by Mary Ting
“Cyrus thought I died. He also thought he killed Sabina, but he killed the real traitor, Halina. That’s another story for another day, but I’m sorry to have caused you grief. It was the only way the sisters could regroup and find your mother.”
My mother kissed my forehead gently and rose. “You rest. Sabina will be with you. Kalani will come with me. I need to get rid of the rest of the demons with this treasure.” She held a clear crystal ball the size of a golf ball.
I wanted to go and help her, to be by her side, but I knew my limit. I had been recently defrosted by the Snow Queen and was still recovering.
As if my mother could read my mind, she said, “You’re not well. You’re in no condition to fly.”
“Abel…” I said haltingly.
“I know, son.” She held my hand. “Abel’s death is not your fault. You didn’t kill him. Cyrus did. Cyrus is dead, but he left many demons behind eager to finish his work.”
I nodded, wishing I could have been the one to give the killing blow. “What about Milani? Does she know Kalani is alive?”
“Long story short, she does,” Kalani said. “My smart girl figured out the clues I left her in my journal and found our secret hiding place.”
“That’s Milani for you.”
“Well, we better go.”
I held onto my mother’s hand. “Mom. Be careful.”
“I will.” She gave me a confident smile. “I have the treasure, son. I am their new master now.”
With that, Kalani and my mom portaled out.
Chapter 31
Lucia
I blocked Eli out of my mind. He had to be fine. The Snow Queen would do anything and everything to keep her son alive. Holding onto that hope, I soared into the air.
We arrived in the middle of chaos. The lava continued to flow, but the Venators were using their breath and their wings to push it back or shift the molten rivers to the ocean. Homes and grassland were destroyed, the local ones near the mountain at least. The main cities hadn’t been touched.
The smoldering ruins reeked of death, and toxic gases from the volcano polluted the air as ashes rained down. Demons and angels fought on the ground and in the air. Colliding swords shot out blinding lightning and sounded like a raging thunderstorm. Swallowed up by a tunnel of darkness created from the mass of demon bodies, too overwhelmed, I could barely breathe, think, or even lift my sword.
I spotted Auntie Vivian and Uncle Caleb slicing through waves of demons. My previous missions were nothing compared to what I was witnessing. This war could be the end of mankind. It could be the death of us all. I pushed my pounding, terrified heart aside and told myself to be brave like the knights. Having Zach and Uncle Davin beside me gave me the will to carry on.
“While we wait for the Snow Queen, we kill as many demons as we can. Zach. Lucia. Stay close to me. Abel—” My uncle got choked up. He would never admit it, but somehow, the chosen knight kids made him get attached. “I will not lose another knight.”
Zach and I, hot on Uncle Davin’s heels, dove into the middle of the chaos with our swords raised and bows in our other hands. It felt like fighting a tornado as the demons circled us. The other Venators regrouped, and we formed a massive united circle.
“Let no demon enter our circle.” Uncle Davin raised his sword. “We are the Chosen Knights. Not unto us, O lord, not unto us, but to thy name give the glory!” he shouted. “Come to Papa.”
I shot my bow at the demon on my left. It hissed as its skeletal body quaked and crumbled to ashes. Ducking a blow from the demon’s sword, I jabbed my sword through where the heart would have been and yanked down to cut through its skeletal layers. It shrieked, and black powder sprinkled the air.
Time seemed to stand still as the battle raged on with no end in sight. How long could we keep it up? But we had to. We had no choice.
“Lucia, watch out,” my brother warned, moving behind me, but he was too late. Several demons burst into the circle and collided with me.
I tumbled away from the safety of the circle, leaving the protection of the Venators and heading straight for the mountain layered with lava. Flapping my wings, I fought the momentum unsuccessfully, but then I stopped short. A hand had gripped me. We floated in midair. No demons seemed to be lurking there.
“You are the one with wings my son fell in love with,” the smooth, velvety voice said.
I gulped down fear and met her eyes boldly. The Ikelia I remembered from our astral traveling was beautiful, but the Snow Queen dressed in a leather suit was stunning. Kalani remained by herself, her magic brewing on her fingertips, guarding the Snow Queen.
The Snow Queen appeared regal, with eyes that said don’t mess with me. The Snow Queen’s arrival must mean Eli was fine and recovering. I allowed myself to exhale, and the tightness in my chest eased somewhat. I wanted to ask her about Eli, but knots formed in my stomach after her comment.
“I would never hurt your son. He means the world to me. I love him.” There, I said it, and I didn’t care what she thought of me. “I was not his destruction, nor will I ever be.”
“No, you’re not,” the Snow Queen said to my surprise. “Perhaps I had it wrong. Perhaps I should have said the man with wings. We’re not perfect.” She winked. “Now. Move out of my way so I can finish Jacques de Molay’s last request.”
“Which is?”
“To send every demon back to Hell.”
The Snow Queen opened her palm. The clear crystal sparkled even with no sunlight to reflect. It grew brighter as she began to chant magical words, Non nobis Domine, non nobis, sed nomini tuo da gloriam, over and over again until the crystal shifted into an edelweiss flower. Petal by petal, it slowly peeled down into a flat crystal.
“Behind each petal, a dark secret hides. Revealing the past, one cannot deny. I hold the key to eternal damnation. So rise, children of darkness, and be gone. Close your eyes,” she warned.
Chapter 32
Jack
Fear gripped me. I had never been so scared in my life. We had fought demons before, but that was a whole different story. I had never seen such darkness and so many demons in one place, swarming around us as I struck blindly with my sword.
Dad took Grandmother to a safe place and promised he would come back. I believed him, but even a second seemed too long without him. Lilith and Cain had vanished. A good sign I supposed, unless they planned to come back for my dad later. Cowards! Either they were too scared to fight Cyrus, or Lilith was deathly afraid of the Snow Queen. I wouldn’t have thought Lilith was the type to run.
I tried to reach Lucia, but the endless demons pushed me back. Truth be told, I had to retreat. At every other encounter with demons, Lucia or Zach had my back, but I was on my own through no fault to anyone. The unexpected players and finding out Ikelia was the Snow Queen threw us for a loop.
Dad came back as promised. He fought like a true knight, tearing apart the demons’ skeletal bodies. Seeing my dad moving like a supernatural reminded me that he was alive but he had changed. With my dad watching my back, I fought alongside him. Never did I imagine us, side by side, fighting to save our island and the world. Unfathomable.
Then, when most of the demons had been terminated and I thought we were home free, Cyrus killed Abel. I screamed with despair when Cyrus thrust his knife-sharp wings through Abel’s body. My mind shut down, unable to believe what I had seen. It felt like a dream. A nightmare.
“Jack. I’m taking you out of here. We can fight the battles on the home front. I’m not going to allow Cyrus to get to you.”
“No, Dad.” I raised my hand to stop him, but little good that did. He took us out of there.
My dad and I fought side by side with Venators near our home, me with swords and him with fangs and strength. The wind howling, fire blasting from the volcano, screams, and swords clanging, I felt as though the world were ending around me.
My muscles ached, and sweat soaked my shirt. How long could I keep up with supernatural beings? I wanted
to stop, but I pushed past exhaustion. Perhaps I should have listened to Lucia. We were separated when countless demons appeared. She must be worried about me.
I stopped advancing and waited for the demons to come to me. I needed to save my strength, but there was nothing left of me. Demons surrounded my dad and me, taunting us by keeping their distance and yet not attacking.
“You look tired, little boy,” one of the demons hissed. “I can end it quick for you.”
“You will not take another human,” I spat, jabbing my sword into him. He moved. Too fast for my human eyes.
“Jack. Stay right behind me.” My dad ducked and split the demon’s lips, cracking his head. Then he bit one on the shoulder, taking a chunk off it. Its screech made my skin crawl.
The deafening cry brought attention, and more demons surrounded us.
“Help,” I croaked. Two against one hundred ugly things—I wasn’t sure we would make it out alive.
“Jack. I want you to run when I count to three,” my father demanded. “You run as fast as you can. I’ll hold off as many as I can.”
“I’m not going to leave you, Dad. We fight together, or we die together. I won’t lose you again,” I yelled, swinging my sword to bat away the demons.
“Stupid humans.” The same demon taunting me growled, showing me its jaws full of sharp teeth. “You can’t hide from me. I’m going to enjoy eating your flesh.”
It dove at me. I shifted aside in the nick of time, but its sharp nails cut through my flesh. I yelped as blood trickled down my chest, but I held the sword high with my chin up. Be brave like the knights. I will not let their death be in vain.
“Jack!” My dad shouted, worried for me.
“I’m all right,” I lied. I was going to die. Exhausted and wounded, I would not last long. And as more demons engulfed us, I knew my dad would not see tomorrow either.
I swung my sword, keeping them away from me, but they only laughed and mocked me. I was not afraid to die. Death would take me to a heavenly place. My life had been fulfilled. I got to meet Lucia, Zach, and Uncle Davin, and I got to meet my ancestor by astral traveling back to the past. And I got to battle alongside the supernatural beings. There were no words to describe the moment. I was part of that awesome history. If humans and supernatural beings went to the same afterlife, maybe I would see Abel. We could keep each other company.
“Stop playing around and kill—” The leader stopped talking and stiffened.
Some demons halted. A few screeched—a hideous sound. Alabaster wings circled around me. Venators. A silvery light resembling lightning zapped demons from behind. More and more light arrows penetrated the demons, blasting them into ashes that fell like sooty snow. I hunched and swatted my arm and my sword to keep them from consuming me. Pain shot through my arms and chest. Demons I couldn’t see struck me. In the chaos, Dad and I got separated.
“Jack!”
“Dad!”
My father gripped me around the chest and lifted until my feet dangled. We soared higher. Strange. I didn’t know my dad could fly. And…my dad felt wrong.
“Jack!”
My dad shouting my name came from below. Then I realized the demon leader had picked me up. Oh God! He flew toward the volcano, his followers behind me.
Jack!” My dad’s voice trailed behind me, running as fast as the demon flew.
My stomach dropped, and my heart lurched to my throat. The demon leader tossed me, another demon caught me, and then more tossed me back and forth.
I tried to use my sword, but the demons were faster, and I had another problem. My vision began to blur. Not only had I lost too much blood, my head spun. I vomited all over my clothes and the demon. Then something glorious happened. A miracle. My sword lit up like the sun breaking through darkness.
I questioned whether in my last moments my imagination had taken over reality. For if I could make it happen, I would have the spirits of the Knights Templar save the day.
The seven Knights Templar from the caskets seemed to have risen from the dead. Their ghostly forms, riding on ghostly horses, penetrated the darkness and slew the demons with their swords. I assumed Jacques de Molay didn’t have his, for his was in my possession, firmly gripped in my hand, but I was wrong. Perhaps when we placed the swords on the caskets, it took an imprint, giving them a weapon to use. I could have sworn Jacques smiled at me and tapped his fist to his heart. What a vision, a gift from Jacques de Molay. Maybe my mind had created the vision to remind me I was never alone.
The demon holding me screamed in pain and exploded to ashes. With no one holding me, I dropped. Peace filled me as I closed my eyes and welcomed death. Then I thought of the person who made my life worthwhile. Because after Dad passed away, I had buried myself in depression and lived a lie.
“Lucia,” I murmured. “Thank you for being my friend, for keeps.”
Chapter 33
Lucia
White light burst from the crystal, forming into individual tiny lights like fireflies and then flying apart. Each light was the shape of an edelweiss flower. One brighter light shot toward the other side of the mountain. I could have sworn that one light divided into seven and formed into seven knights riding horses.
As if the demons were the beacon, the light knew where to go. Innumerable lights illuminated the dark sky until I felt as though I were in space surrounded by twinkling stars, only these stars were demon killers. As soon as a light neared a demon, it was sucked into the closest crystal. Some demons tried to escape. I would not let that happen.
Leaving Ikelia’s side, I swooped down like an arrow with my wings tucked in and released light from the palms of my hands. Steadily, I pushed stray demons into the center, toward where the crystal roamed. I didn’t want to think about what would have happened if the treasure were in Cyrus’s hands. Perhaps instead of the demons, the Venators would be sucked up, and then the gates of Hell would be thrown open.
As the demons began to disappear, cleansing away the evil, sunlight peeked through the ominous clouds. Though most of the lava spilled to the ocean, the rest began to harden. The individual lights blended back into one and returned to the main crystal in Ikelia’s hand. At last, the remaining demons shrieked and melted into the crystal.
Down below, Brody’s dad and his friends had stayed to defend their homes, holding weapons of various sorts—axes, hammers, brooms, swords, kitchen knives—and surrounding them were grandparents and little children holding up edelweiss flowers to ward off demons. I also spotted Vanessa, Kohl, Cayden, and students from our high school.
It was a sight to behold, bringing tears to my eyes. Humans had a lot of flaws, but they sure knew how to put their differences aside and work together for the greater good. They were willing to sacrifice their lives for a better future.
Cheers erupting in air and on the ground snapped me out of my daze. We had won the battle. The aftermath would tire us but, at the same time, bring the humans together once more. As the handful of Venator captains raised their swords, they ascended to the fallen Venators, whose bodies floated to the clouds, to bring them home. A heartbreaking sight.
“Lucia, you okay?” Uncle Davin asked.
Uncle Caleb, Auntie Vivian, and Zach were by my side too, covered in ashes.
“Yes. Just taking it all in, the good and the bad.”
“This was your first war. I’m proud of both of you,” Auntie Vivian said to Zach and me, dusting away the ashes on her suit. “Gross. This is so not right.”
“You did great,” Uncle Caleb seconded. He didn’t seem to mind the ashes.
“We have a lot of cleaning up to do,” I said, fanning my wings.
“I was given orders by the Elders to allow the humans to do most of the cleaning up. It will be a reminder for them how precious their lives are and to not to take life for granted,” Uncle Caleb explained. “Sometimes hardship brings the humans together. They are at their best when tragedy strikes.”
“I agree,” I said. Supernatural beings
were the same way. “Now what?”
“Demon hunters leave, and you guys get the fun stuff.” Auntie Vivian smirked. “Help monitor the cleanup. We need the island back to the way it was. Uncle Caleb and I need to assist your parents. Cyrus created demons around the world. We need to nip it in the bud before it gets out of hand.”
“Well, then. What are you waiting for?” Uncle Davin said, trying to lighten the mood. I could tell he missed them. “Go kick some demon butt and don’t be so square. See you when I see ya.”
Uncle Caleb chuckled.
Auntie Vivian arched her eyebrows as if she was offended, and then she gave Uncle Davin a hug. “Miss you, old fart. Don’t be too hard on the kids.”
“They drive me nuts, but I love them.”
Then Uncle Caleb reached out to give Uncle Davin a high five, but Uncle Davin embraced him tightly. “You stop being so stiff.” Releasing Uncle Caleb, Davin said to both of them, “I’ll see you soon. Give Michael hell for me and give a kiss to Claudia.”
“Like old times.” Auntie Vivian choked up.
“Like old times,” Uncle Davin repeated. “We’ll be back soon after we get things settled and the humans’ lives are back to normal. You two be careful. I won’t be around to watch your backs. And try not to miss me.”
“We’ll do our best not to shed tears over you.” Uncle Caleb winked.
With a salute, they angled their bodies sideways and glided upward like fierce hawks. I parted my lips to ask Uncle Davin a question when I heard Jack’s voice, and it felt like a punch to my stomach.
“Jack,” I whimpered. Knowing he was with his dad, I hadn’t worried. I didn’t have time to worry.
“What’s wrong?” Zach asked, stretching his wings to the fullest.
I began to panic. “It’s Jack. He’s in danger.”
I took off, scrambling in the sea of fallen inky ashes calling his name. Zach and Uncle Davin soared in a different direction. I heard them calling his name, and the longer it took to find him, the faster my desperation grew.