summoned his battleaxes with an indifferent snap of his fingers. In a dramatic slicing motion of his axe, he felled five of the creatures, turning them into paltry pieces of clay.
Then he shut his eyes and chanted a spell in a deep but assured tone—Sanctus Contego of Nitor. Benevolentia triumphus.” Instantly, a golden shield, the Holy Presence, formed over them, shutting the creatures out.
He shouted to Father Bellator, who stood next to Sarah, gun in hand.
“Have you still got any ammunition left?”
Thomas Bellator shook his head.
The gargoyles swooped down in a second attack but were scorched upon contact with the shield. One, however, breached the perimeter and reached for a screaming Sarah. Upon breaching the barrier, the creature caught fire and crashed to ignominy just yards away from the girl.
In the midst of the offensive, a larger silhouette emerged from the savage army. His loud roar formed a shattering force that rained ruthlessly upon the shield. The new arrival was a being more formidable than the rest. It was their leader.
“Eberhard,” Maganus whispered.
The beast landed just yards away with a ground-shaking tremor. Maganus had to spread his arms to steady himself.
“Do you always have to do this?” Maganus said. “It is rude.”
“Your shield is useless against me.” The Demon grunted and bared its teeth. “It has been ages since we met.”
“I am sure you missed me!” Maganus said and straightened his robes.
“You stank, I could smell you from a mile.”
“That’s the smell of courage,” Maganus said. “After Count Raum, they sent you?”
“He failed but I will not. I will not fail my master.”
“Your master?” Maganus looked around.
Eberhard roared, “Afraid now?”
“Come and get me if you dare!” Maganus said
Eberhard roared and then came like a raging bull.
The Guardian Angel grabbed one of his battleaxes and swung it at the beast, who ducked. Maganus did a clockwise swing and unleashed the other battle axe. Eberhard lowered his head and avoided the full fury of the battleaxe but his right shoulder felt the sting. The creature growled.
Maganus quickly threw a bolt of energy at the gargoyle, who parried with his right arm. Eberhard responded with a fist, but the Guardian Angel ducked in time and swung around with a sturdy kick that hit Eberhard’s belly.
The gargoyle fell, but its tail hit the Guardian Angel. Maganus tumbled ugly.
“What have you been feeding on Eberhard?” Maganus asked as he got back on his feet.
“Bad vibes of the human race, Maganus. Their greed and hatred filled the air of earth and provide me with the diet I needed.” Eberhard roared again before continuing. “You old fool! You think you are a match for me?”
Maganus winked, unsheathed his sword and calmly chanted his prayers—Benevolentia triumphus. With an easy leapt, he was in the air and executed a easy one-two with his blade. Maganus had scratched Eberhard on his face, shaving off bits of his horn. The stalwart Angel then landed after a handsome somersault in full beam as Eberhard grunted.
“I hope I have your ego where it should be, Eberhard,” Maganus declared as he watched the demon licked his wounds.
Suddenly, he heard Sarah’s shrill.
One gargoyle had snatched Sarah away. Father Bellator was wounded, and the escort bear had fallen from its wounds.
Maganus quickly retrieved one of his battleaxes and threw the weapon at the gargoyle, which nicely sliced it into half. Sarah suffered an ugly landing but was unscathed.
Worry had Maganus distracted and Eberhard sneaked a brutal elbow in his back, sending the Guardian Angel to his knees, and wrapped a muscular arm around Maganus’s neck.
“Show some respect, Maganus,” Eberhard whispered. “You deserve a lesson.”
Maganus fought against the choking hold. Pologus swooped down with a timely aid, and attacked Eberhard. However the gargoyle lord swatted Pologus to the ground, and Maganus took advantage of the distraction to break free.
Eberhard tried to grab Maganus but the Angel fell to his hands and raised his legs in an upward kick. The unexpected thrust hit Eberhard on the torso, and the gargoyle replied with swing of its powerful tail.
The Guardian Angel caught hold of the sharp end and, like an Olympic athlete, he inhaled and swung Eberhard, catapulting him into the skies in ear-splitting fury. Maganus heard Sarah’s cry and found the girl surrounded by the gargoyles. He summoned the Heracles Horn and blew, sending the rallying call, a low drone, resonating through the woods.
Maganus sprinted to the assistance of Father Bellator and Sarah, but he son heard the robust flapping of wings.
Eberhard!
Maganus was soundly pinned on the ground by the sheer weight of the sneaky Demon.
“Where do you think you are going?” Eberhard taunted, poking his sharp fingers into Maganus’s chest. The Guardian Angel felt helpless as he watched a gargoyle swoop down on Sarah and lifted the screaming girl.
Then something shot from the dark and grabbed the gargoyle. A thick branch of a tree squeezed the life out of the gargoyle. A chorus of moans rippled through the forests as the surrounding trees engaged the gargoyles with their huge branches.
Eberhard still had one foot stamped on Maganus’s torso, but the arrival of the ancient trees distracted him.
“I forgot to tell you that I still have friends,” Maganus said, then kicked the Demon. In one motion, Maganus rose to his feet and roared. “Benevolentia triumphus.” The trees chorused a strong moan of unanimity.
A fierce encounter ensued as Maganus traded blows with Eberhard. Just then, streaks of lightning emitted from a nearby tree and a portal space opened up. Jin galloped through with Mathew behind him.
“Timely!” Maganus cried.
The Silent Angel already had the Adam’s Bow in his hands and unleashed arrows of power that illuminated the skies with trails of fire. Within seconds, gargoyles rained to the ground.
Boosted by Jin’s arrival, Maganus summoned his battleaxes and engaged Eberhard. At the fifth stroke, Maganus managed to inflict a wound across the gargoyle’s belly. Then Eberhard leapt into the air with an agility Maganus could not match, and then flapped his wings. A crescendo of dust rose and blinded Maganus.
The airborne Eberhard quickly dived for the ground, heading for a new victim— Sarah. With a ruthless swipe, he lifted the girl away.
Everybody was stunned at the hijack. The Silent Angel responded first and unleashed an arrow of fire at Eberhard. The treacherous gargoyle chieftain, however, grabbed a nearby minion and used it as a shield.
Jin extended his snowy-white wings. Raising himself like a rocket, he flew for Eberhard, but the other gargoyles flocked in and shrouded him in a cocoon of darkness.
Jin mumbled a prayer—Lux lucis super Obscurum.”
The powers of heavenly light were summoned and he shone like a burning star. The squadron of gargoyles melted like raw wax in a cacophony of groans and moans. Jin pressed on, but it was too late. Eberhard had disappeared into the darkness—with Sarah.
With their leader gone, the army of gargoyles dissipated like vapor. Within seconds,
the sky was clear as if the battle had never happened. The moon regained its illumination, and there soon pallid blue covered the landscape.
Mathew ran to Maganus, on the verge of tears.
“They had taken Sarah.”
Maganus said nothing, instead whistling to Pologus, and the bird darted into the darkness like a burning arrow.
“What do we do?” Mathew said, then crumpled to the ground and held his head in his hands. “She’s gone.”
Jin swooped down and landed by his side, hands on his Mathew’s shoulders.
“Fret not. The Demons gave up all too easily. Eberhard left after just a few bouts of fighting. This is not his nature. He had grown stronger and should be eager to fight and beat us. There must a reason to this unusual behaviour.”
Maganus said wryly, “He wants us to go and rescue to Sarah.”
“Will he hurt her?” Mathew asked, tears brimming from his eyes.
“They will not hurt Sarah. She is just a bait.” Maganus explained.
“Bait?” Mathew struggled to his feet.
“Jin is right,” Maganus said. “They have a purpose, a very sinister purpose in their actions. I am afraid a bigger scheme awaits us, Mathew. For now, Sarah … Sarah will be safe and ...” Maganus’s voice quivered and then stopped in mid-sentence. With a thud, he collapsed like a sack of iron.
Chapter 29
Nightmare
“Was it a dream?” he mumbled as he lay on his bed. John Springs tried to raise himself but the frailty in his limbs confined him to the bed. He had been lying like a mummy for the last few days.
John struggled with the medical truth about his terminal cancer. He remembered vaguely the lady in purple. Was it a dream at all? It seemed so real. He felt dryness in his throat and reached for a glass of water.
Then a hand stretched out with a glass of water. John accepted it and looked up. “Thank …” His eyes popped at the sight of the lady in purple. He screamed and dropped his glass.
“Ah, John, what a waste.” Seraphina lamented as John struggled to sit up. His limbs began wobbling, and he fell back on his pillow.
His dramatic reaction elicited a sly smile from the lady.
“It is you! John asked. “Where am I?”
“Hospital. You are fast dying.”
John Spring strained his eyes.
“John, I am real.” Seraphina slithered to the side of the bedridden man. “Save your screams when death is upon you. Nobody will hear you. It is a very special spell that I have cast, John. It is an illusionary trick that works on the mediocre minds of humans.”
John strained his eyes “Seraphina?”
“Finally, John.” Seraphina drew closer “Do you know your kids are coming to see you?”
John’s eyes brightened. “Are they?”
Seraphina bent over and tickled John on his chin, teasing him like a trapped prey. “Yes. Please stay alive. I don’t want them to be here to see a dead man.”
She leaned forward, and then grabbed John by his throat, the nails on her willowy fingers growing until they were like purplish daggers that dug into his flesh.
“No man has ever denied me, John. Don’t you try.”
#
Maganus woke up to an unfamiliar chill. He struggled to open his eyes. Jin was the first person he saw, and then Father Bellator who was applying a wet cloth to his face.
“Am I dead?” Maganus asked.
“Hell has no place for you and Heaven is full,” Jin teased. “You are still on Earth!”
“What happened?”
“It seems Eberhard has been hard on you,” Jin said.
Maganus leapt to his feet. “That bloody beast is not getting the better of me.”
“I could be wrong.” Jin quickly added.
“I want you to be a spectator when we fight again.” Maganus said, his beard bristling with life.
Jin nodded. “I will be an obliging audience.”
The Angel of the Woods begun to cough and he took seat on a boulder.
“I see you need more rest,” Jin said.
Maganus shrugged. “It is my good fortune that you came in time. If you had not, I would be very dead.” Maganus extracted his smoking pipe from the depths of his tunic. Like a child with a candy, he lit and puffed away with a smile creasing his face. Then he looked for Mathew. He took the cue from Jin’s eyes. The sullen lad was leaning against the trunk of a tree.
Maganus stood and walked towards the boy. “I am glad you are fine,” he said in a feeble but steady voice. “We will get Sarah back for you.”
“Trust us, Mathew. Sarah is alive. The person they really want is you.” Jin added.
“I am ready to exchange my life for hers,” Mathew said.
“Cast away the thought of death, Mathew,” Maganus said. “You must never entertain the thought of giving up your life so easily.”
“I am better prepared, Jin,” Mathew said.
“If you can accommodate another word of counsel, I have something to share,” Maganus added.
“What is it?”
“From this point onwards, as we engage the Demons again, guard your emotions well. Your negative vibes can be used as weapons against you. Your emotions will be your liabilities, something to be used to hurt you. It is hard to get into specifics, but the Demons are skilled in manipulating man by playing upon their weaknesses. Your liability is their asset.”
Jin followed on. “Guard your emotions. The Demons are waiting for you to fall into the emotional trap of being anxious and make the critical mistakes, Mathew.”
Mathew inhaled. “I will try but it will not be easy.”
“Thank you. We must move immediately then,” Jin said as a familiar shrill was heard. Pologus had returned.
“We have a destination, it seems.” Maganus looked at the bird, which landed on his right hand. They spoke in tongues. Maganus puffed aggressively on his pipe. “They are at the valley, four hours from here.”
“I sensed something amiss,” Jin said.
“Pologus reported the sight of Castle Valmar.”
“A castle? A castle in the middle of the Delaware Reserves!” Mathew asked.
“Mathew, Castle Valmar is a bastion of for the Demons in the realm of Earth. When such a base can be built, it means the entire morality the human race has degenerated to such a level that makes it possible for Demons to enter the realm at ease and establish their base to subvert the human race. The concentration of negative vibes is oxygen to these demons. They breathe the evil vibes of humans and feed on their anger, hatred, and selfishness.”
“A whole castle and not discovered?” Mathew enquired.
“Normal humans cannot detect the presence of the castle or the armies of Demons,” Maganus explained as the group changed course and headed towards their new destination. “They move and act under the cloak of darkness. There is division in the two worlds that mortals cannot detect.”
“What exactly is Valmar? I noticed the awkward expression on Jin’s face when it was mentioned.”
Maganus smiled. “Valmar brings bad memories for us, Mathew.”
“Why?”
“Castle Valmar used to be a manor castle that belonged to a cadet branch of the House of Hapsburg. It was built in the fifteenth century. A terrible battle between Angels, Demons, and Kings took place on the thirteenth of April, 1566. Many died. That includes my fellow Angels, and we lost quite a few Kings, not to deaths but to moral corruption of the Demons. The Demons carried the day and we retreated, with our forces crushed and morale shattered. Were it not for the strength of the Kings from the House of Hapsburg, we would have lost Europe to a handful of twisted souls and demons.”
“Valmar has since been synonymous to any bastion of the Demons, our jargon for the presence of a demonic army.” Jin continued.
“Demonic army?” Mathew cried.
“Great numbers, Mathew. Legions,” Maganus said “Do you know how many is in a legion?”
No answer came.
&
nbsp; “Sight will provide the best validation, Mathew.” Jin said blandly.
#
Sarah shivered, not only from fear, but also from being hauled high in the sky. The gargoyle had both talons sunk into her shoulders, the sharp nails like daggers. She looked for blood but saw none. Her tears were brimming at the edges of her eyes, but she held them at bay, afraid of infuriating demon.
She could hear gargoyle’s breathing and its heartbeat as it pounded over her head. Where is this beast taking me? Is it going to a nest? She clasped her trembling hands together and prayed.
When she opened her eyes, she spotted a castle-like building lying below, nestled in the middle of a monstrous span of darkness. The gargoyle circled the structure and landed. When the creature released her, she dropped to her knees, unable to stand.
Then she spied the nest she had anticipated and moaned.
Chapter 30
Ambush
The unexpected encounter with Lord Barbatos, the Duke of the Demons, left Gwyneth spent, not just physically but emotionally. The power of Barbatos disturbed her. He seemed to be in a fresh league, on par with Maganus and Alastair.
She stopped to rest and leaned against a building. Just for a moment, she told herself. But I must keeping going. I know I’m looking for a needle in a haystack, but I have to investigate the reason for Barbatos’s presence in New York. Seldom does the Duke of Demons made his presence known in such an audacious manner.
Gwyneth straightened up and continued her search. For over two hours, she combed the streets but failed to locate Barbatos or any other Demons. The dispersal of the evil miasma also baffled her.
A return to the City Hall yielded no results either. After another hour of futile searching, she rested again. I must inform Maganus about my encounter with Barbatos.
As she flew back to the woods of Delaware, she prayed and soon sensed the presence of a miasma. Demons!
Gwyneth inspected every foot the vast span of land, a quilt of sparkling lights, for the precise source of Demons. Then she spotted the blanket of flickering illumination—it was fire and the pungent waft of burnt material.
