Demon Gates (Helena Hawthorn Series Book 2)

by May Freighter

  Kaliroth took off from Nora’s shoulder and flew towards one of the vampires. He fished out a small bag from his coat’s pocket. The pixie took it with her tiny hands and sprinkled the contents around their group.

  “What is that?” Alexander asked.

  “A barrier,” Madeline replied. “It will protect those within it as long as the gate remains active.”

  Helena assessed the small shimmering specks on the ground. “What happens if people leave it?”

  “It’s best not to test whether the gods are on our side tonight,” Madeline said. “Those with silver souls and temporarily bonded to the saint will remain in the circle. You must decide now who is going through the gate, Helena.”

  “It’s a no-brainer,” Maya said. “Ben and I will go through and kill the demon.”

  “As much as I would like to see you perish on the other side of this wall, there is another task that needs to be accomplished,” Lucious said.

  Ben took out his two pistols and checked them. “You and Helena can save the vampire while we take out the demon. Give us the Arcanae Mortum.”

  Lucious snorted. “As if I would trust you with the only weapon we have against the demons.”

  Maya took out her gun and stroked her slender finger along the metal barrel. “We either do this or we don’t. Which is it?”

  “We should give Maya the blade, Lucious,” Helena offered.

  “On this matter, I will not budge, my dear. I cannot trust these hunters.”

  “Quit squabbling!” Nadine shouted. “We are risking our lives to open this gate for you. So, vampires, ready your wrists.”

  Dumbstruck, Helena gaped at the saint—a girl who never raised her voice was now commanding the proceedings. She turned her head and found Lucious’ displeased expression. His eyes narrowed on Nadine.

  Nora clapped her hands. With one look, Helena knew Reaver was back in control as Nora’s left eye was blue. “My men will guard the entrance while we prepare for the ritual. I suggest you ready your weapons because, once the gate is open, whatever awaits us on the other side may come pouring in.”

  “Have you done this before?” Helena asked.

  “I haven’t. No one is foolish enough to do this. No one but this group it seems…”

  Alexander shook his head. “Figures.”

  “It is finishedeth, Master Reaver,” the pixie announced in a high-pitched voice.

  Reaver beckoned for Lucious and Alexander to step forwards. “Don’t be shy, my good men. I’m certain you’ve bled more than what I will need for the ritual.”

  “I do not like to bleed for blood magic,” Lucious grumbled.

  “I concur,” Alexander said.

  Reaver took the dagger Maya had given Helena out of her hand. He returned to the men and sliced their offered wrists. Blood rushed to the surface and dripped onto the dirt between their feet. Reaver guided them to the wall where he pressed their wrists to the brickwork.

  The room buzzed with energy and the blood spread out along the wall, turning into archaic words and patterns Helena couldn’t read. The scarlet vines expanded further and painted an archway before both of the vampires were permitted to move their arms away.

  “A Blood Gate,” Helena muttered, remembering her grandmother’s entry in the grimoire. The final entry she had almost forgotten which stated that her father had passed through a ‘Blood Gate’ to save them from the darkness. She didn’t understand it at first. Now, it all fell into place. Her father could be on the other side…

  Reaver smirked. “An archaic name not used for over a century, but, yes, it is also called a ‘Blood Gate’ by the Wiccan Circles in the East.”

  Helena clutched her chest. This is it…

  Reaver rummaged in his pocket and fished out two black crystals. He handed one to Helena and kept the other. “In case you are wondering what it is, it is the viator bijous. To activate it, the wielder must sacrifice a dash of their life force. Nothing major, I assure you.”

  Lucious pushed past Madeline and Nadine and lifted the crystal from Helena’s hand. “I will hold on to this.”

  “It doesn’t matter who surrenders their life force,” Reaver said. “I only suggest using the bijous sparingly. It can make the user exhausted fast.”

  “Duly noted,” Lucious said.

  “And don’t forget, to kill a demon you must stab it in the heart with the blade,” Reaver told Lucious and, with a broad smile, winked at Helena. “For you, I have prepared a special gift. It is a freshly blessed amber stone to keep the darkness at bay since you are running low…”

  Helena lifted her hand and pulled back the sleeve of her jacket. Just as Reaver implied, her bracelets were almost black. The fact he could tell without seeing them made her more nervous. Nonetheless, she mouthed a ‘thank you’ as she took the stone and tucked it into her pocket.

  Reaver motioned for Nadine and Madeline to step into the middle of the barrier.

  Alexander took this chance to whisper something into Lucious’ ear. He stepped away and headed back out of the tunnel.

  Helena shot Lucious a questioning look. He shook his head and didn’t elaborate. So, she dismissed it.

  Maya, Ben, and Lucious moved out of the circle, and Helena edged closer to them. She folded her arms and waited.

  Each passing second seemed longer than the last. With sure strides, Nadine took her place in front of the witches and lifted her hands, palms facing the Demon Gate. As she did so, Horus materialised at her side with a look of disapproval, but he said nothing. The angel placed his hand on her shoulder, as did Nora and Madeline, and they closed their eyes.

  Heat rolled off the small group in waves, pushing away the chill that clung to Helena’s bones since they had entered the cemetery. Her skin began to prickle.

  The blood on the gate started to glow red and rotate. Nadine’s hands ignited with a golden light, much like Michael’s had done in the past. Over the constantly increasing humming in the cramped space, Helena couldn’t make out what Nadine was whispering. Soon, the blood on the wall merged into a single large bead at the centre. One by one, the bricks turned into a liquid mirror that reflected their shocked and worried faces.

  Once the gate was large enough to fit two grown men, Nadine stopped chanting and shouted, “Go. Now!”

  Helena recited a tiny prayer to the thudding of her heartbeat. She used her clammy hand to hold Lucious’, and they ran through the Demon Gate.

  25

  Demon Wastelands

  Wading through the gate was like moving through water. Lucious’ limbs were heavy. The only thing that tethered him to the world was the hand he gripped as they were consumed by the void. Within this abyss, he could not see her or hear her fluttering heartbeat.

  The darkness dissipated, and they emerged on the cracked dirt.

  Lucious scanned Helena to make certain she was in one piece and stole a brief glance at his body.

  The hunters were not too far behind. They jumped out of the gate with their weapons drawn and the items in their backpacks rattling softly.

  “What is that thing?” Helena pointed to the eight-foot tall bald man standing by the mirror-like circular gate they came through. His lips were stitched together with a black thread. A shadow as black as the demon’s eyes shifted around him. It morphed into trousers and a tucked in shirt.

  “Whatever it is, I doubt it’s friendly,” Maya whispered.

  The creature’s lips stretched into an unnaturally long smirk. The shadows from his body reformed into a scythe at his side and materialised into a real object.

  Lucious yanked on Helena’s arm and pulled her to stand behind him.

  The creature gripped the weapon with his clawed hands.

  The hunters didn’t wait long. They raised their weapons and fired off silver rounds into its chest, but it didn’t seem to do anything to the monster they were facing as he took a threatening step in their direction. The bullet holes closed a second later.

  “Run!” Ben shouted,
and they turned on their heels towards the barren wasteland.

  They did not get far. Some kind of barrier separated the gate from the much smaller demons. They lurked on the other side—waiting for them to emerge.

  “Shit,” Maya cursed and fired off more rounds into the mass of demons. Loud hisses escaped from within the concentration of bodies, yet none fell to indicate any mortal wounds. “Unless it’s explosive rounds, bullets are useless.”

  The link shook with agitation, and he glanced at Helena rubbing her shoulder nervously. Lucious returned his attention to the main threat. “Helena, hold on to me and don’t let go.”

  With her eyes flicking between the demons, she did as she was told and grabbed Lucious’ arm. “We can’t use the blade here.”

  Ben grasped Maya’s shoulder, yanking her back. “I’ll distract the big guy. The rest of you should get going.” He pointed both of his pistols at the advancing demon.

  “What are you talking about?” Maya shouted, hurting Lucious’ sensitive ears.

  Her partner eyed Lucious. “The vampire can carry you both out of here with his speed. It’s impossible for the four of us to make it.”

  “You can’t be serious!” Maya protested.

  Ben pushed his partner into Lucious’ arms. “You better take care of her. I will be seeing you on the other side of the gate.”

  Lucious grasped both women and lifted them as he would two sacks of potatoes. Not the most glamorous escape he could envision, especially when the female hunter flailed as he gained speed. She almost managed to knock him to the ground a few times as they fleeted past the seeking claws and snapping jaws with razor-sharp teeth.

  They surfaced on the other side of the demon horde that shifted to chase after them, and Lucious shook the hunter under his arm. “Stop fighting, wench. I am not doing this because I want to either.”

  “Maya, listen to him!” Helena pleaded.

  “What if something happens to Ben?” Maya shouted. “He’s my partner! We take care of one another.”

  “We do not have time for your complaining,” he said. “Be silent. We must find a hiding spot. My legs are getting tired.”

  Lucious did not say how tired. A burning sensation had set in. Vampires speed was fine when it was moving alone. Carrying heavy objects or people sped up the process of muscle tearing. And, he did not want to be incapacitated with two bickering women at his side in the middle of a demon-infested realm.

  He scanned the area for anything that could be considered as a hideaway. The demon stampede had disappeared as the monsters could not keep pursuing them, and he was thankful for it. When he reached a small hill, he let go of both women and rubbed his thighs better. The burning in them had overpowered the other sensations.

  “We have to go back!” Maya said.

  Lucious glared at the hunter. He gave up on his legs and straightened his posture. “You cannot possibly expect me to endanger our lives because you’re incapable of trusting your partner.”

  “I trust him, but I can’t help worrying, you parasite.”

  “Lucious is right. Ben will head back through the gate. It was still active when we ran away,” Helena said.

  Maya crossed her arms. “If it was this monster in Ben’s place, you would be singing a different tune.”

  “If I was the one staying behind, I would expect Helena to finish the task.”

  Maya’s scowl melted into lip-biting agitation. “Fine. I’ll kill the damned demon and go back. But, one major problem remains. Where the hell is he? How do we find the right monster in this endless wasteland of monsters?”

  “There is something over there,” Helena said and pointed at a large dome-like structure encapsulating golden skyscrapers.

  “Going there isn’t a good idea. It looks like demon-central,” Maya said.

  Lucious inclined his head. “It would be wise to remain hidden until we figure out where the demon could be.”

  “Lazarus probably already knows we’re here. That guy has been planning this whole thing for months. So, he won’t want to share his hard-earned trophy with other demons,” Helena explained and rubbed her right shoulder.

  The hunter mimicked her action as she added, “I am sick of it. This whole thing might be a death-trap, and we have wasted Ben’s efforts for nothing.”

  Lucious studied the two women. “Why are you doing that?”

  Helena frowned. “Doing what?”

  “You’ve been touching your shoulder for a while now.”

  Helena’s hand fell away. “That’s where the mark is. It’s itchy.”

  “It’s also a way for that demon to track us if he isn’t doing so already,” Maya added.

  “Does the mark work both ways?” Lucious asked.

  Maya gaped at him—an expression that highlighted how young and inexperienced she was. “Well, I’ll be damned! He planned this. He wanted us to come to him like the little lost lambs that we are.”

  “I wouldn’t call us lambs,” Helena said softly.

  “For once, I agree with the hunter. We are walking into an obvious trap with our eyes closed.”

  Helena nibbled on her lower lip. They fell silent, and Lucious studied the rest of the land. Over two dozen miles east, a small mountain reached towards the swirling grey clouds. Lucious was hesitant about being in a world without a single ray of sunshine haunting his every step.

  Glancing back in the direction they came from, he spied the gate about a mile away with the demons swarming it like locusts. The disturbing view made him understand how insignificant their knowledge about demons was. They were not of the same power level or strength.

  He sampled the air. It was similar to the Human Realm but drier. How long would they need to search this place before they came in contact with more demons? How long until the supplies in the hunter’s backpack run out?

  “What do we do now? We have one weapon that can kill a demon, and it has to be lodged in his heart to work. That is if Reaver spoke the truth,” Maya said.

  “It’s the best hint we’re going to get,” Helena replied. “I don’t think Reaver was lying. I remember reading something about it at Vincent’s library a long time ago.”

  “Because we have one weapon at our disposal,” Lucious began, eyeing the bulge around his ankle where the sheath of the blade dug into his skin, “when it comes to it, I want you two to stay back. I will take on the demon.”

  Maya snorted. “Are you serious? That only works if he’s alone.”

  “What if something happens to you?” Helena asked.

  “I will deal with that when the time comes. Right now, it is best to locate the demon and get out of here before we are discovered by the others.”

  Maya pointed at the mountain. “Ten bucks he’s in there. If we go off the information Helena gave us, and the itching in our shoulders, I bet that’s where he’d be. It’s not far from the gate and away from their bling city.”

  Stones shifted at the bottom of the hill, and he looked over his shoulder. A few dog-like demons managed to draw near and were eagerly climbing the hill. He voiced his frustration in a form of a curse. Grabbing both women, he fleeted for the mountain, ignoring the dull pain in his thighs and calf muscles.

  Once they reached a line of lifeless, naked trees, Helena’s legs were beginning to hurt, and she wasn’t even moving them. Lucious had been lugging them around for over twenty minutes. Although she didn’t want to interrupt his speed that made her hair whip around her face, she said, “Stop, Lucious. I know you’re in pain.”

  He halted, and his hurt expression made her heart ache. “I did not realise I was letting it slip past my shields…”

  Maya separated from him with her brows pinched together. The hunter didn’t trust him, and Helena had no idea how she could get them to work together.

  After Lucious helped Helena stand, he bent over and massaged his legs. One glance at him told her he was suffering. He tried to keep a blank face, but a few micro-expressions of pain peeked through the f
acade. He clenched his jaw with each step, and his eyes were tense around the edges.

  Helena grasped his shoulder. “Take a seat and rest. There are lots of trees here. If we stay low enough, we won’t get noticed.”

  Maya mumbled something like ‘weakling’, and Helena glared at her.

  “What?” Maya asked.

  Lucious plopped on the ground and relaxed against the rough tree bark. He took hold of Helena’s hand and pulled her onto his lap then buried his face in her neck.

  She stiffened. Is he going to bite me? After all, he had used a lot of energy and was becoming tired, fast.

  He didn’t do anything other than wrap his arms around her and inhale her scent with his eyes closed.

  “I’d prefer not having to watch you two get it on. I’m going to keep a lookout around the perimeter,” Maya said and marched away.

  Helena shifted in his lap and ran her fingers through his damp hair, pushing stray locks away from his sweaty forehead. She whispered, “Are you unwell?”

  He shook his head. “I will be fine. Allow me to rest for a while, and I shall be as good as a new Bentley.”

  “I didn’t know you were into cars.”

  “I’m not. That was something I said to take my mind off the pain.”

  It hurt too much to see him like this. He had undergone a descent not too long ago. Who knows what effect it had on him?

  She peeled back the sleeve of her jacket and offered her wrist to him. “Drink. It will help you heal, right?”

  Lucious diverted his face. “Move your hand away. I am not weak enough to need your blood.”

  “Is it because of what Maya said?”

  “No. It is not because of that,” he snapped and his grip around her middle changed to bruising. His fingers slipped under her jacket and t-shirt and sank into her skin. “It is because I might drain you before I can stop myself. So, I beg you to spare me and move it away.”

  Helena covered her wrist. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”

  He closed his eyes, and his hold on her loosened. “It has been a tough month, my dear. I never imagined I would fall prey to the descent. I never came close to it until I met you.”