by Kelly Hagen
He pulled the one sword he had left and pointed it out in front of him, and pushed through the pain of the heavenly barrier. He charged straight ahead, driven by pure hate through the pain, and the forming blisters. He would have her, or he would die trying.
He flew overhead towards the enemy behind her. The one protecting her. He brought down his sword, but it didn’t strike its target. He swung again, and again, but the sword of his enemy stopped it. He backed off, taking the fight to the sky. In the middle of all the other defeats and victories that it held, here he could move. Here he had speed. Here he had victory.
He spun in a circular motion, gaining speed as he traveled past fellow demons and angels, Necklim still far behind. He changed his direction, and like a fired bullet, cut through the sky at top speed, ready to take down whatever had the nerve to get in his way.
His sword out in front of him, he aimed with straight precision at one of the only unprotected places on the enemy. His side.
Necklim had turned and stopped just where Melti hoped he would. A sword, red with flames slipped through the hole on the side of his armor. Puncturing Necklim’s side and exiting out the other.
Still, that didn’t satisfy the uncontrollable desire they had been birthed inside the demon. He flew, just as fast and powerful as he had been until at last the ground rose up to meet them, and Necklim’s body smashed against it.
Chapter 22
Time drug by in slow motion. Sounds faded. Appearances blurred. His breath came in forced labors. Hands, as strong as they were, weakened around the blade protruding from his side. He fell, all twelve feet of him, unto the ground.
“Necklim! No!”
Katelyn ran to her fallen Warrior, fell to her knees and with shaky fingers moved aside the blonde hair that covered the rugged ivory face. Her eyes watered only for a moment. Angels didn’t die.
Anger replaced the sorrow. She stood, head raised, shoulders back, and looked into the eyes of Necklim’s attacker. No trace of fear. No trace doubt. Only boldness.
Melti towered above her. An evil grin on his thin, leathery lips.
“I wouldn’t be so quick to rejoice, Melti. You have not won. You will never win.”
Melti stepped back. Each spoken word laced with truth and courage pierced his charcoal skin and sunk in deep like that of an arrow in its prey. Any thought, no matter how remotely small, of regaining Katelyn slipped from his mind. It would never happen. He knew that now, though it was too late.
Pride had gotten the better of him. Pride always did.
Twinges followed the hushed groans he couldn’t repress. Every word caused damage. Weakness.
He tried to respond. Tried to come back against her verbal assault, but there was no pause. Katelyn continued to come forward focused on nothing else but him.
A glance towards where her Warrior fell informed him not only of Necklim’s disappearance but of the daughter and her Warriors as well.
A blue light appeared to his right. Another on his left, and right next to the troublesome woman in front him, appeared her daughter. The same determined look rested on her similar features. The young girl opened her mouth. Bright light, tinted with blue, carried her words of truth straight to him. The impact more painful than her mother’s, had left two-inch deep burns in their wake.
No longer able to hold back the shrieks, he let them escape through his jagged teeth. His fellow demons fell still and silent. Filled with confusion, they looked upon their leader. Taking down Necklim had stirred their ranks, had given them a false sense of hope, of victory. The sight before them took that all away.
“Attack them!” Melti yelled through his increasing screams.
No demon came to his rescue. Surround by heavenly Warriors and blocked off in front by the girl that had caused him such pain and her mother – he was left to fight alone.
Hoping to slip through their encampment, Melti turned, back towards the woman and the girl. His eyes widened. Hadn’t he taken this one down? “Nolan?”
“Ever ready, Melti. Ever ready.”
Melti watched as the Warrior lifted his sword. The glowing, flickering blues and whites around it held his demise within them. He knew it. His time was over. His reign finished. With a final shrill of the demon, the heavenly blade sliced through him. Where a proud, massive demon once stood, only a pile of burnt ash remained.
Nolan looked around, ready to confront any others. There was no need. Thin wings carried hideous mangled bodies in the opposite direction. Silhouetted against the fading light of the moon.
Celeste didn’t want to watch. Even though the fleeing demons meant victory, she’d seen enough. Heard enough. Instead, she focused her gaze on Nolan. The sides of his black hair were caught up in the wind flowing through the breeze. She smiled. Her Warrior. He’d been through a lot on her behalf. Though he would say, it was an honor, his calling – what he was created to do. That was him.
Her mom's arm wrapped around her shoulder. “You okay?” she heard her ask.
“Yeah. I think I am.”
Silence sat between the Holcomb family and the remaining angels, though it didn’t last long. “Mom, what about Necklim? Will he be okay?”
“I’ve never seen a Warrior hurt that bad before.” They all looked towards Nolan, hoping for a definite answer.
“It will take him a while to heal, but he will be okay.” Nolan smiled. “We can be hurt, but we are immortal. There’s no end for us unless it is by the Creator Himself.”
Relief was heard in the sighs of the mother and daughter next to him. He couldn’t help but let out one of his own.
“We will escort you to the hospital. There your Guardians will take over once again.”
“Is this over now?” Celeste asked. Though she tried hard to hide the hope in her voice, it hadn’t worked.
“For now,” Nolan replied.
“Great,” Celeste sighed.
“You know, I think that’s a famous line for these Warriors. If I recall correctly, I was told the same thing.” Katelyn chuckled. A little more light-hearted since the battle was over.
“Maybe so.” Nolan’s grin was contagious. It spread over the face of his charge. “I will be back, should you ever need me again.”
“You better.” Celeste held her arm up, fingers drawn into a fist and waited. Nolan laughed. She laughed. “Don’t leave me hanging, Nolan.”
He tapped her small fist with one two sizes more prominent. “I would never.”
Trevor, Katelyn, and Celeste pulled up to the hospital just before sunrise. Their faces, bodies full of nothing but exhaustion. Nolan dismissed the Warriors that accompanied him and Reneese, and then followed the small family through the revolving glass door.
Nolan filled in the Guardians, before saying his goodbyes to the girls that had found their way to the couch. Warriors in their own right. He had to admit. Both strong, spiritually. Both tenacious when they wanted to be. Even with all Celeste had been through, she was able to receive and extend what would help set her free.
Forgiveness.
There was no way Nolan couldn't respect that. Some humans had a hard time forgiving. He couldn’t understand why.
“What should we do now?” Celeste questioned.
Nolan’s slightly curled lips answered, “Rest.”
Discussion Questions
1. Have you ever wondered if the battle for your soul is real?
2. Have there ever been times in your life where you’ve done something and can’t quite figure out why?
3. Have you ever had trouble with forgiveness, be it forgiving yourself or someone else?
4. Have you ever felt unforgivable?
Can I tell you something?
God forgives! Jesus forgives!
God loves YOU so much that He sent His Son to die for you.
And His Son, Jesus, loves YOU so much that He chose to die for you!
How does that make you feel?
For we wrestle not against flesh and blood,
; but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers
of darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in
high places.
Ephesians 6:12 (KJV)
Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.
Romans 12:21 (KJV)
Acknowledgments
A sincere thank you to the following:
My Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
My family – Thank you for all your support and encouragement.
It means the world to me!
Special thanks to:
TreasureLine Publishing
My editors and beta readers
and last, but certainly NOT least
My Readers!
May your faith and trust in the Lord grow more every day!
About the Author
Kelly Hagen is a wife and mother of three. She’s also the
author of the mystery romance series Out Of the Past:
Book One – Trent: Everyone Has A Past
Book Two – Haunted by the Past
You can find her on Facebook as well as Twitter
https://www.facebook.com/groups/207744259864995/
https://twitter.com/Kelly_Hagen
She’d love for you to check out her website, and
while you’re there send her message! She’d love to hear from you!
https://kellyhagen.wixsite.com/author