She swallowed once and then again. Suddenly her mouth was dry and she couldn’t speak so she just nodded her head.
Chapter 49
She was flying. WOW, she was flying! It was pretty incredible. The wind was a little strong up there but with Calden’s arms around her she felt totally safe. With every stroke of his wings they pushed up slightly and then they fell slowly until his wings beats again. She looked all around her and down at the ground. They weren't quite high enough for people to look like ants, but it was still pretty cool. She was trying not to squirm too much. She’d rather not get dropped.
“Um…”
“Yes?” Calden asked.
“How are you doing? I mean, I’m not like a size zero or anything. Are you getting tired, yet?” she asked while trying to grab her hair up to stop it blowing across her face.
“No. You are just the perfect weight for me to carry.”
“You’re being very diplomatic.”
“Well, actually, I don’t get tired, even if I was carrying an elephant, which you certainly are not.”
“Thank you.”
She really loved being cradled in Calden’s arms. He smelled like the color green. She couldn’t really explain it, but it was like the best spring day, clear and cool and fresh. He was pretty bulky too. He needed big chest muscles to push his wings through the air, she thought, and pretty big biceps to swing a sword.
“How far away is Miranda?”
“Not far, about an hour as the angel flies.”
“You’re pretty funny for an angel.”
“The best angels are.”
“How did you get assigned to me?”
“I asked for you.”
She looked up at him, “What do you mean?”
“Well, I worked myself up in rank, doing good deeds.”
“What, like helping kittens out of trees?” she asked before being distracted by a bird that had come in close to see what they were.
“Well, you didn’t really think firemen did that kind of thing, did you?”
“So, you worked yourself up in rank, and the best they could find for you was being assigned to me? Maybe you should have tried harder. You know, like helping old ladies across the street.”
“You’re pretty funny for a Bringer. In fact, it took me a millennium of doing good deeds to even be in the running to be your angel. Would you like to fly through a cloud?”
“What? Yeah!”
Calden banked slightly to the left.
“It’s kind of like fog,” Brynn was reaching out with her hand trying to snag some cloud. “You know a little wet and coldish.”
The cloud trailed behind them a little as the emerged into the sunshine.
“So you actually worked at becoming my angel. You have got to be kidding. It can’t be that great to follow someone like me around cleaning up her messes?”
“One day you will understand just how pivotal your role is. But, maybe today isn’t the right day for that. You have time, let’s focus on saving Miranda for now and leave the big stuff for later.”
“I’m glad you’re my angel.”
“Me too.”
She looked over her shoulder and saw Jerom being flown by Mathius. He waved at her then pointed to Mathius and mouthed, “How crazy is this?”
“I know!” she mouthed back.
Chapter 50
She was a little concerned about landing, because she'd heard that the most dangerous time in flying was the take-off and the landing, but Calden beat his wings a little quicker and they hovered upright for a moment, and then slowly touched down. Jerom and Mathius landed right next to them.
“Where are we?” Jerom asked as he looked around getting his bearings. They set down in a forested area with outcroppings of granite scattered about.
“We’re about two miles from Miranda. She’s being held in an abandoned rock quarry to the east of us,” said Calden.
“Do we know what kind of situation we’re walking into?” Brynn asked.
“An ambush,” said Jerom.
“He’s right, it is an ambush,” Calden said and Mathius nodded. “She’s trapped in an old elevator cage that’s suspended over the quarry. As soon as we try to free her, the demons will be all over us.”
Brynn watched the men just kind of looking at each other. What were you really going to say? So, they started walking through the trees, parallel to the roadway. It gave them some cover, which she didn’t really see the need for. She was pretty sure the demons already knew they were there.
She looked over at Calden to see if he was actually walking or if he was floating or something, because she could hear her footsteps and Jerom’s, but she couldn’t hear the angels at all. It totally looked like their soft, white boots were touching the ground, but they made no noise whatsoever. Mathius caught Brynn looking, but just cracked a tiny smile and looked away. Then Brynn looked for their wings, but with their wings folded up inside their tunics they weren’t visible at all.
It was late afternoon and the heat and humidity were intense. Brynn could feel sweat trailing down between her shoulder blades and rolling across her scalp to gather at the nape of her neck. The air was thick and hard to breathe and her breathing was hard since the ground was rising steadily toward the quarry. She was not sure how she was going to be able to fight if she couldn’t catch her breath. She didn’t want the angels to do all the fighting for them. She had learned a few things and she had a little power. She wanted to be able to contribute somehow.
Calden motioned for them to follow him through the trees. He took them around to the north side of the quarry where there was a large rock formation.
“Quietly now,” he cautioned, and they followed directly behind him as he climbed to the top of the pile of granite. He motioned for them to keep down so they slithered up into position beside him. Brynn poked her head up just enough to see over.
The quarry was huge, oval in shape with deep straight sides. It was like God took a giant scoop out of the earth and left that hole. There were giant slabs of broken granite lying up against the sides of the quarry and water had collected in places at the bottom. It smelled swampy enough that she wrinkled her nose. The water was still and unhealthy looking.
Across the quarry to the far side she could see Miranda. She was hanging over the edge just like Calden said. Miranda was surrounded on four sides by bars. She seemed to be sitting on a solid floor. Brynn couldn’t tell if it was wood or metal although the top of Miranda’s confinement was definitely metal.
The elevator cage was streaked with rust and creaked in the breeze. Behind her on the rim was the machinery to run the elevator. Big wheels with cables running over them connected to the arm protruding out into space. It looked like the machinery that ran the ski lift on the mountain her dad had taken her to last winter.
When Jerom saw Miranda, he sucked in his breath and his body tensed like he was about to run to her. Calden and Brynn both grabbed him before he could get up.
He struggled against them. “Let me go.”
“Don’t be stupid. They’ll be on you before you even get close,” Brynn said.
Jerom clenched his fists a couple of times, then held up his hands in an I give gesture. He didn’t stop watching Miranda though.
“Where are the demons?” she whispered to Calden.
“I can feel them. They are here,” he whispered back.
Miranda was sitting slumped against the side of the cage. She looked around slowly. Not moving much, but alert. Her hair was tangled, her clothes torn and stained. Brynn was too far away for too many details, but she could see enough to know Miranda had been handled pretty roughly.
Calden moved back down the pile of rocks and they all followed him. He led them into the woods back away from the quarry a little ways so they could talk. The forest wasn’t too thick, but they walked far enough in that they couldn’t see anything but trees.
“Okay, what do we do first?” Jerom said.
“Well,
we know this is a trap. The demons are just waiting for Brynn. They’ve lured us here to either take Brynn or kill her. Neither option is acceptable,” Calden said, and Brynn agreed. She wasn’t thrilled at the prospect of being taken to wherever demons take people…or death. Death sounded really bad.
“Well, we know they’re there, right? So, can’t we just be on guard. Be ready to fight them. How many can there be?” she asked. She must have sounded a little naïve. She judged this from the looks she was getting. “Okay, well who has a better idea, then?”
“You’re right, Brynn. We really don’t have a choice. I need to get my sister out of that thing. Demons will come and Jessica too, maybe even more cult members. Jessica herself is pretty powerful. How many demons do you think we’ll be facing?”
Calden and Mathius looked at each other. Maybe they didn’t need words to communicate, because they nodded or shook their heads and their faces changed expressions like people do when they are talking. They reached a decision because they turned to Jerom and Brynn and Calden opened his mouth to speak.
“It feels like two slayers, a couple of seekers and a few flyers. There could be anywhere from six to ten demons waiting for us.”
“You don’t know exactly?” Brynn asked.
“We can’t pick them out exactly. We can feel more than you two can when you focus and sense, but we aren’t perfect. Not yet anyway.”
“Well then, maybe we should figure out the best way to attack them. I know you two have those cool light sword thingies you use and can take out quite a few, but Jerom and I aren’t defenseless, either. I mean Jerom did pick up a huge tree and throw it at that one flyer that had me, and maybe I can call on the water and earth spirits to help me.” Calden, Mathius and Jerom just kind of looked at her and then slowly the light went on.
“You’re right,” Calden said. “I figured you would just let us fight them all, but you have every right to participate if you want.” He said this as if getting to fight was like going to an amusement park or something. Brynn just wanted to do her part and help. She knew, there was a pretty good chance that she, Jerom, and Miranda would die here, but she couldn't just sit by and watch either.
“Well, let’s decide how we’re going to run things then,” Calden said as he picked up a stick and started to draw a rough sketch of the quarry. They all gathered around and listened as he started to outline a strategy.
Chapter 51
Brynn wasn’t sure she liked being bait. Maybe Jerom felt differently, but she didn’t have a chance to ask him. She found herself sneaking again, which was not something she was so great at. Jerom was in the lead as they moved from tree to tree. She was supposed to be watching where she stepped so she didn’t break a twig and make a sound, but there were twigs everywhere and she felt like she was trying to balance on a tight rope that kept changing directions.
They were doing okay though, because they were closing in on Miranda’s location and so far no demon attack. Brynn couldn't see or hear Calden and Mathius. They must be being super angel stealthy, she thought to herself, so they could get into position ahead of them. The angels were preparing for the upcoming ambush.
Brynn’s heart was racing and she could feel the blood pounding in her ears. She wouldn’t be able to hear a branch breaking if she crashed into it over the roaring of her own nervousness. Clouds were starting to build up and the air was really still. Everything was really still. It felt like the world was waiting for this, this conflict between good and evil. She caught herself holding her breath as well and had to remember to exhale.
Jerom and Brynn pulled up behind a huge tree surrounded by several large bushes. It felt relatively safe there. It wasn’t, but it felt that way. He turned to look at her and she saw her emotions in his face. It seemed like everything she was feeling, he was feeling too.
She grabbed for his hand. She needed to feel his resolve, his courage. She needed to feel not alone in this. Their lips found each other. Her arms wrapped around him and he pulled her in close, crushing her into his body.
The kiss was part comfort and part escape from terror. They ended the kiss slowly, softly, as if saying goodbye. She felt tears running down her cheeks. He wiped the tears from his own face, took her hand and turned.
They looked through the bushes and could see Miranda hanging in front of them not too far away.
“You ready?” Jerom whispered, right into her ear. Brynn just nodded, too afraid to even use her voice. They bent down ready to leave the protection of their shelter. They ran in a crouch toward Miranda. There wasn’t really any concealment between them and Miranda, so she was not sure why they were running all bent over, but it was what they did in the movies, so she figured it must be the right thing to do. She strained her ears to hear anything moving or flapping toward them, but everything was still too quiet. They pulled up in the middle of the rusted machinery, right behind the cage that Miranda was in.
“Took you guys long enough,” Miranda said in her most annoyed voice. She was probably talking in her regular voice, but it sounded like she was screaming as loud as she could.
“Shhhh,” Brynn kind of whisper-shouted back.
“What, you don’t think they know you’re here?”
She had a point.
“Are my Mom and Dad with you?”
Brynn looked back at Jerom and he just shook his head back at her.
“They may not make it to help us, Miranda.” she said.
“Did you at least bring an angel with you?”
“Of course, you think I wouldn’t come prepared?” Brynn said in her normal voice. Whispering was making her throat scratchy anyway. Jerom was working on the pulley that would draw the elevator back over the ground. The chain rattled and the elevator began to swing around. Brynn reached out to steady the cage as she looked about, waiting for the attack.
Everything grew still. Brynn couldn’t hear birds anymore. It felt as if the world had stopped moving.
“What’s going on?” asked Miranda as she quickly crawled up to the door of the cage. Her eyes were wild and she kept turning around trying to see everything at once.
“I think they’re coming,” said Brynn and then it felt like all the air had been suddenly sucked out from around her. “The demons, I think the demons are coming!” She heard a loud boom and the air came rushing back.
“They’re here!” Jerom shouted.
“Get me out of here!” Miranda shouted back while banging her hand against the door. Several demons popped into existence in a rough circle a couple of hundred paces back from them.
The stench hit Jerom first. It was like burning plastic layered with rotting animal den. He coughed, “They smell even worse in big groups!”
The only protection they had was the old iron of the elevator works. Jerom ran to Miranda and slipped his hand through the bars of the cage. He palmed the lock holding her chains in place. He murmured a word or two and then pulled the lock free. Brynn helped Miranda untangle herself from the chains while Jerom opened the elevator door.
The demons moved slowly toward them.
Miranda pushed out of the elevator and they were now pretty much backed up against the cliff edge of the quarry. Brynn looked behind her and down, which she shouldn’t have done because she was even more terrified now. The bottom of the quarry was a long, long, way down.
"They've blocked our path back to the trees!" said Jerom roughly as he looked around for another escape route.
"I think I can help," said Brynn.
"Good, because those two huge, stinking, drooling, smoking demons are getting closer," said Miranda.
Brynn focused outward to the earth spirits she hoped were under her. In her mind she saw several tall, slender figures as they flowed in and out of the space between the rocks and the roots underground. They were the same amazing chocolatey-brown color as before with clothes woven of little rootlets. She tried to send her wishes to them although she hated to ask them to do this, because she knew they preferred no
t to tear the earth apart, but it was all she could come up with. She imagined the earth opening and the demons falling in and the earth closing up over them. She ran this through her mind over and over until the ground started to shudder beneath them.
It was hard to keep their balance. Miranda grabbed Brynn to keep from falling over, which caused Brynn to stumble into Jerom’s chest. He windmilled his arms trying to keep his balance and ended up leaning forward and wrapping himself around Brynn.
“It must be working! Look!” he shouted at Brynn and Miranda. Large cracks were developing around two of the demons Brynn had been focusing on.
She could start to hear the earth spirits in her head. She couldn’t make out words, but she heard a soft murmuring and then it started to grow from a murmur to a roar and the earth split with a deafening crack. The demons lost their footing and tumbled down into the earth. The roaring in Brynn’s head changed to more of a joyous, exultant sound and then the earth snapped shut with a loud, almost painful cry.
The demons weren’t totally gone, though. The head and shoulder of one of the demons was still sticking up out of the ground at kind of a sideways slant. It twitched violently a couple of times and then was still.
Miranda dry retched a little, "I swear there's nothing worse than being swallowed alive by the ground."
The back of the other demon’s skull was all that was left of that one. The other demons had to come around the elevator machinery to get to them, so that gave them a bit of a head start.
“Come on, run!” Jerom shouted and pulled at them to get them moving. They ran full out. The trees beckoned with a sense of safety. Brynn felt kind of like she was playing hide and seek. If you get to base you’re safe. She was hoping that was true, but really she knew it wasn’t. She had never run this hard before and then Brynn saw her out of the corner of her eye. It was Jessica, the head of the cult.
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