The demon raised the sword above the angel and brought it down fast. Rogers met it with his rifle. The blow jarred all the way up his arm, turning it as cold as stone.
But he did not burn.
Once more he felt infused with calm. With the angel’s hand still on his shoulder he raised his rifle again.
It elongated and flattened, turning golden yellow, a long blade that hummed with power. Sparks flew as it met the demon’s blade.
The ground trembled and shook again beneath them.
“Hurry,” the angel whispered in Rogers’ ear.
Rogers felt invincible. It was only as he strode forward, his weapon raised, that he realized he was staring at the demon almost eye to eye.
The demon raised the blazing sword for a strike, but Rogers didn’t give him the time to deliver it. He stepped inside the blow and thrust his own sword deep into the heart of the blackness.
The demon shrank, tendrils of shadow wafting frantically in the air. Rogers raised his sword again and Murmus retreated.
Seconds later the great vulture took off in a flurry of wings and feathers. A scream rent the air. Murmus swept over the lip of the valley and off, out of sight.
Rogers was left alone on the valley floor.
The ground slowly grew quiet beneath them. Rogers could feel the old one now, knew that the beast was buried deep, not dead, but at least sleeping once more.
He turned to speak to the angel.
It lay on the ground, unmoving. Rogers bent, and the angel’s eyes opened. It had strength for just one word before it died.
“Serve,” it said.
~-o0O0o-~
Rogers stands outside a squat building beside a dead tree.
It is night overhead… it is always night overhead. But he does not care, for he has a purpose now, a battle that can be won.
He opens his wings and lets a breeze ruffle his new feathers.
~-o0O0o-~
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Keen readers will spot that a greatly modified version of this story forms the first chapter of my weird western THE RAVINE. This was the original idea but somewhere along the line I decided it worked better with cowboys. If you've read both and have an opinion, I'd love to hear from you.
COVER IMAGE COURTESY OF Mark Hultgren
After the Fall Page 3
