“There are four kings of hell. When Lucifer fell, he took four angels with him, these four he appointed as kings. Four kings, one for each corner of the earth.” He loaded his 9mm and tucked it into his waistband.
“You keep a gun in the back of your pants?” She didn’t mean to interrupt but that was disturbing, shouldn’t he be using a holster of some kind? “What happens if it goes off?”
Puzzled by her question, he just looked at her like a deer caught in the headlights. “Well,” he thought for a second, “I have never shot my own butt before. I’m pretty safe with my weapons.”
“Remind me to sit far away from you.”
He smiled at her humor. “Back to the kings, there are four and each one has dominion over a corner of the earth.”
“When you say corner…?” Her words hung questioningly in the air.
“I mean north, south, east, and west has their very own dark king and Yeqon is coming with an army.” He filled his pouches with ammo. “We should have been practicing today. Come on.”
He led her behind the storage shelf at the back of the room. The shelf actually set far enough away from the wall that a grown man could squeeze behind it. From the front it looked just like all the other shelves that were mounted to the walls. At a closer look she saw what caused this great illusion. The shelf had been built in different depths, from the front it looked evenly built but in actuality it slopped in depth.
A tunnel lit up behind the shelf. “What is this?”
“This tunnel will lead you straight to the silo. If you ever need to get back to the house unseen, use this tunnel.” They walked a few paces and he stopped. “Only come out if you’re discovered. Otherwise stay in here. Raum should be here shortly, Gabriel went to get him.”
The angel Gabriel often helped transport them when they needed to move quickly. An angel could wrap the person in his arms and in the blink of an eye they could be anywhere, like teleportation.
When Josh had sensed the demon king’s approach, Gabriel had appeared, also ready for the battle. Josh was quick to say that Raum was in Flint, Michigan and they needed him here — now.
“But where are you going?” Hannah tried her best to hide the fear from her voice, she failed miserably.
Josh cupped his hands on the sides of her face. That look in her eyes stirred something within him. He gave her lips a quick brush with his own. It’s not the kiss he would have liked to have given her but he suspected that it wasn’t his kiss that she sought — it was Raum’s that she craved. “I’m going to kill what I can and send the rest back to hell. You stay here. You’re far from ready for this. Your training has only just begun.”
In a flash he was gone and she stood alone in this cold dark tunnel.
Raum stepped out of the shower. Something was wrong. He could feel it. Hannah was in grave danger and he was miles away.
He dressed as quickly as he could, not bothering with toweling off first. Tying his boots he heard that familiar buzz, a soft buzzing like what a bee makes but only quieter. “Hi Gabriel.” He holstered his weapons and walked into the angels waiting arms.
A bright light descended upon them, carrying them away to their destination.
Stepping out of Gabriel’s embrace, Raum surveyed his surroundings. Everything had grown dark. Never in all of his days had he met one of the kings. The kings stayed hidden in their corner of hell watching over their territory.
“Be careful, Aunlyn.” Gabriel ascended into the clouds, his light heading straight for the darkness that was quickly approaching.
Raum entered the silo. He needed more weapons. His 9mm and Bowie knife were not enough for what was coming their way.
Josh appeared from behind the far storage shelf. “Where’s Teresa?”
Raum loaded a new clip in his piece. “Michigan. There was an attack on the church in the next town over. Believe me; I would have brought her otherwise.”
With weapons holstered to nearly every inch of his body, Raum entered the tunnel behind the storage shelf. He had to see Hannah before he went to battle. Other than Satan himself, the kings were the only things that could kill a Daimon. If by some chance he didn’t survive she had to know how he felt.
He sensed her long before he saw her. Her energy had increased tremendously since he last saw her. No other Devada he trained had ever been quite so strong so quickly. Then again, no other Devada had transformed at a snail’s pace either.
He knew she was close, she had to be standing almost in front of him but still he couldn’t see her. “Hannah?”
A giggle.
He held his hands out in front of him, like a blind man, feeling for her. “Where are you?”
A purple hue appeared directly in front of him and then her body appeared. “I’m right here.”
“When did you learn to become invisible?” He reached out to hold her hand.
“A few minutes ago.”
“How? I’ve never met a Devada that can do those kinds of things. Angels yeah, but they’re spirits. They don’t have a physical body.”
She shrugged. “I don’t know. I just wanted to be invisible and then you came in and almost walked right into me. When you stood toe to toe with me and called out to me I realized that I had done it.”
“That’s beyond amazing.” He enveloped her in a hug. His next words froze on the tip of his tongue. If he told her that he loved her, what would she think of him? What if she didn’t feel the same way about him? What the heck. If he didn’t say them now he may never have another chance. “Hannah I…” The ground shook, cutting off his next words.
“What was that?” She held on to his arm.
“That, baby, was the army of demons breaking our protection band.” He kissed the top of her head. “Stay hidden, use your invisibility thing if need be, but stay hidden.” He tipped her chin and kissed her lips, gentle yet rough.
Pulling away quickly, he ran out of the tunnel so fast he was a blur to her eyes.
Hannah watched Raum run out of the tunnel. She thought she had heard him whisper I love you on his way out. Surely that’s not what she’d heard. And the kiss? No. Not just a kiss, but she’d gotten two kisses. First Josh, then Raum. What was she to do now? How was her brain supposed to process that?
She edged closer to the stairway that led up to the silo. It sounded like World War III out there. The sound of gunfire and clanking swords echoed throughout the tunnel.
A cold chill ran up her spine. Closing her eyes, she willed herself to become invisible again. She looked down at her hands. They were not there. Neither was the rest of her. She smiled, pleased with herself.
Black fog crept down the stairs. She wasn’t sure what it was but it wasn’t anything good, that she was sure of. “Hannah.” Her name was like a rush of wind throughout the tunnel. “I know you’re here, Hannah. I can smell you.”
The fog stopped at the bottom of the stairs. She stood frozen. The fog was just mere inches from her. Slowly, carefully, she stepped to the side.
The fog lifted as if it were lifting to smell the air. “Mm, your blood smells so sweet.”
Holding her breath she prayed that the creature would move. She wanted it to crawl on down the tunnel so she could get away.
The fog lowered back down to the floor, creeping along the ground. The instant it was completely away from the stairway she quietly crept up and out of the tunnel.
The silo was empty. Keeping herself invisible, she looked around for a weapon she could use. The knives were great but that meant that she would have to be within reach of the demons in order to use them. Thanks but no thanks.
Hanging on the wall was a compound bow. That she could use. By no means was she a pro with a bow and arrow but she could make a pretty accurate shot most of the time. She could thank her daddy for all of their hunting trips.
She eased the bow off of the wall. Held it to her body testing the strings, the string stop would make for a quieter shot. On the wall next to where the bow had been was a quive
r full of golden arrows.
She remembered briefly reading about pure gold being the only thing that could injure a demon. She slung the quiver over her head, securing it to her back. “Well, let’s rock and roll,” she whispered to herself.
She got as far as the silo door and the bow in her hands caught her eye. She was still very much invisible but her new weapons were not. Closing her eyes she visualized the bow and quiver of arrows disappearing into thin air.
When she opened her eyes nothing was there. She did it, they were invisible. Letting out a long breath she exited the silo.
The first thing she saw was Raum springing upon a demon and jamming his knife in the demons heart, well where his heart would be if he actually had one. The demon vanished in a cloud of dark blue smoke.
She raised her bow. There were so many demons scattered about, their razor-sharp teeth shining in the moonlight creating an eerie glow.
Making sure Josh and Raum were out of her range she pulled the arrow back, releasing it when she was sure her aim was good. Hannah watched as the demon fell to the ground. Seconds later he vanished in a cloud of dark blue smoke, like the first one she had seen.
Arrow after arrow was shot, all of them hitting their target. Several demons were killed by her hand. She smiled. Her daddy had taught her well. But now she stood there with an empty quiver.
As quietly as possible she removed the quiver and laid it on the ground next to the bow. Footsteps were headed her way. She wasn’t scared though because she knew who it was. She could feel him. It was as if they had a special connection.
“Hannah?” Raum whispered. “Where are you? I can feel your presence.” He held his hand out to the side waiting for her to slip her hand into his.
She brushed her fingertips over his open palm. “Right here.”
No time for holding hands or chatting. Several more demons appeared. Raum nonchalantly stepped in front of Hannah, hoping the demons wouldn’t sense her presence. He wanted to tell her to run but that would give her away.
He knew the moment she ran. It was as if a piece of him hollowed. Grabbing a sword in each hand he continued his battle against these slimy demons. The quickest way to kill one was to behead it with a golden blade.
Demon after demon fell at his hands. If everything went well, the three of them would be in bed before sunrise. The only question, how to get rid of the king? Hannah hadn’t been thoroughly trained yet and her magic had just come to her so she couldn’t kill it.
Hannah ran so fast that she didn’t see the branch on the ground. She fell hard, scraping her hands and cheek. She might be able to keep herself and her weapons invisible but blood? No, once the blood left her body and adhered to another object it was beyond her control.
She dusted herself off and took off running. She had no idea where she was headed but she knew that it was in the direction of her home, her parent’s home. The very one that had been burned to the ground to cover up the bizarre demonic attack on her mother and father.
The trees thinned out around her. Before long there weren’t any more trees to hide behind, she was in an open pasture. It’s a good thing she had invisibility powers. Chancing a quick look behind her she couldn’t see anything coming.
Slowing down to a brisk walk she listened. It was quiet, too quiet. The lack of sound was eerie and goose bumps rose on her arms.
She was reminded of her dream, this pasture and the silo behind her. She needed to come up with a plan. In her dream a demon chased her out here and she was weaponless. Her weapons.
Hannah reached down to her thigh holsters. Empty. She checked the holsters on her arms. Also empty.
A twig snapped. She froze in place, holding her breath. That demon, the one from the movie theater, emerged from the trees. He lifted his nose in the air and inhaled deeply. “Yes, I can smell your blood from here.” He licked his lips. “Come out come out wherever you are.”
With slow steady steps the demon moved in her direction. Stepping to the side, she moved in a different direction.
He lifted his nose again. “You’re moving. I’m close, I can practically taste your open wound from here.”
There was no use in wasting her energy being invisible when he could smell her and know approximately where she stood. Letting go of her shield she flickered back, becoming visible once more.
The demon’s eyes widened. “Nice trick. I’ve never met a Devada that could pull that off.” He flashed a smile showing his shark-like teeth. Holding up his hands he showed her the various knives. “Missing these?”
She swallowed hard. He knew she was defenseless.
Picking up a stick she held it like Josh had shown her, right palm out and left hand in. Rotating the makeshift Bo, Hannah watched him, waiting for him to make a move.
He threw one of her knives, like a dart, at her head. She ducked. “Not bad little Devada.” He threw another.
This time the knife nicked her shoulder. Wincing at the searing pain she rotated the makeshift Bo again, faster than before. The demon charged. She used the Bo to sweep his feet out from under him.
He jumped to his feet. He was angry and his blackened eyes bore into hers. It went on like that for a while. The demon would charge and she’d sweep his feet out from under him or she’d use her Bo to block his attacks.
The ground shook, lightning lit up the sky. Both Hannah and the demon looked up, terrified. “Zagan.” The name rang through the sky like thunder.
“Iad, zirdo kures,” the demon screamed into the air.
Hannah had to destroy this thing. He had just told his master, the king, where they were. Closing her eyes, she shielded her appearance from the demon. This invisibility thing was sure coming in handy.
She needed to get behind him but with her opened wounds there was no way she could do that without him smelling her. How could she do this? What she needed was a teleportation ability like Nightcrawler from the comics.
She wondered if she could will herself there like she did with her invisibility. Well she’d never find out if she didn’t try. Closing her eyes, she pictured herself standing behind the demon.
The air around her thickened, making it difficult to breathe. This scared her, causing her to open her eyes. When she did all she saw was a mixture of colors swirling around her body.
The swirling stopped and she now stared at the back of the demons head. She did it, she really did it. Using the Bo she swept his feet out from under him.
A warm sensation washed over her body. Purple light formed in the palm of her hands growing darker with every beat of her heart. She knew this was her magic but she had no idea how to use it.
“Place your fingers on his temples.” Raum’s voice echoed across the field.
She did. The purple light grew, surrounding the demons body. “Teloc.” The words left her mouth before she registered what it was she was doing. As the word die left her lips her power, the purple light of her magic, enveloped the demon in a devouring embrace.
She stood there, looking at the pile of ash left behind. Her first kill using her magic. What a rush.
Raum strolled toward her. “You did it.”
Thunder violently shook the ground. A noise drew their attention to the trees, footsteps and a wicked cackling. The demon came forth, pointing at Hannah. “Just give me the Devada.”
Raum quickly stepped in front of her, shielding her. “I don’t think so.”
More thunder. The ground at Hannah’s feet shifted, splitting with a small jagged line.
“King Yeqon is very upset.” The demon inched forward. “Give me the Devada so that I may make peace with my master.”
Raum drew a 9mm from his waistband. What was it with these two guys and guns in the back of their pants? He lifted the weapon, aimed it at the demon’s chest but before he could fire the demon held up a silver chain. “I have something you want.”
He tossed the chain to Raum. On the chain hung a pendent with the word, Koravin. “Where is he?” Raum asked.
“Give me the girl and you can have your poor pathetic excuse of a brother.”
Brother? Koravin? She would have to ask Raum about all of this. Surely the demon didn’t mean that Koravin and Josh was the same person.
“Is he hurt?” Raum pocketed the chain. “I swear if you killed Josh I will rip you to pieces.”
Or maybe Koravin was Josh after all. She would ask these questions just as soon as they were out of danger.
“Such hurtful words Daimon.” The demon feigned sock. “No need for such violence.” Using a hand gesture, the demon called over his shoulder, “Bring the Daimon.”
Another demon emerged from the trees. He deposited Josh’s limp body at their feet. Tears streamed down Hannah’s face. This man died to protect her. Why did her transformation have to take so long? She should have been out there fighting alongside them.
A heat arose from deep within her. A burning unlike anything she had ever experienced. She glanced down at Josh’s broken and bruised body. Seeing him in this state intensified her heat to levels that should have burned her up from the inside out.
The heat spread throughout her limbs. She lifted her right hand, palm out, toward the demons. “Teloc.” The demons evaporated, leaving two piles of ash behind.
A great white light descended from the sky. Thousands of angel’s wings surrounded them in the pasture. Lightning lit up the sky in brilliant shades of purple, red, and orange. The low growls of the demonic king shook the entire ground. “I’ll be back. The end is near.”
“Hannah,” the archangel Michael spoke, “You have done well.” He pointed to Josh. “You must restore him.”
“But,” she thought back to everything she’d read in Teresa’s journal. “How?”
Michael edged closer. “Hannah, you’re the chosen one. It’s you that will lead this war and it’ll be you that ends it.”
Just as quickly as the angels had come, they were gone. She looked around. She had no idea how to heal Josh, didn’t even know that it was possible.
Devada (Angels & Demons Book 1) Page 10
